http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/comments/view?f=/c/a/2009/06/28/BANN18DT58.DTL

Avg San Francisco city employee compensation: $125,000. 50% increase since 1996.

That's it guys. Forget big law firms. I'm going to be a public prosecutor.

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=top&subject=ami&story=amMade0709

According to this report, my Camry is the most American car out there, even more than the Ford F-150.

Talk about irony.

It's official: Men's Tennis is my favorite spectator sport. Roddick wanted it more today. He was a serve demon and broke Federer twice. Federer had the edge in aces and winners but suffered from a great number of uncharacteristic unforced errors; certainly not the best game I've seen him play, even taking into account the Herculean effort and overall superb game by Roddick. It was like watching Goku fight Vegeta for the first time, Goku cranking up to 300% his potential, which gave him what I felt was the slightest edge over a 75% Federer...

The game came down to stamina though; Federer barely looked like he was sweating into the fourth hour, while Roddick was visibly fatigued, and showed it in his volleys late. Heck of a show by Roddick. I hope this run in Wimbledon jump starts his faltering career.

Final score: Federer over Roddick 16-14 in win by two fifth set.

Happy Fire Works Day, people. Canadians, you might as well celebrate with us too. After all we're one and the sa... *is stoned*

A decent recording of the one song that best embodies the American spirit. Also, the greatest song ever written by an American. Enjoy:

Dad: "Do you know how hard it is to save money? Half of American kids borrow through college and grad school and owe the Government 50-100K by the time they're done. The lucky ones like you will make 100K a year. Obama takes 30% of that and California takes 10%. You scrimp and just maybe you'll save 10,000 a year. A small house around here is 1 million. Figure it out."

By promising to leave me a little something and ensuring that I finish law school debt free, dad has supposedly put me ahead of the field by 20 years. Talk about blessings that come with pressure.

Diet: Cal has entered an era of low-carb super high protein dieting. That means chicken breast, whey protein powder, and cottage cheese. Sodium free fat free cottage cheese tastes... apathetic. I enjoy the texture but add blueberries or honey for taste. Two cups before bed. Stuffy, but I seem to sleep better.

The bike ride around SF (I forgot whether I shared about this) went really great, all things considered. I was still too chicken to ride across the bridge due to my genuine fear of heights. There were also huge winds that day, up to 35 mph, which made riding almost a hazard.

Cooking: Coming up; Blanched broccoli salad. With grapes rather than raisins, olive oil rather than mayo, hot coppa rather than fried bacon. It's for a potluck. Google wiki informed me that pretty looking and healthy dishes are a big hit, and Italian always goes first. Let's hope that's true even for 60 year old Taiwanese folks.

CCS: Two ideas simmering: Sonomi visits the Company shrink to talk about her inappropriate fantasies about Fujitaka her issues. 2, what happens when Touya "introduces" Tomoyo to Fujitaka.

Hetalia: The Star Bangled Banner, America's Anthem, was officially recognized in 1931. The lyrics were from a poem, the tune was from a BRITISH DRINKING SONG. I learned that listening to FM 102.1 Classical. Special Relationship indeed.

Mood Theme: I'm starting to use a mood theme someone made. It's 10th Division Bleach: Matsumoto and Hitsugaya. I still love them.

Summer school and work: For two and a half months I expect to receive... 1K. Not even rent. Mreh...

SF Symphony: Will perform BEETHOVEN, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and RACHMANINOV's Piano Concerto #2 (Nodame Cantabile peeps), which is my all time favorite piece of music in July. Am considering skipping a day of work to attend Rachamaninov.

According to the LA Times, Michael Jackson was found dead in his home.

Reactions are welcome.

There was a professional seminar at USF this afternoon. After wards four cases of Starbucks coffee (the hand held 2.4 liter carryouts) were left over. I looked around for someone from the meeting but everyone had left. Finally, an office worker told me that I could just take the coffee. I grabbed a box of Pike Place Roast (c) along with a handful of Equal and Splenda. I judged there was 5-6 cups worth in there, which translates into $12 or so.

But THAT's not the cheap part

The cheap part is I know that five, ten years from now when I'm making my scum-sucker-lawyer-blood-money, I would do the same thing AGAIN if I came across leftover coffee at a USF event... After I ask permission, of course.

For minako134, Mellowcandle (whom I will remind of this video once she returns from her trip), and anyone else who has seen the Matrix, Suzumiya Haruhi, and appreciates crazy mind-blowing fan vids:

Original quality flv (recommended download): file name is smile.flv
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?0dttjknijmj



I learned how to download from nicovideo and upload to youtube just so I could show this</i>. The creator made Taniguchi cool, an impossible task.

Original here: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3457764

EDIT: The quality loss from the original is atrocious. Does anyone know how I can fix this issue?

"Kimi ni Todoke" anime to start this fall.



