This best part about this article is the company it puts us lawyers in.
Most people usually don't think of lawyers as introverted, but the bulk of the lawyers out there aren't Jack McCoy trial lawyers (though I guess he's the DA now, and no longer a trial lawyer). They sit in offices and sift through paperwork for 90% of the time.
The problem is that the other 10% of the time, you have to fight your introvert nature. And not just by going to social/marketing events (dinner parties, etc.) but for really important, case-dispositive things. Court appearances, contentious telephone calls with opposing counsel--these are tough for the introvert to navigate. I know, because I have a very strong introvert streak.
But it works out in the end, at least in my case. My introversion stems mostly from being uncomfortable when I don't have the full picture of the situation. I don't like not having all the information, so when I'm in that situation I tend to sit back and nod, or just take notes. But when I do have all the information (or--and this is key--when I think I do) I use that as a means to cut right through my introvert tendencies. This works out great in court, when I've had a chance to prepare, review statutes, and so forth. It works okay in deposition, when you're never 100% sure what the witness will say.
It still works poorly when I have to call people, especially when I need something from them.
Maybe I should have been a "systems analyst", whatever the hell that is.
May 28, 2008
May 27, 2008
What It Do (Did)
Another grand Memorial Day is past us, and so I look back in reflection at all that I accomplished.
- Re-arranged the apartment. Now I need more furniture. I floated the idea of opening a small break-dancing studio using the extra space, but it was summarily voted down by interested parties.
- Saw Indiana Jones. The new one. The first 45 minutes were gangbusters, definitely Indy at his best. The second half was more tedious and lost some of the spark somehow. A mix of an A and a C- movie.
- Even did some work! Not a hell of a lot, but anything that keeps me paid is good.
- Play about 30 minutes of Call of Duty. I figured I had to, in honor of the holiday. I memorialized our fallen servicemen and women by shooting the hell out of some terrorists. Or someone, I lost track of the plot. But (virtual) bullets were fired.
That's about it, actually. Sunday was particularly productive, as two of the above items occurred then. Monday was sort of useless, but it should serve to speed the week up quite nicely.
- Re-arranged the apartment. Now I need more furniture. I floated the idea of opening a small break-dancing studio using the extra space, but it was summarily voted down by interested parties.
- Saw Indiana Jones. The new one. The first 45 minutes were gangbusters, definitely Indy at his best. The second half was more tedious and lost some of the spark somehow. A mix of an A and a C- movie.
- Even did some work! Not a hell of a lot, but anything that keeps me paid is good.
- Play about 30 minutes of Call of Duty. I figured I had to, in honor of the holiday. I memorialized our fallen servicemen and women by shooting the hell out of some terrorists. Or someone, I lost track of the plot. But (virtual) bullets were fired.
That's about it, actually. Sunday was particularly productive, as two of the above items occurred then. Monday was sort of useless, but it should serve to speed the week up quite nicely.
May 23, 2008
That Liberal Guilt
Lots is being said these days about so-called "liberal guilt". Mostly, it's being said in conjunction with voting for/against Obama, but there's an interesting article in Slate that says hey, maybe it's not so bad to have some liberal guilt.
People who point to liberal guilt as a sickness do not really understand what it means. They get caught up in an admittedly murky distinction between Personal Guilt and the less-used Collective Guilt.
When I was in 1st or 2nd grade, I stole something from a classmate. I found it on the ground (I can't even remember what it was now--a pen?) and when she asked for it back I said it was mine. I was eventually reprimanded, and to this day I do not remember why I thought it was such a good idea to insist it was mine. I also feel a little guilty about the entire ordeal (including involving my kindergarten-aged sister! Sorry Kate!).
That is personal guilt. It's what we all feel, unless we are sociopaths, about the things we screw up in our lives. I feel no personal guilt whatsoever for slavery, or for the systemic annihilation of the Native Americans, and so forth.
But here's the thing, folks: the United States is a (representative) democracy. We are the United States, we are the government, we are the elected officials that we put in charge. The mistakes made by America are our mistakes. And just as I still feel personal guilt for idiotic things I did as a 6-year-old, I feel collective guilt for the idiotic (an understatement in many cases) mistakes of our young nation.
