What Duties do Dogs Owe Their People?

So, as it ends up, I wasn't done with my pre-bar posting, yet!

Had to share this:

I woke up several time last night and each time there was something "element sounding" running through my head. You know, like to prove negligence you need duty, breach, causation and damages. At one point, I woke up wondering if a dog breaches his duty of loyalty when he...well, I don't know when he does what because about that time my conscious mind interupted the flow and told me that dogs can't be charged with breaching a corporate officer's duty of care or of loyalty.

I like that my mind is working on this stuff while I am asleep. I hope it's getting most of it right! I don't want to end up writing about doggie liability on my exam...

Have a fun weekend everybody!

Fellow Bar Takers - remember - We GET to take the Bar Exam. Most people in the world never get such an opportunity. Before long we will be the experienced lawyers saying to the new graduates, "Oh, you're taking the bar! I'm sorry. Even after years of therapy, I still wake up with nightmares about that."

Again - new friends and old - thank you for your support!

The Marathon is About to Begin

I am oddly lacking in things to say today.

The periodic feelings of panic are fairly short-lived (today) and I am keeping them at bay by sticking to my study plan. I woke up this morning with a clear idea that I needed to start memorizing elements and that is how I would spend the weekend. I later realized I'd really already been doing this, but in my foggy, barely awake state, I hadn't put together what I had been doing with what my subconscious was telling me needed to be done. To be sure, there is still much memorization to be done, but it will get done.

Tomorrow morning Wife and Kids leave to head up north where they will stay with her sister while Boy Wonder attends day camp all week with a cousin who lives up there. This will leave me alone from the time I get home from a brief stint at work on Friday - I suspect it will be around noon or 1:00 - until I leave for the exam Tuesday morning. Lots of time to just cram! I actually may end up going to a movie Monday afternoon with my Mom, if I am at the point of diminishing returns on the studying, or just need a sanity break.

Lots to be done, but I have a plan. Nothing like a plan to give the illusion of control!

In case I don't get back to blog - good luck to everyone out there who is also taking the bar - and thank you to my friends and family who have been so supportive during this time of insanity!

Stress and the Faulty Latch

You know when you think you are handling stress really well then something creeps up and taps you on the shoulder and shouts: BOO!?

That's been my day. I woke up after a fairly good night's sleep, but my legs were so tense that it felt liked I'd climbed a mountain the day before. To the best of my recollection, I had not.

Later, reading through Civ Pro essay answers, I found my breathing becoming rapid and my pulse racing. "Knock it off. This is no time for panicking." I tried breathing deeply. Deeply. Deeply. Deeply....

After regaining consciousness*, I felt more calm, but noticed I had bumped my head on the side of the refrigerator that sits in my office. Due to a faulty latch, the door had come open, which is why I'd bumped my head on it when I'd passed out. I started wondering if I could sue the manufacturer in strict liability so they could not use my own negligence against me. We all know that contributory negligence is not a defense to strict liability. Still, since my damages were, well, nonexistent, I guess there would be no point. I swung the door of the frig' the rest of the way open and grabbed a Coke.

That hit the spot. Now if only I had some rum....


*Fictional account intended for humorous purposes.

For my non bar-prepping readers, the "faulty latch" is a scenario that keeps popping up on practice test questions, which is why I think I am so dang amusing, and you may just be thinking I am weird.

Civil Procedure Personality Quiz Results

Yes, I do realize I am blogging instead of studying, thankyouverymuch.

This is in honor of finishing up tax law (for now) and moving on to civil procedure. By the way, expenses of doing business illegally are generally deductible, with some exceptions.

Which Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Are You ?

I AM RULE 8(a)!

"You are Rule 8, the most laid back of all the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. While your forefather in the Federal Rules may have been a stickler for details and particularity, you have clearly rebelled by being pleasant and easy-going. Rule 8 only requires that a plaintiff provide a short and plain statement of a claim on which a court can grant relief. While there is much to be lauded in your approach, your good nature sometimes gets you in trouble, and you often have to rely on your good friend, Rule 56, to bail you out."

