Living in a rough(er) neighborhood

So I'm living the 2nd half of the summer here in Alexandria, VA, and umm.... I don't live in the nicest part of Alexandria. Alexandria as a whole is very nice. But I happen to live about 2 blocks from a rough part. As in, I can see a homeless shelter across the street rough part. Luckily, it's a family homeless shelter, so isn't that rough, but it's a little more ethnic than I'm used to.

On that subject, 2 quick stories:
My first night living here, a Saturday, I got back from visiting my friends Ken and Jim up in Maryland. Got back via the metro (train) at 2 AM and walked back right through the ghetto. Groups of black teens hanging out all over the place - I was scared I was going to get jumped. I walked past a black family and I heard a little kid ask what the white boy was doing out. Some girl said something I couldn't hear so I just turned around and smiled, but kept walking. It was a brisk walk, and I've since found a safer way home.

Tonight I went to the neighborhood rec. center to see about using their boxing equipment. I'm pretty sure I'm the only white person to ever walk in, from the looks I was getting. Anyway, so I introduce myself to the guy who runs the gym, and he says that it's normally $60 a month, but since I'm only here another 5 weeks I can just use it for free. Sweet.

I've experienced being a minority before - South America, Kuwait... but I never felt in danger because of my minority status until I moved here. It's scary. Having felt only a modicum of the fear minorities must have felt pre-60's, I have to respect the trials they went through to obtain equal rights.

Chillin' in DC

So I had my first week of work - it's pretty sweeet. In a week I'm already adjusting to a lot of things about DC living - and living with roommates again. It's pretty annoying not to be able to buy what I want at the grocery store because there might not be room in the refrigerator.

But work is great - I really enjoyed my first week, and I'm hoping I can really start providing some things of substance in the weeks to come. It's nice to have friends nearby - Jim and Ken have been very willing to drop me off at the metro after going to the movies or what not. And it's nice getting to know DC, and seeing the sights and museums on a daily basis.

On Friday for the 3rd I went to the National Zoo, which was pretty cool. Yesterday for the 4th I hung out with my friend Jenn. We went kayaking in the Potomic, went out to Great Falls, and then watched the fireworks on the National Mall right by the Lincoln memorial. It was amazing! I've never been a big fan of fireworks, but these were incredible.

Going to DC - part 2

So I am officially in DC, and start my 6 week internship with the Washington Legal Foundation tomorrow. I drove from Dallas to St. Louis on Thursday and spent the evening with my grandmother - we have a very nice visit, and then Friday I drove from St. Louis to DC.

Farm land in Illinois & Indiana has to be the best I've seen in the country - absolutely beautiful. Kentucky was nice - and they drive really fast in West Virginia & Maryland. Thank goodness - it was a 13 hour trip.

A quick story: I stopped for gas in West Virginia at this Exxon in the middle of nowhere. If it hadn't been an Exxon I wouldn't have trusted this place. The pavement ended just beyond the gas station, and continued on as a dirt road covered shade from huge trees. There was a restaurant across the street - the kind that just says 'restaurant.' So while I'm filling up this 70 year old dude comes walking really slow out of the 'restaurant' carrying a case of beer and wearing a flannel shirt. But of course, he only has 1 button buttoned - right next to his belly button. It was spectacular.

Anyway, I'm moved into my place here in Alexandria, VA. It's not the greatest of places, but the rent's cheap & it's only 6 weeks. Today I went to the singles ward here, then drove up to my work to make sure I knew where it was and what I was looking for.

Going to DC - part 1

So I finished my Criminal Procedure class with a final Wed. morning, then packed up and headed for DC. And like any good product of the West, my truck is going too. Last night I stopped in Dallas at my parents place - today I head for the Gateway of the West, St. Louis, to see my grandmother.

Only funny story from the trip yesterday: I pulled into gas at this Texas style 'resort town' Runaway Bay. (Texas Style resort town means no shops, restaurants, or other worldly attractions. Just a lake with a bunch of houses built around it.) Anyway, so I pull in to get some gas at the 1 gas station in town, and this dude pulls into the pump next to me - blasting Cher! Cher!?!? Who listens to her? Dude appeared to be in his 40s, and from his music choice I assume he must suffer mental difficulties...

Here's a long read for you

So in my wanderings about the internet, I came upon this interesting article about What makes us Happy. I'm always curious about this sort of thing, and so I started reading it.

It's a long read.

But it's really good. It follows a bunch of Harvard guys from back in the 1930s, who've been part of a longitudinal study ever since, analyzing their lives and figuring out what makes them tick, and ultimately, what leads to happiness.

On top of learning a little more about that, I also learned what a longitudinal study was. Anyway, I really enjoyed the article.

I wish all my food came in a bag

So I came across this little gem this morning



and then I went on to discover a host of other sweet Backpacker videos

My favorite so far? Bacon & Eggs in a bag.

