I spent the summer in London at a law fellowship primarily working on the issue of human trafficking and modern day slavery. Part of my duties was to scan media and various international organizations for news and reports related to the topic areas my employer was concerned with. And one of the organizations I frequently browsed was the OSCE. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is prolific in publication and active on a broad number of issues. And I honestly had no idea who they are or what they do all summer.
I'm not a stupid guy. I knew about the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and various other international bodies prior to showing up on my first day. I'd taken an International Law class and worked on human trafficking issues from the international perspective before. Hell, I'd even done policy debate in high school. We (policy debaters) don't leave any stone unturned when seeking out resources with which to argue about an issue. But with all the OSCE reports and endorses this and Special Representatives going there to that, I really had no idea why exactly anybody should care about the OSCE.
Until about an hour ago, I didn't even know the US was a member state. Truly Americans don't care too much about international commitments. Even those with an outwards-facing orientation.
So here's what I gleaned after reading about the OSCE for International Human Rights. The OSCE was first convened as a conference in 1975 in Helsinki between Western European, America, and Soviet Bloc countries with the expectation to discuss security issues like borders. But somehow it transformed into a forum where the countries could snipe openly and pointedly at each other about each other's human rights abuses. Apparently this felt pretty good because they decided to have more of these meetings and eventually to formalize the process into the modern OSCE structure.
Unlike other international organizations like the UN or the Council of Europe, the OSCE isn't a treaty-based organization. That means it doesn't have binding legal authority over the member states. In other words, you can't bring a complaint to the OSCE and expect to get an enforceable decision back. Instead, the OSCE operates through "political" rather than "legal" force. That means the OSCE can't make you as a member State do anything. But they can serve as a roundtable to talk about what a miserable job you're doing at protecting human rights.
And that's my understanding of the OSCE in a nutshell.
Showing posts with label law school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label law school. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
a resurrected beatdown from the trash can of history
Am I the only one looking forward to the Guardian Heroes remake for XBLA? Of course I'm not. Looks like there's finally a release date for this Sega Saturn class: 12 October. You'll definitely catch me throwing away hours and hours on the branching storylines of this side-scrolling beat 'em up instead of researching for any of my 3 papers this semester. Here's a trailer to get you stoked.
While I was in London over the summer, 4 upcoming XBLA games caught my eye: Bastion (beat it), D&D: Daggerdale (played the demo), Orcs Must Die! (5 October), and this one. In just a few short weeks, I'll finally close that open appointment on my iCalendar.
Maybe in the meantime, I can write up a brief review and some impressions of Bastion for the 3 people in American on XBLA who haven't played it.
While I was in London over the summer, 4 upcoming XBLA games caught my eye: Bastion (beat it), D&D: Daggerdale (played the demo), Orcs Must Die! (5 October), and this one. In just a few short weeks, I'll finally close that open appointment on my iCalendar.
Maybe in the meantime, I can write up a brief review and some impressions of Bastion for the 3 people in American on XBLA who haven't played it.
Friday, May 13, 2011
"the casenote is done, man"
The write-on competition for law journal suuuuucked. For those of your unfamiliar with this particular travail, first, count yourself lucky and second, let me explain. Given a nearly 200 page packet of cases, we, the 1Ls hoping to make law journal as 2Ls, were asked to submit a casenote. That casenote condensed the law contained in the numerous cases contained in said packet into a narrative describing the line of jurisprudence, or case law and legal theory.
It really was 11 days of hell, made all the worse for procrastinating. I came home to Austin from Atlanta to see my family but also because I though being away from all the distractions of my many possessions in my apartment and small number of friends would keep me focused throughout the ordeal. #timemanagmentfail Unfortunately, after finishing exams, I didn't really want to do anymore "school stuff." I put in about 4-5 hours a day for about the first four days. Then came the weekend, Mother's Day weekend, and more family. Getting back on track this week was nigh near impossible. Excelsior!
But it's over and done with now. I submitted the casenote and Bluebook quiz (ah, the bane of my existence) this morning. Now all that's left to do is wait. We aren't notified until sometime in June? Hopefully by that time I'll have put this whole excruciating ordeal out of mind.
For other 1Ls / rising 2Ls around the country who may not have completed your write-on competition yet for law journal, good luck. And if you're brilliant enough to have graded on where you're attending, I hate you.
That is all.
Hopefully I can manage to get myself into the sun at Barton Springs Pool this afternoon.
Over and out.
