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If you're like me, you peruse your referral logs occasionally just to see what goofy things have brought people to your home away from home. Some are really rather exotic, like "THONG UNDERWEAR LAW", which I must say would be a hell of a name of a law school, or "the f 18 screws on the bottom of the laptop." The latter, I'm not quite sure what that means, since I haven't heard a screw size known as a f 18, and looking I don't have 18 screws on the bottom of my laptop. I have 99 problems, but I'm not going to sing now. The most intriguing thing that I've found is that searching an innocuous word like, "Bean" makes me the 9th hit on Google. I'm only three notches down from LL Bean! (Okay, it's LL Bean in Japan...but still!) If you do it in Arabic, I move up to number 7. Do you realize how proud I am of my legume status?
UPDATE: Okay, I lied. If I had been paying attention I'm on page 7 of bean hits. My ego is now crushed. Damn you Google!
Today was another session of pre-bar bar review. I didn't go. I think I felt guilty for about 30 seconds. I'm taking 5 courses...isn't it more important to actually pass the classes I'm taking my last semester than learn Torts so I can learn Torts again in June? I'll go to the Essay Writing Workshop later, but when I'm taking both PMBR and a full bore bar review course, I can't see spending my gasoline and four hours of my time on a Sunday for this. In other news, I was able to finish my Securities reading, get all caught up in Crim Pro and State Practice, and attempt to teach myself Negotiable Instruments. I'm a good little student, aren't I?
When I was in high school I was a smidge away from being goth without even knowing it. I wore black all the time, was preternaturally pale, and scowled alot. There were three things I was known for: ability to argue with teachers, my sunglasses, and my ever present Walkman. Fast forward a bunch of years. I'm still in school. Hell, I'm still pale (isn't it a prerequisite for a law student?), I still scowl, but I've brightened up the wardrobe a bit (save interviews...they're still black). I've kept the sunglasses, and now I have an iPod. I just need to get a bunch of Acid 60's Rock and the transformation will be complete. As far as the arguing with the teachers? I don't have the energy, and these people do that for a living...who am I to compete?
Check out this yummy homage to "The Gates." I feel all peanut buttery now.
The announcements have been ordered, the gown has been measured, and we're less than three months from the end. Why is it then that this seems so anti-climactic? I got an email today about signing up for ExamSoft, and received another mail making sure my writing requirement is completed. Three exams on computer this semester is a good thing. I also feel like I haven't learned a damn thing worth testing on so far. I have a vague concept of probable cause and reasonable suspicion...I know about Reg CC and something about securities, but to test on it? No way. I take each day as it comes, but why does it feel like I'm riding an avalanche?
Today is the Daytona 500. Normally I'd be very excited about it. However, NASCAR seems to have lost its appeal for me. There are no true differences between cars anymore, the drivers whine about everything, and the commentators can't seem to string a grammatically correct sentence together. After a couple hours you begin to feel dumber for having watched it. This is no comment about the ability of the drivers, or their sponsors, but when you're appealing to the lowest common denominator, you begin to lose some of the other parts of the fan base. Give me back the days of Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough...that was racing.
Okay, I always knew I was a geek. I knew I married a geek. This article proves without a doubt that both the spouse and I are true geeks. Between the two of us, we account for four items on this list. Hell, we met because of #7. I'd like to thank Jim for providing this proof of our geekdom.
I had planned on ranting about standard shift cars...and I may still at a later date, but I don't have the energy for it. However, when I read this article I said, "Damn, have I not been saying this for years?"
While I am still sick, I have lost a bit of that zombie vibe I've been giving off. I can actually locate classrooms and seats now. I am halfway caught up in my reading. I don't think I'd ever been that behind before. I can actually carry on conversations without lapsing into "Ummm...*blank stare*...what were we talking about?" This has to be the strangest cold I've ever had. It's like I've caught sneezing stupid disease. Today, I speak to a class of paralegal students about what it's like to be a paralegal and a law student. It's a proud moment...and an alumni thing. Hopefully I do not have a relapse of the sneezing stupids.
Happy Valentine's Day! I stumbled into the wrong classroom this morning due to the fog of morning, cold, and sniffles. I really confused a 1L in the process. I'm sure he thought I was hungover. Nope, just a 3L. I even had issues doing my reading for today. Everyone is becoming half-assed about everything. My friends think I'm crazy for taking the courses I am, saying that I'm committing academic suicide. After a while, you begin to believe it. Of course, if I believed everything everyone told me, I wouldn't even bother to sit for the bar exam, since I'd fail it anyway. Where does that sort of mindset get you?
I believe I may be coming down with a cold. It's in that beginning stage where you have the scratchy throat, a bit more sneezing than normal, and a bit of post nasal drip. I've been good...been drinking the orange juice, popping the Vitamin C drops, sleeping like a hibernating bear. I better get better soon, I have an interview at the end of this week. Friday, let's think happy thoughts, okay?
