Auld Lang Syne

A translation on Yahoo.com today. Beautiful.

Should old acquaintances be forgotten,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintances be forgotten,
And days of long ago !

Chorus:For old long ago, my dear
For old long ago,
We will take a cup of kindness yet
For old long ago.

We two have run about the hillsides
And pulled the daisies fine,
But we have wandered many a weary foot
For old long ago.

We two have paddled (waded) in the stream
From noon until dinner time,
But seas between us broad have roared
Since old long ago.

And there is a hand, my trusty friend,
And give us a hand of yours,
And we will take a goodwill draught (of ale)
For old long ago!

And surely you will pay for your pint,
And surely I will pay for mine!
And we will take a cup of kindness yet
For old long ago!

My Chores

I have a short list of things to do while on school break. (The whole week and a half, ha ha!)
They are:

--catch up on laundry and hang clean clothes up
--clean out my car
--finish doing dishes
--clean off my kitchen table (my hot spot)
--catch up in my course Secured Transactions.
--catch up on sleep


I have done number 2, and am working on the rest. I am considering my deadline to be Thursday, when I go back to class. Will update.

Moot Court Blues--Episode 6

Moot court this year has had its bumps in the road. As part of the program, the moot court teams are supposed to line up and pay for their own court reporters, which has been sticking in everyone's craw. Not only do we have to spend time doing this ourselves, but we have to spend more money. We are not sure why the school doesn't handle this, and we think they should.

Well, they don't, so it is up to us. Our case almost didn't have a court reporter--we just remembered we had to line someone up about two days before. Luckily, someone on the opposite team knew someone, scheduled them, and they showed up.

Another case was not so lucky. They had scheduled a court reporter, and she didn't show up for the case. The teacher made everyone stay for 45 minutes to see if she would show up, but she dind't. So he let us go, which made most of us happy. Not the scheduled team members, because they were ready to present their case and get it over with. But the rest of us were happy to be let go, so we could go back home, study for our other subjects, or do some Christmas shopping.

Maybe the school should add Huseby, Inc., a court reporting agency, to the list of court reporters they give the students.

The agency apparently can provide nationwide court reporting, legal video deposition scheduling, and video conferencing services. Their Website says they are leaders in real-time technology and computerized litigation support services. They have provided services in some high profile cases including the class action lawsuit against Jim Bakker and the PTL organization, the Zantac patent rights case, and the murder trial of Michael Jordan's father. It says that Huseby also helped develop North Carolina's first computer integrated courtroom in Charlotte.

I looked at the company's offices in Nashville and was pleased to see that they are in one of my favorite buildings in Nashville--an attractive old house on 8th Avenue that has also housed tea rooms and club space over the years.

Biz Buzz Words of 2007

MSNBC compiled a list of business buzz words of 2007. I only know two of them. What about you?

1) grass station--a future fuel station that would dispense ethanol and other gas substitutes. Good idea!

2) connectile dysfunction--a phrase coined by Sprint as a take off on erectile dysfunction. It is the inability to get an Internet connection. I knew this one.

3) meatball sundae--an unfortunate result that comes from mixing two good business ideas.

4) friendquest--roaming around online looking for friends. Is that what I am doing?

5) subprime--who doesn't know this one?

6) narcissurfing--googling oneself on a daily basis. Could be a good idea for some.

7) disintermediate--firing middle managers.

8) Shanghai sneeze--stocks around the world falling after China's stock market plunged.

9) ringtone rage--rage set off by certain cell phone ringtones.

10) blogola--perks offered bloggers by corporations.

Who makes up these lists????

It's a Wonderful Life

There is something special about that movie It's a Wonderful Life. I just can't get enough of it. I watched it again tonight. It is Jimmy Stewart at his best. And what a wonderful message--that each life is important and touches others in immeasurable and measurable ways.

I remember when I had a philosophy course in graduate school. We talked about the fact that from a philosophical point of view, an individual life does not make that much difference. That whether you are a George Bailey or an Adolf Hitler does not matter that much in terms of philosophy on the universe over the long haul. That your impact is de minimis.

That may be true in the extreme overbroad sense. But I prefer the other view: that we each have an impact and that it can make a difference.

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I went to a homeless shelter tonight and took some gifts for a four year girl, whose name I had drawn. I did not get to meet her as she was staying somewhere else, but I got to meet her mother and saw photos of the daughter. She is adorable! I hope the clothes and shoes I bought her will fit.

Home Free

I was shocked and dismayed to hear about Dan Fogelberg's death yesterday. It seems like a another little piece of my youth just slipped away.....

I had a roommate who was stuck on Dan Fogelberg. She played his album Home Free a lot. I too got stuck on it. Particularly his song "The River." It was powerful and unique, and it seemed to sing to my soul.

I didn't even know he was sick. He seems so young to have died from prostate cancer. Interestingly enough, lately I had thought about going out to buy a CD of Home Free. I definitely will now.

After reading the news item of his death, I looked at his Website. He was so hot!

So sad.

Cons of Con Law

I really like con law, but not right now about 36 hours before my mid-term. I swore I wouldn't get into this position, but here I am: Not Prepared.

I love the course, I love the teacher, but I don't love being unprepared. I will make it up this next semester, I promise!

I don't think the stuff is that difficult. Not if you get to read it. That is the problem: Getting to read it.

I better get off the computer and back to my outline.

Anesthesia Awareness

I am watching Larry King right now and the topic is anesthesia awareness. It is so frightening to think this can happen. The show's stats say that this happens to 40,000 people a year: That they are not put out during an operation, and they feel searing pain throughout the procedure. A friend of mine who has had lots of operations says that it happened to her once.

