semester...over. 1/2 of an attorney not yet licensed to practice law in any state.
now we wait for grades...ugh.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Food poachers.
There is much to report since our last post.
As you can imagine, Brian has been spending most of his time at the law library. In an effort to cut costs, he's been packing lunches (some of the time, at least) and leaving them in the law school fridge to eat when he's hungry. Unfortunately, at peak emotional distress Brian discovered someone had stolen his pizza. Due to his fragile mind set during finals time and it was pizza that was stolen, Brian made sure the entire law school was aware of this food pilfering. Because law students are a sad, procrastinating bunch, a facebook group was created to help locate Brian's pizza - no luck. While it was a sad turn of events indeed, it all worked out for the best. Some of Brian’s friend were filled with compassion for his plight, and they offered to take us out for a free pizza. Even better, one of Brian’s profs came along and he paid for our delicious pizza pie last Saturday evening. Everyone returned to the law library satisfied with their pizza dinner and studied until close at midnight.
At midnight, it was decided that a trip to the Beagle was a just reward for a night of studying. Off we went during a blizzard. We stayed at the Beagle until 2am, then had a light breakfast at a local eatery, The Bear Cave. Brian, me, Randy, Megan, and our friend Harlan were all talking quite loudly as you can imagine….they were studying all day after all. We were just discussing the joys of talking over one another, when we were interrupted by the only other patron in the restaurant. He said, “Seriously, can’t you guys shut up for one minute?!?” He continued yelling at us, and Brian said, “oh, he’s just kidding, cuz we’re talking about talking over each other.” Everyone assured Brian that this drunk thug was actually NOT kidding. So he quieted us down for maybe a minute and then we were back off to our regular volume. As we left for the evening, the owner assured us that we weren’t actually too loud and she hoped we returned. We walked home in the blizzard and Megan stayed overnight, so she didn’t have to drive to Lima in the snow. In the morning, Megan and Brisco were fast friends, and he was sleeping on her head.
Sunday I ventured into the attic to put some things in storage, and Brian studied diligently. Monday was filled with last minute cramming, and Tuesday was D-Day for the Fed Tax final. I saw Brian a total of 45 minutes, and I hung out with our friend, Andromeda. Wednesday we had our work holiday party, and I brought our life full circle and stole leftovers from the work fridge.
As you can imagine, Brian has been spending most of his time at the law library. In an effort to cut costs, he's been packing lunches (some of the time, at least) and leaving them in the law school fridge to eat when he's hungry. Unfortunately, at peak emotional distress Brian discovered someone had stolen his pizza. Due to his fragile mind set during finals time and it was pizza that was stolen, Brian made sure the entire law school was aware of this food pilfering. Because law students are a sad, procrastinating bunch, a facebook group was created to help locate Brian's pizza - no luck. While it was a sad turn of events indeed, it all worked out for the best. Some of Brian’s friend were filled with compassion for his plight, and they offered to take us out for a free pizza. Even better, one of Brian’s profs came along and he paid for our delicious pizza pie last Saturday evening. Everyone returned to the law library satisfied with their pizza dinner and studied until close at midnight.
At midnight, it was decided that a trip to the Beagle was a just reward for a night of studying. Off we went during a blizzard. We stayed at the Beagle until 2am, then had a light breakfast at a local eatery, The Bear Cave. Brian, me, Randy, Megan, and our friend Harlan were all talking quite loudly as you can imagine….they were studying all day after all. We were just discussing the joys of talking over one another, when we were interrupted by the only other patron in the restaurant. He said, “Seriously, can’t you guys shut up for one minute?!?” He continued yelling at us, and Brian said, “oh, he’s just kidding, cuz we’re talking about talking over each other.” Everyone assured Brian that this drunk thug was actually NOT kidding. So he quieted us down for maybe a minute and then we were back off to our regular volume. As we left for the evening, the owner assured us that we weren’t actually too loud and she hoped we returned. We walked home in the blizzard and Megan stayed overnight, so she didn’t have to drive to Lima in the snow. In the morning, Megan and Brisco were fast friends, and he was sleeping on her head.
Sunday I ventured into the attic to put some things in storage, and Brian studied diligently. Monday was filled with last minute cramming, and Tuesday was D-Day for the Fed Tax final. I saw Brian a total of 45 minutes, and I hung out with our friend, Andromeda. Wednesday we had our work holiday party, and I brought our life full circle and stole leftovers from the work fridge.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
FINALS!!!!
Wow! Snuck up pretty suddenly this year.
In brief: Federal Income Taxation, Constitutional Law I, Evidence.
I had a paper to write in International Law (on the law or piracy - arrrrrgh) and some other legal writings for a Civil Practice class.
To get a feel for it - yesterday we had a review with our professor for the Fed. Tax class. It began at 3:30 p.m. We took a break for dinner at 6:30, and after getting back an hour later, I decided to leave early - at midnight!!!!!! So, my life is devoted to Federal Income Tax law until Monday evening.
Other than finals, and my moot court assignments, we're eager for the holiday, if only to have some time to relax. Keith and Christopher are scheduled to spend some time with us while they're in the states, so we will be happy to have them over new years.
All for now.
In brief: Federal Income Taxation, Constitutional Law I, Evidence.
I had a paper to write in International Law (on the law or piracy - arrrrrgh) and some other legal writings for a Civil Practice class.
To get a feel for it - yesterday we had a review with our professor for the Fed. Tax class. It began at 3:30 p.m. We took a break for dinner at 6:30, and after getting back an hour later, I decided to leave early - at midnight!!!!!! So, my life is devoted to Federal Income Tax law until Monday evening.
Other than finals, and my moot court assignments, we're eager for the holiday, if only to have some time to relax. Keith and Christopher are scheduled to spend some time with us while they're in the states, so we will be happy to have them over new years.
All for now.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Thanksgiving results
Greetings anxious readers!
You will all be happy to know our turkey turned out great! We have a LOT of leftovers and are sick of eating turkey, but we’re cheap so we’ll make due. We ended up eating a bit after 5pm, and my dad was there and friends – Joe, Randy, John and Melinda. We had a full menu of turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, peas, green bean casserole, beer bread, rolls, stuffing, cranberries, cookies, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. We also had appetizers for our early guests.
After dinner, everyone chipped in with dish washing, and we played board games until 1am. We played several rounds of Apples to Apples and a never-ending game of trivia pursuit. It was a very wholesome evening!
In other news, I got word about my “little” for Big Brothers, Big Sisters. The coordinator of the program is going to meet with my “little” this week, and hopefully her family next week, so we’ll be able to meet before Christmas. I’ll keep you posted on how it progresses!
In Brian news, only 3 more weeks til finals are over!
You will all be happy to know our turkey turned out great! We have a LOT of leftovers and are sick of eating turkey, but we’re cheap so we’ll make due. We ended up eating a bit after 5pm, and my dad was there and friends – Joe, Randy, John and Melinda. We had a full menu of turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, peas, green bean casserole, beer bread, rolls, stuffing, cranberries, cookies, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. We also had appetizers for our early guests.
After dinner, everyone chipped in with dish washing, and we played board games until 1am. We played several rounds of Apples to Apples and a never-ending game of trivia pursuit. It was a very wholesome evening!
In other news, I got word about my “little” for Big Brothers, Big Sisters. The coordinator of the program is going to meet with my “little” this week, and hopefully her family next week, so we’ll be able to meet before Christmas. I’ll keep you posted on how it progresses!
In Brian news, only 3 more weeks til finals are over!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Greetings blog-o-sphere!
An update for the week...
Brian's studying...He is writing a paper on piracy in international waters, as in the arrgghh kind, not intellectual property kind. So he's the local pirate expert. He's also been busy with moot court brief writing. And, last but not least Fed Tax is being pretty brutal on him...not the content, just the workload.
My extra-curriculars...This week I had an interview to become a Big Sister to a young girl in the Ada community. I met with the coordinator and we really hit it off and I raved about all my good influences growing up. (Thank you to all of you great role models!) She's going to find me a match in the school system based on who they think would be a good fit for my personality and based on where they might need me most. Then I'll meet with the family to make sure they approve. Then we'll hang out once a week for a few hours. I'm pretty excited about it, so I hope she finds me a Little quickly! :)
Next week...we'll be hosting Thanksgiving for my dad, and our friends Randy and Joe. It will be our first attempt at making a turkey, so we'll let you know how that goes. And of course, you know how we like to be extravagant, so we have a 20-pounder! (But to be fair, we got it from Grandma and Grandpa.) We also have the local pizza place on speed dial in case it doesn't go well.
