The Best MJ of them All

The fight for great music lost a powerful ally Wednesday afternoon as Michael Jackson was confirmed dead in Los Angeles. Each person will have to deal with their grief in their own way, and while there were certainly aspects of MJ's life that are better left forgotten, I prefer to remember him for what he gave to the world. All MJ's appear to have a larger than life impact on the world (Michael Jordan in basketball, Michael J. in Back to the Future) but Michael Jackson superseded them all. His Thriller album went platinum 28 times (N.Y. Times), he went from child star to the greatest singer/songwriter/producer the world has ever known. Some people will refuse to acknowledge the impact that MJ's work had on music and the world, but there is a reason why his songs are instantly recognizable to the very young and the very old, he truly was the king of pop, rock and soul, and he was a wise and benevolent king while the reign lasted.

The New York times said this morning that "As with Elvis Presley or the Beatles, it is impossible to calculate the full effect Mr. Jackson had on the world of music." I have devised a simple formula to calculate just that, you add the effect that both Elvis and the Beatles had together, then you double it, and then you times it by infinity, his impact is immeasurable and will continue to influence people for years to come. Whether you loved Michael, hated him, or were ambivalent let us all take a moment of silence to don a single glove and remember him for what he did best, make the world better through music.

Yosemite, Yo

A week or so ago, my roommates were lucky enough to get a reservation at Yosemite, so we decided to do a little camping and hike the infamous Half Dome hike. It was really all it was cracked up to be. It was not too difficult for me, and although my knees were a little sore the next I mostly felt OK, it really was a pretty intense hike, but one I would recommend to whoever was interested in listening to me. I think it ended up being about 18 miles round trip, but you climb about five thousand feet in that distance. It was a really incredible hike, with some really gorgeous scenery. The only real downside was that it really hailed on us at the top and rained for about five hours on and off at the end, so we were wet and not able to climb the cables at the end. Other than that, great hike and I am excited to go again and finish it all the way. Pictures below.

This is one of two major waterfalls, there are stairs cut out of the rock to climb which are pretty intense, so much mist you get a little wet, but very cool.



You can see some of that climb below us, great view though.
If you want to beat the wet and still look cool, just rock the trash bags, it's all about the confidence. You can see that my roommate Shaun (white cap) is a little out of it, I was a little worried that he was not gonna make it but he soldiered on and finished the hike.
This is the part that we did not go up, you can see the trail with the cables snaking up the mountain. I kinda still wanted to do it, but my roommates talked me out of it. Turns out someone actually slipped and fell to their death right after we hiked down. There have only ever been 4 fatalities on this climb, three in 2007 and the one when we were there. It was pretty sad, you have just got to be really careful and I am glad that my roommates talked some sense to me.

It's Dad's turn for a post

This picture is just too good to not post. This is from when Dad (the General) and I went to Puerto Rico together for the NGAUS convention. It was a really good time. One day I'll have some medals too I hope.

Birthday Mother and Brothers

Mother (she's great, we should call her) recently had a birthday which I was lucky enough to be around for, and little bro Lance had the idea that instead of buying her something we should go somewhere with her, so we decided to take mom to Thanksgiving point gardens. It was really cool. I was really surprised at all they had done there. If you are around it is neat, and only about ten bucks a person for an adult, cheaper for kids. They also have a little cafe that is good and pretty reasonably priced, we got to sit outside and it was really pleasant. It was also really neat to go with mom because she told Lance and I so much about the plants that we saw. All in all I think this was more like Lance and I giving ourselves the gift of hanging out with mom, but I think she had a good time too. Happy Birthday Mother, we love you.

In case you have forgotten, Lance and I are brothers, and this is what we look like.

Renee is Messy, Mostly Wordless Wednesday

I need a little break, how about a post?

"Take a break from what?" You might ask. "Tax," I would say with a chuckle, but it would not be a "I just made a joke" chuckle, it would be a "I am only laughing to keep myself from crying" chuckle. Oh, wo is me. I guess that is a little dramatic, but I live in San Francisco, and needless to say, I see a lot of drama. I am not talking about the theater either. Anywho, I want this to be a short fun post, so I just added a picture below to let everyone see what studying tax is like. All accountants out there feel me I'm sure. Just for the record, that is not my textbook, that is the statute book. There is not a lot that is less fun than reading tax statutes, even though figuring out the double declining balance for depreciation adjustments for depreciable property used in a trade or business is as fun as it sounds, which is to say, not at all. One more day! Then hello Utah for a couple of weeks.

The End is Near, The Constitution and Daryl Hall and John Oates

Some people like the Constitution. Well, right now I HATE it. I think that is just the angst from yet another final being over. Con Law in this case if you haven't guessed. This was a hard test. It was the first absolutely closed book exam I have had in Law school, and that stinks. It was also two-thirds multiple choice. I know some of you are thinking out there, "Matt, shouldn't multiple choice questions be better? I mean they are giving you the answer to every question right on the page!" That may be so, but that does not make them easier. There are different levels of multiple choice questions. One of the questions we had the options went like this,
a. the Dormant Commerce clause applies
b. The Privileges and Immunities clause applies
c. Both clauses apply.
d. DCC applies, but not P&I
e. P&I applies, but not DCC
I hope that illustrates a little bit of how hard these questions can be. Plus they each have their own fact pattern. I am talking one question to a page. 22 questions to answer in two hours, and that might not be enough time, these are hard questions. In an essay question you can argue both sides, that's what law is, you argue both sides. Multiple choice stinks like a baby's diaper. Actual quotes heard after my test
"Maybe he has never written a closed-book exam before?" "Maybe he just hates his students."

On a brighter note, I have instituted my feel-better-quick remedy. This means that I put Hall and Oates' "You Make my Dreams (Come true)" on repeat on my ipod and then I drink a soda. Works every time, but maybe I am just easy to please. At least I am three quarters of the way done with my tests, and only one more final (Income Tax Law) stands between me and the completion of my first year of law school. Let the final push begin!