Looking for a calendar

So I don't have a calendar yet for 2010 - I'm still on the hunt. But while wandering the Barnes & Noble and looking through the picked over calendars, I came upon a book I thought could be perfect for future lawyer Ryan's office: History's Worst Inventions. So I start perusing it - the first invention I look at was exactly what I hoped - the flying car. Like, they attach wings and a tail to a car, so you can park it. Apparently, cars that take flight, yet lack a propeller. wasn't a great idea. And people died trying to make it.

Then I get looking a little more at this book (which was on sale by the way). Apparently, gunpowder, pesticides, and atomic weapons are also among the worst inventions ever. For the curious, I disagree, but that's not my point.

My point is that it's always frustrating/sad when you have something that seems great, and it turns out to be crap. Maybe it's a book, maybe a cookie or pie - maybe it's a relationship. Yesterday I had a quesadilla that sounded great, looked great. Turned out to be crap.

On the flip side is when something seems awful and it turns out to be a pretty dang good thing.
Moving to Lubbock has been a dang good thing.

Follow Up

So a couple months ago I posted a link to an op-ed the founder of Whole Foods and placed in the Wall Street Journal. It had his ideas on how to fix the U.S. health care system.

Well, I found a video (through crossfit.com) that has him talking about his political philosophies & business goals, and I found myself agreeing a whole lot. There's a 5 minute abridged version, but the unabridged is awesome if you have an hour. I like his idea of conscious capitalism.

Turtleman

So my friend Laura showed this to me the other day. It's amazing

Still Alive

Hi. I'm still alive - just caught in the middle of cramming for finals & having nothing inspiring me to write about. But 2 things that have been on my mind lately:

• Someone died in Nutty Putty Caves, and not only are they sealing the cave shut, they're leaving his body.
• Global Warming/Climate Change is hack science. But I've decided that I'm probably taking the wrong approach to this: instead of denouncing it, I should just roll with it and figure out how to make lots of money off public fear & ignorance.
  

Busy Week

So this week has been kinda crazy. Yesterday I actually woke up at 5:30 without an alarm - it was stress. In law school I've been stressed to the point where I couldn't fall asleep, or where I wake up a bunch during the night, but this was the first time I've woken up & stayed up because of it. Despite a lack of sleep, I do have some good news:

I submitted my first patent this week, for my first client. It was pretty exciting to do it, and I'm pumped to have started doing this stuff.

Observing People

So lately I've become even more intent on observing people - unfortunately it's partially due to necessity. You see, while crappy drivers exist in every locale, here in Lubbock they specialize in 2 very special driving maneuvers:
(1) The "I'm from the farm and don't drive faster than 35 mph, ever." Really not that bad, so long as you can get around them.
(2) The more dangerous "Turn off the road from the middle lane". It's become so commonplace I pretty much expect it now. Last week I personally witnessed this at least 5 times. It's scary because if they do it when you're too close you have a T-bone.

Anyway, I just think its sad when you come to expect people to do something dumb that could really injure people.

Another observation: Why can't 'express lanes' at the grocery store prohibit check writing? Cash or plastic only I say. I'd also be in favor of a test prior to people being allowed to use the express lanes.

Oh, here's another observation: I'm not the most sympathetic person, but I do feel bad for handicap people. I have ZERO sympathy for people that are so overweight they require a motorized cart to get around, but can still walk when they have to use the bathroom. Or when they need to reach something up high. I mean, can't we just outlaw carts unless you're really handicapped? Can we tax these people extra, for being a burden on normal people?

Hitch Covers

So I've been a fan the past couple years of hitch covers for ... hitches. They look cool - you have sport shapes, brand shapes, team insignias - I personally have a BYU cover, made from a nice steel. Here's the link to where I pulled this picture, at the BYU bookstore.
Anyway, today this became important, because I was rear-ended by a camero at a stop light. The guy just let his foot off the brake and rolled into me - just gave me a little tap.

