In With The New.

Although I don't understand what it is about human nature that makes us want to make resolutions for the new year, it is a phenomenon that I readily understand. For some reason, making life-changing decisions on July 28th doesn't have quite the same appeal.

Perhaps we are all looking at a chance for redemption- another bite at the apple. We wish to wash the old stains of life away and begin anew, cleansed by the start of a new jaunt around the sun.

So be it. If the calendar can lend us fortitude in improving our lives, I won't be the one to dispel the myth.

That said, here's my list of resolutions:

1. Completely Stop Smoking- I've "quit" several times in the last few weeks, but never for good. I usually go two or three days at a time before picking up a pack when I stop by a gas station for gas. I don't think I'm physically addicted so much as I'm psychologically addicted to the habit itself- I think a wide assortment of chewing gums will do the trick in that regard.

2. Begin Running Again- In my heyday, I used to run roughly four miles a day in about thirty minutes. Not too shabby for a guy who weighs almost 200 pounds. (There's a reason the guy who wins the Boston Marathon every year weighs next to nothing.) Although there were days when I didn't like running, overall I missed it. I'm hoping to get one of those new-fangled GPS devices to track exactly how far I've run. I'm going to wait until February to let my lungs heal from the smoking, though. Thus #2 depends on #1.

3. Take Care of Fingernails- I've always had a bad habit of chewing my fingernails. This year I vow to grow them out to a customary length and take better care of them. This serves a utilitarian purpose as well- I'm going to be meeting potential employers soon and I want to look well-groomed.

4. Not Cut My Hair- I haven't cut my hair since early September, and I plan on growing it until I'm sure I want to cut it for two weeks straight. I've never had "long" hair, and I'm interested in seeing how it turns out. This one isn't as steadfast as the other three- I'll cut it if it begins to look unkempt or influences my choice of summer internship positions.

I'll update my progress on these every now and then once the new year starts.

Out With The Old...

It's been a long year.

This blog began in late, late January as ramblings on http://lawschooldiscussion.com and quickly ballooned into a full-fledged chronicle of my life.

Back then, my blogging was fueled by a not-so-quiet desperation to leave the field of teaching- when I go back and read them, I can't believe I made it through. Seconds flowed like syrup back then, and I never thought I'd make it to late December in one piece. I think taking pictures and writing helped me escape the humdrum existence that was my occupation. And constant visits to the creek that ran behind my home. Even now, knowing that it's still there and flowing fills me with a sense of peace.

The summer months were filled with hectic plans and several trips from Georgia to Mississippi to get our new place ready. I've moved four times in three years- enough to last a few decades. If I never see that stretch of Interstate 20 again, I'll die a happy man.

My grandfather passed away- a heavy blow indeed. It made me realize how short life is, and how quickly time can fly. If I can grasp life half as fiercely as he did, I'll be okay.

I lost a few pets this year, found a few more, and had one miraculously return after a week-long journey through what must have been hell.

Anxieties about law school and Hurricane Katrina filled the autumn months- I never fathomed having to think about where to buy gas or wondering when things would return back to normal. Slowly, but surely, however, they are.

Winter concluded with feverish concerns over exams and potential grades.

Looking back, I'm glad for all the experiences, but if I had it all to do over again- I think I would have done it differently.

Here's hoping next year my new-found experience leads me down an easier path.

Happy New Year, everybody- may you end up better off this time next year than you are now.

In the end, that's all anybody has a right to hope for.

Sassy Update #2

Sassy went to the vet today to get her skin staples taken out and her cast changed. Amazingly, the total bill was only $15.

She's humping around on her foot okay and is no longer on the pain pills. Once her hair grows back, she'll look like a perfectly normal dog.

I haven't really noticed much difference in her gait so hopefully when the cast if finally off, she'll walk as if nothing happened.

Sty

Over the last several days, I've had a sty on my left eyelid.

Stys aren't much fun. I can only wear one contact, so my depth perception is a bit off. This causes a slight headache that never really goes away.

I'm taking antibiotics and using an emollient to help the swelling, but I still looked like Quasimoto for a few days.

Oddly enough, it's sometimes caused by stress, so law school exams may be the culprit. At least it happened over the break, so I didn't scare my peers.

It's getting better now- I've never been more thankful to have two fully working eyes.

Water, Water Everywhere...

