Goodnight, Canada!

An Update from Croatia

2006-05-21T13:50:00.000-04:00

21^st May 2006
Zagreb, Croatia

Oh wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve actually be able to get online. The Internet is definitely one drug that I’ll never be able to quit. I’d be lying to say that I haven’t been looking forward to the wireless that would hopefully be a given at a Sheraton—because, let me tell you, wireless is not a common thing in Croatia. Shit, high-speed DSL/Cable is practically unheard of here. And, I’m sorry, I’m just not going to pay long-distance for dial up.

So anyway, Croatia has been a very interesting experience for us. We’ve managed to get into some interesting driving situations, some even more interesting family fights (though my mother swears they weren’t fights, we were just talking at each other very quickly and loudly!), and stay at some VERY interesting hotels (and I’m using that term loosely). However, we’ve also managed to see some amazing sights, meet some very friendly people, and a have a bunch of great experiences. Since I’m going to cover a few places in that this entry, I’ll just break it down be destination:

Dubrovnik, Croatia (in southern Croatia, on the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea)

This is a major seaside resort for people in the Balkans, as well as several countries in Europe, especially Europe. Okay, side tangent: I have been around more Germans than Croatians! The Germans are the Japanese down here! They’re everywhere! Most of the television channels here are in German! Okay, back to traveloguing…

So, we ended up at the Hotel Adriatic. Umm…sparse is being kind to this hotel, but the views were incomparable. I didn’t mind the lack of tv (or shower door), with the amazing view I had from my terrace. The city itself was one of the most heavily shelled back in the 1990’s. However, the town has done a great job of recovering, and walking around there now, you would never have known that there was any damage done at all.

The town is relatively small, but has an old town center that is famous for the fortifications around it. You can walk on top of the walls around the city—which is so much fun! The Adriatic is a beautiful sea, probably the most beautiful one I’ve ever spent time at. Dad discovered that his (new) camera (you know, the one that replaced the $1,000 one) allowed him to take 5 pictures per battery. He was not a happy man.

We had an issue with power converters (they outlets in Switzerland are different from the ones in Austria and Croatia—who knew?), so we had to take a cab to a place with converters. Well, our friendly cab driver ended up driving up this long, windy road up a mountain. I couldn’t help but have my inner New Yorker freaking out and panicking about the death and dismemberment that was to come. Instead, he ended up driving us up to the tall hill above the city to be able to see the entire city below us. It was a total swindle to get more cash out of us (the meter was running the whole time), but it was so gorgeous, we didn’t really mind. This was also where you could see the shelled remains of a cable car station from 1991, as well as a restaurant and nightclub that were shelled then too. It really brought home to me how scary that period must have been for the Croatians.

Split, Solin

Solin is the a sprawling architectural site that has ruins ranging from 200 BC to the 5^th century AD. There’s a bunch of Christian church remains, but I was more interested in the Roman ruins further afield. In my attempt to find said ruins with Mom, we ended up on quite a few paths that led into private farms. Can you imagine, having to farm your cabbage, but these damn Roman bits keep getting in your way? The wildflowers here were amazing… I very much loved how unspoiled and non-commercial the site was. No one was selling little ruin snowglobes or postcards here (though I’m fine with people doing that—just not AT the place…I’d rather lose myself in the history).

Split is the second largest city in Croatia. It’s the place where the population of Solin evacuated to once a bunch of looting invaders came to Solin. It’s also the site where a huge US air craft carrier had just docked. You know the bit about Germans everywhere? Well, Split was the exception. There were American naval boys EVERYWHERE! I felt like I was back at home, except for the funny writing on the signs.

Split is particularly cool for the city’s center which was literally built starting with Diocletian’s palace (Diocletian was a Roman emperor whose favorite hobby was slaughtering Christians). So, when you walk around the city center, there are literally centuries of architecture co-existing—one might say in a rather parasitic fashion. Any true devotee of architecture might be aghast at the way it all comes together, but I couldn’t stop from being fascinated by the Frakenstein-ish quality to the whole thing. I have a picture up of Flickr that shows, from my rough understanding for architecture, at least 5 different architectural styles on one building. So crazy…

Pula & Dvdneck Croatia

This is the beginning of a two-day trek through MANY small towns in Croatia. Dad loved it (he planned it); it was a little overwhelming for Mom and me. But it was pretty neat to see so many historic towns that still hadn’t been over-commercialized. As some of you might know, I’m a pretty avid amateur historian of Roman antiquities—I always find myself being jealous of those 19^th century tourists who were able to traipse through the Coliseum with wildflowers growing there, no ropes holding them back, no tour guides holding up bright umbrellas and loudly explaining the stories of Romans in 15 different languages. Well, that’s 19^th century feel is what is going on at most of the sites in Croatia—which is fantastic. You can ramble, touch things, and climb walls pretty much at your own risk. I love that!

Pula is most famous for its amphitheatre—one of the largest complete ones in the world. It was fun walking around it, but I have to say that the stage they set up for Jose Carreras in the center of the auditorium kinda killed the mystique I was hoping for. There was a great display of excavated wine jugs found onsite below the auditorium, though. We also got to poke around a few other ancient sites—the forum and a temple dedicated to some 1^st century local big shots. Dad cursed at his camera even more.

