Jamie and I saw “The Spirit” today. Here’s Jamie’s take at Chipotle:
Jamie and I saw “The Spirit” today. Here’s Jamie’s take at Chipotle:
The most surprising thing to about my first Minnesota winter isn’t the cold, but the darkness. These pictures are from around 5pm:
We were warned during orientation: “Winter is miserable. It’s dark when you go to school, and it’s dark when you come back.”
It doesn’t help that the law school classrooms are on a sub-level…
Summer was equally bizarre – when I first moved in August, I was surprised that the sky was still bright at 10pm.
But this isn’t exactly 30 Days of Night. The early nights are healthy. I go to bed earlier and get up earlier to maximize my daylight time. And clubbing? The sun sets at 5pm. Most clubhouses are empty until midnight. By that time it has been dark for 7 hours. No thanks.
In the lobby of the movie theater:
Manager: “Can I help you?”
Me: “What happened to the three cops you had stationed in theater 10? It’s ridiculous in there. People are screaming at each other and running through the isles.”
Manager: “Sorry about that. There’s only so much we can do. I’ll send the cops back in. Talk to me after the movie and I’ll get you some comp tickets.”
Jamie and I saw The Unborn tonight. The theater was full of Bebe’s Kids. There were three fully armed cops (vests, pistols) cursing out tweens throughout the movie. Ghettotastic. The second the officers left the theater erupted in chaos.
Got two free movie tickets out of it though!
Oh, and the movie? B-horror movie at best. Stupid premise, gratuitous cameltoe, and a poor man’s Megan Fox. Don’t believe me? Compare Megan Fox with Unborn star Odette Yustman. Yep. The full snark and pictures are over at Im Kino.
Jamie only drinks 1% milk, which is unacceptable coffee creamer, so I went to the Slum Stop (Quick Stop) for some half-and-half.
All the half-and-half at the Slum Stop was expired so I walked to the gas station a few blocks down the street.
The gas station is run by a pair of Middle Eastern brothers. They know me because I’ve stopped by with Maverick a few times.
The items for sale at the gas station are usually cheaper and fresher than the Slum Stop, and I have no idea why I don’t go there first…
There was a middle aged white guy in the gas station store who let me in line first. He had a thick Minnesota accent.
I thanked him, paid for my half-and-half, and as I put my money away I heard the white guy greet the Middle Eastern clerk:
Clerk: “Hello.”
White Guy: “Hola, Como estas?”
I looked back and exchanged a knowing “bitch please” look and smirk wit the clerk.
I could hear the clerk respond as I left,
Clerk (sighing): “Fine sir. How are you?”
Yesterday reminded me why I love college campuses during winter break.
I spent most of the day reading in The Cube. The Cube is a square-shaped reading area attached to the student union.
The Cube is at the mouth of the Washington Avenue bridge and wedged between Washington Avenue and an off ramp. Here’s an image from wikipedia:
This seems like a horrible spot for a glass reading area, but the view is amazing.
Downtown Minneapolis is visible, and cars whizzing by are not as distracting as I expected.
During the semester The Cube is as quiet as Circuit City on Black Friday…but yesterday it was just professors and international students. I loved it.
On the way home I stopped at the House of Ho, the overpriced neighborhood grocery store. There was a sale on frozen Pizzas.
I baked a pizza for the first time a few weeks ago. Let’s just say it involved some smoke and dodging Jamie’s glares. I decided to try again and…
Great success!
I’ll probably go back to The Cube today if I can peel myself away from this marathon of The First 48. I recognize most of the places in the Miami episodes. They occasionally have a body from the neighborhood…
It’s hard watching this show sometimes. Suspects keep telling the police, “I took part in the robbery but I didn’t shoot him!” not realizing that this is enough to get convicted.
I almost wanted to cheer when a suspect finally told the cops “screw you I want a lawyer!” But then I realized, wait, he’s probably guilty. Hm.
Anyhoot, one more episode (there’s a serial killer in this one!) and I’m cutting myself off.
Oh, Law School Discussion…how I’ve missed thee. I know I’ve written about gunners before but can we just acknowledge this ridiculousness? The topic of the thread is: “How To Respond To People Calling You a Gunner?”
Gunner: Last semester I amply and vastly participated in class and I could decipher my classmates’ opinion of said participation. How best to respond to these (to put it generously) rather immature individuals?
The first response (by “Stole Your Nose!“) was rather good:
A VOGUE model is suing Google for defamation, and is calling on the search engine giant to reveal the identity of a blogger who has dubbed her an “old hag” and a “skank” on the Internet.
