Installation Wizard

I probably should have been an engineer, like my father, and his father, and...well, you get the idea. For some reason, computers make sense to me. This can be both a blessing and a liability.

My roommate's computer has needed a fresh re-install of the operating system ever since she got the computer two years ago. (It used to belong to her aunt or someone, and it's an old computer, but hey, it was free.) She didn't want to do it because it's disruptive, so she decided to just make do.

This morning, she said that her antivirus software said she had a virus. I went to take a look at it. Her update license expired in 2007, so it hasn't been updating since then. The computer had 26 unique viruses. I figured I would just download and install AVG, since it's free and it would solve the immediate problem. For some reason, the antivirus software that was already installed wouldn't uninstall, so I couldn't install AVG.

I decided to look around a bit to see what was going on. The registry was completely corrupted, and whoever had originally installed the operating system formatted the disk incorrectly. I was honestly surprised that it had lasted this long. I retrieved the files and then asked if it was ok for me to reinstall the OS. (I explained that it was the only way to properly fix the computer.) She said ok.

So, I've spent my entire holiday reinstalling Windows. It's a good thing I actually enjoy this sort of stuff. I'm going to set everything to be automated so that the Windows components and the antivirus software update themselves. Hopefully there won't be any more problems.

Update: One of my friends sent me this link to a comic on the subject.

Legal Textbook Review

A friend asked me for advice on legal writing textbooks so I figured that I would write about a variety of law textbooks. I've had my fair share, so my thoughts are below.

Space

Not outer space, unfortunately, though that would make a great topic for a blog post. (Hmmm...Note to self.)

For the last six or so months, I've been sharing a room with my sister. She was ready to move out of our parents' house, and she wanted to save money, so she moved in with me. I was cool with the idea of cutting my rent in half, so I went along with it. We have a bunk bed, so there's still sufficient floor space in there, but it's cramped to have to share. Plus, I go to bed around 10 and get up around 6. Jen goes to bed around midnight and gets up whenever strikes her fancy, though she complains that 8 is early. (I would find sleeping until 8 to be a rare luxury.)

The apartment has been cramped because it was inhabited by 5 people, 2 dogs, and a cat. (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1050 sq. ft.) However, one of my roommates moved out on Saturday, along with her dog. Now there are only 4 people, 1 dog, and 1 cat in the apartment. I moved into the vacated room, and it's so nice!

It's a smaller room, and I don't have all of my stuff in there yet. (I have a big deadline on Tuesday night, so that takes precedence.) My bed frame isn't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow, so my mattress is on the floor in the mean time. Last night was a dream. I shut my door and everyone left me alone. (Well, except for the cat, but I don't mind her. She's pretty quiet.) I got to hit the snooze button without feeling guilty. I got up at 5:15 AM without anyone throwing stuff at me for disturbing slumber.

I'm so done with the sharing a room thing! I can share a bathroom with no problem, but the only time I'm ever going to share a bedroom again in my life is when I'm married. (Even then, I'll make sure I have an office or something so I have a place I can get away from people and have my own space.) Don't get me wrong, I'm not a misanthrope. I genuinely like people. I also like being able to get away from people sometimes so that I can recharge.

SCU Campus Food Review

Sometimes I think I spend more time at school than I do at home. Of course, I need to eat. There are plenty of places on campus to satisfy that need. Some do it better than others. More after the break.

Ironic Spam (Updated)

My blog has finally arrived - I've been comment spammed. There's some amusing irony, though. The post that got the spam was "My Love/Hate Relationship With Citation". The post was all about academic honesty, proper citation format, and my complete lack of toleration for plagiarism.

The comment (which I have since deleted) said:

Thanks a lot for a bunch of good tips. I look forward to reading more on the topic in the future. Keep up the good work! This blog is going to be great resource. Love reading it.

It linked to one of those term-paper farms where you can buy essays to turn in! I guess the spammers just look for keywords or something. It's obvious this guy* didn't read the post, or he would have realized that I was speaking out against his services.

The upshot for you is that I've turned on word verification for comments. I apologize; I know it's annoying to have to type the word to prove you're not a spam-bot. It won't deter human beings from spamming my blog, but it will cut down on computerized spam. It was either that, or turn on comment moderation. Moderation is extra work for everyone, and it impedes discussion, so I'm not going to do that unless I get a real spam problem.

