If... (Weeks 5 and 6)

I'm trying desperately to catch up but I've said that before. No telling if I ever will. But, here are Weeks 5 and 6 of the "If..." project started by Nick, followed by Jody, then attempted by me here. Nick seems entirely too together, posting regularly and all that. Jody is more my speed, falling behind then trying like hell to make up for the time lost. Anyway, here are the next eight questions...

Week 5

1. If you could inherit a comfortable home in any city in the world that you could use but not sell, where would you want it to be.

Terribly easy question. Right here in Fayetteville, Ark. Granted, it's not as cultured as it could be for a university town but it's just funky enough to make me feel at home. We've avoided much of the sprawl the rest of NW Ark has (thank you to Wal*Mart for being in Bentonville) but the growth has impacted Fayetteville in a good way I think. Plus, doing a search not long ago, I found we hit number 7 on Kiplinger's list of Best Places to Live, Work and Play.

2. If you could inherit a vacation home anywhere in the world in which you could spend one month a year, but that you could never sell, where would it be?

Sounds like an easy enough question but there are so many places to choose from. I'd definitely have to pick continental Europe near the Mediterranean. But do you pick the south of Italy, the south of France, Monaco or Spain? Because of my newfound love of wine, I would have to go with Nice, France. So near the coast, but also within close travel distance of some of the greatest vineyards and wineries in the world...not to mention the greatest food.

3. If you could suddenly possess an extraordinary talent in one of the arts, what would you like to to be?

I would be perfectly content being a badass at the acoustic guitar. I've never been terribly fond of crafts and making things (except money) but I've always wished I could play the guitar. I have a guitar, just not the time involved in learning to play it.

4. If you could be instantly fluent in one other language that you currently do not read or speak, which would it be?

Jody has it spot on by picking Mandarin Chinese, though my primary reason is only an afterthought for him. China is a huge, mostly untapped market and anyone who can handle business dealings in the native language is many leaps ahead of the competition.


Week 6

1. If you could have permanent possession of any single object in the world, what would you want it to be?

I have no clue on this one, actually...if I can be a bit sacrilegious I'd go with the Holy Grail. Partly because it would just be really cool, especially if it was actually Mary Magdalene's body (thank you Da Vinci Code), but mostly because nothing else is coming to mind.

2. If you could have the starring role in one film already been made, which movie would you pick?

Cheating only slightly, I'd pick Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It's my favorite book series ever and they clearly didn't stop after the first movie. So the starring role in the first means guaranteed employment for at least six more. Plus it'd be really cool to be the guy who plays Harry Potter. I would, however, make the promise to my fans not to appear nude in any plays (*cough* Equus).

3. If you could return for one year to one age in your life, knowing what you know now, to relive that year as you wish, which year would you go back to?

I'd love to relive my senior year of high school. That was definitely a great time in my life - student body president, playing golf all the time and stuff you're supposed to do your last year of high school. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have been such an arrogant closed-minded conservative asshole. But at least I've (mostly) fixed that now!

4. If you had to identically repeat any single year of your life to date, without changing a thing, which year would you relive?

I really wish they'd randomize these questions in the book more. I suppose it's done so in a social setting you can pick and choose from related topics. As a lawyer, I can appreciate the fine distinctions between relatively similar questions but it's a bit annoying in the blog setting.

Back to actually answering the question, I can't think of a recent year that I would like to re-live moment by moment without changing a thing. I think I would have to go back further to my childhood. Maybe around 10, the same age as my niece. I catch myself every once in a while telling Abby something like "back when I was your age, we didn't have cell phones." And I get the blurry eyed stare of a techno-struck little girl who has been asking for a cell phone for every Christmas and birthday since she was 7.

Yes, those times were simple. My greatest responsibilities were taking out the trash and making sure my Dad always had a cold beer in his hand. Why do little kids have cell phones these days? They certainly shouldn't be far enough from their parents (or their friends' parents) to need a phone to stay in touch. Just another reason to feel old...

Scary Moment of the Week

"We're adults. When did that happen? And how do we make it stop?" - Meredith Grey

Since my new place doesn't have the internet yet, I get my online time at Arsaga's. I had an oldtimer's moment today when I was browsing through high school classmates on Facebook. There are 160 of my 400 fellow graduates on Facebook, listed 10 to a page. I figure half of them are now married and at least 2 of the 10 on each page have a kid (or two).

