8th Floor Observations

2005-06-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

Black jacket by Kenneth Cole. Rainproof material. Bought for me spring 2000. A gift. The jacket I wore all the way through law school and one hideous temp job right after. I wore that jacket till the coldest week of last autumn. I visited you in the hospital wearing that jacket. I told you goodbye in that jacket. The last thing I'm holding onto from then, I'm going to let it go now. Giving it away. A gift (again). You'll have forgotten long before I do.

2005-05-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that my favorite character in "the Life Aquatic with Steve Zizou" was Cody, the three-legged dog? Thanks.

2005-03-15T21:58:00.000-08:00

A new post. I'm working a lot of hours most weeks and spending my weekends in faraway places. I'm not a secret agent, I'm just a contract lawyer. It's working out well, thank you.

I've made some friends at work. It's not like that. This is all about music-exchange and maybe the occasional after work martini. Strange but I had to get the flu to prove I was like everyone else and get to be friends with people. At one point about 30 of the 70 attorneys on my floor had the flu, which was fairly unproductive for the workplace. Unfortunately for you, lawyer-hater, we all survived. Now we're thinking of suing Caterpillar for, you know... being there.

Oh, and we got high-speed at home now, so that's nice. And the dog went to the vet. He's healthy, but his nuts haven't grown back yet. So, still no puppies.

2005-02-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

Blue-cheese bacon burger. Fries. Chocolate milkshake.

Dog walk. Dog park. Dog bath.

Super glue. Super market. Super Bowl (tm).

(Sorry--"The Big Game." Since I didn't buy the license.)

Election. Erection. Condescension.

Mystified. Stupefied. Exemplified.

This is my blog and I'll waste the space if I want.

2005-01-30T13:30:00.000-08:00

The word of the day is: election.

I saw Christopher Hitchens on C-SPAN earlier today, accurately describing the al-Zarqawi scum as not the "Arab Street," and not even the "Arab sewer." They are, as declared agents against democracy in Iraq, beneath contempt. They are hateful and murderous, and though the election today will not stop them killing ever more people, it will prove that the job in Iraq is getting done.

It may be said that this is not an election proper. I doubt that it matters to Iraqis. I think there is great symbolic currency in elections, even (especially?) in one so limited in practical effect. There was this election, there will be a constitutional congress, there will be a ratification vote on October 15, and a final election on December 15. The country will go into effect independent of the US occupation authority by the end of the year.

Those opposed to the Iraq election did not stop it. I doubt they will stop any of the other dates in the process. The next big date I will look for will be when the Iraqi government, such as it is elected, executes a Status of Forces Agreement with the United States. That will be real power, the power of the central government to enter into an international treaty. SOFAs are a big deal--I lived in a few countries under their protections and rules, and have retained some measure of respect for what they represent.

It's a good day for Iraq and for the world.

2005-01-21T02:28:00.000-08:00

I like I've eaten a can of soup (I mean, the can) and chased it with a coil of razor wire.

2005-01-16T20:19:00.000-08:00

I just read this week's posting on the Becker-Posner blog, and was dee-lighted to read two excellent (but very accessible) postings on "tort reform," especially with regard to federal limitations on medical malpractice awards. This is an especially interesting topic for me, because among other reasons it always seems to provoke arguments at familial gatherings. But not within my family. In my girlfriend's family, there are doctors, lawyers (not just me), AND insurance agents, so the med-mal pyrotechnics can be stimulating indeed, especially after dinner, when the merlot has had time to set in.

2005-01-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

Okay... This is King County. To date I've said nothing about the election. All I really have to say about it is other people are covering it in depth, and I think we should have a re-vote, and I think all the current elections officials in King County should be fired.

Someone got arrested in our alley last night. The police used a megaphone to communicate, which after all the Friday night partying was a little tough on the various central nervous systems on the 8th Floor. But at least he didn't get shot, which was by no means a certainty at the beginning of that confrontation.

We're a little hungover today on the 8th floor. It's early afternoon and we're still in our pj's. The only trips made outside today have been for the sake of the dog. It's cold as nuts outside today, I can report. Soon we'll have to leave the comfort of our apartment for some Saturday shopping, and maybe tea down at the market. My girlfriend loves tea.