Watch for more news soon!
Brian's studying...He is writing a paper on piracy in international waters, as in the arrgghh kind, not intellectual property kind. So he's the local pirate expert. He's also been busy with moot court brief writing. And, last but not least Fed Tax is being pretty brutal on him...not the content, just the workload.
My extra-curriculars...This week I had an interview to become a Big Sister to a young girl in the Ada community. I met with the coordinator and we really hit it off and I raved about all my good influences growing up. (Thank you to all of you great role models!) She's going to find me a match in the school system based on who they think would be a good fit for my personality and based on where they might need me most. Then I'll meet with the family to make sure they approve. Then we'll hang out once a week for a few hours. I'm pretty excited about it, so I hope she finds me a Little quickly! :)
Next week...we'll be hosting Thanksgiving for my dad, and our friends Randy and Joe. It will be our first attempt at making a turkey, so we'll let you know how that goes. And of course, you know how we like to be extravagant, so we have a 20-pounder! (But to be fair, we got it from Grandma and Grandpa.) We also have the local pizza place on speed dial in case it doesn't go well.
Watch for more news soon!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Update on Life in Ohio
Here are the cliff notes:
Blog. Yes, it still is here. No, we haven't decided not to blog anymore. Please, still read! We'll try to update things at least one a week. As a standing update, Brian is studying!
Job (Brian). I accepted the job offer in Huntington WV for a second summer. There was much to this decision. I had some great opportunities, and flew around on interviews, but things are very competitive with the economy, and not as many offers for summer associate positions for 2Ls. It's a nice opportunity, because when I returned from the first summer, the only hold-up was location. Getting beyond that, it seems to be a pretty good opportunity.
Job (Janet). Same 'ol, same 'ol. I'll let Janet fill you in, but I think for one she is happy with the election being over. She was a one-woman Obama army debating with her co-workers!!!
School. BUSY! There was a reason I chose to do moot court and law review, but I can't remember it now. I will write more about moot court soon, for those who aren't familiar. Classes are going relatively well, but scary to think that finals are only three weeks away.
Obama. Sadly, I'm not being vetted for White House Counsel. I think there's some hang-up with my not having a law degree. I'll have to work on this. Undoubtedly, we're both very pleased with the outcome of the election. We were quite invested in the campaign and it was wonderful to be a part of a winning team. Here is the proverbial shout-out for our friend Joe Zepecki...Joe was campaign manager for a US Senate race in Nebraska for the democratic nominee Scott Kleeb. Joe ran a tough fight, in an area that's well known to lean heavily republican. Scott Kleeb was an excellent candidate, highly qualified, which makes the loss even harder thinking of what he could have contributed to Washington. In any event, well done Joe!!!
Church. La la la...that's he sound of me singing!!! Yesterday I was a cantor with my Federal Income Taxation professor at the local Catholic church. He's out of town next weekend for his daughter's wedding, and I'm to fill in. Nice to be back in a liturgical ministry setting, even in a minor role. I will admit that I miss one of the best organs in the State of WI, but it's a nice community, and an energetic young priest.
Blog. Check back soon for more updates...
Blog. Yes, it still is here. No, we haven't decided not to blog anymore. Please, still read! We'll try to update things at least one a week. As a standing update, Brian is studying!
Job (Brian). I accepted the job offer in Huntington WV for a second summer. There was much to this decision. I had some great opportunities, and flew around on interviews, but things are very competitive with the economy, and not as many offers for summer associate positions for 2Ls. It's a nice opportunity, because when I returned from the first summer, the only hold-up was location. Getting beyond that, it seems to be a pretty good opportunity.
Job (Janet). Same 'ol, same 'ol. I'll let Janet fill you in, but I think for one she is happy with the election being over. She was a one-woman Obama army debating with her co-workers!!!
School. BUSY! There was a reason I chose to do moot court and law review, but I can't remember it now. I will write more about moot court soon, for those who aren't familiar. Classes are going relatively well, but scary to think that finals are only three weeks away.
Obama. Sadly, I'm not being vetted for White House Counsel. I think there's some hang-up with my not having a law degree. I'll have to work on this. Undoubtedly, we're both very pleased with the outcome of the election. We were quite invested in the campaign and it was wonderful to be a part of a winning team. Here is the proverbial shout-out for our friend Joe Zepecki...Joe was campaign manager for a US Senate race in Nebraska for the democratic nominee Scott Kleeb. Joe ran a tough fight, in an area that's well known to lean heavily republican. Scott Kleeb was an excellent candidate, highly qualified, which makes the loss even harder thinking of what he could have contributed to Washington. In any event, well done Joe!!!
Church. La la la...that's he sound of me singing!!! Yesterday I was a cantor with my Federal Income Taxation professor at the local Catholic church. He's out of town next weekend for his daughter's wedding, and I'm to fill in. Nice to be back in a liturgical ministry setting, even in a minor role. I will admit that I miss one of the best organs in the State of WI, but it's a nice community, and an energetic young priest.
Blog. Check back soon for more updates...
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Five Yard Signs and Counting....
That's - five Obama yard signs STOLEN from our yard and counting...
Last night was the last straw...in response to two signs being stolen on separate occasions (and one during the middle of the say on Saturday) we went to the campaign office in Lima to pick up a barrage of replacement signs. Last night, around 11pm, Brisco barked when he heard a culprit open our front screen door, and try to peel off the Obama poster we have taped in the door window. Hearing this, I ran out, to find signs number 3 and 4 missing, and a dark-coloured pickup truck quickly driving away, as I chased after it...barefoot...
Sign number 5 was of course, placed in the yard, only to be gone at 5:30 a.m. when we woke up to vote. Sign number 6 is not in the yard. We'll see if it lasts the day.
The neighbours must be pleased, however, because with each new sign stealing incident, a new window-cling or other type of campaign paraphernalia is dawned in the window. People may well start to think our house is a campaign headquarters. (We'll also pause here to discuss the owner of the house we're renting - the daughter of a two-term republican US Senator from OH, who is consequently the OH campaign chair for the McCain campaign. A connection???)
Well, the private detective skills that I've learned while watching DVDs of the TV show Veronica Mars were not enough to help me (and a couple buddies) track down the sign-thief's. As a consolation, as I type this, I'm procrastinating the reading I have to have done in one hour, and watching Barack and Michelle Obama vote!
Naturally, all this makes me miss the political machine, and the joys of campaigning. Also, a shout-out to our friend Joe Zepecki, who is campaign manager for a US Senate race in Nebraska (Scott Kleeb). No doubt an uphill battle, but he's an awesome candidate, and Joe's fighting a good fight.
Now - GO VOTE (for Obama!)
Thursday, October 9, 2008
I do not like the phrase "joe six pack." It's stupid.
My title really has nothing to do with this post, but we had a Rock the Vote event this week at OSU, so lots of politic talk....
Anyway, lots new. My computer is sometimes fixed. I crashed the caliber into a cornfield. (I'm fine, the car is not.) Brian had an interview in Philly yesterday. He thinks it went well, he's hoping to hear back next week or so. While he was driving there he saw a Whale Wall!!! (If you ever drove to Brian's place in Shorewood, before the Interstate construction, Milwaukee used to have a Whale Wall on the Interstate by the courthouse. And, you can see some examples..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Whaling_Walls. He also tried a real cheesesteak sandwich with "whiz" and everything. He approved. And, downtown Philly had an awesome farmer's market, where he was accidentally sucked into a scientology tent!
We've been busy. Brian's been doing lots for moot court and law review. We've had some family visitors over the past couple weekends. :) And, of course, we go out most weekends at least a tiny bit. Last weekend, we popped in on a toga party.
Anyway, that's a quick update. Hopefully, more to come soon with house pictures!!
Anyway, lots new. My computer is sometimes fixed. I crashed the caliber into a cornfield. (I'm fine, the car is not.) Brian had an interview in Philly yesterday. He thinks it went well, he's hoping to hear back next week or so. While he was driving there he saw a Whale Wall!!! (If you ever drove to Brian's place in Shorewood, before the Interstate construction, Milwaukee used to have a Whale Wall on the Interstate by the courthouse. And, you can see some examples..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Whaling_Walls. He also tried a real cheesesteak sandwich with "whiz" and everything. He approved. And, downtown Philly had an awesome farmer's market, where he was accidentally sucked into a scientology tent!
We've been busy. Brian's been doing lots for moot court and law review. We've had some family visitors over the past couple weekends. :) And, of course, we go out most weekends at least a tiny bit. Last weekend, we popped in on a toga party.
