d o g . d a y

michael vick. there's a topic about which i have yet to speak.

of course, plenty of other people have said their piece. there's a spoof blog.post by the reverend al sharpton, and most recently, a defense of vick's actions proposed by whoopi goldberg.

do we live in an age where personal responsibility has fallen by the wayside? as a student of the legal system, i find it disturbing that personal responsibility is being discarded in favor of social blame. i understand that environmental factors do, in truth, carry a lot of weight when it comes to shaping an individual.

but never, ever, is cruelty permitted by environment. otherwise, we might as well give a free pass to nazi germany [their economy was in shambles!], the klu klux klan [their social norms were being destroyed!], and terrorism [they're being oppressed by western culture!].

hate to break it y'all: i don't buy it.

o p e n i n g . c e r e m o n i e s

oh, the beginning of school. the smell of new folders, new book-binding glue, and fear.

hard to believe that just a year ago, we were part of that terrified pack of huddled freshlaws. and now we assert our 2L dominance by passing along horror stories and kernels of wisdom gleaned from a year of panic.

if you have not already, i highly suggest reading buffalo wings & vodka, the preeminent blog for legal humor. it will brighten your day.

o n . d o g s

get one.

that's all the advice that i have, currently, for anyone entering a stressful situation - mcat preparation, law school round one or round deux, your first real job...

take care to make it a breed that can handle a little alone time. and adopt. i'm not sure i can really stress that point enough. mixed-breeds are overall healthier, more sociable, and less apt to be aggressive.

that's just a fact.

but i, the owner of a supposedly purely-bred golden retriever, am pro-adoption of any dog, pure-bred or mongrel.

there is nothing at all more calming at the end of the day than a good tail-wagging greeting and dog breath.

and the sound of your dog snoring at night? priceless lullaby.

your blood pressure, and a lucky canine from the shelter, will thank you.

m u s i c

okay. i am a pumpkins fan. scratch that.

i am a pumpkins fiend. lover. adoring, gushing, disgusting worshiper of all things pumpkins.

so how is a die-hard fanatic supposed to feel about zeitgeist, the newest offering from billy corgan and jimmy chamberlain?

it's brilliant, utterly brilliant, just because billy has finally let his inner rock-demon out to play. there's no self-absorption on this record [well, there is, but such a minute amount for mr. corgan that i consider it all but irrelevant].

a few of the songs remind me of previous b-side tracks like "the end is the beginning is the end," but i'm willing to forgive him the occasional recycling of riffs for a damn good wall of guitar wailing.

oh, and jimmy chamberlain = divine drumming machine. that's just a fact. he and dave grohl need to fight it out on a set. i would pay good money to watch that.

i'll be seeing said pumpkins in november, compliments of a generous red-head. i'll let you know how the live show compares to the album.

and for those of you who are from law school out in TV-land, fasten your seat belts. 2L year is just around the corner and that means fall oci. and fall oci means lots of medicinal bar tabs and rehabilitative sex & the city marathons.

i can't wait.

b e l i e ve . i t . o r . n o t

i am utterly speechless.

the palestinian mythology surrounding yasser arafat's death has met with a new, and seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

i'm not sure what to think, except that i both pity and admire the man bold enough to speak the truth on national television. arafat supporters will likely and vocally call for his death. even non-arafat supporters might wish he had kept quiet, since this more or less obliterates israel's "role" in arafat's demise.

of course, i guess they could always blame the ever popular "jewish doctors infected him with AIDS conspiracy." i've heard stranger things.

addendum: you know, stranger things like this video. just when my faith in people was rising anew...

s u n s h i n e

something we in texas haven't seen in a good long time. but while the rain is falling here, and terrorists aim flaming vehicles at unsuspecting people in the u.k., radical islamic terrorists have taken to cross-dressing.

it is nice to see that they're loosening up a little bit.

i . h a t e . o p i n i o n s

well, that's not entirely true. i certainly hate it when opinions are inserted into what is ostensibly objective reporting.

case in point.

because you can be sure that no one at cnn has reported this.