2005-01-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, happiness makes you cry. Well, it can make you cry. I love how diametrically opposed emotions can elicit an identical physical response from time-to-time, as if there are more possible mental reactions than physical manifestations, so the body just has to double-up.

So here are some reasons I'm not at work yet, in no particular order:

1. eating my Cap'n Crunch one crunch/berry at a time.
2. have secret double-life.
3. emotionally co-dependent on my dog.
4. yesterday's bike-chain derailment was a sign from God.
5. made partner, make own schedule now!
6. relying on Dan Rather report that says I don't have to go in till 11.
7. too sunny.
8. too ironic.
9. can't go on any longer.
10. instapundit.

2005-01-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

The word to describe Seattle today: raw.

2005-01-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

Last night the Mirabeau Room was going off. There was a benefit staged and I'm sure it raised a lot of money because it wall-to-wall. The DJ's were local and very good, and of course the music had an Asian theme. The music was really, really nice and there were beautiful people everywhere, especially at my table where I was lucky enough to be accompanied by no less than five lovely ladies. And I do mean lovely. Had a drink, danced a bit, but I think we left just as it was really taking off. I'd got up at half-past 6 to go play soccer, and I was tired. All in all, a good day and night. Today there is a little snow on the ground and in the air.

2005-01-06T23:52:00.000-08:00

I have a friend who recently became a father. He's a unique kind of friend of mine. Very reserved, confident, very, very smart. Like me, he's a little frustrated with the job market. Unlike me, he's now got a lot more riding on his prospects. So tonight in conversation, he made a point I've been trying to make to people about where I'm at, job-wise. He's had the very same thought as me, and he explained it in the same terms I've used in trying and failing to communicate the concept to others. I think that's what makes us friends--not only do we often (not always) think along similar lines, but we communicate them out the same way, too. I really value that in someone. It's nice to have around. The other cool thing about this guy is, once someone described him as hip like a hipster. That was shouted down by a lot of us, including his beloved. He took the shouting down in stride (I think he may also have contributed to it) but the more I think about it, the more I think it's an apt description.

2005-01-05T23:13:00.000-08:00

Stupid work getting in the way of stupid blogging. Sorry folks, I know you're dying to read hot fresh new news in my life here like four times daily, but frankly, I spend all day looking at a flat screen. I really don't feel like typing more at the end of each work day.

I applied for a different position in my firm. Hopefully I'll get the job and that will be fly.

I "networked" with another young lawyer in town tonight (he bought me a beer). A man of vision, I hope he succeeds. This particular conversation has got me thinking again about how I am too conservative by nature, and perhaps it's time I did something crazy.

Ann Althouse has some sweet posts up this week. The link is right over there to your right. I especially like the Reid/Read deconstruction of some Justice Thomas bad-mouthing. And the fashion/beauty posts raise some internalized points I used to think about a lot per my former girlfriend, but not so much these days.

The word of the day is: superficial.

2005-01-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

Damn but shoes are expensive.

2005-01-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

Late last night/early this morning, some merry-making jerkoff rang our doorbell TWICE (at 3:30 and 4 am) causing our dog to go crazy and causing me and B to wake from a blissful slumber. Coming home from the grocery just now, I had a fantasy that I cornered that guy and kicked him in the nuts repeatedly while saying "Happy New Year" for emphasis with each kick.

2005-01-01T15:02:00.000-08:00

Thus begins a new year, and perhaps new blogging habits. Short and sweet.

My workout was great. It was mostly just running. However, it was satisfyingly followed by the sight of my knee swelling up big time. It doesn't really hurt, it just sucks.

Perhaps also we will have a "response to comments" section. Here is one: watching the bad guy in "Trading Places" get "plowed in the ass" wasn't nearly as satisfying as (watching my knee swell up after a good run) one might think after one realizes that it is extremely unlikely that his ape costume would have had a rectal hole in it, through the which the real ape could sodomize the bad guy. So maybe there was just a lot of dry humping, which would also be uncomfortable and degrading, which is just what a villain in a comedy deserves, huh?

