Days 362-364: May 28-30, 2013

Tuesday was the first day of work for the summer, which consisted mostly of a day-long orientation, followed by meeting some of the interns and the staff. It was good to see some familiar faces, and I am sure this summer will be a great one. After work, I took advantage of my Northern Virginia location to have some Paisano's Pizza again, as it is one of my all-time favorite pizza places, and I rarely have the opportunity to enjoy it anymore. It was delicious, as always, and a great way to close off a good start to the new internship!

On Wednesday, the National Mall was filled with kickball and softball teams playing some evening league games. While I am not sure softball on the mall is the safest idea (but a tort lawyer's dream), especially if you have any hitters that can even remotely hit a ball in the air, seeing so much kickball was very exciting. I signed up for a free agent team that begins in July, so I am looking forward to freshening up my Maurer Kickball League skills, as well as preparing to defend our I-Jiggles Inter-Journal Kickball Tournament Championship next fall!

After another busy day in this first week of work, it was back to Union Station to take the short metro ride back to Pentagon City. At the end of work today we had an intern welcome event on the ninth floor patio, followed by a Happy Hour at The 201 Bar just down the road. It was a fun evening, and the view of Union Station on the walk back was fantastic!

Days 358-361: May 24-27, 2013

Took a drive around this afternoon to check out some old sights, and made a stop by Krispy Kreme to get some hot and fresh glazed donuts. You know they are going to taste amazing when you see that the Hot Sign is on. This is also the sight of the Krispy Kreme where I once ate one full dozen hot glazed donuts in forty-two minutes. The trick: drink water, not chocolate milk. I believe, however, that I am beyond the days of rising to such challenges. It is unfortunate.

Saturday afternoon I went for my longest run in Virginia ever, a full eight miles. I took the long route through Austin Ridge that I once tried but had to give up on and head back before reaching the end. It is a mentally tough route, because you have to commit to going at least six miles to make your way all the way to the end and back, since there is no "circle" or "loop" to keep you close to your starting point. It is much easier to run now that they put in more sidewalks, but it still has a treacherous hill right before the six mile mark. I managed to make it through and add another two miles to the end. Afterwards, I caught up with some old friends from high school, and took a walk through the old neighborhood basketball courts. Apparently our neighborhood has "roughened up" since the good old days, as they now tore the rims off so you are not allowed to play basketball anymore. These were the original courts where my first basketball nickname, "Apokalipse" (intentionally misspelled) was designed, due to the fact that whenever I happened to make a fantastic basketball play (usually a game winning three (I wasn't that good back then)), we encountered some strange weather event. Generally in the winter, it would either immediately start snowing, or we would have a snow storm in the next couple days. Once, when I earned a thirteen-stitch scar on my right elbow playing football in the field next to the courts, the entire state was hit by a hurricane two days later that cut out power for 1-2 weeks depending on where you lived. And this is a true story—it was Hurricane Isabel, the costliest and deadliest hurricane of the 2003 season, look it up. The scarier thing, is that although the occasions became much rarer when I got decent at basketball, this year when I had my best outing since 2010 at the HPER, I walked out to find a surprising 1-2 inches of snow on a day no one had predicted an actual snowstorm (merely a mix). Winter is coming...

North Stafford now has new painted rocks out in front of the school that a lot of the schools have. We never used to have these when I went to school, but some of the newer schools started to put them out (i.e., Colonial Forge). I am not sure how I feel about having the rocks there. When I was in school, certain groups of individuals whose names shall remain shrouded in mystery (i.e., it was different people each year) would splash Colonial Forge's rocks with bright colored paints annually (we and Colonial Forge were not the biggest fans of one another). While I will not publicly condone the vandalism, and it was much more fulfilling to simply eliminate the Eagles from playoff contention on their home field in the Class of 2006's last road game, it does seem a bit of a cop-out to just put up our own rocks. We never needed them before, why now? On the other hand though, they do look pretty cool. And they do show much better in the blue and orange than Colonial Forge's drab colors, or Mountain View's "we are trying our best to copy Virginia Tech" colors. While visiting the school, the back gates were open so I had a chance to walk around the practice fields and see old gravel paths I used to walk every day to start the long two-a-days and after-school practices. Those are the fields where I was run, hit, and hollered at, but, most importantly, where I learned the game of football. And though it has been eight years since I last stepped foot on that turf, those fields still smell like football.

