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Today is the first day of the exit interviews for 3Ls. This means that people are finally smacked upside the head with the reality of exactly how much of their soul they owe to their respective banks. There are many shell-shocked people wandering the halls now. Did you know you cannot consolidate private loans? Neither did the girl with approximately 60K in said loans. Of course this did not prevent her from taking out a full 10K for bar review. I have a round idea about how much I may be owing at the end of this merry-go-round, but I know I'm not anywhere near the figures I've heard thrown around today. People need to find out what the figures are each year, not at the end. Of course the people who could most use this kick in the pants wouldn't actually appreciate it until the end, so I guess it's not necessary after all.
Perhaps it's because I'm ill, perhaps because it is Tuesday but I feel the need to make some comments about other blogs. And no, they're not going to be snarky.
First: Jeremy, the TiVo is truly a wonder and a joy. My only complaint about it is that TV Guide, the people who control what the shows are named on the guide should be shot. Do not call everything on Speed "Auto Racing." Also, if you absolutely want to make sure you have all of a show you're dying to see, make sure you add time to the beginning and end of the recordings. Some channels are not sync'd to the TiVo clock and as a result ends of shows do get cut off.
Second: Larry, that letter is a scream. Sadly you are not the only school where this has become an issue. Here, we have a couple who takes upon themselves to maul each other everywhere and anywhere. In the middle of the library? Sure! In the front lobby? Yeah! Luckily, no one I know has found them "in the clutch" as yet, but I'm sure it's a matter of time.
Third: Falconred (by way of AI), I should be the last one giving advice about whether or not to choose to go to law school, but I had a conversation about this very subject over the weekend. The conclusion is this...while some of us may actually enjoy the process, revel in the intricacies of legal theory and logic, there are many of us who see this as a means to an end. I have questioned myself many times over about whether this was an appropriate choice for me. It has come down to this: Will you regret it if you never tried? Will it fulfill a need to stretch your brain or even something more primal than that? I can actually answer yes to both of these. My reasons for being here are deep seated to me and perhaps shallow to some, but I'm here. Many people would give anything to do what I'm doing. And even if I don't choose to practice when I come out, I'll have an education that I'm proud of. I suppose that's all you can ask for.
Speaking of sickness has doomed me. Between my spouse and the person who sits near me in one of my classes, I too have fallen ill. I awoke this morning to a sore throat. Oh the horror. I'm sipping my tea and hoping for the best. I can lick this quick. Plenty of sleep and my Zicam and you just watch, I'll be fine. I was even able to talk myself into coming in for class this morning, which has to mean I'm not that sick. I've been known to talk myself into staying home due to illness. If I can get the spring illness out of the way before finals I'll be in good shape.
The BarBri review schedules have come out for the end of the semester. Having a deposit for the course allows me the opportunity to sit down for what seems to be an infinite number of hours on a Saturday or Sunday and try to cram the subject matter of a semester into my head. I was gung-ho for this concept when I was a 1L, and only did mediocre on the exams. This may have soured me on the concept. Last semester I was not taking courses that were being offered on tape with the exception of Professional Responsibility. I declined to attend. I did mediocre on the exam. So this brings me to my choices in April. Do I truly want to sit down for 6 1/2 hours to go over Wills? Do I want to then spend an additional 3 1/2 hours for Trusts? I will also have the opportunity to take Corporations as well. That one is also only 3 1/2 hours. Dilemma dilemma. I think I'll burn myself out if I do the Wills one. Corporations might not be a bad one. That seems relatively compact given the subject matter. Anyone know if these ones are any good?
It's that time of the year again...the grass greens up, my spouse starts hacking up a lung. It's hard to say if it is allergies or just an annoying seasonal cold, but either way Nyquil will be ingested. In fact, I have been put in charge of refilling the Nyquil supply. Nothing like doing a shot before bed to make all the sneezies go away. It also makes alot of stuff go away. We're preferential to the red kind, but I know some think that only the green truly works. There's even the evil orange kind that only works during the day and doesn't give you the lovely buzz. Sweet nectar of the gods, we bow to thee Nyquil.
