Two Truths and a Lie

This was a good Christmas for me. I was able to come home for a couple weeks to spend time with family, friends, and a few attorneys in a small bankruptcy/family law/personal injury/intellectual property firm.

Yes, it was Christmas in Kansas with all my siblings driving me just insane enough that I decided to work during the days.

Overall it was a very nice Christmas. In the grand tradition of things, we went to the Christmas Eve family service at our church. They did the usual thing of singing a few Christmas related hymns, their enactment (complete with a live horse!) of the birth of Jesus, and finally a candle-lit chorus of Silent Night. Our family followed that by a small gathering at our house with my grandparents, cousin, and Uncle. My sister and her family were also staying at my parent's house, so there was a good sized group of us.

Later that evening we opened a lot of our presents. I got all that I needed and more. DVDs of the Seinfeld series, books, and gift certificates to buy clothes. That's really what I wanted for the most part.

On Christmas day we had a nice breakfast, opened the rest of our presents, and had family over for a bigger dinner. After eating a lot of food we watched football on TV.

Everything was just how it was supposed to be.

From Melissa

Three names you go by: Curtis, Curt, Red

Three screen names you have: Alyoshka, Nextkresge, fakecurtis

Three things you like about yourself: Red hair, sense of humor, memory

Three things you dislike about yourself: Too sensitive about somethings, overthink stuff, and too trusting at times.

Three parts of your heritage: Irish, American, Sioux

Three things that scare you: Future job, current administration, impeding grades

Three of your everyday essentials: diet coke, laughter, and talking with friends

Three things you are wearing right now: khakis, blue shirt, black shoes

Three of your favorite bands/artists (at the moment): Wilco, Drive-ByTruckers, Stephen Kellogg

Three of your favorite songs at present: Wilco's Jesus, Etc., James's Laid, and The They Might Be Giants' Anna Ng

Three new things you want to try in the next 12 months: Korean food,skydiving, and running a marathon

Three things you want in a relationship (love is a given): Commitment, laid back, lots of humor

Two truths and a lie: I was a radio deejay, I have been in a coma, andI my favorite food is spaghetti.

Three physical things about the opposite sex (or same) that appeal to you: athletic (not overly so), nice smile, and unassuming

Three things you just can't do: Hold my tongue, act surprised at"surprise" parties, feign liking someone

Three of your favorite hobbies: Watching movies, making up stupid skits with my friends when I'm drunk, and reading non-stop.

Three things you want to do really badly right now: Get off work, find some caffeine (no soda machine in this little office), and read somemore shit about secured transactions (err...maybe A Short History ofNearly Everything)

Three careers you're considering: Lawyer, acting like a lawyer, and standing around the court house.

Three places you want to go on vacation: Hungary, Vietnam, and West Africa

Three kids' names: Micah, Catherine, Leah

Three things you want to do before you die: I dunno maybe hike a mountain, camp for a week, and see all the major art museums in NYC and Paris.

Three people you want to take this quiz: Whoever reads me and doesn'thave their own blog ought to email me what they think

I went down to Austin on Thursday to meet with a couple of professors of theater who are thinking about including my most recent play in their production series. From how it sounds it is because it is a very character driven play.

One of the interesting things about meeting with them was how professional the entire meeting was. I'm really nothing special when it comes to writing, but I've fallen into the right opportunities. That is the only thing that has set me apart from other people who write. Somehow I made the right contacts. It is weird that I have found my way when I have friends who seem to be more talented.

Anyhow, they are very professional when you meet with them. They seem to be impressed with my work and what I had to say. It's was quite a bit of fun. I'm not sure if it will happen or not, but I was one of the local playwrights that they wished to talk to about the upcoming series.