What purpose does this collective guilt serve? Obviously, unlike with personal guilt, I was not around when slavery was instituted or abolished. But the entire point of guilt is to learn from your mistakes. When personal, it is a visceral reaction that reminds you, "Hey man, remember this similar situation before? Remember how that worked out?"
There's no reason collective guilt cannot function the same way. "Remember slavery? Remember the casual disenfranchising of thousands of Japanese Americans during World War II? Let's not do that again." Will we still, collectively, make mistakes? Without a doubt--and in 50 years when this decade is heralded as one of the nadirs of the American experiment, I will feel my collective guilt.
But hopefully we can use this "liberal guilt" to enact measures to prevent these things from happening again. We can promote things like affirmative action and the Civil Rights Act (way to go, boomers!) not as direct responses to slavery, but as guards against the kind of behavior and attitudes that led to slavery in the first place.
People who point to liberal guilt as a sickness do not really understand what it means. They get caught up in an admittedly murky distinction between Personal Guilt and the less-used Collective Guilt.
When I was in 1st or 2nd grade, I stole something from a classmate. I found it on the ground (I can't even remember what it was now--a pen?) and when she asked for it back I said it was mine. I was eventually reprimanded, and to this day I do not remember why I thought it was such a good idea to insist it was mine. I also feel a little guilty about the entire ordeal (including involving my kindergarten-aged sister! Sorry Kate!).
That is personal guilt. It's what we all feel, unless we are sociopaths, about the things we screw up in our lives. I feel no personal guilt whatsoever for slavery, or for the systemic annihilation of the Native Americans, and so forth.
But here's the thing, folks: the United States is a (representative) democracy. We are the United States, we are the government, we are the elected officials that we put in charge. The mistakes made by America are our mistakes. And just as I still feel personal guilt for idiotic things I did as a 6-year-old, I feel collective guilt for the idiotic (an understatement in many cases) mistakes of our young nation.
What purpose does this collective guilt serve? Obviously, unlike with personal guilt, I was not around when slavery was instituted or abolished. But the entire point of guilt is to learn from your mistakes. When personal, it is a visceral reaction that reminds you, "Hey man, remember this similar situation before? Remember how that worked out?"
There's no reason collective guilt cannot function the same way. "Remember slavery? Remember the casual disenfranchising of thousands of Japanese Americans during World War II? Let's not do that again." Will we still, collectively, make mistakes? Without a doubt--and in 50 years when this decade is heralded as one of the nadirs of the American experiment, I will feel my collective guilt.
But hopefully we can use this "liberal guilt" to enact measures to prevent these things from happening again. We can promote things like affirmative action and the Civil Rights Act (way to go, boomers!) not as direct responses to slavery, but as guards against the kind of behavior and attitudes that led to slavery in the first place.
May 21, 2008
Justice Clinton?
This is actually not a terrible idea.
It would let her step out of her pandering political style and fight over real issues, without having to worry about public opinion. And it will prevent her from popping up again in 2012, 2016, and so forth.
Whatever you think of her politics, Clinton has a keen legal mind and is a born fighter, two qualities that would serve her well as a Supreme. And she's young enough that she'd be on the bench for ages, which is great.
Obama should absolutely do this if given the opportunity. Would she accept?
It would let her step out of her pandering political style and fight over real issues, without having to worry about public opinion. And it will prevent her from popping up again in 2012, 2016, and so forth.
Whatever you think of her politics, Clinton has a keen legal mind and is a born fighter, two qualities that would serve her well as a Supreme. And she's young enough that she'd be on the bench for ages, which is great.
Obama should absolutely do this if given the opportunity. Would she accept?
May 20, 2008
Five Things I Have Thus Far Learned From Playing GTA4
1. It's so pretty.
2. Do not ram into gas stations. It will end poorly for you.
3. Floor it immediately after you jack somebody's car, because man will they put up a fight otherwise.
4. So very pretty.
5. Despite all the upgrades in graphics, control, and depth of play, it's still just awesome to watch a string of cars erupt into fireballs on the freeway.