≡ STAFF ≡
原　　作：椎名輕穗
監　　督：鏑木ひろ
系列構成：金春智子
角色設定：柴田由香
動畫制作：Production I.G

Yesterday in lawyer school we learned what to do when a client walks into our office, puts a gun on our desk and tells us "I just killed someone with that gun. Advise me." We learned that our response would be different if client had said "I shot someone and left him bleeding with that gun." We also learned that in many cases lawyers are obligated by their professional ethics not to do the "right/decent/moral thing."

In response to a real case in which a lawyer properly refuses to tell an anxious father where his daughter-the rape and dismembered murder victim of lawyer's client--the location of the body, one troubled student said in class after lengthy discussion. "I think I would still tell him."

The Professor responds: "Well, that's because right now you're still a person."

*Everyone laughs, I thought, in the way you laugh about a really good unemployment or foreclosure joke, the sort of graveyard humor that afterwards you feel a twinge of guilt or foreboding over*

The Professor goes on to say: "Then don't become a criminal defense lawyer. There are areas of law where you don't have to do deal with bodies. I don't know, like, incorporating a will."

*Everyone laughs, more heartily this time.*

One other thing: If you want to screw with a lawyer, ask it for advice. If it gives you advice and you act upon it and suffer the consequences, then that lawyer may well be in big trouble.

http://www.usfca.edu/usfnews/news_stories/Lie_to_Me.html

Lie to Me, what of my favorite current TV shows, is losely based on the work and personalities of two Profs in SF, one of whom teaches at my school.

That's totally awesome.

USF has a lot of Profs who are famous like this: Another one founded an award winning business magazine, writes and speaks prolifically on corporate ethics, and is a big figure in the movement against global slave trade. I hope to get a chance to meet some of these profs: Corporate ethics and lie detection are, incidentally, very relevant to the work of a lawyer.

x-posted from the Hetalia comm
"[News] Prussia's very own Drama CD
Everyone, Prussia's very own drama CD would apparently be released on August 26th.
Title: CD Hetalia Drama CD Interval vol.1「Ore-sama CD」
Price: 3,150yen
CD cover: Prussia version

Outline:
It's time for Prussia to be CDjacking after his sightjacking on 2009 April Fool!
"Listen to my CD, guys!" Prussia would also be singing.

Casts:
Prussia: ???, Italy: Namikawa Daisuke, Japan: Takahashi Hiroki, Germany: Yasumoto Hiroki, etc.

Source: Animate"

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Gilbert, I waited for you Gilbert!

If there's a duet with Elizaveta/Hungary, I will... implode.

If reports of worsening social and economic hardship in Iran in the past four years are to be believed, then the recent elections in that country show that for 64% of Iranians, to be Anti-American/Western/Israeli is more important than unemployment and economic development.

Or, put another way, high unemployment and social hardship is a sacrifice Iranians are willing to make in return for Iran to defy America and her allies.

If so, I think it is a rather noble sentiment.

Code Geass: Lelouch of Brittania » by Cal reflector reviews
Summary: History often hinges on a moment. What if young Lelouch avoided the fate of exile and remained with the royal family? All roles become reversed. The tale of Lelouch's quest for power and vengeance as the Black Prince of the Empire.
Rated: T - English - Drama/Adventure - Chapters: 20 - Words: 78,359 - Reviews: 1000 - Updated: 2-7-09 - Published: 10-2-07 - Lelouch L.

*Fist pump*

I passed L-chan's "Shadows." Now comes Peacewish's "Wild Flower", and then ultimately Heartscientist's "Butterflies."

If anyone knows a fic with a 10,000 review count (from like, Harry Potter or something), don't tell me.

Borrowed from dungeonwriter:
Edited: I misread the kitty question

Your result for The 3 Variable Funny Test...

the Prankster

Take The 3 Variable Funny Test at HelloQuizzy

The first time I took this I was "the Wit." Which is short for: "You take your humor seriously", "high brow", "so funny no one else gets it". All of which I still think is accurate. Just because I didn't think a guy losing his jewels to a skiing accident was funny... I admit though, I do go to great lengths to plan and execute practical jokes. Like when I convinced my high school I got accepted to Westpoint, or when I photoshopped an underclass yearbook staffer with a girl I was shipping him with together and wallpapered the image on every computer in the library and yearbook room. I should go back to doing those.

I like the Daily Show and the Colbert Report and the Darwin Awards but not Scary Movie, American Pie, and Frat parties.

My alma mater, Morrison Christian Academy in Taichung, had a huge make over since my graduation. The entire elementary + middle school section plus the new school library as well as the front office, cafeteria, and an assortment of utility rooms were torn down and rebuilt to California earthquake code. All that plus a 7 story high rise with nearly 100 units of apartments for faculty and dorm students. A figure I espied estimated the cost of the project at some 14 million USD.

