It's My Birthday and I will Cry If I Want To

First, thank you to all of you who have wished me a happy birthday. Those who have taken the time to send me an ecard or a card in the mail - it means a lot to me. I have yet to open the cards from the Grogans or the Macauleys or even from my relatives in Nebraska. I feel a little weird opening a birthday card before the day, so when I get home tonight I will spend some time reading and I am sure laughing.

I have almost been in New York City for a year. It is crazy, fun and weird. I miss all my friends from Ohio a lot. Although I have some friends here, there is no doubt that my true friends can be found in Ohio. I still wonder if moving to New York was the correct decision, or if taking the New York bar was in any way a good idea to begin with 3 years ago. I know that I am 3 more years away from waiving into Ohio and practicing there if I so decide. Birthdays like this make me question the decisions that I have made and the choices that I still have left.

I am 29. The last year before 30. I can still say I am in my 20s, but only for 365 more days - that is crazy! For now, however, I will just dwell on the last few decisions I have made...I SUCK AT PICKING THOSE WILL BE TOSSED FROM AMERICAN IDOL!

This week I think Kelly P should go. She was piss poor - has been for sometime. However, she is still the favorite on votefortheworst.com. She is getting votes just because she sucks - good for her! If it is not K.P., then I think Elliot or Paris should go. They are my bottom 3. We shall see.

KP is outta here and Farts

I figured that the title will get your attention, and maybe a few giggles (christie).

First and foremost, Kelly Pickler is gone tonight - mark my word!

Second, while looking at my LEIMUN email (it is a different account than my main one), gmail decided to give me a fun link to look at. Here is what it is:

Dear Yahoo!:

Why do beans give people gas?

Tracy Troy, Michigan

Dear Tracy:

Your question reminds us of that ancient proverb, as recited by Bart Simpson: "Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot." Bart speaks the truth, for few foods inspire as much gastrointestinal activity as a plate full of beans. Hold your breath as we sniff out the science behind the smells. Kidz World explains that beans contain sugars the human body simply cannot digest. Once these sugars (called oligosaccharides) reach a person's lower intestines, "the bacteria go berserk, start feasting, and make loads of gas." Before you know it -- toxic fumes. This rather amusing list of "fart facts" states the most "offensive sugars" are raffinose, stachiose, and verbascose, all of which are found in beans. The site goes on to explain that while it's possible to ignite a fart, it's definitely not recommended, as severe injury and a potentially humiliating trip to the emergency room can result. What if you're a considerate bean lover who doesn't wish to punish your friends and family? We found a recipe for preparing dry baked beans that enables you to enjoy the musical fruit without causing a cacophony of side effects. Bon appetit.

Good to know.

Oh Well (Hell)

I was wrong about AI last night, oh well.

Ireland pics can be seen here: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jamisonbacher/album?.dir=/ea42&.src=ph&.tok=ph2WStEBpCr3gEGf

Thanks.

Paris' End

It is my humble opinion that Paris will end her time on AI tonight. She looked like a whore and sounded like crap. As Simon put it at the end of last night's episode - "That was scary."

Buckey did a pretty good job and I liked Taylor Hick's impression of a 40 year old on speed. The themes this year are odd, and I just don't think that the performers are all that good.

Stuff On My Cat Dot Com And FAREWELL!

Special thanks goes out to Hily G so this post. She pointed me in the direction of a kick-ass website called stuffonmycat.com.

Let me start by saying that I am not in any way a fan of cats. I am a dog person and the only cat I liked was one that came with my house when I lived in Trumbull Township - he died. My brother has a cat, but the cat hisses at everyone and always attacks me. My Uncle (Ned) has cats, but most run away when people come to the house. Kristen has two cats, wait those are dogs, I like those.

In any case, enjoy the page and take a trip to Hily G's Blog to thank her.


Also, have a great week - I am outta here for a few days. Germany, then England, then Ireland, then England, then Germany, then home.

So Many Bad Movies

There are so many bad movies out there that seem to receive critical acclaim. I just don't get it! Take for example the movie that I saw on Friday night. My brother persuaded me to see it by saying that all his friends LOVED it and thought it was SO funny. I did not realize that he in fact hated the movie. I watched the movie throughout hoping that it would end soon - but an hour and 20 minutes later it was still going. I actually feel dumber because of the movie. I had to watch the remake of the Bad News Bears to feel entertained again - and that wasn't an entertaining movie either!

