Law Review

Everyone says that "Law Review is a lot of work". The actual truth is that "a lot of work" really means "hazing." When the current 3Ls were 2Ls, they were given so much work to do that they didn't have time to study, bathe, or think straight. Now that they are 3Ls themselves, they don't see why the next group of suckers should get away without the same amount of suffering. Or else Stockholm Syndrome kicked in, and they actually thought they were having fun.

On the bright side, I've already met a cute boy. But on the other hand, I don't have time to date.

Older Students

RE: Stereotypes, below.

Why are we having a long discussion of medical malpractice in Professional Responsbility? This particular discussion, led by guess who, centers on why surgeons are always getting sued when it's really the nurse's fault for leaving the sponge in the patient. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt, and assume this really does have something to do with the case I didn't read, instead of just being a discussion of one particular person's pet peeve with the legal system.

I think the reason that older students can be annoying is not that they are older students (and I speak as a completely impartial older student). I think the problem is with people who are motivated to go to law school because of a particular incident that happens to them. For example - they are sued for malpractice; they sue someone who harmed them and they lose; they have a family member who is harmed by a doctor; etc. The problem is that they start law school with an absolute conviction that the legal system is corrupt or biased or whatever. (And the legal system is biased, of course, in different ways in its different aspects.) But every topic that comes up in class is either confirmation of their view of the legal system, or else is propaganda used to cover up that bias. Anyone who disagrees with them is wrong, and is not even qualified to offer an opinion on the subject because of their lack of personal experience with a malpractice suit or whatever.

In short, there is nothing more annoying that someone who repeatedly offers their opinion with no intention of considering the possible validity of anyone else's opinion.

Football Part 2

I continue to be amazed by the yellow-line technology. You know, the yellow line on TV that shows where the line is for the first down. I love the way it goes underneath the players and stuff. It's so cool.

Football

Nice little fight before the Eagles-Falcons game tonight. No real punches, just some girly face-slapping, but 2 players were ejected. It was the most excitement the sportscasters had seen in a while - they just couldn't replay that clip enough times.

I think the only thing that would have been more exciting was if the cheerleaders started brawling. Now that would really get some ratings. I'm surprised they haven't tried that yet.

Oh. My. God.

One of my officemates is driving me fucking insane.

He begins his morning by sniffing. Apparently he has allergies or a cold or something. It's more like snorting than sniffing. He really gets into it.

Then he has his mid-morning snack, which he chews with his mouth open, smacking his lips.

Then he has tea, which he slurps. Slurps, not sips.

So the question is: after I stab him to death my my pen, should I drag his body into a conference room when no one is looking, or just leave him propped up at his desk and tell people he is sleeping?

WTF?

Is it me, or is the situation in New Orleans just plain weird at this point? The headlines are all saying things like "New Orleans descends into anarchy". There's apparently about 10,000 or 20,000 or 30,000 people who would just like to get the fuck out of there and go someplace with food and water. It's been 4 days, and the buses are just starting to arrive to get people out? President Bush is organizing some sort of fund-raising drive, but I don't think cash is going to do anyone any good at the moment - what they need is for someone to go pick them the hell up. I guess 30,000 people is a lot of people, but there must be 30,000 people in the Superdome every time there's a sporting event, and they all manage to get leave effectively. It's so hard to tell what's going on from reading the news. Are all the road closed? Is it not possible to drive in a bunch of buses and pick everyone up? And why is it so difficult to find someplace for everyone to go? Sure, if you're going to insist that all 30,000 of them go to the same place, it's going to be tough. But there must be plenty of places nearby that weren't wiped out in the hurricane, and maybe each small town could take a busload?

UPDATE:
An article in Slate makes excellent points:
- What the hell has the Department of Homeland Security been doing since 9/11? Why does the U.S. appear to be totally unprepared for this?
- We had a day or two warning that the hurricane was going to hit New Orleans. What if instead of a hurricane, it had been a dirty bomb, set off by terrorists, with no warning? New Orleans would be even more fucked than it is now, wouldn't it? Yes, it would.
- Or what if terrorists had just destroyed the levees? Exact same situation, and we're completely unable to handle it. Can I please have my tax dollars back, so I can arrange my own security in the event of a disaster?