By they way, I also did this quiz in December of 2005, and posted the results on my blog. I was the same rule then. I am nothing if not consistent. I can't easily link to it, but trust me, it's there. This rule is so seriously me.

Not Freaking Out

This is me today - not freaking out. (OK, well really it is Boy Wonder about 4 years ago, cute, right?) I don't know that I know much more about tax law than I did earlier today. I worked on it for a while, then switched to an MBE practice test, worked a bit, and now am about to go do an hour or so of taxes, followed by Civ Pro.

I know how to live!

I am either in serious denial, or actually feeling like I might be ready for this thing in a week. Either way, being able to sleep and breathe are really good things.

I reserve the right to freak at any time in the future.

Tax Class

Good Morning, Blog Friends!

Today's topics will be Federal Income Tax and Civil Procedure. We'll be starting with tax law since I know many of you, like me, avoided this class like the plague.

Wait, where are you all going? Don't the topics sound stimulating enough? C'mon - here we go, "Gross income is any accession to wealth, clearly realized, over which the taxpayer has complete dominion."

The Tax Code says that gross income includes "all income, from whatever source derived."

Wait! Come back! We haven't gotten to the good stuff, yet. You must report your illegal income, too! Congress wants its share of EVERYTHING and the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination will not shield you or your income from that prostitution ring or your highly profitable international drug smuggling operation.

All right. G'bye. I'll see you later. I'll just be here. Studying tax. Alone.

Do Not Try This Without a Safety Harness

What a wild ride bar prep is. Really, it is everything a good ride should be - it's physically intense, offers dramatic rises and falls, allows you to become emotionally engaged, and makes you want to scream, if only you could catch your breath!

Saturday I was down - poor practice test scores. Today I am up - really good pracice test scores and making good headway on essay topics. WHEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As much fun as this is, I think I'd prefer a monorail - riding high above it all, all the time.

Being Responsible May Only Get You Smacked in the Face

Picture this:

Recent law school graduate who has been studying like crazy for the bar exam decides to do the responsible thing and go check out the hotel in which the test will be administered. It seems like a good idea to make sure of the location, parking...etc..and if you are a believer in conscious creation or visualization or any of that, it helps to have a very concrete picture of the desired goal. In this case - feeling calm and being successful while taking the bar exam.

OK. Said graduate/bar applicant speaks to hotel staff who directs her to the main banquet room that most students will be in - says she'll have someone unlock the door. Very nice. Walk through the hotel that was probably fairly nice in its day, but has become somewhat run down. Still, decent enough, with the bonus of not being downtown where parking would be very difficult and expensive.

A helpful hotel worker unlocks the door. Small talk is made about the bar exam, and others who have similarly asked to check out the room. A casual question is posed by about the assumption that power strips, or something, will be provided for all of the test-takers needing to plug in laptops.

"Uh...no, I don't think so. We could run a few extensions and try to help out anyone who needs to plug in."


WHAT????????

The room starts to spin.

Applicant tries to remain calm. This does not make sense. NO ONE has a laptop battery that will last for the duration of day one - which even if a person shut down during breaks and instruction periods is about 7 hours. We cannot possibly be expected to run on our batteries.

Applicant thanks the man and goes back to helpful front desk person. She has no clue but suggests that catering could answer questions after 8:00 tomorrow morning. "So could the Oregon State Bar" thinks the applicant. Surely they would not do this to us after making us spend $140 on software and leading us to believe we could use our laptops.

Visions of hand-cramping as she tries to write 9 essays, and a performance test fill applicant's head. She tries to remember to breathe deeply. This "reassuring" trip has not proven to be as calming as she'd hoped.