Yesterday morning my wife and I anticipated a restful day of lounging around and catching up on lost sleep.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

I woke up early to go to the bathroom and let the dogs out for the day. Unfortunately, my injured dog Sassy escaped as well, and I had to spend five minutes chasing her around the front yard.

While that was happening, the toilet was overflowing and dumping gallons of water onto the bathroom floor, which quickly soaked the carpet. (Don't ask me why, but the place we're renting has carpet on the bathroom floor.)

After mopping up that mess with loads of towels, my wife decided to wash them in the washing machine. Unbeknownst to us, the hose on the back of the machine had been knocked loose (probably by a cat) and water began dumping out the back.

Things are dryer now, but it's amazing how every time you look forward to a few minutes of rest, something takes up your time.

Here's hoping tomorrow brings a beautiful basket of nothing for me to enjoy.

A Missive to Atheists

For those who try to take God's place-
Stencil in a human face
Perfect in its very form.
Capture quite the fleshy warm
Blood that rises to the flesh
Only display the best
For all the world to see.

Then make it sing
First a laugh, then a sting
Of tears to a dazzling eye-
A baited breath, a halted sigh-
Add life to that which is flat
Only then I'll tip my hat
And admit that I believe.

The Ruckus Over "Christmas"

There's been a lot of ballyhoo the past few weeks over use of the term "Christmas," as it might be non-inclusive to certain groups.
Whereas this is necessarily true- you can't please everyone- it doesn't matter.

Why? Capitalism.

While the Democrats and Republicans might squabble over which words to use, any company in America with any lick of sense has continued using the term "Christmas," with nary a care as to whom they offend.

Why is that? Simple numbers.

Although surveys are hard to come across, certain consistencies hold true in all of them regarding religious affiliations in the United States. It generally breaks down as follows:

Christianity: 70-85 percent
Other Religions: 10-15 percent
Atheist/Agnostic: 10 percent

If you were a corporation concerned about catering to a certain group, who would you try to entice? If you go with Christmas advertising, you anger the atheists, and if you go with a godless advertising campaign, you risk upsetting the Christians. Thus, due to the numbers, you cater to the largest group.

My favorite example of this is where Honda has the carolers singing a song based on a traditional carol, but instead insert the terms "Honda Days." This is doubly funny, as Honda is a Japanese corporation catering to specific American beliefs. A child watching the commercial would think that the CEO of Honda is an old man who teaches Sunday School when not running his car lot.

The sad truth of the matter is that corporations will always cater to the largest group, regardless of the consequences. If 80% of the country believed that gifts came out of toilets, you'd have Honda come up with a commercial that had a man dressed up as a toilet.

That said, here's hoping tomorrow reaches whatever ideal you've set for it.

And Merry Christmas.

Ridiculous

I can't believe that Ford is advertising on my website.

I'm a nobody who posts about almost nothing and one of the largest corporations in the country is advertising on my blog. They make millions and billions of dollars; I have trouble finding gas money every once in a while.

To honor the event, I'll share the only story I know about Henry Ford:

Henry Ford, being a fastidious man concerned with saving every penny, liked to use interesting interviewing techniques. Before hiring a major worker, he would sit them down to a big meal. After they ordered, if the potential employee put salt on his food before trying it, he didn't get the job.

Why? Because if one didn't know the food needed salt, there's a chance the salt was being wasted. And Ford couldn't stand to waste things.

(Don't take this to mean that Ford was a horrible boss; on the contrary, he paid his workers more than the national average, figuring that doing so would increase productivity. He was willing to spend money in return for something- he just hated throwing the stuff away.)

Riddle

Question: What do I and a badly run slaughterhouse have in common?

Answer: Unknown grades.

Whereas I'm grateful to have gotten one grade, I would like to know more. Worse yet, no grades will be posted between December 23 and January 3, since the school takes a break. I can't throw too much of a pity party, however, because the other section of 1Ls has yet to receive ANY grade at all. That's got to be torture.

The good news is that one of my professors promised to have our grades out by today- apparently he likes to take a long vacation.

Oh well, back to the waiting...

My Property Grade Has Arrived...

I must say, I'm quite surprised.

Good Poem

I ripped this poem from www.suasponte.blogspot.com, which is a wonderful blog by a former law student who chronicled her adventures throughout the entire process. (This poem was way back in the archives, so I don't mind repeating it here.) Also, since it's by a classic poet, one could make the argument that she just "borrowed" it from the original source, and I'm doing the same.