Update (1/5/09): My spammer is back. This time he spammed my "Business Writing Help!" post with the same comment. I'm going to turn on comment moderation for posts older than 10 days. That should stop hit-and-run spam attacks without unduly impeding free and open discussion.

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*I'm pretty sure he's a guy, since the comment was signed "james" [sic.].

The Stupid Agency (hereinafter known as TSA)

I traveled out of town this weekend to spend Christmas with my family. (Merry slightly belated Christmas. Mine was great. How was yours?) I had no trouble getting there. One thing I will say about the Oakland airport - they know how to do inoffensive, efficient security. I headed to the airport after work on Wednesday night, and I got to Salt Lake City a few hours later. The most adventure came when I was packed like sardines on BART.

Of course, on Christmas day, a would-be terrorist decided to try to blow up an airplane. (Fortunately, he failed.) Predictably, this means extra inconveniences for law-abiding citizens. First, as a result of the new security measures, I could only have one carry-on instead of the standard carry on and personal item. This meant that I had to jam the contents of my purse into my laptop bag.

Since TSA won't actually tell us what the new security regulations are, I didn't quite know what to do do prepare. I got to the Salt Lake airport about 90 minutes prior to my flight. (Since I don't check luggage, I usually get there 45 minutes before.) I went to security and got in line. I was pleased that the line was moving quickly, and I figured maybe the blogosphere overreacted.

When I got to the place where I had to take off my shoes and unpack my carefully packed luggage to prove that I brush with Crest, use Dove face wash, and wear Cover Girl Creamy Natural Fragrance Free makeup, I saw something strange.

The Bill of Rights as It Relates to Cake

This little bit of weirdness grew out of a silly Facebook conversation. In honor of the birthday (yes, I know technically it's an anniversary, not a birthday, but work with me here) of the Bill of Rights, I was asked if there would be cake. I responded with how that piece of cake relates to the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Here's a more detailed version.*

First Amendment:
Congress can't make you say grace before eating your cake, but it also can't prohibit you from doing so. If you want to tell people about your cake, you may do so. This includes, but is not limited to: speaking about it, writing about it, doing interpretive dance about it, making statues, photos or other artistic representations of it, or burning it. If you don't have cake, or you are displeased with your cake, you may protest about it.

Second Amendment:
If you wish to defend your cake using arms, you may do so.

Third Amendment:
In times of peace, you do not have to feed your cake to soldiers. In times of war, you only have to in the manner prescribed by law.

Fourth Amendment:
Your cake is free from unreasonable search and seizure.

Fifth Amendment:
If you are accused of stealing cake, or committing some other crime in relation to the cake, you can't be prosecuted unless you've been indicted by a grand jury, and you can't be forced to testify against yourself. If you have been acquitted, you can't be prosecuted again for the same crime. You can't be deprived of your cake without due process of law, and the government can't take your cake for public use without paying you for it.

Sixth Amendment:
You have a right to a lawyer if you're accused of stealing cake. [editor's note: There's other stuff in the Sixth Amendment, but it doesn't relate to cake.]

Seventh Amendment:
If you have one of those fancy bakery cakes that's worth more than $20, you have a right to a jury trial if you sue someone regarding the cake.

Eighth Amendment:
You can't be excessively fined in relation to your cake.

Ninth Amendment:
The prior eight amendments are not an exclusive list of your rights relating to your cake. You may have more, but we're not really sure how to figure out what they are.

Tenth Amendment:
If the federal government doesn't have the power to regulate your cake, and the state government hasn't been prohibited from regulating your cake, then the state government may regulate your cake.

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*Even this doesn't capture the full nuances of constitutional law. Proceed at your own risk. When in doubt, remember that the French solution for cake is available and noncontroversial. Marie Antoinette will let you eat it. (No word on whether you can have it, too. Law review commentary on the subject is welcome.)

Still Alive Over Here

It's been a crazy few weeks. I had finals, and I'm back working full-time until school starts up again in January. On my "vacation", I have to finish up my seminar paper and prepare my note for the high-tech law journal. (The two overlap significantly, so it's more like writing 1 1/2 papers, not two.) Then I need to get the paper ready for publication so I can start sending it to law reviews in February. My goal is to publish one paper per semester for the rest of law school so that when I graduate, I can be ready to go on the teaching market with four articles published. That will put me significantly ahead of the competition in publications, which should make up for not having gone to Yale.

