Law Students

to buy or not to buy

Posted on December 30, 2008
The answer, most of the time, is "not buy." Spare yourself needless expense! Which comes in all forms, especially if you like being stylish and fashion forward! Still, I am pretty good at not spending much money, as I eat out only socially, pack lunches if I can choke down yet another sandwich (no public microwave at school), do not frequent cafes by making my own coffee in the morning and packing my own cans of Diet Coke to get caffeine jolts throughout the day, and vow never to buy anything I can make...

random roundup

Posted on December 29, 2008
1. Via OrgTheory, an incredibly interesting first-person account of the Madoff scam by one of its victims--who also happens to be a psychology professor and expert in trust and gullibility.2. The comments thread to this Crooked Timber post on the responsibility of Western feminists to be careful to avoid adding xenophobic fire to Islamophobia when calling attention to human rights violations in non-Western countries is really fascinating...

that time of life

Posted on December 27, 2008
I'm at that age where I have a schedule of at least 2-3 weddings a year. Often more weddings than I can attend, especially if they're destination weddings. Today I'm going to a really good friend from high school's, just as we just passed the time for our ten year reunion (hell no I won't go)...

bourgie cooking/shopping advice, please

Posted on December 27, 2008
I normally cook on a budget, which means lots of non-fancy soups and pastas and casseroles and roasts. Plain eatin', folks. Apart from my pastry creams and crepes, TD never wants me to bake anything too fancy. He loves chocolate chip cookies, and I aim to please...

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i wanted to be the one to break it to you, bryan

Posted on December 26, 2008
...but our beloved Cloud Cult is now shilling for Esurance. Weren't we just talking about selling out?But not to worry, apparently it's all about environmental ethics:"We've been approached by a number of different companies over the years to use our music for various types of commercials," the band's lead singer-songwriter, Craig Minowa, told Songs for Soap...

three-day vacation for two

Posted on December 26, 2008
If you had three, four days max to go somewhere in the United States, Canada, or Mexico, and wanted to get away for President's day, where would you go, and what would you do? I can't swim really. I don't gamble. Let's say the budget is grad student-y.

happy holidays from belle

Posted on December 24, 2008
(This is on the heels of Phoebe's and Rita's excellent posts, and so I am not claiming originality.)And a Complicated Happy Holidays to You!Growing up, we were way poor and way Buddhist, and so we never celebrated Christmas. But it was more due to slow assimilation and poverty than a normative position on the non-celebration of Christmas...

i should burn this stuff

Posted on December 23, 2008
The dangerous stuff that lurks in drawers and closets:br /br /ulliClothes that date from 1998, like my Buffy-era vinyl jacket and that liberty print pique dress that looked good on me before I "blossomed." Also, something I called my "lucky skirt", which you may take to mean what you will...

my brother

Posted on December 23, 2008
True facts: he is 5'11" and 200 lbs and looks more Samoan than Vietnamese, wears cowboy hats and Frye boots, drives a Jeep, and his all-time favorite songs are:br /br /br /a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-0762114391920423 visible ontop" href="http://www...

In the Spirits of the Holiday...

Posted on December 23, 2008
Everytime someone listens to a song by The Majestic Twelve, an angel gets its wings. Pass The Fuckin' Egg Nog (Original Version) by The Majestic TwelvePass The Fuckin' Egg Nog (Drunken Christmas Party Version) by The Majestic TwelveHappy Holidays everyone!

belle's lemon bars

Posted on December 22, 2008
I am known as "that girl who bakes" at TD's work. I love baking, but I can't and shouldn't eat all that I bake. I would bring stuff into school, except that I have no cohort or department to speak of and my friends are scattered. Also, I don't want to be "that girl who bakes" at my own department, but am happy to be that vaguely pre-feminist person at TD's...

why do we do things that are bad for us?

Posted on December 22, 2008
I get why people do drugs and alcohol. I don't myself, but I get it. I get eating indulgently, obviously. But why I continually indulge in advice columns, the Fashion and Style section of the NYT, and romantic comedies I'll never know. And I can't seem to stop! During breaks when I visit my family in very boring Orange County (it is boring not so much inherently, since I don't do much that is interesting where I live, but because I don't have much freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want, am always busy with family and babysitting and chores, etc...

aw, man

Posted on December 22, 2008
I'm hanging out with my 14 year old nephew today. We watched Kung Fu Panda. I am really offended by the slanted eyes on the animals and the stilted, slow, staccato talking like David Carridine from Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. If there were a better name for the Jack Black-vocied panda character, it'd be Chinky McKungPao...

belt-tightening

Posted on December 22, 2008
I find a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/22/business/22layoffs.html?pagewanted=1amp;hp"these methods of cutting labor costs to save jobs/a positive and promising:br /blockquotebr /A growing number of employers, hoping to avoid or limit layoffs, are introducing four-day workweeks, unpaid vacations and voluntary or enforced furloughs, along with wage freezes, pension cuts and flexible work schedules...

back in orange county

Posted on December 20, 2008
Dang, why is it cold here? I am wearing my college sweatshirt! Over the scrub-like, asexual pajamas my sister made me that look like rose-printed couch upholstery with hand-sewn labels saying "Made with Love." The family drama, it has already commenced, although it doesn't concern me...

belle's recipe for spaghetti and meatballs

Posted on December 19, 2008
Mine is a variation of a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/10/meatballs-and-spaghetti/"this recipe/a, altered in that I have fiddled with the proportions of the types of meat in the meatballs and reduced the amount of ground beef (which I consider to be the driest) by 1/2 lb, made a totally different chunky sauce so that you can oversauce your pasta, etc...

why does some music make you want to shake your butt?

