Snow Bobs

I came in this morning after a final shoveling of the driveway only to find some feline non-domesticatas playing on the upper deck.


I had to shoot through the window screen which is why the pictures look so grainy.

According to the Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains bobcats (Lynx rufus) like these two are the only native short-tailed spotted member of the cat family in the Sandias. They occur at all elevations and in all habitats.

I only managed to get one shot of the both of them together because the victor (or loser) headed off and the loser (or victor) remained behind a few minutes for the salivating paparazzi.


Of note: If you click on the picture above you can see that this cat is sticking out his tongue! Winner or loser, I think that falls into the "taunting" category but I'm not certain whether fines are assessed in this league.

Winding Down the Year

Time moves on and no blogging occurs. Actually, the days between the end of school and Christmas passed in a blur of running errands and getting ready for the holidays.

A trip to Palm Desert on the 21st was unfortunately cancelled. Still, a heavy snow storm that day and over the weekend created some good "burrowing" time at home in front of the fireplace.



This also gave us time to get those holiday cards addressed and packages wrapped.

Christmas came and went with a lot of cooking. I produced probably the best set of green chile, chicken enchiladas that I've ever done, followed by three dozen Lebanese butter cookies and a pan of rum soaked sticky buns. Oh yeah, I'm just Mr. Domestic this year.

After the food coma lifted, houseguests arrived from cold, snowy upstate York. On arrival they found themselves in... yep, you guessed it, cold, snowy New Mexico.

Many people have the impression that because Albuquerque is in the Southwest, its weather must resemble that of say, Phoenix; i.e. winter averages in the high-sixties, low seventies. Not so.

Although we average about 300 days of sunshine per year, central New Mexico also averages about 10-14 inches of snow a year. At the higher elevations (such as our house at 6300 feet), even more snow accumulates.

Of course, this year (because we just moved here no doubt), snowfall thus far is about triple that amount. This means that while there will be no pool-time for the weary travelers, there will also be no sunburn to take back East either. Fewer questions that way.

Holiday Missives

“Ninety bucks for a Christmas tree in New Mexico?” I said. “You must be joking.”

“Nope.” Mr. Tree salesman replied.

“These trees here are imported from a small village in the far mountainous north, where they are cut by hand using only miniature saws so small that it takes the woodcutters, each of whom passes their secret craft down from father to daughter, over six months of constant sawing just to cut through one tree.

“These trees are then carefully loaded onto a special sleigh that is only used to transport one tree each day to the village, and is then destroyed in a ritual burning attended by each and every one of the village’s townsfolk (woodcutters excepted of course).

“These trees are then inspected for their ability to handle a minimum requisite number of ornaments. Each tree is completely decorated with only the finest hand blown glass ornaments, strings of lights and individually hung strands of tinsel, each of which is specially manufactured for this purpose (and each made in different villages, located, of course, far away over the sea).

“These trees are then de-decorated, wrapped in a special twine for shipping of which the secret of making has now been lost to only the village twine-makers, and loaded on specially built trolleys for their trip down the mountain.

“These trees are then loaded on tractor trailer trucks which are specially painted in festive holiday colors, and shipped direct to Albuquerque.”

“Actually,” Mr. Tree salesman confided leaning so close I could smell the pine tar, “I should really be selling them for one hundred and ten dollars, but as it’s only a week before Christmas, I feel sorry for you.

“Don’t you know that in New Mexico everyone gets the tree over the Thanksgiving Weekend? What are you? Buddhist or something?”

Shaken by the rampant consumerism that seems to control the sale of Christmas trees in northeast Albuquerque, I ran for my car and hightailed it east to Edgewood, New Mexico, where I found a very nice Nobel Fir on sale in a lot…

For $35…

Cut by hand, but sans the hype.

Curtain Falls... Bows All Around

At 12:20 p.m. (MST). Finished, finished I am, with my final, final exam.

This is it. I have completed my law degree. I’ll say it again. I’m finished.

I now only require certification from the University of Wisconsin in order to be sworn in to the Wisconsin Bar next month, and then to sit for the New Mexico Bar exam at the end of February.

It has been both a very long and very short two and one-half years.

There were times when I couldn't wait to fall asleep because that was the most enjoyable part of my day. There were other times when I felt awed and inspired as I realized the great opportunities awaiting me; opportunities that I couldn't even imagine in detail, but that I somehow know will be none-the-less entirely the product of my future efforts and desire.

Since May 2003, I have been on a path that I chose deliberately to follow, not knowing where it would ultimately lead, but always believing that the destination was worth reaching. True, I didn't "go to the woods to live" in a literal sense, but I think the metaphor applies to my deliberate choice to return to school full-time.

So, to all of you who care, be you near or far, you're in my thoughts today and I thank you.

I also want you to know that on this Friday afternoon in December…

Elvis... has indeed... left the building.

Quotes Duex...

Some more memorable lawyer lines to ponder. Hmmm.. two posts of movie quotes on the blog? Must be finals week!

"I'm going to tell you something that I learned when I was your age. I'd prepared a case and old man White said to me, "How did you do?" And, uh, I said, "Did my best." And he said, "You're not paid to do your best. You're paid to win." And that's what pays for this office... pays for the pro bono work that we do for the poor... pays for the type of law that you want to practice... pays for my whiskey... pays for your clothes... pays for the leisure we have to sit back and discuss philosophy as we're doing tonight. We're paid to win the case."

“You come in here with a skull full of mush and you leave thinking like a lawyer.”

“Now gentlemen, in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal. I'm no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and of our jury system. That's no ideal to me. That is a living, working reality.”

"Oh, I forgot. You were sick the day they taught law at law school."

"An idea is a greater monument than a cathedral. And the advance of man's knowledge is a greater miracle than all the sticks turned into snakes or the parting of the waters."

"I was your first, you know that, Arthur? I was your first client, you broke cherry on me."

"You ARE the law. Not some book... not the lawyers... not the, a marble statue... or the trappings of the court. See those are just symbols of our desire to be just. They are... they are, in fact, a prayer: a fervent and a frightened prayer. In my religion, they say, "Act as if ye had faith... and faith will be given to you." IF... if we are to have faith in justice, we need only to believe in ourselves. And ACT with justice. See, I believe there is justice in our hearts."

