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I just sent a letter to myself in the future. It's sort of a creepy concept to think about, but it should be a heck of a thing to receive. Use to be that you had to put down a missive on paper and then have the persistence not to open the envelope before the time you wrote on the envelope. Now there's a website where you can send yourself email in the future. Of course that means that you hope your email doesn't change between now and then, but I just sent an email to myself upon my graduation from law school reminding myself what things are like now and that it is meant to be. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. Hope for the future? Most definitely.
My grandmother did have a massive stroke. At least that's what the MRI says. She is coping as well as possible. It doesn't seem to have affected her mind, only her body. The saddest part of all of this is, she'll probably never go back home again since my grandfather couldn't begin to take care of her and the house just isn't handicap accessible.
I'm still waiting on definitive results from my grandmother's MRI, but when I visited yesterday she was resting comfortably in the neurology unit. Luckily for the family, my grandfather's vascular specialist ran into my grandfather yesterday in the hospital's cafeteria, and took it upon himself to see to it that she's being treated effectively. Sometimes being in the hospital on a holiday weekend can be bad thing (lack of staff and first rate physicians) but this time around it seems to be working for the best. We're all able to do shifts looking after her, without taking off from work. But when I started feeling sad about it all, I checked my favorite blogs and found out that Denise Howell of Bag and Baggage had her baby! It almost makes you get all sappy and start singing Circle of Life. Almost. Congrats to the family!
I realize Thanksgiving is nearly over, but I thought I'd still say hey, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. We had our brie, and it was yummy. Turkey was delightful as always. Without a doubt Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It transcends race and religion, and involves a ton of food. What's not to like? It was a nice happy holiday, but marred when we found that my grandmother was taken to the hospital with a possible stroke. She's resting as comfortable as she can in ICU tonight, but we won't know more for another day or so.
Well, I've handed my schedule in. In a perfect world I'll end up with exactly the courses that I signed up for, Trusts and Estates, Business Organizations, Employment Discrimination, Products Liability, and my judicial placement. Yes, I do take everyone's comments to heart and looking at my schedule decided that I could actually swing the time commitment necessary to make the internship happen. Time is now to make things happen, and I will take advantage of the opportunities as they are presented to me. Now, if I can only pass my finals so I can have an internship to come back for in the spring. (This last sentence required a great deal of editing since no matter what I did it ended in a dangling participle. I think I've fixed it now...though it's probably lacking in some other grammatical way.)
The schedule of classes that are being offered in the spring semester came out on Thursday. They weren't put in the mailboxes until about 4:15. Luckily I was still on campus and was able to spend time this weekend trying to pick through the options and try to come up with the best combination of courses that cover what I need to take. The combinations of times and concentrations and writing requirements is annoying at best. The schedule has to be handed in tomorrow, to enter what I call the twilight zone of the inbox. The schedules go in with all the best intentions and come out as a schedule that doesn't even remotely resemble what you put in for. It's a secretive process involving voodoo, odds set out in the sportsbook at Caesars, and a great deal of whining and pleading. I thought I had set myself up with a decent schedule seeing as how I was going to turn down the clinic placement. However, this morning I received an email saying that the judicial placement which I thought had gone to someone else was now being offered to me. This throws my life into a tizzy. I have to look at the schedule I thought was nice and see if I can fit the 10 hours a week into it. I really don't want to have to turn this down since it would be a fabulous opportunity. Of course there isn't any parking, and it's only for 3 credits, but I think it would be a good thing on my resume and perhaps my only opportunity to work with a federal judge. Thoughts?
The weekend is drawing to a close and I'm still logey. I've been getting my reading done for the upcoming week, in hopes that I can spend most of it working on outlines and cleaning the house for Thanksgiving. It's going to be a small familial dinner at Casa de Beanie, and at the moment I'm dwelling on possible appetizers. I have the materials for a standard shrimp cocktail, which is always a nice touch, but I'm thinking perhaps brie en croute. I enjoy the cheese. I'm also needing a nice Riesling or Champagne. No green bean casserole here, sorry.
I attended the final round of the appellate advocacy competition last night. Big turn out, had a panel of 5 judges as the bench. All I have to say is if my preliminary rounds had gone the way the questioning went last night, I'd been a finalist. It showed just how people who actually know what they're doing can get the information from the earliest without even trying. They weren't being cryptic or obstinate, just persistent and knowledgeable. They'd actually read the record on appeal and knew the points of law. The decision was correct too. I'm glad I went. Even my spouse (who I dragged to the finals) understood why these judges are where they are today.
