Summer of 2007, part 1

I am finally back on the posting wagon, after a long absence. Here is a quick update of what I have been up to in the past month or two.

I have been working for the U.S. Attorney's office here in Columbus this summer; in particular, the Civil Division. It has been a great experience-I have gotten to work on a variety of different projects, including both research and writing. This has been the first time I have had the opportunity to draft motions for the court, and really see firsthand the impact I am having on cases. In one instance, I got to sit in on a pretrial conference in which the judge would decide how he would rule on motions. It was very gratifying to me to hear the attorney cite the cases from the memo I had prepared, even though these kinds of meetings will be routine in my life as an attorney.

Also, I have gone back to the Vineyard, after having tried other churches in the area. I have found a great men's group there that meets on Saturday mornings, and I am excited about getting together with them once a week to learn Scripture and have fellowship with other guys my age who are fellow believers.

I haven't gotten to do a lot of traveling so far this summer, except back and forth on I-71 between Akron and Columbus. I am planning a couple of trips for later this summer, though. Later this month, I am planning to head down to Cincinnati for a day, to see the Cincinnati Zoo, go back to Newport-on-the-Levee, and possibly go to a Reds game or King's Island.

If I get a chance, I will try and coincide this trip with the Sixth Circuit's oral argument schedule. I have been externing with Judge R. Guy Cole on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals this summer, doing research on cases and preparing a bench memorandum, which will be used by other judges to give an overview of the factual background and the legal issues prior to issuing a decision on a case. It would be great if I could see oral argument on at least two or three cases, not just to gain some general legal knowledge, but also to watch some experienced practitioners in the craft in which I hope to engage after graduation.

I am also in the process of applying for judicial clerkships. My goal is to clerk for either a federal Magistrate, District, or Circuit Judge, or for a state court judge in Ohio, either with the Ohio Supreme Court, Ohio Court of Appeals, or a county Court of Common Pleas. I am putting this to prayer, and am going to work hard to show the judges to whom I am applying that I will do a great job as a clerk.

I'm Back, At Last

I know it has been a long absence from my regular blog posts, but having been busy with so much for the last six weeks, I am finally through the second year of law school and ready to blog again. Some updates:

- On Monday, I start my summer job with the U.S. Attorney's office in Columbus. I am also working for a federal appeals court judge this summer, in addition to taking an independent study, where I will be writing a paper on a topic relating to civil procedure. I have some other volunteer work and opportunities planned as well, depending on time constraints.

- My other goals for the summer, in addition to working hard at all of my jobs and activities ("activities" mainly being a Managing Editor on the Ohio State Law Journal), include getting in better physical shape, improving my walk with the Lord, and becoming more active in church. The last goal is the one in which I have been lacking, especially this year. It is absolutely critical that this summer, and in my last year in law school, I find a church to call home, and one in which I can get involved and get connected with a solid group of fellow believers. One of the primary characteristics I am looking for in a church is the ability to meet a good number of people my age, in addition to having a culture where members love God and the worship and service aspects are healthy and strong.

- One other thing-I am going to try and blog more often. I know that the last two months have seen a sharp drop in the number of posts, but I am going to try and post at least twice a week now that I am free from the demands of coursework and the second year of law school.

- With what little spare time remains this summer, I am excited about planning lots of cultural and recreational activities, not just in Columbus, but around the state. In Columbus, I want to go see a couple of Clippers baseball games, the Columbus Zoo, and go to a few concerts and plays or musicals, since Explore Columbus offers them at a discount. I am also planning on taking a trip or two out of town, to go to a Cincinnati Reds game, Newport-on-the-Levee, and the Cincinnati Zoo, and to go hiking with a friend in Hocking Hills State Park. If I have time, I am also planning on going with the family down to King's Island, or maybe Cedar Point if we get the chance.

So I am home for the week, relaxing, spending time with my family, and getting ready to start my summer job(s) next week. It is going to be a great summer, and I am looking forward to posting about it on here soon.