Now that I've made a half-hearted attempt to morally justify my actions, I hope you enjoy the poem below. Without explicating it too much (read: ripping out its heart analytically) I suggest that you pay attention to the crescendo of the work. In my opinion, the last eight lines are far superior to the first eight, with the final two delivering a solid punch. Either that, or during the latter portion of the work, his creative juices get flowing and everything "clicked." However, with a genius like Yeats at the wheel, I'm more inclined to chalk up any choices to genius rather than chance.

I look forward to hearing what you think.

To a Friend whose Work has come to Nothing

- William Butler Yeats (1916)

NOW all the truth is out,
Be secret and take defeat
From any brazen throat,
For how can you compete,
Being honour bred, with one
Who, were it proved he lies,
Were neither shamed in his own
Nor in his neighbours’ eyes?
Bred to a harder thing
Than Triumph, turn away
And like a laughing string
Whereon mad fingers play
Amid a place of stone,
Be secret and exult,
Because of all things known
That is most difficult.

Grades...

still not in.

Argh.

Sassy Update #2

Well, our canine patient is back from the vet- we picked her up on Saturday. We get to give her three different medicines (at six, eight, and twelve-hour intervals) and she has to be restrained for the next several weeks to avoid reaggravating her injuries.

We also have to get her skin staples out in a few days and get the bandage on her foot changed weekly. Also, four weeks from now, we have to take her back for neurological tests on her hind foot.

As much as it's a hassle, it's nothing compared to the hell she went through, so it's worth it.

Right now, she looks like a little Frankenstein with her hair shaved, her skin staples on her hip and back, and her neon pink cast. She wouldn't win any beauty contests right now, that's for sure.

But she feels a lot better.

An Alternative to Capital Punishment

Recently "Tookie," a former gang leader from California was executed under California law. A few days ago, a man who killed a woman in 1985 was executed in Mississippi.

When I was younger, I gave the issue little thought and took it as normal that some people were so bad they had to be punished through death. It's what happened to the wolf in the fairy tale and the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz; surely this was a logical outcome in the real-world as well.

Now, however, my opinion on the matter has turned around completely. I offer below my two main reasons for supporting an abolition of the death penalty, and a rebuttal for one of its fiercest criticisms.

1. Sometimes we're wrong- Human beings are imperfect; to assume that our application of the death penalty is perfect would be a horrible mistake. Over 1,000 people have been executed since 1976 in the United States. Even if we were right about the verdict 99% of the time, that means ten innocent people have died as a result of the policy. If we were right 99.9% of the time, at least one person still died as a result of the policy. I don't know the exact accuracy rate (in truth we'll never know) but I wouldn't bet a lot of money that it's as high as 99%.

Is it worth it? Is killing one "good" person worth it, if we get to kill a lot of "bad" people in the meantime. I suggest that it is not.

Death is irrevocable- if we're wrong, we can't say "Sorry" and just dig the person up. It's done.

2. It's not the worst punishment- In my opinion, spending decades in prison could very well be a lot worse than getting killed. We must remember that, in our Constitution, we are guaranteed the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Of course death destroys all these hopes, but imprisonment just destroys the last two. In my experience, it is much more difficult to live knowing there's something you can't have than to have the board wiped clean.

Similarly, life in prison means they're on "death row" anyway, so to speak. If anything, the extra twenty years in prison makes the sentence harder. It's one thing to die in prison, but it's another to die after shuffling around for a decade or longer, eating strained peas and struggling with arthritis. This not only kills your body, but your dignity. You would think those that want to kill people out of a sense of retribution would enjoy this method, but they'd rather get it over quick.

3. A Response to the Argument that it Costs Too Much- Most people, when told the two arguments above, fall back to this argument, which attempts to quantify the volitional taking of human life in economic terms. Marx would be so proud. At any rate, I've found a solution that should satiate those who fall on my side of the fence with those who advocate executions.

Let's make the prisoners pay for themselves through work. Not the chain-gang type work in Cool Hand Luke, mind you, but the same kind of work that the average American undertakes everyday. Certainly that wouldn't constitute "cruel and unusual punishment." I believe they used to make license plates at one time or another. Certainly that's not too much to ask of an alleged murderer. Perhaps they could sew shoes or make basketballs or whatnot. Little cottage industries.

