Mrs. C,
Over the past few weeks, I'd helped organize an event for our law school called "Quiz Bowl". It was a night of trivia co-sponored by my fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta, and a new local pizza place called Joe Mamma's Pizza. You put together teams of 4, $5 per person, and answered random pop culture questions for school bragging rights. All the proceeds went to cancer research.
Our expectations were small; 12-15 teams and a small buzz around the event. What we got was the most talked about event in the law school over the past 3 days. By the end we had standing room only in the restaurant and 31 4 person teams! Being as competitive as law students are, everyone wanted the bragging rights as the best team out there.
Trivia junkie that I am, I made sure I had a team in place(made sure I wasn't part of drawing up or party to the questions either). Somehow it'd gotten out around the law school that I'm some sort of trivia genius and I was getting head hunted by other teams. I decided to make my own; Brent Parkey, Meghan King, Jordan Wiswell and I made up "The Unconscionables".
Last night, in front of an ultra competitve law school crowd, The Unconscionables were crowned 2008 Univerity of Tulsa College of Law Quiz Bowl Champions. It wasn't even close. Our final score was 162 pts and our next closest rivals were at 148. It was beautiful
I gotta say that felt really good to win it, but now it's time to prove that I've got knowledge that actually matters. Off to the library to polish off my paper and study for contracts...but you better believe I'm gonna be talking trash all day.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The "Big Break"
Diane,
My sister Katelyn has been working for PC Caucus on a temporary basis while they interviewed to fill the position full time. I've always been told how it was a bit of a conflict of interest for children of MLAs to work for the party, but they were caught offguard with a resignation, headed into session, and Katelyn was just starting at Ollies, which apparently meant she was available to fill in on short notice (leaving mom short staffed at the store was something we'd just have to live with).
Katelyn was great at it. She'd never been all that interested in politics, but once she was in the trenches she found that she did love it just as much as the rest of the family...the black sheep of the political tribe started to turn white. Best of all, her hard work didn't go unnoticed. Her two-week term was extended to a month, and then to two months as they felt they could take their time finding the right candidate because Katelyn was working out so well.
The term ended on friday. Katelyn, who's become a bit of a political junkie now, was pretty sad that she had to leave the job. She'd even started making plans to take Political Studies at University! But that's when the strange turn in this story happened.
The other assistant in PC Caucus, Barb Craven-who's been a steady hand on the affairs of caucus for years- broke her ankle last night. With a new employee coming in and no one to train her, they turned back to Katelyn and asked her to come back and work in Barb's position until she's able to resume her duties, which will be at least another 2 months! An eleventh hour stay of execution for someone who was really enjoying what she was doing.
Diane, I'm pretty happy for my sister. It's great to see that she's found something that she really enjoys and she'll get to do it for at least another couple of months. It looks great on a resume and will help her in the future, but more importantly, it's got her doing something that makes her feel great. It'll be alot of work and stress, especially since she'll be the senior staff member in the caucus room for an entire session of the Manitoba legislature. I've been doing volunteer work for the party for the better part of the decade and I know I'd proabably have my head in the toilet Monday morning, expelling some of those butterflies.
She knows I wish her good luck, although she won't need it. This is the big leagues, but I know Katelyn is ready for it.
My sister Katelyn has been working for PC Caucus on a temporary basis while they interviewed to fill the position full time. I've always been told how it was a bit of a conflict of interest for children of MLAs to work for the party, but they were caught offguard with a resignation, headed into session, and Katelyn was just starting at Ollies, which apparently meant she was available to fill in on short notice (leaving mom short staffed at the store was something we'd just have to live with).
Katelyn was great at it. She'd never been all that interested in politics, but once she was in the trenches she found that she did love it just as much as the rest of the family...the black sheep of the political tribe started to turn white. Best of all, her hard work didn't go unnoticed. Her two-week term was extended to a month, and then to two months as they felt they could take their time finding the right candidate because Katelyn was working out so well.
