Recipe for Disaster

Mix:
- One Part Extreme Boredom
- Two Parts Exasperated Law Students
- One Honda CRV
- 50 dollars worth of Expedia coupons

Allow to sit for 12 hours, while you finish other projects. Then, hit the road for MARDI GRAS, ST. LOUIS STYLE! :D



Lynn and I at the hotel bar. I turned into a kleptomaniac this weekend - notice the stolen beads, hat, AND sunglasses. I got to keep the last 2, the hat had to go back.



Randos from the bar. These guys were part of a bachelor party from Chicago. They came dressed in a bunch of polyester and otherwise hideous-looking suits that they had bought at good will.



Lynn & Dave: the guy who saved us on our shuttle from Drunky McDrunkerson who kept asking us if we had "any blow."

This one's for Christina

This is dedicated to Christina, who probably won't get her wish of being able to watch all of the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice one last time before going to Ethiopia on Saturday...

(I promise to update on my own life soon!!!)

Which Pride and Prejudice Girl Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Elizabeth I am Elizabeth. I am headstrong and intelligent. I love to be myself, and am very loyal to my family. I can sometimes be prideful and "prejudiced," but I try to remain open minded and I usually regret past mistakes. Charlotte 70% Elizabeth 70% Mrs. Bennet 60% Jane 55% Lydia 45% Mary 45% Kitty 40%

Update on Fred & Milty

People who have been reading this blog a while are by now familiar with the story of Fred and Milty. I just wanted to post an update because I discovered this morning that there is a new documentary about their journey: Sons of Lwala. The film is already finished, and it looks like it will be going on a film festival run soon. They haven't posted where they will be screening yet, except for opening night in Nashville (Mar. 27). As soon as I have more information on where it will screen, I'll post that too.

It's what I do

bringing you yet another one of my favorite youtube clips. This one discovered by Colle & I on Christmas Eve.

Valentine's Day Baby

Remember earlier how I said that Chris and Christina can't post pictures of their little boy until the courts made it official? Well, it's official!!!! They should be getting Aidan Christopher Dinkeneh sometime in February! Congrats again!

The most recent picture taken


Aiden Christopher Dinkeneh at two months


Teeny, tiny baby Dinkeneh; this was the picture Chris and Christina got with their referral.

The Christmas of Chaos

I'm back in South Bend (*tear*) to write a 30-page student note for my law journal (yikes!), and I have to say that for once, I'm not entirely sad to see Christmas go. This Christmas seemed to be one disaster after another - I left my purse on the plane on the flight from Chicago to Sioux Falls, SD (where there are 3 times as many slot machines in the airport as there are arrival/departure information screens). My hard drive crashed on Christmas day and is donefer, and I had to get my glasses replaced because they got lost during finals.

The good news, however, is that after a 4 hour drive to Colorado Springs (a gorgeous mountain town which also happens to have less than 5% registered Democrats amidst the population), I got my purse back. Also, I just took my computer in to be fixed, and although I'm going to lose all of my files and data, it's still covered under warranty. And my mom and I found the cheapest place ever to get glasses and so for a third the price of my original pair, I got two new pairs. So all the crises were handled and are (more or less) over. Now I've just gotta write this darned paper - bleh.

half-way there

and the hard part is over. right? right????

who is this?!?!

T-16 minutes till my final starts. I'm sitting in the library and dancing to Cab Calloway's "I Wanna Be Rich." Am I sweating the final? Nope! Am I freaking out cuz I finished my outline at 7 am and haven't reread it? Nope! I'm dancing in my seat while Lynn tells me I'm crazy and listening to the song that's been going through my head all morning, that apparently NO ONE has ever heard of before.

I think it could be that I'm only going on 4 hours of sleep and my body is going into its hyperactive phase. That, or I've officially gone off the deep end. Whatev. At least there's good 80s music on the other side of the deep end.

My Iowa Roots

Back in the day, I predicted it*, and apparently the Des Moines Register agrees with me.

*I have since changed my mind on the overall election outcome. I have more faith in Hillary, but I think it'll be close.

This is Yucky.

From a conversation we just had about Business Associations & partnerships and limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships and limited liability limited partnerships....

Me: So first you had the P.
And then you had the LP.
And then you had the LLP, which modifies the P.
And then you had the LLLP, which modifes the LP.
Right?
Lynn: Yes.... you confuse me.

yet another christmas profile

As some of you may know, my current obsession when law school has me down is to read adoption blogs. It started when my friend Christina would show me cute pictures of babies adopted from Ethiopia or interesting stories, but since then it has taken on a life of its own. I think I do it for a number of reasons - 1, law school is stressful in case you haven't heard; reading these blogs is a lighthearted distraction that also gives me a bit of perspective. 2, these kids are DAMN cute. 3, stories about silly little kids are waaaaay better than stories about civil rights, or international law, or conflict of law, or business associations, or any of the other lame subjects i should be studying for right now. ;)

One blog I read is of 2 boys adopted from Haiti. I thought y'all (especially my sisters) might enjoy this story. It dates back a while, but was linked to a current story all about how these little boys have asked for a baby sibling since they could talk. I hope you guys enjoy the picture montage as much as I did.

