Where Every Padgett is "A. Padgett"

The Tummy Teller

2011-11-20T18:24:00.000-05:00

If you haven't read Austin's Movie Maestro review of The Tummy Teller, it really sets the stage for today's blog entry. It was as if he wrote the story into life. The "movie" follows an African woman who travels from village to village to determine the gender of soon-to-be-born children with alarming accuracy. When the woman becomes pregnant and cannot tell the gender of her own fetus, mild chaos ensues. In the end, her gift is validated because she has twins: a boy and a girl.

Our lives track this character's life on two fronts. First, Austin has a still-developing passion to become a doula so that he can help women through a process that he will never actually encounter himself. He is hoping to build a team of brute, handsome midwives and brand their services MANDOULA(tm). Second, we are also having a boy and a girl.

This past Monday, we visited our friendly spectrogramographer and sent ultrasounds blasting and echoing through Anna's paunch. For the sake of our children's modesty, we won't post pictures, but we can assure you that the boy is a boy (Dad Note: "Fo' sho!") and the girl is a girl. For you twin-o-philes (which sounds pretty creepy and will not be used again on this blog), Baby A (the baby closest to the cervix), also known as "Biscuits," is the girl, and Baby B, or "Gravy," is the boy.

Next up, the so-called Naming Summit, where Austin and Anna will compete in a series of physical and mental challenges to determine the name of each child. Then, we shall all visit the Sorting Hat to determine which house each child will belong to.

Family Discussion Questions: How do you think you could tell the gender of a fetus without an ultrasound? Can you truly give names to people without meeting them outside the womb? Can you imagine the weight of the responsibility in naming someone when he or she will likely outlive you?

Catching Up: The Padgetts Go to Washington

2011-11-15T10:32:00.000-05:00

Aspirational and Glowing View

Pessimistic and Dingy View

[In the Catching Up series, the Padgetts try to give you fair and adequate notice of their various goings-on during their long hiatus from posting on the blog.]

A few months ago, Anna and I traveled up to DC for me to swear into the DC bar and to see some friends. It was a great trip, and we wish we could have spent more time in the city.

Our hotel was a block from the Capitol. So I found a park bench and plowed through some work during some our down time. The day was beautiful. Matching-shirt tour groups passed by me, and I was in a suit flipping through redweld files. I wonder of any of the touring folks thought I was someone important. One could hope. Perhaps I should have worn sunglasses or a Bluetooth earpiece. Are those items not the indicia of highfalutiness?

Photo Notes: Credit to me. Taken on the above-mentioned trip.

Family Discussion Points: What is your favorite DC landmark? Can a career politicians ever truly represent their constituencies? Do fat cats ever eat regular ketchup, or do they forever dip their fries in a truly fancy tomato-derived product?

Working Titles

2011-11-08T18:29:00.001-05:00

When you are pregnant with multiples, the doctors and nurses adopt a clinical and cold reference system for your children: Baby A and Baby B. Baby A is the baby closest to the cervix (wherever that is--that isn't a lady part the dudes are responsible for knowing, I think). Doesn't that seems a bit harsh and boring?

We have abandoned these so-called "doctors'" system and given our fetuses working titles. Baby A is Biscuits, and Baby B is gravy. This follows our Southern culinary roots and, I believe, serves as a compromise on Anna's behalf. Addy's middle name is Macaroni, which Is the result of a long-fought lobbying effort with the wife. I like food names, but I can understand why they may be a poor choice for a lifetime commitment. Still, I am happy I at least got biscuits and gravy in the mix somewhere.

Photo Notes: This picture is licensed from the appropriately named Flickr user snowpea&bokchoi. I altered the picture slightly under the license. It looks delicious, which is a weird thing to say in a baby-related post.

Family Discussion Points: What is your favorite food? Would you want to be named after this food? If you were trapped with your friends on a snow-covered mountain pass for months, do you think you would start naming your friends after foods?

What a Pocketful World

2011-10-24T19:55:00.001-04:00

The last name "Padgett" is not the easiest word for anyone to comprehend as a last name. Many adults botch it up--particularly labeling us as "Pageant." It's not particularly adorable. What is adorable, however, is our friends' daughter who refers to Anna as "Pocket." Imagine it. You can't do it without smiling.

All of this leads us to some fantastic news. We are making the world a more "pocketful" place. That is; we are pregnant. In true "The As Have It"-style, we are doing things differently. You see, we've always favored things in pairs: shoelaces, crutches, knitting needles, handcuffs. As it turns out, children are on that list as well. Twins y'all.

So, while we've been quiet on our blog for a while, we have come out of our vow of silence to announce this news. We are . . . in a word . . . stoked. Anna is doing well, and I am handling it like a champ (thanks for asking).

We are looking forward to meeting the new Pockets, Pageants, or whatever.

Photo Notes: The picture above was licensed by the Flickr user HeatherW through the Creative Commons license. Terrific shot.

Family Discussion Points: Can you imagine having a paunch pocket where you stick your offspring? Do you think the pictured joey is uncomfortable? Does the joey's leg sticking out of the pouch remind you of those disgusting footling breech pictures in the baby/pregnancy books?

Cupcakes

2009-11-05T19:08:00.002-05:00

Dan and I grabbed lunch a couple of blocks from the office today. On our way there, several men were taking to the sidewalks, giving out free snack cakes. They also have a program where you can take your picture in front of their Little Debbie-branded Smart Cars, which you can win!

In light of the new FTC Guidelines on Endorsements and Testimonials, I should make clear that, though Little Debbie gave me a free cupcake, this post represents my own views.

No More in Darkness

2009-09-28T20:16:00.003-04:00

In a previous post, I proclaimed that I wanted to be a lifetime learner. Specifically, I said the following:

I would like to learn more about the history and craft of stained glass. It would be my first entry into the visual arts, which I've neglected for my entire life.

Well, I've been reading up. As I've learned more, I've found that the church we attend has some beautiful pieces. There are some grand, exquisite works with painted glass and stained glass, but they're not my style right now. I'm more intrigued by the series of windows on the north wall. The best, in my opinion is the western-most window in that group (see picture above): the colors, the geometric patterns, etc. It clicks. The picture doesn't do it justice. I spent a large part of one Sunday morning just enjoying the light pouring through the window. The thing that is most enchanting about stained glass is that it is both an art and a functioning part of a building. To be successful, designers can't get carried away or over-indulgent with any one element because everything in the piece is a slave to the light. There are so many constraints, but the ultimate product can be otherworldly.

The other aspect that I most love about stained glass is that, due to the fact that it is functional, every piece is a living work of art. Glass breaks, buildings shift, things have to be replaced. It's tough to tell from a distance, but most aged windows have obvious patches (see close-up image below). I'm sure that bugs some people, but I love this part of the process, the restoration.

Young Mandolin Prodigy

2009-09-26T10:18:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, we had some friends (Ruby and Yenny) come over to eat dinner with us. They just had a baby a few months ago, and he came along for the fun. Addy wasn't sure what to think at first, but she became excited at the possibility of running/crawling around with someone who is closer to her size. Fun was had by all.

Our friends asked if we'd play some music, so I got the mandolin out to play:

Now, most of you know that I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies, but I do like playing with kids once they're old enough to interact. I'm not really sure at what age that ability arises, but I found it amazing how clearly Christian Samuel could interact without using words. When I was playing the mandolin, his eyes were darting back and forth between my picking hand and my fretting hand. It was obvious that he was putting the whole mandolin-playing thing together. Pretty soon, he started holding his hands to mirror mine (see picture).

After that, he wanted to get his hands on the instrument and start his burgeoning bluegrass career. Most kids usually just want to strum the instrument, but not this kid. He had both hands at the ready, strumming with one hand and pushing strings to frets with the other. Watch out, Chris Thile. You might have started young, but I've got one that's going to put you to shame over here in Cincinnati.

Where Every Padgett Knows Your Name

2009-09-20T20:08:00.002-04:00

I know. I know. We've been out of touch. To go ahead and make some excuses, we've been settling into our new routine and we're enjoying television more than the internet. Plus, all of our blogging friends have a lot more to write about than we do; it makes it tough to write about everyday things when everyone else has magnificent things to talk about. So, now we're getting some extra stories into our arsenal.

Anna and I got tickets through the firm that I work with to the Chamber of Commerce's VIP event at Cincinnati's Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is a downtown street fair that takes over 5th; we live on 7th. There are tons of food and drink vendors lined down the street and a ton of bandstands (see video below). The Chamber brought in Jim Koch, founder of Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams) and Cincinnati native. Fun fact: about a third of Sam's line-up is brewed right here in Cincinnati.

Along with Jim, came George Wendt. You might remember him as Norm from Cheers. We had a ton of fun listening to the two of them banter back and forth. It really felt like our two worlds (New England and the Midwest) were colliding again. It wasn't enough that they had to bring a Segway store (a NH-based company) into Over-the-Rhine . . .

Check out the video below for some good Oktoberfest music. Also watch for the first guy to pass through the shot (on the right)--the entire reason for making the video. This guy lives for Oktoberfest.

Happy Birthday, Addy!

2009-09-09T05:25:00.005-04:00

Our dog Adelaide turns 4 years old today. Happy birthday, Addy! Here's a picture of her awaiting her celebratory cake:

Kicking and Screaming

2009-09-03T18:20:00.002-04:00

As a lot of you know, I started work this past Tuesday. After starting, I got an e-mail that said the firm was offering free health screenings. Recognizing a great benefit, I quickly signed up . . . perhaps too quickly.

After signing up, I realized that I would need to fast and be emotionally prepared to have my finger pricked and bled onto a small strip. Fasting is not a problem (I regularly skip breakfast), but drawing blood makes this a "medical procedure" in my book, triggering a certain level of anxiety and obligations on my part.

I am a notoriously bad patient for medical professionals. When I was little, I once kicked one of my doctors (Dr. Todd) in the shin. I also kicked and screamed through a very minor procedure, embarrassing my mother. As Anna could assure you, I am a terrible patient. With this history, I always feel like I have a reputation to preserve, so I go out of my way to make life difficult for medical professionals. It's quite possible that I'm one of the causes of the nursing shortage in America.

With that background, I was ready to go in and really give some grief to those nice ladies doing the health screenings. I was quiet to begin with, planning on really yelping out once the finger-pricking device made it's debut. The lady sterilized my finger and rubbed it off with a cotton ball, and I looked around for the blood-letting weapon. When I turned my head back around, she was wicking the blood on my finger onto the strip! She had used a little cube that I hadn't recognized to stab me, and I hadn't felt a thing! Caught off guard, I gave up my act and just pouted for the rest of the screening.

It turns out that I'm in pretty good health--though I probably eat hamburgers too often. I do appreciate the screening. I particularly appreciate the free pedometer they gave me along with the advice to take 5,000 steps per day (or at least shake around a lot). Still, I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't give my nurse lady the thought that she didn't get paid enough to do these %$*& health screenings. I'll give myself a break this time, but I expect better performance in the future.

Blast from the Passed: In Front of God and Everybody

2009-08-31T22:21:00.001-04:00

I know that the bar exam is over, but I'm still sending out good vibes to those that are currently grading answers. I'm also finishing up going through all of my old pictures that were never captured digitally. I've played a lot of music over the years, but I only have a few pictures of myself on stage. So, when I came across these pictures, I re-lived some good times.

Wil, the guy on the drums, is one of the best players out there. The weird thing here is that the guy behind the camera is my buddy Joey D. He is, undoubtedly, a more talented bass player than me, but he graciously ran around and snapped a few brilliantly framed shots so I could remember the summer of 2004. Lots of fun playing music with these guys! (For more musical memories, see this previous post.)

Fourth Anniversary

2009-08-27T06:00:00.002-04:00

Today marks the fourth anniversary of our wedding. It has been an awesome four years, and we're pretty excited about what this next year is going to have in store.

I'm planning on getting Anna the traditional gift for four years: fruit. Any suggestions would be much obliged. I missed out on last year's opportunity to get us matching leather chaps. I don't want to let the fruit year pass by without something huge.

From the Floor: What We've Been Up To

2009-08-26T08:46:00.002-04:00

Milton, FL--As you can probably tell from the picture and my geographic location, we are on vacation, giving me the opportunity to catch up on some much needed rest. We went by Gorham's Bluff for a few days, saw Anna's family, and now we're down in Florida with Grandma Nancy and Uncle Whit.

I am sure that one of my less-furry counterparts will update our blog soon about our trip, but I thought that we should get something out there before we get back. Yet, I'm on vacation and want to do as little work as possible. The answer: a bullet list.

Congrats to all of our friends who have had babies in the recent weeks. I dare not try to name them all--lest I forget someone. I look forward to licking your babies' faces.

We got some new wheels through the oft-debated Clunkers program. It is a Ford Fusion Hybrid (we call it FuFu). It's been a great ride for us on our trip.

Austin and Nate launched their new comedic blog. It's funnier than a monkey on a bicycle.

Uncle Godfrey came up and helped us get some stuff in storage, so I've got tons of room in the apartment now.

We stopped by Samford University to visit with the people that made a big difference in Austin and Anna's lives. I growled at this man (pictured in the middle), but I came to trust him once I found out that he, like Austin, attended CCM in Cincinnati.

There is a lot more, but we'll update you soon. I don't want to overtax my paws or my brain.

From the Floor: My New Favorite Place

2009-08-13T06:19:00.006-04:00

Cincinnati--It has been so long since I've written anything, and many of you are asking about how I am adjusting to all of the changes in my life right now. To be honest, it has been a tough transition. I don't have as much room to run around since we're living in a downtown loft, and it is impossible to get walk around downtown without someone telling me how beautiful I am. While I appreciate the compliments, I walk with a mission in my mind, and we've got to keep moving.

Things aren't all that bad. In fact, I've found my new favorite place to relax. We've had a big leather chair (pictured) since I started shacking up with these people, but I've never really taken the time to sit on it. I wish I could turn back time and take advantage of my new cathedra for the past four years (I'll be four on Sept. 10--please, no gifts). Not only can I achieve a near-liquid state in this chair, but I can see out of the big window down to Seventh St. I really enjoy people-watching and occasionally "giving them [my two cents]" for their odd or poor behavior. People, for the most part, are ridiculous, but the people that made this chair are angels in our midst.

