Matt's Blog

2010-04-24T15:32:00.003-04:00

This blog has officially been retired, and the blog page on the website has been updated to reflect this. If you are accessing this content via syndication, please update your subscription:

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Note: Some entries are restricted. To view them, friend me on LJ or Dreamwidth.

2010-03-02T20:01:00.002-05:00

As I get older and closer to being a working ~~stiff~~ professional, I find that I both post less often and have less to say that I'm comfortable saying to the world at large. Some things in my personal life just shouldn't be aired publicly, particularly in light of my more mature and professionally focused current self. As such, I am in the process of transitioning this blog to LiveJournal and DreamWidth (it will be mirrored between the two), both under the username dzregnon. This allows me to control access to posts, which allows me to be more candid about the things that my friends and family want to know while allowing colleagues and the like to read about the general happenings in my life. Most things should remain public.

After I complete the transfer, I will eventually take the blog down. I'm somewhat sad to see it go. But not too sad.

2009-10-14T18:53:00.001-04:00

I broke a vial of insulin tonight. It was sitting on the counter with a new reservoir for my pump in it, and I bumped it. It fell and broke. Aside from being an expensive oopsie, my apartment now smells of insulin. Ugh.

2009-10-03T15:11:00.002-04:00

It's been over a month, so I guess it's time to make another post. My last year of law school is decidedly underway and I'm juggling a lot of things to do. I'm doing a lot of work for the Journal, have received an accepted a job offer from my summer firm, Darby & Darby, and it looks like I'm going to be published.

2009-08-29T15:42:00.002-04:00

It's moving weekend in Boston. By that, I mean that something like 85% of Boston's leases run September through August, and so the last weekend of August is always a little crazy, particularly when the first falls toward the beginning of the following week (Tuesday in this case). Of one is willing and able to brave the mass of moving trucks the and consequent effect on traffic, one can often find nice things that have been put on the curb as free/trash as people move out. Landlords are responsible for keeping their property clear of debris and the phenomena is well-known, however, so the piles often are picked clean and cleared quickly. It is largely for this reason that I have a non-September lease.

One thing that is making today considerably less pleasant for those that are moving is "Tropical Depression" Danny, which although no longer a hurricane is still dumping rain like crazy. I don't know the exact number, but we've gotten something like 3-5 inches of rain since midnight last night. Suffice it to say, it would suck to be moving things in or out of a moving truck right now.

The one thing about the storm that really stuck me was that yesterday evening I smelled something odd - I smelled ocean. I went out to my balcony to confirm it, and sure enough, I was smelling the salty New England ocean smell. The thing is, that smell is usually limited to a few blocks away from the water. I live a little over three miles from the harbor.

2009-08-13T09:05:00.003-04:00

My summer associateship is over. Darby won't make offers for another week or so, so I'm rather nervous. I feel that I did well, but given the economic conditions there are so many other factors in play that I can't be confident. As such, tentatively hopeful it is! I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and learned more than I could put into words in a short period of time.

My program ended on July 31, and I spent the following four days moving. First I moved my stuff from Manhattan back to CT (I have now driven through Manhattan), then helped Bits pack and finally got, loaded, drove to Boston, and then unloaded and returned a moving truck. Since then I've been unpacking an taking a much-deserved (and, arguably, needed) break and just doing nothing. Of course, "nothing" has been keeping me rather busy so has a fair bit of substance to it.

Yesterday a friend took the Myers-Briggs test on FB. This inspired me to reinvestigate my type, so I took an online test (not on FB) and was confirmed as being an INTJ. I started poking around for descriptions of the type, and stumbled upon one that seemed particularly descriptive of me: http://typelogic.com/intj.html. Anyhow, I have some stuff to do this morning, so I'll see about posting more later, which will likely be about a month from now as per usual. ;-)

2009-07-19T17:56:00.002-04:00

I saw a guy likely lose a foot today. We were on the platform in Old Greenwich, CT waiting for a train, and at the other end of the platform was a guy dangling his feet over the edge of the platform. Well, a few minutes before the local train we wanted an express came by. Sometime seemed off, and when I turned around I realized, after a protracted moment of disbelief, that the guy hadn't gotten his legs out of the way. There's about a 3" gap between the track and the trains, and he decidedly didn't fit in it. Numerous people called 911, and with a firehouse about 1/10 of a mile away a response was there quickly.

Suffice it to say, Bitsy, Henry and I were rather shaken up, and Bitsy's mother didn't take it terribly well. It's rather amazing, particularly given Bitsy's recent bicycle mishap, how one's priorities can change very rapidly. All in all, I've had a rather injurious month so far.