Anyway, that's a quick update. Hopefully, more to come soon with house pictures!!
Friday, October 3, 2008
GO BADGERS
I'm wearing my best cardinal and white (while Janet commiserates with the enemy...but at least she's getting paid.)
Just a quick post that I'm taunting all the Ohio State fans...excuse me...the The Ohio State University fans...I even have my Bucky hat, though not wearing it until extreme taunting.
GO BADGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Crickets...
Here's why you're not hearing from me or Janet as of late...
The start of second year of law school has been a rush of work, with one new assignment after another. As a member of law review, we had to write a publishable review of a recent Supreme Court Decision (mine was of the 85 page decision (incl. 2 dissents) in D.C. v. Heller - the court's decision re: the Second Amendment last term). Needless to say, I was pretty peeved at my peers who had 13 page decisions, but I got it done...
Immediately after the case note, tryouts for Moot Court - one weekend of Appellate arguments, and the following weekend of mock trial. The mock trial tryouts continue, with the top eight teams advancing to an intra-school trial competition. My trial partner and I have advanced to the semi-finals, and we will compete next week sometime to try and make it to the finals. I also was placed on the Jessup International Law Moot Court Team - by far the most prestigious at the school, and the one with the greatest chance for success. Our team last year was one round away from making it to the international rounds, competing against schools from around the world. Needless to say our coach and faculty advisor has high hopes for our team this year!
Interviews...many...callbacks...few...but I'll be flying around a bit over the next couple weeks to hopefully field offers for next summer.
Today we had a break from things - with the Harvest and Herb festival in Ada - a one-day event with booths lining main street with things to eat, buy, etc.
Of course this is generally what is keeping Brian busy - Things are going well for Janet at work, and we're trying to spend as much time as possible together between all that is going on at school.
The start of second year of law school has been a rush of work, with one new assignment after another. As a member of law review, we had to write a publishable review of a recent Supreme Court Decision (mine was of the 85 page decision (incl. 2 dissents) in D.C. v. Heller - the court's decision re: the Second Amendment last term). Needless to say, I was pretty peeved at my peers who had 13 page decisions, but I got it done...
Immediately after the case note, tryouts for Moot Court - one weekend of Appellate arguments, and the following weekend of mock trial. The mock trial tryouts continue, with the top eight teams advancing to an intra-school trial competition. My trial partner and I have advanced to the semi-finals, and we will compete next week sometime to try and make it to the finals. I also was placed on the Jessup International Law Moot Court Team - by far the most prestigious at the school, and the one with the greatest chance for success. Our team last year was one round away from making it to the international rounds, competing against schools from around the world. Needless to say our coach and faculty advisor has high hopes for our team this year!
Interviews...many...callbacks...few...but I'll be flying around a bit over the next couple weeks to hopefully field offers for next summer.
Today we had a break from things - with the Harvest and Herb festival in Ada - a one-day event with booths lining main street with things to eat, buy, etc.
Of course this is generally what is keeping Brian busy - Things are going well for Janet at work, and we're trying to spend as much time as possible together between all that is going on at school.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
slow catch up.
We're moved in. Still unpacking, but majority is done. Big thanks to Emily and Kevin for coming down to help. Gas leak is fixed. Now we're having a plumbing problem and didn't have a working toilet for 2 days. Don't ask, let's just say we dealt with it and it was disgusting. It's working now, but still needs a little work.
Anyway here are some pics from Cahmlo & Lyndsey's wedding. Pics to come from Matt and Mckenzie's wedding. As evidenced by pics, the location was beautiful for the wedding. Cahmlo and Lyndsey were cute and adoring, of course. And, Keith and Christopher were great company as always, so it was nice that they could make it from Italy!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Murphy's Law...
In a nutshell.
Checked house last night. Super messy. Today cleaning day instead of moving day. Were going to take friend's Jeep back to Ada for them. Won't start. Brian reloads his car instead, gets to house. Watches them disconnect water - even though we called. Discovers gas leak. Can't find crawl space. Finally finds crawl space, can't reach all the way. Bed being delivered amid cobwebs and gas leak. BLEH!!!
In non-murphy news. Cahmlo and Lyndsey's wedding was beautiful - outside, perfect weather, great food, lots of pretty people. Visiting with Keith and Christopher was great as well. We of course, ate well....better than well. We crossed a picket line protesting foie gras, then we ate the foie gras. pics to come.
New address assuming it doesn't explode:
206 Turner Avenue
Ada, OH 45810
Checked house last night. Super messy. Today cleaning day instead of moving day. Were going to take friend's Jeep back to Ada for them. Won't start. Brian reloads his car instead, gets to house. Watches them disconnect water - even though we called. Discovers gas leak. Can't find crawl space. Finally finds crawl space, can't reach all the way. Bed being delivered amid cobwebs and gas leak. BLEH!!!
In non-murphy news. Cahmlo and Lyndsey's wedding was beautiful - outside, perfect weather, great food, lots of pretty people. Visiting with Keith and Christopher was great as well. We of course, ate well....better than well. We crossed a picket line protesting foie gras, then we ate the foie gras. pics to come.
New address assuming it doesn't explode:
206 Turner Avenue
Ada, OH 45810
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
happy anniversary to us!
Greetings and salutations!
We haven't blogged in forever, because Brian is super busy and my computer broke. So here's a quickie update from my work computer.
Dad came down to visit WV two weeks ago. We had fun - didn't do much - watched movies, saw Brian's office, went to the park, and saw Hancock, which I personally thought was way better than I anticipated, not that it was Citizen Kane or anything. (But who likes that dumb movie anyway?!?)
Jeff and Mary came down last weekend. We played games, geocached, and saw Wall-E (super cute!)
Yesterday at work we had a bomb scare in one of our buildings. Nothing major came of it. They just evacuated the building and did a sweep of the campus. All clear.
Last, but not least. It's our 3 year anniversary today! I gave blood to celebrate. I had been eating all sorts of meat for the last week to "beef" up my iron. heh. Brian sent me flowers that were the same color as our bridesmaid bouquets. Although we don't get to see each other today, Brian will be home tomorrow and we're off to celebrate Cahmlo and Lyndsey's wedding! Our 3 years has happily flown by, and I'm sure our future years will go just as fast. We both know how lucky we are! :)
Watch for our address change soon - we're starting to move stuff on Monday!
We haven't blogged in forever, because Brian is super busy and my computer broke. So here's a quickie update from my work computer.
Dad came down to visit WV two weeks ago. We had fun - didn't do much - watched movies, saw Brian's office, went to the park, and saw Hancock, which I personally thought was way better than I anticipated, not that it was Citizen Kane or anything. (But who likes that dumb movie anyway?!?)
Jeff and Mary came down last weekend. We played games, geocached, and saw Wall-E (super cute!)
Yesterday at work we had a bomb scare in one of our buildings. Nothing major came of it. They just evacuated the building and did a sweep of the campus. All clear.
Last, but not least. It's our 3 year anniversary today! I gave blood to celebrate. I had been eating all sorts of meat for the last week to "beef" up my iron. heh. Brian sent me flowers that were the same color as our bridesmaid bouquets. Although we don't get to see each other today, Brian will be home tomorrow and we're off to celebrate Cahmlo and Lyndsey's wedding! Our 3 years has happily flown by, and I'm sure our future years will go just as fast. We both know how lucky we are! :)
Watch for our address change soon - we're starting to move stuff on Monday!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Pics to go with my longest blog ever...
Here are some pics from the game fair.
Here is me winning at risk...eventually i lost.
Here are some pics from our party this weekend celebrating our friend Randy's return. We played a lot of cornhole.
Friday, July 11, 2008
i can't sleep, so howdy!
This is a belated blog of some summer highlights.
*I've been driving to WV a lot of weekends. We explore, go to parks, watch West Wing, play games like Risk, occasionally work out and generally binge on junkfood and buy me shoes. Brisco likes the travel and we share him. And, we've both been having assorted car problems - so much for saving up this summer. Over the 4th weekend, we also explored Charleston where they have a Bandolino (cute shoes and stilettos) store in their mall. (I'm a perfect 8 in Bandolino, if anyone wants to play shoe fairy.) We went to a French restaurant that was totally hit & miss with wonderful bisque and main dishes, but sub-par cheese and foie gras. Charleston downtown was super cute and we found a bookstore/coffee shop and they have a creperie Brian's going to try out tomorrow. On the road we saw a crazy road kill - black bear. I know it's gross, but how crazy is that?!? A bear! We also went to a firm work party picnic and I got to meet a few people. Unfortunately, a lot of the people that Brian really likes weren't able to make it, so I didn't meet them. (Of course, he likes the other people too, but you know what I mean.)
