whether or not

by the way, it's 67 degrees F here. 67 degrees F. 67 degrees F. 67 degrees F. I heart 67 degrees F.





. . .

thursday party

Well, readers. Denyse Schmidt came to town with her books and her quilts, and she did it right. The fabric/quilt show and booksigning at the Museum of Arts and Design was really well done, the quilts, the books, the fabric, expensive, trendy, flavored vodka, the requisite fruits and cheeses, and not just the usual quilting suspects. Plenty of men and haute couture. Anyway, I took approximately a zillion pictures, which you may view on my website. You can check out more of her stuff at http://www.dsquilts.com/. (I've decided to make some albums available w/o logging in.)

Later in the evening, the Celtic American Law Students Association (President: Me) co-hosted with the Student Bar Association its first SBA Thursday Night at Swift, a local Hiberian Lounge (Irish bar) with terrific sheperd's pie (actually accompanied by a mixed-greens salad!). I call it a smashing success, horders of attendees and even some 2 & 3Ls. It was a great kick-off for the 05-06 CALSA year, but maybe we should have actually kicked it off in the 05. But there's always next year.

Also, vote Jonathan Suk for SBA Pres.

. . .

speaking of ol' Guhan Kandasamy, today's his birthday. HB, k2ugnk!
. . .

a new game

the what-was-I-taking-pictures-of-approximately-1-or-2-years-ago-(the-length-of-time-I've-had-a-digital-camera) game.

Two years ago this week I left Fannie Mae for the second, and I hope final, time;















enjoyed a Marimekko exhibit at the Finnish embassy in D.C.;

















and went to my first NBA basketball game, Wizards v. Knicks, with my good pal, Guhan Kandasamy, featured at left, for his birthday.









Good times.


oh yeah, and Happy Birthday, Emilie Eagan!
. . .

not a meal!

The serving size of Mentos is: 1 Mento. who are they kidding?

I made some rookie mistakes this morning. I forgot my ipod, new yorker, and absentmindedly got on the wrong bus, so I missed the right bus, and the first 20 minutes of class. You'd think I'd just moved here.

. . .

here I come, green turtle lodge!

I bought my plane tickets to Accra today. I'm really excited about this. The price was on the lower end of the range, and I get to see what flying with Emirates, the United Arab Emirates' airline is like. I wonder if (/hope) they strip-search americans just to get even with the arab profiling in airports here.

When I'm not saving the world at my job (still haven't heard any new information from my employer), I'll be here, camping for $3/night (unless they give me the student/volunteer discount. I can only imagine--$2?!). yep.

. . .

thank you, john paul stevens

This pop song, brought to my attention by Carrie Baker, incorporates the words: "in the same vein," "spry," "cancer," and "stevens," "ginsburg," "breyer," "souter," and "kennedy." what's not to love?



. . .

laughs are good for unhackling hackles

see here.

also, (alert, St. Bert) i recommend googling "google". it's where they keep all the good stuff.

Hackles Raised!

The President of the Student Bar Association went on an ego trip today and decided to call my sweetheart homegrown Celtic American Law Students Association "nonexistent". Who does he think he is? I mean, from one president to another, that was cold. I guess he thinks just b/c we didn't come, hat in hand, to ask the SBA for a charter, he gets to say we're nonexistent. Ridiculous.

On a happier note, if you search google images for "hackles," after a bunch of boring pages about bird feathers, you get to this picture:



take that, Mr. SBA President!


. . .

just one avocado post for the day seemed reasonable, until I saw this:

. . .

the alligator pear

Science can neither deny nor confirm the avocado's reputation as an aphrodisiac.

Avocados, 1; Science, 0.


. . .

this month in pictures

You have to be logged into my gallery to view these photos. if you can't login, email me to get a login and password. thanks.

Jessie's departure days

sjp's jeff's birthday

spring break 2006, including fishing, birding, partying, and operaing

new photos of my neighborhood, apartment, and aforementioned african patrice presents

the silver jews play manhattan

the S&M birthday

. . .

p.s. mmm, mushrooms

. . .

backing up is hard to do.

hi!

I am hap hap happy to report that Jessica Ellen Cherry, Ph.D., has joined me in blogging adventures, although my daily days cannot boast any comparison to her Alaskan wild wild life. What a terrific writer she is! see here, you: http://life-is-a-bowl.blogspot.com.

Here's a for instance. Jessie gets to write about Santa Badger coming down her chimney. I write about backing up my computer. Insert boring complaint about backing-up difficulties. Beep. Beep. Beep. Boo.

But there're other good things to think about instead. My landlord actually came and repaired my dripping tub today, the very day that I called about it. And he promises to install my doorbell next week. Hooray for plumbing and ye olde time doorbell!

Yesterday I got to celebrate SJP's and MGS's birthdays! dinner at Holy Basil, a thai restaurant (order mussamun curry, whatever you do), beers (and Jeena's slice of birthday cake) at a bar, and songs sung at Sing Sing. Happy birthday, SJP & MGS! you children.

Today's been slow, as slow as Buzz you slow-ass. What I tell people is that I'm working on a paper. What I do is not. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow. And the Boss.





. . .

wetbacks

see this movie: www.mojadosmovie.com.

I think it's available thru netflix. we watched it in conjunction with my immigration law class.


. . .

laughs

http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html (scroll down to the bottom and click on "Here" to start the tour.)