Starting a business?

So since I passed the Patent Bar last October I've been hoping I could work for Texas Tech doing patents until I graduate. The past week or so I've been thinking that I might just open up my own shop doing patents during my 3rd year of law school. I could control my own schedule, I'd get all the money, and I'd learn a lot in the process.

(Not to mention, maybe be taking the first steps to opening my own law practice... the Economy is still pretty rough...)

Because I've been thinking about doing that, last night I went to a seminar put on by the local Small Business Development Association (or something like that) here in town. The seminar was about "starting your own home based business," so I thought that'd be perfect. It was really a very nice seminar, though I didn't really learn that much new from law school - some, but not much.

What I did enjoy was being the only law-person in the room. I made clear that I couldn't give them legal advice, but I did give them some advice on how to find a lawyer, types of lawyers, free clinics at the law school, etc. People were asking me all sorts of questions - it was kinda fun!

And I am getting pretty serious about this business stuff. We'll see.

Henry Poole is Here

So I just finished watching Henry Poole is Here, which I had said looked really good about a year ago. Turns out the movie was very different than I was expecting. I went in expecting a dark comedy about an alcoholic finding faith. What I got was a movie about personal faith & finding a purpose to life.

I'm not going to spoil anymore of the movie here, but I would definitely recommend RedBoxing it. It has two excellent tho underrated actors - Luke Wilson & Radha Mitchell. Nor did it do well in the box office, and after seeing it I understand why - but I still really liked it. It gets my vote.

Google Wave & Natal

So a few days ago my buddy Tim posted a link to Google Wave. The clip is 80 minutes long, so it took me a few days to get through it, but it's REALLY cool. I highly recommend the video to everyone.

At the end - say the last 20 minutes, it gets a little more technical, so if you're not technically inclined and going to skip any of it, that's the part the skip. But I think this has the ability to transform communications and networking in all new ways.

Also, Project Natal by Microsoft for the Xbox could really change the face of gaming. This video is only 4 minutes long... and could cause just as large of a paradigm shift as Google Wave, but in a different way.

Leno

Tonight after watching the ballgame via ESPN360 (I don't have cable), I realized it was Jay Leno's last night on the Tonight Show. He's been on for 17 years, and it was a pretty amazing last show. I missed the very beginning, and I thought Conan talked a little too much when he was on, but the last 20 minutes were excellent.

James Taylor was on - he played an acoustic version of Sweet Baby James, and then Jay gave his closing. I thought it was a really good way to go out - he did it with a lot of class, and two things he finished with stood out to me:

1) He brought out the kids born to the Tonight Show crew over his 17 years - and said that they were his legacy. Jay doesn't have any children... so I think this is probably even more true than many viewers may have realized at the time.

2) He said that he was "Leaving with the same woman he came in with." Not too many people in Hollywood can say that these days, but Jay seems to do things the right way despite being in an environment where others would accept inappropriate behavior.

Anyway, those are my thoughts after watching a really good man saying goodbye tonight.

Went home to Dallas

I went home to Dallas for the weekend, and got back pretty tired Monday evening. It was a very nice weekend - Mom's cookies, watching NBA playoffs with Dad, bugging my little sister, an awkward blind date, and lots of good food.

I did see plenty of dead armadillos around, but my only contributions to roadkill were about a billion dead bugs on my windshield - and 1 bird. I wasn't sure I hit it until it came flying down behind my truck. It was definitely hit.

Cheesus

Cheesus

So other shows

My brain is fried. I still have 2 finals left... and I'm completely exhausted.

On another note, I think TV ratings are interesting. They measure what's popular in America - so given that I think most people are dumb I also generally don't believe in popular opinions (i.e., Global Warming, Socialism, American Idol). So I'm just going to come out and say this - I like NBC. I think they put together some really good shows. Over the past 2 years I've really liked and Life and Chuck.

Well, Life is pretty much gone, which is too bad because I thought it smart, hilarious, and a lot of fun. Chuck is fighting, but even if it pulls through I'm not sure the series is going to hold together. I think these shows are worth saving - but moving on, this Community preview looks hilarious.

Let me tell you about Heroes

So 3 years ago Heroes premiered on NBC. I didn't watch it, but my roommate at the time Jim had them on his iPod, and eventually got Ken and I to sit down and watch the first season. It was great - kinda like the X-Men, but maybe a little more realistic.

Then the first season finale aired... and it sucked. It was horrible. And that same degree of horrible writing has continued to date. I stuck with the show despite a horrific season 2, and despite wanting to stop watching I watched season 3 (I promised a friend I would stick with it).

Now - I'm done. The show is horrible. While they once had a sweet show, they've ruined it. I don't even know how to describe my level of disgust with these writers, and I'm not going to take the time right now to list all the ridiculous examples of why this show now sucks. Maybe I should start such a list...

