OUT SAVING THE WORLD

Starting Off With Sadness
Amy King, BA Class of 2001, died in Madrid this past Saturday due to complications from meningitis. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. I didn't know her that well--but I know she was a great friend to those who did know her.

On To Philadelphia...
For the great Temple University expedition. How does TU stack up to Mizzou? Well, let's compare...
LAW SCHOOL BUILDING: Temple, 7 stories, plush student lounge with pictures of important graduates. Mizzou, 1 story with basement, plush student lounge with picture of black student not admitted in early 1900s due to Jim Crow laws. ADVANTAGE: Temple.
STUDENT UNION: Temple, looks like a giant black-and-red Lego building. Mizzou, boring white box. Contents: roughly similar, both have "a fake Taco Bell and fake Burger King" (words of the tour guide), Temple seems to have more dining-hall esque options. ADVANTAGE: Temple.
BOOKSTORE: TU bookstore is about 1/4 the size of Mizzou's and kind of dingy. ADVANTAGE: Mizzou.
BASKETBALL: Temple's Liacouras Center is just a few years old, but seems kind of small and impersonal. Hearnes, for the last couple years we have it, at least has some character. Temple fell in the Elite Eight of the NIT, Mizzou lost in the 2nd round of the NCAAs to a final four team. ADVANTAGE: Mizzou--Big XII beats Atlantic 10 anyday.
TRANSPORTATION: Subway and commuter rail stops on campus, therefore, parking is not a problem. ADVANTAGE: Temple.
MISCELLANY: Temple campus features a Dunkin Donuts and 7-Eleven, along with tons of "trucks"--street side food carts, which are apparently quite popular. Mizzou campus features 14 Subway­³ outlets. ADVANTAGE: Temple.
FREE-STANDING IONIC COLUMNS: Mizzou 6, Temple 0.

I Can Ride My Bike To School In Malibu, Too
This weekend, I got a letter in the mail--signed in ink--by Columbia's figurehead, bicycle obsessed mayor Darwin Hindman. Why? As an MU Law alum, he wanted to make sure I knew the virtues of attending Mizzou Law, which apparently are:
1. It's cheap.
2. You already live here, so you don't have to move.
3. You can ride your bike on the trails.

Thanks, Darwin.

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 12:09 PM |

Mock Trial Postgame Show
As promised by Clark, this is the place to come if you want to know all about the mock trial weekend festivities.
Judging by the site tracker, it looks like our friends from Richmond have also dug up this little hole while looking for our (non-existent) Mock Trial page.
So, here goes...

TRIP TO MINNESOTA: Listened to Mizzou barely beat Southern Illinois in the NCAA. Rained lots. Clark slept. Gretchen talked, but not too much.
ONCE IN MINNESOTA: The Memorial Vic Melenbrink Big Pig was consumed by both Clark and Danny. Clark's attempt to order said sandwich with only the phrase "Big Pig me" failed. University of Michigan annoyed this investigative reporter at our hotel by refusing to tell me where they were from. Never, ever, make a reporter pissed off and curious.
ROUND ONE: Versus Manchester College of North Manchester, Ind. Nice team, though the objection to the skeleton demonstrative in captain's meeting was unnecessary. One of the scoring judges unanimously won the "Hottest. Judge. Ever." award from our 5/6 male team. Result: Mizzou +2 and +9, 2-0 record.
ROUND TWO: Versus our friends from the University of Richmond. By far the nicest and most talented team we played all weekend. The perjuries.com delegation even came out to watch. A good, clean, close trial all around. Mizzou +2 and -1, 3-1 record.
ROUND THREE: Versus the aforementioned University of Michigan. Far too many mistakes from your Mizzou Mockers, but the wide difference in what the judges like tends to make me think those mistakes really did not change all that much. Mizzou +7 and -8, 4-2 record.
ROUND FOUR: Versus Illinois State University. Went into this round knowing we had to take two ballots to have any chance at moving on to Gold Nationals. No mistakes, witnesses did well, all around a smooth round. Mizzou's consensus after the round: we won. Illinois State's consensus after the round: Mizzou won.

Judges disagreed. Illinois State +7 and +2. Mizzou finishes 4-4.

There were, then, three teams in the Anderson Division which finished 6-2. Illinois State won the tiebreaker, therefore, won the division and moved on to the championship trial against Gonzaga University, the Ellinson Division champions. SLU came in second in our division, while Drake placed third (and therefore did not move on to Des Moines.)

Turns out if we had beaten ISU, SLU and Drake would have won the tiebreaker and moved on to Gold, while we would have placed 3rd but still be sitting here at home.

Que sera sera.

OH, YEAH, THAT ALL-AMERICAN THING: Right. Got to compete in the All-American Round, but as a witness. Funniest thing ever.

TRIP HOME FROM MINNESOTA: Stop at Culver's in Cedar City, Iowa. Nice.

Please Note The Official Mock Trial Song of the Weekend (Hot And Fresh Out Tha Kitchen)
The name and artist of this song, bounce bounce bounce, has been removed due to annoying Google searches. We don't have the satirical work done by attendees of an institution of higher learning in North Carolina. We didn't even know it existed until y'all started Googling for it. It's not here. Go home.