Vote for the Worst?

I came across this site. I am sure this is not a new site, but as I am a fan of American Idol I thought it would be interesting to promote it. The name of the site is VoteForTheWorst.com.

Kind of an interesting site, as they purport to be the one who kept Scott (the big dude) on for so many weeks last year. They main reason for being is to exploit the AI "audience vote" through a campaign of voting for the "worst" singers each week. This year they say that they have been voting for Kevin ever since the start of the competition - thus the reason why he is still on.

Next week they want everyone to vote for Kelly Picker because they think that she is the worst. Only time will tell what will happen, but I added them to Myspace account.

Movie or Commercial? AI-less

First, the important news. I missed AI last night! I did not realize that AI was 2 hours and my TiVo was set to tape "The Unit." I am just starting to figure out the "Priority List" that TiVo requires and realized that The Unit was higher than AI. I can assure you that this will never happen again. I ended up watching part of AI on regular TV - which was not very clear. I saw a couple of them, Pikler, Hicks, Chicken Little and Catarine McFee. All in all I think it was okay. I have no idea who will get kicked, but I am sure if you goto Kristen's blog (listed as "One of the best soon to be writers of our Generation) on the right, she will give you her opinion.

Second. On te way from court this morning I noticed that half of one of the subway stops was closed. As I walked on the other side I saw cameras and other people reorgainzing the trains. I found out that they were filming there at that very spot. I walked past and overheard the director person say "bring them down" and a group of business dressed people walked down the stairs. Since this was my first time seeing this, I thought it was cool. I did take a pic and will post it here when I get home.

The Trial of the Century - That NEVER HAPPENED

If A Trial Never Happens, but the Trial is Still Scheduled and All Parties but One Know What is Going On, Was There Still A Trial?

I arrive in court on time and ready to go. I spent the previous few days going through transcripts, preparing for the witnesses who will be called. I concentrated on the injuries and the medicals and even spent some time on the internet researching L5-S1 disk bulges and radiculopathy. 2 hours later my case is called to the Judge's clerk (they like to conference these things first). Myself and three other attorneys sit down before the clerk. The clerk remembers one attorney from a previous meeting and the other he is on a first name basis with. I am the only person in the room who is new. Nevertheless, the clerk asks me what the case is about and has me explain the injuries.

When I was finished, the attorney who is on a first named basis with the clerk asks me, rather pointadly, how I expect to get through threshold with the little injuries I have. My response, you should have brought that issue up before - because you are already beyond the Rules of Procedure's statute of limitations for such a motion. Then he shrugs and follows up with another question: "How can you blame this accident on my client when there was no contact with his vehicle." My response: "Your driver failed to securly fastion luggage on the top of his vehicle as evidenced by it falling onto the Van Wyck Highway and three cars having to swerve out of the way." He just looked at me, so I told him that that issue should be left to the jury.

The clerk asked me questions about the driver of the vehicle, who happens to be the brother of my client. I told him that we did not sue him, but I know that one of the other parties brought him in. However, I did not have an answer from the brother and none of the attorneys would admit that they are representing that man as well (most of these guys were here just to get through this stage and would not handle the trial anyways). I told the clerk that there had been some movement on the settlement of the case, but not nearly where I would like it. He suggested that we give it a few more weeks to work through these issues and then come back on April 19 - ug...by that point I will have forgotten all this! I had no choice, so I went back to the office and thought about what I would have been doing on Sunday had I not prepared for the trial that never happened - thank goodness for TiVo!!

Can anyone guess where these pictures came from?

My First Trial???

Happy St. Patrick's Day To All!!

So I have been working really hard lately to settle this case. Not too good on damages, but liability is a slam dunk. There are several defendants and their insurance companies are giving me the run around. I told this to Mr. Saftler and his response was: "Let's Try It!" Ummm, that means that I will be trying my first case on Monday in the Bronx. I am a little excited, and a little worried. This weekend will be spent preparing for the trial and making sure that all my experts are lined up. I am really happy that I did that trial work in Law School - I wonder how close this is to the mock-trial competitions I did in Law School?