The amazing thing is: While shopping for Construction firms, the school asked the bidders to lower their price tags because the school was a non-profit, and one firm out of seven came out with a bid far below that of its rivals, Da-Yi. Da-Yi is a construction industry powerhouse and agreed to do the project at no-profit; they would charge for labor and material but return any amount remaining. Not only did they finish ahead of schedule (11 months), they also utilized high grade materials (tiles, better wood, lighting, etc) above the required specs out of their own pockets. The story behind this is that Da-Yi's head honchos was a poor Taiwanese kid back in the day who was in real bad shape because his family could not afford medical care. An Australian missionary doctor treated him at no charge and saved his life. The guy became a Christian and has been looking to give back since, sponsoring a number of charities, including English education for poor island natives who live in the mountains.

I figure I redeemed the cost of my plane ticket on this trip through a number of measures:
*Having my cavity fixed while in Taiwan, as I do not have dental in the US. The bill in Taiwan was about 15 bucks.
*Having the soles of my classic Rockport boat shoes patched for 9 bucks. A new pair would have been 100. I've had this pair for six years. This will be the third time I patched it.
*Getting a new pair of glasses: My near sightedness is fairly severe so I require the micro-compression lenses.

Still jet-lagging: I woke up last night at 3:00AM and struggled to go back to sleep. I napped 3 hours after lunch. It may be a while before I fully recover.

Take away: Perhaps the biggest resolution I came away with after meeting many family friends, former teachers (including my elementary teacher who taught me 13 years ago), and relatives is: I have got to get in the dating game. I haven't done anything since high school. And considering what little I did in high school, I know for a fact that most sixteen year-olds in America have more experience in relationships than I do. I think the Dark Years at Berkeley damaged my confidence to such an extent that I moved towards becoming an emotional recluse, particularly in relation to the opposite sex. Objectively, my stats are pretty good: Tall, passably fair looking, well-educated, well-traveled, Toyota Camry 2004, excellent career prospects, well-off parents... but ask me to walk into a bar and hit on a girl and I'm helpless.

Am seriously considering hiring a tutor like that Will Smith movie; don't think a book is going to cure my romantic ineptness at this stage. I'm 23. The clock is running out.

I　wore my Swiss hat when I watched the French Open Final this morning, 6AM. Wasn't the best performance I saw out of Roger, but can you blame a guy when he's on the verge of getting what he's fought for and towards and never gotten for five straight years? Amazing. Not even Japanese Manga could come up with a player like this. Congratulations Roger. We love you~

Hetalia: I expect/hope to see some tributes in some form from the fandom today. That would be great.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/05/alabama.teacher.sex.salary/index.html

Falls under Civil Procedure... or Criminal Procedure? In which case I haven't studied it, and in any event Alabama law applies and the last place I'll be practicing law in 2 years is Alabama unless God decides he wants me working with death row inmates.

Still, Kudos to the lady's lawyer. I hope he's getting at least 1/3 of that 50K salary she'll be drawing in jail for the next five years. It may not seem like much, but times are tough, and I doubt he/she'll have to do that much work to earn it; it is decidedly not difficult to drag things through the court system, if that is your goal.

A case like this can go to the Supreme Court because the criminal charge operates under Federal Law. The quickest way this can be over (and the woman in jail with no more salary) is probably for the full judges panel to hear the case and for the civil case to be dropped; I presume the civil case is proceeding in the state court system under state law, in which case there is no appeal to the SC (they won't hear it anyways, the issue is too trivial here). I doubt the families of the victims would be able to squeeze much from the accused here anyways.

I'm home. The flight was uneventful, no one reported down with the flu on my flight this time, but then again no one in America cares much about the flu anymore. That's so last week.

In flight movies: Taken, the International, and Race to Witch Mountain. Taken was surprisingly entertaining, the rest were soso, although the Rock was pretty fun in Witch Mountain. Mainly I was trying to stay awake in order to adjust to jet lag. I would have watched Pink Panther third but after Taken and The International I had had my fill of French for the day.

EVA airways had a Anime music soundtrack/channel: I heard FMA, Blood+, and other good stuff.

Landed at 7:30PM. I slept from 10:30PM till 12:30 (14 hours), waking up maybe for an hour in between to eat cheerios. I feel like going back to bed now, even though that would be an absolutely terrible idea.

I think I should stop monitoring the Hetalia Comm for a while; it makes finding my f-list's posts too difficult.

I need to write; I haven't updated my fic in 4 months.

French Open: Don't blow it Federer.

Legal Research and Writing Fall 2008: C-
Legal Research and Writing Spring 2009: A

His name is David Hwu. He fights for JUSTICE.

Now waiting on Torts, Contracts, and Civil Procedure grades.

Finally, a chance to use this Haruhi icon.

Going back to SF later tonight. Wish me tailwind and clear weather, folks.