Dvdneck is an abandoned medieval town in the middle of no where (that’s saying something in Croatia too!). It’s incredible. You can just walk, climb, whatever anywhere there. There’s just a few signs saying “Bad Idea” in 5 languages with some picture of a little stick guy getting killed by falling rocks. Haha, as if that would stop Dad and me. There were also gorgeous wildflowers everywhere as well. But you know what comes with gorgeous wildflowers? Bees the size of Snickers bars. At one point in the ruins, the buzzing was so loud, I don’t think you could hold a conversation. I did lots of brave exploring—but then I very quickly would run away from the first buzzing noise around my head. I looked like a total ass, I’m sure. But I didn’t get stung!

Polin & Hilltop Cities, Croatia

Polin is a lovely little seaside city. It’s famous for a church (aren’t all towns). But, the most notable thing that happened here (and actually in Pula too) were these god-awful seagulls. My parents and I were sleeping, when in the middle of night the most awful shrieking awoke us all around 4AM. I stumbled to the window and discovered that it was a group of seagulls. The seagulls here are fucking banshees. Cross the sound a cat makes in heat, while fighting with another cat, the drone of frogs after a rain storm and a wailing grandmother at a funeral. Multiply the volume times three. That might be how disturbing these birds were. The three of us could not believe these sounds were coming out of sea gulls, who are pretty soft and relaxing vocalists at home. These things are agents of the devil.

The hilltop cities were the next stop on our driving schedule. We were supposed to visit 6 towns, but we ended up cutting it in half, because Mom and I started feeling that we were seeing the same town over and over again. SCENE: winding road that twists up the side of a mountain. At the top, there will be one tall building of a somewhat notable design that peaks out over the tiled rooftops by about forty feet. This will be a church. In order to get to said church, the travelers must climb up a somewhat steep path over very slick cobblestones, all the while trying to avoid the occasional Mercedes that has decided to try to drive to the top. Must be dozens of German tourists everywhere and slightly bewildered locals here and there staring at the tourists. The church will be small and quaint. The cities will sell truffles and wine. Okay, that pretty much sums up all of the hill towns we went to. :)

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So, that’s the recap. Tomorrow, I finally get to go shopping (yay!), and we plan on spending a few hours in the historic center of Zagreb. Then, we’re back to Vienna for the next 5 days (which will include a visit to Slovakia, apparently). I’m really looking forward to spending a little bit of time in Vienna—the coffee there is amazing. The coffee here has been, well, um, different. In Dubrovnik, the coffee literally smelled and tasted like the spice packet in my Ramen noodles. Different. :)

I’ll probably post a couple of times from Vienna, then back to the States! Hope everyone is doing well!

An entry of stilted punctuation

2006-05-21T12:23:00.000-04:00

Hello from distant Croatia, where the keyboards are even more confusing to me than they are in Austria. I'm on the hotel's computer and probably being charged 100KR per minute, so I'm going to keep this more short and sweet than usual. I'm pretty much on here to say that Croatia has been fun...though with its share of drama...and the pictures will come up later. Maybe even today if I can find a wireless connection in this COUNTRY. Oh, and we didn't have any landmine problems, haha.

Tomorrow we're going to go exploring in Zagreb, and then we're driving back to Vienna for the rest of our stay. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to some of the creature comforts and familiarity that will be awaiting us in Vienna. Of course, I have to go back to sleeping on an air mattress and trying to sleep through my father's snoring...so I suppose there is some sort of trade off.

I'll write a better travelogue in the next day or two. Right now, I'm looking forward to getting out of this strange little office and back into the sunlight. Hope everyone is well!

ps...Mon, of course Newark is ghetto!

German Keyboard of Pain!

2006-05-16T11:05:00.000-04:00

We arrived in Vienna a few hours ago, and everything here just seems so lovely. I love this place--it's probably one of only a handful of places that I return to every few years. And the weather here is perfect--it's in the mid-70s (tank top weather, Mon!).

The only bad thing is that I'm having to borrow the family laptop (someone never wrote down the WEP key...); so I'm learning a whole new way of typing (and discovering frustration levels barely knew existed within me!).

I'm glad lots of you are enjoying the blog and pictures:) Makes me feel like it's not just a vanity thing (which, of course, it being me, it is at least somewhat, hahaha:) ). Well, the odds aren't good on there being much Internet in Croatia. However, if there is, I'll be sure to post. If not (and I survive those landmines!), I'll post up more on the 21st.

How do you say "bleh" in German?

2006-05-15T13:49:00.000-04:00

15^th May 2006

Zürich, Switzerland

What a day. It’s been rather interesting (definitely a euphemism). I don’t want to bore and bother you all with the crap that’s gone on today. Let’s just say I’m not necessarily surprised the day is over at 4:30pm.

Highlights from today: There was some stunning scenery of a few lakes and the Alps on the way to Zürich. When I was younger, I used to fantasize about living next to one of those lakes, a gorgeous mountain in the background. Maybe I’ve grown up, but I wouldn’t trade Manhattan for anything right now. It’s nice to visit those rural wonderlands, but I’d rather have a 24-hour deli around the block than a dairy farm. :)

Zürich was a bit drabber than I anticipated. Maybe I was expecting too much, but the town was kinda blah. And the entire left bank of the river was under construction, not really helping out the scene. However, I wasn’t really concerned with all that. The only thing I cared about was being able to see the 5 Chagall stained-glass windows at the Fraümunster. I love Chagall—definitely one of my favorite artists of all time. The opportunity to see some of the last work he ever did—especially in glass!—was so exciting to me. It was the main reason I pushed for Zürich over Geneva for today’s excursion. And then…the Fraümunster was closed for refurb as of April. No Chagall for me. Sad.

