Yup, another Mega-update...or (I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar)

Look, I know this isn't what good blogs do. They give you content everyday. They give you something interesting to think about. Even if they just talk about themselves, at least they give you something to chuckle about.

And hey, I would like to be a good blog. But I'm not, right now. It's okay. It's out there now. Let's move on.

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Watch Glee tomorrow. Look, TV has been quite the tease for me the last couple of years. Last year, three shows I really liked got cancelled, despite the fact that they were good shows. Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, and most heinously, Pushing Daisies* were all shot down. (Though Pushing Daisies is coming back in comic book form, which I am thrilled about. Seriously, this has all the markings of awesome.) So, I need this one.

FOX showed the pilot twice and I enjoyed it both times. The show delves into the realm of cheese, but purposefully. It's quirky and fun. Tomorrow's show will be the start of the first season, so seriously folks get on board. You will thank me.

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Some of my procrastination has been well-founded, though. I have been studying for the LSAT pretty hardcore** right now. My scores have popped up to the level I wanted them to be, so with 17 days 13 hours and 22 minutes left (as of this typing) I'm feeling pretty good about my shot of hitting this test hard. The little bit of doubt I'm having now is what's keeping me headed to the library. That's good.

The bad news about this test is that I am not allowed to wear a hat during it. And I can't bring my iPod and get all Michael Phelps (above picture) jazzed up*** before I start. I don't know why the loss of the iPod and my lucky Cardinals hat is bothering me, but...well...okay, I'm oddly superstitious. I know they're trying to keep me from cheating, but honestly, I'm not smart enough to think of a way to cheat with just my hat and an iPod, except to have a recording of Obi Wan Kenobe going on repeat just saying, "Joe! Use the contrapositive."

Sigh. Oh well.

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Also, last week, I got to work on a trial with the attorney I've been doing work for****. What sort of trial, you ask?

a MURDER trial.

It freaked my mom out when I told her.

So, yeah. It was really cool. I mean, I didn't, you know, get to ask questions or anything, but I reviewed documents and helped with the prep. I took notes and reviewed testimony and gave opinions on questions and such. I mean, it's probably not the biggest, bestest thing ever, but I helped. I actually caught a detail that, if it had slipped past my boss (and it probably wouldn't have) could have really messed things up for our client.

And really, more important than that, is how much I enjoyed watching it. I know it's probably not the right thing to say. I mean, it's a human tragedy playing out infront of me, but it's exciting to watch. The questioning, the answers, the manuevering. Yeah. This is where I want to be. This is what I want to do. It's been a really, really long time where I felt like I had potential. You know? I heard it so much when I was a kid. "You have potential." Potential for what I never really thought about. But now, it's like I can see it. I know it's a ways down the pike for me, but I'm working on it. And just having the direction--the beacon out there in the future somewhere--it's such a different feeling. It's better than I felt when looking at college, because now I know where I'm heading for beyond the term of school. I don't know the details yet, but I know the picture. And it was all there in that courtroom. And I can do this.

The benches were uncomfortable though. Have to say that.

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So, we say Extract yesterday. And I gotta say, I was hugely dissappointed. I looked at the cast--with Jason Bateman and Ben Affleck***** and JK Simmons and Kristen Wiig--I was pretty excited. And the cast did well. Bateman was solid. Affleck was good--honestly, he gives the best performance in the movie. JK Simmons and Wiig, were good, but completely under-used.

And mostly, the movie was...well, clunky. I've come to expect a little of that from Mike Judge. I like his movies, but there's a certain amount of clunk to them. I am not sure if everyone feels this way or if it's just a difference in my comedic preferences, but it's always there for me. This time, however, it wasn't just there, it was omni-present. And Judge always uses some sort of shortcut to make a character do something they normally wouldn't. It's never a solid reason, and is really part of the charm of some of the other movies, but in this case, it doesn't work. It just ends up making me feel uncomfortable and condescended to******.

