Baby Girl is Fine!

We are still awaiting official word tomorrow from the doc, but the echocardiogram technician said she did not see anything abnormal at all. That is exactly what the doc was expecting. So, we are breathing very heavy sighs of relief and thanking God that our baby is healthy!

Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. This parenting thing is stressful!

The L Word Commentary

It's been quite some time since I mentioned The L Word, but trust me, it is not due to lack of interest. My partner and I eagerly anticipate and enjoy every quirky, dramatic and sexy moment of each delicious episode. As I have mentioned before, what's not to love? Great stories, wonderful acting, and hot women. One caveat to the "wonderful acting" comment - that applies to when they leave the acting to the actors and not to the celebrity guests. Let's just say the powers that be have proven their point of why we should let actors act and not hire someone to play a part just because she is a "real lesbian." I'd way rather watch a straight actor convincingly play a lesbian, than witness the pain of a celebrity lesbian non-actor trying to act, and then the real actors trying to respond. Ouch. Not fun for anyone.

That was not my point today. Here is my point:

Shane, babe, I feel your pain. I too have been in the position of being "in the sh*thouse", to quote your phrase, because of a dream my partner had. In fact, there was a time that I believe I'd established residency. I've definitely been in hot water a time or two for my behavior in my partner's dream, and no amount of denying that I'd done anything was going to get me out of the trouble I was in. Women! However, unlike your situation, I did not bring on the trouble by my own indiscretion. You knew you were going to have to pay for that amazing night out by the pool, right?

Gotta love that The L Word writers often bring in these amazing, strange bits of life and relationships so their viewers can really relate. Even though on some levels, the show is not realistic, on others, it is so much like real life, none of us would be surprised to find Shane and Alice having a drink at the local coffee house while Bette and Tina have an almost discreet argument outside. Characters can often be as "out there" on some level as a writer wants, as long as they have a few characteristics that keep them grounded and relatable.

Oh, and apparently last night's episode reminded the wife that I've not done anything bad in her dreams lately. I was able to recify that situation last night.
I suspect the dog will need to scoot over to make room for me tonight.

OK, so where's the camera?

This is one of those "punk'd" things right? By "this" I mean, my life. Or really, "our lives" meaning my partner's and mine, but again, my blog, so I'll try to avoid the appearance of schizophrenia (see previous blog) and write in the first person.

Last week we had to take baby girl to the cardiologist because the doc detected a heard murmur. OK, kinda scary, but murmurs happen and are generally no big deal. Doc says, these appear to be two (yes, not just one, but two) classic innocent infant murmurs. Seems good so far, then it comes....BUT...(wait, there was not supposed to be a BUT)....the EKG indicates that the left side of her heart is larger than the right. She'll need an ultrasound to measure everything and rule out any problems. What? No! Doc says she feels confident this is nothing to worry about, but has to check just to be sure. Great, so now, we've spent the last 3 days not talking much about it while visions of worst-possible scenarios wind through our imaginations. (Again, slipped out of first person.) The test is Tuesday, but no one will talk to us about it until the next day, when hopefully it will be a simple, "no problem" phone call. What I am afraid of is the phone call that says we really need to come in to talk to the doc. Doc was so confident this is nothing that she did not even want to schedule a follow-up appointment since there would be no reason. Wish we'd just scheduled one right after the ultrasound so we'd have an answer right away. This is all too scary. Now, the fact that our daughter has always panted a bit when nursing and after activity suddenly seems not just like an odd quirk that her brother did not have, but instead a SIGN that something is horribly wrong. As my partner pointed out, she has always seemed so strong and healthy, this could not be anything serious. OK, I'll cling to that hope. Please God, let this be nothing.

That's enough to worry about, especially on top of general stress in the family and relationship because of my school schedule, oh, and then there is school itself, but then we get a call from Western Union last night saying someone overseas is trying to use one of my credit cards. Ends up this someone has not only my credit card number, but also the three digit code from the back of the card, and my previous two addresses going back about 10 years. Fortunately, the criminal did not have my current address, or the whole thing might never have appeared suspicious. Card has been cancelled and we only have to have an affidavit notarized disclaiming under $150 of charges, but we wonder if this person has gotten access to any other of our cards, or opened up new ones in my name with my ssn. Guess I have to have my credit reports pulled and see if there is anything suspicious on them. Great. Yes, I wanted one more thing to have to deal with right now. How the heck am I supposed to calm my mind enough to focus on writing the appellate brief that is due in a month? Sure, I sort of managed an outline, but that did not consist of ....oh...what is the term...."sentences"? TRAC? What is that? Crap.

OK, everything is going to be fine. We're going to pull out of this quarter in wonderful shape all around, and then we are going to Disneyland!

Seriously. We've booked the trip.

YIPPEE!!

