A Woman in Law School

I'm stealing this from Useless Dicta!



"Look at the posts you’ve made in the past year, and paste the first line of the first post of each month."



January, February, March: Nothing! This blog was in utero? Perhaps I should say that I was too busy with law school applications and studying to re-take the LSAT.



April: The last couple of months have been hectic.



May: I've been busy lately which means that when I get together with friends there is a lot to catch up on, especially when you have to tell them you leaving the state for law school.



June: School is out which means I'm on to new odds and ends jobs this summer before I begin law school.



July: The following conversation occurred while shopping in a crowded Deseret Industries thrift store.



August: I picked J up from the airport and we went out for lunch where we ran into Mr. So-and-So.



September: Dear Classmates, Hi there.



October: I don't wear printed clothing or pieces that have their label embazzed on the front.



November: There is a month before finals...do you know where your outlines are?



December: And now I get to play catch up.



Thoughts: I think I come across as boring on this blog. This may be because I don't want to risk my anonymity but as I've been good about not letting this blog slip I just might introduce y'all more to me in the new year. And then you can really say that yes, Kel, you're lame.

J and I asked for Amazon gift certificates this year for Christmas. Nothing says "special" and "overly thoughtful" like a gift certificate in my book.

So $250 smacks bought the majority of my textbooks last night. All I have left is my contracts hornbooks, of which my prof recommends two obscure titles. So for all of you out there who thoroughly enjoyed contracts last semester or year any suggestions on contracts hornbooks?

When I finished finals I turned into this slob. Well, I shouldn't say that since I was a slob prior to finals with finals being my excuse. Now I don't have such an excuse. So I'm cleaning, and organizing and wondering what to do with flashcards and practice exams I'll no longer need. Thoughts? Do I save them for a rainy day? Do I attempt to save them for the bar? Possibly give them away? Or just toss 'em?

I can now say that I have a living room! It's finally unpacked and presentable. The office is becoming better suited for office duties and the kitchen table doesn't look like a study area.

And now it's on to the bathrooms! Wish me luck! I'll need it as I have collected way too many bottles of things I'll never use.

I'm also wondering if this works...

There are perks to Facebook, one of which is finding friends you haven't seen in ten years and catching up on old times. My friend Ryan came into town over the weekend and I don't think we've seen each other for ten years, or in other words the last time he crashed on my dorm room floor because he had no other place to go. So we hung out, and then we hung out some more as his flight to Seattle was canceled and will probably still be canceled.

Being the man that he is he had me escort him to the mall last night where we went on a mission to find a quesadilla maker for his step-mom. I think it was the whole searching for jewelry that required a woman's company. Well, and the ride to the mall. For the most part all we did was ask random people if they could direct us to the nearest store they thought would have a quesadilla maker. We asked security guards, street vendors, drunks wandering around, other shoppers and children.

And VOILA! We found dear Nancy a quesadilla maker for Christmas! Now let's hope it's the right one!

So we were off the eat. We chose a nice upscale joint, the kind with tiny tables where you practically have dinner with the next table because you're so close. So that's what we did, well, that's what I did. I just feel awkward sitting that close and not saying hello. So I struck up a conversation with some nice tourists. They thought I was nice, they thought Ryan was a professional Elvis impersonator, and we just didn't feel like correcting them. We even played along when their birthday dessert came and Ryan sang Happy Birthday Elvis style. When it came time to leave they finally asked Ryan what he does, as they knew I was a law student. He mumbled that he was a television producer to which they replied, "What?" So he spoke up a little louder and repeated himself. All of a sudden their entire approach toward him changed. So yeah, never judge a guy in a hooded sweatshirt and skater shoes as just an Elvis impersonator, because he just may produce shows for a channel you frequently watch.

And he knows how to make an event out of searching for a quesadilla maker.

I love old friends. I also love new ones too. Happy Holidays!

Let me in let you in on a secret. I'm not a fan of Christmas.

To be frank I come from a disfunctional home, very disfunctional. I think the last true Christmas I had was when I was twelve? My parents divorced when I was ten and I lived with my dad from sixteen on. Dad doesn't do gifts, well Dad doesn't do much of anything festive. So I've always spent Christmas trying extra hard to make it special only to let myself down. J's family is kinda the opposite. They decorate and have a family dinner, exchange gifts, probably wear matching sweaters, a la the whole shebang! So when you throw me into the mix it ain't a pretty picture.

Now don't get me wrong! I'm an upbeat kind a gal UNTIL family appear, at which point I become the most pessimistic, defensive pursed mouth bitch. However, this year is different! I finally get to spend a Christmas the way I want to! Alone with J and the pups! I don't have anyone to please! I don't have anyone watching my reaction in opening gifts that I usually don't use! I don't have to pretend to be nice to my family only to please other members of my family! It's going to be wonderful!

