Your list should keep going as you travel. Just wait til you hit the desert, you'll wish you could get another look at the economy.

Read "Good Old Neon" in his short story collection 'Oblivion.' It's brilliant, and eerie in light of his sad end.

Just passing through. Found you on GOB and just thought I would give you a read.

 Counselors, 

Should I do the stories before the rest of the nonfiction?  Is Wallace best-known for that?

Thanks...but what's GOB?

I think he may be "best-known" for his fiction simply because 'Infinite Jest' was so immense--*literally* with something like 1,076 pages, over 100 of which are footnotes (some of which go on for pages of themselves), and also *literarily* as as a genre-buster with huge influence. It's such a crazy and upsetting book, but so awesome :) (i'd insist that you to read it before you die but you don't like being told what to do...)

I think his fiction and nonfiction spotlight each other--In his fiction he writes the most absurd things, a kind of fantastical realism that carves out something very weird but very true. I've not read as much of his non-fiction but am impressed that he can unleash the same analytical prowess and lucidity separate from the outrageous quality of his fiction. I wish my writing was that adaptable. I am very envious of his vocabulary and obsessive imagination...

I'll stop enthusing before you wish to be euthanized, but if you're interested in DFW, check out http://www.thehowlingfantods.com/dfw or the memorial threads on mcsweeneys: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/dfw/memories.html .

 Thanks, Counselor Sharon.  100 pages of footnotes sounds GREAT.  But not sure if I can do a 1000-page book at this point in my life... But yes, I will try to get to it before death.  

Yeah, it's always cool to read fiction and nonfiction by the same person.  I'm envious of his vocab too.  

Globe of Blogs

Ok, two pronged advice, none of which is legal advice.

#1 Negotiation and verification. Ask the insurance agent to provide you with a copy of the statute. Ask him to show you where in the law it says "If the damaged car only has collision insurance the home owner's insurance is off the hook." They might be lying. And if they're telling the truth, then it's all on the homeowner (who will probably feel stupid for buying insufficient coverage.)

Get a written statement from a repair shop as to the cost of repair and their opinion that it should be totaled. Find the replacement value of your car. Talk to the home owner about the situation. Point out that since his insurance won't cover it, he will need to.

#2 Small claims - lower recovery amounts, lower fees, more informal setting.

Also, having the ability to go to small claims court can be a good negotiating tactic. If he won't settle with you, then you tell him that you'll have to take him to small claims court. Check with your jurisdiction to see the rules of small claims.

If you sue the guy directly, and win, it doesn't matter if his insurance will pay. Either they will, or he will. Just because his insurance won't pay doesn't mean the homeowner isn't on the hook.

The insurance company claims that there is an exclusion for items like cars (as well as motorcycles, rv's, etc.) that usually carry their own insurance. Think of it like this: your garage burns down with your car inside, and the homeowners' insurance only covers the garage. Maybe an industry-wide understanding that keeps costs competitive across the board?
Either way, I would have to have comprehensive auto insurance to get this damage covered in this situation which I don't.
At least, that's what the insurance company says...has anybody got any experience in this area?

That lets the insurance company off the hook (assuming they are both honest and correct in their interpretation.) So that sucks.

But what does the existence of lack of existence of coverage have to do with liability?

Think about it this way. You drive a car with minimal insurance, the driver of another car has minimal insurance, you crash. He's permanently disabled. Your limits only go up to $30K. Do you think the other guy only gets 30K? Or do you think he gets 30K from the insurance company, and sues you for your own assets?

I'm assuming the owner of the house is liable, but is that actually true? I don't have enough knowledge of the law to call him and begin negotiations with the assumption that he is...

My advice is to contact an attorney and stop asking what to do. A competent attorney near where your car was damaged will be able to assess this case in minutes and tell you what can be done, what it will take to do it, and where you stand - all before asking you for a penny.

I was hoping a competent attorney in my area would read this and offer to do just that...get more readers, Lax!

