Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years.

Surprise!! Are you amazed that I'm back? No, I didn't forget about the blog. It just sort of slowly faded to the back of the perpertual to-do list and eventually out of my daily thought process. Yes, it has been sorely neglected. I originally meant to use it as a way to communicate while I was in Europe this summer and seeing how I returned four months ago, that obviously did not happen. I did write an article for a student magazine that was published that gives some insight into my trip. You can access it by clicking on the title of this blog entry above.

In the meantime, although I know the road to Hell is ppaved with good intentions (or something like that), but I do intend to start writing on this as finals approach. Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by again.

GBM, We'll miss you

My brother flew into BWI on Tuesday afternoon to visit (he's still here by the way and we're having an awesome time. More on that later). I didn't check my email until late that evening to find an email from one of the women who works in admissions, who wrote me saying "Alex- Can you please call me at my office number. It’s very important." I thought that was a very odd email to receive. I then read the next email that came from her which was sent about 90 minutes later that said,

"Unfortunately, I’m the bearer of very sad news. I heard today from an WCL alum that Greg Mergen recently died."

Greg was the first person I spoke to at WCL after admissions and one of the first people I met here. Watching him work and talking to him was one of the reasons I wanted to work at the computer lab. Greg had the ability to use his immense wit and intelligence in a number of different ways. He was caring, funny, intelligent, a superb conversationalist, and incredibly observant. Not only was he dedicated to his job (unfortunately more so than any supervisor of his could ever see), but he was fun and interesting to work with. He connected with dozens of people who simply came to the lab to have their computers fixed and left them laughing and smiling.

Greg, you will be missed deeply. I am so glad that I was able to work with you this past year. I'm sure anyone else who has known Greg over his 35 of life feels the same way. If you want to gather some insight into Greg's life (and possibly leave a note to share), you can view his blog at http://homepage.mac.com/gbm/iblog/

Here's a link to the obituary from his hometown newspaper: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1698&dept_id=21847&newsid=14998832&PAG=461&rfi=9

Day 1: London: First impressions

My plane landed at Heathrow about six hours ago. It was a good flight in (thanks to the good folks at Air Canada for that!). I wanted to fly a European airline over here because I've heard the service is exponentially better than it is on U.S. airlines, so I wasn't sure where Air Canada would fit on that spectrum. I think they're probably somewhere in the middle. They served two meals on the flight... and I am happy to report they met my most basic need: free booze. So I had a glass of red wine with dinner. I was expecting to have a few more than that, but I fell asleep instead. On the tube into London, I realized that I'm glad I didn't get shitty. Day one in a new town... going through customs... already smelling bad from wearing the same clothes for more than a day... drinking heavily would not be a good idea To get through customs and to navigate my way through the airport, let alone the city, I had to be on. Being drunk would have been stupid. That was not the time or the palce to not be in total control. This revelation also leads me to think that I might not drink as much as I orignially thought I would. We'll see......

Three countries and five time zones in two days can to a lot to a person's body. They make two days flow seamlessly into one another the way two days are not meant to do. The night kind of gets lost in there and I am feeling the effects of that right now. Walking around London, it has felt like my body was moving but I was not in control of it. Very oddly surreal. If this entry has no mistakes, it will be a miracle.

The tube is cool. Reminds me a lot of NYC's Subway more than Washington's Metro. The trains seem very 1950s futuristic looking. I got off at the Charing Cross station which put me right in Trafalgar Square. It was then that I realized I didn't have a clue where I was going and worse yet, Londoners apparently don't feel like spending money on adequate street signs is a good investment. So I wandered around a bit before I got my bearings, found my hotel, and Stacey met me (THANK YOU!).

So far, so good here. One last thought: I know they say you should stay up all day the first day someone flies to Europe so that the sleep schedules are correct, but I don't think I'll make it. It's already 5:00 here and I'm fading fast.

360 Degrees

So that's it. First year is over. It's still kind of hard to believe that the uncertainty that I have lived under for the past two years is over. A year of uncertainty of whether or not I would actually get into law school was followed by a year of uncertainty of if I belonged at American University. I have the utmost respect for my classmates. Although I never wavered in my belief that I belonged at WCL and that it was the right palce for me, I have wondered about my internal drive and ability to follow through and do this whole law school thing right. I think I am. It is awfully strange knowing that when I return to Washington for school, it won't be on a week's notice. I'll know what's going on. I won't be the slightest bit intimidated by what I need to accomplish from here on out. I have a year of law school under my belt. Although it's not quite an entire third of school, there's plenty of time to make it up.

