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Quote of the day: From an outstanding Evidence outline prone to small typos -- "Can you take judicial notice of German Shepherds being viscous?"
We're headed for a showdown here at the corral we call law school. Yesterday there were warning stickers placed on all cars that were not parked in "official" spots. By this, those who filled in ends of rows or parked on the grass were all targeted. This is not particularly shocking, though surprising that the tickets were not handed out first. What is surprising is that all the underclass people who have taken to parking in the front lot were not ticketed nor warned. When administration was asked why this is happening, we were told that as 1Ls we were given this leeway for a few weeks, so why not this class. Well newsflash, it's not the 1Ls that are parking in this lot. It's the 2Ls who could give a crap about rules. These are the same rude SOBs that took to talking loudly in the library and parking hither and yon to avoid having to walk in their Sevens too far. I've been getting my butt in early to get a spot and to get my work done, only to find the lot half full of underclass people. Three years for this? The guard sits in his booth reading the paper. Yessiree, I love the school with all my heart. My catch phrase is, "It'll be a snowball's chance in hell that I'll ever give money here." Sadly, I'm in the majority on this one.
Well, the Olympic doobie is out and it's time to get back to real life. Well...as real as life can get in law school. One last comment for the Olympics though...when I saw the Brazilian marathoner get mauled by the kilt man, I said to myself, "Isn't this strange, he looks just like the guy who ran onto the F1 course at the British GP." Little did I know how right I was. And here I thought it was some sort of strange kilt cult.
This Monday was a bit easier on the nerves than last. The outlines are starting to show up in classes, people start playing along with the scripts therein. It boggles me everytime that professors are so staid and unbending that their class does not change beyond an outline that is many times 5 or 6 years old. Right down to the examples everything is as it was then. Makes things that much easier on taking notes certainly. Do I want to print out a 92 page outline already? When it's that detailed and accurate I do. Supposedly there are 4 grail-like outlines for the 4 courses I am taking, so things are definitely looking up.
Yes, I know I haven't been blogging as I should but it was a damn rough first week. People in my class kept coming up to each other in furtive conversations about what the hell was going on. "It's not supposed to be like this!" was repeated more times than it should have. Knowing what was supposed to happen didn't seem to help. The highlight was the senior parking lot. It made it almost palatable. Key word there is almost. Each night at 10pm it felt as if someone hit my off switch. The eyelids grew heavy and I shuffled off zombie-like for bed. I so hope that I can begin to cope this week. I haven't even had time to catch up with some of my friends. We've begun to think that we'll have to schedule dinners to make that happen.
Since time is of the essence, I've taken to TiVoing the Olympics, mostly to kill the plethora of commercials. However, you can also fast forward through those sports that really don't seem that appealing. What we've learned is there are very few sports that can't be improved through the use of 3X speed. Men's gymnastics? They look like spinning tops. Synchronized swimming? They look like they're drowning strangely. Canoeing? They look like some sort of floating whirlygigs. Try it at home, it'll make you laugh.
It's already day three and I'm falling behind. I made a conscious decision to drop a class, and the victim is Crim Pro Survey. I attended the first session yesterday, and while I'm sure it's highly educational and probably very useful, something's gotta give. This professor reminds me of my first year Contracts professor, from whom I learned a great deal. That being said, I lived in a constant state of panic in that class and had to apportion a great deal of time and effort to be prepared. I'm a 3L. I don't want to live in fear. I have neither the time nor the energy to give everything that class needs me to give. Bonus: I get to eat lunch now too. It's a win-win from my point of view. I hope the situation begins to level out some, as it stands now I feel like I'm in a Class 5 rapid in a rubber dinghy. While I'm still afloat, it's not looking real pretty right now.
