Wednesday, September 28, 2005
SO COOL. If you're a dork like me.
Screw the headlines about Tom Delay. This is by far one of the coolest things to happen in awhile.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
I hold these truths to be self-evident
It's common knowledge that your first year of law school kind of sucks. But you're always being assured that there's light at the end of the tunnel by people who say things like, "Don't worry - your second year is much easier." To those people I would like to say one thing: LIARS. YOU ARE A BUNCH OF LIARS. To all the 1L's of the world: there is no light at the end of the tunnel. And if you think you see one don't be fooled - it's actually the scorching, relentless 107 degree sun, which will see fit to come out every time you have to get suited up for an interview.
Okay. I'm done ranting. For now.
In other news, thanks to all the peeps who came out on Friday to hear Matt and I talk about the Baha'i perspective on marriage and relationships. You guys are awesome. Sorry if we inflicted any permanent harm.
Recently Matt and I have been cleaning out our closets and drawers (dresser drawers - not underwear). I think we've generally done a pretty good job of putting together the clothes that we don't wear, but we're a little stuck when it comes to comfy, sleep-worthy t-shirts. A long time ago we gave up on the "my t-shirt, your t-shirt" thing, and created a communal t-shirt drawer. Since then it's spilled over due to the massive number of t-shirts we own, and at this point half of Matt's underwear drawer is full of t-shirts (I wonder how many times I can mention underwear in this post?)
I've tried to give them away but Matt seems very attached. When I start going through the piles to try and weed out some give-aways Matt gets this really troubled look on his face. It's a look very similar to the one Neville gets when we take away his food dish so that it can be cleaned.
Matt has a lot of very cool t-shirts that he wears out of the house (Examples: a navy blue t-shirt with a transformer on it, a black one that says "Let me drop everything and work on your problem"). But his sleep t-shirts, which I have conveniently appropiated as my sleep t-shirts, paint quite a different picture. He's somehow amassed an incredible collection of what I call his "white people shirts". These shirts deal primarily with hunting and fishing, but they cover other topics as well. Some of my favorites include:
- A gray t-shirt called "my huntin' excuses", which has a cartoon picture of a hunter and then a bunch of different lame things you might say if that deer got away
- One that says "I fish, therefore I lie"
- Dr.Evil saying "why must I be surrounded by frickin' idiots?"
- 2 identical shirts that say "Juneau" and have a picture of Alaskan mountains
- 2 identical shirts that say "Galveston"
- 2 identical shirts that say "I'm a Mayflower descendent"
And my personal favorite:
- "Women want me, Bass fear me"
I find these shirts oddly fascinating. Who is this man I'm married to? Is he going to start dragging be out on a sailboat and making me put icky worms on a fishing pole? And where did he get all of these shirts?
A couple of them were gifts from various family members and friends so I can understand why he wants to keep them, but the situation is out of control. I have t-shirts coming out of my ears. Not to mention that we have all these shirts from Baha'i conferences which I feel guilty giving away, and the fact that law school organizations give away free t-shirts as if they're penny candy. And when did t-shirts get so long? You have to get the smallest size available so that people don't think you're wearing a dress.
I think we just need to make it a household policy that we can't accept anymore t-shirts. I know that sounds harsh, but there have to be people out there who need free t-shirts more than we do. And all those organizations that say "the cost is only $15 but it includes a t-shirt" - how about you just charge me five bucks and I'll wear one of the eight million t-shirts that I already have. Maybe I'll even wear one of the fishing shirts.
Okay. I'm done ranting. For now.
In other news, thanks to all the peeps who came out on Friday to hear Matt and I talk about the Baha'i perspective on marriage and relationships. You guys are awesome. Sorry if we inflicted any permanent harm.
Recently Matt and I have been cleaning out our closets and drawers (dresser drawers - not underwear). I think we've generally done a pretty good job of putting together the clothes that we don't wear, but we're a little stuck when it comes to comfy, sleep-worthy t-shirts. A long time ago we gave up on the "my t-shirt, your t-shirt" thing, and created a communal t-shirt drawer. Since then it's spilled over due to the massive number of t-shirts we own, and at this point half of Matt's underwear drawer is full of t-shirts (I wonder how many times I can mention underwear in this post?)
I've tried to give them away but Matt seems very attached. When I start going through the piles to try and weed out some give-aways Matt gets this really troubled look on his face. It's a look very similar to the one Neville gets when we take away his food dish so that it can be cleaned.