And finally in the category of good advice (present company excluded, of course):

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't need law school. Law school is for people who are boring and ugly and serious. And you, button, are none of those things."

Write that Down...

It must be the impending end of my time in law school but over the past few weeks I've been watching a number of law/lawyer-focused movies.

One of the things I've learned you can do as a 3L is find the time to reinstate the old Netflix subscription.

My choices have ranged from Inherit the Wind to The Verdict, to A Few Good Men, to probably a few you’re less familiar with. They're not all the most amazing movies ever scripted but I'm enjoying the courtroom drama. Not many comedies in this genre for some reason. Oh well, Legally Blond serves just fine.

The thing I enjoy most, however, about seeing lawyers portrayed on film, is that while the courtroom procedure often leaves something to be desired in terms of accuracy, some really great, powerful lines are often delivered. To whit:

"I may be rancid butter but I'm on your side of the bread."

"I strenuously object?" Is that how it works? Hm? "Objection." "Overruled." "Oh, no, no, no. No, I STRENUOUSLY object." "Oh. Well, if you strenuously object then I should take some time to reconsider."

"This is a sales pitch. It's not going to be won by the law, it's going to be won by the lawyers."

"My dad hated lawyers. You might think I became one just to piss him off, but you'd be wrong. Did piss him off so much though that when he heard he fell off a ladder and didn't know who to sue first."

"The truth? I thought we were taking about a court of law. Come on, you've been around long enough to know that a courtroom isn't a place to look for the truth."

Luck with the Morning Cup 'O Joe

7:45 a.m.

Me standing groggily in front of the sliding glass door with a cup of coffee in my hand and no doubt a dazed look on my face.

I notice movement to my left and before you can say "beep, beep" a roadrunner jumps up on the patio wall and poses.

I slowly take a step back and run to get the camera. Amazingly, he was still there on my return and I manage to snap off a few quick pics. He began moving, however, so only the first shot came out clear.


Lucky me. The roadrunner is considered a very lucky talisman by Native Americans and with less than a day before the first of my three exams, I can use all help that comes my way.

This guy has been spotted around the neighborhood on several occasions but I usually don't have a camera at hand to document properly.

Oh, and I even managed to put the coffee cup down without spilling the nectar within. (Yes, I'm an addict but I admit it and they say that admitting you have an addiction is half the battle.)

How fortunate indeed.

If I Had to Do it All Over Again

Even after seven years I wouldn't change a thing.

Well, I'd have made sure to get a taste of the cake!

How do you know when you've met the "one"? One answer is when seven years go by and it feels like just a few weeks and/or several decades have passed. In effect, time ceases to have real meaning.

Truth is, I don't remember what life was like before December 4, 1999, except to note that it wasn't as good by far as it has been these past seven years.

So, Happy Anniversary to us.

Fat Lady Takes a Breath

2:50 p.m. (MST)

The final class ends with the closing of notebook computers and a collective sigh from those assembled. True, there are three exams to go, but as of this moment, not one more class in this particular law student's career.

Hmmm... now what words adequately express my feelings...

"I have just left your fighting sons in Korea. They have met all tests there, and I can report to you without reservation that they are splendid in every way. Those gallant men will remain often in my thoughts and in my prayers always.

And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty.

Good-by."

General Douglas MacArthur Defending
His Conduct of the War in Korea before the
United States Congress in Joint Session
April 19, 1951

Oh yeah!

Things Money Can Buy

(To sound like a commercial)
There are some things money can’t buy.

For everything else, there’s ebay. Today it appears that gum once chewed by Jessica Simpson is no longer on the list of unpurchase-ables.


I’m not a big fan of gum chewers mainly because I don’t like the end result. A gob of resin left for future generations to either step on or scrape off of something.

Still, the person selling this particular wad of oh-not-so-freshness also claims that via Simpson’s “residue” on the gum you receive her DNA as a special bonus, suitable for cloning. (Yeah, but the embryonic chamber is sold separately.)

I took a screen shot so that this posting would still make sense after the auction is over on December 4th.



I also wanted pictorial evidence because this is just the kind of thing that the web was INVENTED FOR, and which I more often than not will show friends in years to come.

But back to the gum. I’m thinking that a nice shadow box is probably the proper display medium. If you have a better idea do let me know and I’ll put your name on the plaque as well. (Oh man, that pun was just sitting there staring me in the face!)

Hmmm… but now it occurs to me that if all a person wants to do is pretend that Jessica and he/she are swapping spit, I suppose they could just chew the gum instead of displaying it!

Wow, I think I just grossed myself out.

You call that snow?

Of course by Wisconsin standards what Albuquerque received yesterday snow-wise amounted to a trace.

Down in the city proper there wasn’t even a heavy frost last night. So, as I drove over to UNM yesterday, each block I traveled west of Tramway took me further away from any evidence that it had even snowed at all.


But at 6300 feet there was snowfall and winter has arrived in Central New Mexico.


Lows tonight in the mid-teens and highs tomorrow (November 30) in the low 30’s.


But nothing to shovel! I repeat there will be no shovels used today. (Except for the metaphorical kind as classes have not quite finished for the semester.)

Oh, and it sure is nice to get into a car that’s been sitting in a garage all night!

Better Keep the Attitude in Check

The final week is upon me and I feel the urge to....

... sleep in, get up at three and watch the Home and Garden Channel.

It seems I've only got two class sessions left to go this week and then my time as a full-time student comes to an end. (No, I'm not counting exams as part of this equation – they are of a different animal entirely).

It seems like an appropriate time to list the many reasons why I'm looking forward to returning to work but it also seems that I'm once again late for my Indian Law seminar. I must to run.

Sigh, although it repeatedly consists of three hours of my life I'll never get back, it's also necessary for me to at least go and make the professor feel relevant for just a tiny while longer. (No exam in his class but a paper that he will be, uh subjectively grading. You do the math.)

And don't you "sounds like a case of the Mondays" to me.

I’m short, baby.

Gobble, Gobble

We're having chicken tomorrow at Thanksgiving dinner.

Why? Well, because we're protesting the forced exploitation of the millions of turkeys sacrificed each year in a historical reenactment of the Pilgrim’s racially-motivated subjugation of the Native American culture....

Uh, right.

