Yes. There is a lot of snow. My boots are getting a workout and I think I will have to invest in a new pair if I'm going to make it through two more winters like this—the ones I have now are slowly giving way.
Spring break approaches, and I will be heading to my [not-so-native] home in Kansas, where I will hopefully sleep a lot, eat a lot, enjoy the not-as-cold-or-snowy weather, and hopefully squeeze in some study time, seeing as I have a midterm and an oral argument when I get back, not to mention exams that will be upon me before I know it.
I've also realized that I am shamefully non-observant. There are a bajillion (well, not that many) 1Ls walking around the lawschool that I swear just transferred in, because I don't even recognize them from walking in the hallways. Case in point: there's a girl who sits behind me in Property that I have never seen before. At first I thought she was an admitted student sitting in on a class, but I think that when you bring a computer to the same class four times in a row and take notes, you're probably an actual student.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Sick
Ugh, being sick sucks. I've finally caught the bug that seems to have been making its rounds among all law students. Unfortunately, somehow this sickness has manifested itself in the form of sheer exhaustion, sore throat, and a strange, uncomfortably hot feeling whenever I wake up. Also I've been queasy. Gross.
Another bad side effect: stupid little things set me off. Today I got all worked up because the cafe at school raised the price of a bagel from 99 cents to $1.29. It actually made me really upset. This was just one indication, as L. said: pants that are cranky. I can't believe I got all hot and bothered about a bagel. But I just couldn't bring myself to pay so much a bagel that didn't even come with cream cheese. So instead I ate pretzel sticks from the vending machine. That's me, sticking it to the man.
Another bad side effect: stupid little things set me off. Today I got all worked up because the cafe at school raised the price of a bagel from 99 cents to $1.29. It actually made me really upset. This was just one indication, as L. said: pants that are cranky. I can't believe I got all hot and bothered about a bagel. But I just couldn't bring myself to pay so much a bagel that didn't even come with cream cheese. So instead I ate pretzel sticks from the vending machine. That's me, sticking it to the man.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The difficulties of being a study-eater
You end up consuming enough food in one day to power a small village, and you feel guilty about it so you dance around your apartment in an aerobically motivated frenzy in an effort to shed those extra 10,000,000 calories.
Spring can't come soon enough. I need some motivation to get outside.
Spring can't come soon enough. I need some motivation to get outside.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Money can't buy me love
This Valentine's Day, T and I have decided to go by the no-gift policy, partially to bolster our ever-shrinking-student-budgets and mostly because we get more pleasure out of each other's company. Unfortunately, T won't be in town for the big day, but we spent a very relaxing weekend simply hanging out, eating a lot of food, and playing a lot of rummy. We also watched Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and while I still retain respect for Cate Blanchett, I have to say that it didn't really impress me as much as I hoped it would—too many unnecessary prison scenes, and too few naval battle montages. I also acquired 4 previously viewed DVDs from the video store, and I have to say I'm really happy with my purchases—seasonal depression has had enough of an effect that all I want to do is stay burrowed in my blankets (in fact, this is how I do most of my homework nowadays) and having a good movie on in the background helps further my hibernating tendencies. Money might not be able to buy me love, but it does a decent job of getting me a two-hour Sofia Coppola fix.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
The craziest of crazy nights, in ways more than one
Friday night in South Bend=strangely surreal.
Last night, myself, L., M., S., and E. took it upon ourselves to hang out at S.'s before heading out to hit the local hotspots (read: bars playing Journey and Hannah Montana, all in the same evening). We play a crazy game of Fork/Spoon/Cow/Horse (Is that what it's called?) and medicate with our various libations: me with tequila, S., M., and E. with v/t, and L. with a carefully selected six-pack of Miller Lite. Lest his role be forgotten, T. was also there, and definitely earned his role as driving champion of the night.
After S.'s, we head straight to Finny's, a SB watering hole known for its stringent double-ID standard and not much else. Here comes the back story.