I used to sell insurance for 12 years. Your going to have to take him to a small claims court in order to render the damages for your car. The insurance co's all have that cap of about $500.00. The homeowner may be liable but his policy will only cover so much.

http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=39442&p...

We need pictures Lax. Surely you could've snapped a for-instance...

Sorry to hear that your room was so horrible. I took it at the Wyndham, in a room with somewhere between 40-50 people. Space was OK...I'm lefty, the guy to my left was righty, and we only bumped elbows once. Those instructions were horrible...I'm still hearing about "sunglasses, cell phones, hats (except religious apparel)" in my head. The pens were godawful...I hate ballpoints to begin with (gotta be rollerballs for me). My wrist and arm were on fire by the end of Day 1. Overall, my take is: Day 1 morning good, Day 1 afternoon tough. Day 2 morning a total b***h, Day 2 afternoon OK. Same thing happened when I took the Washington State bar 10 years ago...walked out of Day 1 happy, but walked out of Day 2 convinced I had failed. I passed, so one never knows. Best of luck, I hope we both get good news in October!

I was wondering if you could post your comments about the subject matter of the MEE, MPT and Illinois essay questions. Questions you liked, disliked, did not expect. Just would like to see another person's input.

As far as NU biz school, luckily the person next to me did not show up (I'm left handed) which was a HUGE plus. Three hours is a good amount of sleep, I got absolutely no sleep before the MEE and MPT. Thank god I went to bed early for the MBE. Best of luck!

Best,
Eric

Sounds like we're in a similar place in a lot of ways, Counselor SJB. Good luck to both of us.

Hi Counselor Eric,
I have LOTS to say about the subject matter of the MEE and MPT tests. The thing is, I'm really terrified to write about those questions because I know they collect them at the end of the tests...suggesting they dont' want them getting out...and I don't want to do anything that might piss the Illinois Bar off. Don't want to chance it. So, yeah, I think I'll be staying away from the content of the exam. Sorry, sir.

Thanks for the reply. Makes sense. Sorry, I am not used to blogs. Would not want to put you in a position jeopardizing your admission to the bar. Take care.

Best,
Eric

sc bar fun...instead of being uncomfortably warm, our room (more of a warehouse) was ridiculously cold to the point that i had to wear a jacket. i most certainly feel your pain on the writing instruments; i wanted to chew my arm off after the first essay section. we unfortunately had 2 days of state essays plus the mbe, which only made my hand hurt that much more and also made me wish that i hadn't used softest at depaul. such is life. in other news i'd read lawyer boy thursday of last week and loved it. it was nice to see the way you handled the characters. in telling my mother to read it, i'm also glad you could fully describe a) a certain legal writing professor and b) sleep difficulties. she said she always listened to me when i spoke about those problems, but now she realizes that i wasn't just exaggerating or whining (not that law students would ever do such a thing). anyways, good luck on the pending bar results, let me know when the next book is due.

You should be more sensitive to people with friends or relatives who suffer from mental illness. Contrary to what you write, those diseases are not always "obvious" in adults nor do they manifest themselves in the silly kind of statement you made up. It is medically impossible to diagnose a baby as psychotic or "insane," the latter of which is not a recognized medical diagnosis, but rather a layman's colloquialism usually used to describe any behavior with which the speaker disagrees or finds strange.

Apparently humor, like mental illness in adults is not "obvious". Insanity is not a medical diagnosis, it's an archaic term of art used in law. I'm sure that most people realize that Insanity is a colloquialism. Law's funny that way. I mean, we're probably the only people left who call seventeen year olds infants. Pediatricians would have a field day with that.

Think insanity is funny, eh Pirates? We'll see how funny it is when I go insane on you.

The banana patch monster ate my manure sandwich tomorrow...the same day that your face ate my fist.

In response to "You should be more sensitive."

Don't be so sensitive! You are what's wrong with the world today. There is someone like you who has a problem with everything and if you types had it your way, no one would be able to crack a joke.