GhostNet Log

Been a while

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:37:13 GMT

Obviously. (see subject)

Here's a quickie on my circumstances.

I play wow, it's great. My friends have moved on it seems, but I am happy where I am. Meghan is still with me, and that counts for a bunch.
Behold my power: http://armory.worldofwarcraft.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Crushridge&n=menos

I picked up Guitar Hero II, true story. I suck, horrid really. But I enjoy it. Great alternative to wow.

And, I study for the BAR exam. I haven't panicked yet, but with 2 weeks to go, I'm definitely under fire. Luckily, fire is where I have performed well in the past. Keeping my fingers crossed and praying that there's a God who loves me on exam days. I realize ain't no divine force helping anyone who doesn't help themselves, but I'm intending to help myself as much as possible.

I got a new apartment. Won't post the address here, obviously because I have absolutely no interest in putting personal info forward. Also got a new phone number (and a badass blackberry pearl), if you don't have it, post here and I'll get it to you if I know you.

Most importantly, my fiance is coming back in a few days after being gone for a month. HURRAY!!! We'll be able to actually start moving into the new apartment once she's back. Good times, lots of work, but good times.

Finally, I went to Europe, trust me, we got it better over here. My parents and my bro Eric were chill, the tour guide was not. Never been so glad for a PSP as when I went on that trip. Was worth it to see the places and meet the people. The French have earned my distaste until some Parisian convinces me that they are not a country of self-important jackasses whose social welfare system demotivates them to do anything in resembling service.

Anywho, that's it.

And so ... it began ...

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 15:45:18 GMT

Yep. Here I am. Big Apple. Girlfriend. Law School Full-time. NYC Tax Appeals Tribunal Job 18 hours. Gucci Group Finance & Tax Department 12 hours. World of Warcraft. Roleplaying Campaign. Fantasy Football.

Life. Is. Busy.

-G.N

Challenge to the Foolish

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 23:44:53 GMT

I doubt that anyone will touch this- except perhaps Gerin, and I think I got him beat.

For those wondering- this is my fall schedule.

Attending Law School Full-time
Juggling my Girlfriend
Working for Gucci Group's Tax Division
Working for Robert Lerner
Possibly (hopefully) working for NYC Tax Commission
Searching for a Job
Running a weekly RPG Campaign
Raiding with a World of Warcraft Guild on Crushridge
Finding a guild to raid with in World of Warcraft on Daggerspine
Engaging in a Fantasy Football League with some friends
Finding time to eat and sleep

How bad or good do you have it?

Black Day

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 13:35:54 GMT

Today is a Black Day,
Columbus was murdered by the carelessness of the one who loved him most.
Let there be no rest for the wicked.

*I stepped on my favorite hamster.

Alive

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 21:48:39 GMT

Did you know. I am still alive. I was never much of a journalist to start, hence my reluctance joining the online community. I am however capable of amassing a body of critical thoughts when I get around to it. This not one of those times.
Just giving a shout out to the peeps.

Personalized Taliban Warriors on Sale!

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 22:33:41 GMT

So ... I'm shopping for the few people that expect gifts from me this Christmas. Not many, but hey, that leaves more money in the pocket for booze. That has got to make everyone happy.

In particular, Meghan, my girlfriend warrants attention.
So~ I'm surfing the net, and I come across this website for personalized gifts. (seriously, what better way to cop out of thinking up something special, than by taking a sharpy and writing her name on it!!!)

http://www.personalizationmall.com/Store.aspx?storeid=19

Now, on the above page something REALLY special caught my eye. 'Afghans and Pillows'.

-=Enter Daved's Mind=-

Rational Daved: WTF, Afghans?! What is this, a child sponsorship for the hungry and poor?

Politically Incorrect Daved: Nah! Dude that's cool! Our very own Taliban Warrior!

Rational Daved: Why on God's earth would we want a terrorist? Besides, I don't think its something they'd ship.

Politically Incorrect Daved: Dude. They are terrorists.

Rational Daved: Point. Well, then I don't think we'd be able to get 2nd Day Air, chances are it won't make it in time.

Politically Incorrect Daved: True, but we can get one now and take advantage of the holiday sale and then keep 'it' in the closet until Valentine's!

Rational Daved: ... Let's see what it is ...

-=Exit Daved's Mind=-

Mini Blankets? Yes, an Afghan is apparently a mini-blanket, and not a short form of Holy Warrior of Allah.

What can I say, you learn something new every day.

-G.N

Temporary Freedom

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 18:07:10 GMT

16 Pages, 11 last night + footnotes ... it's weird, I am far more productive under pressure-

Eitherway though, I'm not happy with the legal research paper I sent to my teacher at midnight on money laundering. Procrastination made me miss classes to turn the damn thing in (including the class I was supposed to go to turn it in- but such is the wonders of email).

I do feel bad for missing classes and the like- cause I would much rather have attended them than deal with the guilt of having not gone- even for a worthy cause like a paper draft deadline.

