Whoops

It's been a while since I last posted...

Last semester was my best semester grade wise (though, that's not saying much). I'm still near the middle of my class. My friend, her strategy was to drink most nights before her final, ended up with her best grades of the semester and I believe broke into the top 20% of the class, so, there you go. The classes she studied the most for, she did the worst in and vice versa. Fortunately for me, the classes I studied the most for, Constitutional Law and Basic Tax, ended up being my best grades this semester and my best grades in law school yet. Still, I didn't study this semester nearly as much as I did as a 1L, so the incentive to work my ass off and study more this semester just isn't there.

I do have a job. I'm going to be doing some legal research for an attorney in town (hopefully interesting stuff) and I am also working at the courthouse too. We'll see exactly what that will entail, but probably stuff I can't blog about, which is fine too. Especially seeing how much I do blog.

Hopefully everyone else had a great semester.

I'm not taking anything too terribly interesting this semester - another tax class, evidence, a class on the environment and one on mental disability and the law (these two are my "interesting" classes, but the environmental law class has just turned out to be a bore so far) and a UCC class for the bar. So, exciting times my friends, exciting times...

Not again...

8 am class in the morning. Professional Responsibility. What an exciting start to the new school year!

And then that night, I have a moot court competition. Woohooo. I should probably start preparing for that, or at least figure out what I'm arguing...

Oh and incoming 1L's, honestly, it's not to late to run. I'll elaborate on this at some point, but just take my word for it, it's not to late. But if you're going to ignore that then, good luck kiddos! I'm sure you'll all be terrific :)!

I need a job too. Gah. What am I doing with my life....

Ooops

I am a terrible, terrible blawger.

On another note, this is my 100th blog post. Whoo!

Still in law school. Survived my 1L year. Maybe I'll make a post about it next month... but lets not get our hopes up.

Currently interning with the Judge. He's very nice. I mostly watch trials, change of pleas, sentencing hearings, Rule 16 conference meetings... those kinds of things and am working on a brief. It's pretty laid back and his law clerks are very nice too. It's a good place to be for the summer.

So, yeah. Kids, try to work for Judges. They're pretty great people and very educational experiences.

That's all I've got, for now.

Big Wheels Keep on Turning

Today I'm coming to you *live* from my study carrel at school. Whoo! So exciting.
Probably shouldn't be updating my blawg while I'm at school, but meh. It's not like my study carrel partner (I have to share) is around or wants to use the study carrel and I actually did my K reading... unlike 75% of my class I'd say.

People have stopped going to K. Prof K doesn't seem to mind, or even notice really. Well, okay, he did comment on it one day, but he was more puzzled about the silence, not really the lack of students. I understand why people don't go, and yet, I continue to go to class. I don't know if I'm getting anything out of it. I can't say that for my other classes, I know that by attending those, that I'm learning...

It's not the same with K. Prof K lectures, but has different expectations for us when it comes to the final. Which is frustrating, because he wants us to do all this outside reading and essentially learn K on our own, but it's hard to do that when that's all the guidelines you have, nothing more. He lectures in class over the casebook and the like, but that's not what he expects us to know on the final.

At least it is March.

Almost time for spring break. Still have lots of work to be done. So, home I will go in hopes of productiveness to be achieved there.

Long Overdue

I wish I could say I made a resolution to post more frequently, but since I typically fail at my resolutions, I decided to look ahead and not make such a resolution. But I'll try to be better, I promise!

I did make a resolution to work out. Not to work out more, or weekly, or anything like that, to just workout. As long as I get to the gym once this year, that resolution will be a success. I like to aim low...

Speaking of which, grades are out at my law school. I'm happy I survived (as in I'm in 'good standing' academically speaking) but I'm around the middle of the pack, maybe even a bit on the low side and that I'm not too happy with. Though I may just be more frustrated with the fact that my friend kicked my ass. And her new year's resolution is to drink more this year... which I'm going to help her with, since I'm such a good friend. Granted, one class, Contracts, tore me down. On the upside, I know it destroyed a lot of people's grades (because 3L's and 2L's have told me this class was their lowest grade in law school). The downside is I have the same professor next semester...This does not bode well for me.

So, I guess my resolutions are, to sum them up: workout, study more/harder/better, and drink more. That last one kind of cancels the other two out... but we'll see. It can and will be done!

What to say...

Sorry for the absence! I don't really have a good excuse for not posting, just got busy, I guess. I was still reading other people's blawgs, but not updating my own.

A few weeks ago I went to the negotiation regionals. Didn't get to advance, but it was a good experience.

Also a few weeks ago, I started dating someone. I like him. It's kind of strange, because I don't usually like people. I don't even know if you can really even say we're dating, but I like him and he says that he likes me, so yeah. We've been taking it day by day.