Oh well, that’s vacationing sometimes… I’ll just have to hunt down some Chagall when I get home. It’s New York—there has to be some Chagall somewhere, right?

Time to listen to Wicked…again. It’s my new drug. Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better…? Maybe one day I’ll get to the 3,276 other songs on my iPod!

Pictures @ the usual place: **here**

An Alpine Stereotype Come to Life

2006-05-14T13:50:00.000-04:00

14th May 2006

Grindelwald, Switzerland

So today we actually did things!:) And I got back online (I'm such an Internet addict--it's really insane)!

Today we made our way out to Jungfraujoch--a little facility built up on Jungfrau (one of the many mountains in this area). Jungfrau (the "Virgin") is apparently protected by Moench (the "Monk") from Eiger (the "Ogre"). Aww...a mountain love triangle:). Of course, since winter was not so long ago, there was quite a bit of snow on the mountains, and many a tourist was being hit on the head by stray icicles (or snowballs being thrown at them by their kids!).

The Jungfraujoch facility is *huge* and sprawls on seemingly forever. The highlights were the Sphinx observation station, the Ice Palace, and the Glacial Plateau. There are trains full of tourists (including us!) that arrive every hour, and by the time we left at noon, it felt like a mini-UN summit there. The place was probably 40% Japanese, 40% Indian, 10% European, and 10% American. Gotta love when the touristy snack bar sells Ramen noodles in a cup--for $7! The views from the observation station were amazing. The Ice Palace was cute--I've been someplace similar much grander in scale, so it's hard not to compare--and a nice intimate escape from the screaming kids. The plateau was probably nice--I don't know because I ran up and took the picture my mom wanted, then tried to get the hell out of there! It was freezing there--the winds were clocked at 55 MPH and the temperature was 20F. So, in my rush to get down the plateau, I end up sliding half way on my ass. Grreat. And then some French guy tried to pick me up literally and figuratively... Boy-wise, this trip has already been too much for me:)

So today, I saw a Saint Bernard--with the barrel around his neck, cute (yes actually cute) mountain goats, billy goats, little flowers on the hillside, and a gal in traditional Swiss wear. And this wasn't staged or anything. It was just around, either on the side of the train tracks (which are nice on either side:) ) or around Grindelwald. It really makes me think that there just might be something to these picturesque stereotypes we have in mind for places...:)

Then, tragedy struck. My father, the most picture-obsessed tourist, had his camera break. The shutter button fell off his camera and into the Alpine valley below. The camera (which is too expensive for me to even contemplate) is only a month old, yet already falling apart. It was a Sony, Mon! See, they DO make shitty stuff:) So Dad had to go through all sorts of crap to figure out that he has to buy a new camera in Vienna and return this one when he gets home. Oh, the drama.

So we're off to Zurich for the day tomorrow. I'm looking forward to lots of shopping! We were thinking about going to a chocolate factory tour, but it's so far away from here that it just wasn't worth it. I got my decadence on by having a pot full of fondue for lunch today...mmm...

Check out some of the pictures at Flickr !

Time to pack up my stuff for another exciting ride in the Peugeot...:)

Greetings from Yodel-ing Country!

2006-05-14T10:52:00.000-04:00

13^th May 2006

Grindelwald, Switzerland

(For Pictures of the trip, visit my Flickr page--(click here)--since this blog is being a real bastard about letting me upload things.)

As with most first days of vacations, mine was spent pretty uneventfully. My family managed to somehow find itself (if you didn’t hear, my father was sidetracked in Florida and couldn’t come meet us until late Friday). A few beers/hours/phone calls later, we were finally on our way to Switzerland.

It’s been a few years since I’d flow internationally. I was still in this surreal haze about the whole vacation until I heard the jet engines start up on the Airbus. This was definitely no flight to Florida! J Of course, the entertainment system of the plane wasn’t working for every seat, and mine was one of the special seats that only received three programming channels in four languages. So, I got to watch my boyfriend, Johnathan Rhys-Myers, in Match Point three more times in two languages. He’s somehow not as hot speaking with a French accent—he just seems pouty. Speaking of speaking—the hilarious thing about flying Swiss Air was the fact that every announcement had to be made in English, French, and German. The further we got from New York, the more the steward changed up the order he’d speak in. When we left New York it was English, French, German. Half-way over the Atlantic, French, English, German. Just outside of Zurich was German, French, English. Conscious effort? They only did the safety video in English and German. After the video they announced in French, Spanish, and Portuguese that if you felt like you wanted to know what the safety video said, the plane steward would attempt to explain it to you in your language (or so said the Spanish instructions), but that this might not be possible on all flights. Grreat…

So, plane food is the same—drab and too salty. I had a damn good brownie though (thought of you Monica!). I forgot to be afraid of the choice of “white wine” or “red wine” from airplane carts. The “white wine” made me miss Three Buck Chuck desperately. But the highlight of my flight was my seatmate. He was in his twenties and nice, but oh-so-southern. I never found out his name, but I nicknamed him Trapper John in my head. I could feel his weary gaze on me when he saw that I was reading Culture Shock: USA, probably thinking I was some foreign gal trying to understand crazy Americans. He kept giving me these looks, until I spoke up to order my drinks. Then, he was all smiles and nice and polite. So weird. As if being from another culture made me cannibalistic or something…. Especially weird for a guy flying non-stop to Zurich. So, when sleeping, I occasionally found his hand straying over past the arm rest—hopefully not intentionally! I just stuffed my blanket up against me and his hand until he’d move it. He also did the head lean in my direction while “asleep”—I was loving my window, let me tell you! :) I woke up with his hunting cap under my heel—hehe.

