Tuesday, January 30, 2007

 

The New Quarter cometh...


And with it a new and exciting crop of classes. I'm actually teaching four classes this quarter: Sentencing, Oral Advocacy, Ethics (Professional Responsibility), and Practice Court exercises.

One of the great things about teaching at this level is you have a certain freedom to mold techniques. For example, last summer I went to New York and attended an art history lecture by a wonderful professor at Wesleyan, John Paoletti. His presentation was inspiring on several levels-- both in the insights he conveyed and in the way he expressed passion with meaning. I wanted to do that: Open minds with giant slides and a laser pointer. Though the subject of Paoletti's talk was limited to Robert Rauschenberg, the presentation gave me a great idea for a broader use of fine art on the first day of ethics. Thus, our first-day assignment. In short, the class is structured around three moral principles: Honesty, engagement, and humility. I use the paintings to frame and define these principles.

Get ready, Waco.

Comments:
The last four photos you've posted have been a bugged out self-portrait, a drunk college football player and a bimbo, a guy with a sword and Bates in handcuffs.

All rather disturbing. Contrast that with a week or so ago when we saw photos of a basketball game, a square in Philadelphia and houses in Waco.

Should we be concerned?

--Note to Tyd.. (rather than posting on the string from four days ago or so) I don't know about other infants, but little Mamie Eisenhower IPlawBaby does not seem to have gotten the memo about sleeping all the time. She takes several 15-30 minute naps here and there during the day, but from about 6 AM till 11:30 pm she's basically awake.

Unless we put her in the car and run an errand.
 
The down side to the first year is that yes, they are awake a lot. However, there are a few good things about this.. First, they are babies, so pretty much anything amuses them. If they get bored you can play some Miles Davis, toss them a plastic cup to play with or a toy, or some keys, or just do what I used to do - Read Newsweek aloud - whatever and they will be fascinated for hours. Just know that whatever you give them will go in their mouth, so give them something washable.

The other thing is that they love motion of any kind. One thing to do is get one of those swings - Spencer used to spend a lot of time in his and would cry when we took him out. He often fell asleep in it. Mamie would love it.

Another thing you can do is get a Baby Bjorn, which is like a sort of baby backpack, but you wear it in front. You put the kid in that thing and do whatever you want. They love to be out and see the world, and to be close to you and to be moving and that accomplishes all three.

The other great thing is that everyone LOVES babies and wants to hold and or play with them. SO yes they are awake, BUT try taking that little meatloaf someplace where you know people... People will BEG you to let them hold her or play with her... I used to literally just pass Spencer around my Weight Watcher's meeting. Those ladies (I knew them well) all went INSANE for Spencer and all took turns holding him. He would adorably burp, drool, fall asleep or worse and they could not get enough.


Then there is the stroller - they like to fall asleep in that too. You can get a Jogger stroller so that the kid falls asleep and/or sees the world while you get a workout.

You can do SO MANY things with a baby because they are SO PORTABLE. I mean not EVERYTHING - Restaurants, or the movies can be tricky... but you are too tired to do any of that stuff anyway.

Of course, Spencer was kind of a quiet baby. Now he NEVER stops talking. SO YES they are awake a lot... b8ut right now, they are usually confined to the baby jail cage thingy ("SUPER YARD" ours was called) or the bouncy vibration chair, or the swing or wherever.

In a couple of years try taking Mamie Eisenhower to the grocery store. YIKES.
 
I’ve taken the liberty of reviewing your first day class assignment and I’m unimpressed with your spelling of Caravaggio.

I hear you’d get a memo if you tried something like that in PC.
 
So, David and Goliath. With which one do you most identify in your role as law professor? Don't worry, it's kind of like an artistic Rorschock exam. We'll be able to tell what your favorite repressions are.

IPLawGuy: When Victor was about the same as age Mamie is now, if he was cranky or colicky, we'd put him in the car and drive him around. He'd be asleep in five minutes. Miraculous!
 
Has anybody noticed that Wintery Mix is falling on Waco again this morning? Those Starbucks people are just incorrigible.

Question to self: With whom does Osler relate: David or Goliath?
 
News Flash: I have another job interview tomorrow. Repping for "one of the leading manufacturers of diving boards and swimming pool accessories."

I don't even know why I write things on here. I am not a lawyer, and probably will never be a lawyer, though I used to watch a lot of Court TV. I suppose that does not count. I guess I am starting to find that my job search has become so stupid its actually funny.

This one is like mile from my house and because my territory would be the central or southeast US I would be able to get to work by 6AM which I like, because I get more done before 6 am than you do all day.. The salary is okay and I do like swimming pools. They are interesting to me, unlike grinder parts, RV parts or Risk Management Software. I have always wanted to have a pool, but here in my "McMansion" neighborhood the houses are bigger but the yards are small. AND it never stops raining in Oregon, so no one really has pools.

Yet another odd fact is that while no one has a pool, almost everyone here in OR has something called a "water feature" in their back yard, which is, in essence, a fountain. Why they need fountains is confounds me, since it never stops raining.

Another strange thing about Oregon is that when something is expensive here, they have a special word for that.... "SPENDY." As in, "I hope I get that job selling swimming pool parts, because those countertops I am considering are very SPENDY."
 
Help Me!!!!


I need something to read to forget about $%#&! finals!!!


I need you Osler!
 
Tyd, Med, Swanburg, anon, etc.

Glad to see someone FINALLY posted here. I was getting lonely. Must be the Wintry Mix. We're supposed to get some in DC too.

Anyhow, Mamie Iplawbaby is not colicky or cranky most of the time. She's hungry or talkative or active... all at the same time quite often.

We have the stroller (but it's like 20-30 degrees outside during the day around here), the bjorn, the swing, the bouncer, the vibrating chair, the playyard, some sort of round activity seat I have dubbed the Bridge of the Starship Enterprise and plenty of other "motion-related" stuff.

Yes, she's portable. And awake. This notion of the two hour afternoon nap seems to be just that.... a myth.

Tyd,

In my mind's eye I just don't see you as someone selling "Spendy" items like pool parts or RVs or countertops. I'm thinking herbal remedies, hemp-based clothing, etc. Come on, you're in Oregon. Aren't you all hippies out there?
 
Well, They loved me at the RV accessories place, but they are hiring a guy back that used to work there and he would not have to be trained in all that Lernin' bout the RV parts. But they are keeping me in mind.. and I really liked them a lot too, so if something opens there I might consider it, though RVs are gas hogging things that suck the life out of natural resources.

The pool parts interview is tomorrow, and I am sure they might ask: "What kind of Water Feature would you be?" If I get it, I get it, but Seven Habits and the Nerdy Habiteers have me doing writing and voice over work now, and I could probably get more hours doing that crap, so if I do not get the job selling parts fer CEEment ponds then I may just get more hours from Seven Habits dude and be done with it for a while.. ONLY BECAUSE we have decided on all the stuff to re do parts of the kitchen and I want to be home part of the time during that, so that Bill does not accidentally tell them to install the wood floors onto the ceiling or something kind of airheady like he would do.

I need to work more than ten hours a week, though. Today Spencer found my old recorder from like 4th grade and started playing it. He is not exactly a virtuoso. Then later, he answered the front door naked.
 
uhmmmm okay........
 
iplawguy- It seems weird to say, but this painting brings warm fuzzies to me, it reminds me of one bright spot of sunshine in the first week of the Hades of Practice Court. That and the day Osler gave us our little cards, that was a good day.
 
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