No Plans for the First Weekend in April

This is the first time in 7 years I have not had plans for the first weekend in April.

One might be thinking at this point what in the world did I usually do on the first weekend in Apirl?

With a sad heart I deeply regret that I will not be going to Chilifest this year.

It is always this time of year when there is a sweet breeze from the South. Its not cold nor hot, but gets chilly right before dawn. The bluebonnets are out and a few indian paintbrushes.

I have been to Chilifest every year since I was a freshman in college. 6 years straight. I wanted to make it every year that I was in Higher Education but alas, my last year I could not attend.

Chilifest is trashy, dirty, smells like beer, and sweat that smells like beer, but I love it.

A part of me still wants to pack it up and head down there...I wont...I can't. Nobody my age is going...we have all moved on. This is close to my last tie to college being severed. I only have one more left...when the only friend I have there graduates and moves.

I realize this post makes little sense, but know that I want to go to Chilifest but I am not going. Know that Chilifest was 1 of the 2 remaining ties I have to College Station. Now there is only one.

I should drink tonight...In memory of the greatness and immortality I have achieved through my tenure of the trashiest field party I have ever attended.

The Sex in the City Effect?

http://jezebel.com/375142/a-statistical-guide-to-why-youre-not-getting-laid

Check out this link. It is a map of the U.S. showing regions in the country where either Men or Women greatly outnumber the other.

The northeast, especially around New York, retains a heavy concentration of women.

Texas and Cali. men dominate.

NYC has more than 200,000 more women then men.

Perhaps this is because more women view moving to New York is some kind of status symbol?
Perhaps this is because more women like New York then men?
Perhaps this is because women like the fantasy of a small town girl trying to make it in the big city?
Perhaps this is all above the above because Sex in the City is all of these things.

I don't know....
Anybody have a thought on this?

Men on a Treadmill

So Friday I was working out at The Rec. Astonishing I have been working out a few times a week now for like 2 months! I have officially impressed myself. ANYWAY I was walking to get some water after my set, and to do this I have to walk past the treadmills.

There wearing a sweat band on his head and wrist was some guy on a Treadmill. What the eff?
A guy on a treadmill...this is retarded. Guys don't use treadmills, they run on pavement. Now ok, I could buy that guys use treadmills to warm up, but this dude had been on this hampster wheel for awhile.

I don't know why this bothered me so much, but it did.

Effing guy on a treadmill. I hope he had ear phones so he could hear The View that was on TV. I should give him a copy of Cosmo so he can read while he works out.

D-bag

US News Rankings

Well it is that time a year again. When every law student clammers to the computer to find leaked versions of U.S. News Top Law School Rankings. It is laughable how much weight is given to these rankings, but since weight is given then it becomes real.

http://www.abovethelaw.com/images/entries/US%20News%20World%20Report%202009%20law%20school%20rankings%20ratings%20Above%20the%20Law%20blog.pdf

Here is a bootleg version posted on Above the law.

I have learned a few things from these rankings.

1) Yale is undoubtly the best law school in the country. Period Overall score is 100 the next best are Harvard and Standford at 91....Damn

2) People don't like Berkley in the top 6. Though they beat out the schools that are tied with 7 and 9 by only 1 and 2 points respectively, it seems they probably wont stay there.

3) And this is the one that ticks this cowboy off: Vandy is 15th....What a bunch of bullshit. Texas and UCLA are tied for 16th. Vandy beat both schools by 1 point. 72 to 71. Vandy wont stay there. Not to say that Texas is much better that a 16th ranked, but they are a better school than Vanderbilt.

4) Nothing else of consequence really happened in the top 25 other than Fordham dropping out which is a big joke among Columbia and NYU people.

5) University of Houston is tied with Baylor now for 55th overall. Im proud of UH! Go Coogs.

The ranks don't matter after this.

I remember when these things did not matter to me....And we can all remember why they wouldn't . Kinda wish they didn't .

I was SHOCKED! Very Refreshing...Go Irish

I believe I've posted this before, but as a 3L very little happenings in law school come as any suprise. This is evidence by my lack of posts since my 1L year. In any event, this was not the case Monday afternoon.

Upon running late to clase, I realize that there is not a soul in the classroom. I ask the assistant if class had been canceled. She informed me that class had not been cancelled, but had relocated to a popular bar amoung us law students. I guess that the luck of the Irish had swept in.

I get there and everyone is sitting at a semi large table drinking very good (and not cheap) dark beer. Needless to say, the tab was picked up by UT. It's a class expense. Class at a bar really is the way to go. Oh I was asked if I was a Virgin by my law professor, (this was done in a classroom way to make a point of how uncomfortable questioning makes people) everybody had a laugh when I pretty much yelled NO across the table. Everything was going fine when something Scotish whispered in the air. I was not sure what this was...a recording?

