JMT

Scott and I got back yesterday from doing a segment of the John Muir Trail. While we had originally planned to do all 233 miles of it over an almost 3-week period, we decided to cut our trip short. Although, 130 miles in 11 days is not too shabby. The mosquitoes were horrible, and we decided on Day 10 that we'd had enough. I'm trying to figure out the best way to post my journal from the trip. It'll either be as a blog or just on one page on my site.

Say Hello, And Wave Goodbye

Standing at the door of the Pink Flamingo
Crying in the rain
It was a kind of so-so love,
And I'm gonna make sure it doesn't happen again.

You and I had to be the standing joke of the year.
You were a run around,
A lost and found.
And not for me I feel.

Take your hands off me, please
I don't belong to you, you see.

Take a look in my face, for the last time.
I never knew you, you never knew me.
Say hello, goodbye.

Say hello and wave goodbye.

We tried to make it work, you in a cocktail skirt.
And me in a suit, and it just wasn't me.
You're used to wearing less, and now your life's a mess.
So insecure you seem.

I put up with all the scenes,
This is one scene,
Thats goin' to be played my way

Take your hands off me, please
I don't belong to you, you see.

Take a look in my face, for the last time.
I never knew you., you never knew me.
Say hello, goodbye.

Say hello and wave goodbye.
Say hello and wave goodbye.

Under the deep red light,
I can see the make up sliding down.
Well hey little girl, you will will always make up
So take off that unbecoming frown.

As for me well, Ill find some one
Who's not going cheap in the sales.
A nice little house wife, who'll give me a steady life.
And not keep going off the rails.

Take your hands off me, please
I don't belong to you, you see.

Take a look in my face, for the last time.
I never knew you, you never knew me.
Say hello, goodbye.

Say hello and wave goodbye.
Say hello and wave goodbye.
Say hello and wave goodbye.
Wave goodbye.
Say hello and wave goodbye.
Say hello, wave goodbye.
Goodbye.
Say goodbye.
Say goodbye.

We were born before the wind.
Who were we to understand.
We were born before the wind
Say goodbye.

Through the rain, hail, sleet and snow,
Say good bye.
And I'm trying, trying, trying
To say goodbye.
Say goodbye.
Say goodbye.
Say goodbye.

In the wind and the rain my darling.

Say goodbye.

In the wind and the rain my darling...

Berkeley

I never posted the official decision: I'm going to Berkeley Law next year. I set up my official email address this morning, and I'm actively looking for housing. I feel almost in a limbo right now (in a good way) - not really part of Houston anymore, but not yet a part of Berkeley and the law school scene.

I've been playing a lot more tennis lately, and the quality of my game is directly proportional to how much sleep I got the night before. Lesson: get more sleep.

A New Viola

I bought a new viola today! The viola actually isn't new; it's about 40 years old. But it has a beautiful, rich, powerful sound, and a remarkably narrow body to produce such a sound. With it, I also got two extra sets of strings, my bow rehaired, and a new case. I'm really excited.

In other news, I've solidified my plans to hike this summer. Scott and I will do the John Muir Trail (~220 miles or ~17-18 days) in late June and early July, and then my dad and I are doing Glacier National Park (~10 days) in late July.

I've been going fairly easy on the tennis lately, but I'm going to pick that up this week (although I'm taking today off to play on my new viola). My elbow has been fine, and I really need to keep my body in good shape before I head out on this trip.

In Limbo

Still no final decision on law schools, but after a spectacular visit to Berkeley and no word from Columbia, it looks my choice is pretty clear.

I attend the St. Mark's Alumni Weekend (and Class of '03 Five Year Reunion) last weekend and had a great time being on campus and catching up with people, many of whom I hadn't seen since graduation.

April 9 marked the six year anniversary of the deaths of Eric and Jamie.

Recently, I've felt more and more like writing, so I may use this blog as a creative outlet sometime soon.

Long Time Gone

Well, it's been a long time gone, and you might have thought I "ain't coming back again." Here I am, cleverly working the Dixie Chicks into my first entry in a while.

I was going to write about USMC boot camp graduation, when I went to watch my friend Chris graduate in San Diego, but then I didn't. I almost wrote about my trip to Big Bend with my dad, but he wrote about it (better than I could), so I didn't.

Last night, my quartet (The Dolce Quartet) performed our (probably) final performance as a group. It was really nice, though not the flawless performance we perfectionists always aim for. A good turnout of people, though - we filled all the seating with about 20 guests.

I wish that we could work on one more piece before we go our separate ways, but I don't think that's going to happen. Ann, our first violinist, leaves for France at the end of April, and April will be a hectic month for the two still at Rice.

I'm trying to solidify plans for the summer now. I had originally planned to go to India and Nepal and Southeast Asia, but now the person I would have traveled with in India is no longer sure of what he'll be able to do. So I'm completely open to any 2-month stretch of time and any kind of travel. I'm considering doing a series of camping/hiking trips around New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming, but again, I have to find someone to go with me. Alas!

