Nothing But The Truth

In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb

2005-10-27T23:57:00.000-05:00

It's commonly said that everything is bigger in Texas, and I suppose there's some truth to that. So it's somewhat appropriate that the first World Series game played in the Lone Star State ended up being the longest World Series game of all time.

Significantly less appropriate, however, was the fact that the Astros couldn't close the deal, after the White Sox handed them so many chances to win. Make no mistake about this: Chicago did not win Game 3. They just stuck around long enough for Houston to lose it.

The fact that Houston proceeded to lose Game 4 as well -- resulting in a sweep of the National League champions for the second year in a row -- didn't exactly help matters, either. After the Astros got to the World Series in such dramatic fashion, going out this way was incredibly disappointing.

But at least there's one less distraction to worry about while I study for finals. Every cloud has a silver lining, right?

The J.D. Code

2005-10-04T12:12:00.000-05:00

There is no anxiety; there is poise.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no chaos; there is precision.
There is no F; there is The Law.

"Take me out into the black..."

2005-10-01T23:18:00.000-05:00

If you enjoy science fiction at all, you need to go watch Serenity while it's still in theaters. It's a phenomenal movie, and it's definitely something you need to watch on the big screen, in that Star Wars sort of way.

On the other hand... if you actually watched Firefly (the short-lived TV show that Serenity's based on), you need to drop whatever you're doing, right this second, and go see it. Now.

It's that good.

Call me crazy...

2005-09-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

Immunity Day is right around the corner, but I have to admit that I'm far more interested in the Immunity Eve Party than the actual day itself. Don't get me wrong, I think it's wonderful that the law school makes an effort to raise money for a school that needs it; I just don't get that anxious about being called upon in class. You might even say that "I'd prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around."

That won't stop me from contributing, though. Like I said, the money's going to a good cause... and besides, I don't want to be the only one who doesn't give, thus forcing the entire Property class to have a quiz on Thursday. Even if I'm not particularly opposed to the idea myself, since each one we're given means the final exam is worth a little bit less.

I'm still not going to wear my stickers to class, though. Anybody want mine?

The dark side of conveyances

2005-09-16T13:12:00.000-05:00

Only in Property can you say things like "he needs to die" and "we have to kill the widow" without anyone really considering the morbidity of what you're saying.

Then again, when you have Jar-Jar Binks saying "Mesa not sure, but mesa thinkin' me did bombad on this worksheet," it's not too hard to justify thoughts of violence.

Un. Freaking. Believable.

2005-09-11T00:33:00.000-05:00

If somebody had told me that my Mustangs were going to beat TCU tonight, I would never have believed them.

But then again, if somebody had told me that Mack Brown was going to win a big game tonight, or that Baylor would have a better record than Oklahoma right now...

Jurisprudence, Space Opera Style

2005-09-08T23:38:00.000-05:00

Something like this ran through my head in CivPro today:

"Establishing territorial jurisdiction ain't like dusting crops, boy. Without precise arguments, we'd fly right past related contacts, or bounce right off the purpose filter, and that would end your trial real quick, wouldn't it?"

I guess this is what happens when a sci-fi geek becomes a law nerd.

Labor Day: a blessing from God

2005-09-03T11:29:00.000-05:00

I'm two weeks into my first quarter now, and I can honestly say, without the slightest bit of exaggeration, that it's felt more like a month and a half. If you had asked me in July, I probably would have told you that I would have preferred to get through more of the quarter (at least a third) before our first break; now, though, it's not just welcome, it's needed.

Not that this weekend is going to be particularly relaxing. As Prof. LARC so cheerfully asked all of us, "What better way to celebrate Labor Day than by laboring?" Consequently, our first writing assignment is due Tuesday.

Our class is taking a little trip in Mr. Peabody's Wayback Machine: we'll be visiting New York during the mid-1930s, and becoming associates in a firm there. Our job? To look at New York case law and determine whether or not one Elaine Robinson can recover damages for contracting trichinosis from infected pork. Fortunately, Prof. LARC has already given us the cases we're supposed to use in our analysis; we just have to figure out how to apply them. It's not exactly going to be a walk in Central Park or anything, but at least we don't have to go look up cases ourselves.