Recently, a M.E. had caught the attention of L. (and consequently, of everyone in our group). After a few days of diligent girlfriend reconnaissance, L. made first contact and extended (possibly the most smooth, nonchalant, EVER) invitation to join all of us out tonight. Keep in mind, this is less of an invitation and more of a "Here's the info, come out if you want to." L. has skills that few possess.
Because of their brief acquaintance, L. had not expected M.E. to come out, especially since he had previously told her that he almost never went out on Friday nights. However, hope springs eternal and the girl posse loaded up in hopes that M.E. would break his boring-non-Friday streak and come out. We place the chance of seeing him at somewhere between 5-10%.
Certain discussions are had, and S. ends the evening in a very strange place—just as strange as L., who, while deep in discussion with me about M.E., turns around to find him standing two feet away from her.
OMG OMG OMG!!!
This is the reaction of everyone as soon as we find out. I almost fall down, I am so surprised and excited; M. and S., once they realize M.E. was in the hizzouse, probably feel the same way. L., however, is possibly the smoothest woman in the world, and swallows the urge to jump up and down clapping her hands. She gets into an animated conversation with M.E., and then all of M.E.'s friends. Meanwhile, S. and I are running interference for L. with our other friends, all of whom seem compelled by a simultaneous urge to talk to her. I think we did our job well, because before we knew it L. and M.E. were deep into what looked like a very interesting conversation.
Because he came with a group, M.E. ends up leaving sooner than we'd have liked—however, what he did and when he left means nothing because HE CAME OUT!!! And we had it from the source that he never did Fridays, and thus his appearance signaled more than a little interest in L., at least to our eagle eyes.
Following all of this excitement, S., L., and I (M. and E. having left earlier) load up and got on our way home. S. and L. decide to make a night of it, so we swing by S.'s to she can grab her toothbrush, and are on our way back to L.'s when S. gets a call from S.C., asking her to come and pick him up so they can talk. We head back to Finny's, which is in the same direction as S.'s apartment, only to realize that he has actually gone back to his apartment. We turn around, drive to S.C.'s apartment, pick him up, bring him back to S.'s so they can talk, and turn around again and take L. home. T., who has been driving the whole time, provides some much needed common sense as L. and I proceed to do nothing but squeal and laugh and scream about OMG HOW EXCITING M.E. CAME OUT TONIGHT OMG!
Thus ended our night—at 3:30 a.m. Like I said...surreal. But last night was one of those nights that will go down in the annals of history, if for nothing more than the sheer fact that HE CAME OUT OMG OMG HE CAME OUT!
Last night, myself, L., M., S., and E. took it upon ourselves to hang out at S.'s before heading out to hit the local hotspots (read: bars playing Journey and Hannah Montana, all in the same evening). We play a crazy game of Fork/Spoon/Cow/Horse (Is that what it's called?) and medicate with our various libations: me with tequila, S., M., and E. with v/t, and L. with a carefully selected six-pack of Miller Lite. Lest his role be forgotten, T. was also there, and definitely earned his role as driving champion of the night.
After S.'s, we head straight to Finny's, a SB watering hole known for its stringent double-ID standard and not much else. Here comes the back story.
Recently, a M.E. had caught the attention of L. (and consequently, of everyone in our group). After a few days of diligent girlfriend reconnaissance, L. made first contact and extended (possibly the most smooth, nonchalant, EVER) invitation to join all of us out tonight. Keep in mind, this is less of an invitation and more of a "Here's the info, come out if you want to." L. has skills that few possess.
Because of their brief acquaintance, L. had not expected M.E. to come out, especially since he had previously told her that he almost never went out on Friday nights. However, hope springs eternal and the girl posse loaded up in hopes that M.E. would break his boring-non-Friday streak and come out. We place the chance of seeing him at somewhere between 5-10%.
Certain discussions are had, and S. ends the evening in a very strange place—just as strange as L., who, while deep in discussion with me about M.E., turns around to find him standing two feet away from her.
OMG OMG OMG!!!