P.S. - Catering assured me this morning that Hollywood Lighting is providing power (glorious power!), so no worries about plugging in laptops. *WHEW* Think there might be a case for negligent infliction of emotional distress had I actually suffered physical injury. Who even HINTS that there might not be power for the bar exam?

My Life Has Become A Thriller

See the zombie in the lower left corner, the one with the blue face, screaming with a terror unknown to mere mortals? THAT is me today. I just had my *ss kicked by a practice MBE half-day test. I nearly reached the goal, but not quite. My score is the same as our practice test a week ago. No improvement despite the studying and practice tests. That was NO improvement, as in zero, zip, nada. Thing is, I thought I was doing really well. What does that mean? That I am confident in my ignorance? Great.

I decided to do a quick post to try to shake off the bad feelings so I can go figure out what all I did wrong. I realized I'd not yet posted about Michael Jackson's death. I have to say, along with many, I have been quite disturbed by it. So sad that that this man with such genius, who was about to embark on what undoubtedly would have been a huge comeback tour, had his life ended so abruptly.

It seems like he was such a big part of my younger years. When I was in high school, who didn't have a copy of Thriller, Bad, and Off the Wall? This was the soundtrack to our lives. I don't think anyone really knows "what happened" with Michael Jackson over the past many years. Lots of people have made judgments, but very few really had insight as to the reality of who he was and what all he went through. One thing for sure - his music will be remembered for a very, very long time.

I think picking up a few CDs, such as the Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition, is something I'd like to do. Everything I had was in vinyl and has since been given away. It would be fun to have the music to listen to, to remember the past, and enjoy in the future.

For those who don't remember, in addition to the wicked title soundtrack (LOVED the Vincent Price voiceover!), songs included on this "album" were:

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ~ Michael Jackson
2. Baby Be Mine ~ Michael Jackson
3. Girl Is Mine, The - (featuring Paul McCartney) ~ Michael Jackson
4. Thriller ~ Michael Jackson
5. Beat It - (featuring Eddie Van Halen) ~ Michael Jackson
6. Billie Jean ~ Michael Jackson
7. Human Nature ~ Michael Jackson
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) ~ Michael Jackson
9. Lady In My Life, The ~ Michael Jackson
10. Vincent Price Excerpt - (from "Thriller" voice-over session) ~ Michael Jackson
11. Girl Is Mine, The - (previously unreleased, 2008, featuring Will.i.am) ~ Michael Jackson
12. P.Y.T. - (previously unreleased, 2008, featuring Will.i.am) ~ Michael Jackson
13. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - (previously unreleased, 2008, featuring Akon) ~ Michael Jackson
14. Beat It - (2008, featuring Fergie) ~ Michael Jackson
15. Billie Jean - (Kanye West mix) ~ Michael Jackson
16. For All Time - (previously unreleased) ~ Michael Jackson

Apparently sales of Michael Jackson's music is setting records like crazy, and he is likely to be the best selling artist for 2009. Sad he's not here to enjoy it. His music is on sale many places right now. There's no time like the present to go pick up a CD or two, or maybe download some tracks onto your MP3 player. Hey - that is a great idea!

First, I must go figure out all the RIGHT answers to the MBE questions I got wrong. That should only take me until Monday.

Friday Night Frustrations

It's 6:37 on a Friday evening.

I am reviewing Secured Transactions and still plan to at least get started on Ethics. (About time I got into ethics, right? *grin*)

I am tired of this.
I don't want to be here studying anymore.
I want to be enjoying a nice, cool adult-beverage, laughing at something nonsensical, and not thinking about the bar exam.

All right. Whining over. Back to purchase-money security interests. Thank God for Prof. Newell and my crazy friend who talked me into taking Secured Trans this past semester!

Wii are Finding Distractions

Sometimes, when a person should be doing other things, they inexplicably find themselves surfing the net. Now, I'm not saying this has ever happened to any of you, but if it had, you might suddenly find yourself watching Laverne and Shirley clips on YouTube or reading about some cool technological innovation on a Ted Talk, or just searching for the meaning of life.

