Welcome to my new "blog." I had a "blog" on a popular social network, but I found it lacking in features and quality. In particular, it didn't publish properly and creating new entries was ugly and difficult. Ultimately, I removed myself from the other site and am starting anew here.
MYSELF
I'm a former computer scientist, now in law school. I like motorsports, coffee, and $7 pens. I live in Portland, Oregon, and have lived in CA, TX, AZ, Germany, NY, and AK. I like puns, puzzles, and some video games.
Lets talk about some of the fun stuff I've been up to recently. I'll tell you about school, vehicles, and Portland.
SCHOOL
School is taxing. I spend vast amounts of time preparing for class. Law school involves copious reading and a good amount of writing. Despite the boatloads of work, I enjoy it all. I like my classes, I like my classmates, and I like my teachers. Many people dislike some portion of their classes – not me. I like them all. This is a good sign.
My computer science background allows me to pursue certain parts of patent law which aren't otherwise available to lawyers. This field is bustling with activity. I have an inclination toward practicing this body of law, but it is way to early to tell. For now, I'm happy to keep my options open and see what is out there.
VEHICLES
My neighbor backed into my motorcycle and knocked it over.
If there was some good of it, he owned up to the problem and came and got me. "I didn't see it." He did $315 of damage and paid for a replacement fairing. Good thing the cover was on, too. I took the whole right hand side apart and searched everything for damage, so the time investment was also pretty big. What a pain. This really hurts me, but there is nothing to be done about it now.
Following that, I had some shifting problems. These problems are impossibly remote to anything that could have happened as part of the tip-over. I tried to diagnose the problem and found a lot of people who have installed a shift detent arm with a stronger spring and had all problems clear up. So I ordered the part. $200 later, while installing it, the new part rubs against the engine case. I call the manufacturer and they don't really care much. I'm still trying to work with them to get things straightened out.
Part of the installation process involves using a special tool to hold the clutch basked while removing a bolt that is tightened by Hercules himself. Turns out that the specialty tool I bought doesn't fit, so it chips at my clutch basket and ruins another $100 part. Woe!
Further, it looks like the new detent arm doesn't do a damn thing. The next possible action is to tear the whole transmission apart and replace the shift forks and any broken dogs. So the transmission job is on my to-do list. It involves (1) remove engine from frame (2) split the cases (3) fool with the transmission. I've never done anything this detailed. Professional mechanics specialize in transmissions because general mechanics won't touch them. I have the job penciled in for Christmas break.
PORTLAND
Portland is great. The weather is very nice. The city has a public rose garden that we've
walked around a couple times. The campus is also very nice and fun to explore on foot. Come to think of it, the campus is nestled in a state park, with paved paths winding through wooded areas and the cool breeze of the Pacific Northwest. I've got nothing to complain about.
Also, Natasha and I are having a great time together. We walked around the campus yesterday and explored the older buildings for the school of education. These buildings are a page out of history – I'm glad they are around and I'm also glad that we don't have to use them. Much of the law school is recent and modern.
I own a DSLR camera, which is something akin to a teenager owning a Ferrari. Actually, it is probably more like a midlife-crisis Ferrari owner. Point is, all that power and no idea how to use it.