Another bone of contention: the movie just seems to make fun of blue-collar workers in a way that isn't loving or empathetic, as has been the case in his other movies. And really, it's not all that funny. And with a cast like that, I just can't forgive that. So, yeah. Save your money folks.

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*Note 1. Oh, I noticed they were all ABC shows. Between this and Disney buying Marvel Comics, I am more than miffed at the Mouse.

**Note 2. I would say not hardcore hardcore...more like Iowa juicebar hardcore.

***Note 3. I'm sure this is how he's described it in interviews.

****Note 4. Preposition dangling free and easy.

*****Note 5. I am an unabashed Affleck fan. Say what you will haters of Affleck, but he's a good actor. And most people I've heard bash him do so because he dates hot women they cannot date. And I can understand the urge (I guess...), but I honestly don't care who he dates. As long as he's doing good work, I'm happy. My only greivence with him is he hasn't done as much work lately.

******Note 6. See Note 3.

Got Fuel to Burn, Got Roads to Drive

Well. I graduated from my paralegal program. I took my last final last Wednesday. I have one meeting left, but all my work is in, so I'm done.

It's weird to think about. For the last year, I've been working toward getting this certificate and now it's over. Overall, I have to say this program was really good for me. Even though my plan is to go to law school next year and use my certificate for only a year or so, I think the fact that it made me believe I could go to law school and succeed in law makes it worth while.

Still. I feel like it's a little like high school. I remember when I graduated, my mom was insistent that I have a graduation party. It was tradition. It was a good excuse for family to get together. And it would be fun. But, I didn't really want one. I remember telling her that I didn't really feel like I had accomplished much and that I didn't think it was worth celebrating. Her answer, after months of trying to reason with me, was, "Well. Tough."

But, yeah. Now. I really don't feel like celebrating too much. Don't get me wrong, it's a good program and I feel good about getting through it. But. I've got the LSAT to worry about and I've started writing my personal statement. And I'm still without employment. So. Yeah. I'm happy I made it (and, unless my math is wrong, I made it with honors, thank you very much), but there are miles to go...

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LSAT studying is going well. My pretest scores have gone up and I'm really starting to see the framework of the test and my confidence is much higher. I don't exactly know how it will translate into a score, but I feel good about it. And that's a big enough change for me to feel happy about. It's nice that I feel like my hours of study are helping.

I was really panicky about this test when I started studying. Now, I'm less panicky and more confident.

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Dinah and I visited Minneapolis/St. Paul last weekend and it was magnificent. It was good to see her brother and his family. Their daughter is almost two now and (this is gonna sound dumb) she's like a little person. She's walking and almost talking and it's great.

At first, she was a little shy and didn't want to play with Dinah or I, but she warmed up to us. And that was really awesome. I don't know. I grew up with distant uncles who weren't very fun or interesting, and it's really important to me that I don't be the same way. So yeah. It was great to play name that animal with her. Or where's Uncle Joe. Good fun.

But. We weren't there just to see the family (though we hadn't seen them since Christmas, which seems like forever when a kid is growing). Dinah was there to look around. And I was there to look at a couple law schools. The first school I looked at was William Mitchell Law School. I met with someone in their admissions department. I didn't know what to expect walking in, but I was really impressed. I can see myself there and I can see myself being happy.

The second place I looked at was the University of Minnesota Law School. I can also see myself there, which is confusing.

See. When I chose Grinnell, I didn't really have much of a choice, by design. I applied at two schools and I knew I wanted to go to Grinnell. I got into the other school first and went for a visit. I liked it, well enough. If I would've ended up going there, I would've been fine. But I knew it wasn't where I wanted to go. And I think that would've bothered me. But with these two schools (and I have to remember these aren't the only schools I will apply to and that we may not even be in Minneapolis/St. Paul, so there's more to think about than what I would personally be happy with...), I can see myself being happy with either one. They both have strengths that I think would fit well with what I want to do.*

Ultimately though, I think we want to be in the Minnesota/St. Paul area, and I should just be happy it looks like I've got to great options for law school. I mean, it could come down to money or one of them may not want me, but all things being equal, it's good to know I feel I could be happy at two places.

