A Note About....

Valentine's Day at Qdoba

Are you a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5

Valentine's Day for me is either one of the following five:

(1) A Hallmark Holiday: You feel it isn’t a real holiday but a made up one so you have to buy things for people and feel guilt when you don’t. (see cynicism)

(2) A pain in the butt: Speaking of buying things for people, under this option all Valentine’s day means is your significant other getting mad at you if you don’t remember. (see anniversary).

(3) A reminder that you are single: Yes watching a movie by yourself or with your friends is the way you will spend it. You grow sad as people pass by with Flowers in their hands, because you realize that you will not be able to receive from or give to that special someone. (see depression)

(4) A day to show appreciation to those you love: Whoever they are and wherever they may be.

(5) Tuesday

A few of my cynical friends claim (1), (2) and (5). As for me I could easily claim (3). With the ups and downs that dating can bring, and thinking about how relationships did not work out, I certainly would be able to think that way. But being an idealist I like to think I have always been a (4). Yes meaning I believe today is a day to show appreciation to those you love.

Cards

But how do you do that? Well you just do it. For me it is giving out cards to my friends and loved ones. Sure you do Valentine’s Day Cards in grade school, but I have always felt, like addition and subtraction, there are some things you should still do even today . . . that you learned then. A card goes a longer way now than you may realize. In our digital world the personal touch of a card cannot be overstated.

Cards symbolizes four things:

1. You thought of the person

2. You made an effort to write out a note by hand. In effect taking much more effort than texting or emailing.

3. You made the effort to look for them or make sure they got the note.

4. You give them a reminder when they look at it again later on.

So this year I gave my cards out. However, this year I also did a little something different and something I never thought I would do. I got a complete stranger a free meal at Qdoba.

No I didn’t buy it . . . I just pretended I was madly in love with her.

Her name was Isabella

How you ask? Well, Qdoba has a special on Valentine’s Day. If you bring in your sweetheart (significant other or someone disguised as your significant other) they can eat for free. Meaning 2 for the price of 1. The catch is you must prove that they are your sweetheart. “Prove” meaning you have to give them a big kiss at the register.

Well walking into Qdoba I was aware of the deal but not aware of the burden of proof that was required to get the deal. Had I been aware of the “proof required” I would not have done what I did seconds later. 

Because standing in line behind me I saw an older women named Isabella and realized my opportunity for a good deed. With the opportunity in front of me . . . I looked at the Qdoba employee and said “You see that woman? I am madly in love with her. . .  she is my valentine.”

The guy looked at me puzzled (noting the height and age difference) but must have decided to go along with it anyway.Thinking my good deed was done I went to the register. There I made sure to let the other employee know that Isabella was my valentine and her meal should be free.

Again I received a puzzled look as the employee rang up my credit card and then in a serious tone she said, “Well you going to kiss her?!” I laughed and luckily the employee did too. It was only later that I was told how close I came to having to plant a big kiss on a complete stranger. 

Anyway, Isabella was very thankful for her free meal and even was kind enough to take a picture with me.

So after Valentine's Day 2012 the answer to the 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 question has changed for me.

I have added a 6: Like any other day . . .  Whatever you make of it.

Thanks to Isabella and Qdoba I made it a great one.

Avoidance

There are many people in my life that I lose touch with. In this day in age people move more often and we insert ourselves in to new communities and new ways of life. I am no exception to this. I can be abysmal at staying in touch with people. I often neglect or perhaps you can say....avoid....people that I deeply care for.

It is an unexplainable reflex and something I can't control. Perhaps many of you can relate.
I wrote about this in April (link here: http://daverivelli.posterous.com/a-note-aboutwhy-we-lose-touch ).
The idea of that post was that there were certain people I just avoided and I couldn't explain why.

Here are some possible conclusions:

      (a) A fear that they will be disappointed that I haven't contacted  them in a long while
      (b)  I don't want to have a conversation about what I am currently doing
      (c) I am just lazy
      (d) I just like where the relationship left off
      (e) Law school is just too much for anyone to maintain regular relationships
      (f) A general fear of inconvenience or discomfort

While I would love to use (e) as an excuse and could point to (c), I suppose (f) would be my best guess. Anytime we make renewed contact with people (we once saw more often) - it takes a greater effort to reignite the friendship (than when we saw them everyday). This is inherently unnatural. Meaning we must extend ourseleves beyond our comfort level (if even for a moment) and in some ways meet the person again.