New Christmas Profile

My cutest roommate ever has the cutest new baby brother ever! Meet Sammy:



Sammy is a very precious, good natured baby with a pretty heavy load already. He was born with a brain dysfunction called Semi-Lobar Holoprosencephaly (HPE), which apparently develops in the first few weeks of pregnancy and means that the brain doesn't grow forward and divide like it's supposed to during pregnancy. I wouldn't want to speak for his family on the nature of this disorder because obviously they know much more than I do, but I do know that they are very lucky that Sammy made it out of the womb (most babies that develop this disorder don't make it past pregnancy). Not only that, but he was lucky to be born into such a loving and positive family. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers, I know they'd appreciate it.



More information on Sammy's condition is here. And this is the website of another little boy in Indiana who has the same condition. Coincidentally, this little tyke is also named Sammy and has a milder version of the same disorder.

Christmas Profile

Every day for the past week or so I have tried to come up with something new and exciting to post about my life. Unfortunately, there is nothing new or exciting about my life. I'm eating, breathing, and living finals - those interviews put me ridiculously behind and so I'm struggling to get it all done in 2 weeks. So this morning I had the brilliant idea that maybe I would post favorite Christmas memories. And the more I got to thinking about Christmas and holidays, the more I realized how many of my stories turned out poorly for one person in particular. It seems like every recent Christmas/Thanksgiving/New Years one particular person got shafted, and so instead of doing a favorite memory, I thought I'd do a tribute to the Charlie-Brown-Christmas-Tree of my family.... my sister, Michelle. ;)



Chelle happens to have very bad holiday luck, particularly with mashed potatoes. It seems that every year she gets blamed for a batch of bad potatoes that weren't necessarily her fault (there! I admitted it!). Like the year that my dad gave her frozen potatoes to make mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. Or the next year, when he gave her a bag of rotted potatoes. And then last year, at Christmas, she got a batch of potatoes that had been left in the water too long, and had turned starchy (I'm not going to go into details about who left her that batch ;>).

I think she may have also suffered the most physical casualties around the Holiday season too. Not to belittle the year that Nicolle had to have a root canal, but I still think Michelle takes the cake. One year, she and I were sitting in the back seat acting like a couple of nimrods while Nicolle drove down the highway. We thought it would be funny to stick our heads out the window and see our hair fly. And it was funny.... right up until Nicolle closed the windows on us. I jerked my head in as soon as I realized what was happening, and started screaming so loud at Nicolle for being a jerk that none of us heard Michelle screaming, with her head now stuck in the window.

Or there was the year that I was sleeping on the couch and one unknown sister started throwing things at me. I didn't know who it was, but I could hear Michelle laughing, so when I got up and left the room in a huff, I hit her.... turns out it wasn't her. Woops (sorry, Chelle!).

PLUS, Michelle's birthday is on New Years Eve ~ an unlucky pick because no one wants to celebrate your birthday on New Years. Last year was a particularly bad birthday because Michelle got sick as an early birthday present and so had to spend her birthday getting a giant shot in the place that no one wants to get a giant shot.

But the least funny and the worst of all Michelle Christmas stories is the year she had to miss Christmas cuz she got into a car accident on her way home from college. She was fine, but the snowy ditch that claimed her car is probably still on her sh*t list.

Now, on any given year, we don't typically give Michelle props for her holiday mishaps. However, this morning as I walked into school and tried to remember all of my funny holiday moments, I realized Michelle probably deserves a little more sympathy than we give her. So here's to you, unlucky holidays sister. I hope you don't hate me forever for this post.

Favorite Holiday of ALL

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm pretty sad I can't be at home today (especially cuz it means I don't get to heckle my sister's bf, Mr. San Francisco, who is with my family in Denver today *shakes fist*), but Lynn and I are making the best of it by hosting our very first Thanksgiving ever. Pix to follow I'm sure, but first the things I'm grateful for...

Old Pets and New:




Pretty Falls at Notre Dame:



Getting to be a Maid of Honor:



My South Bend Family, Sisters, and All-Time Hero:






Gainful Employment:




Baby Dinkeneh:
He's not even here yet and already he makes law school infinitely more tolerable

Remember that Time.

Hey. Remember that time I almost burnt down the apartment and gave Hank smoke inhalation because I left cookies baking in the oven for over 2 hours while Lynn and I went to the movie?

Oh wait. That was tonight.

Not to steal Christina's thunder by posting a silly youtube clip the same day as their referral announcement, but this was just too accurate to pass up.