Actually, we're tired of throwing out the entire dark meat portion of the turkey (which we do every year) and have finally come to realize that with just two of us sitting down to dinner a nicely roasted chicken will do just fine.

Besides, I'm more of a side dish kind of person anyway.

Give me choice! Oh, and an extra spoonful of green bean casserole.

Art Imitates Life

My grandmother is a fantastic artist.

She doesn't admit it and in fact never suggests that she's anything but, "a painter who still needs a lot more lessons."

I disagree.

Here are a few samples of her more recent works:


Her still lifes, while usually on a small canvas, are very dramatic.


Like all great artists my grandmother goes through 'periods'.




For a large number of years she painted seascapes. Now she's moved onto flowers and is exploring old world scenes in Italy.



Truth is, I consider myself lucky to have a number of her paintings hanging in my house.

Sound Garden

Veteran's day holiday in Palm Desert... visiting my grandparents and enjoying not only the opportunity to spend time with them, but also the ten-hour drive to see them.

It's been many years since I lived close enough to actually drive to a family visit (in-laws notwithstanding). I like driving long distances, especially late at night. Nothing but truckers and cruising the AM radio spectrum for interesting talk radio originating in far away cities.

Ever tried that? The fun lies in not being able to tell how far away the station is until they give their traffic or call signs. I think the furthest city I picked up was St. Louis. Imagine that, hearing the "Traffic on the Sevens" update from St. Louis while burning west through the Arizona desert on I-10. Not critical information but a warm fuzzy glow never-the-less.

The grandparents are well and a good time was had by all (now that you ask). So much so that I'm already looking forward to the drive around Christmas.

Hmmm... and hearing the Midwest snow report.

Check that off the List...

MPRE down.

2 hours, sixty questions.

1 Number 2 pencil.

So now I know the ethics rules and have been forced to prove it on paper.

Offline, Not Out of Pocket

With the exception of my weekly countdown, a long time between posts. What can it mean?

Not one thing, really.

I had one to many proposals due this week in my non-exam classes (i.e. the ones with a paper and no exam). Blogging had to take a backseat somewhere behind cleaning the garage and scheduling a teeth cleaning.

I'm working up a draft outline for a legal analysis of the San Juan River Basin and its various inter-governmental structures, as well as a paper/project on the Navajo Nation's ongoing water settlement and related adjudication activities.

Cool huh? I always feel that in the absence of actual work product, being able to rattle off a string sentences regarding what I propose to do will always suffice.

I’m also a strong believer in whitening strips.

That Downward Slide...

Slippery slope, whatever... we head'n home to the finish line.

Week ten comes to an end with a midterm exam in estate and gift tax, and a great visit with guests from way out-of-town.

Definition of exceptional house guests:

"What do you guys want to do… today… for lunch… this afternoon… for dinner… etc.?"

"Whatever."

My kind of people; i.e. no hassles and no agenda. They had only a simple need for spicy, New Mexican food. Uh, yeah, I can dig it.

Oh and they picked up the check!

Totally Rad Science Weekend

After the Trinity Site, we needed a pick me up.

Suddenly it dawned on us that we’re in New Mexico and you know what that means? Yep. There is no better place to feel like humanity is making progress on that evolutionary scale than the Very Large Telescope Array.


Or, to consider that while we might not make it into the galactic club of civilizations with all the nuclear weapons we have lying around, at least we're trying to find some other civilizations out there in the galaxy to talk with. (Uh... but, I guess they better talk nice or we'll drop the big one on 'em won’t we?)

Anyway.


Jodie Foster got to get up and close to these big dishes and so apparently did we!

Week Seven Ends with a Bang

Well.. a sixty-odd year old bang anyway.

Twice a year the Army opens up the otherwise restricted White Sands Missile Range (motto: "Let us see how much we can really beat the shit out of your invention, before you drop it on somebody!"), to the general public for only six hours.

Every first Saturday in October and April, intrepid tourists have an opportunity to drive into the middle of pretty much nowhere, to visit the original ground zero, i.e. the site of the world's first nuclear detonation.


On July 16, 1945, on top of a 100-foot steel tower, an atomic bomb was detonated. The shockwave was felt over 200 miles away, windows were broken 100 miles away, and the entire tower was vaporized (with the exception of one footing). An eight-foot crater was formed in its place and the immediate rock and dirt turned into the world's first trinitite deposit.

There's not much in the way of destruction to see today. The crater has been filled and the radioactive material buried. After sixty years, the landscape on the surface looks pretty much like the surrounding desert. But, a rock monument now sits in the center of where the tower stood. And a fence keeps us tourists from getting too much additional radiation from the surrounding area. Half-life? Oh, about 10,000 years.


I came, I saw, I took the requisite pictures. I didn’t find myself reflecting on the horrific potential for death and destruction that nuclear weapons represent. However, driving the 15 miles into the missile range was pretty interesting from a popular culture perspective. I mean, there were quite a few turn-offs to a number of what can only be qualified as X-Files type buildings.

I thought about making a run for one of them but then realized that if the truth really is out there, I don't want to know.

Another Member in the Page Cookie Jar

I occurs to me that while Mark Foley can check himself into all the rehab and emotional sancuaries he wants to, that won’t stop either the FBI investigation or the Florida state prosecutor’s office from charging him.

Emotionally unbalanced? Yep.


Aware he was enticing a minor? Yep.

But, oh what a flashy website. This is real "member" of Congress, who really knows how to leverage the power of uh, technology.

Pity he resigned.

Now we need to find a new Chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus. I went looking to see who was next in line but apparently House staffers are busy reworking the website today and it’s down for maintenance. Ironic huh?

Now where is Gary Studds when you need him?

Six Weeks

Oh, what a terrible movie. But I digress.

The sixth week of my final semester in law school came and went with nary a whimper. I am now forty percent finished with the semester.

Several proposals for papers were due this week and I actually turned them in on time and under budget. I also managed to go for a run on four of the seven days and am beginning to up my milage in a way that’s leaving me progressively tired but feeling great, mentally.

Let the endorphin high reign, baby.

No real development on the job search front, but I applied and was asked to join the Albuquerque Chapter of the American Inn of Court. Not only will it be a great opportunity via monthly dinners to get to know a variety of local NM Bar members, but I realized that I need to get out of the house and do something social on a more regular basis.