If they refuse, take EVERYTHING away from them except the basics- water, bread, meat, a multivitamin, and a toilet.

I'm sure most of them would turn around pretty quickly.

The Hardest Part

This whole waiting thing is turning out to be more stressful than I thought...

I hate the fact that the exams are on a curve- I felt as though I did consistently well, but that means nothing because my grade is determined relative to everyone else. If it were an objective scale, I'd rest easier.

At my school, you are asked to leave if you score a 1.6 or below, and placed on probation if you score a 2.0., which is the equivalent of all Cs. To get a 1.6, you would have to get a D+ on virtually every exam.

I feel as if I scored consistently Bish, which slight rises and dips along the way. I'd be thrilled if my overall GPA was a 3.0- such a grade would easily place me in the top 30 percent of the class.

Forgive all the conjecture, but something simply has to fill the waking moments.

All Over But The Waiting...

Exams are over!

I'm done with school for about three weeks.

Now it's a waiting game, sitting by the computer and constantly refreshing the page that holds our elusive grades.

I'm just glad it's over- I'd rather wait than handle the stress that occurs between the tests.

Sassy Update #1

After reviewing our options, my wife and I decided to take Sassy to Mississippi State University for the hip surgery. I decided against the FHO because sometimes the surgery is unsuccessful, whereas the toggle pin is usually a complete and total cure.

I was amazed at the facilities they had up there- the waiting room was bigger than most vet's offices- they even had an emergency entrance. Vets were paged across the intercom system, lending an air of authority to the place.

They took Sassy back and took some more X-rays, discovering in the process that she also had a broken back. Luckily the break occurred below the spinal cord, and she still has her nerve functions. My treatment options involved either keeping her immobile for six to eight weeks or getting a second surgery to put the spine back in place. I told them about my financial situation, and they agreed to let me pay the spine surgery off over a few months.

I'm quite upset that the emergency clinic and the regular vet didn't catch the broken back. You would think that when a dog is taken into the emergency room for a serious injury, they would take a comprehensive X-ray to look for problems. As a law student, I wonder if I have a case, but I realize it's probably a dead end.

Thankfully, she made it out of surgery and should be just fine, once her splinted foot heals.

None of this would have been possible if my Mom hadn't graciously let me use her credit card. Also, my sister helped out by traveling with me to Starkville to drop Sassy off.

I'll let everyone know how the situation progresses.

The Amazing Return of Sassy

Last Friday night, one of my dogs went missing. My wife and I searched on foot, by car, and questioned neighbors about the disappearance. Animal control was no help, and I didn't see her laying near the road. She had vanished out of thin air.

I usually have a 24-hour rule about such things- if I don't see the dog for 24 hours, I assume its not coming back. Either (sadly) something bad has happened to it or one of the ubiquitous hunters in the area has picked it up to help track deer. Either way, the trail goes cold and one is left with nothing but speculation.

Late Saturday night, my wife and I returned home rather late and heard a curious whine under the house. We instantly knew it was Sassy. She popped out sporting a limp and shaking like a leaf. I scooped her up and carried her inside. It was quite obvious that she had injured her foot severely, so we ran her to the emergency clinic early the next morning. (I would have taken her earlier, but she didn't seem to have any of the symptoms of shock- pale gums, excitability, etc.) Also she had Valium throughout the night to calm her down and help her sleep.

The emergency vet discovered a broken foot and a hip that had been pulled four inches out of its socket. She gave her antibiotics and pain medicine, then splinted the foot.

Today, I dropped her off at the regular vet. I have three choices: (a) have the hip put in surgically and hope it stays in (it usually doesn't) (b) take her to the state university where they can surgically pin it for $1000 I don't have right now, or (c) perform a DFO? procedure, where they shave off the top of the femur so the hip bone fits in the socket better, which costs $350. I'm hoping I can opt for the latter with the possibility to choose the second later, if all else fails.

I say all this only because it is my belief that she got caught in a hunter's trap. Coyotes are plentiful here, it seems, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were several in the area. According to my state's statutes, a trapper is supposed to check his traps every 36 hours, in order to treat the animal humanely. My best guess is that there's a "weekend trapper" somewhere who only checks his traps once a week. My dog was gone over a week. I assume she pulled her hip out trying to break free.