Law School Musical

Congratulations, Chris & Christina!

Last night my friends Chris and Christina finally got the call that they've been anticipating for 7 months - they have a baby!!!!! Little Dinkeneh Timesgen, born October 3, 2007, who is such a little guy that at four weeks he only weighs 5 lbs 6 oz. We could not be more thrilled for the both of them who have been waiting on this call for months and months. These last few weeks especially have been rough because they were told that they should expect the call in 4-6 months and the 6-month mark came at the beginning of October. But now they have pages and pages of information on their little guy - he doesn't laugh yet, but squeals and he can track people visually for all 90 degrees - and just have to wait for the Ethiopian courts to finalize the adoptions. They should be traveling in 12 weeks to pick him up, just enough time for us to blow off finals and the rest of life to shop for little boy boots and pajamas and coats and... well you get the picture. The best part of adopting parents is that as soon as they got the call, despite Christina being 7-months "expecting", we all got to drink champagne!

I would post a picture, except for privacy reasons, they can't official do that until they have his birth certificate. But this little man is tiny! and the picture they have of him shows him in a 3-year old girl's sweatshirt which he is practically swimming in. It's totally precious.

OH, and because everyone knows how competitive I am - I started a pool for everyone to bet on what gender baby it would be, what age at referral, and how many babies there would be (Chris and Christina were open to twins). The prize was that the winner gets to be the first babysitter, and with a guess of 1 baby boy age 4 months, I won! (and no, I didn't cheat ;>) SOOOO excited!

Congrats again, Christina!!!!

Pix are from the weekend way back in January when they announced to everyone that they were going to adopt. I was out of town (blast!), but being there the night they got their referral totally made up for that.


Chris, dad-to-be, is the one in the gray and blue jacket.


Christina, mom-to-be, is in the gray sweatshirt with pink scarf.


Chris and Christina in the new nursery, shortly after telling us.


Tim came, but poor Emily was stuck in the library doing Law Review stuff. So we had to go track her down by running around the library hollering "EMILY!"


Chris and Tim, pouring champagne.

Roommates and Honorary Roommates

on Halloween

I HAVE A JOB!

I made it official: This summer I'm going to work at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom. I'm 50% ridiculously excited because I had a great interview there and 50% terrified because of Skadden's reputation. The funniest part of the story is that "Skadden" meant nothing to me until I started telling people I want to work there and then everyone filled me in on their reputation.... they pay you a shit-ton so they can work you an even bigger shit-ton. Oh well, what doesn't kill ya... right?

Which Gilmore Girls Character Are You?
	You are part Lorelai. You are energetic, perky, and witty, but sometimes your unique sense of humor can confuse people. You are well-liked by all, but you have trouble with commitment.
	You are part Rory. You pride yourself on your moral fortitude. You are a bit of a prude and bookworm, but you have honesty and a quiet humor on your side.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Newest videos on Lwala

For those of you who haven't heard the story, Milton and his brother, Fred, are friends of mine from Dartmouth who now both attend Vanderbilt Med School. When we were all in undergrad, both their parents died of AIDS complications. Consequently, the two have spent all of their spare time and breaks from school trying to build, staff, and supply a health care clinic in their home village of Lwala, Kenya. They are two of the most inspirational brothers you could hope to meet and I thought I'd just update you on their work.



Documentary in Process, Hope for Lwala



News Show on Milty & Fred's Clinic.

Newest update: the Lwala Clinic birthed its first babies (twins) this fall!

Best. Wedding. EVER!

I will post more pix as soon as I have them, but Paige's wedding was literally the best wedding I have ever been to.



**Update**
View photos here.

Not Quite Hank

But close!

Molly would give Hank a giant run for his money in the competition for my cutest roommate of all time. Not quite for sure who'd win that one.

I'm a shameless quiz stealer.

HSUS MySpace Page | Take the Quiz!

Thanks, Big Colle!

Christina Tagged Me

So I do believe that means I have to fill out her blog quiz. Here goes...

Jobs I've Had
* Dartmouth Day Care
* Rockefeller Center (student intern assisting with their Civil Skills Training program)
* Child Advocates (summer internship in Indy)
* Skadden Arps (dare I jinx myself? They tell me my offer can't be taken away so I'm trying out the sound of saying I work for Skadden)

Places I've Lived
* Missouri Valley, IA
* Hanover, NH
* Denver, CO
* South Bend, IN

Food I Love
* Chocolate Ice Cream with Gummy Bears
* Left-over Macaroni & Cheese
* Chicken Parmesan
* Miss Kitty's Chicken and Dumplings

Websites I Visit
* Westlaw
* Christina's Blog
* Facebook
* Photo Database

Places I'd Rather Be
* Wendy's Wedding in Missouri Valley this Weekend with my Fam
* Wherever Courtney Is
* Hanover, NH
* In the Lap of Luxury

Movies I Love
* Love Actually
* Rent
* Anything Rogers and Hammerstein (any musical, for that matter)
* Keeping the Faith

TV Shows I Watch
* Grey's Anatomy
* Gilmore Girls (on DVD & ABC Family since it was cancelled)
* Law and Order SVU
* Engaged and Underage

Friends I'm Tagging
* Big Colle
* Lauren Cady (who still refuses to tell me where her blog is)
* Kristin
* Mr. San Francisco (whom I'm currently mad at cuz he got spend the weekend with my family and I didn't. does he even have a blog? no clue.)

