Luck of the Schedule

I think that Tennessee and Washington must be two of the luckiest NFL teams out there (kind of).  Going into this week, both knew that a win would clinch a playoff spot.  Both also knew that the team they would be facing clinched their spots weeks ago, and would be resting many starters not too far into the game.  However, I think that the way the schedule was set up served as a disservice to  fans since usually both games are an exciting matchup of division rivals that will pull out all the stops to win.  Sure Dungi did what he could - except play Peyton in the 4th quarter!  I can't blame the coaches for pulling the starters.  Tennessee probably wishes it could have known they were going to the playoffs and pulled Vince Young before his hamstring injury too.  Washington probably is happy with the way their starters played since they are now "the hottest NFC team" headed into the playoffs, and the starters now have momentum going into the wildcard round.  Of course, it turns out their win over Dallas is now being called "irrelevant."

Bad Fan

I am a bad Texas football fan.  Since they didn't play in a New Years bowl game, I accidentally missed it.  Instead of enjoying the pounding that Texas put on Arizona State (or someone like that), I was enjoying episodes of The Office - Season Two.  I see that they did just fine without my usually loyal support.  In fact, I think that my normal New Years ritual of watching as many games as I can fit into a 24-hour period of time, then watching the last two bowls may be altered a bit since I really don't care in this year of crazy football.  At least on Saturday I should have the opportunity to watch Eli and the Giants take on New England.  Go Manning!  Even though it would be historic for the Patriots, I prefer to watch a Manning win any day of the week (and it is even sweeter if it is a win against Brady).  I am not holding my breath though.

Blog of the Week - Legal Blogs

It has been a while since I posted a blog of the week, so I am going to post a few.  I realize that I rarely post anything regarding the legal profession even though I am a lawyer, so this week I am going to share some of my favorite legal blogs.  Warning - for most of you, you could care less about these blogs.

Civil Procedure Prof Blog - this blog is written by two professors at Baylor (neither of which I had in law school, especially since one was a third year when I started).  This blog is helpful because it gives updates on important cases in state and federal court, and I have already used one of the cases they review in my work.  Helpful for court updates and overall news in this part of the legal world.

Eastern District of Texas Federal Court Practice - this blog is updated by the author of the O'Connor's Federal Rules.  Most of my federal court practice is in the Eastern District of Texas, so it is nice to have someone updating about Eastern District cases and imporant cases that come from the Fifth Circuit affecting the Eastern District of Texas.  Sometimes the rulings are humorous, sometimes serious, but it is helpful to see what judges in our area are deciding.

That's What She Said - If you are a fan of The Office, you can probably guess that this blog has to do with The Office.  However, it also has to do with legal stuff.  A lawyer who specializes in employment law analyzes episodes of the office and gives her opinion of what each case would be worth should the incidents that happen on the show happen in real life.  It is quite informative on the area of employment law, but it also shows the nerdiness of those like me in our profession. 

There is a list of the legal blogs (that the ABA calls "blawgs", but I think that is a little too dorky) that I like to frequent.  There are others that are less helpful or entertaining, but these are the ones that I like the most and keep me the most updated.

Roots

Recently I finished reading Roots by Alex Haley. I think that this book is probably on my list of books that everyone should read. I have not seen the movie/miniseries yet, but the book is definitely worth reading.

This book is not appropriate for middle schoolers or high schoolers in my opinion. Some things are mentioned in the book that should not be read by teenagers. However, the book as a whole is incredible as it traces a family through one of the darkest periods in our nation's history. It is frustrating to read the book and not know what happened to a particular family member because the history ends with someone being kidnapped or sold, but that is a reality for many families in our nation. The description of the slave ships that brought the slaves from Africa to the Americas is so detailed that it almost makes you think that Haley was there himself.

The book is a long book. I understand that there are some controversies surrounding the book since, it appears, that a portion of the book may be plagarized and it is not clear whether Haley was trying to write nonfiction or historical fiction. However, in spite of these problems, the book should be read in order to provide a glimpse of life during that time period. It is a long book, but it is well worth the time it takes to read it.

