the week in food

Saturday: Szchuan Hot Pot; Korean Tofu

Sunday: Chinese Dim Sum; McDonalds (hey, it was a break stop on the drive back to Boston)

Monday: Korean Barbeque

Tuesday: Mom's special tomato seafood gumbo

Wednesday: My favorite meal of all time -- make your own spring rolls!

Thursday: Click here for a description.

Friday: Sushi and fried ice-cream

Saturday: airplane pretzels and chocolate chip cookies.

Note: Any airline that serves warm chocolate cookies has my patronage for life!

Black Friday Madness

The Goal:
--Get to Circuit City at 5 a.m., go in and buy the $2.99 1GB Sandisk Memory Card and then get out by 5:30 a.m. to browse the Black Friday sales at the mall.
--Be done with shopping by 9:00 a.m. in order to return the car to the parents so they can go to work. Then nap until noon.

The Reality:
--Get to Circuit City at 5 a.m.
--Discover a line of people that goes all the way around the Circuit City building. Rationalize that the line will move quickly once the doors are open.
--Continue standing in line for an hour with the cold wind blowing without mercy to freeze the fingers, the ears and eventually the body.
--Comtemplate whether or not the $2.99 1GB memory card is really worth the waiting in the coldness and that a comfy futon with a blanket would be much better at the moment.
--Coldly walk through the doors once the security finally let my part of the line enter.
--Spend five minutes looking for the memory card, and since I was still cold, spend another thirty minutes trying to warm up by looking for a memory card for my dad's camera and browsed through the collection of DVDs on sale for $2.99.
--Spend 45 minutes waiting in line to pay for the four items that I bought.
--Drove over to the mall to quickly browse the sales for sweaters that Mom wanted.
--Made purchases and drove back home at 7:45 a.m.
--Entered the parents bedroom and continued to make a ruckus by jumping up and down on the bed yelling "wake up! it's cold! too many people! I'm awake so you should be too!" because I really wanted to sleep on a bed instead of the futon so the parents needed to get out of bed.
--Be yelled at for causing a ruckus and the parents refused to get out of bed.
--Entered the brother's bedroom and caused the same ruckus hoping to get his bed to sleep in.
--No such luck.
--Admitted defeat and got cozy on the futon and tried to doze off while watching TV.
--As soon as I felt the slumber course through my body, the parents and the brother left for work. I now had two beds to choose from but yet I was too freaking tired to move.

The goal for next year: No more Black Friday shopping.

Thanksgiving Dinner, the Asian way

Last year, I had my first traditional American Thanksgiving Dinner, courtesy of The Boy's family.

And this year, I had the usual Asian Thanksgiving Dinner -- going out to an Asian restuarant and paying others to cook for you and clean up afterwards. This year, I had two meals on Thanksgiving. The first was brunch with a friend's family at a Japanese hot pot place and it was my first experience at shabu shabu (Japanese hot pot).

Yes, that's right, the food on the plate is raw. For those inexperienced eaters, this is similar to fondue but instead of dipping your food in cheese or chocolate, you're literally cooking your food in the soup. It's really yummy. Trust me. I ate a lot. And I don't eat anything that tastes yucky.

Then, for meal #2, it was the usual "duck and chicken in the window" meal, complete with a birthday cake for mom, because you know, it was her birthday.

DONE!

One outline down, three more to go!

But first, must eat for more brain power.

gameboy addiction

My brother gave me his Gameboy DS to try out. He gave it to me before he left for work this morning. He also gave me a bunch of games to try out, two of which are my favorites: Super Mario Brothers and Tetris.

I played Super Mario Brothers all day today. When my brother came home from work at 6pm, he found me sitting in the dark, in my PJs, with my eyes glued to the game boy.

Brother: Good lord, how long have you been playing with that thing?

Me: Death to you brother. Because of you, I haven't done any studying because of this thing.

Brother: Put it down.

Me: If you take it away from me, I will hurt you.

Brother: Put. The. Gameboy. Down.

Me: Get away from me. It's my gameboy. Pretty gameboy. Mario must finish level 6.

Brother: Crazy Gollum.

Me: OH NO. I JUST DIED! NOOOOO!

Brother: Okay, now put the gameboy down.

Me: I can't feel my fingers. You better take this thing away from me and hide it or else I will never get any homework done.

Brother: And you said I have an addiction to video games. I give this thing to you for a day and look at you. No discipline at all.

Me: Gimme that thing back. I'll start outlining tomorrow.

Brother: No hope for the ones that have fallen so far.

The Underground Purse Network

So, you all heard of knock-offs of designer purses right? Well, my friend was telling me about this underground purse network in NYC and I just didn't believe her until I experienced it myself. It was like I was trying to buy drugs from a dealer. This was an experience I just had to share, but I hope no one gets in trouble.

It started out with us walking down a street in NYC's Chinatown. There was a ton of people there and already I was getting claustrophobic (and we were still outside!). As we were walking along, looking at the wares, there would be people whispering "LV LV? Gucci Gucci? Coach? We have lots. Wanna look?" If one person peeks your interest, then you'd follow that person to the location of their stash of knock-off designer stash.

Most of the time, the "Gucci, Coach, LV? I have it" person will take you to the back of the store and let you into a hidden, locked door that leads to a tiny room of about 5' x 5' PACKED with purses. Then there's another person telling you how much each purse costs, with a walkie talkie to transmit the price to the cashier up front. And in this tiny room are about 20 people trying to look at purses. Claustrophobia at a high! And if you try to bargain on the price of the purse, they'll just grab the purse from you and kick you out.

And when you get kicked out of one place, you go back on the streets and look for the next person whispering "Gucci? LV? Coach? PRada? I got it" guy who will take you to another hidden room in the back of the store. However, one lady lead us across three blocks, through an alley way, down a basement, through some more alley ways and into a locked storage room. I was fearing that she would just robb us and take our money, but she had the loot of knock-offs and she also kicked us out for trying to bargain with her on the prices.

Then we hit the motherload of the vendors: an indoor mall where every store has a stash of purses. On the outside, the store windows are covered with "Accupuncture," "Taxes filed here," Alterations for men and women available" signs. But when you walk through the door, there is an abundance of purses to choose from. And once you leave one store, the owner of another will ask you, "Want more purses? Come through here!"

I am never ever going through that again. Too many people. Too little rooms. And it takes too much freaking energy just to get a cheap LV knock-off. I'll wait until I make my millions and just buy the real thing, thank you very much.

Conversation of the Day

A little background: As we were driving to Queens, my friends and I were discussing people we knew from high school when somehow the conversation turned towards toilet humor. We were joking about using the john (one of the friends is named John) and then the Vietnamese equivalent of using the john, which resulted in the following conversation between me and my girl friend:

MM: My co-worker was in the Army, and he said that whenever someone had to go to the toilet, they would announce "I have to go see my head."

Me: Why would you want to go see your supervisor if you have to go pee?

MM: I don't know, but that's what he told me.

Me, with the lightbulb turning on: Um, you said that they always say that to let someone know that they're going to the toilet?

MM: Yeah.

Me: Oh my gosh. You know what "head" is slang for?

MM: Um, no? Should I?

Me: "I need to go see my head" means that he has to go see his penis.

MM: WHAT? Why the F would my co-worker tell me that?

Me: Head = penis. Get it?

MM: WTF? Why would he tell me something perverted like that?

Me: Boys will be boys.



The weirdest thing about the conversation? That the other three guys in the car didn't make the connection.

Is a burrito a sandwich?

That is the question of the day. Instead of discussing the holding of cases involving leases and subleases, landlord, tenant and subtenant, our Property Professor decided to use our class time to discuss the how one can argue that a burrito is or is not a sandwich.

"How does this question apply to property law?" you ask?

Well, it all started with a burrito making restaurant wanting to rent space inside a shopping center. BUT a sandwich making place does not want the burrito makers to get a lease because they fear competition. Fun huh? Read the entire article here.

The gist of the article is that a Judge ruled that a burrito is not a sandwich because Webster's dictionary said so. And from that ruling, the people of Worcester, Massachusetts can look forward to having a choice of burritos or sandwiches for lunch.

In class, however, we went one step further and the professor provided other sources to find the definitions of certain terms. For instance, according to the USDA, there is a difference between an open-faced sandwich and a closed sandwich. And there is even a definition for a burrito (a Mexican style sandwich-like product), but strangely there is not a definition for bread.

And through the entire class, I kept wondering why both companies spent probably thousands of dollars litigating this issue. Now I wonder how many burritoes and sandwiches must be sold to recoup the dollars spent on litigation. There's a problem for you to do.

Okay, if that just bored you to death, you can play the "Sandwich or no Sandwich?" game. Enjoy!

----------------------------------------------------------

BF Quote of the Day: Law and Food? You're in heaven!

48 more hours...