So I get out of the car, and so does he, and I say "Did that just happen? Whad'ya do, let your foot off the brake" "No, I was just talking with my girlfriend..." "Yeah, you were just talking with your girlfriend and you let your foot off the brake." "Is there any damage?"

I look at it - not a scratch on my truck. Totally perfect. I look at his camero (which sits below my bumper) and the license plate is totally caved in. The hood looks like it may be caved in.

"There's no damage to my truck. I can't say the same for your car. We're good."

And we left it at that. So I guess the moral of the story is that not only do hitch covers protect from dust, rust, and junk. They also protect against idiots.

Marathon Pics

So the company that took/sells the pictures of me running the marathon wants some crazy amounts of money for the photos. The cheapest I can get the digital copies is on a CD for $55. If I were to download them, it would cost ~ $320. I called and spoke with a sales dude about how messed up their business scheme was - he didn't seem to care.

So what I decided to do was just save my own personal copies of the sample pictures (which I like just fine - people used to be happy with smaller pictures!), while I still debate on ordering a 5x7 or something that doesn't cost $40. Here they are:

Super Freakonomics

Despite some things in my life being far from perfect, on the whole I'm happy with my decisions to become an Electrical Engineer and come to Law School. Sure, I don't have a job yet, and we're in a horrible job market for lawyers, but things will work out, and I enjoy the material, even if I haven't exactly aced law school.

I enjoy the confidence both have given me. Other than advanced thermodynamics, I feel like I can understand and solve pretty much any engineering problem given some time to study it. Likewise, I feel like I can understand and communicate to legal clients what the options available to them are, and counsel them as to what would be best.

That said, if I had to choose another career, I think I would enjoy being an Economist. In particular, the types of studies the authors of Freakonomics do, and trying to come up with "some simple solutions." The sequel comes out soon - check out this video preview:

Publication

So I wrote a little something about an upcoming Supreme Court case that was published by the organization I worked for out in DC. You can find it here: In Re Bilski

My incredible weekend

First my complaints: American Airlines sucks. They were so awful this weekend that they alone could have spoiled the entire trip - delays combined with a dearth of gate agents, poor planning, and old nasty planes.... I will cheer when they finally go out of business the next time gas prices spike.

The rest of my weekend was awesome. I flew to Salt Lake and my friend Shannon was kind enough to pick me up (at like 1 AM when my flight got in) and I stayed at her place that night. The next day I got to meet my nephew Paxton Alan Ward and hang out with my brother Matt and his wife Raquel. We toured the Utah Capitol building and had a great time. Paxton's a quiet baby - at least when Uncle Ry is holding him!
I had an interview that went well, and hopefully something comes of it at some point. For now, no promises.

Then Shannon picked me up and we drove down to St. George, where we stayed with her cousin Joy, who I had met several years ago hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park. The next morning, it was marathon time.

It was a fun race - I finished a few minutes slower than I hoped. It was actually my slowest marathon yet - but I also felt really good. I don't feel so hot right now - muscles are still really sore, but I had a great time running the race. My leg muscles didn't even feel warmed up at mile 22, which is weird to say, but it's true. So I cranked out the last few miles as fast as I could. This is the only picture I have right now - there'll be more coming.
After the race I got cleaned up, then we headed back & I went to Priesthood mtg with T-Rav, ate some carnitas at Diegos, and just chatted with Trav & Kel. The next day they took me to the airport and away I went.

To Grand Junction. There was a medical emergency, so we landed, spent about 4 1/2 hours on the ground (because AA is awful) and I eventually got to Dallas about 8:40 at night. Called my parents and they offered to come pick me up, so I got to sleep at home for a few hours before going back to the airport for an early flight. Now I'm back at school, with a ton to do this week.

Also - it felt so good to be back in Utah. I don't know when or if I'll ever get to live there again, but I know that I feel at home in the mountains and mesas of Utah, and I love feeling the cool dry air.

Funny Training

So next Saturday I run the St. George Marathon. The time's come fast, but this time (unlike previous marathons) I've made a serious and concentrated effort to train for it.

