Free Time?

I happily find myself with a free night. I have only one class to prepare for on Thursdays, and the big gaps in my schedule Mon-Wed afford me with a lot of time in the library, which means getting my reading done before I head home (and as a bonus, not having to lug these 30lb casebooks back and forth). So I figured I'd blog. And watch Law and Order... what else.

All of my classes have professors who employ the Socratic method, which sounds pretty intimidating, but from what I've seen thus far, it's not a big deal as long as you've done the reading. None of my profs are looking to humiliate anyone, which is good, because I've read horror stories. Plus, I enjoy reading cases, so this stuff is right up my alley. I like the current events cases in particular, such as the one in which an American citizen gets thrown into prison indefinitely without an opportunity to contest any charges against him. Shady stuff going on in the Executive Branch these past few years. Is it election time yet?

I'm also enjoying the malpractice torts, which will help me prepare for a career spent defending all the future doctors in my life. There's more money on the other side, but then I'm pretty sure Gina would leave me, and I'd lose half my friends (except for Gerald, who would understand).

To hedge my bet, I've made some new friends over the past week, including yet another white guy from Texas (I seem drawn to them, or vice versa) and a guy from Corvallis, both with whom I'll probably be hanging out a lot. There's also this guy who's the chaplain for freakin' San Quentin! We call him Padre, because that's what the prisoners call him. How many of you have used that as a reason for a friend's nickname?

One thing that's completely new to me is the simultaneous clatter of 90 keyboards when a prof says something important. It took me aback the first time I heard the foreign sound. In the old days, we had to use paper and pen... I actually am having to adjust to the concept of taking notes on a computer. This must be what it means to be old school. Or just old.

I was in the bookstore yesterday trying to find a t-shirt that just said Boalt or Boalt Hall, with no Cal or Berkeley on it at all. No luck. I'll keep looking. No way I'm putting those words on my body.

I know I said that I had a free night, but I really should make some headway on this weekend's reading...

My, how things have changed from undergrad. Was it that long ago?

Fun While They Lasted

Free evenings, that is. And free time to blog. I imagine my future entries will be few and far between. Today was the first day of orientation, and I already got my first three reading assignments. Just the tip of the $800 iceberg.

Also got my schedule, and it's a mixed bag. I have four classes: Legal Research and Writing, Civil Procedures, Criminal Law, and Torts. My Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are full days, but with four-hour blocks of free time in between classes. Since I don't live right near campus, I'll have nothing to do then but get work done at school. It would have been nice to finish earlier, but I suppose this will help me maintain much-needed discipline, which is probably better in the long run.

At least I get to finish the week on a light note, with only one hour of class on Thursdays, starting at 11:15am, and two classes on Fridays, from 11:15am to 1:50pm. Now that's a schedule I can get behind. :)

After a long day of listening to deans talk about the great journey upon which I'm about to embark, waiting in long lines to buy overpriced books and pick up my hideous ID card, and making small talk with future professors and classmates, I was tempted to pick up some fast food on my way home and collapse in front of the television. But I'm trying to avoid bad habits (don't have a couch in which to collapse, anyway), so I managed to cook my first meal in the new place, spaghetti alla Prego. I even snuck in a quick workout, which is surprisingly easy to do after the warm-up I get from biking home, even after an exhausting day. Once in motion, it's easy to stay in motion.

But now I'm feeling it. I need to finish my reading and go to sleep. I had the hardest time going to bed at midnight last night (so damn early!), but something tells me I'll be able to crash hard tonight.

First Impressions

Boalt held an informal picnic in the courtyard today for the incoming first years, so it was my first chance to test run my planned commute, check out the campus, and meet some of my future classmates.

The Commute - The five-minute ride to Lafayette Bart is a gradual uphill climb, so I had to put my bike in one of the easiest gears to compensate for my pathetic quads, which I could feel straining most of the way. They're gonna be ripped by the end of the semester. On the flip side, I can practically coast the whole way home. :)

Bart is fantastic. I'm sure the novelty will wear off quickly, but it's nice to be able to get around so conveniently without a car, like a New Yorker. Mussolini must run the trains, because they are spot on schedule. The total trip takes 20 minutes.

There is a five-minute shuttle from Berkeley Bart to Boalt Hall that is free to students, so I may just leave my bike at Lafayette Bart and use the shuttle to get around campus. There are windows of time when bikes aren't allowed on Bart, so I may not have a choice on some days, depending on my schedule.

All told, a 30-minute commute. Longer than I'm used to, but at least I'm a passenger most of the way. I can squeeze in some last minute reading when necessary. :)

The Campus - It's no Stanford, but it's actually pretty nice. It's the surrounding area that's a dump. There's a reason I'm not living close by.