*Tick and Janel came down a few weekends ago. We went to Columbus to a game convention - Origins. It was the first of nerdy conventions for me. They had some standard games like Apples to Apples. (Did you know that company is from WI?) But, they also had a lot of RPGs (role playing games) or in-depth strategy or tile building games and comics. They also had the standard trading card games like Pokemon. Whenever we passed a "walking" Pokemon character, I got my picture taken with it (much to Brian's embarassment.) And, we saw some people dressed up in chainmail, renaissance-y clothes, and util-i-kilts. Of course, some random guy was also wearing a storm trooper costume....I got my picture taken with him too. We demoed games, but couldn't buy the one we wanted cuz it was old and they were out. (We got some other ones there too though - but we were frugal about it - they are cheaper at these things...) While Tick and Janel were here, we also played games at home - card, board, and wii!
*I had a birthday. I'm 29 now, but I don't look a day over 22 says one of my running buddies. We actually ran a straight 2-miles on my birthday - no walking. It was a slow run, but yay progress!! Happy birthday me. No one at work remembered my birthday - that was a little depressing. But, thanks for all your well-wishes! :) I "ran" again on Wednesday and we did bleacher work (a first), like in a movie montage (except I couldn't breathe and wanted to cry). But, I swam in our apt. pool after that, so that helped with the relaxing. We're doing something light on Friday, since I'm not going to WV this week.
*Our friend Randy is back from Italy this week, so I had dinner with him tonight, at BW3's. Tasty. Anyway, I heard all about his trip. In honor of Randy's return, Brian is coming to Ohio this weekend and we are partying in Ada. It will be nice to see everyone again! It's going to be a pretty big group of people coming out, so it'll be fun. Lots of people are in summer class, and some are just driving back to visit. We even have a few people coming that aren't going to be going back to law school in the fall.
*Some upcoming items of interest include Brian gearing up for on-campus interviews for next summer - some interviews are even before school starts; my dad is coming w/me to WV and we're going to a hot dog festival; Jeff and Mary will be visiting; we're going to Cahmlo & Lindsey's wedding in Syracuse, NY and Keith and Christopher will be there too; the following weekend is Matt & McKenzie's wedding in Oklahoma City; then the following Monday we're moving to Ada from Findlay; and then Bill and Stephanie are visiting. Watch for our new address to be posted!
Pictures of me and the storm trooper and Pikachu will be posted eventually!
*I've been driving to WV a lot of weekends. We explore, go to parks, watch West Wing, play games like Risk, occasionally work out and generally binge on junkfood and buy me shoes. Brisco likes the travel and we share him. And, we've both been having assorted car problems - so much for saving up this summer. Over the 4th weekend, we also explored Charleston where they have a Bandolino (cute shoes and stilettos) store in their mall. (I'm a perfect 8 in Bandolino, if anyone wants to play shoe fairy.) We went to a French restaurant that was totally hit & miss with wonderful bisque and main dishes, but sub-par cheese and foie gras. Charleston downtown was super cute and we found a bookstore/coffee shop and they have a creperie Brian's going to try out tomorrow. On the road we saw a crazy road kill - black bear. I know it's gross, but how crazy is that?!? A bear! We also went to a firm work party picnic and I got to meet a few people. Unfortunately, a lot of the people that Brian really likes weren't able to make it, so I didn't meet them. (Of course, he likes the other people too, but you know what I mean.)
*Tick and Janel came down a few weekends ago. We went to Columbus to a game convention - Origins. It was the first of nerdy conventions for me. They had some standard games like Apples to Apples. (Did you know that company is from WI?) But, they also had a lot of RPGs (role playing games) or in-depth strategy or tile building games and comics. They also had the standard trading card games like Pokemon. Whenever we passed a "walking" Pokemon character, I got my picture taken with it (much to Brian's embarassment.) And, we saw some people dressed up in chainmail, renaissance-y clothes, and util-i-kilts. Of course, some random guy was also wearing a storm trooper costume....I got my picture taken with him too. We demoed games, but couldn't buy the one we wanted cuz it was old and they were out. (We got some other ones there too though - but we were frugal about it - they are cheaper at these things...) While Tick and Janel were here, we also played games at home - card, board, and wii!
*I had a birthday. I'm 29 now, but I don't look a day over 22 says one of my running buddies. We actually ran a straight 2-miles on my birthday - no walking. It was a slow run, but yay progress!! Happy birthday me. No one at work remembered my birthday - that was a little depressing. But, thanks for all your well-wishes! :) I "ran" again on Wednesday and we did bleacher work (a first), like in a movie montage (except I couldn't breathe and wanted to cry). But, I swam in our apt. pool after that, so that helped with the relaxing. We're doing something light on Friday, since I'm not going to WV this week.
*Our friend Randy is back from Italy this week, so I had dinner with him tonight, at BW3's. Tasty. Anyway, I heard all about his trip. In honor of Randy's return, Brian is coming to Ohio this weekend and we are partying in Ada. It will be nice to see everyone again! It's going to be a pretty big group of people coming out, so it'll be fun. Lots of people are in summer class, and some are just driving back to visit. We even have a few people coming that aren't going to be going back to law school in the fall.
*Some upcoming items of interest include Brian gearing up for on-campus interviews for next summer - some interviews are even before school starts; my dad is coming w/me to WV and we're going to a hot dog festival; Jeff and Mary will be visiting; we're going to Cahmlo & Lindsey's wedding in Syracuse, NY and Keith and Christopher will be there too; the following weekend is Matt & McKenzie's wedding in Oklahoma City; then the following Monday we're moving to Ada from Findlay; and then Bill and Stephanie are visiting. Watch for our new address to be posted!
Pictures of me and the storm trooper and Pikachu will be posted eventually!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Quick Pics...
Hi all.
I should really be going to sleep right now, but there isn't enough time in the day. I'm going to attempt to post some of the WI flood pics. We'll see if they take or not, but you can get an idea of how much water is in Johnson Creek. This was not quite at peak level. It would have been sooner, but only Brian's computer reads my camera card and I didn't see him till this weekend. Anyway, here's a few.
Sherry's cottage - the propane tank started to float away.
Danny's cottage.
Dad's cottage - tried to sandbag, but lost the battle around 1 a.m. on Friday, June 13. And, it is CREEPY walking in the water in the dark on top of bushes and grass. blech.
This isn't even as high as it got!
We put all the sub-pumps on the pontoon overnight, so they wouldn't get submerged. and we had some chairs and snacks up there. and a giant piece of lumber that was a steering control. We used the canoe a lot too.
Up here is where all the ants were. They were desperate to try to get out of the water, so if you were ankle deep in water, you were considered an ant log. I had at least 12 ants on me at once. There was some screaming involved.
China was very confused. She's not usually a swimmer, so she tried to jump over the water as long as she could touch, but once she couldn't, she didn't know the right direction to find land. She rested on things like the floating grill and the sandbags and then would start swimming again.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
hiatus
The Ohio Experiment has been on hold, in case you've noticed, of perhaps you've all stopped reading, because of the lack of posts.
In self promoting news, Brian made dean's list this semester, and is in the top 5 in his class (that's the most constructive way of saying that he is ranked No. 5!!!) Nonetheless, 5 is good.
Brisco got a haircut, but still smells occasionally.
Janet got a Wii fit, and is spending much time in the virtual world of exercise.
More posts will come soon - summer is turning out to be as busy as last semester was for both of us! Don't give up checking...please continue to read our witty, engaging and thought provoking bloggin'!
In self promoting news, Brian made dean's list this semester, and is in the top 5 in his class (that's the most constructive way of saying that he is ranked No. 5!!!) Nonetheless, 5 is good.
Brisco got a haircut, but still smells occasionally.
Janet got a Wii fit, and is spending much time in the virtual world of exercise.
More posts will come soon - summer is turning out to be as busy as last semester was for both of us! Don't give up checking...please continue to read our witty, engaging and thought provoking bloggin'!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monticello Trip
Finals concluded with a bang. Five exams over the course of two weeks was rough, but manageable (usually 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. in the library, save when I was writing an exam.) But, done, and now painstakingly waiting for grades to come in. That evening we went with a13 other friends, all classmates, to a nice dinner at Main Street Bistro in Lima – easily one of the nicest restaurants in the Lima / Findlay area, and short of driving to Columbus, one of the few places for linen tablecloths in the area, and a decent wine list. It was a nice time to celebrate the end of our first year, and for Janet and I to celebrate being able to see each other for a while.
