Finals start in just over a month and I’m starting to feel that all-too-familiar uneasiness inside. That uneasiness that I have so much new stuff to learn before classes end. That I have so much to relearn from stuff we’ve already been taught. That no matter how much I study, the professors will find a way to completely stump me. That no matter how much I freak out, my performance on the exams won’t get any better, so freaking out is pointless and I’m not going to do it.

At least I’ll try not to do it. No guarantees.

and well-earned it is. i've spent the entire weekend studying tax and i'm on the verge of vomiting IRS codes. not a pretty thought, is it? all work and no play gives particleman cabin fever. the show costs $25, which is a tad steep for a punk show, but when's the next time i'll get to see them? they're usually in jail or rehab.

I’m skipping class Friday to fly to Little Rock. The bris is at 10:30 and I land at 9:12, so I’ll get there just in the nick of time (no pun intended). I’d go Thursday, but I invited a judge to come speak at my school Thursday afternoon, and I don’t want to put myself at risk of either having to leave my own function early or miss a flight. If you’re in my class and you’re reading this, please take good notes, I might be asking you for a copy (ahem, Sam).

I also went to a wedding this past weekend in the Texas Hill Country - in a small town called Concan, to be exact. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding on the river. One of my best buds from college was the groom. We used to go mountain biking a lot and took a road trip to Arizona to meet up with other mountain bikers and check out the trails there. So it was really cool to see a guy I’ve known for seven years - partied with, drank with, been to shows with, and generally been stupid with - tie the knot. They grow up so fast! Congrats bud.

idea courtesy of v.

It turns out there are still some nice people in the world. I thought lawyers had turned them all into horrible, spiteful people, but lo and behold, they come out every now and then. Take yesterday for example.

I got it into my head that I had to go for a bike ride after class because it was so beautiful outside. I strapped on my bike gear and headed out for a lap or three around Rice University. Until I remembered that my cleats were missing a screw:

This cleat is kind of important as keeps the cleat attached to the shoe, which keeps you attached to the pedals, which keeps your foot from suddenly releasing from the pedal and throwing you thence onto the hard pavement. So yeah, that screw is kind of important. It’s also hard as hell to find.

I rode to a nearby bike shop armed with a $5 bill and a gimpy cleat. They had the metal plate, but no screw. He gave me the plate…

…and said I should check out the hardware store around the corner for the screw. I asked him how much I owed him for the plate. He said, “Nuthin’, but hold on to that plates, they’re hard to find.” Wow. Bike shop people are usually a pretty nice bunch, but free stuff is a rarity. So I went on to phase two: Locate Screw at Hardware Store.

Imagine this: skinny white guy in bike shorts and a yellow jersey walks into old-timey hardware store complete with clip-clopping bike shoes on the bare concrete floor. I might as well have been holding a sign that read, “HI, I DON’T FIT IN. SOMEBODY PLEASE SHOW ME THE DOOR.” I proceeded to take off the offending shoe, and when I walked, I looked like a cowboy in chaps (but with only one boot). After clip-clopping around the store looking for the screw aisle, I walked to the first person I found – the girl who ran the register – and asked if she could help me. We searched and searched through the many different screw boxes to find one that might fit. Keep in mind I’m still in my bike get-up, wearing only one shoe.

She tracked down a guy that knew a little more about screws and he helped me out. After four or five close calls, he found a screw that fit:

I busted out the $5 bill and the girl said, “Um, I don’t feel like breaking that for a 17-cent screw. I’ll pay for it. Just come back some day and buy something.” WOW. You bet.

So through the kindness of my fellow people, I got a cleat plate and a screw for free. That sounded weird. But it’s true. I have the screw to prove it.

After that I did three loops around Rice and felt like my lungs were going to explode.

Lots to say, not much time. Have to catch up on reading because spent weekend in Little Rock with new nephew he’s aweome gotta have more of him. Prepositions and articles superfluous.

Thursday afternoon invited local Civil District Judge to school to speak about recent spate of Ten Commandments cases and Establishment Clause in Constitution. Very interesting got a pretty good turnout.

Went to cool show with buddy John on Thursday night, headliner Minus The Bear. Used to have two of their cds but lost them somehow but still remembered some of the songs when they played them. Guitar player was freaking insane had some kind of pedal board that looped his guitar riffs while he played on top of them sounded like there were actually two guys playing at once though it was only one guy. Show was moved from original venue (Walter’s on Washington) to venue across the street (Fat Cat’s) because vocals at first venue were impossible to hear we were all screaming “VOCALS!!!” but sound guy couldn’t figure out problem so had mass exodus of indie kids in Converse All Stars and buddy holly glasses (hey that’s me) crossing the street like herd of trendy cattle. Sight to be seen. Opening band The Headphones were pretty weird. Can’t remember name of two other opening bands. Minus The Bear rocked though you should see them.

New nephew Max Jacob Lain is cutest little guy ever he got his bris and cried bloody murder when the moyel (Hebrew term for the doctor who does the deed) snipped his pee pee but now Max is in the Covenant after being 8 days old and to celebrate, all the adults ate. What else do Jews do, all celebrations must involve food one way or another. Interesting story the moyel told us I learned when I was a kid but forgot about: Abraham (first Jew) entered into Covenant when he was 99 years old and GAVE HIMSELF A CIRCUMCISION, as did all the males in his family. Man that must have totally sucked.

Did you see the Astros and Braves game today? Holy crap it was EIGHTEEN INNINGS broke all kinds of records I fell asleep in the 14th and woke up in the 16th and nothing had happened.

