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We're getting ready for a small road summer road trip. It includes all the important things in a road trip, visiting with relatives, something historic, and food. I remember my first year of law school where a couple guys in my section try to plan a law road trip. This road trip would include stops from important cases in the casebook. The property book was rife with places to go...addresses of homes, lakesides, and businesses. I'm not sure it ever happened. Still, for law students without anything better to do, one can always dream of being somewhere else. I'll be back mid next week. Keep the light on for me.
I've gotten over feeling angry, guilty, and stupid and have begun to enjoy my free time again. So I don't have a job offer. I wouldn't have anyway. I can hold my head high and put it on my resume, which by the way is looking delightful these days. I've had time to have appointments to get my resume tweaked and my dishwasher fixed. I've had time to get reorganized, cleaned, and laundered. Things are looking up. I'll be having a large role in the 1L orientation, and the money will be flowing once more. This is a mere setback. And, for those who finished the bar...big congrats and best wishes. Any suggestions for next July?
Today is the first day of the Bar Exam here. This is also the first full day of gainful unemployment. Yessiree bob, Beanie quit. Between the not paying for my jury service and now complaining because I was not available to them to do more scut work, they told me they wouldn't pay for Friday either. Beanie doesn't work for free. For those of you who are horrified at this point, this was not a law firm. It was connected to the law school, and as such saw us as paid slave labor. It's always oddly reassuring to find out I still have a backbone in situations like this. I felt empowered after giving instant notice. (I had previously given two weeks, this speeded up the timetable by a week.) Don't back Beanie into a corner!
My spouse is starting business school in a couple weeks. This is an interesting experiment for both of us, and I've decided to learn all I can about the campus since I've never spent time there. I like going to bookstores, so I took it upon myself to figure out where the bookstore is so that I can go check it out. In the student union there are also a number of other businesses. This list includes "legal services." I checked it out and found out that as a full time student you have the opportunity to have inexpensive legal representation. They'll represent you for traffic tickets, minor crimes, landlord disputes, and simple wills, but not class actions, patent disputes or divorces. This is not a law school. I go to law school. I'm surrounded by would-be lawyers, am taught by lawyers, and deal with lawyers everyday. Do I get low-cost legal services? No. What's wrong with this picture?
I've given notice at work. I want two weeks of peace and relative quiet before I jump back on my self-inflicted treadmill. This being said, I have to comment on my ongoing love-hate relationship with the gym. Spouse and I have taken to going to the gym later in the evening, to miss the after work rush. For me, the worst part about going to the gym is the actual effort involved in getting myself to the gym. This involves the, "Hey, when do you want to go to the gym?" conversation, the actual decision to go to the gym, the dressing for the gym, and the driving to the gym. Once I'm there, I'm mildly happy. I say that, because after 10 minutes on the elliptical machine I start getting all sweaty and the early enthusiasm wanes. I don't enjoy sweating. I don't enjoy my clothes sticking to me. The actual activity of working out? I like that. Can I get my back Botox'd?
How much luck does one have in the bank when it comes to law school? I think this last round of registration may have overdrawn me. I signed up for 5 courses, and put them in a very specific order. I got my schedule and scored the rare quint-fecta, getting exactly what I wanted. I thought, "Hey that's cool." I then perused the additional literature that came with my schedule and was down right freaked. Seems of the 5 courses I signed up for 3 are now closed. My friends, also rising 3Ls did not get into some of these classes. This has now caused strife. Between the guilt from grades and now the guilt from my schedule, the next semester ought to be tons of fun. I'm bringing chocolates to the registrar.
I realize I haven't spoken much about my job this summer. This is because there hasn't been much to tell. It is honestly less fulfilling than my desk jockey job last summer, mostly because it doesn't pay as well. I've been doing about the same amount of work. The project I had been working on finally needed some sort of denouement, so I handed in a draft Friday. That led me to asking for a new project this morning. That led to ½ hour of me sitting on my butt waiting for someone to get their crap together. I was getting paid for this butt numbing experience though. My draft, supposedly was to be a memo. That's not what the assignment said. I've been sort of taken off the project now, but I don't mind. However, I have to give over copies of all the cases I pulled. Seeing as how I was saving trees to this point, I have no copies. Lawyers, the worst environmentalists ever. So I'll spend about an hour with the trusty printers and produce utter tripe. Yup, I love my job.
The Bar Exam is coming up quickly for many jurisdictions. I have been spending most of my time at work at the law school library, more for work space than anything else. I don't have my own desk at work, but I'm allowed to spend the time in carrols at the library. I tend to sit in the same spot each day. Why? I need the internet connection, it's well lit and has a relatively comfy chair. I come every day, I do the same things, and I type. I also wear headphones. My music collection keeps me amused and keeps me from picking on people. I am in a cocoon. I try not to bounce the carrol, I do not sing along, I keep to myself. Why do bring up the Bar Exam? You know how people try to avoid the library during final exams due to the tension in the air? Don't come on campus during the run up to the Bar. Really. I mean it. The fear in the eyes is not cool. I was just asked to turn my music down because the whispery bass line that was slipping from ears was offending a studying student. Now I know it wasn't that loud...it doesn't have to be, the library isn't loud in the summer. This is the kind of stress that we're talking about. I know my keyboard is making more noise than my headphones. The look on my face must have been priceless. Of course now I sit here extremely self conscious because I'm worried that my breathing must be offending her too. I'm all about love of the examinees, but this is ridiculous.