Inherently everyone (myself included) just don't really want to do this.

To put it in other terms.....It is the old adage: I don't call her because I know we will have a 45 minute phone conversation once we start talking, because there is so much to catch up on. So.....we never talk.

Yet when you were friends did you keep track of time? Of course not. There are parts of human nature that can't be explained and certain things we must will ourselves to do in the moment.

Yet so often later on....or even minutes after starting the conversation.....we look back on how we felt and are baffled that we felt that way.
Out of sight - out of mind - has never been more true with this. Things are easier to avoid when we are distant from it. The longer the time or the geographical distance...the greater the struggle to maintain it.

It comes down to just one simple fact ..... Relationships take effort -- life time relationships take a life time.

The Shoes We Walk in

First unfortunately this post, unlike the many that do..... is not an attempt to brighten up your day on this gloomy Monday...but I do hope that it makes you think about how fragile our lives are and how fortunate we are to still be walking in our shoes. I should also mention that this post gives details of an accident that resulted in  multiple casualties – so please don’t read this post if you are uncomfortable with thinking about that type of thing.

Today a co-worker of mine came into the office and with panic in his voice described to me a horrific crash that he had just witnessed. He explained that only minutes earlier, while walking in the rain on the southwest corner of Illinois and Columbus, he saw a cab fly by him swerving recklessly at around 50-miles-per hour, and then pile drive into a building across the street. 
We began discussing whether he should go back to the crash site, which was only two blocks west of our office. Then we saw online that the cab had not only driven into a building but into a pedestrian who had been walking on the street. Seeing this we decided my co-worker needed to go back to give a statement to investigators. Given the fact that he is 18 and shaken up I accompanied him to the scene.

When we arrived we couldn’t help but notice that there seemed to be more police cars than people. Red tape blocked off the streets and sidewalks. Seeing a police officer we approached him stating that my co-worker was a witness to the accident and would be available to give a statement if needed. We were instructed by the police officer to stay put and wait for a major accidents representative to speak with him.

At that moment I realized what I was looking at. I had seen some car accidents up close, and even a few dead bodies, but for me seeing the scene was certainly a first experience in witnessing the aftermath of automotive carnage. The cab, as you can see in the pictures, was broken in half and lodged 5 feet into the marble wall on the outside of a building.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-cab-hits-building-in-streeterville-20110627,0,3376656.story

It was a few minutes later that I noticed a white hump laying on the sidewalk. Turning to my co-worker, "I told him I think that is the...." and before I could finish my sentence he said, "Yeah I just noticed that."

The media had now gathered around and had set up a portable press conference area. Guests filled a hotel entrance ten feet from the accident in an effort to see what all the commotion was about. In fact one family of four was about to make there way near the scene, with two young children, when police investigators yelled at them to get back. The investigators must have determined that two kids seeing a dead body might not have been the best idea at the moment.

While standing there waiting for my co-worker to be interviewed we had a lot of time to talk and just gaze at the destruction that lay before us. During that time we spoke with a street cop who said that seeing this accident was just another day at the office. In fact he explained that only the day before he had witnessed a suicide at Dearborn and Chicago.

For him he said what made him sick was not that things like these happen, but that when they do people stand and take pictures.  I had no response to what he said because I knew he was right. People naturally have a morbid curiosity or a desire to understand not only what happened, but why.

The answer is....there is no answer.

When my co-worker was finally interviewed by police I was left standing there alone and I noticed something I had not seen previously. A brown workman’s shoe. The pedestrian, and now deceased, had been hit so hard that his shoe had flown 30-feet from the accident.

Of everything that was in front of me it was no doubt the image I will remember the most. The shoe almost as much as the body on the ground had represented a life. It belonged to perhaps someone's brother, father or son and most likely someone’s friend.

There will be more accidents like this today somewhere in the world and no doubt there will be more tragedy. Furthermore In a society desensitized to violence and carnage by the 24-hour news cycle this type of accident will be old news only minutes after it is breaking news (as the Blagojevich verdict is supposed to be read).