Before the Exam

2009-08-11T21:28:00.002-04:00

The months leading up to the bar exam were certainly stressful, but, overall, it's actually been a pretty great summer. One of the best nights came just a week or so before the bar exam--when the crunch-time was at its . . . crunchiest. The firm that I'm going to work for opened up its Reds suite for all of the incoming "first years" (you enter as a "class" at many law firms). It was a completely relaxing experience. Though most of us there were taking the bar exam, very few words were spoken about the exam, and I definitely felt like my proverbial batteries were charged.
The suites at the stadium have an awesome feature that I loved. There is a computer panel that allows you to bring up any of the available broadcast cameras on the big screen in the suite. If you want to watch someone warm up in the bullpen, for example, you can select that particular camera. The system also provides on-demand replay from any of the cameras. When Brewers relief pitcher Todd Coffey did his sprint to the mound, we could watch it as many times as we wanted, speeding it up to look even more ridiculous. You can also see the Kiss Cam rejects that don't make it onto the Jumbotron. Hilarious.The outside sitting are for the suite contains some great seats and gives a great view of the ball park, the river, and the opposing skyline. Last summer, I came to love sitting in right field (when Griffey still played for the Reds), but I'll take suite seats any time!
After such an awesome night at the ball park, it was only fitting that the bar that operates at the bottom level of our building should ruin everything. I've written before about how loud the bar's customers and music are , but this night was particularly raucous because the Girls Gone Wild bus was in town:

I love that they haul a hunter green mini-van behind their misogynistic, exploitative bus. You know, just in case someone needs to make soccer practice while the bus is in use. The worst part was that there was a huge bachelorette party taking place (their party bus was parked on the opposite corner). These girls, including the future bride, were so wasted and freely jumping on the bus to be filmed or whatever they were doing on the bus at that point. Still, if a sleepless night is the trade-off for a relaxing/fun game in the great give-and-take of the universe, we'll take it.

Anna's Cake

2009-08-06T19:14:00.004-04:00

Anna has always been a great cook, but she has been on a roll lately. As evidence, I offer you her fantastic pound cake:

What makes this pound cake special? The texture. It's not as heavy as a traditional pound cake, but Anna has not sacrificed any of the quintessential characteristics of the dessert. This delight has the creamiest texture you'll ever have in a pound cake. It is moist and robust. Fresh and rustic. Simply fantastic.

Blockheads

2009-08-06T18:29:00.005-04:00

Several posts ago, I told you about a film project that Nate and I had been working on--complete with a poster. The pitch was for a live action version of A Charlie Brown Christmas, complete with some quasi-artistic liberties. Well, it seems that we were not alone in having Charlie Brown as our muse or envisioning him in a more violent, urban light. When Anna and I went to visit my brother, we saw this painting:

It actually has nothing to do with Charlie Brown. It was in a series of paintings with different colors, and the series as a whole was quite striking. While I'm talking about artistry, I'd like to announce that Nate and I, the dudes that brought you Rhubarbicon, are developing a new comedy venture. I'm not going to be giving any hints right now, but I'll let you know when you should start reading and where you can order a promotional t-shirt.

Treasures of the City: The Library

2009-08-05T12:45:00.002-04:00

I read a lot of blogs about Cincinnati, and I've noticed a common thread that runs through all of them: defending the city. It seems like the city's biggest cheerleaders are always shouting "De - - - fense, De - - - fense." While I do believe that the city gets more than its fair share of media attention, I don't think that all of it is unfair, unwarranted, or inaccurate. I criticize things about the city as well because I see so much potential here. When you are not a Cincinnati native and interview for a job here, you'll often find that people simply can't believe that you would want to live here for an extended period of time.

Cincinnatians, there is no need to be self-conscious. You actually live in a city full of treasures. Things aren't perfect, but the city is so much better than it was when we lived here three years ago. In an effort to do my part, I'm going to take a different route than playing defense. I'm going to tell you what makes this city great in our eyes. First up: Cincinnati Public Library.

Cincinnati's Public Library system is a 41-branch behemoth. Currently, we live only one block away from the Main Branch in downtown. This branch, as of 2008, moves four million volumes per year--the highest circulation of any single library in the United States. In short, the library is huge, encompassing two city blocks.

It is hard to describe how extensive their collection is. Whenever I hear about a book, a DVD (feature films, documentaries, concerts, anything), a CD, any type of media, I send myself an e-mail so I can remember to search for it in the library's database later. I would say that the library has that particular volume 19 out of 20 times (and I can always get an inter-library loan for that other 1/20). When I was writing my MM thesis, I didn't go to the school's library. I did almost all of my research in the public library's archives just one block from our apartment. I became quick friends with the librarians who were able to (1) point me to any obscure volume that I thought I needed, (2) tell me about resources that I didn't know existed, (3) and research any question that crossed my mind along the way. The people and the resources are simply astounding.

The library also has tons of computers for people to use them. I think this is great because it is helping (at least in theory) to narrow the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The library also hosts programs to teach people how to use new technology. A few weeks ago, I heard the program announcer come over the loudspeaker and tell everyone that the "How to Use Twitter" program could squeeze a couple more people into the room.

For the month of July, I spent, on average, at least seven hours per weekday studying for the bar in the Main Branch. I wouldn't recommend the "Quiet Study Areas" since they are anything but quiet. Also, don't sit near the high school year book section in the genealogy section as it is oddly/creepily popular. Still, there are some great places to hole up and get some work done if you know where to look.

On Finding Myself in the Bar Exam

2009-08-02T16:00:00.005-04:00

The moment that it finally set in, the moment that I realized I was taking the bar exam, was in the middle of the morning of the second day. The morning task was 100 questions on a variety of legal topics. After a long day of essays the day before, I was surprised that the "rush" had carried into the second day. I was answering the questions like a well-oiled, bubble-filling machine. Then it happened, a hair from my head landed on my testing booklet right on top of question 62. I was in a room with 1177 other test takers, and I wasn't sure how many thousands of other people were shedding into their testing booklets all across America. How much total hair, I wondered, would be collected in the July administration of the test? I bet they just throw it away when hair actually has significant potential to help clean up oil spills or reducing the need for herbicides. After these thoughts, I realized, for the first time really, that I was in the middle of a difficult exam. Time was of the essence, and I was sitting there thinking about human shedding.

As promised in our last post, I'm writing today to tell you today about my trip to Columbus. I rode with my buddy Dan up to the Hyatt in downtown Columbus so we could walk to the testing center. Our thoughts were along the same path: "because the test has so many unknowns, control the elements that you are capable of controlling." We took a huge cooler that Anna had packed so we were sure that we'd have food. The night before the test, we timed ourselves to see how long it would take to get to the testing center. We even got to go inside the building and peek into the hall to get a feel for how it was going to go down. We went back, grabbed some food, and then we reviewed some notecards while watching a National Geographic special on Charles Lindbergh--who actually led a disturbing life.

The test was in the North Hall of Veteran's Memorial. Imagine a Sam's Club warehouse with all of the merchandise removed and filled with 600 or so tables for the 1177 applicants. That's what this place was, the perfect venue for a gun show or a baseball card show.

Upon entering the hall, you are quickly branded with a label: computer or handwriter. Handwriters went to the right, computers to the left. I figured that I would never see my computer friends again, but a lot of them broke through the social hierarchical construction and ate with us handwriters at lunch. It was like West Side Story without the lame snapping ("get cooly cool, boy") or the comical dancing/fighting routines.

When I arrived at my seat--Seat 186 (see diagram)--I discovered a long table with a metal folding chair at each end, facing the opposite wall. You see, you share a table with someone - - - unless you're me. The guy that was supposed to sit next to me must have backed out, and I had a table to myself for the entire three days. I'm not opposed to sharing, and I don't think anyone had a terrible seating partner, but I was grateful that I had my own domain and could stretch out a little more.

At the head of the room was the director of admissions for the Ohio Bar Association. She maintained control of the scene, which could have been crazy. I was really surprised by how easily the test was administered, and the organization was great. While you were writing on one set of essays, the next set would be there waiting for you when you finally craned your neck up to see what was going on. The best feeling came when I finished my last essay on Thursday. Before I looked up, I had the wonderful thought that there wasn't going to be another set of essays waiting to be completed. When I finally unlocked my neck from the down position, I found a Hershey's Kiss. It seems like a simple gesture, but, after three days of testing and stress, it was the best.

All in all, the test was tough but fair. I got a lot of strength from knowing that, even in this very North Hall of Veteran's Memorial, so many had gone before me to do great, great things:

Examples and Explanations: The Bar Exam

2009-08-01T07:43:00.002-04:00

. . . and we're back.

I apologize for the long delay between posts, but the bar exam was an all-consuming task. Now, life is closer to normal again. I wanted to spend one, and only one, post explaining the bar exam process. I'm going to write a follow-up post about my trip up to Columbus for the actual task.

After graduating from law school, there is very little satisfaction from completing the task. This is because the true gatekeepers to the profession are the bar examiners of each state. So, the week after graduation, I started taking bar review courses in a program called BarBri. This program costs a few thousand dollars and includes several books of substantive outlines and practice questions and lectures from law professors on all of the topics. I took the bus up to the University of Cincinnati's College of Law every day and listened to live lectures or taped lectures that hit the highlights of the material for about five weeks straight. While I did learn a lot of the topics in law school, the bar exam is quite different. Here are the topics that the Ohio bar exam covers:

Civil Procedure
Criminal Law*
Criminal Procedure
Contracts
Business Association (Agency, Partnership, and Corporations)
Commercial Paper*
Secured Transactions*
Evidence
Constitutional Law
Wills*
Professional Responsibility
Torts
Property

The asterisks note the classes that I didn't take in law school. Fortunately, these particular topics were easy to pick up. I actually loved Wills and wish I had taken it in law school.

The Ohio bar exam is a 3-day exam. The first day is a series of six essay questions in the morning, and you get thirty minutes to get something down on the paper or computer screen (I chose to handwrite my exam). You get the essays two at a time, so the tricky part is to apportion the right amount of time to the topic depending on its demands. In the afternoon, the bar examiners provide two, closed-universe, practice-based essays that you get an 1.5 hours each to complete. Basically, you get a "memorandum" from your hypothetical boss that tells you about a hypothetical client with a hypothetical problem. Then, you get to read a few made-up cases and statutes that give you a few rules that you might or might not use. Then, you get to see your client's hypothetical case file that includes interviews, letters, and anything else that might provide relevant or irrelevant facts. Then, your job is to follow directions and put some final product together for your hypothetical boss. I found these exercises to be the most enjoyable part of the exam.

The second day is a multiple choice test that most states have adopted: the Multistate Bar Examination. This six-hour test covers six major topics in 200 questions. If you want to answer a few questions from a sample test for giggles, click here (the answers are at the end). I recommend question 15 as a "typical" or "average" question in length and difficulty.

The third day is another set of six essays (again, thirty minutes per question in sets of two). The Ohio bar examiners group the substantive topics into 11 testable areas, and you will get a question on each of those areas. After Day 1's six essays, you know exactly what topics are going to come up, but a topic (probably from the first day) will repeat. I heard one person refer to this as "the grab-bag question." It was like nails running down a chalkboard. "Grab-bag" sounds ridiculous, and I hate the way it rolls off of the tongue with its shallow vowels. "Toss-up" might not be as appropriate or evocative, but it feels more robust and adult.

So, that's the basic explanation of what the bar exam is. If you have any questions, please stand up and wave your arms (what you do at the bar exam if you're [1] in need of proctor assistance or [2] dying).

Quick Update: Google Voice

2009-07-14T17:57:00.003-04:00

Greetings, all. I know that we haven't posted in a while, but August is right around the corner. We'll hit the ground running then. The bar exam studying is going well, and we're in the process of closing a sale on our house.

We received our Google Voice invite the other day, and we got a pretty sweet number. I'll try my best to contact all of you in August and get our new number out there. However, you can use the new number now by using the widget over here on the right of the screen. The process is quite simple:

Click on the "Call Me" button.
Input your name and number (you want your phone by you).
Click "Submit."
Your phone will ring. Pick it up.
Your phone will then ring our phones.
Hopefully we'll pick up. If not, feel free to leave a message!

That's it. Easy enough?

Blast from Someone Else's Past

2009-06-20T11:56:00.003-04:00

The other night, I junked out on PBS (I love the News Hour). There's a local show about Cincinnati events. For some reason, the show played a long clip from Hamilton High School Class of 1956's 50th High School Reunion DVD. It looked like everyone was having a great time--particularly one lady (featured in the clip). The very beginning of the clip is from the dinner performance by The Avalons (here's their updated website). Nailed it.

I hope my 50th high school class reunion is just as magical to me as this lady's was to her. Bye, Y'all.

Blast from the Passed: Chanson des Voyageurs

2009-06-18T21:47:00.005-04:00

I've played in several groups in my brief time on this planet. In recent years, I've played with The Prodigals and was a voice in The Rhubarbitones. After three years of law school and getting so close to the end of the law student chapter of our life, I realize how I sometimes miss making music on a daily basis. I was talking with my buddy Joel about his ever-growing music career, and I remembered how we used to sit in the computer lab at Samford or stand on various stages and work on creating music for hours and hours and hours. Will I miss it? Definitely, but I didn't go through law school without gigging a little. Let me introduce the greatest law school band that there ever was (look for me on the drum kit; we were "rebuilding"):

We only played together three times (though we're hoping to get some Franklin Pierce alumni meeting gigs). Our school has an annual show, and we served as the house band for all three years. Every year, we had a little different lineup in the group, but our core consisted of Dan "Flashy Fingers" Landau, Nate "The Meat" Harris, Gaelan "Pretty Mouth" Flannery, and Austin "Dry Spell" Padgett.

We made some great music together, and we had a strong following in the Greater Concord region (which includes Concord Heights). In fact, it would be safe to say that we were the best law school band in the South-Central New Hampshire area.

We were known as The Tortfeasors from the the beginning. Though we thought of other names (e.g., The Attractive Nuisances), we adopted the perfect band name. With any other name, we would have had to practice more than we did. We practiced as little as possible because the annual show was always scheduled right after midterm exams.

While we were known for the soul-searching lyrics, soaring vocals, and sparse textures in our music, we also had a reputation for wearing awesome "get-ups." In the picture above, we came out for our final set--after an evening of bow ties and corduroy jackets (with elbow patches)--wearing track suits. Man, we looked amazing. Historical/Editorial Note: The drum set pictured belonged to the school. Though we abused it (turning it over, etc.), it deserved a better fate than what the school gave it.

I will miss playing with these guys. My favorite days in law school were spent with an instrument in hand.

