Modern Quill

Summer begins! Posted: 08 May 2009 09:24 PM PDT Well, summer has begun for Saint Michael’s students. Junior year was absolutely excellent. It was a challenge, especially second semester, but second semester was also the most rewarding semester I’ve ever had. Part of it were my two great on-campus classes (Philosophy of Human Being; Honors English Seminar), part of it was my independent study, and part of it was my internship for Vermont’s Attorney General. Now, the start of summer means one very big, very large thing: LSAT. My LSAT is on June 8, which gives me exactly one month to ramp up my preparation. I managed to raise my score 10 points just by running through some practice tests, but now it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty. What I didn’t realize is that when LSAC uses phrases like “register” and “late registration,” they’re based on the Mayan zodiac. In all fairness, mea culpa. Because of my legion of car problems, I was dragging my feet on charging anything to my credit card. As a result, I got spanked with the $66 late fee. Oh, I’m taking the test at McGill. As in Canada. Yea, that makes sense if I was going to be around Saint Mike’s, as that is the nearest testing center. But Boston was full up, which is the testing center that makes sense for someone who summers in New Hampshire. Thankfully, I know four gracious people who will have an apartment, so I can make the 10 hour trip without shelling out for hotels. Alas, I was still charged over $26 USD in Canadian taxes. In any event, these 30 days will not get longer by blogging excessively. However, the beginning of summer is when I really get the urge to write, so blogging will help with that. Also, there are some great 0L resources out there. Believe me, I will be reading Steve Schwartz’s blog religiously. Steve Schwartz is a Manhattan-based LSAT tutor whose blog seems to be on the level. So, we’ll see what’s about to turn up. Best of luck to all the June LSAT takers, especially ma bonne ami Emily, who is both brilliant and bilingual. Whatever you do, Em, don’t study harder than me!* *Of course, I’m kidding. The (only) redeeming thing about the LSAT is that it’s a non-zero sum situation, and it forces you to compete against yourself. When I finally learn to love the Logic Games, I’ll take up sudoku. Besides, she’s a Yankees fan, so she’ll get hers.

You are subscribed to email updates from ⁂ Asterism ⁂ To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ⁂ Asterism ⁂ in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ⁂ Asterism ⁂, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Modern Quill

Pour one out Posted: 28 Apr 2009 12:46 PM PDT I just wanted to wish Dennis Jansen (No. 634), a first-year student law student at University of Minnesota, a speedy recovery. Jansen’s blog has always given me good insight into the everyday surprises that come with studying the law, and also pontificates on the meaning of the phrase “hot ghetto mess” in relation to Popeye’s Chicken. If you’re a 0L, poke through his archives. He has gems like this, “Yes, I read cases for fun. Criminal, mental commitment, divorce, and parental termination cases are more bizarre than anything Grisham or Nancy Grace can throw at you. My favorite cases are from Iowa. Not because anything particularly interesting happens in Iowa, but because they use a large font, and double space.” In any event, some foo shot up Jansen. From the sound of it, he is going to be perfectly fine, and probably with some badass scars on his back. Nonetheless, here’s wishing you a speedy recovery. This makes me wonder if there’s a #shithappens tag on Twitter.

You are subscribed to email updates from ⁂ Asterism ⁂ To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ⁂ Asterism ⁂ in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ⁂ Asterism ⁂, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Modern Quill

Going down to Boston . . . Posted: 26 Mar 2009 05:01 PM PDT Despite my broken car, don’t get me started, the trip down to BC Law and BU Law was wonderful. Watch this space for more details when I get a spare moment.

You are subscribed to email updates from ⁂ Asterism ⁂ To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ⁂ Asterism ⁂ in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ⁂ Asterism ⁂, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Modern Quill

Contemplatence Posted: 16 Mar 2009 09:48 PM PDT There are only about 4 Google hits for “contemplatence,” but I intend to be the first person to admit that I know it’s not a word . . . I finished the redesign (which is to say, the first build) of jamiegorton.com. The only problem, and this is a rather serious problem, is that my home page and my blog don’t match at all! My home page is just a portal that doesn’t carry any information. I’m going to have to work on this.

You are subscribed to email updates from ⁂ Asterism ⁂ To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ⁂ Asterism ⁂ in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ⁂ Asterism ⁂, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Modern Quill

I hate people who love Dr Pepper Posted: 15 Mar 2009 10:12 AM PDT Point of order: I love Dr Pepper. I also love people who love Dr Pepper. I completely believe my roomie Eric “Tex” Larkin when he says Dr Pepper outsells Coke where he’s from. So what’s with the title? Actually, at the time of writing this, there were no Google hits for “I hate people who love Dr Pepper.” Unfortunately, there were six hits for “I hate Dr Pepper.” If I had to guess, at that time, how many hits I thought there would be, I would have answered “0.” But then I learned that one of my roomies did not like Dr Pepper, and sure enough he had only six friends in the world at that very moment. It blew my mind. I mean, saying that you don’t like Dr Pepper is different than saying, “I don’t like spinach.” I mean, obviously Dr Pepper is superior to spinach. However, saying that you don’t like Dr Pepper is like saying that you don’t like indoor plumbing. You don’t NEED it to live, but it makes life worth it. “My mother says she thinks that Dr Pepper tastes like gym socks; I said when’s the last time you tasted those?” ~ Faith.