...until I am on a plane en route to Boston!!!

I can't wait.

I don't want to go to classes tomorrow.

I really don't want to go to class on Friday.

I just want to hug my mommy and ask her to make my favorite dinner so I can eat like a pig and fall into a food coma in front of the TV.

Ha, eating like a pig and falling into a food coma. What else is new?

motivational speaker

*ring ring*

BF: Hello?

Me: Hi honey.

BF: What's going on?

Me: I have no motivation right now.

BF: Go to the gym.

Me: How'd you know I was talking about the gym?

BF: Because I know you. Go to the gym.

Me: But I don't want to. It's cold outside...

BF: Go.

Me: ...and I'm gaining momentum on my memo...

BF: Moo.

Me: ...and I just want to crawl under the blankets...

BF: Moo.

Me: Moo? I am not a cow!!

BF: I didn't say you were a cow. I just mooed. That should be your motivation.

Me: I'm not a cow!

BF: You're not a cow!

Me: But I should go to the gym, especially since I will not be doing any form of exercise whatsoever when I'm in Boston next week.

BF: Tough it out and go to the gym every day this week, then you can award yourself by eating to your heart's content next week.

Me: Oh yeah, I'll be eating lots in Boston. I've already got a menu for my mom to follow.

BF: Oh gosh, you're going to end up with an 8-month pregnant belly after all that eating.

Me: Hey! I may have a little jelly belly but it's not to the point where people think I'm pregnant!!

BF: Go change into your gym clothes because once you have your gym clothes on, you'll have to go to the gym because you've changed for nothing if you don't.

Me: ummm...

BF: And you can do a lazy workout, half hour on the elliptical. Doing a lazy workout is better than nothing at all.

Me: Alright. Fine. I'll go change.

BF: Moo.

Me: I'm going to moo you until the cows come home.

death to the Bluebook

I guess I should start forming a very close relationship with the Bluebook if I ever want to get the grade I would have gotten if not for the stupid citation mistakes. I will probably never make Law Review either, for I am a person who does not care whether the comma is italicized or not.

But really, does correct citation really matter in real life? Is opposing counsel going to tell the Judge that I forgot a period after Id? Is the Judge going to send me to the corner for not having an extra period at the end of a string quote? Is the partner of the firm going to dock my pay if he finds an extra space after the citation? He will?

Alright, if it's that important, I'll go make love to my Bluebook now.

I WON!! I FINALLY WON!!

I finally won a game of badminton!!

11 to 9, YEAH BABY!!!

Yes, I only won one game out of four, but still, I finally won a game. Let me savor the moment.

I WON!!!

I need to go ice my knees now.

spam on cell phones

Technology is getting more advanced these days, especially with cell phones. Nowadays, you can get a teeny tiny cell phone that plays music, connects to the internet, takes pictures, takes video images, and of course text messaging.

I appreciate the opportunity to use my cellphone as a camera, telephone and an mp3 player at the same time, but I do not appreciate the SPAM "text messages".

For instance:

"We are interested in buying your house. Come to our meeting tomorrow night for more information. Call 888-888-1234."

Hello! I don't even own a home! And that spam message just cost me $0.10 on my cell phone bill. Thanks mister.

BUT, what I don't understand is getting forwarded messages from people you KNOW. And these messages aren't personally specific to you, like "Hi, wanna go out to lunch today?" Oh no, these messages look something like this:

"FWD: A PHONE TOAST! *2 US* 4 THE MEN WHO HAVE US, THE LOSERS WHO HAD US, N THE LUCKY BASTARDS WHO WILL MARRY US! SEND THIS TO ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS YOU KNOW!"

And this is coming from someone I know! Although I don't think she realizes she keeps sending me these annoying and randem text messages. Why? Because I used to be old school in thinking that you have to send each person a separate text message and if you wanted to send the same message to another person, you'd have to type it all over again and enter in the other person's number. But, you don't have to do that anymore. If you want to send the same message to 100 of your friends, you can just enter in some combination of commands on your cell phone that is the equivalent of "SEND ALL" on an email program.

I can buy a piece of chocolate for ten cents, which is much more enjoyable than getting spam messages on any kind of communication tool.

writing a resume

What I learned from the Career Services' Panel on building and writing your resume:

"...and if you highlight your name, and then click on 'Format', then 'Font', then click on the 'Small Caps' button, it will change the way your name looks on your resume."



All I have to say is, if you don't know how to change the font in a word document, then you shouldn't be in law school at all.

counting the days

2.5 hours until Thursday turns into Friday, the special Friday where both classes are canceled and I can sleep in for a change! WHOOPIE!!

5 days until Election Day...GO OUT AND VOTE!

6 days until I get my second writing assignment returned with a grade...not sure if that's going to be a YAY or $*%&*&#^%&*$#.

9 days until Veterans Day.

14 days until the last class of Torts for the semester...WHEEE!!

15 days until I get the hell of out of Dodge to see The Parents and The Brother in Boston, and stuff my guts to the gills with Mom's home cooking. Plus, a whole week off for Thanksgiving break! DOUBLE YAY!!

21 days until Thanksgiving. GOBBLE GOBBLE!

23 days until I have to get back on a plane from Boston and return to "Dodge".

27 days until the last class for Contracts and Criminal Law...WHOO HOO!

28 days until the last class of Property...YIPEE!

32 days until the first final of the semester--Torts (YIKES)

34 days until the Criminal Law final exam (ACK)

39 days until the Property final exam (EEK)

41 days until the Contracts final (HELP), which is the last exam of the semester...YAY!!!

41 days until I get to see The Boy...YAY!!!

ohmygosh, time sure flies when you're having fun

lost in interpretation

A line from my Torts casebook:

"In this case the plaintiff had left his ass fettered in the road eating grass." Davies v. Mann, 10 M. & W. 546, 152 Eng. Rep. 588 (Exch. 1842)

My initial thoughts after reading that line: Why would the plaintiff tie his butt to the ground to eat grass? Couldn't he just sit and eat the grass? Why is he even eating grass on the side of the road? Were they that poor in England back then? I still don't understand why he felt the need to tie his butt to the ground....how do you tie your butt to the ground?

Upon reading the next sentence did I realize that "ass" meant "donkey" and not the plaintiff's butt, which totally makes so much more sense.

It's been a long day...

It's official, I hate law school.

Well, that's a bit hasty of me. I don't hate all things law school, I just really hate my Contracts class, more specifically I hate the professor's teaching methods, which is no method at all.

The professor is great in person. But, in the classroom, he is the flakiest professor I know. Not only does he like to go on tangents about random things that has nothing to do with contracts, but he likes to spend three class periods talking (not lecturing, just talking) about the same theory.

Since we spend so much time talking about consideration in contracts, it's ironic how he has absolutely no consideration in giving us sufficient notice about important things like midterms and make-up classes. Remember this about the surprise midterm? Well, this was the professor's notice about a make-up class as half the students were leaving the classroom:

... ~~~ ... ~~~ ... ~~~ ...

Professor: So, I'm thinking about doing the make-up class tomorrow at noon. You all fine with that?

Student: Um, we have a property class at 12:40.

Prof: Property? With who?

Student: Professor Y.

Prof: Professor Y? Who's that?

Student: Professor Y is the property professor.

Prof: Oh, her! Yeah, I'll talk to her, she won't mind if you're 10 minutes late to class.

Student: Um, I think she will.

Prof: Okay, how about doing the make-up class today at noon?

Student: We have a class..... (in reality, we didn't have a class, but who wants to go to a make-up class two hours after being given notice of it?)

Prof: Well, just keep an eye out for an email about the make-up class then.

... ~~~ ... ~~~ ... ~~~ ...

Yes, and two hours later, we receive an email telling us that the make-up class is tomorrow at 11:30 a.m., allowing us 20 minutes to stuff food down our mouths before going to Property class. Fun times it will be.

The worst part about all this is that I have this same professor for Contracts next semester. Someone just shoot me now.

my addiction to chips and salsa

Okay, The Boy would really say that I'm addicted to all things food, but we're going to limit the category to chips and salsa for the purpose of today's story...

Lunch during the weekdays usually consist of a turkey sandwich and a handful of chips. Normally, I would take a handful of some Doritoes or Pringles and be done with it. However, on days that I like to spice things up with salsa, I get into the problem of the vicious chips-n-salsa cycle: continuous eating of chips and salsa until either the chips run out or the salsa runs out -- whichever comes first.

You would think I'd have more control over this vicious cycle, but sadly, I do not have any control when it comes to spicy salsa and salty, crunchy chips (I have noticed that my chip consumption increases significantly according to the saltiness of the chip). If I had a new jar of salsa in front of me with a new bag of chips, I'd probably sit there and eat it all if permitted to do so. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), I am never presented with a new jar of salsa or a new bag of chips at the same time, therefore when one jar or bag is empty, I am forced to stop eating the combo. And The Boy will usually take the platter of chips and salsa away from me whenever we're at a Mexican restaurant that serves never ending chips and salsa because he knows I will never leave the table.

