I Dreamt that I Had to Answer the Following Exam Question

Question: How have your three years at Notre Dame Law School compared to your expectations? You may consider the effects of three years of unbroken law school construction, reduced morale from three losing football seasons, and the health of the legal job market in your answer. Extra credit will be given for an in-depth discussion of the effects of administrative instability, with particular emphasis on staff turnover in the Career Services Office. To aid in your discussion of curriculum, please find attached the course offerings for Spring 2010.

Article of the Day: November 28, 2009

Parents often bring their screaming children onto airplanes. Once in a great while, the parent and child are asked to get off. What happens next? Who gets an apology from whom?

Read the article here.

Haiku Review: A Friend Helps Me Puzzle Out "Glee"

I have to wonder
I like High School Musical
Why don't I like this?

Hair-Drying Review: "Backstabbing for Beginners: My Crash Course in International Diplomacy"

I don't have a lot of time to read for pleasure. If I'm reading, I should be reading a case -- or the tax code.

But once every two days or so, I find five minutes to crawl through a book for pleasure as I blow-dry my hair.

My latest crawl is through "Backstabbing for Beginners: My Crash Course in Diplomacy" by Michael Soussan. It was a Christmas present from my dad. "This will make me righteously indignant," I joked when he gave it to me. I was right, but for the wrong reasons.

The book is an insider's look at the UN Oil-for-Food Program in Iraq. As we all know, the program turned out to be rife with corruption. I thought I would feel indignant as the good name of the UN, an organization I have a soft spot for after years of high school Model United Nations simulations, would be callously -- if justly -- dragged through the mud.

Well, I'm righteous. And I'm indignant. But mostly because Michael Soussan got to publish a book. He gets to teach international affairs. And yet he -- and his editors -- let mistakes like this get by all of them:

"[On Kofi Annan's 'Hammarskjold moment'] in reference to the first secretary general of the United Nations, who, for lack of a more brilliant successor, remains venerated to this day" (p. 161).

I would like to spend a moment on the factual and stylistic inaccuracies of that statement. There are at least three.

1. Dag Hammarskjold was the second United Nations Secretary-General. There have only been eight in all; if Soussan had learned the name of one Secretary-General each year he worked at the UN, he would probably know them all.
2. Secretary-General is written using a hyphen.
3. Perhaps Hammarskjold received the Nobel Peace Prize, the only one ever given posthumously, simply for lack of a more brilliant successor. When JFK called Hammarskjold "the greatest statesman of our century," he meant to say "he'll do until someone else comes along." It's hard to believe that Hammarskjold died on a UN mission in Northern Rhodesia, serving out his second term as the most active Secretary-General ever, only to be relegated to a snarky punch line in a book like this.

"Father Benjamin thought that the most proper way to proceed would be to involve Pope Jean Paul II himself in their scheme" (p. 176).

I thought that this was certainly a typo. But there he was again, further down the page, "Pope Jean Paul II," and finally, in the index: "Jean Paul II (pope)."

C'est la vie.

True Life: True Life!

Last night I caught an episode of MTV's "True Life" called "I Can't Leave my Boyfriend."

The episode featured 20-year-old Grace and her attempts to leave her 41-year-old boyfriend, Hangman (pictured).

Before writing this review, I found Hangman's blog and read his reaction to the episode. He went through familiar motions: he referenced the cutting room floor, defended the parts of his relationship with Grace that viewers didn't get to see, and finally had the usual compliments for "haters."

Then I asked myself: what could possibly be on the cutting room floor that would change how I felt about this relationship? What that I "didn't get to see" would make this better?

So, without further ado, my ten favorite moments of this episode and Hangman's blog:

1. Grace describing Hangman as "10 out of 10 good-looking."
2. Grace, sick of staying in and eating take-out Chinese food every night, implores Hangman to take her on a real date. He takes her to the Chinese restaurant that they order from every night.
3. At the restaurant, Hangman orders for her.
4. Grace: I may move back to Pennsylvania. Hangman: No.
5. Grace talking in baby-talk constantly.
6. On Hangman's 41st birthday, Grace gets to meet his mom for the first time. I got to discover that Hangman still lives at home.
7. Hangman: Top hats run in my family.
8. This over-capitalized gem from Hangman's blog: "Fortunately my artwork is admired and I have an International reputation. My work is shown in galleries from here to across the Seas [...] Some people might even go so far to say that I am the coolest person they have ever met."
9. Despite complaining bitterly about the reality TV process, you can find Hangman, not just on "True Life," but auditioning for "I Want to Work for Diddy." Sorry, once you have actively sought out the reality TV path, you lose the right to complain about it.
10. On his blog, Hangman asks his "fans" to "pray for a spin-off."