Description of the injuries is below.

*SOMEWHAT GRAPHIC*
After the train went by, it used its emergency brakes and came to a fairly quick stop. The guy's legs flopped onto the platform, and a number of people rushed in that general direction. At least two people called 911, and as I got close I could see his feet. The train was coming from his left, and the left side of his feet were marred, blackened, and had bone protruding. He lay on the ground, not bleeding much and going into shock. Emergency personnel were there within minutes, and the last thing I remember as he was wheeled to the ambulance was seeing his left foot wobble over the bumps because his leg was broken about 5" above the ankle. All of his injuries appeared to be below the knees, and I'm sure he'll be in traction for at least the next week of two until (or, rather, if) they can reconstruct the bone fragments.

2009-06-17T20:35:00.002-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been amazing. I've been working at a firm in NYC and learning a TON. I split the task of writing a trademark opposition brief (opposing the registration of a term) with another summer, and I've done a lot of other interesting work researching patent patterns etc. I'm currently taking a patent boot camp through Friday, which so far has been an amazing learning experience despite being a lot of information all at lunch.

The reason I'm writing, however, is that I had a "You know your in NYC when...." experience today. Myself and the other Darby summers went to lunch today. Just after we got our food I heard one of the waitstaff say "call 911." Thinking that an extremely odd thing to say I looked up my my curry fried rice to see a somewhat ragged older gentleman standing near the doorway. About that time he started brandishing the cane he was carrying and shouting profanities and slurs at the waitstaff and the manager. I gather it wasn't the first time because the manager approached him and returned the harsh words, including the profanity (albeit to a lesser degree). Anyway, all of the customers by the door quickly vacated their seats, and eventually the man left saying that he was going to wait outside. A few minutes later the police arrived - an officer who although only about 5'8" easily weighed over 350lbs - and after talking to the manager left. I didn't have a good view and so couldn't see the fate of the cane-wielding crazy annoying guy. So... yeah. That was my lunch. Insanity aside, the food was VERY good for the price. As such, I wholeheartedly recommend Chai (see link above), but be warned that it has a demonstrated history of crazies.

2009-05-25T22:37:00.002-04:00

The summer. Yesterday I moved into my apartment in NYC for the summer. It's a rather uneventful suite in the West Village. I'm headed down to DC now to help Bits pack up the apartment there and then drive everything back to CT. I start my summer associateship next Monday (June 1), and expect to be rather busy all summer which will be a nice change of pace from classes.

Bitsy and I spent a significant portion of the last two days walking around Manhattan, and aside from starting to get a feel for the layout it was just really nice. I've also discovered that there is more good food in a two block radius of my apartment than there is in all of Brookline. Perhaps not literally, but it certainly seems that way. Suffice it to say, I'm looking forward to an interesting summer.

2009-03-23T18:10:00.024-04:00

Japan!!

Preliminary Matters
Bitsy and I spent March 7-15, 2009 in Japan. We spent a fair bit of time planning the trip so that we at least had a general idea of where we would be on each day. We coordinated our stays in different places with friends living there, because while you certainly can get by in most places with English, having an interpreter is nice, and having someone who can point you to the oft-overlooked local sights/food/etc. is wonderful. In looking at how to get around the country, it seemed that the Japan Rail (JR) Pass is by far the best way. It gives you access to virtually all of the Shinkansen (bullet trains), which can get you from Tokyo to Kyoto (about 320 miles) in 2 hours and 15 minutes. That's an average speed of about 145mph. For planning of Shinkansen trips, use Hyperdia.

The First Night

We arrived at Narita International Airport, which is the airport serving Tokyo and is located about an hour outside of the city. The flight landed at 16:30 local time, and having no checked luggage, we breezed through customs. While in the airport, we went to the JR office and got our vouchers turned into rail passes, which we then could use for the trains the next day. Not knowing how we'd be in terms of sleep, jet lag, etc., we stayed at the airport Hilton, which was a surprisingly affordable $85. We had dinner at a hotel restaurant which was pricey but quite good, although the service left something to be desired (soup and curry should not take 35 min in an uncrowded place). That said, the room was quite nice, and the view from the window was of a nice garden surrounded by the hotel lobby. For better or worse, we both crashed as the food came, so staying close was (in my opinion) quite nice.