It’s an understatement to suggest that relocating to a new city is tough on the social calendar, i.e. my circle of friends refers to my mobile calling plan and not who I can call for an after-work drink.

Hmmm.. goal for week seven: increase happy hour opportunities.

Definition of Censorship, Please.

In the category of too unbelievably obvious to be really what they intended, this just in from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart...

Newsweek's cover story this week is an in-depth piece on the US involvement in Afghanistan, i.e. how the policy and military decisions are carefully, methodically and undeniably causing the US and its puppet government there, to be losing control of the country. Perhaps the article's conclusions are not all that surprising, given the reality on the ground and an ever-expanding morass of more extensive commitment (i.e. sucking sound) in Iraq.

The surprising thing (at least to this naive believer in a press that remains somewhat opposed to censorship) is how Newsweek decided that Americans did not need to read this story. Everyone else in the world may be informed, but not us.

Newsweek publishes three international editions, Europe, Asia and Latin America as well as the U.S. edition, and all three overseas editions ran the same cover story, "Losing Afghanistan: The Rise of Jihadistan" an in-depth report by Ron Moreau, Sami Yousafzai, and Michael Hirsh.

The U.S. edition ran with "My Life in Pictures: Through Her Lens" a photo-essay and interview with Annie Leibovitz. I didn't believe that the Daily Show had it right until I went to Newsweek Online and saw the banner with the four covers.

Do you notice the uh, discrepancy?

So, my question remains. Is this censorship? Or simply a recognition that the Jewish high holidays are upon us, and Newsweek wants to celebrate with Ms. Leibovitz? Or, it is really a reflection that the White House has the ability to make a phone call and quash cover stories which appear less than favorable to the Administration? Either way, does it bother anyone else but me that Newsweek's action so obviously smacks of censoring the content for its U.S. audience?

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, is it still a duck if we say otherwise?

Uh, quack, quack.

Stalking News I Can Use

A friend was giving me a hard time yesterday about not following current events. Ok, so now I'm caught up:

Colin Farrell's 'Stalker' Apologizes
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2006 08:25AM EST (People Online)

The woman who confronted Colin Farrell during a taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in July apologized Monday – but insisted she's no stalker.

During a hearing Monday in which judge John Reid upheld a restraining order against her until August 2009, Dessarae Bradford, 31, said, "Your honor, he's trying to give the impression that I'm some stalker, some delusional fan, which is absolutely not true," Court TV reports.

Reid responded: "But you are somebody who comes up from the audience, which is not allowed, during the live taping of a TV show, to confront him."

"I might have been overzealous in trying to get this done," Bradford said. "But I am by no means a Farrell stalker. I had no intention of getting that close to the stage and I apologize for that."

Bradford claims Farrell reached out to her in 2004 after hearing about her self-published book about Alec Baldwin. "He basically just wanted to be book No. 2," she said Monday. "He was chasing an adrenaline rush, possibly."


Soon, Bradford said, Farrell began harassing her. She approached him on The Tonight Show on July 20, she said, in an effort to create a diversion so that her private investigator could serve him with legal papers.

The next day, Farrell requested a temporary restraining order, saying in court documents that he feared for the safety of himself, ex-girlfriend Kim Bordenave and their son James.

Bradford was in court Monday trying to get the order lifted. She represented herself and even called a witness: a Burbank police officer who said he worked security at NBC studios when Bradford approached Farrell. The man said Farrell seemed "alarmed" when Bradford approached him.

Farrell, 30, did not appear in court Monday.

(Oh, but I'm certain his lawyer did!)

Estate and Gift Quote of the Day

"Fat hogs get slaughtered"

Translation: Taxpayers who think the IRS doesn't notice all those interest-free loans to family, or the multiple years of unreported gifts should remember that for every 1000 income tax returns audited, the IRS makes an average of $16,000.

However, for every 25 estate tax returns audited, the IRS averages $40,000.

While New Mexico is not really considered “hog” country and thus the metaphor required some explanation, apparently my professor originally hails from Iowa.

Week Five Complete

I finished the week with dinner at a New Mexican place I'd eaten at last summer and enjoyed very much, El Patio (on Harvard).

For those who know El Patio, you also know that it's not possible to get there and not have to stand in line. We got there around 5:30; which is pretty early for dinner I know, but we were meeting people with a small child who wanted to beat the crowd... of course our friends weren’t the only ones with that idea and so the crowd met us there as well.

Nearly 45 minutes of small talk later, we were seated and served! The carne adovada was nicely flavored and came with both red and green, but no tortillas. Was it worth it? Um, let's just say that while the conversation was interesting, I wasn't overwhelmed by the food.

Now that I think about it, the week was kind of like my dinner experience. There were some reasonably high expectations going in, but one too many obstacles were thrown up as the week progressed, to the point that I didn't get half of the things finished that I'd scheduled.

Ah well, after a quick, midnight "run to the border" week six is looking better already.

Irrigation Blues Deux

Charts and more charts (and a refresher course on basic trigonometry), I think I've got the watering cycle down to an approximation of where I need it to be.

It seems that each system was keying a second system whenever the first came on. Got that? Me either but I spent about an hour turning everything on one subsystem at a time, noting down the zones covered and then moving on to the next one. Oh, and as you can see, my serious attention to detail was documented.


Tracking down the system's quirks, kind of reminded me of tracking down what particular event triggers a computer crash. The technique is to turn everything off in your control panel and then reboot, followed by successive reboots but with only one new thing turned on each time... eventually, if you have enough time and patience you'll find the little bugger that's crashing your system.

Lucky for me I have patience.

Or is it just that I have sufficient anal retentiveness?

Democracy? What a Concept

I'm reminded today of a saying I heard once:

"Democracy is application of the idea that large groups of people are somehow better positioned to make decisions, than just one person is."

Come again?

To whit: In Albuquerque yesterday, 39,000 people went to the polls to approve a bond measure for the local school district that will raise property taxes by an average of $170. Those 39,000 represent just 9.5 percent of eligible voters. The bond measure will pour more than 300 million dollars into the school district's coffers. Ah, let's just skip the part about ABQ schools and their local reputation of being subpar. Or, the view that the district management is only skilled at fiscal mismanagement (not my idea, this is an ongoing viewpoint from the local media I read here in Albuquerque). It's for the kids after all, always for the kids.

