To DC & back

I flew out to Washington D.C. yesterday for an interview. I loved it - the cool weather, the fact that the firm is right next to the Patent Office, seeing the Jefferson & Washington monuments as we taxied to the terminal. I saw the other Washington monument as well. What other one?!?

It turns out the Masons built a monument/temple in Alexandria VA, right across from where this firm's office is, and dedicated it to George Washington. So I looked at the thing all day long.
Anyway, so after my interview I took the metro clear across town and met up with Ken & Jim. We ate some good food, shared many laughs, and caught up.

Then I caught a flight back to Lubbock this morning. 2 Red-Eye's in 2 days isn't good for the body. I'm exhausted. But it was super fun - D.C. would be an incredible place to live.

Get Fuzzy

My friend Jenn sent this to me the other day...
Link to the Original.

Return to Caprock

So I went to Caprock Canyon State Park on Friday for a campout. Beautiful area, but kinda a frustrating night. Here's why: I broke my rule.

What rule? Well, if you haven't noticed, sometimes I'm picky about who I associate myself with. Even more so if it involves hiking or camping. Frankly, most of the time when I go hiking, mountain biking, or camping with people I don't know well enough to trust, I regret it. Such was the case this weekend.

Some idjuts (intentionally spelled that way for emphasis) decided not to go to sleep at all Friday night. Who cares, right? But the fact that they decided to stay up all night around the campfire 10ft from my tent, talking in not-so-quiet voices, kinda frustrates me. I had stuff I wanted to get done on Saturday, but didn't because I was so exhausted.

I kept myself pretty calm and even-tempered, because I realize it's only half their fault. The other half is mine - for putting up my tent anywhere near anybody else. I should have a) not gone or 2) set up my tent well away from the others. My fault.

I've been waivering

So I've been going a little crazy with the posts... but when you've got stuff to say...

I, like much of America, have been debating on which candidate I think best represents what I want from the President. Both have their +'s and -'s. But I read an article that I think everyone needs to read. I know there's only like 11 days until the election, but I'm glad I found this out now, not later. I now have my choice easily and clearly decided. No more indecision.

My decision maker.

I should warn you: this article has some insanely grotesque stuff. If you want to know the truth, you should read anyway.

Qualifications

So I had a post written out, basically mocking both Palin & Biden... and I decided that was the wrong approach to what I was trying to say. Not that I don't have strong negative feelings towards both candidates for VP. Rather, I just wanted to point out to anyone reading this that the qualifications for President have nothing to do with years in politics or foreign diplomacy experience. Rather, they are quite clearly articulated in the U.S. Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, Clause 4.

"No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."

There may be debates about who one feels to be the better candidate to represent them in the office - that's what this ol' republic of ours is all about. But to say one of the people currently campaining for President or Vice President is not qualified is simply ignorant.

The View

So my friend Molly had this posted on her facebook page, and I loved it. However, this is probably the only time I will ever post anything from The View unless Goldberg and Hasselback come to blows...

On the Internet...

So when I moved to Lubbock, I had a choice. Do I pay $70/month for cable + internet, or ~$40 for internet? It was a tough choice because lets face it, catching good things on broadcast TV these days is tough. The schedules change, TiVo has changed the game, and I'm never home before 9PM. Having cable would be nice... especially for sports.

In the end, I decided to be cheap. I think watching sports is fun, but overrated - I'd rather go do something (unless its the Cougars). I got a good internet connection, perfect for Xbox Live and doing my homework from home.

What I didn't realize at the time was that TV networks were posting all of their shows online a day or two after they air. This means that I basically have my own TiVo via the interwebs all the time. And I love it, because I don't have to worry about being home to catch a show - after all, living your life according to a TV schedule is lame.

What prompted this post? Because I love NBC's Life & Chuck. But I don't think I've ever seen them on the TV, just my computer...

Insomnia

Last night I suffered the worst insomnia of life. At least that I can remember. I ended up falling asleep sometime around 4:30 AM. I kinda wonder if its my own fault.

• My 8 AM & 9 AM classes were canceled all week long, so I've been going to bed later and waking up later - but we're talking like an hour shift on each, not 5 hours. I kept the overall amount of sleep the same.
  
• I had a coke about 7 PM... but caffeine has never kept me awake 9 hours after I drink it. In fact, I usually feel like I get better sleep if I've had caffeine earlier in the day.