Amazing Grace

I watched the movie Amazing Grace recently.  Although it seems a little slow at times, the movie is definitely something that is worth watching.  I have to admit that I did not know very much about William Wilberforce before watching the movie, or even about that time period when England was addressing the issue of the slave trade in Parliament (even though I was a history major in college).  It is amazing what can be accomplished through persistence and patience.  I would encourage everyone to watch the movie.  Wilberforce (as portrayed in the movie - I do not know how accurate it is) was a quirky yet humble man who stood by his convictions even when it seemed he was standing alone.  It does take the amazing grace of God to be able to stand alone against injustices, and to stay in a political environment that was less than welcoming of him.  The movie is a good lesson in British history (I learned that Wm. Pitt was the youngest prime minister, another fact that I probably should have known before this time), but also a great story about how God calls us to different roles, and expects us to obey even when we feel like we are standing alone.  I think that one of the things that impressed me the most about this movie was that it was inspirational without being "everything will turn out ok in the end."  Although there is a "happy ending," the movie in some ways wasn't leading to that point.  I would suggest that everyone see the movie since so little is known about the slave trade, or how it came to be abolished.  It took some creative politics to end one of the most inhumane practices that was accepted without question by so much of society.

Interesting Questions and Clarifications

Some of you may have seen the list of 21 questions that the Mormon church offered answers to on FOXNews.com.  I found it interesting that there were more than 21 questions posed, but these are the 21 questions that the Mormons felt were worthy of answering.  Makes me wonder what the other questions are.  What struck me is that they repeated themselves too much, made sure that the answers sounded Christian enough, and really (to me it seemed) tried to answer things in a misleading way.  If you can't be straightforward about your doctrine, then you have problems.  I found it interesting that in their attempt to sound like Protestant Christianity, they really failed in my opinion.  What scares me is that people that do not know their own beliefs within Protestant Christianity or those who have a misunderstanding of Protestant Christianity will read those answers and think that Mormons are not part of a cult.  I especially liked the postmodern definition of "cult."  I would encourage persons within the Christian community to realize what is not talked about -- the Holy Spirit was left out of each answer.  I know that they claim to believe in the Trinity and Holy Spirit, but that person of the Godhead was not mentioned.  Additionally, Jesus was created instead of co-eternal in the answers that they provided.  They mention that Jesus is immortal, but they leave out that He is, always was, and always will be.  All things were created by Him, and to Him, and through Him.  He is the Word.

Today I ran across another blog that clarified the Mormons' answers to the questions.  I would definitely suggest reading both since the Mormon faith will be a topic of conversation at least a little while longer while Romney is in the running for president.  What impressed me about Rob Bowmans additional information and clarifications was that he pointed out how the answers were misleading or lacking essential information to be a true representation of what the Mormons believe.  

Blog of the Week - Creed Thoughts

I stumbled across this blog, and I have to say that as a fan of The Office, this blog makes me laugh!  For those of you that are fans of The Office, you know that part of what makes Creed work on the show is his mystery, serial killer type personality.  The same is true in his blog.  There are random comments that are so funny because of the randomness.  I think that someone who does not watch the show may find the blog mildly funny, but as someone who watches The Office (when it comes out on DVD - I don't like it with commercial breaks so I haven't watched any of season 4), many of the random comments make me laugh out loud.  Enjoy!

The Stepford Wives

Last night I watched The Stepford Wives (the newer version with Nicole Kidman).  I was surprised that I actually liked the movie.  I have not seen the original (which is probably better than this version because they almost always are).  Sure this movie seems to be too much in support of feminism, sexual freedom, making fun of the traditional family, so you can see why I am surprised I liked it.

One of my favorite directors is Tim Burton.  I like how he is creative, original, and creates his own fantasy world that the movie fits in.  This movie was definitely Tim Burton like, although he did not direct the movie.  Therefore, I am not a big fan of the director because it is like he tried to copy Tim Burton, even down to the soundtrack.  Very similar to the soundtrack of Edward Scissorhands and even the colorfulness of Edward Scissorhands.  Therefore, I wish that the director had been more original or that Tim Burton had done this movie because he probably could have done it better.

I was surprised at the acting.  There was melodrama.  The characters were not all that realistic, and that is part of what made it great.  There is too much truth behind the story that we need it to look like fantasy in order not to be scared.  I know that sounds strange, but you will understand if you watch it.  

The movie was clean by today's PG-13 standards.  I don't remember much cussing.  There are sexual innuendos, sounds, discussions, but you don't see any skin throughout the movie (something that is rare in PG-13 movies today).  Homosexuality is portrayed and accepted as normal, which is one of the problems that I had with the movie.

