Holy Blog Silence! 1L Wisdom

Wow, its been almost the entire semester since I have posted on here. But I am back to share some of my 1L, been there, done that, thank f*cking god I don't have to do it again wisdom. First let me say my blog silence it totally due to the fact that this semester has been outrageously busy for me. I have become president of the school's OUTlaw chapter, wrote the nightmare that is the 1L appellate brief and argued said brief in the terror filled moot court requirement. I have lost jobs, I have found a (non-paying) job for the summer. I have worked out and changed my health for the better till I am almost a veggie and so sore I couldn't walk.... plus I had facebook to keep up on during class.... whew.

So here is my pearls of wisdom for all the possible 1L's trying to decide whether or not to go to law school

• They ain't lying kids, jobs are scarce for us all... this isn't the money maker it used to be, but that only matters if you care about that sort of thing to the point that the lack of a guaranteed 2ooK salary will change your mind
• Start in the summer if you can. Its a nice, low stress, intro to the land of lawlz school, you make some awesome friends, form a relationship with professors, and can laugh at all the fall 1Ls freaking out over taking 5 exams they have no idea how to prepare for. By then you will have taken at least 2 and fell like an old pro
• Don't let the high school atmosphere get to you. Its cliquey, and intensely annoying, and COMPETITIVE, but ignore those posers and concentrate on yourself. After all they have so little effect on your life it's not funny
• Don't think everyone has it all figured out but you, they don't either. In fact they are looking at you thinking the same thing
• Know your study patterns, know how you learn, and make time to study starting at least 1 month before finals
• Outline your notes as you go, you don't want to trying to type a semesters outline up in one night to study from
• Make time for law school and make time for life.... otherwise you will be burnt out and not have one, or any friends by December.
  

Leave any questions you might have in the comment box, I will answer them as soon as I can.

New Semester, New Year... New Me?

So, as you can see I haven't posted much lately.... I was busy with finals, and then during break (and I just noticed I do this every break) I became a hermit to decompress, hide from the phone, read many novels and play video games. I think since I push myself so hard during the year, that I need to completely socially shut down during school breaks just to give myself some me/family time.

However, that is all over since today was the first day of the Sporing semester. Grades came in from Fall, and while I didn't do bad, I know I could have done better. But, in m y defense, I had some personal issues going on and I just couldn't get in my groove. well that, and I couldn't get the eff off facebook. So this semester I am going to make an effort to pay attention in class, knowing that this will prolly bring my grades up to what I feel is acceptable, that and I have to stop getting on my comp when I am supposed to be studying. I am horrible about that!!

On a different note. I joined a gym and started a weight loss/fitness blog. I ache all over and actually pulled a muscle in my neck, but I am seeing results after 3 weeks and enjoy the feeling of empowerment and accomplishment I get from hauling my big butt to the gym every week!

Hows everyone else's semester going? Anything changes you want to make?

Gratz to the Feds

According to the ACLU gender identity is now protected from employment discrimination within the federal government. I know this has to be a huge relief for families if TG employees. My partners place of employment has non-discrim policies and its nice to know his employer affords some protection even though the state where we live in does not. Of course, we still have some worry when there comes a time when his documented gender could come up, but so far so good, and hopefully it will stay that way.

Back to Work *sigh*

Well I have spent a lovely week and a half since my last final doing absolutely NOTHING. I played Warcraft, spent some time with my Xbox, hung out (and nursemaided, he has a weird neck pinched nerve-y thing) with my partner, and avoided all things that had to do with real life. I even fulfilled last weeks 3x's visit to the gym I just joined. All in all I am feeling pretty chill. Well except for the fact grades haven't hit yet and my old text books have yet to sell so I can but new ones... but I have no control over that, so c'est la vie.

This week its time to get back to work to a point. I have plans of starting the bar app law students have to fill out. (Pray tell, wtf is the story with that?? I have to list every place I worked and lived since I was 18 and get letters from my employers? I don't even remember some of those years, that's why I am 32 and still IN SCHOOL!) I also want to get some resumes and cover letters ready to go out so I can find a job for summer. Along with those things we have a house to recover from the holidays and a living room and foyer to paint before we go out of town next week.

What is everyone else doing over break?

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

I have been having a lovely and relaxing break so far. I have joined a gym to start getting healthier and to give myself a stress reliever that does not involve impotent glaring at strangers. I have also spent some time with those most important to me: my partner, my dog, my Xbox and Lara Croft (not necessarily in that order).