Travel and Schumann

It's pretty late. Lauren is asleep on the sofa next to me (having locked herself out of her house). I'm listening to Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 and chatting online. I just wrote an email to my friend Ben, whom I hope to travel with this summer. As I wrote to him, I recalled a funny story from last summer when we coincided in Luang Prabang, Laos.

We had corresponded while I was in Thailand, and he and Magera (his travel partner) were in Vietnam. I told him when and where we'd be in Luang Prabang, and he said he'd meet us there. I reserved a room for them when we arrived, as they would be arriving very early in the morning or late that night. The next morning, I was in the internet cafe (as I often do in the mornings), when I saw Ben pop online. I was surprised to see him and asked where he was. "Across the street from the hotel" he said. I thought for a second. That's where I was, too. Since internet shops are so common, it was very likely that he was right next door to me. I thought again; there was a restaurant on one side and nothing on the other side. Then I turned around. Ben was sitting at a computer facing directly opposite me. I never saw him come in, and he apparently didn't see me sitting there, either. We hadn't seen each other in over a year, but not too much had changed in either of us, I think. If I had to pick one person to travel with, he would definitely be at the very top of my list. What a joy to travel with people so passionate about it!tr

Dallas

I took a notion and drove up to Dallas this weekend. So here I am in Dallas. It rained the entire drive up here, and it's significantly colder here than in Houston. It's always nice to be home, though.

I checked the mail right before I left Houston, hoping for a law school decision. Alas, no such luck. Maybe next week will bring something. Although even if I don't get in anywhere else, I have some great options in front of me.

My summer plans are firming up a bit; my parents will be in SE Asia in May, so I may try to meet them there in June, then do India, Israel, Egypt, Berlin, then Prague (in roughly that order). And then law school!

The Dolce Quartet has reconvened, and we're hoping to have a performance in March. We're playing Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" Quartet, which is one of my all-time favorites. I'm starting to practice more than I did last semester - hopefully I can keep that up. It would be nice to fit two performances in this semester.

I was going to write a post about the death of Heath Ledger a few days ago (when it happened), but I didn't at the time, and the inspiration has since left me. I'll write next time I'm inspired though.

Atheism

I've been participating in a forum for prospective law school students (primarily on the "Off Topic" board because it's more entertaining). Religion/politics are non-taboo topics, so not surprisingly, threads on those topics pop up fairly frequently. I recently joined a discussion on atheism, in which one poster, "Ulfrekr," stated something I believe quite eloquently. I quote:

[R]egardless of who is actually "right", non-belief in gods is certainly more rational than belief. I'm not saying that it's necessarily rational to say "I know, with total certainty, that there is no God or gods." But it's certainly rational to say "Until some sort of falsifiable process has been invented which can give evidence supporting the existence of gods, I see little reason to live my life as though they existed."

Of course, even theists are comfortable denying the existence of every god other than the god or gods of their own religion, so I don't understand why you guys have such a hard time with those of us who deny the existence of all gods. This is something I've never understood about religion. Why do you believe that "your" god exists, while others' gods don't, when in virtually every case there is equal evidence for either proposition? How do you reconcile the fact that virtually all belief is culturally dictated- in other words, that people tend to believe what the people around them believe, and disbelieve everything else? I especially wonder how you deal with this fact if you believe that those who subscribe to the wrong religion will be punished for it.

Sports Injuries, but Otherwise Fine

My elbow is a little sore, and I rolled my ankle on Monday, but otherwise I'm doing great. My tennis game has improved substantially, which is extremely satisfying. I've gotten into two law schools, and I'm expecting to hear from at least one more this week. I'm a little anxious, but already being accepted to some good ones already makes the process so much easier.

I've been posting on some law school forums recently, and I wrote a response to someone asking about diversity statements. Some schools suggest them as optional addenda, while other schools make no mention of them. I've pasted my response below. The original questions should be self-explanatory in my answers.

1. I did not submit diversity statements to all the schools to which I applied. In my opinion, if something about you doesn't fit fairly naturally in the application, then it's not really important enough to deserve a complete addendum dedicated to it. The most important parts of my application all receive mention in most of my personal statements.

That said, I did include extra information when given the option to include a diversity statement, although I always opted for the "Why XXXXX School?" statement if the school only asked for one. For GLBT, the LSAC actually has some criteria by which they judge schools and their stance toward GLBT. You might check that out on the LSAC website. At some schools, coming out in an application is an advantage, whereas at some schools it's neutral. However, never would you want to alienate a reader of your application.

2. All of my optional essays were one page. If I were reading these applications, anything longer would seem an excessive burden on top of the required application material.

3. As far as connecting different diversity characteristics, I would say that the common thread is that together, they define who you are. Use that to your advantage. If you can discuss how one affected you in one situation while the other was invisible, and then vice versa, that would be one possibility.

Don't count on getting into a school solely on account of diversity (or even largely so). My feeling is that the point of diversity factors should not to say "I'm different," but to say "Because of my different experiences, I can bring something unique to the school." If an applicant is gay but never experienced discrimination or special treatment because of his sexuality, I don't feel that it's a contributing diversity factor. If an applicant is gay and was discharged from military service because of it, that's worthy of mention. Diversity for diversity's sake should not affect an applicant's desirability, but whether it actually does is debatable.