Unfortunately, I've also suffered some tough injuries. I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot, my right knee has been hurting when I get over 10 miles, and I have a deep blister on my right foot that doesn't want to heal. Whereas originally my goal was to run a 3 1/2 hour marathon, now my goal is to finish.

Because of these injuries I've had to trade out my normal running for other things. Today I ran in the shallow lap pool for 3 hours 15 minutes. Boring beyond belief. I got out and could barely walk - my legs were total rubber. I'm sure I looked like a dork, but at least it was a nice day, got some sun, they had music playing.

Anyway, one more week.

Funny Patent

I know, it sounds weird. But it's almost midnight, I've been researching for many hours today, and yet this one stood out among the hundreds of weird things I've seen. It literally made me laugh out loud - enjoy!
*The image seems a little blurry until you click on it...

Out to lunch

So after watching Obama a little last night, and reading some more stuff, I have a few thoughts. I thought Obama (as always) made it sound like a very good thing. Frankly, if everything he said happens I think I, along with most of America, would be very pleased. A better healthcare system without fraud and waste, available to everyone without raising deficits? Count me in!

The trick, as always, is how to do it within budgetary constraints, especially if we're serious about not raising spending levels. If it can be done, and if he holds to his word about refusing to sign anything that spends more than we already are, I think it would be a good thing for America.

Just as big a news story is the heckling he received with regards to illegal immigrants not receiving the public option. He (Obama) said that these benefits would not be available to illegal immigrants, and some Republican yelled out 'You lie!' Then, on the Today Show this morning, McCain said he didn't see anything in the bill that would give illegal immigrants the right to participate.

Well, I think the yeller dude was right. Incredibly disrespectful, but right. How do we plan on restricting this to only U.S. Citizens? When someone shows up at the hospital without insurance, are we going to start asking them if they're a U.S. Citizen? It's illegal for hospitals to do that now - are we going to start? I realize we can probably restrict their ability to sign up for the public option, but healthcare reform is in a large part about taking care of those uninsured that just show up at the hospital - exactly the demographic that most illegal immigrants find themselves in.

I think the President is out to lunch thinking that we won't be paying for healthcare for illegal immigrants, McCain is right there with him not looking at the practical aspects of this, and the yeller dude is out to lunch on his place in American politics.

BYU v. OU

I went home to Dallas for the BYU v. Oklahoma game this past weekend - and as everyone knows, it turned out amazing! Here are some pics I took from the game.

A really big 'Y' following a BYU promotion

This is the BYU crowd about 5 minutes after the game ended
Victory Helmets

Health Care reform that would make sense?

I just read an excellent article in the Wall Street Journal with some suggestions about how to reform health care, and I think it has some actual ideas that could be implemented, would be fiscally reasonable, and could help everyone out.

Anyway, this article has some really good ideas that if enacted, I think would really make for a better system. I would want something like this.

Huge DC recap

So I've driven back to Texas - it took a few days, and was a very enjoyable trip. I spent a day with my Grandmother in St. Louis, had lunch with my friends T-Rav* and Kel in Memphis, spent a day with my family in Dallas, and almost hit a crane. As in the bird, not the machine. It had a 6' wingspan, and frankly I was tempted to hit it to add to my list of weird things I've hit. I restrained myself.

I also discovered a 'shortcut' for the drive between St. Louis and DC that saved me about 45 minutes and allowed me to see the first leaves of fall. Overall it was a very nice trip back. I definitely knew I was back when I saw this huge dust devil on my way back yesterday.
Of course, it's a little bittersweet leaving D.C. - on the one hand I really enjoyed it. Work was great, I was interviewing with patent attorneys before I left, dating seemed to flow easier. On the other hand, it was time to get back to Lubbock, to my stuff, to be out of the nasty townhome I was in out there.

