Back to Tucson

Well, I am back in Tucson today and I have really enjoyed the best parts of the southwest.  I went for a run today in 70 degree weather and, as I write this, I am munching on some cheap and tasty Mexican food.  

Final Exams and Winter in Tucson

I have my last final exam tomorrow.  Civil Procedure.  Right now, I suppose I am as ready as I will ever be.  Maybe, I'll glance at one more practice question before bed though... Weather permitting, I'll be back in Portland less than 48 hours from now.  I would appreciate it if you all would throw up some prayers to your deity of choice that my flight doesn't get cancelled. Christmas in Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix doesn't sound very fun.  

In honor of the recent cold spell in my homeland, which hopefully won't keep my plane out of the sky, I thought I would post some pics of winter in Tucson.  Enjoy!

November Update

I have just four days of classes left in my first term of law school!  We are off this week for Thanksgiving, then we come back to school for our last week.  After that, I just have to study for my finals, which the powers that be unfortunately decided to prolong this year.   The last day of classes is Dec. 4 but my last final isn't until Dec. 22.  Talk about pain!  Not to mention a short winter break.  

A short winter break means a short time to visit home.  Tucson really isn't a bad place to live.  It was 81 degrees today.  You can't beat that with a stick.  But this place has nothing on Oregon.  I think I have always known that I want to grow old in Oregon but these last few weeks have really confirmed it.  I am especially drunk on the Portland kool-aid.  There are terrific bars, clubs, and shows in Portland.  The city itself is beautiful and its politics are progressive.  The people are really cool and I miss my family and friends.  And, God help me, I like Oregon weather!  I enjoy seeing the seasons change and the leaves fall.  I'm stoked to get home and catch some Blazers games with Dane and Carly, play some poker with Big Papa Joe Knight, take a trip down to Corvallis and throw back some tequila shots at Sancho's with Craig and Ralph, spend Christmas with my family, and, of course, pass a day or three at Powell's City of Books.

I am going to need the rest.  I will try my best not to turn into a twitchy, caffeine-addled mess but I know the next month here is going to be intense.  As I try to put together my outlines and prepare for finals, the workload is amping up.  Without being overly dramatic, our grades are based entirely on final exams.  While I am not nervous or anxious about the exams (yet anyway), I do understand the importance of doing well on them.  They represent the culmination of four months worth of effort.

I can't believe it is November already

It all seems so surreal to me.  I cannot believe that I have been in Tucson for all of three months.  It seems like I blinked in August and when I opened my eyes, I was here in November.  My first final is in less than a month.  I have a long, busy road ahead of me until I fly back to Portland on December 23rd, though I am sure the time will seem to pass even faster...   

Big Win on the road for Portland

Check out the box score HERE.

My goodness

Watch Portland's improbable 101-99 victory over Houston on Thursday HERE.

Halloween Weekend

On Friday night, I went out to this club called Level with a UPS worker, the spice girls, a french maid, a 70s police officer, two avid golfers, a goddess, a hooters girl, and a Barack Obama supporter.  There I saw a fallen angel, Michael Phelps, some pirates, some vampires, a jester, Paulie Bleaker, and others.  I drank.  I went to bed late. 

On Saturday, I rolled out of bed at around noon.  Went down to this little cafe and ate breakfast while working on my Contracts outline...in fact, I spent most of the rest of the weekend working on my Contracts outline and taking a practice Contracts midterm.  I did hang out with Z on Saturday night and watch the Portland and OSU games.  Afterward, we hit Applebee's for half-price drafts.

October 27, 2008

-woke up late, barely made it to Con Law in time

-went to my other classes

-ran two miles (17:30).

-studied in the library for two hours

-went in search of Professor Glennon and ended up chatting with Professor Bublick and Professor Washburn instead.

-worked at the fortune telling booth at the law school halloween carnival

-hit up Bentley's for some iced tea and more quality studying time

October 26, 2008

-Went to breakfast at the Bread and Butter Cafe and read the NY Times.

-Watched the newest episode of The Office.

-Met with my study group at the library to work on Contracts.

-Went to Sunday dinner with Grace at her aunt and uncle's house.

-Talked to my parents on the phone.  My mom just walked a half-marathon.

-Watched some Arrested Development with Grace.

-More Contracts!  Z, Ellen, and I closed down the library.

October 25, 2008

• Hit the gym with Grace in the morning, played some pick-up basketball.
  
• Went for a bike ride
• Worked on my Con. Law outline while watching college football.

October 24, 2008

The Old Main tricked out for homecoming

Three seconds later...

-Ran two miles (17:19)

-Went to the 1L luncheon with the Board of Visitors where I met Grace's dad, Colin.

-Went on an impromptu tour of the locker room with Z, Priya, and Bubbles.

-Met with Jon to go over the memo assignment for torts lab.

-Dropped in on the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new law library.  Dean Massaro gave a speech that was both very good and very long.  I am definitely going to have to take Con Law II with her.

-Went out to a Mexican restaurant with Grace and her family.  It wasn't good Mexican food; there wasn't an un-refried bean in sight. 

-Studied Contracts and Con Law; added to my Con Law outline

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes

Hey all,

I am changing the blog up a bit.  From this point forward, my posts will seldom use the narrative voice.  Instead, each post will consist of a set of quick bullet points about cool or interesting or important things I have done or seen that day and, on occasion, pictures.  I am making this change for myself mostly.  It will save me time and It will give me an easy-to-access chronicle of my experiences that will allow my to look back and track how I am passing my time.  

Though I could have done this on a paper journal, I want to keep the blog up so you, my friends and family, will still have a little window in my life.  As a by-product of the new format, look forward to more frequent blog posts.

Also, I am thinking about launching another blog project with an entirely different theme.  If I am able to get it off the ground, it will appear in a different forum from blogspot.  That is all I will say for now because it is still in its infancy.  But look out for more information as things develop.

Cheers,

Andy

Matt Damon on Sarah Palin

AND Collegehumor chimes in:

Monday Movie Night

I went to see Religulous with some folks in my small section tonight.  It is Bill Maher's call to action to agnostics.  It's funny, thought-provoking and worth a luck if you can handle Maher's smugness.  Check out the trailer here.

Pictures!

Pictures from my recent trip up Mt. Lemmon (~9000 ft).  It is the southernmost peak in the U.S. which is ski-able during the winter.

Also, my good friend Chris just left for South Africa and he is starting a blog about his experiences there.  Check it out to the left!