Leon, 3L

I don't like sunscreen. Please understand, I mean no disrespect to Mary Schmich or her excellent proposed commencement speech, which is still as funny and relevant today as it was in 1997 when it was first written. (Brief aside: I think it should be the goal of any writer to have their work mistaken for Kurt Vonnegut's). However, I was just never a fan of the stuff. It might have something to do with the fact that a tube of sunscreen has yet to arrive at any destination intact, choosing instead to commit ritual suicide by exploding inside my checked luggage or getting punctured by a ski pole inside a ski bag (don't ask) or by getting lost somewhere in Chicago (of all places!). Also could have something to do with the yogurt-like consistency, the dried-mayo like feel and the hot-dog-glistening-on-a-bun sheen it provides when applied. So, imagine my horror when over the last couple of years I have come to the realization that I cannot live without the stuff?

At the risk of having to turn in my "I AM the NRA!" bumper sticker***, perhaps Al Gore has a point about global warming and our ever-increasing carbon footprint. If a guy like me, who could spend entire days on the beach as a child without anything between him and the sun's rays now can't sit in the bleachers at a sox game without looking like a lobster at the end, then perhaps we have really done something goofy to the environment. When it is 85 degrees in Boston in April, and it seems to surprise no one, perhaps it's time to look at some sort of a tin-foil hat for the planet to wear (can we get NASA on this?).

In law school news, I have finished my very last crim and contracts readings, meaning I am one con law reading (tomorrow) away from being able to get fully into outlining and exam prep. At the risk of causing extreme emotional distress (I know, I know, lame lawyer joke -- listen I can't help it anymore, it's part of my persona now...) to future NUSL 1Ls: I do find this semester to be much tougher than last semester. Finals snuck up a lot faster, and I seem to have a much looser grip on the material this time around. However, a mere fifteen days from now, I will be 1/3 done with my legal education (and if you count the credits, it's more like half-done, really) -- and this is a good feeling.

Random sports note (because I cannot write more than 200 words without mentioning a Boston-based sports team): the Bruins got demolished by the Canadiens in game 7 of the first round of the playoffs and it made all five of their actual fans sad. It also made hordes of "fans" fall off the bandwagon they had clamored atop of since the game 6 win, but I am not terribly worried about them -- the Celtics are there to catch them for now. As for me, despite loving hockey more than any sport out there -- I didn't watch a minute of the series. Why? Two words: Jeremy Jacobs. Perfect example why someone who is not a fan should never own a franchise. That man has caused Boston hockey fans more pain than the Big Dig and the Canadiens combined.

*** In the interests of full disclosure, I should clarify that I would never affix a bumper sticker to my car. Also, I do not in fact own a firearm. Never have. Never even actually fired one, either -- which I think would keep me out of the club, even if I were inclined to join (which I am not).

Posted by Leon at 1:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are less than three weeks left before finals, and no, I don't really want to talk about it, so let's just pretend like it's not happening, OK?

So, instead, let's concentrate on other things. Saw the first sox/yankees game of the season, which was part of an experiment. Under a theory developed in 2002, I had decided that whenever I attend a sox/yankees game and have nice seats, the sox lose. Being that I am now in law school and broke, I did not think that any experimentation in this area was possible, but my brother, solidifying his status as the best younger sibling of a law student in the history of law students, got us some very nice seats. The sox lost. What's worse is that my brother also went to the game on Sunday (which the sox won), and so we know it was my presence and not his. I will also have you know that a friend of mine briefly debated buying Mike Lowell's jersey during the season opener. She held the thing in her hands for roughly thirty seconds before deciding to just get a sweatshirt. Mike Lowell hurt himself in the next game. What can I say, some people have this gift. We need to figure out a way to harness it and use it for purposes of good, not evil. Oh, and the friend is forbidden from even thinking about buying any jerseys now.

This morning, I saw a guy ride his bike into a pole. He was craning his neck for some reason and never saw it. He wasn't really hurt, but surprisingly he was not nearly as amused by this as I was.

I had a fight with a pigeon. I lost. The bird was sitting in the middle of my way up the garage, and no amount of honking revving or inching forward was going to move it until it was done digesting whatever it was digesting. Adding insult to injury, I am holding the same bird responsible for the bird poop on my windshield present when I returned from class. This is not over! That bird may have won the battle, but I will win the war!

Speaking of bird poop, saw the a car that looked like a flying cow released its entire stomach contents on it on my walk back from the MFA today. Oh yes, as students in Boston, one of our perks is free admission to the Museum of Fine Arts. I actually get double the free admission, because I am also a member, so I wonder how that works? Do they owe me money because I went there for lunch today? Interesting.

A man tripped/fell/ran into the side of my parked car the other day. I am happy to say that neither he nor the car were hurt. Well, actually, I was really only worried about the car. The man can take care of his own problems, but cars need our help and protection.

A friend sent me two youtube clips of a lawyer who showed up in court drunk: Part 1, Part with breathalyzer. This had the dual purpose of both being entertaining and relaxing. Instead of worrying about the fact that I have no clue what-so-ever what's going on in con law with less than three weeks remaining before finals, I am now certain that even if I happen to flunk it, I am still a step ahead of that guy.

Another link for good measure, which my writing professor sent us to prepare us for oral argument: bad oral argument

Posted by Leon at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I feel that it was not entirely a coincidence that my cellphone started to emit all the outward signs of a dolphin having an epileptic seizure ten minutes after we were finally done with our LSSC deliverable. My second most important electronic gadget (the laptop I am writing this on claims the top spot) had simply cracked under the pressure of LSSC... or so I thought. Instead, it turned out to be a friend informing me that he had just won the "losers' raffle" for sox tickets, and that I better not have too much planned for Tuesday, April 8th.

During the first semester, we all learned about the reasonably prudent person. If the reasonably prudent person had taken longer than a nanosecond to decide that the home-opener of the sox season (including the World Series rings ceremony) was more important than the two classes that conflicted with it... well, then that person is neither reasonable nor prudent. In fact, that person is the exact opposite of a friend of mine who flew in from the "wrong" coast just to see this game. And so, for the second time this academic year, I decided to miss a class without having an interview during it.

It was a beautiful way to spend an afternoon. Surrounded in a sea of red, we got to watch: banners unfurled, past greats from the major Boston-area sports teams walk out with their championship trophies, rings presented, Bill Buckner get a standing ovation for throwing out the first pitch, Steven Tyler singing during the 7th inning stretch, Sheffield get booed every time he went up to bat, a fly-over that was so cool one of the pilots got suspended for it, and oh, the local nine shut out the visiting team with the $138M payroll. We got to marvel at how the seats added to Fenway over the years look as if they were there when the park opened. There was but one minor annoyance: people who left the game early. The problem with having the smallest ballpark in the league is that your average fan cannot afford tickets. This means that an ever-increasing number of corporate weenies invade the confines. They buy pink, furry toy monkeys with a 'B' on them. They get on their cellphones and wave, hoping to end up on TV. They don't know the difference between a balk and a bunt. They complain that there are no cupholders in their seats. Worst of all: they leave early. Whether their team is up or down, whether it is opening day or middle of July -- the 8th inning rolls around and they stand up and file out of the stadium.

So, if you find yourself in Boston, because you decide to go to school here, or just for a visit -- do yourself a favor -- go to a game -- a baseball game at Fenway park is something that everyone should experience at least once in their lives. Just do us all a favor -- don't leave the game early.

Posted by Leon at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)