Happy Holidays are Happenin'

It was a Merry Christmas in our home! Santa delivered the perfect kitchen to our Little Princess and Boy Wonder was thrilled with a year-long subscription to Toon Town. He filled adult stockings with fun and useful items, and after inspecting all of the Santa goodies, we took our time opening gifts from each other. Each item was carefully inspected, played with and appreciated....OK, well....we did have to slow down the Boy more than once, but it all worked out. Mid-morning, my Mom and Step-Dad arrived for breakfast and a gift-exchange. The kids were thrilled with the Toobeez set (like Giant Tinkertoys for those old enough to remember them) and with having the grandparents to themselves. It was a really great morning, followed by lots of play time and a family get together late in the day. We spent Christmas night having dinner with a big portion of the family at my sister's house. She could use plasma lifts to get the flat screen tv up off the floor, but thankfully, we spent very little time watching tv and lots of time visiting.

I've now had 7 days off of work, with a few more to go. What a great vacation! Hope everyone's Holidays are going as spendidly as mine!

Christmas Wish List

What's on your Christmas wish list?
Remember when it used to be stuffed animals, building toys, games and the like? Then it probably moved on to clothes, stereos, and other typical teen stuff. As an adult we tend to like the Big Kid toys - flat panel tvs, wireless devices, audio racks, vacation packages...etc.

Know what this law student wants? (OK, besides time off and a nice vacation?) A new rolling computer case. After 2 1/2 years, mine has had all it can take. The handle broke last week. There is a hole in the bottom. It has served me well, but I have used it almost daily through 5 semesters of law school - heavy books, laptop, long walks to/from the parking lot, and up and down stairs. I will miss my old friend and thank it for its devoted service, but now I am looking forward to a new one complete with numerous clean pockets to fill! Sounds almost as good as getting a bunch of new office supplies!

Digital Photos - How to Store?

Our family takes a lot of pictures, especially now that we have 2 good digital cameras (and one not as great one that Boy Wonder uses). If you read Wife's blog (I know, I've been saying that I lot lately, but I know a lot of you do read both.), you will know that she takes a TON of pictures. How to keep them all relatively safe? Her solution was to buy an external hard drive. That's were the majority of our pictures are saved these days. Is that a truly safe solution? Do external hard drives crash? What is the best way to store photos? I surely don't know, but if you have some idea, let us know!

Unique Gift Idea

OK, how cool is the gift of wine? As you may know if you read Wife's blog, we recently received two bottles of wine from the Gold Medal Wine Club. The idea of wine clubs is that you get to try out a new bottle (or bottles!) of wine each month, and the best part is that the package arrives at your door as if by magic! This wine club offers, as part of a membership, two bottles of premium wine each month, plus a very attractive and informative newsletter.



The newsletter includes wine trivia, recipes, and feature stories. The glossy paper and professional photographs are nice touches.

As for the wine that we tried, both were from the Madrona label and were a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2004 Merlot. I am a huge cab fan and was really looking forward to opening this one, so it was the first to be tasted. As many reds, it needed to breathe first, and I have to say, it needed much more breathing time than many of the good cabernets I've tried. It was also not a great stand-alone wine. After about 20-minutes, and served with food, it was enjoyable. The Merlot was better right out of the bottle -- it did not require as much breathing time. For $15+ bottles of wine, I was actually a bit disappointed. That being said, if I had received it as a gift, I would have been thrilled. The wine was decent, and the idea very unique and thoughtful.

The Gold Medal Wine Club offers different wines all the time, so just because one month's selection was not exceptional, that does not mean the next month's won't be. Also, I am really not a wine expert - I just know what I like - but I don't know what YOU like. So, if you are looking for a unique gift, maybe even for yourself, check 'em out!

How many votes for laziness??

Anyone else up for being a couch potato this Holiday season?

Perhaps talking long walks or hopping on some ellipticals would be a better way of decompressing after a long semester, but right now, I am thinking that hours on the couch in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn sounds pretty good. Hey, the kids are getting good about having the attention span to watch movies. I might be able to get a couple in now and then over my upcoming 6 DAYS OFF OF WORK AND SCHOOL!!!

Of course, after Tuesday morning there will be lots of new fun toys to play with....I know because I helped purchase most of them. Another great reason to have kids :) OK, a bad reason to HAVE kids, but it is a nice perk. Wonder what they will want to play with first???

Done with Finals!

Finals are over.

Since there are folks that may still be taking the 24-hour take home energy law one I took last week, I will just say: It required more work than I expected and it was kind of fun. I am an energy law geek :)

Environmental Law - 4 hour closed book final this morning sucked. Well, the major hypo that will be worth the most points sucked. The rest I feel pretty good about. How it all balances out, I can't even venture a guess. I don't feel particularly good about it, but then, I have done crappy on ones I felt great about, and vice versa, so, who knows? It's all about the curve.

I am now wiped out, but relieved to only need to polish up a paper and I will be really done with this semester. It was a tough one.

I'd not posted, though some of you may know from Wife's blog, that we had to say good-bye to our 9-year-old Rottweiler last Thursday. It was really hard, and the whole family has been sad. Needless to say, this really affected my ability to prepare for this final exam. What could I do though? Best to just move forward, do the exam, and hope for the best.

Soon, it will be time to leave this semester behind and focus on some fun times with the family. Hope you are all able to spend the Holidays in the ways most enjoyable to you!

Wife's Birthday Fun!

Wow - two date nights within a month! Alert the press! We're livin' now!

We had quite the busy day in our family. First, it was breakfast, cards and a present in bed for the Wife - with lots of help from the kids for every part of it. Later, Boy Wonder went to a Christmas party with his uncle, a 4- year tradition for them. Big fun was had. Baby Girl, or should I say The Little Princess, attended a Princess Tea Party at Grandma's and had a wonderful time. She was so darn cute! (See Wife's blog - for link - scroll down and look on the left side bar.)

Later there was a picnic lunch on the floor with the kids, followed by presents, some vegging on the couch, cake and ice cream, and finally, the arrival of the babysitter! Wife and I did a bit of shopping at the mall, unencumbered by little ones, then had drinks and appetizers, followed by a brief trip to Target. (We know how to party!) It was a really nice time. Wife got some fun presents, granted, there were no diamond rings, but there was a really great Mommy Bracelet with the kids' names spelled out in block letters and surrounded with silver beads and birthstones.

It was a relaxing night out for mommies, and the kids had a good time, too. All in all, I do believe the day was a success!

One Down, Two to Go!

Yippeeee! The first final, the one I was most concerned about, is behind me, and I actually think it did fairly well. Feels like solid B potential, which is good because I was really uncertain as to what to expect. Today I will move on to the 24-hour take home exam, and then Tuesday morning is my final final of 2007!

Funny, I noticed last night as I was setting up my computer, then going to get the final and bringing it back to the room (we have many unscheduled exams, so we pick them up from the registrar, check out and have to check back in within the allotted time - I found out last night that not all law schools do this), once I am taking the final I am "in the zone" and not nervous at all. It's like, oh, I know this stuff, or at least I know enough of it to write a bunch of words on the page and pass this test. Cool! It is reassuring to take the test and realize that I have learned so much! This is a good since this law school thing is costing a bundle and I am pretty sure there would be other ways to spend large amounts of money and not be sacrificing so much family time and sleep that would be more fun for us all. So, it is good that I am getting an education :)

Hey - special note to Wife - thank you so much for all of your support through this crazy time! It's nice to know you get what I am going through and that at the end of the week, there will be new, super soft, polar bear sheets to cozy into! Then...a wonderful Birthday weekend for a certain somebody special :)

Hope my law school friends out there are rockin' their finals! Let's get this thing done and go enjoy our break!

Tick, tick, tick

....hear that sound? That is the countdown until I am done with school for this semester and can enjoy nearly a month off with my family! The finals, and a crapload of studying stand between me and that glorious goal. If all goes as planned, that means one final this Tuesday, one Thursday, and the last one on the following Tuesday. I will be done by 12:30pm Dec. 18th! On the 20th I have a meeting with several folks at the place of my spring internship....and....oh...wait...I do still have to polish up a paper. Dang. Still....nearly there, and really looking forward to a great Christmas with Wife and our little ones who are great ages for Christmas fun!

Best of luck to all of you out there who are also in the midst of finals!

I love hotels! Really.

Hotels anyone? I really like hotels. Maybe it's not normal. Maybe I should consider the whole hotel thing more in depth and just be totally grossed out by it, but really, I'm not. I like staying in a fancy hotel, having someone make my bed for me every day and clean the bathroom. I like knowing I can have an endless supply of towels, if I should need them, and that I could have someone deliver food to me, if I really wanted it. I like a place with a view, and I like the small but fancy soaps and shampoos (well....fancy depending on where you stay, of course), I like beautiful lobbies and friendly staff, and watching tv in bed (yes, I can do that at home; not the point). I mostly enjoy hotels in the "big city," or resort hotels on the coast...or resort hotels anywhere, really. I've never stayed in any Vegas hotels, and I understand there is quite a wide variety, but I am sure there would be some I would love.