Well, okay, today I decided to have chips and salsa with my turkey sandwich. I only had half a jar of salsa and 1/4 bag of chips left but I wanted to be good about my portion today. I took a handful of chips and put it next to my sandwich, and poured only a tiny bit of salsa into a bowl for dipping.

I ate the turkey sandwich. I ate the portioned amount of chips and salsa. I had my glass of cranberry juice. I was full and satisfied.

But we all know I can't just stop at satisfied. I poured some more salsa into the bowl, took another handful of chips and continued chomping as I was watching Michelle use her hands to make a peanut butter sandwich on Full House. And when that ran out, I took another handful of chips and poured some more salsa into the dipping bowl.

And the only reason I stopped eating the chips and salsa was because I finished the 1/4 bag of chips I had left, leaving me with no more chips to dip. Which was good because now I have to finish the reading for criminal law.

Quote of the Day

Criminal Law Professor:

Today, we learned about excuses for criminal liability and one of those excuses being self-defense, specifically the "battered spouse syndrome" and the admission of expert testimony in regards to the same. One can only hope that we will not have to deal with "pre-menstrual cycle syndrome" in the near future. That would be really bad for us guys.

Dogtoberfest

Nope, that's not a mispelling on my part. It's not the festival of beer for humans. It's the festival of doggie treats for dogs. It's Dogtoberfest.

This greyhound's outfit just looked weird to me. But, he was a lot warmer than I was.

These chiquaquas were really pampered, being pushed around in a baby stroller. The white one on the left is two years old, and the one on the right is 17 years old and also won the "Oldest Dog" contest.

Dogs were not allowed in the garden.

Because they would jump in after the fishies.

You can dye your poodle orange!

Yes, those are Great Danes kissing a buffalo.

You're probably wondering why there were buffalo at a dog festival. We were in some nature reserve park in the middle of no where Missouri, and I guess the dogs had to share the grass with the buffalo. All I can say is that I am glad there is a fence between me and that buffalo.

weird conversation of the day

On my walk to school this morning, I was approached by a couple inquiring about the Cashier's Office. Note that it was raining cats and dogs and we were each under an umbrella trying to stay dry.

Woman: Excuse me.

Me: Yes?

Woman: Why is the cashier's officer not open today?

Me: Um, I don't know.

Woman: Do you go to school here?

Me: Yes, but I still don't know why the cashier's office is not open today.

Woman: Are you sure?

Me: Um, I didn't even realize the cashier's office is open on Saturdays.

Woman: Yeah, they are. But why is it closed today?

Man: Honey, she said she doesn't know. Let's go.

Woman: I was here last Saturday and the Cashier's Office was open.

Me: I don't know what to tell you. Obviously, it's not open today.

Man drags the woman away as she mutters: Stupid people.

Me continuing on my way: Okay then...

I'm not sure if that "stupid people" comment was meant for me or for the Cashier's office.

dare to be proud

I was extra proud of myself today. For these two specific reasons:

1. It was freezing cold outside today and normally if I had to make a choice between getting under the covers or braving the cold, I'd choose the covers. And yet I forced my freezing little toes into my sneakers and dragged my freezing butt to the gym in order to meet my 4-days-a-week-at-the-gym quota. (got three days this week, one more to go, whoo hoo!)

2. After my hard run on the treadmill, I managed to contain my dinner to just a small portion of lasagna and just a small slice of garlic bread. I felt full and satisfied. For the moment anyway.

About thirty minutes after my dinner, I managed to:
--eat the remaining 2 slices of garlic bread that was sitting on the cookie sheet
--eat a couple of pumpkin shaped candy corn because the Roommate left a note that said "Eat some!"
--eat a slice of pumpkin bread because I couldn't resist
--eat half a mango because I needed to add fruit to my diet
--eat a couple of Dove caramel chocolate squares because I needed something sweet.

As The Boy would say, I should be ashamed of myself. And I do feel a bit of shame for falling off the wagon, but just for a little bit. Then the moment passes and I go back to popping another piece of chocolate into my mouth.

Food is good. Enjoy the moment and savor the taste. Don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.

just my luck

Oh. My. Goodness.

The day that I get called on in Criminal Law for the first time this semester is the day that I accidentally grabbed my Contracts book for class.

Yeah, that was fun.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Five good things about The Original:
1. Giant geese laying golden eggs.
2. No flashbacks to Wonka's childhood days.
3. Using actual "little people" as the Oompa Loompas.
4. Tim Burton didn't direct it.
5. Willy Wonka is less creepy looking.

Five good things about The Remake:
1. Johnny Depp
2. Johnny Depp
3. Johnny Depp uses Nut-Cracking-Squirrels which are cuter than the Golden-Egg-Laying-Geese.
4. Tim Burton directed it, and was smart enough to cast Johnny Depp.
5. Johnny Depp, although the way he portrays "loopy Wonka" would totally scare a child. Heck, it kinda creeped me out and I'm not four years old.

How can you not love the image of Johnny Depp?

the baking bug

I was craving some pumpkin bread and even got hold of a recipe which seems simple to execute. The following is a picture of what the pumpkin bred is supposed to look like, according to Martha Stewart:

What you'll need to make Martha's recipe for pumpkin bread:

- 12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

- 2 1/2 cups flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 2 tsp ground ginger

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 cup packed light-brown sugar

- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree (1 3/4 cups)

- 3 large eggs

- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

..........

What you do with the ingredients:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour two loaf pans (8 1/2" x 4 1/2"); set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugars, pumpkin, melted butter, and eggs; add flour misture, and stir until just combined.

2. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaves comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; invert pans and transfer loaves to wire rack to cool completely.

3. For the glaze, in a small bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons water until mixture is smooth but thick. Place waxed paper under rack for quick cleanup. For easy pouring, transfer glaze to a liquid measuring cup and drizzle over loaves. Let dry 15 minutes before serving. Makes enough for 2 loaves.

..........

Two hours and forty minutes later, this is how my loaves of pumpkin bread turned out:

Doesn't look like Martha Stewart's but it sure was delicious! I gave one loaf away; my roommate and I quickly devoured the second loaf; and I'm hoping the remaining loaf will be my breakfast for the next week. I have a feeling the third loaf of pumpkin bread will all be in my tummy by the end of the day.

yummy donuts

Above picture taken at 10:30am this morning.

Below picture is the aftermath.

And no, I did not consume 10 donuts in half an hour. It took me three hours to do so. hee hee

Quote of the Day

Contracts Professor: when is the offer effective?

Student 1: as soon as it is communicated.

Prof: what else?

Student 2: never or later

Prof: that sounds like a rap song

*Class laughs*

Prof starts miming rapping movements. Class laughs even harder.

Prof: Please clarify "never or later".

Student 2: the offer is not effective until a later time, or it may never be effective at all.

Prof: like a time limitation?

Student 2: yes!

Prof: Did you notice, class, how I saved him? I said "time limitation" and he said yes like he thought he was the bomb, but really he don't know a damn thing. But don't tell him that.

coldness

It is COLD here. COLD, I tell you, COLD!!

It's so cold that I had to break out the new down comforter I had stashed away in the closet. (Trust me, I did not pay that price. Summer sales are cool.) Oh, it's so warm and fluffy. King-size comforter stuffed into a queen size cover equals lots of poofiness on a full size bed.** My bed looks like a giant marshmellow now. I'm sure that I disappear as soon as I get under the poofy covers. It's so floofy, nobody would probably notice that I was warming up under the blankets.

Okay, enough about the fluffy covers. Back to the coldness outside. I had to wear gloves this morning. People thought I was weird, but I don't care because my fingers were cold!! And I'm sure the only reason my contracts professor honked the horn on his car was because he was wondering why I was walking down the street in a light down jacket with gloves and a scarf on.

The weatherman said there may be frost tonight. FROST. It's only October people! This is the mid-west, not the east coast! Winter weather isn't supposed to come until Halloween is over. The reason trick-or-treating isn't popular on the east coast is because it's too freaking cold to dress in cool costumes while trekking in the snow, going from house to house begging for candy. All the kiddies are either snowmen, marshmellows, or different colored versions of the Michelin Tire Man because you have to wear puffy down coats in order to go trick-or-treating.

Good gosh, I'm already complaining about how cold it is and it's really only about 60 degrees outside. Imagine how much whining this blog will hold once there is actual snow on the ground.

Don't say I didn't warn you.



