Dean Hopson was nice enough to send me along a form email for declining offers. Here it is, for those of you who may need it in the future:

"Thank you so very much for your offer to join your 2007 summer program. Fortunately, I have had the luxury of having a number of excellent offers in addition to yours, and in order to stay within the limits of the NALP Guidelines, have had to make some very difficult decisions and I have found it necessary to decline your offer. I loved meeting everyone at the firm and appreciate very much the courtesies you extended me during my visit. I would especially like to thank xxxx. Again, I appreciate the chance to interact with those of you at XXX, and I'm sorry I cannot accept your offer. Please let me know if you have any questions."

According to NALP guidelines, I must "release" offers from law firms as I get closer to the December 1st deadline. For example, after October 1, I can hold a maximum of four offers open, and after October 15, I can hold a maximum of three offers open.

Later today, I'm going to deny an offer for summer employment. I've never done this before for any sort of job - its always been me interviewing and basically automatically accepting if they make an offer. So I'm not exactly sure how to go about this process; when I denied a few callbacks, I simply left voicemails with the recruiting coordinators. However, for an offer, a voicemail doesn't seem appropriate.

Making this even more awkward is the fact that after firms give you an offer, they kill you with kindness. People who you interviewed with call you and talk about how much they enjoyed talking with you, and how you should come back up and visit the firm again to make sure you like it, etc. Supposedly, firms also send you stuff too (I've yet to experience this, but for those who know me and how much I like free stuff, I'm very much looking forward to mailbox surprises).

So by what means am I planning on denying this offer? I think email is appropriate - it gives me proof that I denied the offer, and also avoids the awkwardness of a phone conversation. The remaining issue is what the email should say. In a funny world, it could be exactly like the letters I received denying me callbacks. Maybe something stating that while the credentials and accomplishments of the firm are quite impressive, I am unable to accept the offer, due to the number of extremely well qualified candidate firm. But thats not very nice, especially to a firm that was cool enough to give me an offer, so I'll likely stick with an apologetic / greatful tone. You never know whose paths you'll cross in the future.

Reviews from the latest callback trip:

*70 Park Avenue is the uncreatively named hotel that I stayed at. It was very nice though. There was a big flat screen TV in my room, and the bed was uber comfortable. There was also a free wine hour from 5:30 to 6:30 every day that I got quite drunk at the first night.

However, the room service breakfast was not only outrageously priced, but TERRIBLE. The bacon was far too crisp, the toast was cold, and the eggs were nondescript. The glass of juice came in a wine glass, which may have looked nice, but unfortunately did not hold much juice. I went with a continental breakfast the next day, and that did not fair much better. So if you have the opportunity to stay there, just avoid the room service.

Oh wait, Kim managed to find a used condom hiding in the bathroom. That wasn't pleasant.

*Artisanal - With so many cheeses and wines, how can you go wrong? I was a bit nauseated when I arrived, due to the turbulance on my flight, so the strong whiff of cheese when I first walked in the restaurant did not please me. But my stomach gradually calmed down, and I enjoyed a glass of merlot, three cheese onion soup, and a roasted leg of lamb. I'm not sure what caused it, but my stomach began to ache pretty badly in the middle of dinner. By dessert, however, it had gotten back to normal, and I got this spectacular creamy fruit in an edible soft shell concoction. Mmm. Also, our server was very nice and knowledgable. I recommend this place.

*Salute! - I started off with the roasted corn soup, which was very smooth and tasty. My main course was the braised beef ravioli, which was a little bit chewy and could have used a little more beef, but overall was still above average. It was a very solid lunch, and the service was great as well. I somewhat recommend this place.

*Beacon - This was probably my favorite place on the trip. I was planning on going with the roasted garlic and fried egg soup, but the waiter told me the special soup of the day was pumpkin and apple soup. I hadn't ever heard of that, so I ordered it. He brought it out, and also had a stick with what looked like cotton wrapped around it in his other hand. He then tossed the stick into the soup, and the cotton started melting into the soup, revealing croutons inside of it. The soup was awesome. A little sweet, but very satisfying overall. My entree was the boneless ribeye with onion herb relish, and my side was the macaroni and rocquefort. I can say without hesitation that this was my best meal on the trip. The steak was cooked perfectly, with a nice sear on the outside and just enough fat around the edges. The macaroni was actually penne, with a nice crumbly topping and of course lots of rocquefort. I wasn't able to finish it all, but at least it didn't go to waste, as I brought the leftovers to Kim. I recommend this place a lot.