On Monday I moved into my temporary residence for the week in Pentagon City just before my first day of work tomorrow. I will be staying at the Residence Inn until I can move into my permanent summer residence at Georgetown University Law Center. The rooms at this place are amazing, it is basically a full studio apartment with kitchen, couch, desk area, and king bed. And it is a much closer location to the SEC than good old Staff-Town. Hopefully it will be a good first week of work, and I should be much more well rested without the multiple hours of commuting to do each week! It will be great practice for the rest of the summer, when all I have to do is walk across the street from GULC to Union Station.

Days 355-357: May 21-23, 2013

Today I got my new Fitbit, which is supposed to track your exercise and physical activity. Counts all steps, floors climbed, miles traveled, and calories burned over a day, and also tracks your sleep at night to determine how much sleep time you are actually getting. Should be a fun complement to my Sleep Cycle and Nike+ apps to track and collect data over time. I had been thinking about getting the Nike Fuel Band for a while, because it seemed like a fun way to track activity and collect more data, but was not too excited about having to wear it on the wrist all the time. The Fitbit is much more compact, seems easier to carry, and seems to both have more functionality and get better reviews online, so we'll see how it goes!

Wednesday we took a day trip to Charlottesville and I had an opportunity to walk around grounds and see some of my old university. Here is the Thomas Jefferson statue at the back of the Rotunda with the Seven Society stamp in front, one of the secret societies at UVA. I had a chance to walk through some old classrooms and take a look, but there is a ton of construction going on right now, so they seem to be updating and changing a lot of things. It will be much nicer to talk another walk through when they are finally finished.

Took a stop by Tropical Smoothie Cafe to grab a smoothie following a good evening run. Tropical Smoothie has some great smoothies, plenty of flavors, and also has a decent selection of sandwiches as well. Usually I stop by just for the smoothies, but it was nice to take another swing by as I have not had it in quite a while. They have two new smoothies that I enjoyed quite a bit, the Island Green Smoothie (spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, and banana) and the Caribbean Carrot (carrot, mango, banana, goji, and orange juice). Also got my oil changed again this week, making the next time up at 102,000 miles.

Days 350-353: May 16-19, 2013

I have not had a Slurpee in forever, but I went out to finally get another one. Slurpees used to be commonplace in my high school days—I even wrote my persuasive essay for English class arguing that Slurpee machines should be in public schools, and our amazing Scavenger Hunt team was known as "Team Slurpee." We also had a secret super Team Slurpee formed, "The Black Slurpees," which was to be announced at a secret event for an upcoming scavenger hunt. Unfortunately, when I broke my leg playing football, our scavenger hunt had to be delayed, and this delay led to our plans falling through once the spring season arrived. Anyway, back to the present, this 7-11 pictured had a fantastic selection, but I actually moved on to another, which had the perfect draw: Banana, Pina Colada, Blue Raspberry, and Wild Cherry. Wild Cherry really ends up being irrelevant, because although it is the fourth best flavor of Slurpee, there is no point ever touching it when you have the trifecta of perfection available. I ended up creating one of my favorite blends, the Blue Banana Colada mix. (No relation to Bloomington's BBC.) The one important Slurpee rule to remember is to always select a straw color that matches your shirt color: a traditional Team Slurpee staple.

It was a nice Friday evening in Stafford, and here is a shot of a traditional Virginia country road. (The fact that I can even say "country" and not get odd looks is further evidence that regardless of what you are told, Stafford County is not Northern Virginia.) It was a nice day to go for a drive around some of the old roads of Stafford, and to follow up that drive with a good evening run.

Saturday was my first time going to Bonefish, and I definitely enjoyed my grilled Atlantic Salmon with a side of quinoa, edamame, and zucchini. Afterwards, we saw Great Gatsby, which was a great movie with some awesome cinematography. We made the rest of the evening a continuing cinematic event as we viewed Zero Dark Thirty at home. Also a solid movie, but a little bit long-running. The end was great, although somewhat predictable. For obvious reasons.

After the rain and clouds receded, I found some time to go for another run on Sunday. Here is a shot from part of my new Virginia route. As you can see, the terrain is a bit more long, hilly, curved, and varied than my traditional running environment in Bloomington. It is a bit more challenging on my legs that have not been trained for hilly running in a little more than two years. The good news about moving up to D.C. soon is I believe the terrain there is a slight bit flatter than here in Virginia. Unfortunately, however, I believe the basic routes I have preconceived may be a bit too flat, even more so than Bloomington. Hopefully I don't get too bored out there on the path.

