Comment And You May Be Rewarded

I'm feeling kind of lonely here on my blog. I hear from people that they read this, but who would know it? So I've decided to incentivize the Comments in order to reward you for posting.

What does that mean? It means that if you post funny, witty, thoughtful, intelligent, and/or clever comments you may be rewarded. Doing good deeds such as this is its own reward, but maybe you'll get a TCO t-shirt, or maybe I'll make AHC make you soup (it's worth it, believe me!), or I'll buy you a beer sometime. If it's really good, maybe I'll get AHC the cook you an entire meal. I don't really know for sure, but there will be something commensurate with the relative merit of your comment. I will make all decisions. No time limits, comment as often to any and as many posts as you like.

Come to think of it, why don't I post more comments on the blogs I read? I should think about that.

P.S. No names, please. Mine, AHS's or the kids. Don't feel obligated to post your own name, either, but if you want the goods, you'll have to identify yourself to me at some point.

Good luck!

Best Judgment Today

From Wickman v Shuler [1974] at the House of Lords (the court not the hair salon), judgment by Lord Reid:

"But on any view the interrelation and consequences of the various provisions of this agreement are so ill-thought out that I am not disposed to discard the natural meaning of the words which I have quoted merely because giving to them their natural meaning implies that the draftsman has forgotten something which a better draftsman would have remembered."
...
"The contract is so obscure that I can have no confidence that this is its true meaning but for the reasons which I have given I think that it is the prefereable construction."

I love it when the judges are funny, intentionally or not.

Funny. Very Funny.

This blog has been cracking me up lately. It's worth the trip, especially since the iTunes EULA has this disclaimer:

THE APPLE SOFTWARE IS NOT INTENDED FOR USE IN THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS, LIFE SUPPORT MACHINES OR OTHER EQUIPMENT IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF THE APPLE SOFTWARE COULD LEAD TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE.

That's not a joke. I copied that from the agreement (which I felt compelled to read, now that I'm a law student).

Genetic Mutation: Card Shark

So last night I had all of these really weird dreams about sharks. There was one in my mother's kitchen and it didn't like me very much, though my mom didn't seem worried about it, and the giant shark kind of laid at her feet as she made dinner.

I couldn't really figure out the significance of the sharks at first, until I realised that I've spent a lot of time losing at Crazy Eights to my 5-year-old in the past few days. She now officially calls herself a card shark, with pride. I'm thinking of teaching her how to play poker or something and letting her loose in an online casino (easier to fake her age in front of a computer!) to pay for my tuition.

She's an incredible strategist, though she needs to work on her game face a little. I can't even beat her when I try to cheat. I'm actually trying to cheat in order to beat her!

When I told my mom about the sharks, the first thing that came to her mind? Law firms.

Law Student Fun

As expected, the details of the Tremblant trip are better left in the fond memories of the participants. This may be because it was a totally rowdy affair, or I could be trying to conceal the fact that we're just pretty tame. Which is it? Only precious few will ever know. I will say that we had the best food and the best drinks in our room and so we had some good times and I met a few people by name who'd I'd only known by face in the past. We did come up with a new drink (more out of desperation than of good planning), so here's the recipe:

The TreMMbling
1 shot vodka
2 shots Alize Red Passion (I think...but it might have been Sunset)
Mix in cocktail shaker with ice, pour into handpainted Dollar Store wine glasses
Top up with Pink Lemonade.

No kidding! It was pretty good. And it was more or less the colour of that text.

Also, last week at dinner with law friends, there were a couple of non-law partners and I felt bad for them (all the law talk can be such a bore for others), so I suggested we play a drinking game where every time you talk about law you have to take a shot. We'd be drunk all the time if we played that game. But seriously, kudos to partner of my TF&C, who is an exceptional cook. I'm a total food snob, and I was duly impressed.

For Fun, I Wrote Myself an Obituary

The Closet Optimist, wife of A Humble Chef, mother of Fiorellina and the Big Boy, died last night of a fatal attraction to the law, which eventually broke her heart in spite of its - and her own - best intentions. Throughout her early life she was prone to melodrama and confusion, until she met AHC, the love of her life; after their fated courtship, TCO's life had new happiness and meaning, though she maintained a flair for the dramatic, and a proclivity for stupid mistakes, throughout the rest of her life. In a perfect world, TCO would be remembered for the unending love she had for her family, for her sharp sense of wit and humour and for the fact that Ian Kerr gave her a job in her first year of law school (which hopefully indicates a reasonable level of intellectual curiosity and decent intelligence). She will, however, probably most be remembered for talking a lot - the uncomfortable silence left in her absence will forever remind us of her.

Amusing AND Justifiable

A shout out to my property law professor who put me on to two law blogs, which he quite correctly predicted I would enjoy, while I was in his office getting peace of mind on the issue of joint and common tenancies. There it is: my peace of mind now depends on the law.

I haven't had much of a chance to read them, but based on his description and the stuff I read today, they look both amusing and a justifiable way to pass the time. It's not a waste of time if it's law- related!

Above The Law and Precedent are linked to the left in the Law Links section.

Best Roommate Ever

I am pleased to announce that I have the Best Roommate Ever. Well, we all have our flaws (I'm sure living with me has its moments), but since no one is perfect, she wins the award for:

• Letting me take a substancially full bottle of Tanqueray, an unopened bottle of Absolut, and a bottle of creme de banane (in her defence, this was left over from a former roommate of hers. And I googled it and found some recipes that sound not half bad) for my weekend in Tremblant. This appears to be a no strings attached kind of deal. She's not using it due to unfortunate circumstances, so she is unselfishly letting me have it. I told her I'd take picture so she could live vicariously through me.
• She totally has a great CD collection. She pulled out a dozen+ CDs for me to copy to my computer in order to make my ears happy during the cocktail party that will be happening tomorrow evening at the hotel (in my room, which I will share with three other fantastic ladies). This is not the first time she has done so. Eventually I will have her entire collection and I will cease to be a music loser. The process is already happening. I knew who George was talking about tonight on The Hour. You know, George formerly of The New Music? It's a miracle that I understand anything he says about music. And it's all because of my roommate.

Cheers to you Roomie!

Neglect! Dereliction of Duty!

When I said "A Flurry of Holiday Posts" in my Dec 28 missive, I guess I meant "flurry" in a way very closely related to the weather we've been having. So by "flurry" I actually meant "not so much at all." I had good intentions. I've got some posts in the works that require actual thought (I like to be pseudo academic at times). But January is a bit of a weird month at FTX (the "January Term") so my routine is off. Not that I've ever been good at routine.

Alright, I've been a little lax in the posting department. No excuses. Okay, well, there might be some excuses, but usually no one cares.

Coming up (as soon as Optimistically possibly) on The Closet Optimist: A Jane Doe By Any Other Name, A Short History of Skepticism, So I Gave Birth to A Card Shark, and my delectable recipe for Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Crockpot Chicken. Also, the ridiculous (and quite possibly better-left-unsaid) details of my trip with The Law to Mont Tremblant this upcoming weekend. But I'm actually going to have to go before I can post that one.

2007 Firsts

First real negotiation simulation: We settled and our client was happy.

First time I've been on a school bus in Ottawa: From FTX to the Scotiabank Centre (if that's what it's called).

First professional hockey game: Sens v Bruins. Sens won 5-2.

First time at The Drink: Should do a study of female behaviour in bar toilettes.

First Scotch with my TF&C: I think I'm a natural.

Happy New Year!