I'm willing to bet that's only because we haven't learned how to look up cases yet.

There's still a lot of work to be done this weekend, though. Prof. Contracts, Prof. Property, and Prof. CivPro aren't going to go easy on us Tuesday just because we had a memo to write this weekend. In fact, from the rumors I've heard, they'll probably turn the heat up a notch or two. Prof. Property has already warned us that she loves to give quizzes when LARC assignments are due, just to make sure we don't neglect her class to get our writing done. Our teachers want to ensure that the three-day weekend doesn't make us soft.

And since I'm going up to Dallas tonight for the SMU-Baylor football game (also known as The Great Texas Pillow Fight), that means I'm off to the law library for the next few hours before I leave for my old stomping grounds on Mockingbird. I need to get as much of this done as I can, so I don't have a dark cloud looming over my head while I'm up there, and so I don't have to kill myself to get my work finished when I get back.

I just need to keep repeating the mantra that Prof. LARC is trying to drill into our heads. "I love the law... the law is good..."

What an... honor?

2005-09-02T23:52:00.000-05:00

Ever since I moved down to Waco last month, and especially since I started meeting my fellow 1Qs three weeks ago, I've heard a fair amount regarding the, shall we say, "somewhat lackluster" state of Baylor athletics (aside from baseball and, of course, women's basketball). As an alumni of Southern Methodist University, I honestly don't think anyone here has a right to complain; I don't believe anyone else in my class has suffered through an 0-12 football season, after all. Compared to that, Baylor's tendency to win a few non-conference games every fall, combined with the huge victory they stole from Texas A&M last year, makes the Bears look like worldbeaters.

Now, though, I have unequivocal proof that Baylor's athletics program is nothing less than a powerhouse, a veritable juggernaut among the ranks of the NCAA: our mascot is one of twelve that are in the running to be named Capital One's Mascot of the Year! I must admit, I'm not sure what financial services have to do with collegiate school spirit, but that's beside the point. What really matters is that Bruiser stands a fair chance of being named the nation's best mascot -- although, again, I'm not entirely certain what criteria is supposed to be used in the awarding of that honor.

But go vote for Bruiser anyway, because if this contest is going to be won by a hyperactive person in an ursine suit, it definitely shouldn't be UCLA's Joe Bruin.

The other shoe drops

2005-09-02T18:08:00.000-05:00

During the first day of class, while Prof. CivPro was informing us of his three big rules -- don't be late, don't be absent, don't be unprepared -- he assured us that there was an exception to the second rule: "if you're on your way to class and you get run over by a bus, you can go to your Maker confident in the knowledge that all is clear on the CivPro front."

This, of course, begs this question: what happens if we get run over by a bus in class? Because I think that's what happened today...

A clean slate

2005-08-31T18:37:00.000-05:00

It's been a long, long time since I've posted anything here, and more than a few things have changed since then; of these, the most significant by far is that I've just begun my career as a student at Baylor Law School. We're only halfway through the second week, but I think I've already worked harder than I did in any of my undergraduate courses, from the receipt of the syllabus to the completion of the final exam. Maybe even all of those courses put together. Not that I'm surprised... this is supposed to be "the Marine Corps of law schools," after all.

But my recent (and extensive) lack of free time notwithstanding, I thought this would be as good a time as any to get this blog active again -- especially considering that the title's never been more appropriate. The frequency of my musings will, of course, be subject to the whims of my professors, and more specifically, the amount of reading they assign every night; in a stark departure from my standard modus operandi, I'm actually doing that work before class starts now. One of the many differences between being a college student and being a law student. In spite of that, though, I still think I'll have time to drop in and post now and again, at least a couple of times a week.

Then again... it's only the second week. I could be wrong.

At any rate, I decided to delete all of my old posts and start from scratch. I have a number of different reasons for doing so, but they all boil down to just one: I want a fresh start. My apologies to anyone who's looking for some of my old writing here, but since I seriously doubt any such persons actually exist, I really don't feel that bad about it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I hear Property and Civil Procedure calling my name...