Carry Me Back to Ole Virginy

It's amazing what traveling 1000 miles south can do. It's warm in Virginia. In the 60's! There is no snow on the ground. Fabulous! My trip here was horrible. Northwest, in conjunction with my mortal enemy - Continental - managed to almost totally screw me over. It's a good thing I didn't have any Christmas shopping left to do or it would have been t.s. for me. Flying can be such a pleasure but it can also be a pain in the ass.

Other than stupid plane travel, life has been pretty proper. I've come down with quite a wicked cold so that blows, but otherwise I've been enjoying spending time with my family. I've played more card and board games in the last few days than I have in years. My nephew is not taller than me yet but he's damn close. He's going to be quite a giant when he gets older. I've been shuttling back and forth between my sister's and my parents' homes and I have clothes scattered everywhere. Blogging will be light over the next week or so. Happy New Year!

On being a shy girl

Quote of the Day: "He's as boring as stale tapwater." - A friend upon coming home from a terrible blind date.

I have a confession to make. Deep down I am a shy girl. I know that people reading who know me will find that hard to believe. In some ways I am still very shy and old fashioned when it comes to the opposite sex. I still like it when a guy opens the car door. I dig it when a guy pays on the first date. I've never asked a guy on a date and I don't plan on it. I don't make the first move and I think I am actually incapable of doing so. Instead I just have to sit and wait and hope that batting my eyelashes might do the trick. It's clear that I'm not liberated. I haven't burned my bra yet - as much as I would like to (it's a harness anyway).

I also have a hard time making friends. I have lots of buddies - movie buddies, football buddies, IM buddies etc. but I find it hard to make true friends. I value the few friends that I do have, especially now, because lord nows I haven't made many around here. It's not that I'm awkward socially. A lot of it has to do with having very little in common with people around here. Most of the people seem nice enough but I've found that it is hard to connect when the only thing you have in common with another person is the insulated bubble that is law school, a world of its own. And really, who wants to think about law school anymore than need be? Plus, one of the 'fun' things to do around here is go to the bar. I'm far from a teetotaler but my idea of fun is not going out to the bar and getting smashed. It's cool for other people, you know college days and all...to me it's just incredibly boring. It's probably me that's boring and I guess I'm ok with that.

The point is, I sit in the house a lot, alone and have been increasingly anti-social. I've watched more tv in the last 2 years than I probably should admit. I'm trying to correct that: Last night I went out with J. and some other buddies. Tonight I'm going bowling with Blackberry and some other folks tonight. I'm an absolutely horrible bowler and the company will be good, so it should be a good time. Tomorrow I'm going to dinner with Strawberry and her family and then to her graduation. On Friday I am going to need some time to myself which is good because I have to do laundry and pack and get out of here! Yay!

I'm looking forward to Virginia and seeing my nephew. I bet he's taller than me by now. Happy Holidays!

Conspiracy Theories

Quote of the Day: "I, Jon Stewart, hate Christmas, Christians, Jews, morality, and I will not rest until every year families gather to spend December 25th together at Osama's homo-abortion-pot-and-commie-jizzporium." - Jon Stewart to Bill O'Reilly

Last night Family Guy was interrupted by an even bigger idiot the president on my screen. I watched, because clearly I'm an asshole, and I swear he must have used that same speech at another time. I don't know why I even bother to watch when that man's speeches are the epitome of SSDD. What I really loved was today's new crop of bullshit. The man himself said that wiretaps have been effective in disrupting the enemy while safeguarding our civil liberties." Right, because listening in on my phone conversations sans a warrant is totally in line with the Constitution. Sounds like someone needs to take a basic crim pro class.

Anyway, Ambimb's has a link up to the The Chapelle Theory, which basically states that the reason that Chapelle's Show went off the air is because of a conspiracy against him perpetrated by a group known as the 'Dark Crusaders.' And I can not express how deeply retarded it seems.

I couldn't help but read it, what with the whole train wreck theory and all. These Dark Crusaders are made up of Oprah Winfrey, Robert L. Johnson, Bill Cosby, Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, and I swear it says this: Whoopi Goldberg. Supposedly they hate Chapelle's show because it makes black people look bad by playing on stereotypes. Some problems with this theory:

1. How the hell would this extremely eclectic group of black people be able to get together anywhere in the U.S. without people knowing? Especially considering that Farrakhan is surround at all times and that Oprah is one of the most recognizable people on the planet.
   
2. Any theory that has the main point that he was taken down by a black power structure is fundamentally flawed. Oprah? Ok, maybe. The rest of them don't make a whole lot of sense.
   
3. As an aside, I could have totally believed this (or at least thought about it without a sneer) if it was just Oprah and Bill Cosby....Oprah sure has the power and the money and Bill Cosby seems pissed off at young black folks who find success this way...
   
4. ...except Oprah's probably too busy saving the world and swimming in her own money to actually give a shit.
   
5. Bill Cosby does seem like kind of a nut though. Shut up, Bill Cosby! Your show was less realistic than the damn Simpsons.
6. I hate to be the one to point out that almost every 'black movie' ever made plays off of stereotypes about black people. Sheesh.
7. Chapelle's show is just a modern rip off of In Living Color from waaaay back in the day. I love Chapelle's Show because I think it's damn funny, but watch some of the old episodes of In Living Color and don't try and tell me Chapelle's Show is more than a modern take on what it was doing 10 years ago: the Oprah sketches, the fake music videos, the movies, new 'products' and the plays on pop culture...right down to the musical guest at then end.
   