I don't find it so disturbing as odd that I have no desire to settle down at the moment. It might have something to do with the fact that I have no "real" job at the moment. At some point, I'm going to want a house with a wine cellar and a dog or two. Maybe I'll find that special someone along the way. Singledom has its perks, but it does get old after a while.

Ok, enough of the melancholy. I've got to head home to my cable and internet-less house.

After Austin...

Wow, this weekend was exhausting. More good than bad, but the bad was pretty damn bad. Just for a quick run-through of the trip first.

Thursday night, my friend and I dropped in with a couple of friends who recently moved to Ft. Worth. We hit up a few places downtown, including Pete's Dueling Piano Bar. For the record, it blows Willy D's in Fayetteville out of the water as far as atmosphere and pure talent.

Friday afternoon we left for Austin. Checked into our hotel in North Austin about 5:00 and chilled out for a couple of hours. We headed downtown around 7:00, which was far too early but I wanted to go back to Z Tejas for dinner. It was, as expected, glorious. I also had the oddest drink so far in my life - the Jalapeno Margarita. Tangy, sweet, and spicy all in one heavenly tequila concoction. I must recreate this for future parties.

The first part of Friday night was spent at The Ranch. The only Fayetteville parallel I can make is On The Rocks, and only because of the rooftop bar experience. The Arkansas Alumni Association had one section reserved and it was good to see Razorback fans in the heart of UT country. From there, it was off to East 6th Street and Maggie Mae's. From there, I went to meet a friend from high school in the more colorful 4th Street district. That included stops at Rain and the (apparently) infamous Oilcan Harry's. Quite the experience, I must say...

Saturday was game day...and what a shitty game it was. The Hogs lost 52-10...not a good feeling after coming off a 49-14 loss against Bama. The Longhorns dominated us on offense and defense and I'd say completely demoralized our team. Well played, sir. Well played.

More to come.

Back to Austin

I'm in Austin this weekend for the UT-Arkansas football game. I fully expect us to get stomped, but I couldn't pass up a chance to visit the area again. I'm here with a few friends I went to school with and we're already ready to get downtown. Updates and pictures to come.

Hooray for Passing the Bar Exam!

Just a little shout out to all those (and me!) who passed the Arkansas bar exam. It's been a long month waiting to find out the results and congratulations to the passers. Good luck to those who didn't quite make it and I hope to see your names on the list after the February test!

Sarah Palin...really?

I heard the news about McCain's VP choice, but I didn't have a chance to blog over the weekend. So now I suppose I'll share my initial thoughts about her.

I think she's a sharp lady. To go so far in such a short amount of time takes a tremendous amount of political savvy. I doubt it's as hard to get elected in Alaska as, say, Illinois but Palin really made an astronomical rise to power within her state.

Her personal belief system may help McCain with the far right of the GOP. Even James Dobson, who said he would never vote for McCain - though, as most televangelist types, he was probably exaggerating a bit - called it a good pick. That kind of sentiment on the right makes me want to run from her. On some issues, we agree: drilling in ANWR...hmm, well maybe that's it.

On many more issues, we disagree. Alaska's constitutional ban on gay marriage apparently wasn't quite enough for her, so she has supported a ban on extending state health benefits to same-sex couples. She was a bit too eager to support the teaching of creationism in public schools. She's also a bit too eager to institute the death penalty in Alaska. Perhaps one of her biggest faults is her support for abstinence-only education in public schools. This is especially true in light of the revelation that her unmarried, 17-year old daughter is pregnant. It has been my experience in the past that an event like this can lead a close friend or parent to change his or her views on certain matters. I doubt we can count on that happening with candidate Palin. I hope the media will leave it alone now that the story has broken, but I also hope Sarah Palin will take a lesson from the situation.

Besides disagreeing with her on so many issues, I think the pick was a disingenuous attempt to woo the pissed-off female vote. Ultimately, I believe McCain's poorly thought out strategy will fail. Palin won't win over many of the pro-choice Hillary supporters with one of the strongest anti-abortion stances seen recently. It's probably fortunate that VP candidates do very little to help or hinder the POTUS candidates - both in this race have very obvious flaws.

Finally, McCain's attempt to bring in an outside-the-Beltway candidate also means the experience issue will probably be off the table to a large degree. McCain had a decent argument that Obama had no executive experience, no foreign policy experience and very little experience on the national scene. He ought not raise that again, considering his VP pick was mayor of a small town for a few years and governor for only two years.

Ultimately, the experience factor should matter less than the ideas and core beliefs that drive the policies of a presidency. Sarah Palin's beliefs are less than attractive on the whole. If McCain is elected come November, let us pray that he makes it through to the end.

