All of a sudden, a slow down!

It has been so busy since going on vacation for fall break that blogging just kept slipping down the list of priorities. Too bad, because lots has happened in the interim. This entry will go back and try to cover vacation forward to this weekend, which deserves it's own entry just like last year. But thankfully moot court weekend was absolutely awesome this time, as it should be!

So details from the Florida vacation left out from the short entry in October. The cruise was good as mentioned back then. A couple highlights were watching a magician-comedian and finally figuring out the grand old game of Craps. The shows are generally decent on a cruise ship, but they brought this guy in when we were in port at Nassau and he was outstanding. The whole schtick was him failing miserably at a bunch of tricks and then working a real trick into the act at the end of each "failure." Craps is an incredibly simple game once you figure out what all the bets you can make are. Sticking with the Pass Line, the odds bet, and the 6/8 single number bets are the way to go and we had some hot shooters with the dice who won me enough money to make us almost even in the casino for the entire cruise. That's a success when you play as much Roulette as we did! The craps table also is a neat big piece of furniture, and Kelley and I decided that we may have a couple professional casino tables in our future home (in my classy poker room with the bar). That should be nifty.

We returned to Florida to spend 2 days with Angela. She lives in the center of Florida now about 45 minutes north of Orlando and she had an appointment in Jacksonville the morning we returned from the cruise to Canaveral, so we took our time driving from Canaveral to there, dropping by where NASA is. Once we made it back to her little town, guess who was driving her? Her ex-husband Jim. Nice. So we went out to a bar called the Blue Martini that evening and finally got a chance to knock back some drinks and just relax. I dropped 4 shots of Bacardi 151 with no chaser at all, just because I like the burn. The bar was incredibly classy and upscale for being at a mall in Orlando (the bouncers literally walked around and made people take their feet off chairs, etc.) So Jim showed some of his true colors at the bar. Let's just say he's around Angela to try and get back in her pants...and he acts like it too. Jim is a perfectly nice guy to me, but he doesn't really listen to Angela, or treat her well. So once they sell their house, I'm pretty sure he'll be officially kicked to the curb for good. It could be worse...

So we saw Chris at Burton's wedding the weekend before the cruise, and he seemed to be doing a lot better. He said he had broken it off with his girlfriend for good, and they have been on and off for years so I thought no big deal. Well Kelley came across Connie's blog and she had written a nice entry about what happened. So Connie writes that Chris is such an ass because he never did half the chores when he was in school and she worked for 2 years...but let's see, that's what you do for someone you love. Anyways, he kicked her out because she told him she was pregnant with some other guy's baby. So he told her to get the hell out, and she had to go stay with her parents. She said "who kicks a pregnant girl out?" and called him a heartless son of a bitch. Well honestly, that's exactly what he should have done. To continue their relationship would be hurtful, fake, and ridiculous. Then in the SAME BLOG ENTRY, Connie goes on to brag about how hot the guy she cheated with was (if you had to cheat, damn did I pick the hottest blah blah blah...you get the point). And how she's so happy about having his baby, but clearly Chris was in the fault. All her friends were supporting her in the comments, calling Chris the biggest jerk in the world for this. I'm so happy he is finally away from that psycho. So in retrospect, Angela could have it worse. Let's hope it does not get as bad as Chris.

Guitar Hero III finally came out right after vacation, and it was nice to finally have that for Wii. The guitar feels a lot better because when you hook the Wii-mote into it, it gives the plastic guitar a more appropriate weight than the other systems. Also wireless is way better, but anyways on to the game itself. The song set has a few weak points and there are no good bonus songs, but the regular lineup of songs is way better than anything else they had brought out in the first two games. Plus the vast majority of the songs are the originals done by the artists instead of covers. Highlights include Bulls on Parade by Rage, One by Metallica, Same Old song and Dance by Aerosmith, Stricken by Disturbed, and Welcome to the Jungle by GnR. Also the new boss battles are challenging but good (original riffs by Tom Morello and Slash, and a final battle agains the devil which happens to be The Devil Went Down to Georgia). I blew through all the songs on Medium and have been struggling through Hard. Kelley is way better than me at the game, but I'm sure it will get many more hours of gameplay this year alone. Now I need to find a friend who has the game for Wii so we can figure out what co-op mode is like.