Google: meaning of life.

Probably you won't find anything helpful, but it could keep you entertained for quite some time, if you were to accidentally be surfing and come across such things.

Today - look what I happened across:




That's right - Wii Sports Resort. All the fun and games of a resort at a very small fraction of the price with no chance of being sunburned or getting hit in the head with a frisbee by some wild kid with bad aim...oh, wait, cut that last one.

This game, currently on sale at Buy.com comes with some sort of super sensitive "MotionPlus" accessory to make the Wii remote even more sensitive and precise. Games featured include a water scooter, swordplay, Frisbee, basketball, wake boarding, table tennis, golf and canoeing. There are a total of 12 games. There is a cool video on Amazon, if you want to check out a bit more of the details.

Anyway, this looks about 937x more interesting than studying for the bar. Still, seems like I should probably be doing that latter thing. Bad internet for distracting me.

Good thing I've not signed up on FaceBook, yet. Just imagine how distracting that would be!

Wow

SO MUCH STUFF TO REMEMBER!!!


Think I need this:

Bar Study Update

Some of you know I'd had some trouble sleeping for a couple nights. This was new for me as sleeplessness has never been one of my stress indicators. Nothing quite like having it take two hours to fall asleep and then be awakened a short time later by a cat jumping on the bed and then be awake for another hour..."Hello, my mind is awake now."

I am happy to report that the past two nights have been much better.

What I've learned:
- Breathing deeply and slowly is way better than fast and shallow.
- Nearly any conversation can lead to elements of a crime.
- Keeping to my schedule gives me the illusion of control.
- Getting up earlier gives me more hours in the day.
- During the very limited hours I am doing "work-work," it is best that someone else double-check what I am doing because my brain only has so much room for important details. Right now, if it's not on the bar, it probably is not important enough to take up space.
- It was worth taking a four-hour study break yesterday to go to my kids' swimming lessons and Vacation Bible School end-of-camp social event. I am so proud of of how well they are both doing!

OK, here's two more random pictures from the past few years. The princess was probably about a year ago, and the photo strip of me and my boy was taken right before I started law school:






OK - time to study Admin Law. :)

What's in a Label?

As has been noted, and probably directly observed, I have been finding humor and intrigue in almost any subject that passes me by these days. Might as well enjoy the insanity while it lasts! Twice in the past week the topic of label makers has come up. Now, I say to you, who doesn't enjoy a good label maker?

We have one at home that we used probably 4+ years ago to mark a variety of small bins containing kid toys ("castle parts," "Mr. Potato Head," "building toys," "misc. small toys") and adult items("tools," "batteries," "emergency supplies"). Boy Wonder went crazy making and using "stickers" with the label maker - and we soon needed refills! At work, I use one to make file labels - way easier than using the printer, and frankly, more satisfying. There is something fun about punching in the letters and seeing the white strip come shooting out, printed all nice and neat.

(For Bonus Points - who remembers the old style label makers that had red or blue plastic ribbon and the letters were punched into it so they ended up raised? I know, I am showing my age!)

A really good label maker used to run close to, if not over $30. Now, you can get a really nice one on sale for under $20. This one I found is a Brother - good brand, tons of features, and is actually just a newer version of the one I use at work. Nice machine, totally reliable, and this one will even print on super narrow tape so you can label CD spines. Nice!

Now that I am thinking about this, I realize I should get ours out now that Boy Wonder has learned to read and is getting decent at spelling. I bet he would have a blast. On second thought, he still loves "stickers." Not sure I would want him to use his new skills labeling every piece of furniture we have!

Property Sucks but My Kids are Cute

I dislike property questions quite a bit. Present estates - future interests - I don't know. Go see a wills and trusts lawyer, not me.

