Daniel's Summer Blog

Rain! For the first time since April, there has been significant rainfall in the state, although experts claim it will take several more systems of this magnitude (~5 inches). While this made going around campus a squishy experience, I was well-prepared and managed to only get caught in a severe downpour once.

My the first half of my two-day visit was spent in two higher-level classes, both of which were very interesting, but very hard to follow. I also met a random guy who knew me from way back when, ran into an old friend from the deis, ate potatoes for dinner, did not see Donna's apartment, watched some WS with people doing homework and went to a Hillel bar night.
The second half, Donna took me to her back-to-back torts and property classes which were more accessible to me, though the professors could not have been more different. The torts guy was happy, yelled at his computer which kept shutting down, and made jokes with the blind kid. The property guy had a Lincoln-style but all-white beard (no top hat), and as I was informed, three degrees from Harvard. He was far less engaging and less fun.

The Panthers played like a real team for the first 20 minutes of their game today, but then decided to revert to the boneheads they have been playing like for most of this season. I almost went to the game, but thankfully a practice LSAT staked me to the ground and I was unable to make it.

This weekend: UNC hosts UMD in a battle of bad D-I football!

In my time in school, I have been blessed with two of the greatest U.S. History teachers ever to walk the Earth. One is a born and bred southerner who loves NASCAR and Republicans, while the other is a Maryland native who could now pass for a Massachusetts blue-blood. Both are excellent teachers, the former forcing me to swear off history classes after my junior year in high school (I took European at the same time) and the latter forcing me to break that oath my sophomore year of college. I do not remember which of them taught me this, but at some point I learned that when the great "war machine" of the United States began to run at full speed, the boys down at the docks could go 21 days from the laying of a keel, to a ship sailing off into the blue to fight the U-boats. Likewise, I am hoping the war machine of my brain will get revved up to fight the LSATs in just over a month. Right now, I am getting blitzkrieged. I am retreating to Dunkirk (UNC) for two days.

Now, I do recall having seen a pig race before, and I do remember going on a simple dragon circle-track kiddie roller coaster with my brother and yelling at the operator to stop it because neither of us liked it very much. But I can't remember if I did this at the State Fair or at the Coliseum's smaller fair. Either way, it has been long enough to forget what a fair is. Here is a little reminder, in case you forgot too.

After I dropped off the Ambassador without getting lost once, I proceed to get stuck behind two school buses going 45 on a 65 mph highway and horribly lost at the same time. Finally, I managed to backtrack and find my way to the fair, which was clearly marked by huge mobs of people, cars and orange cones. I somehow found a great parking spot and proceeded to pay $10 for it, only to discover free parking was on the other side of the fair. Naturally, the other side of the fair was where Alyssa and Mike were, and naturally, I took the long way around to them, despite being armed with a map. The first thing I saw when I walked in was a guy who could not have been shorter than 6-10, and he was just a visitor like me. The second thing I saw was the pig race area. I wanted to watch, but I was looking for my friends and the stands were already quite full. On my way to them I passed stall selling every fried food imaginable, including candy and coke. Truly amazing. In the hordes of people I dodged I also remembered the state I live. I live in a nice little town where everyone is the example of southern belle and gentleman, and as a result, much of the resident of the rural regions are forgotten despite their integral part of the state's demography and their eminent role in the stereotypes that others make about our great state. When I found them, we got free hush puppies an took a tour to see how they are made (cornmeal + sugar then fry the suckers). After that, we looked at the World of Yesteryear, which features craftsmen and women who make things the old-fashioned way and dress like the time period to boot. Pretty cool, the wood carver even had a sign that said שלום. We also went to a BMX performance, saw the state's largest pumpkin (1,700 pounds and change, a new state record) and cows that had been sold to the highest bidder (for eating purposes).
I saw people from all walks of life (no suits though), didn't get into trouble with the cops or the carnies and only went to wrong way on the highway twice (the second time was on the way home, I started going towards the coast for some reason - mental error) so it was a good day. Plus I had a corned beef and potato sandwich when I got home.
Tonight: Football!

After a seemingly infinite timespan since my last post on this blog, (I have another blog! If you love football or the Carolina Panthers (somehow, the two are not mutually inclusive) you should check it out. It is called The Forward Pass and can found at http://secondandone.blogspot.com/. Then come back here) but I am back to work on the original. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur passed in a flurry of most welcome visitors, I was even privileged to host two of these Ushpizin for Yom Kippur and they made the day much more fun, slightly defeating the purpose. I must say that the Rabbi's Sermon was quite good, very poignant and provocative of self-reflection. A furious game of Apples to Apples (alas, we do not own Joos to Joos yet) was also played to take up some of the time between services, though some elected to nap. The short following week was taken up by Sukkah-building *flexes* during which I got to use various power tools and engineering skills. The first three-day yontif was killer and the second looks to be just as dangerous.

Quick Hits:

Saw some very interesting things in Friendly parking lot.

Got interviewed by N & R for Sukkot.

Discovered that the bathtub regurgitates - nasty.

What in Sam Heck is wrong with the Chargers?

The one-game playoff was the only baseball game I have willfully watched all season and it was a great game (or at least the last four innings were). He did not touch the plate, but I believe they would have won anyway, Hoffman was getting pounded.

Last three-day yontif until Pesach. Chag Sameach!