A little about a lot

So I'm smart. You aren't supposed to say you're smart, but I am and I will. I think that most people would be able to infer that. I'm in lawschool, you read my blog, you can tell I'm not a dumb person. That being said I am not crazy smart. I'm not a mensa candidate or a genius. I'm just regular person smart, hard work and good grades smart. Some people think I'm smarter than I really am. These people on some level are probably just as smart as me, but they have been fooled. Why? I know a little about a lot. Knowing a little about a lot makes people think you are really smart, people that is, that are not willing or interested enough to go beyond the surface. I can comment knowledgably on many subjects and that makes people think i know a lot, which isn't true, because all I really know is a little (about a lot).


Why do I know a little about a lot? I know because I ask. If I met you today and we had a conversation I would ask what you do for a living, I would ask you about your job in detail with interest and I would listen and ask more questions and when we were finished talking I would walk away with some of your knowledge. Every person you meet has some expertise and If you are interested they are more than willing to share a little of thier "smarts" with you. My friend is a waitress at a Japenese Steakhouse and I know how they divide the tips between the chefs and the servers, another friend works construction and I know what he builds, what products they sell, who does the estimates and who they outsource the jobs they don't take to, I know about haircolor because I ask my hairdresser, the list goes on...these seem like small things, but to me it's interesting. Don't you ever go through the McDonalds drive through and wonder what are the standard number of ketchups to give out or if they let this pimple faced sixteen-year-old count down his own drawer? Why not?


Do I have a point? Not really, only that I'm not so much smart as curious and that it really is a shame that more people don't care about learning something new each day, because it really isn't that hard.

The Art of Self

There is something distinct about a labor of love. Something to be revered in the written word or a piece of art that is pure because it was not intended solely (or at all) for profit. It's like the difference between a handmade piece of furnature and something out of the factory but it is even more distinct. When I see such obvious craftsmanship I am always complelled to touch it, to lightly brush my hand over the smooth glossy surface because someone labored over this, they sanded and stained. We leave a distinct Locke-ian trace of ourselves in the work we do that we love. In the same way I am always compelled to touch books and paintings. I am compelled to run my fingers over raised letters on book covers and I must exert effort at art museums to stand behind the foot line because I want to touch the bumpy canvases.

I reserve my highest levels of respect for such creators of art. Party because I am jealous of what they can do and party because of their willingness to share. Writers are the epitome of these artists personified. I believe this is because the writer, above all, leaves very distinct traces of himself upon the page. When viewing a painting it is easy to come to many different interpretations regarding its meaning. If I did not know the story of Van Gogh I doubt if I would see anything sinister in the swirls of Starry Night at all. The written word, however, is so much more transparent and, in my mind, requires much greater effort.

Due to the nature of the art of writing, authors lend their most treasured posessions for our use. In this way, even the blaphemous Barnes and Noble that will stack Shakespeare a couple feet away from the latest "Survivor's Guide" coffee table book is one of the last places around to find something truly original. Words are the one thing that never lose thier value no matter how many times they are reproduced.

Never, Never

I heard today that you should never say never UNLESS you mean it enought to say it twice.

I will never, never...

Bungi jump or skydive (I'm just too chicken).

Blame my parents for the things that are wrong with my life.

Forget what it feels like to be young.

Get any more piercings.

Learn to accept the things I cannot change.

Give up.

Top Ten Reasons Why Abortion is the Biggest Issue Facing Supreme Court Nominees

10. It's the easiest way the democratic party could think of to harpoon Bush's nominees (and you know the number one mission of the democrats is to stop anything and everything Bush attempts to do regardless of what it is).

9. It's the only issue facing the nominees that the ignorant American public gives a rats ass about and/or understands.

8. Because women have the right to chose (especially the mistresses of all of Washington's finest).

7. Because a pro-life standpoint is the surest indicator of biggoted, gun-loving, religious right southern bumkin.

6. Because non-issues are the most fun to argue about.

5. Because there is no right answer (see "honey do I look fat in this").

4. Because the pool for "who can make the nominee's wife cry first" was up to 500 dollars.

3. No one likes an unborn fetus with rights (much like no one likes a feminist...hmmm ironic).

2. Because Roe v. Wade was the turning point for the court's constructing social morality through legal decisions and we all wish that the Supreme Court would make all of our decisions (would make that pesky vote counting thing so much easier).

1. SAMUEL ALITO IS GAY.