Celebration with the evening crew was at Local 16 last Friday night and it was awesome. We all had so much energy to let out. It was such a nice release. To do it and be there with so many people who have just experienced the same painful year that I have was great. I feel so close to everyone in my section. It's nice to know that we'll still be together for two classes next year.

Heading to Cleveland was a good place to go. It was nice to get out of town; I didn't feel like I needed to "escape" D.C. as quickly as possible or anything, but it was nice to have the opporunity to leave and not worry about having assignments looming when I return. Jacobs Field is beautiful; easily the nicest ballpark I have been to yet, although I would like to see a baseball game at Dodger Stadium (I saw DMB perform there 5/22/01. A beautiful stadium but it needs to be seen in its proper use to judge it impartially). Cedar Point was crazy. Riding roller coasters (particularly the Millennium Force) was the perfect outlet for the remainder of my pent-up stress and a great way to officailly mark the end of my first vacation in a long time. The Millennium Force, the park's biggest and baddest amusement park, was the last ride Alli and I went on before we left. a 310-foot drop, going 93 miles per hour at an 80-degree angle is a bit exhilirating and it provided a moment of zen for me. I got off that ride feeling less stress than I have in almost three years. As dumb as it sounds, I feel like a different person.

An interesting observation at the amusement park: it was great being able to go on a Monday afternoon during the school year. We only had to wait on line for the last ride. However, there were a ton of high school kids there who apparently can afford the absensces or just don't care (the nerd that I was in high school would have never ditched school to go to an amusement park! Just to another school. Ask Theresa). Anyway, many wore their high school hooded sweatshirts emblazoned with their names on the back. Some had their first names, some their last names, others nicknames; some even had uniform numbers. Note to people who wear high school sports garb to public places not affiliated with their high schools: I'm sure these are great self importance broadcasters at your school or in your community, but at a large amusement park, no one cares that you're on the football team or a cheerleader. Furthermore, I don't give a shit what your name is. It's great that you have such pride in your school, but leave the personalized stuff home.

So now I'm back in AZ. It took a little longer than I expected (about seven hours more, to be exact) to get home, but I'm here. Yesterday was my first full day back and coincidentally also the first day of the year when the temperature reached triple digits. It really is good to be home.

Done.

And now I'm a 2L.

Word up.

The Halls Of WCL Are Alive With The Sound Of Music

So John listed 15 songs that are getting him through exams. I have in turn made my own list, albeit a bit shorter. I have reasons for listening to some of them frequently as of late; others are just catchy to me right now for some unknown reason. Here goes my list:

1. "Jesus of Suburbia," Green Day (The "getting me pumped" song of the hour. And if you didn't know better, you wouldn't think Billy Joe could write such a powerful song.)

2. "99 Problems," Jay-Z (Inspiration for an away message. You can't get much higher homage than that.)

3. "Lost & Found," DJ Shadow (A very cool drum beat that I can't stop listening to. Reminds me a lot of Sunday, Bloody Sunday.)

4. "Best Imitation of Myself," Ben Folds Five

5. "My First Song," Jay-Z (He is one angry motherfucker!)

6. "All Falls Down," Kanye West

7. "Frontin'," Jamie Cullum (The kid's voice is amazing. He should like he should have been performing 50 years ago with the Rat Pack in Vegas.)

8. "Some Fantastic," Barenaked Ladies

9. "Everything In Its Right Place," Radiohead (Uplifting and motivational in an odd, abstract way.)

10. "Democracy in Kind," State Radio

Here are some songs that I should be listening to for motivation, but I'm not. Notice the connection between the themes of these songs and the classic "no respect" cliches that athletes give during the postseason. Maybe they're linked through following the NBA Playoffs and cheering for the Suns. Who knows?

1. "Me Against The World," 2Pac

2. "I Want It All," Queen

Getting a little behind

Sorry folks, I've basically been too lazy to post on here for the past few days, so here's a run down of the four things I have wanted to talk about. (Oops.)