So, to tally up, we've got poor schools, increased property taxes, no accountability for spending decisions and the democratic process… Wow, now I understand why home schooling remains such a viable option for my (future) children, but not for the majority.

Conversations of the Mind

"Dude."

"Yeah."

"Where you been?"

"Me?"

"You."

"Oh, I've been right here all along."

"No way, I didn't see you."

"Oh, you just couldn't see me because I'm being small today."

"Whoa, dude. That is so cool."

Week Four No More

Deadlines passing me like an unruly flock of number ten envelopes.

More approaching on the horizon, but I think I've figured out the best manner in which to herd them forward to their ultimate demise.

Another week is gone and I'm feeling pretty good; not great, however, and I think that’s because I'm still on the upward climb to the midpoint, i.e. week eight. Still, I feel encouraged about the end being in sight.

Classes remain time in which to catch up on all my assigned reading in the midst of student pontification, with the exception of Estate and Gift Taxation. The class is not only interesting but unlike most courses, also has a significant amount of practical information for a future lawyer.

Note to prospective law students: Don’t expect law school to teach you much about being a lawyer. That’s not its role. The practical information you need to know will only come from other attorneys (i.e. through an internship, externship, summer job, etc.) or from those rare professors that have actually worked as a ‘practicing’ attorney. Of the latter, I’ve only had three in my two and a half years of law school. The remainder were simply refugees from the real world.

Like other educational institutions, law school is a racket that’s promulgated by the individuals who derive their livelihood from its existence. Whether such institutions are necessary or even relevant to what they purport to teach is beside the point.

The adage, “those who cannot do, teach” is as appropriate to a legal education as it is to any other.

Cynical? Sure. But my viewpoint is based on an undergraduate degree, a master’s degree and now a nearly completed law degree.

Adovada Update

I took a chance and was rewarded for my risk. Gracias Dora.

One of the better adovada I've now had comes from.... are you ready?.....

Golden Pride - BBQ CHICKEN and RIBS!!!!!

Who would have thought that under a veneer of chicken parts, there could be such amazing carne adovada for my gastronomical pleasure. It seems the local chain of Golden Pride Chicken and BBQ stores offers up New Mexican dishes that compete very well with the many local places that only serve such fare.

I stopped yesterday for lunch at the Golden Pride on Lomas (at University) and was not disappointed. Nope. In fact, the meat was tender, the sauce oh so spicy and it all came wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. At a $1.95 each, I had splurged for two.

Oh, and I got it with a side of green chili. Need I say more?

Although, now that I think about it, mine was crack-free.

Ah well, mui bueno!

Extra Special Bonus of the Day

Wow. I do love the written word.

When the message conveyed also resonates with my own philosophy of life, that's just the extra special bonus.

Have you ever waited tables? Bartended even? If not, you probably won't be as enamored with WaiterRant as I am. As with most things it's a matter of perspective.

But today his message just seems to fit in with where my head is at...oh so nicely.

Kind of like a comfortable pair of uh, chinos.

Whirlwind...

My mind is a raging torrent, flooding with rivulets of thought, cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.

Harvey Korman - Blazing Saddles

In other words, the last week has been a busy one. I'll have to fix this.

Nothing Yet to Commemorate

I remember where I was on the morning of September 11, 2001. I don't doubt that you do as well. Recollections aside, the real point has yet to be made.

My issue with all the 911 activities is that we don't seem to have learned anything from the event. Instead, we continue to commiserate about how we've been affected, without taking the time to examine why the very bad thing happened in the first place.

Why did 19 people choose to take out their anger and frustration against the United States in a highly coordinated, carefully planned and ultimately successful manner?

I don't feel "safer" knowing that the probable reasons for their motivation remain as relevant today as they did five years ago.

I just wish we would spend less time commemorating and more time contemplating.

One moment of silence isn’t enough.

Week Three Fine'

I'm recovering from a long week of deadlines, i.e. multiple drop-dead deadlines are either fast approaching or have just passed as I type this.

To whit:

Applications for federal clerkships were due in the system and released to the federal judges (those who participate in the online OSCAR program) on Tuesday. The others are due in the next week. I had a motion to be filed on a case I'm working on that was due Wednesday. My tax professor seems to think that the best way to ensure class participation is to require daily, typed homework assignments (due on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday). My externship "statement of goals" was due on Thursday. The deadline for applying to the NM Court of Appeals (more clerkships) was today. I have a memo on another case due next Thursday. A shakedown payment, i.e. tuition is due to UNM on the 15th. And finally (for now), my application for the New Mexico Bar is due by Monday, September 11, COB.

Just to be clear, I'm not really complaining. Life is really good right now and only 11 more weeks to go.

Still, it does me good to detail my activities in the hope that some local bartender will take pity on me.

Dry, with two olives please.

Irrigation Blues

Water is on my mind this afternoon.

The landscaping is part of what attracted us to this house. To support the beautiful plants, it comes with two distinct watering zones and a total of 11 subzones; one each for the many terraces containing mixes of perennials, fruit, ornamental and hardwood trees, as well as a small lawn.

The difficulty comes from having failed to yet figure out how the watering systems actually work. I'm not a technology deficient person, but each zone has a programmable controller and individual subzone watering settings. With the manual in hand I've tried several times to program them. After each attempt the water either begins at the incorrect time or stays on longer than it should.

Wasted Water = Wasted Money.

Luckily, we've been getting quite a bit of rain over the past month and so I've had the systems turned completely off. The monsoon season is now ending and so I decided to reset the systems once again in the hope that a totally new program would wipe out the systems uh... tendency to ignore my programming instructions.

Right.

Last night at 8:30, zone one, subzone two went off like clockwork followed by zone two, subzone four. Only problem was that both ran for 45 minutes instead of the fifteen I'd programmed. Oh, and I "thought" I hadn't scheduled the first one to go off until 10:30 p.m. and programmed the second for 5:45 a.m.

Sigh... maybe I’m just quibbling. After all, Einstein proved that time is relative.

More House Shots

People want to see more of the new house.



I want to take pictures.



Isn't it great when everybody's happy?



Oh, but it looks better in person. Come visit and see for yourself!

Imitation is Not Always Flattering

Friday afternoon.

Me, skipping Friday classes in lieu of a very very long run in the East hills. I managed to knock out just under 12 miles and only walked during a much needed hydration stop.