Anyway, not much has happened since Trapper John. They (of course) messed up our car reservation, so the 3 of us plus our *6* bags had to fit into this tiny Puegeot hatchback. I made the mistake of sitting behind my dad, who has to slide the seat back as far as possible when driving. Usually this isn’t a problem—I don’t need that much space. However, in this special Puegeot, I literally had six inches for my legs. It was very, um, sports car feeling. Except I didn’t get the satisfaction of knowing I was in a hot car, while stuffed in the back of this Puegeot. Instead, I looked like a squished bug in the back of a hatchback station wagon. The people in the Subarus were laughing at me as they drove by, I swear! Haha, nothing like sexy travel.

After much driving past beautiful hills, majestic mountains, and sparkling lakes (or at least that’s how the brochures describe them J), we arrived in tiny, touristy Grindelwald. We have a cute, retro ‘70s room at the Hotel Derby. The room has plenty of space and a bed far removed from my father’s godawful snoring, so it should work out. And down pillows and comforters! So happy!! Our view from our terrace is incredible—I’ll attach a picture. It’ll be nice to wake up to that in the morning.

I spent most of today sleeping—recovering from Thursday night’s 3 hour sleep (thanks Con Law) and Friday night’s 3 hour sleep (thanks Trapper John). I’m feeling much better—but I miss Diet Coke. I had to snatch the overpriced mini-bar Virgin Cola (I swear the guy that runs Virgin music/air/etc. runs half of Europe—Rupert Murdoch owns the other half). It’s been a long time since I’ve had Virgin in me…haha, okay I had to go there, you know I did.

Off to bed. Tomorrow we’re going up to Jungfrau, this super high Alpine mountain that my dad has a crush on. It should be a beautiful day, and I’m sure I’ll have great pictures to post.

--Barbara

Steelers fan had heart attack after fumble

2006-01-17T18:38:00.000-05:00

FOXSports.com - NFL- Steelers fan had heart attack after fumble

I almost had a heart attack...in the good way. I was so happy! And then, just a few minutes later, I was so sad.

No time to mourn; it's the first week back to classes--I have plenty of cases to read!

WWJAD (what would Jane Austen do)?

2006-01-12T01:08:00.000-05:00

So, I'm sitting here and supposedly studying hard. I have Emma on (with Gwyneth), and I can't tear my eyes away from the dance scene. This got me thinking about all the Jane Austen movies that I've seen in the last 10 years (because, so help me, Emma is officially a decade old, which makes me feel old) and how wonderful all of the dance scenes are. They are so sexy. Unless you've seen these movies, you'll probably think I'm mad. But they are so much sexier than all the movies I've seen in the last 10 years that have shown off some hot actors and actresses shedding it all.

I hate to come across as conservative or back-in-the-day-ish, but do we really need to show off so much to try and be attractive to one another? The dances in Austen are so sexy because they're the only real opportunity that men and women had to touch and be intimate with one another. Newland grabbing Ellen's hand in The Age of Innocence is incredibly sexy because it's his first time actually touching her skin. To paraphrase Dangerous Beauty, any girl can drop her top, but a real woman need only use her eyes. The crazy thing about all of this is that I know lots of men who would agree with me. The more Girls Gone Wild gals are great for pictures and drunken times, but the women that men truly obsessive over are the mysterious ones. They want to be the one--the only one--to see what's underneath.

I wish more people actually danced, not just grinding. I wish there was more mystery in our culture. I am such a fan of freedom of choice and having all the options we want. But does that mean that we have to throw ourselves out there to one another? Why be so cheap about it? Why not take the time to seduce one another with our appearances and our personalities?

I feel dowdy and stodgy writing this. I went through the college liberation phase. I loved my tiny tops and skimpy skirts. But even then, I hated what it got me--empty attention that resulted in loneliness at the end of the night. Would it have been different if we had dances and I about 3 yards more clothing on? Maybe not, but I certainly would not have minded trying.

Okay, back to IP...

Some SI.com love

2006-01-11T17:27:00.000-05:00

SI.com - Writers - John Walters: Is everyone going pro these days? - Wednesday January 11, 2006 3:16PM

Wow, there are really some amazing writers at SI. Some people dig reading about politics or the market all the time. I love reading about sports, especially football. And because of some bizarre SI news service, I get every SI.com football (and sometimes golf, sumo wrestling, and curling) article emailed to me the moment it goes live. These guys are really great writers. They're funny, but not snarky. And much like myself, they have a wandering train of thought in their articles:). I think I have cyber crushes on half of the SI's college football staff. :)

Anyway, I have to agree that the whole Marcus Vick thing is so sad. I've been a closet VTech fan since I saw them crush FSU a few years ago. I'll foreverassociate that game with beer, a smokey pool hall, and a new boyfriend. Vick wasn't QBing then, but I always kept up with VTech and eventually saw him play. The guy certainly has some potential--definitely able to overshadow his big brother, given time. What in the world makes a guy like Marcus Vick, with so much potential, do the shit that he's been doing? Especially in the last week? Stomp on a guy on the field in a bowl game?! Hold up some kids at McD's (a la Maurice Clarette)? ::sigh:: I agree...it's just sad.