Law School is Making Me Schizophrenic

(Or, as we discussed in Torts, is it really just bringing out a condition that would have eventually appeared anyway? Probably no matter since I signed up and paid the tuition, something tells me there will be no recovery on my part anyway.)

First, I will say, yes, I've been away for a while....sick kids, lots of school work to do, still am not where I'd like to be, but my head is above water, barely.

So, it feels like I have these three different lives, and sometimes I am able to happily function in all three independenly. That's when life is easiest. Other times, they insist on trying to co-mingle, and that's when it gets trickly. I've got my work and school personality. Confident, easy-going, low-stress, do what I need to do and move on. Personal life - more stressful since there is not enough time for wife and kids, they don't get what I do in school or what it's like (they could say the same about me, but this is my blog, so I get to say it), lots of rushing around, too much yelling, some very sweet times and laughter. Fantasy life - that's where I can go in my head where everything works according to my own script. I have all the time to do anything and everything I want to do. Money is not an issue. There are other elements to this I'll just leave to the reader's imagination, rather, MINE :).

Lately, I'd say the schizophrenia is being mainly caused by trying to maintain my personal life and my school life at the same time. The two are NOT playing nicely together. School me wants to learn all the stuff I need to learn, do all my homework, work on my outlines and read some supplemental materials so that I can make sense of Torts, where the professor seems to have stopped speaking English. Personal me needs to be with my kids who are missing me terribly and spend some time with and give a break to my wife, who is rapidly losing her mind due to being on-duty day and night with the little ones. (Try having your main source of conversation and daily interaction being a not-quite-four-year-old. Our son is very intelligent, but as I have to remember, preschool logic is not that of an adult, or even a 7-year-old. For instance, if a person was trying to pour water, or juice, from one container into another, and the receiving container started overflowing before the providing container was empty, one might expect that the pouring should stop. Not if you are a preschooler, evidently. Preschool logic dictates that pouring should not stop until the providing container has been emtpied of its contents. OK, then.)

All right, this was really started on Thursday and should have been posted then. It is now Monday morning. It's been a strange and stressful few days. I'm just going to call this good.

Happy Monday, folks.
-Dakota

The Guilt of an Evening Student

OK, so you want a taste of my life? Here's my partner's blog today (easily accessible over on the right):
-----------------------------------
...We have done 15 trillion activities but nothing for more than 5 minutes at a time. Let me tell you - that's a LOT of cleaning up and putting away.

I'm frustrated. I'm tired. I'm lonely (which is odd since I don't have 10 seconds to myself). I'm tired of hearing "MAMA!" screamed at me. I'm tired of hearing "I want a snack!" "MAAAAAMAAAAAA....you HAVE to!" "MAAAMAAAAAA....Come HERE!"

I'm tired of saying "Come here if you want to speak with me." "You just ate breakfast/lunch. You can have a snack in a couple hours." "Actually, I don't HAVE to do anything. I'm the parent."

And I'm so over the whining today. The fussing. The tears.

Have I mentioned lately that I haven't had a child-free moment to myself in weeks and weeks? Good thing nap time is coming.
---------------
What am I to do with this? Being a typical "man" (yes, I am a woman, but have been told that I often behave in a relationship as a man would), I want to solve this problem. Being a woman, I get to feel really guilty about it. I did "get us into this." In reality, there is nothing I can do. I am already more behind in class than I'd like. By that, I only mean that I am keeping up with the reading, but had no time for extras, and have not looked at the draft of my paper that needs lots of polish before Tuesday. I do not have time to come home and do chores, fix things, clean things, give my wife a break. I'd love to give her a break, but the reality is, if I do not devote tomorrow to school work, I will fall painfully behind. Sunday? Yes, on Sunday I can relieve her for a couple hours. Maybe it's time she take that night at The Heathman Lodge.

I know my wife balances her love of our children and her good fortune at being able to stay home with them with the need for a break and some time to herself.

I balance my desire/need for a law education with my responsibilities to my family now. Neither is a particularly enviable position.

Maybe if the sun would come out, this day would look brighter. Can you say Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Thanks to all

I just wanted to say thank you to all of my classmates, friends and complete strangers who have expressed their sympathy and support over our daughter's frightening event last week. Thank God, all remains normal at our house, and we pray this was a one-time occurence. We still do not know for sure what happened. We've discovered some babies have sort of a syndrome of a reflex of holding their breath when a shock or trauma happens. Hmmmm "holding their breath" sounds so voluntary and like something you would see happening and could stop it....it's not like that. It's more like they just stop breathing. Well, as I said, we don't know, and don't want it to happen again in order to find out.