There is some knowledge that it takes more anesthesia to put a redhead out; that redheads process the pain medication differently. I had heard it before and Dr. Sanjay Gupta just mentioned it on this show. This hits home for me, as I have red in my hair. Inside, my hair looks dark brown, but in the sunlight it is definitely red. My fear would be that inside the operating room, they would see brown hair and not red.

This is all hypothetical as I am not going to have surgery, and hopefully I won't. I guess I worry about it because of my red hair. Interestingly enough, all of the guests on the show who have had this happen to them all have red hair but one.

My only experiences with pain problems/pain killers have been when as a child my dentist could never deaden my tooth and pulled it anyway; when I went to have a cyst removed, and the doctor deadened the skin, but it felt like he was pulling the skin off; and when I went for my colonoscopy and I opened my eyes for a second during the procedure. I didn't feel anything, bu my eyes boinged open for a tad. These situations just give me pause. If ever in a similar situation, I guess I better speak up that I am really a red head.

I am a First Amendment Zealot

It is true--I admit it. I am a First Amendment zealot. I first heard those words spoken by John Frohnmayer who had severe challenges in the First Amendment arena when he was head of the National Endowment for the Arts.

He said those words, and I thought....I am one too.

It stems from my background and training as a journalist. The First Amendment--what a powerful tool and a powerful right.

I am having a First Amendment test tomorrow, and I am worried because I have not had much time to study.

I want to stay up late tonight and study, but am tired. ZZZZZzzzzzz

I am going to chant the words: I am a First Amendment zealot; I am a First Amendment zealot; I am a First Amendment zealot.

I think that will get me an A, don't you think?

Magic Carpet Ride

Magic Carpet Ride is my favorite song of all time. I loved it when I was young, and I love it now. I even got to tell Stephen Kay of Steppenwolf, twice, that it was my favorite song. The first time I thought he was going to fall down. I guess I didn't look like a wolfer. I looked too preppy I guess.

The next year I told him again. This time he didn't have any reaction at all. Either I looked more like a wolfer then, and or he remembered that I said it the year before.

I really love the Chevy commercials that feature the song. They rock! Good choice, Chevy.

Justice for Gizmo

Those in Nashville may remember a terrible story about a man who killed a dog. Chad Crawford, who must be a horrible person, kicked the small yorkshire terrier like a football high up in the air. Another man held the dog, while Crawford got a running start to kick the dog.

Horrible, horrible, horrible. He was just sentenced to 30 days in jail, with another 10 months and 29 days on probation. It doesn't seem like much time, but at least it is something. A man like that is not to be trusted.

I got a scholarship!

I found out today that I got a scholarship from my law school. I am thrilled! I got one last year, so I was fairly certain I would get one this year too. This year it was more important to get one as the bar review courses are so expensive. I have already paid for the PMBR course, but I still have to pay for the more expensive BarBri course. The scholarship will help me pay it off.

Now I just have to save up enough money to be able to take some time off from work to study for the bar. This year is a test of skills in many, many ways.........

Chotskies

I am sure I am not spelling that word right--chotskies--those little promotional items that you hand out at meetings, trade fairs, and conventions.

But however you spell it, they are fun And they can be valuable for branding and marketing purposes.

Our business does not attend many meetings or conventions. We could go to more, but most of them are not seen as relevant to the business. However, our company does go to one particular annual meeting. Last year, our team could not attend, but we sent goody bags filled with promotional products to the hotel for our clients who were attending.

Another woman at work is in charge of buying these kinds of items. Soon we will have to think about what to do for the upcoming meeting. I'm going to tell her that I found some online sites that sell corporate gifts that you can give for a number occasions. Many of the items I would like to have for myself!

Business Wake Up Call #2

When I mentioned the other day that I had had a business wake up call, apparently I wasn't the only one.

My relative boss was sick, and it occurred to me if something happened to him, I would not know enough. It was a scary thought. Apparently the same thought occurred to the other person who will be my partner in the business eventually.

And it occurred to my relative boss.

He said, what would happen to the business if something happened to me tomorrow?

He wants us to come up with a plan, which is a good idea.

The problem is he won't listen. When you mention something, he pooh poohs it. He has a tendency to dumb people down. Thinks he knows everything, all the while he limits his sources of information. He tends to talk in an insulting manner.

When we talk next week, I will ask him that one of the items on my plan is what can he do better to help us prepare.

Scholarship Hopes

My school will make the decision this week on who gets scholarships. I got a small scholarship last year, and applied again this year. I hope to get at least as much as I got last year, and maybe more. I would really love to get at least a half scholarship. It would be really helpful this year with all of the bar review costs and other expenses that seem to come out of the woodwork. I really had no idea how expensive the last year of law school would be. You don't think of these things when you apply and start in your first few years. Not that it would deter you. It is just the expense in the last year is surprising. A scholarship would be helpful indeed. I am manifesting good thoughts on getting a good scholarship.......

Business Wake Up Call

In my new job, working for my "relative" boss, I have had a whole range of emotions. Glad that I am there--I don't want the business to go outside the family. Frustration at my relative and his tunnel vision and sometimes short sightedness. His tendency to be a micro manager and even hateful at times. Awe at his ability to work numbers and carry formulas in his head. Glad I am there even though sometimes I get a little bored. Glad I am there and looking forward to the future there.

On an average day, running the business doesn't look that hard. But I had a wake up call last week. My relative was sick, not really sick, but had a bug. This was unusual for him. It made me worry a little. Like what if this could be more than a bug, or could turn into more than a bug?

I suddenly realized that I don't know as much about the business yet as I need to. Hopefully I will have a lot of time to learn from him.