Rohit's Realm

Rohit's Realm http://www.rohitsrealm.com The thoughts, observations, and rants of the proverbial disgruntled graduate student. en-us Copyright (c) 2001-2007, Rohit Nafday. All Rights Reserved. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:41:04 -0700 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:41:04 -0700 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss rohit@rohitsrealm.com webmaster@rohitsrealm.com Rohit's Realm Feed Generator v1.0 Quarter Century http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/10/03/quarter-century-/ With the passing of this day, the third of October in the year of our Lord, two thousand and eight, comes a momentously irrelevant occasion. It is the day that marks my attainment of the much-coveted (and frequently obtained) quarter century status. On a dark day, twenty-five years ago, I arrived upon this planet, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Luckily for you, dear readers, I would not retain that sunshiny disposition for long, quickly trading in smiles for frowns and happiness for despair. For twenty-five long (and consummately miserable years), I have disgraced my family, my friends, myself, and society at large. With this post, I hope to continue in that storied tradition. <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/10/03/age-and-accomplishment/" title="Age and Accomplishment">Last year</a>, I chose to dedicate my post to introspection; today, I will dedicate it to circumspection. rohit@rohitsrealm.com http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/10/03/quarter-century-/#comments http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/10/03/quarter-century-/ Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:41:04 -0700 Outsourcing My Personal Existence http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/10/01/outsourcing-my-personal-existence/ Amidst the breathless chatter in recent weeks about <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/09/27/rip-wamu/" title="RIP WaMu">banks failing</a>, <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/11/26/suffer-the-subprimers/" title="Suffer the Subprimers">markets melting</a>, and capitalism ending (¡Viva la revolución!), a vastly more important story has been relegated to consummately irrelevant blogs such as this one: my own life is falling apart. And while long-time readers may be excused for pondering what makes this news of any import whatsoever, considering, first, that I lead a largely marginalized and trivial existence, and second, that my life is always in some state of catastrophic collapse given its <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/01/16/in-pursuit-of-nothingness/" title="In Pursuit of Nothingness">necessary futility</a>, the unprecedented levels of <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/02/26/wallowing-in-existential-angst/" title="Wallowing in Existential Angst">anxiety</a>, <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/10/03/age-and-accomplishment/" title="Age and Accomplishment">self-doubt</a>, and <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/04/01/le-mot-de-lenigme/" title="Le Mot de L'Énigme">despair</a> that have consumed me in past month nonetheless convince me that something out of the ordinary is afoot. I am sleeping little, accomplishing less, and ending each day further behind than I started it. To speak in terms of a particularly vivid (and thoroughly disgusting) <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2004/04/21/visions-of-life/" title="Visions of Life">analogy</a> from years past, the levels of shit in my clear box are increasing much faster than I can shovel them out. This acceleration is, of course, unsustainable in the long term. And while the <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2006/06/14/contemplations-on-killing-oneself/" title="Contemplations on Killing Oneself">ultimate solution</a> remains an option (as it <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/05/15/musings-on-the-meaning-of-life/" title="Musings on the Meaning of Life">must</a>), I am not persuaded that the tragicomedy of the situation has reached levels such that facilitating my own demise would yield maximum irony. Something, however, must be done. Last year I spoke of <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/03/13/outsourcing-my-digital-existence/" title="Outsourcing My Digital Existence">outsourcing my digital existence</a>. Today I propose something far more drastic. rohit@rohitsrealm.com http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/10/01/outsourcing-my-personal-existence/#comments http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/10/01/outsourcing-my-personal-existence/ Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:55:32 -0700 RIP WaMu http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/09/27/rip-wamu/ With so much going on in the past two weeks in the worlds of politics and finance, what with capitalism coming to a grinding halt and super-geriatric McCain single-handedly swooping in to rescue us from a cohort of spendthrift, earmarking incompetents who fundamentally <q>do not understand</q> the economy (whoops, did I jump the gun on Monday morning's headline on Fox News?), the consummate <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2006/04/26/the-nebulous-road-to-news-junkie-dom/" title="The Nebulous Road to News Junkie-dom">news junkie</a> in me has been quite remiss to have been stuck in callback interviews all day, thus cut off from both my computer and my <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/10/the-other-one-confessions-of-an-unapologetic-adulterer/" title="The Other One: Confessions of an Unapologetic Adulterer">CrackBerry</a>™. The last I ventured into this mess was <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/11/26/suffer-the-subprimers/" title="Suffer the Subprimers">November of 2007</a>, when I argued that at least some responsibility for the meltdown must remain with those at the bottom of the pyramid of lies that took on loans larger than they could afford. The events of the last two weeks confirm that the banks deserve much more of the blame for enabling those liars and fools. While there is much to discuss this week between the first <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f8717492-8c2d-11dd-8a4c-0000779fd18c.html" title="Obama and McCain trade blows on the US economy">presidential debate</a> last night, the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122252502326482359.html" title="Bailout Negotiations Move Forward">ongoing negotiations</a> (subscription required) in Washington, DC over the Administration's proposed $700 billion <q>bailout,</q><a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/09/27/rip-wamu/#fn1" title="Go to Footnote 1" name="n1">1</a> and the sad <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/movies/28newman.html?hp" title="Paul Newman dies at 83">death</a> of legendary actor <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000056/" title="Paul Newman">Paul Newman</a>, I would like to focus on a death of another kind this week, that of my beloved bank of nearly ten years, Washington Mutual. rohit@rohitsrealm.com http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/09/27/rip-wamu/#comments http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/09/27/rip-wamu/ Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:10:13 -0700 Window Seats, Shocking Feats http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/09/21/window-seats-shocking-feats/ Apologies, dear readers, for my extended absence from the wonderful world of worthless blogging. Between the loathsome task of moving (which I alluded to <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/29/add-meets-ocd/" title="ADD Meets OCD">earlier</a>), the soul-crushing work associated with legal journal membership, and the angst-inducing experience of on-campus interviewing (of which, more later), I have hardly found the time to sleep or eat, let alone spew incoherent vitriol for the disaffected readership of this most meaningless of blogs. Rest assured, however, that my three-week hiatus does not mark the end of the venerable <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/" title="Rohit's Realm">Realm</a>, merely a brief respite from the <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/01/16/in-pursuit-of-nothingness/" title="In Pursuit of Nothingness">pursuit of nothingness</a> that continues to serve as its purpose. rohit@rohitsrealm.com http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/09/21/window-seats-shocking-feats/#comments http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/09/21/window-seats-shocking-feats/ Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:09:06 -0700 ADD Meets OCD http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/29/add-meets-ocd/ In the twenty odd years of my woeful existence on this planet, I have often been accused of possessing various socially undesirable qualities, none of which require rehashing here (lest I start crying). Very likely, attention deficit disorder was not one of them. Indeed, if there is any redeemable quality at all to my (necessarily futile) existence, it is that I can concentrate in the face of rampant distraction very well. Except that I cannot. (Readers can now rest assured that my life has no redeemable quality whatsoever.) To clarify, my powers of concentration only function when I care about what I am doing. The slightest inclination of the tedious, idiotic, or onerous, and suddenly, I have more ADD than a five-year-old on a sugar rush freebasing with a spoon and lighter (what?). The latter state is one in which I find myself today, faced (yet again) with the prospect of packing up all my possessions and moving to a new apartment. Worse still, when I get into these ADD moods, it tends to exacerbate my already strong tendency towards obsessive-compulsive behavior. So, with hours of packing left, tomorrow completely unavailable, and the movers arriving Sunday morning, I find myself tormented over why I have never dedicated time to my IM buddy list organization scheme. Someone needs to put me out of my misery. rohit@rohitsrealm.com http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/29/add-meets-ocd/#comments http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/29/add-meets-ocd/ Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:31:58 -0700 Second Time's (Still) Not a Charm http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/26/second-times-still-not-a-charm/ Nary three weeks after <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/08/my-romantic-quest-from-cynicism-to-nihilism-part-2/" title="My Romantic Quest: From Cynicism to Nihilism (Part 2)">announcing</a> the continuation of my much-touted <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2005/11/04/my-romantic-quest-from-cynicism-to-nihilism-part-1/" title="My Romantic Quest: From Cynicism to Nihilism (Part 1)">romantic quest</a> (to ruin my life), and hardly a year after <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/05/24/perfect-strangers/" title="Perfect Strangers">finding</a>—and losing—a potential <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2005/10/29/on-soulmates/" title="On Soulmates">soulmate</a>, I once again found myself on a flight, this time from Orange County, Calif., to Chicago, Ill., seated next to an (attractive) woman and engrossed in conversation. As the flight lifted off, and as the brief initial exchange with the passenger in the window seat gave way to a conversation interesting enough such that I was persuaded to put down the (obviously pretentious) book in my hand, my thoughts immediately turned to that fateful trip last year and the opportunity I had let pass me by. Determined not to let the pitch sail by yet again, I steadied myself for the swing. The second time would be the charm, I assured myself. Alas, if only it were so. Unfortunately, as much as I would like to report to you, dear readers, that my second foray into meeting potential soulmates on airplanes was more successful than my first, I cannot. This is, after all, the <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/" title="Rohit's Realm">Realm</a>, a place of <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2006/03/01/contentment-and-complacency/" title="Contentment and Complacency">little happiness</a> and <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/06/25/the-lady-in-pink-and-my-failure-to-capitalize/" title="The Lady in Pink (and My Failure to Capitalize)">less success</a>, a place where there are no happy endings, only <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/03/11/deleveraging-the-personal-brand/" title="Deleveraging the Personal Brand">soul-crushing disappointments</a> and <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/06/on-being-an-addict/" title="On Being an Addict">heart-wrenching failures</a>. rohit@rohitsrealm.com http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/26/second-times-still-not-a-charm/#comments http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/26/second-times-still-not-a-charm/ Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:22:28 -0700 Rohit Reviews: In Cold Blood http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/21/rohit-reviews-in-cold-blood/ <div class="photobar"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0679745580.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" alt="Capote, In Cold Blood"> </div> Considering that my taste in <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/catalog/book/" title="Book Catalog">books</a> in recent years has tended towards <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/01/24/rohit-reviews-the-brothers-karamazov/" title="Rohit Reviews: The Brothers Karamazov">dense</a> and <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/05/24/rohit-reviews-the-age-of-reason/" title="Rohit Reviews: The Age of Reason">depressing</a>, I thought I would take a break this summer for some lighter reading. Truman Capote's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Blood-Truman-Capote/dp/0679745580/rohsrea-20/" title="Truman Capote, In Cold Blood">In Cold Blood</a> was probably not the best way to accomplish my goal. The novel, which incidentally was the subject of the 2005 film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379725/" title="Capote (2005)">Capote</a>, is often described as a <q>masterpiece.</q> I would not necessarily go as far, but I do not know that I can articulate why. Certainly, it was good, and after a slow start, I got so into it that I finished it in one marathon sitting this past Sunday. And as all reviews are want to do, I too can (and briefly will) gush on how it paints a vivid portrait of the men who perpetrated a senseless crime that ended the lives of four very sympathetic people. The manner in which Capote portrays the killers—without condemnation, almost sympathetically—is truly a masterful accomplishment. So why the hesitation at describing it as a masterpiece? I think, in the end, it is not a reflection on this novel, but only that I have read others which I found to be <q>better.