**If you're wondering why I don't have matching size bed accessories, it's because I purchased each at different times of my life. During my working days in San Francisco, I used to have a queen size bed, therefore all bedsheets and duvet covers were sized queen. When I bought the down comforter, it was a better purchase to get the king size and plus Macys didn't have any other sizes. Once I got to Kansas City, I had to buy a bed and my new apartment only had enough space for of a full sized mattress and box set (also because I refuse to sleep on a twin size bed anymore--I'm a big girl now). And there you have it. The history behind the king size down comforter stuffed into a queen size duvet and set upon a full size bed.

the anticipation of Krispy Kreme donuts

telephone conversation with The Boy:

Me: Hi Honey! Guess where we're gonna go this weekend?

BF: You sound really excited, must have to do with food.

Me: It isn't ALWAYS about food!

BF: No?

Me: Well, okay, it's about food.

BF: I know my little piggy well.

Me: HEY!

BF: Did you hear piggy? I meant "sweetheart". You heard me wrong.

Me: That's Miss Piggy to you, mister. Anyway, guess where we're going?

BF: Is there a chocolate festival going on?

Me: No, that was last weekend.

BF: Okay, where are you going?

Me: Krispy Kreme!

BF: Oh boy.

Me: That's right. I'm getting my glazed donut fix.

BF: Now I know that you're going to be good...

Me *with sarcasm*: Of course, I am going to be good.

BF: ...because you're just going to look at the process of how those donuts are made and you're not going to eat any donuts, right? You're just going to look and not touch, right?

Me: Of course, honey. I just want to learn how they make their donuts, and see the donuts go under the waterfall of icing.

BF: Oh stop it, you know you're going to eat a dozen the minute you get there.

Me: Yeah, who am I kidding? Do you want me to eat a dozen for you too?

BF: Knock yourself out. I can't stop you anyway.

Me: That's right. It's going to be an eating free for all!

BF: I'm so lucky to have an champion eater like you.

another law school blog

I don't have a collection of law blogs like Q does, but here's another blog for you procrastinators, blogsters, bloggers, etc.

Introducing to you...Woodslaw, the latest victim of blogmania.

the wheels on the bus go round and round

I finally did it. I finally used the bus to get myself downtown to the DMV office in order to relinquish my California driver's license for a Missouri one. Yes, folks, I'm a Missourian now. The things I do for in-state tuition.

Anyway, back to the bus story, it wasn't too bad. There's even a trip planner online similar to the one I use back in the Bay Area. Plot in the addresses and then voila, you have instructions on which bus to use to get there.

Fortunately for me, there is just one bus, called The Max, that goes from my apartment straight to the downtown area. The Max came at the exact time it was supposed to come, and it cost $1.25 to get on. I didn't know where to put the money, so the driver probably thought I was some country bumpkin trying to make it big in the city. He had to tell me take the transfer from the machine because I didn't know the machine had the transfers, I thought the bus drivers would hand out the transfers manually, like they do in San Francisco.

The bus was really CLEAN and not packed at all. Of course, I was on the bus at three in the afternoon, but still, it was close enough to peak travel hours, no? Anyhow, it was a pleasant thirty minute ride downtown and the computer lady announced each stop along the way. And there were no crazy, stinky, weirdoes or homeless riding on the bus either. The majority of the riders were elderly people, so they were just slow in getting off the bus, which is not a problem when there's no rush to get anywhere.

And since it took an exceptionally quick forty minutes at the DMV office to change my license, I was able to still use the bus transfer to take the bus back home without paying another $1.25. Score!

And I realized on the bus ride back home that we would pass by a Burger King. If it wasn't raining, I probably would have gotten off to make a fast food stop.

the dim sum of all things

Craving some authentic dim sum, CC* and I tried out Bo Ling's this morning because it seems to be the only Chinese restaurant that serves dim sum (and only on weekends!).

Although there was no uniformity in the waitstaff clothing, the food was served the way it's supposed to be served--with the staff pushing the food around on a cart instead of carrying it around on trays. They were even annoying us by constantly asking us if we wanted the shrimp dumplings when we already had two plates of it on our table. Ah, the authenticity was comparable to San Francisco or New York dim sum dining.

And the food...ohmygosh the food was DELICIOUS. Above are the requisite cup of tea, hot mustard and hot chili sauce for dipping, and the vegetable dumplings.

Here we have the sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf and Chinese broccolli in oyster sauce.

Shrimp dumplings in the bottom left corner, along with shrimp rolls on the left side and another serving of sticky rice in lotus leaf at the top.

These crab claws were to die for! Just enough crispiness on the outside that leads to juicy crabmeat on the inside. Yummmmmy!

And to top it all off, we had coconut red bean cakes. Just enough sweetness to end the meal.

Yes, all that food was eaten by just two people with very healthy appetites. CC and I were not disappointed with the food or the service. I think we made friends with the waiter, who will probably see us stuffing our faces with dim sum every Saturday from now on.

*CC is a fellow 1L who loves food just as much as I do!! And that's her hand modeling the coconut read bean cakes in the last picture.


The Dim Sum of All Things is also a great read by Kim Wong Keltner which you can buy here.

How can this be?

Day 1 on the scale:
Before work-out -- 140 pounds
After work-out -- 140 pounds

Day 3 on the scale:
Before -- 140 pounds
After -- 140 pounds

Day 6 on the scale:
Before -- 140
After -- 130
Initial reaction -- WOW! Score! Well, I did do enough sweating running on that treadmill, it's about time I start seeing results.

Day 7 on the scale:
Before -- 130
After -- 120
Initial Reaction -- WOW! Another 10 pounds!
Thoughts while stretching out the quads -- This 3-times-a-week exercise program is working out well for me. I guess less is more. That's a bit unbelievable though. I better weigh myself again just to make sure.
2nd weigh-in -- 130
Reaction -- How the hell did I gain 10 pounds while stretching for 5 minutes?!

Day 10 on the scale:
Before -- 135
After -- 140
Reaction -- What the??

Day 13 on the scale:
Before -- 135
After -- 132
Reaction -- None.

Day 16 on the scale:
Before -- 140
After -- 110
Reaction -- Okay, this scale is obviously having issues. I'm not weighing myself anymore. It's inches a person should lose, right? Like who's going to believe I weigh 140 pounds in the first place?

Time for mint-chocolate chip ice-cream. The WHOLE pint. Because I deserve it for actually getting out of bed at 9am on a Saturday morning to go to the gym.

=)

oh my, another surprise

I needed a break from preparing for the pop-midterm, and the usual House wasn't on today due to the playoffs for the World Series. I started channel surfing to find something "good" to watch. Not much was on, so I tuned into Dancing with the Stars.

Guess who's dancing? Jerry Springer. I nearly fell off the couch when I heard his name being announced.

I can't watch anymore. I need to change the channel now.

Surprise of the Day

Email from Contracts Professor:

"I'm going to be out of town on Friday, so instead of canceling class, I decided that your midterm will take place during class on Friday. It won't be graded, but I'll use your midterm scores to determine whether or not to boost your final grade for the class."



Why is this news a surprise? Because yesterday, the professor told us that he would give us at least two weeks to prepare for the midterm. "Friday" is in three days. And he sent the email just five minutes ago, literally.



I think I will go burn my contracts book now. Can't use it during the final anyway.

food cravings

Since I moved to Kansas City, I've been cooking everyday in order to feed myself (well, if you consider making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as cooking...). And it was okay, for a while. I like taking out the pots and pans and trying to duplicate what Mom used to feed me (which is a bit hard to do when the Asian market is located ALL THE WAY DOWNTOWN--too far for my two little legs). Besides, I'm actually eating healthier now that I have to make my own food. Turkey sandwiches, chicken-n-salsa, chicken-n-pasta, spaghetti, rice and eggs, yada yada yada.

However, I'm now bored of cooking for myself. I am craving fast food so bad I'm willing to walk the twenty blocks down Main Street to get to Burger King. It's been so long...

Other food cravings include:
--In-N-Out Combo #3 (hamburger, fries and soda).
--Lollicup milk tea with extra boba
--a vietnamese sandwich from SF Chinatown
--warm, gooey Krispy Kreme doughnuts directly from the store and not in boxes sitting out for god knows how long at Price Chopper (I know there's a Krispy Kreme somewhere around KC area, but no one is willing to drive me there. Grr, I will learn the bus system one day!)
--chicken sandwich combo from Burger King
--2am food cravings requiring a stop at Jack-In-The-Box for 99 cents tacos and Jumbo Jacks

that's just to name a few. I need a P&J now.

To be or not to be...

...in class on the Friday before Thanksgiving break?

For us lucky students at my school, we get the whole week off for Thanksgiving break, meaning people can get out of town as soon as the last class is over on Friday, Nov. 17.

My current dilemma: whether or not to skip classes on Friday the 17th in order to be on a cheap flight back to Boston or go to classes and take a flight out on Saturday.

Why the dilemma? Last day of classes is Nov. 30, FOUR days after you get back from the Thanksgiving holiday.