It really was 11 days of hell, made all the worse for procrastinating. I came home to Austin from Atlanta to see my family but also because I though being away from all the distractions of my many possessions in my apartment and small number of friends would keep me focused throughout the ordeal. #timemanagmentfail Unfortunately, after finishing exams, I didn't really want to do anymore "school stuff." I put in about 4-5 hours a day for about the first four days. Then came the weekend, Mother's Day weekend, and more family. Getting back on track this week was nigh near impossible. Excelsior!
But it's over and done with now. I submitted the casenote and Bluebook quiz (ah, the bane of my existence) this morning. Now all that's left to do is wait. We aren't notified until sometime in June? Hopefully by that time I'll have put this whole excruciating ordeal out of mind.
For other 1Ls / rising 2Ls around the country who may not have completed your write-on competition yet for law journal, good luck. And if you're brilliant enough to have graded on where you're attending, I hate you.
That is all.
Hopefully I can manage to get myself into the sun at Barton Springs Pool this afternoon.
Over and out.
Friday, May 6, 2011
やった! (yatta!)
A few weeks ago I posted a link to an article about the Animal Legal Defense Fund's lawsuit to free Tony the Tiger, a Siberian-Bengal tiger, being held in a cage at a Louisiana truck stop. Today, victory for Tony was announced when a East Baton Rouge District Court judge granted ALDF's request for a permanent injunction against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries. The Department is enjoined from renewing the annual permit required to allow Grosse Tete Tiger Truck Stop to exhibit the big cat under Louisiana law.
True Blood's Kristin Bauer recorded a video urging support for ALDF's campaign to free Tony. The star power behind the campaign went supernova when Leonardo DiCaprio encouraged his facebook and twitter followers to help end the inhumane conditions of Tony's captivity. Thanks to these celebrities and others (hopefully a few of this blog's readers), ALDF went into court with 31,000 signatures petitioning the state of Louisiana to deny the permit to Michael Sandlin, owner of the truck stop.
I have a personal connection to this story through one of my closest friends, Matthew Liebman, who is a staff attorney for ALDF and was in court today in Louisiana advocating on behalf of the law (former Louisiana Representative Warren Triche, a co-plaintiff in the case, had authored the bill banning the private ownership if big cats), animal welfare, and general decency. Every time I doubt my reasons for going to law school, Matt always pulls off something amazing like this to remind me that lawyers can make a difference. Thank you Matt, the ALDF, Warren Triche, and the law offices of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, P.C., who provided pro bono assistance on this case.
The ruling only enjoins the Department from renewing the permit which means that Tony will remain on exhibit at the truck stop until the current permit expires in December of this year (2011). ALDF is working with the Department to help find Tony an appropriate sanctuary. Stephen Wells, Executive Director of ALDF, had this to say.
UPDATE: Yay! Matthew's in the New York Times.
True Blood's Kristin Bauer recorded a video urging support for ALDF's campaign to free Tony. The star power behind the campaign went supernova when Leonardo DiCaprio encouraged his facebook and twitter followers to help end the inhumane conditions of Tony's captivity. Thanks to these celebrities and others (hopefully a few of this blog's readers), ALDF went into court with 31,000 signatures petitioning the state of Louisiana to deny the permit to Michael Sandlin, owner of the truck stop.
I have a personal connection to this story through one of my closest friends, Matthew Liebman, who is a staff attorney for ALDF and was in court today in Louisiana advocating on behalf of the law (former Louisiana Representative Warren Triche, a co-plaintiff in the case, had authored the bill banning the private ownership if big cats), animal welfare, and general decency. Every time I doubt my reasons for going to law school, Matt always pulls off something amazing like this to remind me that lawyers can make a difference. Thank you Matt, the ALDF, Warren Triche, and the law offices of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, P.C., who provided pro bono assistance on this case.
The ruling only enjoins the Department from renewing the permit which means that Tony will remain on exhibit at the truck stop until the current permit expires in December of this year (2011). ALDF is working with the Department to help find Tony an appropriate sanctuary. Stephen Wells, Executive Director of ALDF, had this to say.
Today, the law was upheld in the state of Louisiana, which has explicit regulations designed to protect tigers like Tony... It is an incredible victory for ALDF, the tens of thousands around the world who have supported this campaign, and most of all, for Tony. We eagerly look forward to the day that he leaves behind the noise and fumes of the Tiger Truck Stop for a new life of freedom that he has never known.You can read the press release or find out about other campaigns and ways to get involved with animal welfare at the www.aldf.org.