This Christmas, or rather, after Christmas when we are visiting Wife's side of the family, we'll not be staying in any hotels since Wife's brother now has a house big enough that we can stay with him and have an entire nice basement all to ourselves. What a savings - and the kids love being with their uncle! Still, a fancy hotel all decorated up for Christmas.....*sigh*...sounds good, doesn't it?

In search of sleep...

Baby Girl decided at about 3:00am last night that it was time to wake up....this was after I'd already been more or less awake since 2:00 after helping Boy Wonder go potty and settle back in his bed. She tried to convince both Moms that we should get up and watch Dora. We were having none of it. Finally, an hour, or so, later, she was asleep again. What is it? She really is not a good sleeper. Is her mattress not quite right for her? Is the room too cold/too hot? Is it too light/too dark? Or maybe, just maybe, it is that she has decided she is not much of a dinner eater and gets hungry in the night and it wakes her up. Yes, maybe these things, maybe more. Still, Wife and I are happy that it is only 7:00pm Sunday night and both kids are sleeping peacefully.

The Scoop on Finals

For those not intimately involved with law school, I thought I would paint a small picture of the delight that is law school finals. (Delights that are law school finals? Ah, neither one is right, really.) Imagine, if you will, going to every class, reading every assignment, participating to the extent required or beyond, and then, your entire grade comes down to your performance on a 3 or 4 hour test. You sit in a room, typing furiously, trying to spot every issue, analyze every angle analyzable, and remember every detail of law you possibly can for those 3-4 hours. Then you hand it in. It gets graded. There's your grade for the semester. Harsh, right?

Welcome to law school.

I had a prof tell us in the first year that finals are fun. It is a chance to "show what you know." I did not believe her then. Now, I see that she was right. Sometimes, finals are kind of fun. It's fun to see that you know more than you thought you did. Still, it's nerve-wracking hoping you get a good grade and that you understood the material correctly, because you go through the entire semester with no way to know if you are getting it or not.

Fun times!

Last Class - Done!

Wahoo! I had my last class last night! Now, I do three finals over the next two weeks, and polish up a paper by January. I now have TON of studying, synthesizing and memorizing to do! Sounds like a migraine just waiting to happen, doesn't it? I'm trying to stay cool, stick to a study plan, figure out where it can flex if necessary, and I think all will be fine.

I'm ready for 3 of my 4 classes to be done. One was good, but intense. One was mostly OK. One was really pretty bad. The fourth, the one I am not ready to be over, is Energy Law. I wish that one was continuing, or we had other classes in it. There is SO MUCH TO LEARN and no way to learn it via a class now. Well, other than independent study or an internship. DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!

I am happy to report I have secured what I think will be a really great internship at a well-known utility company. They are on the list of the 100 best corporate citizens as determined by Business Ethics magazine. The attorney I am working with seems really enthusiastic about what she does and is eager to work with me. Now, how I will have time for work, internship, class and family, I don't know....but in playing with the numbers yesterday, I best become a speed reader (driver, sleeper....)!

Last Week of Classes!

I know, I know, I have been a bit absent lately and some of you are getting rather bored. Well, I am in my last week of classes -
today, Tuesday is Thursday for scheduling purposes,but I have a Tuesday make-up class on today, which is Thursday but really Tuesday......OK, well, bottom line is my last class is tomorrow night, unless I opt to go for the answers to questions only review for a class on Thursday (which is really Thursday). I'm leaning towards not going because I've rarely found such sessions to be helpful.

In other news, we survived some wicked rain and wind, and were thankful our area was barely hit compared to many nearby towns. I'm thinking with all the leakage I'm hearing about, there may be a lot of homes and condos for sale when summer rolls around. Who wants to deal with those kinds of problems two years in a row? Sure, some problems are fixable, but others... not so much....of course, I guess you'd have to disclose the problem, leading to all sorts of other hassles.

Wow - I am rambling :) Only one class for one hour tonight. Then it is home to probably NOT study and get in a little rest and relaxation with the Wife before the big studying starts. First final - next Tueday (probably).

Holiday Shopping - Ready, Set, Go!

Ah, the Holiday shopping has begun! As some of you know, December brings to our family not only the need for Christmas shopping, but shopping for Wife's Dec. 15th Birthday, too! I have picked up a couple things online, as that is the easiest way to shop, given my schedule. Today, however, I made it to a mall, as a slight detour on my way to go study. The mall was filled with Holiday sights, sounds and smells - and LOTS of sale signs. I did not stay too long - but I wanted to! I am not a huge fan of shopping, but I enjoy it when I am in the mood, and when the kids are not around to have to coral :) Between the online items that have arrived and the purchases from today, well, I didn't exactly need a set of movers New York to help me, but my hatchback area was looking quite full - and not just from my backpack and misc. books that live back there!

Those that claim to know are predicting snow for Saturday afternoon, but Wife and I have planned a really special Date Night of shopping and eating, so we'd just as soon the snow didn't come until Sunday morning. Might as well shop when the mood strikes! Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

The L Word - Season 5

OK - now here is some good news that does not make me think of finals!

Just 39 days until Season 5 of The L Word starts! I thought I was going to be clever and put up a countdown widget, but it wouldn't work. Oh, well. Still, it's a happy thought.

December? Really?

Wow - are we really almost into December?
How did that happen? Yes, it has been a busy, and long, semester, but DECEMBER? No way! Already time for Santa, Christmas shopping, Christmas carols, sweet treats everywhere, pretty lights, decorated hearths, trees, kitchens and bathroom vanities? (Some of us REALLY get into decorating. Though I admit, it's not me in our house - I love it, but don't have the time or patience to do it myself. Yeah Wife!)

For most of us law students, I think we are struggling with the idea of turning in papers and getting through finals, and can barely grasp that it is almost Christmas time. We look at each other, shake our heads with disbelief, and tell each other that finals don't really exist. They are just a made up thing to torture us, like the Boogey Man. Right. That's it.

Does Size Matter?

Our largest TV is a 19" and we also have a 13". I don't mean to imply we are not TV people. We are. Maybe more so than we should be. Still, ours look positively pathetic compared to Wife's brother's massive flat panel TVs. Perhaps we are not showing enough dedication by sticking with the smaller models. On the other hand, they are the largest that fit in their selected spaces in our home. What are you going to do?

The big screen TVs are nice, but I must admit I am bothered by the distortion. Sometimes people that are thought to be quite attractive - say anyone from Grays Anatomy or Private Practice, don't look so great THAT close up, and slightly broadened. Noses do not need to be 4" wide. Still, it was fun, and the surround sound is a nice treat....if only he had home theater carpet, rather than hardwood floors, we would have been set! Oh, and popcorn. A screen that big definitely cries out for popcorn :)

After Thanksgiving Follow-Up

Back from Thanksgiving and into the last two weeks of class before finals. Wow! What a busy semester (as opposed to all of those really slow ones?)! Speaking of Thanksgiving, I can't believe how much stuff a family of four has to pack to go visiting. We've each got a bag, plus misc. snack bags,diapers (which someone is all but refusing to wear and is doing pretty well at being "a big girl"), a container of toys, misc. toys, a bag for all the various bathroom and drug supplies..etc. We had so many cold remedies and pain medications with us this time it looked like someone was in need of drug rehab. Crazy!

Update on Wife's arm - after a Saturday visit to a walk-in clinic which included an X-ray, it looked as if all the pain was muscle trauma and muscle spasms. That was a relief, and the pain was much better Saturday night than the previous night. *Whew* Each day has been a bit better, for which we are all very grateful. Yesterday, Wife got a call from the medical provider...."Uh, looks like there might be a fracture of the elbow head.(I think that was the term.) Splint it and go back for another X-ray in a week." Sure - we'll just go pick up that do-it-yourself splint kit and get right on that. The pain is so much better, Wife doesn't really believe there is anything wrong, so she'll just take it easy, no heavy lifting, and hope for the best. At least a major fracture requiring a cast was avoided. Yippee!

Crazy Saturday

It is Saturday morning. I am doing homework, alone, at Wife's brother's house. Wife's brother and his girlfriend have taken the kids to go play with some cousins, and drop Wife off at the doctor's office. Yes, the doctor's office. She fell last night and may have broken her arm....or at least caused some very painful soft tissue damage. OUCH! Not much sleep for us last night. Poor Wife. Stay tuned on my blog or Wife's for details....probably not until tomorrow or Monday.


I have a lot of homework. I guess that's what happens when you sign up for 12 credits in one semester and one class meets 3 times per week. As finals approach I wish that I had the skills of an IBM memory, but alas, I am simply human. Therefore, I must get back to reading about Section 404 permits of the Clean Water Act. Jealous?