One whole day in the book. As much as I've always thought the high school analogy is overused, this day proved just how useful an analogy it is. You have the 1L's, freshman, slightly glassy eyed from all the other students in the halls, looking mildly confused and clutching new Property books. It seems impossible for them to look any younger. Meanwhile, the 3Ls come on the scene like every high school senior. BMOCs, we have the special parking spots, know how the game is played and are more interested in meeting and greeting than actually attending classes. One truism doesn't seem to hold however...this is the year they bore you to death. I'm sure there are some holding offers for whom this couldn't be any more boring, but this is like high school too. Seniors in high school came in two flavors. One, the I-really-could-give-a-damn-why-am-I-here variety, and two, the Ohmigod-I'm-running-out-of-time-I-need-to-do-everything-now variety. I sort of fell into the second category because I was in choir, orchestra, band and drama, as well as a full set of classes. As a 3L, I'm working two jobs, taking 5 classes and barely have time to read. Did I learn anything from high school? Obviously not.
And so it begins. Tomorrow I begin not only a new job but also the last year of law school. I'm well on my way to having my reading done, I found my social security card, and the parking permit is purchased. I can't say I'm terribly excited or even overly nervous. It seems like it was only yesterday that I sat down for orientation. In a blink of an eye two years passed. Tomorrow is just another Monday in August. I have a highlighter and I'm not afraid to use it. Good luck and may the force be with you.
This is the end. My very last day of freedom. On Monday it begins anew. Is that why I woke up wide awake at 7 am? Was it panic? Was it something I ate? No matter. There is reading to be done. I started it last night. The highlighters looked happy to see me. Evidence is nearly done already. Yup, I may not understand what's going on my classes but I'll always be caught up on my reading. Did I mention I have an assignment for my spouse's MBA? We have to attend a class during that first week, and there's a reading for it. It involves Wal-Mart. I've taken Labor Law, so I got really excited to see what I can bring to the table on this one. I had to promise I won't dominate the class discussion. Heh. Does it look bad if your spouse is a gunner?
I admit it...I'm an Olympics junkie. The fact that Yahoo keeps posting outcomes on the front page is a bit troublesome, but even so I've been watching the evening's festivities. For instance, I knew what the outcome was for men's gymnastics was, but still it made for compelling watching since I knew that someone had to seriously screw up. The true Olympic fun comes during the day. Luckily, I've had free time this week to be able to watch the sports that don't make prime time. Just today alone I've watched Team Equestrian, Badminton, Table Tennis and Women's Weightlifting. This is where the true entertainment is. Synchronized Diving? I'm all over it. Gimme some water polo or kayaking and I'll be ecstatic. I love the Olympics!
You're Catch-22!
by Joseph Heller
Incredibly witty and funny, you have a taste for irony in all that you see. It seems that life has put you in perpetually untenable situations, and your sense of humor is all that gets you through them. These experiences have also made you an ardent pacifist, though you present your message with tongue sewn into cheek. You could coin a phrase that replaces the word "paradox" for millions of people.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.
[link via ambivalent imbroglio (Watership Down), Sua Sponte (The Dictionary), and Half-Cocked (A Prayer for Owen Meany).
I'm back! No worse for wear, ready for the last week of freedom. While the meeting itself was not anything to truly write home about, I have to pass on this little tale. The meeting, while business related, had a dress code of 'business casual.' A nice pair of slacks and a shirt, nothing terribly dressy. One person who sat down in front me decided that this meant ultra low rise jeans and a knit stretch top. Another of her cohorts thought it meant jeans and a tank top. The chairs in the room had gap between the back of the chair and the seat. This means your ass hangs out. Short shirt, ultra low rises...not only do I get an eyeful of thong, I get an eyeful of thong and butt cleavage. Oh and girls, if you're going to wear a black mesh thong, please remove the white size tag on it...it forms an arrow pointing at your ass crack. So I and the rest of the people in my row decide to try not to look down too often. Time passes. She leaves the room. She returns....sans thong. I point this out to the person to my left. Hilarity ensues. I suppose this was more interesting than the meeting, but still...we want to know where the thong went.
It's been a busy week. From the car getting inspected to prepping folders for orientation week, I've had tons of things to do. I'm knee deep in laundry now, since I have to pack for a school business meeting out of town this weekend. And...and...and...I got a job. Yes, one of the jobs I had interviewed for early in the summer called me up this week and asked if I'd like to join them for the school year. So much for a laid back fall semester, I've got 5 classes and two part time gigs. Great experience, great resume builders, and a great networking opportunity that I just couldn't turn down. Add in a purchase of textbooks and wow, it's been eventful. I'll be back on Sunday for one last week of bliss before the blizzard. Or washed away in the ensuing deluge. Stay safe, seek higher ground and have some fun...time is running out!