Now I await the ripping apart of my paper- which I think is a piece of shit- I know quality work when I see it. My draft, granted it is only a draft, I would not accept. Hopefully though the professor (unlikely) will have lower standards and think it great. It is no likely to fool anyone on all accounts- but if a large portion of the paper is salvageable- then that greatly reduces the amount of crap I gotta do before December and Exams roll around. Such freedom would be welcome.

NOW ... onto Outlining my Classes ... (so little time)

-G.N

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 18:14:18 GMT

holy shit. I just lost an entire 1 hour update. screw this.
sorry people, you're getting the short version of the previously well-constructed update.

mood- happy

1. Weather in NYC in Early Oct = nice, Weather in NYC after Radiator got turned on = teh suck
2. Sharper Image Personal Cooling Units > Central Heating Devil
3. NEW Planar Monitor broke, Replacement took half a month to get here, including mishaps which resulted in me having not 1 or 2, but 3 monitors (including a medical monitor at my apt to ship back to them)
4. Got to see more of Gerin and his previously broken internet is not fixed which means more BF2
5. Dre joined my RPG campaign = more fun
6. Daniel Buck kicked Major Ass on the LSATs
7. Meeting old Japan friends, Juiting and Xilong
8. Got back in touch with Jennifer Rickman and Bridget Fitzgerald
9. Got into a relationship with Meghan (the info on this will not be posted on the Internet, just a little privacy)

sorry about the shortness, really annoyed at LJ atm

-G.N

Serenity

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 22:41:49 GMT

PvP Online sells a shirt with the old STAR WARS type font called "Joss Whedon is My Master Now ..."

It is fitting.

If you haven't seen Serenity. Watch it. It is what Star Wars was a long time ago- a movie that captured the imagination. Anyone who thought the new Star Wars Movies were comparable to the old and thought that some hardcore fans were only reminiscing about impossible childhood memories, simply has not grasped what it was that enslaved a generation of fans to disappointment in the new Star Wars releases. Serenity quite simply is something people who never understood the Star Wars hype should see.

Those who have watched Firefly will probably understand. And will definitely want to see Serenity.
If you haven't seen it, I can promise that it will not disappoint.

I do recommend marathoning Firefly before you watch Serenity. It grants an array of background info about the characters that, while not critical to grasping or appreciating what Serenity as a movie and story is, certainly heightens one's appreciation significantly. Not doing so is like seeing the pyramids and not understanding how long and how many people labored to build them and with what tools.

For everything else, for about $7.50 in some place civilized, you can leave the real world for two hours on a ship called Serenity. If you're in New York, they charge you a little more. $10.50.

-G.N

Time, You ain't no Friend of Mine

Thu, 29 Sep 2005 19:56:42 GMT

Yes, Hootie and 'da Blowfish.
I realize they aren't popular with most people, but their first album is, in my opinion, a true work of art.

Today- has not been a good day. For many reasons- but its a day where I feel like time was stolen from me and that the unseen walls of the world are closing in on me. Typical of me, I'm not particularly worried or scared, but I am annoyed that random sword slashes at said invisible walls do not destroy them.

Invisible though the walls may be, I cannot see beyond them, and for that reason ... my sight is limited more so than usual.

Contrary to last year, I make it a point not to skip classes- but I think today is an exception. There's too many problems I have with the world to grant any heavenly motions, forces, or powers a concession in my behavior.

While I do not fall as far as Satan. I am similar in that- I do feel at times that
"Though feebler in force, [I] remains superior in nobility, since [I would] prefer[] suffering independence to happy servility ..." -John Milton

Call it raging against the machine, God, or the World ... but that's where I am right now. Only I do not have the grace to "welcomes [my inevitable] defeat and [my] torments as a glory, a liberty, and a joy." -John Milton

For no matter how hard I try to rise above it. I am human.
I will take back the lost time with my own two hands.

-G.N
"Today was a day like any other day. I could not see tomorrow, and yesterday had already faded away."

Traffic of Thoughts, Emotions, and Beliefs at the End of Time

Tue, 27 Sep 2005 18:37:06 GMT

Everyone when they are born to walk this earth more or less are born with limited time. If you're cynical, you could say you are born dying.

At any rate, since death is something that really doesn't lend itself to explanation beyond the physical results which are apparent, the vast majority of mankind has had to find some sort of means of dealing with it.

Religion is perhaps the most popular. The belief that the soul (that is the ethereal component that one creates when one is with a person) passes on into Heaven, Hell, or Reincarnation, etc.

For many people, death is a sad occasion, even under religions that say that those who die are going to a 'better' place. The feelings of loss take precedence.

In far rarer cases in modern times, death is an occasion to be celebrated- most often for the same reason above. Example: I think are the Amish.
*there is of course the jubliant celebration of the death of a murderer by the victim's survivors- but that's not really the same thing

Me? I suppose I take a page out of Orson Scott Card. I realize that I am instinctively analytical to a fault, but I am not without faith when I deem it necessary.

Specifically, I do not know a person- I know a person when he or she is with me or interacting in my presence or under my observation. It is the sum of these acts, emotions, and ideas combined with my own body of acts, emotions, and ideas that produce a bond. This bond is not real in the sense that it can be touched and felt. It is rather- something that will remain immortal so long as my memory holds.

