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.