Today I was driving out to my friend's house for some lunch. I wasn't paying much attention, because of my cell phone. I know, in a lot of places it is illegal to talk on your cell phone while you're driving without a headset. However, I wasn't talking on it, but retrieving it after it fell down by my feet. See, a few weeks ago I bought this little pad that is supposed to hold your cell phone. The surface of it is a little bit tacky, which helps the phone to stay put. At least, they said that it was supposed to hold the phone. It didn't this time so the phone fell down and caused a lot of noise and misery.

I didn't get into a wreck, but I was close to it. What happened was that I cut off this car and then my foot, while I was trying to kick the cell phone out from under my clutch pedal, hit the brakes and caused me to almost schreech to a halt. The person behind me schreech and a couple cars honked. I continued to try to find my cell phone.

Then the car that I cut off and stopped short on passed me. I saw that it was a student driver car! And, if this wasn't enough, to add insult to injury the student driver was like 40 years old. She's learning to drive with assholes like me on the road.

I will be back with more interesting things soon to come. Truth or fiction: I studied in the library today from 8am until 6pm?

What if I told you, from about 8pm until 12am I will continue my studying? 14 hours of studying in one day can't be true, can it?

I had my first exam on Friday in Consumer Law. It's a course that deals with a lot of deceptive trade practice laws, some contract issues like misrepresentations and warranties, and things like credit and debt statutes.

Anyhow, I did horribly on the exam. Law school exams are notorious for presenting students with long (often 5-10 page), convoluted fact scenarios. The facts suggest various issues that an informed student will "spot." This is the practice of issue spotting. A good fact scenario will have, oh, maybe 20-30 issues that can be discussed. Sometimes there are more and sometimes less depending on the subject matter and the way the professor writes exams.

This particular exam had six different legal actors who could be in court over the sell of real estate. The consumers (husband, wife, and child), the real estate agent who worked for the sellers, the sellers, and the roofing company. Some of the issues were cross-cutting issues that applied to multiple parties.

The exam presented this question that involved the consumers purchasing their first home. They called the agent when they saw the house. Scheduled a time to come and see it. When they got there the interior of the house and roof were being redone because of an alleged hail storm. Anyhow, they were rushed into the purchase by the agent, the sellers lied about the condition of the home, the roofers did a crappy job, and there were warranties, including an as-is warranty, out the wazzou.

The call of the question was to list all claims and remedies the home buyers have against the three other entities.

I should have just stopped when I saw it.

From Michelle's Thoughts on Life

directions:
[1] copy and paste into your livejournal/blog
[2] bold any that pertain to you*

