OVERHEARD in a drafty dressing room below the stage at Mendelssohn Hall, January 29, 2009, some time between 8:00 and 9:00 P.M.:

"Is this too much lipstick?"
"Yes. Totally. It looks ridiculous."
"Perfect."

Yep, it's definitely January. We're knee-deep in Seasonal Affective Disorder, and the prevailing color all around us is gray - gray skies, gray buildings, gray food, gray people, and, if you're in Crim Law, lots and lots of gray areas. And let's not pretend that it's not cold out. So here's a list of beers that might keep you warm in these cold, dark times.

The Beer Guy is proud to continue Prof. Pick - an occasional series in which a member of our esteemed faculty is invited to reflect on a beer of his or her choosing. John Pottow is a fixture around Michigan Law, known both for his lightning quick wit and his willingness to tell it like it is. Both are apparent here.

This week we're taking a break from my usual dose of earnest law school-related babbling and moving on, temporarily, to some earnest national security-related babbling.

Like most students I went home for Christmas break. And on Christmas morning I was sitting on my couch, in front of my TV, unwrapping the Roomba I won't be able to use until I move out of AA and into a dwelling that more closely resembles something an actual adult would live in. You know, the kind of place that's amenable to being cleaned by a robot vacuum. I was just about to show my Mom a video of a cat riding a Roomba when the newsman started telling me that a well-educated Nigerian guy tried to hide some rather sophisticated but temperamental explosives underneath his testicles.

It's a big blue watery road. And after undergrad, rather than joining the cast of Deadliest Catch, Jess Bernfeld (2L), decided to research one of the more obscure aspects of commerce on the high seas: secondary registers.

The weather outside is, well, better than some of the storms crossing the country. Still, the temperatures are cold; bone-aching cold; fingers-and-toes-numbing cold; the kind of cold which leaves me envious of those of you who at the end of a long day can curl up in front of a fireplace with a good book.

We were going to write a column about how Restaurant Week is a scam, and give you an industry insider's perspective on how deceitful its purported "great deals" are. Then one of us went to the Wolverines' hockey game at Joe Louis Arena, witnessed a nerve-wracking win and was filled with endorphins to the point of inducing a wave of positivity. [If you want to read our views on Restaurant Week, and other tirades against the horrible Ann Arbor restaurant scene, check out it out here.] After walking home in the cold, a rant seemed unnecessary. New topic: soup.

Before I enrolled at Michigan my job was to play soccer--professionally. First in Scotland and then for about a season and half back in the States, I would wake up each morning, slip on a pair of shin-guards and head off to work. It is not a bad gig if you can get it. But it does come with its share of unexpected responsibilities, the most unexpected being, for me, the obligation to sign autographs.

So, apparently grades came out sometime in the past few weeks. I myself was unaware, having received my quintuple A-pluses via owl post over the break. On the morning when everyone decided to have their [grading] period, I strutted into Hutchins exhibiting my trademark insouciance (read: douchebaggery).

On a March night in 1965 President Lyndon Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress. A few days before, African-Americans in Selma, Alabama had clashed bloodily with police. The marchers were asking for the right to vote.

My, how we've grown! One of the very founders of the RG wrote to let us know that, while he was surfing the Internet, he stumbled upon our beautiful website (theresgestae.com if you haven't yet checked it out). His pride for the publication is evident 60 years later, and we thank him for having the gumption and tenacity to pave the way for the one and only Res Gestae, which is clearly just as dear to our hearts today.