Which reminds me.... stop..... making.... Gatorade.... knock-offs.... you hear me Coca-Cola and Pepsico?.... just stop. Stick with the colored sugar water you're good at and leave the sports drinks to the sports drink company.

I hit the Stop-and-Go at Menaul and Tramway around 2 p.m. and only had two dollars in my pocket. Guess what? The Gatorade was $1.99 plus tax and the Power-ade was $1.59 plus tax. Same size, same fridge, same color and flavor.

I'm a Gatorade traditionalist, lemon-lime, sometimes orange, never any other flavor. I've got the powder at home to make pitcher of the stuff, but nothing beats a frosty mini-mart refrigi-ated quart of athletic nectar.

There is simply no reason to try another product, especially when Gatorade is usually always available and works well to hydrate and recharge the carbohydrate deficit. But I smell a conspiracy in that this time the Gatorade could only be had for a price that seemed unusually high.

And after taking the bait (I only had $2), I now know it was only in order to push a far inferior product.

Let me just say that Power-ade left me wanting more... water... to quench my thirst... as a result of the cloying, chemical after-taste that the junk left behind. I drank a quart of it. Hey, I was really thirsty (it was in the mid-90's yesterday and for some reason the parks in Albuquerque lack water fountains). And while I didn't then pass out from dehydration, I did find myself with an upset stomach and a serious case of dry mouth. Needless to say, I've yet to experience either condition with the big-G.

Lesson learned, no harm done. Maybe this posting will save someone else from my mistake. Power-ade does have one redeeming quality, however. It's the same color as its better competitor. So, instead of wasting all that great Gatorade, why don't they fill up the coolers used to toss a celebratory shower on the coach with.... Power-ade.

Who'd know the difference?

Week Two Adieu

Two weeks down, twelve to go.

No heavy lifting this week although my three hour seminar on Wednesday does leave me numb in the nether regions.

The professor enjoys the subject (Natural Resources on Indian Lands) very much and I do as well, but with two hours of classes proceeding it, I find myself getting antsy around the uh, bottom of the second hour.

Thus far, the amount of assigned reading is fine (although I'm not doing much of it right now) and most of the courses have a paper component which I prefer, as opposed to having 100 percent of one's grade being tied up in a final exam.

Also, most of the big talkers from week one have calmed down a bit. While they still ask some amazingly inane questions (Example: "Wait! What do you mean, mineral rights are property rights? I don't think so!") they do so with less umm, shall we say, desperation to make a name for themselves.

I, of course, never ask a question. In my last semester of law school, I prefer to remain silent and unobtrusive. Oh, well yes, that condition can also be referred to as dozing off.

But at least I don't snore.

A Nice Round Number

Into the "what a great idea" category comes Michael Wolf and his photographic essay on a special group of apartment dwellers and their drastically confined lives.

Camera in hand, Wolf headed into a housing project in Hong Kong (the oldest of many public housing "big boxes") and photographed the residents in all their glory... 100 residents, 100 diverse, 10 by 10 foot.. uh, apartments.

The point not to be missed is that people have a real ability to adapt to their environment even given what you and I might consider to be very significant constraints.

Sometimes it's ethnic or educational constraints, sometimes monetary or other factors. But even when 100 square feet is all you have to work with, many people just do the best they can to make it work.

Browsing the pictures has forced me more than once to take a good look around my very own 2500 sq. feet and feel pretty damn fortunate. I'd be remiss not to point out that it feels pretty good to walk into another room yet still remain within my own personal living space.

Hmmm, wonder if that was Wolf's point?

Week One Down

Fourteen more to go.

Points of interest: the students at UNM are a bit older (average age 28) than their peers at Wisconsin (average age 24). Also, my average class size is about 12 students.

Makes for a different dynamic in terms of life experience, but don't worry, these students enjoy hearing themselves talk just as much as any I've yet to encounter.

And in the good eats department, the snack bar is not only open until 3 p.m. but also has fresh sushi trays in addition to the various and sundry bagels/sandwiches and/or junk food.

But no "Little Man". Ah well, one can't have everything.

Happy Birthday... Sir!

A good friend is celebrating the anniversary of his birth today. While I can't be there to hoist a beer with him or finish off a particularly good cigar in his presence, I did manage to call and wish him well.

Sometime last year he send me a collection of, shall we say motivational posters. I still take a look at them every so often when I need a good laugh. I think that's one of the definitions of a friend; someone who can make you laugh about the absurdity that is so often life, even when they're not around to tell the joke in person.


So, Happy Birthday Tucker!

Books and Baggage

I'm presently smarting from the cost of purchasing my textbooks for this, my final semester. I stopped by the bookstore and picked up what I thought were my books, paying just over $220 for the privilege of reading someone else's uh, wisdom.

That was then.

I've now been back two more times to get the additional, required books that coincidentally were not on the shelves during my first visit.

Current total: $478.

I remember meeting this 3L during my first semester in law school and being confidently told that you never need to buy books after your first year. All you have to do is to check them out of the law library. Well Mr. Know-it-all, what do you do when you go to the law library the week before classes begin and find that the professor has put the only copy of the text book on RESERVE?

(Hint, this could be considered an ethical conundrum for all you aspiring lawyers out therel You know who you are.)

Well, I didn't check out the reserve now did I? Of course not. As Oscar Madison would say, "we'll bring our lunches and won't wash our socks for a week to make up the financial shortfall."

Of course, I hear there's one more book to go that has yet to arrive. List price $110.

You do the math.

Fall's Line-up

Monday morning... bright-eyed and bushy-tailed...

A new semester. The final semester.

A new school. New classes.

Did I mention this is the final semester of law school?
(No excitement here.. uh.. right!)

Classes for my fall semester at the University of New Mexico School of Law:

Oil and Gas Law, Transboundary Water Law, Administrative Law
Federal Estate and Tax, and Natural Resources on Indian Lands

Can you tell I'm focusing on New Mexico issues? Did I mention the grading Scale?

Gasp! Credit/No-Credit for all of 'em.

Sigh.... sweet.

Recovery Awaits

Per a 6:30 a.m. flight this morning, my god daughter's winging her way 'back East' as I write. I'm suspecting that the house will be a bit quieter in the coming days, weeks and months (years?)...