Days 340-343: May 6-9, 2013

I finally found the secret room in the Union this week! I decided to take one more look to see if it was open, and when I walked by it was unlocked this time. As you can see it is a very nicely furnished room, and it also has some amazing views of campus from the windows, since it sits in the highest spot of the building. At least now I know the Room of Requirement exists!

On Tuesday I went to Which Wich for lunch, which I haven't been to in a while, even though I used to go all the time 1L year. Which Wich is cool because you get to draw on your sandwich bag to pick your sandwiches. It also happened to be the first place I ever saw any IU basketball players, after I saw Hulls and Elston there last year. I spent most of the rest of the day cleaning, and then went on one of my longest runs ever around campus.

On Wednesday after a haircut I enjoyed a nice walk around campus and passed by the River Jordan here near Dunn Meadow. They are doing a bunch of construction nearby, and I'm not really sure what for. But hopefully by the time we come back in the fall it will all be cleared up.

On Thursday I stopped by the Oliver Winery to pick up a few bottles before I leave Bloomington for the summer. It was nice weather in the afternoon before it started raining a bit in the evening. I begun packing to head back, and then went out for a long run in the evening, where I crushed all of my PRs for distance and time, finishing up at 9.12 miles in just over 1 hour and 16 minutes. It was an amazing run and I never planned to go that far but I just kept going, ran through one mini-rain storm, and continued to take longer and varied loops around campus until I finished up by running through the Sample Gates. But then I noticed I was at 8.9 miles, and I wasn't going to stop before hitting the 9 mile mark, so I continued around Dunn Meadow for one final turn before finally coming to a stop.

Days 288-290: March 15-17, 2013

This weekend began with a fun-filled St. Patrick's Day weekend trip to Chicago. We started the afternoon in Bloomington watching IU win its first round Big Ten Tournament game against Illinois, and then left to join our fellow Hoosiers in Chi-Town, were we ran into this spectacular IU banner decorating the Chicago streets. The first night was a relaxing night enjoying our favorite Giordano's deep dish pizza, then getting a few drinks at a bar after walking past some pre-prohibition era liquor store museums.

On our second day in Chicago, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day, starting off with a trip to the Chicago River which was dyed green in honor of the annual Dying of the River tradition. We then went up to Lincoln Park to watch the Hoosiers sadly lose to Wisconsin, which while unknown at the time, was actually a blessing in disguise as it ended up keeping us out of the gauntlet that would become the NCAA Midwest Regional. We then spent the afternoon and evening celebrating St. Patrick's Day at a variety of locales, and ended the night by getting driven back to our hotel by a crazy cabbie that was blasting The Final Countdown and Eye of the Tiger with crazy neon lights. It was one entertaining St. Patrick's Day.

On Sunday, we finished off our trip by stopping at the most amazing breakfast place ever, President Obama's favorite, Valois in Hyde Park. I had my usual scrambled eggs with bacon, toast, and the best hashed browns I've ever had. We then left Chicago to head back to Bloomington, where we would sadly have to put an end to the Spring Break holiday, and get ready to head back to classes on the final grind before exam season begins.

Days 284-287: March 11-14, 2013

Monday started off a nice, cold, week of spring break. Definitely not getting off to a warm weather start like we did last year. Here it looks like all of the law school's trees are being torn out and replaced with new trees. It is a bit of a mess now, but I am hoping as spring continues the landscaping will begin to develop a bit and start to develop a nicer look.

Tuesday was 50-cent wing day, so I went to the best place in B-Town for wings, Buffa Louie's, to grab some lunch. My favorite order is five wings in medium and five in medium BBQ, which is the single best sauce I've ever had on wings. Buffa Louie's is also conveniently located by the most awkwardly placed sign in all of Bloomington (and maybe in any city), which is the Hoagy Carmichael sign located just behind the USA Today sign. This sign hangs out right into the middle of the walkway, and I know of at least one or two people that have walked right into it.

