My mom calls me procrastinathan

Finally got those law school applications out today. For the refresher; I took the LSAT in December, and have spent the last month getting various things straight, like getting filed with the LSDAS, which is the organization (cartel) that holds the keys not only to the dreaded LSAT but also coordinates your letters of recommendation and transcript disbursal. Also, I've had to clear my name from the besmirched rolls of the Registrar's office at Lewis & Clark, so I could get my transcript released. Finally, I needed to solicit at least two letters of recommendations. Being resourceful, I asked for three-- all from respected authority figures at LC, and all people that I liked, and so hoped they liked me too. My final three choices are the University of Minnesota, Hamline, and the University of Oklahoma. Ideally, I'd like the U of M to give me a lot of money to go there, but the slim chances of that scenario makes my final decision, should I have to make one, difficult. I'm hoping I have a strong case for any law school, but I know from personal experience not to be overconfident.

When I was applying for college eight years ago, I thought I had it all, from test scores to activities to grades, and was deferred, then rejected from Georgetown, my top choice, and Claremont, my third choice. My second choice was Kansas, which accepted me, but the legislature of Kansas failed to vote in their National Merit funding and thus I couldn't afford to go. LC was my failsafe, but they came up with a generous financial aid package when it looked like my college would be none of the above. I had thought up to that point that my path to power, glory, and fame would be easy, and involve schools that wanted me, firms that would pay me large sums when I graduated, and my eventual niche at the top would be waiting. Alas, life does not work like that, and my previous collegiate experience was the start of a continuing lesson in the real world; things do not just happen to most people, they are made to happen by the ambition of people. I wish that I hadn't procrastinated and been unfocused in the law school application process, but I plead extraordinary circumstances and low level depression, of which I'm breaking out of nicely.

The question of funding this education is a looming one. Schools limit the amount of work for full time law students to 20 hours a week, so working full time is out. I can defer my other student loans, but that won't offset the decline in our income, especially considering the cost of law school. Loans look inevitable at this point, barring some major cash money from a generous law school.

It's new to you!

Two new MNBLOGs I've found recently; The first, Johns' Journal, is done by a frosh at the U of Minnesota-Morris, not far from where we went snowshoeing last weekend. I couldn't really find any archives, so I don't know how long it's been going. The other is about as old as Hobbsblog; Matt of Mecawilson wrote me after coming across this site from an unspecified source. He's a very good writer, but I can't help but be somewhat concerned by his, er, scatalogical preoccupations.

2/13: I made an unneeded stop to the nearest bathroom to buy some time. I forced out a pee and over-primped for awhile...

2/9: I made one last trip to the pisser before I headed out. Now, I'm pretty used to the fact that I don't exactly work with some Annie Oakley-straight shooters when it comes to urinal usages, but last night I discovered something unearthly. A slick of piss sludge was coating the floor right under the middle urinal. As if a toxic dump was housed immediately above the bathroom, there it lay, shimmering with decomposing nitrogens and bile.

2:1 I still think a fate worse than the stinkpiss is the urinal piss splash. Ladies, I'd trade periods with you for this one. And yes, I'm over-reacting, but to be pissing in some public urinal, minding your own wares and thinking of something else, something fresh and clean, only to be dumbstruck when you feel it.

12/8: And then there's this, which will either make you laugh or cry when you see the pitiful paean to personal propriety.

12/5 When I go into the bathroom at work for a daily duke, I always opt for the far stall. It's bigger, nicer, and more importantly, farthest away from any other potential restroom occupants.

Honestly I am misrepresenting this fine blog, or if you want to get technical, I think it's what labelers refer to as a personal journal, although I've never really understood the relevance of differentiation. I would say my site is both a log of links and a personal journal, and it's evolved in design considerably. I could make it a journal only site very easily, but then what would I do with the bizarre links I come across?

Such as this one. A University of Oklahoma professor is caught; he's been lying for years about being a Navy SEAL when he wasn't. Oops. He apparently really has a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. Hmm. Weird. Just to complete the MN-OK-SEAL synergy, here's an old link from a guy that claims that Jesse Ventura's been lying about his SEAL-ness. I never heard any followup on this story in the year+ since I heard it. While I'm certainly not an expert on such issues, I do know that his profile on the the National Governor's Association site lists his military experience thus: "While on active duty, he was a member of Underwater Demolition (SEAL) Team 12." The previous article's author states categorically,

These are not distinctions without differences. No one from UDT during the Vietnam War would dare misrepresent himself as a SEAL. Consider this: SEAL Team One, with roughly the same number of men as UDT 12, had 34 killed during the war. I knew many of them. UDT 12 lost but a single man. 34:1.

Wow, he actually specifically calls out Jesse's team. With no followup by the press, it seems like Jesse's key criticism of the media being jackals rings hollow. If they really had it out for him, they'd bust his chops hard.

How about this for a mouthful: the Mini-Magnetospheric Plasma Propulsion system. Basically, it's a magnetic solar sail that can get us to the outer planets far quicker than now. I wonder how they'd generate the power for it. One would hope it wouldn't be the same radioisotope thermal generators as used by Cassini, but I wouldn't necessarily doubt it.

Finally, why do I find Herbert Kornfeld SO FUNNY? Chris Hangsleben, I love ya, but you were so like this back in Tha Day. Word, yo.