So, Now What?
Producing at KOMU yesterday, today, and tomorrow, then off to Philly to check out Temple University's Beasley School of Law. Word.

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 11:51 PM |

Mocking The Suburbs, Just Like Johnnie Cochran Did
Later today the Mizzou mockers leave for the National Intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournament, more easily known as Silver Nationals, in Saint Paul, Minn. We compete Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So, OSTW will not be updated until our return early Monday morning. If you're curious as to tournament results, someone with our friends at Perjuries for Mock Trial should post results not long after the results are announced Sunday afternoon. Someone will probably post results on the message board around 3 to 4 p.m. central time.

Thanks
To those who are keeping up with the Law School UPDATES here at OSTW. We know keeping track of where I'll be next year is the least of all of your collective priorities, and the fact that you turn to OSTW to fulfill this least basic of all your needs is what keeps us going.

March Mania
Mark these words:
*UWM will beat Notre Dame, but, unfortunately, will lose to Illinois in the second round.
*Creighton will upset Duke in the second round.
*The final four will be all Big XII...Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.
*Mizzou will beat Oklahoma for the national championship.

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 1:56 AM |

Law School UPDATE
Pepperdine University: ACCEPTED

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 12:58 AM |

Nothing Ever Happens In Blaine...
...but plenty happens in Berkeley, because that's where Stephanie has started her very own blog. Pending the much-coveted addition to the OSTW link bar, here are Neff's Nascent Notes.

OSTW has already sung the praises of Steph and her fellow Berkellians, so we had better not over-do it.

We will say this, though: Visit Missouri, we have...some stuff...that's different from California.

(It's hard to make Missouri look appealing to a Californian...)

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 1:46 AM |

Are you better off than you were four years ago?
For whatever reason, I found myself thinking back to senior year of high school. Those were some heady days, that first half of 1999. And, for whatever reason, they seem a hell of a lot more fun than right now. Maybe it was the (relative) lack of responsibility, or the relative certainty of our collective futures. Maybe it was the oddball yet durable chemistry of the BA 99ers.

Now, I just find myself bogged down with too much work I don't want to do, continual uncertainty, and friends I see far too infrequently.

Still, would any of us really want to relive our senior year of high school? Even just a day of it? If you did, what would you do differently? Or keep the same?

Holla back...we've got comments.

On A Similar Note, To The BA Folk
Remember those letters we wrote to ourselves at Five-Star Seminar in 1999? Wasn't BA supposed to send them to us this year? Or was it a five year delay (until next year?)
Either way, I want mine. I think I enclosed a dollar and/or a library card of some sort.

And, A Few Words On The State Of Kansas
--Its roads are better than Missouri's.
--It is inferior to Missouri in every other category.

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 1:08 AM |

Law School UPDATE
University of Missouri-Columbia: ACCEPTED

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 10:25 PM |

HOLY CRAP! Clark has a blog!
Read this, people. "I got up on a horse named Crazy Jimmy." It's just like reading Clark's door, except...not.

And while we're on the topic of blogs...
Bunch o' changes to the link bar--most of them long overdue.

Now Taking Reservations
I haven't had people over for dinner in a while. I need to start doing that more often. So, give me a shout out and a couple menu ideas (or at least preferences) and let's get cookin, good lookin.

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 1:52 AM |

You Know Who Your Friends Are When You Don't Update Your Blog For A Month
To those who complained: Gannon and Richard, and to those who noticed: Superfan Dan, Scott, and maybe others. Thanks. OSTW appreciates your support.

I'm Back, Baby!
So what's new? Let's see...

Hi, Mom
I know you're reading. Don't even try to pretend otherwise.

Law School Update
No word. It'll probably be closer to the end of the month when I start hearing. Applications are way up across the country, so it could get kind of dicey. Perhaps I will indeed have to activate Plan B (news producer or reporter) or Plan C (school bus driver) or Plan D (van, down by the river).

Mock Trial Update
Your Mizzou mockers took 5th at the St. Louis Regional, beating the University of Alabama-Birmingham and Columbia College, losing to powerhouse Rhodes College, and splitting with the scarily good Wash U. Now, it's on to Silver Nationals, the NIT of the mock trial world, in St. Paul, Minn.

Hesh wants jalapeño poppers!

Trogdor-Style Burnination
Blair has shut down his blog. It's a sad day. Or, at least it was when he shut down his blog three weeks ago. Man, I haven't updated for a long time...

Objection, Your Honor, They Can't Do That
Judging high school mock trial is a kick. A painful, swift kick in the groin. Come on, kids, learn your rules of evidence. Actually, one of the teams I've seen so far was pretty good. The others....humph.

Bloody Good Strongbow
Thanks, Tut. You're "Swell." I think I'm going to save it for St. Patty's Day. It's the closest thing to Irish I'm going to get.

Hesh...wants...poppers!

Checking the Tracker
Someone visiting us from the U.S. Customs Dept. came to this site via a Google search for "menards missouri."
Hey, OSTW is the first to say you'll Save BIG Money at Menards!

Also someone visited OSTW from Boeing, using Netscape 3. Hmm.

And, someone got here by a Google search for "Johnathan Woodward and mock trial." Stalker! Identify yourself!

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 1:16 AM |