As far as careers go, things are going pretty well for me. I have made a lot of contacts in the city and even got a call about a potential new client who I am going to meet tonight. That is the key to this business, you have to bring cases in and then you are good to go. Every day is still new for me, so I am really happy about the choice that I have made. I love the fact that I go to work and learn something new all the time. Is my boss sometimes difficult to work for? Sure, but who's is not? Can I make more money elsewhere? Definately, but I would not be getting the experience that I an getting now.

AI - All The Girls Will Remain This Week

Why oh why would you pick Stevie Wonder as the first “theme”?

Ace Young
Do I Do

Pretty sure that he was singing to one of the guys in the first row in the start. Note to Ace, breathing hard at the end of a sentence does NOT make you sound better. I think he picked the wrong song and is far too white.

Once again, we saw that Paula really does not know what the hell she is doing, and is only interested in getting into Ace’s pants.

Kellie Pickler
Blame it on the Sun

I think Kelly and Stevie made out behind the scenes…that will come out on the later released “deleted scenes” dvd. I thought for sure she was going to trip and fall before getting on the stage. She sang this song like a country song. It is not her thing. As long as she continues to talk, she will be fine. America has fallen in love with her and thus she is fine. She may be in trouble this week. I also think that Ryan was making out with her as well.

Elliott Yamin
Blast Me Off My Feet

Good God, I thought I was at a wedding listening to some lame ass band. I am sure he sang this fine, but the song showed off his teeth too much. Randy says this is his comfort zone? I wonder if he stopped looking at Kellie’s boobs at any point during the performance. Paula once again shows us that she does not belong. She commented on the beginning video, rather than the performance itself.

Mandisa
Don’t You Worry Bout A Thing

Those are some big shoes! And…you KNOW Ryan looked up her dress – he likes them big girls. He also took them back stage and smelled them.

I think the performance was not too good. She was pretty piss poor for the start and then got a little better. As long as she is up in the range she is fine. When she tries to sing low, she is in trouble. Again, Paula only commented about things other than what was in the performance. I am pretty sure Simon was smelling the shoes during the performance because he liked the performance!

Bucky Covington
Superstition

I am thinking that he is not too much of a fan of the dark meat. I love the song. Maybe he should cut his hair. It was a little too curly – I thought he was Kellie Pickler at one point. This was the first person who actually sang a song with his own “thing.” Although, I think there were more words than just “Very Superstition” I guess I was wrong. Calling him Jessica Simpson may have been the funniest thing that Simon said so far, but then again he was smelling Mandisa’s shoes.

Note to Ryan, just because you laugh at something you said does not mean that you are funny.

Melissa McGhee
Lately

Good for her for wearing a dress, that was the only good thing about the performance. Paula is dumb.

Lisa Tucker
Signed Sealed and Delivered

Best yet! She put her own thing into the song, which is always good to see. I think that she did the best. I think Paula is drunk.

Kevin Covais
Part Time Lover

At least he has the 9 year olds. A man after my own heart! I think that I have found the only person who dances worse than me. Thank god they made that stage bigger – there would have been no room for him otherwise. All in all, he did a good job. Too bad he is wearing makeup, now he is like Ryan. But the best part was when he told Simon that he wasn’t expecting anything nice from Simon…maybe that will show people that he has balls and they will vote for him. He is kinda spunky.

Katharine McPhee
Until You Come Back To Me

I think she tried to compensate for her lack of talent by showing her breasts. It may have worked.

Taylor Hicks
Livin for the City

What a voice! He even danced a little. Great choice in song. I think that he is the one to beat this week. This may be Paula’s new boyfriend. Taylor and Ryan were dressed very similar – that may be an issue.

Paris Bennett
All I Do

What a voice from such a little person. She probably should not have been playing near the electrical socket before the song, her hair was a little too frizzy. Not too good of a performance. Not sure what she was doing with the “Break It Down” thing, but I think that she shot herself with that one. She may be gone this week. Randy and Paula liked her – they are on drugs, then again so did Simon – but he was sniffing Mandisa’s shoes.

Chris Daughtry
Higher Ground

He proved that just because you are singing Stevie Wonder, doesn’t mean that you have to sound like him. Problem was that he really did not “bring” it. I think Chris and Ace are going to have to fight over Paula.