I found some videos from the episode here.

Project Runway Finale: Haiku Review

Nice hats, Irina.
Carol Hannah, you were robbed.
Back to Bravo, please?

My Ten Most Hated Reality TV Characters, Part 2 of 2

5. Spencer Pratt from MTV's "The Hills." What more can be said about Spencer?
Worst moment: Every moment.

4. Charla from Fox's "Paradise Hotel." Poor, awkward Dave loved vain, empty-headed Charla with a love too pure for this show. And speaking of poor Dave, in a cruel twist of fortune, all of Dave's masterful planning managed to land Charla in the final two with the option to split her cash prize with Dave -- an option she declined. Dave went home broke and broken-hearted.
Worst moment: "Pinkie swear is my middle name," the nonsensical assurance Charla used to secure her alliance with Dave. Time for a new middle name, I guess.

3. Wendy Pepper from Bravo's "Project Runway." No one told Wendy that she was on a competition reality show based on talent. She schemed her way through the first season of this show, attempting to form an alliance with her apartment-mates (an alliance! on Project Runway!), to exploit the weaknesses of her fellow competitors (remember the chilling scene between Wendy and Vanessa in the laundry room?), and outright lied and sabotaged. If she had spent less time sabotaging and more time making nice clothes, she might have stood a chance and gotten a makeover out of the deal (see above photo).
Worst moment: Encouraging her five-year-old daughter to lie to Tim Gunn.

2. Omarosa from NBC's "The Apprentice." Omarosa falls into the Spencer Pratt category of "what more can be said?" Her antics are already legendary. I'll just say that she -- like Danielle Staub -- refuses to accept consequences or to look at herself or her actions in an objective light.
Worst moment: How to choose from among the following gems: lying about her experience working for the White House, losing Jessica Simpson and then lying about that, or lying about having a concussion in order to avoid working on a show all about ... working?

1. Arian from VH1's "Tough Love." On a show where makeovers and luxurious dates are provided to eight regular women in exchange for their willingness to play along with innocuous dating rules ("be polite," "be yourself,"), this bad-girl refused to play nice. Her shocking and self-destructive behavior got her in trouble with the show's host, match-maker Steve Ward. When he rightly told her that her aggressively promiscous behavior could someday land her in a dangerous situation with a stranger, she decided it was time to start throwing suitcases down the stairs.
Worst moment: When the girls' families visited, Arian bad-mouthed Steve to her mother repeatedly, while defending her own, spiraling-out-of-control actions. Steve was later in the uncomfortable position of having to tell Arian's mother some of her daughter's recent misbehavior. Steve used adult terminology for some of Arian's antics and both mother and daugther dissolved into giggles, leaving Steve with nothing to do but walk away in disgust.

My Ten Most Hated Reality TV Characters, Part 1 of 2

In honor of the premiere of VH1's "Tough Love" Season Two, I am presenting a list of my ten most hated reality tv characters.

10. Antonio Sabato, Jr. from VH1's "My Antonio." Reality dating shows work when you are rooting for likeable people to get together. They also work as a joke when the "prize" is Flava Flav. They don't work when the prize is allegedly likeable, but actually a nauseating joke in the form of Antonio Sabato, Jr.
Worst moment: Every time he looked into the camera and smugly announced, "And the winner...will receive...a date....with ME."

9. Sister Patterson (aka New York's mom) from VH1's "Flavor of Love" Seasons One and Two and "I Love New York" Seasons One and Two, and maybe some other New York spin-offs but who can keep track? A sure way to land on my most hated list is to trick me into liking you in the beginning, only to go completely off the rails later. Sister Patterson first appeared as a voice of reason, responding to her daughter's Stockholm Syndrome-fueled cries of "I love that man!" by cutting to the point: "That is not a man." Later, though, Sister Patterson devolved into madness, screaming obscenities at anyone in earshot, belittling her husband with enough fierceness to make Kate Gosselin cringe, and eventually coming to blows with the man himself, Flava Flav.
Worst moment: Pretending to have been diagnosed with a serious medical condition "so rare they don't have a name for it yet" in order to persuade her daughter to leave the show. It didn't work.