I can actually say I have completed one of my finals already. Our Advanced Legal Research seminar handed out the one page take home exam today, and since it's only a one credit course it only had 10 questions on it. To get it out of the way and make myself feel good, I sat right down and did it. I then handed it in since I was struck by the fear that if I didn't hand it in right that second it might enter some space-time continuum where it would not be seen again. This would somehow cause me to fail the course which in turn would get me kicked out of school. Of course now, by having handed it in so soon, I now live in fear that I did it wrong. I actually counted the answers that I wrote to make sure I had 10. I did. I need an A dammit...I need an A!
Guess this change in attitude is reaping benefits. I received a call for a callback interview next month! I also got called on Admin Law again. That makes number 5 for the semester. It's not as if I volunteer in this class either. Wish I could talk him into getting my grade based on participation...I've been called on more than anyone. I've never passed. If I ever need a recommendation, he owes me.
I realized that since it's Monday I get a lot more traffic than any other day of the week. To this point I have only written about cheese. So I feel obligated toward you, my readers to make this stop worthwhile. I have been whining heavily lately, and it's not even finals yet. For this, I apologize. I think I need a new attitude before the end of the semester. I think I need to be less meh and more belligerent. I need to turn toward the Dark Side and tap that inner anger. I need to solidify my position. To start this new phase of the semester, I give you my rant about pedestrians.
In this state there is a law about pedestrians. You have to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk if there is no traffic signal present and only on your side of the crosswalk. Reviewing the construction of this last sentence it hinges on "in a crosswalk" and "no...signal present". Therefore I do not have to yield to you on the sidewalk, I do not have to yield to you if you're walking against the light, and most importantly do not tempt me by jaywalking. I do not care if you tip the scales at 400 pounds. While you may leave a large dent in my hood, between you and my car, my car will always win.
Hmm...I feel better. Perhaps this turn of attitude may work out nicely after all.
A carnivorous animal will not eat another animal if it has been struck by lightning. This is what my cheese stick just told me. Who knew a cheese stick could impart such knowledge?
Found out that my first choice in placement for next semester has gone to a 3rd year and someone in the top 5 of our class. Guess I set my sights way too high that time, hmm? Think I may have to turn down the clinic placement since from what I've heard the work is terribly depressing. (It involves working with the terminally ill.) While I'm sure it can be really fulfilling for the right person, it's not something I think I can handle. The concept of dealing with the height of winter, another semester like this one, and working with the terminally ill may be more than I can deal with. I feel guilty for turning it down, but I think it may be for the best.
I've taken the advice of going to see all the professors before the end of the semester to heart. Of course, none of them have actually created their exams yet, so they give you this look like, "Um, well...it's nice of you to stop by but..." I'm panicked man! I will live in fear after I finish my finals that I won't be back in the spring. I'm back to square one with each finals period. I think this was preciptated by finding out yesterday that I cannot try out for moot court teams since my grades aren't high enough. This depressed me terribly. Not that I would have made any teams...but I could dream. And now I can't even do that. I'm looking at exams that I haven't a clue what the exam would be. And to top it off have to try to set up a spring schedule that could possibly accomodate a new job, current job, clinic participation, and some unknown class that will allow me to meet our upper-level writing requirement. (I really need to find out what qualifies for that...) I believe I have found my own level of hell here.
I'm watching an episode of the Simpsons. It is the one where Bart and his friends take a car and drive to Knoxville Tennessee to see the World's Fair. Scary enough I was actually at the World's Fair in 1982 with my parents. It was one of the best trips ever. Think of the World Showcase at EPCOT and multiply that by about 100. It's a shame they don't have regular World's Fairs anymore. I'd go.
Two days running now I have been on the hotseat in interviews. Both days the interview has been at least 1/2 hour later than it should have been. The one today is already 1/2 hour late at 11am. What does this mean for those who have interviews at 4 or 5 tonight? Bring your books and find a comfy chair. I hate sitting for an interview where the interview is so overloaded with candidates that there is a snowball's chance in hell that you're going to stick out. I do have a certain item on my resume that I guarantee appears on no other resumes here, but I doubt that that one item would be the tipping point. I don't believe that this was a great interview, or even a mediocre interview. I didn't drool on myself or call the interviewer any nasty names, but those are the only highlights. Yup, I look good in my suit. Woo.
I hate eating in my interview suits, because you know you're going to get something on it, and sure enough I did. Luckily the damage was minimal and I was able to carry on. I did have a lovely interview. Tomorrow I get to change outfits and try it all over again. However, my odds are considerably worse tomorrow, I'm one of 34 candidates, where today I was one of 12. Time to step up the sparkling personality a notch.