Update: The interview tomorrow has been rescheduled for some time next week. *sigh*
I've had a couple of interviews this week. Perhaps it is because it's the end of the semester, perhaps people are getting tired, or perhaps we're at the bottom of the barrel here, but these have been some of the stranger interviews I've had. Earlier this week I was interviewed by a firm that had interviewed me last year. I was soundly dinged then. I found out through the interview that I'm going to be a clerk/courier if I work for them. With gas topping $2.50 a gallon by early summer I would have to use my own car and run papers to courthouses. I was not told this last year. If I had I probably would not have put in for this year. While the in office experience would probably be a good one, I cannot justify 2 years of law school education to drive around town as a courier. I used to balk at doing that as a paralegal. What would happen if I got into an accident on the job? I need my car to last, I'm not going to put a bunch of miles on it. I was told I'd get mileage paid. Whoop.
That brings me to today, and a new firm. So new in fact I could find out nearly nothing about them. This is because they've only been in existence for less than a month. I was afraid by the glint in the interviewer's eye that they want me not so much for my law school skills (or lack of them), but rather because I've been a secretary and paralegal. Nothing like a fully trained person to bring a firm up to speed over a summer. The interviewer kept harping on the fact that they'll be run ragged early on and that they need a self-starter. That wasn't scary...the fact that they have no brief bank or form books is scary. The attitude that this is a grand experiment in law offices scared the ever loving crap out of me. Do I want this?
I'm putting my full faith and credit into tomorrow. It's a callback. I WANT THIS JOB. Virtual crossed fingers for me please. I ain't to proud to beg.
Today is going to be a long day. I left the house late, yet still made it to class on time. Got my reading done for Biz Org, and prepared for my presentation in Products Liability too, but the concepts of sophisticated purchasers of silica and learned practioners of Norplant are really not fun reading over an egg sandwich. One highlight though, liable has made her return. Luckily none of the scenarios I had come up with were true.
However, staying with the tone that I have adopted of late, I feel the need to bitch about something. And staying true to my title, I have to bitch about driving. My commute can take many forms. I can take neighborhood surface streets and drive through multiple school zones, or I can take the interstate with all the commuting crazy people. This latter choice can be a crap shoot to make up time. Before setting out on this route I tell myself I will not do over 70 mph. This statement tends to last all of about 30 seconds once I hit the highway in fear that I will be run over. But I digress...my complaint is the way to which I must gain entrance (or ingress...I knew it wasn't egress, I looked it up) to said highway. This complaint holds true for most highways actually. It does not matter if it's an uphill on-ramp or a downhill on-ramp...it's an acceleration lane. By this it is meant that one is to approach the point of yielding to traffic at a similar speed to those already on the highway. This means if the highway speed is 55 mph, you should be at or very near 55 mph at the point at which you merge with traffic. This does not mean do 30 mph up the ramp and leave the people behind you in fear for our lives, for it isn't you which will be hit first, it will be us. This is also the reason why I cannot own a 4 cylinder car, because I may be killed when I have to go from 30 to 60 mph in order to keep myself from being killed due to this person's stupidity. Screaming does not help in this instance. I refrain from using a horn due to the fact I do not want them to apply the brakes and cause a further slow down and/or my rearending of this same idiot. Okay, this was way longer than I imagined, but oddly I do feel better. To recap, hit the highway with authority...don't creep on to it.
Which Colossal Death Robot Are You?
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey
Thanks to Attempted Survival for the link!
I had planned on blogging about a fellow student who bugs me, but instead I feel the need to freak out about the conversation I'm currently having with my spouse. It's about diaper services. No, we're not pregnant. It has to do with that baby shower post a while back, and the idea was possibly paying for a diaper service for a while...but that has led to much research about cloth diapers and random stats thrown at me regarding just how much crap comes out of a baby. This is so not a conversation for non-child, not pregnant couples. Although it is cheaper to have a service if you have more than one kid...supposedly so is catholic school, but that's another post all together.
