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As I get ready to go out for the evening I'd like to wish you all the happiest of new years and hope that this new year brings you all the best for you and yours. It is a tabula rasa, so go out and set the wrongs right, love one another and remember, if first you don't succeed, then skydiving isn't for you.
Spent the day at the hospital today, and Grandpa is doing better. It's amazing what a little refill will do. He's pinked up quite nicely. He needs to watch his health now, there's no one getting his meals for him now and he needs to be careful. We're all keeping an eye out for him. Like my mother reminded him, someone needs to come to my graduation in 2005. Heh.
Wow, better be careful not to carry my almanac in plain sight. They're going to track me if I go to Barnes and Noble to buy a new one, aren't they...way to add to my paranoia. Thanks to Ditzy Genius for the link.
Things keep getting stranger here. A package went AWOL over the holidays but mysteriously has appeared in the hands of the Postal Service now that the Christmas holdiay is over. One of our vehicles (the newer one of course) has a persistant oil leak forcing us to take it to the dealership for the third time. And this morning my grandfather had to be taken into the hospital because he couldn't move. We had visited him over the weekend and he looked terribly pale and drawn. His blood pressure this morning was so low he was taken to critical care and will be transfused until his blood volume comes back up. Hasn't this family been through enough this holiday?
I'm actually catching up on popular culture and life in general now that I have some time. I've watched 3 movies in the last 3 days. We just got done with Gangs of New York. The historian in me enjoyed it for historical reasons. My spouse found it terribly depressing. I don't necessarily find it Scorcese's best work, but it definitely works as a historical epic.
We also watched The Italian Job and Bend It Like Beckham. Both were entertaining in their own rights. Who can't enjoy a nice Mini chase? The latter really made you want to enjoy soccer, and make some aloo gobi. I think I need to rent Chicago next.
Did a quick check of what is bring people here...and my personal favorites are:
1) "law student" "from hell" - What I like to call myself in my spare time
2) best law student blog - Wow, thanks!
-and-
3) if a pedestrian walks into my car am i liable - well hate to tell you...torts and I have a love hate relationship, and I am not at liberty to answer this question. Ummm...that and remind me not to ride with you.
Mmm...nothing says Christmas like Chinese food. Nothing open but Chinese restaurants, so I best get to making that lasagne if we plan on eating something other than Chinese food today. Here's hoping that the presents you got fit and that you won't have to go through the returns runaround. Pop open another bottle of wine, stick another DVD in the player and relax. It's a 4 day weekend...make the most of it.
For those of you celebrate, Merry Christmas! And for those of you who don't...was it fun watching the people scurry getting presents today? There was definitely a look of desperation in their eyes. I just went for the free entertainment value and a pack of sinus pills. I spent this evening picking up the remnants of the semester and packing them away, putting books up for sale that I don't want to keep and trying to find space for those I do. I'm not feeling quite as panicked about the grades this semester as last, but it's still a nagging little voice in the back of my head warning me not to feel too cocky about the situation. I always try to listen to my inner voices. So tomorrow, kick back, relax and stay off the internet. Seems it's one of the biggest online shopping days of the year, so the online superhighway is going to have traffic jams. All those gift cards can wait another day. Have some more nog!
I made it home in one piece. After my cross country skiing foray I was not sure whether that would be possible or rather I'd be wandering somewhere aimlessly in the backwoods hoping that my whining would be my cry in the wilderness. Uphill I'm a great skier, but downhill I'm a hazard. The weekend was a delight. High end dining with a wine list topping 20,000 bottles. That's my idea of wilderness. So what if the room didn't have a television? Romance is not TV...romance is sharing a bottle of spatlese and a candlelit dinner with your best friend.
What I hadn't told you about this week...I had a callback interview on Monday, after my morning exam but before I received my bad news. Not having one before I had no idea what to expect, though I had expected it to be longer than 10 minutes. There were the standard questions, request for my writing sample, I asked a couple of questions and that was it. I only met with one attorney. Good, bad? He did ask me to give them a call if I got an offer from another firm, so I think that's good. I'll send a thank you note.
Other news...my spouse told me that for my birthday and for the end of the semester we're going away for the weekend. It's a secret, so I have no idea where we're going. We packed last night, and we have dinner reservations for this evening. Wee! I like surprises.
And with a quick ride in to school this morning it was done. My last exam was handed in this morning, nearly two hours before it needed to be. This last take home exam went better than the first one, but I must say I rather not have take home exams. Perhaps it's a matter of procrastination, but it's also a matter of sitting at home wondering what to do first. Too many distractions. With a take home they expect so much niggly little stuff that you would have time to find. A normal 4 hour exam turns into hours and hours of research and gnashing of teeth. The real kicker is my tuition bill came in the mail today for next semester. Gee, could you wait until you see if I'm going to be allowed back? Anyway, time to get past the experience of this week and celebrate my exams and my birthday. Now if it weren't raining...