Music, Books, and Life

An update from Akron, before I return from my Super Bowl weekend at home:

- It's official: I will be attending the Acton Institute conference, "Toward a Free and Virtuous Society," in West Cornwall, Connecticut later this year. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this will be an intensive three-day program where I will gather with other scholars from theology, economics, and other fields to discuss the relationship between social and economic policies, such as assistance to the poor, and our God-given rights, such as freedom of religion. I am excited to be receiving books and other materials related to the conference, which should come in the mail closer to the conference date, and to gain knowledge in these fields I can use later in life. Plus, any time I can add to my bookshelves is a cause for celebration, especially given my limited resources while in school. I will probably post about it when I return.

- The "music" in the title is the soundtrack from the movie "Gettysburg," one of my favorite movies and CD's, the latter of which I finally bought this week at Barnes and Noble. So far, it has been worth every penny: a great score by composer Randy Edelman, to punctuate the historical importance of the great battle. The music from "Gettysburg" is becoming sort of a background for my life in general, since I consider law school a moral, intellectual, and spiritual crossroads, and a pivotal moment, perhaps the pivotal moment, of my life.

- On a lighter note, I was glad to see Tony Dungy and the Colts win the Super Bowl earlier tonight. I knew he and Bears coach Lovie Smith are both Christians, and I was impressed with what he said upon accepting the trophy, talking about the role his faith played in bringing his team to the championship game and coming out on top. Of course, the secular media did their best to try and weed it out of all the quotes (case in point-see the Associated Press article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070205/ap_on_sp_fo_ga_su/fbn_super_bowl), but that didn't stop millions of people from hearing what he had to say on TV. I'm glad he mentioned God in his speech, and I'm sure Smith would have done the same thing if he had won.

- So far, my goal for 2007 to lose weight is coming along well. I have been working out in the fitness room in my apartment building regularly, at least since last week, and have been trying to eat better, including more fruits and vegetables. I have decided that the most important reason to lose weight is for myself-not so that someone else will accept me for who I am, because who I am now is the same person I will be after the weight is off. This time, I am doing it for myself-so that I can take better care of the body God has provided me, and so that I will have more energy to live as He has called me to do, and more confidence as I move forward. That being said, I am excited about the results that I have seen so far-I sleep better, have fewer muscle aches and joint pains, and generally more energy to get through the day.

- Tomorrow, we receive the problem for the Moot Court competition in Criminal Procedure, which will be held in Newark, New Jersey next month. So far, all we know is that our team, me and two other students, will produce an appellate brief and argue the case in front of a panel of judges. It sounds the same as our Appellate Advocacy class, only the stakes are much higher, and the topic is one I may have to do a little more research on ahead of time. That being said, I am thankful for the opportunity to explore a new area of law. Evidently, God wants me to go to New Jersey next month, and I resolve to do my best and not let Him down.

3 Days To Go....

Until the start of the spring semester. And also the national championship game. I have been in Columbus since Tuesday night, buying my books, making daily trips to RPAC to work out, and researching my note in time to hand in the first draft on the 16th. Thoughts on the day:

- The warm weather is absolutely amazing. It got up to 61 here today, and instead of having the usual snow and bitterly cold winds that blow through Columbus this time of year, all we have had is some light rain. It was overcast today, but when it's in the 50's and 60's in January, you can't complain at all. It's nice not having to keep the heat on all the time, too-the less I have to flip the notch on that thermostat, the cheaper my electric bill is at the end of the month.

- Bowling starts up again next Wednesday-our team is going to make the playoffs this semester, I am sure. I have been petitioning our illustrious captain, the Bee Girl, to see if we can coordinate our colors this semester, if not order shirts with our names on them. So far, no definite answer-my vote is for scarlet this week, in honor of the Buckeyes.