Mieke, who recently commented on this blog, in case you ever drop by again, I wanted to wish you luck getting into law school. You have to believe, whether or not you get in, that things will work out the way they are meant to. I am in an evening progam with mostly over 30-somethings, and a majority of us have kids. Yes, I believe in many ways those of us with little kids have it harder than those without kids. In addition to worrying about school work, and for most of us, a full-time day job, we're worried about our kids, and feeling guilty, on some level, that we are not with them. We know what we are doing is best for the family in the long run, but on a day-to-day basis, it can be hard to face. If you get in, and going to law school is what you want and need to do, you will make it work. You'll find creative ways of connecting with your kids, and the time you do spend with them will be so precious. Good luck!

A good topic - the ways having a family while in law school can be the most difficult part. This would have been so much easier to do as an early-to-mid twenty-something with no real responsibilities or commitments, yet. How stupid was I? Hey - think I'll wait until I'm almost forty, married and have two kids. That will be easier! Guess I'm not smart enough for the day program, right Hadas? Thank God for the "dumbed down" evening program. (For those not recognizing it, this last part has been sarcasm. Look it up.) When it all comes down to it, we've all got our own challenges to face, no matter where we are in life, or what our circumstances. Guess we all just need to remember that and pass out a few words of support or a smile to fellow classmates whenever we can. Who knows, it won't hurt us, and we might even make someone's day a little brighter.

Don't know how I ended up there. I better get to work!

If Weak Appellate Brief is Written and There's No One Around to Read It, Does it Still Suck?

OK, so I finally have a decent draft done of our first appellate brief argument. I define "decent" here as meaning there are words that make up intelligible sentences filling up almost 4 pages and somewhere within them, were they to be finely honed, might be a scuplture of a fine argument, but right now, I fear, it is more in the rough stone stage.

This has been a frustrating exercise for me, as well as all of my fellow students I've spoken with about this project. We don't know what we are doing, how to approach it, or really what is expected of us. Our professor, not being an idiot, has probably designed the madness purposefully. Tonight's writing class should be interesting. We'll either find out we are almost on target, way off target, or we'll remain clueless. Have I covered the options fairly well?

Well, at least I can be happy that I have a draft to take to class, and still have two hours until the class begins. See, I did not push the limits of procrastination as far as I might have!

Finding my calling - getting a busy signal
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I was really put on this earth to do. For me, this is more of a practical question than a religious question, though I do not mean to imply practicality and spirituality are mutually exclusive. I suppose many of us traverse through life hoping to find the one thing that finally makes life CLICK into place. Thing is, I don’t think we can just hope to find it. I think for most of us, it is a treasure hunt that we must pursue with a virtual, if not actual, pirate ship, picks and shovels.

I have embarked upon this journey of education to become a lawyer. I have yet to discover the type of law I am most interested in, and that is one of my journeys without a map, and that is OK. I will get there. However, just “being a lawyer” is clearly not my calling. (This is where my partner freaks and yells, “What do you mean it’s not your calling? We’re not going $120K into debt for you to decide not to be a lawyer! *grin*) I think a lawyer is simply one facet of what I am meant to do, a piece of a more intricate puzzle. Maybe I will work for lesbian and gay rights, work to help animals, or who knows what when the pieces all come together.

I’ve found an interesting site: http://www.changingcourse.com/One among several of its sort, I am sure, that encourages people to find their true calling and live the life they dream of rather than settling for making a living and dreaming of having more. So, far, I’ve not purchased any of the author’s books yet, but the free newsletter archive and other info is really useful. It helps people, yes, even law students, to think outside the box.

See the kinds of things I think about when I should be working on the draft of our first persuasive paper that is due tomorrow? (Shout out to my classmate Hadas, who mentions being in a similar position as of early this morning.) Ah, procrastination as an art form...

Being a Mom is Terrifying.

We had a horrible scare Tuesday night. I got a call from my son saying something about blood and an ambulance had just arrived. (It ends up he was saying his sister turned blue; nothing about blood.) All is OK now. For details, see my partner's blog.

It was terrifying and horrible and THANK GOD all is good now. As I rushed to the clinic where my daughter was waiting to be seen (good that an ambulance was not needed), I realized this strange turn of events, which we were pretty sure was turning out OK, could mean the end of my second sememster of law school. Would there be long-term care and follow-up appointments needed? Could I catch up what I had missed? This meant I had now missed 2 of 3 nights of two different classes. Would I be able to focus and get engaged in the work? None of that really mattered. What mattered was that my daughter needed to be OK. Life and death situations sure have a way of smacking us into the reality of what is important.

We're holding our kids a little tighter and a little longer now. It's going to be a bit harder than it was not going home to them after work today, and for a while, I suspect. I sure hope, in the long run, this law school experience and the resultant degree, is worth all the sacrifices my whole family is making.

Grades are out!