Day Two

We got up early and caught the first shuttle back to the airport, where the train station was located. We were rather surprised that we had to show a passport to enter the facility (the same turned out to be true when entering by train). We went to the JR ticket booth, and got tickets for Morioka, a city of about 250,000 in the northern part of Japan, described by our friend there as "Vermont, with a volcano." It was a rather long trip (a little over 4 hours; about 375 miles; one transfer), and we had to take the Airport Express, then transfer at Tokyo station, which was a bit of an experience. We were there during morning rush hour, and the train from the airport came into sub-basement level 6. Fortunately, the station was surprisingly well signed, and the Information Booth attendant was able to point us in the right direction (literally) without speaking English. We made it to our first Shinkansen, and sat down for a few hours of ridiculously fast, clean trains. Another thing to note: you can set your clock by the train system in Japan. If it says arriving at 11:02 and leaving at 11:04, it will. In fact, Bitsy did set her watch by the first one we were on. After spending a week on that system, coming back to Amtrak, let alone the T was rather depressing. I completely agree with the Onion when they say "Earthquake Sets Japan Back To 2147".

We met our friend Bryan at around 1300, and his girlfriend Toku shortly thereafter as she was waiting in the car. None of us had eaten, so they took us to a kaiten-zushi place, where you just grab food off the conveyor belt. Most things were �100 (about $1) for two pieces, and the quality was quite good. Suffice it to say, I wish we could do good cheap food in the US.

After lunch, we went to the Mizusawa Traditional Craft Center, where we explored the process of making sake, made traditional crackers, saw a model farmer's house (Bitsy want's to know how wealthy the farmer was). After, we took a drive up Mount Iwate to Koiwai Dairy for some scenic views.

After a brief trip back to Bryan's apartment, we headed out for a dinner of wanko-soba, a Morioka specialty in which you try to eat as many bowls (each a generous mouthful) of soba noodle as possible. If you ate over 100 bowls, you got a plaque, which all of us did. After a while, I found it necessary to get up and move around in an effort to free up some room, and I settled finished the night at 170 bowls, which I understand it pretty good for a first-timer. After dinner, we went back to Bryans and hung out for a while before heading to sleep for the night.

Day Three

We woke up the next morning, visited Morioka's famous rock-splitting cherry tree, explored the Hoonji Temple, known for its hundreds of statutes of monks, and finally the Demon's Hand Print by which a demon bound himself to leave the people alone. (See illustration by comparing this and this.) Next, we went up Mount Iwate for some spectacular views. Afterward, we headed back into the city and had lunch along the river at one of Bryan and Toku's favorite places. I was introduced to Japanese curry, which is patently amazing. After lunch, we went to the train station and headed down to visit another friend who lives outside of Tokyo near Chiba City. It took some time, and we arrived in time for dinner. The area were were in really resembles New Jersey - sprawling local highways, large grocery stores, housing enclaves etc. We met Jason at the train station, and spent about 10min walking back to his apartment where we met his girlfriend, Yuko, who had cooked us dinner (Italian). The food was great, and after chatting for a little while, we hit the hay.

Day Three

We woke up and headed into Chiba City with our host to make some changes to his visa. While he dealt with the bureaucrats (who, like everything else in Japan are efficient and timely - their lunch break ended exactly at 1300), we wandered around a little. We met up at the immigration office, his stuff was taken care of, and after grabbing lunch, we headed into Tokyo.

Tokyo has multiple subways, one of which is run by JR (the government), the others are private. Our JR passes gave us full access to the JR system, which we took full advantage of. We visited Meiji-Jingu (where I conveniently neglected to take pictures), and also spent a lot of time walking around and getting a feel for the city, getting to experience rush hour. After Yuko finished work, we all met up and went out for shabu-shabu.

Day Four

After a busy few days, we decided to sleep in a little. We got up around 9, and after packing headed to the JR station. We headed into Tokyo, got tickets for our train up to Sendai to meet another friend living in Shiroishi. Having been told that it would appeal to our interests, we spent about half an hour wandering around Akihabara, and then were off to the Shinkansen.

We arrived in Sendai in the middle of the afternoon. Our host was dealing with his visa (yes, that's two hosts in two days with visa issues), and so we wandered around for a bit. We reinforced that in Japan even the construction is cute, and I took a picture of the sidewalks. Evidently during the 90s while Japan was struggling with inflation, the government spent a lot of money on infrastructure and other public works, including making all main sidewalks accessible to the blind (see picture).

We met our host (Paul) and wandered around Sendai for a little while. It was a little rainy, and after some time we decided to call it a day. We stopped by the bakery in the train station, picking up some melon turtle bread, took the JR line out to Shiroishi, and visited a local sushi place for dinner.