UPDATE: Yay! Matthew's in the New York Times.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
i love college radio
I intend to wow my readers with a comparison between GSU's station, Album 88, and the college station in my hometown, 91.7 KVRX, in the future. Unfortunately, this whole law school thing requires a lot of time to do, ya know. Practicing my oral for this weekend. As in oratory. My other skills are still quite amazing, I'll have you know.
In the meantime, I'd like to point out that I love the variety of programs 88.5 carries. Tonight was 8bit88. I tuned in around midnight. The entire show is devoted to playing the music from video games. Even better, somebody else in this crazy city loves the the Moon theme from Duck Tales on the NES enough to actually request it.
In the meantime, I'd like to point out that I love the variety of programs 88.5 carries. Tonight was 8bit88. I tuned in around midnight. The entire show is devoted to playing the music from video games. Even better, somebody else in this crazy city loves the the Moon theme from Duck Tales on the NES enough to actually request it.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
tourniquet
unfortunately it's that busy time of year around here for 1Ls. brief is due in a few days. applications for fall clinics and field placements must be submitted by tomorrow. and just 3842 more minutes until spring break for this guy.
but i didn't want to leave you without a daily dose of my own special brand of geek.
here's a link to an article about the fear of the feminine in video games. there's a lot of freud in there, especially vagina dentata, castration anxiety, and repression / expulsion. i've got a troubled relationship with freud but that's gonna have to wait for another entry.
here's an interesting video about the origins of wonder woman.
i've discussed the complex story of wonder woman and her creator william moulton marston before in the context of jodi picoult and gail simone scribing for the amazon. it's particularly interesting stuff, especially dr. marston's unconventional lifestyle and beliefs about gender inequality (spoiler: they aren't equal; i for one welcome our new female overlords); maybe i'll revisit it in the future in the context of gender and representation. oh goody, the topic of comic books and feminine bodies. better haul out the gallagher poncho now...
but i didn't want to leave you without a daily dose of my own special brand of geek.
here's a link to an article about the fear of the feminine in video games. there's a lot of freud in there, especially vagina dentata, castration anxiety, and repression / expulsion. i've got a troubled relationship with freud but that's gonna have to wait for another entry.
here's an interesting video about the origins of wonder woman.
i've discussed the complex story of wonder woman and her creator william moulton marston before in the context of jodi picoult and gail simone scribing for the amazon. it's particularly interesting stuff, especially dr. marston's unconventional lifestyle and beliefs about gender inequality (spoiler: they aren't equal; i for one welcome our new female overlords); maybe i'll revisit it in the future in the context of gender and representation. oh goody, the topic of comic books and feminine bodies. better haul out the gallagher poncho now...
Thursday, October 7, 2010
whoa, man
It's been a long time since I blogged. After residing here for almost 2 months, here's my impressions of the ATL.
Driving
You can call what they do in Atlanta driving same as you can say a virus reproduces sexually: only by destroying the meaning of the words. But they do have one thing in common. Coming into contact with either is hazardous to your health.
Music Scene
I like the bands Atlanta attracts. Just this week LCD Soundsystem with Sleigh Bells, the National with Owen Pallett, and the xx with Zola Jesus came through. Last Friday Deerhunter had their cd release party here. Godspeed You! Black Emperor added nearby Athens as one of the dozen or so US tour dates they've had in years. But what I don't like is the quality of people those shows attract. If I had to describe it in one word, I'd say the scene here isn't chill like Austin. The venues themselves are great but I wish they made you check your douchebags at the door.
Food
Being a poor law student, I can't afford to sample all the local fare. Still no Atlanta BBQ but I hear Fat Matt's ribs are delish. I've also heard great things about the breakfast / brunch at Flying Biscuit. A few fellow 1Ls and I have started an unofficial burger club to ferret out the best burger in Atlanta. After only two meetings, the consent so far is Vortex but we have a number of places yet to be tried. We've also got a Friday afternoon ritual at a local hole-in-the-wall which shall remain nameless so as not to attract a crowd. Suffice it to say, it's yummy. BYOB, too, and an afternoon beer, great food, and cool company is always the best way to wrap up another week in law school.
On an unrelated note, I finally finished reading Murakami's "Norwegian Wood". Remarkable book. I'm a growing fan of the post-war Japanese writers. This has cleared my pleasure reading calendar for Richard Bernstein's "The East, the West, and Sex" and my expected harsh criticism thereof. Let's see if I can deliver something on a more consisten schedule this time.
Driving
You can call what they do in Atlanta driving same as you can say a virus reproduces sexually: only by destroying the meaning of the words. But they do have one thing in common. Coming into contact with either is hazardous to your health.