This is the reaction of everyone as soon as we find out. I almost fall down, I am so surprised and excited; M. and S., once they realize M.E. was in the hizzouse, probably feel the same way. L., however, is possibly the smoothest woman in the world, and swallows the urge to jump up and down clapping her hands. She gets into an animated conversation with M.E., and then all of M.E.'s friends. Meanwhile, S. and I are running interference for L. with our other friends, all of whom seem compelled by a simultaneous urge to talk to her. I think we did our job well, because before we knew it L. and M.E. were deep into what looked like a very interesting conversation.
Because he came with a group, M.E. ends up leaving sooner than we'd have liked—however, what he did and when he left means nothing because HE CAME OUT!!! And we had it from the source that he never did Fridays, and thus his appearance signaled more than a little interest in L., at least to our eagle eyes.
Following all of this excitement, S., L., and I (M. and E. having left earlier) load up and got on our way home. S. and L. decide to make a night of it, so we swing by S.'s to she can grab her toothbrush, and are on our way back to L.'s when S. gets a call from S.C., asking her to come and pick him up so they can talk. We head back to Finny's, which is in the same direction as S.'s apartment, only to realize that he has actually gone back to his apartment. We turn around, drive to S.C.'s apartment, pick him up, bring him back to S.'s so they can talk, and turn around again and take L. home. T., who has been driving the whole time, provides some much needed common sense as L. and I proceed to do nothing but squeal and laugh and scream about OMG HOW EXCITING M.E. CAME OUT TONIGHT OMG!
Thus ended our night—at 3:30 a.m. Like I said...surreal. But last night was one of those nights that will go down in the annals of history, if for nothing more than the sheer fact that HE CAME OUT OMG OMG HE CAME OUT!
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
No time, but still time
Thus far, this semester is kicking my butt. The class schedule is staggered very strangely, and as a result makes it much more difficult to evenly distribute the workload. As a result, I end up doing reading for all my classes in one night, and in addition to this Con Law definitely is giving me the mental runaround.
However! I am determined. So I'm still caught up, and I feel like I might actually even be learning things. But it will become important for me to start synthesizing things soon, before the concepts I learned in the first week float out of my mind completely; the outlining begins early this semester, if everything goes as planned.
It felt good to get this out of my mind. Seeing it in writing just reinforces my conviction that improved time management is the key to a sane, successful semester.
Now back to work.
However! I am determined. So I'm still caught up, and I feel like I might actually even be learning things. But it will become important for me to start synthesizing things soon, before the concepts I learned in the first week float out of my mind completely; the outlining begins early this semester, if everything goes as planned.
It felt good to get this out of my mind. Seeing it in writing just reinforces my conviction that improved time management is the key to a sane, successful semester.
Now back to work.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Life, boring.
I wish I had something to write about, but I definitely don't. My life is boring and routine.
A few new things, interesting to no one but me:
-bowling team set and named. Now all I have to do is figure out the shoe situation.
-freezer full of food. I feel very pioneer-like with my frozen leftover chili and spaghetti sauce.
Wow. My life really IS boring.
A few new things, interesting to no one but me:
-bowling team set and named. Now all I have to do is figure out the shoe situation.
-freezer full of food. I feel very pioneer-like with my frozen leftover chili and spaghetti sauce.
Wow. My life really IS boring.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Nothing to report
It's a little disconcerting to realize how routine my life really is. Despite any illusions that I am fully capable of spontaneity, excitement, and the occasional impulse buy, my days are beginning to seamlessly blend into the same sort of rhythm: school, study, sleep, interrupted by bursts of eating, checking my e-mail, and dancing around my apartment in a vain attempt to shake and shimmy off the holiday weight.
I wish my life was a little less predictable and mundane, and a little more full of the small details that make the lives of everyday people more interesting: overnight trips to big cities, a windowsill garden, fresh flowers and newly baked bread. At the same time, it's so much easier to know exactly what I'm going to do the moment I wake up—the persistent habit of a comfort-seeking list-maker, who delights in surprises but has little time or energy to devote to cultivating them.
So there's nothing to report on the horizon. I am stranded on a tropical island of my own making (NOT desert—I do not understand why people always reference the "desert island." It seems a little counter-intuitive to assume that an island, by nature surrounded by ocean, should be desert [unless it's at one of the poles]). And there are no ships on the horizon—at least, none that are due to come in sight before next weekend, when a certain birthday boy will make the long and arduous trek to the Bend for a blissful birthday weekend.