Day Five

Bits and I decided to take some time away from the cities, and so spent the day in Shiroishi. Out host went off to school, and we wondered around. Before lunch we saw a local shrine and the historic and recently rebuilt Shiroishi Castle, which has beautiful construction and gorgeous views of the town.

For lunch, we had Umen, a local specialty noodle dish that in our case was served with Japanese curry (which I really like). After lunch we visited a
model samurai house in town, and wandered down the beautiful streets, complete with bordering stream. We met our host, and after a peasant walk and chat, headed off for dinner at the same sushi place. He's described their fare as "food porn," and it certainly pleases the taste buds. (Pictures: one, two, three.) After dinner, we retired to his apartment, and headed to bed as the next day promised to be busy.

Day Six

We woke up fairly early, and accompanied our Paul out the door. He rode his bike off to work, and we walked to the train station. We hopped on the commuter rail, and transferred to the Shinkansen to Kyoto.

Once in Kyoto it was early afternoon and drizzling. Our ryokan (Japanese hotel), INSERT NAME, was near the train station, and so we dropped off our bags. We got on the Kyoto subway (¥600 for a day pass; apparently those wearing "traditional" garb travel for free) and went to Nijo Castle. The grounds were quite beautiful, and it was nice to walk around the complex.

Afterward, we headed to the Kyoto Botanical Gardens, but unfortunately they were closed. We wandered around for a bit, and eventually headed back to the ryokan. We met up with Paul around 7, and grabbed a bite to eat before heading back to the hotel for an early night.

Day Seven
This was perhaps our longest day there. We started out by heading to Tenryuji Temple, which among other things has absolutely gorgeous landscaping. We left from the back entrance and walked through a very impressive bamboo-lined path.

We headed to Fushimi Inari Taisha, where we walked up the mountain a ways, and saw some spectacular views of Kyoto. We spent quite a bit of time hiking around the mountain, and when we were done we broke for lunch. After lunch we headed to Tofoku-ji, which is a collection of various sub-temples and gardens. We didn't go in, however, as we wanted to hit a few more things by the end of the day. We headed to Kyomizu-Dera, which was very much a tourist attraction. The lines were long, but the views were quite impressive.

More to come...

Day Eight

This was Sunday and our last day there. We woke up around 8, checked out of the ryokan (hotel), and went our separate ways. After grabbing breakfast at the train station (Japanese breadstuffs, mmmmm), Paul spent another day sightseeing in Kyoto (his photos are interspersed with ours in the gallery), and we headed to our train. It took about 3.5 hours and one transfer to get to the airport. It was rather sad, realizing that we would have to leave the experience behind and go back to work, but for me it was also kinda a nice, scenic way to say goodbye.

Once we got to the airport, we had to go up four stories (big airport) to the ticketing counters. We checked in rather efficiently, which was helped by the fact that we had no checked luggage. We went through security (you didn't have to take off your shoes!!), which operated extremely efficiently. Really, TSA needs to take a trip to Japan to see how it can be done without all of the annoyance and unnecessary delay. After security we went to outbound customs, where they collected a form that had been stapled into our passports upon arrival. Despite the sheer number of people, security and customs took a combined five to ten minutes, which left us with over an hour to kill before our flight took off.

We walked by the first duty-free shop, where we were informed that Johnny Walker Blue was having some special event, and they were giving out free samples. Having never tried Johnny Blue, we both jumped at the opportunity, and spent the next while exploring the duty-free shops and sampling there wares (mostly sake). We found a bottle of aged sake that we liked, and decided to buy it. This gave us an opportunity to burn through the last of our Yen, and left us with a bottle of tasty sake!

Getting on our flight wasn't a real big event, and 11.5 hours after take-off we were in Minneapolis. US Customs was relatively painless (30min; I love how nice people in MN are, but the contrast to Japan was quite stark), Bits checked the bag with the sake to her destination, and re-entering security was relatively quick. I had a tight connection (just under an hour from when we landed), and so hurried to catch my plane. I did so, and was off to Boston.

2009-03-07T19:54:00.000-05:00

I'm in Japan!! It's our first day in Japan, and we're sitting on a
bullet-train zipping through rhe outskirts of Tokyo to visit a friend
in Morioka (Bryan Kolpa). This area is almost oppressively grey. It's
very much overcast, and pleasantly in the 40s.