Well, that’s it. It is over. This one is a little difficult to judge because so many suck. I am hoping that Ryan gets kicked off, but I don’t think that will happen.

Bottom 3:

Ace
Bucky
Kevin

I think that Ace and Kevin are the 2 lowest. No women will get booted this week.

TiVO

Yes, I broke down and purchased the TiVo unit over the weekend. I had digital cable installed and figured that if I was going to get cable that I will not use, I might as well get a service that allows me to better use the service that I will not use.

I purchased the 80 hour Series 2 box. These are my initial impressions:
1. When they say 80, they do not mean 80 hours. I get it to record at about 30 hours at excellent quality - anything less is useless.
2. I am a little surprised at the lag time it takes to change a channel. When I select the channel on TiVo, it takes about 5 seconds to change the channel on the Digital Box. I figured out that if I use the guide in TiVo, it will be better and quicker.
3. Since I just got it, I have not really utilized many of the features, but it has found of few shows that I enjoy watching and recorded them for me over the weekend.
4. I have the box synched with my mac and pc. I can use the TiVo to connect to my mac and play songs from itunes over my tv (which is connected to the stereo) also you can play new music every month with Best Buy's Featured artists. And should I ever have friends over, I can play all my pictures on the tv right from the computer. One of the nice things about the pc is that there is software that allows you to transfer your taped programs to your computer and watch them - for free!
5. There are a lot of things that I just do not know how to do - so maybe learning will be fun.

Thoughts on Religion

First, and foremost, although I did not have an opportunity to post my feelings about American Idol this week - each of those that I wanted to see get kicked off did in fact get kicked off. That being said, it has been a very strange week for me with everything going on with my grandmother. It has made me think alot about religion, spiratuality and God.

When I was talking with my mother the other night she pointed out that she was happy to know that she can pray to God for guidance and support. I am always surprised that people find themselves praying to God when they need help and when things are not going well. Does this actually help? Or is it merely a way to make yourself think that you are doing something - in a situation that you clearly have no control over.

Religious people always say that God has a plan for us. Silly, but I am always amazed how God's plan could allow anyone to suffer or anyone to go through what so many people go through on a daily basis. Those same people who talk about "God's plan" also say that the pain and suffering is part of the overall plan, but how can that be? How can a plan actually include people being hurt? What is the greater goal?

I was raised a religious person and even throughout my years in law school I attended church. I attended until the priest that I befriended became sick with cancer and could no longer perform the masses. This really hurt me because my grandfather had passed away a few years earlier from cancer. How can this be part of the plan?

Is god's plan really to see how many people he can make suffer before the whole world has had enough?

News

I got news tonight, and it is good and bad. I will post more when I better fully understand the situation. Those of you who have posted kind words and have kept my family in your prayers, I thank you.

Great Trip - But Horrible Flight Home

I will be posting information from the weekends fun. I got 20 autographs and also a baseball (well I went for it, hit it with my finger, and it fell into my father's shirt).

Before I do all that, I just wanted to ask a favor. I found out last night before getting on the flight home that my grandmother (Grandma Davis) was taken to the hospital yesterday because she had a mini-stroke. Most of you have met my grandmother, or at least her shag carpeting, so I would appreciate it if you could all keep her in your prayers. She is in good spirits, but this is the first time she has ever been in a hospital (she is almost 80!!!). Uncle Ned is with her and my mom will be hanging out for the next few days as well. Please keep her in your toughts.

Thanks!

Quick Trips are Much Better on a Plane than in the Bedroom

I am leaving on a jet plane in just a few hours and I will not stop until I touch down in Tampa, Florida. This will mark the second year in a row that I will be at Cleveland Indians Games in Winterhaven, Florida. So alas, no posts for this weekend. Have a great and wonderfully cold time and I will see ya all when I return (looking like a lobster).






So for now, enjoy the time and have a great weekend!

You Have Got To Bring Your A Game

Lets think about some of the comments we have heard over the last 2 nights on American Idol:

Simon: "I just don't think you picked the right song." "You need to get out of your comfort zone." "If I was listening to that on the radio, I would have changed the channel."