So when a person dies, the book is closed on additions to that bond- but by no means does the person simply wipe from my memory. Where that to happen, then death truly would be something to fear.

People are fragile creatures and die in surprisingly simple ways. What people consider due the person is best known by those who have greater bonds with them. What you perceive as your bond with any one person will probably determine the reaction to the freezing of the bond- and perhaps the eventual shrinking of the bond as time marches on without them.

As my brother has stated. Our grandfather on our father's side passed away sometime Sunday. I know enough about the man and what he has done with his life that he is truly worth saluting. There is some loss here, because he probably deserved more from me than I was able to give him. But it would truly be false to spin my life out of orbit with excessive grief that has no basis from my reckoning. At that point it is no longer about the person who's time ended, but about scapegoating the present.

Of Many Things

Thu, 15 Sep 2005 18:14:06 GMT

So~ the webcomic- not going to happen. Not cause I don't want to, but because my standard for my art is too high for me to produce something I like in any reasonable amount of time with all the crap I got flying around. Literally- orbiting brownies. Not very good. I probably just stick to working on singular pieces of art- for the moment, largely pertaining to my on-going RPG campaign- Sol-Terra~ http://www.geocities.com/toasapin.

A quick summary of some orbiting brownies. There are several things, like my Term Paper- this is crazy!!! 20 pages that may go a long way to getting me a job in a subject that I have little knowledge on- specifically Money Laundering- and well, on top of that, my myriad classes, the notes and outlines necessary for them, and of course~ the class about taking these classes ><. There is also all the homework- jeez. It is hard to do all that when you have little motivation enough to start with- for example, this livejournal entry takes place during the lovely Corporations class. There's not enough freaking space on this table for the 10 pound book!

Anywho, if you ever played through Final Fantasy 7, liked it, and understood what the landmark game was about~ get Final Fantasy Advent Children, the movie that Square-Enix made concerning the ending and resolution of the questions not answered in the game. It is awesome.
If you never played through FF7, then its not as awesome, since you won't understand much of it- BUT, you could get it just to watch the really pretty CGI.

That meme (whatever that is supposed to mean, I guess it could be 'me, me') is not going to get done right now. They are interesting if I feel honest. Without the honesty, its a load of bull. So it'll have to wait until I'm out of class.

A Good Day

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 13:52:24 GMT

A good and dear friend of mine is home safe.

Today is a Good Day. (No matter how shitty my planned schedule is ...)

-G.N

Customer Service

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 22:23:22 GMT

Brooklyn, New York
5:45pm, Thursday, September 8th, 2005

In the South today there are still recurring stories of racism. Yes, there is some racial tension in the South. Southern culture also has a great deal of politeness and ettiquette to it. I do not mean to say that people mean their actual politeness, like in Japan, politeness in the South is simply part of the culture.

New York. I can't speak for the North in general, but in fucking New York, there is 'less' racial tension because you live pretty much next to whoever. How is this solved? Treat everyone and everything like shit. No seriously.

I stroll into the KFC that I swore I'd never visit again after the nice hispanic people left (I'm not being racist, I'm being truthful). And apparently I'm a fucking moron cause I forgot why I hate the place. I like KFC Chicken, I'm a Southerner, mmm artery clot. Now what I CANNOT wrap my mind around is why at 5:45pm when the goddamn store is empty, someone would tell me the following:

Me: "Hi ma'am, may I have a 10 piece meal, dark meat only if possible- just thighs and legs."
Reply: "If I have time I will."
(Translation: "BITCH, what the fuck is your problem rolling up in here and making me work. All dark meat, fuck you.")
*Nevermind that dark meat costs less to KFC to produce and is thus PRICED less [I am essentially a customer that wants more or less when the White and Dark Meat are already divided in the oven by trays]

Result: I have lots of White Meat, more than I should- I dislike White Meat, I know other people like it, but it's not my thing when I'm ordering chicken from KFC.

The lack of customer service in that place really gets me angry. If I wanted to be dramatic, I'd say it was a devaluation of common courtesy and respect. I am not a subscriber to the "oh-I-am-in-a-dead-end-job-and-hate-my-life" attitude and I have very little pity for those who wallow in their own self-pity.

For one of the greatest cities in the world, I keep bumping into people that make me wanna raze the damn thing to the ground.

-G.N

Queen of Wands

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 10:48:18 GMT

I am, a very introspective person. Sometimes to a fault I guess.

I hate Westerns, I think they're cheesy. But Firefly managed to get me to appreciate the 'Western Spirit'.
I suppose it is along these lines of thought that I ended up on the Queen of Wands webcomic page, thanks to a link from Entropysquared's LJ.

Those who have read it, know that the story is finished and that it is more of less a very human autography/biography.
I am not to the type to read that kind of stuff. Truth be told, I find it rather boring- reading about other people's lives and experiences. Which makes my appreciation of Queen of Wands so much the more satisfying, really~ touching, and inspiring. It's a great webcomic that I highly recommend. It's dramatic in its own fashion, but for me at any rate, its surprisingly close to home on many accounts. http://www.queenofwands.net/

The 'main' character is more or less my exact opposite. Which is also very confusing.