*Rare - this was not a restaurant that a firm took me to, but rather one that Ben recommended. It was the best burger I've had in quite awhile. The M&M burger consists of a burger flambeded with whiskey, topped with cheddar, bacon, and carmellized shallots. It was awesome. We went back the next night and I got the kobe wellington burger, which was also pretty good, but not as good as the M&M burger. Its pretty reasonably priced for NYC, so much like chicken and rice on 53rd and 6th, its a must eat.

*Kate Kearney's - They still have one dollar Buck Hunter (for a hunting adventure), and now have $1.50 PBR cans on Sunday nights. As well as beer pong, darts, foosball, photo hunt, and relatively cheap bar food. Giddy up.

*US Air flights from CVille to Laguardia - Both flights were delayed by quite a bit. I'm not a fan. But its the only option really for direct flights to NYC, so what can you do?

Callbacks this Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. So while there will be no Foxfields post, there likely will be a fairly entertaining callback post on Wednesday. Or not. Whatever.

Meet George, the official dog of 2304 Fontaine Avenue.



In selecting this dog, Ryan apparently had various requirements in mind. They must have included:

*Should have a terrible ear infection that makes it smell horrible.
*Should be very old (best estimates put it between 9-11 years old).
*Should have worms.
*Should have a propensity for peeing on the floor.



Also, the dog seems to be retarded. For instance, it will paw at the trash, which will entail one of us smacking him and then dragging him into his cage. Immediately after being let out of the cage, George then wanders back over to the trash, apparently oblivious of what is about to happen to him yet again.

But perhaps that doesn't make him retarded on his own. Most dogs will get into the trash on a regular basis, due to the fact that they simply are dogs. However, this dog also has a tendency to strangle himself. All you have to do is tie him up to a pole outside, and he will actively seek out other poles to run around, invariably leading to his leash becoming quite tight around his neck. Then, in order to loosen the pressure on him, he continues to run in the same direction around the pole. Its quite a sight to see.

He also likes to paw at parked cars.

These qualms aside, usually he is a very lazy dog, which is a good thing living in the house that we do. He usually simply lies down in this spot for most of his time "awake" during the day.



Welcome to the house George. Perhaps we'll create a facebook profile for you soon.

From the UVA Law Website

Lile Moot Court Competition

About 150 second-year students, competing in two-person teams, hone their oral argument skills in the annual William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition. Distinguished federal and state judges preside in the semifinal and final rounds. Winners receive a cash prize and their names are inscribed on a plaque located outside the three moot courtrooms.

Teams of students chosen from among those entered in the competition may represent the Law School in the national Moot Court Competition and other extramural competitions nationwide.

For those of you unfamiliar with moot court (but have seen Rounders), just think about the scene where Mike runs into a courtroom, running late due to an all night poker game. He is totally unprepared. Three professors are acting as judges, and they ask him as lead counsel to commence oral arguments. He bumbles for a bit before stating that the case is clearly governed by some random case, and instantly one of the judges smacks him down, saying that the case is inapplicable. Mike fumbles some more, before his girlfriend comes to his rescue while he sits down in shame.

(Ed: Charles has pointed out that it is not his girlfriend who comes to his rescue. He is correct.)

Moot court is based on what an appellate court would be - unlike the trials that you see on TV shows, a court of appeals consists of lawyers arguing in front of judges, with judges just peppering the poor counsel with questions. No interaction with witnesses, no juries, nada. Its pretty intense.

Which leads to the obvious question as to why anyone would put themselves through moot court. The Lile Moot Court competition here at UVA lasts approximately TWO YEARS. It begins in the fall of your 2L year, and if you make it to the finals it goes on until the spring of your 3L year.

The answer? Law students are encouraged to put "Planning on participating in William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition" on their resume before their 2L on grounds interviews. This is so your resume seems a little bit beefier to employers. I honestly don't know if this helps - can this really be a talking point in an interview?