Every semester, I tell myself that I am going to practice, and at the same alley we bowl at for our league, but my workload and schedule prevents it. It would be even better if we could get the whole team to go. But in law school, we are all so busy that getting together for league bowling on Wednesdays is enough of a challenge. Plus, open bowling is at least $5.00 a game, and I am always trying to save my money. My goal this semester is no less than a 130 average-I am sure I will get it, come Wednesday. I am going to keep using the 12 pound ball, and with the weightlifting I am doing as a part of my diet, I am hoping to get some more power behind the ball, for more spares and strikes.

- As for RPAC, I have a feeling I am going to get very familiar with that place before the end of this summer. My goal for this year is to lose about 100 pounds (98, to be exact) and I will be spending as much time as I can there this semester. It is amazingly busy right now-I have not even been able to get a treadmill the last two days I have been there, so I have been playing basketball in the gym instead. I started out with just shooting around yesterday, and today I joined in a pickup game with a couple of other guys. I got up and down the floor, but I was clearly a couple of steps behind them-I will need to pick up the pace as the weeks pass by, and I start to take off some of the excess weight that is slowing me down.

My exercise plan involves trying to combine aerobic exercise, such as basketball, with some weightlifting. I started lifting today-nothing that strenuous, just a few arm curls, lifting the dumbbell behind my head to work the triceps, and then a few sets on the bench press. I also got in a little bit of leg lifting and work on the calf muscles, when the machines were open. I will probably hold off on more weights for the rest of the week, since I don't want to be sore when we go bowling Wednesday.

- Also, I will be heading back to New England this summer, to attend the Acton Institute conference in West Cornwall, Connecticut this August. The theme will be "Toward a Free and Virtuous Society." The details still have to be ironed out (such as whether I'll go, since I need to be accepted to receive the travel fellowship), but I am definitely looking forward to going, if it can be arranged. More on that in a later post.

Brian Agonistes

I got the title of this post from my Word a Day emails-"agonistes" means someone who is involved in a struggle, which pretty much describes my life right now, in the midst of the second year of law school.

But first, the Christmas season. I had a pretty good holiday season-got interrupted by some work at school that couldn't wait, but other than that, it was a real blessing to be home with family. We went to church Christmas Eve, as usual, and the service was beautiful. My favorite part comes at the end, where the congregation sings "Silent Night" by candlelight. This, more than anything captured the Christmas season for me-it's not about a break from exams or presents or any of the other distractions of this world, but the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord.

New Year's was fun also-I went to see "Night at the Museum" with my mom and dad (which wasn't a bad movie-I like anything with a history theme and featuring my favorite president, Teddy Roosevelt), then came home and watched the ball drop at midnight. Overall, I had a few days off around New Year's before coming back to Columbus Tuesday night.

So what lies ahead this semester? Writing my note for the Ohio State Law Journal, finding a job for the summer, the Legislation Clinic (where I go work at the Statehouse and see the inner workings of the Ohio General Assembly-more in a later post), and oh yeah, 13 credits' worth of classes and a work-study job. I move forward into 2007 prayerful and with a good attitude-I believe that good days lie ahead, come what may.

The Two Years' War (So Far)

News from the 2L front:

1) I am glad to report that I will be starting on my note soon for publication in the Ohio State Law Journal. Unfortunately, I can't mention the title or topic, since this post might be read by the editors who will be reviewing it for publication, but I am definitely looking forward to the experience. When I do legal research, I am awed by the sheer amount of published material that is available, and truly humbled by the chance to leave my own mark, albeit a small one, on the body of knowledge that is American law. In a way, it is like having a connection to the Founders, just by participating in the Judeo-Christian legal system that they helped to foster, and by engaging the culture in such a profound way.