I wish my life was a little less predictable and mundane, and a little more full of the small details that make the lives of everyday people more interesting: overnight trips to big cities, a windowsill garden, fresh flowers and newly baked bread. At the same time, it's so much easier to know exactly what I'm going to do the moment I wake up—the persistent habit of a comfort-seeking list-maker, who delights in surprises but has little time or energy to devote to cultivating them.
So there's nothing to report on the horizon. I am stranded on a tropical island of my own making (NOT desert—I do not understand why people always reference the "desert island." It seems a little counter-intuitive to assume that an island, by nature surrounded by ocean, should be desert [unless it's at one of the poles]). And there are no ships on the horizon—at least, none that are due to come in sight before next weekend, when a certain birthday boy will make the long and arduous trek to the Bend for a blissful birthday weekend.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Back in the game
Honestly? I just hit the ground running and my knees are really sore.
I've yet to get back in the swing of things, so reading/taking notes/etc is a little harder than I remember it being, not to mention the mountains of post-vacation laundry that I'm facing. A few things that are making it easier:
-seeing my friends again
-therapeutic cooking
-my new old (old to me but new for this apartment) stereo (do people still use the word stereo?) that I just hooked up to my bedroom. Now I have access to music no matter which floor I'm on. Sweet.
Besides that, I'm just trying to keep up with the flow, and some interesting new developments (i.e., handwriting my notes for con law, figuring out a new note-taking system, and the necessary evil of introductory chapters) are providing just enough spice to keep things interesting.
Here's to a great semester.
I've yet to get back in the swing of things, so reading/taking notes/etc is a little harder than I remember it being, not to mention the mountains of post-vacation laundry that I'm facing. A few things that are making it easier:
-seeing my friends again
-therapeutic cooking
-my new old (old to me but new for this apartment) stereo (do people still use the word stereo?) that I just hooked up to my bedroom. Now I have access to music no matter which floor I'm on. Sweet.
Besides that, I'm just trying to keep up with the flow, and some interesting new developments (i.e., handwriting my notes for con law, figuring out a new note-taking system, and the necessary evil of introductory chapters) are providing just enough spice to keep things interesting.
Here's to a great semester.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
New
Resolutions, for me, have never been as, well, resolute as I'd like them. Lines of good intentions, whimsical beliefs that this year would be the year that I'd simultaneously pull straight As, keep my bedroom neat and spend less money on shoes. Never happened.
I'm not sure if my failure to keep said resolutions stem from the fact that they were overambitious — I mean, could it really be possible to ALWAYS hang my sweaters up, get an A on every exam, and be expected to resist that pair of patent leather Mary Janes? I don't think so.
So this year's resolution is relatively simple, and encompasses a lot of what I want to accomplish but with little fanfare. This year, I'm going to strive to waste less time — instead of half-heartedly dedicating myself to something, I plan to throw myself in full force. Either full work, or full play, because I've learned that diluting them often results in less fulfilling achievement.
So, 2008, here I come. I plan to waste less time. And, let's face it — spend a little less money on shoes.
Especially since I got those patent leather Mary Janes for Christmas.
Happy New Year, everyone.
I'm not sure if my failure to keep said resolutions stem from the fact that they were overambitious — I mean, could it really be possible to ALWAYS hang my sweaters up, get an A on every exam, and be expected to resist that pair of patent leather Mary Janes? I don't think so.
So this year's resolution is relatively simple, and encompasses a lot of what I want to accomplish but with little fanfare. This year, I'm going to strive to waste less time — instead of half-heartedly dedicating myself to something, I plan to throw myself in full force. Either full work, or full play, because I've learned that diluting them often results in less fulfilling achievement.
So, 2008, here I come. I plan to waste less time. And, let's face it — spend a little less money on shoes.
Especially since I got those patent leather Mary Janes for Christmas.
Happy New Year, everyone.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Mmmmmm...presents
Amazing Christmas this year, but definitely the highlight was giving Ann a copy of Sideways...and receiving another copy in my own present! We are the same.
