Spinal Tap

David St. Hubbins : It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever. -This is Spinal Tap

I think in law school there is a fine line between zealous and apathetic. If you fall too far on one side you might end up as an ambulance chaser for the rest of your life. If you fall too far on the other side you might end up riding in an ambulance with the nice men in their white uniforms to your new home: a nice padded room with a comfortably padded bed. Or worse yet, riding with the not quite-as-nice, but just as professional men in the blue suits who have come to take you to your new home in a not quite so nice room with bars and an uncomfortable bed. This is a possibility because people who fall on the zealous side of law students are subject to breaking at the slightest provocation.

Salieri

In the play Amadeus, Tom Stoppard refers to Salieri (or more truthfully Salieri refers to himself) as the patron saint of mediocrity. I have been reflecting on this intensely the past few days. Law School seems to intensify emotions of otherwise highly intelligent and rational individuals. I think this is at least in part due to the fact that all of us here have in some way defined our personalities and indeed our very self-worth on our "superior" intellect. Well, here at law school those distinctions melt away. Everyone here has a superior intellect. That's how they got here. So it becomes emotionally draining to some to have to redefine themselves and figure out where they fit in the universe.
I have been considering the larger picture, where I fit in in the world, universe, ect. I credit this, in part, to Jeremy Blachman, 3L at Harvard. If you want to read an incredibly enlightening and extremely entertaining web blog, you should go to his immediately. http://www.jeremyblachman.blogspot.com/ You can see why he is at Harvard and I'm not. Which returns me to my inital observation, mediocrity.
I have been pondering whether getting a law degree in Arkansas is the eqivilant of being the champion of mediocrity. Claiming to be one of the intellectual intelligenca of Arkansas is tantamount to claiming to be the "coldest desert in the world." Its still a desert.
However, I have decided that mediocrity is in the eye of the beholder. That may sound trite but I am beginning to truly believe that you are what you think you are. I am so much more than a law student, and those are the things that define who I am. And as long as I allow myself to define who I am and not my surroundings, then I will be fine.
Reading Jeremy I have realized that if you want anyone to continue to read what you write it must be funny. Here then is my list for the day, sponsored by Stewart Smally. (“I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And gosh darn it, people like me.”)

Top Ten Cool Things About Me

10. I watch Mystery Science Theater 3000 (religously)

9. I won a rubber duckie as a trophy for being a debate coach

8. I have an extensive Laserdisc collection

7. KARAOKE KING

6. I survived Army basic training

5. I once spent a semester living in Greece

4. I am the commissioner of a very successful fantasy sports league

3. My Keen fashion sense

2. I own a set of the Great Books

1. My ability to include searchable words in top ten lists

Thanks for sticking with the post. I promise to be funnier in subsequent posts.

To Publish or Not to Publish

I have decided to write this blog for a couple of weeks before I publish any of it. I don't figue anyone will read it for a couple of months (years?) anyway so I have time. Also, I want to prove to myself that I can continue a journal writing exercise. The only journal I was ever able to keep on a full time basis was when I was overseas for a semseter in undergrad work and we were required to keep a journal for a grade for a class. Hopefully it is just my MTV-assalted attention span and not some sort of ethical flaw in my personality that keeps me from recording my thoughts and actions. We shall see.
I got the idea to start keeping this blog from a blog I am reading by Jeremy Blachman. http://www.jeremyblachman.blogspot.com/ I have no real vision for this Blog, but I will try to find one very soon so this does not become a ship without a moore, adrift in the vast sea of innane rambling. Anyhoo, I figure that I should include fun facts to keep people reading, so.....FUN FACT: The criminal law book we have begins with a fairly lengthy discussion of laws about Sodomy. Is this their idea of "grabbing our attention?" I'm scared and confused.

Beginning Continuation

I had written a long introduction about myself and why I'm calling this blog Continuation, but it was really self absorbed (and worse, boring), so I deleted it all. Suffice it to say that my title references an early autobiography by Kenneth Branagh. I'm assuming that anyone that would want to read this can figure the rest out.
The reason I decided to start this blog is to have a place where my germinating ideas can grow and breed, leaving space in my brain for my law school info.
First idea is this principal from Contracts class. We discussed the fact that past consideration is no consideration. Without explaining too much to the intelligent non-lawyers in the audience, this concept means you can't form a contract using the past actions of one party as part of the deal. Anyway, I think this would make a great line for an action movie, perhaps starring Bruce Willis. I can see Bruce, bloodied and beaten, staring down his long-lost half brother, about to shoot him with an explosive tipped arrow.

John (Bruce Willis): Your time is up, Alfonse.

Alfonse: But John, while mulling over your desire to blow me up with unnecessary force, consider the time I saved your life at the lake, where we used to play before I became evil, joined an extremist paramilitary group, and then tried to blow up New York (Where you live), LA (where your estranged wife and children live, and D.C. (for the heck of it, adding several characters and plot options open for the seven to ten writer's who will eventually all get simultaneous billing for writing this script that a seventh grader could have done by herself).

John: Past Consideration is no Consideration.


Perhaps this seems funnier to me as I have been studying law exclusively for the past couple of months.