F@&#

F this crazy snow October.

The MFA

Click here, #274. After drinking one of these.

Pictures

I like pictures better than words.

Sil River

I could be there tomorrow?

Bitte Orca

I'm am going there!

Everyone should listen to Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors.

Click on this link -->  Click Me!!!

Bitte Orca is contemporary, pulsing, full of life, genuine, and is executed wonderfully.  I feel confident, clear, and the way I feel when listening incredible new songs.  There are few better feelings.

Bitte Orca comes out on Tuesday.  You can say goodbye to that $9.99.

Sushi

Where's my fish?!

Photo by Flickr profile fauxto_digit, 2007.

Student Loans 1

When I graduate in 15 days, I will have a bachelor's degree, and now a juris doctor.  My name will read Jonathan, B.A., J.D.  That is more than two letters after the name, which is more than a normal number of letters.  However I will also have a more than normal number of numbers after my name, also a dollar sign, and their will be parenthesis around the number.  Jonathan, ($140,000ish).  My total collegiate debt.

Sometimes I catch my brain searching itself or half consciously musing about the number as if the number WILL GO AWAY, but of course it will not.  According to crude math and the internet, my monthly payment on this amount will be at least $1,400.  This is NOT a good thing, my friends should be concerned, I am concerned, my mother should be concerned; but then I am going to get over it.

I have been woefully, pathetically, and complete dirt-like in my looming indifference towards these facts to an extent I fear my recent attempt there at heightening the alarm did not do it justice.  But I am more highly educated than over 90% of the population!  It goes to my head!

Such education allows me to with greater than advised haste lay out exactly what will happen:

I have $45,000ish in Graduate Plus Loans.  This loans are services by Access Group, a non-profit servicer of purely law school student loans.  I have another 95,000 - 100,000 in Stafford Subsidized or Unsubsidized loans either serviced by Nelnet, Creighton, or Mizzou.

The Plus loans have no grace period, the rest have either 6 or 9 month grace periods, which is December 2009 or March 2010.

I can possibly defer them under the economic hardship deferrment, or other deferments, and can also possibly forebear them.

Europe 1

While one of us was with nervous sickness, after the shortcut turned into a dead end, after nine months of planning, after wondering if we had enough money, after recklessly spending our money, after explanations, justifications, and a list, we arrived at the airport.  We passed the checkout counter, security clearance, and walked up to our gate which soon would bear a plane that would take us to Chicago.  And so there we were.  Sick, we sat.  Solitare, knitting, RISK, and pondering if my chunky, handmade, gray, brown, and yellow scarf, really made me look worldly or just like one of those men who drinks too much wine and talks to too few people.

I took my passport and held it proudly, for I had a passport.  And I was about to use it.

* * *

Iowa

Earlier this week I submitted my application to practice law in the state of Iowa.  I am glad I did.

Today the Iowa Supreme Court, in a decision announced today, unanimously held an Iowa statute defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman, was violative of Iowa's Equal Protection Clause.

I am proud to hopefully soon be able to practice law in a state where civil rights are alive, where invidious discrimination against recognizable classes of people will not be allowed to stand.  Those who yearn for civil rights have seven new heroes today.

Thoughts of a Law Student

Can I be a competent lawyer?  I have the desire, good intentions to be one, fairly good knowledge of what was taught to me in law school.  But I have little experience, certainly not a mastery of a practice field.  In addition, many things the lawyers I work with know which are vital to their success as lawyers, are not taught in law school.  So I believe I could become a competent lawyer, but does anyone have the time?

I can't imagine small firms have the time, as they have less people, it would take a larger portion of their resources to teach me, or a larger tolerance for inefficiency, which with less resources they in most cases cannot afford.

But more that just small firms, with a poor economy assumedly firms have less resources, and if there are experienced lawyer out there, firms would naturally want them, unless they can pay us a small enough to make it worth their while.

I must not ever lose diligence.

Thoughts of a law student.

Fit

The fit is go?

1, 2, [3]

Wouldn't it be great if I could speak another language!  I would be so proud of myself.  If I did so it would be as a grand undertaking, any practical benefit of being able to communicate with other people would be tertiary.

Of course I tried to learn a language before, well (tried?).  I was a child and I did not have anything invested in it.  Six weeks ago I was in France.  I got this wonderfully small pleasure in speaking a small phrase of French.  I had all of this information I never knew was useful, or realized to what extent it may be useable.

Sincerely

I suppose if I continue to like an idea six years after I first liked it, that idea must be special.  Sincereity is one such idea.  When I am sincere I can not feel bad about myself, I cannot feel as if I am holding myself back, hiding something, or... ... ...nothing else.

I like it even when other people are sincere.  Somewhere I developed apprehension, distrust, fear.  When others are sincere, these things cannot be.  Because there is nothing underneath their actions, or words.  They are... ... ...there, for me, for what reason.

Sometimes I sign an email, or a letter at work with 'Sincerely', why do we do so?  I only wish to do so if I... ... ...sincerely.

Underwater Earplugs...

...I'm listening to a song that sounds like underwater earplugs.  I like this feeling.  My headphones are already earplugs, in all of their difficult technology.  I appreciate this opportunity today to feel small, as if I were underwater with earplugs.

Hip Drinks

Photo by bittermelon/jennifer yin, pulled from Flickr

Cool...

Americans and the French

Today, I bought a book at Barnes & Noble using a gift card I received for Christmas.  The book is clearly enough about the French.  I read part of the book months before my recent trip to France, and now having returned want to finish it. 

The subtitle of the book is "Why we love France but not the French".  The clerk checking me out must have looked at this title before she said, 'Why we don't like the French, because the French hate our guts.'  Well, they like this American.

Photo by Me, 2009