Pros: flights are cheaper by almost $100 if you fly in the morning as opposed to the evening

Cons: possibility of missing some important information about the reading assignment for contracts and criminal law

Pros: getting to spend an extra day with the family you've ignored for the last six months

Cons: possibility of missing review session(s) in each of the classe of contracts and criminal law

Pros: getting an extra day to eat all Mom's delicious home cooking

Cons: possibility of missing some crucial information required for the final exams

Pros: you've never missed class before so one day isn't going to hurt

Cons: ohmygoodness I CAN'T SKIP CLASSES!!

what to do? what to do?



okay, any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks.

what you should never hear in class

Professor: Ms. XYZ, tell me about the facts our next case.

Ms. XYZ: Um, I...didn't read that case. I'm...not...prepared...today.

Prof: Please see me after class.



Note to self: ALWAYS DO THE READING and NEVER say you're not prepared for class.

You know it's 5:45pm when the fat man blows his bagpipes

Everyday after classes, I aim to get all of my reading for the next day completed by 5:30pm. Then afterwards, I'll put my books away in my locker and start walking home to veg out in front of the TV.

And everyday when I start my walk home, I know exactly when it's 5:45pm because that's when this nice old man starts playing his bagpipes as he walks around the block. I don't know why he does this, but he does it everyday. I even saw him playing on the weekends, at 5:45pm, when I was walking back from the gym.

For most people, it's not over until the fat lady sings. For me, the day is done is when the fat man blows his bagpipes.

Can provocation be used as a defense?

If you were provoked by your spouse with just words, i.e. "I slept with your best friend and he was a better screw than you will ever be," and you couldn't handle her taunts and decided to stab her with a kitchen knife until she died, can you claim provocation as a defense to mitigate your conviction of second degree murder to manslaughter?

You can't in Missouri because she didn't do the dirty deed in front of you so there's not sufficient provocation for "a reasonable person" to act in the way that you did. Tough it out.

-----------

If you are a male and were approached by a homosexual male who said that he has a crush on you and wanted to do all the sexual acts that homosexual men do to one another, and this provoked you to the point of killing him with a kitchen knife, would that be sufficient to claim provocation so that your charge of murder two gets lowered to manslaughter?

You can't in Missouri because he didn't actually have sex with you, therefore not sufficient provocation for "a reasonable person" to act the way that you did. It's just words, get a thicker skin.

-----------

If you and your best friend were out drinking and in the middle of the drinking affair, your friend confesses that not only did he have sexual relations with your wife but he also had sexual relations with your 14 year old daughter. BUT you're not yet provoked, because for some odd reason, you decided to invite your friend back to your place to continue the drinking in front of a tv and watch the football game. While you and your friend are sitting on the couch in front of the tv drinking beers one after the other, your 14 year old daughter comes down and situates herself between the two of you. Now your friend starts fondling your daughter and the two of them start making out in front of you. At this point, you're a little bit provoked but not enough to do anything other than yell at them to cut it out, which they do. Your friend then continues to go into the kitchen, where you follow him minutes later and find out that his male part is hanging out and he's masturbating in your kitchen. You can't take it anymore and grab the kitchen knife and steal him.

Was there enough provocation here to lower your murder two charge to manslaughter?

Not if you're living in Missouri, because there was no act of sexual intercourse, therefore a "reasonable person" would tough it out.



Goodness it's tough living in Missouri.

Quote of the Day from Contracts Professor

The case we were discussing in Contracts class today involved child support and whether the "father" was required to pay child support if DNA testing proved he was not the biological father of the child, but at the time of birth, he agreed to put his name on the birth certificate anyway.

Before we got into the core of the base, the professor told us what he learned while growing up in South America:

"Mama's baby, Daddy's maybe."

BF Quote of the Day

Me: You've been working so hard lately.

BF: I work hard to pay your bills.

Me: What bills of mine have you paid?

BF: Your food bill for one.

Me: Hey! You haven't had to take me out to dinner for two months already!

BF: Food bill, ha! I don't just buy food for you, I have to go out and get FEED for the way you eat.

Me: JERK!

BF: kiss kiss kiss kiss make nice time

my brain on 3.5 hours of sleep

-I can't believe I feel so full of energy and it's only 9am!

-Can I last through this boring Westlaw training? How hard is it to type in the citation and get a case? A monkey can do it.

-Thirty minutes left of this training...twenty-nine minutes left to this training...oh, this is such a pretty water bottle, I need to wash it when I get home....twenty seven minutes left to this training...

-What? I didn't get that rewards screen. Where is it? How come I didn't get there? I pushed the same buttons! WHY ME?!?!

-...fifteen minutes left to this training...thirteen minutes left to this training....

-Yay, finished early. Whoo hoo! Must go get books for Torts class.

-Wow, I'm still energized and it's only 10am. I don't feel tired at all.

-typing typing typing torts, chattels, trespass, land, typing typing, review...what? review already? We're only halfway through the class?

-yes, liable for that if you do this...yep, liable for conversion if you throw that into his yard...yeah, liable for trespass if you stole his keys and sold it to someone else...okay, got this down.

-Class over, yes!! I'm so hungry, must run home to eat.

-the Boy thinks I'll crash before the day is over. Ha! I even planned on going to the gym today after finishing homework in the library. I'll show him who's gonna crash.

-lunch was good. time for property class. It's only 12:45 and ready to start.

-12:55, good gosh I'm tired! I can't keep my eyes open. What the hell is she talking about? Cattle? oh, no, it's chattel. ha ha, chattels are the softer cousins of cattle. Hee hee, I love the property professor.

-email the Boy that I'm getting tired and don't feel like going to the gym anymore.

-Boy emails back with a huge HA HA and I TOLD YOU SO that I was gonna crash.

-...thirty more minutes to go...people, don't you understand the meaning of gift already? come on now, let's move on to finder's keepers loser's weepers...

-...ooh, I found a piece of caramal candy. Must get sugar into the system. Tear it open and stuff it into your mouth now!! yummy yummy sugar.

-..ten more minutes, i can pay attention for ten more minutes, just ten more minutes...

-hmm, should i go home and take a nap, then do homework, or do homework now then go home for a nap...gym? what gym? what's a gym?

-aw screw it, if I take a nap now, I'll never go to sleep later...why is everyone leaving? Class is over? Whoo hoo! oh wait, I have to go do homework.

-this case in contracts is soooooo boring. Why can't Mrs. King just share her famous husband's work? Why does it matter if she holds title to Dr. King's papers? Share the wealth lady.

-two more chapters to go....just two more chapters to go...

-done with homework!! thank the homework fairy!! I'm not tired anymore. In fact, I'm actually quite energized. Perhaps I will try to run off this energy on the treadmill. And maybe that will make me tired enough to actually fall asleep tonight.

-hating the gym has now bitten me in my hiney...i actually have to go exercise in order to sleep now? wtf is that?

-I need prescription sleeping pills.

-Are we there yet?

high school all over again

Is 1L supposed to be like high school?

For instance:

1. Lockers. Why must we be subjected to lockers and combinations again? Not only is the locker area crowded into a 12' x 12' space, but there's actually a line we have to wait in in order to get to our locker. And the lockers are half sizes, and if you were lucky, you got the top locker. And if you were unlucky, like me, you get the bottom locker and always run the risk of having the clumsy person drop his books on you from his top locker. Get some muscles and hold onto your books, mister!

2. Lunchroom politics. Okay, so there's no real cafeteria at the law school but there are two areas where students go to eat their packed lunch: the student lounge and outside on the terrace. And like high school, seatings is based on a) groupie seating, i.e. the 2Ls get first dibs at student lounge and 1Ls must suffer in the heat of the sun outside on the terrace; b) first come first serve seating if you don't want to be in a group; or c) eventually your unnamed group gets named by others as "the overachievers," "the jocks" or "the queens."

3. The popularity contest. Remember student government? Remember how the voting was most likely dependent upon how popular the candidate was? Yeah, well the same goes for the current campaign for 1L Student Bar Association Representatives. I think voting is this Thursday and Friday, and already the candidates have prostituted themselves for votes (I'll brief three cases for your criminal law class if you vote for me), used lots of candy as bribery, give out free coffee and donuts every morning, used their friends to get votes (if you're my friend, you'll vote for Sue), and even used the 10 minutes before class starts to do a quick 1 minute campaign blurb. I barely know the people in my section, let alone know who the other candidates in the other sections are. But, whoever can give me the most candy gets my vote.

4. The gossip. Ohmygosh, I don't know a third of the people in my class and already I know that Sue went to the party with Billy, got drunk with Fred and ended up going home with Bob. And I have no idea who Sue, Billy and Fred are!

Cupcakes

I tried to continue Q's cupcake obsession but my roomie did not allow me the time to purchase a cupcake for research purposes. I also couldn't find the prices for these things, but I vow to go back to this Tea Shop so that I can fully carry out the cupcake research.