On Wednesday I put in some quality time at the library to take advantage of the extra time over break to finish up all of my associate work for journal, catch up on some early executive board work, and take care of a couple other random errands. Wednesday also brought the surprise of some additional snow, not much, but enough to coat the grass and at times look like a much heavier amount was coming. Even though I love the snow, it is getting to the point where it is time for some warmer weather to come around. After taking advantage of the quiet library to get some photos of our beautiful study area, I finished off the day with a nice relaxing trip to the gym to get in some running and lifting and to play a bit of basketball.

Thursday was still a bit chilly, but we took advantage of the afternoon to head up to Indy and stop by a few of the breweries to sample some different beers. We started at Fountain Square (the Indianapolis version and NOT the Bloomington one), moved on to Flat 12, where we got free samples and enjoyed the nice warm outdoor fire pit, and finished off at the aptly named BlackAcre, what should be a law school favorite and had some great brews, good food, and amazing sweet potato fries. Tomorrow it will be off to Chicago, following Indiana's second-round B1G Tournament game, where although it will be the warmest day in Bloomington of the week, the weather will be much colder up north.

Days 268-272: February 23-27, 2013

Saturday was our I-Jiggles Global Party, which I attended after The Vegas Bombers extended our win streak to three games by defeating a team on an eight-game winning streak in epic fashion. We are really starting to come together and make our playoff run! Global Party was a lot of fun as well. I contributed to the European representation with some Abbey Ale (I think from the Netherlands?) and my favorite Belhaven Scottish Ale. The Belhaven was my favorite beer in Scotland and is still my favorite beer of all time. It is like a lighter and creamier tasting Guinness, and while the widget-loaded draft cans are fantastic, nothing compares to the true Belhaven drawn off the tap in the Scottish heartland.

Sunday closed off a very busy four-day weekend with a quiet day at home combined with a bit of work to catch up for the school week. I ended the evening by partaking in one of the rare events of the year where I cook my own dinner. Here we have some pork chops and mixed vegetables accompanied by a glass of Oliver Creekbend Traminette, Indiana's signature wine. All was delicious, proving it to be another rare occasion: the occasion where I cook foods that are not corn on the cob and they all taste good.

My dinner Monday was not quite as wholesome as my home-cooked Sunday meal (don't worry, I had a real dinner later on), but I stopped by Potbelly to pick up a vanilla malt and sugar cookie to keep me going as I finished my high school math homework, also known as our second problem set for Corporate Finance. I'm still not sure if I really remember what math means, but I keep saying that one day I hope to keep track of my personal finances like a corporation does, so it should eventually come in handy. I used to get these sugar cookies all the time in D.C., and although the ones in Bloomington are usually a little over-baked, this one was quite delicious.

Tuesday was a sad sad day. After watching an amazing moot court semifinal argument, we went over to Nick's to catch the Indiana game, where the Hoosiers disappointed and were upset by the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. We still have a great team, but we really have to stop it with these letdown games, particularly the ones in which Cody Zeller decides to play like a little kid. With Watford in foul trouble and Zeller getting beat up down low by the Gophers (getting beat up by a Gopher is as sad as it sounds), things were not going to end well, even with Indiana fighting back from their countless mistakes to keep things close until the end. Better get back to practice, because with only three games left, we are going to have to win at least two and maybe all three to win the Big Ten and secure that #1 overall tournament seed and midwest regional placement!

On Wednesday we all stopped at Noodles for lunch, where Megan was surprised by the new drink machine they added this semester. While I did think these machines were super cool when they first came out, I am starting to not like them so much because they have way too many choices, and take forever to use even when you know what your doing and using them quickly. They take even longer to use when people can't figure out how to work them, and can create some huge lines at lunch. But they are certainly designed in a fun and interesting way, which reminded Megan of her favorite drink machines at McDonalds—"It's like a factory for drinks!" (Actual quote.)

Days 262-263: February 17-18, 2013

Sunday was finally the slow and relaxing day of this four-day weekend that went by amazingly quickly for a four-day weekend. We had a group dinner at Darcey and Dareus', and I brought my famous corn on the cobs! I love making corn on the cobs, because they are easy to make, they show my true Hoosier spirit, and mostly because I get to post this amazing photo to prepare everyone for what I will be bringing: http://bit.ly/HVfKd6. My actual corn on the cobs looked much more appetizing, and got to enjoy the show with some amazing other foods, including chicken, carrots, potatoes, and plenty more!