Music Scene
I like the bands Atlanta attracts. Just this week LCD Soundsystem with Sleigh Bells, the National with Owen Pallett, and the xx with Zola Jesus came through. Last Friday Deerhunter had their cd release party here. Godspeed You! Black Emperor added nearby Athens as one of the dozen or so US tour dates they've had in years. But what I don't like is the quality of people those shows attract. If I had to describe it in one word, I'd say the scene here isn't chill like Austin. The venues themselves are great but I wish they made you check your douchebags at the door.
Food
Being a poor law student, I can't afford to sample all the local fare. Still no Atlanta BBQ but I hear Fat Matt's ribs are delish. I've also heard great things about the breakfast / brunch at Flying Biscuit. A few fellow 1Ls and I have started an unofficial burger club to ferret out the best burger in Atlanta. After only two meetings, the consent so far is Vortex but we have a number of places yet to be tried. We've also got a Friday afternoon ritual at a local hole-in-the-wall which shall remain nameless so as not to attract a crowd. Suffice it to say, it's yummy. BYOB, too, and an afternoon beer, great food, and cool company is always the best way to wrap up another week in law school.
On an unrelated note, I finally finished reading Murakami's "Norwegian Wood". Remarkable book. I'm a growing fan of the post-war Japanese writers. This has cleared my pleasure reading calendar for Richard Bernstein's "The East, the West, and Sex" and my expected harsh criticism thereof. Let's see if I can deliver something on a more consisten schedule this time.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Feels like the first night...
Tonight is my first night in Atlanta. Storms a'brewing all day but thankfully I got all my stuff moved inside safely dry. No rain has fallen yet but the forecast calls for rain all weekend.
Traveling was hell. I'm not opposed to road trips per se but I definitely prefer to sleep in a hotel room as opposed to the back seat of a pickup parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I hurt my right shoulder again. It happens every few months when I sleep on it wrong. Apparently along the backseat of a wide-cab pickup was wrong. I really need some yoga therapy right now. Too bad there isn't any place as great as Yoga Yoga here in Atlanta.
Atlanta is quite a beautiful city. Very green. Evergreen trees surround my entire apartment and I live very close to a nature preserve. I even took a little trip down to the campus. Clairmont reminds me of the Drag in Austin or that one street Matt, Salena, and I strolled near Berkeley. It was teeming with little shops and restaurants, even an independent record store called Wuxtry Records. It feels a lot like home.
I noticed an Indian food place nearby that bills itself as vegetarian. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised this near campus. Colleges tend to be hotbeds of "liberalism" and "left wing nutjobs," even this far in the south.
I received notice by email that my class schedule is available online. Emory, like many if not all law schools, operates on a "lottery" system for first year classes. All 1Ls take the same curriculum but obviously can't be crammed into the same class room at the same time with the same prof expected to grade coursework. Instead, the registrar assigns you a schedule. In other words, you the student have no say in when or by whom you will be taught during the first year. Since variations in teaching styles, grading philosophies, etc. exist, some sections of the same core class may be preferable to others. It is all up to the luck of the draw as to which section you will be assigned. Since I have not received my Comcast modem yet, I have been unable to review my schedule. This situation should be remedied tomorrow.
The Emory Public interest Committee (EPIC) is hosting a discount law book fair on campus next week. They will be offering 1L books at steeply discounted prices on Wednesday. Who has two thumbs and will definitely be there to save on his text books? This blog writer. But you got to bring cash or check because they don't take American Express. Or Visa, for that matter.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Traveling was hell. I'm not opposed to road trips per se but I definitely prefer to sleep in a hotel room as opposed to the back seat of a pickup parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I hurt my right shoulder again. It happens every few months when I sleep on it wrong. Apparently along the backseat of a wide-cab pickup was wrong. I really need some yoga therapy right now. Too bad there isn't any place as great as Yoga Yoga here in Atlanta.
Atlanta is quite a beautiful city. Very green. Evergreen trees surround my entire apartment and I live very close to a nature preserve. I even took a little trip down to the campus. Clairmont reminds me of the Drag in Austin or that one street Matt, Salena, and I strolled near Berkeley. It was teeming with little shops and restaurants, even an independent record store called Wuxtry Records. It feels a lot like home.
I noticed an Indian food place nearby that bills itself as vegetarian. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised this near campus. Colleges tend to be hotbeds of "liberalism" and "left wing nutjobs," even this far in the south.