Just read this opinion for my Copyright class:

“Duke Nukem routinely vanquishes Octabrain and the Protozoid Slimer. But what about the dreaded Micro Star?

FormGen [and their counterparts] made, distributed and own the rights to Duke Nukem 3D (D/N-3D), an immensely popular (and very cool) computer game.”

“If another game could use the [infringed material] to tell the story of a mousy fellow who travels through a beige maze, killing vicious saltshakers with paper-clips, then the [infringed material] would not incorporate the protected expression of D/N-3D because they would not be telling a D/N-3D story.”

This judge must have a 15-year-old kid who will one day get a degree in something computer-related, start a website named after a goofy song, and then go to law school. Or, as my textbook points out, this judge reviews new games for Microsoft’s e-zine Slate and writes similar articles for other periodicals as well. Go figure.

WE’RE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!

You need to go on the BikeHouston Moonlight Ramble this Saturday night / Sunday morning at 2:15 am. What more fun can you think of than riding your bike in the inky black of night with a bunch of other loony cyclists, some in costumes? There are two routes, one eight miles and the other twenty. The ride starts at the GRB Convention Center and the entry fee is $25, which covers race costs, a T-Shirt, and other goodies.

Sound fun? Go here.

I went to synagogue and repented for my sins, just for all you lazy internet people sitting on your tucheses. No, I didn’t do it for me, I couldn’t care less about my sins. I did it for you. What’s more, I also asked forgiveness on behalf of you, so you get a clean slate too. Pretty cool, eh?

Ok, so maybe I spent half the time spacing out. Big deal. If it makes a difference, I grant you a clean slate. Done and done. Welcome to 5766.

but not wiser. i turn 26 today. crikey.

I’ve gotten hooked on this awesome show called Mythbusters. Two former special effects guys blow up, electrocute, bury, sink, and generally maim everything in sight to test the myths we live by. For instance, I’ve learned the following things:

I went on that crazy bike ride with an old buddy of mine and we had a blast. I’d say about 1,000 people showed up at the wee hours of Sunday morning to ride their bike in the moonlight. There were all kinds of people on all kinds of bikes. Kids on BMX bikes. Racer types on swanky $4,000 bikes. Moms and dads with basic hybrid bikes, towing one of their kids. And one guy towing not a kid, but his dog.

Then there was the guy in the recumbent bike who rigged a couple 2x4’s to the seat-back and mounted small speakers on the ends to play music. There were also morons who didn’t pay the $25 ride fee and didn’t wear a helmet. Even though they didn’t pay the fee, the helped themselves to all the ride organizers’ hard work in getting this event together.

There were two possible routes – one eight miles and one nineteen. My buddy and I planned to take the short route so as to get home at a reasonable hour, but when we got to the turn-off to take the short route, we said “aw, fuck it, let’s go the long way,” and kept going straight with everyone else. We didn’t see anyone taking the turn-off and didn’t much feel like riding alone. All the action was on the long route.

I’ve ridden early in the morning before, so I know what it feels like to ride through empty streets illuminated only by streetlight. But 2:15 isn’t exactly early in the morning. 5:00 is early. 2:15 is night. The people we saw weren’t trying to make an early flight to the airport. They had just gotten done partying, so we got lots of attention: some hoots, some hollers, and some, “What the hell is this?!” Every now and then cars would make their way through or around us, but for the most part, we had the roads to ourselves. It was really cool to ride through streets I’ve driven through countless times before. It was about 50 degrees and clear outside, so we lucked out with the weather. Traveling by bike (or foot) makes it easier to notice all the little things that usually slip by. That café I never saw. The bookstore that never existed. And the complete disrepair of some of our streets. Damn. They gotta fix that.

For those of you from Houston, this is the route we took: George R. Brown – Fannin – W Alabama – Edloe – Westpark – Rice/Sage – W Alabama again – Post Oak – Memorial – Allen Parkway – Dallas – George R. Brown. My buddy and I hauled ass down Westpark, Memorial, and Allan Parkway, which was really cool.

Overall, it was a fun time. Some people wore costumes or other weird stuff. Pretty much everyone was there to have a good time and take a leisurely ride, so if you don’t fancy yourself a hardcore cyclist, you’ll fit right in.

One conclusion I came to was that I need to get back on the bike. I had forgotten why I started riding to begin with. It’s so calming and peaceful.

I went to a classmate’s costume party last night and had a great time. My liver, on the other hand, did not. It had a horrible time. It’s still bitching, actually, and it’s taking the rest of my major organs and bodily systems with it. They’re all on strike. Picketing. Lobbying. Staging sit-ins. Rallies. Having union meetings. The muscles (what few remain after a year of non-use) are particularly stubborn and achy. Things from the neck up are also not functioning properly. In short, drinking large quantities of cheap rum with coke will make you hurt. Ow.

On the bright side, there were some cool costumes: sumo wrestler guy, Wonder Woman, Superman, female cop with handcuffs, pirate, Strawberry Shortcake, 70s Dude, goth people, fighter pilot, box of tissues (Blow Me), angel, nun and priest, belly dancer, firewoman (with ax), and more I’m sure I’m forgetting. My friend wore a hella cute Hawaiian dress complete with lei around her neck and flower in her hair.

Me? I rolled 70s style. Blue and white pinstripe pants, shirt unbuttoned half-way down, with a bling-bling Star of David resting in the natural rug that lives on my chest. I bet you’re wishing you hadn’t read that last sentence right now.