"In vacant or in pensive mood..." I am: Bekah; 24; Law Student / Favorite Things: Carbs (so there!), Johnny Damon, Smiling at babies, Grilled cheese, Comfortable silence / Favorite Supreme Court Justice: Brennan / Favorite Wilson: Owen by an inch / Today's Special: Song: Elliott Smith, "Bled White"; Quote: "You know, there's like a butt-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I'm pretty good with a bowstaff." Please love me: mmbekah@yahoo.com

 
We've Got to Move These Color TVs...

Now that school's out for summer I've been catching up on some TV and some pop culture trivia. Here are the top five pop culture revelations I've had since law school gave me my life back:

1. I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore. I don't want Jon Stewart, Orlando Bloom, or the brothers Wilson to get jealous or anything, but I have an uncharacteristic love for Mark McGrath. I can't really explain my feelings, but isn't that how true love goes? When I see him on TV, I have this strange desire to sit down with him and talk about important issues. He is a rare mixture of really cool and really smart. (My sister and I both saw him on Rock and Roll Jeopardy at different times, and we were both impressed with how sharp he was. He knew a lot more than I did, and a hell of a lot more than the other stupid contestants). I think it goes without saying that I'm not a fan of his music, but I would be willing to pretend. Let's see...that "Fly" song was kind of catchy. Ok, more like a contagious deadly disease. I don't ever listen to the radio, and I managed to hear that song all the time. But I can forgive. We all make mistakes. So anyway, I wanted to provide a nice link to a Mark McGrath site or something to help profess my love, but I came upon this instead. Just so we're all on the same page, my love is for Mark McGrath the singer, not the actor, although the actor is quite dapper in his own way. On the subject of famous rock and roll people, I also have a little bit of a thing for Dave Grohl. He's funny and stuff. But Jakob Dylan is still in a class by himself.

UPDATE: My friend Melissa has informed me that Mark McGrath is not in fact cool. Apparently, he's rude and annoying. I am such a good judge of character.

2. American I-dull. I'm sorry, I gave it a chance, but I have to say that the show is really, really boring to watch. Also, it's just ridiculous looking: a 400 pound guy, a 90 pound guy, and Paula Abdul with a 10 foot ponytail extension. Do people not see how surreal that is? Some of my friends and I went to a bar the other night, and the finals were playing. The talent is undeniable, but I seriously don't think I've ever heard that much shitty music in one sitting ever before. And I've gone on road trips with Dave Matthews fans!

3. "Lil Kim--she's Phat. With a 'ph.'" If you're ever watching MTV and you see Lil Kim's episode of this show called Duets, please watch it. The point of the show is for Lil Kim and her brother to pick someone to sing a duet with her. They narrow it down to four finalists, and for some unknown reason the show is really cute and funny. One of the contestants tells Lil Kim, in a video testimonial, that she thinks she is so strong and such a great role model because she's been through so much and hasn't let anything stop her. So Kim turns to her brother and says, "She understands my struggle," or something like that, and it was so cute. And when she's watching some of the other testimonials her facial expressions are great. I don't know, just watch the show.

4. I'm Super, thanks for asking! Super Troopers is the best movie ever made. If you haven't seen it, you haven't lived. I defy you to tell me anything different.

5. Damn, Gina! My sister Hannah is a movie buff (not to mention a fantastic actress in her own right), and a true pop culture guru. (She has a nervous breakdown if anyone reads her Entertainment Weekly before she has gotten a chance to peruse it at her leisure). But Hannah, despite her impeccable taste, is also unpretentious enough to appreciate some films that other educated film lovers might dismiss. We have spent many a night together enjoying such classics as Blue Streak, Shanghai Noon, Shanghai Knights, and Undercover Blues. The latest movie we saw together, at which some might scoff, was Daddy Day Care. When I say to see this movie for the children, I actually mean to see the movie for the children. Eddie Murphy's son in the movie might be the cutest child who was ever born. He can, of course, expect to lose that title as soon as Jon Stewart and I make the requisite plans.

posted by Bekah at 12:11 PM :: |

 
Casebook Writers are Pervs

Um, I don't want to be crude here, but has anyone else noticed that there are an inordinate number of case names involving variations on the word "semen"? Siemans, Seamen, Seman...I mean, please. Are these people just abnormally prone to lawsuits? I guess when you think about it that makes sense. If your name was Semen, you'd probably start getting into some fights in middle school and stuff. In high school you'd probably be either made fun of a lot or idolized (depending on your gender), and you'd soon learn to despise your parents for procreating and forcing you to take on such an unfortunate name. You'd grow up really bitter and prone to altercations. And then when you got old enough to sue people, you'd do it all the time. Or because you were such a malevolent human being, you'd get sued a lot. This is all conjecture of course, but I do know one thing for sure: I had about 5 cases last semester alone dealing with members of this cursed family, and in my research right now I just came across another one. I honestly think casebook writers might pick cases with Semen-themed names just for fun. But then again, if you were a casebook writer, you'd probably get your thrills however you could.

posted by Bekah at 5:05 PM :: |

 
I've Been Wondering...