I received notice by email that my class schedule is available online. Emory, like many if not all law schools, operates on a "lottery" system for first year classes. All 1Ls take the same curriculum but obviously can't be crammed into the same class room at the same time with the same prof expected to grade coursework. Instead, the registrar assigns you a schedule. In other words, you the student have no say in when or by whom you will be taught during the first year. Since variations in teaching styles, grading philosophies, etc. exist, some sections of the same core class may be preferable to others. It is all up to the luck of the draw as to which section you will be assigned. Since I have not received my Comcast modem yet, I have been unable to review my schedule. This situation should be remedied tomorrow.
The Emory Public interest Committee (EPIC) is hosting a discount law book fair on campus next week. They will be offering 1L books at steeply discounted prices on Wednesday. Who has two thumbs and will definitely be there to save on his text books? This blog writer. But you got to bring cash or check because they don't take American Express. Or Visa, for that matter.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Bye bye Austin, hello law school
Today I got into a truck to begin the 15 hour drive from Austin, TX (my home of the last 18 years) to Atlanta, GA to attend Emory Law. I attended high school in Austin, got my undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. I've met most of my friends and all of my exes in Austin. 18 years is a long time to accumulate memories, both good and bad. So it is with mixed emotions that I depart. I am sad and scared to leave behind so many important people and familiar surroundings. But there's also a lot of pain left behind there. Moving away quite literally is moving on. UTA has a great law program, no doubt, but they don't offer the area of study I'm most interested in. Emory does.
Moving is also a chance to start over, to shed the scales of the past to become somebody new, hopefully somebody better, happier. That doesn't mean anybody is getting cut out. I'm just interested in ch-ch-ch-changes.
So it's a new city, major educational endeavor. Big changes. A number of my friends have had the law school experience; most have not. I'll start by sharing my 1L experiences here on this blog as (legal mullet). If you're hoping for something salacious like Lena Chen's Sex and the Ivy (the infamous Harvard sex blog), you'll be disappointed. I'm not like that and I certainly don't kiss and tell. I'm almost 32 for crissakes, not 19.
Instead, what you'll get is an idea of the brutality of the Socratic method, study groups, exam hell, and the reading, reading, reading (among other things). I'll also review those handful of Atlanta places I can afford to frequent on my student allotment of money and time.
Orientation officially starts on Wednesday, August 18 and runs through Friday, August 20 from 8 am to approximately 4 pm. Attendance is mandatory. There are also some events scheduled on the 16th and 17th. Kaplan/PMBR are sponsoring Building Community Day on Tuesday. They say it's an opportunity to meet about 90% of my fellow 1Ls and includes, among other things, a scavenger hunt. I'm looking forward to it.
I'll let you know how the lottery goes on class draw. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, I'll explain it when I receive my fall class schedule.
Classes starts on August 23. In the meantime, I have to get to Atlanta, sign my lease, and move in to my apartment. Then I'll need to scout out the neighborhood for essentials like the grocery store and a yoga studio (more on that to come).
I'm really excited to start this new phase in my life. It has been a long time coming.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Moving is also a chance to start over, to shed the scales of the past to become somebody new, hopefully somebody better, happier. That doesn't mean anybody is getting cut out. I'm just interested in ch-ch-ch-changes.
So it's a new city, major educational endeavor. Big changes. A number of my friends have had the law school experience; most have not. I'll start by sharing my 1L experiences here on this blog as (legal mullet). If you're hoping for something salacious like Lena Chen's Sex and the Ivy (the infamous Harvard sex blog), you'll be disappointed. I'm not like that and I certainly don't kiss and tell. I'm almost 32 for crissakes, not 19.
Instead, what you'll get is an idea of the brutality of the Socratic method, study groups, exam hell, and the reading, reading, reading (among other things). I'll also review those handful of Atlanta places I can afford to frequent on my student allotment of money and time.
Orientation officially starts on Wednesday, August 18 and runs through Friday, August 20 from 8 am to approximately 4 pm. Attendance is mandatory. There are also some events scheduled on the 16th and 17th. Kaplan/PMBR are sponsoring Building Community Day on Tuesday. They say it's an opportunity to meet about 90% of my fellow 1Ls and includes, among other things, a scavenger hunt. I'm looking forward to it.
I'll let you know how the lottery goes on class draw. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, I'll explain it when I receive my fall class schedule.
Classes starts on August 23. In the meantime, I have to get to Atlanta, sign my lease, and move in to my apartment. Then I'll need to scout out the neighborhood for essentials like the grocery store and a yoga studio (more on that to come).
I'm really excited to start this new phase in my life. It has been a long time coming.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, June 11, 2010
Bee Eye In Jee Oh!