Bed, Breakfast and Other Ramblings

Doesn't a romantic Bed and Breakfast sound nice? We are staying with Wife's brother and his girlfriend this weekend. We have the whole basement to ourselves. They made breakfast for us. That is sort of like a bed and breakfast. I bet without the kids it would be really relaxing. The bed's comfy, there's a great TV and a beautiful view of water and mountains. Yup....without the kids there would be definite potential here for relaxation. Did I mention the hot tub?

Ah, the kids are awfully cute though. They are having a great time on their uncle's trampoline, playing with Legos, going up and down the stairs (we don't have stairs in our house) and playing hide and seek in their big house.

Tomorrow Wife and brother's girlfriend will go shopping for a bit. I'll hang with the kids, and we'll all do something together in the afternoon. Saturday will be study day for me. We'll head home Sunday, and then it's back to work and school on Monday.

Wow - this is a really boring entry, isn't it? I clearly should stop trying to post and go watch Gray's Anatomy. Wife wants the laptop anyway.

Happy Thanksgiving!

OK - so this message should have been done earlier, maybe even a day or so ago. Still, it is the thought that counts and I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have had a nice day with Wife's brother, his girlfriend, her Mom and Dad, and eventually another brother and his girlfriend. Good food. Kids were not too out of control. Unlike the stories I am fairly certain I may hear of when I return to work, it was not a redneck Thankgiving - no beer, no vats of oil, no fixing up old cars, no talk of guns, no ex-wifes making scenes showing up in bustiers...it really was totally civilized. So, I guess I have nothing that stimulating to share.

Daughter's favorite was Cool Whip with Cool Whip (no pie) and we have a cute picture of her licking her Cool Whip plate clean.

It's almost time for Gray's Anatomy. Wife, Brother's girlfriend, and I have been looking forward to it since we talked about it last night. :)

Random Thoughts for a Tuesday

I just wanted to say how happy I am that I don't have to balance my checking account. Wife does that for us and always has. In fact, it's safe to say that I haven't had to worry about it in ummm...14 years. I wonder if I even know how to do it anymore. I used to balance my account every month and somehow, once we merged our financial life, it fell by default to Wife. Maybe it was one of those things that was more important to her than to me. Or maybe it's because I took over all the outside chores like mowing the lawn and weeding the gardens and she took over the inside chores.

Whatever the reason, I think I should tell her how grateful I am that she watches over this part of our life.

Thanks, Wife! You rock!

I Think I Live There

My Wife asked me this morning if I still live in our home.

"Part time" was my answer.

Last night my energy law class got out at 9:20. I am usually home by 10:00, unless I stay after to ask questions. Last night was one of those nights. I needed a bit of clarification on a few points for a paper I am working on for another class. It was 10:00 before I even walked out of the classroom. I am glad I stayed, and the prof. rocks for sticking around so long. Still, It was about 10:40 when I got home. Wife was already asleep, having been up since very early with Cranky Girl With Cold. We did not even get to say "hi" to each other in person all day long.

Yesterday I was called by someone wanting to do blood tests and such because I am increasing my life insurance through work.

"I can come to your home."

*hysterical laughter on my part* "I'm never there."

She laughs. I explain I am serious.

"It will be better for you to come to where I work."

Also, I won't be needing any home delivery, home gyms, or home cooking for the next few weeks.

Wait. Stop. I DO need home cooking. THAT I can easily take to work and school! *grin*

Very Busy Thursday

Dang - I think I have let a Random Thursday pass me by without strange and random thoughts flooding my mind, begging to be blogged. It has been a busy day! Lots of odds and ends at work, a Women's Law Caucus Faculty Round Table at lunch, back to more fairly interesting projects at work, then study time! As a break during study time, I ate a sandwich while walking to my car to move it closer for when it is time to go home. I've noticed something. There must be a lot of birds above where I park. I think I need car covers, if you know what I mean. Oh, well, it's dark, I'm tired, I don't really care that much tonight. Besides, the rain will soon wash all the evidence away.

New Stephen King Movie - The Mist

I am a HUGE Stephen King fan. I've been reading his novels for years. He is my all time favorite author. Does that make me shallow, a product of my generation, not a true lover of literature? Maybe yes to all, but hey, I know what I enjoy and Stephen King can tell a story. He doesn't do it in a pretentious manner, he doesn't try to impress with big words and flowery visuals, and he has the talent of being able to really relate to readers. His words find their way into a person's being and connect with some essential bit of humanity, usually a deep fear, and then he plays on that fear, that humanity, in an expert manner. Brilliant!

If I had to pick a favorite Stephen King book...well...I'm not sure I could choose. The Stand - a classic good versus evil story - is certainly among my top choices. The Green Mile, about a death row warden, made both a good book (serialized novel, actually)and a powerful movie. Who doesn't like Tom Hanks in just about anything he's done, right? Oh, and the short story, The Body, essentially a coming-of-age story, released as a movie, Stand by Me, is just plain good story-telling.

I will be the first to admit that it is rare for Stephen King's works to be as powerful on screen as in print. Part of their power comes from what one's own imagination conjures up, what is just below the surface, how the words play on a person's own fears. The screen version has to be more visual and less subtle. Still, sometimes it works, and with better special effects being created all the time, it is always tempting to see what the next Stephen King movie will be like.

The latest, The Mist by Stephen King, opens on November 21st. It looks dark, frightening, and truthfully, now that I have children, disturbing to watch. The fears, the things that go bump in the night, are more real as a parent. Still, like a train wreck, the story calls, and I am tempted to see what this one will be like.

The synopsis reveals this to be about a man and his son trapped in a grocery store with many other people as a mysterious mist envelops their town. Of course, this is not a pleasant fog, it is a deep mist with evil things lurking in it. The interesting aspect to the story though, the humanity element, is the question of which is more frightening, the things in the mist or the humans that are taking sides, panicking and revealing themselves to be more monstrous than anyone had imagined.

The Mist was originally a short story in a compilation called Skeleton Crew. Like a bad dream that haunts, I vaguely remember reading it many, many years ago. I'm sure it was disturbing. I'm sure the movie will be, too. That doesn't mean it won't be good. It means Stephen King, and those that brought this story to life, are doing their jobs, helping us face our fears and consider our priorities.

You can check out scenes ane more at: http://www.themist-movie.com/

Procrastination

What is it that law students are best at?
Arguing?
Public debate?
Writing well researched documents?
Drinking?

No. I think most of us will agree it is PROCRASTINATION! We put off the things we know we must do in an effort to avoid/deny how much there is to accomplish. I've mentioned before, a law student's home is never as clean as right before finals. I am getting ahead of myself though. It is not finals time, yet. It is pre-finals time.

Yesterday, as I mentioned I would, I created a list of thing to do and put them on a schedule. I have already been able to cross some things off and feel more in control. Excellent. Now, before I get too much accomplished, I should blog. Great procrastination technique, don't you agree?

Custom Holiday Cards

Now that we have kids, we send out photo Christmas cards each year. You know the ones where the family all dresses alike and poses? That would be us! Well, we often use our annual family picture, or simply another good picture that has been taken recently. We don't go out and take a picture JUST for the cards. Wait....sometimes we do. OK - never mind - I was getting to a point. What was it? Oh, right -

Many of you have probably heard of VistaPrint.com. We've used them before to buy business cards, custom sticky notes and the like. (They tend to have great free give aways and half-price specials.) Anyway, their custom-printed products are very nice, professional looking and reasonably priced, which is why we have used them before.

I just found out that they have a nice selection of Holiday Cards, both ones you can add your own photo to, and ones you can just customize with your own sentiment and/or name. They are having a special now where you can get 50 custom cards folded cards for $30 - or postcard style 50 for $12. Hmmm..I better let Wife know...that price even beats the local mega-chain where we have had our cards printed before. The selection is really good, but you may have to click around a bit and get familiar with their options in order to access them. Fun!

Pre-Crunch Time for a Law School Mama

Good morning! It was a really good weekend, and even included a movie date with my Wife yesterday afternoon. We went to see Martian Child, and both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Today, however, I see I am really down to the wire with school and am starting to get that panicky-can't-quite-breathe, oh-crap-how-will-I-ever-get-this-all-done? feeling. I have a 25-ish page paper due, but would like to still get some feedback before handing in the final version, which probably means finalizing it during the exam period. Nice. I have way more notes than ever in 2 of my classes, making the outlining/refining process a nightmare. Especially in the one that I don't have a great grasp on anyway. *breathe* I have to do a presentation on my paper topic for seminar next week. We have to do a 4-hour drive and be gone all of Thanksgiving weekend....4 hours there, 4 hours back. That is 8 hours of study time...ticking away.....still, family commitments are important. I will have to make time over the weekend to study, because I still have all the regular homework to do for the next week.

