Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Strip Trip Quick Pics

Nothing encapsulates my trip to Las Vegas better than this picture. It is perfect in every way. Anyhow, here are a smattering of photos from my sojourn to Sin City. I had a lot of fun. Lloyd provided great hospitality, and Mom was fun, too, when not yawning.

This is where you get on the gondola ride at the Venetian. I did not get on the gondola ride.

This is the Strip looking north from the Wynn. The Space Needle-esque structure is the Stratosphere. I did not go to the Stratosphere.

"What's the deal with people showing you pictures of their vacation?" (I did not go see Jerry Seinfeld. He was not performing at that time)

This is the conservatory at the Bellagio. It is not currently the setting for a Tim Burton film, but it is being considered.

This is the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas. I did actually go to the top of it. I did not gamble at Paris Las Vegas.

The pyramid structure is the Luxor. I did not go inside the Luxor.

This is a lion at the MGM Grand. I did not get a good picture of it.

This is another lion at the MGM Grand. I did not get a good picture of this one either because of the dolt in the red hat.

This is the Mandalay Bay. I saw The Lion King here. I did not get any photos of Simba or Mufasa or Scar or Timon or Pumbaa or Ed or Banzai or Rafiki or Nala because no photography was allowed during the show. It was excellent, however.

This is the Hoover Dam. It is quite large. I did not get its full majesty into a single photo because my camera is not capable of such feats.

This is the giant bridge being built just south of Hoover Dam. It makes the dam look somewhat less impressive as a result. I do not want to ever drive across this bridge because I will be frightened.

This is Lake Mead. It is enormous. I did not swim in Lake Mead.

I hope you enjoyed the trip in pictures. Viva Las Vegas!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Forgive the lack of blawging

My inability to blog regularly is based primarily on my lack of original ideas. I have like one or two a month and they often involve things like the best way to get to the airport or how to arrange my law books so they look the most impressive. Needless to say, they are not groundbreaking. And needless to say, they often are not shared on this blog because that would just be sad.

However, my main "original" idea lately has been focused on how with each new station in my life, I re-evaluate the opinions I previously held and find that I was, for lack of a better word, stupid. Now, this stupidity is not manifested in destructive decision-making or poor treatment of others. It is simply continued evidence that I seem to go through life perpetually learning things a bit too late.

When I would visit my grandparents' house in rural Missouri, I always enjoyed this tapestry "thing" they had in the guest bathroom. (I guess that considering its location it was "bathroom humor.") I don't recall everything it said - it was mostly focused on the humorous antics of European immigrants trying to farm in the New World - but the one line that has always stuck with me is where it said "You're too soon old and too late schmart!" (There were umlauts in there somewhere as well, but my typography skills are lacking).

I'm not old yet, but I think I need to get much schmarter much more quickly. I can think back to being a first-year student (you know, in 2007, about 20 years ago) and always wondering why the third-years never came to play basketball on Friday. Supposedly third-years didn't have to do anything and yet they never seemed to be available. Today, I am that third-year, and I can't play basketball on Fridays. I get text messages saying that people are playing, but I always have something I should be doing and normally end up doing instead.

I didn't understand what things were like at that time, but I do now. But with this realization comes the accompanying realization that I don't know what things are going to be like two years from now. I hope that I'll be able to adapt to those changes, but I also know that experience can be a cruel teacher.

In general, I am a little tired, and I need a break. Helpfully, I get one next week. In addition to doing real work, I am taking a trip to Sin City (a place not known for being old or schmart), which should be fun. I'm excited to see all of the world's greatest sights in miniature on top of hotels. They have to be at least as good as the real things, right?

After spring break, I will only have about six or seven weeks left, so I'll just have to put my head down and power through Michael Bluth-style. I don't know what it means that this semester, my last one, has probably been the hardest yet. It wasn't the way I meant for things to be, but I guess that just proves the thesis. Too often, I just don't know until it is too late.

In other news, Kat's friend Lena visited here in Tucson and a good time was had by all. Lemon bars were served.

I took the professional responsibility exam, but I won't know if I passed for an indeterminate length of time.

It has rained a ridiculous amount already this year. Washes that normally have no water in them actually look like rivers; it is quite disorienting.

The Suns seem to be winning more than they are losing.

There is a new episode of Castle on tonight. (Yes, I realize that it is basically Murder, She Wrote, but I like it anyway. I also like watching Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes, but mostly I just like watching it to make fun of him. I would like to write the definitive biography of Andy Rooney's eyebrows and am currently in discussions to do just that. I think it could easily be a bestseller.)

Aloha!