2004-12-31T22:52:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, y'all. I love most of you.

This Christmas I watched the old Eddie Murphy/Dan Akroyd movie, "Trading Places." I really liked it (again) but some things stood out more this time. For instance, at the very end, why was there a costume party going on in the train? It makes no sense at all. Jim Belushi's character says, "it's not even New Year baby" to his girlfriend, so it can't be a New Year party (plus the stock market isn't open on January 1st, the day they took the secret information to the market and cornered the forzen concentrated orange juice market). So, why the need for the costume party? Especially considering that (spoiler ahead) since they were stealing the secret information from a guy who knew their identities ANYWAY, there already would have been an angle to get disguises into the movie. I mean, they couldn't have walked into his car (and why didn't he lock the door anyway?) without disguises of SOME kind, so why not just go with the ones they had, and dispose of the costume party on the train? Because they needed a way to get the bad guy into an ape suit? I don't believe that. They could have got rid of him some other way (like in the caboose, or by pushing him out of the back of the train, or by locking him in a closet or by hitting him with chloroform and leaving him in a car full of guys on their way to a BSDM convention or something). So basically, as far as I can see, the costume party was superfluous.

Happy New Year.

2004-12-28T22:55:00.000-08:00

Ha ha. Twice in five years the "Fighting Irish" have lost to a team called the "Beavers." Since I went to one and hate the other, this makes for news. You know, I loved the movie "Rudy" but I hate the way Notre Dame is pampered by the sports media. It's a tired theme, but it's nonetheless true.

2004-12-22T23:20:00.000-08:00

The following is an email I recently wrote to my father, who lives in a foreign country and watches the NFL in the middle of the night. The science project posts will just have to wait.

Hey when did you become such a big NE Patriots fan anyway? As far as I can recall, you've always been a Cowboys fan, and the only time I can remember you paying attention to the Patriots was back in 1986 when Jim McMahon and the Bears did the 42-10 Super Bowl Shuffle all over them, (in what was, for me anyway, the harbinger of the lopsided Super Bowl that was seen so prominently from the late 1980's to the mid-1990's, which caused television viewing to plummet for the SB, which caused fans to care less and less about it (if that were possible), which ultimately caused the league to implement its ridiculous salary and "parity" inducing rules, which have functioned like some kind of Socialist Sporting Regulatory Body
gone wild, and which has subsequently caused the NFL to become the unexciting and frankly crappy league that it is today, what with its focus on family-friendly marketing and football info-tainment television shows which now even my librarian girlfriend finds somewhat compelling, since she just watched "NFL Week in Review" or some crap on ESPN and came back to tell me how cool it was... so anyway, clearly I blame Mike Ditka for the crappy state of the NFL, although in 5th grade I thought he was a hell of a football coach and manager of kitchen appliances).

And let's not even TALK ABOUT how the above mentioned series of events has allowed TERRY BRADSHAW (who I despise only slightly less than Ted Rall, but for obviously different reasons, and but I'd still like to see TB kick TR in the nuts---oooh I'd pay money to see THAT) to return to the center of the nation's sporting consciousness from his rightful place on the fringes of lunacy...

So back to the original question... when did you become such a big
Patriots fan anyway??

ps--My girlfriend does not pronounce it "es-pen," since she knows it's really pronounced "E-S-P-N" (and no, smartass, she doesn't say, "E hyphen N hyphen...etc"

pps--A quick Google reveals that is was actually 46-10, but I don't think the point behind the post is materially affected.

2004-12-20T23:18:00.000-08:00

coming soon: the story of the lamest 6th grade science project ever (plus also how elementary school science can be hazardous to your health).

2004-12-20T23:13:00.000-08:00

This morning at 11 I looked out the 18th floor window of my office building. The office faces directly south, and there, seemingly in line with my sight was the sun. Almost due south at 11 am, sort of seeping through the high thin clouds, casting a pale light on us through our double-panes. And I thought to myself, "jeez, it looks like the sun just can't be bothered." And neither could I.