As I mentioned in a previous post, we found that a lack of energy accompanied the week. No matter. Sleep is now an option.

Of course I'm still wired from all the sugar I've consumed over the past seven days. For example:

We ended up celebrating her 10th birthday early and make a wickedly chocolate cake that give me a cavity from just sitting there on its plate. I don't have much of a sweet tooth as it is, but this monster had three layers of the aforementioned chocolate, with marshmellow centers and chocolate chips mixed in the devil's food frosting.... wow.. just recalling it leads me to a celery-craving...

Insulin charge aside, we had a great time having Sarah visit and getting to know her now that she's growing up.

Exhaustion or a Similar Feeling

Monday, Tuesday, almost Wednesday.... and still going strong.

A 10-year old child is visiting for the week and while I'm not yet exhausted, I am beginning to notice a certain lack of um, shall we say... energy.

My cousin (and god daughter) from North Carolina is here on her first solo visit to New Mexico. She's spending a week with "CHRIS and TRISH".... starring, yep, yours truely.

Seriously, she's great. We love having her here and trying out someone else's kid. It was a big deal to have her come visit (flying by herself) and we appreciate her parent's willingness to share her with us and more importantly, to recognize the value of sending her off on a grand adventure.

We've made special breakfasts and dinners, seen the Sky City at Akoma and ridden the Sandia tram, and eaten a boatload of sushi... and done math problems and watched Harry Potter and the Princess Bride, and... .and... .and....

(10 year olds tend to talk in terms of... and we did this... and we did that.... and we did this.... well, you get the idea).

Oh there's more to come between now and Sunday. It's only the end of the second day after all...

and I can sleep next week.

New Mexican Restaurant Update

New Mexican restaurants that have been sampled thus far in ABQ:
Rankings: (low to high) Not Worth It, Not Bad, Nice, Mui Bueno

WHERE: Taco Cabana
(8830 Montgomery, NE and 6500 San Mateo, NE)
WHAT: Carne Adovada Tacos (3 visits)
HOW: Mui Bueno, excellent seasoning w/oh so tender meat and tortillas plus a 'fix'ns' bar with plenty of pico de gallo, and red and green salsas.

WHERE: Garcia's Kitchen
(Indian School and Wyoming, NE)
WHAT: Carne Adovada Platter
HOW: Not bad, but too lightly seasoned and without tortillas.

WHERE: Chilacas
(11225 Montgomery, NE)
WHAT: Big Carne Adovada Burrito
HOW: Not bad, light seasoning; corporate feel ala Chipotle, slow service.

WHERE: Garduno's
(5400 Academy, NE)
WHAT: Carne Adovada Platter
HOW: Nice, topped with melted cheddar cheese, served with table tortillas.

WHERE: Bandito Hideout
(2128 Central Avenue, SE)
WHAT: Fish Tacos (Visit 1), Chicken Enchilladas with Green(Visit 2)
HOW: Visit 1, Not bad, fried fish but live music on Sunday afternoons.
HOW: Visit 2, Nice, well-seasoned with excellent green chile filling.

WHERE: Monica's Cafe
(5331 Menaul, NE)
WHAT: Beef Enchilladas w/Green and Red
HOW: Not Worth It, little flavor and overpriced. Good sopopillas.

I'd write more but now I'm hungry and thinking of carne adovada... mmmmmmm...

Apple... Jack...

Those two words bring me back to an Ozzy Osborne concert in Frankfurt, oh, about April, 1986.

What also comes to mind is the fact that after seeing a great show and drinking a bottle and a half of the stuff, I fell asleep/passed out on the train, missed my stop in Ansbach and woke up in Munich with no cash, no prospect of getting any and a 180 kilometer trip home.

My two travel companions, Chuck Stover and Steve LaPrad decided to get on the northbound train sans ticket. I chose to avoid the prospect of a call to my commanding officer and thumbed a ride back to the barracks. Six hours, and four very nice German drivers later, I arrived back with nothing more than a wicked hangover and the Beatle's "Shout" (in German) playing over and over in my head (ala, driver no. 3).

The lesson was learned, i.e. never drink Apple Jack at 2 a.m. on a train after seeing Ozzy.

That having been said, we've got an apple tree that is just bursting with newly ripened apples and we need to do something with them. Too many to eat and too many to throw out; if we don't pick them the bears will come down out of the mountains and eat them.


Apple Jack, bad... bears, worse.

It takes a year to make good apple jack, but only a couple of hours to chop up some apples and put them in a carbouy.



Let the fermentation begin!!!

Hiking in the Backyard

Saturday afternoon with no rain in sight and we took a walk out of our front door, down the street and up into the Sandias. No driving required, the Sandia mountains are right there waiting for us to climb them.



Off in the distance, a storm cloud was doing its thing (and yes, that's what it looked like - no photoshop here!).



But, after about 500-750 feet or so of steady upward travel, we decided that a particular flat rock was too tempting an alternative.



Heading back after lunch, the storm rolled in.



We just made it back before the rain started pouring. Ah, the fringe benefits of living in ABQ.

Standing at the Pump...

... and watching my dollars grow (via American Express direct to Shell), I was wondering how New Mexico compared to other areas in the country, gas price-wise.

And here it seems someone else has been asking the same question and putting the internet to good use with a very impressive color-coded map.

New Mexico ranks 12th most expensive this week, with an average of $3.079. (Wisconsin ranks 2nd at $3.156, gasp!)

There are listings of local gas stations and their recent prices on this site as well, but fiscal conservatism aside I don't think I'll be driving all the way over to Coors Blvd., just to save eight cents a gallon.

I like paying full price at the pump. It's a small price to pay for the glory of hearing that V-8 purr....

Head on down the highway...looking for adventure... in whatever comes my way...

Ah, Victory is Mine!

Finally.

The University of New Mexico School of Law has finally accepted me as a visiting student.

Note to self: Never apply in March for something that won't be decided until August.

I was beginning to think I'd never hear from them. To that end, I'd started shopping for sublets back up in the Great White North.

Must click my heels together, however. Madison is not for me this fall.

I'm permitted to remain in the land of the red and green.

Nice People

I have to mention just how nice the people I'm working with this summer seem to be.

They are all attorneys and paralegals with decades of experience (much of which took place before joining the office), and they are just... so... very... friendly.