You are subscribed to email updates from ⁂ Asterism ⁂ To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ⁂ Asterism ⁂ in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ⁂ Asterism ⁂, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Modern Quill

The Great Northern New England Beer Tour! Posted: 03 Mar 2009 06:33 PM PST Here is some of the planning for the GNoNeBT . . . View Larger Map

You are subscribed to email updates from ⁂ Asterism ⁂ To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ⁂ Asterism ⁂ in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ⁂ Asterism ⁂, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Modern Quill

Unconventional wisdom Posted: 07 Jan 2009 11:47 PM CST There’s an old story that goes thusly: a man suffers from disabilitating headaches. He doesn’t respond to painkillers, nor migraine medication, nor even caffeine. After countless trips to expensive specialists, a doctor finds the solution: he has a build-up of pressure in his lower spine, which is transferred to his head. The man feels wonderful after his operation. He’s ready to return to work and decides to visit the tailor to update his wardrobe. As soon as he tells the tailor that he’s shopping for a new suit, the tailor asks, “How much are you looking to invest?” Tailor at work by Kent Wang, 2006 “It doesn’t matter,” the man admitted, “I owe a quarter million dollars to different doctors and hospitals.” “I’m sorry to hear that,” the tailor said. “44 long, twenty-three inch sleeve?” “Yes, I think so,” the man said. “That’s impressive.” The tailor nodded sagely and said, “If you’d like a new shirt, I reccommend a 34-inch sleeve with a 16-inch neck. If you’d like dress shoes, I’m sure you take a ten. A wide ten.” “You’re amazing,” the man said, but the tailor shrugged it off. “I’m not that good. I still need to measure your seat and inseam.” The man laughed. “What about my underwear?” Without missing a beat, the tailor said, “34 inch waist.” “Way off,” the man said, clicking his tongue. “I’ve been wearing 30″ by 32″s for years.” “Very funny,” the tailor said, “You’re a 34.” “No, really.” The tailor sighed and slapped his measuring tape against his thigh. “Sir, that’s impossibe. You’d know if you were a 30. If you shoehorned yourself into a 30″ waist, all the pressure would press directly against your spine and you’d have one hell of a headache.” ⁂ I’m a big fan of unconventional wisdom. On the MBTI I come out as an INTP personality, which I’ve confirmed. I’ll never be a 43 Folders Getting Things Done type of person. Forget GTD, I’m all about FIO: Figure It Out. I like devising, revising, and unravelling systems.  (GTD people are probably TJs instead of TPs) One small confirmation I had was Christmas with my 6-year old nephew, trying to build his Spykee robot (the Spykee Micro, we’re not made of money). To my nephew’s dismay, one of my first steps was to disregard the directions entirely. One issue that I’ve been trying to figure out was the problem of window ice. The scenario goes like this: a big ice storm moves into my portion of southern New Hampshire at noon, and will leave by nine. Naturally, I have to work 1-8 (no calling in with bad weather. I work at a grocery store, and the customers will ALWAYS find a way to shop). So I use my remote starter (I’m so spoiled, the car’s last owner installed it) and let my car warm up. So my car is toasty when I drive to work. But that car stays toasty for quite a while later. Any snow that lands on the windshield flash-melts. Then, the snow on top of that half-melts . . . Long story short, ever notice that it’s easier to clean a windshield that was cold when the snow started than one that was warmed, cooled, and then snowed on some more? My solution is less than perfect, but I ran Trial #1: Attack of the Clones today. I turned off the heat, and rolled down the windows to try to chill the windshield, still running the wipers. When it got cold enough-judged by how late I was willing to be for my shift. Then, I rolled up the windows (important step) and got out of the car, and sprinkled snow on my windshield. The result: counter-intuitively, that portion of my windshield was easiest to clean off. It froze into a giant block of ice that I broke with one or two swift jabs with the scraper. The rest of my windshield was hellish to scrape off. Instead of one big piece, the rest of the windshield was covered with a million tiny pieces of ice roughly the size of one snowflake each. In conclusion, I have no idea why I wanted to write a blog about this. This is going to make my content-targetted Google Ads space really interesting.

You are subscribed to email updates from ⁂ Asterism ⁂ To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email Delivery powered by FeedBurner
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ⁂ Asterism ⁂ in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ⁂ Asterism ⁂, c/o FeedBurner, 20 W Kinzie, 9th Floor, Chicago IL USA 60610