8. Need I even point out the irony of the founder of Booties Every Time, talking shit about degrading black people? Has Robert L. Johnson even watched the damn channel he founded? There's more ass on there than in a proctologist's office. Oh right, he sold out to Viacom. Silly me!
   
9. Whoopi Goldberg? Where's Danny Glover? Anyway, isn't she the same woman who defended her stupid boyfriend Ted Danson for wearing blackface as a joke? That's really funny. Thanks.
10. Louis Farrakhan? Having him involved proves one of my other points: It's much easier to kill someone off then set up a complicated plan of harrassment involving several high profile people. See X, Malcolm.
    
11. Al Sharpton? No, really?
    
12. Where's Denzel Washington? You can't talk about the black entertainment 'elite' without Denzel!
    
13. Shut up, Bill Cosby!

Now I'm all for conspiracy theories because I think they make the world more fun? But this one is a little bit dumb. With that being said I sincerely hope it's true!

Time Machine

I'm done with exams, thank goodness. I have no right to complain really, I only had 2. I know people who had 5. I feel sorry for those people. My last exam was Tax and other than one question that I looked at and thought what in the hell is this supposed to mean?, it actually didn't suck too bad. I enjoyed tax this semester for some off the wall reason. The professor called on me seemingly everyday. That sucks a little but for the most part it made me pay attention in class. Today has been a plethora of doing nothing post-exam: America's Next Top Model reruns with Strawberry, bookstore (for trashy magazines and See No Evil), and the video store for 4 movies. I've also had 2 naps. Having nothing to do rules! The piglets tried to wreck my mood - I got a speeding ticket for going 5 miles over the speed limit (5!). I was so stunned that I was getting pulled over and couldn't believe that he actually was going to write me a ticket so I didn't even try to talk my way out of it. That sucks and yet it didn't even ruin my mood. I'm feeling pleasant.

In general, I'm tired of school and looking forward to finishing next semester, taking the bar and settling into having a real job and a life again. I know that going to work everyday sure as hell ain't all it's cracked up to be. Unfortunately, being in law school is like being in a time machine for me. It's almost as if I've been transported back to undergrad except I'm not quite young enough to appreciate it. AI says I'm not appreciating my 'college years.' I think that's a silly thing to say, what with me having my 'college years' already, I appreciated them and look back on them fondly. There is very little about law school that I will look back on with that type of fondness. It's not even that it sucks that bad because it really doesn't. It's just kind of dull right now. I go through all of the motions: read for class, go to class, do law review stuff, blah blah blah etc. I've definitely been phoning it in. I still enjoy learning but the shine has definitely come off of the law school experience.

Luckily I can concentrate on more important things for the next few weeks. I've seen Syriana and King Kong and Rent is on slate for tomorrow. I'm going to check out Brokeback Mountain as soon as I'm in an area where it is actually playing. I've got one book to read but I'm making a list. I actually emptied out the ole tivo last weekend so that's done. I finally have my priorities in order. Unfortunately, I also need to clean up my apartment before I leave for break because if I come back here afterwards and my house is a wreck, I am not going to be able to handle it. I've pledged to do one room a day starting tomorrow Sunday. Maybe.

Can you hear me now? Good.

Well, I've decided to start up the ole blog again. What happened to the old one, you ask? Well, a minor disagreement with my host, then I kept meaning to blog but damn time flies. I said in September that there would be 'more later' and here it is December. I've been busy and that's the way it goes sometimes.

It was an unlikely source that inspired the reincarnation. S. a buddy since first year, my sometimes movies buddy, a sometimes crush and an all around nice guy made an off hand comment about reading about a tire blowout from August on my blog. I'm not sure if he thought that he was shocking me by saying that, like it was a big dirty secret of mine, but it wasn't. You see, after Ambimb mentioned my blog in Student Lawyer magazine, I had already got the questions about whether my blog was me and that's ok, I didn't do a great job of masking my identity. Even the fact that S. himself had read it was not really a surprise - he had searched for his own name this summer and I had remarked to Strawberry that he had found it. I've been waiting for him to mention it and today he did, and it was both good and funny. We then saw King Kong, and while it was a shade too long, it kicked all sorts of ass. It would be killer on Imax.

Anyway, he said he read all of my archives but I kinda doubt it. He said something about reading 6 months worth of posts. Older readers know that this blog actually started way back in Feb 2003. I say this to mention that I still have the archives and will put them up as soon as I decide whether I'm going to switch back to a real host or try and fight it out with Blogger. So, in the interest of saving time, here's a quick run down of what's been going on in my world for the last 4 months:

1. My closet is currently unorganized. :(
2. I am still at war with the black squirrels. Ditto the Ford Focus. Ditto Continental. And AT&T.
3. I still have not decided what to do with my life.
4. I passed the MPRE, so yay.
5. Law Review is still keeping me awfully busy. I'm looking forward to downtime.
6. I am eagerly counting down the days until graduation.
7. Strawberry is graduating. Hooray!
8. My Hokies sucked it up against FSU and as a result, I will be missing my first bowl game in 10 years.
9. Fall semester will be officially over for me on Friday, after my tax exam.
10. I am behind on my movie watching and just started the correction process on Friday. I love the exam period!
11. I still haven't checked my grades.
12. I still enjoy trashy magazines and tv.
13. Insomnia is still my closest and bestest friend.
14. And last but not least, I'm still the sweetest nicest bitch on the planet :-)