I love Blawg Wisdom. More than once I've thought to myself, "If only I had this information before I started..." This is not to say that I hadn't prepped myself by reading every pre-law school book I could find. Law School Confidential was my friend. I adopted the multi color highlighting scheme. I've been wracking my brain to try and come up with more helpful hints for other law students. So today I'm going to tell you about second year issues.
For all of you who made it on journals and reviews, congrats. It's a great honor, even if you had to pay to join (which by the way boggled my mind...but that's another story.) This event will take up a great deal of your time. Choices will have to be made regarding other events and activities that you may not be able to do. Moot Court is probably not an option for you now. That all being said, do not harsh your friends/students for not following your path. It's not as if all of these people were not good enough to get on a journal, it may have been an active decision not to do a journal. Looking at them askant in the library will not make you friends. Also, such snobbery also occurs during OCI. For those of you whose schools do not follow the pattern of bidding, it will be made clear early on who is getting the interviews for they are wearing suits to school all the time. If you are one of these lucky people, answer the questions that are posed to you by your fellow students with grace not condescension. You may never understand why you've gotten the interviews. It could be one simple line item on your resume. It's not because you're the best thing since sliced bread. People will be happy for you but also jealous. That is human nature.
My moral of the story is that 2L is a hard year. It's time-consuming, stressful, and at times frustrating as hell. Do what you think you must. Take the courses that stretch your brain. Step above the high school mindset and become your own person. People will respect you for it.
T-minus 2 weeks. Time is most definitely running out on my summer. The list of things to do keeps getting longer. Haircut, car inspection, buying books, supplies, straighten out the desk and files, plus other school events to attend for orientation. Yes kids, even after first year you get sucked into orientation. I did bring this on myself by volunteering so I'm not going to whine about it. Either way, time to get organized. One last hurrah, gotta be ready.
Why do the screamers come on Sunday? For those of you who go to gyms, you know what I mean. The semi-burly weightlifters who make a beeline to the free weights, grab the heaviest thing they see and start doing something with it. While doing really slow reps they make a sound not unlike childbirth. There are approximately 15 people in the gym, and this guy is drowning out the satellite radio. He sounds like a hirsuite Monica Seles at Wimbeldon. Except he isn't playing tennis. Even better was when his lifting buddy showed up and they started doing this in tandem. Yeah, I want to hear the exertions of two guys from across the room. Imagine how much more power you could put into your lift if you didn't scream? In the meantime, can we turn up the radio?
I have a sad looking lighthouse in my front yard. This was not a design choice of ours, rather it came with the house. I painted it all white once, but this too is looking mighty shabby. We've given great thought to what should replace the lighthouse, but actually carrying through on the ideas is difficult. So far we've thought about an obelisk with arcane characters, a smiling buddha, a lighted tiki, and an Easter Island head. The last I've actually located on an English gardening website, but I'm afraid it'll be stolen out of the yard. However, I think I need to create a Stargate. It's artistic, strange and I could make it mighty big. The snow might cause a problem, but it could form its own icicles. Eh, it'll probably get lifted from the yard too.
Honey, I'm home! Yes, it was a fine trip and I got to stop in some places I have never been. I wasn't going to mention where it is that I had gone, but I have to tell you about a couple of museums that I saw. If you ever get the chance, stop by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. As a law student and former history major, the museum combines both history and law in a compelling and exciting way that is interesting to everyone from kids to adults. As sappy as it sounds, the presentations made me feel proud to be a law student. I understand what I'm going to be defending in court. The exhibits are interactive, and my student ID got me a discount.
The other museum I got a chance to go to was the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I hadn't planned on going there, but was urged to go by a relative. I am so glad I did. The collections were unbelievable. There are entire rooms lifted from European homes and churches as well as Indian temples. Manet, Monet, Pissaro, Picasso, Johns, Brancusi, Lipchitz...I got to see it all. So yes, I stopped by Philadelphia. I'm really glad I did.
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