Thanksgiving "Break"

Happy day after Thanksgiving!
Look! It snowed yesterday. Lake effect at its finest. This will all be gone by the end of tomorrow, if not today, but it sure is pretty while it lasts. This snow is perfect. It came down thick and fast, in huge, sticky flakes. I cannot confirm or deny whether it makes excellent snowballs with which to hit my friends.
Folding laundry seems to be an invitation to flop down on whatever I'm trying to fold. It works every time.

Holiday herbs

Winter is setting in. We've already dipped into freezing range a couple of times at night, but my herbs are hanging in there. Actually, everything looks pretty good except the basil. The catnip and the mint are flourishing.

But tonight it's supposed to snow, and tomorrow is projected to be in the mid-twenties, so I figured it was about time to bring the pot in and see if I can save it for the winter. I put it up in my room on a plastic plate.

When I came into my room to go to bed, I found Puck sitting by the catnip side of the planter licking his chops. I tried to push him away from it, and he attacked my hand, missed, and fell over. Crazy stoner cat.

Cheap good music!

The Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra is playing this Thursday at 8:00 in DPAC. Tickets are $6 ($3 for students). We're playing The Nutcracker, An Invitation to the Dance (Weber), and Copeland's Rodeo. It's really a fun program. Oh, and the DPAC page for the concert (linked above) has a picture of the horns on it from the Dave Brubeck concert a few weeks ago! You can see me three people in. Heh.

Okay, okay, I'll post the picture. It's at the top of the post.

The Islamabad Bar Association objects.

It looks like Pakistan is struggling a little with the whole "rule of law" thing right now. The lawyers have taken to the streets in protest over the declaration of emergency rule. The forced judges who took oaths under emergency rule out of the courtroom by threatening to throw eggs at them.

I can't say I've ever wanted to throw eggs at a judge (a witness or two maybe), but I would like to keep the option open. "You're honor, I emphatically object!"

We know how it feels.

Q: Dave, Miami held the Pats scoreless in the third quarter. Does that portend great things for your 'phins?

In the Heart of Texas, Temple, TX 10/22/07

A: The Dolphins' strategy this year, originally developed by Muhammad Ali, is to let the other team wear itself out scoring 40 or 50 points early. Then, when the other team is tired, and in fact has actually showered and left the stadium, the Dolphins sneak back out onto the field and run some offensive plays. Unfortunately, even then they can't score.

Dave Barry 10/24/07

More shameless pleas for input

Ok, informal survey. My entrepreneurship group has hit a wall. Our super-brilliant airport terminal fitness center came out with a thumbs-down at the feasibility analysis stage, so we need to proceed with something different. Since we have a good deal of research on the airport concessionaire industry, we want to make use of it and keep the business plan within an airport terminal. But what do airport terminals need that they don't already have? More to the point, what will airport travelers pay for that isn't already available?

Following are some ideas we brainstormed. Which of them do you think you would be most likely to actually spend a buck or two on? If one strikes you as interesting (i.e. you would actually stop and walk into the store), how could we improve it? What would make the sell?

Thanks for any thoughts you have.

• Virtual Golf Arcade--Grab a club, and step onto the astroturf. You can work on that swing before you get to your destination. Or if you're more talk than game, pick up a golf mag and gloves and brag about the last course you played over a beer.

• Urban Nomad Video Gaming Center--Looking for a diversion? Here you can test drive the latest and greatest in gaming innovation, whether it's XBOX, Nintendo, or computer games. Challenge your travel buddies to a Dance Dance Revolution competition, try out the Wii, or ally with complete strangers in a World of Warcraft battle on a 40" flat screen. Oh, and if you can't tear yourself away from the awesomeness, we do sell the games too.

• Urban Nomad Backpacker's Guide Shop--American travel more than any other nationality. And with rising gas prices and compressed schedules, the e-boarding pass is quickly replacing the RV. Just like the US highway system, the airport terrain has its own character and challengers. The Urban Nomad is here to help. Here you can pick up travel books for where you're going, "trail guides" to individual airports (complete with advice on the local wildlife), nifty travel essentials for the backpack-and-jeans road warrior, and even licensed shirts and pins for each airport to advertise how well-traveled you are.