FSDPOR - Frank Sinatra Doesn't Prefer Orville Redenbacher.
Fee Simple Determinable Possibility of Reverter.

Some of you know what I am talking about.

Hey - random photo - how cute is this? From January 2005 - before I even started law school:



and so we have equal time for cuteness - my little rock eater:



They are growing up so fast!

From One Subject to Another

Today my mind is resting easier.
The medication must have kicked in. *grin* Just kidding.

A friend sent me some links to Ellen on Youtube from a 2007 show. She is so funny. This is part 4 ... and the end of part 5 had me barely able to breathe. You gotta love Ellen.

Ir's good to actually NOT be receiving more information to study and to be able to focus on memorizing and practicing. The practice questions are kind of fun, in a completely warped, what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you-people kind of way.

Wasn't UP an incredible movie?

"Squirrel!"


Really - amazing storyline, fantastic imagery, appropriate humor, tackling seriously deep issues - the life we hope for and the life that happens when we aren't looking, making good on promises, and all blended with really likable characters. Amazingly good stuff.

OK, so I am bouncing a bit. It's OK - spot the issue - tackle it - move on. It's a strategy.

Things Come and Go So Quickly Around Here

I get that I am the only one truly fascinated by my own mental gymnastics and delusions as I slog through this insanity known as bar prep. Still, my readership has been steadily increasing as of late, so I appear to be amusing at least a few people, or at the very least, serving as a momentary distraction from one's own bar prep hell. Either way, welcome!

I am serious when I say I am fascinated by my own processes through this particular passage. Am I the only one who feels a bit as though they are on speed (just guessing, not confessing) and could jump from topic to topic to topic, none having anything to do with the law, all the while enjoying the pictures running through my head bringing together scenes of the past, present and possible future?

OK, yeah. When put like that, maybe it does sound a bit crazy. Still, I bet more of you than not know what I am talking about. Wife accused me of ADD and hopes it ends when the bar does. I told her I wasn't so sure. I kind of enjoy this somewhat altered sense of consciousness....although I could do without the panicky feelings that sometimes accompany it.

One of the things that keep popping into my mind is that cute little computer that I blogged about several weeks ago - the Samsung NC-10 Netbook. I really want, but don't terribly need one. It is currently on sale at Buy.com for $379, plus free shipping. The price keeps coming down! By the time I decide I can afford one, there will be something even better on the market though, right?



This is a really sweet machine though - 8 hours of battery life, 10.2 inch screen, nearly full-size keyboard with all of the keys in the right place (some netbooks move around the non-alpha keys to make them all fit), and 160 GB hard drive. I also operates on the Windows XP Home system, which many of us are not crazy about, but does mean it is Windows compatible, and we can load our Office applications onto it. It weighs under 3 pounds, is smaller than pretty much all of my law books ever were, and comes in a lovely blue. (It is also available in pink for an extra $20.)

All the convenience of a laptop computer, combined with ultra-portability, long battery life and it is aesthetically pleasing. What more could one want from a new tech toy?

OK, right, something that could morph from one object into another, similar to BOB on Monsters vs. Aliens. (I took the kids to see it for the second time yesterday. Genius movie!) That would be cool. See....mind wandering again, but look how much fun I am having!

The MBE and Mind Games

Yesterday, along with approximately 30,000 other people nationwide (according to BarBri), I took the practice MBE. This is 200 multiple choice question, which we do in two 3-hour sessions. It is grueling, exhausting, and meant to simulate our actual MBE test day. By about question 35, I was thinking “This is about enough questions. If we could stop here, that would good.” By 50 questions my eyes were getting tired and English no longer felt like my first (and only) language. I took a quick bathroom break to see if the words would begin to make sense again. By question 75, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel (a train?), but was slightly behind timewise and had to speed up. By question 85, I was pretty sure I would finish right on time, but my sense of “knowing” vs “totally guessing” was now overpowered by the latter impression.