Overall, the storyline was very entertaining, the acting was melodramatic (which made it good), and the look of the movie was well done.  I would recommend this movie, in part because it makes you think yet you still feel entertained.

Arsenic and Old Lace

I recently watched Arsenic and Old Lace all the way through from start to finish for the first time.  I had listened to the classic radio play and seen bits and pieces of the movie, but this was the first time I watched it all the way through.  All I can say is WOW!  Clever acting, clever writing, great direction.  I wish that they would make movies today like they made them back then.  Of course, I like almost anything with Jimmy Stewart in it.  It takes a great writer though to create a character that is "sane" but acting crazier than all the others, and characters that are "insane" acting sane.  You feel at the end of the movie like the one who is normal is the crazy one!  Sure, like so many old movies, there is a bit of melodrama (probably an understatement), but that is what makes those movies so great.  They really are an escape from reality instead of being bombarded with realistic things that you would prefer not to see.  Actors knew how to act, writers knew how to write.  Creativity was valued.  I was entertained.  All I can say is that I highly recommend the movie!

I must be mildly ...

OCD.  I just spent the last few minutes alphabetizing the blogs on my bookmarks bar.  It was bugging me that Safari doesn't automatically put them in alphabetical order.  It doesn't matter that I rarely visit the ones at the bottom of the list that are now at the top because they are in alphabetical order.  It is weird though that I am that way about alphabetizing.  My DVD collection used to be alphabetized until Kory and Rod decided it would be funny to mess with my mind a few months ago and shuffle them, and I have been trying to hold out as long as possible before fixing them (I am in the fifth month since the incident, and I haven't fixed them yet - and I am proud of myself, further showing I must be mildly OCD).  I am the same way about my books as well.  Alphabetized by title, not by author.  My books are all mixed up right now because of a lack of book shelves, and it is driving me crazy.  If I ever go into crazy land, it will be because of lack of alphabetization!!! :)

Coach Briles

While I am on the subject of college football, I probably should weigh in about my thoughts on the recent head coaching changes that have occurred at Baylor.  For more info on the subject (or really just an attempt to have positive PR) you can go here.  I think that Baylor made a smart choice (although I thought the same thing when they hired the last coach).  Here are my reasons for making this bold statement before seeing how this coach performs:

1.  He knows how to recruit in Texas.  This is a big deal when Baylor is probably capable of recruiting in the second tier of recruits because of competition with recruiting powerhouses such as UT, A & M, OU, and all the other teams that feel the need to drain our talent pool in Texas.  If you are one of the best players in high school football in Texas, you are probably not going to choose Baylor.  However, if you are a Chase Daniels who is being looked at by Missouri and Baylor, there may be a chance that you will choose to stay closer to home.  Why didn't Baylor go after Chase Daniels?  Why did he end up all the way up in Missouri?  Could it be that our previous coach didn't know how to recruit in the second tier and insisted on taking the scraps of the first?  Coach Briles obviously knows how to put together a winning program with recruits no one has heard of.  He took Houston from being a no name to being a bowl contender every year.  I know that I can't name a single player on the Houston team, but they win anyway.  Maybe he can do the same thing at Baylor.

2.  His track record at Houston.  He took a program that was pretty much a laughing stock and turned it into a bowl contender.  His job will be more difficult in the Big 12 (especially the Big 12 South), but surely he can make Baylor competitive against the North teams (so that there is not a repeat of Kansas and Missouri in the top ten at the same time in the same year because it was their year to play Baylor instead of UT and/or OU).  

3.  Baylor's athletic director showed his ability to choose a coach by his decision to bring in Scott Drew as basketball coach.  First, Ian McCaw had to convince a coach to come to Baylor when the coach knew that recruiting would be affected by the NCAA's punishment of Baylor following a scandal that I do not wish to summarize here.  Plus, McCaw had to retain the guy.  Now the basketball program is reaping the benefits of a coach who determined to build a solid foundation, and is now making the program competitive, at least in this pre-season.  We will see how things pan out in the conference play, but things are looking good.  McCaw hopefully has done the same thing with the football coach (minus the huge scandal, although the minor one of an assistant coach getting drunk after a game and urinating on the outside of the bar is embarassing).

