iTunes of the Week

1: Fortune Faded - Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Why do I like this song so much??)
2: Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
3: Exit Music (for a film) - Radiohead
4: Cello Suite 1 - Bach
5: Telegraph Road - Dire Straits (What a song this is!! If anyone has heard it, get in touch and I will send it to you)

The end is in sight (sortof)

Haven't actually updated this thing in about a week or so but the reason is that for the last week, I was working on a major paper which I finally handed in yesterday. It was quite the ordeal not helped by the fact that I was writing on a topic in which I was meant to critizise a piece of legislation which to be honest, isn't that bad. I guess that was the point of the exercise but it is difficult to make an argument against what you believe.

So now, all that is left for law school is exams. Well, three more weeks of class first.

It is now only a week to go before the UK general election and I just watched a final debate between the three party leaders. Honestly I am amazed by people sometimes. I describe myself as slightly left of centre but in this election, I am shocked by the stupidity of people on both sides.

I guess it is just because we live in an age of spin where soundbites matter more than policy but why is it that the Conservative Immigration policy is decribed as racist simply because they want to introduce a quota on the amout of skilled workers coming into the country. They are not going to stop general asylum seekers coming into the country but yet is what people think. Similary, everyone is angry with the Labour party for introducing tuition fees. Yet, no one seems to mention that you don't actually pay any of these fees while at university and they only kick in once you are actully earning. So, if you become ill or take time off to start a family, you don't pay fees. But listen to the spin and Labour are evil for not allowing students a free ride. Forget the fact that five sixths of the cost of university course is met by the taxpayer.

The interesting thing is that you get all of this negative campaigning between Labour and Conservative and both parties are meant to be a disaster but yet no one will vote for the party that everyone likes, the Liberal Democrats. Now, I personally think their proposals are naive, and not practical but they do seem more honest and nobody has a bad word to say against them. So why does no one vote for them. Because a Labour voter is so scared of the Conservatives getting in that they settle for a Prime Minister that they don't like. The reverse is also true (albeit to a lesser extent).

So we are left with a country that will get a Prime Minister they don't really like and the country will again settle for mediocrity. If ever we needed a President Bartlett (West Wing), it is now.

Oh, Liverpool drew 0-0 last night in the 1st leg of the Euro cup semi. The 2nd leg is next Tuesday in Liverpool. I am thinking of driving down and trying to scalp a ticket. Is it worth it? Oh, it so could be!!

iTunes of the Week

1: In Bloom - Nirvana
2: Money Talks - AC/DC
3: Shoot to thrill - AC/DC
4: Across the Universe - The Beatles
5: Ave Maria - Schubert

Baseball is a strange game

So I have been watching a fair bit of baseball recently. Not avidly hooked to the edge of my seat but you know, just putting it on in the background as something to watch during my many moments of boredom as I read through the Sale of Goods Act, etc. In these last few weeks, I have noticed two things that perplex me so if anyone can explain them, I would be most grateful.

1 - Foul Tips. It seems to me that if the batter pops one up in the air and it is going foul but then is caught by the catcher or someone else running back, it is a catch and the batsman is out. But if the batsmen is on say 1 strike and he just makes fractional contact with the ball and then it is caught by the catcher a 2nd strike is given. In other words, even though the batsman has indeed caught the ball, it counts only as a strike because it was just a "foul tip". But the batsman did hit the ball. So why is he not out!!

2 - Strike 3. This situation does not happen often but I do remember it happening in one of the games between the Red Sox and the Yankees in the ALCS last October. Wakefield threw one of his knuckleballs. The batsman (I think it was Posada) swung and missed and it was strike 3. However, Veritek dropped the pitch and it actually ended up way behind him. Posada was able to run to first base even though he was struck out. Fair enough. I mean it is a strange rule but lets work with it.

So imagine you have a runner on 1st and the batsman swings and misses on strike 3. Would it not make more sense for the catcher to actually drop the pitch. That way, the batsman has to take off for 1st base and presumably the 1st base runner has to attempt to make it to 2nd. The catcher could then throw to 2nd for the force out and then back to 1st for the double play.

So why don't catchers always drop strike 3!!