In the end, I think~ I think too much =) and probably don't live enough.
Granted, forcibly living, isn't really living at all.

So many things to sort out. Life in New York for me is always reactionary, so I'm very much in passive mode. As such I have lots of time on my hands, even when finished studying. I have taken up a job, which should pull in some cash money. I dunno if I'm looking forward to Friday or dreading it. I realize I don't really get anxious about alot of things people get anxious about. I suppose its just my personality or lack there of.

I am currently grappling with the idea of doing a webcomic. For no reason in particular other than to have some place to channel my excess energy. I've currently been in more of a drawing mood than writing mood which leaves me at a loss for things to 'draw'. Working on a webcomic might be a productive way to channel that energy. And God-forbid, it might force me to actually learn how to freaking draw.

I'm stuck between two ideas for the Webcomic. I might end up trying out both and see which one I think I can do for longer. One has some copyright issues, which I think I can easily avoid by disclaiming and giving credit where its due. I have zero problems with doing that- since I actually want people to have the credit that they're due. And I'm not looking to do the webcomic for money or anything. The other idea, well~ when I start it people who know me will catch on. I'm currently leaning towards the latter, just cause it might help me straighten out a few things that I didn't know needed straightening out.

-G.N

For Everything Else ...

Sun, 04 Sep 2005 03:09:38 GMT

Tuition for Law School ... $34,850.00.
Interest on Student Loans ... $650.00.
Rent for the Apartment in Brooklyn for the month of August ... $962.98.
Power for the Apartment for the month of August ... $84.67.
Cable and Internet from Time Warner for the month of August ... $92.29.
Books for Fall Classes ... $1014.73.
Replacement for a Faulty Electric Gas Stove ... $0.00.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors for the Gas Stove ... $69.11.
Bug Traps for the bugs you are sure your neighbor has ... $27.88.
Superglue for the leaky bathroom piping ... $4.34.
HEP filters for the humidifier ... $30.96.
HEP filters for the air filter ... $30.96.
Instant Ramen Noodle supply for the month of August ... $17.10.
Coke/Caffeine supply for the month of August ... $11.20.

Carrying the 'porch' for your crazy Asian family ... Priceless.

For the other $37,846.22, there's Mastercard ... with 11% interest rate and a collection agency run by a broad named Butch the Pinky.

Episode II: Resurgence of the Gas Stove

Sun, 04 Sep 2005 03:09:03 GMT

May 21st
The Gas Stove grinned evilly as the skinny chinaman exitted the Gas Stove's Domain. There would be no more instant noodles this day! Now was the time to put 'the' plan into motion. The war against "eating-in" and "saving money" was about to escalate into a whole new level in these next three months while NO ONE would be here cooking ANYTHING.

August 21st
Jim the Janitor: "So you mean to tell me that your stove eated your kitchenware?"
Daved: "Ate."
Jim: "'scuse me, son?"
Daved: "... Nevermind. Forget I said anything about liability and the kitchenware. You need to fix the gas stove again."
*Enter the Apt.
Jim: "Whoa, looks like da thing blowed up!"
Daved: "Blew."
Jim: "'Huh?"
Daved: "Nevermind. Got any Electric stoves? I mean, I do not have to use the gas pipe. I know gas stoves are better at cooking things evenly, but I think that's not really an issue when I am boiling water for Instant Noodles."
Jim: "Electric eh? Wanna get fancy, huh? Da school don cover that none."
Daved: "Where do I begin ... ?"
Jim: "'scuse me?"
Daved: "Sorry, just thinking out loud. I cannot afford to pay for an electric stove. Even if I could, installing it would be a hassle. Is there any problem with replacing this one?"
Jim: "Dun know, you did just get it replaced last year. Could cost ya. I could try to fix this thing."
*Jim begins tinkering with the Gas Stove.
Daved: "I just would avoid turning it on, there's a pretty heavy smell of gas, and my carbon monoxide alarm is out of batteries. I am pretty sure something happened over the summer causing a leak."
Jim: "I know what I'm a'doing, son. Go eat your McDonald's."
*Daved backs off and lets Jim work.
~A few minutes later~
Jim: "Ah, I got the leak plugged. I think."
Daved: "You think?"
Jim: "Well, its complicated."
Daved: "Complicated like the piping from the wall of this old building is flawed and cracked and the the gas might not just be leaking through the stove, but the walls also?"
Jim: "You see, there's a leak someware, and while da stove had a small leak, I think there's a leak elseware.
Daved: "Right. So you plugged the leak in the stove."
Jim: "Yup. I'll see about the gas leak elseware. I think maybe its a'coming from da walls."
Daved: "Right. You do that."
*Jim takes out a cigarette and a lighter.
Daved: "What are you doing?"
*Jim holds up the lighter and cigarette
Jim: "I'm smoking."
Daved: "Next to the gas stove you are not."
*Jim looks back for a long moment
Daved: "Open flame, gas, kaboom."
*Daved emphasizes the point by jabbing his finger violently at the explosive building notice posted on the door, signed by Jim.
*Jim nods to himself.
Jim: "I'ma gonna smoke outside, den I'ma gonna call up the gas stove company."
Daved: "Electric."
Jim: "Nods, the electric stove company."
Daved: "Excellent, I'll be looking forward to it."
*Jim puts the cigarette in his mouth.
Daved: "No smoking here, please."
*Jim leaves.