The law school is pretty much self contained in one building, including the bookstore, library, lockers, moot court, auditorium, and classrooms. I'm not used to everything being in one place like that. Makes it easier to segregate myself from the dirty undergrads. I just wish the building were on the opposite side of campus, near the Bart station, to really minimize my contact (not to mention my commute).

The Classmates - The gathering was very informal, so I basically had to just walk up to groups of people and introduce myself. I met about 15 people and felt comfortable with everyone. And I wasn't the oldest! There were guys who graduated college in the 90s... so old. :) Surprisingly, only a couple of the folks I met were from California, with a lot from the Midwest. Suckers are paying an extra 12 grand a year.

I was happy to see one familiar face in Cheryl Andrada. She was at ground zero of Changina, rooming with G the year we met and precipitating the conversation that started our relationship. Now we're classmates!

Andrew, I didn't spot your future wife yet, but I'm on the lookout.

Tomorrow is the formal start of orientation, when I find out my schedule, meet my small group, and buy my books. God I hope they don't assign us any work until Monday. I really want to have one last weekend.

I Need A Couch

I'm pretty much all unpacked and organized now, just in time for the start of orientation. A couch still proves elusive, however.

This is my living room to the right:



Lots of familiar elements, but the coffee table and desk are both new additions from Ikea, which means they were really cheap. I especially like the desk, which has a pull-out section on the right for my laptop, dinner, books, whatever.

And here's the left side:



All familiar stuff. You can see how much open floor space I have right now, which is just begging for a couch.

My kitchen, which is now pretty much fully furnished after a couple of purchases:



I haven't started cooking yet, but I'll try this week after I go shopping. For now, it's toasted waffles, soup, and frozen food. Other than the occasional Jamba Juice, I'm avoiding going out to eat as much as possible.

Here's my bedroom, which has more space than I know what to do with, other than providing a place to put my bike:





I have a balcony, which has as nice a view as there is in the complex, overlooking the pool:



So, this is home for the next 11 months. I'm out in the freakin' boonies, but I'd love visitors! I promise there will be a couch to welcome you.

Al Gore Disciple

I'm getting more settled by the day, and once everything is in place, I'll post some pictures (though no reprise of the photo tour, sorry). The move wasn't so bad, since I hired a company to do all the heavy lifting. I also had Andrew directing things on his end (thanks, man!) while I waited for the cable guy on mine. I can't imagine ever moving myself again.

I'm still adjusting to having my own place. It is pretty damn lonely here, though I suspect/hope that will subside somewhat with the start of school. In the meantime, I'm trying to keep myself busy unpacking, organizing, setting up my new laptop and router, putting my new Ikea furniture together, and buying kitchen appliances and accessories. Moving sure does entail buying a lot of stuff, but I guess that's the nature of getting a place to oneself after having lived with 14 housemates and sharing all their stuff for seven years.

My big purchase today was a new bike. It was about four years overdue, considering how short my commute was to Google, but driving was simply too convenient. No traffic, plentiful parking right next to my building. But now, driving to school would be decidedly inconvenient, which was just the motivation I needed (as opposed to watching An Inconvenient Truth, which didn't significantly change my lifestyle, I'm ashamed to say). So I walked into the shop right across the street, and ten minutes later, rode out with this beauty, the Giant FCR1:



Bikes are freakin' expensive these days, but I found this one on sale, and it provides a smooth, fast ride, unlike the POS I had at Stanford. After I graduated, I left that unlocked in front of Castaño; the idea of selling it to some sap, even for twenty bucks, didn't sit right with me.

Now that I'm sporting my first bike since then, I won't have to deal with the heinous parking situation on campus, or the traffic getting there through the Caldecott. The Lafayette Bart station is less than a mile down the street, and a 20-minute Bart ride drops me off at the station adjacent to campus.

Downtown Lafayette is also just a short bike ride away (actually it's a half-mile walk, but I'll bike anyway), and it has everything I'd need in an average week, so hopefully my only drives will be to see friends or Stanford football games on the occasional free weekend. I bet I could go a month without filling up, maybe more. Al Gore would be so proud. I even bought a lamp with an energy-efficient bulb!

Tomorrow's task: finding a sofa. It's not quite saving the environment, but after all the biking I'm gonna be doing, I'll need a place to lounge.

Whoops, Never Mind

I discovered a whole new batch of channels to which I have access during my six-month digital trial, and not only do I get Bravo after all (yay Top Chef!), but I also get Fox Soccer Channel! And just in time for the start of the Premiership! Now I can watch the team I sponsor, Everton FC, make its run for a spot in Champions League. With Thierry Henry no longer on Arsenal, this could be the year for the Changs.

I guess I shouldn't be watching too much television this year, but Fox Soccer Channel...

Lame!

Just got my Comcast On Demand set up, and it includes free Starz and HBO for six months, which is pretty sweet. Everything looks good, but... no Bravo! WTF!