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The one bad thing about the MN visit was that I lost my phone. Which wasn't good. I had driven Dinah to a meeting an hour and a half early because I had my William Mitchell meeting. And while she was gonna have her meeting, I would be on my way to my U of MN meeting and I was gonna call her afterwards to see where she was and pick her up. Without a phone, this plan falls apart.
But I don't discover I've lost my phone until after I get out of my Mitchell meeting. So, I drive over to where I drop her off and wait around where I know her meeting is. After 30 minutes, I catch her, but just as she's meeting her person. So, I interrupt and we work out a new plan really quickly. Good good.
So we look all over my brother-in-law's house. We go back to Mitchell thinking I may have dropped it there. We check with their lost and found. And nothing.
Fast forward to a week later, after I've switched my phone to my old clunker phone and I'm looking through my bag to get it ready for my last class and guess what? There's my phone. Right where I'd put it.
This is not a moment I'll be writing about in my personal statement.
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Dinah and I saw (500) Days of Summer Saturday. Great movie. I loved this movie so much. Generally, I am not a big fan of the romantic comedy genre, but between this movie and Away We Go***, this summer has been a great time to see good, thoughtful, well-acted romantic comedies. The Harrison Ford cameo was worth the price of admission alone. And that's just the beginning of, what I have to say, was one of the most fun and honest representations of a man's feelings when he's just fallen in love. But, even without this scene, the movie is good. Really worth seeing.

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Yeah, so not everything is great, but I have been feeling a lot more optimistic about things. It's just really starting to feel like things are going to come together. Even if it's not going according to Plan A, I feel like there are plenty of other good things popping up that I think things will work out as we want them.
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*Note1. U of MN has a Law School musical every year, which I shouldn't figure into my decision, but the thought of listing "Judd from Oklahoma" on my resume...I mean, that has to be considered, right?**

**Note2. Of course it does!

***Note3. Seriously, Maya Rudolph was so great. And John Krasinski was good. Great script, great direction. I don't know if this movie is out anymore, but it's worth seeing. And certainly worth renting.