 But I have no doubt that my co-worker and I will remember this accident for as long as we live or at least as long as we walk in our own shoes.

RIVELLI v. CITY OF CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

I have written my defense and taken a picture of the scene now it is time for the waiting game.

Last evening I received a crazy parking ticket for $160. I received a parking ticket last year which I successfully fought and won. The question is can I do it again? Below is the letter I sent to the fine public servants at the Chicago Department of Revenue.

Stay tuned.

Thursday June, 23, 2011

RE: Ticket number 005910839 18

To whom it may concern,

My name is David Rivelli I write this letter to contest a ticket(s) I received on June 23^rd at 10:14 pm at 1166 N. State. The ticket(s) has two charges:

1. $100 - Parking on a park/stand bus, taxi, and carriage stand

2. $60 - No stand park time restricted ticket.

What Happened:

I pulled my car up in front of another car on the west side of State Street just south of Division Street at 9:59 PM. That evening I was serving as a designated driver for four of my friends who were finishing up drinks at Mc Fadden’s, a bar half a block north on Division and State. Since I don’t drink I like to volunteer my services when I can.

The Signs:

I jumped out of my car to look at the signs. The signs were very confusing and unclear. There was a sign that indicated the area was a cabstand from 7PM – 5AM. However, the pay for parking meter and signs posted permitted you to pay for a parking pass as late as 9:00. Therefore the times were conflicting and my thought was that parking here at 10:00 pm on a Thursday would be treated differently than parking there when the bars closed on a Saturday at 2 a.m. There were no cabs trying to park where I was and there was also no immediate need for the space as there was already a car behind me. So I concluded that since I was only running into the bar to grab my friends and drive them home I figured it would be okay to park in the spot. I left my car at around 10:05 pm and when I came back at 10:20 pm I discovered a $160 ticket. The ticket that had been written at 10:14 nine minutes after I left my car and six minutes before I returned.

The Cost:

The cost of the ticket is excessive. It is only $40 less than if I had parked in a handicapped spot, and additionally I could have saved $10 if I parked in an alley or in a fire lane. Now I understand the public policy needs for cab drivers and I also understand that rules are made and they must be followed. However, these rules must be clear and firm. Here the signs were conflicting and ambiguous. Had there has been a sign that said no parking from 7:00-4:00 I would have obviously not parked there, but there was no sign that was clearly listed.

As a student this ticket is very important to me financially, as I have many tuition bills. Having to pay this ticket will be a large burden on my finances and I have no doubt it will discourage me from designated driving for my friends in the future.

I respectfully ask you to waive this ticket and reward me for trying to do the right thing. I thank you for your consideration of my request, as I am sure you get many of these letters, and I thank you for your service to the great City of Chicago.

Sincerely,

David J. Rivelli

Thirty-eight years later -- Still the best

The photo is an iconic one. As horse jockey Ron Turcotte came down the home stretch he looked back at the other horses trailing far behind him.

Seconds later Secretariat crossed the finish line to win the 1973 Belmont Stakes, win the tripple crown, and enter into the echelons of horse racing history

The photo still doesn't seem real to many - because on June 9, 1973 - Secretariat exceeded reality by running the perfect race.

Perfect in the sense that generally horses win by less than two lengths, but on that day Secretariat won by over thirty.

To put the race into perspective - I included a link to one of the best documentations of the race I have ever seen.

This ESPN segment  (10 minutes) - not only details the race - but shows that what happened that day - went beyond horse racing. The race left may in tears - and many remembering it as a supernatural occurrence.

Even if you are not a horse racing fan I invite you to watch it. More to come ----

An Opening for The West Wing

I have always said one of my dream jobs would be to write for the West Wing. The show's fast pace and back and forth bantering always made it unique and entertaining.

Putting your political leanings aside (those who may call it the left wing) I think the show is one of the best that has been on television in the last 20 years.

Anyway with that in mind, while taking a study break, I whipped up my own opening to a show. For you West Wing dorks it would take place in the Third or fourth season.

