So, seeing as it's Friday and I've been posting a lot of hodgepodge today, it's as good a day as any (well, any Friday) to start answering the Friday Five -- five questions weblogged by scores of internet scribes each week. la de da. Here they are:

1. Are you going to school this year? technically, no.

2. If no, when did you graduate? from HS in '92, college in '96, and law school in '00.

3. What are/were your favorite school subjects? history, english, biology, French and Latin, constitutional law, blues and jazz with Michael Ullman, film theory.

4. What are/were your least favorite school subjects? after about 5th grade, math. also, driver's ed.

5. Have you ever had a favorite teacher? Why was he/she a favorite? Ray Aklonis, high school history teacher, stands out for his high expectations, engaging lecture style, and funky Guatemalan thread bracelets. For this man, I wrote 30-page papers on Social Darwinism and on the rise of British Naval Power in the 18th and 19th centuries -- and where, I ask, did all that knowledge go? I should also mention Dan Givelber, Evidence professor, who stood out for his cynically low expectations...first day of class, he imparted the Three Rules of Evidence: "The judge is not your friend; toothpaste does not go back in the tube; and the appellate judge is not your friend, either." Perfect.