Hopefully Coach Briles will not be a disappointment.  Only time will tell.

College Football

I love college football.  I love spending my Saturdays camped out in front of the TV, reading good books while football is played in the background.  I love getting into the close games, cheering my teams on, or the underdog who is about to pull out an upset against a team I dislike.  I like the experience of flipping back and forth through the different games just because there are ten on at a time.

Maybe I should have put that all in the past tense.  This season I discovered something -- although I like the occassional upset, I do not like it when there is too much uncertainty in college football.  I would rather know who is going to win.  I would rather not have teams that are really not as good as their record speaks occupying the No. 1 and 2 spots just so that we can watch them fall each week in "upsets" when they face their first tests of the season.  Plus, I have decided that upsets can become old news when each week is filled with five of them.  I think that the BCS chose the right teams to play for the national championship since someone has to go to the championship game.  I am not sure that the BCS chose the right teams for the remaining BCS games though, but I guess in this year of college football, that doesn't really matter.

This is the craziest season of college football, although the two teams in the BCS championship game doesn't necessarily reflect that.  How much more fun would it have been to see Missouri v. West Virginia in the record books to truly reflect this season of chaos!  I am beginning to wonder if the BCS has created this chaos because of a flawed system (although any system would be flawed in some way or another) that finally imploded to create a year of uncertainty.  There are going to be years where the main conferences are full of good teams and highly competitive with two teams easily able to win the national championship or compete in the championship game, but because of the competition in the conference, the teams find it hard to come out without two losses.  Plus there are going to be years where the best teams in the nation have bad days.  There are going to be years where, for some unknown reason, the Big 12 South can't decide who can win on a given Saturday, but it is always capable of defeating even the best teams in the Big 12 North.  When all of this happens in one year, it creates chaos.  As a fan of college football, I have decided (at least through my actions) that I don't like chaos.  Hopefully things will be back to normal next year.  I mean, Kansas in a BCS game?  You have to be kidding me!

Compassion International

I made the decision in July to begin sponsoring a Compassion International child.  I had heard about the organization in college, and I have wanted to sponsor a child since then.  Finally, this summer, I realized I was in a financial position to begin sponsoring a child.  You can go to their website and choose your child by looking through pictures of children from all over the world.  I really wanted a little boy in Africa, but I also wanted a child that was under five years old so that I would be making a long term commitment to the child until the child is eighteen.  After looking through all of the children, I realized that there was not a little boy in Africa that was under the age of five awaiting sponsorship.  I narrowed my choice to two little boys, a three year old from India and a four year old from Haiti.  After praying about the choice I should make, I decided to sponsor the three year old (although I was really sad that I couldn't sponsor the little boy from Haiti as well).

My little boy is Arjun Ajith.  He is from South India.  He is the cutest little thing!  I have placed his picture in my office so that I see him while I am working and remember to pray for him.  I was so excited to receive a letter written by his mother that also contained pictures drawn by him.  I learned that he has a dog too, so when I sent him a picture of me, I included one of Lil T as well.  His drawings of a flower and a bus were precious.  I am excited that I have the opportunity to support him financially.  Since he is a Compassion child, in order to continue to receive the benefits of the sponsorship, he will be attending school at a religious center in or near his hometown.  Therefore, because of my financial contributions, he will be raised learning about the gospel throughout his childhood and teenage years.  I hope that one day I will receive a letter with him informing me that he has become a believer in Christ.

I would encourage everyone to sponsor a child through Compassion.  It is a trustworthy organization, as is evidenced by its many years of service and many success stories.  As for the Haitian boy that I was unable to sponsor, I found out a week or two later that he had been chosen by our youth pastor as the child the youth group would sponsor.  I have been able to contribute to his sponsorship as well, which makes me excited.  If you are unable to afford a sponsorship on your own, I would encourage you to sponsor a child through a group of people, such as a Sunday school class, a discipleship class, a group of friends or co-workers, you get the picture.  If you can't make a long term commitment, choose an older child.  I think this is a small way that individuals can impact the world in a very personal way.  My desire is for Arjun's entire family to be changed by the gospel, and I hope that the love of Christ is shown through each dollar that they receive.

(I do have to add that you should not sponsor a child unless you are already tithing in your local church body.  Support for your local church should come first.)