8. Evan Starkman, veteran of MTV's "Real World / Road Rules Challenge," currently appearing on "The Ruins." There is nothing good about Evan. He's stupid. He's a bully. He mistakes being a big guy with being a good competitor. Worst of all, I couldn't figure out what original Real World or Road Rules season he was on. He seemed to just appear out of nowhere on the challenge circuit, spewing arrogance. Sure enough, Wikipedia let me know that he was never on a real season, instead he was brought in to the challenges through the "Fresh Meat" season. Spare me.
Worst moment: As a drunk and out of control Tonya begins to attack Veronica, Wes leaps from the couch to seperate them. Evan holds Wes back, prioritizing his own ambitions in the game, which probably included the elimination of both Tonya and Veronica for fighting, over the safety of his teammates.

7. Matt Roloff from TLC's "Little People, Big World." I feel guilty writing this entry because Matt Roloff has a charming family, particularly his long-suffering wife Amy. But, upon reflection, I was forced to ask myself, who should feel more guilty? And the answer is Matt Roloff, for subjecting his family, friends, and guests to the dangerous products of his misguided ambitions. Watching the episode where his young son Jacob was nearly crushed to death by Matt's ill-advised trebuchet sent me once again to Wikipedia. I wanted to read about Matt Roloff to get a clue as to how any parent could have such terrible judgment. Then I read about Mattt's multiple DUIs. And I have nothing else to say about him.
Worst moment: Trebuchet.

6. Danielle Staub from Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." Another good way to land on this list is to refuse to accept the consequences of your actions. Danielle, a former model, associated with members of a drug cartel, becoming an accessory to multiple drug and kidnapping charges. She was arrested. Charges against her were dropped, however, assumedly as part of a plea bargain. In Danielle-world, though, a plea bargain equals an exoneration. So don't question her judgment or her appropriateness as a babysitter -- or Danielle will accuse you of being a vicious gossip. After her arrest Danielle went on to a lead a promiscuous life, was engaged nineteen times by her own count, and had two daughters. Even her daughters have so little respect for their mother's wild lifestyle that when Danielle turns to her teen-aged daughter in frustration and asks why all the men in her life leave her, the daughter replies "they only want you for the goodies." Out of the mouth of babes.
Worst moment: "I need to have tables thrown at me because (searches desperately for a non-incriminating way to finish her own sentence), because... (searches some more) because I had a book written about me?"

You Pick Two Review (Take Two): Panera Signature Mac and Cheese

Today I sampled Panera's new Signature Macaroni and Cheese. It was a cozy bowl of comfort. Panera's own website describes the mac and cheese in this way: "When we created our new Macaroni & Cheese, we tried 20 different cheeses to find the right blend. The winner – Vermont White Cheddar with a touch of mild American. It’s the perfect balance of sharp and creamy, making this Mac & Cheese beyond compare."

A small serving (7.75 oz) of the mac and cheese has 490 calories and a large serving (15.5 oz) has 980 calories.

Several online resources describe the macaroni and cheese as baked and some mention a bread crumb topping, although mine did not have any topping, nor does it appear to have topping in this image from Panera's website.

I've been looking around for mac and cheese recipes that a) are baked, b) feature Vermont white cheddar, and c) use shell pasta. My preliminary research tells me that Panera has been very innovative, but I'll keep looking.

Update (11/7/09): Today I tried to imitate Panera's mac and cheese in my home kitchen. The results were pretty good.

Imitation Panera Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:
16 oz pasta shells
4 tbs butter
8 tbs flour
2 cups milk
6-8 oz grated Vermont white cheddar cheese
1 oz grated American cheese (optional)
1 egg (optional)


Boil about 16 oz of pasta shells. Slightly undercook the pasta. Set aside.

Microwave 4 tbs of butter with 8 tbs of flour for two minutes, stirring with a whisk after each minute. Then slowly add 2 cups of milk, stirring with the whisk constantly. Microwave the entire mixture for several minutes, stirring after each minute, until sauce thickens and takes on a matte finish. How many minutes will depend on the power of your microwave. (Mine took about 6 minutes).

Add grated Vermont white cheddar to sauce. The sauce should be hot enough that the cheese will melt as you stir. If not, you may add the cheese then microwave a little more. For an extra creamy sauce, pour a small amount of the pre-cheese sauce into a separate bowl, add one egg and beat vigorously, then return the reserved sauce to the original sauce. Add cheese to taste. I used almost an entire 8oz block. Next time I will use a little less. Add a dash of grated American cheese (optional).

