I love the NFL

Well, another week has gone by. It is almost Wednesday, and I cannot believe how fast my year has been progressing. Next week will mark the completion of my first month as a 2L. 3 months until finals! The last couple of weeks have been rather hectic, but then, what else is new? At least I can enjoy my NFL games now that I have Mondays off to do schoolwork. This Monday, however, I had a second interview with a Chicago-based intellectual property firm. I think it went pretty well, but one never knows until one gets the acceptance or denial. I have not received any denial from any of the firms with whom I interviewed, and I am feeling a lot better about my job prospects. I am also feeling better about my schoolwork. I have taken my uncle Ravi’s advice into the new school year, and the result has been even more free time (yeah, right!). Seriously, his advice on getting up early to get some work done in the wee hours of the morning is something that I highly recommend. My classes are a lot of fun. I am enjoying all three of my traditional classes, and I also have a pretty good handle on my legal writing class. Everything just seems a little routine now.

Now I am going to get into a discussion of the NFL season thus far. For those of you who could not care less, skip on down to the next paragraph. For the rest of you, all I can say is: wow, what a season. For the first time in a long time, my favorite teams are all winning. Let’s start with the Baltimore Ravens. Since Art Modell oh-so-wisely moved them from Cleveland (don’t believe me? Think about the Lombardi Trophy he won within 4 years of the move versus the 30 years of futility he experienced in Cleveland), the Ravens franchise has been in search of a passing game. We had some wonderful times with Vinny Testeverde passing to Michael Jackson, but since the move from Cleveland, the Baltimore quarterback roster has included (and Aaron, correct me if I am wrong here): Vinny Testeverde, Jim Harbaugh, Scott Mitchell, Eric Zeier, Stoney Case, Tony Banks, Anthony Wright, Kordell Stewart, Chris Redmon, Jeff Blake, Trent Dilfer (Super Bowl winner (!)), Kyle Boller, and now Steve McNair. The last time we had the receivers and the quarterbacks on the same page, however, was way back when Vinny was firing darts to Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander (oh so long ago). We never had a chance to match up a great passing quarterback with great receivers. Now, we have a quarterback who is 2 years removed from an MVP season passing to his favorite receiver from that time (Derrick Mason) and a future superstar in Mark Clayton (I hope) plus the best tight end in the game. We are set for offense. Our defense is healthy. The only teams that would seem to stand in the way of the Ravens are the Bears (NFC) and the Chargers, Bengals, and Colts (AFC). The Ravens will play the Chargers next week, a game that will be a match up of undefeated teams. After the way the Ravens limped out of Cleveland this week, I must admit to being a little scared.

There has been no time for movies or relaxation (save for my precious NFL)! The life of a law student is upon me. Help!

The chaotic life of a 2L begins....

So, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? It has almost been a month. My apologies to everyone. The last few weeks have gone by like a whirlwind, and I have barely had time to catch my breath. So, what have I been doing? Well, when I last wrote, I had been captivated by the wonderful novel “The Prestige,” by Christopher Priest. I was getting ready to head to Cleveland for a few days of R & R with my best friend and his family. I arrived at Aaron and Julie’s on Thursday and stayed through the weekend. We had a wonderful time. We ate, we played video games, we watch movies, and celebrated my (gulp) 35^th birthday. Aaron and Julie took me to a wonderful restaurant in downtown Cleveland called Sushi Rock. We dined on some excellent sushi and had a wonderful evening. I arrived back in Chicago and immediately started getting ready for classes on Thursday, but first I had a law interview for a firm in Madison, WI. The interview season for summer associate positions (for NEXT summer) was already upon me, and I was fortunate enough to have been granted a number of second interviews with some pretty reputable firms around the country. The interview was an all day affair, but I found some time to have lunch and dinner with some former colleagues of mine from my last job. I arrived home late on Wednesday night, but I was ready for class the next day. The following week, I found myself on a plane to Washington DC for another second interview. I flew back on Wednesday night and was in class the next day. I was able to catch my breath a bit this week, and I needed it. There are still some things that I would like to take care of around my place.

I haven’t watched many movies since the last time that I wrote, but I did read an excellent book (yet again on the recommendation of my friend Aaron). Anthony Bourdain, the chef with his own TV show on the Travel Channel, wrote a novel in 2000 called “Kitchen Confidential,” a fascinating look into the secret society of kitchens around the world. Bourdain’s book comes across as a completely honest and, at times, painfully unflinching look at his life and the places his work as a chef has taken him. Bourdain also has a wonderfully wicked sense of humor, and I found myself laughing out loud while reading several of the passages (much to the consternation of my fellow train riders in the morning..I guess they thought they were stuck with “crazy guy on train”). Bourdain also teaches. For example, the best nights to eat in a restaurant are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. The WORST meat in the cold rooms is served whenever someone orders something well done. Don’t ever (EVER) order mussels from a restaurant. Knife sets are wastes of money. All you need is one chef’s knife of a particular manufacture. Am I being too cryptic? Pick up the book! It is wonderfully readable and chock full of fun facts. Bourdain has become my favorite (non) celebrity chef.

My reference to reading on the train reminds me that I need to rant briefly about something. iPods are slowly and surely removing us from daily important social interactions. Everywhere I look (on the train, on sidewalks, in elevators), men and women walk around attuned to their own world, the eponymous white ear buds sticking out (and the volume too damned loud!), tuning out the world at large. This has caused a reduction in day-to-day conversation and interaction among the people in our society. Now, I am not an iPod hater. I love my iPod. It saves me when I am at the gym, and iTunes is a wonderful computer program for cataloguing one’s music. My problem is that I can see the iPod-ation of our society will have some farther reaching consequences beyond early hearing loss in the majority of individuals under the age of 30. What is my suggestion for a better society? If you are around other people (unless you are doing something like RUNNING), turn it off. Not only will you save your ears (and the ears of those around you..those ear buds really aren’t worth crap), you might be surprised to find that you are living in a society of pretty decent people.

Sorry if the entry seems a bit rambling, but there was a lot on my mind. Until next time….