If you haven't seen past the second season and are planning on watching it - *Spoiler alert*

Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

(C.J. Walking into the office area - cup of coffee and pile of papers in hand. Disheveled and cranky. Sam bright and chipper as always)

Sam: C.J. I just heard the news – what’s are game plan?
CJ: Good morning Sam
Sam: Good Morning – so what’s our game plan?
CJ: How much coffee have you had?
Sam: None why
CJ: No Coffee...how do you live
Sam: Green tea....so what's our game plan.
CJ: What kind of Green Tea?
Sam: Huh
Cj: What kind of green tea?
Sam: I don't know green tea...C.J what's our game plan?
CJ: What's our game plan?
Sam: On the accident...
Cj: Ok I assume the news you are referring to is the President’s morning accident and to our game plan you are referring to some media spin that I have been planning into the wee hours of the morning
Sam: Yes, so what’s are game plan?
CJ: Well I haven't had time to diagram up something on my handy whiteboard but I will make sure to let you know when I do.
Sam: I just wondered I mean they are going to ask about his condition.
CJ: Yes they are probably going to ask me Sam and you know what I well tell them?
Sam: What?
CJ: He cut himself shaving and he is going to be okay.
Sam: Right but what kind of details are we....
Cj: SAM!
Sam: What?
CJ: Just drink your Green Tea okay --- go do --whatever it is you should be doing today. Which is what exactly?
Sam: I don't know. In fact I don’t really actually do anything here.
CJ: Well go do that somewhere else

(C.J. Walks into office -- Toby and Josh both have their feet up while sitting on the couch)
CJ: Josh, Toby...so wonderful to see both of you in my office
Josh: So what do you have?
CJ: A tall mocha chocaaa something
Josh: What do you have for your press conference in 10 minutes. Have you gotten any information...how he did it?
Cj: Yeah he was shaving and he cut himself. They took him to the hospital as a precaution.
Josh: Precaution?
Cj: Yes a precaution -- he has MS okay Josh
Josh: which is why we should have something ready to say to the press -- little things like this can be blown out of proportion.
CJ: Blown out of proportion like the two of you waiting in my office to hear about what happened.
Lauren: Leo wants to see you

(Walking out of office together)
CJ: Of course why wouldn't he....Lauren do you have the EPA numbers from last weekend
Lauren: Yeah all set -- the first page are the talking points you can use.
Toby: I cut myself shaving last week and I just put some toilet paper on it.
Josh: I use electric.
Toby: Really is that good?
Josh: Yeah I like it
Cj: Guys can you keep it down I am trying to read
Josh: Is that the game plan?
Toby: You have a game plan?
Cj: What is with boys and game plans?!
Sam: A game plan?! You came up with one?! Can I see it?
CJ: What did I tell you Sam?
Sam: CJ I found the name of that green tea. Gyokuro or something. Its pretty good and cheaper than whatever the heck you have.
Cj: That's great Sam but I will stick with coffee. But hey maybe you can include it in my briefing.
Sam: Well I am not sure how that would help you...
Toby: I have been thinking about trying some of that -- let me see that.

(Charlie approaches as they near Leo’s office)
CJ: Charlie can you please talk to them about what the president did this morning.
Charlie: Don't you want to know to?
Cj: Oh I am sure I will find out soon enough
Charlie: Where you going now?
CJ; Leo's Office where the fun never ends.
Josh: What razor was he using?
CJ: No one cares about what razor he was using.
Charlie:  The president uses a personalized straight razor blade given to him by the emperor of Japan.
Sam: Japan that is where my tea is from!
Josh: Let me see that?
CJ: Of course it’s some form of gift, or historical object. But really who cares. I mean really who wants to know what razor he was using or what type of shaving cream.
Charlie: Barbasol always Barbasol
CJ: No one cares
Charlie: Just telling you