</q> That said, I would still recommend it to all but the most squeamish. It is well-written, quickly read, and if nothing else, brings to life a horrific true story from forty years past. Four stars of five. rohit@rohitsrealm.com http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/21/rohit-reviews-in-cold-blood/#comments http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/21/rohit-reviews-in-cold-blood/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:35:25 -0700 New York, It's Been Real http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/19/new-york-its-been-real/ For those following along, my awesome (and awesomely dysfunctional!) <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/06/17/welcome-to-new-york-bum-style/" title="Welcome to New York, Bum-Style">bum-filled</a>, <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/07/12/the-jungle/" title="The Jungle">bridge-and-tunnel supported</a> summer in New York, N.Y., has finally wound to a close. As I fought unusually strong suicidal impulses upon arriving in much-loathed <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/04/11/escape-from-hyde-park/" title="Escape from Hyde Park">Hyde Park</a> and prepared for another year of dodging bullets and avoiding vagabonds, marauders, and socially inept undergrads, I could not help but miss New York, despite having spent only a few short months there. But enough of that sentimental shit. This ain't a site about gushing about the <a href="http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/05/17/the-past-will-tear-us-apart/" title="The Past Will Tear Us Apart">past</a>; it is a blog about <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/10/03/age-and-accomplishment/" title="Age and Accomplishment">inadequacy</a>, <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/06/25/the-lady-in-pink-and-my-failure-to-capitalize/" title="The Lady in Pink (and My Failure to Capitalize)">failure</a>, <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2007/09/30/why-more-douchebaggery-is-better-for-law-students/" title="Why More Douchebaggery is Better (for Law Students)">self-loathing</a>, and <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2006/06/14/contemplations-on-killing-oneself/" title="Contemplations on Killing Oneself">suicide</a>. Why talk about love when one can speak of hate? Why engage in nostalgia when one can revel in anger? Without further adieu, I present some of the things I will not miss about New York, and round out the post with some things I still hate about Chicago/Hyde Park. rohit@rohitsrealm.com http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/19/new-york-its-been-real/#comments http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/19/new-york-its-been-real/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:49:14 -0700 The Other One: Confessions of an Unapologetic Adulterer http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/10/the-other-one-confessions-of-an-unapologetic-adulterer/ News that former presidential candidate <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards">John Edwards</a> lied about an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/09/us/politics/09edwards.html" title="Edwards Admits to Affair in 2006">extramarital affair</a> got me thinking about my own licentious ways and especially the torrid—and tawdry!—affair that I have been carrying on for past few years. Since it has transitioned from the realm of mere physical attraction to that of true emotional attachment, I can no longer keep it a secret. And unlike Messr. Edwards, who in a race to the bottom justified his affair on the basis that his wife's cancer was in remission, I will not attempt to effect disingenuous contrition; I stand proud and unapologetic over my adulterous ways. rohit@rohitsrealm.com http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/10/the-other-one-confessions-of-an-unapologetic-adulterer/#comments http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/10/the-other-one-confessions-of-an-unapologetic-adulterer/ Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:01:15 -0700 My Romantic Quest: From Cynicism to Nihilism (Part 2) http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/08/my-romantic-quest-from-cynicism-to-nihilism-part-2/ Almost three years ago in a <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/2005/11/04/my-romantic-quest-from-cynicism-to-nihilism-part-1/" title="My Romantic Quest: From Cynicism to Nihilism (Part 1)">seminal entry</a> commemorating the fourth anniversary of the venerable <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/" title="Rohit's Realm">Realm</a>, I set forth this site's (and consequently, my own) <q>life plan</q> for the decade to come. Invoking both <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner" title="William Faulkner">Faulkner</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Byron" title="Lord Byron">Byron</a>, I reasoned that the only way to move beyond the petulant and aimless attacks upon <a href="http://rohitsrealm.com/archive/category/homeless/" title="Homelessness">Berkeley bums</a> that dominated this site was to embrace a path of unchecked self-destruction, in turn becoming a better writer. And how exactly was I going to destroy my life? Simple: <q>meet the woman of my dreams, fall madly in love, be overwhelmed by hope and joy, and then have the said woman break my heart beyond repair, leaving me in a state of ever-worsening despair, unable to find love or happiness ever again</q> (emphasis original). So, why do I bring any of this up on this day of all days? Well, today is August 8, 2008, which means I only have a little over four years in which to get married. Needless to say, shit has gotten real. rohit@rohitsrealm.com http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/08/my-romantic-quest-from-cynicism-to-nihilism-part-2/#comments http://www.rohitsrealm.com/archive/2008/08/08/my-romantic-quest-from-cynicism-to-nihilism-part-2/ Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:42:39 -0700