Monday was a surprisingly warm day, so warm that I went for my old Spring drink at Starbucks in between classes and while catching up on some Admin Law for tomorrow morning. It was a good throwback to have my Venti Sweetened Iced Green Tea Light Ice or as David calls it, "What did you just say?" Reminds me of some good warm Spring days from last year hopping between the law school and the Union in the nice warm weather to do not-fun things like read for Property and write LRW memos. But soon enough Spring will bring some of the fun things we have been waiting for—like March Madness, kickball games, and the annual dodgeball tournament!

Days 254-260: February 9-15, 2013

It's official: I have finally found a new and replacement pair of basketball shoes. After almost nine years playing in the old and battle-worn Shox Status', I found a very similar style replacement pair of Shox. I picked these up in the fall and have been skeptical about the change, electing instead to wear these with my candystripes. After giving them another go tonight, I decided to retire them from outdoor use for good (after only four outdoor wears) and keep them as the replacement basketball shoes. It is amazingly easier to keep your footing on shoes that are not nine years old. Tonight they helped me put on a fun performance more in line with my games of old: 3+ steals, 8-10 deflections, lockdown man defense giving up just 2 points in 3 games, and scoring from inside, mid-range, and on the fast break. It was fun to run the floor and play hard again, the only thing missing from my game today was the three-point shot. Hopefully with more hours on the floor I will be able to keep up the status quo, and if so, I might have a shot to avoid feeling like an old law student playing on Assembly Hall and put up a decent game instead.

Following my own personal basketball resurgence, Indiana had a huge road game on Sunday to follow up the upset loss at Illinois. Again, I am kicking myself for making Illinois my preseason pick to take IU's #1 ranking—I did not expect the Butler and Wisconsin losses, but we got #1 back just in time to make my prediction come through. Fortunately, the trio of Oladipo, Zeller, and Watford were HUGE and the defense tightened up to hold a solid lead in a hostile environment, giving Indiana their first road win against a ranked opponent in Tom Crean's tenure. This win was especially huge following the "mulligan" the rest of the top-5 teams gave us this week, and we should be able to maintain a solid position as long as we keep winning. My new IUBB GameDay mug got off to a good start in its first use, and will hopefully be enjoying many more victories in the weeks to come!

This was an interesting promotion I stumbled across. They are giving out giant paper bags when you buy something at Hallmark, and then if you bring the bag back in two weeks you get 20% off everything you can fit inside. Unfortunately, I do not really ever have to go to Hallmark enough to actually buy enough to utilize this promotion, but it does seem like it would almost be fun enough to participate just to stuff up the bag like it was a shopping spree or something. If you did enjoy collecting various greeting cards, you could sure fit a huge amount of them in this bag to get your sale!

The Moot Court bracket is officially up and Moot Court Madness begins in approximately one week. Unlike March Madness, where I hope Indiana makes it all the way to the end of the bracket, I am hoping to put up my best D.C. Sports impression and go one-and-done. I am going to attempt to have fun doing it however, as I have set up Mike's Moot Court Scavenger Hunt, where I make my best attempt to sneak in as many famous quotes and/or phrases into my argument while still maintaining a proper and professional argument style. This is my attempt at making additional work more entertaining and productive (and sadly may actually improve my overall performance). Hopefully this does not put the Karma Gods against me and give me an unwanted victory, as Karma is already stacking the deck against me by setting me up for a second-round argument on my birthday, one year after I had to finish an LRW memo on my birthday, should I pull through with the "double-upset" victory (that is referring to an upset for both sides, because I am sure neither of the two competitors in this match will want me to win).

Girl Scout Cookies! I came across these at College Mall this week and had to pick up a couple boxes since I haven't had my own in forever. Naturally, I picked up my two favorites, the Trefoils (old fashioned shortbread), and the #1 Cookies of All Time: Thin Mints. I finally broke into them and they were as good as ever, and even better than I remembered (particularly the Thin Mints). Thanks Girl Scouts for your awesome cookies! They are the perfect way to end the week and head into another long weekend.

On Thursday night it was back to Nick's for the first repeat performance in Bar Review history. Because Bar Review has been lackluster lately, with the bar selection waning as we have made it through most of Bloomington's marquee establishments, and others are being saved for Spring when we can best make use of their outdoor amenities, Nick's was selected for its second go-round in an attempt to reinvigorate the brand. After the recently renamed Team Avalon completed their first match as The Vegas Bombers, it was off to Nick's to celebrate the unique "Valentine's Day Style Bar Review," which basically means, Thursday Night at Nick's playing Have You Met Tim?