I'll change to light green

01. I miss somebody right now.
02. I watch more tv than I used to.
03. I love olives.
04. I love sleeping.
05. I own lots of books.
06. I wear glasses or contact lenses.
07. I love to play video games.
08. I've tried marijuana.
09. I've watched porn movies.
10. I have been in a threesome.
11. I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship
12. I believe honesty is usually the best policy.
13. I have acne free skin.
14. I like and respect Al Sharpton.
15. I curse frequently.
16. I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.
17. I have a hobby.
18. I've been told I have a nice butt.
19. I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.
20. I'm really smart. I'm not a genius, just smart.
21. I've never broken someone else's bones.
22. I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal.
23. I love rain.
24. I'm paranoid at most times.
25. I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scar free.
26. I need money right now.
27. I love sushi.
28. I talk really, really fast.
29. I have fresh breath in the morning.
30. I have semi-long hair.
31. I have lost money in Las Vegas.
32. I have at least one brother and/or one sister.
33. I was born in a country outside of the U.S.
34. I shave my legs.
35. I have a twin.
36. I couldn't survive without caller I.D.
37. I have made homemade peanut butter.
38. I like the way that I look.
39. I have lied to a good friend in the past 6 months.
40. I know how to do cornrows.
41. I am usually pessimistic.
42. I have mood swings.
43. I think prostitution should be legalized.
44. I think Britney Spears is pretty.
45. I have cheated on a significant other.
46. I have a hidden talent.
47. I'm always hyper no matter how much sugar I have.
48. I think that I'm popular.
49. I am currently single.
50. I have kissed someone of the same sex.
51. I enjoy talking on the phone.
52. I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants.
53. I love to shop.
54. I would rather shop than eat.
55. I would classify myself as ghetto.
56. I'm bourgie and have worn a sweater tied around my shoulders.
57. I'm obsessed with my LJ/blog.
58. I dont hate anyone.
59. I'm a pretty good dancer.
60. I don't think Mike Tyson raped Desiree Washington.
61. I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother.
62. I have a cell phone.
63. I watch MTV on a daily basis.
64. I have days when I just wish I could just leave everyone and everything behind.
65. I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months
67. I have never been in a real relationship before.
68. I've rejected someone before.
69. I've graduated college.
70. I have no idea what i want to do for the rest of my life.
71. I want to have children in the future.
72. I have changed a diaper before.
73. I've had the cops called on me before.
74. I bite my nails sometimes
75. I am a member of the Tom Green fan club.
76. I'm not allergic to anything deadly.
77. I have a lot to learn.
78. I have dated someone at least 10 years older or younger...
79. I plan on seeing Ice Cube's newest "Friday" movie.
80. I am very shy around the opposite sex.
81. I'm online 24/7, even as an away message.
82. I have at least 5 away messages saved.
83. I have tried alcohol before.
84. I have made a move on a friend's significant other in the past.
85. I own the "South Park" movie.
86. I have avoided assignments at work/school to be on Xanga/Livejournal/Blogspot.
87. When I was a kid I played "the birds and the bees" with a neighbor or chum.
88. I enjoy country music.
90. I think that Pizza Hut has the best pizza.
91. I watch soap operas whenever I can.
92. I'm obsessive, anal retentive, and often a perfectionist.
93. I have used my sexuality to advance my career.
94. I love Michael Jackson, scandals and all.
95. I know all the words to Slick Rick's "Children's Story".
96. Halloween is awesome because you get free candy.
97. I watch Spongebob Squarepants and I like it.
98. I have dated a close friend's ex.
99. I'm happy as of this moment.
100. I have gone scuba diving.
101. I've had a crush on somebody I've never met.
102. Kissed someone I knew I shouldn't.
103. I play(ed) a musical instrument.
104. I strongly dislike math.
105. I'm procrastinating with something right now.
106. I own and use a library card.
107. I fall in 'lust' more than in 'love.'
108. Cheese enchiladas rock my socks.
109. I think The Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest things ever.
110. I'm obsessed with the TV show "Lost."
111. I think Beyblades is the coolest show in coolsville.
112. There are more things i could be better at, if only i tried harder.
113. Sometimes I don't like food.
114. I worry sometimes that I'm not being the best friend I could be to the people I care about.
115. I desperately want people to respect me, but it rarely happens.
116. I have never been able to say anything positive about myself and truly believe it.
117. I am bisexual.
118. I think Scottish accents are very attractive.
119. I'm very neurotic.
120. I speak another language besides English.
121. I joke about eating, shaking, and kicking babies.
122. I'm most likely to spend my money on music.

I've got a final tomorrow, which I mentioned to my neighbor below a few days ago. Tonight he was blaring his music (note: he's in his 40s and acts like a college freshman) down below. I tried to tolerate it, but I got frustrated and stomped on the floor. A few minutes later he showed up at my door angry because it disturbed him. This made me even more mad, so I started to yell at him. He yelled back a little more and told me that he didn't appreciate my stomping. Of course, I yelled that I didn't appreciate the bass coming from his "vacumn-tube" speakers. Eventually I shut the door on him and packed my stuff to go elsewhere to study.

My apartment complex doesn't allow pets of any kind. No dogs, cats, frogs, birds, or lizards. Ok, I think you can have fish as long as the aquarium isn't too large, but nothing the breathes without gills. I don't know the rule actually, but I am certain that cats and dogs aren't allowed.