Irish Fest 2006

Over Labor Day weekend, my friend and I went to the Kansas City Irish Fest, where they dyed the fountains green! It was kinda neat to see green water but when you got up close, it was also a bit grotesque...perhaps a darker shade of green would have been better?

It was really, REALLY hot outside, so imagine how happy I was when I saw all the little kiddies running through this interactive fountain. Thankfully, the water wasn't dyed green and I couldn't help but try to cool off by standing as close as possible without getting all wet.

Unfortunately, my flip-flops got a little bit too wet and being the klutz that I am, I naturally slipped on the wet flip-flops and almost had a full bath in the fountains. Luckily, my bottom dried off after walking around for 15 minutes in the scorching sun. Although I did get lots of stares afterwards....

hee hee, some of the wares that were for sale at the Irish Fest.

So this "Yorkie" here is actually a brand of chocolate from Ireland.

The only reason I bought this piece of chocolate was because of this warning:

I just had to find out if eating this chocolate would give me warts or turn me green. Why would a company decide to ban girls from eating chocolate? Perhaps that was the intention all along: warn girls against eating the chocolate, which peeks the girls' curiosities so much that they have to eat it.

And so I ate it. And I didn't get warts or turn green. But I did get a tiny little zit the next day. Damn chocolate!

pick-up line of the night

"So, I just found out my girlfriend has like five other boyfriends she seeing while she's with me. How about you two come join me in Apt. 6 so I can catch up with my girlfriend?"

Yeah, you go on home and I'll be right over....when pigs fly.

I don't work here

Yesterday, I went with the Roomie to go get some food at the Farmer's Market/City Market in downtown Kansas City. Once we got there, we split up and went about our own separate ways in getting the veggies we each needed for the week. I was looking at some grapes and pondering about whether I should buy it, this family of three were also looking at the same grapes I was looking at.

As I picked up a bunch of grapes and squeezed them to test for firmness, the son (I would guess his age to be 15), looks at me and asks, "Excuse me, do you work here? We want to buy some grapes. Can you get it for us?"

Yes, it was a family of Caucasion and the son spoke with a harsh southern accent, and apparantly the only Asian person standing near the grapes must be the person who's also selling it.

How did I respond? Oh wouldn't you like to know. Let's just say I told him that I wasn't the owner of the booth and that the owner was standing near the bananas.

walking walking walking

My last class was over at 3pm and I was ready to start the Labor Day weekend. But wait a minute, what is a girl supposed to do without a car? There's not many options for pedestrians around here. And plus it was hot and humid, with the sun shining high above--who wants to walk in that weather?

I do! No, I wasn't crazy. I just didn't want to be sitting at home watching tv while it was so nice and sunny out. Plus my roommate went out of town so I'm really just stuck in the apartment if I didn't start using my two legs. My destination was the County Club Plaza, the closest thing to a mall within walking distance from my apartment.

So I started out on my walk, dressed in just a tank top and skirt (trust me, it was hot), and let's just say that not many people walk around here. I did find a bus stop, but still didn't see the bus. On my way, I discovered there's a Chinese restaurant two blocks from my apartment, an Osco drug stores next to the chinese restaurant, a subway restaurant, a Chipotle's, the Post Office, a beauty salon, the Kansas City Public Library, and a big chain Chinese Resturant, Bo Ling's--Chinese Please! All this located within a 5 minute walk from my apartment. I guess I'm not in the middle of no where.

The next ten minutes of walking took me across a couple of major intersections and a creek before I got to the Plaza, which is a collection of brand name stores set up like an outdoor style mall. I did a bunch of window shopping because there's no need to buy clothes anymore, but really there's just no need to BUY anymore. I did, however, take advantage of the Bath and Body Works "5 for $15" sale of anti-bacterial hand soaps.

After a couple of hours, I wanted to start walking back home but the heat was getting to me and I really didn't want to walk back home in the sun. I found another bus stop and comtemplated waiting for the bus. The only problem was that I had no small change on me and I really didn't know how much the fare was. In trying to find someone to inquire about the bus fare, I spotted Coldstone Cremery and came up with a better idea. I'll walk home eating ice-cream to keep me cool! But of course, before I could do that without feeling guilty, I called The Boy to confess my sins of ice-cream cravings. He was too ill to care what I was stuffing into my mouth, so a mint chocolate chip brownie fudge waffle cone gave me all the motivation I needed to make the 15 minute walk back home. It was a good thing too, because I still didn't see a bus go by as I made my way home.

Today, I'm heading to the Irish Festival with a friend and hopefully will have pictures to share.

The Reason Why I Was Fired

THE REASON I WAS FIRED
For the last departmental picnic, management had decided that due to liability issues, we could have alcohol, but only one (1) drink each person.

I was fired for ordering the cups.

...
...
...




Editor's Note: Sent to me in an email and posted again verbatim.

Employee of the Month

We're all working hard at the beginning of the semester, but I suppose we could each do more....



Editor's Note: Picture was emailed to me with heading and caption added verbatim.

Boyfriend Quote of the Day

Me: You don't appreciate anything I do for you anymore.

BF: I appreciate you lots. You just did something wonderful for me recently.

Me: I did? What was that?

BF: You moved away for law school, best thing in the world!

Me: I did what?!?

BF: You're the best girlfriend in the whole wide world and beyond. Any other guy would be jealous of me right now.

Me: Jerk.

Question of the Day

Do you eat fried chicken with ketchup? And if you do, where in the US are you from?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Me: Hey roomie, want some ketchup to go with that Popeye's fried chicken?

Roommate (RM): want some what?

Me: Ketchup.

RM: You eat fried chicken with ketchup?

Me: Um...yeah. Doesn't everybody?

RM: No.

Me: Huh? Who doesn't eat fried chicken with ketchup?

RM: Nobody eats fried chicken with ketchup. Southerners don't, and where does fried chicken come from? The south! [she's from Louisiana].

Me: You're pulling my strings.

RM: It's true! I dont' know anyone who eats fried chicken with ketchup.

Me: My entire family does! And my boyfriend does! And everybody I know since growing up eats fried chicken with ketchup. We pile on the ketchup.

RM: Maybe it's a coastal thing. I know southerners don't do it.

Me: Let me call my friend Q from South Carolina and see if that's true.

..... conversation with Q.....

Q: Hi there.

Me: I just realized that you don't eat chicken on the bone, so did you find out if your family eats fried chicken with ketchup?

Q: My dad and brother says they've never heard of anyone eating fried chicken with ketchup.

Me: WHAT?!

Q: You're just weird.

Me: I've never heard of anyone not eating fried chicken with ketchup until today.

Q: Yeah, you're just weird.

Me: I have to ask another person from the south about this fried chicken with ketchup thing.

Q: Okay, weirdo.

.....conversation with the roommate....

Me: My friend from South Carolina says her family doesn't eat fried chicken with ketchup either!

RM: See, I told you.

Me: I'm going to find a southerner who eats fried chicken with ketchup, even if it kills me.

RM: okay, now.

.....conversation with the Boy....

Me: Want to know something really weird?

BF: what?

Me: People from the south don't eat fried chicken with ketchup.

BF: What do they eat it with?

Me: Nothing.

BF: That's weird.

Me: I know!

BF: Who told you that?

Me: The roomie and Q, who said her dad and brother doesn't eat fried chicken with ketchup.

BF: Why would anyone not eat fried chicken with ketchup?

Me: I know!! That's what I keep asking.

BF: That's just weird. Fried chicken with no ketchup.

Me: Honey, apparantly we're the weirdos for doing that.

take a hint

Half of the outer cover of my casebook for Contract Law:

...

...

...

This drawing was on the inside cover of the casebook:

Thank you for the advice, Mr. Leary.

10 things I miss most about San Francisco

1. The weather. I cannot stand this humid heat. A two minute walk to school is way too long in the scorching sun. Sweat beads start forming as soon as I a step outside my front door. Yes, I can do without this heat. And I'm sure I'll miss San Francisco weather even more when the snow starts falling down.

2. Being able to be within walking distance of a Walgreens (or equivalent), a bank and a grocery store. It sucks to have to depend on someone else to take you grocery shopping (Roomie, do you need to go to the grocery store? I need some more milk....).

3. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss the MUNI. Everyone here owns a car to drive everywhere they need to go, and little Miss Q-pig here decided that walking is good enough for her. There is a bus system here, called "The Metro" but I've been here for three weeks now and I haven't seen an actual bus around here, so I don't know how reliable their public transport system is.

4. Asian people. I don't like being stared at because: a) they've never seen an Asian before; b) they've never seen an English speaking Asian; c) they can't figure out if I am Asian ("Are you Spanish?"); d) I'm not white.