Lunch was a very much needed break. We all were feeling beat up and unsure of how we were doing. Good. Normal. We’ve been told, for the bar exam, we want to be sheep. Follow the pack. Do what everyone else does. Don’t draw attention to your answer (especially essay and performance exam answers). OK. (This, by the way, goes against everything every good teacher has ever taught me. Thank you, Mr. Getsinger, my 9th grade History teacher, who first warned in very plain language against the dangers of going through life like sheep.)

The second set of questions was much the same, with the sense of relief nearly approaching exhilaration by question 175 because I’d almost made it through, and was exactly on time. At the end, I was brain-dead and mostly just wanted to go drink.

A drink, or four, with a friend would have been awesome!

Instead I went to work.

Since it was impractical to go drinking, it seemed better to get paid than to sit in what, by that time of day, would be terrible traffic. Once at work, I was walking around in a stupor and I suddenly experienced a sense of what I’d later categorize as my life flashing before my eyes. OK, not before my eyes really….it was all inside my head, of course. It wasn’t even my whole life – just random bits. It started with a high school friend of mine and me singing “Sweet Transvestite” from the Rocky Horror Picture Show as a myriad of devoutly religious and patriotic little old ladies insisted on helping us across the street at a leadership camp. Then there were snippets of other events – my best friend in high school not talking to me because I’d started dating her barely ex-boyfriend (yes, boyfriend...it was before I became enlightened), Wife’s back surgery, the birth of my son….about that point I became aware of what was happening, thus stopping the flow. It occurred to me that it was probably not good that my life was flashing before my eyes...doesn't that usually precede death? I rationalized that it was just my anxiety level coupled with exhaustion. Still...it was very strange. There was no sensible reason for these unrelated images to have suddenly popped into my head.

Or was there? Even though it was only a practice exam, in some ways, it was a very intense day. It was a gauge of where I am and how close it is to where I need to be in two more weeks. It was mentally exhausting. So, my defenses were down…and now that I am writing these words, I see these events are connected:
They were all things that scared the hell out of me.

They were all frightening on different levels, for very different reasons, but traumatic, just the same.

I know the little old ladies don’t sound frightening, and I don’t think of the leadership camp as scary, but I think being enmeshed for a week with a lot of very religious, conservative people freaked me out. It freaks me out thinking about it right now.

Wow...the mind is an amazing place. It brought together for me these random times in my life that I was frightened on some level, and I’d made it through. That’s pretty cool, if you think about it. It's as if my mind is saying: I can do this. I have skills.

I found out this morning my scores on the MBE were right at the average, as were my essay scores from last week. I’m right where everyone else is….and since most of us pass…..this is a good place to be. I will study my ass off for the next two weeks, and be in great shape come July 28th and 29th.

Laverne and Shirley - A Brief Tribute

A co-worker sent me a youtube link that, although totally unrelated, reminded me of the incredible dynamic duo of Laverne and Shirley, and their friends, Lenny and Squiggy. As a result, I've been listening to Lenny and the Squigtones, and a variety of scenes from Laverne and Shirley. There was some seriously good entertainment!

Now, for fun - here are the lyrics to the their classic theme song. (Have we forgotten the importance of a great theme song?) I think it is appropriately inspirational for those of us going through the bumpy ride that is bar prep:


Spoken: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Schlemeel, schlemazel, hasenfeffer incorporated.

We’re gonna do it!
Give us any chance, we’ll take it.
Give us any rule, we’ll break it.
We’re gonna make our dreams come true.
Doin’ it our way.

Nothin’s gonna turn us back now,
Straight ahead and on the track now.
We’re gonna make our dreams come true,
Doin’ it our way.

There is nothing we won’t try,
Never heard the word impossible.
This time there’s no stopping us.
We’re gonna do it.