The timing is shit though. Because *cue scary music* finals are approaching! And considering the fact that he is in the law school too (he's a 3L) we're both all kinds of busy. Not like I've really seen him much in the past three weeks anyway, but finals are definitely not going to help this.

Finals scare me. Lots. All I have been craving for the past month is comfort, in forms of hugging, cuddling, and food. Mostly I've been craving comfort food, like mashed potatoes, pasta, sweets, that kind of stuff. It's bad. I'm going to gain 300 lbs in a month.

Also, speaking of stress, turned in my memo for Legal R & W. At least that class is over with. The memo though, what an insane project. I think it's a stamina test more than a skills one and I'm not sure how I measure up.

Well, with that said, I ought to go study...

A New Week Begins!

Last week I wrote about being in the negotiation competition. My team got 2nd. We're pretty excited about it. I think we get to go on to Regionals, but I'm not sure. It's also exciting because we were the only 1L team in the finals. There is a weird thing at the law school where the 2L's seem to be angry at the 1L's just in general, for whatever reason, so it was pretty exciting, as a 1L, to beat some of the 2Ls. Plus I like winning anyway, haha. I'm way too competitive for my own good, but oh well.

As for the boy, I think that's over before it began, thank goodness. He's nice, but I don't know. I don't know him, that's the problem. I like to know people, to be comfortable with them before I can even consider anything else. It's a slow process with me. Plus, I'm really independent. I like being on my own.

Classes are alright. The day after I found out that my team (it's just me and another 1L) got 2nd, I of course, got called on by Prof. Civ Pro and Prof. Torts. I wish I could say that I knew all the right answers in those classes, but I didn't. I got Prof. Civ Pro's last question, but mucked up the first two and I was fine in Prof. Torts because he just wanted the facts of the case and so on. Oh well though. It's not the end of world, like you think, when you get the answer wrong in class. No one points at you and laughs and the professor doesn't yell that you don't belong there. The sky doesn't fall. Prof. Civ Pro just lectured a bit, asked again until I gave her answer that was close to what she wanted. At least on the last question I got it right, of course it was the easiest question too, but hey, I'll take it.

Hopefully this week will be less crazy than last. I need to be studying torts this week... my first law midterm (torts) is next week!

Into week 5

Week 5 is here! Tomorrow, I'm participating in my first law school competition - it's not a mock trial, but negotiation. I'm looking forward to it. Very nervous, of course, but I'm just hoping I won't make an ass of myself and that it'll be a good experience. I like my partner for it and I think we'll work well together so that kind of makes me less apprehensive over the whole thing.

Classes are okay. Currently, I like civ pro and torts the best. It's kind of ironic because I used to like contracts because it's ambiguous and left up to the circumstances, but now I dislike it because it's ambiguous and left up to the circumstances of the case. It's like a penduluum. Next week, it'll probably swing back into favor.

Also, I may or may not be entering into a gray area where I would be committing a cardinal sin of law school: getting involved with a classmate. But I don't want to, I don't. I can't be involved with anyone right now, it's distracting and stresses me out. He keeps texting me, which is nice and all, but it just is just... somewhat distracting. Maybe at a later date, maybe when we're good friends or something along those lines, I'll contemplate something more, but not now. Then again, it's also very likely that I'm blowing this whole thing out of proportion and that there is nothing to even be bothered with and he's just being a nice guy. Maybe it's been so long since I've had contact with a nice guy that I don't know what they are anymore, so I'm just suspicious of every male who even says hi. Who knows really.

Off to study civ pro!

On to Week Three...

Law school is tiring. It wears me out. I wish I had more to say, but that basically sums up the experience thus far.

I should be starting my outlines. We've finished a section in Torts, gone through two chapters in Contracts, and two sections of civil procedure. Granted one of those sections and one of those chapters was just introductory stuff, but still. I don't like not feeling as if I am on top of things as much as I can be. I want to be queen of the mountain, damn it.

Saturday was a fantastic football day. I love this season. I love fall. Just need tv shows to start back up again.

Bah, I had so many things to say when I first sat down to write, but now my head is empty. Story of my life.

Orientation: A review

Day 1: It was such a long day. I started the morning by participating in the community service project. I like volunteering, so it was fun to me, but getting up at 7 for it? Not so much.

After that there was a picnic at the law school with other students and the faculty and for the rest of the day we just had people talking to us. Various "welcomes" and a student organization fair. I would have liked to have signed up for everything, but I picked three organizations that interested me most and signed up for those.

The law school gave us packets when we first arrived and registered. In these packets was a myriad of information, including our homework for the rest of orientation. Joy. The case and the chapters I read altogether took me around 3 hours, which I was okay with.

Day 2: We were divided into our two sections for this day. My section had an analysis section in the morning to go over our homework. Basically the instructor just told us how to write a case brief and gave us an extremely helpful handout for it. Yay! So, that session was particularly helpful.