-=To Be Continued=-

Overdue, but Necessary Tribute: Firefly

Sun, 04 Sep 2005 00:09:29 GMT

Most people who know me, remember that I don't watch much TV. Close to nil actually. With the exception of a few shows that caught my eye from time to time, like Alias or Eyes. But I am anything but a regular TV watcher.

This is how I missed out completely on the entire 'Firefly' phenomenon.

I call it phenomenon because that is the only thing I can justify it as without calling it quite simply a miracle.

I am, a critic. Many people are, some harder to please than others. I am especially critical of things of which I have a great deal of experience with or knowledge of. Chinese and American Culture, History, and Language and Science Fiction fall into these categories. I grew up with one and live in the other. It is also a significant fact that I despise American Westerns and Cheesy Kung-fu Action Flicks.

So when my friend Marcus pitches me Firefly when I see the DVD boxset on his mantle as~ A Space Western- with 'Chinese' Cursewords. This is from the guy who was estatic about Kill Bill. Kill Bill to me was $15.00 and 2 hours of my life that I was not getting back. Firefly already had a 6 foot grave in my mind to dig itself out of. To Marcus' credit, he did warn me that I might not like it since our tastes had been at odds in the past. I still have mixed feelings about Battlestar Galactica, but Stargate SG-1 was dead on target. So I gave it a shot.

Firefly and the extraordinary circumstances surrounding its production (and possible because of those circumstances) not only climbed out of that grave, but over just about anything else sci-fi that I had seen to date. This includes the Star Trek (and all its spawn), the Star Wars (Thanks Lucas, you ignorant slut), the Babylon 5, and the SG-1. And I don't make this decision easily either, it just simply is that good. Not only as a story itself, the talent of the actors, and the quality of the musical score, but also because this diamond in the rough, truly came out of the 'rough'.

So, here's to Firefly which now ranks amongst my favorite stories of all time, a fairly exclusive list. I even listened to the commentary, and I never did that before with anything.

The Firefly Movie is coming out in less than a month I believe. I would recommend it, for if it is anything like the series, it will truly be something special.

And since Marcus might actually be reading this~ Good Call. Once again, thanks.

Great Expectations

Thu, 02 Jun 2005 16:23:03 GMT

You ever done something wonderful in life and then regret it later because it raised your expectations, resulting in a disjoint with reality where life is unable to match your wishes?

Looking Inward

Mon, 18 Apr 2005 21:04:15 GMT

EntropySquared added a comment to my last entry concerning Smartness etc.

Initially, I found this hilarious, because I have spent my entire life surrounded by people smarter than me and in the shadow my father, who is a freaking genius- a real one, it's fucking annoying. I don't think I'm stupid, but I don't think I'm smart either. I lack the hubris and confidence to consider myself highly intelligent, but I know I learn things quickly and can execute simple tasks with little or no flaw the first time.

No, I am not smart, but it's something I do aim for. I suppose to some degree, I am always looking up at those who I am for. Its not that those on the same level or below aren't important, but its been hammered into me- this self-devouring, ever-hungry need to 'be better'. Perfectionism in a human. There is no perfect human, and thus any human striving for it, will inevitably fall short. At some point, I guess this trait qualifies as ambitition. I would have call the ambition however as one that is purely focused on self-improvement as perceived by the individual colored by his experience and culture, rather than ambition for some ulterior motive.

Smart in my dictionary is usually synonymous with successful. That said, I know that intelligence doesn't mean success. Consequently, it rarely bothers me that I'm not Mr. Genius as defined by society, since well- society rarely measures common sense, which in many cases I think is far more desirable than the ability to quote Socrates at will or perform Calculus III in your head. Fuck, we're not monkeys, we got tools that do that. Granted, you strip away my computer and my books, I'm sure I'd have far more respect for those who can do the former and later.

-Belief-
What is intelligence? Intelligence is a bonus toward a total that is considered success. Success is evaluated on a threshold. Certain success totals above this threshold 'succeed'. Certain success totals below this threshold 'fail'. Success thresholds are determined by society and unique characteristics of those individuals actually evaluating.