Tuesday we left with our friend Austin, who graduated with his L.L.M. in Democratic Governance and Rule of Law from ONU. Austin and I are both great fans of Thomas Jefferson, and as a graduation gift, Janet and I took Austin on a trip to Monticello. We ended up staying in my apartment in Huntington WV, and drove on Wednesday to Charlottesville, VA. We toured the grounds, had a formal tour in the afternoon, and a more private “signature tour” at 6:30 in the evening, giving us much time in the house for discussion, questions, and allowing us more access, notably seeing the third floor and the “dome room”. We all had a great time, and recommend a visit to the estate. The gardens, the home, and the nuances therein are truly amazing.
Tuesday we left with our friend Austin, who graduated with his L.L.M. in Democratic Governance and Rule of Law from ONU. Austin and I are both great fans of Thomas Jefferson, and as a graduation gift, Janet and I took Austin on a trip to Monticello. We ended up staying in my apartment in Huntington WV, and drove on Wednesday to Charlottesville, VA. We toured the grounds, had a formal tour in the afternoon, and a more private “signature tour” at 6:30 in the evening, giving us much time in the house for discussion, questions, and allowing us more access, notably seeing the third floor and the “dome room”. We all had a great time, and recommend a visit to the estate. The gardens, the home, and the nuances therein are truly amazing.
Monday, May 19, 2008
done
Done with classes...post to come later this week with story about our trip to Monticello, and Brian's job in WV...
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Almost done!
Brian's first year of law school is almost over! One more final tomorrow and then I'll get to see him again...at least for a week before he goes to West Virginia! But, I'll take what I can get.
This has been a semi-busy week at work for me. I've been wrapping up things from last week's event and we've had lots of extra curriculars this week. It's May Week for the students, so it's kind of like a little marketplace/fair over lunch. I tried to give blood, but my iron was too low. (So someone else should go out and give in my place....) I got a 60-second caricature done - it doesn't really look like me. And, I was in a photo shoot for work. I got to do the O-H-I-O poses - it was all very America's Next Top Model-esque. So keep your eyes peeled for an all Janet OHIO pose. :)
Below is a picture from our event last week. It's my table with President Gee. The back row is (my boss Amanda's boyfriend) Jeff, (my boss) Amanda, (student) Caleb, President E. Gordon Gee, (financial aid advisor) Brad, financial aid advisor (Bryan), (student) Ross. Front row is (Amanda's daughter) Mackenzie, (Amanda's daughter) Katie, (my office mate) Lori, and me.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
my event....
my monday night event went well - i'm still recovering. It is the biggest event of the year for our development office - it's a dinner/auction at the country club to fundraise for student scholarships. each year we have a speaker and this year it was university president, E. Gordon Gee. (He's one of the most well-known university president's in the nation & it's his 2nd stint here at OSU - which is very unusual to get invited back.) So, anyway, lots of pressure since he was in attendance and it was my first one. i did most of the logistics planning while my boss Amanda did most of the Gee visit coordinating. we ended up raising the most we've ever raised, even beating out the year Coach Tressel was our speaker. as a side bar, Gee is a very engaging speaker, especially with the students. And, I got his autograph. I know it sounds wierd, but if you live here, it's totally legitimate. Some of our big auction items were a signed football helmet & jersey by Tressel. (I tried them on prior to the auction....which may have been inappropriate....but it was funny.) We had some nice OSU themed pictures, and other little memorabilia things. watch the blog for a pic with me and gordon!! :)
in other news, we got a house in Ada to rent next year, starting in August. It will be a lot more convenient for both of us, and Brisco! The house is a ranch style with an attached one-car garage and a patio in front. In back, there's a fenced-in yard for Brisco to run (and me to mow), and there's a cement slab for a grill. The front door goes into the living room, which is very bright with 2 big windows, to the left is a big kitchen which goes into the laundry room (where the garage door is). The only wierd thing is that the fridge is in the laundry room. there is also a huge attic for lots of storage. Back to the living room, if you walk through it goes straight back to a little bathroom, and the hall splits with a bed room on both sides. Small closets, but still closets. all walls painted nice colors. once we move, our army friend Joe is going to put us through basic training - i say this to everyone so you can hold us to it!!!
so, anyway, things are busy here as always, but good. later gators!
j.
in other news, we got a house in Ada to rent next year, starting in August. It will be a lot more convenient for both of us, and Brisco! The house is a ranch style with an attached one-car garage and a patio in front. In back, there's a fenced-in yard for Brisco to run (and me to mow), and there's a cement slab for a grill. The front door goes into the living room, which is very bright with 2 big windows, to the left is a big kitchen which goes into the laundry room (where the garage door is). The only wierd thing is that the fridge is in the laundry room. there is also a huge attic for lots of storage. Back to the living room, if you walk through it goes straight back to a little bathroom, and the hall splits with a bed room on both sides. Small closets, but still closets. all walls painted nice colors. once we move, our army friend Joe is going to put us through basic training - i say this to everyone so you can hold us to it!!!
so, anyway, things are busy here as always, but good. later gators!
j.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
A political mumbling...
Sorry for including some political banter on The Ohio Experiment, but I can't help it.
Here's a good Op-Ed piece from the NY Times.
I heard on NPR on my way to campus that Ms. Clinton now supports a suspension of the federal excise tax an gasoline. All I can say is "pandering..."
The article is a good read, and good evidence of my (and Janet's) support for Sen. Obama.
Here's a good Op-Ed piece from the NY Times.
I heard on NPR on my way to campus that Ms. Clinton now supports a suspension of the federal excise tax an gasoline. All I can say is "pandering..."
The article is a good read, and good evidence of my (and Janet's) support for Sen. Obama.
Monday, April 28, 2008
study break...
See this! (click there if you're not hyperlink savvy!)
Janet's biggest event of the year is today, and first of 5 finals for me begins tomorrow (countless hours in the library in the past week, and for the next two weeks.)
In the weeks to come (3): finals, and a trip to Monticello with our friend Austin, before he return to Malawi.
More to come soon.
Janet's biggest event of the year is today, and first of 5 finals for me begins tomorrow (countless hours in the library in the past week, and for the next two weeks.)
In the weeks to come (3): finals, and a trip to Monticello with our friend Austin, before he return to Malawi.
More to come soon.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Finals...
Finals...It's a theme...
11 days until finals start - round 2 of 6 - am I ready? Sort of. Much of my time has been consumed with the first year appellate oral argument competition.
Ah yes, the oral argument competition that Janet's been mentioning in the blogs. Tonight was the Semi-final round, and, as fate would have it, I have progressed into the final round set for Saturday morning!
I'm quite pleased. More-so because the issue that I will argue is the one I started with, and wrote a brief for, so I'm quite comfortable with the topic. The topic? Well, in a nutshell, first amendment protection of anonymous Internet speech. It's more than that, but trust me, we don't need to go there! It's 11pm and I need to start studying for my Contracts final!!!
So, this is the update for now. We'll let you know how the final round goes. The nice part is that at this point, I get my name on a plaque!
11 days until finals start - round 2 of 6 - am I ready? Sort of. Much of my time has been consumed with the first year appellate oral argument competition.
Ah yes, the oral argument competition that Janet's been mentioning in the blogs. Tonight was the Semi-final round, and, as fate would have it, I have progressed into the final round set for Saturday morning!
I'm quite pleased. More-so because the issue that I will argue is the one I started with, and wrote a brief for, so I'm quite comfortable with the topic. The topic? Well, in a nutshell, first amendment protection of anonymous Internet speech. It's more than that, but trust me, we don't need to go there! It's 11pm and I need to start studying for my Contracts final!!!
So, this is the update for now. We'll let you know how the final round goes. The nice part is that at this point, I get my name on a plaque!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
super quick!
Just a quick update!
Brian is still progressing in the oral argument competition - he's in the elite eight! It's really difficult to prepare, because he gets a new topic and then only has a day and a half to research it. And, he's still expected to go to class and keep up with final studying!
I've been super busy at work, been trying out some new recipes, and working out while Brian studies. Last week I made some salmon, a crab cobb salad, and some mini-quiches.
And, my dad's coming to visit this weekend to help break in the wii!
We'll keep you posted on Brian's arguments!
Brian is still progressing in the oral argument competition - he's in the elite eight! It's really difficult to prepare, because he gets a new topic and then only has a day and a half to research it. And, he's still expected to go to class and keep up with final studying!
I've been super busy at work, been trying out some new recipes, and working out while Brian studies. Last week I made some salmon, a crab cobb salad, and some mini-quiches.