*breathe*

I am making up a schedule to take advantage of lunch times, time before and between classes, and I know I will figure it all out. Yes. That's it. I've done it before. Others are doing it. It is do-able. Yes.

What Kind of Mom Are You?

Wife found a simple "What Kind of Mom are you Test".

Here are my results:

ENTP —The “Independence” Mother

Full of energy and confident in her own self-sufficiency and competence, the ENTP mother encourages her children—as a role model and as a teacher—to be independent and confident on their own in the world.

A “big picture” person, she points out options and possibilities along the way. Objective and logical as well, the ENTP wants her children to evaluate their choices and learn from the consequences of their own decisions.

The ENTP mother is resourceful and action-oriented. She likes going places and doing things with her children, exploring all that life has to offer. She is less concerned with rules, routines, and schedules. Introducing her children to new concepts and activities, challenging them, and stimulating their intellectual development are top priorities.
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That sounds about right and is consistent with my Myers-Briggs Personality Type. Well, I am a pretty consistent INTP, but seem to go towards the extroverted side with my kids. I am guessing that is because I have so much alone time during most of my days.

Interestingly, I switched one of my answers so I got the results for an INTP mom, and this may be even closer:

Your type is: INTP —The “Love of Learning” Mother

Intellectually curious and patient, the INTP mother relishes those times with a child when they are learning something interesting together. Whether they’re at the zoo or computer terminal, she sparks to answering his or her “whys” with in-depth responses or new knowledge.

The INTP mother is also objective and introspective. She listens to and discusses children’s ideas and questions as she would those of a peer, fostering self-esteem and confidence. Open and non-directive, she allows children the freedom to do for themselves and quietly encourages them to believe they can do it.

Independence, autonomy, intellectual development, and self-reliance are probably the INTP’s highest priorities for her children. An avid reader, she naturally imparts an appreciation and love of reading as well.

Drawn to all types of learning, the INTP may also value her mothering experience for all the new insights about life it provides her.
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Fun!

Happy Random Thursday

It's cold and foggy. In fact, there is a fog advisory flashing on the taskbar for the Weather Channel on my screen. Frost has begun to form on my windshield in the morning. I think I've been spoiled by the warm, sunny weather lately. I'm not ready for the cold. I am a weather wimp.

Wife and kids came to work to visit me and have lunch yesterday after they'd been to Build-A-Bear Workshop. Big day for them! It was fun to see them and introduce them to my co-workers who had not met them yet, and ones who couldn't believe how big they are getting.

Did I mention that I won another scholarship? I found out last week that I won our school's energy law scholarship. I have no idea if they give out more than one or what the competition was like, but hey - I'm happy! I bring this up on Random Thursday because I was thinking back to last night and how I promised a classmate I would stop giving her grief over dropping our energy law class because it was most likely to my benefit that she was not able to compete for the scholarship. So, I have agreed to fully support her in anything she doesn't want to follow through on as it may later benefit me :) (I know, self-centered, but she does get the benefit of me not hassling her, so really, it is a win-win situation!)

OK - anyone have any awesome recipes for sneaking veggies into kid's food (or adult's food)? Let's just say our whole family is not doing great in the vegetable department, and we have very little time for cooking. I think if Wife has to continue feeding the kids pasta and grilled cheese (all they will eat it seems) for much longer, she will lose her mind. Boy Wonder does OK on fruit, but we can't even get Baby Girl to eat that. "Me no like that," said with great distaste, is a common phrase in our household. Oh, my.

OK - I must go get coffee now. Happy Thursday!

Looking for Shopping Cart Software?

So many business opportunities, so little time! If you are interested in starting your own on-line business, what kinds of things should you consider? I have a lot of answers to that question but for now, I will focus on one small area - your ecommerce software.

There are a lot of companies offering ecommerce software, or shopping cart capabilities, as some people prefer to call them. One company is Ashop.com.au - it offers full hosting, shopping cart services, tech support, and more. Even though there are free and low cost services out there, these are rarely easy or work well. The frustration level is not worth it. It is worth paying to have ecommerce services done quickly, easily and correctly. This company offers enough options that everyone from beginners to experts can be satisfied.

I like that Ashop is set up to accept coupons, do gift certificates, and has its own affiliate program built in. As a business owner, these are really valuable features to offer your customers. They also have online movie tutorials, which makes setting up your storefront, and all related features much easier than trying to read it in text format. Considering all the features and services they offer, I would say this is one company worth considering if you are in the market for ecommerce software. As with all major business decisions, don't rush into anything. Do your research and see where it leads.

Note: This is a sponsored review.

Parking Ticket Woes

Yesterday I parked in the faculty/staff parking lot at about 10 minutes before 5:00pm. Non faculty/staff are not supposed to park there until after 5:00pm. I received a ticket marked 16:53. That's right....I got dinged $40 for parking 7 minutes early. I was not happy. There were plenty of empty parking spaces around me. I was not keeping a staff or faculty member from parking in their designated lot. Most are on their way out - not in. I confess to violating the letter of the rule, but not the spirit. I actually believed that there was a grace period this time of night as several of us park 10-15 minutes before 5:00 and have never been ticketed. I think the school should be looking towards supporting the entire community, enforcing rules with the flexibility the situation calls for, and not issuing citations for actions that have caused no harm. I submitted my appeal. We'll see.

Incidentally, I now have to figure out how to delay my arrival at the school until 5:00, but not much later, because the lot fills fast after 5:00 with many of us evening student getting off work at 4:30 or 5:00. Perhaps I could go to the park down the street, waste gas, increase carbon emissions, and read magazines about fiber optic cables, or maybe even something law related. I suspect I will stay at work 5-10 minutes later, get caught in and add to the congestion that worsens every minute after 4:00 (or earlier), all in an effort to ensure I am not in the parking lot prior to 5:00 just in case 10 faculty members suddenly need to park.

Moving Into the Weekend...

So, we are going into our second weekend of a written schedule of the things we will do each day from Friday through Sunday. That way, we all know what errands have to be done and when we will fit them in, and when time for fun is coming up (and if there is something specific planned). The kids both get some special time all to themselves with me since they tend to act out a lot to get my attention and definitely compete for my time. The Boy really looked forward to this last weekend...though he did try to short change his sister by calling some all together play time her special time. Nice try, buddy! I think this more structured time is really important for my schedule-oriented family. It also makes it easier to see what will be realistic to pack into our short time together.

Hope you all have some special time with your families and/or friends this weekend!

Hey - special shout out to Nikk - Happy Moving Weekend! You know I'd be there to help if we lived closer.

Random Thursday

Don't you hate it when your coffee is too hot to drink?
I am on my second cup. Well, really 1.5. I was halfway through the first cup and it was cold, so I went to heat it up, and noticed there was more in the pot so topped off my cup before putting it in the microwave. It's been sitting now for about 10 minutes. Still can't touch it. Note to self: 30 seconds is too long if half of the coffee is fresh out of the pot.

I am a little scared and a lot bothered that there were already a ton of Christmas decorations out in the stores prior to Halloween. I was thinking we could maybe get some half-priced costumes for the kids to play dress-up in at the sales today. Since there were already almost no Halloween things left in stores before Halloween, I have a feeling that ship has sailed.

What do these things have in common?
- a pearl necklace
- a pirate sword
- a pink sunhat

You can make up your own answer to this riddle, of course, but these are typical things Baby Girl will use for playing dress up. Guess I won't worry too much about "real" Halloween costumes. The more imagination, the better!

Coffee's still too hot. Burned my tongue. Damn.

What a Halloween! I spend most of the day doing party-prep, socializing and clean-up for a Halloween potluck at work. I was already exhausted before we'd even gotten to the evening's main event - taking the kids out trick or treating. I got home around dinner time (opting to skip my classes - parents have to make priorities), and the kids were already bouncing off the walls. We quickly dispensed with dinner, had a bit of a struggle over getting costumes on, and were finally on the way out the door, heading first to Grandma's and Grandpa's house, and then to do the door-to-door thing in my sister's neighborhood. Once we finally got outside, the kids had such a great time, and we did too!

Here are a couple pictures. If you regularly check Wife's blog, you may have already seen these:

For Those Interested in Flooring

This is sort of interesting. I don't think about flooring much, at least not as much as I did when we had a cat that liked to urinate under the beds. Apparently some manufacturers of hardwood flooring are trying to convince customers that buying online is a bad idea. An online company, iFLOOR, is putting some bucks into reassuring customers that is not the case. Interested in flooring - you might want to check out this press release as a way to start thinking about some issues you may not have considered previously.
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iFLOOR, America's largest online flooring retailer, today announced a $1,000,000 limited warranty designed to protect its customers from predatory manufacturer policies that exclude warranty coverage from online purchases.