2. Do not ram into gas stations. It will end poorly for you.
3. Floor it immediately after you jack somebody's car, because man will they put up a fight otherwise.
4. So very pretty.
5. Despite all the upgrades in graphics, control, and depth of play, it's still just awesome to watch a string of cars erupt into fireballs on the freeway.
May 19, 2008
Dear Law School Development Staff:
I will not be sending you any money. Please stop asking.
The reason for this is two-fold. First, as you are aware, I have a crushing amount of personal debt that needs to be taken care of. It is manageable and being managed, but it is also the size of a house down payment.
This debt does not preclude me from donating money to other sources--public television, friends' charity races, and so forth--but consider that I presently pay more than $1,000 to you for my legal education every month already. Yes, you received this money 5 years ago. Excellent for you. But I am paying for it now. Why on Earth would I want to donate more money at this time?
The second reason? Well, you know I don't care much about things like prestige and law school rankings. But others do, and this includes potential employers down the line. Unfortunately, my degree is worth less now than when I earned it, thanks to the school's decline in the oft-maligned academic rankings? I am not personally bothered by this, because I could give a rat's ass where somebody went to get their education. But it does alter my economic potential to see the school drop.
You could argue that more donations from alumni might help reverse this trend. I disagree. And, even were you all to successfully crack the top 50 schools in the country, the first reason still applies: I already gave you a life-altering amount of cash.
(this letter, or a slightly more professional variant, will be going in the return envelope to every USD alumni contribution request I receive for the next 10 years)
The reason for this is two-fold. First, as you are aware, I have a crushing amount of personal debt that needs to be taken care of. It is manageable and being managed, but it is also the size of a house down payment.
This debt does not preclude me from donating money to other sources--public television, friends' charity races, and so forth--but consider that I presently pay more than $1,000 to you for my legal education every month already. Yes, you received this money 5 years ago. Excellent for you. But I am paying for it now. Why on Earth would I want to donate more money at this time?
The second reason? Well, you know I don't care much about things like prestige and law school rankings. But others do, and this includes potential employers down the line. Unfortunately, my degree is worth less now than when I earned it, thanks to the school's decline in the oft-maligned academic rankings? I am not personally bothered by this, because I could give a rat's ass where somebody went to get their education. But it does alter my economic potential to see the school drop.
You could argue that more donations from alumni might help reverse this trend. I disagree. And, even were you all to successfully crack the top 50 schools in the country, the first reason still applies: I already gave you a life-altering amount of cash.
(this letter, or a slightly more professional variant, will be going in the return envelope to every USD alumni contribution request I receive for the next 10 years)
May 13, 2008
This Troubles Me
I've had a post circulating in my brain for awhile now, but I haven't been sure how to state my thoughts.
Today in the Post there was an article on racism and the Obama campaign.
Now I could be wrong about this, in which case--like most predictions or portents of doom--nobody will even remember what I prophesied. And I'll be really glad if it doesn't come to be.
But here's the concern:
Not electing Barack Obama in 2008 could be the end of our country. The end of America's reign as the leading superpower in the world. It could be the moment that historians 500 years from now look back and say, "That was the straw that broke America's back."
The reason? It will destroy a vast portion of our society and citizenry if Obama is defeated because people cannot vote for a black man. And I'm not sure they can, especially given the sentiments described in the above article. I hope to God we are ready, and that America can step up and do this.
But if we're not, what does this mean? The level of resentment--of sheer anger--could be higher than anything we've experienced before. The divide between the progressives and the racist underbelly may be drawn into stark and unflinching view. Can we handle looking at ourselves this way? Can we not take to the streets, and tear out this rotten core?
Maybe it won't be so obvious. Maybe enough conservatives will convince the rest of the country that they voted policy, and not color. Maybe they actually will, and for some reason 51% of the country will disagree with Obama. But given the past 8 years--more than 70% of the country hates our current President--and the lack of change from McCain (who is rapidly disappointing me by dropping all his reformist opinions), I really don't see how most people can argue voting Republican in November.
If they do, I think that might be it for us. Never before have we had such a remarkable candidate who also happens to be black. If we can't vote for him because of his skin color, well then we don't deserve to be a superpower. We don't deserve the national unity required to remain a superpower. We deserve to crumble as Rome did. We deserve to be torn apart from the inside.