Grades have not been released yet so I still have no clue how the first real semester of 1L year went. In fact the day grades come out hubster and I will be at a casino and hotel (our Xmas pressie to ourselves) and I will not be able to look them up till i get home the next day. Thankfully casinos provide free alcohol. Unfortunately, it only takes a glass of wine to out me on my ass.... oh well.

Tort This

My haphazard studying for my tort final is appalling. I have spent most of the day devising a million things that need to be done RIGHT NOW (like writing this) as a way of procrastinating and avoiding torts. It's not that i don't like the class because I do. And I like the teacher, he is an absolute hoot. he is a cross between a preacher and Malcom X. There is at least one point during every class where I want to jump up and start talking in tort tongues. However, what I don't like is the fact that he wants us to be able to spit 50 million different analysis aspects back at him per question. Example, him going over our "practice exam" (paraphrased for your reading enjoyment"

"If you mention A, I will give you 2 pts, if you mention B I will give you 2 points, if you mention C, even though there are no facts to support it and its not really relevant to the matter, I will give you 2 points."

SO, basically if I memorize my entire outline and vomit it onto the exam paper I win?? I am honestly so burnt out on studying I could care less right now. Luckily my paralegal education gave me nice background in torts so i have a lot of passive knowledge to pull from. The rest will come from the tests/elements from the current class I think are important and exam likely, and the gift of bullshit I was so amazingly blessed with.

Now, I am going to go back to reading the Pendergrast novels..... I mean studying, or facebooking, or staring at my dog while he sleeps.... whichever......

Still Here. Just Buried

I am still here, just buried under a pile of legal pads, used up highlighters and Examples and Explanations supplements. I had two exams last week, property and contracts, that I surprisingly feel good about despite the fact I spent the majority of the semester surfing the net during class (don't do it kids, I hope I don't in the spring). Now I just have intellectual property and torts this week.... wish me luck.

On a good note I have an appointment with a local gym that is doing a fitness program and taking volunteers. I hope I get in. Its hard for me to stay motivated about my health whne I am in school, I am hoping being a part of something like this will help.

Well back to re-writing my IP outline over and over until I can recite it in my sleep. See you on the other side!!

"Finals" Countdown

My first final is exactly one week from today.

I have been studying hard and looked to really bat the whole finals study crunch thing out of the park, allowing myself to feel, maybe not confident, but pretty good about my legal knowledge.

At 12:30 I begin sneezing and now I can barely breathe through my nose. My eyes are watery, itchy and on fire. I have to re-read every sentence I type to ensure that I am not speaking gibberish due to the large layer of wtf-ever that has surrounded my brain.

*shaking fists in air, Kleenex waving furiously* WHY GOD, WHY?????

************

On a lighter note, vote for Namby. Or burn forever in the fiery pit of eternal damnation. Your choice.

Good Show Moron

It finally happened, I got called on and was completely unprepared for it. Right before class I had a, how shall we say, intense conversation with the hubster. One which we were continuing over facebook during class (yeah yeah, I know, I was supposed to be paying attention). So... of course, I am called on. I had read the case, but it was on Monday when I read it and I hadn't reviewed it like I normally do because I was otherwise occupied. And this is the day he called on me. So I stumbled through, did ok I think, but still feel like a complete ass. Perfectionist A-Type people take this kinda of stuff hard and it will haunt me until I get high on paint fumes from painting the house this weekend. Oh well.....

Maybe I need to leave the laptop in the locker next semester huh?

Studying, Bar Apps and Resumes

I am hip deep in school work. I have memo's due, daily assignments, outlines to keep up and review to fit in. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving break, not because I have hours of fun-filled recreation planned, but because I am planning on studying, and over the weekend following, promoting my little direct sales biz at a local craft fair.

I also have an appointment with career services so I can try and start looking for a job for the summer, either paid or unpaid, at this point I would just be happy for the experience, money would just be a bonus.

Plus I am beginning work on the bar app I have to submit by October. October? Why I am worrying about it now? Because I have account for every address and job, and get signed affidavits from all my former employers that I am not a crackhead or some such thing. Being 32, that gives me A LOT of info to track down.... it's all about the 6 P Rule.