(Walking into Leo's office)
All: Good morning Leo
Leo: CJ What's the game plan.
CJ: The "game plan" is to tell them the President is fine and he was taken into the hospital. It was a precautionary measure and that next time he will be more careful shaving.
Leo: And the razor he used?
Sam: It’s from Japan
Leo: From Japan? Really I buy mine in the store.
Josh: I use Electric
Leo: How is that?
Josh: Good really good.
CJ: Guys I need to go and do this press briefing in like a minute can I please go. Charlie just tell them so I can leave.
Charlie: The president shaves every morning. And this morning he cut himself shaving on his left cheek. He covered it up with a towel but was lightheaded after a few minutes. Doctor Bartlett made him go to the hospital he is fine and should be back soon in time for his early morning schedule.
Leo: How can you even cut yourself that badly shaving? Was he using a machete or something?
Charlie: The blade is a unique Japanese straight razor. One that originates from the 1800’s. It was given to him by the emperor of Japan several years ago on our Asian trip. The blade is similar to one they use at old barbershops - no guard just the blade.
Josh: He really should switch to electric
Sam: And Green Tea
Charlie: No way he uses anything else he loves it too much and the president is creature of habit - he drinks 4 cups of coffee a day.
Leo: A creature of habit I didn't notice. By the way what kind of green Tea is that there?
Sam: Japanese I can't figure out how to pronounce it
Leo: Let me see that.
CJ: When is he back from the hospital?
Charlie: Within the hour.
CJ: And by That time I should be able to actually give a briefing. I have to go now...anything else?
Leo: Do you have stuff on that EPA thing?
CJ: Yea right here. Thanks.

(Walking to the press briefing room)
CJ: Good morning Danny what a pleasure to see you right outside Leo’s office. Just can’t wait two more minutes.

Danny: I couldn’t wait to see you – you brighten up my day.

CJ: And you darken mine.
Danny: CJ I need a few minutes later this morning. Something I came across and may be going with tomorrow.
Cj: Sure right after I do 50 other things....you are next in line.
Danny: You know I think that coffee makes you grumpy.
Cj: And I think your questions make you annoying.
Danny: Speaking of things that make you grumpy...I heard about the president cutting himself shaving. Heard it was some Japanese Blade.
Cj: And let me guess....you use an electric shaver
Danny: No I don't shave - I like the natural look.
CJ: Vanity another thing that is annoying about you.
Danny: Any chance he enacts the 25th amendment?
CJ: Sensationalism another thing that is annoying about you
Danny: When does he get back from the hospital?
CJ: Not soon enough.
Danny: When?
CJ: Why don't you take your seat in the briefing room.... and I will tell you....and even what shaving cream he uses.
Danny: Barbasol always Barbasol
CJ; Knowing things that don't matter...another annoying thing about you.
Danny: Other people being smarter than you - another thing that makes you grumpy.
CJ: Just please go away and I promise I will give you time later. Is it about this EPA thing?
Danny: No something different. But what's that?
CJ: Aww!!! Something you don't know the answer too -- sit and I shall tell you "all"....you....need...to....know.
Danny: I know the answer actually. I just wanted to make you feel smart.
CJ: You are actually giving me headache. Just please take your finely groomed face and sit down.
Danny: Aww…my charm is getting to you?
CJ: I know its nauseating!
Danny: Another thing that is annoying about me?
CJ: No just something that gives me a headache. Go or you will miss the show.

(CJ About to enter into Press Briefing room with hand on the door)
Danny: Oh CJ one more thing. That headache?
CJ: Yes what about it?
Danny: Well coffee might be giving you that headache -- Have you tried green tea?
(CJ - speechless at what was just said)

Roll Opening Credits

A note about.....Online Dating

1 out of 5.

 That is a bold statistic and one that flashes across the screen anytime an ad for match.com or eharmony.com comes on the television.

 What does it pertain to you ask? The number is the total relationships in the United States that now start on an online dating website. Wait you say -- Twenty percent - when the hell did this happen?

As early as 15 years ago any websites like these - would have been an unstable new product that only Kip from Napoleon Dynamite would have used. Come on you all know the old adage, “ Yeah my internet girlfriend is doing a photo shoot in Europe this weekend.” Well fear not you can still find chat rooms  that can provide you with that type of relationship, or even get you a cameo on "To Catch a Predator."

 But better yet with this number in mind - you can now find online dating services that can connect you with the otherwise un-connectable. In short it is simply impossible to dispute what Internet dating has done for so many, and most of all the impact it could have on generations to come.

In 2011….we were high school sweethearts, we met and got engaged in college, we met through a mutual friend, we worked together……can now be joined by…we were matched online.

 But still despite this there is still a certain stigma that remains, even if in sarcastic undertones, as some people still look upon those that meet people through dating websites with a raised brow. Comments like, “ Wow that is sad.”  Or “He or she sounds desperate,” can make people be self-conscious in participating in online dating. One such self-concious person is my friend Beth (not real name). She went on a few dates on match.com. She claims they didn’t work out and that she couldn’t find a good match. She told me not to tell anyone about it, not just because she was embarrassed at her lack of success on the site, but because she felt the site would make her look pathetic.

