Friday, March 31, 2006

Bar trip, II (commitment)

After a week of obsessive travel planning and airfare comparisons, I have committed to SE Asia for my bar trip. I leave the US on Aug.1 and arrive in Singapore just after midnight on Aug. 3. I then have an undefined 3 week period to go to Borneo before flying from Singapore to Hong Kong on Aug. 22. After 4 days in Hong Kong and Macau, I head back to the US on the 27th.

While this development may help me concentrate better in a certain federal courts class, I still need to book my Singapore - Borneo flights and then there is always the Cambodia wild card.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Cameroon in the news again

Cameroon is in the news again, making this the second time in a week for the armpit hinge of a country near and dear to my heart. Not to make light of a fleeing warlord, but it is somewhat amusing that he saw Cameroon as a land of refuge.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Best of Intentions

I woke up a little earlier than usual this morning with the intention of going into the clinic to work on some affidavits. But it is pouring, so until the rain abates I am forced to stay at home and surf the internet.

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Bar trip, I

The good thing about last Wednesday is that I got a job. The bad thing is that said job killed my hopes for a 3 month post-bar odyssey through Southeast Asia, at least for the time being.*

Instead, I will have to make do with at most 4 weeks of vacation. This short period constrains my grand plans and forces me to deal with the discomforts of reality. But somehow I will find the strength to survive.

On my trip, I want to dive and hike. My leading contenders are the following:

Brazil. Always a favorite. I could go to a wedding, see friends, revisit old favorites and check out some new beaches. This is probably the easiest option since I feel very comfortable traveling around the country and speak the language. My biggest concern is that upon arrival, the federal police will find out that I have been to Brazil each of the past 4 years for a total of a year, declare me to be a dual citizen, and then conscript me into military service.

Ecuador. I've always wanted to go to the Galapagos, but I think that what I want to do, which is sail around the islands and dive with iguanas, may be too expensive. I also still have an aversion to organized tours. Still, 3 weeks is a good amount of time for the country and flights to Ecuador are probably the cheapest of the lot. Also easy b/c yo hablo español.

Cambodia/Laos. The attraction of Cambodia would be to visit temples and hang out with a friend from the PC who is now working in the country. She probably won't be there the next time I get a chance for a long vacation. Cambodia isn't known for beaches and diving, and it will be the rainy season, the reason I axed Thailand. Laos b/c it sounds interesting and 4 weeks is too long for just Cambodia.

Malaysian Borneo. This is the leading contender. Supposedly there is fantabulous diving in the province of Sabah at Sipadan and Layang Layang. I'd travel southwestward, pass through Brunei, hike in the rainforest, and then fly out of the province of Sarawak. I would fly from the US to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and spend a few days in either of the cities on my way out. If I push my start date, I could possibly spend a week in Cambodia.

Malaysia. This would include the Borneo portion, exclude Cambodia, and add in diving on the eastern peninsula. I may want to save mainland SE Asia until 2008, though.

Egypt. I haven't read much about this yet, but pyramids, temples, and Red Sea diving sound good to me. It may be too hot in August or too expensive to get to from the US.

*Postponed until 2008

Friday, March 24, 2006

LRAP

While the salary increase battles among top firms in Texas have been making news these past few weeks, don't forget the financial burden faced by our classmates who enter public service. UT needs a loan repayment assistance program.

And no, the establishment of an LRAP is not totally self-interested as I will make too much money as a federal government attorney to qualify for the currently proposed program.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Rejoice!

I have a job. In August I'll pack my bags, move to the Big D, and clerk here for two years. I am very relieved that three years of law school have resulted in a job in public service that uses my law degree and pays more than my past job.

Friday, March 17, 2006

New passport: To Do

My new passport finally arrived, two weeks after the stated six week processing time. I am relieved that it is not one of the new high-tech/black helicopter electronic passports, which are supposed to be introduced this year. And it has 48 pages, so I should have plenty of room for stamps from these countries on my "to do" list:

Monday, March 13, 2006

Lack of black babies?

Anyone watch "Grey's Anatomy" last night and notice how white Dr. Bailey's baby was? If ABC was able to cast two African-Americans as the parents, how hard would it be to find a little black baby to play the role of the screaming swaddled child?

The start of Spring Break has been punctuated with deep questions such as this one. I'm reading Cadillac Desert, a book about the history of water in the American West. The past two chapters were about the non-sensical water projects built for reasons that boil down to a rivalry between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers. The next book will either be about politics in francophone Africa or environmental conflict in Brazil.

I've also been cooking (a lot), napping, sledding, and will hopefully get to go hiking if it gets above freezing. And on Wednesday, I'm spa-ing.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Only 78 days to go

Can I tell you how excited I am for this movie to be released? The trailer is totally bad ass. Conveniently it starts at the end of the first full week of Barbri.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Where would you rather be?

Three years ago today I was here:

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará, Brazil

Today I am here:

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

The Amazing Race

It is that time of year again, when yet another edition of The Amazing Race airs on CBS. The show premiered last night with a kick off in Colorado and the first leg in Brazil. I've been a little surprised that previous seasons never passed through Brazil, at least those shows that I've seen. I assumed it was because contestants needed a visa. Anyway, apparently the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism wisened up to the marketing potential of the show since most of the first episode involved the 11 teams running around São Paulo looking for clues and completing silly but entertaining tasks.

It is a little too early for me to be rooting for a particular pair but here are my first impressions of the eleven teams:

Lake & Michelle. Lake is a good ole boy from Mississippi who introduced himself to another contestant as "Lake like the ocean." The best clip was when he said, "that black lady is outrunning you" to his wife as Yolanda and Ray raced past them in the airport. Michelle seems more even-keeled.

Danielle & Dani. Probably tougher competitors than they look. The Double D's got snaps for making fun of the Eric and Jeremy's sad attempt to pick up the girls.

BJ & Tyler. Annoying and need to lose. Unfortunately they will probably be in the race for a while.

Ray & Yolanda. Seem to be a good team, but there is always the potential for trouble when a couple that has been dating long distance for five years decides to test their relationship by participating in nationally televised game show.

John & Scott. While I wanted to root for the home team, John was far too whiny to endear himself to me. The repellent interaction of two bottoms made them the first team to be eliminated.

David & Lori. Seem to really be into each other, but also a little too wholesome. Something dark lurks.

Eric & Jeremy. The jocks. I want them to lose, so for me it isn't a good sign that they won the first leg AND that they got $10,000 a piece for coming in first. Better prizes this season.

Fran & Barry. Started out okay but lost favor in my eyes when they walked right past the clue box on Viaduto Santa Efigênia about twenty times. Then there was the motorcycle assembly task where Fran tried to copy Lake. Do your own work.

Lisa & Joni. This team screams way too much but seems to have good karma. The nickname "The Frosties" just might stick.

Joseph & Monica. This pair didn't get much air time so they're a little hard to evaluate. I'm predicting major relationship drama since they just got back together and Joseph already asked Monica if she was "seriously going to cry over this" when they didn't get on the first flight to Brazil.

Wanda & Desiree. Also seem to have good karma, but Wanda assuming that everyone in Brazil understands her Spanish touched on one of my pet peeves.