This creates a real problem for me because I have a little cat, Sophia, who enjoys living in the same apartment complex with me. I learned this the hard way, because when I first moved in to this place I took her to my parents. I figured that she could live with them for a year while I finished school. It won't be long before I move into a townhouse or house. I will get Sophia back then and she'll be as happy as can be.

That idea when really far wrong. She has a bit of a temper problem when it comes to interacting with other animals. I should probably take you back in time a little to explain this further.

Let's imagine that this is April, a several months ago, and I'm getting stressed about finals. I decide that I want to adopt an abandoned cat, because I'm such a caring and nice person. I find out that the Petsmart near my apartment sells SPCA cats for eighty bucks. I go and hold this female cat named Sophia. She's a beautiful Maine Coon cat with calico long hair. She purrs, I grin, my friend thinks it's cool, and my other roommate (this friend that is present is the other roomie) agree to having a cat. Her little tag said a couple things that made her not such a good find for many people: she is almost 3 years old (people like kittens) and she is "very sweet to humans, but she doesn't get along with other animals." Well, I want an older cat and I don't have any other pets. She comes home with me.

Move ahead to a couple months ago: Sophia and I move into this new pet-free apartment. I drive her home to Wichita after a couple weeks. I stay for a few days and then leave her there. When I left she wasn't all that happy with the family cat. Actually, they both hated each other. We hoped that she would learn to get along.

A few weeks later my mom returns her to me. This leaves me with the task of keeping her hidden while I'm at school. I usually shut her in my room when I go with a little sign on the door that says something about how I was out late and that you should leave the papers on the table. The sign is addressed to one of my friends. It's all just a ploy to keep maintenance people from entering my room, and finding the cat, if they come by.

Well, they came by twice this month and found her once. The first time was just as I envisioned it. I was gone at school, and they came to change the filter on my a/c and heater. Then they came again when I was here to look for the source of the cigarette smell that comes from my downstairs neighbor. They found here when I was here with her.

I hear the door knock, so I hide her stuff and put her in my room. I noticed that she's sticking her paw under the door, because she's a social cat (remember, sweet to humans), so I go into my room and put her in my walk in closet. That door doesn't latch but it has a strong magnet that holds it shut. I go out to the kitchen and watch this guy taping stuff up. All of a sudden he says, "I wasn't expecting someone else."

Yikes. I look down and there is Sophia looking up at us. She was just checking out what we were doing. I guess that she pushed her way out of the closet and pulled open the other door, because I didn't completely latch it.

The maintenance guy was actually pretty cool about it. He said that he wouldn't tell the management about it.

Dominos finally convinced me that I should let her come over for a Shrek Marathon. I decided that it was an alright idea, in large part, because I don't have my first final exam until Friday.

I went out and bought a little thing of wine, Captain Morgans, and ordered us a pizza. It turns out she doesn't really like wine, so I'm going to save that for a rainy day, but she does love Captain's and Coke. I knew this, so I bought it especially for her tastes. I gave it a shot and decided that it was alright. I'm not a huge fan though.

We started the first Shrek a little before the pizza arrived. We were busy watching the movie when her phone rang. After she talked for a minute she gave the phone to me. Her girlfriend wanted to know if we would come to a bar in Addison, because of some sort of an ex being there and wanting to make the ex jealous. She said that she'd buy me a shot, so I agreed to coming out there for a little while.

The pizza came so we decided to eat it for a few minutes. After a couple slices we took off for the bar. I met her friend, had a shot, a few beers, danced a little, met two of this friend's exes, and then convinced the friend that Dominos and I had to leave.

We went back, at this point I was pretty drunk, to ostensibly finish watching the two Shreks. We did watch both of them but there was a lot of making out during it. She left around midnight to go back to her place.

All in all, the Shrek Marathon wasn't too bad. My overall impression of Dominos is still not all that great. I'm just not feeling it.