The policy, which goes into effect immediately, offers up to one million dollars of coverage in the event that a customer's warranty claim is denied specifically because they made their purchase online. It is complimentary for every iFLOOR customer, and protects the buyer under the same terms as the original product warranty.

iFLOOR, Inc. CEO, Steve Simonson, came up with the program to combat "scare tactics" used by manufacturers of hardwood floors and laminate flooring. "Their idea is to discourage you from buying at a discount!" wrote Simonson in his blog "It's About Flooring". "This is not right! You deserve to save money! So we're going to take care of this problem once and for all."

And it would appear that federal law is on his side. Section 108 of the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Act, states that, "In general, tie-in sales provisions are not allowed. Such a provision would require a purchaser of the warranted product to buy an item or service from a particular company to use with the warranted product in order to be eligible to receive a remedy under the warranty."

Under iFLOOR's new warranty, a key provision allows for iFLOOR to "seek justice" on behalf of the customer in the event of legal action. According to Simonson, "I'm putting iFLOOR's money where my mouth is."

About iFLOOR, Inc.
Since 1998, iFLOOR.com has been the leading online and retail flooring company, with 36 local retail stores nationwide offering more than 70,000 products, including hardwood floors, laminate flooring, bamboo flooring and cork floors. iFLOOR.com is the largest online flooring retailer according to Internet Retailer Magazine, and was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States for the past three years. Committed to quality customer service, superior selection and friendly expert advice, iFLOOR.com enables customers to buy flooring both online and in its retail stores at a substantial savings over traditional retailers. For more information about iFLOOR, please visit www.iFLOOR.com.

Let's Get Real

I know, I know. Some of you read my blog first thing in the morning along with your morning coffee. That is often when I am writing entries, which accounts for some of my not-yet-caffeinated ramblings. Anyway, since it seems unfair to leave you only with sponsored posts on this fine morning, I figured I should put something more relevant up here to brighten your morning.

(Waiting for inspiration.......)

(Still waiting..........)

(Still waiting..........)

(Consider if there is anything interesting to be said about the fact I need to send a reminder to my energy law profs about the contact names they are going to send me. Probably not. Well, to me this is interesting, but probably not for most of you.)

HALLOWEEN!!! That's it. Tomorrow is Halloween! After a party at work, which I have helped organize despite the fact that I am not a party planner, I will be skipping my evening classes and taking the kids out trick-or-treating. I missed Halloween my first year of law school, and decided I would not do that again. The kids really look forward to it, and it is one of my favorite holidays, too, so...family time it is! At this point, I believe I will be taking a clown and a Care Bear to visit Grandma and Grandpa, a few neighborhood houses, and possibly the community center. By tomorrow night though, who knows what they will have settled on? Last year, in an effort to be just like me, Boy Wonder gave up his skeleton costume he'd had on much of the day and we dressed him as a pirate. Here are some pictures from last year:

Pretty darn cute, right?

Happy Halloween everyone!

Damn, What Was I Thinking?

Damn. I think it just hit me today: I work full time. I go to LAW SCHOOL 3/4 time. I'm raising a family. Am I nuts? This is a lot of work.

I know, I know. Most of you are probably saying something to yourself right now along the lines of...."Duh."

I apparently am incredibly slow. I usually do not really get that this is a lot. It is just life. Somehow, this semester I feel like I've had less time to process what I should be learning than ever. Realistically, I know this is not true. There has never been nearly enough time to process what I am learning. This semester is really no different. What is different is this is the most credits I have taken. I am taking 12 credits. Is 12 really any more work than 11 though? It's a tad more class time, but really....in my life, it is still 4 classes. Same - same.

This semester, it will be fine, but I am looking forward into next semester, in which our Brave Hero fool-heartedly charges head first into another 12 credit load and a 10 hour a week internship, on top of the 32-hour per week job. WHAT? I've poured over the class schedules and there is just no good way out of it.

So, if you are looking for me next semester, you can find me in a "tranquil setting" with padded walls and no sharp objects. I'll be the one babbling something about the Bar Exam.

Random Thursday

The radio station I listen to most mornings, wait, correction, ONE of the radio stations I listen to most mornings has "Random Thursdays" where they talk about any topic. It appears many of my Thursdays are random, too. In fact, my entire blog is somewhat random, though I do try to weave in law school, my kids, my relationship, and life in general as much as possible in between odd bits of inspiration. A couple days ago, I was writing about leaves, several months ago, it was The L Word, next it could be first communion invitations, or the worms in our backyard. Actually, maybe the snails. Wife told me they seem to be in abundance this year and is worried it means our house is going to fall down around us as they eat it from the outside in.

Today's random thought has to do with naming streets and other things, which I'd discussed a while back....how streets get their names from people who have lived there or events that have happened. Well, we've been reading a case in Environmental Law (see the way I worked law school in?) about the Kill Van Kull. This is apparently a waterway in New York filled with industrial pollutants, or it was at the time of this case. With a name like that, I am wondering what else was in the body of water? Well, a little Google-searching has revealed the name is actually of Dutch-origin and means something to the effect of "a small stream beyond the water." *Whew* The alternatives swimming through my warped mind were not pretty.

Incidentally, doesn't the name Kill Van Kull sound like a rock band? Yes. It is. Heavy Metal. I thought so. My mind is a scary place.

Wonderful Weather

I go to school at a very environmentally aware school. We talk a lot about global warming, climate change and the frightening things that are happening with global weather. Sometimes though, it sure is nice to step out of the role of environmentalist/concerned citizen/worried mom and just breathe in the crisp fall air. Yesterday was a wet, dreary day, but today it beautiful - blue sky, sunshine, still cool at 53 degrees, but its the kind of day you can look upon and smile. I'm doing just that right now. I hope you are someplace that you can appreciate the beauty in your day.

Stepping Outside Ourselves

Browsing web sites from other countries is really interesting. The language, even when in English, is just enough different that it invokes thoughts of a very different lifestyle. For instance, at this UK site on home insurance, here is something you just won't find on most US sites: "We have been around since 1867..." Sure, it could happen, but I have yet to run across it on a web site.

Here is another refreshing aspect of this site, they have a section called "Ethics in Action." I don't know if this is common in the UK, but it sure caught my attention. The introduction to this section says, "CIS became the world's first insurance company to launch a customer-led ethical policy to guide the social, ethical and environmental aspects of its investments." Doesn't that make you seriously want to consider doing business with them? I know I am always attracted to companies that seem to be doing good things for the environment and the community instead of just themselves.

It is nice to see what others outside of our own country are doing, after all, we are all one planet, and now more than ever, we need to be finding the commonalities and working together for the good of all.

In Awe of Autumn

I took a walk today to get some air and enjoy the fall leaves.
Wow.
The colors are truly breath-taking. I found this one perfect leaf that had so many colors and such beauty in it that I had to pick it up and carry it with me for a while. Artistic inspiration.

I finally took a picture - but I only had my camera phone - so the resolution is poor, but the colors were still captured.



The background is some fabulous moss found on a log in the forest where I ended up. I finally tossed the leaf over the edge of the path where it can continue onto its leafly destiny.

I stood in forest, the sunlight barely making its way through the still-thick tree tops.
Leaves fell all around me, their crispness brushing the branches, the sound like rain.
The sound like peace.
There are so many answers here - if only we know how to listen.

Sunny Skies - but I am Freezing!

Yesterday it got up to 70 degrees outside. It was gorgeous! Blue sky - multi-colored autumn leaves - perfect! Today is equally gorgeous. (Here comes the but...) Somehow, the sun has apparently signaled the building in which I work that summer is once again upon us and the air conditioning has kicked in. I am pretty sure that my hair should not be cold while sitting at my desk. I should not need to get high risk life insurance
just because I'm not getting up doing aerobic exercise in order to keep my body temperature at an acceptable level. Seriously though, I work at the end of a maze in cubicleland and it could be days before anyone realized I'd frozen back here. The poor person who wanders back to ask how to request a contract at a new site will be in for quite the shock. I think I may have to go outside to warm up!

I AM Gay Enough!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Wife and I recently discovered we were not gay enough. Someone's blog listed us as "gay like"....well, this is a correction. We are simply "queerish", as opposed to truly queer, it seems. Well, hey, I don't know this person, but they have a link to my blog on theirs, and seem "queerish" themselves, so if you are interested in this gay parenting thing, check out their site.

You will all be happy to know I have evidence that I am gay enough.

This is actually pretty good, and speaks volumes of stereotypes and truth. I met a 1L at my school the other day prior to an event about discrimination in the work place. She was there to meet her mentor, one of the panelists. I was there to meet the same person because I had heard she was quite out as a lesbian and was involved in energy law. The student asked if I'd ever met her. When I said I had not, she replied with something to the effect of, "So you will know who you are looking for, she looks a lot like you but with red hair."