On your mark, get set, and go now,
Got a dream and we just know now,
We’re gonna make our dream come true.
And we’ll do it our way, yes our way.
Make all our dreams come true,
And do it our way, yes our way,
Make all our dreams come true
For me and you.

Today's Lecture - Hazard to My Health

Today's Barbri lecture, and tomorrow's, was an unexpected video. I have heard that in many parts of the country, videos are all the students get. I cannot imagine having to pay what I paid for video-only lectures. Today's was the worst. This woman, speaking on wills and trusts, did not even attempt jokes. Most try to keep us amused. They know we are bored, getting tired, and are under a lot of stress. Today's lecturer was no-nonsense, and no fun. Most of us were looking at each other with looks of WTF painted across our pained faces.

During one of our ten-minute breaks, a short trip to the restroom had me eyeing the cool, hard tile on the wall, entertaining thoughts of banging my head against it repeatedly until I fell to the floor, unconscious. That seemed preferable to going back to the lecture.

Perhaps, not surprisingly, I did not choose the head-banging option. I listened. I underlined. I somehow stayed awake. I think I'll opt to just read the lecture notes for tomorrow and NOT put myself through the torture again.

Three Weeks and Counting

Three weeks to go. Not that I am counting. Oh, heck, of course I am. This is the last week of bar review classes. We have just three substantive lectures, plus some practice test/review days. I know that all the information I need has pretty much been laid out for me. It's all in a book and learning to apply it in order to answer the questions is just a matter of practice and repetition. The big deal is making sure I have enough time, and use it very wisely over the next three weeks. Just the fact I've made it this far without needing drug rehab, is a good thing. It bodes well for the future.

I am really glad formal review ends and leaves us with two weeks on our own to do with as we each will. I think the stress level will be through the roof by the time test days roll around, and I doubt it would be good to keep so many freaked out people together. Too much crazy in one place. I think I will be able to stick to my schedule as it has been, studying in the morning, working a bit in the afternoon, spending a bit of time searching the government job site , and then studying more into the evening and night. This gives my brain a rest in the middle of the day - plus gives us an income. I don't think a person can effectively study 12 hour in a row anyway. This is what I say now. In one more week, who knows how I will feel? Certainly more freaked out than I do right now. Right now, it is Sunday night, it's been a good weekend, the kids are sleeping peacefully, and all is good.

4th of July Weekend

Ah, Blessed Sun! We finally had a gorgeous week here and I no longer feel that
long distance moving will soon be necessary. Although, Wife just called into the house that it is kind of cold outside(she's playing FarmTown on her laptop outside and I am on the computer that lives in our kitchen. Quite a difference from last night when we were outside, watching fireworks at 10-11 and were hot in the long sleeve shirts we were wearing to keep the mosquitoes at bay. It was in the 90's over the weekend, but supposed to only be 68 degrees tomorrow. Really? C'mon - let's at least stay consistently over 72, OK?

We have had a really nice 4th of July weekend. Studying, reading for pleasure, playing with the kids in our blow-up pool, a BBQ with my mom and step-dad, neighborhood fireworks that were fun to watch (but we are still astounded at the money people invest in such things) and even a movie enjoyed at home with the kids. Good weather, good food, family fun. Life is good.

An Evening Report

Thoughts for the evening:

Here it is almost 7:00pm. I've listened to a three-hour lecture on property law, worked for a few hours, outlined the notes from said lecture, and now must choose between answering questions on contracts or listening to more of the lecture, which is available online. I'm tempted to do the latter just to get it almost over with and then tomorrow can just work, work, work - or rather - study, study, study without attending the lecture.

It's been a weird summer so far. The nice weather has only just started and I am SO GRATEFUL for the sun. I was so tired of the clouds that I was about to log on to Westgate and make reservations for anywhere sunny! Some of my classmates find it hard to study with the nice weather, because they want to be out in it, which I would love, too, but I get so much energy from the sun, I'm happy to have it coming in my window, driving in it, taking short walks....any bit I can get! I cannot even imagine how depressing studying for the winter bar would be. Ugh. Pretty sure it would depress me into a coma.