Supposedly the schedules for fall are out. Friend of mine got hers yesterday, and surprisingly I didn't. There is no rhyme or reason to why the mail does what it does. I usually get important mail before everyone else, but this time no dice. Hopefully being a 3L the schedule is exactly what I asked for...else I'm going to be mighty miffed. I can't get too angry with the registrar, since it isn't their fault but I'll be sure to vent on someone in power. There are really only two classes that I'm concerned about the placement of...Evidence and State Practice. I need the Evidence for Inns of Court, and there are two very different sections of State Practice. One is with a well known person who I've never had but have heard horror stories about, which also happens to meet at 8am. A 3L class that starts at 8? Yup. The second is with a person who is also known but not nearly as well, and whom I have had before. The way I see it is the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. And if I don't get into that class I'm going to pull the whole, "Remember me? Don't you want me to be in your class?" kiss up move. It'll work too, just you watch. Of course I'm putting the cart before the horse here, this all may be unnecessary.
(On an unrelated note...the quote about the Circle K? Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. It just happens to be one of my favorite movies. However it doesn't go over well in an interview when you're asked what your favorite movies are. What did they expect me to say, Citizen Kane and The English Patient?)
LIBERAL SARCASM
CBS should be fined $3 million dollars. Why? They showed dogs screwing on TV...during prime time! The wonders of TiVo allowed us to catch this moment in the Amazing Race. Hell, the contestants were commenting on the dogs having sex. If Howard Stern can get fined for having radio imagery about sex, CBS can get fined for real live animal sex. And don't even get me started about Oprah and the brazilian bikini wax segment.
/LIBERAL SARCASM
As we are wont to say, strange things are afoot at the Circle K. Well, not exactly strange, but exciting nonetheless. My spouse has been quietly supporting my attempt at law school, keeping me sane and keeping a roof above my head. With one year left on the plan, it was time to reflect on where we're going and how we're going to get there. Good a time as any for my better half to take up the flag and get another degree. (As we say, screw kids and dogs, we're in it for diplomas.) It was sort of late in the game to make the decision, but the school assured us that it wasn't a problem as long as all the paperwork got in. Rolling admissions, gotta love them. Yesterday, the envelope came in the mail. Sure enough, advance degree away! In two more years, the spouse will be the proud owner of an executive MBA. I couldn't be more thrilled. I think its the best move for the career and gives me bragging rights. I had held off on putting this in the blog until it was known, and made sure it was okay. (In the vernacular: "I'm Beanie's spouse and I approved this message.") So big cheers for the spouse and here's to student loans!
Being a brilliant summer weekend, the spouse and I took it upon ourselves to hit the road. Made a couple hotel reservations, filled the car with gas and packed a bag. Overall we probably spent too much money, ate too much ice cream, and drank too much wine. But hey, it's a vacation. Highlight of the trip would have to be our first night at the hotel. We didn't pick the place for its amenities, we just needed a place to crash that was relatively inexpensive and clean. It was both those things. So we went to bed. At 2:45am the screeching banshees of unbelievable volume entered my consciousness. It's dark, I'm groggy and trying to figure out what the hell the noise is. Oh...fire alarm. Fire alarm?!? It's not shutting off. I'm not dressed for going outdoors. Spouse and I discuss the possibilities. I peer through the peephole. The door's not warm, no smoke, just a wailing alarm strobing its heart out. After 2 minutes of this nonsense we decided that in fact it might not be a bad idea to get dressed and take a stroll outdoors. We might have been more concerned had we not been on the first floor two rooms from the front desk. We figured at worst we'd flee out the window, throwing our luggage out with us. This proved not to be necessary. We wandered outside with the rest of the sleepy groggy patrons, wondering at the various stage of undress. One man seemed to think neither a shirt nor shoes would be necessary for this foray. Just as the novelty of the experience began to wane the volunteer fire department began arriving. First in pickups and later in a full blown truck, they came speeding into the parking lot while we cringed on the curb against the possible impact. When people are not given a spot to congregate, they will do so in the middle of the parking lot. This is the same place the trucks ended up. People's reflexes are not the best at 3am. By this point, still no smoke, just plenty of yawning. We pondered the 24 hour grocery across the street. The captain yelled something incomprensible ending with, "it's okay, go back in." Seems the alarm had stopped. Funny, we didn't notice that. We were not going to be left homeless with only the clothes on our back. This was reassuring. And so ended the excitement of the first night/morning of our trip. It makes me sleepy just thinking of it.
Right on the money I'd say...
Wackiness: 46/100
Rationality: 40/100
Constructiveness: 16/100
Leadership: 40/100
You are an SEDF--Sober Emotional Destructive Follower. This makes you an evil genius. You are extremely focused and difficult to distract from your tasks. With luck, you have learned to channel your energies into improving your intellect, rather than destroying the weak and unsuspecting.