Paula: "Simon, you are so mean." "Why don't you try to be nicer Simon?" "You are just stupid, Simon." "I am moving away from you, Simon." Once she moves down - "I just don't think you picked the right song." "You need to get out of your comfort zone." "If I was listening to that on the radio, I would have changed the channel."

Randy: "Yo, dawg, how's it going?" "Yo Dawg, my Dog poud, yo dawg, thought that you, dawg, were in the dog pound, yoooooooo." "Dawg."

Ryan: "Simon, your shirts are too tight."

Titalating, I assure you! But hey...I did in fact watch - I admit it!

This week saw the guys and girls once again, but with only 10 of each. The first night, girls, was pretty sad. The only ones who were decent were the really young ones. The reason why they were decent is because it is amazing that at such a young age they could be as good as they are. I think that the best one was Mandisa. I worry, though, that the only reason why she is going to make it on further is because she is a large woman. I think that this year we are seeing all of the longshots make it further, just because it is good for the show. All in all, I think she is one of my favorites of the women - I think that she has the strongest voice of all the contestants and should continue on.

As for the guys...I was pretty shocked at how poor they were. I think they were MUCH better last week. The good thing is that because they all equally were poor, it will come down to favorites. Once again, Taylor Hicks remains at the top of my list.

My picks for who will be voted off are:

Brenna Gethers. Although she seems to know how to sing - I think that her attitude has gotten the best of her and people are ready to see her go.







David Radford - People have had enough of this kid. He sings the same things over and over again. I love "rat pack" music, but the Hip-Hop generation will not let him stay.

Hicks is Great - What the Shit is this Dancing Crap?

Although Taylor Hicks did not perform tonight, I still think that he is the best. Maybe he has ticks, maybe he is trying to be like that Wayans guy being like that Ray Charles guy...or maybe they all took the lead from him...hmm... I think that I will continue to watch AI until he is removed or wins.

I was really sad when Stevie was kicked off. Although I think she did not have the best of performances, I think that she was far better than some of the others. Plus, I think that she has a heck of a lot more potential than some of the other girls - like Brenna or Buckey, wait, I guess he is a guy.


Then after AI, there was some crazy show on with people dancing. I remember seeing this at some point, but thought for sure that I had found my way onto one of those 4 Spanish channels that I get for free. Little did I know, Jerry Rice was on this show. You must be kidding! I thought that he was still on the Suckos...but again I was wrong. I actually liked that one woman with too much cow fat in her lips - I guess her lips must have exploded. But good to know that an over the hill athlete can still find something to do with his life - how far he has come!

When is it Okay to Give Up?

For quite a few years I have been involved in a program that has given me a lot of good times and great friends. I have often wondered to what extent I would have met these people had I not joined this organization. However, the question remains that at what point do you pack up and walk away?

For sometime there have been things that I am not happy with, directions that should not be taken, disorganized that can only lead to chaos, but I have always thought that I was somehow in control. I think it is a slap into reality that first time that something gets screwed up and you were not even in the loop. How can you really be in an organization at a leadership level when there is the potential for screw up and although your ass is on the line you really have no control?

For the many friends, I am in debt. For the many headaches, I have acid reflux. But for the many potential future problems that I can no longer control - no thanks. The question still stands...At what point do you feel that you have given back to a program enough that you can walk away?

Record Snowfall and God, I feel like *hit

What a crazy last few weeks. We had warmth, cold, and even snow. 26.9 Inches! Now that is a lot of snow!

To top it all off, I have been sick. Was running a 102 fever for a few days last week. The problem with working in a small firm that is that when you are not there, the work does not get done. With all of the deadlines and more work coming in, it can get overwhelming. Needless to say I went to work a few of the days that I should not have and was yelled at by the boss-man...why? Because he didn't want to get sick of course.

US PORTS TO COME UNDER CONTROL OF TERRORIST NATION
I am not sure to what extent this is getting coverage in the news where you are, but this is pretty big news here - and should be pretty big news all over the place. CNN presents an interesting "slant" to the topic.

I am not too sure about this issue. There must be something else going on here. Why would the Bush administration allow such a thing to occur? Surely they are worried about terrorism as much as the rest of us...surely they are worried about being reelecte....wait, they probably just dont give a damn at this point!