On Friday I begun work on my poster to bring to the Purdue game tomorrow, our general admission game of the season. We will get to line up before the game tomorrow to get good seats, and I am going to make an exciting poster to display from my prime Crimson Guard vantage point. What will it be? You will have to watch at 2:00 PM on ESPN2 to find out! And additionally, this photo finally completes the first ever week-long version of Connecting the Dots' "Photos of the Day[s]!"

Days 233-235: January 19-21, 2013

Went out to play a much-needed round of basketball at the HPER this weekend. It had been so long since I last played, and it definitely showed. I'm playing as bad as Will Sheehey recently (when you correct for the pre-existing difference in our relative talent levels). Hopefully if we are able to get everybody to come out every weekend I'll have a chance to get my touch back. I am back to my trusted pair of Shox Status shoes after my last attempt at turning to a new pair. If you can tell that these shoes are slightly worn, it is because I have been playing in them since 2004. I have tried to switch to a new pair at least four times since then, but still can't find a pair I like playing in as much as these! (And to answer the obvious question, they no longer sell these shoes and have not been since the year after I bought them.) In early 2008 I ran into another guy at the AFC in Charlottesville who had the same exact shoes (also looked quite worn) and we noticed the fact that we both had the same shoes, because come to find out, we both had them for the same reason. He knew before asking that I had been wearing them for '04, just like him, and he also had tried several times to use a new pair of shoes but always went back. Hint: Nike, your new shoes are awful. MAKE SHOX STATUS AGAIN. I wonder if that kid is still out there playing in 9 year old basketball shoes...? You may think that would be crazy but trust me—unless his shoes have fallen apart and are no longer functional, I can almost guarantee you that he is.

The sunset outside my apartment was pretty cool-looking Sunday evening so I decided to take a shot of it. The colors are crazy, its almost like some red mixed in and blending with purple. Wait...you don't think someone knew who was going to win the AFC/NFC Championship games and play in the Super Bowl do you? (Hint: Ray Lewis does.) I guess maybe the clouds in Bloomington are premonitionary.* A major part of the Harbaugh-Crean family does reside in Bloomington after all...

*Yes, this is a real word. If you don't believe me, see generally Orin S. Kerr, A Theory of Law, 16 Green Bag 2d. 111 (2012), available at http://www.greenbag.org/v16n1/v16n1_ex_post_kerr.pdf.

While celebrating the conclusion of my five-day weekend, I fired up the Vitamix to make a delicious smoothie. This is the most amazing blender ever, which makes fantastic smoothies easily (even I can make things with it!). It is also easy to clean; you just put water and soap in it and fire it up on high speed for 30 seconds. It's been quite a while since I made smoothies in the morning, so after recalibrating my recipe, I think I will start it back up for breakfast now that I have a more regular schedule, where I still don't have to leave super early. Today was a simple strawberry banana smoothie, complemented by my secret nutrient-boosting ingredients (which are not really that secret: Greek yogurt, organic spinach leaves, organic golden flax seeds, and a scoop or two of protein powder).

Days 227-228: January 13-14, 2013

Finished off the first weekend back with a cold, raining day spent inside studying to get ready for the week. It is a bit too early in the semester to get into the library, especially considering how much time I spent in there last semester, so this week I am starting off with some low-key studying at home with good old Cubby, my oldest and most trusted coffee mug, named after (and purchased from) the original Cubby from 24, my favorite TV show growing up. (When Lost came out, those two were in a battle every week. Unfortunately for 24, Lost started getting really good as 24 was getting bad and being stretched out too long.) Cubby was the original Cubs mug that Tony Almeida had at his desk in seasons 1 and 2 of 24. The mug was supposed to be destroyed when CTU blew up in the second season, but fate would intervene. The mug had become so well known to fans and treasured to Carlos Bernard (the actual Cubs fan, and actor that played Tony), that Bernard decided to lead a ceremonious destruction of Cubby in front of the rest of the cast and crew on the set of the post-explosion crippled CTU. Bernard threw the mug high into the air, so that it would come crashing down on the cement floor of the CTU, but as it was in the air the mug became hooked onto a camera wire and was stuck and never fell. The actor retrieved the mug, and the producers decided the mug should be spared, so it ended up making an appearance in every season Tony was in from there on out, and cemented its status as one of the most beloved "characters" on the show. With Tony being my favorite character, I ended up getting my own Cubby, and it has become one of my favorite mugs since.

