Gary Francione

I didn't post on Friday because Blogger wasn't working when I tried. Doesn't matter.

I'm wishing I went to Rutgers now. Because of one man. Gary Francione.

I sent him an e-mail and he actually responded to it promptly. I think he's wonderful.

I would post the e-mail, but he has a confidentiality notice on his e-mails so I'll suffice it to say that he is the most wonderful law professor in the country (i.e. the only one radical enough for me when it comes to animal rights).

Here's a site where you can download interviews with him. I'm going to do that right now. Thanks to Brian for pointing me toward Animal Voices.

http://www.googlesyndicatedsearch.com/u/AnimalVoices?q=francione&sa=Search

Appreciative

I like to think of myself as one of those people aware of how easy my life is and able to appreciate living in the richest country in the world. But, in all honesty, I really don't. I really don't understand what being hungry feels like. I don't even know what long hours and a dead-end job means. Hell, I went to private school.

My concerns are so trivial. I worry about having to wake up before noon, writing 4-page papers, and reading a couple hundred pages a week for class. And even if I don't do well in school, I'll be fine. I have all kinds of support systems. Any stress I feel is entirely manageable.

I'm not sure what it will take for me to truly appreciate what I have and reach something nearing my potential. But if I don't do something soon, law school is going to be a rude wake-up call.

Very Tired

I don't like having work to do. I wish I could go back to sleeping as late as I want and aimlessly walking around the Michigan State campus all day.

Someone tore off my "Pro-Life? Go Vegan!" and "Thou shalt not kill. Go vegetarian." stickers last night at the bowling alley. My only guess is that the culprit was a drunk pro-life Christian. A terribly misguided one. One who probably had nightmares about angry fetuses chastising him for eating non-kosher meats.

I heard Burger King is less awful now. Now if they stopped murdering animals we'll have really made some progress.

I'll be less cynical after a nap. And a new toothbrush. A crunchy one. Made out of nature.

Settling In

I still haven't done any schoolwork since I got back. I should have already sent in my revised story for feature writing, but I'm going to try to send it before I go to sleep tonight. This will be a short post since I'm about to go bowling.

I'm feeling good about my decision to go to Michigan State, but I've been reading about Lewis and Clark the past couple of days, and they blow every other school out of the water when it comes to animal law. Maybe I'll transfer there after my first year at MSU.

As far as I can tell my family is behind me now. My grandfather was concerned about the distance and the money, but he wished me the best when I talked to him today. I think they can tell this is the right thing for me to do.

Yesterday on C-SPAN I saw that the House passed some bill banning dogfighting. And Texas has an anti-cruelty bill on the table. I should be keeping up with these sorts of things better. I'll try to read up on it more tomorrow. This is the first time I've gotten my laptop to work in the past couple of weeks, and I haven't felt like going to the computer lab that often.

I want to go bowling. So I will. Even though I'm tired.

Back in Texas

So, my wild week in Michigan is over. I have five months to wait and despondently complete my master's degree in journalism. I'm not even sure what schoolwork I have due this week but, because I would have done it all at the last minute anyway, I'm not too concerned.

I've tried to be as efficient as possible now that I'm back, attempting to make my life seem important. I've done laundry, and my car is currently in the shop having its oil changed and inspection sticker updated. I'm terribly tempted not to bring my car with me to Michigan. It feels like more of a nuisance than a privilege.

My eating habits are already back to their typically masochistic levels. (Vegan) sausage and (vegan) cheese on flavored Wheat Thins and Triscuits. A heaping plate of stir-fried vegetables with brown rice and fried tofu. A fried spring roll. It may not sound that awful, but it's a lot of food. And that was what I managed to eat within the first two to three hours of getting off the plane in Texas.

I really shouldn't complain though. I'm 22 years old. I'm healthy. I'm 12 credits away from a master's degree. I've completed my comprehensive exam. I don't need a job. My only class of the day on Wednesday and Thursday doesn't start until 6:30 pm. My professors let me get away with shoddy work. I have law school waiting for me in the fall. Things could be worse.

Anyway, since I'm such an important person, I think it's about time I went back to my apartment to retrieve the David Sedaris and Bill Maher audiobooks I checked out from the media library a week and a half ago. They're only a day late, so they shouldn't charge me a late fee. It's tough work, but somebody's gotta do it.

Spring Break in Michigan

I've been in East Lansing since Monday, my first trip north of Oklahoma in this lifetime. Things have gone well so far, meeting vegans, law professors, and law students, and foraging for herbivorous meals.

I sat in on Professor Michael Lawrence's property law class yesterday. The material was pretty dry, but I could see that I'll like the atmosphere of law school - the hypotheticals, arguments, and reliance on both logic and common sense. I hope it's an environment I'll be able to thrive in.

As the title states, I am a vegan and a soon-to-be law student. I decided to attend Michigan State because of its animal law program, occupied and facilitated by Professor David Favre (pronounced FAVE-UR) who I hear is a top scholar in the field. I still have several months to go until I'll be attending in the fall, but I'm already getting myself in the right mindset. I think I'd be ready to start tomorrow.

I hope to publish this frequently once I start school in August, but I imagine I'll find something to say every now and then before that time comes.