And, my dad's coming to visit this weekend to help break in the wii!
We'll keep you posted on Brian's arguments!
Monday, April 7, 2008
tomorrow, tomorrow, i just love tomorrow....
...cuz it is brian's birthday! so we celebrate the birth of Brian! I got him a couple presents and I said we could splurge and get a take 'n bake pizza from Papa Murphy's. He does love his pizza!
April is a very hectic birthday month, so I wish all of you April birthday people a fantabulous time. Just to name a few - Jeff M. started it off, Grandpa Vernie is today, Brookie is fast approaching, Tick was Sunday, Mary L. is coming up. I'm sure there are more, but I know all these people are blog readers! If you have an April birthday and I didn't name you, I'm very sorry, but you should post on the blog and tell me then. :)
In other news, Emily and Kevin visited 2 weekends ago. We explored Bluffton and did lots of eating, and it was very nice to visit with them. We also went to see Vantage Point - good movie, lots of action! Hopefully next time, we'll have a bit more time to visit and less time Brian's needing to study!
Last week I didn't see much of Brian, because he had a huge appellate brief due on Friday. That night everyone celebrated at one of Brian's professors. We skipped out early to hang out with our friend Shannon and her boyfriend, Brent. Sunday, we went to our friend Jon's place and had a great brunch mostly prepared by his girlfriend, Shea. Shea's from Georgia, so she knows her southern cooking! And, like me, she enjoys some brunch time mimosa(s).
We're having a birthday party for Brian on Friday, so more blog news soon! And, think calming thoughts at Brian tomorrow - he's giving oral arguments on his birthday!
April is a very hectic birthday month, so I wish all of you April birthday people a fantabulous time. Just to name a few - Jeff M. started it off, Grandpa Vernie is today, Brookie is fast approaching, Tick was Sunday, Mary L. is coming up. I'm sure there are more, but I know all these people are blog readers! If you have an April birthday and I didn't name you, I'm very sorry, but you should post on the blog and tell me then. :)
In other news, Emily and Kevin visited 2 weekends ago. We explored Bluffton and did lots of eating, and it was very nice to visit with them. We also went to see Vantage Point - good movie, lots of action! Hopefully next time, we'll have a bit more time to visit and less time Brian's needing to study!
Last week I didn't see much of Brian, because he had a huge appellate brief due on Friday. That night everyone celebrated at one of Brian's professors. We skipped out early to hang out with our friend Shannon and her boyfriend, Brent. Sunday, we went to our friend Jon's place and had a great brunch mostly prepared by his girlfriend, Shea. Shea's from Georgia, so she knows her southern cooking! And, like me, she enjoys some brunch time mimosa(s).
We're having a birthday party for Brian on Friday, so more blog news soon! And, think calming thoughts at Brian tomorrow - he's giving oral arguments on his birthday!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Weekend Last pt. 2 (Easter Weekend)
We're running about a week behind in the blogisphere, and today's post will be of the nutshell variety.
Friday of Easter weekend the three of us (Brian, Janet, Brisco) made the trek to WI amid snow and crazy car wrecks in IN. Not record time, but we made it in one piece, parking lot in Chicago and blizzard in WI slowed us a bit.
Saturday we were able to see some family and friends at Rick's house - thanks for coming all those who did, and sorry you couldn't make it those who didn't.
Easter Sunday was brunch with Brian's family and Mary & Bill - who may as well be included in "family" :-)
Drive home was uneventful, save for Janet with a reprise of the flu Saturday night through early in the week.
So, all in all, somewhat of a hectic weekend, but great to see family and friends.
Friday of Easter weekend the three of us (Brian, Janet, Brisco) made the trek to WI amid snow and crazy car wrecks in IN. Not record time, but we made it in one piece, parking lot in Chicago and blizzard in WI slowed us a bit.
Saturday we were able to see some family and friends at Rick's house - thanks for coming all those who did, and sorry you couldn't make it those who didn't.
Easter Sunday was brunch with Brian's family and Mary & Bill - who may as well be included in "family" :-)
Drive home was uneventful, save for Janet with a reprise of the flu Saturday night through early in the week.
So, all in all, somewhat of a hectic weekend, but great to see family and friends.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Weekend Last
A little behind in the posts, but that gives more to write in the week ahead...
Weekend of 15-16 Mar. we had a visit from Jeff & Mary. The weekend was filled with geocaching, games, and general good visiting and catching up. You can read in great detail about the weekend on their blog, here.
We were fortunate enough to see them last weekend again for a brief visit, which we will blog more about later this week...
Weekend of 15-16 Mar. we had a visit from Jeff & Mary. The weekend was filled with geocaching, games, and general good visiting and catching up. You can read in great detail about the weekend on their blog, here.
We were fortunate enough to see them last weekend again for a brief visit, which we will blog more about later this week...
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Sick in Ohio...
A blog will be forthcoming about our weekend visit with Jeff & Mary, and the Scotch tasting experience at my professor's house, however, I'm swamped with work, and Janet is home sick on day 2 of the flu, so be patient!
B.
B.
Monday, March 10, 2008
blog, blog, blog.
Lots to report back on, but first we had visitors this weekend!!! Tick and Janel came down from winter-y Wisconsin and seemingly brought all that Wisconsin snow with them. Ohio broke a 100-year record in the southern part of the state with 20 inches of snow.
While Tick and Janel were here, we played lots and lots of games. Tick brought Rock Band, which we played quietly as we live in an apartment. And, we played The Great Zamboni, and Ticket to Ride, and Settlers (Jeff & Mary -don't forget to bring Settlers when you come!!!). We did venture out for some food - apparently we weren't supposed to be on the road, but it wasn't sooo bad for Wisconsinites.
We also watched the best documentary ever!! It was called King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. It followed the struggles of an arcade gamer to beat the record score, but you wouldn't believe the drama that was involved! It's better than anything that could be made up!!
In other news, my blood drive participation was a debacle, but I was finally able to give blood after an hour of weirdness. My biggest frustration was listening to staff members say they couldn't give blood because they don't feel good when they do. To that I would just like to say: Boo on you. The blood drive was on campus, and if you don't feel well when you give blood, you can plan for it to take a little longer and to take it easy that day. This is the nicest school ever, they wouldn't mind. For a day of discomfort, you could save a life. See? Now it doesn't sound so bad, does it?
And, the Quiz Bowl was a success!! I read for the JV teams and the kids were really fun. I had to tell one team to settle down, but at the end, several of the team members said I was the best reader and they thanked me for putting up with them. Isn't that sweet??!? And, today the Quiz Bowl organizer said he heard good things about my reading from several people. When Alex Trebek retires, maybe I'll have a new career....
Jeff and Mary are coming next weekend, so more to blog soon!
While Tick and Janel were here, we played lots and lots of games. Tick brought Rock Band, which we played quietly as we live in an apartment. And, we played The Great Zamboni, and Ticket to Ride, and Settlers (Jeff & Mary -don't forget to bring Settlers when you come!!!). We did venture out for some food - apparently we weren't supposed to be on the road, but it wasn't sooo bad for Wisconsinites.
We also watched the best documentary ever!! It was called King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. It followed the struggles of an arcade gamer to beat the record score, but you wouldn't believe the drama that was involved! It's better than anything that could be made up!!
In other news, my blood drive participation was a debacle, but I was finally able to give blood after an hour of weirdness. My biggest frustration was listening to staff members say they couldn't give blood because they don't feel good when they do. To that I would just like to say: Boo on you. The blood drive was on campus, and if you don't feel well when you give blood, you can plan for it to take a little longer and to take it easy that day. This is the nicest school ever, they wouldn't mind. For a day of discomfort, you could save a life. See? Now it doesn't sound so bad, does it?
And, the Quiz Bowl was a success!! I read for the JV teams and the kids were really fun. I had to tell one team to settle down, but at the end, several of the team members said I was the best reader and they thanked me for putting up with them. Isn't that sweet??!? And, today the Quiz Bowl organizer said he heard good things about my reading from several people. When Alex Trebek retires, maybe I'll have a new career....
Jeff and Mary are coming next weekend, so more to blog soon!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Public service blog!