What goes into the success calculus?
Work is the primary factor of consideration which is solely applicable, only if it is effective. If you are a visual learner, then listening to some teacher ramble on for hours on end, is not really work, even if you're paying strict attention and really trying. Ultimately, it probably helps some, but it would only be a fraction of the actual work attributed to audio based learner.
The second factor would probably be effort. Depending on how much you care about a subject, matter, or situation, this would determine how often you work and how effective the work you put forward is over time. Should you lack effort, working several hours on end, would probably not be very effective. Though you may be able to gain 100% of the work you put in in the first hour or so, by the 5th hour, chances are you will not be able to maintain your concentration and thus the work you do is less effective. Work however is still work, and it is never reduced to zero by the lack of effort. Effort is mental, but is capped by the limits of the body. If you had ADD, your in ability to put forth what is qualified as effort here, is hardly what would be considered effort under normal terms. You are simply bound by your body's limits. A body's limits can only be pushed so far. In general, effort is basically how much you care about something.
Intelligence would probably be the third factor, it is in some ways a multiplier of the first two. A genius who cares little for the matter may be able to produce a product of similiar quality to someone who cares a lot about the matter. The amount of work and time necessary would be determined by how applicable the intelligence bonus the genius possesses is to the matter. A math genius is not necessarily going to be better than the average joe at English homework.
Finally, there is the miscellaneous stuff. Money, connections, access to special knowledge etc. These are for the most part, a flat bonus on top of everything else. They can be pretty large bonuses however and sometimes can exceed the work, effort, and intelligence of others. Think political connections over merit. While these situations usually suck ass, it happens and is part of what is necessary for reaching the success threshold. An alternate view could be that this final miscellaneous bonus, doesn't add to your success total, but rather lowers the success threshold you need to meet. All things considered, I'm probably more a proponent of the second application than the first. The first should only count in my opinion, if those were connections made by the individual to which it applies and not borrowed or inherited.

So this is what Law School does to you. It makes you put life into legal mumbo jumbo.

All things considered, this is where I stand with respects to Moot Court. If Moot Court can be said to take less than the top 25% then, there is little reason for me to rant and rave about failing to make it.
(100% Work x 50% Effort) x 150% Intelligence(out of a max of 200%) + 0 Misc. = Success Threshold failed @ 75% of total.

Of course, life isn't math and there is such a thing called Luck and I do believe in Karma. Hopefully things will go my way for Exams and also important to me, the Law Review Writing Competition.

Here's to crossing my fingers and hoping to succeed in something I have no personally vested interest in, but a lot of indirect investment in (why the hell anyone would hope to die as per the proverb, I don't know)

-G.N

Moot Court Results

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 16:55:51 GMT

Ah well. Moot Court in Law School, it's the same as the Basketball Team at a NCAA school or the Football Team in High School. Those who are in it, are attributed a degree of respect and it distinguishes them from everyone else in the school.

I failed to make the final round of the tryouts.

While I suppose it was hubris to think that I could compete, I had good reason to believe that I had a solid appellate brief and the court performance I gave I thought was pretty good, though the judges were far tougher on us than I thought they would be for the first round. Between the two, I thought my chances of at least making the final round were pretty good. Alas, this is not the case. Such is life, but it still sucks.
In retrospect, I think my Legal Writing Professor could have done a better job preparing us. There were a few things that I was told explicitly to do by my professor that my judges told me to NOT do. They were minor things however. I can think of perhaps only 1 thing during the first round that I shouldn't have done- but thinking back, I was pretty cornered and didn't have a magic response.
I didn't plan on someone hammering me on the same point repeatedly after I already gave a logical answer to the matter.

Competitive by nature, it hurts to be beat at something I worked hard to excel at. It also sucks to not have the opportunity at the chance to earn a 'reward of distinguishment on my Resume'. Granted, BLS has one of the best Moot Court Teams in the nation, so I suppose its much harder to make it onto Duke's Basketball Team than it is to make it onto say UNC Charlotte's.
On the other hand I didn't really wanna debate anyways. Still, knowing that I will not make the Moot Court team means that getting onto a Law Journal is all that much more important. I operate well under pressure, many times, better than I would if there were no pressure. All the same, given my lazy disposition, I am not a fan of pressure.

Much Ugh ...

Fight Club Rankings

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 15:51:32 GMT

Entropysquared's post got me thinking.
So, Fight Club.

What do you think?
-How many of your classmates do you think you can take in 1v1 rounds with rest?
-How many of your teachers do you think you can take in 1v1 rounds with rest?
-Weapons of choice?
-How many rounds would you enjoy winning?

To the Victorious

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 21:01:58 GMT

Jeez, it seems to be one of those times.
One of those times when everyone has something great going on.

A friend of mine finally got a job after probably close to 6 months without one. Sweet.
A friend of mine got into University of Arizona, I think for grad school. Sweet.

This all happened this week too.

On my list of things that need to happen in that order.

Good Exam Grades for second semester at BLS.
Make it onto the Law Journal. (Competition after exams)
Make it onto the Moot Court Honor Society. (Competition next week)
Job/Internship for the Summer, preferrablly back in NC.

Given the disproportionate amount of time I've spend on Job Searching, you'd think that I'd place that ahead of the others, but really, the others are more 'permanent'. Really when it comes down to it. I need all of those to go well, but knowing how life is, I'm not expectant.

The junk above counts more or less as my 'work' aspect of life.

In terms of my social aspect of life, I think I need 3 things to happen.

Meet a nice girl who's willing to take me seriously.
See one of my best friends who actually lives in the same freaking areas as I do more often. (DAMN SUNY)
Have one of my messed up friends actually write me back and let me know that she's still breathing and alive.

Weights, some store around here has got to sell some goddamn weights, but I can't find them.
Lastly, and the one I care the least about. Some damn game company needs to make a game I like, I'm bored way too often now.