Fargo

Fargo came out in theaters in March of 1996, while I was preparing to graduate from highschool and get to college. Between that timing and the fact that I lived in the middle of Iowa (which is noted for many great things, but its attention to independent film is not one of them), I didn't see this movie for a while.
Anyway, I'm not here to give the history of Fargo as much as I'm here to give my history with Fargo. I've seen the movie less than ten times, but it's clearly my favorite movie ever. I can't remember exactly when the first time I saw it was, but I think it was while I was a freshman at Grinnell. In someone's room, perhaps or at the Harris Center? I can't remember for certain. But I do know that at two very important times in my life, I happened to see this movie. The first is when I was still in college. Junior year, I think. I was friends with a woman who went to a different school in Iowa and I was visiting her there. She was an actress and had a performance that night, which she couldn't end up getting me tickets for, so I was hanging at her place, watching her DVD of Fargo.
Being a junior in college, I could see my future almost written out in front of me. I was going to write some short stories that would get noticed by the right people and I'd get a decent book deal. I'd already started my novel, but hadn't gotten very far. But after my short stories were noticed and I got the advance, I'd be able to support myself long enough to finish it up and then the world would take notice. I didn't think what I was writing could be made into a movie, but maybe it could. Either way, the next couple of books would change things and set me up for life. Or it was something like that.
And that's part of the reason I knew I hadn't gone there intending to sweep her off her feet. I'd had a crush on her for a while, but I had my plan and I intended to stick to it. And besides that, I'm just not the guy who sweeps women off their feet. I'm quirky or interesting maybe, but not a sweeper.
Sitting there watching Fargo, I thought critically about my plan for the first time. Like the plans of everone in Fargo, it seemed like it could work out. Sure, I knew I was a little pollyanna about it and it would be hard work, but I wanted to write. I wanted to be noticed. And I wanted to be someone liked by a lot of people. Isn't that enough? No. Not really. No matter if you're just trying to get some easy cash, or save your daughter from kidnappers, or take your partner's share of the money and get away with murder, often times in life, nothing is that easy.
I didn't really think I'd actually sweep her off her feet, but I made my mind up to try. And I did. Somehow. And that was the first time I was in a good relationship. And even though it didn't work out, it really changed how I saw things from then on out. Now, I didn't stop getting into bad relationships (that would've been awesome, but hey), but at least I knew what a good one felt like. And believe it or not that made all the difference.
See, relationships before weren't all that engaging. I mean, I was in them, but not really. I never showed my hand to a woman. I was shy and afraid and I never tried for the women I thought would be great to date.
I think I've only asked out two women in my life. The first was the one I just mentioned. The second is my wife. And while it's nice to have a good average, I think the small sample size is more than a little disheartening. Or it would be if I were still out there. But, that's a little beside the point. In the other relationships, I had a tendency to look for women I had no business dating, really. Personality mismatches or nutty or needy or extremely conservative (which was kind of funny actually. Remind me to tell you some of those stories). And I think I did it because they showed interest in me. And while I think there's something to be said for taking whatever dates come your way, there's probably something to be said for stepping away when you get the feeling that things won't work. Instead, I stayed in there, blamed myself (which was generally an agreed upon factor) and told myself I wasn't going to do better (which was also agreed on). This blew up on me after college. (And I'm not trying to side step my responsibility in the blow up. A lot of that shit is on me.) And I took 3 years off from dating and put myself together better, smarter and a little more confident.
Anyway, that's a bit of a digression. It was Fargo that made me think about how I wanted my plans to really go. And to think about what was important.
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The second time that Fargo struck me so profoundly was last year. That scene at the end where she can't understand why he did it. The first time I saw Fargo, it was that scene that really made me love the Cohens.
And seeing it again sure helped a lot too.
See, being unemployed (though, I'm currently only underemployed [which I would argue, I was before I was unemployed, but that's beside the point]) gives you a lot of time to think (probably too much time to think). And one of the things I've been chewing on has been what I want to be like when I work.
See, the last couple jobs weren't engaging. They didn't challenge me. And I took that personally. I accepted that things weren't going to get better and that staying in these situations was the best I could do. And it took its toll. I became a little paranoid (justifiably as it turned out, but still) and unhappy. And I just don't want to be that way anymore. Now, I want to be happy and challenged and good at what I do. And I will be.
I'm rocking this semester of classes. I rocked last semester. I even won a scholarship essay contest (which I will put in its own post once Roosevelt puts a link of the announcement up). I have the tools to be good at this. And I'm enjoying it, which is really nice.
But. Last week I had a job interview with a bankruptcy firm that was looking for a "Legal Assistant" (a term used interchangably with "paralegal" in Chicago). They were offering less money and more overtime than I wanted. They also told me that 100% of my job would be "answering the phone" and trying to convince people that bankruptcy was their best option in these tough times. So, this really isn't a Paralegal gig. And to top it off, some of the ways they did business sounded like they'd been taken out of the Legal Ethics textbooks I'd read last semester. And not out of the "this is how it should be done" chapter. So. I wasn't excited about this job. And between that and my questioning them about their legal ethics in the interview (which apparently is not the best move if you want the job [just a tip out there for everyone]), I didn't get the job. In fact, after telling me I'd know by the end of the week, they emailed me 5 hours later. But in that 5 hours, I was conflicted.
I want a job. Sure, I'd like a good job that would be fulfilling, but I'd also like to get the MLB Extra Innings Package this year. So in that 5 hours, I called Dinah and told her how the interview went. And she told me not to take it. I wouldn't have been happy. I may have been uncomfortable with their "ethics". It wouldn't have looked all that great on a resume. And I would've felt bad trying to convince people they should trust lawyers who are going to see them maybe for 20 minutes and tell them to declare bankruptcy. (It's a flat fee thing, so the incentive of the lawyer is get as many bankruptcies through as possible.)
And she was right. I have to put myself in a situation where I can win. And truthfully, we're doing okay. The fact that I'm even considering getting the MLB package is a sign of that (and that I'll be able to work some extra and save up for it so it won't come out of the budget is good too).
(It was also nice to see on Monday this article telling everyone to stay "bold and valiant".)