5. Intelligent people. Okay, wait, I really mean people with common sense. My patience is wearing thin and I just realized that I can't stand stupid people anymore. I just can't keep talking to everyone like he or she is a two year old child. I just can't. Thank goodness my law school classmates are not stupid and all are somewhat intelligent. Well, for now anyway.

6. Dim sum. Lots and lots of dim sum.

7. Nail salons on every block, and $20 for a good spa pedicure ($25 if you really want to splurge).

8. My old junk of a car. See #3 above.

9. Jelly Belly. I miss her A LOT.

10. Having a steady paycheck. Enough said.

And I miss The Boy. He's out partying like a rock star while I'm slaving away in this humid heat, studying hard so that I can successfully graduate from law school. But that's okay. He drinks because he misses me. Or at least that's what he keeps telling me.

1 week down, 119 more weeks to go until graduation

First week of law school in review:

Contracts, Lesson of the week: this is how the courts are set up, there's a federal court system and a state court system. You need to figure out which court system you are in first before you can determine which law to follow.....blah blah blah blah.

Intro to Law, lesson of the week: There are two court systems, federal and state and each have the same heirarchy to follow for precedent...blah blah blah blah.

Torts, lesson of the week: There are many kinds of torts and tort law, but before you can learn about the law of torts, you need to understand the court systems we follow....blah blah blah.

Criminal Law, lesson of the week...oh why am I bothering. You get the point. The same lesson was repeated in Property.

So, not a very exciting first week in class. I haven't been called on yet--I think the professors are afraid to screw up my mine. Well, I'm prepared as can be, so bring it on! Or maybe I should enjoy this lag while it lasts.

hallelujah!

cable works.
wireless internet works.

I am in heaven at the moment.

Must catch up with imperative internet surfing.

still no F-ing cable OR internet

The cable guy was supposed to hook up cable and high speed internet for me yesterday. After an hour of using his handheld-cable-searching device and searching for the cable box, he determined that he was not able to find a "cable connection" and therefore needed to send a "Community Developer, aka CD technician" to come out and finish the job for us. The first available time is this Friday.

I have to wait until FRIDAY for real cable and internet? WTF? Arguing with the technician showed no progress so I called up customer service at Time Warner cable and had the following conversation:

Me: You sent a technician to hook up cable service and he said he couldn't do it today. Why?

Customer Service Rep: Please hold while I try to find out that information.

Me: Okay. Thanks.

CSR: [Q-pig]? Thank you for holding and being patient with us. The technician today was not able to do the cable service you were asking for. That's why we need to send another technician out there.

Me: Why did you send me a technician who didn't know what he was doing?

CSR: Hold on one moment, please.

Me: okay, thanks.

CSR: Q-pig, thank you for holding and for being patient. The technician who came to your apartment today was not qualified to do cable hookup in an apartment unit.

Me: You're telling me that today's technician was unqualified to hook up cable in an apartment?

CSR: Yes.

Me: Um, you guys knew that I lived in an apartment complex when I decided to sign up for service.

CSR: Yes, we did.

Me: So why did you send me someone who was unqualified technician to do the job?

CSR: Hold on one moment, please.

Me: fine.

CSR: Q-pig, thank you for holding and for being patient. There was a complex situation with the cable box at your apartment complex and we need to send a qualified CD technician out there to fix the problem.

Me: Let me get this straight, you initially sent me an "unqualified" technician to try to hook up my cable.

CSR: Yes.

Me: And now you're going to schedule a time for a "qualified" technician to hook up the cable?

CSR: Yes.

Me: Why are you hiring unqualified people in the first place?

CSR: ..um...um...um

Me: Do you always hire unqualified people and send them out just to have someone else go back in and finish it because the unqualified person doesn't know how to do it in the first place? You know this wastes a lot of my time....

CSR: Miss...

Me: ....and I don't have the time to sit at home for 3 hours at a time waiting for someone to come by and just turn on the cable so I can watch real tv instead of the crap that I have been forced to endure watching over the last three weeks...

CSR: We're terribly sorry...but ....umm....

Me: ...and I really don't care about the cable but the INTERNET. I NEED THE INTERNET and I shouldn't be forced to have a delayed satisfaction of having high speed internet when it is your fault that you hire and send unqualified people out to just turn on the freaking cable.

CSR: I'm terribly sorry. I'll take off $20 off your first bill.

Me: It better be free if the qualified technician doesn't complete the whole process of turning on my cable and installing high speed internet.

CSR: Yes, yes, whatever you want. Just get off the phone.

Okay, the CSR didn't really say that last line but I swear she wanted to.

Quote of the day

From the visiting professor currently teaching my section of 1L Property class:

"Grades really don't matter. Has any heard the joke about grades?

Students who get A's will turn out to be professors; students with B's will become judges and all the students who make C's in law school will end up being millionaires because they're smart.

So, no biggie about grades. Okay?"

the anticipation of cable tv

Yay! My roomie and I finally decided on a package for cable tv and cable internet hookup. I can't live without high speed internet, she can't live without cable. Why oh why did she not have cable at all last year?

After calling every cable provider in the world, we were forced to go with Time Warner cable (Comcast equivilant for you Cali folks) because none of the other providers provide service in our area ("we serve Kansas City, but not the area of Kansas City that you're in"...what the hell? we're not exactly in the ghetto.). And for some really odd reason, my frugal roommate opted for digital cable with a DVR box so we ended up getting a higher price package than what she initially wanted to pay for. Whatever. It's done. It's set. The cable man is coming on Monday and I can't wait to be able to get online in the comfort of my bedroom and not having to buy a small ice coffee in order to sit at the coffeehouse and use their free online service.

Whee!!

highlights from law school orientation

on the incoming class:
-there are approximately 169 students in the incoming Class of 2009.

-there are exactly 10 people who are clearly not Caucasion...oh, what the hell, white people. There are exactly 10 people who are clearly not white, aka the "minority group": 3 black people, 4 east asians (1 chinese, 1 korean, 1 thai and me--vietnamese!), 1 east Indian, 1 Pakistani and 1 hispanic. And everybody else is white, "as white as white can be."

-about 90% of the class is from the Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma areas.

-there are 5 international students who actually traveled from China, India, etc. to come here for law school...here in Kansas City of all places.

-one of the black dudes just moved here from Virginia.

-I'm the only one representing California.

-About an eighth of the class are expecting their first child.

-I've never seen so many white people collected in one place.

on the different advice from the Administration:
-"law school is like a full time job. Expect to work 60-80 hours a week for your schoolwork. Then, after you graduate, you'll already be a pro at 80 hour work weeks."

-"All of you deserve to be here. However, if you plan on doing any of the following, I have one advice for you: if you are in the middle of a divorce, go home. If you are planning on getting a part-time job, go home. If you are just entering rehab and not stable enough to endure the stress of law school, go home. For the rest of you, WELCOME!"

-"Do not seperate yourself from the real world. Schedule in the normal things that you need to do. Make time to spend with your families. If you like to read slutty romance novels, read them. If you want to have sex all the time, have sex all the time. If you don't want to have sex all the time, don't have sex all the time."

-"on that last note about having sex, one of our alums heard me give that advice and about two months into the semester, she came up to me and said to me: 'Prof. remember when you said that if we wanted sex all the time, we should have sex all the time? Well, I'm pregnant.' And she graduated with honors and three beautiful children."

on the freebies the school gives out as a welcoming gift:
-free UMKC Law School lunch insulated lunch packs, packed with a laundry bag, barbeque sauce, and lots of coupons for free food and drinks in the surrounding area. Too bad I don't have a car to DRIVE to these places.

-cups and water bottles with BAR/BRI all over it. It serves as a great reminder of the stress inducing awful test I will have to take at the end of my 3 year law school career in order to a legally practicing attorney.

-lots and lots of luggage tags

-lots and lots of copies of cases to read before classes start.

why'd I do this?

I just spent the last three hours organizing and writing answers to two fake exams that will never get graded and I will never know what my fake grade would be if the professors did grade my answer, which was not fake, but in this case it might as well be fake anyway because no one will ever see them.

It was a good thing I didn't spend five hours last night outlining in preparation for these fake exams. Unlike some of the other poor fools in this class....

When is lunch?

Quote of the Day

Student: blah blah blah blah blah blah I read somewhere that it is now a law that you cannot pray in school...that it's illegal if you start praying in school.

Consitutional Law Professor: No, you're wrong. It's not a crime if you pray in school.

Student: But the United States just passed the legislation.

Prof: No, no. You can pray in school. It would be a violation of the constitution if they stopped you from praying. Take it from me. Praying is not illegal.

Student: But....

Prof: Christian groups can have after school meetings and reserve a classroom for praying if they want to and no one can stop them.

Student: But you can't pray out loud...