I am sure that there are logical answers to my questions, but could anyone please offer them to me. Because when the Sox take their 2nd straight World Series I want to understand everything that is going on.

You have to check this out

For those of you who need any more evidence that Liverpool soccer fans are indeed crazy, click on this link. In the words of my mortal enemy (the manager of the great evil, "football, bloody hell")

http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/james_duthie.asp

A few random items

I feel that I must post based on something exceptional that happened yesterday.

Picture this - playing football/soccer for the law school against the law school at Chester. 2-1 down, 10 minutes to go. I make a run down the left and collect the ball just as I cross the half way line. I take it forward untouched for about 15 yards, look up and think "why now". So I strike it. The ball leaves my foot with Ronaldino like precision, curling and dipping and finally nestling in the top right hand corner. The best goal that I have ever scored and I jest not, when I say that it must have been from 35 yards out. Amazing.

Anyways, now that my head has doubled in size (no one say that isn't possible), I just want to keep people up to date with a few things that are going on in my life.

I was given a car. Yes, that's right, my cousin Roger gave me his car. It is taxed all the way until October so I can drive it until then. To be fair, it is a 1993 Citroen Saxo, but it actually runs really well and I have been able to get myself insurance on it. So I now have wheels to get my through the summer!!

The other thing to mention is that I got a letter back from Canadian Immigration. They said that I have made my application for residency correctly and it is now in process. Having said that, the whole process could still take anywhere from nine months to two years to complete. Still, it is exciting.

I can't think of anything else much to mention. My course is sucking the life out of me at times but there are still only 2 and a bit months to go. And while it is exhausts me, I do still love it.

That's all for now.

PS - Unfortunately my goal didn't make much difference as Chester came back to score in the last minute and win.

PPS - I wasn't actually trying to shoot. I was trying to pass!!

This weeks iTunes Top 5

At the risk of stealing another idea from Steve-o, that is exactly what I am going to do. Hey, gives you all a bit more of an idea of what sort of a guy I am.

For those of you that don't know (i.e. Mum and Dad) iTunes automatically records what songs you are listening to most, so there can be arguing that whatever is in the top 5 is your current favs.

1 - Fortune Faded - Chilli Peppers
2 - Bach (cello suite #1)
3 - of Surbubia - Green Day (Being the good Christian that I am, I won't blaspheme by giving this its full title).
4 - Honky Cat - Elton John
5 - Andante from Piano Concerto #21 - Mozart

A little surprising especially the Elton John song as I didn't think I had listened to it much. Still can't argue with the stats.

Liverpool and the Red Sox (Fever Pitch Style)

Last night I went through a grueling 90 minutes as I watched Liverpool eek out a 0-0 draw in Italy to progress to the semi-finals of the European Cup (essentially the biggest club competition in world football/soccer). The unique thing about this competition is the scoring. Each game is played over two legs, meaning that you play at home and away and it is the combined score that matters. In the event that the scores are tied after the two games, the tiebreaker is the team that scored the most goals away from home. And here in lies the beauty, for you see in the first game Liverpool won 2-1 at home. This meant that if Juventus won 1-0, Juventus would progress by virtue of that one goal they scored at Anfield.

Because of that rule, it meant that for as long as no team scored last night, Liverpool would go through but one Juve goal and we could have been on our way out of the competition. As a result, I can say that I spent the last 15 minutes of the game in complete fear, all the while attempting not to be sick, so nervous was I. But now Liverpool are in the semi finals for the 1st time in 20 years.

Which brings me nicely to "Fever Pitch". My buddy Steve-0 has written an good, no outstanding piece on this movie and I urge you all to check it out (link to his blog is on the right of the screen). Steve-o is about the only other guy that I have ever met that actually compares with me in terms of taking a sport seriously. We spend far too long MSNing each other debating the merits of Favre/Culpepper Liverpool/Great Evil etc. Indeed, if it wasn't for his refusal to decide between evil and Southampton, I would say that he was a truer sports fan than myself. Anyways, in his blog he discusses how the movie Fever Pitch presents someone with a sports obsession as actually being flawed in their personality.

Since the movie has as its subject matter the Red Sox World Series success and I spent 3 consecutive nights in October staying up till 5am to watch their series against the Yankees, it almost sounds like a direct shot at me. So is it fair?