Final Note: I read this post to Anna, and she said that it sounded "sad." To be clear, I love what I'll be doing in law. It is actually a creative outlet, and I love helping people figure out how to best protect and get what they want out of their work.

Blast from the Passed: Choir Tour 2003

2009-06-16T06:35:00.001-04:00

Before I begin the substantive portion of this post, I just wanted to remind everyone that the title of the post series--involving the word "passed"--is totally intentional. My upcoming career depends on people having faith in my ability to distinguish between the homophones "past" and "passed." As explained in the first entry of the series and somewhat in another post (referencing The Power of Positive Thinking), I'm trying to take little steps to convince myself that the bar exam is a done deal--that I've already "passed" the test. It's not as clever as I first intended it to be, but it's too late to jump ship . . . in more ways than you know.

Now, today's post is a series of photographs from Samford University A Capella Choir Tour in 2003 (the same week the U.S. started to bomb Iraq for their supposed weapons of mass destruction; remember that?). On our choir tour, we got the privilege of staying in people's homes (and eating most/all of their stored rations). Usually, this was a great experience, but there were some homes along the way that freaked us out. First picture:

In 2003, one of the homes we stayed at took in four guys: me, Greg (pictured below), Terrance (pictured above), and Brett. The family that took us in for the night had a great home, but, while touring us around, they showed us the son's room where Terrance would be sleeping--complete with a confederate naval flag hung above the bed. Next picture.To give the son some credit, he had a lot of various flags in his room. So, while we were a little creeped out (particularly at making Terrance sleep in that bed), it might have just been part of his collection. We soon found out that the kid also had a fairly expansive collection of sharp blades to go along with it. Next picture:

I've given the kid a happy face and some anonymity in case he grew up and changed. I wouldn't want his life to be ruined just because he retained his boyish face. After a while, the kid kept showing us a bunch of weird stuff, and we would take pictures and video of every minute of it. The next picture of the kid, the samurai sword, and Terrance's hilarious face is one of my favorite pictures ever.

The kid also had an extensive collection of various guns whether they were hanging on the wall or in a built-in-china-cabinet-turned-into-a-gun-rack. The weaponry just never stopped.

My next favorite picture comes from when we were hanging out with the entire family. The kid was needing some attention, and he really wanted to show us his favorite knife. He was so fascinated by Terrance and made sure that T saw every knife he brought out. It was just a weird night, but I always love having these experiences. They're like the choir boy version of war stories. There are tons of others. Perhaps I'll share more in some other post.

Blast from the Passed: Measure of a Man

2009-06-14T06:30:00.001-04:00

What is the measure of a man? In the Padgett household, every man will be measured against a giant, wooden cutout of a Polar bear. If any man be less than a polar bear in his heart, he is not a Padgett.

This picture comes from the Cincinnati Zoo when my mom and brother came up circa 2004. The Cincinnati Zoo has a wide assortment of creatures. The polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are hilarious in their pool; they like to do backstrokes. I'm not joking. I've thought about trying to organize some sort of crude, pay-per-view race between Michael Phelps and a polar bear. It would be man versus bear in water. Of course, with an improper lane change, it turns into a mauling. It would probably be hard to get the financing for such an event considering the insurance costs. Oh well.

On another note: When I was researching my M.M. thesis, I came across a Cincinnati Zoo postcard that Elgar sent to his daughter (with some help from a librarian with the Elgar Society--shout out!). It had some sort of inside joke written on it that, like the Enigma Variations, still remains unsolved.

Blast from the Passed: Far and Away

2009-06-12T20:48:00.005-04:00

I've been falling behind on the blog; I admit it. With the bar exam getting closer with each minute, I start to feel guilty when I'm not thinking about the exam. It sounds weird, I'm sure, but I know you've had something in your life like this.

With that said, the blog will slow down between now and August. I promise to kick it back into high gear after that. For now, I thought it would be fun to do some shorter posts since Anna and I have been going through old photographs. In a nod to positive vibes for the bar exam, we'll be calling this series "Blast from the Passed." Here's our first entry:

That's me and the then-future Mrs. Padgett in Russia circa 2001. We're standing outside Peter the Great's Palace in Peterhof. It is an amazing place, simply unbelievable. The gardens go on forever, and the fountains are very, very "tricky."

Potter Goes Hufflepuff

2009-06-08T21:37:00.003-04:00

I promise this is the last look-a-like post for a while (see this post and this post for previous discussion). After my previous post, Nate reminded me of a providential encounter with a man at The Barley House.

Imagine walking into a room and realizing that you're looking at the darker side of yourself: your fears, your most evil, unrealized thoughts. That is exactly what happened to me a couple of summers ago (see picture). First clue--we were wearing the same shirt. Really, the only difference is the facial hair, a few extra pounds, chunkier glasses, and lack of a pretzel in hand. I congratulated the guy on his good looks, and he, mine. I don't want to go on about the encounter because it still spooks me.

Though it's already been written, it bears repeating: the encounter was like the Mirror, Mirror episode of Star Trek. Never have I felt more like Spock. I've needed some new glasses, so I'm thinking of going with the chunkier frames. Thoughts?

Celebration

2009-06-06T11:37:00.002-04:00

This weekend was Anna's birthday, so I planned a few things around the city for us to do as a celebration. First, we headed down to Fountain Square (pictured below, click on the link for a beautiful HDR image of the fountain). We live two blocks down and one block over from the Square, and it is definitely the heart of the downtown area. When work starts up, my office will be a block from the fountain.

PNC bank, in conjunction with others, sponsors a series of totally free events on Fountain Square during the week. They play movies and Reds games on the jumbo screen overhanging the square, have a food market on some days, and lots of other stuff. Every Thursday over the summer, there will be salsa dancing with a live band on the Square from 7 to 10. Thus, the birthday celebration began.

The organizers moved the cafe-style tables around to make an open dance floor in front of the band (Son del Caribe). The band was tight (big shout out to the trombone section), and they have the personalities in their group that will make people get out and shake what their mothers and, possibly, fathers gave them. There were some very experienced couples out there, who were fun to watch/mimic/bump into, but the dance floor was definitely a "no-judgment zone," free for anyone--including some of the "local natives"--to come out, move, and have a great time.

During the band's breaks, a salsa instructor came out and led 200+ people through the steps for the Bachata. Unlike the Duggars, who have a family rule against dancing, the Padgett household presumes dancing will occur unless there is clear and convincing evidence against it (attending a funeral, etc.). We successfully added the passionate Bachata to our repetoire.

We danced and had fun for a while, but it's hard to dance for long when the world's greatest ice cream vendor has opened a shop right on the square. So, we grabbed some ice cream to more-than-offset any of the calories that dancing might have burned. We returned home and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

On Friday night, I took Anna to Pompilio's (pictured below, photo credit to some Flickr user), an Italian eatery in Newport. Again, we had a fun, and the restaurant's courtyard made me hope that the next Wii title is WiiBocce. I would hope that they would include online play. If they could get it ready by early June of 2010, it would save me some time in picking out a present for Anna's birthday. Done and done.

Happy Birthday, Anna!!!

2009-06-05T06:31:00.001-04:00

Shaking Our Fists

2009-06-01T22:08:00.001-04:00

Just to be clear, we now live in Cincinnati. Here's the weird thing: we live in the same building that we moved out of when we left Cincinnati three years ago. As a married couple, it is "our first place" and "our third place" all at the same time.

Our apartment building is downtown, just a few blocks from where I'll be working after I cakewalk the bar (See The Power of Positive Thinking). When we lived here before, there was a great restaurant in the bottom of the building. That restaurant is gone now, and the new tenants are less-than-desirable neighbors. I normally wouldn't disparage a local business--particularly on our blog, but this bar has started to ruin our lives.

During the day, the place is pretty quiet. I've had one of their burgers, and it's really good food. Though the bar bills itself as a "sports bar," I would offer that multiple televisions doth not a sports bar make. I look at the activities, like the Thursday night Beer Pong tournaments. Over the past month, the bar offered a Carnival-style theme every Saturday night, including a fire-breathing man placed--brilliantly--on the public sidewalk. While these events are not a problem by themselves, the bar accompanies these events with subwoofer-heavy club music until closing (2:30 a.m.). Sports bar? Not likely.

I invite the bar, their administration, their landlords, and our dear readers to take a look at Cincinnati's noise ordinance. I invite the fire marshal to visit during peak times. I would also invite some particularly proud fathers to come downtown and watch their daughters dance on top of the tabletops for some of Cincinnati's finest gents.

We're having a really hard time getting to sleep on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The thumping and primal screaming is keeping us awake, and it's really messing with Addy. This doesn't provide for the best bar-exam-studying environment either. We're complaining up the chain, but we'd also love the economic downturn to hit this establishment really hard. At least as hard as they pump the dance-club music. "In the club, in the club . . ."

Of course, we're old coots down in our souls (see picture above). It's just that it's a terrible disappointment. I thought the city was getting better, but now we've got a bunch of mouth-breathing miscreants down below.

Aerosol Pancakes

2009-05-31T16:56:00.000-04:00

Fun product review time! Have you ever wanted to combine the great taste of pancakes with the convenience of EZ Cheez? Do you still need the product to meet the USDA's standards for an organic label? Your wish is my command. Meet Batter Blaster:

Amazing! I first read about this product on Jorge Garcia's blog. When we spotted it at Whole Foods, I knew that we had to try it. I'm a huge pancake fan, but I'm not a huge fan of doing dishes. The Batter Blaster seemed like it would alleviate the need to dirty up and subsequently wash a mixing bowl, so it was worth a shot. However, I was skeptical going into the grand experiment.

The batter actually tastes pretty good. It flows really easily from the can-as you would expect-so you can make designs. I wasn't thrilled with the density of the pancake (very, very light), but that one concern is overshadowed by the simplicity and taste of the product. Have I mentioned that it's organic? If you try it out, let us know what you think.

Bringing It to Life

2009-05-28T02:04:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to organize all the files on my hard drive since I have a ton of folders from law school scattered across the hard drives of several different computers. This kind of activity reminds you of things you might have forgotten about. Case in point, check out this picture:

This is a "movie poster" for a project that me and Nate were working on. here's the idea: update A Charlie Brown Christmas as a live-action film (like the Grinch re-make) but target it towards the 18-49 male demographic by including senseless violence, bioterrorism, and, of course, a grown-up version of the little red-headed girl. Also, we decided that we'd have to remove the holiday elements since we wanted it to be a summer blockbuster. This film didn't come to fruition beyond the poster and this YouTube promo. Scary? Sure, but we projected a huge return at the box office. This is what people want, but I have a feeling we'll have some problems getting the proper licenses for the characters, etc.

From the Floor: Done and Done

2009-05-19T20:30:00.006-04:00

Adelaide Macaroni Padgett is a puppy, specializing in sleep and play. She is author of The Perils of White Puppies in New England, Growling at Windmills, and Bichon: The Story of an Urban Sophisticate. Her series for this blog "From the Floor" strives to provide a commonplace-if not subaltern-view of newsworthy events.

Concord, NH--So, Anna and Austin are super-busy right now with unpacking and bar review, so I thought that I would give you the post about graduation. After moving back to Cincinnati, we turned right back around to New Hampshire, including a 17-hour day in the car--very long for a puppy. When we got back to our New England house, I was ready to play/practice my bipedalism.

The best part was that Grandmother Nancy and Great-Grandmother Hendricks came up to join in the festivities. They are two of my favorite ladies (check me and G-G Hendricks making eyes in the top picture), and they treat me like one of the less hairy members of the family.

While processing through the line, Austin snapped some pictures from his "Tam-Cam." You can really see the beauty of White Park and the scruffs or nuchae of his classmates' necks.

White Park is one of my favorite places to go for walks and a great place for pictures. I've also heard that they have an awesome hill for sledding in the snow.

I'm proud of Austin. After three years of hard work, he gets to go work hard. Have fun with that, dude. I'll think of you when I'm napping and playing all day long. But seriously, I love this guy.

Alright, Big Guy. It's time for me to help you keep it real while you study for the bar exam. You will pass this thing and buy me another yard in which to play.

Goodbye, Old Friend

2009-05-18T06:00:00.003-04:00

Anna and I are living downtown--just a few blocks from where I'll be working. This is going to be terribly convenient, and we'll only need one car. Therefore, we decided to sell my car. I completed the transaction this past Friday, and it was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. The car I sold was my first car, the one I got when I was 16.

I'm grateful that I have a family that could afford to get me a car when I became street-legal. I still remember when my mother came to pick me up from a track meet at Pace High School in 1996. I couldn't find her car in the lot, and she totally surprised me by unlocking the new Grand Prix. I was most impressed with the sound system because it was the first car in our family that had a CD player in it. I must have listened to the Eric Clapton Unplugged album (my favorite album at that time in my life) a hundred times in that car.

I took pretty good care of that car, and I remember spending a lot of hot, Florida Saturday mornings washing that car so that I could impress some bonnie lass. I drove several ladies around in that car on first dates, and I also drove it on the last dates with those same ladies. Most of those events were the same date. Even a sweet ride will not overcome the stigma that comes with looking like Harry Potter.

In the roughest times, I would just drive that car around to empty my mind. In the best of times--most notably, our wedding--the car was waiting for us at the end of a long line of friends that were blowing bubbles through cheap, plastic wands.

All of these memories came back in a quick rush when the buyer and I agreed on a price. Though it's just a thing/machine/object/stuff, it has been with me through my formative years. If I were to include that sort of intangible value in my price, nobody could afford my car. So, it didn't, and it sold. And I felt rotten for a little while afterwards.

I hope that the car serves the buyer well. It's going to a family that needs a new ride, and they're getting a great, well-kept machine. I also think that I left a disc in the CD player, so, if they're reading this, they could get that back to me if they want to be decent--just leave it with Phil.

Goodbye, old friend. Truly, wider is better.

Lookalikes Revisited

2009-05-11T22:00:00.001-04:00

A few posts ago, I wrote about how much people think I look like Harry Potter. There was a relative "outpouring" of comments. Mike commented that people think he looks like Jake Gyllenhall, making Julie, his lady friend, Reese. Nate commented that he looks like Tom Hanks in one of his particularly brilliant portrayals, making Erin, his lady friend, Antonio Banderas. Sorry, Erin. If it makes you feel better, Anna would be Ginevra Weasley to my Harry.