You may be wondering why I have the feelings I do about Christmas (oh and Thanksgiving too). My mother, well, let's just say she is usually busy with my step dad's family on Christmas. I wouldn't have any problems spending it with her as she lives on a beautiful lake in a city I adore, but I would never hear the end of it from Dad, who would view my choice as choosing her over him. And for him, well, I just don't like seeing anyone spend Christmas alone, which is usually why I sacrificed my own feelings. J's family...they want J all to themselves during the holidays. His family isn't very big and now they all live in the same city but for some reason they choose major holidays to see each other. In fact, his mother gets upset when he is not there. But she never had to spend a Christmas or a Thanksgiving away from her family since J's dad died 15 years ago and wasn't close to his own family. They usually plan Christmas six months in advance and tend to be pushy folks if you haven't made your mind up. I had lived with J for just two weeks when they asked if I had purchased plane tickets for Christmas yet. His family is one area of tension in our relationship. I feel like they don't respect that I have a family of my own that I'd like to spend time with during the holidays, which requires travel time and I feel like their notion of Christmas doesn't match my own. And if you haven't gathered already, I'm pretty judgmental.

Here is my main problem, why do I have to get gifts for people I only hear from once a year (and conviently right before their birthday as if to remind me to also send a gift)? I am closer to my busdriver, but I don't get her anything. Was a memo sent out changing Christmas to Giftmas? These ADULTS, not children because I think gifts are fine for them, DO NOT NEED ANYTHING! And yet J and I got into a recent tiff about how much we were spending on his brother and sister-in-law and how they don't talk to us. It bothers me that they EXPECT gifts, but not an actual relationship with their family.

My family works differently. We don't expect gifts and only give them if we want to. It works well. My sister usually spends time with mom, my brother is usually safe in jail, and I usually take one for the team and have Christmas breakfast at the truck stop with Dad. My family just knows how unrealistic it is to get everyone together. It's something I've grown to appreciate over the years. With regards to J's family, I guess it's just difficult for me to suspend my values and practices for a family that I don't always feel welcome in. I also feel like I am constantly defending myself and my decisions to his family and I feel like respect is completely absent.

But this year I get to do whatever I want, and it's everything I've ever wanted. So J and I will be walking the pups, having dinner with new friends, maybe watch a movie and just being us.

I can't wait to pick him up from the airport tomorrow! Ten whole days with my partner in crime is the perfect gift. This is what Christmas should be all about. This is the kind of Christmas I wish for you!

I have a problem with preachy people. You know, the type that always want to tell you what to do, how to save the world and what you're doing wrong. Now I'm all for respecting peoples' opinions and agreeing to disagree however others aren't so respectful.

In law school these people are the ones who are quick to tell you why you're wrong and how smart they are when it comes to politics and history, sometimes even life experiences. Most of my close friends know that I usually play a character, my "I'm just a dumb florist" when these individuals spout off. It's a joke to myself and others in the know since the truth is I'm actually well-educated, well-traveled, and opinionated. I seldom talk about myself and instead let my "I'm just a dumb florist" mode speak for itself because when it's used I find most people treat me in a condescending manner, only later to find out that I'm not so dumb.

Outside of law school, these people are usually what I'll call liberal hippies. The types who shop at co-ops, recycle, work at used book shops, and hang out in coffee shops. I should know as I am a recovering hippie, (still liberal though). These people drive me crazy because no matter what I do, it is never enough in their eyes. I recycle, but since I don't recycle straws I'm not doing my share to save the planet. I've got news for you, some plastics cannot be recycled! The co-ops and Whole Foods aren't always accessible for me which means I must be evil for not driving the extra miles to spend my dollars there. Oh! By the way, I recently drove for the first time in four months! And I drove a Prius, a good choice car. This means that I've walked, carpooled or rode the bus where I needed to go. But as I'm still relying on a gas powered vehicle I suppose this ain't enough to save the planet either. Other things include books, music and movies to watch to open and expand my mind. What? I'm not well-read enough for you already? Why do you care? Do you get a toaster if you convert me?

So here's my new response to these people. Stop judging and get a job! If you care about our planet, our society (regardless of how pessimistic you view it), then get a job and enter the real world. The one where people are struggling to make ends meet and have no choice but to shop at WalMart. A world where bus routes are inconvenient because time is money. One where the choice between working and staying home with your kids is a feminist issue. See how the church acts as a support network in good times and bad. Stepping outside of your small city block to see what the real world is like is not going to kill you.