Now, it took a lot for me not to crack up at that point, because I what I was hearing in my head is that all dykes look alike. Of course we do - how else will we know each other when we meet? (That was sarcasm, by the way.) I was polite, and I really was not offended, but I was amused. Did the 1L even know the other woman is gay? Probably not...which does say that there really is a tangible something about the lesbian vibe, and the stereotype.

Did the woman and I look alike? Well....not really, but we both have short hair, are of medium build and give off a definite lesbian vibe. (I think that is a self-confidence thing, actually, because in a room of powerful women - say, attorneys - all wearing suits - well - the lesbian vibe is a lot more difficult to distinguish, at least, quickly.)

So, you see, I clearly AM gay enough since I look like an OUT lesbian.

Pumpkin Patch Fun

As my energy law paper deadline more rapidly approaches, I find that we are now down to 1 1/2 family days. This sucks for us all. Although, this weekend, we were fortunate that the rainy day was my half-study day and the sunny day was PUMPKIN PATCH DAY! I don't have the pictures yet, but keep an out of on Wife's blog. I'm sure she'll have some up soon. We had a good time scrambling up the hay pyramid, grinding corn to feed chickens, feeding goats, winding through a hay maze, and taking a bumpy ride out to the pumpkin patch itself. Baby Girl LOVED the bumpy ride and it made her laugh with delight. The pumpkins themselves were "too dirty" and I had to carry even the smallest one, but she was fine with throwing clumps of dirt for fun. What? They were not too dirty? Boy Wonder had a great time disassembling/inspecting a giant sunflower, and barely noticed the pumpkins at all. All right - as long as a good time was had by all.

It may not have been Disneyworld, and we didn't get to end our day in a plush Orlando vacation home, but it was a nice escape made even nicer by a mostly-sunny fall day. Might as well save Orlando for a winter vacation anyway :)

Mmmmmm......Hot Coffee

OK, I got it. I now have my coffee. I could feel your concern over my lack of caffeine. Thank you. It's all OK now. Really, I generally only have one cup per morning. Sometimes two. Not the half-pot size cup that Wife drinks either. These are generous cups, to be sure, but not giant by any means.

I have 25 minutes to get a bit of work done. Then I head to class, sit there absorbing knowledge for 80 minutes, drive to my mom's house, and study the rest of the day. I'll be home for dinner and Family Time by 5:00. (At some point I'll wonder if we are going out or if I need to figure out something to cook....but that won't be for several hours yet. Come on - I'm only on my first cup of coffee!)

That's my Friday for you! Hope you all have a good one!

Cufflinks - Have I Been Missing Out?

Wife wrote in the last day or so about how the Boy has been carrying around an old set of my dad's cufflinks. At his memorial tribute, we had his old jewelry box (for lack of a better word) set out, and near the end I opened it to see if there was anything inside. There were a few things - cufflinks, a fishing weight, some tie clips, some screws, lots of keys, and a few other misc. metal things. It smelled good - like a garage and tools.

Anyway, my sisters and I all took a few things we wanted, and then let the kids pick a few things, too. I explained cufflinks to them. Do all men have shirts that need cufflinks, or only if they rent a tux? It seems like cufflinks are a typical groomsmen gift, but is a wedding the only time a guy really needs cufflinks? There are amazing cufflinks out there, both for men and women. Makes me want to start a new collection! I'd need some dress shirts though. Well, hey, I'll be a fancy lawyer before too long, and then I'll need them. It's never too soon to start collecting!

Where's the Coffee?

It's Friday morning. It's 7:33am. I have been up since 5:12am. I've showered, dressed, fed the animals, scooped the litter box, greeted Boy Wonder who was up by 5:45, eaten a bit of breakfast while sitting on the couch with him watching Lilo & Stitch, let the dogs in and out and given them their carrot treats, brushed my teeth, kissed Boy and sleeping Wife goodbye, driven to work, turned on the lights at work since I was the first one here at 6:40, read my email, made the coffee BUT have I gone to pour myself a cup of the delicious morning brew? NO.

I have been too busy sharing my life with all of you. How is that for a sacrifice for my readers? Lame? OK, so I've just been too lazy to get off my b*tt and go get the coffee. I'm going now. I suspect it will make my Environmental Law class, which starts at 9:00, much easier to comprehend.

Friday Fun!

On my Disneyland blog I just posted a list of the first five sounds that I think of when I think of Disneyland. Well, at least, the first five sounds I though of today!

I thought here I would list my top five Sounds of Fall.

1) Crisp leaves crunching under my feet.

2) Heavy rainfall outside my window at night.

3) Halloween candy pouring into a bowl.

4) Running around, laughing, rolling with my kids in the leaves.

5) The laughter of this silly stuffed animal we named "Pumpkin Boy." He looks like an orange bear but with a pumkin head, and when you squeeze his hand you hear a child's laughter, twice, then "Happy Halloween!" Baby Girl was afraid of him last year, but she's delighted with him this year.

Happy Friday!

A Jungle Full of Stuffed Friends

We love stuffed animals around our house - or rather "friends" if you are talking with Baby Girl and "buddies" if you are talking to the Boy. Wait, let me correct myself. *I* love stuffed animals. Wife is fairly sick of them....mostly because there are so many of them. Baby Girl will pick a friend, or a Baby, over almost any other toy any time she gets to choose. She is so nurturing, and is just adorable caring for her friends. I am totally a sucker for the really soft gund animals. It's hard to resist something that I think is totally cute, and I know my daughter will love. Still, we do sometimes say "no" and remind her that she has lots of friends at home that need love, too :)

Wind's a Comin'!

So, we are expected to get a big windstorm today. Earlier I heard it would be over by 2:00, but at 2:00 we only had some unremarkable wind. The latest predictions have us in a wind storm watch until 5:00pm. Any moment I expect to see a bazillion leaves, an umbrella, a couple hats, maybe a pearl necklace, and possibly a small animal blow into the courtyard that I look out onto from my desk at work.

Well...maybe not. I hope not. Breezes are nice. Damaging winds, not so much. *glancing up into the sky* The clouds sure are moving fast up there. Storm may still be coming!

That Wasn't Enough? Five More Things

OK - so, five was not enough? Really?
OK - then here are five more. Tell me at least one doesn't make you smile!

1) Hot, fresh pizza piled high with your favorite toppings.

2) A hot bubble bath, candles, soothing music.

3) Rich chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

4) The first snow fall of the year.

5) Zippers. Seriously. Have you ever thought of how much more convenient your life is thanks to zippers? Think about it!

Have a Happy Day!

Five Good Things About Today

I've felt it around campus, on the blogs, in the air - it's that time of year that we could all use a little "pick me up."

OK - so here are five good things about today:

1) The leaves outside are absolutely, breathtakingly gorgeous. I have actually been taking the the time to really notice the vibrant reds, yellows and oranges of the changing leaves against the still bright green grass and unchanged leaves. Wow!

2) These three - depending on the day, you may wish to substitute your own family:
(I don't know what's up with that smile!)



3) Halloween candy is out. Halloween decorations are out. Chocolate is relatively easy to find.

4) Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize. Please God, let the United States wake up.

5) Kate Moennig.
(Sometimes, I do these just for me.)

Hobbies and Such

Hobbies are good. We all need a way to relax and dive into a world separate from the things we do every day. I remember when I used to have time for reading for pleasure. That was fun. Going to movies was fun. Remember life before law school? Oh, wait, maybe that was life before kids I am thinking of!

Now, sometimes simple things have to be considered hobbies....driving to and from work, eating lunch, taking a walk to the drinking fountain! Yes, it's true - I know how to have fun!

One of the hobbies I do have is very informal (though not less formal than the water fountain one)- it is collecting watches. I have a couple of Disney watches, maybe a Timex or two, and most whose names I don't recall because I'm not really hung up on that aspect of it. I don't have a Hamilton watch, but I certainly wouldn't mind getting one. They have a very nice looking triangular-shaped one that I would love to add to my collection. These are higher end watches than I can currently afford to collect, but maybe one of these days!

Perspective on the times

It's a scary world out there. Has anyone else been feeling it? I'm not just talking about the war, and the frightening power-mad "leader" of the free world (using the term leader loosely). It seems like in the last few days I've gotten word, mostly from the blogging world, about bad stuff happening to good people. There's break-ups and babies being taken away from good parents and sick children and now, Ellen and the dog. It's just so much. Is anyone else outraged by the bad, bad people that took the dog away from Ellen's hair dresser's family? They don't care about animals...they care about...what? Paperwork? That's more important than the actual happiness and safety of the dog? Have we heard of the "spirit of the law"? Come on people!

I know that there is always bad stuff going on in the world, and how I process it is directly in response to what I choose to focus on. Rather than the negative, I need to focus on the positive. For instance, my kids are wonderful, amazing human beings and we have enough pictures of them to fill about a gazillion micro sds. Rather than fearing for their safety or health, I need to celebrate their lives and enjoy every moment I can with them. There is much good in the world. Sometimes, we just have to look more closely than others.