Business Writing Help!

As I'm sure anyone who has read my blog knows, I love to write. I mostly enjoy academic writing, such as essays and journal articles, but I've dabbled in blogging and journalism, and I've even tried my hand at creative writing. (NaNoWriMo fell victim to real life this year, though. Better luck next time.) Business writing is an area where I'm weak, however.

I got my start in the working world in 2000, when the dot-com bubble was at its bubbliest. I was a green 18-year old with no college education and no experience. They don't teach business writing in high school. [1] There was a huge labor shortage at the time, so qualifications for getting a job were: 1) Do you have a pulse? 2) Do you have a social security number?. Seeing as I was in possession of both of those qualifications, I got hired by a temp agency.

There's no training at most temp agencies, so I just got thrown into the world of business. I was expected to sink or swim. Fortunately, I learned to swim pretty quickly. Then college happened, then my mission happened, and then law school happened. During college, I worked as a teaching assistant, so I didn't have to worry about office skills. In law school, I worked in the library, where I shelved books and helped students with legal research.

Then The Great and Dreadful Interruption of Life (TM) happened. I suddenly found myself with half a law degree, no job, no money, and no marketable skills. I called up a different temp agency (that I had used over summers in law school when I wasn't shelving books) and I got placed in the rotation again. Business was slow, so I took a part-time job doing home health care on the weekends to pay the bills. (This health care job, which I intended to take for a few months to get back on my feet ended up becoming a full-time job that lasted for 3 years.) Once again, no need for business writing.

I went to paralegal school, but because of my 3 semesters of law school (which included a rather worthless legal writing and research class, as I've mentioned before), my writing class was waived. I graduated with honors, giving me a nice shiny marketable degree, but because of the economy, there wasn't really a market for paralegals at the time.

Back in February, I landed a position through my temp agency that was supposed to last for 3 months, covering the front desk. Once the 3 months was up, I was promoted to HR, where I still am today. (I got hired as a permanent employee in August.) So, I have a ton of work experience, I managed to go back to law school after TGaDIoL, but I still feel like my skills are deficient in a few key areas. (I had a much better legal writing class this time around, but I know business writing is different from legal writing, and I'm not even that good at non-academic legal writing anyway. Just ask my professor...)

My roommate recently graduated with a certificate in administrative assisting. I didn't even know that there were schools for that. She learned all sorts of useful stuff like how to write a memo. Anyway, so now I'm juggling law school (at the end of this semester, I will have completed 3 years, which is as much as most lawyers, but I digress) and working in HR, where I have no experience. I'm sort of learning as I go.

My boss asked me today to write a specific type of memo, and I'll admit that I had to google it to get an example. I'm a good writer, but there's so much in the business world that I don't know because I've spent most of my adult life in school, and I've spent much of my working life working for universities. This is a sort of long-winded way of getting to the point, but does anyone have any suggestions for a good business writing textbook or style guide? I want to have a good reference and a way to teach myself all the stuff that I probably should have picked up along the way over the past 10 years. [2]

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[1] There may have been business writing courses available, but if there were, I never heard about them. I was tracked into high-end math and science classes because the guidance counselors, teachers, and many of my family members figured I would go on to become an engineer. Imagine everyone's surprise when I decided to study political science and philosophy in college and then go to law school. Of course, I do work for a software company, and I'm studying intellectual property law, so I'm sort of the most engineer-like legal person around.
[2] I don't need help with grammar, etc. Mainly, I need help with tone and formatting. Everything I write sounds like it was written by a lawyer, albeit a lawyer who refuses to use the words "heretofore" or "whereas". (But who apparently has no objection to the use of "albeit".)

Frugal Living Tips for the Rest of Us

Websites with frugal living tips abound on the internet. However, they're not typically useful to someone in my situation. The tips are generally geared toward a married couple (consisting of one wage-earner and one at-home individual) with several kids. This family lives in a house with a yard suitable for growing a vegetable garden. I'm single, I juggle work and school, and I live in an apartment where the only dirt available is whatever the dog tracks in.