Interviewer: So I see you're planning on participating in Moot Court.
2L: Yup.
(uncomfortable silence)

But what I do know is that almost everyone I knew who signed on for Moot Court regretted it (or are in the process of regretting it right now). It was actually quite humorous - many people were trying to figure out ways in which they could "put forth a good faith effort" (as required by our honor code), but also to ensure that their brief was bad enough such that they would not make it through to the second round (where you have to do a ton of extra research). I'm sure this situation has led to some very "interesting" arguments in briefs.

In case you couldn't tell, I didn't do moot court. A rare good decision by me.

Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

And for those of you who only want to type like a pirate (warning, may cause you to laugh in the middle of class)

Arrrrrrr!

"When they look into the mirror, they see a very similar opponent." - MNF commentator, talking about the similarities between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Charles and I both tried to figure out how this possibly could make any sense. Charles suggested that they were looking at a different part of a mirror that contained both teams. I reasoned that perhaps the opposing teams were looking at each other through periscopes, which contain mirrors reflecting mirrors.

Thus, the MNF commentator must have been assuming that the teams were looking at each other through periscopes.

What I just read for Trusts & Estates:

If a married man and woman arrange for sperm to be withdrawn from the husband for the purpose of artificially inpregnating the wife, and the woman is impregnated with that sperm after the man, her husband, has died, will children resulting from such pregnancy enjoy the inheritance rights of natural children under Massachusetts' law of intestate succession? - 760 N.E.2d 257.

For more on the extraction of sperm from dead or comatose men who do not consent, and the use of such sperm by wives, girlfriends, and parents, see Lori B. Andrews, The Sperminator (a term coined for such a father), N.Y. Times Mag., Mar. 28, 1999, at 62.

One habit I've developed after crippling Eagles losses is to avoid reading anything that might possibly mention the previous day's game. This includes:

*The game recap
*Other articles about specific aspects of the game
*ESPN week 2 summaries
*Sportscenter
*Any Philadelphia newspaper
*Any sports section of a non-Philadelphia newspaper

The conflict that has developed for the first time, however, is that I want to read local newspapers' stories about the Phillies, who are only one game out of the wild card race. But going to a site like www.philly.com necessitates me seeing, likely in bold lettering on the front page, the Eagles collapse. I wouldn't even be able to click the "Phillies" link on the sidebar without seeing a gigantic picture on the front page of something terrible related to the game.

What a dilemma.

You know, I pay a lot of money to go to school here. Or more specifically, The government and banks pay a lot of money for me to go to school here, and I will pay them that money back along with a ton of interest in a few years. Regardless, the school is getting a lot of money.

Thus, I don't think it is a lot to ask to have a reasonably priced cafeteria. I came into school today seeking some form of healthy sustinence. I wanted something healthy because pretty much the only food I ate yesterday was fried chicken and fries (Raising Cane's and Wayside, definitely check out Raising Cane's if you are in the area).

Anyway, I saw some small dannon yogurts. They would have been perfect. Except they were $1.79. Then I saw a fresh fruit cup. $3.79! Okay... how about a banana. $.89. Are you freakin kidding me?

So now I am in class and have eaten nothing, and I guess I'll just wait until I can get a $3.00 piece of pizza at lunch. Joy.

The entire right side of my back was on fire.

I was playing center field, and a ball was hit up the middle to me. There was a man on second, so I presumed that I was going to have to throw him out at home.

Now in softball, we usually have a girl at catcher. And the pitcher will cover home in the event that there is a play at the plate. This is done because, paradoxically, the girl playing catcher usually cannot catch very well.

The play before this hit, Ryan threw the ball home from left field on a single, and Alec had gone home to cover the plate. This was necessary because Akure (currently catching) does not catch very well. Well, she might, but we don't want to test the theory.

So I'm readying myself to launch the ball home, about to throw, and I notice that Alec has not covered the plate, but instead Akure is standing there, not looking particularly receptive to catching my throw. So I stop myself... and then for some reason decide that throwing the ball is in my best interests. However, I am wrong footed - I'm now throwing off my right foot.

What followed can only be described as a very awkward throw that didn't go particularly far, and intense searing pain going up the entire right side of my back. I almost fell over in agony, while Ryan laughed at me in left field.

And the guy scored anyway.