-G.N

True Undead

Thu, 24 Feb 2005 15:16:25 GMT

Brooklyn, NY.

I was granted by this great nation, one 3 day holiday.
I was cursed by this great law school, with one 20 page appellate brief on that very same holiday.
This is proof that what is given, can be taken away.

I don't play by the rules.

Those who know me, know I'm one lazy ass bum. I take pride in this fact. Oddly enough, I also take pride in the fact that I'm also somewhat of a perfectionist. Meaning, while I will rarely undertake a project, if I am forced to or if you convince me to, I will not do a half-assed job at it.

I researched and wrote the appellate brief which accounted for 50% of my Legal Writing Class' grade, in one continuous 54 hour period. No, I did not sleep. I did however meditate for 30 minutes at a time every 6 hours or so. Oh yeah, and I went through half a case of coke.
Perhaps more frightening than the actual period I spent awake, was the fact that I remained utterly coherent and focused and logical during this entire time. Enough so to take on the task of writing a complicated argument in favor of allowing state troopers under the Fourth Amendment to use a dog to sniff the exterior of your car following the conclusion of a traffic stop.
(Ah, the Fourth Amendment is the one that protects you from unreasonable searches or seizures, since a dog sniff only detects for the most part contraband- you more or less can't claim that your expectation that the government wouldn't find that you were transporting a kilo of crack coccaine is NOT a legitimate privacy interest- thus NOT protected by the Fourth Amendment)
Fun stuff I know . . . God, the law is petty and retarded. Especially when you consider that the cost of making that argument probably ran somewhere around $100,000+ dollars for just one side. Meaning some hobo drug addict was able to displace somewhere approaching to a quarter of a million dollars in our economy cause he tried to get the court to say that the drugs he was transporting were the result of an illegal search and thus~ could not be used as evidence against him. Meaning, cops who caught the drug dealer can't say they actually FOUND drugs, despite the fact that the hobo is a walking marijuana joint.

But that's all over now. This is the first time I've been late on a paper in recent memory~ by recent memory I mean somewhere over a eight year period. I was 30 minutes late. I don't know the actual impact this has on my grade. But at the moment, I don't particularly care.

So, 2 days of my 3 day weekend disappeared ... Oh hell no!
Tuesday and Wednesday became holidays for me. Yes, I skipped 4 classes. Ask me if I care.

Irony.

I spent the remainder of Tuesday (the day on which the paper was due) sleeping and recovering from the paper. Then, I ended up spending most of yesterday, doing last minute Summer Job Search stuff. I compiled ~30 cover letters resumes etc and spent 4 hours standing in Kinkos, copying and writing addresses on those Fedex Pouches and sending them. I got 24 of the fuckers off through the mail on a 2-day express, costing me $200+ dollars.
I've got to send 5 more or so today that didn't get through yesterday due to some mistakes I made either on the coverletter or on the address.

Oddly enough, all the above was not the result of procrastination. People are given the go to start writing the paper from last Tuesday. So, basically you're stuck writing the paper over the weekend. So if spending some time with some of my friends in Charlotte in World of Warcraft Saturday Evening killing Defias in Dead Mines is procrastinating~ then the priorities that people place on things is completely screwed up to my mind. It's not that World of Warcraft and Killing Edwin Van Cleef is especially important, but keeping in touch with some guys I don't get to see much is~
Furthermore, the damn week is divided into Business Weekdays and Holiday Weekends. I believe Saturday is a Weekend and is even Holy depending on what you believe. Consequently~ NO WORK.

~{[-(*|*)-]}~

In other news, some people may know that I run a Sim. This is a old-school game developed around the same time when people wanted to play chess by email. A more complex game than chess involving multiple people is what I run. By run, I mean, I don't play. I'm kind of like the referee, and I check to make sure everything done by the players is legal. I'm a veteran at this. It's the type of thing that you hear about people doing and your gut reaction is likely to be "wow, that's so fucking boring."
However, if you possess any love for military problems or empire building, then you'd be surprised at the flexibility of the word "boring" when paired with "fucking."

Quick summary of the sim: There is a map with regions on it and you as a nation attempt to conquer a significant amount of it by building cities in regions you own and producing troops from these cities. On top of this you manage espionage, diplomacy, and trade.
People can get pretty involved with this sort of thing. It has yet to reach the point where you'll find people breaking into other people's houses looking for documents relevant to the sim, but there have been some spirited phonecalls at 2 am in the morning.

The sim has run twice thus far. This being the second iteration. The first game lasted from the end of November to the start of February. Thus, this new sim is relatively new, but the players decided they would try an accelerated pace. That is, instead of 1 turn per week, they've decided to attempt 2 turns per week.

Stuff is going well in the sim, we have one more player than last time. The players have yet to reach a point where their countries are butting heads, but a great deal of subterfuge has already passed between players in these last 2 weeks.
The sim is important in that it lets me keep in touch with some people that would otherwise be difficult to keep in touch with. It forces people to communicate with me twice a week so I can ask them how their life is going. Plus, as a lover of military, economic, and intelligence problems~ it's fun to watch people make the cost-benefit analysis and see what they do. Or don't do.