Liskula Cohen filed a defamation suit in New York City, in an effort to force the search-engine giant to reveal the blogger’s identity, which remains anonymous according to US reports.
The anonymous offender made the claims on the blog “Skanks in NYC” on Blogger.com, which is owned by Google.
Cohen was also dubbed “#1 skanky superstar.”
“I can’t begin to imagine why someone would post these things then hide behind a screenname,” her lawyer, Steven Wagner said, according to the New York Daily News. “I guess we’re going to have to find out.”
Cohen, who hails from Canada, has modeled for Giorgio Armani, Versace and Elle magazine.
Maybe they’re nicer in Canada – but in the US, and the rest of the world… if you take certain pictures without underbritches then someone will call you a skank. It happens. People are mean. That doesn’t mean we sue Google over every mean, anonymous person on blogspot.
Although the pictures on the offensive blog look pretty personal. And that’s creepy. (And a whole other issue.) Time for someone to check her facebook friends!
Liskula is no stranger to drama. Last year Liskula was in the news because of an interesting night in a club:
Samir Dervisevic, 25, got into a drinking-tossing dust-up with model Liskula Cohen at Ultra on West 26th Street on Jan. 14, 2007, that ended when he cracked a bottle of vodka across her face, she tearfully recalled yesterday.
She rushed to the hospital, where she received 46 stitches – 30 inside her mouth and 16 on her face – to close the gushing wound. She said she has had trouble finding work since then because of the scars. (Rest of the story here)
Although not as interesting or glamorous as Kate or Naomi, I think the tabloids have found a new lawsuit model.
Last night I watched Law & Order with a housemate.
Me: “I think I’m too scared to do family law.”
Housemate: “Why’s that?”
Me: “Some angry husband will probably kill me.”
I told him that Law & Order makes me want to apply to the district attorney’s office.
The episode involved MS-13. By the end of the episode the gang members were threatening the attorneys.
Me: “Hm. Maybe I’ll get murdered at the Prosecutor’s office too…”
Employment Law here I come!*
*The conversation is real, but said in jest… please hire me…
I’m watching In Session again. The Tyler Edmonds trial is still on. The current witness is an overweight woman with the most bizarre facial expressions. The defense attorney noticed too:
Defense Attorney: “What color is your hair?”
Witness: “Blonde.”
She then does a giggle and eye roll. (Yes, I’m serious.)
I have no idea why he asked that, but it was funny. There’s also a commentator who is obsessed with the word “porn.” Everything is ‘porn’ with this guy…including talk TV. It’s like watching a kid who has discovered a new naughty-sounding word.
One thing I forgot to mention Monday is that Joey Fulgham (the murdered man) went on the Montel Williams Show with his wife.
It was one of those “I’m dragging you on a national TV show to say I’ve been sleeping around. BOMBSHELL! YOU DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING! YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS A MAKEOVER HUH! (cut to commercial) Please forgive me baby!” shows.
She cheated. He cries and then takes her back. She murders him a few years later.
There’s probably a better way to spend my time.
My flipcam’s vacation was a little longer than mine. When I was in Miami for Christmas I left my camera in a family friend’s car. It ended up in the Florida Keys.
My mother mailed it back today. There were some left over clips from around Miami still on it. Here they are:
The other video is here.
A Minnesota Court of Appeals has cited a youtube video in an unpublished opinion.
The case is about a 14-year-old gymnast who tried this:
The girl (of course) landed on her head, was injured, and sued.
Now, it’s hard to explain the complicated vault, so this is what the court did:
Goetz began participating in gymnastics programs when she was five or six years old, and it appears from the record that she is a fairly skilled gymnast. She attempted the difficult Tsukahara vault for the first time in the autumn of 2001. When performing a Tsukahara vault, a gymnast runs along a long mat, jumps off a springboard, does a half twist, pushes off a pommel horse with her hands while upside down, does one and a half flips, and lands on her feet facing the horse.1
[….]
1 The school district cited a video of Mitsuo Tsukahara performing his namesake vault at the 1976 Olympics. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TmYqSOYZr0 (last visited Dec. 16, 2008). Goetz did not object to the citation. We found the video to be helpful.
I think this is brilliant. It would be terribly convenient for courts to create a youtube channel that contains videos of pertinent material, including depositions (instead of transcribing them in opinions)…
…heck, or even Westlaw – “Defendant robbed a bank…see the video here.”
… “Defendant cussed out judge and was thrown in jail for contempt of court…see video here.”
Sure, it might put TruTV out of business, but I still think it’s the business.
This story is via Fresh.mn Twitter and Minnesota Lawyer .
Just had an odd exchange at the Pelli Library café.