It's over. My grandmother died today, probably while I was taking my Administrative Law exam. It's very sad. I now have no living grandmother. No one to bake me cookies, and to be proud of having a grandchild in law school. I won't see a birthday card from her this year. I saw her last on Thursday and I held her hand. She's not suffering any more, and that makes me glad. Makes the process of final exams seem not so important after all. I'd like to thank all of you for your kind wishes and prayers. I appreciate all your support.
My grandmother is not doing well, though is still alive. The neurologist finally came clean with us and said she isn't going to make it since she's had four strokes, two since she's been in the hospital. She can't talk, but she still keeps time to the music on TV. It's very sad. There is no rehab for this. She'll be going to Hospice care, and we'll be getting ready for the inevitable. For her, I hope it is sooner rather than later. I hate to see her suffer like this, even if she can recognize my voice.
I apologize for going AWOL the last couple days. I tried blogging on Friday but kept getting an error from Blogger. *grumble grumble* Yesterday was stupid busy and then we had to go to my spouse's Holiday Party for work. Banquet food, a dorky DJ and people who had come to the party soused. Yeah, I still danced like an idiot. Oddest music choice of the night by the DJ, Disturbed - Down With the Sickness. Did we dance to it? Yes, because it wasn't the Macarena or the Electric Slide. I do no line dances.
I thought the spirits were conspiring against me when I woke up this morning, though if that were actually true I would not have woken up at all in time for the exam. Seems I misset my alarm clock so it would have woken me at 7pm instead of 7am. I actually woke up on my own at 7:40, enough time to grab an english muffin and a cheese stick and hit the road. I think the exam actually went really well. Something about this professor's fact pattern lend themselves to being able to be picked out easily, though the discussion takes a while. When the last question involves nearly 12 causes of action, it's going to take a while. I didn't leave first, I didn't run out of time. Two more baby...just two more.
I think the idea behind a 24 hour take home exam is not to actually remain awake during all 24 hours of the exam. However, being the first time I've done one I figured what the hell...that and the exam was evil! At 5:30 when my spouse found me still awake, I had decided I was done and that I needed breakfast. I'm not sure I had anything left in me to write, so I left it there. It's handed in and that's what matters. The end. So what if I only got 3 hours of sleep? So what if my academic career is on the line? I made the argument that the Patriot Act is wrong, and I think that will sit well. Writing to your audience is normally a good thing. Tomorrow...Family Law!
One down, four to go! The exam wasn't horrible, but it wasn't fantastic either. The multiple choice went well, and considering that was the majority of the test I feel pretty good. That and I had 5 points going in for class participation. Gotta like having 5 points. Oh and we believe the curve for the test is a 3.0. Gimme a B....B! Tomorrow...the first of two 24 hour take home exams. Yeek.
I am leaving momentarily for school to sit for my Legal Profession exam. My little green lucky cat that I had sitting on my desk through the last set of exams has gone AWOL, so I'm catless for these tests. As a result I need all the help I can get here. *deep breath* Here I go.
That's what I get for not looking through the mail thoroughly. My MPRE exam results came in the mail today. I opened the envelope and panicked because I couldn't remember what the passing score was. Looking at a raw score and a scaled score that resemble nothing induced sheer panic. Quick to the web I flew to find out what the score was supposed to be and... *drum roll* I hit the baby out of the park! This is just the ego boost I need going into my Legal Professions exam on Monday. Yeah for standardized tests!
Today finds me in front of the fire with my laptop working on my Adminstrative Law outline. Yes it's snowing, and with the snow brings homemade asian food. So far today we've made a lovely chicken satay rice noodle dish. I'm thinking a whole batch of dumplings are going to have to be made later. Yeah, I procrastinate in yummy exciting ways.
Just in time for the first big East Coast snowstorm comes news out of Cornell that Hot Cocoa may be healthy to drink. I'm still holding out for the story on marshmallows being brain food. In the mean time, where's my Swiss Miss?
After reading Jeremy's latest Seussian poem, I feel compelled to put out a poem myself. I wrote this last year for my Torts class. And so I give you:
Ode to Palsgraf
Smoldering August, a jaunt to the beach,
A trip on the railroad, a ticket for each.
She worked as a janitor, and she wanted to travel,
But little did she know how her life would unravel.
A fellow traveler, standing with a brown packet,
Not a name we are given, though he did wear a jacket,
And also a hat, of this I am sure,
In the late 20s, it meant you were mature.