The term ended on friday. Katelyn, who's become a bit of a political junkie now, was pretty sad that she had to leave the job. She'd even started making plans to take Political Studies at University! But that's when the strange turn in this story happened.
The other assistant in PC Caucus, Barb Craven-who's been a steady hand on the affairs of caucus for years- broke her ankle last night. With a new employee coming in and no one to train her, they turned back to Katelyn and asked her to come back and work in Barb's position until she's able to resume her duties, which will be at least another 2 months! An eleventh hour stay of execution for someone who was really enjoying what she was doing.
Diane, I'm pretty happy for my sister. It's great to see that she's found something that she really enjoys and she'll get to do it for at least another couple of months. It looks great on a resume and will help her in the future, but more importantly, it's got her doing something that makes her feel great. It'll be alot of work and stress, especially since she'll be the senior staff member in the caucus room for an entire session of the Manitoba legislature. I've been doing volunteer work for the party for the better part of the decade and I know I'd proabably have my head in the toilet Monday morning, expelling some of those butterflies.
She knows I wish her good luck, although she won't need it. This is the big leagues, but I know Katelyn is ready for it.
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Beast Within
Dear Diane,
I started reading this book yesterday as a bit of an escape; It's called "Happy Hour is for Amateurs: A Lost Decade in the World's Worst Profession" by The Philadelphia Lawyer. I can't believe how much I love this book already.
Essentially, it is a book about a guy's life as a lawyer and all the things he does to escape his reality. I'm nowhere near his level and I actually enjoy what I'm doing, but his experiences have a ring of truth to them. The first couple of chapters deal with his law school days and had me in stitches, but one paragraph really hit me:
Twenty-six is a rotten age. You're not an adult by any stretch, but you're way past college jackass, going through the tail end of those lost years we all have just after graduation. You're facing thirty, but half of you is still 18. What you really want to say, think, or do is unacceptable. Suddenly everything's serious, staid and stoic, every day another exercise in acting "businesslike" and "professional", suffocating your personality, stifling all the rancid jokes in your head to play a bland office caricature. But that live wire of adrenaline you've been living on for the last decade-the fuel of that mad stretch from sixteen to twenty-five- doesn't just fade away. It builds- relentless, demanding release with nowhere to go, like the pressure in a clogged steam pipe on the edge of exploding.
Pretty much how I'm feeling today. I'm sitting in front of a computer on a Friday afternoon, attempting to work on a memo that's due in 11 days(worth 85% of my mark to boot) and all I want to do is have a good time. I'm not a kid anymore and I know that, but still, there's that part of me that will always long to be the guy who dives headfirst into a situation that where the consequences are far from certain. That Aaron is far from dead; He lies in wait, contemplating his next move. Every now and then he emerges to take a 7 hour drive to Ames in the middle of the night, or dance solo in the middle of a crowded dancefloor. Dr. Bruce Banner had his Hulk; Aaron Faurschou has the intoxication level known as 4Shaw-Drunk.
Will he appaear tonight? Highly unlikely, but like the Philadelphia Lawyer says, it's hard to suppress.
The struggle continues...
I started reading this book yesterday as a bit of an escape; It's called "Happy Hour is for Amateurs: A Lost Decade in the World's Worst Profession" by The Philadelphia Lawyer. I can't believe how much I love this book already.
Essentially, it is a book about a guy's life as a lawyer and all the things he does to escape his reality. I'm nowhere near his level and I actually enjoy what I'm doing, but his experiences have a ring of truth to them. The first couple of chapters deal with his law school days and had me in stitches, but one paragraph really hit me:
Twenty-six is a rotten age. You're not an adult by any stretch, but you're way past college jackass, going through the tail end of those lost years we all have just after graduation. You're facing thirty, but half of you is still 18. What you really want to say, think, or do is unacceptable. Suddenly everything's serious, staid and stoic, every day another exercise in acting "businesslike" and "professional", suffocating your personality, stifling all the rancid jokes in your head to play a bland office caricature. But that live wire of adrenaline you've been living on for the last decade-the fuel of that mad stretch from sixteen to twenty-five- doesn't just fade away. It builds- relentless, demanding release with nowhere to go, like the pressure in a clogged steam pipe on the edge of exploding.