 I told her, and I adamantly believe, that her fears couldn’t be further from the truth. What would have made Beth “pathetic” (even though I would never use a word like that for a great person like her) is if she did not put herself out there because she was afraid of this very disillusioned perception that people might have.

 Take this for example -- Say you were a Boston sports fan and you moved to a new town, would you go online and try to find where people watched Red Sox’s games? I view online dating in the same regard. You find people with the same motivation and interests as you  --- what is wrong with that?

 If the critics are still not satisfied -- then tell me how should Beth Meet people? What would be acceptable?

 Would going to a bar trying to have guys buy her drinks be better?

Or going to the same bar and buying three or four drinks of her own be better?

Would being set up on a blind date be a better way for her to date?

 No.

 What it comes down to is there is a stigma in many people’s minds that something must be wrong with you if you haven’t found anyone by the age of 30.  So by relying on a dating website you rely on something else to do what you couldn’t do yourself.

 Completely dismissing the argument that something is wrong with you if you are not married by 30, as some would argue something is wrong with you the other way around, lets look at the second argument.

 You are relying on something else you – yourself – couldn’t do.

 As Ringo would say…”I get by with a little help from my friends.” In my mind Ringo said it right.

 You can’t do it on your own….in fact without a matter of circumstances falling into place and the perfect timing….the most meaningful of relationships would cease to exist.

 To put it another way whether you find someone online or you meet someone on a street corner – the circumstances are going to always be somewhat out of your control. For in life we have little control over what comes into our life but we do have control over what actions we take everyday.

 With this said I should disclose that I have not dated online but I have had many friends like Beth who have. I write this to always encourage them to continue in their efforts and most of all…to not be embarrassed about it.

 Because 1 in 5 means something -- and for some people --- it can end up meaning even more.

And......we are back

This weekend I went back to Washington DC for the first time in three years.

The nation’s capital serves as a center for our democracy, a gateway to the political world, and a window to our nation’s past, present, and future.

But for me, it serves as even more than that. Although I only lived in the Nation’s capital on two separate occasions - for less than a year combined – the experiences I had there…transcended that length of time and still stay with me today.

I am sure many of you can relate to going back to a special place. The type of place that when you do go back...there is a sense of nostalgia so thick you can almost taste it......as you are reminded of those past experiences you had in that place.....whether good or bad.

It also makes you step outside of yourself and examine what you may not have done for a good while....or moreover what you do that prevents you from doing....what you haven't done in a while. For me there is certainly something that came to my mind and has since stayed.

What do you ask? Everything.

 Since August I have attended law school and essentially been given an excuse to have something completely monopolize my life. This is normal and even necessary to survive in this environment…..As most law students can tell you their days and nights are consumed with worrying about grades, spending time reading, studying……and repeating the same process. So with my schedule full it has left little time for many activities I have deemed enjoyable.

One of these is writing. Yes I have been writing. In fact I have a legal writing class. But that is not writing – some would call it closer to torture.

No…. the fact is I truly miss writing. Expressing. Thinking. Observing. Joking. And Sharing.

As a journalist I always had that in my daily life, but when I switched careers – so to speak – I yearned for it. So I started this blog. And now I need to start it again.

Perhaps you may say restarting it is counterproductive as I have so many things to do.

Perhaps many of the events that I experience are better left unsaid.

Perhaps it is a prohibited tributary from the river of creative oppression that is law school

Perhaps I wrote that last sentence so you would think that I am smart.

Or perhaps not.

I believe the latter (or at least the last two) of these five lines of reasoning.

This blog, and writing in general, should never be casted aside. Because it is a passion of mine and it is a greater disservice to ourselves to not engage in our passions….especially if those passions can serve as a benefit to ourselves. Furthermore, who has time to do this? I mean really who has the time to do something like this?

No one has ever had time to write or journal…..just as no one has time to call their grandmother, write a thank you note, say a prayer for a friend or take some quiet time to listen to our inner selves. We can’t control time but we can control how we use that time.