First off, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year! I made sure to have some chicken and garlic sauce to celebrate in my own way. On the other celebratory front, I was measured for my cap and gown today. Yessiree bob, I do believe they might actually give me a degree at the end of this. I also learned I have a large head. I say it's all those brains I have. Perhaps they are just taking up space instead of actually learning things. And now I get to spend even more money buying invitations. Who wants to come?
Okay, so Deep Throat hasn't been unveiled yet. Seems he's quite ill and the Washington Post already has his obituary written by Ben Bradlee. That's what I get for jumping the gun. Ah well...it's more interesting than school. Who knew senioritis could be this bad?
To the person in my Crim Pro class who feels it necessary to clear their throat every minute or so....can I get you a lozenge? Two semesters is a long time to have that phlegm. Perhaps you should switch to filters.
You are the Golden Rule! You presume that the legislature would not want to apply the statute to achieve an unreasonable or absurd result inconsistent with its purpose. It's not what's on the surface that matters for you, and you try to do what's best in any given situation. You're a bit unpredictable, but you don't mind.
Which Canon of Statutory Construction are You?
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Thanks to CrimLaw.
It seems that tomorrow the world will finally know who Deep Throat was. No, not Linda Lovelace...the Watergate source that brought down the Nixon administration with the help of Woodward and Bernstein. The most-cited Deep Throat suspects include Nixon administration members Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig; CIA officials Cord Meyer and William E. Colby; and FBI officials L. Patrick Gray, W. Mark Felt, Charles W. Bates and Robert Kunkel. The newest theory floated is that it is no other than George Walker Bush. Yeah, W's Dad. Of course, the fact that the papers have just been unveiled as part of the archive of the University of Texas at Austin fed that theory. Me, I'm going with Haig, though the University of Illinois journalism department seems to believe it's Fred Fielding. And of course, there's always the possibility of Pat Buchanan...but I can't believe for a second he's been able to keep that secret for this many years. Tomorrow will tell.
Another Friday, another day of reading on the couch. This has been the most reading I have ever done in law school. Crim Pro gives me 40 pages a day on average. It meets 4 days a week. Commercial Law is four chapters a week. It makes Securities and State Practice look like slacker classes. I'm keeping up, but I speed read. I can't imagine what others are doing to keep their heads above water. Isn't this the year I was supposed to be bored to death? Who didn't get the memo?
I'm currently in Powerpoint hell. Commercial Law prof decided to go with Powerpoint slides. In less than 30 minutes, we've seen four charts on Risk of Loss, and nearly a dozen UCC sections. Even if I could type that fast, I can't begin to absorb this information. I read the damn chapters, what the hell is going on here?
I've been meaning to write something deep and meaningful, but E.Spat seems to have that sort of thing locked up these days. Not that I mind, because her writing of late has been stupendous...it's just that I feel like I haven't had anything important to write about. With a month down and only a handful more until the end of this merry-go-round, I want to put something out there. It may be a smidge long winded and probably confusing as hell, but hang in.
I enjoy watching motorsports on television. F1, Rally, Nascar, I watch them all. Every January there's a very special race called Dakar. In it, people drive motorcycles, cars, and trucks from a point in Europe (this year it was Barcelona) to Dakar, Senegal. It takes approximately 17 days. It's a race unlike anything on earth. Dunes, camel grass, asphalt, boulders, tiny villages, wet sand, wild animals, blinding sandstorms...the dangers are endless. Two people died this year alone. (OLN had the coverage this year, which was really awful, but that's not the point here.)
The race is a lot like law school. For a rookie, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. You're cocky, you think you can take on the world and you're wide eyed and bushy-tailed. You're joining 200-300 people just like you who think they have what it takes to win and will push themselves to the limit in order to do so. And so it begins...and things begin happen. Flat tire here, broken gear box there...the more handy and resilient you are the easier you can put it back together again. You roll into the heart of the race and you're not doing fantastic, but you're holding together. Some people have wrecked for good and have had to leave, but you think you can keep it together. You're in the desert, and the sand storms roll in. Blinded and alone you rely on your road book and what guiding marks you can make out. You're running low on gas, sleep, and food. You keep making it to the bivouac, but you begin to wonder why you're out here at all. This all doesn't make any sense, but through a sense of determination, fear, and diligence you keep pushing on to Dakar.
And finally you get there...and you didn't win. But that's okay. Somehow, through the race you have found that you haven't been racing at all, but the race has been working on you. It has left an indelible mark that will never leave. Call it a badge of courage, call it a spot on your soul, the effort has changed you forever. The feeling of danger, panic and loneliness has altered your very being. My race is nearly over now. The car is worse for wear, the parts don't work as well as they used to, sleep is short but the work is nearly done. For those of you still in the desert, know that we're out there looking for you and you too will make it. It's just a matter of time.
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