Your friends may find you remote and a hard nut to crack. Few of your peers know you very well--even those you have known a long time--because you have expert control of the face you put forth to the world. You prefer to observe, calculate, discern and decide. Your decisions are final, and your desire to be right is impenetrable.
You are not to be messed with. You may explode.
Feel free to take the quiz yourself.
Thanks to Mellow Drama for the link.
I know yesterday I told you all to come back today when I said I'd write something. So it's today, and I should write something. Things you should know/do/buy before coming to law school. Yes kiddies, for those of you who have not had the pleasure of jumping on this elliptical machine from hell, I am here to provide you with some tidbits to make the trek that more tolerable. Do I speak as a bitter rising 3L? Perhaps, but what I say here is true.
Things to bring/buy:
1) Laptop - I know a great deal of programs already require this, but if yours doesn't, get one anyway. Why? When you're trying to pull down your email or do online research, you don't have to fight for lab space. If your campus is WiFi capable, make sure you have an integrated card. The plug and play ones work, but I know more people who have had problems, not to mention you don't want to be removing it all the time so you can stuff the laptop in your bag.
2) A PDA - I started the trend on my campus. I had one the very first day of class. I tracked my assigned reading, phone numbers, infinite number of events on campus, exam schedules, all of it. I became the go to person for information. It makes life so much easier. If you run Pocket Mirror and Outlook, you are constantly in touch with what's going on. That's a good thing. It seems now everyone has one. You can even take notes on it with a keyboard attachment. I'm not one of these people.
3) Cell phone - While I know most of you don't leave home with out it, this is a must. It's not as important your first year, but as you start progressing through interviews you'll need to be in touch. But please please turn it silent for classes. Your classmates will thank you for it.
4) Highlighters - You cannot have enough yellow highlighters. If you're multi-colored like me, you cannot have enough green highlighters. Take stock now in a highlighter company.
Things to know:
1) You will not be the smartest person you know. Just suck it up now. You all are brilliant in your own way, and that's why you're in law school. Don't let this bum you out. You do deserve to be there, otherwise you wouldn't have been accepted.
2) Gunners suck. Don't be one. The person who will get the highest grades in the class is not the gunner, it's the quiet one in the corner who answers when called on and that's it.
3) Make friends with the staff. This includes the librarians, the secretaries, the registrar. They are there to be helpful. If you're friendly, you get that much more help. The perks are immeasurable.
4) Don't buy every study guide known to man. Ask around. Some are definitely better than others, and the upperclassmen will know which ones worked for them.
I'm sure there is much more to be said, I'm currently out of words. Hopefully you find this helpful. And remember...eagles may soar high, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
I was hoping if I sat here long enough I'd come up with something both compelling and funny to tell you. Sadly, neither occurred. I read a book, which by looking at a number of other blogs is a must read: the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon. While I'm not as totally overwhelmed with it as much as others, I still found it an excellent read. It's short too so pick it up and knock through it in a couple of hours. Other than that, I've got nothing for you. Check back tomorrow.
I hope you all had a great holiday. We spent the time at home working on projects and trying to test drive cars. See, when I bought my last car I had to...quickly. I had just had my car totaled in a rear-end accident and had gotten a pittance from insurance. I also had about a week to find a vehicle. I ended up with a very basic sedan that does its job admirably. But it's very basic. So this time, I'm getting a head start on the process. I figure I give myself a year or year and a half, draw up a list of what it is I might want and start test driving cars. I drove three this weekend. One, the VW Beetle is an immediate no. I just plain didn't feel safe in the car. Not to mention the 4-cylinder engine whined something fierce during acceleration. I realize since I drive a 6 cylinder that I might be asking too much. However, when I drove the 1.8T GTI things were different. No turbo lag, plenty of pickup, and it drove like a car bigger and more powerful than it is. Question is, do I want to be a 30 year old lawyer with a GTI? Maybe a 20-something street racer, but an attorney? That brings me to the other vehicle I drove, a 9(3) Saab. (Superscript? I'm at a loss here.) Also a turbo, luxurious, plenty of fun, stiff sports suspension on 17" wheels. Mmmm...it's on the short list. Of course, 4th of July weekend was probably not the best time to start this project since half the dealerships were closed most of the weekend. I'll keep working on it.
It's the big start of the 4th of July holiday weekend. The news informed us last night that people were already traveling, so I figured okay people took today off. Nah...or if they did, they're traveling during rush hour. Had some excitement yesterday. The ubiquitous summer thunderstorms rolled through yesterday, bringing dime sized hail and a gullywasher. It also brought a couple cracks of thunder and lightning that made me jump. Turns out I was not out of line to jump since the house around the corner actually got hit. Seeing as how I sit higher than they do, it's a wonder how they actually got hit. I'm glad we didn't, since it started a fire at the house. Since we sit so close to the firehouse, I never really noticed the siren. I found out about it on the news. In the meantime, keep on keeping on and make sure you read these fireworks warnings.
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