Pretty much how I'm feeling today. I'm sitting in front of a computer on a Friday afternoon, attempting to work on a memo that's due in 11 days(worth 85% of my mark to boot) and all I want to do is have a good time. I'm not a kid anymore and I know that, but still, there's that part of me that will always long to be the guy who dives headfirst into a situation that where the consequences are far from certain. That Aaron is far from dead; He lies in wait, contemplating his next move. Every now and then he emerges to take a 7 hour drive to Ames in the middle of the night, or dance solo in the middle of a crowded dancefloor. Dr. Bruce Banner had his Hulk; Aaron Faurschou has the intoxication level known as 4Shaw-Drunk.
Will he appaear tonight? Highly unlikely, but like the Philadelphia Lawyer says, it's hard to suppress.
The struggle continues...
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Update time
Diane,
It's been a couple of weeks since I updated and I think it's time for me to get back on the blogging horse.
There was a big secret being hidden in my post about Jenna's graduation; I was heading home on the 30th for her birthday. The only person who didn't know was Jenna. Hell, even our waiter(a portager) knew what was happening.
The plan was that the family would take Jenna out for supper at the Olive Garden for 8:00 and I would show up at 8:30 because my flight was due in at 7:49. Holly had kindly offered to pick me up. My flight touched down almost an hour early and by 7:30 I was standing curbside waiting for my ride(which I had to run for because Holly didn't see me and kept on driving right past me).
As I was told later, Jenna had no idea. She was actually pretty depressed by her birthday because no one was making any effort to make her feel special. She thought it was because her graduation was only 2 days before. As she knew it, she was going out for supper with my mom, dad and Katelyn, but didn't know about anything else. My mom actually played it perfectly and bluffed that we could always do it some other night, which Jenna dismissed, saying "she at least wanted to do SOMETHING on her birthday" When she showed up, the almost the entire family was standing there.
I'd been picturing the moment I walked in since we planned for me to come home...and it went as well I could have ever imagined. I was outside the Olive Garden and could see the family just being seated at the table, so I called Katelyn and had her hand the phone to Jenna. I played dumb the whole time as I walked into the restaurant still talking to her on the phone. She was sitting at the end of the table with her back partially to the entrance and was so focused on the phone call that she didn't notice that the entire family had gone silent. My mom says "Jenna, Jenna..." to which Jenna replied "Mom, I'm on the phone...with Aaron". I had been standing 5 feet away from her for a good 7 to 10 seconds and said "Turn around". When she turned, I could see the shock in her eyes. She yelled "SHUT UP!!!" and jumped on top of me in the biggest hug I have ever had. I couldn't believe it went so well.
Went out friday for Halloween to Whisky Dix. I still say the name of that bar is probably the worst I have ever heard, but it's a pretty cool place, so I guess I'll have to suck it up and spend some time drinking at a living monument to alcohol-induced erectile disfunction. It was a good time, but spending $20 to get in anywhere is a steep price for a prairie boy.
Saturday was the Bomber game. It was nice to see the boys one last time on the field, especially in the beautiful November weather Winnipeg was having 2 weeks ago. They won handily, which is more than I can say for this weekend's steaming pile. But I digress.
Saturday night was back home in Portage. Holly, Josh, Jeff, Mark, Ryan and Dan came out from Winnipeg and we put a pretty big dent in the Texas Micky that I was given for my birthday. We sat around and talked about anything and everything, including creating a more interesting backstory for the house. Did you know: The house at 102 1st St was built by Frank la Prairie, founder of Portage la Prairie? His ghost still haunts the house and his inbred, illegitimate children remain in the attic, creating future generations of la Prairie's that the homeowners use for firewood. It's a sordid tale.
