Mr. Behrendt Goes To Washington: Wizards Game, PTOS, and Meal of the Week

Wizards Game
Jon and I went into DC to watch the Washington Wizards play the Denver Nuggets at the Verizon Center near Chinatown. Ryan was supposed to go with us, but he was sick the day before and not well enough to come with us. Before the game, Jon and I went to an Irish pub near the Verizon Center for dinner. Then we watched the game from our nosebleed seats. The arena was about 40% even though it was a Friday night. There were multiple reasons 1) the wizards are a bad team by only having 2 more wins than the worst team in the NBA 2) the opponent was the Denver Nuggets who are from the western conference, have no superstar players, and are not a popular team like the Lakers. Somehow the Wizards were able to beat the Nuggets.

View of the Verizon Center from our Seats

PTOS Annual Meeting and Members Night
I am a member of an organization called Patent and Trademark Office Society (PTOS). It is an American society of intellectual property professionals established in 1917. The society publishes a quarterly journal Journal of the Patent & Trademark Office Society (JPTOS). It was also the organization that created the MPEP. On Wednesday, March 27th there was the PTOS Annual Meeting which featured guest speaker Dr. Chakrabarty who's patent was featured in the Diamond vs. Chakrabarty Supreme Court case. This landmark case set the precedent for what is able to be patented under 35 U.S.C. 101. The Court concluded Congress intended patentable subject matter to "include anything under the sun that is made by man". However this still has limits and patentable eligible subject matter is still fluid.

Later that evening was PTOS Members Night. The Madison Auditorium was transformed into a casino with blackjack, craps, and Texas Hold 'em poker. Additionally there was a raffle for various items such as a TV or GPS. I put both of my raffle tickets in the bucket for a printer. Unfortunately I did not win the printer. At the far end of the auditorium was a buffet line. The free food was large contributing factor to my attendance of the event.

Meal of the Week
This week I prepared oven baked chicken with a side of California Blend vegetables covered in a cheese sauce. The oven baked chicken is an old family recipe. The vegetables added good contrast with the grainy texture of the crust of the chicken made from bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.