I Saw a Rat

The other day while I was waiting for the V train at 42nd Street Bryant Park, I was feeling quite down on myself about my job, life, money and the weather. While I was having a bit of a pitty party for myself, my eyes travelled down to the tracks, life so many times I have in the past. Those of you who have witnessed a NYC subway stop know that no matter what they do to the station walls and walkways, there is nothing they can do about the tracks and the filth that is always left behind.

Within this filth is adventure. You always have something to look at while you are waiting, be it an umbrella, jacket, human finger or disposed of condom. Watching all of these things always lets your mind wonder about how those things found their way to the subway floor: what did that person do with the condom that caused him to lose his finger and the umbrella he was holding because he had lost his jacket... We may never know.

The best thing about this particular time is that it was raining pretty heavily outside, the result of which made little rivers in the bed of the subway floor. All the debris flowed by quickly and even the rats come out to play - afterall, it isn't everyday that they have a waterpark to enjoy!

So while this one rat was playing in the waterpark, I noticed that he was attempting to carry something across the tracks. Wouldn't you know, it was a full sized red delicious apple! This rat had an apple that was equal to his size in his mouth. He was trying to get the apple over 3 sets of tracks towards my side of the train. It was an amazing thing. I would love to show it to you, but by the time I got my phone out to take the picture, the train had come and the rat was below.

Little did I know that by not paying attention to the train, I found myself on the wrong train...but that is another story. On this day I learned that not only can you do more than you think when push comes to shove, but also, rats try to eat healthy as well.

Everwood is Forever Gone

Farewell to another show...


It was a show that did not get a lot of playing time. The WB continually changed its time and date and enjoyed taking it off the air for months at a time. As a result, the show did not do so well in the key demographics. for those of you who saw the series, you will admit that it was entertaining without the "sex." It was a show about femilies dealing with problems and resolving those problems. It was a show about a family dealing with death and coming to terms with their lives. Most of all, it was a show about life - and the quirks that life throws our way.

Sure, the acting was sub-par at times, but all in all, the last four (4) years have been entertaining.

This is just another example of a show that had to fight for it's life on the "new" UPN/WB network. There is an interesting article on the Mercury News website (http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/06/an_everwood_far.html).

I am happy that 7th Heaven is around for another year, but I am surprised that Everwood was not picked back up. That together with the loss of Charmed may turn out to be a huge mistake for the fledgling new network.

X-Men: The Last (Final) Stand

X-Men III: The Last Stand should be called the Final Flop, because I think as a movie it flopped. Once again, a successful series of movies falls flat on the final. The writers sold out on this one. Instead of continuing the tradition of a story together with action, X-Men III dropped the story and opted for action from start to finish.

I was psyched for this movie. I saw it on Thursday night at 11:59pm. I waited all week to see it. It had everything. The hot african-american girl who can change the weather and wears tight leather. It had Kelsey Grammer, before rehab, and even had Captain Picard of the Starship Enterprise. Unfortunately for the three theater loads of people who saw it first, it had shitty writing.

This movie reminded me of the final Terminator Movies where Main Character 1 (insert any of them) was being chased by the new Terminator (insert any name of character) throughout the movie and always just barely getting away. If you were looking for a movie filled with action from top to bottom and even some stupid laughs along the way, then this was a movie for you. However, if you were looking for a movie filled with great backstory, wonderfully witty writing and stories to tell your grandchildren, then go see Harry Potter - really, go see Harry Potter!

All in all, I give this movie a generous 2 1/2 flying tight leather-suited blue people out of a possible 4 flying tight leather-suited blue people.

Da Vinci Code - A Foul Ball at Best?

I have been waiting a week to write up my review on the Da Vinci Code in order to respect my best friend, who have yet to see the movie. This weekend, Ms. Gianantonio saw the movie and therefore I can now tell all of my fans (there are 3 of you - Thanks Kristen for using both of your identities).

I cannot use a normal scale on this movie because there are 2 different types of people who will see this movie. First you will have those who have not read the book and are caught up in the hype of the news. These people will enjoy the movie quite a bit and will take away from the movie a sense of wonder - hopefully realizing that the undertones are just theories (fiction to the majority). For those people, who have not read the book, I think the movie deserves 3
self-depreciating white albinos out of 4 self-deprecating white albinos.






For those who have read the book, like myself, this movie will be harder to swallow. For those fellow "believers," I find that this movie is worth more like 2 1/2 self-depreciating white albinos out of 4.






My reason for this difference in review stems from the wonderful adaptation Richie Cunningham did between the book and the movie. Quite simply, if you read the book you will find the movie boring because you know what is going to happen. If you did not read the book then everything will be new to you. I believe there was nothing fabulous about the actors. In fact, I believe Tom Hanks was sub-par and rather boring - compared to the character in the book. The special effects were fine, and although the score was a little too much (hitting you over the head with emotional tunes when you are supposed to be feeling emotional) I believe it was par for this movie.

The Start of Summer and X-Men Last Stand

Dixie Chicks Invade Bryant Park
You can always tell that it is summertime here in New York City, when the "Summer Concert Series" sponsored by (fill in the blank) begins. Today I was surprised upon exiting the subway to hear the sound of anti-american protestors (aka The Dixie Chicks) performing on the square.

I am not one to hold a grudge on any person, or people, but I find it funny that whenever I make a comment about any of those people who came out against the war in the beginning, people still get pissed. However, it is okay now to complain about the war because it has gone on for so long - maybe those in the beginning were just right about the whole thing to start.

Yesterday I ran into Tim Robbins while I was going into the courthouse. He looked quite a bit different because he has longer hair. At first I did not recognize him because there were no other people around, but then I took a second look and recognized him right away. When I came back out of the courthouse, he was surrounded by other people and the cameras were there taping an episode of one of those NY Lawyer Shows.

To bring this back to the anti-american comment, I told Mary who is one of the women in my office, and her comment was: "I don't like him because he is anti-american." This morning when I called her to tell her that the Dixie Chicks were at Bryant Park, again her comment was: "I don't like them because they are anti-american." What exactly is anti-american?

I always thought that the point of being an American is you can voice your opinions without fear of persecution. Being an American is about using your persuasive ability to affect change, and hopefully make this country a better place. I guess this is the old, and now being an American means hating all those people who voice their dissent against our leaders - how sad.

X-MEN: The Last Stand = ehhhhh
I went out last night with some friends and we went to see the latest in the X-Men saga. I am a comic book fan, and so I know alot about the characters in the film. The problem is, however, that anyone who has not read one of the comics would feel pretty left out after last night's movie.

Sure, the action was great from start to finish and the special effects were phenominal, but the story was bleak at best. I do recommend seeing this movie for its effects, if nothing, but don't expect to really enjoy the story.

Happy Anniversary to Me

Happy Anniversary to me!

It was one year ago that I was sitting in Columbus, Ohio worrying what the hell I was going to do with myself. I had an LLM in Business, JD, MPA and BA, but no job. I remember sitting (more like lying) on my brother's couch and drinking beer while sending out resumes. However, instead of sending too many, I found Audient's Blog and then Jessica's Blog. Rather than be outdone by either of them, I created my own. Although I have not kept up with this too much, I like having the outlet - and Dave's replies to my posts.

So to all 5 of you who have posted comments on my blog, thank you!

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.