Matt has a lot of very cool t-shirts that he wears out of the house (Examples: a navy blue t-shirt with a transformer on it, a black one that says "Let me drop everything and work on your problem"). But his sleep t-shirts, which I have conveniently appropiated as my sleep t-shirts, paint quite a different picture. He's somehow amassed an incredible collection of what I call his "white people shirts". These shirts deal primarily with hunting and fishing, but they cover other topics as well. Some of my favorites include:
- A gray t-shirt called "my huntin' excuses", which has a cartoon picture of a hunter and then a bunch of different lame things you might say if that deer got away
- One that says "I fish, therefore I lie"
- Dr.Evil saying "why must I be surrounded by frickin' idiots?"
- 2 identical shirts that say "Juneau" and have a picture of Alaskan mountains
- 2 identical shirts that say "Galveston"
- 2 identical shirts that say "I'm a Mayflower descendent"
And my personal favorite:
- "Women want me, Bass fear me"
I find these shirts oddly fascinating. Who is this man I'm married to? Is he going to start dragging be out on a sailboat and making me put icky worms on a fishing pole? And where did he get all of these shirts?
A couple of them were gifts from various family members and friends so I can understand why he wants to keep them, but the situation is out of control. I have t-shirts coming out of my ears. Not to mention that we have all these shirts from Baha'i conferences which I feel guilty giving away, and the fact that law school organizations give away free t-shirts as if they're penny candy. And when did t-shirts get so long? You have to get the smallest size available so that people don't think you're wearing a dress.
I think we just need to make it a household policy that we can't accept anymore t-shirts. I know that sounds harsh, but there have to be people out there who need free t-shirts more than we do. And all those organizations that say "the cost is only $15 but it includes a t-shirt" - how about you just charge me five bucks and I'll wear one of the eight million t-shirts that I already have. Maybe I'll even wear one of the fishing shirts.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Update/ Growing up Giani, Part II
Not being near the mandatory evacuation areas, my parents have decided to hunker down in Houston rather than fight twenty hours of traffic. Personally, I think this is stupid. What the heck are they going to do if they don't have power for two days? I called them to try and make my point, and this is the conversation we ended up having:
R: So you're just going to stay?
Dad: Well, you know, the hurricane has shifted and we're not anywhere near the evacuation areas, so we just figured this made more sense.
R: How does that make sense? You're just going to sit around in the dark?
Dad: It's not really the rain that concerns me so much as the wind. Hopefully the roof won't blow off or anything.
R: Did you at least get some supplies?
Dad: Look, we went to try and get some stuff but the stores were totally sold out of water and batteries and things . . . we did stop at Barnes & Nobles to get some books to read since we probably won't be able to go anywhere.
*Silence*
Dad: Honey?
R: You didn't get any emergency supplies, but you got books? Books to read in the dark??
Dad: Well, we have candles.
R: I give up. There's no talking sense into you people.
And people wonder why I am the way I am. Times like these make me very glad that my brother lives in Austin so that I can call him up and share each piece of new evidence that our family is crazy.
R: So you're just going to stay?
Dad: Well, you know, the hurricane has shifted and we're not anywhere near the evacuation areas, so we just figured this made more sense.
R: How does that make sense? You're just going to sit around in the dark?
Dad: It's not really the rain that concerns me so much as the wind. Hopefully the roof won't blow off or anything.
R: Did you at least get some supplies?
Dad: Look, we went to try and get some stuff but the stores were totally sold out of water and batteries and things . . . we did stop at Barnes & Nobles to get some books to read since we probably won't be able to go anywhere.
*Silence*
Dad: Honey?
R: You didn't get any emergency supplies, but you got books? Books to read in the dark??
Dad: Well, we have candles.
R: I give up. There's no talking sense into you people.
And people wonder why I am the way I am. Times like these make me very glad that my brother lives in Austin so that I can call him up and share each piece of new evidence that our family is crazy.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Things to do during Third Year of Law School:
1. Take a lot of classes without attendance requirements. Skip them all.
2. Show up in pajamas.
3. Sleep.
4. Throw water balloons off the breezeway onto the people in the Courtyard.
5. Pierce something really visible.
6. Give noogies to 1L's.
7. Pretend to be a recruiter from Wolfram & Hart. Hold interviews.
8. Crash every single catered party held at the law school.
9. Open interdimensional portal to alternative universe where "the Bar" is actually a game of Candy Land. With the cards for that freaky licorice guy taken out.