Nonetheless, I'm known as the queen of frugality. I manage to have monthly living expenses of slightly under $500. (Given that I live in Silicon Valley, one of the most expensive areas of the entire country, this is nothing short of a miracle.) Here's what I've learned along the way. (I'm sure I've missed stuff; this is just what I remember right now. After a while, frugality just becomes an automatic way of life.)

Frugal Living Tips for People Who Don't Have Time, Space, or Inclination to Raise Chickens for Their Eggs*:

Words You Don't Hear Every Day

Words are kind of funny if you stop to think about it. Some words are common in everyday use. Some words are uncommon and are only heard in a few places. I've been thinking about that lately.

Supernal is one of those words. I've only heard it at church, and even then, only rarely. It seems to be one of those words that is confined to a specific context. I hear its synonyms, such as ethereal, divine, or heavenly in other places, but I'm sure people would give me a funny look if I described the school cafeteria's tofu chocolate mousse as supernal. [1]

Another word that seems confined to certain circumstances is salacious. I primarily hear this word in class discussions. (I have heard it elsewhere, but only rarely. More common are its synonyms - risque, racy, etc. However, even less common is its synonym, lascivious. I've only ever seen that one in the Bible.) I recall its use at least twice this semester, in different classes, by different professors. The first time was in my appellate advocacy class when we were discussing statutory interpretation. We were reading a case that the professor handed out. [2] As he passed it out, he said that it was a bit salacious, but it was nonetheless a good case to illustrate the point he was trying to make. [3] The second occurrence was today in my constitutional law class. We were discussing the constitutionality of restrictions on commercial speech. Some divorce lawyers in Chicago placed a prominent billboard advertising their services. The billboard had some racy pictures on it, and the professor was trying to spark discussion by asking us if it mattered that the advertisement was salacious.

What words do you hear in certain contexts but not in others?

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1. It's really tasty, though. Not quite supernal, but certainly heavenly.
2. See People v. Gibbons, 215 Cal. App. 3d 1204 (1989).
3. The point he was trying to make is that statutes aren't self-interpreting, and that even a seemingly simple word like "communication" is subject to people arguing about it.

NaNoWriMo

It's November again, and that means it's time for NaNoWriMo! (National Novel Writing Month) Every year, budding authors get together and harness the power of positive peer pressure (look, I can alliterate!) to encourage one another to write. It's like having a jogging buddy. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel by the end of the month.

I've been meaning to do it for a few years, but I never have time. I realized that I'll never find the time; I have to make the time, so I'm going to give it a go this year. I'm guessing that most of my novel will come between November 24 and 30. (Two reasons: 1- I'm a procrastinator. 2- My seminar paper is due on November 23.)

I have the embarrassingly low word count of 211 right now. (I should be around 6,600 to be on track.) I have a setting and a story outline; I just haven't had time to sit down and write it yet. You can follow my progress here. I don't have a title yet, so if anyone has any suggestions after reading the synopsis, feel free to let me know.

If any of you reading this are fellow participants, please add me as a writing buddy. (It's not too late to join if anyone wants to get started!)

Some Things Just Bug Me!...

...Like bugs, for example.

Well, not just bugs, but everything that goes along with bugs. If I had been Noah, I would have conveniently forgotten to take the insects on the ark. Sure, I probably would have been the recipient of some divine smiting, but I would be willing to take one for Team Humanity.

My apartment complex has a bug problem. I have a cat, so my room is blessedly bug-free. (Cheapest pest control ever. All I have to do is feed her, play with her, and change her litter. In return, she de-stresses me and eats bugs.) Anyway, due to the bug problem, the apartment management has decided to spray pesticide. It goes like this:

On Thursday night, a note is taped to the door of the apartment. It usually gets posted sometime between 8 and 10 pm. The note informs us that the pest control people are coming to spray sometime between the hours of 9 and 5 on Monday. Then there's a list of preparations that need to be made. We have to vacate the apartment for the duration of treatment and 4 hours following. That part isn't too bad. The annoying part is that we have to bag all of our clothing and linens, seal up all of our food, and move all of our furniture at least 24 inches away from the wall. We also have to remove our bedding and take our mattresses off of our bedframe and lean them up against the wall.