Anyway, it seems that so often the shows we like are taken off the air too early and we're left wanting more - but this is the opposite. I'm left wanting less.

Crazy Dude

So I've had a long crappy week - 90% of which has to do with finals starting on Tuesday. So last night I decided it might help to get a haircut, but of course I decide this at 7 PM on a Saturday, so I drove around for awhile before going to the mall, the only place still open. I figured I'd pay more, but I really wanted it done.

I go into the haircut place and get lined up with a barber named Jesse, and older dude of Mexican descent. This dude's nuts. He first tells me about how he helped bust up this $12 Million dollar fraud scheme against the Texas lottery, where the DA was going after the wrong person so he helped get the right person by intoxicating the fall guys and getting them to spill the information. In retribution, the real fraud guy (who my barber was renting from) burnt his house down with him inside. Don't worry, he just got burned a little bit.

Then he proceeds to tell me about how he used to have this ancient cup that was 'spiritual' but his sister had thrown it away because it was evil. So he keeps trying to get into the Lubbock landfill to dig for it, but the government has made it all classified so he can't get in. Apparently the cup was made between 1130 & 1250 A.D. and is made of bronze because he had it tested. It's just 1 of a set of 4, one of which the Vatican has. The Vatican has the gold one, some business people have the silver one, and he never told me about the 4th one. He did tell me who had them originally - yup, King Arthur. He also learned how to 'activate' the cup by saying some prayer to Jesus and drinking from it.

But we're not done. He then proceeds to tell me that he's a seer. That he predicted 9-11, that he's seen Osama Bin Laden in his visions, and that he's helped the Lubbock Police on multiple occasions by telling them how to solve cases. But of course he doesn't have super great control over this power.

Oh - this was all unprovoked. I didn't ask anything. He just told me all this. And you can't just make this stuff up. So now the haircut's done, and guess what - best haircut I've had since I left Provo. Expensive, Crazy Dude, but a really good haircut. So do I go back?

What I really meant to say

So I just re-read my last post. I think what I was really trying to say didn't come out... so I'll try again.

There are lots of different ways of staying in shape, and they all can work great. Yoga, Pilates, Martial Arts, Weights, Running, Hiking, Swimming, Tennis, Basketball, Gymnastics, and the list goes on and on. Some people like certain things more than others - I really don't enjoy playing basketball much, so I do other stuff.

But I had someone tell me the other day that they were going running and that they hated it, so I suggested they do something else. They asked what, and I suggested pullups, to which they responded "I don't want to get big." One doesn't have to lift weights to exercise, and if you don't like it one shouldn't do it. But I think everyone should try hard at everything they do in life, and to the extent possible they should enjoy it.

So if you don't want to go running, there are other ways of exercising. Go swimming. Go dig a hole in the dirt. Go for a walk. But don't feed me crappy excuses about why you don't exercise hard when you have some mental block prohibiting you from finding some form of exercise you could enjoy. I'll just give you same look I give to people with 30 items in the express check-out line (and it's not pity).

"I don't want to get big"

So here's a quick rant of mine.

I like to work out - and I try to push myself. Be it running, mountain biking, weight lifting, boxing, raquetball - whatever I'm doing, I like to try and be the best I can be. Same goes for school, work, etc. Work hard, have no regrets.

So it ticks me off when people are out of shape &/or fat, and they tell me they don't want to lift weights/do pullups/ do pushups because "they don't want to get big." Guess what? Those people are ignorant.

All the literature says that you have to be consuming a great deal of protein in order to gain excessive muscle mass, and in all probability you'll need to be on creatine and other types of growth enhancers. Me? I just think you're lazy.

How about instead of telling yourself "I don't want to get big" you tell yourself "I don't actually want to burn calories in the most efficient way possible because it might hurt a little bit." And then we can go on an 8 hour hike and we'll see who is in better condition for it - you or I.

Now back to studying.

Charge Cards

So I never realized there was a difference between a charge card & a credit card - however an article I just read explained the difference in a very simple way. Read it HERE.

Lone Survivor

So I've had Lone Survivor sitting on my table for about 4 months now, and just haven't gotten around to it. Friends and family have read it and told me it's awesome, I just haven't gotten around to it.

Anyway, here's an article I saw on Drudge that just makes me feel more for the guy...

Clarity Tunnel

Friday night I went out to a place called Clarity Tunnel. It's a tunnel that was built long ago for the Ft. Worth - Denver railroad line, and is now home to many bats. Unfortunately we didn't get there in time to see the bats fly out - it was already very dark - but we did see some bats flying around & feeding.

The tunnel itself was in really good condition - and the guano wasn't too thick!
The tunnel was a lot taller than I was expecting, and a lot shorter than I was expecting too. But it was great to get out of Lubbock and do something a little different.