10. Have loud conversation near groups of 2L's where you say things like "man, is it good to finally get to relax."
11. Sleep some more.
2. Show up in pajamas.
3. Sleep.
4. Throw water balloons off the breezeway onto the people in the Courtyard.
5. Pierce something really visible.
6. Give noogies to 1L's.
7. Pretend to be a recruiter from Wolfram & Hart. Hold interviews.
8. Crash every single catered party held at the law school.
9. Open interdimensional portal to alternative universe where "the Bar" is actually a game of Candy Land. With the cards for that freaky licorice guy taken out.
10. Have loud conversation near groups of 2L's where you say things like "man, is it good to finally get to relax."
11. Sleep some more.
Posting from Fed Courts, Part 1
Do you know what sucks? When you don't get enough sleep and then you have like seven straight hours of class.
Another thing that sucks is when you shove a peanut butter sandwich into your mouth like a ravenous wolf while you're waiting for the light to turn green, and then you look up and realize that a homeless person has been standing at your driver's side window and staring at you the whole time. It sucks even more when you find this situation kind of funny, in a "this is like a sitcom" way.
In other news, did you know that "parity" is a word? Parity = the opposite if disparity.
Another thing that sucks is when you shove a peanut butter sandwich into your mouth like a ravenous wolf while you're waiting for the light to turn green, and then you look up and realize that a homeless person has been standing at your driver's side window and staring at you the whole time. It sucks even more when you find this situation kind of funny, in a "this is like a sitcom" way.
In other news, did you know that "parity" is a word? Parity = the opposite if disparity.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Ides of September
Fall is by far my favorite season. Even in Texas where we don't really get beautiful foliage, the first cold front is enough to completely change the atmosphere. Summer seems to wear out it's welcome in Texas; it's that friend who comes into town and keeps deciding to extend his trip one more weekend. To me, summer is halter tops and rap music, lying by the pool, staying out too late, wearing light nail polish and bright colors. There's something so juvenile about the summertime. It's too extreme and too crazy. Everyone is half-naked so nothing really seems sexy. Social interaction takes place over melty ice cream and is finished in about half an hour. People traipse off to exotic locales or stay home and shop for that new pair of plastic sandals.
Fall, on the other hand, has some weight to it. In the fall you have long conversations over coffee while looking chic in a sweater and jeans. Fall is dark lipstick and spicy perfume; it's baking cookies and visiting family. I think that Fall is also a much more grown-up season than summer. When you stay up late on a summer night it's to go out dancing with friends, when you stay up late in the fall it's to curl up on the couch and watch your favorite movie.
When you're married it's surprising what things make you feel married. Things like watching the Late Show together in bed while one of you reads the paper (or, in our case, while one of you reads online news.) And I always get really excited about all the couple-y things to do in the Fall. I wish it would go ahead and get cold so that we could bake sugar cookies, or so that we had some justification for staying in all night and playing video games. I'm ready to break out my sweaters, to buy a new wool coat, and to finally get a pair of knee-high boots.
Bottom line: I'm not an out-doorsy sort of girl. And when it's all nice outside you can't do anything without feeling like you're "wasting" the weather. But when it's cold and windy and kayaking would be out of the question, all of the options involve being indoors and performing a sort of human hibernation that centers around food and cuddling.
So away with you summer! Be gone! I tire of your heat and your humidity, and of my through-the-roof air conditioning bills. How about if I promised to bake you some cookies?
Fall, on the other hand, has some weight to it. In the fall you have long conversations over coffee while looking chic in a sweater and jeans. Fall is dark lipstick and spicy perfume; it's baking cookies and visiting family. I think that Fall is also a much more grown-up season than summer. When you stay up late on a summer night it's to go out dancing with friends, when you stay up late in the fall it's to curl up on the couch and watch your favorite movie.
When you're married it's surprising what things make you feel married. Things like watching the Late Show together in bed while one of you reads the paper (or, in our case, while one of you reads online news.) And I always get really excited about all the couple-y things to do in the Fall. I wish it would go ahead and get cold so that we could bake sugar cookies, or so that we had some justification for staying in all night and playing video games. I'm ready to break out my sweaters, to buy a new wool coat, and to finally get a pair of knee-high boots.
Bottom line: I'm not an out-doorsy sort of girl. And when it's all nice outside you can't do anything without feeling like you're "wasting" the weather. But when it's cold and windy and kayaking would be out of the question, all of the options involve being indoors and performing a sort of human hibernation that centers around food and cuddling.
So away with you summer! Be gone! I tire of your heat and your humidity, and of my through-the-roof air conditioning bills. How about if I promised to bake you some cookies?