Also, check out last week's Shouts and Murmurs column in the New Yorker (check it out soon, before the link goes dead; afterwards, search the site for Jack Handey, and it should pop up. It's called "Ideas for Paintings"). I think it might be the first time I've actually laughed out loud at a S&M column in the year and a half that I've been reading it.

. . .

this is radio clash

hello readers!

I'm in a better mood today than I have been in a long loong time. Last night I had a terrific visit with one of my sister's Peace Corps buddies, let's call her Synthia Starshine, in a Starbucks in Hoboken, NJ. So much to say about this visit!

˙˙˙ I'd never been to Hoboken. Hoboken is a sweet little town. It'd be fun to live there, I think. And, weirdly, it'd be faster and cheaper for me to get to school from New Guernsey than from Crooklyn. Also there's some children's book about a giant chicken in Hoboken. I don't know of any children's books about Greenpoint, and Brooklyn can only boast a tree.

˙˙˙It got me super pumped to go back to West Africa. Just talking with Ms. Starshine about it made me want to run straight back! And it was so great to see her!

˙˙˙ She also brought me fabulous gifts from my sister, further kindling my Africa yen, including:

• a terrific letter;
• a green/white striped Ok Plast Thumbs Up plastic teapot, of the sort that the Burkinabé might use to wash their nether regions, but that I will use to water my grateful plants;
• a pagne with green background, red swirls, and portraits of the longtime BF president, Blaise Campaore, emblazoned all over it. Pajamas perhaps?
• flip flops! with a mole friendlily waving a shovel at the wearer, and the message "Friend Mole" inscribed along the heel;
• and a few birthday items for family members that shall remain unspecified here until such birthdays pass, as they do.

Then I got to go back to school and share with St. Bert and No Samina my new great loot and enthusiam! during which we ate a delicious Trader Joe's dinner of dark chocolate, gouda cheese, ginger snaps, and Aronia Berry Juice. Postprandial discussions of pressing community issues followed, minus St. Bert and plus Guitar Monday Man & Sol Rock.

And to top off the evening, I did no homework or dishes, but read my email instead, where I learned that someone indeed would care to come analyze my apartment's sublettabilty this weekend.

A good 12 hours.

˙˙˙

tj

This has begun to seem like a weblog in praise of a grocery store. Maybe it is.

Today St. Bert and I took the Trader Joe's plunge. It was orgaxmix. For me, anyway. This is what St. Bert has to say: "Try the Aronia Juice, and don't fall for the candy in the check-out aisle." (We did fall, to the tune of 10 fruit leathers for 27¢ apiece and 2 chocolate bars. And one bottle of Aronia juice, which is waterier than pure cranberry, but still tarty. Pretty good after the first try-face sip. And supposed to be better for your bod than cranberry or blue.) We also got some mandarin orange sparkling water (89¢ ), caramel corn, cheddar and gouda cheeses, greek yogurt, good earth tea, avocados, triple shot exxxpressso, ginger snaps, thai food box, and quinoa. We told old Trader Joe's tales and reminisced about Boston and Maryland. It was good.

Despite the mad madhouse New Yorkers lined up like lines to love it, I love it too.

p.s.

daffodils are in season, and only for a short time. if you can't grow 'em, buy 'em!




. . .

topical topics of today

The new Trader Joe's on 14th St. Bert and I are going there tomorrie.

Tea: www.portorico.com, www.uptontea.com .

Clerkships and the goodness thereof. I'm sold. Clerkships are for Lovers. Judges are Hot Stuf.

The law school's Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), too, is for Lovers (but not for Marriers). Now I know that it's best not to pay off your loan early, not to get married (except to other LRAPpers), and not to ask questions. Just do what they say and they pay off my loans.

Sitting next to a professor in class is fun!

Sometimes I miss a friendship boat. Once I get over the disappointment, it can still be fun to watch it sailing along in the distance.

Oh I how heart you Green Tea Daily Special Beard Papa. http://www.muginohousa.com/index.html (click on cream puffs) (psst, T&R, they have these in Boston! eat one!).




. . .

the prodigal necklace

constructed of shell and bead and wire by SWT

lost and found

lost: a special new necklace.
found: a special new necklace!

. . .

fruit on the bottom

I kind of enjoy the good things/bad things construction so I'll stick with it for the minute.

good things

• toasted bagel with cream cheese except they grilled it instead of toasting it so it has an interesting spongy quality;
• no environmental-law-journal office-hours assignments;
• african text messages awaking me at 6:30 in the morning requesting the size of my nephews' feet, in centimeters;
• seeing good buddies after a week of spring break, which felt like a delicious forever;
• now knowing the size of my nephews' feet, in centimeters;
• learning cool shit about campaign finance regulations;
• new necklaces!;
• new Trader Joe opening up;
• yogurt.

bad things

• noticing that the professor has noticed my noticing and smiling at the emergence of a bagel and cream cheese from a friend's pocket;
• wishfully dressing as if it were 20 degrees warmer than it is;
• being unprepared for class;
• scheduling conflicts;
• dirty dishes;
• campaign finance regulations.

. . .

gbgb

goods: fresh hot granola; finding and reading blogs; accessorizing for trips to Ghana (leatherman, nalgene bottle, whistle, tripod, seam sealer, sleeping pad, camera bag); daffodils; rooting wandering jews (contradiction in plants?); crane photos; giant jars of picksles; shuffle songs; hot damn hot tea!; book recommendations.

bads: homework; noisy mice; mouse poison; cold apartments; spilling.

. . .