2) I am also looking forward to the Herman competition, which is about six weeks away and closing fast. Herman is a moot court competition in which students compete in mock appellate argument before the Supreme Court, so participating would definitely be a great chance to hone my skills, even more so than Appellate Advocacy. We are having a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the particulars, so it will be interesting to see what percentage of the class shows up (I'm guessing either 98% or 99%-I bet lots of people will want in on the action). If I don't get to compete, I may be able to clerk, so we will have to see how that goes.

3) When it comes to sports, two out of three ain't bad, I guess. It looks as though the Bucks will be playing USC for the national championship, barring an upset from UCLA, and as of this post, the Cavs are 9-5, and tied for first place in the Central Division. But right now, it seems as though the Browns don't have anywhere to go but up-I actually turned the game off at halftime last week, because I couldn't take watching Charlie Frye get pounded into the turf anymore without experiencing secondhand joint pain. Hopefully, they can salvage at least an improvement over last year's 4-12 mark, and bump up their record to 5-11 by beating Pittsburgh and Baltimore. It's pretty unlikely, but as I always say, any given Sunday.

4) I will have some more on this later, but apparently it didn't take long for Scrooge (read: people who are allergic to public Christmas displays) to start spreading Christmas cheer (read: subpoenas, lawsuits, and threats and intimidation). See for yourself.

5) Even though I have been busy, I have been able to get in some personal reading. Check out my last post, in which I review Edward Welch's "When People Are Big and God Is Small." There are lots of books in the reading queue, but right now, I am reading "Discplines of a Godly Man" by R. Kent Hughes. After this, I plan to get back to some history, maybe reading "Washington's God" by Michael and Jana Novak, depending on my schedule.

A Weekend in the Country

I spent a good bit of this weekend in Licking County, east of Columbus. On Saturday, I went apple picking with some other people from the Christian Grad Student Fellowship at OSU, to a farm nearby. We were supposed to drive right up to the orchard, but the weather did not cooperate. It had rained earlier in the morning, making the paths muddy, and causing lots of cars to get stuck. So we cut our losses, bought some apples by the basket, and went on home.

On Sunday, I got to meet my friend Megan at her church, and afterward, we went out to breakfast and drove around the countryside to check out the foliage. Today was absolutely gorgeous-a perfect, sunny fall day, with a temperature around 60-65 degrees. I got to see quite a bit of the area-we drove as far north as Johnstown, Alexandria, and Sunbury, and as far south as Fairfield County. Not a huge distance, but for taking back roads, it takes a while. But it was worth it-the scenery was wonderful, and I had a good time.

It's going to be a "grindstone" kind of week-our micro draft, or second draft, of the brief is due for Appellate Advocacy on Thursday, and my goal this week is to get as much outlining done as I can going into Fall Break. I don't plan to do a huge amount of work over the break, except for maybe some acc-checking for the law journal, and a few other things.

On another note, both of my teams won this weekend. The #1 Buckeyes of The Ohio State University rolled over the #13 Iowa Hawkeyes 38-17, and the Browns finally got a win too, beating the Raiders 24-21. I was disappointed that I didn't get to witness the victory, though, since the Bengals were on here in Columbus. I will get to watch them next week, though, when they go to Carolina. That will be a tough one-don't expect them to win, but you never know with the Browns. With Ohio State, though, I am glad I will get to go to a game this year-one of my friends is going to sell me a ticket to the Indiana game, so that will be nice.

Reaping the Whirlwind

So it is September, and things are getting busier all the time. I could go on and on about all the thoughts swimming around in my head right now, and the activities that consume my days, but I will focus on them one at a time.

- Classes/App Ad: App Ad, or Appellate Advocacy for those not enrolled in it, is time-consuming, but probably one of the more practically useful classes I will take here. We just had our conferences this week to go over the first draft of the brief, and I was glad that I didn't have any points taken off the final grade. The next step is to submit our "micro draft", the second of the three drafts, and the last chance we will have to get feedback before we submit the final copy on November 6. The oral arguments will follow about two weeks later.