He was late for the train, but make it he must,
To make it, the cop gave him a good thrust.
He was carrying fireworks, yet still he did strive,
They were not illegal until ‘65.
He caught his foot, the packet went flying,
Of what happened next, there is no denying.
Smoke and destruction, a concussion blast,
Helen went down, it happened so fast.
Giant brass scales, they were there for design,
The results that they caused, she would ever malign.
Helen took them to court, it was tragic for sure
To resolve her suit, only payment would cure.
In the first suit, the trial court did find
Helen deserved the money, Long Island wouldn’t mind.
But mind they truly did, and filed an appeal,
And the opinion we read, what did it reveal?
Judge Ben Cardozo, a titan of law,
His opinions are genius, he’s without a flaw.
For a duty to owe, it must be foreseen,
Helen gets no money, there’s no in between.
Andrews dissented, he did not agree,
It was not her fault, she was hit by debris.
Ben carried the day, in the end Helen lost,
And because she appealed, she must pay the cost.
And so ends the story, alas it is sad,
For Mrs. Palsgraf we first years feel bad.
It doesn’t seem fair that she had to pay,
But it’s Cardozo’s law, and we all must obey.
And then there was one...one more day of classes. Advanced Legal Research ended today, and with having already handed in that exam, I'm done. First exam is Monday afternoon. I've got the Legal Professions outline nearly done and it's looking pretty good. I have a good feel for the code now, and I think that'll be half the battle. It's closed book, so it's time to fill my head with stuff. I am ready to take it too...I picked up my anonymous number today. It looks like an auspicious number, and it's catchy, so I like it. I also signed my card locking myself in for my judicial placement. Woo!
I'm in the library working diligently on my outline for Legal Professions. Being my first exam, I thought it be in my best interest to work on that one first. In the end it will just end up looking like Beanie's version of the Code of Professional Responsibility. I get rid of the gobbly-gook and and add appropriate case law. I've never been good at creating outlines. I somehow missed the practical classes in note taking and outlining sometime in my lifetime. Note taking is typing like a fiend and outlining is just dang evil. I'm now suffering a bout of deja vu, because I'm sure I made a blog entry about this back at the end of last semester too. For all the pressure and stress people are being rather cheery today, and I'm not sure why. Best not to question this turn of events and just go with the flow. Back to the outline!
I do want to thank everyone for the ongoing support through this. One of my fellow bloggers even sent me an outline last night. You don't know how much it's meant to me to be able to talk about this everyday. To stop being so morose, I give you this.
It snowed this morning. I couldn't see the nearby houses. Dusting, my butt. I drove to school in a careful sort of way, since this was the first time this year I've had to do this. I had been hoping this would hold out through exams, but that's asking a bit much. I listened to Rush. Maybe it's because they're Canadian and understand snow, but it seems right to listen to Rush while driving in a blizzard. I watched a Volvo fishtail in front of me. I also watched a TransAm slide through an intersection in front of me. Normally I would have cussed him out for driving too fast for conditions. This morning I laughed at him. I have a snow brush in my car, I put it there last night. Our professor who has gotten angry towards students for being late was 7 minutes late this morning. Once again, I laughed. I had a grilled cheese sandwich. It's the simple things today. So here's to snow, Rush, and grilled cheese.
Grandmother is still alive, but terribly tired. She has been very talkative, and we can't understand her most of the time. She's been talking about her parents and relatives. I did find out that she has a health proxy that states she neither wants to be resuscitated nor intubated. I can totally understand that. She knows who I am, and knows I was there last night. She can recognize Norah Jones singing. She wants to eat ice cream. She misses wearing her housecoat since she has no pockets and can't put her tissue there for safe keeping. Her six children, nine grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and husband of 62 years want her to get well.
At this time last year I was slowly recovering from a bout of pneumonia, for which I was highly medicated. The result of such medication left me muddled for my final exams, and my grades were reflective of this muddling. Second semester I was healthy but my grades were middling to poor. No excuses there, since I thought I had put my best efforts behind studying. And so the third semester comes down to the wire, and I'm newly muddled. My grandmother is failing, my mind is not here, and I feel like I'm going through the motions. My first exam is in a week. We have one reading day. I have two take homes to figure in to the schedule. I'm skipping classes to go to the hospital. I don't know what to do, and I can't give up now. My grandmother always thought I should go to law school, and if they boot me now, I will have failed her too. Admin Law is no place to cry, even if we are talking about exhaustion and ripeness.
I know Sua Sponte was looking for Judge Bedsworth's new book A Criminal Waste of Time and I hunted for it myself but couldn't find it for sale. But it turns out it's only on pre-order at LawCatalog.com. Anyway, it should be a great holiday gift.
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