Kaulapi World

This morning, feeling even more like crap and looking at the forecast of 18 degree weather and possible snow, I decided to play it safe and take another sick day. Hopefully this isn’t the start of me getting burned out, since I think theres a lot of reason to be, especially looking back on the past year. I’ve been running on empty almost non-stop since about a year ago when I started the spring 2006 semester. I jumped straight from being a 1L (1E, depending) into summer school which the particular class happened to continue on from May to August right before the next semester. Then this past semester carried on through most of the break, finishing up my clinical work and then I jumped into the next semester. Amazingly I didn’t really get sick at all for much of 2006, either I was being healthy, or maybe my body was just running on adrenaline the whole year and I was just toughing it out.

All and all its been relatively nice and relaxing staying home, aside from feeling like total crap I have to say its nice to just lounge around, sleep in, watch some TV, make some saimin and otherwise just get some rest. It really has been ages since I’ve been home without some work deadline, exam, or paper breathing down my neck. Thats what I’ve been telling people lately, when I take a day off or make good a flex schedule I’m actually allocating time to study and study. I think the biggest change is the role reversal of sorts, instead of coming home late for a change I’m being domestic. Time fo stey home, cook rice.

Had another strange dream last night where I was at some kind of a Jamaican restaurant of sorts and stumbled onto a weird high school reunion on a long table that filed the entire room and went on and on. Had a few awkward moments in trying to explain what I’ve been up to for the past several years, and all that stuff. The dream went in sequences, in which I ran into a number of people with whom I haven’t talked to in years. I also remember eating a lot of jerk chicken and thinking that it was a pretty good place, I need to come back.

Just last week I went to this really good seafood place downtown and had one of those crab and oyster towers. I always see other people ordering them but I’ve never been able to answer to those sea otter cravings. I was pretty amazed at the number of fresh Hawaiian fish they had available on the menu. It was all and all pretty pricey, but impressive.

Linkes for 1/25/2007
Medicare costs and other problems.
Graphical breakdown on the costs of Iraq war.
More discoveries on MRSA infections
God who wasn’t there Documentary
More Youtube finds:
Fantan Mojah Live - Hungry and Others
Boy Ken featuring Tony Curtis - Pretty Looks
Metis - Mi Strong Woman

Decided to take the day off to fight off what I’m thinking are the beginnings of a pretty nasty cold that I started feeling yesterday afternoon. Thinking about where I could’ve picked it up, there are a number of people sneezing and coughing at work, on the train, in class, but most likely place would’ve been from Hana, who was sniffling all weekend long. The sick thing is that I’ll probably be forcing myself to head out to class later tonight, after several hours of sleep, of course. I was pretty amazed working on my time card, looking at how much sick time I had accumulated over the now several years working and living in the district. Since we have an unlimited policy when it comes to accumulating sick leave (meaning that any leave you earn carries over from year to year in a bank), it gives some incentive to conserve it for serious, long term illness, then again another take is on the fact that when you leave the agency for good you only get credit for the annual leave, not the sick leave. This has unsurprisingly lead to a some cases of sick leave abuse by some employees close to retiring. Why am I not surprised?

Had a strange dream last night, much like I usually do when I’m running a fever, this one had to do with 3 crosses staged on a hill with blood strewn around their bases, and a hook hanging above the crosses burning holy books. It was all a theatrical presentation by a starving artist trying to make a name for herself and I was either helping her or just watching in awe. Then, maybe part of the performance she rolled around in the blood and screamed. Of course the response was big on the blogosphere, with the usual characters condemning the artist and evoking an outrage with their keyboards. I had a moment of reflection and then rolled my eyes at the prospect of me being crucified, guilty by association, you see not only was I standing their watching the artist perform, but apparently shared the same American-defined ethnic heritage as her.

Linkes 1/18/07 - 1/23/07
child living 18 years in the jungles of Cambodia, statue of Vishnu found in Russia
The war on super bug infection and IEDs against civilians
Port Calls renewed between WWII foes, and Ryukyu Independence movement
SOTUA with saber rattling while the 2nd carrier group on the way
Anti-Habeas Corpus Civilians, and Pro Geneva JAGs.
AMT deduction troubles and more housing madness - 7 reasons to sell?

A couple of weeks into the new semester, so far I’m liking my classes a lot. This semester I’m taking two classes in the seminar format, which is a lot more low-key and less BS than the large lecture classes. Then again all of my classes seem a lot less BS than the first year in general. I think the idea of law school being intellectual hazing is very true, I’m glad to see that it’s moving away from playing gotcha to actually focusing on the actual transfer of knowledge. Lots going on in the world lately, been trying to find some time to get things down on paper. between my case book readings and other research I’m hoping to find some time to document some very vivid and symbolic dreams. Once upon a time I had a big interest in reading fiction, and creative writing, I think in part that a lot of ideas and concepts were very dreamlike. Despite all the formal and practical professional training and education I seem to have maintained a very free spirited and active imagination, speaking out in the subconscious.

Linkes for 1/4/07 - 1/17/07:
Mandatory Minimums policies revisited
Religious assumptions violent Buddhists and benevolent Christians
super sized food site/blog and the notorious Luther Burger
Decreasing numbers of youth Coming of Age in Japan
Lew Rockwell skeptical of take on Green Living in Japan
Dreams and Misconceptions
Economic policies going forward - just don’t be an ass about it.
Food network Job craze and glitz and glamour.
Young Chickenhawks All talk no rush to service sacrifice

Originally I reserved this tag 1.4.07 to get me to write a new year’s entry, but never got around to it. Jase is right to bug me for more timely updates but I’ve been pretty strapped for time getting ready for the next semester and taking care of some other things. What I did do was collect some linkes for the day in things I read up on that sparked my interest:

Raising compassionate children as opposed to selfish bastards.
New congress’s agenda for the first 100 Hours and another take on it here.
An interesting a blog about money found on the ground - and invested.
Upcoming Court Martial of Lt. Watada and the media circus.
More evidence of global warming 2007 to be the warmest year ever?
DC area housing: Cityline @ Tenley | North Cleveland Park | Reno Road

“Yosenabe - Okinawan Sweet Potato Version”