Guess what we're doing today!?!? Voting!!! Ohio has early voting, so we're going today. But we encourage you to vote obama on Tuesday if in the appropriate state, in case you don't know...Ohio, Texas, Vermont, Rhode Island! I was trying to be subliminal there, but in case you didn't get it - vote obama! :)
We're also going to go to the library and I'm going to try out some audio books. Later tonight, we're going to a movie night and bringing a very tasty buffalo chicken dip...although Brian lost a bowling bet which is why we're bringing it....
and throughout the entire weekend, I will be practicing quiz bowl questions. OSU in Lima has a quiz bowl for the high schools in the area and I'm one of the readers, so I need to familiarize myself with the questions. As a reader, I also get final judgment on the correctness of answers, so I'm pretty excited to be the boss of someone, even if they are a bunch of kids!
And, last but not least, I'm giving blood next week, so if you haven't given blood in a while, you should go donate too!
Thank you for reading this public service blog! Be sure to vote, visit your local library, feed your friends, volunteer for your local high school, and give blood!
We're also going to go to the library and I'm going to try out some audio books. Later tonight, we're going to a movie night and bringing a very tasty buffalo chicken dip...although Brian lost a bowling bet which is why we're bringing it....
and throughout the entire weekend, I will be practicing quiz bowl questions. OSU in Lima has a quiz bowl for the high schools in the area and I'm one of the readers, so I need to familiarize myself with the questions. As a reader, I also get final judgment on the correctness of answers, so I'm pretty excited to be the boss of someone, even if they are a bunch of kids!
And, last but not least, I'm giving blood next week, so if you haven't given blood in a while, you should go donate too!
Thank you for reading this public service blog! Be sure to vote, visit your local library, feed your friends, volunteer for your local high school, and give blood!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Trip to West Virginia
Last weekend we went to West Virginia for Brian's second interview with a law firm in Huntington for a summer clerk position. The program is unique in that they only hire new associates through their summer program. Originally, 90 first year students were interviewed. Of the 90, sixteen were called back for the second interview. Of the 16, four get offered positions.
Downtown is also home to a nice little shopping area with some cute stores, a movie theatre and several restaurants. Very nearby is Marshall University, unfortunately best known for the football team plane crash. As I shopped, I tried to talk to people to get a feel for the area, and everyone was very friendly. After Brian's interview, we also explored the surrounding area. The economy is a bit depressed, but the scenery is beautiful with hills everywhere.
After our 4 hour drive home, we just vegged out for the night. The next day we met Randy for breakfast before he flew off to FL for spring break. In the afternoon, Brian got a call from a partner at the firm, and they offered him a position for the summer! We're very excited for the opportunity, and are now finding Brian a place to stay in Huntington for the summer. I'll be stationed in Findlay, but will be visiting on weekends!
While Brian was being interviewed, I explored the Huntington downtown area (which is where the firm is located). Huntington is right on the border of WV, OH, and KY, and on the Ohio River, with a nice stretch of park right along the OH river. Here's a pic at the park after Brian's interview. That's the Ohio River, and note the hills in the background.
Downtown is also home to a nice little shopping area with some cute stores, a movie theatre and several restaurants. Very nearby is Marshall University, unfortunately best known for the football team plane crash. As I shopped, I tried to talk to people to get a feel for the area, and everyone was very friendly. After Brian's interview, we also explored the surrounding area. The economy is a bit depressed, but the scenery is beautiful with hills everywhere.After our 4 hour drive home, we just vegged out for the night. The next day we met Randy for breakfast before he flew off to FL for spring break. In the afternoon, Brian got a call from a partner at the firm, and they offered him a position for the summer! We're very excited for the opportunity, and are now finding Brian a place to stay in Huntington for the summer. I'll be stationed in Findlay, but will be visiting on weekends!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Barrister's Ball
Last weekend was Barrister's Ball weekend - Law School Prom. It was Saturday night, and in Columbus. We stayed at the hotel most everyone stayed at....which also took pets, so Brisco was along for the ride. (He was very, very good, minus some hallway peeing incidents...it was green carpet, so he thought it looked grassy...)
Here is a pic from the ball - we forgot our camera, so we were at the mercy of others. It's not the best, kinda pixelated, but note my new glasses. It's Randy, me, Joe, Megan, Adam, and Brian.
First we pre-partied, then dinner and dancing at the Ball, then off to more dancing at a local bar/dance club, which was very fancy and we were on a "list" for, then there was post-partying. Some note worthy moments - Brian's property prof totally electric sliding better than anyone, Brian and his new friend Brent busting their moves on a platform at the dance club, and me getting hit on by some girl with lip piercings. It was all very big city.
Oh big cities, how we miss you so!
Here is a pic from the ball - we forgot our camera, so we were at the mercy of others. It's not the best, kinda pixelated, but note my new glasses. It's Randy, me, Joe, Megan, Adam, and Brian.
First we pre-partied, then dinner and dancing at the Ball, then off to more dancing at a local bar/dance club, which was very fancy and we were on a "list" for, then there was post-partying. Some note worthy moments - Brian's property prof totally electric sliding better than anyone, Brian and his new friend Brent busting their moves on a platform at the dance club, and me getting hit on by some girl with lip piercings. It was all very big city.
Oh big cities, how we miss you so!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Noah git yer ark!!!
In Wisconsin - blizzard...
In Findlay Ohio - flooding of biblical proportions...
Not as bad as things were in Aug. '07, but downtown is getting hit again. Flood stage of the Blanchard River is 11.0 ft., and crest is predicted to be 16.6 ft. Thursday morning. Yikes! (as perspective, in Aug. 07 it was over 18 ft. I believe, and those 2 feet make a lot of difference).
We'll have to strap on the pontoons tomorrow morning to get to work/school!!!!
In Findlay Ohio - flooding of biblical proportions...
Not as bad as things were in Aug. '07, but downtown is getting hit again. Flood stage of the Blanchard River is 11.0 ft., and crest is predicted to be 16.6 ft. Thursday morning. Yikes! (as perspective, in Aug. 07 it was over 18 ft. I believe, and those 2 feet make a lot of difference).
We'll have to strap on the pontoons tomorrow morning to get to work/school!!!!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Super Bowl weekend!
I'm feeling delinquent in writing, so I thought I'd let you know what we did this last weekend! We went eye glasses shopping! We both got cute, cute glasses that will be in at the end of the week or early next week, since they go through our insurance - watch for new four-eyed pictures coming soon!
On Sunday we went to a Super Bowl party at our friend's (John & Adam) place. It's kind of bizarre to hang out in what is basically a dorm room again. We were all crammed around the tv and then in the middle of everything was a nice foosball table, and then the kitchen. John made a tasty turkey for dinner and was a great host.
Monday it was back to the grind for me and back to classes for Brian. We're thinking of all you Wisconsinites with your record breaking snowfall that just keeps coming! (It thundered here last night.)
On Sunday we went to a Super Bowl party at our friend's (John & Adam) place. It's kind of bizarre to hang out in what is basically a dorm room again. We were all crammed around the tv and then in the middle of everything was a nice foosball table, and then the kitchen. John made a tasty turkey for dinner and was a great host.
Monday it was back to the grind for me and back to classes for Brian. We're thinking of all you Wisconsinites with your record breaking snowfall that just keeps coming! (It thundered here last night.)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Roller Shoes and Expensive Grapes
AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
That was the general sentiment when Janet and I were shopping at Wal-Mart this afternoon. Now, as a general policy, I try not to patronize Wal-Mart, however, they really do have low prices, and in defense of the capitalist system, lower prices = more money in the pockets of the consumer - and we are consumer...
Digressing...like I said, I try not to patronize Wal-Mart, and at the risk of sounding like I have a superiority complex (no comments welcome here) it's because of the other patrons. Today, it was a literal drove of children with "roller-shoes." You've seen them - tennis shoes with a little wheel that pops out of the heel. The result? Children whirring about the isles of malls, stores, parking lots and schools - annoying everyone else. This can't just be an Ohio phenomenon.
So - do we blame the children? No. The parents for buying the shoes, and letting the children roll freely? Perhaps. I for one say we blame the jerk who filed the idea with the patent office and is making millions off the dumb idea!!!!!!
The other consumer experience of the weekend was at the grocery store yesterday, when I grabbed some grapes because I thought they looked good. Turns out they aren't in season, and the bag cost me nearly $10!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!! Why didn't the cashier ask me if I was insane! Oh well, you'd better believe that we'll be eating every last one of them. I'm looking online to see if there's a way I can grind down the stems and make a lotion out of it!!!!!
Hope you weekend had far less consumer angst than ours!!!!
B & J
That was the general sentiment when Janet and I were shopping at Wal-Mart this afternoon. Now, as a general policy, I try not to patronize Wal-Mart, however, they really do have low prices, and in defense of the capitalist system, lower prices = more money in the pockets of the consumer - and we are consumer...