Posted on December 18, 2008
I have never felt this impulse or wanted to ask this question, but apparently a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2206835/"it's been asked of The Explainer/a at Slate, and a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2206835/sidebar/2206929/"you can vote/a on whether you want it answered, or you can ask whether:br /br /blockquoteIs it just me, or do all national anthems the world over, no matter how rich and exotic the culture, seem to sound like European marching-band music? Wouldn't one expect China's national anthem be more "plinky"? Shouldn't Iraq's national anthem sound a little more "Arab-y"?/blockquotebr /or this non-question:br /br /blockquoteIf one gets a personal e-mail from a very famous or important person, such as the president, or the queen of England, or the Pope, or Paul McCartney, can that e-mail have monetary value? I guess not...

top chef, synchronicity, and sell-outs

Posted on December 17, 2008
I just started watching Top Chef with TD, who's an avid fan. Of course, this means he has to watch all of the previous four seasons again. I like the show a lot. Drama and vote-off intrigue with a touch of the Real World, except that these people are actually talented and I care about their product...

I'd like to give Burger King a Whopper...

Posted on December 17, 2008
From the files of "Are You Fucking Kidding Me?", comes the latest advertising campaign from Burger King. I heard about this a few days ago, but had no idea just how royally screwed up it was until I actually saw it:br /br /object width="480" height="295"param name="movie" value="http://www...

wtf of the day: "drunkenfreude"

Posted on December 16, 2008
Oh, what makes it into the hallowed pages of the NYT today:As dessert ended, the woman in the red dress got up and stumbled toward the bathroom. Her husband, whose head had been sinking toward the bûche de Noël, put a clumsily lecherous arm around the reluctant hostess...

pro-vices and anti-sanctimony, and in favor of the ritual wallowing

Posted on December 16, 2008
I talked to the inimitable Gowder for an hour or so on the phone this morning about many things: the IAT, stuff we like to eat, the irritation of the necessity of schmoozing at conferences (thus we will do this together: two snarky misanthropic misfits who like to raise both roofs and hell are the slightly-bitter-but-still-delicious equivalent of a Double Double), pretension and excess-or-lack thereof, and vices...

A long-awaited party response post

Posted on December 16, 2008
Belle,(Finally, I can come up for air! Better late than never?)I agree that compromise is necessary for any relationship, but they have to be compromises that you can live with and that won't drive you mad by inches, or undermine the connection between you...

Why I'm Not Going to AALS This Year

Posted on December 16, 2008
$300 registration fee, and that's the student rate?! Fuck that! In addition to flight and hotel, and I was planning on sharing with the inimitable Gowder, and we were planning on getting a double room at the cheapest motel possible. And you have to pay extra for sessions, breakfasts, and lunches?! I'd rather fly out to meet up with my law prof friends on a more informal basis, or go to conferences with more interesting (and free!) paper presentations...

law review article of the day

Posted on December 15, 2008
This may be controversial to say, but sometimes a really well-written law review article is the best way to understand a complicated area of law or a nuanced two-part legal standard--not necessarily a casebook or horn book!See, e.g., Kenneth A. Bamberger, Chevron's Two Steps.

problem with netflix

Posted on December 15, 2008
I put my Netflix account on hold last month because I figured I'd be too busy with work and away for the holidays for too many weeks to benefit from it until January. I put the DVDs I had in the mail, because if you don't, they charge you. Apparently, they have not received one of my DVDs, although it's not my fault the Federal government failed me or some sticky-fingered neighbor lifted it from the communal drop slot in our building...

call for recipes for french oven

Posted on December 15, 2008
TD got me a Le Creuset french oven (5 qt, in chestnut, isn't it rustic and pretty) for the holidays. I know that this'll be good for braised dishes (braised short ribs, brisket, pot roast, beef bourguignon, lamb shanks, etc.) and stews. Also, apparently chili and gumbo...

TD's Curried Sweet Potato Latkes

Posted on December 14, 2008
Traditional old world recipe--perfect for Hanukkah, and just like your bubbe used to make! If your bubbe was into fusion food and liked Indian food.They are super delicious though--great flavor, nice seasoning, sweet with a kick, good crisp outside with melt-in-your-mouth inside...

this was my evening

Posted on December 14, 2008
We went out for a carne asada burrito the size of a child's leg ($5.95), chicken quesadillas with an obscene amount of guacamole and sour cream on the side ($6.95) and white fish ceviche tostada ($3.75) and 2 pints worth of strawberry agua fresca ($1...

cantaloupe island

Posted on December 13, 2008
TD totally rocked the sax solo on this tonight. He also rocked singing backup on this song.I am a total groupie. The band was really good! Everyone had talent and great stage presence, and they were all dressed to coordinate. They were the best part of the evening...

when life gives you lemons....

Posted on December 12, 2008
I bought a craptastic Samsung ML-2510 laser printer from Best Buy in March 2007. It continually fails to draw paper through its wheel thing to print. It is so not 12 pages per minute! It is such a lemon. Do I buy another printer? Seriously?!The only benefit is that by twittering my printer-cidal thoughts, I have managed to amuse myself by thinking up "yo printer" jokes like:It jams so much, Phish is jealous and people are wondering if the Grateful Dead are touring again...

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