9.28.2001
Well, folks, it's been quite a while since my last post, and needless to say, much has happened since then. As for unfolding world events, I can only hope that President Bush surprises us with reserve and wisdom. The presidency of lowered expectations is not adequate for the gravity of the situation. The neoconserative hawks - read bird-brained (Bennett, Kirkpatrick) - are out in force, encouraging war on the Arab world. Even Buchanan is arguing for restraint, against his right-wing colleagues. These are dangerous times, indeed. "Dead or alive" should not be our rhetoric.
Life at Harvard has been a continued challenge, even as the world events and Jewish holidays have prevented the work from overcoming us. Interestingly enough, Jesse Jackson visited HLS on Monday, and he delivered a speech (in a classroom I can see from my dorm window - I actually went over anyway) that was one long crescendo, encouraging our leaders to use the weapon of diplomacy, not the sword. It seems he may be the instrument himself, if Bush doesn't stop him.
I've still had time to enjoy Sarah's company on the weekends, including a marvelous - albeit pathetically over par - gold tournament in Naples, Maine, last weekend. And this weekend brings Alumni Council at Exeter, where we will discuss the Master Plan and go through another round of fundraiser peptalks. The science building there is ready for student use, and we'll get a tour.
Autumn has begun, a perfect time to check out what's going on outdoors. Enjoy the coming fall of the year... even as it signals the academic hunkering down of mid-semester...
On the way back from Exeter, I hope to pick up a copy of Mac OS X 10.1, a significant update that will simplify my life in a number of ways, tech-wise. Photo page production will be much simplified, and with some space from my dear friend jthaler, I should be online with a bunch of new photos in the very near future. So hold on, I haven't forgotten, despite my busy schedule. I hope to return to something of a regular blogging schedule (once a week?), so that I don't get too far behind again.
posted 9:31 AM
9.07.2001
A busy week at HLS is near its end, that fabled confusing first week at law school. It was, in fact, much of what the mythology suggests: difficult, frustrating, and scary. I have the luck of all Socratic professors, which means they all pick on students individually, often for fifteen minutes or more, to ask them questions about the perplexing material. It's challenging just to feel prepared, let alone be cogent in responses in front of the other eighty people in your class. So, the homework becomes more time-consuming than I imagined. (It took me two hours to get through about six pages in a Civil Procedure case this week.)
Yet, beyond one professor, everybody I've met here have been warm, friendly, and collegial. So no complaints there...
Sarah's coming in tonight from Amherst, where she began her first week of fall classes this week as well. I'm definitely looking forward to a little rest and recuperation with her.
Next weekend is the legendary 1L boat cruise in Boston Harbor. Curiouser and curiouser.
By the way, I'll do my best to have the August pictures up sometime soon. They are beautiful, and they're worth the wait. I just have to figure out how to find room for all my photos, as Mac.com has no more room for me, and Harvard has no webspace for me either. I do have Quinn, my PowerBook, who could webserve, but only part-time, as I must take it to class many hours of the week... Any ideas? Let me know.
posted 7:51 AM
