Rudy Flies!

Done and Done

• In the past 2 days, I submitted my indecency paper to about 65 journals, including all 32 law reviews in the Top 50 that accept student submissions. You can see the final draft here: Beyond Broadcasting: The Constitutionality of Indecency Regulation on Cable and Direct Broadcast Satellite Services. Hopefully, someone will bite. If not, I'll wait a few weeks and then submit to the next tier. Lather, rinse, repeat as desired.


• It's interesting -- exactly one month ago, I really went all out and made this paper my life. Before I started this final push, I would have never thought that, within 30 days, I could A) DOUBLE the length of the paper, B) make it much better, and C) actually finish it and send it out. The paper is so much stronger than it was when it got an A-, and in the process of revising it, I actually had a lot of fun and came up with several new paper ideas. I dare say, perhaps someday I may become a professor? To have several hours a day to think and research and write... seriously sounds like a blast. :-)
  

Would you have refused to fly with these men?

Some of you may have heard about this interesting development in Interactive Racial Profiling aboard a European plane -- apparently, several passengers refused to fly with these two men, going so far as to walk off the plane. There was no commotion, no yelling; just fear and a quick exit. Ultimately the pilot had to ask the men to leave so he could take off (they were later cleared of everything except looking like terrorists).

Well, what do you think? Can you see why the passengers thought these two were terrorists? For God's sake, they theoretically fancied themselves up for this picture, and they still look shady! Imagine what they might have looked like as passengers on a sweaty, stuffy plane...

Would you have walked out too?

Gadgets that make you skinny! on the next Jerry Springer

At one point during my latest run (well actually a walk/jog/run, but let's not quibble over semantics), I was running at 7.5, 8 mph! Made it two miles. Haven't done that in like a year. Felt great. Yaaaay iPod + Nike! :-)

Bluebookin' like a Maniac; Sweatin' like a Maniac

• So, I'm done with that paper I've been talking about for a couple months -- "done" in the sense that all I have left to do is check my cites and submit the thing. I'll hopefully complete the cite checking today and then submit it to a dozen or so communications law journals. Over the next few days I will submit it to the several dozen public policy journals. Hopefully somebody will bite.
  
  In any case, I am already excited about various future papers. Ideas:
  
  
  • The Obscenity Paradox: If obscenity by definition has no value, and yet some people want to watch obscenity, doesn't that give it value to certain people?
    
  • IP as PII: Are Internet Protocol addresses "personally identifiable information"?
    
  • Grumpy Old Men Syndrome: When old judges meet new technologies
  
  
  
• In other news, my mom and I are spending countless hours at the gym. It's awesome. I've lost a few pounds over the past couple weeks and I feel great! Highly recommended.
  

PS - Rudy is flying. Updates soon!

Three Men in a Cabin

IMG_0004 7.JPG, originally uploaded by CaseWriter21.

I have spent the last few days relaxing at Mark's parents' cabin a few hours northwest of Detroit. For those who don't know, Mark is the gentleman sprawled on the ground, sucking on a breadstick. Poised above him are myself and Donnie. We have wiled away the days throwing frisbees through the woods and forests, throwing oranges at each other, playing the piano, sight singing motets, and generally engaging in youthful tomfoolery. You wish you were here!

Last Night in London

I got out of London just in time, didn't I? I flew out Wednesday morning; the next day, all hell broke loose. Now I am safe and sound at home in southeast Michigan, but here I offer you a chance to see what I did on my last night in London. For one hour, Georgetown Law paid for free drinks -- "only beer and wine." Ha! Is there's any thing G'town law students love, it's a challenge. After about a half hour, we started figuring out that the bartender let us put entire bottles of wine on the tab. And then I realized that the wine menu also listed "champagne" as a type of wine. So I tried to order a glass... and was told they only came in bottles... G'town confiscated a $300 activity fee from me, of which I had used next to nothing, so I figured, why not? I will take a bottle of champagne! "Maaay allllll acquaintance beeee forgot da da daaa da da da daaaa!"

IMG_0019 1.JPG, originally uploaded by CaseWriter21.

FYI -- Andrea Biondi, an Italian professor who usually teaches in the UK, taught me European Union Law this summer in London. Regardless of whether or not I actually did well on the final, I can say without pause that this man was one of the best teachers I have ever had. He makes entertaining what could be an incredibly dry topic. He is teaching EU Law in the spring of '07 at G'town and, if you're a student there, I strongly recommend you make space in your M/W schedule and take his class! Biondi today, Biondi forever!

Wan Fine Day

Wan Fine Day, originally uploaded by CaseWriter21.

I pose with Wan, the kindly Bangkok-born owner of my favorite Thai food restaurant here. He feeds me dinner, on average, every other day. The restaurant is family-run and everybody knows me now. When I walk in, I almost feel like I'm on Cheers!

Wan is a classy guy. He's the owner and doesn't normally cook, but he personally made me beef pad seeiu even though it wasn't on the menu (the normal chef didn't know how to make it). Wan is impressed by the fact that I can handle very spicy food. "It's the red hair," I said. "Redheads love spicy food!" He laughed.

Mad Dash to the Finish Line

• I am putting my indecency paper on hold for about a week. I have made amazing progress -- going from 27 to 57 pages in just under two weeks! -- but now I have to focus on my classes. My European Union Law exam is on Monday at 9 a.m., and my International Criminal Law exam is Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Frankly I'm not aiming for an A on these (a B+ will suit me just fine), so a few days prep on each course should be sufficient. I'll probably spend half the day studying EU Law and half studying ICL on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and then do EU Law exclusively on Sunday and ICL exclusively on Monday. Or something like that. I'm not too worried -- EU Law is pretty straightforward and a friend gave me the outline for my ICL class. :-) The biggest problem is that we're not allowed to type our exams -- they have to be handwritten, and I haven't done that since undergrad! Five years ago! Blech. I don't think I still know how to write......
  



• I tried jogging today. I made it about 2 minutes before I collapsed and had to walk. Walked for a couple minutes and then jogged another 2 minutes... all in all I maybe jogged for 5 or 6 minutes total. By the end my pulse was up to 180. 180! I am SO damn out of shape! Three years ago I was jogging for 50 minutes without stopping; now I can barely make it around the block. Just imagine what that means: If a tiger were chasing me, I wouldn't be able to get away. I would be eaten. Let me repeat that: I would be eaten by the tiger. I can't be eaten by a tiger! What a horrible way to go! Thus the only solution is to keep jogging 2 / walking 2 / repeat.
  
  The neat thing is, for about a minute -- mostly toward the beginning of the run -- I felt free. It was exhilarating. To be moving so fast, feeling the cool wind rush past me. It felt liberating! And it reminded me of the feeling I used to get many years ago when I jogged for 20-30 minutes every other day. I want to recapture that feeling. Oh, and the most unexpected part was that about 90 minutes after the 5 minute jog, I felt unexpectedly happy and I didn't know why. Like someone had given me some really great news, but then I forgot it, but still felt happy for some reason. Hannah says those are the endorphins. I'll have to take her word for it -- she is pretty experienced in exercise, after all.

Reason #845 BigLaw is Not for Me

5:39 PM EST
Matthew: sup, you're home early
Jake: i got home last night at 12:45 pm today
Jake: so its more like i'm home real, real late yesterday