On the other hand, I've been super relaxed this week. After taking the Patent Bar, all my other stuff doesn't seem nearly as rough. Finals will be challenging, and I have a lot of work to do on 2 big papers due in the next 2 months... but my stress level is as low as it's been since before Law School.

So what did I do with my extra couple of hours? I watched some TV, tried to fall asleep, then started doing research for my papers. Yup... good times.

On a separate note, if anyone has been hearing about Joe the Plumber in the news and debates and doesn't understand why, here's the original video.

Who is John Galt?

Patent Agent

I just passed the Patent Bar. Phew.

This test basically took a good part of my life for 5 months. I've never studied with the intensity that I went after this - and I still had to take it twice. All I can say is how thankful I am that I'm done with it. For anybody wondering why I'm doing all this... Here's a distribution chart of salaries for entering lawyers. Here's some information about Patent Attorneys specifically.

Ideas

Good idea: Be prepared.

Bad idea: Doing this at home.

Atlas Shrugged

So all the junk going on with the markets the past few days/weeks got me thinking (in between massive study sessions for the Patent Bar, which I take again on Friday) about Atlas Shrugged.

The book is massive (1000 pages), but I very much encourage people to read it. The reason I bring it up is because I remain very much anti-entitlement. The debate tonight - I tuned in for about 30 seconds and they were talking about entitlements.

I don't think people, and in particular, most Americans, should be entitled to much at all. Veterans, yes. Other then them... I'm sure there are some that skip my mind at the moment, but very few people deserve something from the rest of us. And it ticks me off that the government is bailing out Wall Street, and just today bailed out a bunch of private companies...

Anyway, back to the book. In the book, people continue to say that they are entitled to stuff, and deserve this, and they deserve that. Countries, states, companies, need subsidies to continue operating. Kinda like California right now.

Believe it or not, I've softened in law school - I can actually see the value in some social programs. I think everyone deserves a chance at making a life for themselves. Hopefully this money problem will be abated and we can have some breathing room for 10-20 years. Eventually, I predict the truckers going on strike, and suddenly nobody has food, oil, coal (for 80% of all powerplants), or medicine.

How about this for an entitlement: "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Seriously: Read this book.

p.s. Ayn Rand was kinda crazy on some stuff, so don't take this as an absolutism on her.
p.p.s. There's a crazy 100 page oratory late in the book I recommend skimming.

Night Air

So my dad worked late nights as a cop for many many years. He once told me that he loved the night - that there was an energy that you could feel driving the streets at 3 AM, when they're empty, that's just incredible.

I love the empty streets, the crisp air, the quiet. Right when I got home from my mission I used to wake up every morning at 5ish and go running in Provo. The quiet was awesome. Especially when it snowed, and the world was completely silent except for the crunch of the snow under my feet.

Anyway, the reason I started writing this stuff is because the other day I was driving home at midnight, and I had forgotten how much I love the night. I loved the glow from the lights, the smell... it was very nice.

4 Bar K

So I think I just found my new favorite restaurant in Lubbock. It's called the 4 Bar K. It's a catering restaurant my buddy Mark had told me about last year, but it's only open on Fridays from 11-2, so its been a trick getting there.

Basically, it's all you can eat BarBQ & drink for $7, with some small dessert thrown in for fun. You get this tortilla from the boss man, who loads a bunch of delicious meat in it, and then you pick your sides - corn bread, coleslaw, chips & salsa... mmm... And there's live music. Today it was just some dude and his guitar - I don't know if its the same guy every week...

Anyway, if you're in Lubbock and you want some awesome grub, you should hit this place up. Of course, its sorta a word of mouth place... it doesn't even say on the website that they serve lunch. Oh, and it's sorta outside of town... Like in the countryside. Just head East on 82nd past highway 27 until you think 'Wow, there's no way Ryan wanted me to go this far' and keep going. You'll see a barn on the right - that's the place.

Sick of the library

I'm sick of always being in the library late. I know I'm not the last one out every night here at law school, but I was often the last one out in undergrad, and I've been pulling some pretty long days/late nights here in law school. Frankly, I'm sick of it.

But, hopefully it'll all pay off. Then I'll go on a vacation to Alaska, while all the people who watched Friends -instead of studying- sit on their couch... and watch Friends.

Or even better, maybe they can watch 'Everybody loves Ramon noodles'. What an awful show. Hate it.