My classes are interesting-a diverse group of Evidence, Business Associations (Corporations), First Amendment, Federal Courts, and App Ad. They are all supplying valuable knowledge (BA is tough because I don't specifically have a business background) but First Amendment is especially interesting because of my passion for constitutional law. Federal Courts is also a good class, delving into the jurisprudential theory behind sovereign immunity, federal vs. state jurisdiction, and a lot of the procedural constitutional law topics. I am glad I signed up for it, since it will prepare me well for Civil Procedure II in the spring.

- Bowling: I had a bad night at the lanes last night, bowling only a 100 and 95 in the two games (I had a 138 average going into last night). I will definitely have to pick things up starting next week. At least my handicap will be higher next time.

- Fantasy football: I have a pretty good team put together, with Michael Vick as my quarterback, Donte Stallworth and Larry Fitzgerald as two of my receivers, and Tony Gonzalez from the Chiefs as my tight end. My title chances were hurt when Shaun Alexander, my star running back, broke his foot, but I will adjust. I have Warrick Dunn as my backup running back, and I will try and trade for someone else (if I could just figure out how, if I can, to rework my "can't cut" list).

If only I could trade for Ray Lewis and A.J. Hawk on defense, and Ladanian (sp?) Tomlinson as my fill-in running back....I guess we can't always have what we want.

- CLS conference: more to come on this soon, but it looks as though the pieces are falling into place to attend the Christian Legal Society national conference in San Antonio, Texas in November. It is looking like a great event, with Alan Sears as one of the speakers, so I am really looking forward to hearing from him and the other presenters. I am going along with one other person from our chapter, so it will be nice to have someone there representing Ohio State. Plus, it will be fantastic to see some of my Blackstone friends again; I know of about 5-6 people who are planning on going.

This is indicative of a larger desire I have to travel. I thought that maybe I would get some of it out of system after this summer, having been to Cincinnati, Boston and Phoenix, among other places, but all that flying and traversing time zones has made me want to travel even more. I am not sure yet if we will get to sightsee while in San Antonio, but I definitely want to see the Alamo if I get a chance. Next year, I plan to visit Los Angeles when I go to the Blackstone reunion in June-should be a great time. I figure this is the time to travel, while I am young, single, and have the means to get on a plane and go. Other places I want to see include the Mountain West (Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana), Alaska, and Hawaii.

Summer of 2006, pt. 2

Keeping each one short:

- I have really enjoyed the last two weeks or so. The only time when things have gotten dull was when I wasn't home; I drove down to the apartment over the weekend to go to dinner with some friends and have a meeting for CLS.

So far during this break, we have done a lot; went to the Cleveland Zoo (my favorite animal is the lion), went to the Aeros game (the Akron Aeros are the Indians' AA team, and we're going again Thursday), and have had plenty of time to go swimming at my brother's house. It has really been a fantastic break, and I am alternating my time between relaxing and studying for the Blackstone.

- It doesn't look like the Indians are going anywhere, unless they can get another winning streak going like they did last year. The offense is decent, but they need more than two pitchers (Sabathia and Wickman) to step up and carry the load. Plus, the Central Division just keeps getting tougher, since now Detroit seems like a legitimate contender. If they don't start winning soon, it will all be over by the All-Star Break, winning streak or not.

- Despite what my friend Aaron (the Steelers fan) says, I have high hopes for the Browns this year. I think Savage, the GM, seems to know what he's doing, by bringing together what looks like the beginning of a solid offensive line. Ultimately, it all comes down to Charlie Frye. If he has a breakout year, and he has a chance to with Winslow and Braylon Edwards back, you just might see the Browns in the playoffs.

- I was disappointed that the Cavs couldn't knock off Detroit in the playoffs, but they'll be back next year. If they can sign LeBron James long term, I think he will lead them to a championship, assuming they keep a solid team around him. Here are my predictions: LeBron will sign another five-year deal to stay in Cleveland, the Cavs will trade Z, possibly for an elite point guard and scorer (I heard Allen Iverson, but that's unlikely), and the Cavs will win 50-55 games next year. I'm not going to make a prediction on the playoffs, though-anything can happen.