It turns out that their power is compatible w/ my iPhone, so I have
music and a means to type notes like this one. I'm not paying for
international data, however, so posts will be delayed until I have
wifi. Other than that, it's good to be with Bits, and I'm looking
forward to a week of gastronomical and cultural exploration.

2009-02-28T09:49:00.004-05:00

One of the interesting things about 2L year is that I get to spend a lot of time around LLMs, who are foreign lawyers at BU in a one-year program that will allow them to practice law in the US. Some of them are old, smokey, pretentious, or unintelligible, but by and large they are interesting and intelligent people who are a lot of fun to be around. Realizing that one of the reasons to spend a year in the US is to work on their English, as I get closer to some of them, I wonder what the proper etiquette is around correcting their linguistic idiosyncrasies. In both spoken and written communication I see and hear things that while correct are overly formal or awkward like "It's my pleasure to help you" or "She agreed that I give you her email address." I suppose I'll just ask them if they would like me to point these things out to them, but it's still a very odd position to find myself in. English is such a highly irregular language that I truly feel for those who are learning it, and our idioms and colloquialisms are doubly complex and counter-intuitive. Anyhow, something I've been thinking about...

2009-02-08T21:22:00.002-05:00

I'm come to the conclusion that I often miss the nuance of personal interactions. I guess what this boils down to is that I often find myself being very confused as to how to classify my relationships. I can't read when friends exhibit a more intimate interest, and may at times read such an interest in where it doesn't exist. I realize that this is much more normal than I may think, but I still find it irksome.

Another thing that I at times find to be problematic is expressing my interest in others. I am decidedly not one for hookups or the like, and generally find that my romantic interest gravitates to friends and people that I otherwise know fairly well, as for me intellect is perhaps the biggest requirement in a potential partner. It, however, results in an odd dilemma: How do I express to a friend that I find them attractive while not scaring them off? For some friends, this isn't an issue, but for most I worry. (In case any friends happen to read this, I have no one in mind while writing this. See, I felt the need to put in a disclaimer. Grrr.) Anyhow, this is something I've been mulling over. I suppose the answer is that reward tends to be highly correlated with risk, so I should just get over myself and be more open with people. But it's scary. *sigh*

2009-02-01T12:12:00.001-05:00

So I've been tagged on a couple of the Random-Information-About-You posts on facebook, and otherwise close to a few more. Figured I'd share, just in case anyone wants to know.

Stuff about me I figure people may be interested in:
1. I grew up about two hours from Boston in Peterborough, NH

2. I have neuroses (colloquial, not medical definition). I actually enjoy laundry, editing other people�s papers, cleaning, and having projects completed well before they need to be. As a result of the latter one, I�ve never pulled an academic all-nighter.

3. I�ve posted my law school career online. Take a look: http://dzregnon.net?page=ls

4. I�ve cross-posted this on Facebook.

5. I�m bisexual. My chances of getting a date (see 13) just went from very low to low. Yay! On a serious level, however, being out and bi makes me somewhat of a minority. This is likely due to the societal pressures of straight and gay culture, if you will. As such, I know few bi guys, but many straight guys who occasionally hook up with men and gay men who will sometimes sleep with girls. I, however, am a fan of calling a spade a spade . . .

6. I consider myself to be somewhere between an agnostic and an atheist

7. I am an Eagle Scout, although due to 5, 6 and 13 I can no longer participate in Scouting. As such, I am very much annoyed at Boy Scouts v. Dale and the Mormon church (both for Dale and Prop 8; see http://atheism.about.com/b/2003/11/21/mormons-taking-over-scouting.htm)

8. I am interested in my life, but don�t think my life is very interesting. (This is deeper than it sounds; reread if necessary)

9. I love talking religion, philosophy, life choices, or generally about things that divide people for no tangible reason. This is tied into a fascination with alternative lifestyles, and a fierce desire to protect people�s right to the same.

10. I�m not sure what color my eyes are. They�re either brown, gray or hazel depending on my surroundings.

11. Growing up, I spent the summers on a lake with my grandparents (and my brother and cousins) in Ontario. These are some of the fondest memories of my young life.

12. I�ve been in a committed relationship with the same person for almost nine years. Since high school. And I wouldn�t have it any other way.

13. I�m in a polyamorous relationship. I hesitate to use the word �open� because of the implied frivolity and the fact that neither of us is one for hook ups, but I suppose it could apply. I should also note that in some sense this is my first public declaration of this, and that Facebook/a blog is a very strange way to come out. I suppose that�s why I buried this in the middle.

