So, as I said earlier, I'm moving to KC as soon as finals are over (yay!). But, as many of you recent grads will remember, just because you leave school for the summer or graduate, you're frequently left still paying rent for the summer. I was in this same situation last summer (living in KC, paying rent on an unused apartment in Lawrence). Since I wasn't going to be there, I canceled all my utilities for the summer. Smart and responsible right? Ummm, no. Apparently there was a clause in my lease agreement that required me to have all utilities turned on for the duration of my lease. So I got a bill at the end of the summer from my apartment complex for delinquent utitilites, and a $150(!) fine for violation of my lease agreement. I guess becausee I'm still charged by the city for things like trash regardless of my individual usage? Probably something I should have known, but keep in mind this is the first time I've ever lived on my own.
Anyway, as I am currently still with the same management company as last summer, I've been dreading still having to pay not only my rent but electric/energy/utility bills all summer as well. But then a miracle happened, and I got a call from someone wanting to sublease!
So I talk to her on the phone, and she is extremely thorough, to say the least. After an hour-long conversation about my apartment, my complex, my living habits, my neighbors, my preferred sleep schedule... and on and on... she decides she wants to come visit my actual apartment (she'd previously seen the model). Knowing that there is a couple grand riding on if she likes my apartment, I skip class all day Friday (like I needed an excuse) and clean for about 12 hours, until my apartment is spooooootless. Of course, on Saturday morning (just hours before she is to come visit), I get a call from the leasing officce saying someone (the girl) put down a security deposit for subleasing on Thursday... THURSDAY! The day before my 12 hour cleaning extravaganza. Not that I'm not happy my apartment is spotless, but pretty sure there are better ways I could have used my time one week before finals.
Anyway, so I speed home from work to meet this girl, already a little irritated. I hear the doorbell ring, open the door, only to be staring at a big pair of boobs. Seriously. I have to crane my head way up to see her face. No joke. This girl was an amazon. Probably 6'2" flat-footed, but she happened to be wearing heels. Not only was she super tall, but was standing ridiculously close to my door, so my head was literally inches from her boobs. Awkward start... she proceeds to come inside and look in every drawer/closet/cabinet/lint tray she can find. Also, I told her I was interested in selling lots of my furniture, so she took pictures of pretty much every piece of furniture I own. An hour and a half later, the amazon finally left...
Which brings me to my point (if I have one). I am moving in with Nick, who already has a fully furnished house. Which means I need to get rid of just about all of my furniture. I'm not trying to make any big profit on it -- as much as anything, I just want to get rid of it so I don't have to deal with it or where to store it. None of it is really expensive stuff, but it's all nice looking and in pretty good shape (pictures will follow). So if you or anyone you know is looking for any of the following, let me know: couch, loveseat, coffee table, entertainment stand, bookshelf, computer desk, bar stool/chair, dining room table w/4 chairs.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Taking Things for Granted
So I'm sitting here in "Rethinking our Financial Markets in a Post-Crisis World" (the class is about as much fun as the name suggests), and my professor was discussing his upcoming State Department trip to Pakistan to lecture on..... I don't know, all kinds of boring things. But something he said really caught my attention (and gave me something to think about for the rest of the 2 hour class, and hence this blog post).
Gretchen (State Dept. lady): "Are you clear on the details of your itinerary and the different lecture topics you'll be giving?"
Prof. Westbrooke: "Pretty much. But will Powerpoint available at each of the lecture locations?"
Gretchen: "We'll be lucky if they have power, so I wouldn't count on Powerpoint."
Prof. Westbrooke: "You're not being serious."
Gretchen: "Yes I am. They get about eight hours of power a day, so we may well be without power during the lectures."
Apparently, on average the entire country receives only about eight hours of power per day. Eight hours, for the entire country! That's not just the little rural towns in the middle of nowhere, that includes the big cities, the capital... everywhere.
He sort of explained why this is the case, and I caught some of it: As opposed to here in America, where it seems like everyone is in bed together (politicians, lobbyists, judges, etc.), in Pakistan it's apparently quite the opposite. Apparently it's a major power struggle between government vs. business, and the two are completely adverse to one another, and it makes it impossible to get anything done. One example we heard was a textile factory owner whose factor keeps getting broken into, but he can't get the government (police/military somehow run together, I'm not sure) to step in and help protect him. In terms of the power issue, apparently the government has more stable power supply, so doesn't really care how it affects the country's businesses, or people in general I guess.
That blows my mind. I had no idea that in 2010, something that we take so for granted like power is so unsecure in other countries. Obviously I know that there are people in third world countries who live their whole lives without power, but I always assumed that was just the poor rural areas, and that the big cities of the country were more modernized. No wonder these countries can never climb out of the basement and compete with the US or England. How could you run a government, or ever get anything done? You can't. That's just beyond my imagination, when I use power from the time I wake up (from an alarm clock, or the alarm on my phone) to the time I go to bed (turn off the lights). And if they don't have reliable power, who knows what other kinds of ammenities or things that we think of as just part of daily life they don't have (or isn't reliable). For all the problems with America and our current system (and especially in the last year or so, I feel like I notice a lot of them, especially healthcare and insurance), it's a pretty great place to live.
Gretchen (State Dept. lady): "Are you clear on the details of your itinerary and the different lecture topics you'll be giving?"
Prof. Westbrooke: "Pretty much. But will Powerpoint available at each of the lecture locations?"
Gretchen: "We'll be lucky if they have power, so I wouldn't count on Powerpoint."
Prof. Westbrooke: "You're not being serious."