Friday 13th...

I wasn't sure I was going to see the remake of Friday 13th. In the wake of the Halloween debacle (I'll get into this), I wasn't sure I could trust another remake, but when the chance to see a preview for free came up on Tuesday, I knew I couldn't say no.

Don't get me wrong, I wanted this movie to be good. I saw the trailers and I was excited. It looked scary, it looked fun. It looked like everything I hoped it would be. And then I remembered, Halloween. I drug Dinah to see that at a drive-in theater a little after it came out. (A horror movie at a drive-in? Too good an opportunity to pass up.) I was a fan of the Halloween movies (except number 3, which was, well....an odd choice). I would even watch the later sequels that kept coming out hoping that they would someday regain the brilliance of the first two. So, when I saw Rob Zombie was signing up to do this movie, I was thrilled.

Of course the movie sucked. My high expectations didn't help, but the movie missed the point of Michael Meyers. He went from being pure evil--a killing machine of the highest order--to a whiny, abused, pyscho. This was bad.

It was bad for two reasons. The first was that it took away one of the main themes of the movies. Dr. Loomis was always there in the Haloween legend to inform anyone that Meyers was just evil. There was no explaining it. There was no wondering about it. He was just evil and sometimes that's how it works out. And that was what made Micheal so creepy. From the earliest scenes where you see Michael in a clown mask stalking his older sister, there's just no reason for him to be that way. It looked like he came from a (possibly upper) middle-class household. He seemed to have been given a nice clown outfit and his parents seemed to care about him, but he was evil. There was no real explanation. So we had to invent it ourselves. Which is far creepier than being told outright what made him a killer. To know it was the same social problems and issues facing many households made it an all-too-easy cliche and took away a lot of the Meyers mystique.

The second reason it was bad for the movies was because we all were secretly rooting for Micheal Meyers. That sounds bad, but hey, it's kind of true. We probably didn't want him to get Lori Strode, but we did want him to pick off some of her annoying friends. And we wanted him to do it in brutal and interesting ways. It's part of the cliche of horror movies that they're filled with teenagers who act in the most annoying and cliched ways. They only want to get laid or stoned or drunk and you knew people like this in high school and college and they sucked. And you secretly wanted them to just shut up and go away. Maybe they gave you swirlies or stole your girlfriend, or maybe they just annoyed you from afar, but either way it was cathartic to see them meeting with gory deaths. To turn Meyers into an annoying little punk made him more like the annoying people we had been hoping he'd knock off.

So, it was with this baggage and the low expectations they bring, that I went to see the new Friday the 13th remake. And I gotta tell you, everything Haloween did wrong, Friday the 13th did right. The remake spends about 2 minutes on Jason's backstory and get right to the hacking. It doesn't make Jason understandable or try to explain him, it just let's Jason be Jason.

One thing I wasn't expecting from was Rory's old boyfriend. He was good. And he looks good older and with the slight beard that seems to be everywhere these days.

I won't give away too much, but the movie is a good mix of the cliches we love and expect from horror movies and some good fun action. They didn't re-invent the horror flick, but it's a fun ride. So enjoy it if you get the chance.