I would happily trade Starz and HBO for Bravo. How will I get my Top Chef fix? What will I do when Andrew IMs me that Braveheart is on 48? How will I know which celebrity is the best poker player? I want my Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum!

Sigh.

Loner

It’s been a sad week. Gerald headed back to St. Louis, Hubert left for Dallas, and now I’m pretty much all moved into my new apartment in Lafayette. It's the end of an era!!! I wonder if Andrew is having abandonment issues.

It’s going to be hard living without any housemates for the first time since graduating from Stanford. I’ve been fortunate to have lived with 14 different people during that period: Scott, Drew, Julie, Jason, Lori, Heather, Joe, Randy, Gina, Dan, Andrew, Gerald, Hubert, and Steve.

I’ve lived in five different places with those 14 housemates: Hillcrest, Gary, Villa, Laurel, and Colorado.

All of my housemates were great. They kept the fun level high and the rent costs low. My favorite housemate? Not the one who rigged the voting, though I applaud his effort. He was definitely top eight. But there's only one with whom I've chosen to live for the rest of my life, so she must be the best, right?

Now that I'm on my own, the fun level will plummet, and the rent costs will skyrocket (though not nearly as much as they would have in Los Angeles). And the worst part is, I'm in Bear country. Not only was the Peninsula close to the Farm, but I was always surrounded by my fellow Card. Only four of my housemates didn't attend Stanford (Jason, Lori, Heather, Joe). Steve was a grad student, so he counts... barely.

Among the nine who were Stanford undergrads, only Hubert never lived in Castaño. The rest had a combined 19 years there, and my three makes 22 total: Scott (2), Drew (2), Julie (1), Randy (3), Gina (3), Dan (2), Andrew (3), Gerald (3), Chang (3).

Anyone get a perfect score?

Housemate Quiz

On Saturday, I will sign a lease for a one-bedroom apartment in Lafayette, a nice town reminiscent of those on the Peninsula, except hotter. It will be the first time since I graduated from Stanford that I'll be living without a housemate! In honor of this momentous occasion, I present a short housemate quiz. Let's see how you guys do as a group. Feel free to share information in the comments and view results before answering.

* Housemate is defined as someone who paid to live in the house/apartment

*

I admit that 756 gave me a huge thrill tonight. I had been sitting on edge for every one of Barry's at-bats since he tied the record last Saturday. I love witnessing sports history.

But my reaction to 756 wasn't about being a witness to history. It was about my transformation from casual SoCal baseball fan to hardcore Giants fan.

I doubt many non-Giants fans had the reaction I had, even the ones who, like me, simply appreciate witnessing sports history, no matter who is making it. There's just too much baggage here to allow for that kind of distant appreciation, the kind I had for Ripken's 2,131, for instance, or Emmitt's 16,727.

Were I not a Giants fan, I'd feel gypped by this whole thing, too, the way most of us feel about McGwire's 70 and Landis' yellow jersey.

Yet I root for Barry without qualification, for reasons I can't articulate, a completely irrational act given the stuff that's out there on him. I'm abjectly complicit in this charade.

It's not like in Minority Report, where if you know your future, then you can change it. I'm fully aware of my irrationality, yet I'm helpless to change it. There I was tonight, whoopin' and hollerin' at the majestic bomb over Triples Alley, hit by a guy who almost certainly took steroids for a few years, and probably knowingly (though that part hasn't been proven).

Clearly, when it comes to their favorite teams, sports fans are the most irrational humans on Earth. Should I feel lucky to be among those who were able to fully celebrate tonight's historic moment, or should I be embarrassed to be among the deluded few who see right through the asterisk?

Post-Summer Movie Recap

I'm done with movies for the summer, and probably for a while. Here's an update on how I rank the ones I've seen in theater in 2007, with quick takes on the ones I've seen since my first ranking.

1. Hot Fuzz
   
2. Bourne Ultimatum - Right up there with the first two Bournes, which I loved. Great action, good back story, and some cool twists.
   
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
   
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - My favorite Potter movie, despite being my least favorite Potter book. I thought it did a good job of staying focused on the central arc of the series.
   
5. Ratatouille
   
6. Sicko
   
7. Live Free or Die Hard - The whole father/daughter relationship was overcooked, but it was still better than the other sequels.
   
8. The Simpsons Movie - Pretty much felt like a marathon of four solid episodes in syndication, which isn't a bad thing.
   
9. 300
   
10. Transformers
    
11. Knocked Up - I thought this movie was overrated. There were moments that made me laugh hard, but it wasn't consistently funny, the characters were unsympathetic, and I never bought into the central relationship.
    
12. Ocean's 13
    
13. Spider-Man 3

The next big movie to which I'm looking forward? The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. It's adapted from Philip Pullman's popular fantasy novel, which is part one of a trilogy. I finally read it this week, and it has a lot of promise; I can see why Lisa, Annaka, and Drew are fans. Now I just have to finish the next two before school starts.