Oh and stop telling people how irresponsible they are when they don't do their share to save the planet or educated themselves. You're just as irresponsible for living off student and family loans, and in thinking you can forever protect yourself from cruel societal pressures by staying in a book shop or college forever. Grow up. If you expect me to listen to your words then I expect you to do the same.

I'm tired of being judged. I'm off to Christmas shop in the hopes that my few dollars will at least contribute to someone keeping their job through the holiday season. Yeah, capitalism is a bitch but I happen to enjoy the idea of choice within a market.

Have I cleaned the house?
Have I sold my books back?
Have I gone Christmas shopping?
Have I done anything productive?

No, no, no, and no. I have done nothing but watch tv and veg for the last week and it's been wonderful. I'm still getting my winter break reading list together, and trying to decide if or when I'll observe some courtrooms, but other than that nothing! Nada! Zip!

I think I've been on a blogging vacay long enough so starting tomorrow look for regular law and non-law posts. I've got a lot on my mind and plenty of time on my hands to ponder thoughts all day.

I realized that it's impossible for me to feel completely prepared for an exam. It also seems so unnatural to completely switch gears after an exam and move on to the next subject. Dropping one subject after spending so much time on it and moving to the next is strange. I also found that the day after an exam I was pretty much useless. I joked that unbeknowst to me I was somehow attacked by zombies as I had no energy and could not focus at all. Make note--no focus still means you have to somehow focus, which translates into "not cool."

I now envy the fact that my best friend read romance novels throughout her law school days. I wish I could do the same. I suppose I could read romance novels now that exams are over but it wouldn't be the same. Maybe it was her zombie like moment?

Exams--eh. I hand wrote them this semester and I now realize that I could benefit from typing them next semester. It's not that I can't type, its moreso that I can't organize my thoughts well and type at the same time. I think its something that I'm going to try to work on over the break. Yes, I'm crazy. I'm going to continue to take torts exams over break so that I learn how to think through these crazy questions and exams.

After each exam some friends and I went out to eat and relaxed. We didn't talk about the exams, we didn't talk about the next exam, we just chillaxed. It was exactly what we needed and it's nice to know that when all things are said and done you've got friends to turn. More importantly, you've got friends who will understand you're too exhausted to talk. You have no idea how many waiters I thrilled by having them decide my entire meal, down to what I drank and what I had for dessert!

One thing I can't help but think about is my exam questions. I find myself still issue-spotting or rethinking my application of certain rules. Oh well, there's nothing I can do now. I just wish it wouldn't pop into my head at random points in the day. Our property professor said that the usual A only gets about 60% of the issues, so I guess I shouldn't feel too bad.

Exams completely drain you. I took the longest shower today and completely scrubbed myself. I haven't felt attractive in weeks. I haven't eaten as healthy as I should. And sleep is slowly coming back to me. I've got five weeks before I start the process over again and I'm going to hone in on being lazy. In other words, no, I don't plan on starting my early assignments any time soon.

I was trying to explain to my dad how draining exams are. He doesn't quite get it. But then again he did learn how to use a laptop today and now has e-mail. ("Why do I need e-mail when I'm surrounded by cows?") He asked me if I thought I did ok, to which I responded "meh." Then he asked me if I had talked about the exam with a classmate he met. I said no because just talking about the exam and how other people approached the questions can drive you insane. He still didn't see what the big deal was and looking back I can say that I didn't think talking about your exams would pose a problem. Oh how I was wrong! I had to politely ask others around me to not talk about the exam, I had to be rude at times, I had to stand my ground and not let others destroy my perfect post-exam bliss. I suppose I shouldn't call it bliss, however there was a zen-like calmness to being done with an exam.

Next semester, I hope to have similar thoughts on exams. I also hope that my civil procedure outline is done before the exam...but I'm not going to think about that now.

Fellow blogger Gudnuff asked some good questions about the Client Counseling Competition so I thought I would address them in another post.

Client counseling is a skill some lawyers regularly do. I first learned about it in our legal research and writing class because we had to practice interviewing each other and suggest avenues of potential action. It makes complete sense that a lawyer would interview a client, however I never really thought of it as a learned skill before law school. Lawyers are always meeting with clients so it makes sense to think about and practice how you would organize an initial interview.

The competition had no affect on our grades. If you won or advanced to the next level I suppose it gave you bragging rights. My partner and I didn't spend too much time preparing for it and overall it was a good experience. The judges gave us good feedback on how well we questioned, listened and put our client at ease. I know that I don't take criticism well so it was an opportunity to receive some good constructive criticism and continue to learn how to accept it gracefully.