The other good thing about Guitar Hero is that you can fit it in to blow a few minutes when you have them, with no real time committment. I'll have more time for my other games now, but the past few weeks it's just been forcing it in wherever. As of this week, we have 15 games for the Wii, many of which I have not had a chance to fully get into. These include Super Mario Galaxy, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4, and Zack and Wiki. All of those are the best games for the Wii, so we'll have to see how far I get through those during break. At least I've gotten good at Guitar Hero on Hard and beaten Super Paper Mario...

School has been kind of a constant drone in the background. Finally got the first and second accuracy checks finalized and made it through the third accuracy check for JDR. Now we are on final reads for Issue I (and II when we get to it), while Issue III is through the first steps. I was going to be diligent and get Issue I final reads done by mid-November, but I am just starting them this week. Securities class is now getting blown off in every regard, as I skim the readings and read the slides. Lots of friends apparently in the same boat for that class, so we'll need to pull it together. I made it through my last two days on call in Sales, and of course they were the first day after fall break and the day after Veteran's Day. Nice. It would be cool if she would send out the assignments in those cases before the evening before! At least that class is easy, but the multiple choice exam will be kind of random. International IP ended last week, and we'll have an exam in about a month. That should be easy enough, patent and copyright is interesting stuff. Seminar is done this Tuesday, but it has been essentially done for a couple weeks with both papers turned in and final presentations left. Despite writing each paper for Judge Sutton's two seminars in a day or two before it is due, I managed to get the same decent grade on all of them. Nice consistency. This seminar has been better though because all 20 of us are giving oral arguments on our assigned current SCOTUS cases with a devil's advocate giving the other side. C.J. and I actually managed to make a securities case manageable last week, and this week I get to explain my death penalty racial discrimination case (Snyder v Louisiana). The best so far was after Chad gave a very serious explanation of a voting 1st amendment case, Everson was his Devil's Advocate and dropped some absolutely hillarious lines in his rebuttal. Let's just say the opening was "The Romans threw Christians to the lions, and that's what is happening in this case because Washington is throwing political parties to the lions, destroying them." He also tied in Utah, putting cats and dogs in a room together for 2 days, and the Real Slim Shady. Some days, academic conversation needs a little humor. So two classes are all but finished (except for the IP final), and two others need to be cracked down on all of a sudden now that moot court is over. But more on that later.

So the Writer's Guild strike actually came about and all of a sudden we are facing a long winter of reality TV. Maybe that will be good for the country and we'll all go hang out at the gym. Or maybe not. It's really disappointing that 24 will not come back MLK weekend now due to the strike...the preview for Season 7 was amazing. No more CTU, and now Tony Almeida is back...apparently as a villain. This could be a return to greatness after the first disappointing season in series history. The only good fall shows we've found are Kitchen Nightmares based solely on Gordon Ramsey...and House of course. The House story arc leading into the holiday break has been fun, but now it's time to pick our 2-3 new doctors and get on with it. Clearly Foreman, Chase, and Cameron are staying on as a part of the series, so it should only get better with more characters in prominent roles. I've also grown attached to Don't Forget the Lyrics and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, as well as Cash Cab. Game shows that require some general knowledge but not Jeopardy knowledge. Perfect to watch. Still, once House goes off the air it will get nice and redundant...Fox has to be salivating though as American Idol will dominate the airwaves even more than usual this year.

Bowling season ends this week with the finals, but we don't know who's in it and we don't really care. Our hopes for a title come down to the final semester, as we went into the playoffs as the second best team in the league (tied for first, but lost to them 2-1) and lost in the quarterfinals. Brodie had a serious cramp up in his neck and could barely throw the ball in the quarterfinals. Still, he did better than I did. Daniel carried the team game 1 and Kelley beat my scratch series for the first time ever. We bowled decent as a team but it did not matter because the team we faced bowled way over average. Still, we've entered the last three playoffs in 1st, 4th, and 2nd overall in a league of 24 teams (32 last year). In a real bowling league that would be successful because there are no playoffs...just the regular season. Fun times nonetheless, and hopefully we do better next semester. But much like moot court, it take s a little luck to match up in the playoffs with teams that are not bowling out of their minds that week. Brodie and Daniel came with the costumes this year, so that's what we are known for.