Duel at Dartmouth

What are you doing tonight?

Hank the Tank

And just a few new photos of Hank the Tank when we took him for his first walk outside:

Hank the Tank goes for a walk!


Except it took him a long while to get warmed up to the great outdoors


In hindsight, a bunny on a leash is kind of a funny concept


He never did get used to the leash, but he did warm up to the grass

I don't like living in a country....

(offensively liberal post. you've been warned)

....where someone can be told they should just go die of cancer cuz this government doesn't like how they got here.

And it just goes to show...

That apparently law firms like contentious people: I got the call back at Law Firm D. Go figure.

It was bound to happen sometime

I finally did it. I had an offensively liberal moment during one of my interviews and totally pissed off my interviewer.

Scene: Conference Room in the Law School
Characters: Me and Young Partner with Law Firm D (for Denver)

YP: So, I see you majored in Comparative Politics. What is that?
M: Oh, it's a subset of the government major at Dartmouth. Basically, I ended up majoring in it because I was taking a lot of survey Latin America courses with a professor I liked that all fit into that concentration of the major.
YP: Yeah. But what is it? Like, do you compare other forms of government in Latin America to American government and to each other?
M: Yes. Basically that's pretty accurate.
YP: So. What's the best form of government?
M: Uhhhhh.... weeeeell..... [insert awkward laugh]
YP: [leans forward in his chair to make himself more intimidating] This is the point at which you say democracy.
M: Weeeeell.... I would say democracy, but I've gotta stick with my gut here and say that I just don't think it works everywhere. Especially in Latin America where you have a history of a lot of grass roots resistance to it.
YP: [shocked and angry] Well. I would say something. But we're not supposed to get into this sort of substance in our interviews.
M: [mentally crossing this firm off my list of firms I hope to get a callback at]

This guy went on to later stick my resume in front of me, point at my highlighted GPA, and say: "so. With these grades, why aren't you on law review?" I was like: "READ my flipping resume. I'm on a journal! If I'm not on law review, clearly it's because law review didn't want me. Thanks for bringing that up again. Ass."

Or, at least that was what I was like in my head. Out loud I think I lamely drew his attention to my list of activities and said I couldn't really account for why law review didn't want me, but clearly I had done the writing competition and so they rejected me and not the other way around.

No callback for Bagel at Law Firm D. Oh well.

Horoscope v. Reality

So classes have been in swing for three weeks now, and I thought I'd give a quick run down on my life. (Yes, I'm a vapid narcissist, I know, but maybe somebody out there is interested. ;) And if not, then you shouldn't be reading blogs anyway - cuz they are clearly the haven of card-carrying vapid narcissists.) But to make things more interesting, I thought I'd take my horoscope and comment on how accurately it does/does not mesh with Bagel-reality.

Something small catches your eye on Monday or Tuesday and gets you thinking about friends or family. It's a good time to repair relationships that have been unraveling for a while.
I think I call this the Hank the Tank shout out. He's tiny and ever since he came around, Courtney seems to pop up more and more, as well as rando other law school friends who we rarely see at our place. We didn't do anything all weekend but play with the bunny, which was very rewarding until we realized how poorly Hank is taking to litter training. Definitely got peed on this weekend all over my shoulders.

Watch out for a rebound later in the week, though, as unintended consequences pile up and require extra attention. You can handle them as long as you set aside the time.
Word on the street is that 2L year is the bitch of a year as far as being really, really busy. And so far, that's pretty dead on. In the first 3 weeks, I've had 4 different training sessions for my law journal, 13 on campus interviews with 3 left to go before callbacks start, classes and whatnot. I'm already behind in reading, but I think that's mostly cuz I'm still trying to stick to the anal-retentive 1L reading practices which are just barely feasible anymore. So this weekend is catchup time!

The weekend brings good emotional energy, but you may encounter opportunities that are too good to be true. Be wary and trust your intuition to guide you in the right direction.
No clue what this means, but it sounds like this weekend I might have to resort to my tried and trued "I am not a whore!" mantra.

I don't know who's to blame...

...but we may have a problem of impulsive shopping when we're stressed.


Meet Hank the Tank! The newest roommate in 2 Fischer 2C!

Cuz I love dumb quizes.

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?