- I am going to have some pictures on here when I post while in Phoenix, so stay tuned for more posts.

Summer of 2006, pt.1

Now that I have been done with exams for a couple of weeks, and finished the journal competition last week, it is a good feeling to reclaim things which I had put on hold around when things got busy down in Columbus. I am at home in Akron now, and it is great to see my family and friends again. I will have a couple weeks off to talk about things besides exams, papers, and all of the trappings of school, even though I know everyone will miss those kind of posts.

Yesterday, I went to a carnival up in Chagrin Falls, near Cleveland, with a couple of friends from Akron U. Most of the things there were geared toward kids, but we got to watch a concert by a really good band that covered the Beatles. They played basically any song you can think of, ending on "Hey Jude." It was really crowded, though-wall to wall people, and at some times the crowd was so big that you couldn't even turn around or go in another direction. I think the entire town was there, at one point or another.

It was a beautiful night, though-hot, but sunny, and we sat in the shade, since the concert was held under a big tent. I walked down the fairway for a while, and I was hungry enough to get a sausage sandwich or piece of pizza, but I didn't want to pay $6, so I ended up with peanuts and water at the gas station later. I guess cutting down on eating kind of got forced upon me. I did have some corn on the cob, though-I can't pass up good corn.

I thought it was funny to go by the tents where all the political candidates were camped out-we went by the Republican Party tent and got "Blackwell for Governor" stickers. I noticed that there was a huge crowd near the Republican tent, but no one was even sitting in the Democrats' booth. I wonder if that means anything about whether we'll be talking about Governor Ted Strickland or Senator Sherrod Brown (that's a whole other post and a lot of angry comments).

By the way, Chagrin Falls is a nice little town. I had never been there before yesterday, and it was the kind of place I hope to settle down in someday, maybe after I retire. I'll go wherever my work leads me, but I have always been a small-town kind of person.

After we left, I went over to my friend Kristin's house and watched "Walk the Line", the movie about the life of Johnny Cash, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, and then drove home.

So it sounds like a pretty normal day, except for the first time probably since I moved to Columbus, I didn't even think about law school. Not for one minute, for several hours. I am thinking a lot about the Blackstone these days-I have a feeling this summer is going to change, shape, and redefine the focus and direction of my life for many years to come. No, for once I stopped thinking about the pressure I have been under, whether I am going to get on to the Ohio State Law Journal, whether I am going to have the grades for on-campus interviewing in the fall, and all the other things I need to learn to let go of and trust God on.

And it was a great feeling.

I have two weeks left before I pack my suitcase and travel to Phoenix for Phase I of the Blackstone Fellowship. I will be posting throughout the summer, as always, but it may get sporadic after the 11th, depending on Internet access and time constraints while I am gone. For the next two weeks, I plan to get my assigned reading done, go swimming at my brother's house, get a sun tan, and basically relax for what will probably be the last time until after I take the bar exam about 26 months from now. I say, bring it on.

Barrister's Ball

It's been almost a week now, but the Barrister's Ball (AKA Moritz Prom) was great. Last Saturday, we law students gathered at a really nice ballroom at Confluence Park, down by the arena district, and ate, danced, and had a really good time. One of the best things is that I got some pictures out of the whole thing, which are now on the Facebook. I used one to update that really old picture of me, which was from 2001.

Everything went really well that night. The food was good (I had a steak and mashed potatoes) although it was late getting to us, the ballroom was beautifully decorated, and the window had a spectacular view of the Columbus skyline (it's even better when Nationwide's headquarters has the blue light shining on it). I always like getting dressed up, but when it's going toward having fun, all the better. I think everyone that went had a good time, and I hope we get to hang out again soon.