Should Trans Fats in Restaurants Be Banned?

NY has recently taken it upon itself to consider a ban on restaurants' use of trans fatty acids in its cooking processes because of the health risks associated with eating foods cooking in these oils. The logic behind this proposed ban is that trans fatty acids are unhealthy in any amount, and that restaurants can substitute the ingredient with other things.

Is this the right thing to do, though? What's next? Should there be a ban on cigarettes in general because there is no amount of smoking that is good for you? Don't all these bans infringe on people's right to choose what they want to do? I understand that obesity is a huge problem in this country, as is heart disease, and these issues are being primarily promulgated by Americans' poor eating habits; but are we to ban everything that might be potentially hazardous to your health because people can't make an intelligent decision about what is good for them? Drinking alcohol in excess is also not good for you - should we go back to the times of Prohibition and ban alcohol?

I don't condone restaurants doing things that are unhealthy for its patrons, of course; but I think that a ban on trans fatty acids goes beyond protecting consumers. I think it opens the door for having the government make too many choices for us, and it creates a slippery slope that just might culminate in Americans losing rights in the most simple of situations.

Come On, Shake Your Body, Baby - Do That Conga!

Yesterday when I was leaving school and was walking through the parking garage to my car, I noticed a very loud drumming sound. The closer I got to my car, the louder it became. By the time I arrived at my car, it was nearly deafening. I glanced to the right corner of the floor on which I was parked, and saw the offending drummer - one of the people in my class, drumming on a set of CONGA DRUMS, outside of his car - and the worst part was, there were various (hippie) students surrounding him, all dancing and thrashing about as if there might have been a bonfire nearby. It was QUITE a strange scene. Meanwhile, I know I gave them the "WTF" face and hopped into my car, speeding out of there right quick before they recruited me for some good old Kumbaya.

In other news, yesterday while I was at the food store, I decided to once and for all invest in a hair product that I've had my eye on for a while: John Frieda Color Glaze. I'll be honest, I read some horrid reviews of it on various websites, but my curiosity was still piqued (and it doesn't help that Instyle magazine has these big ads for it that always seem to catch my eye). So I decided, what the hey, it was only $8.99 and I figured if I hated it, I would return it.

I used it last night for the first time, and I have to say - I was impressed! While the reviews are on target that it can get somewhat messy, I found that if I tip my head upside down and THEN apply the product to my hair, the mess is much less. I also agree with further reviews that a flip-top bottle would be more helpful in the shower than the screw-top cap currently on the product; but all that aside, it made my hair smell AWESOME - kind of coconutty - I wanted to be smelling my hair all day long; and while I didn't see a tremendous color change today (it says that it takes a few uses for that), I did notice that my hair seemed a little more brown-ie, and it certainly was super soft and healthy-feeling. I will definitely continue to use it, and will keep you all posted as to my "color results" in about a week's time!

Meet College Roomie!!

She's finally done it!! After much suggestion, College Roomie decided to make a blog of her own - and I guarantee everyone who enjoys this blog will love hers! College Roomie is one of the funniest people I have ever met, and it definitely comes through in her writing - check her out at Cubicle Hell! (Her blog name is Cubicle Dweller, but she'll always me College Roomie to me.) :-)

LawNut v. Evil Mother-In-Law

This weekend I had the good fortune of having to spend some quality time with Evil Mother in Law. Evil Mother in Law is the bane of my existence. Most of the time, I can forget that she is even there; but then it's times like this weekend, where I am forced to put on the "I'm so happy to see you" smile and pretend to be absolutely fascinated by her boring stories that I have heard a million times, that I am reminded of just how much I dislike this woman.

Evil Mother in Law is just about as bad as they come. She absolutely hates me, and doesn't even try to hide her complete and utter loathing of me. The funny thing is, I don't even know why she hates me with such fervor. I mean, ok so I'm overly opinionated (what lawyer-to-be isn't??), and I'm not afraid to voice that opinion; but is that a reason to hate your daughter-in-law and shun her and your son completely out of your life? I don't think that it is. Because what it all comes down to is that your son is happy, and Hubby and I are happy; but Evil Mother in Law doesn't see this. All she can see are my flaws, and she doesn't even bother to try to look for the good things that are there.

I know that you can't make everyone happy, and that not everyone will always like you; and I've been around long enough to know that not everyone likes opinionated people; but I do think that regardless of how Evil Mother in Law truly feels about me, that she should make more of a concerted effort to not just pretend to like me, but maybe try to look past her pre-conceived notions and realize that I'm not as bad as she thinks I am, and that no matter what, clearly Hubby saw something in me that was good - and she should try to see that too.