Yes, this weekend was the law prom. Seems that the original plan for venue did not pan out but the committee regrouped and got us a spot with a day and a half to spare. Hey, for 4 hours of open bar and a good meal with dancing we would have gone to the moon as long as the tickets were cheap enough. So we all dolled up, fought a rainstorm and overpriced parking to party down. I can honestly say I over imbibed early on, to the shock and surprise of my friends who have never been lucky enough to see me tipsy. This much I do know...the people I find annoying sober are far more tolerable drunk. My only mistake was stopping the imbibing too early. Nothing worse than sobering up and entering the early hangover phase before going to bed. I'm supposed to sleep off the nauseous stage. While I did wish that more of our class would have come, the ones who did had a great time.
Look for the Burma label!
I know I've mentioned before that I'm particularly vulnerable to commercials. It's caused me to want Big Macs, Dominos Pizza, Quiznos Subs...you get the picture. However, I just saw the thing that I need to buy. It's called the Eggstractor. This thing would let me boil up a dozen eggs and peel them in what seems like seconds. And now I'm jonesing for a deviled egg. At 12:42 am, that's not the best thing to be wanting. And, if I call right now, I can get two for 19.95 (plus shipping and handling). Who's with me?
It's been a long week, I've failed at being edgy or at least informational, so to make it up to you all I bring you a new one-time feature, a rant about fuel prices brought to you by my better half. I do take credit for this diatribe only in that I'm happy to know in five years of marriage and an additional three years of dating I have given my spouse a political bent that may or may not have existed prior to now.
There is nothing the American public can do about the gas prices except be smarter about the people we put into public office. It all stems from politics. Put people who have oil in their back pocket into office and this is what you get. But its now going to backfire on the administration and the American People. Bush couldn't get into Alaska, the Senate held firm and protected our beautiful countryside. Then we created a mess in the middle east and the oil supply countries have said a big **** you and reduced their supplies and raise the price of crude, not to mention all the extra oil it takes to run a war (despite being able to refuel in the country your fighting).
So the gas companies continue to close refineries (or have that accidental fire once a year), creating even more shortages (Shell is closing one of its biggest west coat refineries later this year). Reduced supply and more gas hogging vehicles (like my neighbor who owns an Explorer AND an Escalade as their primary vehicles) means higher prices at the pump. (see Economics 101)
OH, and by the way, because the administration couldn't get into Alaska like they promised their buddies, the gas companies are raising the rates even higher to get them out of office by way of public disapproval(nice turnaround eh?).
So the senate has passed a referendum to temporarily stop the US from refilling its reserves to allow more supply to the public at large. Will it help, maybe.
The poor truckers and farmers are right now being hurt, but soon all of us. Owner Operators are parking their trucks because its too expensive to fill them and they can't add fuel surcharges because the farmers can only afford to pay them so much because the cost of fuel for the tractors is also up so high. When you pay a fuel surcharge to a company, don't expect that trucker to get much of it. This will be a domino effect all the way to a head of lettuce in the supermarket.
The writers on Will and Grace really need to get a grip. I'm all for having Grace eat all the time, but they really need to cover up the fact that she's pregnant better. Taller tables, bigger coats, more head shots. The fact that since she actually has a chest now pretty much gives it away, but c'mon folks, can't we try harder here?
Thought I'd check in on my stats to make sure I still have readers, and I found a few things that I think I need to set straight. First, if you're looking for the coffee bar "Screaming Bean", I'm not it. I don't even drink coffee. If you aren't looking for coffee, but rather a 2L law student with a tendency towards sarcasm, you found me! For the person who was looking for the bitter law student, it is safe to say I qualify as well. Secondly, for those of you who either got your MPRE score (which if you took the test on Saturday, you have to wait...be patient people!) or are looking to find out what you need as a passing score, look on this page. Just remember, the best you possibly need is 85 scaled. It was a 50 question test, so if you got 30 right, you should be okay. I haven't got a chance to talk to any of my friends who took it Saturday, so I don't have a feel for whether it was worse than the one in November. If I can pass it, any of you out there can.