On Monday I finished up an early-ish day at school and decided to stop by Outback on the way home to pick up some curbside take out. I usually enjoy the occasional Outback curbside, and it has been a while since I've stopped by. Tonight I went with a delicious pork tenderloin, sweet potato, and some green beans. I know at least one of my readers is going to be mad at me for my delicious dinner if she reads my post today....
I am really enjoying this schedule so far, finishing early enough to have some extra time at the end of the day. At least I do so far, until everything starts picking up into the semester. Definitely looking forward to the end of the week and the upcoming five-day weekend! Yay for Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday classes!

Day 221: January 7, 2013

Went to Kobe in Stafford for some sushi. I had some tuna and yellowtail sashimi and a Bomb Roll (pictured in the bottom plate), which was a spicy tuna, salmon, and yellowtail roll. The sushi was very good, and it was the first time I've had sushi and not hibachi at our Kobe. Oddly enough, it also ended up being the second consecutive year that I was at Kobe during the Indiana at Penn State basketball game. While I did not see that game, the Hoosiers dominated (of course), and then I did make it home in time to see the SEC (via Alabama) steamroll Notre Dame in the BCS Championship game. The SEC is clearly the most dominating conference in football, and I can't wait until the playoff begins, which should assure that one (or multiple) SEC teams always play for the crystal football.

Also took a drive by North Stafford again in the evening to check out my old high school. I drove up to the old student parking lot and found my old favorite parking spot. The school is down there in the bottom right, and I am parked in my old prime spot in the photo. The other five spots to the left are all reserved for senior class officers with the remainder of the front row being handicap or otherwise-reserved spots. This final spot on the right appears to be marked as a reserved spot, but never actually had a reservation sign (and still doesn't). So a lot of people always assumed it was reserved, when it really wasn't, and would park in the back rows and the farther away spots, leaving this beautiful front row spot available for the taking. I'm not sure if the students have figured it out by now, but back in '06 only a few of us had caught on, so we used to battle it out to get this prime spot on the way to school for the short walk down the stairs in the morning and the quick exit from the parking lot line to get home in the afternoon!

Day 219: January 5, 2013

This afternoon we took a trip up to Dulles to check out the new Air and Space Museum, which had moved a while back from D.C. I had never made it to the new museum even though I lived in Fairfax just a short drive from Dulles. It was cool to see some of the old aircraft, especially the space shuttle Discovery, which made its cross-country trip following retirement and finally settled down in Virginia.

After the museum, we made a trip into the city to have dinner at CoCo Sala. The food was fantastic, and the dessert even better. CoCo Sala is one place, like Founding Farmers, that never disappoints. I had a delicious beef tenderloin for my main course, with sides of seasonal vegetables and a garlic and goat cheese potato puree. My drink was a "Wild Winter" cocktail, and was quite good as well. For dessert, I had their "Some More CoCo" with a french press coffee. The dessert was amazing, and the coffee was quite good, after I had to frantically Google how to work a french press, not realizing that they actually bring you a full french press and do not just pour the coffee for you. Oh the things you learn in a big city. I think it is safe to say we all enjoyed our delicious meals and desserts, and will be happy to return to CoCo Sala this summer when I am back in the nation's capital!

Day 217: January 3, 2013

Dinner at Outback tonight, where I haven't been in quite a while, since last summer I think. I had my favorite, the Outback Special, with a side of sweet potato and grilled asparagus. Tonight I added on the sautéed mushrooms, which went very well with the steak. I also ordered a gingerbread cookie cocktail, which was not quite as delicious as an actual gingerbread cookie. It was also supposed to include an actual gingerbread man on top (one of the reasons I wanted it), but instead just had some kind of shortbread cookie. Lame.

After dinner, we went down to the movies in Fredericksburg to see Lincoln. This movie theater was actually really nice. It is new, and wasn't here back when I used to live in Stafford. I had been there once before while back in town in between college and starting work, but I don't think they had opened the attached bowling alley yet. Lincoln was a pretty good movie. It had a slow start, but picked up and finished very well. I knew a lot of it centered on the 13th Amendment, but didn't realize that was the focus of the entire movie. It was well done though, and Daniel Day Lewis was amazing in the role. Good movie to see centered on my second favorite President, just behind George Washington.