MERRY CHRISTMAS

And that it was. Besides stuffing myself silly with all the food my family likes to go overboard on, my mom, dad, aunt, and I went to a local Indian (or is it Native American?) reservation casino last night.

I had to borrow 60 bucks from my dad because I didn't have any cash. I only needed 40 to get me started. A good hour into being there, I paid back the extra 20. By the end of the night, my dad decided to join me on the craps table. I was the only one up by this point. I helped my dad recover some of his losses. I then paid back the other 40. We were winning. We were cheering. We were high-fiving.

When I colored up at the end of the night, I had 390 dollars. I completely cleared all this. I bought my family some hot dogs in celebration. (It was the least I could do and they insisted I do it.) I still walked out 380 bucks richer.

Portland, Oregon This is the Number for You

503 450 9938

Call it, listen to it, get a laugh out of it.

Good night!

Bad Date/Good Night

It was late Monday night/early Tuesday morning as I walked home on Hawthorne. I was alone, evidenced by the echo of my footsteps. Nothing was there to absorb the sound except for an isolated car driving by every so often. As I walked home alone, I realized it had been a great night, even if it had started out terribly.

The date was so bad that I actually employed the emergency phone call in the middle of it. We conceived a believable plot. I embellished it with a true story of me, but placed the emergency caller in the role of me that night. Since I knew I'd never be talking to him again, I didn't feel bad giving away one of my best stories in the name of another friend. Still, I don't think he believed me even though the story was completely true... Just the name of the heroine had been changed.

I got home, still a little buzzed by the one drink. The one drink couldn't get me through the date. He pretended to be smarter than he was, and I found myself doing the eyeroll every time I looked away. His "styled" hair looked more like a grease pit. And his "stylish" outfit consisted of a chunky turtleneck that should have been abandoned by a guy as skinny as he was.

I got home still a little buzzed. I refused to let the awful ending be the end of my night. I decided I was going to go out. I walked the 13 blocks to the almost-dive bar in Mt. Tabor where I immediately met my ambassador for the night. Her name was Tammy. She was practically a regular. She knew the staff by name and most of the clientele as well. We talked about a number of things as she introduced me to many people. She helped me realize it wasn't the lack of education of the bad date as much as his need to prove he was so smart that made him intolerable.

Tammy sympathized with my bad date. She talked to me about good science fiction. I really didn't spend much time alone for the rest of the night. The bar tender was great. She called me by name as I told her good night. People asked if I would be returning soon.

Oh yes, I will. It might not be this year, but I will be back soon. It was too much fun to not go back. To overtake such a bad date, it REALLY had to be a good night.

SNOW?!?

This is when it started:

As you can tell, these pictures show how much the snow has accumulated since then.

It's continuing to snow.

And Then It Hit Me...

Finals were completely different this year. This was evidenced by the fact that during the "break" of my income tax final, I was on my cell phone discussing matter completely irrelevant to law school finals. I was talking about going see Brokeback Mountain (which you should see too.)

This Music Makes Me Want To...

Smoke a cigarette. Not because I've ever wanted to smoke, but the music is so cool that you feel the ultimate way to listen to it would be with a cigarette in hand. It was recorded in 1959, so it would fit.

I opted for a glass of wine instead.

MAKE ME STUDY

Does anyone have anything to help me study? I mean like make me sit down and study.

AGH!

I'm Geeking Out

I'm listening to an oral argument that happened on Tuesday at the Supreme Court. It's the closest thing to CSPAN-3.

It's awesome to hear the voices of these people I've only seen pictures! Soooo excited.

Whoa.

In the small version of my profile picture, I look cross-eyed. Odd.

Why Is Studying So Hard?

I've been trying to get through my income tax study aid, but I keep getting distracted by my computer.

I'll have some valid business and then proceed to do some not so valid business. UGH. I NEED TO STUDY.

Ok, Seriously

I still keep getting compliments on my hair. I've been asked for my hairdresser's number like five times. People were apparently taking about my hair on one of the shuttles. Because of this, a classmate came up and asked for my hairdresser.

I shit you not.

Edit: I've decided to include a picture of the hair cut.

My New Slogan

Here are some of my favorite from The Slogan Generator:

When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be Leila Overnight.

I Think, Therefore Leila.

You've Always Got Time For Leila.

No Leila, No Comment.

Have Leila Your Way.

Happiness is Leila-Shaped.

We Do Leila Right.

My Private Movie

I just watched a movie last night for the second time. This morning I realized that it's going to have to be a movie that just for me. I just can't share it with anyone else. I can let people borrow it, but it's for me to watch alone.

I think it's officially worse than when I watch Austin Powers or Dirty Dancing (with brother and BR respectively).

Dijonnaise: A Melding of History

Some people have never heard of Dijonnaise. It's a rather recent invention. As the name implies, it is a blend of Dijon mustard and mayonnaise. To understand this condiment, a look must be taken at the history of its parent condiments.

Mayonnaise has its roots in French cuisine. After winning a great battle over the British in 1756, a great feast was had. Unfortunately the cook was out of cream so he mixed olive oil with the raw eggs. Thus, mayo was born. There is a lot of speculation on where the name came from, but there is no consensus.

It was used as a dressing but didn't become popular in the United States in the early 1900s. In 1905 Richard Hellmann, a German immigrant, opened a deli in New York. He dressed each sandwich with his wife's mayonnaise. This dressing became so popular that he started selling it separately.

Mustard is the oldest of our condiments. For over 3,000 years the Chinese have used mustard. Egyptians used to pop mustard seeds in their mouth while eating meat. Mustard is made by grinding up mustard seeds and mixing it with oil and vinegar.

In the 13th century France began creating Dijon mustard. Dijon is a specific region of France. Dijon mustard is made with white wine. There are very specific standards for Dijon mustard and mustard can be called Dijon even when not made in France. (And Grey Poupon is a company formed in the 1700s by two men Mr. Grey and Mr. Poupon. I shit you not.)

In 1992, Hellmann's introduce Dijonnaise to its condiments list. They refer to it as a creamy mustard blend. This melding of two condiments graces the sandwiches of Americans, but it is unknown how many people truly enjoy this product. It appears to be marketed only by Hellmann's (the original mayonnaise people).

Sources:
Foodnotes
About Mustard
The Honey Dijon Mustard Website
www.Hellmanns.com
Wikipedia.org