What is about hitting your dirty 30s that makes you think and act like you're a kid again? I haven't played bingo since I was camper in after-school and summer programs because, like a lot of contemporary American families, both my parents had to work to make ends meet. Back in the day it wasn't really competitive: 1 card per kid and 5 across in any direction made bingo. Prizes were cheap, plastic, and broke before you got home. It was just an activity to eat up an hour or so between 7 am morning drop off and parents slowly trickling back to pick up their financial burden(s) starting at 5 pm.
I'm currently unemployed. By choice. I left my job to heed the advice of the dean of admissions at Emory Law School. Take some time for yourself. Enjoy. When 1L classes start in August, there won't be any time to play. So after a much deserved, oft delayed, and oh so amazing trip to NYC and San Francisco to visit friends, I'm back in the ATX looking for cheap activities to get me out of the house and fill up all these precious summer hours until I move to Atlanta.
Somehow the idea of playing bingo again occurred to this here law student to be. Perhaps it's because once upon a time a boss at another job told me she loved to go. Maybe it's because I've driven by that damn parlor on 183 so many times over the last 18 years that I just had to find out what was going on inside. In any case, I decided the time was nigh to join the ranks of the bingo hoi polloi.
I did my research ( thanks http://www.yelp.com/ ) about the best bingo parlors in town. My criteria were:
1) cheap ( I did mention I'm unemployed, right)
2) newbie friendly ( didn't want to get beat up my the rough & tumble regulars for not knowing all the complicated variations of bingo )
3) possibility of sitting in a non-smoking room ( I quit for good about 9 years ago and only take a drag if I've been drinking heavily )
It turns out one the best places for bingo in ATX is off of Ben White by the name of B-12 Bingo ( http://www.b12bingo.com/ ). The Thursday night special is computers for just $10 per session - no per person limit ( loaded with 66 cards each ) and cards are only $8 for up to 36 cards per game per session. Payouts are $500 per game during the first session ( 7:15 - 8:45) and 1 $300, 2 $400 and 2 $700 games during the second session ( 8:50 to around 10 ).
I don't pretend to fully understand what any of that means. I've basically just summarized what they have posted on their website about the Thursday night special.
If you tell them it's your first time at B-12 Bingo, they give you a free daubber. I did and also asked the nice lady at the register for her advice, which she happily gave. Apparently the computer is the way to go ( it is ). But just so you can enjoy all the authentic bingo fun of daubbing those boxes, I also got a $5 card ( and the free daubber ).
I sat down in the non-smoking section ( it was nearly full ) and of course tweet'd and facebook'd about my anticipation. I looked around and was amazed, as many yelp posters pointed out, at the diversity of the bingo crowd. It wasn't just a bunch of blue-haired old ladies and holy rollers. There were old people and young people, groups of 20 somethings and 30 somethings and 40 somethings ladies out having a good time, couples, families ( 18 and up only ) of grandparents with kids and grandkids. I was pleasantly surprised not to be the youngest one there. ( However, I would still argue I was the hippest one if I weren't playing bingo alone and sober on a Thursday night ;) ).
I think part of what contributes to the crowd is the parlor's BYOB policy. This actually seems to be pretty standard for a lot of the establishments in the city. Some people were pushing back Bud Light in their koozies and some were enjoying the fine fermented offerings of Riesling. As I am currently fighting off a rather nasty sinus / lung infection, I teetotaled tonight. B-12 has a concession stand for the purchasing of other foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages and has a strict no outside food & drink policy except for the aforementioned booze.
There are multiple large, flat planel TVs stationed around the place fixed on the bingo caller so you can always see the numbers as they come up. In the non-smoking room ( where I spent all my time ), there's also a bingo board. The smoking area, which was significantly larger, featured the TVs, some video games, and even a set tuned to tonight's NBA Finals' game.
So here's how it went down:
The computer rocks! It is 100% automated. When they call the wild numbers at the beginning of the game, it auto-pops all of them on the screen for you and then marks them on all your cards. When numbers are drawn, it's transmitted to the computer. There is even a tracker on the computer to show you which numbers have been drawn. It's definitely the way to go to increase your odds of winning. But having the computer just fill in the cards for your isn't all that much fun ( but getting the message 2 cards are 2 away from winning still gives you all the thrill of being on the verge of shouting BINGO! and collecting a payoff ). That's what the paper cards are for. Daub daub daub! What game type is this? Oh yeah! I'm 3 away from a bingo in this Reno variation.
