Hey y'all-

We're back!

Sure, this is true in the "new year, new attitude" sense, but the RG is back in a more practical way as well. For instance, you may've noticed that you haven't seen a Res Gestae in awhile - this is because, in early December of 2008, the RG computer, Edith, decided to eat itself and subsequently self destruct rather than face the prospect of another day (don't worry, the whole affair was more whimper than bang). Since it was finals and all, we couldn't exactly blame her, but Edith's untimely demise did leave the RG staff in a bit of a bind.

A common misconception is that public interest law students aren't in it for the money. Au contraire, being able to cast off vicuña wool sweaters to Goodwill is exactly why we came to law school. We've just figured out a different path into Colbert Platinum membership. And that path runs right to (through) you. So take out your customized GoldVish iPhones and send a dinner-at-Tetsuya's invite to your favorite public interest charity case. After all, charity begins at home...specifically in the bedroom.

If you're anything like the average email account holder, your inbox is packed with unread messages and their potentially daunting collection of tasks, requests, assignments, and yes, spam. No matter how hard you try, these seemingly uncomplicated tasks become a blurry mass of subject lines every time you access your account. This is not an uncommon problem and popular authors like Malcolm Gladwell (Blink, The Tipping Point) have made a career out of demonstrating how our society is suffering from an information overload that slows us down more than helps us succeed.

Winter has fully set in, and maybe you, too, have forgotten what the ground looks like without a covering of snow. This time of year, in the afterholiday slump of back to school and nasty weather and illness, it can be difficult to dredge up the desire to go outside and deal with the snow and ice and wind. Curling up in front of a fire with a good book doesn't have the same appeal when the books on hand are casebooks and hornbooks and study guides. Instead, try one of these books instead.

A new intramural powerhouse is emerging within the grad/faculty/staff ranks. The 8-ballers are poised to win the all-points title, and they made serious progress toward that goal at the end of last semester by winning the championship in flag football and reaching the title game in broomball.

Hi! I'm Ben "Papa Junk" McJunkin, and I drink a lot of beer. I also make a lot of beer. I'm not sure that qualifies me as a beer expert, but I definitely have a beer passion. The goal of this column is to extend that passion to you. I want help law students expand their understanding of beer beyond just yellow fizzy stuff, and learn to appreciate the subtleties and complexity of beer. Right now, the format of the column is whatever the hell I feel like, so if you have thoughts or suggestions, feel free to let me know.

During 1L year, as I was navigating the murky waters of law school, I signed up for a contracts tutor and was assigned to one of the smartest people I have yet to meet. Hyland Hunt had the rare ability to explain complex ideas with ease and confidence. So, when I heard that Hyland had secured a Supreme Court clerkship with Justice Stevens, although elated, I was not too surprised. Although she is humbled by the position, I'll be the first to say that the Supreme Court will be better off for having Hyland as a clerk. Recently, she took a few moments to talk to the RG about her experience.

Dear Law School,

It's really fun to be a student here. There are so many performance groups that help me de-stress. They help all of us, really. It's easy to get involved, and fun to attend all the various shows. I went to the law school comedy troupe performance last night, and I'm looking forward to the law school musical next semester. Also, it's always nice to hear the chamber music group rehearsing in the lawyer's club lounge. All this makes Michigan Law a really nice place to be.

Sincerely, Wishful Thinking

Professor A.W. Brian Simpson says that institutions - boarding school, the British army, and academia - have made him the person he is today. It is not surprising, then, that to his students, colleagues, and friends at Michigan Law, he is an institution. As the two institutions of Michigan Law and Professor Simpson prepare to say goodbye to one another, the latter took some time on November 20th to share some "Anecdotes From an Academic Odyssey" with well over 100 students, colleagues and friends at the most well-attended LSSS Blue Jeans Lecture in recent memory.

Sada Jacobson could kill you in seconds.

With the beginning of December come many things: the falling of leaves, the ravens returning to the Law Quad, that first HUGE snow storm that makes us wonder why we picked a school in Michigan, and, of course, the opening of 1L recruiting season. (Shhhh! Be wawy quiet. We're hunting 1Ls!) [Umm, actually, we are. -Eds].

Scene: Large cavernous club, bouncer at door, variously decorated Halloween partiers inside.

A recent encounter with a fellow law student went something like this (I should qualify that this took place in a bar, and said student was a bit intoxicated):