Combine pasta and sauce, then pour into a well-greased baking pan. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid, so don't worry if the mixture seems more liquid-y than the way you would normally serve pasta. I used a 9 by 9 in. pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until bubbling and starting to become golden.

Enjoy!

[Editor's note: Something funny is happening with the google searching of this site, so I am reposting this entry]

True Life: My Kid Sister Explains Romance

My Kid Sister has discovered g-chat.

She calls it "chattering."

She also emotes on g-chat through artful parentheticals, like you would expect to read in a play. Or, more accurately, like she reads every day as she watches tv with closed captioning on.

She uses g-chat to harass me and the Boyfriend. The Boyfriend's patience never runs out. He politely asks her questions about her favorite topics (movies, the weather). Witness this exchange. Only the names have been edited:

The Boyfriend: So what's new with you? The movie "Up" comes out tomorrow, I think.
My Kid Sister: Actually, it's coming to Disney DVD, not in theaters. (laughs) I saw it before the first time with Dad six months ago when it opened on May 8.
The Boyfriend: Did you like it? Would you recommend that I get it from Netflix to watch with [the Sophisticate]?
My Kid Sister: I liked it a little. I think I mght let you two watch it, but it will be sad in the beginning and a little bit sad at the end, but there's also happy ending though. If you two promise not to do anything boyfriend-girlfriend thing! First getting to know each other, became friends, something in common, hang out as friends, then realationships ilegally towards romance of boyfriend-girlfriend! Uggh! Why can't you two being friends?! I'm all about friends, not realationhip toward romance!

You Pick Two Review: Panera Macaroni and Cheese and Imitation Recipe

Today I sampled Panera's new Signature Macaroni and Cheese. It was a cozy bowl of comfort. According to Panera's website, a small serving (7.75 oz) of their mac and cheese has 490 calories and a large serving (15.5 oz) has 980 calories.

Here is my own simple version of Panera's mac and cheese. The recipe in a more printable format follows below the photo walk through.

Boil about 12 oz of pasta shells, lightly salting the water to keep from boiling over. Slightly undercook the pasta. Set aside.



Microwave 4 tbs of butter with 8 tbs of flour for two minutes, stirring with a whisk after each minute.
Then slowly add 2 cups of milk, stirring with the whisk constantly.



Microwave the entire mixture for several minutes, stirring after each minute, until sauce thickens and takes on a matte finish. How many minutes will depend on the power of your microwave. (Mine took about 6 minutes).


Add 8 oz. grated Vermont white cheddar to sauce. The sauce should be hot enough that the cheese will melt as you stir. If not, you may add the cheese then microwave a little more.



For an extra creamy sauce, pour a small amount of the pre-cheese sauce into a separate bowl, add one egg and beat vigorously, then return the reserved sauce to the original sauce.




Combine pasta and sauce, then pour into a well-greased baking pan. In these images I am using an oven-safe bowl. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid, so don't worry if the mixture seems more liquid-y than the way you would normally serve pasta.



Cover the pasta and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbling and starting to become golden.



Enjoy!

Imitation Panera Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:
12 oz pasta shells
4 tbs butter
8 tbs flour
2 cups milk
6-8 oz grated Vermont white cheddar cheese
1 oz grated American cheese (optional)
1 egg (optional)


Boil about 12 oz of pasta shells. Slightly undercook the pasta. Set aside.

Microwave 4 tbs of butter with 8 tbs of flour for two minutes, stirring with a whisk after each minute. Then slowly add 2 cups of milk, stirring with the whisk constantly. Microwave the entire mixture for several minutes, stirring after each minute, until sauce thickens and takes on a matte finish. How many minutes will depend on the power of your microwave. (Mine took about 6 minutes).

Add grated Vermont white cheddar to sauce. The sauce should be hot enough that the cheese will melt as you stir. If not, you may add the cheese then microwave a little more. For an extra creamy sauce, pour a small amount of the pre-cheese sauce into a separate bowl, add one egg and beat vigorously, then return the reserved sauce to the original sauce. Add cheese to taste. I used an entire 8oz block. Add a dash of grated American cheese (optional).

Combine pasta and sauce, then pour into a well-greased baking pan. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid, so don't worry if the mixture seems more liquid-y than the way you would normally serve pasta. I used a 9 by 9 in. pan. Bake at 350 degrees covered for about 25 minutes or until bubbling and starting to become golden.

Enjoy!