Digressing...like I said, I try not to patronize Wal-Mart, and at the risk of sounding like I have a superiority complex (no comments welcome here) it's because of the other patrons. Today, it was a literal drove of children with "roller-shoes." You've seen them - tennis shoes with a little wheel that pops out of the heel. The result? Children whirring about the isles of malls, stores, parking lots and schools - annoying everyone else. This can't just be an Ohio phenomenon.
So - do we blame the children? No. The parents for buying the shoes, and letting the children roll freely? Perhaps. I for one say we blame the jerk who filed the idea with the patent office and is making millions off the dumb idea!!!!!!
The other consumer experience of the weekend was at the grocery store yesterday, when I grabbed some grapes because I thought they looked good. Turns out they aren't in season, and the bag cost me nearly $10!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!! Why didn't the cashier ask me if I was insane! Oh well, you'd better believe that we'll be eating every last one of them. I'm looking online to see if there's a way I can grind down the stems and make a lotion out of it!!!!!
Hope you weekend had far less consumer angst than ours!!!!
B & J
Monday, January 21, 2008
Addicted to Bloggin'
Brian seeks an outlet for political discussion and commentary
Janet said that The Ohio Experiment is for keeping people up to date and not for Brian's political ranting.
So, Brian started another blog, this time for political (and other) discussion...
http://anotherworthlesspoliticalblog.blogspot.com/
Just something to add to your daily blog reading list!
Janet said that The Ohio Experiment is for keeping people up to date and not for Brian's political ranting.
So, Brian started another blog, this time for political (and other) discussion...
http://anotherworthlesspoliticalblog.blogspot.com/
Just something to add to your daily blog reading list!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Packer Party
We're doing our best to support the green and gold today - having a bunch of friends over to watch the Packer game, and eat brats (I'm in the midst of deciding whether to par-boil or not-or rather par-simmer as that's the required heat)!In any event - GO PACK!
Last night we saw the film Dan in Real Life - nice story, but a bit heart-wrenching at times. The consensus was that Steve Carroll is a good drama actor, and we (Janet, Randy and I) want to be friends with him, because he seems like a nice guy!
We both have the day off tomorrow, so it'll involve a bit of relaxing, and Brian doing some studying to prepare for the week.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Brisco's new favorite movie...
You may have heard that Brian is a sucker for movies involving sled dogs - Iron Will, Eight Below, and White Fang. It's likely that it has something to do with Brian's once upon a time dream to climb Mt. Everest before the age of 30 (yup - seriously...)
In any event, here's a photo from our watching the film White Fang this weekend! I think we'll Tevo 101 Dalmatians the next time it's on television (yes, the crappy live action version) and see if the doggie freaks out!!!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
DTW
Austin - our friend in the LLM program from Malawi, had his wife and son to visit over the holiday break. Wednesday last week we had the family (and Randy - my classmate friend who also hails from WI) over for dinner. It was a fun time, with Temba (Austin and Tepona's son) terrorizing our apartment, as well as Brisco!!!!
At check-in, Austin passed over tickets and passports, and moments later the agent said "do you have the passport for the child?" Naturally, Temba passport was in Ada, OH and Austin's was brought by mistake. Panic sets in - but quick thinking (and fast driving) saved the day. I was able to ring Randy back on campus, and Austin called campus security, who opened his apartment and allowed Randy to get the passport. We met in Bowling Green, with near perfect timing, and I was able to return to DTW with passport in hand at 8:10 p.m.
Just like out of a movie - I was running through the airport, holding tightly the passport in one hand, and hurdling rolling suitcases and small children on my way from parking structure to international departures - arriving just in time. Austin recounted to me on the way home that "there was no more beautiful sight than Brian running around the corner!" Though I begged to differ with the accuracy of the statement, my and Randy's efforts were appreciated, and it was nice to be able to pull it off!!! Makes for an exciting story at least, and a lesson to check, and double check for passports prior to international travel!!!
At check-in, Austin passed over tickets and passports, and moments later the agent said "do you have the passport for the child?" Naturally, Temba passport was in Ada, OH and Austin's was brought by mistake. Panic sets in - but quick thinking (and fast driving) saved the day. I was able to ring Randy back on campus, and Austin called campus security, who opened his apartment and allowed Randy to get the passport. We met in Bowling Green, with near perfect timing, and I was able to return to DTW with passport in hand at 8:10 p.m.
Just like out of a movie - I was running through the airport, holding tightly the passport in one hand, and hurdling rolling suitcases and small children on my way from parking structure to international departures - arriving just in time. Austin recounted to me on the way home that "there was no more beautiful sight than Brian running around the corner!" Though I begged to differ with the accuracy of the statement, my and Randy's efforts were appreciated, and it was nice to be able to pull it off!!! Makes for an exciting story at least, and a lesson to check, and double check for passports prior to international travel!!!
Monday, January 7, 2008
OSU vs. LSU
Brian is back in Ohio, (yippee!) and just started classes again today. And, today, I had a work experience that is definitely blog worthy.
For all you non-sporties - Tonight, OSU is playing LSU for some championship or another. As we've mentioned, Ohioans get a little nutty, (pun intended) so you can just imagine how an actual campus was today. Everyone (minus me) was wearing gray and scarlet. At lunch there was a free red beans and rice meal (in honor of the game being in Louisiana - home of the cajun food). And, then the choir was going to sing the Carmen Ohio school song. Well, I tried to lay low during festivities, as it seemed more student centric. Laying low didn't work very well. My co-workers are a bunch of joiners and wanted to support student activities and show their buckeye pride and I ended up being dragged along. Everything seemed to be going just fine, while I watched my co-workers give themselves heartburn with the spicy food. Then we went to the choir room. Greeters very accomodatingly handed out the lyrics to the school song. Then the choir director said, "okay, everyone here, get on the risers." I looked around in a panic, trying to get to the door inconspicuously - it wasn't going to happen. We did scale warm-ups, then a practice run through, then the performance piece - complete with hand gestures, and the end with 1/2 the group yelling O-H and the other half I-O. While this all sounds like a nice pep rally type thing, it should be noted, there were only about 20 people there, 5 of which were my office. And then, we finally left the room, met another co-worker who was late for the singing, so the choir director made everyone do the whole thing again. I am not even kidding. I HATE hand gestures. But, for all my griping, it is nice that everyone gets so excited and is so welcoming about their cult-like behavior. :)
Here's a picture of how Brutus the Buckeye has evolved! The middle's my fave.
In other news, it's really nice weather here in Ohio causing possible flood conditions. Say a little prayer that Findlay doesn't flood again. And, there is also a tornado watch out, so you'll have to think of Brian. ;)
And, last but not least, with some of our Christmas money, we got the game Battleship. I've never played before yesterday, but now I'm totally sinking Brian's ships!! :)
For all you non-sporties - Tonight, OSU is playing LSU for some championship or another. As we've mentioned, Ohioans get a little nutty, (pun intended) so you can just imagine how an actual campus was today. Everyone (minus me) was wearing gray and scarlet. At lunch there was a free red beans and rice meal (in honor of the game being in Louisiana - home of the cajun food). And, then the choir was going to sing the Carmen Ohio school song. Well, I tried to lay low during festivities, as it seemed more student centric. Laying low didn't work very well. My co-workers are a bunch of joiners and wanted to support student activities and show their buckeye pride and I ended up being dragged along. Everything seemed to be going just fine, while I watched my co-workers give themselves heartburn with the spicy food. Then we went to the choir room. Greeters very accomodatingly handed out the lyrics to the school song. Then the choir director said, "okay, everyone here, get on the risers." I looked around in a panic, trying to get to the door inconspicuously - it wasn't going to happen. We did scale warm-ups, then a practice run through, then the performance piece - complete with hand gestures, and the end with 1/2 the group yelling O-H and the other half I-O. While this all sounds like a nice pep rally type thing, it should be noted, there were only about 20 people there, 5 of which were my office. And then, we finally left the room, met another co-worker who was late for the singing, so the choir director made everyone do the whole thing again. I am not even kidding. I HATE hand gestures. But, for all my griping, it is nice that everyone gets so excited and is so welcoming about their cult-like behavior. :)
Here's a picture of how Brutus the Buckeye has evolved! The middle's my fave.
In other news, it's really nice weather here in Ohio causing possible flood conditions. Say a little prayer that Findlay doesn't flood again. And, there is also a tornado watch out, so you'll have to think of Brian. ;)
And, last but not least, with some of our Christmas money, we got the game Battleship. I've never played before yesterday, but now I'm totally sinking Brian's ships!! :)
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