Get Me, I'm a Law Student

So this post isn't going to be anything resembling polished or possibly even coherent, but I wanted to post something about how law school is going.

I had this crazy fever for about 12 days, and it continued through orientation, the intense weekend of reading and the first day or so of class. I was frustrated, exhausted and just not wanting to "do this." I was seriously questioning my decision to go to law school, my ability to balance my health and law school, and my desire to be at law school at all.

I did finish all the reading though, and stayed caught up and did the briefing and even volunteered some information in that first Contracts class. I spent quite a bit of time paralyzed with fear at the thought of being called on, and although I still haven't been called on I do feel more confident and think I'll muddle through somehow when the time comes.

I'm sure someday, probably soon, I will look back at the sentence I'm about to write and I'll do something like laugh or cringe but: I like law school.

That's all I have time for right now. Oh, except for I'll mention that I don't have class on Fridays and that is frakking awesome. (That one was for the Battlestar Galactica fans among us.)

Oh, Man!

I can't believe I forgot to post about the great CD I got from T Sinister! I don't have time right now, as I need to go to school and get my computer all set up on their internets. But! I will right this oversight asap. Promise.

Blawg Review Map - Update

Please read about the Blawg Review map here.

Now It Just Needs A Name...

Ah, the joy of having things that work. My new computer - which arrived early - is a pleasure. It's fast and can do the whole wireless thing which I've never had before. Also it matches my new phone, and we all know how important that is.

I have been having a great time hanging out in Oregon. We've been to many touristy places in and around Portland, and took a day trip up to Seattle via the train. Flowers are beautiful and super cheap here which is such a nice change, and the Farmer's Markets are incredible. We went to the big one in Portland (the Saturday Market) and the fantastic smaller one here in Lake Oswego. (I know I'm going a little heavy with the glowing adjectives, but they really are accurate.)

Orientation starts Thursday. I was really, really nervous but now I'm just more anxious to just get started than anything else. Having a nice computer helps.

Houseguests coupled with a slowly dying computer have made luxuries like blogging difficult. The house is slowly returning to its pre-guest state, however, and my shiny new computer is arriving on the 24th. Of course orientation starts on the 25th and life as I know it ends - but at least I'll be tethered to the new laptop and blogging will be terribly convenient.

It's been fun hearing about others' first days of law school experiences. I'll be sure to add to the fray when it's my turn.

Safe and Sound

We're finally, finally here in beautiful Oregon. I don't know what everyone was talking about when they said we would experience a dreary, grey existence here in the Pacific Northwest - we have seen nothing but sunshine since we've arrived.

We absolutely love our apartment and our complex. Everything is nicer than I even expected - and I came in with high expectations. Our neighbors are wonderful, we have a beautiful view from our balcony and the property managers did all they said they would with the place (new carpet, appliances, etc.) We couldn't be more pleased with how things have turned out here.

Of course getting here came with its share of bumps and bruises. We blew a tire on the trailer in Wyoming. Interestingly we have had car problems both coming and going through this small town before. J commented that it's like our own little automotive Bermuda triangle. Anyway, that took four hours to straighten out. So J, me, the little dog and the fish spent one sixth of a day sitting in the cab of a Penske truck in the middle of Wyoming. I did get some of my summer assigned reading done, so at least there was a tiny bit of productivity happening during the ordeal.

This left us way behind schedule. We didn't even make it out of Utah before we had to stop and sleep a little bit. We ended up not in the nice reserved camping spot in Caldwell, Idaho but the party central location of Ogden, Utah: the park and ride off of I-84. Kids were coming and going, presumably with 40s, at all hours of the night. We stayed there from about 10pm to 3am and then pressed on.

Miraculously, and to the credit of J's seemingly superhuman moving abilities, we made it to our new town before the end of business day on Monday the first. We picked up our keys, stashed the truck and slept on the living room floor. We set the alarm for four, but that didn't happen. We were up by five, though, and again because of J's incredible moving stamina we had everything we own in the apartment by about 5pm and had the Penske truck out of our possession forever by 6:30.