• Airportchat.com--Ever run into people in the airport you already know? Why make those encounters chance? With Airportchat.com you can log in and see who is in the same airport you're in, message them, and arrange to meet up for a drink. You can even meet someone new--hey, you've got an hour anyway! If you're thinking ahead, you can log in when you book the trip and see if anyone you know will be in the airports on your itinerary at the same time. Or if you're looking to meet someone with particular characteristics (say, a venture capitalist), you could even arrange to sit next to such a person on one of your flights (provided that person is also registered on our site).

• Sleep Station--The "coffin hotels" in Tokyo aren't just cool in Japan. Ever see people waiting for flights crashed out on those awful vinyl chairs or the floor (gross!) in the terminal? Ever been one of those people? Wouldn't you rather have a private capsule, complete with pillow, blanket, and luggage compartment? I/O psychologists have been telling us for years that cat naps during the day make us more productive. I'm a fan. Rents by the half-hour.

• 7-11 style mini mart-The idea here is normal, non-airport prices and high volume. Basic toiletries, medicines, bottled drinks, and such at the prices you're used to seeing outside security. Why doesn't this already happen? We have no idea.

• Health food/Juice Bar--Good all-natural foods and smoothies. Not really feeling a greasy burger and soda? Starbucks have too many calories? Vegan diet cutting down on your options? Clear your mind and reach for the protein powder and soy. For dining-in or packaged to-go for a easy unmessy meal on the plane.

For fun, there's been a bit of a kerfuffle over Bob Jones III's public endorsement of a presidential candidate yesterday. No one I know can remember a time when the university ever explicitly endorsed a candidate (though who are we kidding), and they aren't claiming to now. They came out with a statement not long after Dr. Bob's disclaiming that he spoke for the university. I'm not sure that anyone heard or believes the "personal opinion" line, but they tried, I guess.

So now alumni are mad, either because he endorsed a candidate, or because he endorsed Mitt Romney. The media are having a heyday. And who knows what this will do to Mitt in the polls (if anything).

I myself am a bit chagrined that Dr. Bob publicly endorsed a candidate, but I can't say it really changes much for me. If people want to attribute my alma mater's "media issues" to me, a Romney endorsement is really the least of my worries. I have to say I am a little surprised at Dr. Bob's choice of candidates. I wouldn't really have expected him to choose a Mormon who rides the center over Huckabee out of blatant pragmatism (just gotta have someone who can beat Hillary? Really?). I haven't decided yet whom I favor for the election, but I doubt this endorsement will have much effect on my decision.

Continuing obsession

Did you know they make bike saddlebags that have cup holders!? Now I can have my morning workout AND my morning coffee. Can life get better? I submit that it canNOT!

Going green

A few weeks ago, I got this weird little itch to get a bike. Well, the itch didn't go away, and I did in fact procure a bike. It's a mountain/street bike hybrid Schwinn I got for about $180 at Target. I'm happy to report that I LOVE it. I've ridden it to school, to work downtown, and I'm about to take it over to the mall (which is a much shorter bike ride than it is a car drive, due to weird road layout and traffic lights). At school the student parking lot is a 10-minute walk from the law school. Downtown, I have to park at least 3 blocks away from the building where I work. And I've discovered that a lot of stores around here, like my school and work, have bike racks right next to the entrance. I had never noticed them before.

I'm not ready to pitch the car just yet--the bike isn't always a feasible mode of transportation. Church is still a little far away, and I like to dress up a little more for church. Also, this town (like many) is not well-designed for biking, once you get more than a block away from Notre Dame. The road I live on is narrow, and has no shoulders and no sidewalks and quite a lot of traffic, so I don't like to ride on it at night. And then there are school days when I need to carry more books than fit in my bag, or a French horn for rehearsal--a little awkward to balance on the handlebars.

But overall, great investment. I get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, less frustration with parking, less gas expense, and am developing some impressive muscle tone in my legs. Oh, and I love the smug feeling I get when I jet past a long line of cars at a stoplight. I plan to keep it up until it snows.
And since I'm outside with my camera, here's my herb garden. The tall stuff is sweet basil (GREAT on chicken), and there's some mint, sage, and catnip. The basil got a little nipped by frost night before last, but no serious damage. I'll probably have to bring it in soon.
And this is my kitty, who is a bit miffed that he is not allowed outside and thinks I should bring him a catnip leaf as consolation.