If... (Weeks 3 and 4)

So since I have a few weeks to catch up on, I'll try to do at least two sets of questions each week. Thanks to my inspiration for this project from JD2.0 and NickyNax.

Without further ado, Week 3:

1. If you could alter one physical characteristic of your mate, what would it be?

I consider myself lucky not to have to answer this question, as I'm single. Sort of a mixed blessing as I don't GET to answer the question at the moment!

2. If you could dine alone with anyone from any period in history, which person would it be?

Haven't I already answered this? I suppose in the entirety of history, I'd have to pick Jesus. Not so much for the religious experience of it, though I suppose seeing water turn into wine might make me a believer!

3. If you could, in retrospect, change one thing about your childhood, what would it be?

I count myself lucky that I never had to go through a divorce or other terribly traumatic event in my childhood. The one thing that stands out clearly to me is my father's terrible temper. I'm not sure what the root of it was, but he was a very angry man when I was growing up. It only took the smallest thing to set him off. My brother and I reacted very differently. My brother rebelled while I tended to retreat. I'm not sure if it was the age difference (he's 10 years older), or some other factor, but we took very different approaches. Here we are years later and he's mellowed out a LOT and we both have a good relationship with him. It makes me wonder how things might have been different if we'd had the same relationship with him all that time he was so pissed off.

4. If you could have any room in the world become your bedroom from now on, which room would you choose?

This is a really tough question. I've been lucky to travel to several countries in Europe, and one would be hard pressed to find more impressive architecture or interior design in any other part of the world. But would it be terribly wrong if I picked Paula Deen's kitchen?

....and Week 4:

1. If you could change one thing in the world right now, what would it be?

I think Jody has it right when he says he would rid the world of religious intolerance. I would take it a step farther and get rid of organized religion generally. I'm glad this isn't asking for a realistic answer because organized religion will always be a part of our world, and religious intolerance is equally inevitable. So many of the world's problems can be traced to religious roots. Granted, there are many peaceful religions and religions with honorable roots and honorable intentions. This is one, however, that I believe has costs that outweigh the benefits. Don't count me as a John Lennon type...I certainly don't consider "Imagine" my theme song, even for this particular issue, but he might just have a point.

2. If you had to assassinate one famous person who is alive right now, who would it be and how would you do it?

I think the most obvious answer to me is Osama bin Ladin (sp?). As the figurehead for the worldwide terrorist network, his death would not end the problem but I believe it would be a blow to the extremist Muslim movement. We have chased him for years and have come close to capturing/killing him but he continues to elude capture. By hiding I think it shows his cowardice, but to his followers, it seems to energize them in some sick way. It's almost like he is more powerful because he has been in power so long and the United States has not caught up to him. As for the method, I say strap a suicide bomb to his chest and make him wander around an empty field waiting for someone to push the remote control button. Make him suffer the same fate as the developmentally disabled women his group sent into the streets in Iraq, but make him suffer longer waiting for it to happen. This answer could easily be related to Week 4, Question 1 above.

3. If you could permanently alter one thing about your physical appearance, what would you change?

As any of my friends could tell you, I've struggled with my weight for years. I lost about 40 pounds when I trained for the Hogeye Half Marathon a couple of years ago, put some back on (but managed not to go up in clothing sizes!), and now I'm working it back off. I've made it an absolute part of my daily routine to go to the gym after work, no matter what I'm doing later in the evening, to eat better, and not drink as much. But if I didn't actually have to do all that, it would be great!

4. If you could have stopped aging at any point in your life up to the present, how old would you want to remain?

I really feel like I could stop aging at this point. I'm sure I could have said that if I had been asked at any point along the way. There are points in my life that I've been happier, but looking back I realize that everything has brought me to this point. I think some of the things in my life could be better (not being single, etc.) but I know I'm far more mature for what I've been through. I've got a lot of great friends who I would never give up and (kind of) a plan for where I want to go with my life.

The First Rule of Daycare Fight Club...

Do not talk about Daycare Fight Club.

Here's a story that will make you shake your head...and it happened right here in Fayetteville. From our own Central United Methodist Church. Apparently, some really bright preschool teachers got the brilliant idea to make the kids they were supposed to be caring for fight each other. It sounds like the gig was up when parents started noticing their kids with more bruises than normal?