What would you have done?

2006-01-06T12:18:00.000-05:00

I'm procrastinating from completing a fellowship application:) While doing this, I've been watching this great special on National Geographic Channel about Chinese mummies. If you know me pretty well, you know that I have a serious habit of watching documentaries about long-dead people and cultures. So, I'm sitting here, seriously starting to hate on law school, and wondering what would I have done with my life if not law school? Lots of people must think about it, but I wonder how likely it is that people could have actually succeeded at the things they enjoy as hobbies.

For example, I would love to think I'd be a kick-ass archaeologist. Of course, the guys on tv aren't necessarily representative of what I'd be doing. Oddds are I'd spend lots and lots of time sitting in a library doing research (hmm..sound familiar?). And I'd have to be pretty good at physics and geology and geometry and a whole lot of other classes that I never really seemed to show much promise in. But I love history! And digging! And traveling! Would that be enough?

I guess one of the primary reasons I'm thinking about this is because I'm embarking on this wonderful journey known as law school, when I'm really not so good at it. I'm willing to admit that I am not a stellar law student, and I really don't think it's from lack of effort. Law school is just not my bag...at least not curved up against the people who really excell at it. I have difficulty in this land of not black and white, but not grey either. Is this what it would be like if I pursued archaeology? For the first time, I'm really dealing with holding up the center of the pack...does that mean I'm going to be mediocre in my career as well? I don't really get depressed at thinking these thoughts...just curious about where this is all going. I almost feel like I'm pursuing some alternate universe route to my life, instead of taking the main road.

Okay random thought post over. I just wanted to update my blog, since it had been a week or two since I last posted. Back to the fellowship grind....

Dungy Provides a Little Perspective

2005-12-22T23:51:00.000-05:00

ESPN.com - NFL - Mortensen: Heartbreaking development

A horrible thing has happened today; unfortunately a thing that happens every day. A parent lost a child too soon. Today it was the Colt's head coach Tony Dungy losing his eighteen year old son. While I have to concur with the eloquent (either in their poetry or in there brevity) and sincere writers on ESPN.com that writing about such a tragedy seems hollow, I also have to agree with Len Pasquearelli (http://sports.espn.go.com/NFL/columns/story?Columnist=Pasquarelli_len&id=2268643) that to not address the tragedy is a far worse action.

I did not know Tony Dungy. I have only been a fan of his Indianapolis Colts team for three years, and I only had a passing acquaintance with his work in Tampa. In the three years that I have been following the NFL, Tony Dungy (along with Herm Edwards) has struck me of being a slightly different caliber of coach. As you will read and hear often in the days to come, Dungy the man left as strong (if not stronger) impression on you than Dungy the coach. There is something about him that makes you feel that there are still good men and heroes in the NFL, not just personalities. There are scores of fantastic players and brilliant coaches, but they all seem like cutouts of real men. John Gruden is sexy in his ferocity; Jim Mora is compelling in his exuberance; Andy Reid endears you with his eagerness to see the better in people.

Tony Dungy, however, never really struck me as easy to pigeon hole. There is something about Dungy that makes you feel like this man is downright honest, despite the PR and rumors swirling around in the NFL. His honesty makes him stand out as one of the very few solid, real spots in a colorful and capricious league.

Good men lose sons as well as the bad men. It just strikes you as so much more unjust when it happens to the good men. I was on a plane to Florida when I heard the news on ESPN. It took all I had to not start crying for Dungy's loss right there. Even now, the shock long gone, I still have to hold back the tears of sympathy for this man and his family.

I'm just starting to really consider children and what they mean to families. Up until now, they seemed to either be delightful distractions or annoying nuisances. For a few months now, I've started to begin to try to understand what a child means to a parent. All the work, hope, devotion, joy, and expectation that goes into that child. They really do seem to redefine their parents' lives. In a way, it is the only true way for one person to live for another. How can it feel to see that bundle of so many thoughts and emotions pass away? I have never really experienced loss, and I doubt my imagination is even beginning to touch on the true nature of the pain. What heals pain like that? Does it ever completely heal?

Chris Mortensen is right. Until today, football was an intoxicating blur of playoff hopes, player injuries, and post season speculations. Today, the dizzy ride has come to an abrupt halt. My little concerns--finals, the transit strike, a lingering cold--evaporated when I heard that ESPN announcement this morning. Soon, the joyous whirl of NFL football will pick up again, and I won't pass it by. My little troubles will expand and consume me again. But for tonight, I want to pause. I want to send out my sympathies (whatever their worth may be) to Tony Dungy, his family, and any other family that has had to endure a situation like this. I know Dungy would want nothing more than for the fans to have this incident remind them of the precious quality of loved ones and keep doing the things that bring us and our loved ones together--including watching football games.

Coach Dungy, as a Colts fan, I hope you return to the team that needs you for its collective heart to beat properly. But even if you never return to the game, you have left an indelible impression on me as a good and honest man who stands for many things that I believe in, in an enviornement that is more concerned with breeding media showmen and selfish underperformers. Thank you and good luck.

Who Are the 15 Wealthiest Non-Existent People?