My girlfriend is super-cute. As is my dog, but in a different way.

And it's cold tonight. I'm thankful for my warm apartment and bed. Plus my job. I love having a job.

2004-12-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

A break? Not quite.

After getting our meteorlogical asses kicked for the last week or so, it seemed to me that all good folk of Seattle could look forward to a break this morning. And it was glorious. Clear, clean sky, shining sun, calm blue (as opposed to black/grey) water in Puget Sound. It was even a little warm. Odd. And so, so temporary. As I type the clouds are sailing in, the temperature is dropping, the wind is picking back up. Damn.

Went to old law firm Christmas party. Apparently last year got a little wild so this year they severely cut back on the alcohol flow after 9pm. Instead of the 5 bars that they had up when we arrived at 7, they had cut back to 2 after 9, so it was tough for B and me to get our wild on. But a couple of whiskey sours added a nice polish to my evening, and some of the talent on display was truly first class. Even B was taken aback by some of the dresses and occupants of said dresses.

After leaving the party in a complimentary taxi, B and I came home and I took the dog out. It was one of those outside-excursions that made me question how much I really love my dog (a lot), because frankly, the wind and rain, and his reluctance to do his thing were all combining to make me unhappy. You could say it was taking the polish off my evening. So B and I set out again, to a cafe around the corner from our apartment. In fact, it's the very cafe where Tom Leykis got his head kicked in this summer. All I have to say is, "Good corned beef hash." And beer.

UPDATE: It's sunny again. It's cloudy again. It's sunny again. It's cloudy again. It's sunny again. This could (and probably will) go on all day, if not winter.

2004-12-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

Sunday posting... Today was a classic Sunday (do I ever have anything other than classic weekends? I'll ponder...). I got up pretty early (8:30), walked the dog, then walked to the shop to get some laundry/dish soap, and cleaned the apartment while B slept. I did the bathroom, three loads of laundry, loaded the dishwasher with the dishes from last night's steak BBQ (which was awesome) and generally made myself useful in a quiet way. I also ironed a bunch for the coming week, which, whatever. I hate ironing, but it's so necessary.

We got Netflix this week. Our first three discs came: A Christmas Carol and Aqua Teen Hunger Force Vol. 3 (discs 1 and 2). We watched all of them (B watched Christmas twice--she's got a sinus-sick thing right now) so we're waiting on the next three now.

I played soccer today, just a pick up game. It was cold and muddy. And windy. But it was a lot of fun. Most of the guys (5/9) were Italian, and incredibly skilled. They were good, which made it more fun to play, despite the terrible field. One of the guys actually lives in our building, which was kind of funny.

On Friday B and I went to the Seattle Art Museum. There's a great big Spanish exhibit on right now. Frankly, we were unimpressed. There were neat things, sure. But no sex, no violence, no drama. Just a bunch of portraits and a couple suits of armor. And a horse with armor. More interesting to us was a sculpture display on the fourth floor. All things made of glass. Really cool, stimulating stuff. One of the pieces had a fingerprint on it, which I pointed out to B. Shortly thereafter, a docent came by and informed me that touching the objects is prohibited. I laughed out loud, which he might have taken the wrong way, and tried to explain that I was showing the fingerprint to B. He seemed cool to that, and thanked me, and got on the radio for a cleaning crew with some windex. As we were walking away I thought that in his position I might have been more skeptical: "Yeah--I KNOW there's a fingerprint on the piece, and I bet it matches your finger, pal..." but luckily he was more believing.

Today I also read blogs. Lots of blogs. Althouse, Celluloid Wisdom, and How Appealing. Also, I read the introduction of the new Becker-Posner blog, which, come on, that's totally going to be heavy. Get ready for a schoolin', blogosphere.

Short story wrap-up: I'm feeling good. I get paid tomorrow! Now I feel EVEN BETTER!! Hooray for dollars. And sense.

2004-12-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

Now that I've alienated the few readers I had by failing to update for days and days, I'll resume blogging. It's sort of like a new slate, almost. But it beats the hell out of starting over.