It's time in the semester to hit the books hard. For me, that means getting out of the house and studying elsewhere. It's not that I don't want to spend time with my spouse, I do...but being in the house gives me a ton of things to do that really aren't studying. I'll do laundry, I'll clean house, I'll snack on anything and everything. I'm particularly good at cleaning house in order to avoid studying. I jumped in the car and came to the library on a Sunday to study. Wow, I feel like such a loser. I'm nearly finished with my reading though, so I guess it was a good thing. I'm so not a hardcore law student. It's a means to an end. The sooner the end comes, the better for all concerned. That being said, it should not be a premature end. That's why I'm in the library on a Sunday.
I truly believe winter is here now. It's depressing beyond belief. I now find new and exciting ways to procrastinate like "plan where I should go away during winter break" and "watch the spouse make a fire". Fire fire! Huh-huh. (Beavis and Butthead doesn't translate well in text) Either way, I shoud be happy I don't have to study for the MPRE anymore. That is until I find out that I'm not ethical and have to take it over. I guess I should read now.
I feel ethical. Who knows how it'll all work out. Everyone got the delight of being on the campus of my alma mater, since the law school didn't offer the exam. No parking, obnoxious undergrads...everything I remember about the place. Nearly froze to death taking the exam and got to hear the classes change outside. The screaming in pain by one guy was particularly delightful. And I paid $52 for the privilege of this?
Today we got a Coke machine. This was a revelation, though we were told that we shouldn't use the machine yet because the soda is still warm. It's one of the machines that shows everything available at any given moment, so we each took a turn at staring at the new soda. I still have no idea how much it is since the machine doesn't seem to say. There is diet vanilla coke. There is also diet ice tea. If it could actually be said that something good happened on this g-d forsaken campus, that machine might be it.
I just went to look at a townhouse with a friend of mine. She has a lovely apartment but really lead footed neighbors living above her. Having a home myself I seemed to be a good choice for a cohort on this trip. She was very taken with the place, but the drive to own one's own place can be blinding at times. The market is red hot right now and she may get pushed into this deal before she's ready to buy. I spoke my piece but now I'm done. Of course, on the way back to campus we started having a law student conversation that went like this: "Can you put earnest money down on a deal that will be concluded by your parents?" "Can you bind them with the contract?" "Would you need power of attorney?" "Do you have a real estate attorney?" "What about a pest inspection?" "If the deal goes bad, who gets sued?" "Why is it raining?" "Am I going to miss class?" "Why is every light red?"
Whoa...thanks to a mi parecer for linking to the possibility that the Selective Service is gearing up again. And did you know that after you sign up at the age of 18 you have to tell them each address change within 10 days of moving until you turn 26? Eeek.
It's hard to believe that sushi could be considered comfort food, but in lieu of this diet and the fact that my spouse is on a business trip, I took a solo visit to the local sushi bar. White tuna tempura roll...mmmm tasty. That, a bowl of miso soup and a piece of tamago and I'm a happier person.
They may be defunct, but was it a good idea to leave tens of thousands of closed confidential client files behind? Here's hoping that Annis, Mitchell, Cockey, Edwards, and Roehn aren't practicing anymore. Although at the same time, is this even a crime in Florida?
Two things happened this afternoon...got called on yet again in Admin Law (make this number 4), and found out that the article I was interviewed for made the local paper. Not quoted out of context, it puts me in a flattering light. Somehow, I don't think I'll be referenced in regards to a law student in the news by the school...oh well.
Another manic Monday...whoa whoa. Once again I'm in the library, snuggled up to my Admin Law book reading for class this afternoon. Why don't I read this over the weekend? I really don't know. I read everything else, but Admin seems like a last minute, fresh in the mind for class sort of thing. I just read about smoked whitefish. Did you know it has a very low incident of botulism? Of course, you must specify that it's hot-smoked whitefish. Seems like the name of some sort of bad garage band. And now to study for the MPRE. I got my really bad passport photo for the admission ticket on Friday. Even I cringed when I saw it. Who cares though, I never dress well for these things anyway. Though I hear in some states you have to sit for the Bar Exam in full dress clothing. Yow.
Happy post Halloween to all of you! Sadly I didn't do anything too exciting for the holiday, being a homeowner and all I felt it necessary to stay home, feed the 'weenies, and watch the cop cars drive by. Our neighborhood is suburban Halloween hell, and everyone drops their kids off in our development to let them wreak havoc. It's always interesting to have high schoolers come to your door in sweatshirt seeking candy covered in shaving cream. It's like a form of blackmail. Luckily we have a garage to keep our cars safe and clean during the melee. I did miss the drunken festivities at school last night, which is a shame, I think. Oh well...there's always next year.
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