I'm all about putting myself in uncomfortable positions. I'm not the best at networking so the more I put myself into awkward shoes, the more I learn how to relax and network in a non-cheesy fashion. One of the judges was an attorney that talked to us earlier in the semester about an externship I was interested in. Because he was there and I recognized him I was able to ask him more questions about the externship and continue to get face time with him. So I suppose the competition was worth it just for that.

Again, I would recommend it to all law students if you have the opportunity. It was fun to talk with local attorneys and get to know my partner better. If anything it's an excuse to wear a suit!

My school recently held it's Client Counseling Competition and I have to say that it was fun competing in it. As the competition neared, my partner and I seriously wanted to withdraw as we had our last memo due. But we stayed in and had a great experience.

The thing about partner counseling is that it's harder than you would think it to be. You have to make sure that each of you is sharing the floor AND making the client as comfortable as possible. It's also difficult asking questions because you don't know what questions your partner wants to ask and you also don't want to interrupt your client. We didn't advance to the next round and were happy about that. It was a really good experience and I would encourage all law students to at least give it a try. Our judges and clients were local attorneys and judges so if anything you may have at least some time to network.

I had a criminal law exam yesterday.

It was hell. And I mean that in the wtf kind of hypothetical way. When I recapped the hypo to J he said, "WTF?" And I said, "yeah, tell me about it!"

I chose to hand write my exam for one major reason. There were only ten of us in the tiny room and we all weren't psychopaths. These nine people are good folk! We laughed, we wished each other luck, there was no psyching-me out moments, it was good clean fun. Whether they know it or not these classmates kept me calm and confident, something I desperately needed for my first exam. I heard the typers were vicious. I just laughed.

I went into the exam laughing, full of my cheesy Meg Ryan confidence. I just kept picturing Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail doing her little boxing bit when she was pysching herself up for her fight against Fox Books. That was me yesterday and will be me on Friday, and twice again next week. Our professor said to go in and treat the exam like a three hour art project. Well, I glittered, I bedazzeled, and I puffy painted the crap out of that mess. And I think I did ok. I think I need to spend more time analyzing the facts to the rule, but overall I was ok with the exam. I had plenty to discuss. And most importantly I walked out of that room with the biggest smile. Take that jerks! I'm gonna psych you out with sheer confidence! So go ahead and gawk because my puffy paint, glittered, bedazzelness should make you shake in your boots!

I have finals. Imagine that!

So here is my blogging agenda:

• Had to update the template and lost links. I'm working on getting them all up but if you would like a shout-out link holla at me in the comments.
• Had my first final yesterday, will blog later today.
• Still playing catch up with "lawyerly" events that took place while the laptop died. So if you see odd posts, this is why.
  
• Desperately searching for ways to focus on exams, any tips?
• Have I mentioned my hatred toward certain fellow classmates yet?
• Updating you on my bird-roommate situation.
• A whole post on why mantras going into exams seems like a good thing.

And now I get to play catch up.

In some ways, I urge each and every one of you to have your computer crash two weeks before finals.

So I lost it, as in my hard drive, and everything on it. I privately cried and threw my tantrum and then went to class. Enough of my friends knew that I had lost everything that the word spread. This meant I had other classmates come up to me and say things like "aw, shucks! That's too bad!" I felt like they just wanted to feel better about themselves. I was surprised by the generosity of others though. Some offered to help me, offered me notes, outlines, whatever I wanted, all I had to do was ask. This whole losing my laptop experience really opened my eyes to who were good genuine people and who weren't. It doesn't help that all this happened so close to finals and just before my final memo was due.

Without a computer I was forced to use the computer lab. It was there that I had a bad day and I started to realize what complete jerks law students really are. You see, there is this guy in my legal writing class who got an A on his first paper. And because other people were stupid enough to brag about grades he learned where some people were at in the class. Now I obviously know my grade, which was good, but the way he talked about other people's grades somehow made me think he ruled me out as being within the top third. This upset me as I could not figure out what gave him the notion that I wasn't "smart" enough to be up there with his "competition." It's also hard to accept that you're not seen as smart to your classmates. I suppose this should be a good learning experience prior to grades however I can't help but feel like crap.

From that moment on I went into a "screw you" mode. This "screw you" mode involves being a complete jerk to all those I deem jerks. This meant that I avoided jerks at all times and wore earmuffs to keep my sanity. I made jokes, I goofed off, I laughed. I did everything I could to show that I was not going to let these people get to me. I now know what it means to stay far away from any and all law students. They truly try to suck the very life out of you. Some will try to psych you out, others will try to only discuss obscure sub-rules of the material, others still will go on and on about how amazing their outlines are. Well folks, it ain't working on me!

In classic Cartman style my motto has been, "Screw you guys, I'm going home!"