Anyway, it is a beautiful night. The sky is still bright blue outside my window, and now, it is time to go listen to part three of property law. I know - many of you are jealous beyond words. Try to handle it and I will not gloat too much. :)

New Name and Bar Thoughts

I see that some of you have noticed my recent name change from Adventures of Law School Mama to Adventures of Out Law Mama. Wife and I both liked the play on words - being an "out" lesbian and also being "out" of law school. I'll keep it for awhile and test drive it. Let me know if you like it or not!

I see I touched a sensitive spot asking who was wigging out over the bar. I can't imagine why! Today I was reading my information about sitting for the exam, the prohibitions, check in times, etc. and noticed the date that results will be available: September 11. Really? The Board of Bar Examiners couldn't have adjusted that just a bit for the sake of the bar-takers' sanity?

I think all of us preparing for the bar, and those who love us, all will need a really good vacation when this is all over. Somewhere without law books, with an abundance of sunshine and fun to be had. I am all over the idea of Orlando vacations for us all, but know many of us will have to settle for something a little closer to home. Not sure what that will be for our family - maybe just a few days of family time in August, and something better once that BIG JOB is finally landed!

Anyone Wigging Out Over the Bar?

It would be really easy to eat and drink my way through bar review. There is almost no time that doesn't seem like a good time for chocolate and alcohol. Still, in an effort to be somewhat healthy and avoid the need for diet pills, I'm trying to turn to more fruit and nuts, and only occassional chocolate and margaritas.

One of my mentors asked me yesterday if any of my classmates were acting really weird. She says during her bar review days, she had a few classmates that totally wigged out. Two moved in together to eat, drink and sleep bar subjects. They started taking the super supplement of the day. She said by the the time the bar exam came around their pupils were like pinpoints and they had totally weirded out - but they passed!

I think we all have had our days of wigging out a bit and wondering how the heck we are going to keep all of this information in our heads and not totally lose our minds from the pressure. I've been feeling oddly calm lately. I think it is going to be good. I'm going to hang onto that....now where did I put my supplements?

No News is....Good!

You know what? It really is OK to just shut off the news for a while. In fact, it is healthy. All the gurus of conscious creation and positive thinking are on this band-wagon, and I am a true believer. Sometimes, especially during otherwise stressful times, there is no point in adding to your anxiety level by hearing about the bombings, the murders, the diseases, the Mesothelioma cancer, the child abductions....need I go on? We stopped getting the newspaper a while back - partly because there was no time for it, partly because it was a waste of paper that just ended up in the recycle bin, and partly because we'd had enough bad news.

I'm not saying to stay ignorant for the rest of your life, but a break from the news can be a really good thing. If not that, even limiting the input - maybe hit the headlines on a few news sites once per day - just enough to stay informed. Try it for awhile and see if it improves your mood. It has worked for us on the occassions that we've tried it!

Man-Eating /Woman-Eating Bugs

Have people in other parts of the country noticed an unusually large number of mosquitoes, or similarly unpleasant pests this spring/summer? The mosquitoes have been terrible this year! They are huge, blood-hungry and merciless. Last Friday at my sister's wine night, in full swing and down one-fifth of tequila by the time I joined around 9:20, after my studies, the whole family had nearly been eaten alive and had been forced inside despite the pleasant temperature outside. The next night something got me so badly that I actually had a goose-egg on my forehead from it. I looked like I'd walked into a wall.

I have heard that certain skin care products are good for keeping away the biting bugs. We hate to use nasty chemicals and did mix up a batch of eucalyptus oil spray in hopes that will work for outdoor times in the future. Seemed to work on Sunday...oh, wait, we weren't home on Sunday! (Ha-ha!) If anyone has any natural suggestions, let me know!