I thought I'd follow up with another post on the same subject. A few years ago, my buddy Robert Z. spotted this photograph in Foreign Policy magazine. I'll admit that I look a little like Harry Potter, but, particularly when I have shaggy hair, I look exactly like this photograph of South Korean heartthrob Bae Yong-Joon. I'm working on piecing together this outfit for a direct comparison photograph. Don't hold your breath; it's a tough jacket to find on a budget.

Here's my most recent attempt:

The Last Three Years

2009-05-09T20:50:00.001-04:00

Pending grades, I have completed all of my law school courses, and I want to take one post to reflect on what I thought went well and what I thought I could have done better. I'm going to try my best to avoid the same, often-useful-sometimes-trite advice that a lot of former law students hand out. I have a reminder on my calendar to write a response to this post one year from now when I have a different perspective.

1. I should have completed my previous degree before trying my hand at law school. I devoted every other weekend of my 1L year to completing my M.M. thesis. I still did well, but I was running out of steam by midterms in the spring, and I really had to dig deep for a while there. My advice to anyone that is going to do lawschool is to get as many other obligations out of the way as you can before starting.

2. I'm glad that I aspired to read every word that was assigned. I remember one of our 1L professors promising that we would be handsomely rewarded if we would do the work assigned. Beyond a few memos, we were assigned to do a lot of reading, and I gave it my all. I didn't read every word that was assigned (who could?), but I always tried. A lot of students realized that they could make it through without doing all of the reading, claiming they had become "efficient." My advice: read everything you can while you have the luxury of time and a professor that's usually willing to entertain your questions.

3. I'm glad that I had other things going on. I know that I said everyone should seek to fulfill all other obligations before starting law school. That was true to a point. Most of my favorite memories from the past three years don't involve law school. I will look back fondly on our neighborhood and learning about home ownership and other grown-up stuff from all of our awesome neighbors. Also, I loved our Wednesday dining group and making music with the people out in Henniker. Enjoy law school for all it is worth, but make sure you have something else that you can do for fun. You'll do better in the end.

4. I wish that I had written a lot more. I tried to take as many doctrinal classes as I could, classes that only had final exams, so I could get a broad education. This was very good for me, but I wish that I had taken a few more writing classes--particularly an independent study where I had another full-length paper to shop around for publication. You can never get too much writing experience (or so I've heard), and becoming an expert in a focused topic is a nice counterbalance to the broad legal concepts you will learn in the doctrinal classes.

It's been a great three years, and I hope that these thoughts will help someone along the way.

Rolling with the Big Boys

2009-05-07T22:28:00.003-04:00

We apologize that we've been out of touch for the past two weeks. Things have been busy, and we've been without internet access. Now we're back--and we're in Cincinnati. We've dealt with the stress of the move, and we're now working through the boxes to get unpacked. It's going to take a while.

For now, rest assured that our trip was safely executed. Anna's dad graciously helped us out by allowing us to load up his trailer and drive it out here. Even with that trailer, we still needed another truck, and I got to drive it.

I was really afraid that it was going to be difficult to drive that truck, but, by the middle of New York, the student (me) had become the teacher (of the truck). Even better, I started thinking I was a trucker. It began when we would stop at rest stops. Having to choose between TRUCKS and CARS, I naturally chose the former (see picture).

I noticed that truckers had a lot to deal with, always checking stuff on their trucks. So, I did the same with mine. I pushed on the tires to make sure they were still . . . there. I would open the back of the truck to check on my "load." I really wanted to sleep in the truck, but Anna made me come inside the hotel.

It got worse. I started thinking that I was part of the brotherhood of truckers when we were on the road. There were a few times when I could tell that one of my brethren needed to change lanes. Who would jump out and block traffic for him? His loyal Budget buddy. I didn't have a CB, but I'd like to think that he was thanking me over on channel 13 or whatever.

The biggest slap in the face came when I figured out that the truck ran on 87-grade gasoline--not diesel. So, I would park with the big guys and then creep over to the regular gas pumps, feeling ashamed and inadequate. I had a feeling that they were laughing at me. If they didn't laugh at my gas pump slooping, they would certainly be laughing at my cabinmates. Across the whole drive, my dwarf lime tree (Sprite) and my dwarf lemon tree (7-Up) rode in the cab of the truck. We had a great ride and really got to know one another.

In the end, we made it here. I know that I'm not a trucker, but I feel a little closer to the transportation industry as a whole. I'm really glad I drove for two reasons. First, it was a new experience. Second, we payed two guys from a moving company to help us pack up the truck, and their incompetence in the packing process made me feel that much better about driving the truck myself.

More about our new digs soon.

[Note: For more on Sprite and 7-Up, see this previous post.]

A Heated Response

2009-04-28T08:47:00.003-04:00

One of my recent facebook statuses: "Anna and I set up a bed in the basement to keep cool during the night, but it reminds me of the grandparents' bed in Willy Wonka. Yikes." Jokingly, one of you, our loyal readers, responded: "Don't you live in New Hampshire? I thought it was cold there. ;)"

You'd think so, and you'd be right. I recently read that the record low in New Hampshire is lower than the record low in Anchorage, Alaska. But the spectrum doesn't end on the low end. The record high in Miami (not counting the heat index adjustments) is lower than the record high in New Hampshire. Indeed, we're expecting a 90 degree high today. For the effects, see the pictures below:

This is a Boloco cup that I left in my car during the last 90 degree day that we had. As the second picture shows, the cup is 100% compostable. Apparently, the sun initiated the composting cycle in my car cupholder.

You never know what kind of weather you're going to get when you live here. Sometimes that's maddening, but it's often quite beautiful. As much as I like being in control, I also love anything that involves serendipity, the unexpected, the unknown, and there's nothing better than putting the air mattress up in front of the television and falling asleep to a late-night movie in a cool basement every once in a while.

Sheesh. I feel like this post was ramping up for some pop psychology moment, but I really just wanted to explain that it sometimes gets hot in New Hampshire. Sorry if I left you hanging.

[Note: A week from today we'll be moving into our apartment in Cincinnati. I'll get you some updated info soon.]

Lifetime Learner

2009-04-23T07:13:00.002-04:00

I'm not quite finished with law school yet. I have some finals to attend to, but I sat in my last law school class yesterday. Anna and I have an agreement that this will be the last schooling that I do for a while, so I'm out of the school setting for a while it seems. After 13 years of K-12 and 9 years of post-K-12 education, things are going to change:

1. It is going to feel weird to miss out on student discounts at the movies, symphony, etc.

2. I must abandon the mindset that I can eat anything I want to because I can't afford to eat the right things.

3. Also, I will miss the graduate student ethos: making gross over-generalizations and nit-picking everything in society because all you have is time to kill.

It's been good to know you, schooling. Thanks for the memories. Still, I will not abandon you. My new profession requires, by its ever-changing nature, that I constantly learn new things. I love it. Even beyond that, I don't want to ever hang up my sweater and tie. I'm making a public promise here on the blog that I will keep learning about new things--not with the curiosity of a passing observer but with depth and vigor. Here are some thoughts of a few places where I'd like to start:

1. Because I can't renounce academia, I want to read more "campus novels." I read Lucky Jim several years ago, and, since then, I've read a few other higlights from the genre (most notably Richard Russo's Straight Man). As time goes by, I'd like to read a lot more of these books and explore the similarities/differences between them.

2. I would like to learn more about the history and craft of stained glass. It would be my first entry into the visual arts, which I've neglected for my entire life.

3. As always, I'd like to pick up new and interesting musical instruments. I really, really, really want a glass armonica and a tenor guitar.

There it is, a commitment. Hold me to it, dear readers, and feel free to join in on the journey. If there's anything you're currently exploring or would like to learn about, put it in the comments. We have a menagerie of experts (in various fields) that read this blog, so you might even get a note on a good place to start.

[Note--Posts during the next two weeks will likely be more sporadic. Don't worry about us; we're wrapping up with school and packing up a house. We'll be living in Cincinnati as of May 5th. Maybe I'll make Anna write a post about the move and her incredible organization techniques.]

Softball Game or Lactic Acid Weekend Spectacular

2009-04-19T08:03:00.004-04:00

This is a tale of two journals fighting for supremacy in a school with room for only one. As some of you know, my law school has two, student-run academic journals: IDEA (of which I am a member) and Pierce Law Review (where I've been published). IDEA is a niche journal that covers IP topics; PLR covers the whole legal spectrum (including the judiciary's fascination with baseball). On April 18, 2009--a date that our children's children will know by heart--these two journals took the field in what will surely become known as the "turning point" for Franklin Pierce Law Center.

The gray clouds skyed the game, with only the gods and their labored shoulders holding back the rain. As representatives of the Ryder rental-truck fleet looked on, IDEA bellowed out a rebel yell. "Beat PLR," went the halloo. Several subaltern recountings said that the sound could be heard at the local KFC--quite a distance up the road.

With the recent events in the Rift Valley lakes of Kenya and Tanzania, several players quietly honored the Lesser Flamingo as they took the field. Though they would play for journal and their honour, this game would also markedly commemorate the fragile ecosystem of the world. [Note: For all you interstate buffs out there, you guessed right! That truly is I-93 beyond the treeline.]

Though everyone played with great heart, The Bondor would capture the imagination of the game. With a rolling leap out of left field, his was the catch of the game. Some later called it the "Third Inning Miracle."

Some would catch; others would swing. One would bunt. Everyone would bicker and gripe.

In the end, the score wouldn't matter--particularly if your team lost. What would matter was that two journals proved that they could come together, grapple with their differences, and become a "Band of Brothers" with the occassional "Sister" thrown in. What might have seemed commonplace on that field will surely become legend within Frank's hallowed halls. I've heard that the 3L class gift is a plaque that will honor the game with this simple phrase: "Always remember. Never forget."

Law Prom Pics

2009-04-17T07:54:00.005-04:00

As requested in the comments of Addy's last post, here are some law prom pictures. You asked, dear readers. We deliver. Here is a picture of us on arrival to the event but before we got to the coat rack. Credit: Chibuzo.

Here is a small sample of the group that we went with (from L to R: Sean, Yapes, Jen, Anna, Austin). Big shout out to Sean in D.C. for sporting a Bird of Paradise boutonniere (also pictured) provided by his date Tess (who also gets the picture credit).

For a better close-up of the Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia Reginae), see the picture below:

To see what I wish his boutonniere had been, see the picture below:

I refuse to give credit for the last two pictures out of a principle that I have not yet formed and have never lived by.

Hearing Voices

2009-04-15T22:29:00.001-04:00

As we get ready to hit the road, I'm thinking about things that I'll miss about where we currently live. I am going to miss the Boston/NH accents that people have around here. Some people around here have incredible speaking voices, and I love listening to it. This got me thinking about an iconic New England voice that I love.

Anna and I recently watched The Majestic. We were both surprised when, towards the end of the film, a terrific voice begins to narrate the story. I recognized it immediately: Matt Damon. It was a great surprise.

A few years ago, I saw the book-on-tape version of The People's History of the United States. I had already read the book, so I wasn't going to pay the premium to have someone read it to me like some sort of yet-to-be-literate child. But I did because of the book's narrator: MD. Behold, Mr. Damon lends his voice to Howard Zinn's text, and he reads it masterfully. I still listen to this recording whenever I get the chance.

Why do I like Matt's voice? I'm not sure. I certainly like several of his movies, but that doesn't really factor into my analysis. Rather, I think it's his timbre and cadence. Without getting too flowery and abstract in my description, I think that his voice comes across as honest. It also conveys a reserved passion that mixes civility with a "fire in the belly." It's tough to describe.

Certainly I'm not alone! If you could have anyone come and read you a bedtime story (without the creepiness of an adult having a bedtime story), who would it be? Let's hear who you love to listen to. Post it in the comments, friends.

From the Floor: Law Prom

2009-04-13T18:46:00.000-04:00

Pembroke, NH--It has been a busy weekend, and I am so ready to spend the rest of the week bathing in the sun. Who's with me?

This past weekend was law prom, so the man and woman of the home spent a lot of time getting ready. First, they went for haircuts on Thursday. Of course, Anna looked fantastic, but Austin, with each haircut, continues to reveal more graying hairs. Anna keeps assuring him that his gray hair is going to look great, but I'm pretty sure that he's going to look like a monkey on a bicycle. Anna wore a fantastic dress that had stuff on it that I just wanted to chew off if I had the chance. Austin wore his trusty tuxedo, opting for the vest over the cumberbund.

Think what you want, but my people can dance. I'd like to think that they walked into the law prom, started dancing, and everyone, magically, fell in line with a synchronized group dance. One of those dances where someone responds with "Oh, snap." Perhaps that's why Austin has been watching so many B-boy competitions lately. Let it be known that he favors Korea (fast forward to 2:30 mark to see the "sickest" moves). Meanwhile, I pull for France--for that is the land of bichons.

It appears that everyone had a lot of fun at law prom. Everyone that went came back smiling and sweaty. They slept in the next morning and departed, saying something about the Pancake House in Henniker. It sounded delicious, but they came back empty-handed. It's called a "doggy bag" for a reason, people.

There was a lot more to the weekend, but I've fulfilled my writing obligations for now. It's going to be a week of sun in New Hampshire, and I'm going to make the most of it. I hope all of you do the same.

[PS--Sorry for the spacing issues on this post. I'm not happy about this.]

Guns in the House

2009-04-09T21:10:00.000-04:00

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has been busy lately. The above picture is from the gallery of Reps' Hall. Even as one of the smallest states in the U.S., New Hampshire has the largest number of representatives of any state (400 Reps; 24 Senators). As I've watched the proceedings, I've generally been impressed by the job that the members of this legislature do. They stay informed on the issues at hand (even really complex science and energy issues) and, by the nature of a large body, remain pretty close to their constituents. Since the Reps only get paid a hundred dollars or so per year, the citizenry is certainly getting a lot for their money.

The funny thing about going to the gallery (the balcony above the floor) is that anyone can come up there--without going through a metal detector. In fact, many people go up to the gallery with their guns holstered on their belts (you can carry in public in NH if you (1) have the proper paperwork for the gun and (2) are not concealing the weapon). I'm not sure if these people are just sticking to their principles or if they really think that they'll need a pea-shooter in the safest state in the nation. Perhaps they would argue that their exposed weapons keep people in line. Perhaps they're crazy. I don't know, but I respect the fact that the legislature would not want to hassle people with metal detectors, etc. when they're coming to see the people's work being done.