Otherwise a whole lotta nothing has been happening, perfect for what I've hoped to accomplish. Although unfortunately I'm going to have to start thinking about school. Grosssssss.
Otherwise a whole lotta nothing has been happening, perfect for what I've hoped to accomplish. Although unfortunately I'm going to have to start thinking about school. Grosssssss.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
The decompression
I've been in New Jersey for...48 hours. I have been unconscious for...24 of them.
Evidently, I'm catching up on my rest—and getting a permanent pillow-crease on my face. Happy holidays, everyone!
Evidently, I'm catching up on my rest—and getting a permanent pillow-crease on my face. Happy holidays, everyone!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
One down...
...two to go.
Having just taken my first law school exam yesterday, I'm most surprised by how drained I felt afterward — like I had thrown my entire brain onto my computer screen and very little, if any of it, had decided to return to me. I'm attempting to study now, for my next exam on Monday, and I must say it's a lot more difficult than the studying was over the last week or so. My body and my brain are simply exhausted and there's little room left for the many things it will need to absorb for the next two finals.
Wish me luck! I'm pushing hard.
Having just taken my first law school exam yesterday, I'm most surprised by how drained I felt afterward — like I had thrown my entire brain onto my computer screen and very little, if any of it, had decided to return to me. I'm attempting to study now, for my next exam on Monday, and I must say it's a lot more difficult than the studying was over the last week or so. My body and my brain are simply exhausted and there's little room left for the many things it will need to absorb for the next two finals.
Wish me luck! I'm pushing hard.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Freaking out
Because that is what I do when I have better things to do. It's a strange, uncanny part of my nature, to be sure, but no finals week (or in this case, month) is really complete without at least two nervous breakdowns in which I convince myself that I'm going to fail out of school, fail to get a job, and end up living in a cardboard box in Orlando and envying the bum on the corner who got to the refrigerator carton first. Then I do everything in my power to persuade all of my closest friends and family that this will, in fact, happen, and that they have to send me their leftover Christmas fruitcakes until someone gets fed up enough to smack me across the face (metaphorically, of course) and tell me that I'm an insane person and if I don't calm down I really will fail out of school, so I finally do calm down and resort to studying my brains out.
How's that for a run-on sentence!?
How's that for a run-on sentence!?
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Rest, refuel, recharge...then return to the rat race.
Finals in 2 weeks. Writing final due on Monday. It's time to kick it into high gear, but I've taken Saturday as a semi-day of rest, to enjoy my last few hours with Tom before we both sink head-deep into the mire of exams and holiday frenzy. Speaking of which, I totally knocked 5 people off my list today. That's right. I'm a shopping machine. Now if only I were a writing machine to go along with it.
Monday, November 26, 2007
I wish I knew how to fiddle
because it sounds so cool I can't even stand it. Points for portability, too. Someday I will journey to see Pa's fiddle; however, I will be content for now to watch fiddling videos on YouTube. Thank goodness for the internet.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Thank goodness for Thanksgiving
It's been only a few weeks since fall break, but with the escalation in the number and difficulty of things I've had to do since then have made it much busier and much more stressful. Other unpleasantness has made it an even more hectic time, and so the upcoming promise of a few hours of breathing time, even if it's just some family downtime between bouts of studying, is really something to be thankful for. So for Thanksgiving, I'd have to say that I am thankful that the Pilgrims came to Plymouth Rock, because by doing so they've given me a couple hours of grace between now and finals.
Monday, November 12, 2007
TOO MUCH
Too much to do, too much to remember, too much to handle. It's just TOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!
Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I've got to go and do one or 19 hours of studying.
Regular posting will resume when I have a minute to breathe. Not really any predictions on when that will be.
Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I've got to go and do one or 19 hours of studying.
Regular posting will resume when I have a minute to breathe. Not really any predictions on when that will be.
Friday, November 09, 2007
A terrible week
Fighting off an infection, general stress, unlucky occurrences...the stars are definitely stacked against me. Here's hoping that this weekend will turn everything around.
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