Go Help a Fellow Law Student

Here's your chance to do something really nice for a fellow law study, and it is easy, too! One of the blogs I sometimes read is Merits of the Case by LawMom. You guessed it, another crazy law student who is a mom, and she is also battling breast cancer. She is a finalist for a $10,000 blogger scholarship. As you can imagine, her family can really use the money. For more info and how you can vote, check out her post about the scholarship.

Marathon Homework Weekend

I had a marathon homework weekend. Wife took the kids to see her side of the family, all who live about four hours away. (Be sure to check her blog in the next day or so, I am sure she will post pictures of the great pumpkin patch adventures!) She bravely drove off on Friday morning while I was in class; the only adult to supervise not only the long drive, but the entire weekend. I am happy to report that they all did quite well.

I missed them, and I also got a lot done. I not only did this week's homework, but got a good start on outlining, and a well-developed outline for my energy paper. I would love to have started writing the paper, but really, the hard part is pouring over the materials and really figuring out the argument and how to put it together, so I am pretty satisfied.

I am unconvinced that drug treatment, or maybe it should be called vitamin and herb treatment for colds is effective. I battled a cold all last week, and through study weekend, finally feeling much better simply breathing steam from a boiling pot. Sadly, Wife and Baby Girl now have the cold that Son and I are pretty much over. So the winter season begins.....Can we be done with sickness for the winter now? We are all still tired of it from last year! I have too much studying to do to be sick, and the rest of the family is just too busy with their lives, too. Who do I talk to about this?

National Coming Out Day

Happy National Coming Out Day!

Today I hosted a screening of the film Inlaws & Outlaws for the Staff Council of the University where I work. We had 25 people watching it at three locations throughout our state. Everyone was moved to laughter and tears, and unanimously want to host a larger event to include faculty, students and our broader University community.

Inlaws & Outlaws is a very candid look at marriage and relationships, both gay and straight, and without preaching at all, portrays the simple fact that we all just want to love and be loved, and we share a lot more in common than not.

I've already had four people, all straight actually, tell me they want to buy the film. It's that good. They want to see it again and share it with their family and friends. Check out the web site for clips and more information. (www.inlawsandoutlawsfilm.com/)

We've had enough

We will be happy when 2007 is over.

I know that every year has its ups and downs. Were it not for the hard times, we wouldn't appreciate the good times. I get that - mostly. Still, we are tired of the hard stuff this year.

Yesterday we lost our sweet, crazy, wonderful 14-year-old tabby that Wife had since about 6 months before we got together. For those counting, that makes 2 cats and 2 parents who have died in the past 11 months. Our poor son - he keep losing the cats he is closest to, and he gets close to them because they are old and slow down long enough for him to pet. Intellectually he seems to understand the concept of death - as much as you'd expect from a 5-year old, or even a 15-year old, really. Emotionally, he seems OK, but we worry at what point does he stop bonding with things for fear of losing them? Hopefully, never. Still, it is one of those things a parent worries about.

All of our pets are getting up there in years. The next couple of years are likely to bring more loss as we have to say goodbye to those loved ones, too. Son is already begging for a new cat (we currently have 3 cats and 2 dogs), and we've explained that we need to love the ones we have and that when the time is right, a new kitty will be led into our lives. It always happens that way for us. Still, a part of me wants to be able to get him a young cat that is likely to be around for a long, long time, but even then, there are no guarantees.

So, while overall there is much that is positive in our lives, for now, we are sad and are making a general announcement: ENOUGH - PLEASE?

New Blog Announced

Hey folks, I just wanted to announce that I have started another blog! (Because I clearly have too much spare time!) This blog has a focus on balance, on finding meaning in life, and on being true to yourself. Is called:
Who You Are/What you Do. The brief description I've posted on the site describes the purpose as this:

Who you are" is not necessarily "what you do," or is it? This blog will explore how people find meaning in their careers and hobbies, and what it takes to integrate who you are with what you do.

I hope you will check out this site, enjoy it, and tell all your friends!

In addition, if you feel your "what you do" is in alignment with "who you are," or if you have other particular insight to share, I would love to interview you, and of course, provide a link to your personal blog or website. You can email me at the address on my sidebar.

Enjoy!

What is that exactly?

During the celebration honoring my Dad this weekend, my sister's husband sang a song that my sister wrote about my Dad. She knew it needed to be light so we didn't all in up in tears during the whole thing. Besides, all that crying would have made it hard to hear and appreciate the words....Anyway, it was a song sung to the tune of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line." Some of you may recall that Johnny was one of my Dad's favorites.

My sister's version was called, "It Should be Mine," and was about his love of getting a great deal on something and turning it over for a profit. It ended with a nod to the fact that now all this stuff that my Dad had gotten great deals on over the years, and did not turn over, is now ours to figure out what to do with. He has a few good tools, nothing fancy like a plasma cutting device, but useful none-the-less. However, the vast majority of it is either mostly junk, or so obscure that no one knows what it is, even though it might be valuable. My Dad was a junk collector, a bargain hunter, and a pack rat. I mean all that in the most loving way possible. I admire that he could talk someone out of a $500 piece of equipment for $35. The problem was, he often did not need the piece of equipment, he just saw the potential and set about bargaining. He was an interesting character, my Dad.

Ban on Germs and Other Family Drama

Today we had the Celebration of my Dad's life. It was good, really good. I'm still processing it, but let me cover the pre-game show first. The 24 hours prior to the event were filled with drama as various family members came down sick and we debated postponing or not (but with all the kids and the winter season setting in, someone may well be sick from now until May), and the related drama. It was stressful and not pretty and it seemed that no matter what someone was going to end up disappointed or upset and there was nothing that could really be done about it.

Whenever we have our kids around others who have been/still are sick I wish that we had something we could give them that would boost their immune system, perhaps something from the garden of life. I'm a bit afraid that most of the immune boosting formulas would be too strong for kids though. Still...a magic pill for when they are out and about in this germ-filled world would be nice! I know that getting sick is supposed to boost their immune systems in the long run, but as stressful as our lives are when I am in school, even a simple cold can mean a week of way less sleep for everyone, more crankiness all around, tough to handle kids for Wife, and poor quality in-class and study time for me. We need a moratorium on sickness!

Celebration of Life

Tomorrow we are finally having my Dad's "Celebration of Life" event? party? memorial? It's kind of strange that it has been all summer since he died, and my sisters and I didn't really talk much about his death, or this memorial, and we all waited until the last minute to plan. Denial? Maybe. I found some peace in coming up with all the interesting/strange/funny things I inherited from my dad. Maybe I'll share some of them after this weekend.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Meaning of Contemporary

Do you ever wonder what "contemporary" really means? Contemporary with what? Merriam-Webster Online says it means: 1: happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time 2: a: simultaneous b: marked by characteristics of the present period : modern, current. Well, seems somewhat clear, until you look at houses, or maybe furniture, or are reading something without context. You might think...this house looks like it may have been contemporary, meaning modern, about 30 years ago, maybe it means it is existing simultaneously with the houses next to it. If you want to see what contemporary furniture looks like - furniture that is both modern and exists at the same time as the furniture next to it, see Bush furniture. I wonder what furniture that does not exist at the same time as that which is next to it would be like. Talk about your creative writing exercises!

Yacht Insurance?

OK - I know, I just posted about travel insurance, but doesn't yacht insurance sound intriguing? Owning a yacht sounds more intriguing than the insurance part, but hey, you've got to insure the thing. Sure, a lot of us may not have a yacht, but here is something fun I learned at this site. You can get dinghy insurance, boat insurance, narrow boat insurance, and
RIB insurance. Here's where you are about to learn something: RIB insurance is for Rigid Inflatable Boats!

This is actually a kind of fun site if you like boats - there are links to wallpapers, boat reviews, sailing clubs and more. In addition, there is really useful information on boat safety and considerations when purchasing a boat. Of course, there is also information about all kinds of boat insurance. If you live in the UK and have a boat, this may be a very useful site for you. If you don't, there is still good information for boat lovers of all kind.

UK Travel Insurance

Do you live in the UK and need travel insurance? If so, Covermytravels might provide some useful information for you. Their insurance covers such things as: Loss or damage to baggage, Loss or theft of personal money, Travel delays, and Cancellation of flights/transportation. They even cover hazardous activities such as SCUBA diving, hot air ballooning and archery. (Hello - if you think you need insurance for this one, you may want to find a different group of archery friends!) They also cover over 65 travel insurance.

The site itself is user-friendly, and offers tabs, similar to a notebook, so you can quickly find the insurance section that is right for you - single-trip, long-stay, family..etc. There is a FAQ section that provides some good information. You can also get a Quick Quote on-line.

I know that now that we have kids, we always check the travel insurance options that are offered. It's something to think about!

Random Thursday Thoughts

So, it ends up that a glass of wine before energy law class does not make the subject easier to understand. Go figure. Well, at least I tested the hypothesis.