It's so easy to fall into a routine. Easy easy easy. I've been at my job for just over two weeks now (or is it three? ah, the days, they just bleed together), and today I caught myself in a rut. ALREADY! Morning: show up more or less in nick of time, wipe off sweat from biking or very-fast walking. Morning plus 10 minutes: wrap up email/blog surfing, start working. Choose CD from among pile in desperate need of upgrade. Work. Morning plus 2hours, 30 minutes: break. More work. Lunch. Afternoon: choose music from web-radio stations. Work. Afternoon plus 2 hours 30 minutes: break. Walk around lobby. Work, leave. Repeat M-F.

Well, it beats being unemployed.

I'm really digging my job, but I don't think it's a good idea for me to blog at work, so until I get a fly new laptop with wireless internet, probably I'll be limited in yet another way (ie: not as much blogging). But hell, since nobody's reading anyway, no big deal.

So the 3d Circuit wants to analogize law students to boy scouts. Or more directly: law schools to the BSA. Whatever. I'm not alone in my skepticism.

So here's the last topic of the fortnight (apart from my interjection here re: my first attempt at cross country skiiing. It was dope...): Last week I sent an email in response to an ad for a litigation position that was posted on the state bar's website. They listed a contact person, so I emailed her. I figured I'd not get a response, so I wrote in that I would follow up this week. I followed up yesterday, asking for the materials they want from applicants, a contact to whom the materials should be addressed, and have a nice day. So today, I got a totally cheesy auto-reply email that said basically, "we reviewed your materials, you look awesome, sorry the position has been filled." And I was sort of offended there for a second, because I'd just been patronized by a freakin' auto-reply email. Nobody reviewed my materials, because I never got to send them in. Nobody was impressed by my skill set, and for once, it wasn't my skill set's fault. So, note to law firm X: your HR person is a slacker, and in my humble opinion, it reflects poorly on your firm. Yes, MAYBE you got millions of emails, but duh, that's what happens when you list one.

Anyway, it's time to go cook the chicken.

2004-11-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

Sunday. What a day. Sourdough bagette, coffee, honey, sausage, and a fried egg. I had a hell of a week.

I got up at 7am yesterday to go to court for a mock trial. Our group did the judge, jury, and everybody else a favor by putting on our show a full 2 hours ahead of schedule. People were pleased. Note to law students and lawyers offering comments afterword: you don't have to be nasty about delivering comments. Also, before offering substantive comments on the case, consider that we have a) limited facts and law on which to base our cases, b) we have limited time with which to prepare), and c) we're there not for YOUR benefit, but for our own. Our exercise was about putting on a case, not winning it. If you must offer comments, talk about speech, delivery, etiquette, procedure, etc... it's not much help to say, "why didn't you argue X case, or Y principle?" The answer to all those comments: they weren't in the materials. That's my rant.

I got a job. A real job, in a law firm. It was very sudden. Last week while at my temporary job, someone from the firm called me out of the blue (I'd contacted them about three months ago, then forgotten about them as I'd thought they'd understandably blown me off). They called on Wednesday, I interviewed on Friday, someone followed up on Sunday (Sunday!!), and I was hired on Tuesday. I started Wednesday. It's interesting work, extremely interesting in fact. For obvious reasons I can't discuss the specific work, and the only drawback is it's not a guaranteed position for any length of time. However, prospects look good for stable employment. The employment agreement is such that I can continue looking for other work if I want, and it won't be held against me if I find something somewhere else.

The level of anxiety around the apartment has decreased remarkably over the past week. The job is only 20 or so blocks from the apartment, so I can bike everyday. It's funny, I go into the firm looking like one of the couriers, but I get dressed inside and work all day looking like a lawyer, then go home again looking like a courier. It's a big, big firm, so there is a great deal of anonymity, so... so I don't know what. I have a feeling like I have a chip on my shoulder there, but I have been examining that and am thinking the chip may be a permanent part of my shoulder, and not necessarily related to the firm environment. It's my problem and I'll have to deal. Meanwhile, the dog need to take a run, so I need to take him...