If you live in or visit New Hampshire, be sure to stop by the State House. There are a lot of historical items from the Civil War inside, including flags that were actually carried during the historic battles. If you want, feel free to bring your piece with you. If you call your gun a "heater" like they did in The Outsiders, you're not welcome in the gallery; rather, you need to evaluate your life and ask yourself some tough questions.

[Note: I'm hoping for some weird keyword search hits with the title of this post.]

Addy's Congregational Debut

2009-04-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

The picture above is Addy looking over Henniker's covered bridge that spans the Mighty Contoocook (a northward-flowing river).

In a previous post, I discussed the farewell activities for Anna on Palm Sunday. What I didn't mention was--get this--I took our dog to church with us. Sound ridiculous? It likely is.

We had a showing (not a "viewing") during church, and we had to have Addy out of the house during that block of time. With only one car and the honors that the church was planning to bestow upon us that day, staying at home with Addy was not an option. It was looking like I was going to have to sit in the church parking lot with Addy for the service. Pastor Rebecca, however, offered an alternative. Why not use Addy as some part of the "Time with the Children?" Done.

My children's time presentation wasn't anything inspiring. Addy did some tricks, and I struggled through a comparison to shepherding. It was difficult to talk and make sure that Addy was doing what I was telling her to do. Addy, however, rocked it, and I think the children were watching her the entire time anyway. Her service earned her a front row seat with me and Anna. I brought her travel bag, but I let her stick her head out of the opening.

Everything was going well until the Communion portion of the service (the eating of the bread and drinking of the wine). Addy could smell the bread coming her way, and she positioned herself for the strike. Fortunately, I was on top of it and stuffed her head back in the bag with the soft part of my arm (some would consider it part of the arm pit) just as the bread plate was lowered to striking distance. In the Christian tradition and the Last Supper story, the bread represents the body of Jesus. If Addy had it her way, she would have cleaned Jesus right off the plate. Not good.

Besides that one incident, she was a great dog, and people told us that she was the best behaved dog they had seen. She is pretty much the most awesome dog ever. Still, I couldn't help thinking how preposterous it was to sit in a historical building (bedecked with a Paul Revere bell) with my 3.5 year old puffball. Simply preposterous.

Anna's Congregational Farewell

2009-04-05T18:09:00.007-04:00

Today was Palm Sunday and Anna's next-to-last Sunday as the choir director at Henniker Congregational. If anyone is out there is looking for some people that will show them some serious love, look no further than the people of this church. They've become family to us. Today, they showered me and Anna with incredible gifts and memories.

Here are a couple of pictures of Anna's last choir rehearsal:

I'm really proud of Anna and the ground she has covered with this choir. We've done some incredibly difficult pieces of music, and I think that the choir is in terrific shape for the incoming director. As I've said before, there is a wealth of musical talent in Henniker--from opera singers to bluegrass buffs, and Anna has done a great job of putting all the pieces together to create some great musical experiences. I'm also particularly proud that she taught proper singing technique without sacrificing the emotional qualities found in the music. Well done, Anna!

At the end of today's service, the music committee presented some farewell gifts to Anna. Dr. Bob thanked us for our music, and then Marcus (one of Anna's children's choir members) presented Anna with a gift certificate to the spa in Pembroke. Henniker's resident quilter (and owner of Quilted Threads--awesome store) Becky created a quilt that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. My picture below isn't the best for seeing the details, but she has pieces of fabric with choir members' names placed into a quilt with songbird fabric. The piece is framed and ready for hanging in our new pad. We can't wait to tell people the story behind it.

An added bonus to the quilt is that there is a sonnet written by Henniker's resident poet (lyricist to "Austin and Anna" in previous post) attached to the back of the frame. Tom gave us a reading of the sonnet during the service today, and I snapped a picture for you to see:

It's another one of those things that we'll share with our children and their children. I'll probably have it memorized like Tom after I show it off to a few people.

Jack Bopp (member of The Prodigals, Pierce Pettis fan, and an incredible musician) and company hosted a coffee hour reception after the service with sweet treats, including an awesome punch! Here's a picture of the cake (delicious):

When Anna told me that she wanted to work in Henniker, I told her that I had never heard of the place. When she told me that she wanted to work at a Congreational church, I had to look it up in my denominational handbook. Now, after only three, quick years, we have friends and memories that we'll never forget. We'll miss you, Henniker.

Viewing/Showing

2009-03-31T20:31:00.002-04:00

[I accidentally published my notes for this post earlier. So sorry to have to do it over for those using Google Reader.]

We're trying to sell our house right now. It's discouraging, particularly when we worked so hard to create an awesome home: new appliances, new floors, new basement, new house. We're hanging in there though and realizing that we'll just have to learn a hard and likely expensive lesson.

I've also had a vocabulary lesson regarding the house. We have had several showings, which I actually called "viewings" when I talked about it with other people. A "viewing," however, sounds more like a funeral-related activity. I've caught myself saying "viewing" several times since the distinction was raised, and I envision myself lying at rest in our bed, hands folded as people parade through our house.

For each showing, we work really hard to get everything in place (like anyone can live this way for an extended period of time without hired help). When I get home, it's weird to think that other people were in your home, judging every little aspect of the place. It's a little spooky, but I'm starting to get used to it.

Surprise Party Video

2009-03-30T21:20:00.004-04:00

Here's a video of the surprise party that Anna wrote about. This is right after we walked in. In a special adaptation of "Oh, Susanna," Tom, Henniker's favorite poet, showed us some serious love. Many thanks, Tom. Also, many thanks to Tim and his family for opening their home for the party. You'll notice that I'm not quite "with it" in this video. I was in class for six hours straight on this particular Saturday morning (mini-courses aren't a great idea). My eyes were glazed over, but I slowly came about through this performance--at least enough to demand the high octave leap at the end and then bark and clap like an ill-trained seal.

Comment Mechanics

2009-03-30T20:20:00.002-04:00

I just read this post by David Pogue of the New York Times. He asserts, and I agree, that the various ways that we try to stop ad bots from commenting on our sites just doesn't work. Well, I'm going to try to go without having everyone decipher a squiggly word for a while to see how it works. Maybe it will feel like I'm not letting the terrorists win.

There is a program that I wouldn't mind using. I can't remember where I read about it, and I'm too lazy to grab a link right now. Trust me. This exists.

There are computers that are taking scanned images of old texts and converting them into searchable digital documents. The problem is that there are several places that require human reasoning because of ink blotches or other imaging problems. There are several websites that use people trying to prove that they're not a bot to do this work for document archiving. It seems that Blogger is not one of them.

From Anna's Hand

2009-03-29T07:18:00.002-04:00

Well done, all. You pressured Anna into writing a post. Keep it up!

Last Saturday, Austin and I were invited to have dinner with Pastor Rebecca and Bob Maccini in Henniker. We arrived at the Maccini's house right on time, and Bob recieved a phone call that he had forgotten to give a CD to Tim for his daughter Erin's disco themed birthday party. So before we dined we headed over to Tim's house to drop off the disco CD. Bob comes running out and says we have to see how they decorated the house for the party. We go in and, lo and behold, it is a surprise party for me and Austin. Everyone from the choir was there, and some from the Prodigals. They had special chairs for us to sit in, and Tom had written us a song to the tune of "Oh, Susanna (She Came from Alabama)." It was funny and sweet, and made me and Austin tear up a little. Then we had the chance to visit with everyone, and eat some great food; this choir is full of good cooks! Carol C. wrote me a poem titled "Anna's Garden;" it was lovely and precious. It will be framed and hanging in our new home. What a tresure! Carol H. is a fabulous knitter, and she made me a shawl. It is beautiful! On the follwing Sunday they blessed the shawl and said a prayer that the shawl, when wrapped around me, would bring love, support, and comfort. I loved all of these wonderful gifts and will cherish them always. We continued visiting with everyone through the evening. What a wonderful day!

This church, choir, and band have been a constant source of support and love for me during my time here in New Hampshire. They have given me free reign to direct and be creative. We have laughed and cried together, and made a lot of really great music. It is very sad to say farwell to these preciouse people. But we must. There is a strange mix of feelings that happens when I move: sad, excited, anxious, happy, and, this time, looking forward to the wonderful people of Cincinnati, OH. It seems that, no matter where life has taken me, there have always been wonderful and generous people there who are willing to open their hearts in friendship. Okay, well I wrote a post; I am sure to do it again when my arm is twisted. :)

[Editor's Note: Pictures of the Shawl and excerpts from the song and poem to come in a future post.]

Potter Goes Slytherin

2009-03-27T08:25:00.005-04:00

The Harry Potter reference in the title of this post refers to the fact that a lot of people think I look like Hogwarts's favorite son. The early years of my life passed without any celebrity lookalike comments; rather, it was my name that led to friendly harrassment: "Austin from Boston [note: I am not from Boston]," "Austinioooooooooo Hall," "Il Pagetto," and the ever-popular "Austin Powers."

I'm not complaining. In fact, I liked that people would give me pet names. The Harry Potter books--particularly the cover illustrations--changed everything. At the height of the books' popularity, I was wearing my hair a little shaggy and my skin a little pale. I also carried a broom around with me for a variety of reasons. The likeness is, I must admit, fairly convincing.

As a lookalike, people expect a lot out of you. My strangest incident happened in Books-a-Million [a store that I haven't seen in a long time]. An older teenager approached me with her friend and asked if she could take a picture with me. With a puzzled look on my face, she said that she would have to run to her car to get her camera. Before she turned to go to the car, she said, "This is amazing. I kinda have a Harry Potter fetish." Somewhere in Alabama there is a girl with a picture of me and a strong set of feelings for a boy wizard. Creepy.

I've tried to embrace the Harry Potter thing, but it's sort of disappointing. More than anything, I've always wanted someone to say, "You know what? You look just like David Duchovny." Not going to happen, and, with Duchovny's recent bad press, it's probably for the best. Maybe Steve McQueen? Not even close.

Do you get any lookalike comments? Who do you supposedly look like? Is there someone you think you look like or would want someone to say you look like?

From the Floor: Outdoors and Undercover

2009-03-25T11:27:00.002-04:00

Adelaide Macaroni Padgett is a puppy, specializing in sleep and play. She is author of The Perils of White Puppies in New England and Growling at Windmills. Her series for this blog "From the Floor" strives to provide a commonplace-if not subaltern-view of newsworthy events.

Pembroke, NH--As the high pressure front continues its move through the Northeast, I'm still--as you can see in the picture--having to get under a blanket at night. It's still dropping below freezing out there at night, but I have some good news: The time for playing outside has come. Puppies, rejoice!

I went outside yesterday for about 45 minutes, and it was fantastic. I ran after the ball for a while, and then I did a general sniff-through of the yard's perimeter. Everything was good except for one thing.

There were leaves on the ground. After all of that snow melted, there was a canopy littered across the ground. Either Mother Nature is a magician or my man-owner got a little lazy this fall. To top it off, he didn't even get a rake out. Nope. He just took the lawn mower to the brown, crunchy lawn.

I scoffed at his laziness at first, but I came to be very impressed with the results. No longer will I lose my tennis ball in the two inches of leaves. I have a grayish-green yard to bound across. Well done, sir.

Now I'm hoping that he'll take a torch to the shadowy corner of the yard with the big pile of snow in it. That's valuable real estate for a puppy like me.

Puritan Padgett

2009-03-23T08:00:00.002-04:00

I have heard your cries, and I am now trying to force Anna to write about the weekend's activities. She'll cave in and write an excellent post; I'm sure of it. The weekend was really special, so, Anna, we're all looking forward to a great post.

Until then, I wanted to say that I've been using Google Analytics to monitor the traffic on the blog. For a Google application, Analytics is dense, but it provides some great information for someone who is just blogging for kicks.

One of the most important pieces of information that you can get is the keywords used in search engines that lead to your site. You actually get to see what people are typing in that ultimately brings them to your door. Usually you're looking at "theashaveit" or "The As Have It" for our site, but there is a recent search that is hilarious to me: "Puritan Padgett." This search led someone to this post, where I briefly discuss Plink and a Puritan Paperback that I read in college. There is a Professor Padgett somewhere out there that writes theological history books about the Puritan faith and can actually grow a beard. I can only imagine what this person--who stayed on the website for three whole minutes--thought when he or she saw brightly colored mugs. I hope it was a good experience, and they definitely bounced to the Jeremiah Burrough's link.

It reminds me of when Nate and I were running Rhubarbicon and someone found our site by searching for "Single Dad by Choice." When you land on a top executive's profile, I guess that you don't feel so alone in your life decisions. In fact, you probably feel quite empowered.

March is Bustin' All Over

2009-03-21T08:00:00.003-04:00

That’s right. Spring is here, and there is some evidence within my own home (where the heater is running). [Editor’s historical note: I’m writing this at 7:30 a.m. on 21 March 2009. It is 15 degrees outside.]

When I started law school, I bought a dwarf lime tree and a dwarf lemon tree. They were saplings when I got them, and I had grand dreams of what they would become as I progressed through law school. As I grew, they would as well. The idea was that, by my third year, we would be harvesting limes and lemons like crazy--giving away bagfulls to friends. Unfortunately, tragedy struck.

Last summer, I moved to Cincinnati to intern at a firm; the process is commonly called a 12-week job interview, but I had a blast and learned a lot. Because of work obligations, Anna stayed behind in New Hampshire (very, very sad). I was actually planning to take my lime and lemon trees to Cincy with me, but I ran out of space in my car. By the time I had everything ready to go, I had forgotten about the trees and didn't instruct Anna about their care. I promise that this isn't a parable and that the trees really don't represent anything like my career, etc.

Because of where they were located, the trees were easy to forget, but Anna watered them on occassion. When I came back, however, they were in bad shape, withered and leafless, and we discussed "putting them down." I, however, am actually emotionally attached to these trees (I know it sounds weird) because we got them during a period of great transition in our lives.

I've been nursing them back to health over the past year, and they're just now getting the amount of sunlight they need to really heal and make a comeback. It's very exciting to watch, and the lime tree actually has a flower that is about to bloom!

I've had these plants for almost three years, and I still haven't named them. I was thinking of "Sprite" and "7-Up," but I know I can do better than that. I'm open to suggestions, and I promise that I'll let you know when they're named. They're looking forward to some warm weather so they can again be set outside--as am I (warm weather and sitting outside).

Update/Pleasure Reading

2009-03-18T13:00:00.002-04:00

A few posts ago, I wrote about our trip to a bookstore and explained that I would write more about it later. Now is later.