Some of the changes the church is looking at include "additional teacher training and exploration of possibly installing video cameras in the classroom." Do you really have to train daycare workers not to set 3 and 4 year olds to fighting each other? And the video cameras are a good idea...and probably would have prevented this abuse in the first place.

Wow. Just, wow...

Random Musings for a Wednesday...

First of all, apologies for my extended absence. More on that below. I was finally inspired to blog again on the ride home from dinner tonight. I've had plenty of time to think over the last few weeks of non-blogging and a few random thoughts popped into my head.

First, I've noticed that every once in a while I'll get super burned out on the internet and my computer generally. It's usually when I've had to spend a lot of time doing something I don't especially like. In the case of my most recent absence, it was the damn bar exam. I won't go too in depth on that subject because I'm sure any of my friends who read this are as tired of hearing me talk about it as I am of talking about it. In the past, this burnout usually resulted from final exam time and it wasn't nearly as long. But it always gives me a good opportunity to clear my head and come up with some new things to say.

Second, I've been doing quite a bit of thinking about the presidential election. I don't particularly like Obama, certainly don't like McCain and had nearly settled on voting for Bob Barr. Over the last month, I've started leaning more toward Obama. For all of his weaknesses, a change from the policies of the past eight years could be a very good thing. John Kerry actually battled back against the McCain machine at the Democrat Convention today - something he probably should have done after the Swift Boat job four years ago. Kerry's speech hammered the dichotomy between Senator McCain and Candidate McCain. The differences are stark and the prospect of a McCain presidency seems to be only four more years of the same. We need somebody who can restore our place in the world - a country that is respected, not feared (or, in some cases, ridiculed).

From my perspective as a future (hopefully) lawyer, the Supreme Court is quite conservative enough. The Republicans have fared well with recent appointments, replacing Rehnquist and O'Connor with Roberts and Alito, appointments that will be in place for many, many years. The next most likely retirements will come from the liberal side of the bench, either John Paul Stevens (age 88) or Ruth Bader Ginsburg (age 75). With Kennedy planted firmly in the middle, if not a bit right-leaning, the balance must be preserved.

I'm also tired of the GOP playing on the fears of Americans. The "Moral Majority" and the conservative right no longer have any moral credibility. A C.S. Lewis quote comes to mind, one that I've heard quoted many times and that is incredibly applicable to the right wing:

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

Finally, I really want to get back into doing the "If" project regularly. I know I'm several weeks behind so I'll try to catch up over the next couple of weeks. It's good to be back.

To Those Who Supported Me this Summer

A special thanks to a poster in the July 08 Bar Exam Studying Support Group on Facebook for this. I've adapted it for my situation:

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Dear Family Member, Friend or Acquaintance:

Thank you so much for all your support during these last few months. I know I have been rude, cranky, annoying, and any other combination of terms while studying for the bar. I'm sure you're sick of me whining and reciting legal terms. I really appreciate your patience, tolerance, and understanding.

Most of you know that I took the bar exam this week and, for my sake and yours, I would like you to beg the following of you:

(1) Please don't ask me how I think I did. I don't know. I won't know until September 5 at 4:00 pm. And if you ask, chances are you'll hear "Oh my god, I totally failed... the exam was a nightmare." Or some-such variation. During the month-long wait for the results to come back, there might be tears, panic attacks, nausea, or any other physical or emotional manifestation of total and utter devastation, in which case the "How you did" question becomes moot.

(2) If I express any kind of doubt about the test (which I will) or if I keep wailing that "I know I failed" (which I'll know I did,) please don't say "I know you did great." I appreciate the spirit of those words and the support they are intending but, you don't know. In an effort to make your life and mine better, here are some other good suggestions**:
(a) "I bet everyone feels that way"
(b) "It's a hard test, it's supposed to make you feel this way"
(c) "You did everything you could, all you can do now is put it out of your mind"
(d) Hand the person a drink
**Any of these statements could be altered to have similar meaning and combined for maximum efficiency. (D) is always effective, and the more it is used the better everyone will feel.

(3) Only as a last resort use the phrase "I'm sure you passed." It might start a fight, but if nothing else is working maybe that's what the bar-taker is looking for to vent some frustration!

(4) Please don't ask about career plans or job opportunities. I just finished taking the bar. I won't know whether I have a license for months. Maybe I have something lined up, maybe I don't. Right now I just want a drink. And if I can forget everything I learned or that I just took the bar that would be even better.


Thank you very much for your cooperation.
I hope this advice saves you many headaches, and when I'm a human being again I will do my best to make it up to you.

Lots of Love,
Bar-Taker July 2008