Life is too short to be bitter. I find telling myself this alot lately. I am not nearly as successful in law school as I'd llike to be, but then again I'm in law school and alot of people aren't. Perhaps age makes one mellow, or maybe it's being able to see the bigger picture, but it's still an internal battle. I've gotten beyond the mid-week panic attacks I had my first year, but I still don't feel nearly as worthy as most of my esteemed colleagues. Three events this week alone confirmed these fears of mine...I can't run for Moot Court Board because of my grades. I also attended a seminar about applying to work for the Department of Justice. This first 10 minutes confirmed that I would only be able to work for DOJ if I got in through the Honors Program. I'm not getting in on honors anything. The final annoyance was the fact that I was reminded of the fact I cannot take the patent bar because of my undergrad major. I know I'm loved, and I know I'm liked. People tell me they like my writing (and those people don't even know about this), and find me a rather funny person, but its hard to keep smiling when I really want to climb in to bed for a week. It's really sad when you're falling back on the Stuart Smiley affirmation, "...I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and, doggone it, people like me."
With Fragrant Lotus on hiatus, Biting Tongue on Spring Break, and Patent Pending lost and presumed fed, I can't handle the pressure. I've got nothing snarky to say, no happening happenings, just snow. Though, I did have the opportunity to spread the love of an early school closing. Seeing as how I am "technologically savvy" (exact quote from a fellow student), I happened to be online the very moment the email came out from the Dean. Seeing how very few people were checking their email at lunch time I got to be the bearer of that wonderful news. And I only told people I liked.
If it was only as easy as bringing in a box of tissues to get extra credit in law school.
I've come to the conclusion I must have a sign on this carrol saying, "Please stand next to this carrol and talk as loud as you like, especially first year students." I've already chased a pair off once because every time she laughed the carrol shook. I listen to my tunes loud enough to drown out most of the conversations, but enough already! This is a library, not the lounge!
Beware the Ides of March! (I always enjoy saying that.) We're all back, except for one professor whose plane was delayed. Yeah for cancelled classes! It made up for the fact that I woke up to a power outage. Love the ones that last only long enough to make your clocks go blinky. Luckily the spouse was up at the time and warned me...else I would have dozed right through the morning. I was able to get up on time and get a number of errands done before my first class. Supposedly the weather is going to hell this week, so nice to come back to that. Spring is just a cruel tease. I get that March is supposed to be haphazard, but this is nuts. Oh, and to top off the week, this Saturday is the law prom. Call it a formal, call it a barrister's ball, I'm pulling for the law prom. Conversations have been: "I don't know if I should go...I don't have a date." "This is gonna be a booze fest, with food!" "This is nowhere near the school!" I love the fact that I'm married in these scenarios. I didn't have a date for my senior ball, and stayed home, but now I have a guaranteed date! I'm looking forward to Saturday night. I want to get down and get funky. Gimme a gin and tonic and get the party started.
As much as I don't want to go back tomorrow, I'm actually in good shape for it. All the reading is done, and will be for a week. The FAFSA is finally completed, as well as all accompanying documentation for the school. Most depressing thing about that is where they ask you what your income for summer of 2004 will be. Seeing as of this very second I still haven't locked in a job I put down unemployed and a big whomping zero. I'm still holding hope that I might get something, in fact I received a letter for a callback interview. I'm really crossing my fingers on this one. I want to work for this firm. I enjoyed the interview, and I think I'm a good fit. Now to get that across in the interview. Anyway, time to get the house in order and the laundry done. Tomorrow, it begins again.
I have a question for those of the persuasion that have attended a baby shower in the last couple years. When you received an invitation to said shower, was the baby(ies)-to-be named? We received an invitation today for a shower, and the babies at issue were named. First off I find the idea of a shower prior to a birth to be presumptious, but that's a personal family preference and also an ethnic one. However, the idea of having a shower for an unborn child that is has already been named is just damn creepy. I can understand having names in mind prior to a birth, but what if you take a look at the new arrival and say, "Wow, he/she doesn't look like Blah. They really look more like Bleh." Now you're screwed. You've committed yourself and locked the poor thing in for the rest of their lives. Now I'm all for shaping the minds of unsuspecting youth, but it's another thing altogether when it's actually part of your DNA.
Honey I'm home! Yes, a lovely time was had by all and I drove more than I ever have before. I still hate bridges. I hate them even more when I have to drive over them. I do enjoy the beach. I also enjoy sun. And, if we'd like to turn this into a Playmate interview, I like long walks on the beach and hot tubs. We did have a great time and got to see new things and eat great food. And, as sad as it sounds, I also got a lot of my reading done for next week. I brought all my books along. No, I'm not a freak. Anyway, our new catch phrases are now, "We're doomed, doomed!" and "Yar!" Yep, we think we're pirates now. I wanna go back!