As luck would have it, this week was one of the worst weather-wise on record. It rained incredibly hard and reached the low 20s on several occasions. I don't know how she made it; it breaks my heart to think of her sitting out there cold and alone.

Needless to say, she's going to be an inside dog now. And come January, I'm installing an electronic fence to keep my other dogs safe.

Faulkner's Best Friend

About a week ago I celebrated my 26th birthday. Not a gigantic milestone, to be sure, but a milestone nonetheless. On occasion I am moved to bind myself to an inner promise when such a moment passes- a goal or mark that I hope to reach. I suppose it is a natural inclination.

This year I had the goal to begin writing fiction everyday. I was going to force myself to sit for a few moments in a relatively quiet location and simply get thoughts down on paper. Whether it be a few sentences or ten pages was immaterial- what was important, so I thought, was the capture of ideas for future use and personal expression.

My birthday came and went. To this day, I still haven't written a word in pursuit of a literary creation. Even now, after I write this, I'll sit on the couch and meander between studying and watching TV.

Once upon a time the usually reticent Faulkner was walking down the street with his quasi-love interest and his best friend. (Note this was before Faulkner became famous.) Usually the man who would one day be an acclaimed author was content to wander down the street and let the other two do the talking. However, on this night the woman remarked how she felt sure that Faulkner's best friend would one day be a great writer, since he loved the craft so much. At this Faulkner piped up and said, "No, he won't. He's too busy living to write."

Whether you think Faulkner meant that his best friend was too busy living life to write or that he was spending too much time preparing to write (getting finances in order, working, etc.) history hasn't allowed us to know.

Whichever analysis you choose, it's clear that I'm that man. Like most (if not all) humans, I set lofty goals for myself and then sit idly by, doing nothing.

Even now I have a completed novel gaining dust somewhere because I lack the self-confidence to send it off to publishers. The first chapter is located at www.whoneedsanagent.blogspot.com, for anyone who's interested. (Curiously enough, if you read the entry, you'll see that I had the intention to post a chapter every few days. Much like my goal of writing, that too failed.)

It seems contradictory, but in this world of fast-food, convenience, and marketable happiness, it appears to me that the great majority of people spend their life running away from the things they love the most. As humans, we are instinctively afraid of things bigger than ourself- even if those things come from within us.

So it is with me.

Why We Need Good Defense Lawyers

MSNBC (I'm too lazy to post the link) is reporting a story where a man who has spent the last 24 years in prison for a rape charge is being released based on new DNA evidence.

25 years.

A woman mistakenly fingered him as the rapist and the state took over two decades of his life away.

I suggest to you that it is indeed better for ten guilty men to go free than one innocent man to go to jail. Imagine, for a moment, the horror of sitting in a cell for a crime you didn't commit. Your children growing up- he had two- and your mother dying while bars kept you from the outside world.

Based on what we now know to be the facts of the case (the DNA as we now know it is indisputable) it is clear that a decent attorney could have taken what would have to have been a circumstantial case and poked holes all through it. Our criminal court system requires a burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt because the punishment for breaking a serious crime is so great- imprisonment.

My guess is this- (a) he was given a public defender, who are overworked and less experienced than their private counterparts, (b) the jury probably decided the case in about fifteen minutes, and (c) either no appeal was filed or one was thrown together at the last minute.

The Georgia Legislature will probably compensate him for the imprisonment. A few years ago, they authorized a payment of one million dollars to a man who had been imprisoned for 18 years.

One million dollars for eighteen years of your life gone.

Seems like quite a paltry sum, doesn't it?

Contracts is Over (For the Semester)

Today I took my Contracts final exam, which consisted of 80 multiple choice questions. Sadly, the professor felt the need to supply us with 40 or so of the questions beforehand. These were peppered among original questions throughout the test.

Out of the eighty, here's how the difficulty level broke down:

40ish very easy (based on the fact that we already knew the answers)

25 relatively straightforward (if you paid attention at all, you were okay)

10 relatively difficult (careful reading required and two choices ambiguous)

5 extremely difficult (which means you basically had to guess what the teacher was thinking, as each choice had several philosophical roots and branches that could shoot off into several directions. Thus your answer depended entirely on which philosophy you bought into. Which means the rightness of your answer depends on how well you understand the philosophy your professor buys into.)