Me: “May I have a large coffee with room for cream?”
Barista: “Sure. That’ll be $2 please.”
(I hand him my Roast Masters card)
Barista: “Does this have money on it?”
Me: “I hope so.”
Lady behind me (muttering): “Smartass.”
I turn around to find a squat woman smirking at me. I shoot a nasty glare and turn back to the (horrified) Barista, ignoring the commentator.
Barista: “Uh, here’s your card. It has $12 left on it.”
Me: “Thanks.”
Dunn Brothers’ Roast Masters card is a modern punch card. You get a free bag of beans or drink with every $40 you spend.
It’s also a gift card. I put money on it so my bank account isn’t littered with $2.09 coffee charges.
It’s slightly annoying when a Barista asks me if there’s money on the card. I’m not pulling out another card or cash…so, I hope there’s money on the Roast card because otherwise we have a problem…
Can you imagine being asked if there’s money on your debit card before it’s even swiped?
The day started with TruTV , (formerly CourtTV).
I watched about an hour of the Tyler Edmonds murder trial and then went to the law school.
The law school bookstore looked like it was going out of business: a very bored manager and isles full of boxed books. All of the undergrad assistants must still be on break.
Only half of my books were available – not that I’m in any hurry – classes start in two weeks and there are no assignment sheets/syllabi online.
And no, I’m not being gunnertastic – it would be much easier to read at a leisurely pace instead of getting bitch slapped in two weeks with three new classes, job applications, and legal writing.
One of my books for Corporations is three inches thick. My book may be the sole cause of deforestation, global warming, and Seasonal Affective Disorder. The EPA should fine the publisher. The book barely fit in my locker! I eventually (after much heaving and griping) stuffed the brick in my locker.
It’s going to stay there until I get my reading assignments…
After the bookstore I went to Coffman and finished rereading The Broker by John Grisham. I then walked around campus. It was cold, but beautiful.
The only problem with this weather is that I constantly have “let it snow” in my head…
I did some shoveling and then sat down for the Law & Order “mini-marathon” on TNT. The original Law & Order is my favorite show from the franchise because there’s an actual ‘law’ part. SVU and Criminal Intent are almost strictly detective shows. If I want a detective show I’ll watch The First 48.
Winter vacation is nice, but it’s beginning to feel more like rehab than a break. I’m ready to get started again.
This morning’s episode of Banfield & Ford covered the final Joey Fulgham murder trial. Fulgham’s wife was already convicted. Today’s case was the retrial of her 13-year-old accomplice. Here’s a rundown*:
On Friday, May 9, 2003, Kristi Fulgham, who was married to the victim Joey Fulgham, picked up her thirteen-year-old half-brother, Tyler Edmonds, to take him to the Fulgham home in the Longview community as she did every other weekend. She and Tyler have the same father, Danny Edmonds.
Tyler’s videotaped confession relates the following series of events: After arriving at Kristi and Joey’s home, Tyler and Kristi went out for Subway sandwiches for dinner. After dinner, Joey went to bed, while Kristi stayed up and used the computer.
Jamie studying the science of sleep.
I stopped walking and stood in front of the display, mouth agape.
Me: “You have to me shitting me.”
Jamie: “What?”
Me: “Oh hell nah. Come look at this!”
Jamie: “Nothing can shock me.”
Me: “CAMOUFLAGE LINGERIE?! What…why…who would ever…”
Jamie: “Welcome to Minnesota.”
So what happened in 2008?
I graduated from college. During my last semester I did everything from bowling…
…to exploring haunted missile bases/ insane asylums.
There were also trips to the clubhouse (South Beach, Little Havana, Wilton Manors, etc.)
Jukebox and vintage video games…Jamie and I are having a quiet throwback New Year’s Eve, and it’s pretty much perfect.
So I had my “tuna of the sea” moment…
Jamie: “How’s the pizza going?”
Me: “Fine… how do I know when it’s done?”
Jamie (opening oven): “Uh, you weren’t supposed to cook the breadsticks and the pizza at once…and they are on the wrong trays.”
Me: “What? Why?”
Jamie: “And what temperature are they supposed to be?”
Me: “It says 425 for a regular oven and 400 for a conventional oven…”
Jamie: “Conventional oven?”
Me: “Yeah, and your oven is old so I assumed it was a conventional oven…”
Jamie: “Convection oven. And my oven isn’t a convection oven.”
Me(rereading the instructions): “OH! It does say convection… what’s a convection oven?”
And yes, I looked up convection oven:
Convection ovens or fan ovens or turbo ovens augment a traditional oven by circulating heated air using a fan.
Hmmf. At least I learned something today!