Another interesting interview moment from this past trip:

I walk into the guy's office and there is this minature craps table on his desk. Its probably like 10 inches by 6 inches, and it has a small set of tiny chips, a stick, and some miniscule dice.

Evan (excitedly): Oh, you like to play craps?
Guy: No, not really.

Trip #1 to NYC for callbacks is now complete.

It started off well enough. Firm #1 gave me a 6:15 PM interview followed by a reception afterwards, which I think was a solid plan.

Firm #2 invited me to lunch, which ended up somehow being a $170 (after tip) meal for three of us. There wasn't even any alcohol involved! That was a pretty great meal.

Firm #3 did not go so well, as my second interviewer neglected to show up.

I just sat in his office waiting and waiting, growing angrier and angrier. He was caught in a meeting - okay... why schedule an interview that is going to be at the tail end of a meeting? To me, that just means that this individual does not place much value on interviewing potential associates, which by extension means that the firm doesn't either. No? I would think interviewers are the people who you want to be the face of your firm. And if the "face" doesn't show up, then what about the rest of the people?

And since I needed to be out the door immediately after my scheduled interviews to ensure I would catch my flight out of Laguardia, it ultra annoyed me. I cut the rest of the interviews rather short and was on my way.

To top it off, my flight from Laguardia to CVille was cancelled, forcing a rescheduled plan that involved a stopover in Philadelphia.

Its good to be back.

*My fantasy football team has become a black hole of players who you simply cannot root for.

Daunte Culpepper - the gigantic 265 pound QB who cannot hold onto the football.
Randy Moss - the second most despicable WR in football
Joe Horn - yet another despicable WR
Jerry Porter - whiny WR who doesn't have the skill to be a team's 1st WR
Tatum Bell - sulks when starting RB job given to an undrafted rookie who worked 200% harder than Tatum

That being said, its actually a pretty solid team. I have Drew Brees, Rudi Johnson, Corey Dillon, and of course Lee Evans, who must be on my team every year. I predict a repeat of my championship last year.

*I leave tomorrow for NYC for some callback interviews. I will miss 5 classes this week, which I think is more than I missed my entire first year of law school combined. I've emailed one of my professors (the one who actually cold calls), to let him know I won't be around this Thursday or next Tuesday; will this dictate an instant cold call next Thursday? I better be prepared I suppose.

*The buzz around ESPN now concerns if Ryan Howard hits 62 home runs, is he the new single season home run king? True, Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa all hit significantly more than 61, but they have that whole steroid taint above them, which Howard does not have. I like being totally ridiculous by saying, "Undeniably, Howard would be the home run king." Case closed.

*I just dropped a class next semester for no other reason than it meets on Friday, and I did not want any Friday classes. Sorry International Law w/ Setear, you'll have to wait for semester the fifth (or sixth).

Rating the Breakfast Meats

When it comes to breakfast, I think the only choice is really the egg and meat platter offered at any diner. A couple scrambled eggs, a side of home fries or hash brown potatoes, a couple pieces of toast, and some meat. But what kind of meat should you get?



The following is my own ranking of the choices generally available for breakfast. Factors used in the rankings include:

*How they "taste" as a breakfast meat
*How they compliment eggs, toast, and potatoes
*How filling they are
*How likely a restaurant is to screw up the cooking of said meat


6) Canadian Bacon

Its some sort of weird cross between ham and bacon... except it really seems like just thin cut ham. I don't really know why anyone on earth would order this.


5) Ham

I'll admit, I don't often have ham for breakfast. I think the only times I've really had it were in omelet form. But it provides a reasonably filling and tasting alternative to the traditional breakfast meats. The problem is that it just doesn't "taste" like breakfast; it tastes either like a holiday (Easter or Christmas) or a luncheon meat. Sorry ham, but you're not cutting it.


4) Steak

Similarly, steak suffers from the same problem that ham does - it doesn't taste like breakfast. While it is clearly the most filling option out of the breakfast meats, it is very easy to screw up, and also is almost always prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, the cut of the meat is rarely a good one. Lastly, it doesn't really compliment eggs, potatoes, or toast. It really overpowers the meal as the centerpiece, and that is not what breakfast is about. Breakfast is about things working together as a team to provide you with a solid base for the day.