College Football has been crazy. The four games in a row were fun, including the road trip to PSU. A guy just randomly messaged me on the Buckeye Ticket Forum and got me a ticket in the Buckeye section for face value. He was a nice guy to hang out with in Happy Valley all day as well. The Beaver Stadium is very large and impressive, much more room than what we have in the Shoe or Michigan's Big House. The home schedule got a lot more interesting too, as Michigan State only lost by 7, Wisconsin led by 7 in the fourth quarter before surrendering 28 straight points, and Illinois shocked the Buckeyes. I'm a little upset that my last game as a student was a loss, but it seemed like the fate of 2001 when we lost our last home game to Illinois (the last time they were decent) and followed it up with a road win in Ann Arbor. Well of course the Buckeyes got that again this year, in the most impressive fashion. Michigan held under 100 yards total for first time in 50 years, Beanie Wells sets an OSU record against Michigan with 222 rushing yards, Mike Hart and Chad Henne stuffed terribly to go 0-4 in their careers against OSU, and Lloyd Carr retiring after being the first Michigan coach to lose 6 out of 7 to OSU and the third to lose 4 in a row. It will be interesting to see how the rivalry goes under a new Michigan coach. I did get a press pass to the WVU-Louisville game, and that was quite the experience. Sitting with a bunch of local newspaper writers and NFL scouts is something else, especially in a climate controlled pressbox with a buffet. Morgantown is a great college town and I loved that first trip to see a game there. Now that the Buckeyes are in the clubhouse at 11-1, the Rose bowl is certain while another BCS Championship game is possible with one more big upset of LSU or WVU (assuming the Big XII is won by Oklahoma). It's been a great 7 years as a Buckeye student. 1 National Title, 5 BCS Bowls, 2-3 National Title Game appearances, 4-2 bowl record, 6-1 Michigan record, 4 Big Ten titles and 3 in a row during law school. Absolutely awesome. Living in Cincinnati will allow us to continue to follow our favorite team, which is good because Cincinnati Bengals football blows. Enough said.

Sportswriting still going well. By all means, see my articles weekly at www.southerncollegesports.com. This week I explained why Tim Tebow should win the Heisman, and the argument would be a lot easier now that Dennis Dixon of Oregon is out for the season. But you can read that at your own leisure...

Work has been decent when I get a chance to go down there. I've been set up permanently at a "law clerk desk" which Jim Carey works at on Tuesdays while I come in for R-F some weeks. The assignments have been OK this fall, not as good as summer but it is hard to do time-sensitive stuff when you are only there periodicially. All 5 of the new class of associates passed the Ohio Bar, so that was great news. No OSU 3L's made it through interview season with another offer from WHE, but the two 2L's I heavily supported got offers. I know one person declined and the other is debating, but I hope he decides to spend next summer there. The firm is the best IP firm in Ohio, hands down. It's a good place to be.

All of a sudden, I have time again. No more bowling, football Saturdays, moot court, seminar, IP class, etc. JDR final reads and finals. Anybody want to go out for a drink?

So I've left out moot court, but I think everything else has been covered effectively. I've got a fair bit to say about this past weekend, but it is getting late and so I'll write tomorrow evening. I know my moot court teammates are on pins and needles waiting to see if I bash them thoroughly like the last time I went on a Moot Court trip, but this will not happen. The story is still pretty funny and needs to be told when I can tell it well, so come back tomorrow for that one. See you then (all 10 of you readers, and that's just because 5 of you are my moot court teammates!)

Oh and in case you were wondering, the title of tomorrow's article will not be something generic like "Bowling Semifinals and Gibbons Weekend." No, it will be far greater than that. It will be The Shining Jewel of Crowning Ignorance. And when that's the theme of the weekend, you know it was fun.