I am currently reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The White Company and, hopefully, the follow-up Sir Nigel. It's been a while since I've read a book that involved knights (T.H. White's The Once and Future King series was my last), but that has been on purpose. I could easily read books just about that subject matter, so I've forced myself to read books about or set in other time periods. What feeds my hunger for these books? A fascination with certain topics: moats, falconry, statues of griffins, and really heavy armo(u)r.

I've only just started, but I love the book. The language is rich, and the characters are people that you'd want to go on an adventure with. Anyone else got any books in the pipeline that they're wanting to share?

Anna is reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle after my suggestion. It's a beautiful book; definitely worth the read if you have time. The Diane Rehm show's book for next month is The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Her show usually picks a good mix of books, so we might try to pick that up at the bookstore.

Also, we received a few good ideas about what to use on our sauce from this post. We experimented with sauces, and we ended up using the jerk sauce from the chicken on the rest of the dish after we mixed in some olive oil, some extra lime juice, and a variety of spices (including some delicious garlic). Yummy! Thanks for the great tips.

The Prodigals

2009-03-16T14:17:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in some previous posts, yesterday was our last time playing with The Prodigals. The band has been an assortment of fine musicians pulled from Henniker, NH. It was definitely a bittersweet moment to make great music while knowing you're not going to have this same creative outlet and players in the future.

Anna and I got the honor to pick the songs, and we picked two numbers by The Duhks (one of our absolute favorite groups--even with their rotating lineup): "Heaven's My Home" and "Death Came a Knockin." To end the service, I requested that we do "You Don't Have to Move That Mountain" as performed by Nickel Creek. This is one of those songs that will get your feet moving no matter what your soteriology is. It was certainly intimidating trying to get some of Chris Thile's licks into the piece, and I'm still not completely comfortable on mandolin. Overall, all of the songs went really well. Anna's vocals were right on, and the entire band was in the pocket. If anything, the time just went by too quickly.

Obviously there was some serious anguish going on. Fortunately, we went to the Intervale Farm Pancake House (along with Tess and Megan) to drown our sorrows in syrup. It was sooooo good. Anna and I both had the gendered "Hungry Man Breakfast," which consists of 3 eggs, two pancakes, sausage, bacon, and toast. It's a lot of food, but we managed to put a lot of it down the hatch. They were making some fresh syrup in the boiler while we were there, so it was quite an event.

Truth for the day: Bluegrass/newgrass and pancakes make an awesome combination.

The Rest of the Day

2009-03-14T21:26:00.004-04:00

In my previous post, I realized that I just told you the story of our morning, and it's been a rather eventful day.

After eating at Arnie's, Anna and I went to our last rehearsal with The Prodigals, our bluegrass band out in Henniker. As most of you know, Anna has been the choir director at Henniker UCC Church for the last couple of years. She's done an amazing job with the choir, and she realized that some of the people in the congregation are very, very talented instrumentalists as well. We've got two guitarists, a dobro player, a fiddler, an upright bassist, singers, various percussionists. We've done some great numbers over the past few years, and we've played at a few events too. Tons of fun (enjoy the picture below from this fall's Henniker Home Companion sendup). We're doing three numbers tomorrow, and I'll write about it tomorrow or Monday.

After rehearsal, Anna and I came back and just enjoyed the beautiful weather. It got up to around 50 today, and we loved it. I've been working on a pasta dish in my mind, and Anna and I put it together in the kitchen tonight. It contains fettucine, spinach, red pepper, onion, tomato, diced carrots, and artichokes. I cooked some chicken in a jerk sauce and put slices on the dish. It worked out well, but Anna and I both agreed that the dish needs some sort of sauce, so we'll be thinking that. Any suggestions or secrets?

This evening, we're watching the film The Majestic. The movie reminds me of The Rocketeer--another one of my favorite movies. I love the "Old Hollywood" look to movies and the accompanying music.

Lane 24

2009-03-14T20:59:00.006-04:00

Last month, I told you how much I like to bowl. I also explained the concept of candlepin bowling. I went bowling this morning with Nate and Tess. The first picture in this post shows you the size of the ball (see below for the picture of the straight pins). They're really light, and you can really zoom them down the lane. I would guess that candlepin bowling is lot easier for children--at least in managing the ball.

I met Nate and Tess at Boutwell's at 10:30 this morning for a couple of quick games. I did not roll very well, but I definitely had a good time throwing rocks with friends.

After we finished a couple of games, we met Anna at Arnie's, a local eatery. Anna and I grew up in the South, and we know good BBQ. Let this be said: Arnie's has great ribs. My pulled pork was right on the money as well. Don't underestimate this place just because there are Yankees in the kitchen. They know what they're doing, and they make killer ice cream. I'm really happy that they're back (Note: Some restaurants take a hiatus through the harsh New England winters).

From the Floor: I See Grass

2009-03-12T14:30:00.001-04:00

Adelaide Macaroni Padgett is a puppy, specializing in sleep and play. She is author of The Perils of White Puppies in New England and Growling at Windmills. Her series for this blog "From the Floor" strives to provide a commonplace-if not subaltern-view of newsworthy events.

Pembroke, NH--The snow in our front yard is mostly gone. Good riddance; it has confined NH puppies to their homes for far too long. I've seen the weather report, and it looks like we're getting sun for a solid week.

I've seen a lot more dog/people traffic along the sidewalk and road outside the house, and you guys are looking good. I really like the dog that leads the baby stroller like a chariot (I'll try to get a photo). Very cool but probably very dangerous.

As the weather gets even warmer, here are some reminders to keep things civil in a crazy world:

-Keep the paws on the sidewalk. Some of you guys have owners that require you to walk on the road even as traffic passes. You should refuse to be subject to such treatment. The sidewalk is much safer.

-Don't ever leave anything in other people's yards. Bad form.

-Try to relax and enjoy the walk. When you pull on the leash, you can make yourself cough or wear out your owner's arm. I recommend a harness over a neck collar anyway.

-Avoid the little kids on the sidewalk. They always want to put their nasty hands all over you without any warning. If you do see some of these kids, don't think that they're trying to attack you. They actually want to give you some love despite their aggressive body language.

-Feel free to bark at squirrels. They deserve it.

You probably have some great tips too, so feel free to post them. Enjoy the weather! As the Beatles said: "It's getting better all the time."

My Mahler Adventure

2009-03-11T10:39:00.002-04:00

It's a rainy day outside, but I'm having a "moment" right now listening to Mahler's Second Symphony. It is certainly one of my favorite pieces of music, and I remember the day that I first listened to it in Samford University's library listening rooms. Why have I started listening to this piece again? Well, (1) I listen to it often, and (2) Hey, Woody (a blog that everyone should subscribe to) makes a reference to the piece.

Mahler's Second Symphony (The Ressurection Symphony) is a ninety-minute mega-work (full orchestra, choir, soloists, organ). After waiting for what seems like forever, Mahler gives you a fantastic gift for the finale. Here's a translation of the text.

In my senior year at Samford, the choirs sang this piece with the Alabama Symphony. I got the privilege to stand next to my best buddy Joel Davis (a fellow Mahler fan and theory/composition major) and scream "Auferstehen." I've never said or sung anything in German with more intensity than I did at that performance. Here's a YouTube clip of the piece. It's certainly not my favorite recording, but it gets you right in the heart of the final few minutes of one of my favorite musical works. I just wish Joel and I could have worn tunics like the women in the video. Perhaps we could have worn the crimson-colored Snuggies.

Q & A -- Blogging

2009-03-09T05:16:00.002-04:00

Q: So, I've been keeping up with the blog lately. How's the car doing? You haven't given us any updates.

A: Eh, it's still got a little hitch in its giddy-up, but it's moving me from place to place. It has been a fantastic car to me, particularly considering that it's 13 years old.

Q: Awesome. I've heard that you've been doing a lot of reading about blogging. Tell us what you've learned.

A: I've been subscribing to some blogs about blogging, but I'm done with that. I thought that I'd get some good tips about post format, etc., but these blogs just kept telling me different ways to make money from my blog.

Q: You don't like money?

A: It was very weird to read blogs that talked about how revolutionary blogging is, that it creates a new medium and shakes the greedy, brick-and-mortar corporations to their core--yet these blogs focused on how to create revenue from online activities. It's hard to convince me of the blogging transformation when all you can think about is how to find one more space to advertise a brick-and-mortar product. I just want to update people about the Padgetts and keep my creative juices flowing.

Q: So you didn't get anything from these blogs?

A: Not really, but I have subscribed to Plinky. It's a website that provides a question for each day. I definitely won't write about every question, but it is good fodder to think through for posts. This has probably been the best tool that I've found.

Q: What was today's Plinky prompt?

A: "Name a book that changed your mind or opened your eyes." In college I read Jeremiah Burroughs's The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment for a class. He was a Puritan author, and I was surprised by the tone of the book. People use the word "puritanical" to describe a joyless, rule-driven person. That's not really true to the spirit of Puritanism, and I'm careful about making assumptions about anyone's faith now after reading the book (see also Salvation on Sand Mountain). The book also has rich language and some good advice (regardless of faith): "Do not so much regard the fancies of other men, as what indeed you feel yourselves. For the reason of our discontentment many times is rather from the fancies of other men than from what we find we lack ourselves."

Q: Okay. Try to keep your answers brief if you would. Tell me about what's new on the blog.

A: I've added a Twitter feed to the sidebar for some micro-blogging. I'm also giving some shout-outs to our friends' blogs on the side. If anyone out there has a blog and I missed it, I need to know about it. I'm only listing personal blogs as a show of solidarity to our community--no big-named, high-traffic stuff over there. I'm going to try to write response stories where appropriate and get more involved in commenting.

Q: Anything you want to add to the blog that you don't have?

A: I'm trying to get Anna to write some posts, and I need to get Addy to write some more. I also want to find a way to get comments into the Google Reader feed and to start experimenting with more voices and post formats.

Q: Well, I look forward to it--I think. Thanks for your time.

Kids and Jackets

2009-03-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

Well, it appears that the coldest of New Hampshire weather is behind us. This means that everyone has to switch to lighter coats.

Upon seeing this coatrack, I revisited a memory from growing up in Florida (where we only had 1 jacket for the "winter"). When I was in middle school, Starter-brand jackets started to become very popular among students. These jackets were rather bulky and appropriate in Florida for only one or two weeks of the year. Kids, however, really liked to associate themselves with the teams, and they continued to wear their jackets inside. The best part was that dudes would give girls their starter jacket to wear when they were "going out." I never had a Starter jacket, but I can imagine giving it to some lucky babe and getting it back--tainted by the sweaty mix of middle-school musk and forced-air heat. True love.

I remember that one particular girl in band (who was "going out" with one guy [Guy #1]) wore some other guy's [Guy #2] Starter jacket. Needless to say, there was a rumble in the instrument cubby room between the two jacket owners. I specifically remember talking to my buddy after the fight and demonstrating my subordinance to the jacket-swapping custom. I told him--in my changing voice--that I thought fighting was crazy but that I understood why Guy #1 would be upset: "I mean, she wore Guy #2's Starter jacket! I'd be mad too!"

I just wish something similar would have happened in college with North Face products.

The Pits

2009-03-05T12:13:00.004-05:00

That's not us in the picture. I have been wailing on my pecs, but that's certainly not my chin. Also, Anna's a blond. It's a great picture though. Imagine having a woman apply deodorant to your arms in the shadows of a taupe-walled room. Tonight in your dreams, friend.

This picture comes from http://www.thecrystal.com/, which makes mineral salt deodorants. I read about the product on Jorge Garcia's (Hurley on LOST) blog, and I decided that I'd try it.

Basically, you get a big chunk of mineral salt. After wetting it, you apply it to your underarm. The website explains that the salt allows you to sweat but prevents the bacteria that causes body odor. It doesn't have alcohol or aluminun in it. I'm a complete skeptic about stuff like this, but I wanted to give it a try.

So far, I'm good. I'm checking myself every few minutes or so (heavy skepticism), and I haven't observed any odor. I am carrying a back-up stick of more orthodox deodorant, so I'm safe--I think. If you see me around and I don't smell quite right, let me know. I won't be offended.

Graduation Pictures

2009-03-04T10:31:00.004-05:00

Graduation is upon us. May 16th is the day, people! In preparation for graduation, I've already signed up for a gown and measured my melon for my mortarboard. Unfortunately, we're not supposed to wear regalia from our other degrees. My masters stole (music is pink) would really rock with the color of the law (purple). To get the full effect, I should get some sort of degree in social work so I could clothe myself in a citron-colored gown. It's a shame that they won't let me celebrate previous achievements, particularly when my masters program was far, far more work than law school and I didn't get to walk at CCM's graduation because of law school exams.

Still, graduation will be fun. It's outside in White Park (across the street from the school), so Anna is probably going to bring Addy to the ceremony. How should I preserve memories of the day? The school has contracted with a photographer and left information in my mail slot today. Here's a sample picture from the handout:

I love it! A true patriot, obtaining a legal degree before a furling/unfurling symbol of the nation. Everyone will think that I'm polesitting on the smaller, neighboring flag pole--perhaps for the state flag or the city park department flag.

If I'm going to go this route, I'll need to tan a little lest I blend in with six of the stripes on the flag. I'll also need to conquer my acrophobia to be able to sit still long enough at that height.

I need to contact the photographer with some questions: What if it's a windless day? Are they willing to break flag code and lower it down to a reasonable height for the picture? This is going to be really complicated, so I might just opt for the standard picture of me walking across the platform. It's not as bold, but it's safe.

Babycakes

2009-03-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

We have a ton of friends who are pregnant right now, and we hosted a General Celebration of Pregnancy over the weekend. It was fitting because I was pregnant with the desire to do some baking. So I decided to make the official cake for the event. I knew that I had to do something special, really step it up. I did some basic research, and found some appropriately themed cakes that served as my model.

In preparation for my task, I asked myself some pretty basic questions.

1. What flavor cake will I use? No question: Funfetti. It's the patron cake of celebrations

2. What kind of icing will I use? Something sweet and, preferably, prepared in a factory. I will use whatever is cheapest (measuring the price per unit).

3. What shape will the cake take? Pregnancy is a complex thing, encompassing fear and excitement all at the same time. To represent this dual nature, I choose to use two, nine-inch circles.