And then we got lost for two hours trying to get back to our new house. Portland highways are very different than what we are used to. We found that it is very hard to just get off at an exit and get back on going the opposite direction. We did finally make it home that Tuesday evening and soon fell asleep crammed in between the moving boxes.

Ever since, we've been putting stuff away, putting stuff back together and getting used to the new town. I know I've already said it, but we absolutely love it here. It's so green, quiet, and just plain pleasant. This was the best decision we've ever made - other than getting married, of course!

The "I'm Almost Done Packing" Post

Our big yellow Penske truck and trailer are in the parking lot. There are boxes stacked to the ceiling everywhere I look, and somehow there's still stuff lying around. Unboxed. Mocking me and my now-obvious lack of packing skills.

There's also trash. Almost as much trash as non-trash. Some of it is stuff that I simply can't bear to move again. Stuff that I've moved from back of apartment closet to back of another apartment closet to back of a closet in a house to back of yet another apartment...You get the idea. Stuff that lives in the back of a closet is stuff I don't need.

I'm going to take a break - I think I'll take a walk, get some iced tea and send off my mix CD.

Tomorrow: Load the truck
Sunday, 5am: Buh-bye Colorado!

But WHY?...

I have just completed the final element of the mating ritual that is the law school application process: returning the letters from the jilted schools that ask "But Why? Why Not Me?" While it's flattering that they care why I've decided against attending it's still a little awkward.

I went with a mixture of "It's not you, it's me" and the truth. I even added an anecdote from an admitted students' day in which a current student who had aspirations of public interest law felt she "had no choice" but to enter corporate law. I asked whether her classmates felt the same way. She said yes. I had to wonder where this attitude was coming from. Career Services? 2Ls and 3Ls? Professors? From all of the literature, and my own conversations with their Career Services people, I had to believe that this idea of having "no choice" but to enter corporate law was not accurate. But what if it was? I decided not to stick around to find out. Of course this conversation was not actually the reason for deciding against this particular school, but it certainly didn't help.

CD Exchange!

CM has graciously offered to host a CD exchange. Check out the details over at Magic Cookie and sign up today!

I just finished my contribution. It's pretty random, but I think it is fun. I hope my mystery receiver enjoys it!

Discovery

Thank goodness for a smooth launch.

Best wishes to the crew for a successful mission and a safe return.

Single Digits!

It's finally single digit days until moving day!

Dare To Dream

I have always wanted to be on some kind of rowing team. CU has one, but my bus never ran early enough for me to make practice. So when I found out that Lewis & Clark Law has a dragon boat team - the "Scales of Justice" that races during the Portland Rose Festival - I added the rowing machine to my (severely diminished) gym time with the intention of trying to make the team come spring semester. I've never really used the rowing machine before, but as it turns out I really enjoy it. And as an added bonus I'm now sporting some bitchin' blisters.

It's A Small World After All

While whitewater rafting down the Arkansas river today I discovered that our raft guide is applying to Lewis & Clark Law for Fall '06. What are the odds?

I gave him my contact information and an offer to answer "How to apply to law school" questions. He enthusiastically accepted and offered to take us rafting and climbing in Oregon.

Life is pretty fun sometimes.

Gainfully Employed!

And the last piece of the relocation puzzle falls into place: J was offered his first choice job! Hooray!

I'm In Love!

My mobile phone has been slowly dying for some time. I've had it since the last millennium. I'm not kidding you. The volume button broke long ago and it only holds a charge for about an hour, tops. I'm embarrassed to use it in public.

This is why I'm so excited to have a new one. It's cute, it's a camera, and it's blue! J and I got twin phones and a "family plan" from T-Mobile. I may have to put an owl sticker or something on mine so we don't mix them up. That situation would be sure to turn into a Three's Company fiasco.