This whole preparation process took several hours the first time, but I've gotten it down to a science, and I can prepare in about an hour. Since I have a cat, I have to kennel her for the day. I can't exactly take Ebony with me to work and school.

This morning was pest control day again. I got up bright and early at 5:30 in the morning to prepare. (Jen wisely decided to spend the night at our parents' house, so she avoided the worst of it. I get the last laugh, though, since she gets to put it all back together.) I got Ebony into her crate and headed to the kennel.

I arrived at the kennel at 7:00, when they open. I began the check-in procedure, and the guy at the front desk said that I needed to show proof of Ebony's vaccinations. I had come prepared, and I produced the report I had gotten from the vet on Friday. However, the codes in the kennel's computer system were some sort of cryptic abbreviation, and the receptionist didn't know which abbreviation went to which shot on the list. (The list from the vet had the proper names of the shots.) He asked a few of his co-workers and none of them knew either. He tried to call my vet, but the vet doesn't open until 8. He said that he couldn't take Ebony until he talked to the vet. I suggested he google the abbreviations to see what he came up with, and he looked at me like it was the stupidest idea he had ever heard and said he couldn't do that.

I collected my cat, my vet report, and my irritation and left, informing him that I would be taking my business elsewhere, since the service was so poor. (I had had problems the last time, too.) So, word to the wise, if you're looking for a place to kennel your pets, don't go to PetSmart.

Anyway, I got home at 7:30 am (I had to be in class at 9:15, so time is ticking at this point.) I fired up my laptop and started searching for kennel options. After all, I know how to use Google! I found a local vet that offered kenneling services, so I dropped Ebony off and headed to class. Traffic was kind to me, so I wasn't late.

Naturally, the kennel closes at 6:00 pm, and I don't get home until 9:30 pm. So, I e-mailed Jen with the info on where to get my cat, and she agreed to pick her up on her way home. Jen just texted me to let me know she retrieved Ebony safe and sound, but that her collar is missing. I'm going to have to track it down, because I don't want to have to pay the city of Fremont for a new license.

And, of course, when I get home tonight, I'm going to have to wash all the kitchen utensils that I forgot to put away. That's like 3 loads of dishes. I so don't have time for this!

Edit: Thankfully, Jen found the collar right after I published this. One less thing to worry about.

The Jester Hat

I should totally invest in a court jester hat. It would go with all of the juggling I've been doing lately.

I survived oral arguments for my advocacy class. (I did better than survive, actually. I rocked!) I have an outline for my high tech journal note due this weekend, and I have a draft of one section of my seminar paper due on Monday. (I'm using the same paper for the note and my seminar, so it's not as bad as it sounds.) Then I have my revised brief for advocacy due next week. This is all in addition to my regular reading for my other classes, and, of course, my job.

Plus, I have to figure out what I'm going to do this summer. On the one hand, my employer has invited me to work full-time this summer. It's quite tempting, since it's a sure bet, and the pay is pretty decent. On the other hand, I should probably get some legal experience, like at a firm or something. (Of course, I don't want to be a lawyer, so firm life isn't that attractive to me.) I'm considering getting a judicial externship, but those aren't paid.

I get to register for classes this afternoon. Here's hoping I get the classes I need!

How to Motivate

I can't stand it when people try to use guilt trips on me. It feels so manipulative. However, appropriate motivation works wonders. Here's a good example of how to appeal to people's sense of responsibility without resorting to a guilt trip:

In one of my classes, we have been assigned to watch an oral argument before an appellate court. People asked the professor what kind of documentation he wanted to prove that we did it. He said that he didn't need any documentation. He talked about how he is a big believer in the honor system and that as lawyers, we need to be scrupulously ethical in all of our dealings. He told us that we were on our honor to complete the assignment and that he will not be checking to see if we did. He reminded us that this meant that there would be no penalty for failure to watch an argument, but that we have an obligation to fulfill the assignment because we said that we would.

Now, I can be a bit of a slacker at times. I'm notorious for doing the bare minimum to get by when it comes to homework. If it's not graded, I'm not likely to want to take the time to do it, since I have so many graded things to do. However, after a speech like that, there's no way I'm going to skip the oral argument. I'm not going to violate the trust my professor has placed in me.