Later that afternoon, we were divided further into our legal r & w sections and went on various law library tours and were talked to about research and the like.

At the end of the day I had a terrible headache and still had to brief a new case, but it also took me about 2 hours. Would have taken less time if I hadn't been checking facebook off and on...

Day 3 (Today): We started this morning by being introduced to our professors for the year.

Then we were gave a speech about the honor code and basically just scared shitless. Then after that we received a speech from a Bar employee about taking the bar and registering for that. Once again, we were scared shitless.

Then appropriately enough, we were presented with a counseling presentation.

We had a luncheon with professionals in the law field and that was really enjoyable. Also very informative.

The afternoon was spent with other presentations, like "How to succeed in law school" and the like and another analysis session. This one was more entertaining than the last and still quite helpful, so it was a good way to end the day and the session.

Admittedly by the end of the three days I was tired of hearing this question:

"Any questions?"

Summer of Sacrifice

On Sunday, my baby brother graduated from high school!

He, his girlfriend, and I had our graduation reception altogether. It was really great to see the family. My great Aunt and Uncle from Florida even came up. That really meant a lot to me.

Then today was my first day of work. I mainly just scan documents all day, but it isn't too bad, once you get into the rhythm. Plus I can come and go as I please and I can listen to my ipod and drink diet cokes. I also put in a couple of job applications for the evenings and the weekends. Mostly because... well two of my good friends are home for the summer, I don't really talk to Clementine much anymore, and Amelia spends her free time with her boyfriend or her other friends, because in her words "we see each other all the time anyway" which translates to be maybe one or two lunch dates a week, but oh well. I already brought this up with her and that did not go well at all.

I think this will just be a summer of all work and no play. Which is fine as long as I make enough money to buy a new laptop, my books, and have money left over for the school year by the end of summer.

Graduation Day Extravaganza!

Today I graduated from college. Well, provided I passed all my classes... I walked in two of the ceremonies - the Honors one (at 9:00 am) and the Arts and Sciences ceremony (at 1:00 pm). Both ceremonies lasted about two hours, though one would have expected the Arts and Sciences ceremony to last two to three times as long. Though there was probably only 1/3 of the seniors there. I know I was the only Honors graduate in my major. All the other graduates who received honors in my major (about four of them...) skipped the Arts and Sciences ceremony. My parents wanted me to go though. So, I did. After all, without them, who knows if I would have made it this far? If I would have been as successful as I am so far? The graduation ceremony is as much as a celebration for them as it is for me. So, if they want an all day affair, then so be it. I'll happily oblige.

Next week is my baby brother's graduation! I have a feeling that my parents, or my mom at least, will be more emotional at this one. I think my college graduation got downplayed a bit as a big symbolic step into the "real" world since I'll be going to law school in August, but my brother is the baby. Once he moves into his dorm in August, my parents will be...childless. I mean, of course they'll still have us, but I guess, well, we're gone.

Anyway, I'm excited to go to my brother's graduation next week. It feels a bit unreal, that everything is happening so fast, yet so slow too. I like it all though. No complaints, yet.

Lawyer Jokes and Metaphors

I have found 4 somewhat bad lawyer jokes in my Law & Economics textbook in Chapter 10: An Economic History of the Legal Process. They are:

- A businessman receives a bill from his lawyer that reads: "Crossed street to see client. Thought it was you. $50."

- A sociologist studying longevity found that the average lawyer lives twice as long as the average doctor and three times as long as the average school teacher. Life span for lawyers was computed using billing hours.

- Q; Why don't sharks attack lawyers? A. Professional courtesy.

- "It was so cold last winter, that I saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets."

Now for the metaphors:

- "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

- "If you think justice is expensive, try injustice."

I like the metaphors better than the jokes. Though both, admittedly, make the reading more interesting. Don't know how much context they add, but oh well.

Also, finished editing capstone paper and I made a powerpoint presentation for it. Yay! and the presentation for it isn't until Tuesday. It's done and ahead of time.

I like being productive like this, while also watching House and Law & Order today as well and eating Ben & Jerry ice cream.

All in all, a pretty decent day.

Capstone

Capstone paper is done...enough that I could turn it in/present it next week.

Does some tweaking and maybe adding a paragraph or two NEED to be done? Yes, I think. However, it is done enough that I am relieved and content with it. It's a good feeling. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. All that is left is editing. Thank goodness.

Now, all that is between me and graduation is: presenting aforementioned Capstone paper, 32 days, Law & Economics test (no final in the class, last test is on May 7th), and Ancient Greek History take home final. Doesn't even matter if I pass Early Modern Philosophy and Cross-Cultural Psychology, though I do expect myself to pass these classes and hopefully ace them as well.

Just so so so glad to have finished capstone (though it is a very rough draft.) Good enough for me right now.