14. I avoid eating mushroom, uncooked tomato, and peach. I�ll eat cooked tomato, but the uncooked stuff is disgusting.

15. I have a younger brother who lives in NC, without power, heat, etc., hasn�t cut his hair in years and rides around the country by hopping freight trains. Does that mean I�m the normal one?

16. I own a motorcycle; a �99 Ducati Monster 900s. It is lots of fun, and I hope to bring it up to Boston when the weather improves.

17. I�m working in NYC this summer, after which I will have lived in the three big cities in the East, Boston, NYC and DC. I�ve also lived in Minneapolis and a number of more rural places.

18. I went to a private high school whose administration is skilled in the art of alienating its alums. I loved my time there and generally disliked college. Still, I�m more likely to give money (not that I have any) to my college only because the administration at my high school can�t figure out how to communicate with its alums.

19. I actually like law school. I�m told this is unusual. Then again, I loved working in the legal profession last summer, so maybe it�s a sign?

20. I dislike bars. They�re loud, overpriced and full of drunk people (and in some places, smoke). I would much rather spend a quiet night talking with a few friends.

21. I don�t really care about sports. For instance, I just found out that the superbowl is today, and from people�s status messages have concluded that the teams are the Steelers and the Cardinals. Who knew? Everyone except me, it seems.

22. Growing up in the sticks, I have a fondness for driving motorized things: Cars, dirt bikes, busses, forklifts, backhoes, bulldozers, excavators, four-wheelers, motorcycles, dirtbikes, scissor lifts, Lulls, boats, snowmobiles, Bobcats � I�ve driven them all. I haven�t driven a semi, but I hope to get the chance some day.

23. Bitsy is largely responsible for my becoming a foodie. I�m very thankful.

24. I rarely ate sweet things growing up; as a diabetic I had a very low-sugar diet. Now, I can�t eat a lot of packaged sweet things (e.g. Coke) because they taste syrupy to me.

25. I really like candied orange, which Bitsy just found out this weekend.

2009-01-21T20:12:00.000-05:00

The Red Line doesn't like me. So, here I sit on the subway on Boston,
already twenty minutes late for dinner with a friend. The train is at
a dead stop supposedly due to a switching problem, and I have no idea
when I will get under way.

The last time I was on the red line I encountered similar problems,
and the train ran really slowly for some time for no apparent reason.
I have to ask those that ride this line frequently: does this happen a
lot?

2009-01-08T17:12:00.006-05:00

Website Update!!!

My website was in dire need of some revamping, so I made some updates. Below is a list of the things that I changed:

Updated Resume

Updated the bio page to reflect current information

Removed the Links link in the header and replaced with a Law School page with all of my notes, outlines, etc. from all of my classes.

Updated the front page to reflect law school page.

2008-12-31T23:34:00.001-05:00

Happy new year!!

2008-12-21T12:36:00.002-05:00

I�ve decided that it will be both interesting and informative for me to put words to the philosophical tidbits rumbling around in my head. This is hardly a complete treatment, and is no way meant to signal disapproval of any else�s beliefs. It is just what makes sense to me, vis-�-vis the man upstairs. (I grew up in Judeo-Christian tradition, and so will likely capitalize �God� a lot. Don�t read into this � it�s more habit than anything.)

First and foremost, I think God is irrelevant. That statement is deceptively complex, and I now must spend a while unpacking it. A first step might be to ask whether or not God exists, and if so, in what form. Next we must ask what the conclusion we reach means. The question of God�s existence is a very old one, and I posit that given most modern religions , at the end of the day, in a global sense, the existence thereof simply does not matter. Of course, for the individual, beliefs about God are of utmost importance as they inform the way that people live their lives, but such beliefs in no way necessarily lead to a better or more fulfilling life.

I. For starters, assume God does not exist. (Yes, I�m actually sidestepping the question.) It strikes me that the most interesting question to come from this, then, is �Why are we here?� or, put differently �Where, if anywhere do we derive meaning in life?� They are not, however, in any respect the same question, and should be treated differently.

a. Why are we here? Well, assuming nothing greater than us � no overarching cohesive or driving force in the universe � then the question seems obtuse. Really, if there is nothing greater than us, we�re just an insignificant fluke of nature, with no inherent meaning. If that�s the case, then the nihilists have it right, at least in a general sense. This utter insignificance is a very scary proposition, and I wholly understand why people may not be comfortable with it. True nihilists often go on to say that there are neither meaning nor moral truths in life, and it seems to me that this is somewhat premature. The thing is that while there may be no inherent meaning in life, that just leaves us free to create our own.

b. Where, if anywhere, do we derive meaning in life? Assuming that we should live life to maximize the meaning or value therein, the question becomes how should we live life? If there is no inherent meaning, then the only meaning in life is that which we create for ourselves. Most of us are not sociopaths, and thus care about other people. As the good of others must then factor into our mental calculus in determining how to live, it seems that value is best derived from trying to further good either by loving life or subscribing to some moral code. Ultimately, it seems that any value we derive is by being a good social citizen.