...

Oh yes. I have started writing ... (again). Well, I've actually only written a little. By writing I refer to my ever impossible battle against my lazy personality to actually put the ideas in my head to paper in the form of a fantasy or science-fiction novel (the types of books I read- note, none of it has anything to do with real life~ I live here, why read about it? :))
In my past as well as the present- I have proven most effective at laying out a saga. Hell, and this is NOT an egotistical comparison~ the world I have designed probably rivals that of Tolkien and Asimov. What makes those people a trillion times a better writer than me- is the fact that they actually got a portion of what was in their freaking heads on paper.
I have a little of it on paper now. And a great deal of it planned out in detail.
I tend to write actively. Meaning the pace of my writing is rather quick. In other words, I may or may not have the problem of being too thin. Many authors become difficult to read because they belabor the reader with details concerning a location, and then have their characters immediately move away from that location to another, where readers are beset by another lengthy description. When these locations are not returned to frequently, it becomes largely an annoyance.
The way I write I suppose I leave a lot of stuff up to the reader's imagination. Though I suppose through cover art and some maps- things could be solidified between my vision and whatever else the reader dreams up.
Still, I like the pace I keep. Hopefully, if I ever get enough of it down to get it proofread, someone will point out where they'll want descriptions. Descriptions I have a plenty, but the intricacies of a statue, what stone its made out of and what it looks like from 3 different angles and at night~ is kind of irrelevant if your focus is the character, his friends, his development, and the action that takes place. So descriptions of battles perhaps is more my forte.
Imagine that- a military nut likes describing battles. A vice perhaps that isn't worth escaping.

Alright. Kudos to anyone who actually reads all the above, and many thanks for your time.

-Ghostnet Out

Chinese Mysticism

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 16:24:04 GMT

Chinese Mysticism. Don't laugh. It might kill you.

For those who don't know, the Chinese Zodiac is what that paper mat thing you see on your tables at old cheap chinese restaurants. Okay, the 'older' and 'cheaper' chinese restaurants. Like "Peking Duck 2 Dollar Yummy, Yummy" Restaurants.

At any rate, it is my experience that the Chinese Zodiac is the Chinese Zodiac because it only works on Chinese people. That said, my family fits almost perfectly into the brief corny descriptions you would find on those paper mats. Needless to say, Chinese Fortune telling is a big business of sorts. Its like a astrological horoscope for about a 6-12 month period. People do keep up with it and they do put stock in it.

In my humble opinion on the matter of superstition, it is my experience that I make my own luck. If shit hits the fan, it's my fault, somewhere along the line. Likewise, I can be a cocky bastard and claim credit when I believe its due. I stray from the subject.

This is the year of the Cock. As in Cock-a-doodle-do ... I suppose that really doesn't help at all in discouraging lewd images, but the gutter is in your mind not mine. Contrary to what one might believe, the year of one's sign (which comes about every 12 years), is a year of bad luck. This doesn't mean Chinese people only experience bad luck every 12 years, but rather, they experience guaranteed bad luck every 12 years. I liken this to the popular Catholic "if you don't repent for your sins you will go to hell and die" or something equally cheery and rose-colored.
As I turn 24 this year, needless to say, it is supposedly my year to face fire and brimstone. I don't recall how bad it was when I was twelve, which was 6th grade I think, but all the same, my parents and even the parents of some of my other well-meaning friends have bombarded me this past Chinese New Years with warnings of impending doom. These warnings include: Don't travel. Don't attempt extra 'stuff'. Don't piss people off. Don't cross the street without looking both ways. Don't streak ...
Were some of these things really okay to do even in the best of times? In New York of all places?

Oh well. So that's the story on Chinese New Year, this year.

SAD was about the same as usual. The infamous Single Awareness Day. Being as it's never really ever been non-Single Awareness Day, I don't really feel like I'm missing anything. Still, the day seems to give people the license to express more PDA or Public Displays of Affection than normal. Which really is their business I suppose. Holidays that kicks people while their down and charge the people who do the kicking seems a rather odd thing to celebrate. Though I suppose the women come out of the matter in high spirits as they tend to do the collecting.

Hmm ... the only matter left I have to yap about I suppose is class.
I don't sleep in class. I find that impossible out of respect for the teachers. Sleeping when I'm not in class during the time when class is supposed to take place however. That really isn't a moral dilemma for me. That said, Civil Procedure has not seen my ugly mug for about 2, maybe 3 weeks now. Its the 5th week of classes or something like that. While it is only a 2 credit course, I feel dirty on occassion and get pangs of guilt that say I should go to class. Until I go and am utterly disappointed in knowledge gained in the time spent. 1 hour and 30 minutes down the drain and no understanding or insight gained that I couldn't have achieved by simply staying in and reading the damn book. Ultimately Civil Procedure is 'merely' rules. (Oddly enough, lots of law isn't just rules, despite the fact that that is their actual function in society.) My point being, that which is merely rules in this discipline is generally worth about 2 credits in a 15 credit semester. My legal writing class, worth 1 credit, should be worth more for the amount of freaking work the professor feels obligated to pile on me.

Ghostnet out