Monday, September 12, 2005
Growing Up Giani
R: Dude, let me read you the description of this crazy case - oh, sorry. I'll tell you after you finish your Manifesto.
MG: Cool.
MG: Cool.
Not a Native Speaker
There was a time in my life when I felt like I spoke a foreign language; like I didn't have the ability to say what I needed to. I wondered if I would ever know the words to express certain things, to take that all-important step in dealing with personal struggles that is sharing them with another person. Maybe that's why I always had so much trouble being part of reality: so much of what was real to me was going on inside my head.
I think I've come a long way. I took baby steps; first I learned to say simple things like "this hurts me" and "i need help with this". And eventually a good friend showed me that I, just like everyone else, was capable of crying in front of another person. Slowly I lost my accent, I built up my vocabulary, until I could make it through almost every day without anyone realizing how much of a struggle it was for me.
But there are still times when it all gets to be too much, when too many things are happening around me and in my head, and I simply can't manage to translate what's inside of me. I can write a paper or a legal memo that will put a thesaurus to shame, but when it really matters I don't have any words at all. I become incapable of saying anything
Saying something to another person makes it real.
I think I've come a long way. I took baby steps; first I learned to say simple things like "this hurts me" and "i need help with this". And eventually a good friend showed me that I, just like everyone else, was capable of crying in front of another person. Slowly I lost my accent, I built up my vocabulary, until I could make it through almost every day without anyone realizing how much of a struggle it was for me.
But there are still times when it all gets to be too much, when too many things are happening around me and in my head, and I simply can't manage to translate what's inside of me. I can write a paper or a legal memo that will put a thesaurus to shame, but when it really matters I don't have any words at all. I become incapable of saying anything
Saying something to another person makes it real.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Sometimes life is like an 80's movie
Sometimes you drive home late at night, mulling over all the studying still have to do, sighing at all of the challenges you face. And sometimes as you make your way home, "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips will come on the radio, forcing you to turn the volume up and roll down the windows and to sing at the top of your lungs, your large and curly hair blowing in the wind in a testament to all that is 80's and flourescent. You will finish your work - of course you will! And when you've finished, the coolest guy in school will ask you to the prom and you will celebrate by purchasing a new vest and some Sassoons.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Maybe the tiniest bit of me bleeds burnt orange
It's hard not knowing what to do, hard feeling disconnected and helpless as you funnel invisible money to the Red Cross via the miracle of the net. It's hard that it isn't less hard; that we can shake our heads in disbelief while watching the news from our comfortable chairs and beds and lives.
I know that I complain about Law School too much and about how it can be so competitive and cutthroat and soulless. It's not always these things. This afternoon an email was sent out to all of the law students that said:
While registration problems are critical, they pale in comparison to what our neighbors are experiencing after Katrina. I'm sure that you are deeply concerned about their situation and wondering what we as a law school community can do. Rest assured that our administration is working with Tulane Law School and offering assistance in several ways. One of those is our Admissions Office admitting Tulane upper-division students as visitors. So expect to see some new faces next week. Your helping them get adjusted to Austin and UT and catching up in classes will be greatly appreciated. Additionally, some of our students are from the affected area. If you need to go home to be with your family but can't due to financial reasons, please see Dean Powers or me. Please let us know what you need.
As evidence of the fact that I'm a hidden sap, I actually got a little teary-eyed reading the email. It's amazing to see how willing everyone is to help out, and to feel like you're part of an organization or program that's willing to do what they can.
I think I'll be wearing my UT Law t-shirt tomorrow.
I know that I complain about Law School too much and about how it can be so competitive and cutthroat and soulless. It's not always these things. This afternoon an email was sent out to all of the law students that said:
While registration problems are critical, they pale in comparison to what our neighbors are experiencing after Katrina. I'm sure that you are deeply concerned about their situation and wondering what we as a law school community can do. Rest assured that our administration is working with Tulane Law School and offering assistance in several ways. One of those is our Admissions Office admitting Tulane upper-division students as visitors. So expect to see some new faces next week. Your helping them get adjusted to Austin and UT and catching up in classes will be greatly appreciated. Additionally, some of our students are from the affected area. If you need to go home to be with your family but can't due to financial reasons, please see Dean Powers or me. Please let us know what you need.
As evidence of the fact that I'm a hidden sap, I actually got a little teary-eyed reading the email. It's amazing to see how willing everyone is to help out, and to feel like you're part of an organization or program that's willing to do what they can.
I think I'll be wearing my UT Law t-shirt tomorrow.
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