Well, hopefully there won't have to be any more Evil Mother in Law encounters until at least Christmas...

Overheard at School

Girl to Boy: "I wonder, if we had sex in the Law Review office, if we would get kicked out of school? Or just Law Review?"

Hmmmm.........

I Quit This Bitch Part II

What is going on, Bloggers?? There are a lot of us leaving Blogland to pursue other activities, such as life away from our keyboards; but what about the friends that we make in Blogland? What about the relationships we cultivate? Are we to abandon those, move on without ever looking back, and resume our non-virtual lives carefree? Is this the hedonistic life that Bloggers are wanting to live??

I just found out that it's curtains for one of my favorite blogs, The Liberal Banana. She's just one in a sea of what I find to be many in the last couple of months, and I'm devastated. As my Blogroll dwindles, I wonder what the future of our little rant-forum is, and what will become of us all. Who will we bitch to? If we bitch and no one is reading, are we really even bitching??

What Men Are Really Thinking

I got this in an email and I just can't stop watching it and laughing. I don't even know what is that funny about it, but there's just something hysterical about it! If you like it, be sure to check out the credits at the end (wanted to make sure to give the proper credit to whomever made this because it's just too funny).

You Mean I'll Actually Have to Work??

I got a job offer from a firm, and after finding this calculator over at Yayarolly, that shows you how much you have to work according to the billable hour requirements at that firm, I have come to the realization that I'm going to have to work FULL DAYS once I (hopefully) become an attorney!!!! GAH!!!

So here's a question for the lawyers out there - what kind of billable hour requirements do you consider acceptable/great/horrible?

I Quit This Bitch

It has been over a year since I quit the worst job in the office-world (I say office-world because I think that cleaning up the local peep show joint is probably THE worst job on earth), Cubicle Hell. I didn't realize it until just the other day that it had been that long already. To be quite honest, my life as a Cubicle Hell-er feels like it belonged to someone else. I don't even feel like that same person who sat in that dismal little box made up of thumb-tackable walls, shifting papers about all day long, day after day; but so horrific was my experience there, so traumatizing, that to this day, I still have nightmares about it. I wake up absolutely drenched in my own sweat, terrified at the possibility of having to spend my days back there once again, along with all the idiots that made up the majority of the workforce at Cubicle Hell. It still takes me a minute or so after having the dream to realize that my days at Cubicle Hell are thankfully over.

So speaking of quitting nightmare jobs, apparently this clip has been floating about southern airwaves. I think it's one of the greatest "I quit" speaches of all time, and I just had to share it here. I only wish I could have said something as poetic when I quit Cubicle Hell.

Has It Really Been Five Years?

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago, but at the same time, it feels like it was a lifetime ago. A part of me doesn't want to hear about September 11th anymore; but another part of me doesn't want to stop watching the news coverage where the names were recited. It's almost as if I don't know what to feel about the day. I guess what got me the most today was the weather - a perfect day weather-wise, just like that day had been. An ordinary day in every respect, just like that day had started out.

So in honor of the day, I present to you, as part of the 2,996 Project (thanks to Wendy for posting this), 9/11 victim Terence Gazzani - 24 year old Cantor Fitzgerald employee, apparently had recently graduated college and this was his first job. I think the reason that this man strikes me is that his life was so similar to mine at that time - recent college grad, first job, just starting out; and while I have had the privilege of living these last five years, that privilege was robbed from him in the most unfair way. He was murdered. And so today, even though I don't want to, I thought about this man whom I was randomly assigned to, and pass him along on this post for others to think about too.

Interviews are winding down, so hopefully I will have more time to post than I have in the last two weeks.

Back in Black

So sorry for the week-long hiatus! This last week has really been one of the longest ever. Between interviews and school, I barely have time to breathe, much less blog! College Roomie pointed out that she didn't have any new reading material this week, and only then did I realize that I hadn't posted a thing!!

Anyway, Happy September to all! I really love the fall, and it really feels like it's in the air.

Three fun things for today:

1. I'm a big John Mayer fan, and I found out today that he has a blog - check it out here.

2. Make your own Jackson Pollack by going here! Found out about that over at Legally Blonde, and have to say that I'm officially addicted!

3. If you have even more time on your hands (or not), I have become obsessed with Bejeweled. Kind of like Tetris, but with a girly-jewely spin!