4. Will you put icing between the two layers? I will intend to, but I sincerely doubt that I will remember.

5. Will you gender the cake with a certain color of decoration? Yes and no. I will use both blue and pink icing in a simple, clean manner. I'm not going to dare take a guess at a baby's gender without the aid of the Baby-Comp.

I took my completed questionnaire to the grocery store, bought the appropriate supplies, put my heart and hands to the task, and came out with a beautiful tribute to children everywhere:

If we ever get to do the pregnancy thing, I think it's pretty clear that I'll be making the cake for the shower.

From the Floor: The Bichon is Back

2009-03-01T22:08:00.008-05:00

Adelaide Macaroni Padgett is a puppy, specializing in sleep and play. She is author of The Perils of White Puppies in New England and Growling at Windmills. Her series for this blog, "From the Floor," strives to provide a commonplace-if not subaltern-view of newsworthy events.

Pembroke, NH--I'll admit it. Things have been rough the past few weeks, but I'm feeling much better now. I have been to the Banfield Pet Hospital five times since President's Day, and I'm ready for someone to invent an oral thermometer for dogs. Before anything else is said, I want to give a big thanks to everybody that works at my hospital. They were so sad to see me not feeling good, and all of the people treated me like royalty. Great job.

We're still not sure what caused the mass on my back leg, but it seems that part of my problems were in my intestines. That part has now been cleared up in a rather unspeakable manner.

Between all of my vet visits, I've gotten the full treatment. I know that I don't have Lyme disease or Addison's disease. Cushing's disease is out too. So, I'm still a mystery in some way, but my energy is back. I'm wagging my tail again, and I'm even bringing the big guy stuff to throw.

I'm cautiously optimistic. I haven't felt this good in three weeks, but I don't want to go nuts just yet. Ill betide the day when I have to get any more of those crazy tests done on my thirteen-pound body.

When I got back from the hospital, I could see the grass in the front yard. Sure enough, we've got a foot of snow today to cover it up. It's probably for the best. I still need my rest. Thanks, dear readers, for all of your thoughts and prayers; they definitely helped. Next time I see you, I'll give you a huge lick--on your lips.

More Thoughts on W-M

2009-02-27T17:55:00.003-05:00

Our friend Mike posted his thoughts on a trip to a local hotspot on his blog. It seems that many people are struggling with the balance of supporting locally or regionally originating stores and the realities of the wallet. Fortunately, New Hampshire has a very prevalent network of local businesses, and we also have a Wal-Mart. It's actually a pretty nice mix of options.

I learned a lot about Wal-Mart's business strategies in the documentary The Age of Walmart. There is a funny part about Wal-Mart transitioning into China. Definitely worth the watch.

I went to Walmart (please pardon the previous hyphens) today. I have to admit that, like Mike, I'm not a big fan of going to the store. I'm actually not stoked about going into any store that has so many people in it. There are just certain human activities that drive me crazy. For instance:

I'm definitely not perfect, but I always, always, always put my cart in the right place after I use it. Do the people that leave them out think that they're creating jobs, stimulating the economy? Really, they're just eating up the plum parking spaces and scratching up cars. This is so frustrating to see when Walmart has clearly provided a lot of cart corrals so the walk isn't that far for anyone. I guess I like mega-business after all; I just don't like some of their customers.

Do the right thing--put your cart in the corral.

Update on Addy

2009-02-26T22:19:00.002-05:00

Greetings, all. A few weeks ago I posted that our dog wasn't feeling too hot. Well, Addy is still under the weather. She has a curious lump under the skin near her back leg. She seemed to be doing better a week ago, but we found another lump on the other side of her body. She's been to the vet several times since President's Day, and the poor little puppy spent most of today getting poked and prodded.

As of today, her doctor has ruled out the agressive forms of cancer, which is awesome news. The second lump has receded significantly. More awesome news. The first lump has yet to back down, so we're watching that one closely. Also, Addy is not feeling that hot. It's hard to get her to eat, and she just wants to lay down all the time. We've started a different round of medicine tonight, so I'm hoping that we see some improvement in the next couple of days--at least in her activity level.

It's been over two weeks since she brought me a ball to throw, so I'm ready to get my little puppy girl back and running.

In the Kitchen

2009-02-24T13:11:00.015-05:00

Big shout out to Tiffany. She gave us a starter for Friendship Cake/Bread. I'm mashing that bag just like the instructions say. Mrs. Jernigan (very much a grandmother to me) used to make this stuff, and I thought it was fantastic. I can't wait to get to get this batter cooking, but waiting seems to be the name of the game. I'll write more as the recipe gets more interesting.

I'm on break from school for the week, so I've got a little more time to do some crafty things (like a jigsaw puzzle). Anna and I enjoy being in the kitchen, so I sometimes watch cooking shows or programs to get ideas for a meal or a snack. Today, I happened upon "Big Bry's Western Style BBQ." Big Bry seems to be a decent enough guy (he's hilarious in the post-credits blooper reel) and probably has some good recipes, but the production value is what really makes his program shine.

Big Bry probably showed up to shoot with some meat and some notes. He moves through six or seven pieces of meat and does something different with each of them--plus a potato salad! While Big Bry educates you a enough, someone in the clipping room decided that Big Bry's video needed additional textual guidance in the style of The Colbert Report's The Word segment. This text plays several crucial roles in the program:

1. It labels things that Big Bry has mentioned but that the viewer might not yet comprehend.

2. It wards off cannibalism/unhealthy relationships.
3. It allows for show sponosors and comes up with crazy uses for endorsed products.
4. It applies Zen philosophy to BBQ.

5. It displays safety information.
6. It displays Big Bry's marital advice in a place where everyone feels safe.

7. It allows the viewers to feel poetic about their potential meal.

Man Against Wire/Man on Wire

2009-02-22T19:40:00.002-05:00

It's Oscar night, and I'm telling you now that the movie discussed below is going to take best documentary (and Slumdog will take every category that it's nominated in--save for Sound Mixing).

Anna and I are now using Netflix. Like blogging, we've come to the party fairly late in the game. Because I love being contrary, I really enjoy messing with their algorithm that determines what movies I'm supposed to like. I will lie to the website and tell them that I hate a movie that I have loved since my eyesight and cognitive abilities met just so that a machine doesn't gain some algorithmic advantage over me. My distrust of technology, however, is rooted in the movies that I've seen. Remember Honey, I Shrunk the Kids? That was the prototypical technology tragedy of the modern age.

If you haven't seen Man on Wire, I suggest you do. The movie is the story of Philippe Petit--a tightrope walker who walked the gap between the Twin Towers in the 1970s. The real fun of the film is the story about how they gained access to the top of the towers. They did not have permission to do this walk, so they are remarkably resourceful in the quest. You will come to love Petit as well, even with all of his quirks.

Editor's Note: I was hoping to get a sweet picture of me crossing a tightrope, but it seems that the right side of my body is much heavier than the left. It's going to take some time to re-learn the craft after so many years.

Puzzle Completed

2009-02-21T13:16:00.002-05:00

It was time for some old-school (and relatively inexpensive) entertainment, so I picked up a couple of jigsaw puzzles at Target. The one I was most looking forward to was the New York City panorama puzzle by Buffalo Games. It was a great puzzle and presented a several challenges. First, it was not in color, so there was one less way to distinguish one piece from another. Second, over half of the puzzle's picture is water, so those pieces certainly took the longest. Towards the end, we were relying only on the shape of the piece to allow us to solve it.

I really like the entire line of these city panoramic puzzles. I'd really like to do the Boston puzzle if we work on another one of these. They are terrific pictures, and the end product is around three feet in length--the perfect size to fill an empty wall. Plus they're only 750 pieces per puzzle, so they're not the biggest time commitment. Anyone done a good puzzle lately?

Tip: Target had their Big Ben-brand puzzles on sale. I don't know if it's everywhere or how long it lasts, but I picked up a beautiful 1000 piece for under $4.00. Also, look for the Charles Wysocki Americana Puzzle Collection if that's your style.

The Better Brain

2009-02-20T11:50:00.000-05:00

During my reading about the doping and steroid use in baseball, I've been reminded of a video series that I really enjoy: Ethics in America. There are two versions that you can watch through Annenberg Media's site. You'll have to sign up for a free subscription, but this will give you access to a wealth of educational videos.

The Ethics in America series (I and II) are certainly my favorites. Each episode in the series gathers a roundtable of VIPs (including Justices O'Connor and Scalia) to take on a certain ethical topic. There is a moderator that walks around and creates hypotheticals, giving each panel member a role. Through the series, the moderator teases out the ethical issues, pitting viewpoint against viewpoint. It reminds me of what law school is when it's at its best.

"A Better Brain: The Ethics of Neuro-Enhancement" is a great episode that discusses the use of brain-enhancing medicine to do better in school or at work. Illegal steroids and banned substances are an easy answer, but the issues tackled in this video are more difficult. Give the series a chance; this is a great way to think through an issue and to learn the art of persuasion.

Published

2009-02-18T18:24:00.003-05:00

Shameless Plug: My copyright law article was recently published, and you may view it online by clicking here. It's not too terribly long and includes a reference to H. R. Pufnstuff. If you want a hard copy, let me know; I have a ton of them.

Over the Line

2009-02-18T09:00:00.001-05:00

Snow is on the way again, so it's time to think about how we're going to get our exercise in. We have a Wii (see picture), and we both love the bowling. But we might need to think about getting out and cracking some real pins soon. Anyone up for it?

I grew up knowing only one kind of bowling: Good Ol' Ten Pin. Like the local skating rink (SkateLand? Is that right, Miltonites?), the bowling lanes reminded me that I was not built for success on wheels or with a thirteen-pound mass in hand (or any combination of the two).

Our local bowling alley in Concord, however, does things a little differently. When you walk in, the place looks and sounds like a bowling alley. There is red carpet all over the walls with fuzzier, yellow carpet spelling out "BOUTWELL LANES." And you will hear bowling balls hitting the floor and pins cracking into one another. It's great. What makes it even better is that they practice candlepin bowling at Boutwell's. The bowling balls are about the size of a softball, and the pins are straight and without a curvy figure. It's very difficult to get a strike, so you get three rolls per frame. The best part is that your arm will still work after you go and play.

I know that I comment on bathrooms a lot (probably too much), but Boutwell's has an interesting set-up for their water closet. Out in the lanes, the device that clears and sets the pins is not automatic; you must hit the reset button after each frame. When you go in the bathroom, however, don't expect to touch anything. It's technology at its best: no-touch flush, hand-wave soap and rinse. I truly believe they've put the technology in the right place and kept the old-school charm in their lanes.

From the Floor: Not Today

2009-02-17T11:01:00.004-05:00

Pembroke, NH--I'm not feeling well today. I had to go to the vet yesterday, and I'm supposed to keep my activity to a minimum. I won't be blogging today; rather, I'll be laying on my favorite pillow and occasionally going to the bathroom. When I'm up and running again, I'll give you my thoughts about the deepening recession from a pup's perspective.

Valentine's Weekend, 2009

2009-02-16T14:00:00.001-05:00

On Saturday afternoon, we went down to our dog groomer's place of business. They do a great job making our dog look beautiful, and we know that they take good care of her. On this particular occasion, Addy did not have to be groomed. Rather, they were hosting a fundraiser for SPCA. It was great! You could buy raffle tickets and place them in paper bags appropriated for the things that you wanted to try to win. Anna tried for a gift certificate from her hair salon and a few other things. There was also a dog named Benji that was available for adoption. He was a great dog and hit it off with Addy as a fellow white-furred puppy. We do hope that Benji gets placed in a loving home.

On Saturday night, Anna and I had reservations at the Common Man. One word: delicious. I didn't know what the vegetable of the day was, so I was stoked to find sweet, cinnamon-filled butternut squash on the plate. The best part was "the show" that preceded dinner when a man came through wearing extremely short denim shorts. My legs were freezing just thinking about the pain this guy must have felt. It was pretty clear from his other garments that this guy works somewhere that requires him to wear shorts and that he didn't have time to change before bringing his sweet thang to dinner. Whatever the explanation, I had chill bumps for the guy.

On Sunday, Anna led her choir through Moses Hogans's arrangement of Wade in the Water. She was pleased, and the congregation loved it. Afterwards, Anna, Wendy, and I went to Daniel's in Henniker, NH for another terrific meal. If you've never been, Daniel's has a spectacular view of the Contoocook River for you to enjoy while you dine. They also have a dill salad dressing that is "to die for."

We wrapped up our afternoon by heading down the road to Quilted Threads, a quilting shop that carries everything you could possibly need to quilt, learn to quilt, or just to be inspired/warmer. We have several friends who quilt (including Erin, who has an online store for her baby quilts), and I'm always impressed to see how creative people can get within this medium.

So, we've had a busy weekend, and I haven't even told you about the dinner party and viewing of Young at Heart. That post will come soon.

My Last Tortilla?

2009-02-14T10:50:00.001-05:00

Last night, we went to Boston to pick up Wendy. She's a friend that we met when we lived in Cincinnati. Megan joined us for the ride because--wait for it--we went to Chipotle on our way down. Megan, Anna, and I all love Chipotle burritos, but we don't have a restaurant close to us in Concord. So, we usually get a burrito whenever we head down towards Boston.

The thing I never understood about Chipotle was why some people would get the burrito bowl (a burrito without the tortilla). The tortilla is delicious. In my mind, I concluded that these people were trying to cut out carbs. But how would eating a big bowl of rice help in the big picture?

Well, I looked at the nutritional infomation and discovered that (as pictured above) the tortilla alone is 290 calories. Check out the amount of sodium too: 670mg. If I'm adopting the Eat This, Not That mindset, the bowl option cuts out some major calories and salt yet delivers the flavors of the burrito innards.

The worst part is that I'm capable of eating two burritos at once. I've done it a few times. I had no idea what I was doing to my body!

I love my Chipotle, so I'm glad that they make the bowl option. Because we don't get Chipotle very often, I don't feel bad about getting the full burrito, but I will probably opt for the bowl option when we move back to the Queen City and can/will have Chipotle more often.

From the Floor: Sorry, Virginia.

2009-02-12T20:10:00.002-05:00

Adelaide Macaroni Padgett is a puppy, specializing in sleep and play. She is author of The Perils of White Puppies in New England and Growling at Windmills. Her series for this blog, "From the Floor," strives to provide a commonplace-if not subaltern-view of newsworthy events.

Pembroke, NH--For two months we've allowed Mr. Kringle (also known as Mr. K) to live with us. I went to my grooming session in December, where I met this bearded, red-nosed man. When my ride came, he departed with us.