More interestingly, the professor moved us in small groups to different rooms, and as a result she needed two clocks. Since I work in the library, I knew where I could borrow two clocks. I brought them and the professor said he/she "appreciated" it, in a way that appeared to me to be non-facetious. Normally this would be totally unimportant, but this is the same professor who might have a reason to drop my grade half a letter due to rumors another student spread about me and the fact that I closed my book a few minutes early in class one day- the day after I was almost killed on the Interstate.

So, hopefully, my clock duty will be a mitigating factor when grades are adjusted for "class participation."

I feel like I easily got 70+ questions right on the exam. How that compares to everyone else, time will tell.

How does this make sense?

www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/06/churches.closed.christmas.ap/index.html

I'm obviously not the most religious person on the planet, but this strikes me as odd. Huge "superchurches" are closing down on Christmas Sunday because of lack of attendance.

What?

Whereas centuries of tradition hold that Christians celebrate the day that Christ was born, these "superchurches" do not. Whereas Roman Catholic churches and mainline Protestant churches will continue to open their doors, these churches will not. Why? Because many people won't come- and as a corollary, it probably doesn't make much economic sense to heat such a huge space for only a small amount of people.

This is utterly ridiculous. It's like something out of an Orwell novel.

Why have a church (that purports to worship Christ) if you stay home on His birthday? Is it because going to church on Sunday is inconvenient? These people would rather stay home and open presents and sleep late than worship the person whom they believe is the entire theological impetus behind the day.

One woman in the article was even quoted as saying something to the effect that since churches are open to reach out to the unchurched, it doesn't make sense to stay open on Christmas Sunday. What? That would make sense if Christianity were nothing more than a seething cult-like creation that found its strength in the quantity of converts it could win. Thankfully, the Christianity I know is just as concerned with keeping the faith of those who already believe as it is with growth.

It appears to me, sadly, that secularism and commercialism has completely won the day over what used to be a religious holiday. I always knew the battle was being lost, but I guess I never thought I would be alive to see the white flag begin to wave.

Honestly, can you imagine someone who was truly in love not celebrating Valentine's Day? Or someone who really loved wearing costumes and candy not going out on Halloween? There's something really wrong with Christianity as these "superchurches" know it if they value what little worth spending a day off has compared to a chance to worship their Almighty on His birthday.

Once again, I'm not advocating any particular religion. I just find it ridiculous that some Christians aren't attending church on Christmas.

Whew!

Took my criminal law exam today- I feel as though I did well, but the proof is in the pudding, as they say.

The fact pattern read like a made-for-TV tragedy. Lots of blood and death all around. I think I spotted all the issues, but it's hard to tell what I don't know.

I typed 2500 words (six pages) in about an hour and a half. Whether or not that's a good thing, I don't know.

(Have you noticed a recurring theme here?)

I have contracts on Thursday- hopefully that will go as well.

The Faintest Shadow

Over the last few days, I've been ruminating over a very bright object hanging low in the sky in the early twilight hours. At first, I didn't know what the object was- thus I categorized it as a UFO.

(The term UFO doesn't necessarily connote extraterrestrial life; it simply means an unknown flying object. To be fair, the object wasn't flying, but the term is necessarily extended to any unidentified object in the sky. I'm sure that if aliens could make it to Earth (assuming they exist) the ability to hover would not be beyond their capacities.)

In one of my wackier moments, I decided to try and signal the thing with a flashlight in the hopes that it would respond. But alas, the subject of my attentions remained impervious to communication.

After a little research, I discovered the object to be Venus. I always knew this was a possibility, but I had never seen the planet shine so brightly.

More interestingly, perhaps, is the fact that Venus has the ability to cast a shadow on the surface of the Earth. It's that bright. (Other than the Sun and moon, it's the only heavenly body that has this ability.) The trick is to head somewhere really dark and turn your back on the planet. After your eyes adjust, hold your hand up over a piece of white paper and wait for the shadow to appear. It's very faint, but it's there.

I'm attempting to try it tonight- if you're interested in trying it for yourself, it's best to go tonight. By tomorrow, the moon will be appearing in its waxing crescent phase, and thus any shadow you see will be from it.

Granted, this is the kind of thing most people don't enjoy- but I do. I find that the pursuit of rare and quirky events is a goal in and of itself.

If you do try it, let me know- I'm interested to hear if your attempt is successful.