Prof: Yes you can. If you're in a cafeteria and everyone else is being loud, you can pray out loud, to yourself.

Student: I'll have to find the case where I read it from and show you.

Prof: I teach constitutional law so I know that it's true and it's not illegal to pray in school.

And then I overhead this same student trying to ask the following question during a break in the class:

Student: So, is it illegal to wear a cross to school?


Oh. My. Gosh. Please. Stop. Talking. Now.

week in review

so yeah, here I am in Kansas City, Missouri (or MO for short), and I'm finally in my own room in my new apartment with my new roommate and my very own bathroom (score!). I just finished unpacking everything too. All my clothes are folded and my shoes are stacked neatly away in the closet. I've got sheets on my brand new bed. I've got no internet hookup yet, but am hoping that I can finish this blog before I lose my mooching connection on someone else's wireless.

So, here goes...the week in review:

--getting up at 3 am to get ready for the airport sucks. knowing that I'm not the only person to get up that early to get to a flight makes it a little better.

--even though getting up at 3am should make you tired enough to sleep on the plane, you can't because the first half of the flight is only an hour and a half, then you have to lug your stuff off the plane and get onto another plane in Phoenix, then you're seated next to a baby who won't stop crying, and before you know it, you're already in Kansas City downing a red bull to keep from falling asleep while driving to your friend's sister's house for the night.

--wearing a tanktop will get you a free upgrade from a mid-size car to an SUV. and the Enterprise guy will not take no for an answer.

--call the Boy four times during the first four hours in Kansas City.

--to get from the airport to Overland Park, you have to switch between three different interstates and then highways, and a bunch of other streets, get back on the interstate, switch to some more highways, and finally reach it. Then do all that over again to get back to Kansas City for school.

--wake up an hour early to plan for driving, spend that hour getting lost and then get to school 15 minutes late.

--get great Kansas City Barbeque Ribs from great restaurant on the Plaza. Even greater when eating with friend's mother who was in town for a conference.

--spend an hour getting lost trying to drive back to friend's sister's house after school.

--call the Boy four times to whine about being lost.

--finally got to see what the apartment looks like and what the roommate is like. Both were very cool. Only sucky thing was that I could not move in on the prearranged date because the subletter who moved out was not subletting the room that I am renting. So I had to stay at friend's sister's house for a couple more days than initially intended.

--2 year old babies are cute. even cuter when you are able to run away and hide in your room when the baby is crying for half an hour.

--border collies are cute too. not so cute when they nip your hand everytime you try to pet it.

--himalayan cats are gorgeous but not so friendly

--call the Boy to share observations about babies, dogs and cats.

--the summer academic enrichment program I'm currently in is fun. I feel like I'm getting a week's head start on all the 1Ls. I've got briefing down pat.

--getting called on in class was scary, but being able to give a good argument for every question AND get praised by the professor gives me such a giddy feeling. hopefully the real classes are this easy.

--spending time with friend's friend who lives in Kansas City and went to an actual shopping center with regular stores like the Gap, Express and Barnes & Noble. Too bad I can't buy any more clothes.

--spending 2 hours shopping at Wal-Mart, then another hour at Target, and a half hour at Bed Bath & Beyond will still not get you everything you need in your apartment. I have to go back to those places tomorrow to get more stuff. Maybe roommate will join me so that she can help me carry home a desk....

--there are a lot of East Indian men in my apartment complex. I wonder if they are willing to share indian food.

--it's so nice to finally sleep on your very own bed again, especially when it's brand new and you took the plastic cover off yourself. And even better when the bed is not a twin.

--it's super nice to have your very own bathroom when you are sharing an apartment.

--I only talked to the Boy two times today, instead of the usual six I've been able to squeeze in. Is that a bit much?

--I found two Vietnamese resturants AND an asian food market. There is civilization in Kansas City.

--Life is gonna suck when I have to return the SUV to the Enterprise guy. How am I supposed to get to Wal-Mart Supercenter?

brr

just a quick little update from Kansas City:

It's about 100 degrees outside and I'm shivering in this negative 10 degree classroom.

Can't we have a happy medium?

lunch at the Cheesecake Factory

Renee's Special half sandwich, soup and salad -- $10.95

Crispy Chicken Sandwich with Buffalo hot sauce -- $10.95

Chicken Avocado Club Sandwich -- $10.95

Banana Creme Cheesecake -- FREE

Chocolate Brownie Sundae Cheesecake -- FREE

Snickers Cheesecake -- FREE

Using Mastercard all the time, resulting in coupons for free cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory -- PRICELESS

conversation with the neighbor

While I was putting the finishing touches and preparing several boxes for shipping to Kansas City, the Boy's neighbor walks over with his dog and engages in the following conversation:

Neighbor: Are you and [the Boy] moving?

Me: Oh no. I'm packing up to go to law school.

Neighbor: Whereabouts?

Me: Kansas City?

Neighbor: You're both moving to Kansas City?

Me: No. Just me. I'm the only one moving to go to law school.

Neighbor: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Me: Umm...sorry for what? That I'm going to law school?

Neighbor: No, sorry that you two broke up.

Me: huh? Oh no!! We didn't break up. We're still together and I'll come back during school breaks and will take the California bar after law school. I'll be back, don't worry.

Neighbor: Oh, good to know. So will [the Boy] still come here on the weekends?

Me: Yeah, he'll still come back here on the weekends. This house is his baby.

Neighbor: Good, good. I need a beer buddy. Good luck in law school!


Great, not only does the neighbor think we're breaking up, he's excited to have a beer buddy.

wow

Muni gets derailed, a 4.4 quake in Northern California...what's happening? All hell breaks loose as soon as I leave San Francisco?

*singing voice* Don't cry for me San Francisco....





and what the hell am I doing up at 6am when I don't have to work anymore?

this is the life

Monday:

7:30 a.m. -- wake-up call from the Boy wondering why I wasn't out of bed yet. "Because I don't have to work anymore! I quit yesterday remember! Now let me get back to sleep!"

9:50 a.m. -- text message from the Boy's sister wondering if I made it to Sacramento in one piece.

10:00 a.m. -- woke up and watched "The Simple Life" on the E channel for a couple hours. Paris and Nicole are so stupid but their show is so addictive I couldn't tear my eyes away.

11:30 a.m. -- ate brunch of leftover Mexican food in the fridge.

11:35 a.m. -- called the Boy to say hi.

12:45 p.m. -- attempted to do some yard work. Too hot so I only accomplished pulling out the giant, tall weeds that made the backyard look like a forest. Got pricked by thousands of thorns in the process, called the Boy to whine about it.

1:30 p.m. -- met with the window people to tell them which blinds were broken.

1:40 p.m. -- called the Boy to inform of completion of blinds repair.

3:00 p.m. -- attempt to repack everything neatly into boxes and prepare for shipping.

5:00 p.m. -- finished packing.

5:10 p.m. -- call the Boy to ask for help in locating coin operated laundry place.

5:30 p.m. -- search for laundry place and food.

6:00 p.m. -- found coin operated laundry place in the hood. Put clothes in wash and continued on quest for food.

6:30 p.m. -- found a grocery store and quelled hunger with a Sprite and chips. Put clothes in dryer.

7:15 p.m. -- returned back home with clean laundry.

8:00 p.m. -- watched tv for the rest of the night, while reading "Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown.

2:00 a.m. -- finally put the book down and gave in to the body's request for sleep.

Tuesday:

8:00 a.m. -- woke up to finish the last 100 pages of "Digital Fortress".

10:00 a.m. -- called the Boy to say good morning.

10:30 a.m. -- went shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond.

11:00 a.m. -- Spent an hour at Borders to use the laptop for internet access.

11:30 a.m. -- Called the Boy to say hi.

12:00 p.m. -- went shopping at Kohl's, then Ralphs' Grocery.

12:10 p.m. -- the Boy called to ask how I liked it to get a call every ten minutes: "I love getting phone calls from you. I'm not irked at all. Call me anytime you like. What else am I doing?" My response only made the Boy angrier because his plan to irk me backfired.

1:00 p.m. -- went home for lunch (Carl's Junior curly fries and chicken salad).

1:05 p.m. -- called the Boy to say hi again, then took a quick nap.

3:00 p.m. -- woke up and went to Home Depot to return dead flower (yep, they take it back with no questions asked).

3:10 p.m. -- called the Boy to inform of successful flower return.

3:15 p.m. -- went shopping at Wal-Mart.

4:00 p.m. -- planted new hisbiscus flowers in the Boy's yard and did some more potting and repotting of plants.

4:45 p.m. -- Emailed the Boy pictures of the new flower garden.

5:00 p.m. -- turn on laptop and was estatic to be able to mooch off someone else's unsecured wireless connection. SCORE!

5:05 p.m. -- call the Boy to inform him of good fortune.

5:40 p.m. -- I think it's time for another nap.