Happy Help a Grad Student Day!

For entrepreneurship I am working in a team that is developing a business plan to open small health clubs inside airport terminals. We want the clubs to be inside security and open to the public. They would have locker rooms and showers, some cardio-type equipment, and bottled health drinks and prepackaged food. We originally envisioned a full juice bar, but space constraints may make that very difficult, and it’s a completely different kind of business that we aren’t sure we want to tackle in one semester. We’ll sit on that idea for later.

You ask, “How can I help?” I’m SO glad you asked! You can go to our short and simple online survey and take it. Market research is essential to our success, both in having a good business plan, and in convincing our professor that we have a good business plan. So go take it! Tell all your friends to take it! (Just don’t take it more than once. That will skew our results.)

Thank you, and have a good day.

UPDATE: I got reports that there were problems with the survey. It's fixed now. Thanks for the reports. You can go back and take the survey now.

Moralistic comic of the day

Sometimes I think this is kinda like a lot of welfare legislation. We invite them to partake in the nation's wealth and criticize them for not taking up the offer, all the while not recognizing that they don't have the tools to even get to the party. A tad cynical, perhaps.

Here's a link to the original, if this is too small to read.

is not having a good week.

Exactly.

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.

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.
  

What I Learned This Summer

Rule One:

Don't care more about a case than your client does. If the client doesn't care about his life as much as you do your job, somebody's perspective is messed up. Only one of you knows what the case is worth, and my money's on the best cost avoider--and that's not you.

Thank you and good night.

Kids these days

This morning Notre Dame students received an email from student government alerting us to an ordinance up for discussion at the city council meeting August 13. Excerpt from the email:

Here is a quick summary of the ordinance as it is currently written:

Who does it affect? Students who reside in “boarding houses” (houses with more than 2 non-relative residents)

What does it require? Individuals holding special events (ie. parties) where alcohol is served with 25 or more non-resident guests must file an application with the Board of Public Works 10 business days in advance at a fee of $15. This application is then distributed to the SBPD and the area neighborhood association, among others.

What will it cost you?
Violations by individuals who file applications:
1st violation - $50
2nd violation - $100
3rd violation - $200
Chronic violations (more than 3) - $2500; loss of right to hold special events

Failure to file:
1st violation - $500
2nd violation - $1000

I guess I understand what the ordinance's backers are trying to do--loud parties sure are annoying. But 10 days in advance? Does anyone plan that far in advance? What is the purpose of the 10 day requirement? And why does the notice have to be distributed to neighborhood associations? What purpose does that serve--let them know which landlord/homeowner to ostracize at the next meeting? And what exactly is a "violation" by an individual who files an application? Is the filer liable for the actions of ANY guest at the "special event"? Who has to file the application? A tenant? The homeowner? Why does this only apply to "boarding houses"? Are those parties more annoying than those thrown at houses owned by students?

Can't they just enforce the nuisance ordinances they already have instead of making up arbitrary conditions that make it obvious that they are targeting students? Sure, loud parties are annoying to neighbors, but they are just as annoying whether there are 10 or 30 people, landlord or tenant, planned two weeks ahead or last night. In fact, they are just as annoying if they are a group of 40-year-old professional homeowners gathering for a football bash or a group of 22-year-old renting students celebrating the end of the semester.

If parties are such a problem, they should just up the fines for disturbing the peace, add an escalating scale for repeat offenders, and leave it at that. No need for the ordinance to draw cross hairs on students. If students are the only offenders, it will catch them anyway, and if they aren't, the others shouldn't get a pass. But renting students aren't registered to vote here, so I doubt they're going to have much say in this.

A brilliant idea

Dear anyone who designs courthouses:

Please include in your designs a drive-thru with a window to the clerk of the court's office and those cool vacuum chutes that they have at banks. I know you can't control where courthouses are built, but they are pretty much always located downtown where you're lucky to find a parallel parking spot to squeeze into. I am tired of driving around for ten minutes to find a parking spot three blocks away, clomp to the courthouse in my heels and polyester suit in 90-degree heat and humidity to hand a piece of paper to the clerk for filing, and clomp back three blocks to my car. If I can bank from my driver's seat, there is no reason I shouldn't be able to file a paper with the court the same way.

Thank you.