At first, Mr. K seemed great. He brought me gifts later in the month as a reward for my good behavior. I became suspicious, however, when I heard some squeaking in the house. When I confronted Mr. K about the sounds, he denied that he had-or even knew about-a squeaker. I wanted to believe him, but his obese figure and flamboyant coat would certainly allow him to smuggle a squeaker into Padgett Manor--a flagrant violation against my rules (and sensibilities).
I watched him for several weeks, and I kept hearing about his squeaking from others. Finally, I realized that I would have to interrogate Mr. K, robustly interrogate him. First, I removed his eyes. Nothing; the guy wouldn't budge. Then I plucked every hair from his beard. Still no results. I'm afraid that I went too far when I opened his neck and allowed his fluffy innards to see the light of day (pictured). Still, his death justified such cruel measures because-during the procedure-I found the squeaker that Mr. K denied during his interrogation.

We can all sleep well tonight. Padgett Manor is clear of all squeakers. To make an example out of him, I left pieces of Mr. K all around the home, warning all squeaker-carrying entities that their destruction is near.

Mr. Padgett Goes to Concord

2009-02-11T10:25:00.007-05:00

I'm taking a course in lobbying this semester. I'm really enjoying it, and the professor is a practicing lobbyist. He's particularly enthusiastic about teaching us the ins and outs of the legislative system, and enthusiasm is one of the indicia of good teaching in my book.

One of our assignments is to actually observe the state legislature in action. I chose to follow a piece of legislation before the New Hampshire House of Representatives that seeks to abolish the death penalty. It is currently in committee (pictured). State law only allows the use of the death penalty in certain circumstances (e.g., killing a police officer, murder for hire), and a jury exercised that allowance this fall in the trial of Michael Addison. Addison was convicted and sentenced to death for killing a Manchester police officer who was pursuing him. So, the stage was set for a very emotional hearing.

One of the nice things about New Hampshire is that its legislature is highly representative. It's one of the smallest states, but it has the largest House of any state (400 members). The representatives are only paid $100 per year plus their mileage, so their task is truly a labor of love for the state. Be not mistaken; these are not yokels that operate as unripened politicians. From what I've seen, these are exceedingly smart and sophisticated people who know how to operate effectively within a political environment. [Author's Note: Notice in the picture above that the chairman of the committee gets a taller back on his chair. This is because political power and the degree of lumbar support are directly proportional.]

Anyone can attend and testify at a committee hearing, and it appears that some retired citizens make a habit out of coming to these hearings and offering their opinions of the issues. Generally, the committee chairperson recognizes people in the following order:

the bill's sponsor
any other representatives that want to testify
organizations (NH Defense Lawyers, etc.)
people with an identifiable interest (pastors, former police officers, etc.)
everyday citizens

I expected that there would be some emotional fireworks at this hearing, but very few people attended. The testimony that I saw was carried out with civility and without excessive passion. While this is a good thing if you're trying to legislate, it is relatively boring to watch.

If you stick around for an entire hearing on an issue like this, you will hear all of the arguments spelled out in their most persuasive form early on in the hearing. From there, it's the same old song with a few exceptions that brighten the session. My favorite testimony came from a man that testified that he had read a book about San Quentin prison. In the end, he offered to loan it to the state should it fund a death penalty study commission--but declined to loan it to the committee itself because of his experience in loaning out books. This book seems to be out of print, so the committee has an exceedingly difficult decision to make now.

Criss-Cross Kitty

2009-02-10T08:04:00.003-05:00

It's a little hard to tell in the picture, but there are tracks in the snow in our back yard. They make a crude 'X' in the snow. Our home is close to a state park here in New Hampshire, so we actually see a lot of wildlife even though we live just off of a major highway: ducks, butterflies, skunks, deer. We even had a moose hanging out in our front yard one time--right by the bedroom window. It's something I will definitely miss when we leave.

But there is also a neighborhood cat that really likes to use our property as a short cut to get between his place and his lady friends' places. It just so happens that I watched as the cat walked across the yard both times when he made these tracks. It was funny watching him go across the snow, falling in with each step. I've never been able to read a cat's facial expressions very well, but I know what it looks like when a guy is asking himself whether having a lady friend is worth all of the trouble of treading through the snow. Sorry, Mr. Cat. You should stick to the plowed streets next time.

Night on the Town

2009-02-07T22:32:00.013-05:00

On Saturday night we hit the streets for a good time. We grabbed some dinner in Manchester and then did a little shopping. Anna had a gift certificate to L.L. Bean, so we stopped by their store to see what we could find. We aren't in any real need for clothes, so we just looked for random stuff. We ended up getting two pair(s) (whichever plural you prefer) of sunglasses.

Always fashionable, Anna got a sweet pair with flowers on them. They had another version of the same glasses with pink-tinted lenses. She didn't like them; neither did I. Pink lenses are reserved for the charlatans and recreants amongst the "Hollywood" crowd. If you, my reader, own a pair of sunglasses with pink lenses, you are the exception to the rule.

As for me, I wear prescription glasses at all times. I've always struggled with sunglasses--though I want them really bad. However, there are limited options for people like me. I could wear transition lenses, but I don't like the lack of control. I could also buy a pair of prescription sunglasses. The problem with this option is that switching pairs of glasses (normal to sunglasses, sunglasses to normal) causes me to get dizzy. I hate that feeling, and I just can't drive while I'm feeling like that. The option that I've exercised recently is simply wearing a regular pair of sunglasses over my prescription glasses. You'd think that it would look awesome; it does not. However, it works, and it's comfortable.

I was satisfied with it until we got to L.L. Bean. There, Anna found a pair of sunglasses made to fit over prescription glasses. Yes! From the labels, it appeared that these glasses were reserved for elderly men who drive RVs. I didn't want the cashier to deny us service because I didn't fit that description, so I started talking about the RV that we don't own: "I'm thinking of trading in Old Windsail. It just doesn't have the power that it used to--like when we drove over through the Rockies and then over to Seattle. The riggings (?) are poorly designed too; I like staying in the Wal-Mart parking lots if we can, but the adapters don't seem to fit their equipment anymore."

It was at the discussion of the riggings that I realized that the cashier was more likely to sell us the sunglasses if I just shut up. So I did. Ashamed of my lack of RV knowledge, we headed to the local bookshop. I was going to find a book about the recreational vehicle lifestyle, but I got sidetracked and forgot all about it. I'll write about my new book in a later post. All in all, it was a productive evening. I probably won't seek out information about RVs; rather, I'll let it come to me as it does. True serendipity.

Remembering Dr. Corts

2009-02-06T08:25:00.005-05:00

Anna and I found out that Dr. Corts passed away. He was the president of Samford University while Anna and I were students there. From our experience and all accounts by others, he was a brilliant leader and did some amazing things while at the school, particularly in fundraising.

Anna tells a great story about Dr. Corts: One of the school clubs had a video scavenger hunt where the largest prize would go to those that went to the Dr. Corts's home and had tea with him. Of course, the entry was likely intended as a joke, but Anna's group took the challenge head-on. When they arrived, Dr. Corts welcomed them in, explained that his wife was away, but that he would be willing to give it a go. He came up with lemonade and cookies as a great treat. Full points were awarded. I should also mention that all the participants had teased their hair out as part of the competition.

When I was a senior, I represented the school in a couple of competitions. One day I was invited to Dr. Corts's office because he wanted to wish me luck. Again, he was a gracious host, taking time out of a particularly busy day to get to know me and tell me that I had his full support. There was a rumor floating around that said Dr. Corts actually had a secret office where he did all sorts of important work. I thought that, since I was there, this meeting was a perfect place to find out the truth. When I started asking the hard questions, Dr. Corts revealed that he, indeed, had two offices. The one that everyone knew was the one with all of the windows, the perfectly placed books, and the clean desk. In all actuality, there was a panel in the room that would push out and lead to his working office. He asked if I wanted to see that office. "Most definitely, sir." It wasn't particularly cluttered, but it was funny to see his "paper garden."

Among all of his incredible accomplishments, I think one of Dr. Corts's best was his demonstration of kindness to some of the goofy students that came through SU.

My Sistah Says She Can See You

2009-02-05T19:15:00.012-05:00

We have a favorite restaurant in Concord. It's called the Common Man, and the food there is generally fantastic. In fact, Anna and I have reservations there for Valentine's Day.

They have a table with crackers and an enormous block of cheese for a free appetizer. If we're there for a special occassion, I usually have their prime rib for dinner, and I always enjoy their seasonal vegetable. But one thing about the restaurant makes the C-Man stand out.

The bathroom is pretty typical in most of your sensory categories. It smells like a bathroom. It looks like a bathroom. It feels likes a bathroom. I don't yet know if it tastes like a bathroom. But, the sound of this bathroom is haunting. The restaurant pipes in the voice of a local comedian. She tells these yarns about living in New England, and she does so with a thick accent (she has a sistah, and an idear).

Those old tales are distracting, but there are distractions in the restaurant as well. On the second floor, there are some couches and rocking chairs for the people that prefer heavy padding in lieu of a standard chair. It's part of the ethos of the restaurant. What is interesting is that one of the couches presents a direct line of sight into a window in one of the bathroom stalls (pictured above).

If someone sits down on the toilet, no one can see what is happening. But there are some men who prefer to urinate while standing at a standard toilet instead of a urinal. Perhaps it is privacy; perhaps it is experience. I don't know. What I do know is that there is a direct line of sight between a couch and the stall (see sketch). You could sit there all night and watch the feeling of relief come over men's faces. It's hilarious and gross all at once. The Common Man really should frost that window or put up some curtains. So, if you're a dude and eating at the C-Man, you've been warned.

Senior Family Analyst Adelaide

2009-01-31T15:39:00.010-05:00

Adelaide Macaroni Padgett is a puppy, specializing in sleep and play. She is author of The Perils of White Puppies in New England and Growling at Windmills. Her series for this blog, "From the Floor," strives to provide a commonplace-if not subaltern-view of newsworthy events.

Pembroke, NH--Let me tell you about life in my neighborhood. It's winter right now, so their are far fewer motorcycles shaking our street with their noise so that they can "enjoy the nature." In their place, we have have the guy that likes to scrape every single piece of ice from his driveway either late at night or early in the morning. There's also a guy that appears in a bright pink truck to gas up our house once a month. I give him a really hard time.

I've got two furry neighbors. Katie lives across the street. She's hip and always excited to see me. Sam is the bulldog next door. I actually haven't met him yet, but I see him come and go. He looks pretty nice, but I'm positive that I can outrun him. There are actually ten more dogs at the other house across the street. The city doesn't know about those dogs ($6 annual fee per dog), so I won't reveal their identities here.

My house has a backyard where I chase tennis balls. For a small puppy, the yard is huge. Our road has a loop where we take some walks. Other dogs leave messages along the path. I leave some messages of my own. I also enjoy several of the local parks and the state park hiking paths, where I am allowed as long as I am leashed. The other field trip we occasionally make is to the "Exchange." We load up a bunch of junk that we don't need (like boxes) and hike down to Suncook Village. This moustached guy in a yellow shirt looks at us like we don't belong and points to the biggest box I've ever seen. We put our boxes in that box. Though we call it an exchange, we don't really get anything back for our boxes. Except maybe for that funny look from the yellow-shirted gentleman.

For now, I've got to stay inside. It's cold outside, and there is snow everywhere. I can't wait for warmer weather--though I remember that bringing on the slush, the mud, and the blackflies. It doesn't matter; some of my favorite times are when we have visitors come and visit. We've had several people over this month, and the calendar reveals that several more are on their way (including my fellow curly-haired friend Wendy).

A Few Notes

2009-01-31T15:33:00.004-05:00

On the picture: This is the Padgett Manor amidst the first snow storm of this winter. There is much more snow on the ground now. Anyone interested in owning a beautiful and spacious New England bungalow? Since we're talking real estate, why does the concept of a "bonus room" automatically make me think of pinball machine going nuts with lights and arpeggiating sounds?

On the domain name: It seems that there has been a lot of blogspot-squatting going on. Of course, I've come to this pretty late in the game. Our domain name is supposed to be read as "The 'A's Have It." The reason: All of our names start with the letter A. Austin, Anna, and Adelaide (the puppy). It's hokey; I admit it.

On the upcoming week: I might be going to the New Hampshire State House to sit in on the hearings for a bill proposing mandatory seat belt requirements. If you don't know, the state's motto is "Live Free or Die." I'll try to let you know what I've learned about these people in future posts. It's a funny place to live--and I don't really mean "ha-ha funny." For now, rest assured that Anna and I always exercise our right to wear our seat belts.

Greetings and Catching Up

2009-01-31T14:36:00.002-05:00

Greetings. We've joined the ranks and have started a "family blog." We're hoping that you'll feel updated after visiting. I'll make every attempt to boil down every post to a single, Doogie Howser-ian truth, but I make no promises.

I'm using my first post to get you, my reader, up to speed on our lives so far. For the sake of your time, I've created a few categories that may help you:

If we haven't spoken in a few days/weeks: My car died a brutal death, but it has been resurrected by the local dealership with the help of some money.

If we haven't spoken in a few months: Padgett Manor is on the market. We are trying to sell our house in one of the worst markets in recent history. As you may or may not know, I've accepted a position at a firm in Cincinnati, OH. We shall soon move. Also, my car recently died; it's been taken care of.

If we haven't spoken in a couple of years: We live in New Hampshire now. I'm finishing up my third year of law school. We bought a house here (widely known as "Padgett Manor" or "Old Man Padgett's"), but it is currently on the market. 'We will move to Cincinnati after graduation, so we're hoping it will sell soon so I may buy a new car. Mine recently died, but it's been taken care of.

If we haven't spoken in 3-5 years: Anna and I both moved to Cincinnati. We tied the knot in 2005 and immediately got Adelaide (our puppy). After I finished my MM course work (thesis on Elgar), we moved to New Hampshire for law school. We moved into a house, but we're currently trying to sell it in preparation for our move back to Cincinnati. We also hope to soon replace my car, which recently died. But it's been taken care of.

If we haven't spoken in 5+ years: Forget everything you knew about us and catch up with the above descriptions. Things are going well with the Padgetts, save for my car. It recently died, but it's been taken care of.

From here, we will start posting on some of the milestones and trivial events of our short time on this planet. Put us on your Google Reader or other blog subscription service, and keep in contact with us.