I think I was expecting a more aloof atmosphere. Last summer was a blast in part because everyone was so laid back. I guess I expected people to be more uptight, given that they work for the US Government. (I have a bit of experience working in a government office myself - believe me, people are very uptight at the US State Department, my previous gig).

I get assignments from various attorneys all of whom seem actually grateful to have me working there and contributing. I've taken a few road trips with individual lawyers (to interview witnesses and go to court in Santa Fe), and the one-on-one interaction reinforces that these are people to spend time with.

Truth is, I'm just really impressed by the caliber of people I'm spending the summer with.

Experiencing the law away from law school is really quite a good thing. Quality-wise, however, I think 90 percent of it has to do with the people you encounter day in and day out.

AG in ABQ

The United States Attorney General was in Albuquerque this afternoon and made a stop in the office.

I had the chance to listen to his press conference and then a short 'rally the troops' speech to the staff.

Ok. I'm not a big fan of this Administration. And I'm pretty sure that the AG and I disagree on several key Constitutional issues. But, you know what I realized as I was considering skipping the photo opportunity after the speech?

It's not often that you get to introduce yourself and have your picture taken with a cabinet official. The AG shook my hand and said thank you for the good work. We posed for the camera and I had a genuine smile on my face.

And you, know what? I take a great picture. More importantly, I am doing good work and it's nice to be thanked. That's what matters.

But I did wash my hands after.

Work Continues to Interest Me...

Surprisingly so.

I didn't know how the summer would go but after eight weeks in the office I'm feeling pretty good about my time here, even if it means staying on through the fall semester. That is, I'll be staying on, if UNM would get its act together and let me know if I can visit. Talk about waiting until the last minute.

But my boss said I can stay on if UNM works out. That's great news and I'm excited to keep working on these cases, rather than letting them drop just because school is starting up again.

Pro Say's You...

The office is in laughing mood today. It seems that a pro se plaintiff has filed suit against two of the three 9th Circuit judges who turned down his recent appeal.

It seems that after being unable to secure a copy of either judge's certificate of appointment (via a FOIA request to the Department of Justice), the plaintiff has filed a lawsuit in district court alleging that the two judges are "engaged in the unlawful practice of law."

I kid you not.

That's the funny part.

The annoying part is that someone in the US Attorney's office now has to file a motion in response, wasting time and taxpayer money in the process.

Some people have way too much time on their hands.

Happy Birthday to You!

Inventory:

"The Green Chile Bible"
Weber 22 1/2 Grill
"High and Dry: The Texas-New Mexico Struggle for the Pecos River"
5 lbs. of Roasted Hatch Chiles
"Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains"
Chocolate Truffles (slightly melted)
Double Chocolate Cake (from Whole Foods)

Six birthday cards, nine phone calls and much love.

41 years and more of everything than I probably deserve.

Hmmm.. but then we should always get what we deserve.

And be grateful for it!

Still no word...

July 15th has come and gone.

Well only by a few hours but I can't sleep again and it's because UNM has yet to send me a letter accepting me as a visiting student.

I've called. I've written to make sure they know that I have a new address here in Albuquerque and a job through the end of the fall semester.

But only if they let me visit mind you. It's funny. I'm paying full out-of-state tuition and have to take every class pass/fail, as well as only register for classes that aren't already filled by UNM students.

So what's the big delay for a decision that should be pretty straight-forward?

Making sure I know who's boss I suppose is as good an answer as any.

The House is Ours!

After an annoying set of issues, one of which threatened to derail the closing. We've done it.

We finalized the deal today and now own a spectacular home in the east foothills. We're about 1300 feet above downtown (i.e. 6300 feet above sea level), have stunning views to the south and west, and enough room to finally enjoy ourselves at home.

Madison was tough not only because the house was small, but the neighbors were literally on top of us. Here, we've got room on both sides and more than 1/2 an acre to spread out on. Besides, we're not exactly living in student central anymore.

Not that I don't enjoy a three a.m. wake up from some drunk idiot who lost his key. Uh yeah...

It's quiet...

Oh so blessedly quiet...

Must be why I can't sleep!

How Much to See a Hole?

$15 bucks.

Did I pay it? Oh yeah baby.


Not much else to do between Flagstaff and Gallup except see the sights.

I think I want to rent Starman just to see it all over again.

4th of July in Humid Palm Springs

Yes humid. I went running twice during the week and if I'd closed my eyes (which I don't recommend while running mind you), I could have sworn I was back in northern Virginia or, gasp! Wisconsin.

It's the golf courses I'm told. All that water repeatedly being put in the air creates a humidity unexpected for a desert climate. Get this, it was 118 degrees and 85 percent humidity... good grief.

So, the grandparents, Trish and I headed up to Joshua Tree National Park for some heat/humidity relief. It was my grandparents first visit. Such a great feeling to have a couple of people in their late 80's/90 in awe by the sights in the park. I'm lucky. I do have a couple of the coolest grandparents a person could have.

Here are a few pics:

Timing is Everything

This is just fantastic. 2500 sq. feet, 1/2 acre, backing to public open space, views that you never get tired of uh.. viewing.





I think the previous owners put a lot of time and effort into getting the place ready to sell. It shows really well and the desert landscaping is recently installed.

The Stars Never Lie

I rarely notice my horoscope but yahoo.com's new GUI is more user friendly than previous versions. Today's missive from the gods reads thus:

"Daily Overview for June 26, 2006

Value yourself for your accomplishments, not for how others may perceive you.

You reach a turning point, and an old fear suddenly loses its grip on you. All that work you've been doing has paid off, and your insecurities suddenly seem less all-encompassing than they once did."

Believe me, those insecurities need to move on out. This would appear to be their eviction notice. And not a moment too soon.

Why Now? Why Not!

I suppose I’ve missed posting on the blog. A new place, a new blog.

It’s not that I suddenly think I’ve got so much valuable insight to be sharing, only that I’ve come across a variety of interesting things that I’d like to be sharing.

I'm working this summer.

Not only in the employment sense, but also in the mental relaxation department.

For what it’s worth, law school is a grind that begins to wear its students down and the past two years have been no exception for me. I think I’m enjoying my summer all the more because I know that I’ve only got a semester left before I can go back to work full-time again.

Sigh.. talk about coming full circle.