Gretchen: "Yes I am. They get about eight hours of power a day, so we may well be without power during the lectures."
Apparently, on average the entire country receives only about eight hours of power per day. Eight hours, for the entire country! That's not just the little rural towns in the middle of nowhere, that includes the big cities, the capital... everywhere.
He sort of explained why this is the case, and I caught some of it: As opposed to here in America, where it seems like everyone is in bed together (politicians, lobbyists, judges, etc.), in Pakistan it's apparently quite the opposite. Apparently it's a major power struggle between government vs. business, and the two are completely adverse to one another, and it makes it impossible to get anything done. One example we heard was a textile factory owner whose factor keeps getting broken into, but he can't get the government (police/military somehow run together, I'm not sure) to step in and help protect him. In terms of the power issue, apparently the government has more stable power supply, so doesn't really care how it affects the country's businesses, or people in general I guess.
That blows my mind. I had no idea that in 2010, something that we take so for granted like power is so unsecure in other countries. Obviously I know that there are people in third world countries who live their whole lives without power, but I always assumed that was just the poor rural areas, and that the big cities of the country were more modernized. No wonder these countries can never climb out of the basement and compete with the US or England. How could you run a government, or ever get anything done? You can't. That's just beyond my imagination, when I use power from the time I wake up (from an alarm clock, or the alarm on my phone) to the time I go to bed (turn off the lights). And if they don't have reliable power, who knows what other kinds of ammenities or things that we think of as just part of daily life they don't have (or isn't reliable). For all the problems with America and our current system (and especially in the last year or so, I feel like I notice a lot of them, especially healthcare and insurance), it's a pretty great place to live.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Soon-to-be UMKC Law Student
So, as I alluded to in a previous post, and as you may have heard me talk about before, I will be attending UMKC Law as a visiting student for my third (and final!!!) year.
The visiting student program is an AMAZING idea!! It's like transferring, in the sense that you can take up to a year's worth of classes at another university. But you still graduate from your original university (assuming you still meet all the graduation requirements of your original university), and it is so incredibly easy without any hassle (don't even have to apply, just have to get your dean to sign off on the classes you'd take). It's a brilliant idea, and so appropriate for graduate school. I'm pretty sure it's intended for people with spouses who may have job opportunities that take them to different cities and things along those lines, but I am thrilled thatI can take advantage of it so I can get the hell out of Jayhawk town. (On a side note (future blog post??), I was shocked and disappointed by the sheer number of people I encountered who were giddy and joyfull when K-State lost in the Elite 8.)
So anyway, as of May 6, 2010, I will no longer be a KU Law student (though I'll still graduate from KU in May 2011). Let me just say, I can not express in words how excited I am to get away from crimson and blue, chants of "Rock Chalk Jay-hawk," ridiculous sorority girls (RIDICULOUS!!! - coming from a former LA sorority girl, no less), and the whole never-ending Williams/Self debate.
Plus, at UMKC I get to take sports law courses (YAY!!!! no joke, by far the most exciting-sounding classes I could possibly ever take), though I didn't get into Seminar of Famous Trials (3 credit hours for learning about the Scopes Monkey trial, OJ trial, Lacy Peterson trial, etc. - way better than Federal Taxation of Business Enterprises and Corporate Organizations).
What does that mean for you??? You'll get to see my adorable face more!! (Lucky you!) I'll be living in KC, attending Wednesday night dinners, and though I'll still be working every Friday/Saturday night (the legal market sucks, as does the rest of the economy), I will be much more available and accessible, and I cannot describe how excited I am to see the faces of all my lovely friends again. It has been way too long! Love you all, miss you guys, and looking forward to seeing you on a more regular basis!!
The visiting student program is an AMAZING idea!! It's like transferring, in the sense that you can take up to a year's worth of classes at another university. But you still graduate from your original university (assuming you still meet all the graduation requirements of your original university), and it is so incredibly easy without any hassle (don't even have to apply, just have to get your dean to sign off on the classes you'd take). It's a brilliant idea, and so appropriate for graduate school. I'm pretty sure it's intended for people with spouses who may have job opportunities that take them to different cities and things along those lines, but I am thrilled thatI can take advantage of it so I can get the hell out of Jayhawk town. (On a side note (future blog post??), I was shocked and disappointed by the sheer number of people I encountered who were giddy and joyfull when K-State lost in the Elite 8.)
So anyway, as of May 6, 2010, I will no longer be a KU Law student (though I'll still graduate from KU in May 2011). Let me just say, I can not express in words how excited I am to get away from crimson and blue, chants of "Rock Chalk Jay-hawk," ridiculous sorority girls (RIDICULOUS!!! - coming from a former LA sorority girl, no less), and the whole never-ending Williams/Self debate.
Plus, at UMKC I get to take sports law courses (YAY!!!! no joke, by far the most exciting-sounding classes I could possibly ever take), though I didn't get into Seminar of Famous Trials (3 credit hours for learning about the Scopes Monkey trial, OJ trial, Lacy Peterson trial, etc. - way better than Federal Taxation of Business Enterprises and Corporate Organizations).
What does that mean for you??? You'll get to see my adorable face more!! (Lucky you!) I'll be living in KC, attending Wednesday night dinners, and though I'll still be working every Friday/Saturday night (the legal market sucks, as does the rest of the economy), I will be much more available and accessible, and I cannot describe how excited I am to see the faces of all my lovely friends again. It has been way too long! Love you all, miss you guys, and looking forward to seeing you on a more regular basis!!
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