3) Sausage Patties

I'll say it now - sausage patties are different than sausage links. Its hard to explain why, considering the only practical difference is shape. But when you bite into a sausage patty, it just doesn't taste as good as a sausage link. It tastes like it should be between two biscuit halves and in a McDonalds wrapper.

I can't tell you how disappointed I was the first time I ordered a McDonald's Big Breakfast. It is supposed to come with sausage. I naturally assumed, must be sausage links. Instead I got a sausage patty. Oh the humanity! It basically ruined my whole breakfast.

The last strike against sausage patties is that they have a bad tendency to be overcooked, and thus very dry. Close, but no cigar sausage patties.


2) Bacon

Whoa! Bacon isn't number one? Evan, you're the guy who loves bacon so much you came up with the idea of "bacon butter" (butter infused with bacon fat). You've put bacon on porterhouses before. How can you not have bacon as your number one breakfast meat?

One reason is that it is simply not very filling. On the occasions I have ordered bacon, I have left breakfast still hungry, which is never a good thing. It may seem like the difference in mass is negligible, but unless you can eat like 7 pieces of bacon with your meal, its not cutting it.

The biggest reason, however, is that so many cooks screw it up. Far too many times I have gotten pieces of bacon that look like they were at ground zero of a nuclear bomb detonation. At that point they are so crisp they actually become sharp - I can't recall actually cutting myself on a piece of bacon, but it probably has happened before. I like my bacon a little fatty and chewy, but restaurants rarely are able to provide that.

If you get bacon cooked the right way, man is it great. But it just so rarely happens, that I almost always order #1 when I'm out to breakfast (or dinner).


1) Sausage Links

I want to tell you a story of probably the saddest moment I had in my time in Highland Park.

Me and Kim would go to Penny's Restaurant (a diner) in Highland Park probably once a week for breakfast. It was only a few blocks away, reasonably priced, and had nice service. However, the real draw was the sausage links - they were, without question, the best sausage links I had ever had. They were supposedly home made. The casing was nice and thin and crispy, and the meat inside was phenomenal. On my birthday, one of my presents was a double order of sausage with breakfast. I loved them.

One of my favorite things to do was to put some eggs on a piece of toast, wrap that around one of the sausage links, and mmmmmm.

One day I walked by and it was closed.

Two weeks later it had been replaced by some sort of Israeli restaurant. Penny's had existed in Highland Park for decades, and was now replaced by who the fuck knows.

I was distraught. You can ask Kim if you ever talk to her and remember this, but I almost became depressed. I refused to even discuss this horrible event.

What makes sausage links so great? They don't overpower the meal - they compliment the eggs and potatoes in a way that no other meat (save bacon) is able to. They are easy to cook, so you can go anywhere and have at least passable sausage. They are more filling than bacon, leaving you rarely hungry because of their mass. And sometimes... you get them just right where you think you suddenly want to become some sort of hog farmer so you can devote the rest of your life to trying to duplicate the taste you had today.

Before I leave you today (likely to comments demanding that bacon be placed at number one), I also would like to add that sausage wrapped with bacon would be the ultimate breakfast meat, but thats really two meats, and I couldn't find a picture of it anyway.

*I don't normally link to videos, but this South Park one is pretty great.

Dandelion Parade

In the fall, first-year sections stage a parade for upperclassmen with a theme based on their section letter. In 2002, section K, above, celebrated Elvis as King. - UVA Law Website

After last year's drunken festivities, Dandelion is no longer allowed on school grounds. The solution? Have it at my house! Which is fine, except I'll be on callbacks this weekend, so I won't be able to enjoy seeing 1Ls make drunken fools out of themselves in my backyard.

Additionally, I now have callbacks scheduled for the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday following Foxfields. Which almost mandates a sober Foxfields for Evan.

Damn you scheduling gods!

1L: Do you know my name?
Evan: Stephanie?
1L: Stephanie? Stephanie?? My name is Smitha! Stephanie? How could I be named Stephanie?

And the funny thing was, I thought to myself before this exchange that she certainly did not look like a Stephanie. But for some strange reason I was convinced that was what her name was.

Evan: Did you guys see that girl who looked like SW?
Ryan: Yes. That was SW.
Evan: I see.

Winning a keg race will do these sorts of things to you.