The Ninja

10:32 pm: Film-a-licious
So I saw more of the big screen this weekend than I have in a while. And it was good.

Sean, Kelson and I went to TMNT on Friday. If you were ever a fan, of comics, cartoon or movies (though I can't see the latter holding many of us), then you should see it. It was just fun, and some of the best action in a PG rated movie I've caught in a while. The beginning is a touch slow, but bear with it. The CG is cartoony but well done, the fight sequences are good, and the personalities are the right touch of nostalgia plus progression to keep your interest. Well worth even DC's excessive ticket prices.

Then, Saturday was 300 night. pinkspy1 and I went to this cool, old-school movie theater I've been itching to try (it has a balcony!), but it only shows one movie at a time and it's usually one I couldn't care less about. For one thing, I have no idea why 300 was rated R. Uhhh, just kidding. Wow, what a fantastic job though. The action, writing and acting were all solid, and the whole thing had just an epic, larger-than-life feel to it. At one point I was sitting up straight, gripping PS's hand with white knuckles, eyes the size of saucers, shivering. Plus the screen was huge.

Things start to wind down, which means I only have my usual volumes of reading after next weekend. Four weeks before the end of classes. Finals end May 11. Then my first year, the ordeal, is over.

06:36 pm: Further Update
Back at school, and classes are ramping up again. Their front-loading the work, which the various activities and job-searching haven't helped, but I'm getting back into the midset of things. I also feel more relaxed, strangely, better able to smile, take things in stride.

I had a good day today. The snow was a neat surprise, and pinkspy1 and I had a fantastic time between walking through the snow and eating an amazing (if greasy, though these can go hand-in-hand) breakfast at Stean 'n Eggs, a diner advertised as "Washington's Oldest Greasy Spoon." Then I took a walk to the grocery store, though it was really an excuse to play in the snow some more. Now topping it off with a cup of hot chocolate. I just felt good today. A shame to ruin it with Property and a trial memo. Ah well. A law student has to take the nice moments when he can.

Hope everyone is doing well.

05:13 pm: Yay!
It's snowing!!

Okay, so admittedly, it may seem strange but there are a few things that make me feel like a kid again. Snow happens to be one of them. There is about a quarter inch on the ground, it's coming down pretty hard, but it's just pretty out. The snowflakes are huge!

Anyhow, all is well, just getting back into the swing of things. More updates later, I'm probably going for a walk.

12:23 pm: Okay, I stole this from shadowcynic...
But seriously, how could I not share with others? Assisting the police with a samurai sword. Awesome. The he disappears. This guy is totally a ninja.

02:27 pm: Okay, so I owe a real update.
It's been 7 years or so since I've had an actual winter break, and lemme tell you, it was pretty fantastic. I get to hang out with family a bit (though not as much with my dad as I'd have liked) and got to see a large number of people back home (some for less time than others). The X-mas was really nice and I'm currently trying to figure out how much coffee to add to my new french press coffee maker to make the correct strength brew (in theory, it's 1 tablespoon per cup; of course, in theory, Communism works). Also, New Years Eve was pretty rockin', with a jaunt down to Twisted Taco, then over to Jay's for the ball drop. Howevevr, I can only do next to nothing for so long before I begin jumping out of my skin, so I'm back in DC reading Constitutional Law for classes this week. Everything starts back up tomorrow, and I'm happy to be getting back into it.

02:26 pm:

Your Birthdate: February 11

Spiritual and thoughtful, you tend to take a step back from the world. You're very sensitive to what's going on around you, yet you remain calm. Although you are brilliant, it may take you a while to find your niche. Your creativity is supreme, but it sometimes makes it hard for you to get things done. Your strength: Your inner peace Your weakness: You get stuck in the clouds Your power color: Emerald Your power symbol: Leaf Your power month: November

01:40 am: Merry Xmas!
Merry Christmas, LJ-land! Hope everyone's holidays are joyous and peaceful.

11:21 pm: It begins...
My first final is tomorrow morning at 9. Time to get this party started...

10:36 pm: Closing in.
I had a wonderful time for the few days I was in Atlanta. Thanks to everyone for coming out to see me; those who were unable, well, I'll have three weeks coming up.

The end is near. I have three days of class left.

As a side note for all of you lazy chefs out there, try adding about 1/2 cup red wine per serving to your store-bought spagetti sauce and let it simmer for a minute before serving. Wow, it tastes fantastic. Hell, add it to your homemade spagetti sauce. I'm normally inclined towards the latter, but Lack of Time + Lack of Money = need for cheap, lazy eats. It is really nice to find something easy to add a bit of flair to the ordinary crap you get out of a jar.

02:15 pm: Ozzy says...
You took me in and you drove me out
Yeah, you had the hypnotised
Lost and found and turned around
By the fire in your eyes
I've seen your face a hundered times
Everyday we've been apart
I don't care about the sunshine, yeah
'Cause Mama, Mama, I'm Coming Home!
I'm Coming Home!

11:02 am: I woke up this morning...
...and realized that I'll be at home, having coffee and breakfast with my parents fourty-eight hours from now. It's a good feeling.

08:05 pm: One week from right now...
I'll be sitting in the airport, waiting to fly home for Thanksgiving. Where the hell did the last three months go? Eh. I'll be home, albeit briefly. I'm looking forward to the short respite and sights of family and friends from the ATL.

03:11 pm: Bearing down...
Had a nice time hanging out with ladykinbote last night. We had dinner, caught up and moved over to bar review where she got to meet a number of my close friends here. The bar was a bit loud and crowded, but it was a pretty good time.

It's time to bear down and do work, as the frantic rush of insanity around me would indicate. Fortunately, working hard all semester seems to have paid off as I'm feeling comfortable with the work load ahead of me. I think it's partly being responsible/staying ahead of the game, partly the fact that a steady stream of working my brains out all semester has gotten me used to the rhythm of being in thinking-mode for 10+ hours straight during the week. Recipe for success? I guess we'll find out shortly.

09:25 pm: Apparently I win, except for one problem....
It seems I don't exist.



At least, maybe my name is just an alias. I'm a deep cover operative so secret I don't even know it.

11:12 am: Primarily for shadowcynic
So it appears that Nerf now makes a sniper rifle. I'm seriously thinking this is worth $30 of drinking money. You bitches best watch yourselves when I get home.

04:27 pm: Re: Mike's Bachelor Party
I am similtaneously proud of and ashamed for all of you.

Did the idea never occur to you all that having a guy named MURPHY plan a event was a poor decision? See: musical selection.

09:02 am: Unsure why I'm making obscure Faulkner references.
My brain is a fish.

09:36 pm: Congrats to Mike and Heidi on, what I have been told, was a beautiful wedding and barely controlled reception.

I am also told that this was prefaced by a truly Nexus-style bachelor party.

12:40 pm: Shotgun!
Okay, this is for all you Gapers who dont know how the game is played, here are the official rules. Complete with history.

Don't be a Gaper.

01:58 pm: Start the weekend off right.
So depite our club-fueled exhaustion, dreamthrum and I attended what, for us, was a 'can't miss' event last night. A local bookstore frequently has authors come in for signings and readings. Thre were so many people at this event that they couldn't host it at the bookstore; they moved it to the Prespetyrian church down the street. This was especially ironic, because the author doing the reading was Neil Gaiman. He read a poem and a story from his new book, Fragile Things, and then answered questions and signed books. He was really entertaining and very personable. So I have a signed copy of his new book which includes a story that takes place post-American Gods, and one that is literally a meld of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft. Wild stuff. That is one small dose of happiness to start the weekend right.

Plus I have no classes on Monday due to Yom Kippur.