Have you ever laughed so hard you thought you could use : adult diapers?

Lately, the times that I laugh the hardest are when I am really tired and something on tv or something my wife says just strikes me as particularly funny, and I can't stop laughing. I realize, on some level, that whatever it is is not that funny, but I just can't stop. Let's face it, laughing that hard feels really good....well, until you pull a muscle in your side, or you can't catch your breath and you pass out or something.

Creepy Halloween Food?

I just got out of a meeting at work regarding planning a Halloween party. Now, I am really not a party planner...but I am chair of our Staff Council group, and one of our big goals is improving communication and relations among groups. What better way than sharing food, right?

Anyway, one person was talking about some creepy Halloween recipes, like deviled egg eyeballs (put an olive in the middle and sliced pimento for the blood-shot part), spider hot dogs, pumpkin cake (2 round bowl cakes put together and frosted to look like a jack-o-lantern)and more. Do any of you have a favorite? I think I may do some surfing eventually this month. How much fun would the kids have with creepy food?!

Love Coupons?

Do you love saving money? Me too!
I just found a site that I think may be really helpful during Holiday shopping, and beyond: couponchief.com

This is a site that provides up to date coupon codes, promotional deals and discounts. In order to see if I thought this site would be really useful, I went directly to their travel category, and immediately found Orbitz deals that were very attractive, such as $100 off for selected family destinations, including Anaheim. Gotta love that!

What else? They work with lots of companies, but the next things to catch my eye were the ebags deals. Ebags sells luggage, messenger bags, backpacks and the like - quality stuff made more affordable with a 10% off coupon!

This looks like a great place to bookmark and keep in mind all throughout the year.

Lisa Heinzerling Visits Campus

Today during our Environmental Law class we had a guest professor and she was really interesting and dynamic. Here are the details of this amazing woman who was the primary writer for the Massachusetts v EPA brief.
---
Georgetown law professor Lisa Heinzerling -

Professor Heinzerling has taught on the faculty of Georgetown University Law Center since 1993 and in 2003 she received Georgetown's faculty teaching award. She teaches several courses at Georgetown, including Environmental Law, Advanced Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Food and Drug Law, and a first-year course on the regulatory and administrative state. She served as counsel for the successful petitioners in the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court case Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, which addressed the EPA's role in regulating air pollutants associated with climate change.


Prior to joining the faculty at Georgetown, Heinzerling served as an assistant attorney general in the Environmental Protection Division of the Massachusetts attorney general's office. Previously, she clerked for Judge Richard Posner on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and for Justice William J. Brennan Jr. on the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Chicago Law School, where she served as editor in chief of the law review. She is the author of numerous articles on a variety of environmental subjects and the co-author of three books, including Priceless: On Knowing the Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing (2004) with economist Frank Ackerman.

Not a bad resume, eh?

Tonight, I will be going to her lecture, "Climate Change in the Supreme Court." Should be interesting!

What happens in Vegas...

Time for some fun? Who doesn't think it would be fun to take off for a few day to the mountains, or beach, or Vegas and just hang out with no responsibilities? OK, here's where I confess that I have never been to Vegas - never seen the Bellagio hotel, the bright lights of all the casinos, the flashy entertainment. I don't mean this in a "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" amnesia sort of way, I mean it in a never-got-in-a-plane and visited there sort of way. One of these days we'll get there - maybe after law school and once the kids are older. On the other hand, I think Wife and I will always chose Disneyland over Vegas. Maybe we can do a combo package!

Piece of the Sun!

Today is a rainy, rainy day. It is kind of nice to see the rain after summer. The plants and grass get all shiny, the air smells good, the sky changes from dark to light to dark over and over. I can enjoy it for a while. Like, maybe a few weeks. Although, driving home in a downpour last night reminded me that I dislike driving during hard showers. I like driving when the pavement is dry, thank you very much. So, while I am happy with fall right now, give me a month and I'll be wishing we had a prime piece of real estate in sunny Southern California, near enough to visit Mickey and friends (and Audra and her wife) whenever we wanted!

OK - So I am Strange

I was driving into work this morning, and got to thinking about how streets are named. You know how streets used to be named for a local landmark, or the business or professional you'd find on the road, or some other such logical connection? There was always a Main Street, for obvious reasons; perhaps a Baker Road, because the baker lived on it; maybe there would be Lake Road or River Road, again for obvious reasons. This morning, reading exit signs mainly because they are there, I noticed something that caused some concern: What in the world would cause someone to name a street Killingsworth?

Just saying....

Melissa Etheridge Rocks!

I know, it's not a unique or a particularly deep revelation, but it is so true in the more traditional sense of the phrase and in the current sense of the phrase. This woman rocks as a musician, as a human being, as a role model for us all.

Her new album, The Awakening, has just been released and it is amazing. Pick it up, read the liner notes, take the journey with her. This album represents the path of her life - through wanting to be a rock star and making it and then dealing with breast cancer and finally through a period of awakening to what life is really about. This is a spiritual journey, but also one of politics and love and family. There is an hysterical song called Threesome, which she talks about in an interview on AfterEllen.com that has to make you smile. This is good stuff. It really is.

You can see Melissa singing and talking a bit about her music on Amazon.com, but when you go to buy The Awakening, do it from Safeway, if you can. Proceeds from the CD's sold through Safeway go to breast cancer causes.

The Lights Go On and Off

Ever been sitting in class and one minute everything seems to make sense, and then all of a sudden, it doesn't anymore, and then, miraculously, it does again?

Right. Me neither.

*grin*

Odd the way the brain works sometimes, isn't it? It's like it gets full and you are just done for a bit, and then, a little space opens up again, and you can put some more in. Kids are like that, too. They can only be "good" for a while, and then they just have to let all their crazy energy out, and then they can get a grip again.

We're never that far from childhood.

Not a Techno Geek

When it comes to technology, I get by, I can surf the waters, but definitely cannot handle the big waves without taking a spill. I really like technology, when it is working. Late yesterday afternoon, and unfortunately, into the evening I set up our wireless router. Old one died over a year ago, and we've been doing without. This seems like it should be an easy thing. It was not. It was a frustrating thing that makes me wish I had a techno geek with no social life living next door at my constant beck and call. It got it running and we are happily wireless, though I never was able to run its installation wizard. Every time I did, it disconnected the broadband connection and we'd end up with NO INTERNET at all. Not fun. So, we have it installed. No security. Does that matter? Maybe, maybe not. Seems we are vulnerable, no matter what. If you know that I have just opened up my family to certain attacks, do let me know.

For now, I will be happy with my semi-tech life that includes a desktop and two laptop computers, 3 digital cameras, 2 cell phones, 2 dvd players, and a partridge in a pair tree. I do not have an iPod, a Blackberry, a GPS device, or a 28" viewsonic monitor that would increase "my gaming and viewing pleasure" (or something like that). Still, as long as what I have is working properly, I am happy!

Disclosure Policy

As many of you already know, I sometimes accept sponsored posts. That means sometimes I get paid if I include a link to someone's web page. Occasionally I will do a product or site review, and get paid to do that. I am always honest in these reviews and do not accept any assignments that dictate what my opinion must be. If I recommend a product or site it will only be because I really like it, and more often than not, these will not be sponsored posts, and usually, I will reveal that fact. Please note, a personal recommendation is much different than a review that says something to the effect of "I found this site and they have cool furniture."

Some folks believe this act of accepting money compromises the integrity of a blog. I accept money for work I do everyday and don't believe this compromises my integrity. Getting paid to blog provides some much needed extra income for my family, and it actually encourages me to be a more frequent, more creative blogger. I blog on a wide variety of topics, some paid, some not, and I think most reveal a little something about me, my family, and my perspective on life. I hope you, my dear readers, agree.

Thank you.

Law Student Treads Water

The weekend is almost here! It has been a busy week, and will be a busy weekend, as always, I suspect. I am beginning to feel behind at school, even though I technically am not. This is maybe the point at which I realize that I am reading and paying attention in class, but haven't had any time to consciously absorb anything. I'm just treading water, but not really learning to swim. It is this way every semester, I suspect, for most of us work-by-day/school-by-night students. At some point, probably around finals, much of it sinks in, but I fear much gets lost, as well.

What I haven't got a good grasp on is my energy paper. There is so much to learn that it is hard to know where to focus. At least, I am really interested in it, which is good.

Today, after class and a bit of work, I will go to my mom's to study. I am not sure if it is good or not that I cannot work at home. The kids are just so excited to spend time with me (and I with them) that it doesn't work out. Poor wife, whenever she wants to work from home, doing blogs or scrap booking, she mostly has to wait until the kids are in bed. Have you ever noticed on TV that the parents get to do whatever they want, whenever they want, even if they have 10 kids, and the kids never get in the way? Isn't that false advertising?