Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Public Service Announcement

Don't forget--tomorrow is Talk Like a Pirate Day! So... talk like a pirate tomorrow.

The coolest stairway in the Midwest

And here is our ultra-cool stairwell.Mirrors by Ikea, concept by Ryan, and execution by Kyle......and his assistant Puck, who thinks that ladders are AWESOME...
...even though they go up better than down.

In the jungle

As promised, here are a few pictures of the green walls. Keep in mind that we are two law students who just moved and are still trying to get a handle on classes and the job search. Yes, there is lots of clutter in our house. This is the dining room. We chose the green to match that silk hanging. This is the kitchen. It was an afterthought that for a while I was afraid was going to be a disaster. The paint is eggshell finish and really shouldn't go in a kitchen since it can't be cleaned as easily as other finishes. It also didn't stick very well to the high-gloss paint that was already there. Kids, don't try this at home.
This is the living room. We're still figuring out what to do with all the books, but we rather like this bookcase on this wall.

On the greener side

Every now and then people get some little obsession. Mine are often random and vary in duration from an afternoon to months.

My latest kick: I want a bike. I haven't really had a workable bike in years. When we lived in Nagoya, we didn't have a car; we rode bikes and used public transit. Yesterday I borrowed a bike to head a couple blocks off campus. Fun! And efficient. It took less time to get there than it takes me to walk from the student parking lot to the law school. I have several profs who bike to work, some at quite a distance. Some in other cities are discovering that it can be done, even though American communities are usually designed with the automobile in mind. Of course, that article is set in southern California. Indiana has winter.

HT to Ryan on the article, and on the use of his bike.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Hodgepodge of catching up

  • I am a loser for not posting for so long. Sorry. I have actually had things to post, especially since school is back in session, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Late is better than never, right?
  • A classmate had MarryOurDaughter.org linked on his facebook page, and Carissa showed it to me. We both laughed until we cried. At first I thought it might be for real, but the testimonials page confirms that this must be a joke. Parents, don’t get any ideas.
  • Carissa and I moved into a new townhouse three weeks ago, and we finally feel like we are settling in. I got the walls downstairs painted this weekend. The dining and living rooms now each have a vivid green wall. Even though the walls are fairly small, without furniture against them they made one think a bit of a rain forest. But once we got the furniture and wall décor back up, I have to say it looks pretty sharp. I’ll try to post some pictures soon.
  • Speaking of cool things we did with the new place, I picked up these nifty mirrors at Ikea that I didn’t have specific plans for but thought were cool. Ryan had the idea to put them over the stairwell on a painted wall. Last week Kyle came over and made it happen, and I think I can certify that we now have the coolest stairwell in Indiana, possibly in the Midwest. I’ll try to get pictures of that up soon too.
  • I really like my classes this semester. The lineup includes:
    • Trusts & Estates
    • Accounting for Lawyers
    • Professional Responsibility
    • Urban Property
    • Entrepreneurship (MBA class)
    • I’m also working for the South Bend City Attorney’s office part time, participating in the McCloskey business plan competition, and still playing in the ND Symphony.
  • Speaking of the business plan competition, if you or anyone you know is skilled in software design, intellectual property, and/or business, and on fire to start a new venture, email me. We wouldn’t mind having a few more team members.
  • Speaking of the ND Symphony, many of you have asked me about our concerts this semester. Our first concert is Friday, October 19. We’ll be performing works by and with Dave Brubeck. It’s already sold out, but I might be able to get comp tickets.