Spring Break- The Recap

During my spring break I've

• Gotten all of my outlines started (although one is very very basic);
• Started my moot court outline;
• Went on a lunch interview;
• Got my reading done for tomorrow;
• Went to internship;
• Collected donations for a charity auction;
• Caught up with some friends.

All and all, a good spring break. I think I need a break from break, but many other people have that sentiment. I think now I am just trying to do enough work to not feel like I am sinking.

I know why I am feeling like I am just slammed with work- job searching for the rest of my life, working, competitions, an extra class, more reading. Not like I am going to sit and pout, wondering why is law school so hard. It is a very hard thing. It sucks, but that is life (in law school). This is going to sound sick, but I sort of enjoy being in this masochistic situation.

The Holy Grail

For every question presented there is a holy grail case out there, or so we hope. This case answers the question so perfectly that you'd be a fool not to use it.

It is impossible to find though. I believe it involved the Tomb Sir Richard, tricking the Nazis, a room full of bejeweled cups, and several other Indiana Jones references.

You will know when you've found this case though. It is so beautiful that it will bring tears to your eyes.

Spring Break Day One

Woke up later than expected, and in this weird fetal position with my face straight down and butt in the air. Felt great!

Spent a rediculous amount of time outlining for Civ Pro. I am now almost done with Chapter 3. In all fairness though, Chapter 3 is about 200 pages.

Got placed for clinic. Yay!

New Semester Resolution

So with the new semester starting today, I started reviewing some resolutions in my mind. Even though I felt like I did good my first semester, I am definitely willing to try a change. Also, I really am down for the whole self improvement sort of deal (ok, I am like a self help addict half the time).

I divided my resolutions into different categories. Each resolution highlights what I want to improve the most.

Academic Resolutions
1. Read smarter. Last semester I got really good at reading. And by good, I mean I am able to read ridiculously fast. I always used to read fast though, so It was only a matter of time before I got good at reading the boring crap. Now I want to be able to question what I am reading as I read it, and make connections that I may have over looked by only reading.
2. Be more confident. Not a gunner (although if you ever raise your hand, ever, or even just nod your head, you risk being branded a gunner, so take the term as you will), but I want to be certain of myself when I speak and when I prep for exams.
3. Review my notes and semi outline after class. I actually did that today. It was a fun fusion of book, lecture, and my thoughts on the issue. I think it should help prepare for finals.
Enter into a writing competition. I am not sure if this is in the right section. It does sound cool though.

Professional Development
1. Have interactions with lawyers in the field I want to go in. So I was assigned a mentor. I wrote to him and I am waiting to hear back. Ummm… It doesn’t hurt to have more interactions though.
2. Get a summer internship. For the awesome experience. Paid would be preferable. (A broke law student has got to eat!)
3. Be up on my current events in the field I want to go into. Sadly, I've been sort of in the dark about those, and about most other things. Unless it happened in the library, there is a good chance that I am unaware about it. But, I did know about the bird that flew in here in November.

Personal (along the law school variety)
1. Be nice to everyone. Pretty straight forward there. This also includes the "don’t talk shit behind people's backs" clause. They always find out. Also, bad karma.
2. Bring my own lunch and make it tasty. I brought peanut butter sandwiches almost every day last semester. At the end I rebelled. In order to save my cash, I will cook extra at dinner and pack it in a tupperware to eat for lunch.
3. Don't dress like a damn slob. Harking back to my post about keeping law school classy, I plan on dressing like I want to be a damn lawyer, or at least like I am worth the five minutes talking to.

The First Assignments

So today I really dove into my first set of assignments. I call a mulligan on last week's work on Contracts. (Even though I don't play golf, I still reserve the right to use the work "mulligan" at will.) My approach to law school is that I am treating it like a job, and unlike my last job, I am treating it like one I like and want to excel at. So in light of that, I woke up at 8AM this morning, hit the gym, and then the books.

This round of studying seemed less daunting. I was actually able to read and understand what I was doing. I also didn't feel like I was just copying the textbook. I am not exactly sure what happened, but I think it might have just been the setting. In the library I don't get distracted. The library makes me pretend that I am a good student, and it seems like law school is all about pretending (Moot Court, mock interviews, etc. etc.).

I do feel the need to keep quiet about my studies though. I won't be divulging how long I was at the library today. On my Facebook, I posted my study location, but in retrospect, it makes me look like a giant tool. So what if I am in the library on the second floor at 11:34AM? It is all about quality, not quantity. It is also about not being an asshole when it comes to studying. Is telling people you are studying some sort of intimidation tactic? We shall see.