Busy...

...but fun busy. We're so ready to move, I can't tell you. I've ordered or transferred all of the things that needed to be ordered or transferred. The packing is underway and the truck is rented, ready and waiting.

While I was packing on Monday I came across a gift certificate to this fancy spa my mom bought me for my birthday - 5 years ago! Five years ago I had no interest in going to a fancy spa. Now I have every interest in going to a fancy spa, and so I called them up figuring there is no way this certificate had not expired long ago. Much to my surprise - it was still good!

The obvious end to this story is that I spent all day yesterday at a fancy spa and it was very, very nice. I had eight inches taken off my hair and I love it! This is the haircut I've been wanting for years, but being so not inclined to read those magazines where people talk about hair I had no idea how to communicate this desire - then my obviously magical hairdresser somehow figured it out through my ramblings. Amazing.

After various other forms of pampering I was able to tip exorbitantly due to the wonder that was that gift certificate. All in all, a fantastic day!

In law school news: The orientation coordinators at Lewis & Clark have started setting up some pre-orientation events in and around Portland. I've RSVP'd J and I for tango lessons, a "mystery movie night" at the Bagdad Theater and Pub and of course the obligatory "welcome to school" picnic. See, we can be social! I've also signed up for an invasive species eradication project (in Tryon Creek State Park, for those interested) organized by the pro bono coordinator. I figure it will be nice to do something familiar the day before all of the unfamiliar begins.

A Promise

I'm making a sincere promise to myself concerning law school.

I'm making a commitment to not let myself get swept up in the tide of anxiety-filled advice. I'm going to stay as healthy and sane as possible. I'm going to do my best work and then try very hard to not worry excessively about grades.

I'm going to take part in activities that I feel will help me achieve my goals, but I'm not going to try and do everything. I'm not going to worry about what other people are doing.

I'm going to try and make law school fun.

Homeful

After convincing the corporate types that we will actually pay our rent every month the apartment we had on an "unofficial hold" is now "officially held." Less than a month and we'll be signing a lease and picking up keys. It seems weird to me that they don't want us to sign something right away, but they say that we'll do all the legal stuff on August 1st, the day we arrive. I did ask them to send a letter that says something to the effect of: You won't be out on the street when you get here.

So this is where I'm going to tell details about the new apartment. So, get off here if square footage and amenity info bores you...


This is our floorplan. The total space is about 1250 sq. ft. - Much more space than what we've been living in for the past 3 years! The bedroom floor is the downstairs. We'll be using the two extra bedrooms as studies. J has insisted that I take first pick of study spaces, and I'm fairly certain that I'll be choosing the one that's set up like a TV room in the floorplan above. I like the non-square shape of it.

There are two decks, which is nice. Also a fireplace, and a washer and dryer in the kitchen area. We're super excited to not have to deal with quarters and neighbors' laundry schedules. Also, 2.5 bathrooms to decorate!

As for the complex, the best part is an on-site workout facility, pool, hot tub, sauna situation as well as free access to a real gym across the street. Initially we had wanted to end up in a house but these amenities are a decent trade-off.

So, that's the basic story of our new housing situation. We can't wait to get out there already!

Thanks go out once more to Shelley for looking at apartments for us and just generally being our Pacific Northwest connection.

THE Why Law III

Last night I dreamt that I was the Pope. I tried to interpret this with an online dream dictionary, but they were only helpful with seeing the Pope, not being the Pope.

In the dream everyone had to call me The Why Law the Third, with the emphasis on the The. But other than that, and people kind of treating me weird, I just lived my normal life. Some benefits to being Pope were: I never had to wait on hold and people would put out their very nicest towels when I came over.

Mekong Giant Catfish

Isn't it incredible when a member of a critically endangered species is found?

Doesn't it make it that much more amazing when it is the finest example of the species ever encountered?

And isn't it awesome when people then kill it and eat it?

People suck.