Keeping the BS in BCS

No playoff for college football until at least 2013. Probably not much hope after that, either.

Jeopardy

So Leah took me to see a live taping of Jeopardy today at the Kohl Center here in Madison. I loved Jeopardy when I was growing up, so it was a lot of fun to see it in person. The three episodes we saw are part of the College Championship series, which was nice because I actually knew a lot of the questions (they are easier than the regular Jeopardy questions). They will air the week of May 12, so check for us on T.V. (we had VIP seats thanks to Leah's employer, so we were right across the aisle from the UW band).

Alex Trebek spent a lot of time answering questions from the audience during the "commercial breaks." He tries really hard to be funny and succeeds occasionally. All in all, though, he made the downtime as fun as it could be. Someone asked him what his favorite alcoholic beverage was and he said "Chardonnay." Needless to say, he doesn't have the best taste. He's a fairly smart guy, though. His degree is in philosophy and he said he's well read in Thomas Aquinas, which is not easy stuff. Not to mention the fact that he knows over 60% of the questions on the show without using his cheat sheet. Not bad.

Anyway, it was a great time, so I thank my wife for the anniversary present. Sorry there are no pictures - we couldn't bring any cameras in.

Similarities in Religion and Law

Many people have asked me how I ended up studying law after earning my undergraduate degree in religion as if the two are completely unrelated. I've always countered that there are far more similarities than differences. Studying law is very similar to studying religion in that both studies often focus on interpreting texts, examining the implications of those texts for daily life, and discussing whether the implications tell us something about a higher power (whether it be government or God).

I was doing a google search for jobs involving law and religion and this website popped up. The suggestion is that the work of religious leaders (Rabbis, Pastors, Priests) is very similar to the work of a Lawyer in that "these people enjoy helping others with the problems of everyday living." I guess I always felt this was true as well, but often get a sense that there is a fundamental difference in that lawyers are often providing help on a more practical level while religious workers are helping on a spiritual/emotional level. In that way, I've always felt that ministers would be ill-suited for lawyering work and visa versa (I certainly feel that I would not be good at or enjoy being a pastor/priest). However, this might be a poor distinction in that it suggests that there is a difference between helping on a practical level and helping on a spiritual level. Does the distinction pop into my mind because of the American notion of separating church and state (a notion I very much agree with)? Or does it stem from the religious separation of soul and body (a notion I often disagree with)?

Hint: Google is a not a great way to search for jobs, but it can spark good blogging material.