Unfortunately I didn't win. But for $15, I did have a lot of fun and met some really nice people. An older hispanic couple and their 2 adult sons. Between dispensing advise to me ( fill out this ticket, those are the wilds, be sure to buy your food before the game starts because they shut down concessions ) he was also chastising his boys to get their vehicles inspected. You have to be quiet when the numbers are being called but between games ( when they are verifying the bingos and resetting to choose the wilds ) there is a lot of friendly chatter.
Would I do it again? You betcha! Next time I'd like to have flask in hand and some friends in tow. But for around $30 you get 3+ hours of entertainment ( you could go early and play cards with your friends as I saw many people doing ), an air conditioned place to drink ( and smoke if that's your vice ) so people don't yell at you for drinking alone at home all the time ( guilty ), and the possibility of taking home a substantial amount of cash if that twitching in your fluttering heart becomes the exultant, triumphant shout of BINGO! when your last number finally flashes across the screen. Plus, as a non-profit, they funnel a substantial portion back to several local charities ( Jollyville Sertoma, Northwest Sertoma, Knights of Columbus #8156, and AIDS Care and Assistance, DBA Rights of Passage ).
See ya next Thursday, B12!
I'm currently unemployed. By choice. I left my job to heed the advice of the dean of admissions at Emory Law School. Take some time for yourself. Enjoy. When 1L classes start in August, there won't be any time to play. So after a much deserved, oft delayed, and oh so amazing trip to NYC and San Francisco to visit friends, I'm back in the ATX looking for cheap activities to get me out of the house and fill up all these precious summer hours until I move to Atlanta.
Somehow the idea of playing bingo again occurred to this here law student to be. Perhaps it's because once upon a time a boss at another job told me she loved to go. Maybe it's because I've driven by that damn parlor on 183 so many times over the last 18 years that I just had to find out what was going on inside. In any case, I decided the time was nigh to join the ranks of the bingo hoi polloi.
I did my research ( thanks http://www.yelp.com/ ) about the best bingo parlors in town. My criteria were:
1) cheap ( I did mention I'm unemployed, right)
2) newbie friendly ( didn't want to get beat up my the rough & tumble regulars for not knowing all the complicated variations of bingo )
3) possibility of sitting in a non-smoking room ( I quit for good about 9 years ago and only take a drag if I've been drinking heavily )
It turns out one the best places for bingo in ATX is off of Ben White by the name of B-12 Bingo ( http://www.b12bingo.com/ ). The Thursday night special is computers for just $10 per session - no per person limit ( loaded with 66 cards each ) and cards are only $8 for up to 36 cards per game per session. Payouts are $500 per game during the first session ( 7:15 - 8:45) and 1 $300, 2 $400 and 2 $700 games during the second session ( 8:50 to around 10 ).
I don't pretend to fully understand what any of that means. I've basically just summarized what they have posted on their website about the Thursday night special.
If you tell them it's your first time at B-12 Bingo, they give you a free daubber. I did and also asked the nice lady at the register for her advice, which she happily gave. Apparently the computer is the way to go ( it is ). But just so you can enjoy all the authentic bingo fun of daubbing those boxes, I also got a $5 card ( and the free daubber ).
I sat down in the non-smoking section ( it was nearly full ) and of course tweet'd and facebook'd about my anticipation. I looked around and was amazed, as many yelp posters pointed out, at the diversity of the bingo crowd. It wasn't just a bunch of blue-haired old ladies and holy rollers. There were old people and young people, groups of 20 somethings and 30 somethings and 40 somethings ladies out having a good time, couples, families ( 18 and up only ) of grandparents with kids and grandkids. I was pleasantly surprised not to be the youngest one there. ( However, I would still argue I was the hippest one if I weren't playing bingo alone and sober on a Thursday night ;) ).
I think part of what contributes to the crowd is the parlor's BYOB policy. This actually seems to be pretty standard for a lot of the establishments in the city. Some people were pushing back Bud Light in their koozies and some were enjoying the fine fermented offerings of Riesling. As I am currently fighting off a rather nasty sinus / lung infection, I teetotaled tonight. B-12 has a concession stand for the purchasing of other foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages and has a strict no outside food & drink policy except for the aforementioned booze.
There are multiple large, flat planel TVs stationed around the place fixed on the bingo caller so you can always see the numbers as they come up. In the non-smoking room ( where I spent all my time ), there's also a bingo board. The smoking area, which was significantly larger, featured the TVs, some video games, and even a set tuned to tonight's NBA Finals' game.