A Great Step Forward in a Long Journey

This is a little late because I got caught up in school, but The big news in the GLBT community last week was Pres. Obama signing the Matthew Shepard Act into law. This law brings the GLBT community into the classes protected from hate crimes. It was a long, painful road to get here, but it makes me even more optimistic that every day will bring more headway on the GLBT rights front. I get discouraged sometimes because it seems like everything we want to do is a fight. My beloved and I want to adopt a child within a couple of years of my graduation, we want to get married, and we want to protect what little we have scraped together while working towards our future. But to do all this we have to take 50 million more things into account than your normal couple.

For example, adoption. The state we live in makes it illegal for us to adopt a baby, since technically, we are still a gay couple. So we are looking at out of the country adoption but the international adoption book says that no country will KNOWINGLY place a baby with a gay couple. So I apply as a single person? Doesn't that disregard what will be a 12-13 year long, great relationship? Where does that leave Hayden as a parent? And what about us being a trans couple and Hayden legally being male by then? Or do I try to get pregnant even that it will cost a mint, and due to health problems, I might not be able carry it to term? But it will give us more protection as a family.

All of these things to think about just to start a family with my partner. In some ways its good because we can plan, but bad because we HAVE to plan. The hope I have for it all is that it will be easier for us because I am (well will be) a lawyer, that the rules will change, and that everything, as ususal, will work out exactly the way it is supposed to.

I am an Epic Fail

I am a published writer, as in books. Don't let my typos fool you.

I am the person who took graduate level English Classes in undergrad for fun, sometimes 2 at the same time when I needed "cheese" classes.

I am the person who had their papers used as examples for other students on the CORRECT way to write a paper.

I just got my first Memo back for review from my legal writing teacher. I haven't seen this much ink on one writing assignment in my entire life. My lofty sense of writing talent fell to the ground like a deflated balloon (don't worry, there wasn't a 6 yr old in it!).

I am the person who thought they could write, but apparently was mistaken.

I am epic fail....

*sigh*

Now, its a pride issue that I have to turn in the final draft of the memo that is AWESOME.... will keep you updated.

Calm Before the Storm

It's coming, the crying jags in the bathroom, 1Ls walking around, muttering to themselves and the 2/3L's looking at us with pity.

It will start the week after Halloween, when it hits all of us that finals are really only 4 weeks away and we really are expected to know all of this crap, er, legal knowledge that the proffesors have been talking about while we facebook-ed. Our hearts will skip a beat, or 5, or hands will shake and we will realize the reason that we have had so much free time this semester when everyone told us how hard it was going to be was because we were only doing 25% of the work we were supposed to.

How do I know all this, and how can I be so calm? Because I did the same this this past summer, and I am wiser for it.

For those of you saying, "NO!! We don't want to be those 1L's? What can we do?"

Well this is what I am doing: outlining after each class (Its a lot easier to outline 3 classes of notes per day, then outline 3 months of 5 classes in 2 days) and I try to do 2 review sessions per subject, per week. Usually this is either a chapter in one of my Examples & Explanations books, or a lesson in CALI. While this wont get me through everything leisurely by finals, it will give me a nice solid foundation of stuff I already know, so I can focus on points I have struggling with.

Good luck everyone. It won't be as bad as you think!

Girls in Tuxes?? Not if This School Can Help It!

An openly gay girl in Mississippi wants to wear her tux in her senior pic. However, she is told that the photo will not be included. Why? Because it is against the "convictions" of the people who run the school, even though there is not policies in place to effect that women can not wear tuxes, or other masculine attire. Translation for those of you who don't have the pleasure of living in the south. "These weirdo q*ueers freak us out and instead of trying to find common ground, we are going to pretend that they don't exist."

Take the time to email the people with "convictions" and let them know that everyone's convictions are important (and in this case, protected by the first amendment), not just theirs.

Of course, this just affirms why I, an openly queer woman, am in law school and is busting her hump to open her own practice. This is the kind of thing I hope to have a small hand, if not a large one, in abolishing.

"Freedom is not the same thing as being Free" ~ PC

*edited because of my lack of grammar skills at bedtime, :)

The Second Wind Cometh

I feel rejuvenated, not literally, but mentally. I am still physically tired and wish I could sleep in on weekends, but the fact that I wake up early all week has jinxed that.... but I digress...

I am caught up in school work, so much so that all my classes are outlined to the most recent day, I am slightly ahead on reading and a written assignment and have had time to start reviewing. I realized I slacked off the first few weeks of the semester and now have to review that concepts I half ignored the first weeks cuz I was not on my game. But I am doing it!