I'm grateful I had the opportunity to work out there and learn some stuff. I'm VERY grateful I decided to drive out there. One might be able to get around DC via public transportation, but it would be a huge pain. Having my truck I could go to church, shopping, see friends, camping, and on dates without a second thought. I got to go to the Iwo Jima memorial at night and do lots of things I wouldn't have been able to.
I've decided my favorite museum is the National Portrait Gallery. Why? It's easily accessible - right across the street from the Chinatown metro stop. It's practically empty, and holds some amazing history.

Least favorite - Native American history museum. Why? BORING and misleading. If I wanted to know what modern indian life is like, I'd drive to Shiprock. Trust me, it ain't nearly as nice as they portrayed it in the museum.

Now back to life in Lubbock.

Nice Jump

You should check this video out.

Assateague Island

So this weekend I went out to Assateague Island, out on the Atlantic Ocean. It was pretty sweet. We arrived late Friday night, camped out and had a small campfire on the beach, then Saturday we just enjoyed the beach. Now I'm nice and sunburnt.

There are wild horses on the island, left over from when a Spanish Galleon shipwrecked back in the 1600's. A small herd of them were next to our beach campfire Friday night, and some of them were pretty dang big. Also saw a fox in the moonlight, a sea turtle, a pod of dolphins, and a billion 'skeeters.

During my time out here in DC I've been trying to get to know the city and see all the sites, making my outdoor adventures rare, so I really enjoyed the chance to get out and do something different. It was exactly 3 hours away from my place, and the weather was beautiful, so it made for a great getaway.

Tomorrow's my last day at my internship, then Tuesday I go in for training at my new job. I'll probably stick around a few days after that, but my thinking right now is that I'll head back on Saturday.

1 goal accomplished

Of the many 'mini-goals' I had for myself in coming out to DC, one was to find some part-time patent work I could do via the internet throughout the upcoming school year. I thought patent-searching could be an excellent way to go about that: flexible hours, the databases are all online, and I have some experience already. I also thought it would be excellent prep work for my upcoming career as a patent attorney.

So I started sending out emails to patent searching companies located here in Northern Virginia, and a company called Express Search wrote back that they were interested in meeting me for lunch. Well, lunch was today - and we signed the paperwork today too! I have some training and stuff I have to do, but I'm pumped about it.

I get paid, I get to look at patents, and I can work anytime I have internet access. My boss and his wife were both very real with me and are willing to coach me in this, and understand my goal of working at a law firm upon graduation, so it's really exactly what I was hoping for.

It's nice when things work out.

Chicago

So I went to Chicago on Thursday and came back on Friday - it was a quick trip. But just like my trip last year, the weather was perfect. It was ~75-80 degrees, a slight breeze, and super pleasant.

Rather than renting a car and trying to find an elusive parking spot in Chicago, or paying $40 for parking, I just took the EL in from O'hare - worked great. Got to my hotel late, but they gave me some warm cookies, and I figured that despite my cookie fast I deserved them.

Woke up on Friday and explored Chicago a little before going to the career fair - I checked out Navy Pier, then went to the John Hancock building and went up to the observatory. It was pretty sweet, with amazing views of the city like this one.
Found a sweet place to eat - Billy Goat Tavern. If you're wandering around downtown Chicago I highly recommend this place. Very good burger.
Went to the career fair, went back to the airport, sustained a flight replete with crying babies, and made it back.

So while I haven't experienced Chicago during the winter, and I'm sure that they have plenty of days in the summer that are hot and humid, I think downtown Chicago is actually the nicest big city I've been to. Wide streets, clean (compared to New York), usually a nice breeze blowing through. I don't know how the suburbs compare, but downtown Chicago in the summer is a sweet place to be.

Did you finish?

So tonight at a church activity this guy sees me wearing my Eco-Challenge shirt from BYU and asks if I did it. I say yes, and he asks, "Did you finish?" I gave him the Ryan face for 'What!?!' If you're reading this, you know the face.

It had never even occurred to me that I might not finish. Literally - it had never even occurred to me. Anyway, he didn't really keep the conversation going - maybe he read my face.

"If the word quit is part of your vocabulary, then the word finish is likely not." - B.G. Jett