So here's how it went down:
The computer rocks! It is 100% automated. When they call the wild numbers at the beginning of the game, it auto-pops all of them on the screen for you and then marks them on all your cards. When numbers are drawn, it's transmitted to the computer. There is even a tracker on the computer to show you which numbers have been drawn. It's definitely the way to go to increase your odds of winning. But having the computer just fill in the cards for your isn't all that much fun ( but getting the message 2 cards are 2 away from winning still gives you all the thrill of being on the verge of shouting BINGO! and collecting a payoff ). That's what the paper cards are for. Daub daub daub! What game type is this? Oh yeah! I'm 3 away from a bingo in this Reno variation.
Unfortunately I didn't win. But for $15, I did have a lot of fun and met some really nice people. An older hispanic couple and their 2 adult sons. Between dispensing advise to me ( fill out this ticket, those are the wilds, be sure to buy your food before the game starts because they shut down concessions ) he was also chastising his boys to get their vehicles inspected. You have to be quiet when the numbers are being called but between games ( when they are verifying the bingos and resetting to choose the wilds ) there is a lot of friendly chatter.
Would I do it again? You betcha! Next time I'd like to have flask in hand and some friends in tow. But for around $30 you get 3+ hours of entertainment ( you could go early and play cards with your friends as I saw many people doing ), an air conditioned place to drink ( and smoke if that's your vice ) so people don't yell at you for drinking alone at home all the time ( guilty ), and the possibility of taking home a substantial amount of cash if that twitching in your fluttering heart becomes the exultant, triumphant shout of BINGO! when your last number finally flashes across the screen. Plus, as a non-profit, they funnel a substantial portion back to several local charities ( Jollyville Sertoma, Northwest Sertoma, Knights of Columbus #8156, and AIDS Care and Assistance, DBA Rights of Passage ).
See ya next Thursday, B12!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Drivers, start your engines!
First cycle of law school applications went out today. I'm exhausted and excited. Can you think of other words that start with ex that describe my mood?
Only 119 more days until I leave the world of full time employment to rejoin the ranks of student life again. Hooray!
Only 119 more days until I leave the world of full time employment to rejoin the ranks of student life again. Hooray!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Status Report
Ugh, the twitter update feed for the sidebar is broke. Since the messages streaming through haven't been approved by my mullet or Chuck Norris, I've disabled the timeline until such time as the issue has been resolved. So if you want to follow my tweets, I'm @katosmullet.
Writing my personal statement for law school is hard. Really hard. Harder than pretending I care about Leibniz's ontological proof of God even. I don't find it easy to talk about myself and, what's worse, I don't have any great stories to tell about designing some nanotube thingy that circumvents a rival's patents or working on a major case resulting in big penalties for a global finance group's financial malfeasance. I'm smart, didn't graduate on time, and hate my job. Why wouldn't every law school want me ;)
Writing my personal statement for law school is hard. Really hard. Harder than pretending I care about Leibniz's ontological proof of God even. I don't find it easy to talk about myself and, what's worse, I don't have any great stories to tell about designing some nanotube thingy that circumvents a rival's patents or working on a major case resulting in big penalties for a global finance group's financial malfeasance. I'm smart, didn't graduate on time, and hate my job. Why wouldn't every law school want me ;)
You may have noticed I like to complain about stuff in this blog. Stupid bigots, what were you thinking moments in racism, famous rapists, crappy songs... Well, I plan to continue exploring such "vital" topics. Maybe some stuff about movies, too. And music I like. And other stuff. But I'd like to take a minute to introduce a new, ongoing future feature to That Texas Drawl.
I never finished my Plan II Honors Thesis. It's not because I didn't have anything to say on my topic; far from it. I had way too much to say and had too many troubles trying to pare it down to a coherent argument. Well, 8 years after the fact, I put this one little blight on my otherwise flawless academic record behind me, took my last philosophy class (and wrote the aforementioned paper about Leibniz), and finally obtained my B.A. (yay me). But I don't want to let all that thesis research go to waste, especially given the importance of my subject. So I would like to inaugurate a discussion of porn on my humble blog.
No, I'm not going to show you porn. Rather, I plan on critiquing it. And anyway, I focused on textual porn, not the visual kind so no dirty pics anyway. But over the next weeks, months, and possibly years I'd like to submit to the wide world of the interwebs the issues, arguments, and such that interested, confounded, upset, and amused me. I'll try to spell out in greater detail the goal of my project as well as introducing my reasons for rejecting the standard Freudian / Lacanian line of criticism advanced by anti-porn feminists. Party party stuff, I know.
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