I started a new, yes another biz venture (let me know if you want info) because I have a firm goal/idea for my solo career and want to work as hard as I can towards it, both financially and academically. For those of you that scoff and say I am only a 1L or that i should be doing something legal with my time, I say this... Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. And while do intend to find a legal job 2L year, but in my podunk area they are harder to find then a person who reads. And to quote Ani DiFranco "you gotta have an alternate plan."

So, yes, I am still yawning, I am still tired, but I feel good about the semester, the year and my future.... lets see how next week goes, lol.

Fall Biz

Well I have to admit that fall is kicking my tail all over the damn place. School is busy as all get out, to the point where I am pulling 13-14 hour days some weeks. Add in my new business venture and tyring to have somewhat of a social life, and I feel like I am burning the candle at both ends. And the candle is precariously short.

Of course, part of me is enjoying it as well. I like the feel of deadlines, to do lists and generally being busy. I love my new little biz venture and feel like between that and law school, I am making my finals steps towards being what I want to be. I like the constant struggle of time management and paper shuffling.

But I miss sleep, I miss staying up until 2am and getting up at 9. I miss being productive when the urge hits me rather than when I am able to be awake. But I guess this freedom will come back after I graduate.... here's to hoping. And on the sleep note, f this post makes no sense, its because of the lack of sleep and feeling generally out of whack this morning.

Shameless Self Promotion

Time to plug my biz.

As a 1L I was, as the people at orientation put it, "stongly discouraged" from working my 1L year. Of course, even if I wanted to, I dont know where I would find the time as at least four of my days a week are 12 hr days between class, meetings and driving. So, in order to supplement the 1L income and start socking money away for my solo office I hope to open after graduation (well, its also so I have an excuse to talk/read about makeup and fashion... "but, baby, I have to read my Glamour now, its market research!!) , I am selling mark brand makeup. Its a lovely venture as I can completely ignore it on weeks I am swamped with assignments, and have some fun with it when I have time. I wont go into all the details here, I will just simply link to my other, non-legal blog so that you can choose for yourself whether or not to read more about it or check out my site.

Shameless self promotion is over, we now return you to your regularly scheduled blawgging.

High School

I have come to notice that law school is a lot like being back in high school, except for this time around, I could care less if I am popular. I am just finding it highly amusing to see us all gathered at our lockers between classes, the majority of the 1L class huddling together in their little groups in a vain attempt to look like they know what the hell is going on, and we still have the sorority sisters looking down their noses at everyone and snickering together.

Come on people, how old are we really?

I wish I could have looked at situations like this with humor when I was actually in high school, probably would have made me a less angsty teen :).

Group =/= Group

We were put into groups today in my Legal Research class. I, of course, had been dreading this all week. From my experience in undergrad group work usually meant that of the 4 people in the group, 2, at the most, would be doing the work while the rest traded stories of how big of a b*ong hit they could hold. I didn't expect the law school to be completely the same, but I still dreaded it.....

Gods be praised, this group is only required to work on the same assignment and share information through whatever means we choose i.e. facebook, email, phone, shouts across the building mall, etc. My whole group breathed a sigh of relief. Not only are we each turning in our own assignments, but we are not even required to actually talk to each other! Now this is my type of group assignment!

Is it too Early to Wish it was Over?

Its week 2 into the fall semester and I already feel mentally frayed (evidence: I am typing this when I should be glancing over my Torts cases, today will be the day I am called on, lol). By 8pm every night I am unable to speak coherently, especially if the words that are required have more then 1 syllable, and I can't read anything that uses brain cells (hence I am happily re-read my beloved Sookie Stackhouse series again). While I am keeping up with the work, I feel like I am reading every minute of everyday and am struggling to find the school/life balance that everyone says is essential to mental health (and my relationship, lol.) I am not stressed as a lot of my fellow 1L's are, just tired. I loathe being tired.
Since I live an hour away I am wasting 2 hours of my day just driving, plus in an effort to be more social I am trying to re-connect with friends and I actually joined an student association (those that know me in RL just fell off their chairs). While I am excited about being a member of our chapter of OUTLaw, I am stressed about meeting new people (my hermit ways is what made me decide to force myself out of them) and hate that our first social event has me up at the school for 13 hours so I can attend. But I think it will be good for me to see something other then my beloved, my doggie and my office walls.
I am already looking forward to my 2L year where I can choose my classes and hopefully get at least one day where I am not at the school every week. Hopefully this is just what I usually go through at the beginning of each semester and I will be in my groove by next week. Any suggestions?