I certainly don’t expect my picks to get me very far, but it always makes watching the games more interesting.  I now have someone to root for in every single game.  Anybody else have a link to their picks?

1. Spent the weekend in Minneapolis. I love that city, even when its 30 degrees colder than DC. I wish we could have stayed longer to see more people, but we could only stay Friday night to Sunday. But we hit up all of our usual hang outs and some new ones: Big 10, The Library, Sally’s, Campus Pizza, Brit’s Pub, The Local, and The Loon.  At the Loon we were lucky enough to take in a Mullet party.  Believe me it was a glorious sight to behold.  It was a great weekend which of course included Grain Belt Premium and Michelob Golden Draft Light, staying out until bar close, and some great catching up and conversations.
2. Read. Besides reading plenty of Evidence, Securities Regulation, Property, and Case Files, I’ve also taken this week and its plane rides to start and finish The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin. The Nine is a really good book especially if you are at all interested in how the Supreme Court operates. I could hardly put the book down.
3. Played Halo 3. I’ve played all of the games in this series.  I’m pretty sure I hit my peak at Halo 2, both because I played that iteration the most, and I had the most time to play video games.  I’m not all that good at Halo 3, but I’m enjoying playing online and getting somewhat back into respectable form.  I mean, it seems like I’m better than most of the 8 year olds again . . . . Its crazy to think about how much time I spend playing video games in undergrad, and how little time I have to play them during law school.  I hope a better balance awaits in the near future.
4. Won bar trivia at Garrett’s Washington Bar. Go team “The Owl Heads.” Hover over the pictures for a description.  We tied for first place in the regular round, and had to answer a bonus question to break the tie.  Needless to say: We are clutch trivia players.

All of this and I still have a couple of days of spring break left!  Time to get back to reading about hearsay.

The video reminds me of a Queen song . . . if Queen sang comedic songs about calling shotgun that is.  I think its a funny video.  The end threw me for a loop until I heard the last line.  It all came together.  The world made sense again.  Here is the video:

React! How bad do you want shotgun? Anybody have special shotgun rules? Right-nut, anyone?

I know I can’t carry all of my books at once, well at least easily without making my back sore.  I would love an E-reader solution or even pdf format casebooks.

With continued solid play from Josh Young and Adam Emmenecker Drake should have a good chance of winning this game. The Redbirds have yet to lose at home this year, and will put up a very strong effort. For Drake to really assert themselves, Klayton Korver will have to play like he did two weeks ago, rather than his poorer performances last week. Still I expect Drake to continue winning close games, and they should eventually be able to find a way to win this game.

It should be a good game with Drake going for 20 wins in a row, and Illinois State looking to stay undefeated at home. If you are in the game’s market area make sure to check it out. (Since I live in DC, I’ll be following the real time score boards at ESPN.com and CBS’s Sportsline website.) Go Bulldogs! Second longest win streak in the nation!

1. Outdoors
2. Politics
3. Baseball
4. Death
5. Naturalism

I really enjoyed reading this book. Perhaps I was predisposed to enjoying this book, because I am from the Midwest and live in DC, but I think that most of the feeling, motions and events would resonate with almost everyone. Who hasn’t experienced loss that they couldn’t cope with, or been to a baseball game? The narrative is a very American story: that anyone can create change both in themselves and also in society itself, that no man should let other define his story, and that everyone has an obligation to their family and friends.

It is difficult to find a book that successfully blends politics, hunting/nature, and romance, and then also creates a compelling narrative. But this book does just that. It is a unique and original story; I have never encountered a similar book. If you are looking for a plot line that is different from the books you usually read, and are open to exploring a more Midwestern view of the world you should check out this book.

Has anyone else read this book? Or have you encountered a story with a unique topic? A book similar to Waiting for White Horses?

The first event worth mentioning is the 28th annual Drake Relays Beautiful Bulldog Contest.  This year the winner (pictured left) was a three year old bulldog named Riggs.  Riggs is owned by Cordell Miller of Prairie City, Iowa.  The winner of the contest serves as the official Drake University Mascot for the 98th Drake Relays. 

Also on the Friday of Relays is the Court Avenue Celebration, which takes place from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. in downtown Des Moines. Ten bars and restaurants will participate in this party, with performances by Public Property, Phase Two, Floodplane, DJ Johnny Utah, Mr. Baber’s Neighbors, Yetti Blüz Band, DJ John Huffman, Betty Buzzkill with Spouse, Tom Thumb and Milkwar, among others. Bands will perform under a tent located just west of the Court Avenue Brewing Company and at High Life Lounge, Court Avenue Brewing Company, Royal Mile, Java Joe’s, Johnny’s Hall of Fame, Liar’s Club, Buzzard Billy’s, The Lift, Vaudeville Mews and Hessen Haus.  This event is one of my favorites every year, and a very popular event with college students and adults in the area.

Finally the Drake Relays themselves are great, every year there are many world class competitors including world record holders.  For more information visit http://www.drakerelays.org/ or call the Drake Ticket Office at 515-271-3791.