So for all you conservatives out there -- you better damn well make your case against Obama on policy, and make it strong. I may disagree with your ideas, but I respect them.
You independents and "apolitical" types better take a long, hard look at your reasons before you vote against him. If Obama loses because of your racist attitudes, I'll be first in line in any revolution that may follow. I'll call for your heads, and if this country burns I will be glad to see it go.
Today in the Post there was an article on racism and the Obama campaign.
Now I could be wrong about this, in which case--like most predictions or portents of doom--nobody will even remember what I prophesied. And I'll be really glad if it doesn't come to be.
But here's the concern:
Not electing Barack Obama in 2008 could be the end of our country. The end of America's reign as the leading superpower in the world. It could be the moment that historians 500 years from now look back and say, "That was the straw that broke America's back."
The reason? It will destroy a vast portion of our society and citizenry if Obama is defeated because people cannot vote for a black man. And I'm not sure they can, especially given the sentiments described in the above article. I hope to God we are ready, and that America can step up and do this.
But if we're not, what does this mean? The level of resentment--of sheer anger--could be higher than anything we've experienced before. The divide between the progressives and the racist underbelly may be drawn into stark and unflinching view. Can we handle looking at ourselves this way? Can we not take to the streets, and tear out this rotten core?
Maybe it won't be so obvious. Maybe enough conservatives will convince the rest of the country that they voted policy, and not color. Maybe they actually will, and for some reason 51% of the country will disagree with Obama. But given the past 8 years--more than 70% of the country hates our current President--and the lack of change from McCain (who is rapidly disappointing me by dropping all his reformist opinions), I really don't see how most people can argue voting Republican in November.
If they do, I think that might be it for us. Never before have we had such a remarkable candidate who also happens to be black. If we can't vote for him because of his skin color, well then we don't deserve to be a superpower. We don't deserve the national unity required to remain a superpower. We deserve to crumble as Rome did. We deserve to be torn apart from the inside.
So for all you conservatives out there -- you better damn well make your case against Obama on policy, and make it strong. I may disagree with your ideas, but I respect them.
You independents and "apolitical" types better take a long, hard look at your reasons before you vote against him. If Obama loses because of your racist attitudes, I'll be first in line in any revolution that may follow. I'll call for your heads, and if this country burns I will be glad to see it go.
May 2, 2008
So, What the Hell Was That?
Did anyone ever see that fairly lame Disney movie from the late 70s, The Black Hole? It had Anthony Perkins, Ernest Borgnine, and a crapload of annoying robots?
It holds a strange place in my heart, that movie. 80% is stupid Disney crap, but then near then end it gets really messed up. First, there's this big red evil robot which gave me nightmares* and who at the end of the movie purees Tony Perkins with a big ol' fan blade. It's really graphic, for a kids' movie.
Then there's the real ending, where (spoilers?) the ship goes into the black hole and we get a trippy ending in which the bad guy merges with the evil robot Maximilian, and perhaps lives to eternity trapped in the cold hard shell of his own evil creation. Or, he goes to hell. Or, they all die and it's a dream. I dunno, but that is some seriously weird shit to watch when you're like, 5.
Perkins bites it hard - YouTube.
*This even comes up because I had a dream with a big red robot of nondescript intentions. But when I woke up it made me think of this red fucker, and now I'm a little bit weirded out for the day.
It holds a strange place in my heart, that movie. 80% is stupid Disney crap, but then near then end it gets really messed up. First, there's this big red evil robot which gave me nightmares* and who at the end of the movie purees Tony Perkins with a big ol' fan blade. It's really graphic, for a kids' movie.
Then there's the real ending, where (spoilers?) the ship goes into the black hole and we get a trippy ending in which the bad guy merges with the evil robot Maximilian, and perhaps lives to eternity trapped in the cold hard shell of his own evil creation. Or, he goes to hell. Or, they all die and it's a dream. I dunno, but that is some seriously weird shit to watch when you're like, 5.
Perkins bites it hard - YouTube.
*This even comes up because I had a dream with a big red robot of nondescript intentions. But when I woke up it made me think of this red fucker, and now I'm a little bit weirded out for the day.
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