2005-12-20T01:08:00.000-05:00

MSN Money - Forbes: The Forbes Fictional 15: Santa leads the pack

Despite my growing irritation with the transit strike situation (it's waaaay past 12am--are ya striking or not?), I found lots to laugh at in this article. See, Forbes can be "hip" :).

Update: just found another fun MSN Money article (yep, these financial writers really do have a sense of humor!): http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/invest/extra/P101694.asp It's the true cost of the "12 Days of Christmas"! :) Apparently the avian flu is really bringing up the price of the song, especially the swans a'swimming.

Okay, off to bed!

I Can Hear the Old Guy's Corks Now...

2005-12-18T16:21:00.000-05:00

::sigh:: The Colts finally lost. As sad as I am that they lost, I can't help being a little happy that I can finally start watching ESPN again. I'm still sad they lost.

So now the 197? Dolphins can uncork their champagne bottles, and we can all move on from trying to figure out if the Colts will have an undefeated season. Now I'll just have to get through the non-stop coverage of this lost for the next few days. (and really really hope that San Diego doesn't make the playoffs!)

Oh well, Super Bowl here we come!

Back to Con Law studying :( ...

My Excuse Note

2005-12-18T08:47:00.000-05:00

I've been a bad blogger, but it's only in my attempts to be a good law student. I'm mid-finals time, and I'm this close to wanting to die a happy death right now. Give me a few more days, and I might just welcome any escape from these exams!:)

For the last 12ish hours I've been in the middle of a mild panic attack. I had to stop studying last night when I realized that reading one more thing about the Congressional spending power might send me over the edge. Then I spent the whole night dreaming about law professors past and present (with a underlying "What happened in the Broncos game?" question that kept coming up in my dreams). I really cannot wait to be done with this law school game for at least a few weeks. Of course, if the MTA employees do end up striking...I'll have to wait until January 9th to take my exams. Not cool.

This morning I realized that I never had experienced a panic attack until law school. Actually, my very first panic attacks were over not getting into a law school at all. Since then, I've had them every so often--whether it be in regard to finals, grades, or feeling inferior to my peers. It makes me wonder if this is a good or bad thing. Does the fact that my body and mind are freaking out about law school mean that I'm finally pushing myself in an area where I'm not comfortable? Does it mean I'm finally extending myself? When I was an ad major, I never really freaked out about anything. Of course, that was a double edged sword. I was pretty relaxed most of the time, but I also dismissed things too easily.

Or maybe it's an indication that law school isn't exactly for me. Of course, I've already spent a summer mulling over that question and decided to stick it through. At least I can say that, for the most part, most of the people I'm in class with are as stressed out and strung out as I am. What merry company we be...

Okay, time to spend the rest of the day in the delightful world of Constitutional Law... More interesting and less self-indulgent (if that were possible in a blog) posts to come later!

It's a Good Thing I Live in Manhattan...or is it?

2005-12-14T00:44:00.000-05:00

I seem to be getting the shaft lately, and not in that good way:) Right now, I'm parked on my hardwood floor, next to the objects of my frustration: my wireless router and my cable modem. One of them is mad at my computer, but neither of them is mad enough to work without a little therapy via the Ethernet cable. ::sigh::

So, for all of you that live in the outside world known as Not-New-York-City, did you know that our mass transit association is thinking about striking at 12:01am on Friday? Apparently, this happens every few years. The MTA workers get pissy, they make sure that their contracts expire around Christmas time, then threaten to strike until the city gives them more money.

Ah...the strike. Putting aside the numerous ways this strike is a pain in my ass, as well as a real boil for people who have to actually be places and do important things (as much as I'd like to flatter myself and think that making it up to Best Buy on 23rd or to Junior's in Brooklyn is important...;) ), strikes are just a terrible thing. Really, can't we be a bit more mature than having a hissy fit, throwing your megaphone up in the air, and saying "But I don't wanna go to work for that little?" Don't strike. Don't do awful things that put over *7 million people* a day. I understand that you're unhappy with your jobs. I understand you want to make more money and get more time off. But isn't there a better way to go about it? Do you realize that in your little ploy to try and get what you and your card-carrying friends want, you're hurting a lot of innocent people? Hello, aren't you the same people bitching about what we're doing in Iraq? I believe that people shouldn't harm other people to get what they want...and that holds for George Bush cowboying his way into Iraq, as much as it does for the underpaid MTA worker.

If you hate the job, get another one. One that pays better or that you love more or that is more convenient or whatever. If you want to complain go to the media. Or to City Hall. Or advertisers. Surely there is a market solution to at least make things a little better. I may sound naive, but I'm certain that there is a better way to get what you want. Striking and unionizing only make the rift between employer and employee broader. And now, you're working against a state statute and a court ordered injunction.

This strike does not make sense to me, no matter how much I try to put myself in the pissed off union workers' shoes. It seems like a dangerous short term solution to a long term problem for many people. Obviously, if this striking thing comes up every few years, it's not really effective.

Random Thoughts for the Day:

A couch is much comfier than a hardwood floor.
Today's temperatures were all lower than my age. Not a good thing.
I feel completely cut off from the world when my Internet doesn't work.
Can Monica really die of too much sugar?
Why is it that when I say I'm going to go to bed early, I stay up until 2am?