II. Now, assume that God exists. The same questions apply: Why are we here, and how do we derive meaning?

a. Why are we here? Well, quite simply we are here as God�s children. We have inherent meaning in that, and should live to please God, lest we be punished, be it by damnation in Hell, scourges, global warming, or what have you.

b. How, then, do we derive meaning? Reformulated, how should we live to maximize meaning? First, if God is the ultimate force of good in the world, and not just a vindictive and crotchety deity, God must have a nuanced understanding of things, and so any post-corporeal events cannot be simply binary. Indeed, sending an infant to Hell because the same has not yet been baptized is arbitrary, particularly if that infant is in a place where it has no exposure to God�s word. Thus, any just God would focus more on the quality of the individual than their beliefs. Perhaps Heaven is open only to true believers. If so, justice would require that good people be at least given the opportunity to continue doing good until they get their beliefs right. It seems to me that any just God would see itself as a means for good, not the end in itself. Indeed if God is the end in itself, why bother with its human experiment at all? Thus, it seems that we should live to do good, beliefs irrespective.

III. Because I reach a conclusion that meaning in life can be maximized by living a good life regardless of whether one believes in God, it seems to me that God becomes irrelevant. Indeed, it is a critical and milestone when the pupil no longer needs the teacher � when the child can care for itself without the parent�s constant supervision. Taking the God-as-father metaphor, then, what would make God happier than knowing that his children do not need him to do good? If we ever progress to the point that we by and large do good without the specter of damnation looming over us, I humbly suggest that God would revel in being irrelevant.

2008-12-11T12:25:00.002-05:00

It's interesting, this year, seeing all of the 1Ls (first year law students) getting all stressed out about exams. I take exams seriously, but it's not nearly as stressful as last year. I think there are a few factors that play into this. First, I'm taking a small course load this semester. However, friends who are taking more credits are experiencing the same thing, so this likely has a small effect. Second, I've done this before. I know what to expect. Of course, my 1L spring finals were much more stressful than my current ones, so I wonder how much this matters. Lastly, I have a lot less at stake this time around. The curve (at least at BU) is gentler for 2Ls and 3Ls. Also, I have a job for the summer that will hopefully turn into a full time position after I graduate. So last year my grades determined which journal I would be on and had a huge impact on the hiring process. This time around, not so much.

2008-12-07T18:23:00.003-05:00

/*Begin Rant*/

I realize it's a gripe that's been around... well, since the industry was deregulated.... but I have to say it again: I cannot stand how nonsensical airline pricing is. I wanted to fly from DC to Boston in January. Simple enough. In the three-day window I had, the cheapest one-way flight was $150 on US Air and had a 1.5 hour layover in New York, which is always the first city to get weather delays - not smart in mid-January. No other airlines had anything below $200.

That's all well and good, and I would have taken the layover, but I decided to try an age-old "trick" - I looked at round-trips. Lo and behold, if I booked round-trip on Delta I could get a nonstop flight for $160 with better timing. So what did I do? I booked a flight up with a return the next day. I'm not going to return to DC, but evidently they can't handle my wanting to fly one way.

So why, I ask myself, would they want to charge me $160 for a round-trip and over $300 for a single leg thereof? I came up with two answers, and don't care for either:

1. Simply put, they are inept. I normally wouldn't think this, but given a study that I know was done recently regarding NWA's pricing awareness suggests that they don't even know how much they charged customers (despite having access to credit card records), let alone how much they will charge for upcoming flights.

2. They know that most leisure travelers (e.g. people spending their own money) buy round-trips. Therefore, they are trying to eek an additional dollar (or, it seems, $440 (two one ways at $300 minus a round trip at $160)) out of their prized business customers. I know this is why flights are cheaper if you spend a weekend and buy in advance, but seriously guys, a hike of almost 300% is really uncalled for.

/*End Rant*/

2008-11-19T16:24:00.004-05:00

** Note ** I've enabled comments, which hopefully will foster interesting, if only occasional, discussion. Please let me know if you have any trouble. Also, most old posts do not have comments turned on - I have to do that manually for each post, so if you want to comment on one let me know and I'll flip that bit.