Then they came. 1 lead bag piper, 3 followers, and 2 drummers in full scotish kilts and hats with plumage. They walk through the bar while the rest of us were laughing. Then they set up camp right at the end of the porch. While 1 or 2 songs on a bag pipe are cool an hour and a half is a little much. Most songs sound the same...I did get excited for Brave Scotland and Amazing Grace.

So in an attempt to continue class we discussed some of the finer points of Voir Dire in state court...while drinking beer.....while yelling over bag pipes...take a moment to visualize this...yup...didn't see this one coming.

On a side note, what the fuck is it with the Scotish? It is St. Patricks day. IRISH. Why wear kilts? Now I hear that bag pipes are used in Ireland as well...thats fine...but kilts? Would the damn scots get their own holiday. I wanted to throw my pint glass like the true Irishman I am and yell "Where is your William Wallance now Bitch!" I of course did not realizing that I had 1) never been to Ireland 2) chances are that the bagpipers have not been to Scotland and 3) Im Texan...so I drank. I still think the Scots should back off though.

After class officially ended, a few of us stuck around to celebreate...well celebrate class being over. Pitcher, pitcher, green beer, green beer and a bar change; the evening ended at 12:30am with myself and another litigator law student 3 sheets to the wind.

So yeah...GO IRISH.

Parents of Austin.

I do not mean parents in the literal sense.

As many of you know, and by many I mean my two readers, I have a constant need to define sociological themes where I am. From schools to cities, I always try to see the common fabric and motivations of the place as a collective whole. Anyway, I have a new theory for that of Austin, TX.

Austin, TX is not a grown up city. Not even close. Their economny is not driven by the major issues of our day like Houston or Dallas. Austin is a playground. Just go to the park on a Weds. It is full of adults that should be working but choose not to!

However; for any child and in this instance a city there must be some parents. This post is a salute to them.

A few unique souls accept what few "Grown Up" jobs there are in Austin for probably less money to be a parent of Austin. Legislators, Lawyers, Bankers, and Real Estate developers are pretty much the only Grown up jobs in Austin. They are the reason Austin is not still in the 70's. They are the reason that the whole place does not smell like dope. They are the reason the city has expanded in the correct way that it has. This is not to hate on the innovators which Austin has a plenty. Dell of course is big time. Along with some funky companies, but it is the parents with their grown up jobs that allow this type of freedom in the local economny.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to the Parents of Austin. Though I will probably never be one of you, I respect you and what you are doing.

Ya Know....Im just not sure...

Recently the internet, along with major publications, specifically WSJ, have become ever more disdainful of American Law Schools. Not the elite of course, but pretty much anybody ranked lower than 30 (that is being generous).

The arguments basically say that American law schools do a poor job of fully disclosing job opportunities at the completion of law school. Salary and employement % are skewed to show their school more favorably. Now students are strapped with massive student loans but have a 40,000 a year starting salary.

I've seen this as well. From my friends experiences and my own.

Which leads me to this.

If I had known how hard it was going to be to do what I wanted to do from where I started, then Im not sure I would have gone to law school. Thankfully, being lucky...and I do mean LUCKY, saved me from a pretty bleak existence....Let me explain. Actually on second thought, Im not going to explain. It makes me sound way to arrogant, which is not my intention.

Perhaps you will understand my point of view better when you hear some advice.

Only go to law school if you want to be a LAWYER. Don't do it for the money or prestige.

"Ok bootstraps I want to be a lawyer now let me in!"
Hold it there. Are you sure...like really sure? Do you really know what a lawyer is outside of Law and Order or some fantasy view of what BIGLAW life is? If you see some 6 person insurance defense firm and you still want to be a lawyer, then I will believe you.

The truth is if you don't go to a top law school (and Im talking top 25 here), then you wont be a managing partner at some V100 firm. Anything is possible, but just not probable.

Many of you may be thinking, nah bootstraps I know people it will be fine...you are just an arrogant prick who forgot where he came from. This is not the case. I know where I came from and have seen both sides of it.

If you want money, prestige, power and don't get into a top 25 school (maybe a really good regional school), then don't go to law school; unless you really want to be a lawyer (in any capacity)

Getting back to my point, if I were at the beginning of my law school career and understood to the full of extent of how lucky I would have to be to do what I have done, Im not sure I would have gone.

I would have grab some job worked for two years and gone to some MBA school. (which is easier to do than getting into a good law school).

Thank God Im lucky.