Also-great news Gator Nation! Urban has snagged the top QB recruit in the nation! Wohoo! Apparently he's very Alex Smith-esque. I love Chris Leak, but I think he's just not suited to this offense. Apparently, Mr. Tebow is perfect for Urban's spread-option package. Nice. Check it out: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/ncaa/12/13/tebow.florida.ap/index.html

And notice, Spurrier drafted a dude named Smelley for South Carolina! Oh, I can see the signs now!:)

Can't Make it out to the City for Xmas?

2005-12-09T12:59:00.000-05:00

Check out the store windows of NYC. This is one of my favorite parts of this time of year. Poke around Fred Flare (the site hosting this photo montage) too...cute stuff!:)

My dinner with Elvis Costello

2005-12-09T12:08:00.000-05:00

So yesterday I went to dinner with a candy shell friend (quick lesson in how I define friendships: the Peanut M&M is the perfect metaphor for all friendships. Your candy shell friends are plentiful and make life interesting--even crunchy;)--but there's really not too much to them. Your chocolate layer are a little more scarce, are important to you, and definitely add a lot to your life. Your peanut are your closest friends, the people you need in your life, for you to be you. They help define you. Anyone reaching into their bag of peanut M&Ms knows that you really buy the M&Ms for the peanuts;)).

Anyway, back to my candy shell friend (who isn't E. Costello, in case any of you think I'm that cool:) ). We hadn't really talked with each other in a while, so it was a lot of catching up and stuff. He found out I'm not dropping out of school; I found out he has 2 more people living in his 2 BR apartment (for a grand total of 4 people in there!). He's also my compatriot in long-distance relationships. We got on the topic of our LD relationships, and I suggested that it wasn't so bad. After all, you have your other friends to hang out with and enjoy. And he did this remarkable thing. He said (something to the extent of) "Hmm..my friends, my girlfriend. Which would I rather hang out with?" in that rather sarcastic-duh-I-would-much-rather-spend-24/7-with-my-girlfriend way. It was kinda like who needs the former when you could have the latter?

Well, in my head at least, I was gaping at him. Not need your friends?? Then why the hell do you have them anyway? Was I supposed to take this as a clear indication that I was just second skimming compared with his GF time? Don't get me wrong, I wasn't personally offended. Just surprised. So I've had this in the back of my head since last night. Is this what real love is--that blind devotion and need for only one other person?

I remembered how I felt kinda like him when I first was separated from my peanut friends after leaving Florida. Well I snapped out of that quickly (though my boyfriend still reminds me of it every now and then;) ), and I got to be very good friends with several people here. No one has replaced my boyfriend and best friend (my peanut halves), but regular M&Ms are pretty tasty too. And I still get to see both of them. How can my friend from dinner really be so apathetic to everyone else?

The last time I'd been around someone so fixated on one person was back in Gainesville. Back then, we all just chalked it up to her being so transfixed on her boyfriend because of her age. But my friend last night is much closer to 30 than 20. Even that Gainesville girl is (almost hahaha) at drinking age...and as far as I know, still with the object of her devotion. I wonder how these relationships differ from the ones that others have? I would think that they're missing out on the benefits of knowing other people and not relying on one person for all of your happiness. But does it intensify the time they do spend with their boy/girl friends? Do they possibly understand each other better than those in less intense relationships?

It's funny--I know plenty of people that aren't in relationships. I even know some people who have never been in relationships. Are they just suffering through their friendships until they meet the one person who unlocks ever door inside of them? Do they consider their lives to be empty because they're not with their soulmate? I've been in a relationship for 3 + years now, but there were certainly times when I was single. I never felt like I was missing out on a vital aspect of life because I was single. I just felt like I was missing out on some good times that can only be had with a guy (no matter how much you like your friends, as When Harry Met Sally proves, they can't substitute..). But I was still happy. I loved my friendships, and still maintain most of them. I guess I'm just confused with this kind of one-person-centric world.

Random Thoughts:

Just about everyone I know got a cold as soon as it became cold here, almost to the day! Weird.
Why do they keep trying to retranslate things like French Onion soup into totally incompatible media? French Onion rice...it just doesn't work. French Onion pasta...nope. French Onion bake...you don't bake soup!!:)
Why does snow or rain debilitate the greatest city in America?
Waking up to a huge chunk of ice smashing against your window sucks.
Can every book be found (somehow) to contain an allegory of rebirth?
Cookies make every day better. Especially chocolate chip ones (cookies, not days;)).

Free Concerts I Didn't Sign Up For

2005-12-07T21:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, I apologize to everyone who has already heard me bitch repeatedly about this but... my neighbors are driving me crazy! It's like they had a little meeting about a month back. Hey, let's make the girl in 14J go insane via our enormous bass outputs. 14K will do it with his subwoofer booming out R&B tunes. 14I will do it with his shiny new home entertainment system, that somehow manages to make Julia Child rock my apartment's walls. ::sigh::

Seriously, am I the only person who doesn't want to deafen themselves at home? Does anyone else have this problem with their neighbors? When I lived in Florida, I'd always write it off to being because of cheaply constructed walls or 1960's building codes (which, in retrospect, are probably more likely to keep out sound). Now that I pay over $2,000/month in rent, I feel like I should be able to enjoy a quiet evening, if I so choose. As it is, I'm blaring my BBC special to drown out my neighbors, and let me tell you, Middlemarch is not really crafted to test out the limits of your sound system.