In more interesting news, my law firm thinks I'm gay. Seriously.

For those that haven't heard, I've accepted a position this summer at an IP boutique in New York City. While I've lived in DC and Boston, I've not had the chance to explore NYC at all, and am very excited to have an excuse to do so. The firm appears to be a great place, and IP is considerably less cyclical than the rest of the legal market (with the average time to negotiate a new patent with the PTO somewhere in the 5-10 year range, this isn't a huge shock) and I find it to be really interesting. I dabbled some this past summer, and look forward to getting my hands dirty in the IP world.

OK, now back to what I opened with. My law firm thinks I'm gay. This is based on a number of factors. For those that are just tuning in, I'm bisexual and am gradually getting comfortable about being out of the closet re: my polyamorous relationship. (This is something I'm happy to discuss in any level of depth on a less public basis, as I find the conversations tend to be much more meaningful when I am able to address specific questions without the futility that is the peanut gallery. Sorry y'all.) One thing that factors in highly is that when referencing my partner, I almost never use gendered pronouns, at least around people who don't know my partner and I well. There are a number of reasons for this, but I'll leave that for another time. Anyhow, it is always amusing to see people's reactions. I get fun things like "You and your girlfriend . . . or boyfriend" and find that it is amazing to see what conclusions people draw when you politely refuse to give them feedback on an ambiguous issue.

This came out a little in my interviews, although not nearly as much as in some. Last summer's interviews come to mind, but as my contact into that company is a family friend of the inlaws (not literally; I haven't forgotten to tell anyone that I got married) , it was easier to show my relationship in a hetero-normative light. I think the real kicker, however, was that when I was given the offer a few weeks ago, one of my (many) initial questions related to the firm's domestic partner benefits policy. I wanted to know if it includes hetero as well as homo couples, and if it has changed at all since out-of-state homosexual marriages became recognized in New York. I ask this because it tells me about the atmosphere - it turns out that the policy hasn't changed in a while, and provides blanket coverage to any registered domestic partner, regardless of that person's gender - good for the firm!

So, yeah, my law firm thinks I'm gay. I expect that I may have to disillusion them fairly soon (I still count as GLBT for purposes of NALP), but frankly I don't think my preferences should matter and so feel in no hurry.

2008-11-07T08:50:00.001-05:00

I'm sitting in a doctor's office waiting for my name to come up and being amused by people's names. They run the gambit from international to American but unusual. There was a teenager named Harrison Ford (no joke!) who was just called in...

2008-09-23T09:45:00.002-04:00

I have officially (with one possible exception) moved from the first-round stage to the callback stage of interviews. I had two last week, and have some more coming up in the next month or so. I consider it a courtesy to all involved not to name firms or list numbers of interviews, however I can say that I am to a point where the nervousness about not getting a job is more tolerable.

Nervousness is an interesting thing, because in some sense it drives you and in another sense it holds you back. My callbacks came in later than many of my friends', many of whom received them almost immediately after their first-round interviews. That couple of weeks was rather painful, as I was working for class, interviewing like crazy, and getting settled in Boston (well, Brookline) again. Now that I'm able to focus on class, I have the opportunity to enjoy my interviews more (yes, enjoy), which makes them a lot less unpleasant. Also, while the 2+ hours of being "on" for a callback is draining, I much prefer the cohesion of interviewing at one place to having multiple 20-minute first round interviews in a day. I really dislike having to purge my memory on relatively short notice to cram other information. In a callback you get to focus on one firm, and ask truly substantive questions about both the summer program and the work of young associates. While the summer program is nice, I (and, it seems, most employers) view it as primarily a vehicle for permanent hires and therefore for me what people do on the summer program is not quite as important as the professional lives of young attorneys at the firm.

2008-09-16T19:54:00.001-04:00

A friend walked up to me on the 8th floor today and said "I'm thinking of dropping out of law school." I looked at inquisitively, and he asked "Would you help me open this window?"

Per Bitsy's request, I am noting that this was a joke by my friend, not a serious motion toward self-defenestration.

2008-09-04T09:10:00.001-04:00

As of yesterday, I've started to get callbacks. It is a very good thing, as each increment towards my summer employ translates to less stress on my part. I would rather not list firms here, but am happy to share if one wants to contact me directly. Now, while continuing with first-round interviews, I begin the process of prepping for the callbacks which is arguably more time-consuming. It will be fun though, so I'm looking forward to it.