Why is it that no matter where I go to school, I am always right in the middle of a massive construction project? The hammering. The orange tape. The ugliness. And the worst part is, when I complain, everyone always says "Oh, but the new building is going to be so beautiful. Have you seen the plans?" And I remind them that law school is 3 years long, one of which is over for me (!), and it would take a miracle for me to even begin to appreciate the new building. Also, and more disturbingly, the yogurt lady is going to be evicted (actually evicted, anyone? Eh? Eh? Little bit of Property Law? You like that?) from the student center, and I am just not sure I can make it without her.

Why does your Legal Research and Writing professor take your appellate brief, make all kinds of scratches and marks, checks and x's, etc., and then write "very well written" at the end? Woman, don't toy with my emotions that way.

How does one become a "fitness celebrity"?

Here's a question from 4th grade that still rings true: Why are boys so gross? What I'm about to report is not a work of fiction. The names have not been changed to protect the innocent because I don't know the dude's name. All I know is I was minding my own business yesterday, driving along, when I came to a stoplight. As I waited for green, my eyes wandered, and I noticed a young man get out of a red pickup truck and stand suspiciously by the open door with his back to the road. He proceeded to drain the lizard right next to his truck, while looking over his shoulder at the traffic. This was in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. Then he just hopped back in his car, thinking nothing of the huge pool of urine in the parking lot. So, children, what have we learned today? 1) Boys are gross, and 2) Never, ever, eat off of the ground in a parking lot.

Where have all the cowboys gone? Seriously.

posted by Bekah at 8:22 AM :: |

 
I See Cynicism in Your Future

Today's Horoscope (Aquarius):
Whatever is happening now is part of the bigger plan.
Tap into your tremendous capacity for learning; be a sponge around ultra-intelligent people.
Singles meet prospects while patronizing the arts or learning a new game.

Translation:
No matter what is actually happening to you, be it good or bad, it is part of the bigger plan, which could ultimately be good or bad. Basically, you're screwed, but at least now you know that it was planned that way.
You are a moron who can't think for yourself, and instead likes to suck the ideas and original thoughts out of people around you. Also, you are fat. You have the brain capacity of a kitchen cleaning apparatus, so act that way around smart people and show them how much of an imbecile you really are. Don't attempt to put yourself on the same level with ultra-intelligent people by engaging them in conversation. Be silent, wet, porous, and, ideally, yellow with a green scratchy surface for the tough stuff. If you are around ultra-intelligent and high class people, be a loofah.
Talk to "the arts" as if it they are far, far beneath your spongy self and you might meet someone. Say things like, "Oh, yeah, I reeeallly liked that show at that small and under-funded community theater. It was so quaint! Nothing like the big productions I saw when I lived in London and Paris." Then you'll meet someone really special. Also, throw caution to the wind and finally do it. Learn Parcheesi.

posted by Bekah at 6:04 PM :: |

 
Some Assistance, Please

This summer I'm going to be working as a research assistant for my Criminal Law prof, and I'm really excited. I met with her today, and just got the best feeling about my decision for the summer. We talked about the research topics for a while and then ended up chatting for over an hour about her family and my plans for the future and men and running and law professors. (Note: Being a research assistant is going to place me deep inside the dark underbelly of law school. I'm going to be one of the only students around the building, and the profs do interesting things like hang out in shorts and t-shirts and chat around the water cooler (yes, we actually have one). I must take notes on the strange summertime rituals of the species). The topic I'm starting out with is a pretty complicated issue, and I have to do a lot of background reading before I'll even be able to start the research. But I am actually looking forward to doing the work. It's really liberating to have all of this research that you have to do really well, not because of a grade, but because someone is depending on you to help them with something. For once I'm working for a person instead of a letter on a transcript. There are also a lot of other perks. I get to work closely with a prof (these "personal relationships" they speak of seem to be a good thing, not to mention the benefits of instant contacts), I don't have to dress up for work (glorious, glorious flip-flops, I couldn't bear to leave you), and I can pace myself so that I work at night sometimes and during the day other times. And I can work wherever I want, since all I need is a computer. Basically this means that the people at the coffeehouse who were so sure they wouldn't have to see my face (or retrieve the cot they keep in the back for me) this summer are going to have to think again.

posted by Bekah at 2:14 PM :: |