"Your car's oil smells like it needs to be changed." Now, I've heard of a baby smelling like it needs to be changed, but car oil? For me it's always been 3 months or 3,000 miles. But if it needs to be done it needs to be done. We hit the road tomorrow morning. The oil is changed, the tires are inflated, and the gas tank is full of overpriced gas. It's gonna be fun, it's gonna be warm, it's not gonna be here. It's amazing how the moods improved over the course of the day when people saw the end in sight. The excitement was palpable. So as my good friend always says, "I'm out of here like the fat kid in dodge ball." See y'all next week.
I believe I may the only one on campus to pull the rare trifecta, not being able to get out of the first round of any of the three competitions I entered. Yeah, I'm bitter. Yeah, I blame the judge that I had for the last two competitions. If I were my partner there's no way in hell I'd work with me on the Senior Prize Trials next year. I'm walking bad luck. And if the emailed results didn't put me in a good enough mood, I had another interview this morning and my partner in crime was the interview right after me. Yeah, it would suck if only of us got hired. I really enjoyed the interview this morning too. It went well, I was erudite and made good eye contact. I want a job! I need to go on break. Lemme just get through the rest of this day...and I'll leave you all alone for a week.
Mmmmm...donuts! Have to enjoy fundraisers on campus involving the sales of lovely fresh donuts. Between the sugar from the donuts and my cup of tea it almost makes 8 am classes bearable. Almost. However, I just read that we just missed out on a free shrimp from Long John Silvers. From the Wall Street Journal:
Back in January, Long John Silver's announced that if NASA's Mars Exploration Rover project found conclusive evidence of an ocean on Mars, it would give every person in the U.S. one free, 6-inch shrimp valued at 79 cents. The offer "is our way of saying . . . 'One small step for man, one giant leap for seafood,' " Steve Davis, the chain's president, wrote in a letter to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.
Luckily for Long John Silver's, based in Louisville, Ky., the chain set a deadline of last Sunday, Feb. 29, for disclosure of the discovery. Another big catch: The restaurant defined an "ocean" as a single body of water, with a surface area at least five million square kilometers, nearly double the size of the Caribbean Sea.
Of course between the buzz from the sugar and tea I originally read the headline of "Water on Mars Is a Close Call For Big Shrimp" to mean that there were shrimp on Mars. I was having a Dr. Zoidberg moment.
Wow, I'm taking Products Liability right now, and I had no idea that butter flavoring could be so dangerous. Check this out.
Okay, I think the school on the whole has begun to slip off the deep end. Certain standards of action have seemingly gone out the window. For instance, when the lounge is not full, it's sort of unwritten not to sit directly next to anyone unless you're good friends with them. However, for the last two days my bag...not me...has become a magnet for all sorts of people I do not want sitting next to me. I leave the lounge to get my books and boom I come back to neighbors. Secondly, you are to ask your fellow loungees whether it's okay to change the channel on the TV. It tends to be on permanent CNN or worse yet FOX News. I don't mind this...I like catching up on current events while noshing on a bagel. However, today in the midst of a speech about the Homeland Security Administration (which I will admit was a mind-numbingly boring speech...but I was reading the scroll) the channel was abruptly changed to TCM and a showing (already in progress) of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. Now I enjoy Hitchcock, and I enjoy The Birds, but do not mess up my news gathering moments by getting me to watch a movie I cannot sit through to the end. Of course this same person is taking up two chairs at the moment so what do they care. Get me out of here already!
I need spring break now! Just driving to school this morning gave me the traveling jones. Never mind the fact that I had no toothbrush or even a change of clothes with me, I wanted to drive off down the highway to some place else. Maybe it's the sunlight, maybe it's the blue skies, maybe it's because I didn't want to go to Business Organizations...I don't want to be here right now. Just let me get through Thursday and my interview and I'm home free. We'll take a train...we'll go by plane...we'll go insane...YEEEEAGH!
So nice to see I'm on the cusp of a trend instead of catching on as it ceases to be trendy. Yep kiddies, every one of us bloggers is being edgy.
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