Sunday was lazy. I spent most of the day just cuddling with Holly, which was one of the things I had wanted to do since I left. I definitely had missed her and it was great to get to spend some quality time before I left.
Overall, it was a great weekend. I got to see family, friends and almost everyone that I wanted to see while I was back home for exactly 72 hours. I even got to see that lazy, good for nothing 104 year old son of your's, Harley Cardinal. Too bad about that hip replacement he needed.
But anyway, I will have a law school update relatively soon for you. I know you're interested.
Later Mrs. C.
It's been a couple of weeks since I updated and I think it's time for me to get back on the blogging horse.
There was a big secret being hidden in my post about Jenna's graduation; I was heading home on the 30th for her birthday. The only person who didn't know was Jenna. Hell, even our waiter(a portager) knew what was happening.
The plan was that the family would take Jenna out for supper at the Olive Garden for 8:00 and I would show up at 8:30 because my flight was due in at 7:49. Holly had kindly offered to pick me up. My flight touched down almost an hour early and by 7:30 I was standing curbside waiting for my ride(which I had to run for because Holly didn't see me and kept on driving right past me).
As I was told later, Jenna had no idea. She was actually pretty depressed by her birthday because no one was making any effort to make her feel special. She thought it was because her graduation was only 2 days before. As she knew it, she was going out for supper with my mom, dad and Katelyn, but didn't know about anything else. My mom actually played it perfectly and bluffed that we could always do it some other night, which Jenna dismissed, saying "she at least wanted to do SOMETHING on her birthday" When she showed up, the almost the entire family was standing there.
I'd been picturing the moment I walked in since we planned for me to come home...and it went as well I could have ever imagined. I was outside the Olive Garden and could see the family just being seated at the table, so I called Katelyn and had her hand the phone to Jenna. I played dumb the whole time as I walked into the restaurant still talking to her on the phone. She was sitting at the end of the table with her back partially to the entrance and was so focused on the phone call that she didn't notice that the entire family had gone silent. My mom says "Jenna, Jenna..." to which Jenna replied "Mom, I'm on the phone...with Aaron". I had been standing 5 feet away from her for a good 7 to 10 seconds and said "Turn around". When she turned, I could see the shock in her eyes. She yelled "SHUT UP!!!" and jumped on top of me in the biggest hug I have ever had. I couldn't believe it went so well.
Went out friday for Halloween to Whisky Dix. I still say the name of that bar is probably the worst I have ever heard, but it's a pretty cool place, so I guess I'll have to suck it up and spend some time drinking at a living monument to alcohol-induced erectile disfunction. It was a good time, but spending $20 to get in anywhere is a steep price for a prairie boy.
Saturday was the Bomber game. It was nice to see the boys one last time on the field, especially in the beautiful November weather Winnipeg was having 2 weeks ago. They won handily, which is more than I can say for this weekend's steaming pile. But I digress.
Saturday night was back home in Portage. Holly, Josh, Jeff, Mark, Ryan and Dan came out from Winnipeg and we put a pretty big dent in the Texas Micky that I was given for my birthday. We sat around and talked about anything and everything, including creating a more interesting backstory for the house. Did you know: The house at 102 1st St was built by Frank la Prairie, founder of Portage la Prairie? His ghost still haunts the house and his inbred, illegitimate children remain in the attic, creating future generations of la Prairie's that the homeowners use for firewood. It's a sordid tale.
Sunday was lazy. I spent most of the day just cuddling with Holly, which was one of the things I had wanted to do since I left. I definitely had missed her and it was great to get to spend some quality time before I left.
Overall, it was a great weekend. I got to see family, friends and almost everyone that I wanted to see while I was back home for exactly 72 hours. I even got to see that lazy, good for nothing 104 year old son of your's, Harley Cardinal. Too bad about that hip replacement he needed.
But anyway, I will have a law school update relatively soon for you. I know you're interested.
Later Mrs. C.
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