I am well aware that my support of any team has no bearing on the result and it is extremely unlikely that I will ever meet anyone on any team that I support. So what is the point? One advantage that I can see is that I am a very calm person (taxi drivers not withstanding) away from the sportsfield. Sure when Favre throws his 4th pick against a Viking secondary ranked 29th?? (I think) in the NFL, I wish death on those around me but take me away from the sport and I can put up with most things. Would this be possible if I didn't take out all my anger on the field (either playing or watching)?

Really though I can't come up with any other rational reasons for me to love sport so much and yet I can't see my love changing. It all comes down to what I always say "You don't pick your sports team, your sports team picks you."

Perhaps, when I meet my Drew Barrymore the European Cup semi final will mean nothing but in the meantime as a sports fanatic perhaps Jennie Finch would be more appropriate. In the meantime, bring on Chelsea.

This is a random picture of my graduation so that I can edit my profile.
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Pictures from Austria!! What a holiday!!!

The home stretch.....I tried skiing here but after boarding all week found it kindof hard. I am sure you can see just how much snow had melted!!
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Jeff trying out some kiteboarding moves
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We are we going uphill??
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Stuart leaving the fiance behind
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Family Jebb (minus the Black Sheep)
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All settling in for some good eats
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Aren't my sister and I cool??
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Happy Birthday Jeff
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Linda, Stuart and Jeff on the chair lift.
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Here we all are at the top of some mountain about to head into the snowy mist.
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Bureaucracy!!!

What is it about big organizations that they can't be efficient!!!

Yesterday, I got a letter from the Bar Council in which they said that I was going to have to get my Canadian degree assessed to see if it matched up with the credentials they required. This would appear to be a reasonable request except that I got my degree assessed last year by the Law Society (note the difference) to ensure that I could take this one year intensive law course.

So it seems that despite the fact that the Bar Council could easily ask the Law Society for a copy of their findings (or indeed ask me for a copy of the certificate they gave me), they are going to make me send in all my credentials again because apparently the Bar Council have stiffer requirements.

I am not worried because I know that the degree that I have is satisfactory but it did get me to thinking about the person who takes this one year course from hell and at the end of it is told that their first degree isn't sufficient. What a waste of their year that will be?

Oh and they are going to make me pay $160 in processing fees, so when you consider that I am going to have to get another transcript sent to me from Canada, it comes in at a cool $200 for something that I had done last year but have to get done again because the Bar Council and Law Society can't agree on legal requirements.

Hmmm.......I have just reread everything that I have written and realized just how boring it actually is. So anyone that has made it this far, fair play, I will try to write something more amusing sometime. Any ideas for new topics will be appreciated.

If you fancy a good laugh now though, check out my buddy PK's blog and in particular his article on oatmeal. Hilarious and very him. http://www.itspk.blogspot.com

Great win for Liverpool this past week. Is this going to be the year??

Oh Austria

So I have been back a few days from an absolutely incredible weeks snowboarding in Salbaach, Austria. It really was quite the time.

It is hard to describe accurately just how incredible the Alpes are. From the top of one mountain, you can see all around you for many many miles and yet all you can see is the top of other mountain tops. Incredible, I shall try to get some pics up soon but in the meantime check out my buddy Jeff Berezny's blog to see some of his pics from the trip. (http://www.jeffberezny.blogspot.com)

One of the strangest things that I discovered from the week was that Austrians like to have naked saunas. Now you would think that this might be cool but I can tell you that when I got into that sauna on the first day and looked around, I did not appreciate the sight of elderly men and women that I saw all around me. Truly, I did not know what to do, so I picked a spot on the wall and focused on it until I thought that I had spent a polite amount of time in the sauna.

Another thing about the country is that they love to eat. Seriously, course after course of absolutely incredible food. I can't even begin to descibe it all except to say that each night, we would have soup, except that wouldn't even be the starter. We would then have something like Smoked Salmon and then maybe a course of salad. Only then did we get to the main course and often there were several of those. Unbelievable.

That is all for now. I am not into my final term at York, although to be fair it does go until mid June so although I am in home straight, the finish line is still a little away.

Oh one more thing. C'mon Liverpool, you can do it!!!