I don't go out of my way to be accomodating or a bitch to my neighbors. However, when it's 5am and I can't sleep, I do make sure not to play my music or tv too loud in case it'll bother my sleeping neighbors. I don't blare my tv or music at any point, but that's more because I don't like it to be too loud. Maybe I'm the weird one? Myabe it's totally normal to blast your music/tv as loud as you can. But I find myself wondering how these people a. can hear their own phones ringing and b. these people will have any hearing ability in 5 years. In Gainesville, I thought it was just a thing people go through in their newly found independence. Maybe it's just a common habit that I never picked up?

I swear, I think their two subwoofers are talking to one another across my apartment.

Random (non-bitching) thoughts for the day:

Caffeine is wonderful. Why is it so bad for me? I wish I could drink it 24/7 (and it would certainly help to keep me awake that long!)
Why don't they have cigarettes that allow the smoker to blow out colored smoke?
These social events that are so popular in law school, really just seem like another opportunity to hang out with your good friends. Does anyone really meet anyone new?
Myspace is a very weird weird website. I started an account, put up a picture (granted the "hot" one), and suddenly the strangest screennames ever are trying to be my "friends." Examples: RoGeR, BadBoyzNJ

So Vawnya is off to Prague tomorrow. Here's hoping she has a wonderful time and imbibes a great deal of cheap and delicious beer!

Back to the middleground in the contest of the woofers...

The death of email?

2005-12-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

Do Scammers/Spammers Really Turn People Off of Online?

An interesting perspective on the possibility that people are too paranoid to continue using email. Spam and fraud are certainly ways of Internet-based life; where there's a will to scam, there will be a way. I agree with the author that there needs to be a collective effort for companies to up security, but is that a good idea in the hard reality of dollars and cents? Some of these online scammers are brilliant; they live for finding their way around the locks and doors that the big companies put in front of them (case in point, the pissed off hackers that still haven't broken the new Xbox 360 codes...and it's been only been two weeks since the release). Not to sound fatalistic, but it seems like a very expensive venture to invest lots of money for a temporary solution for security.

Is security really such a problem with banks? I was under the impression that both banking institutions and merchants were operating more smoothly online than ever before. Regardless of this lady's attitude in her article, I know for a fact that online spending is up from last year. Perhaps this is an article about an unrepresentative set of online consumers?

Of course, as I said before, there are going to be problems. But perhaps she (and by extension many other Americans) are being too paranoid about all of this. These are the growing pains of the Internet. It's only been a major factor in the American life for 5-7 years now. Give it time. The Internet really has the potential to be the most influential thing in communication since the written language (my sweeping statement for the day). To give up on it now would be a horrible injustice.

Canned Bread!

2005-12-06T22:25:00.000-05:00

The Vermont Country Store I would be totally happy if someone purchased this for me. Who doesn't want a "newfangled" gift?

Talking Heads

2005-12-06T18:05:00.000-05:00

A daily thought of mind: My God, it must be great to be paid for just screaming out your opinion.

I watch ESPN a whole lot. As those who love me most know, I have my tv on most of the time, usually just as ambient noise. Since the beginning of football season, I've switched from being a foodie (Food Network 24/7) to being a stat junkie (ESPN & ESPN 2 24/7). Sometimes (especially when Jim Rome is on) I can't help but wonder what it is that makes certain men (because let's face it, right now they're all men) qualify more than others to tell us their opinions on Terrell Owens's situp sessions. I wish I could just cut and paste my ESPN--it would be Chris Berman, PTI guys, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit all day long. Jim Rome is an idiot with a loud, loud voice. All he does is bitch and moan with very little to back up his opinions. At least the more dull and less insightful commentators have some support for what they're saying. And Woody Paige: you were adorable 2 years ago on Cold Pizza. Now, you're fucking annoying. And don't ever try and lift the Gator fight song for your non-bowl-qualifying Vols again!

On the personal front, I'm going to start working with the Intellectual Property Institute at the school in Spring semester. I'm really excited about it! My first project is to draft up a plan for an interactive legal teaching tool. I'd really like to tie in my obsession with international communications somehow with one of these projects; we'll see. Any ideas? Spring semester is going to be very busy, but I think in a good and productive way. Lots of IP work and then working at the court house.

Random Questions for the Day:

What must it be like to have to ride the train all day to stay warm?
Do many people really listen to others with opposing opinions?
How was the woman on the train able to fit into her full-sequined red spandex pants?
Does Drew Rosenhaus have a soul?
Why did Eric Clapton ever record songs with backup singers and a dance beat?

Random Thought of the Day:

(fortune cookie style): Only harm will come from those that love Catcher in the Rye

The Primer

2005-12-06T17:19:00.000-05:00

Okay, begin stage two of this blogging experiment. I'm starting to think there's really something to this blogging idea. Not in that livejournal kinda way (not to disrespect you livejournal users); I've tried that. I think I'm going to stick to my old-fashioned journal for random anecdotes and "this is how I feel today/current mood" kinda stuff. That's probably the most approprite place for it. Afterall, how often do people want to read about a person being happy/pissed off/sad/whatever. Sure, a little bit here and there. But ultimately, you gotta have some substance to go with the emotion.

So, stage two begins. I'm going to use this blog to write about what's on my mind. The gamut will likely run from football (sorry, I can virtually guarantee football will be ominpresent until February) to social issues and from gummy bears to legal issues. Ahh...so is my life.

So, that's the drill. Onto the posting.