Mid-April

Thursday night – Law School Alma Mater APALSA Alumni Dinner – food really good; speakers – good; plus, FC – congratulations on your honor!

Saturday – attended the annual Dean’s Day lectures at undergrad Alma Mater. Not nearly as many interesting lectures as last year’s, but some fascinating discussion on religion and ecology; and how the study of the Core Curriculum – the reading of great literature and appreciating great art and questioning what they all mean – may be a response to evil (that is, having an open mind – engaging in reflection – may be a way to not become evil).

Lunch at the university was okay (some kind of chicken and asparagus, which wasn’t as tasty as previously, for some strange reason), and dessert was great – a kind of cheesecake. The closing reception wasn’t nearly as amazing with the stunning food as last year’s closing reception was (maybe they really went all out way too much last year??). But, all in all, pretty good.

It was also accepted students’ weekend, so all these high school seniors were on campus. Gosh, so glad not to be in their position again. And, then I was reminded what I missed about college – a cappella groups! These are talented singers and they seem to have fun with singing and being with each other.

Phone booths are increasingly extinct. Can’t we reuse them (reuse; recycle; etc.) – use the booths as privacy booths for people on their cell phone calls? (since, I don’t necessarily want people to hear my conversations, anymore than I don’t want to hear anyone else’s). And, I didn’t come up with this idea either – I’ve seen it before in one of those satirical comic strips; there’s even a photo of such use in the slideshow to the article. Use the phone booths as ad space too; “watch the silent video ad or the poster while you’re on your cell phone inside this booth,” I say! (they’re used as ad space as it is).

An article on kosher food business, in time for Passover
. Kosher food now comes in more varieties (which makes sense since it’s about traditional process – how the food is made, rather than the food itself); more non-kosher people are buying the kosher food; making for an interesting development in the food industry. Personally, I think it’s just fascinating that the biggest matzoh factory is in Newark.

Something for the trusts and estates lawyer and the education lawyer to grapple – when a wealthy donor gives a bequest to a university, how weird can it get, and can it be really helpful?

The mystery of the death of Antonie de Saint-Exupéry, writer of “The Little Prince,” seems explained (no, his plane didn’t just disappear during World War Two).

Fascinating story – a glimpse of how playwrite Noel Coward was as a World War II spy.

A profile/preview of “How I Met Your Mother” from the Washington Post – will Marshall give up the corporate law firm (umm, how’s he going to pay off his loans for his Columbia Law education?); will Robin, the NYC news anchor, return as her Robin Sparkles alter ego? (her Canadian pop star teenage years continue to haunt her); will Ted give up Barney, as Romantic Ted can’t be Horndog Ted, as influenced by Barney? (nooo!).

The passing of character actor Stanley Kamel, best known for his most recent role on “Monk,” as Dr. Kroger, defective detective Adrian Monk’s psychiatrist.