It is my hope that I will always put a little of that time aside for activities like this. It is also my hope that I will reengage my passions no matter how busy I may be. 

Most of all it is my hope that by writing once again I can take more trips back to DC --- Without paying the airfare—or having such a long gap in between.

Hoosiers and the first week of Law School

In my mind I had built up what the first week of law school would be like. Arduous, painful and full of embarrassing moments....where my lack of intelligence would be exposed to the entire student body. The worst part about all of this...was these fears and feelings were built up over all the years I considered taking the step towards going to law school.

So it is safe to say this combination of contributing factors made Monday all the more "eventful".

And so with all of this in mind....the first day and the first week came and went.......and you know what happened??? Nothing. Thats right absolutely nothing.

Yes the ironic thing was -- these so called impressions and fears that I had -- never made it out of my mind. Or to put it another way....they never existed.

To illustrate this I found a scene from the movie Hoosiers (below). In Hoosiers Gene Hackman stars as a coach of a small town Indiana High School Basketball team that makes a cinderalla run through the state playoffs. In this scene the team arrives at the giant arena they are to play the final decisive (State Championship) game. The coach makes a point which illustrates the idea that the impressions that we form in our mind hide the reality of the world around us or at least hide what really matters.

"I think you will find the exact same measurements as our gym back at Hickory. "

This quote couldn't be more true. Don't believe me?? Next time you face a challenge.....Get a tape measure out and find out for yourself.

A Special Note: I will do my best to keep up with my posting. I will aim for once a week -We all need outlets and keeping up with this blog serves as one for me.

A Note About....Dunking a Basketball

Last evening when I was shooting around I realized that I had a talent that the average person doesn’t have.

 I can dunk.

 Since idolizing Michael Jordan as a kid, it was something I always hoped to achieve, but a feat that seemed impossible for me to ever do. I remember looking up at the 10 foot-high rim in my driveway and wondering how any human being could get that high.

Seeing how high it was I would often lower the hoop with my friends and pretend like I was doing the real thing. When I was in 8^th grade touching the net was exciting and got me closer to my accomplishment. Next I set my sights on touching the backboard. Then I did what is called the high school layup. Throwing up a layup on the run and slapping the backboard emphatically after you release the ball. When I got to Junior year I could dunk a mini-ball and everyday I practiced with a regular-size basketball. I could often do it alone but when people were around I couldn’t pull off a clean dunk. Finally I accomplished the feat during my senior year.

It doesn’t make me an incredible athlete but it does me make me a small minority of the population that could dunk a basketball at will. But how large is that population?

Vertical Jump

Obviously there are kids as young as 14 and people as old as 47 (Michael Jordan’s age) that can dunk a basketball as well. But lets consider people in their athletic prime (20-29). While there is no statistic available on how many people can dunk a basketball the best way to determine this...is figuring out how high someone can jump.

The average vertical jump in this age group is as follows:

Men  (20-29)

-          Average: 22” vertical

-          The top 95%: 28 inches vertical

o   The Average Vertical Leap of NCAA Div. 1 Football/basketball player: 27-31 inches.

Women (20-29)

-          Average: 14”  vertical

-          The Top 95% 19” vertical

Reach

A typical 5'8" person has a standing reach of about 7'6" (90”). Subtracting the two indicates that the described person would need about a 38” vertical leap to dunk a basketball. Below are some other examples.

-          5’8” a reach of 90 inches (7’6”) a 38-inch vertical leap to dunk

-          6’2” a reach of 96 inches (8’0”) a 24-inch-vertical leap to dunk

-          6’7” a reach of 101 inches (8’4”) a19-inch-vertical leap to dunk

So for guys, if you had an average vertical jump of 22”, you would need to be 6 foot 5 to dunk a basketball. For girls if you had an average vertical jump of 14”, you would need to be 7 feet tall.

So how many people can dunk a basketball in the U.S.

So given the estimates of the following: that 2% of the male population (1% of total population) is 6 foot 5 or taller…..and given that 1% of people under that height and select group of women can dunk….an estimated 2% of the population is able to dunk a basketball or a total of  6-million people within the United States. So that is....1 out of every 50 people... who can throw it down.

I guess its not that special but still - very interesting to think about.

Now for my next goal...dunking from the free-throw line.