Second semester has officially started and I have 2 of my 3 grades, and one “credit” in a credit/no credit class. Suffice it to say that I’m not where I would most like to be, but I did OK anyway. My partner thinks I even did quite well. I am apparently an “average law student.” How about that? I, like most law students, have never been average before, but hey, put us in a room full of over-achievers and suddenly the standard is very different. It’s OK though. I have to admit, I agree that my knowledge of the subjects was not exceptional and I did not earn an “A’s.” Considering my full-time work status, my wife and kids, the small amount of time I can actually devote to studying, “average” is not so bad. I am hopeful I can occasionally rise to the top in a subject, but if I can maintain “average” status and not fall below, I will be happy. It’s like the old joke goes...

“What do they call a guy who graduates at the bottom of his medical school class?”

“Doctor.”

Chances are, most of us are going to come out of this experience and end up as gainfully employed attorneys, if that is what we choose, so, no worries. Not yet.

Happy Second Semester, my fellow 1Ls.

What Peanuts Character Am I?


You are Snoopy! my friend you are totally relaxed
and stay calm in most situations. You are loved
by all... well almost everyone. the original
"Joe Cool"


what peanuts character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Yup, sounds about right :)

Discover Your True Colors (Personality Quiz)

Have a few spare minutes? Here is a fun personality quiz. I do not know the person whose web site this is and cannot vouch for any of the materials presented on her site, or the quality of her book. I can, however, say I did the free quiz. It was fun, and nailed me pretty well.

I am a GREEN.

"I am conceptual. I have an investigative mind, intrigued by questions like, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" I am an independent thinker, a natural nonconformist, and live life by my own standards.

I like to do things that require vision, problem solving, strategy, ingenuity, design, and change. Once I have perfected an idea, I prefer to move on to a new challenge.

I value knowledge, intelligence, insight, and justice. I enjoy relationships with shared interests. I prefer to let my head rule my heart. I am cool, calm, and collected. I do not express my emotions easily."

Yup, that's me, all right.

Have fun!

Got Showtime!

Not wanting to be a scofflaw by asking someone to tape "The L Word" for me (seems like it would be illegal*, though really, it can act as free advertising and doubt it would be worth pursuing in court) we have ordered Showtime. Or rather, my dear, sweet wife has ordered it for us! (Thank you, honey!) Ah, who am I kidding? We did it for purely selfish, carnal reasons! $12 a month for 4 episodes - less than the price of a pizza - great use of our hard-earned money! I already feel as though I am making a significant contribution to society by supporting Showtime, the wonderful people who are allowing lesbians into our home on a regular basis. No, wait, that would be our dogs :)

So, the bad news of the day: Daughter, who turned 11-months old today, has a fever and is CRANKY. Wife is stressed that I will be back in school next Monday. Son has cabin fever since he's not been on an outing since Sunday, and now can't since his baby sister is sick.

The good news: I will soon be starting my second sememster of law school, meaning I successfully completed the first quarter. (Yes, grades TBD.) Even more exciting - we can now watch "The L Word" as new episodes air. Yippee!

Do you know I can take a legal class on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity? How interesting would that be? It all ties in...


*My very purely, non-legal opinion. No legal research was done in formation of this opinion.

The L-Word - Season 3

It has been pointed out to me that I have been terribly negligent about updating this blog. Apparently when a law student goes on vacation, this applies to more aspects of life than just school!

OK, so the hard part now is coming up with something interesting to discuss. Perhaps I could both rejoice and lament the start of Season 3 of “The L Word.” I am so excited for this season to be under way, but sad that we do not have Showtime. I would love to support Showtime for the ground-breaking work they are supporting, however, our budget does not allow for it. We supposedly have someone taping the show for us. I hope it works out! For my fellow L Word fans, check out Showtime’s web site for previews, deleted scenes, and more:
http://www.sho.com/site/lword/home.do

Did I forget to mention that “more” includes a Podcast interview with Kate Moennig (“Shane”)? (Last week’s was with Leisha Hailey. Highly entertaining.)

Hmmmm….according to Showtime’s website we could upgrade for $12, or less, per month. That’s a mere $3 per episode. THAT just might be a worthwhile investment! *grin* (By the time we pay someone for tapes or DVD’s and postage each week, or even once per month, we’d be ahead to subscribe…..hmmmm….C, seems I need our account number to check into this further. *heh-heh*)

OK, OK, you’ve forced the confession from me….I’M AN L-WORD-A-HOLIC! I’ve started watching Season 1 over again. I just can’t get enough. (Besides, since I’ve seen it once, I can now skip through all the monotonous Jenny-drama.) I think this speaks highly to the desperate need of us lesbians to see ourselves portrayed in a realistic and in-depth way on television. Not being a “California lesbian,” these may not be the “types” of lesbians I am used to seeing, but on some level, we’re all the same – all just people, doing the best we can, living our lives, loving, experiencing whatever comes next. The characters feel very real – a credit to Ilene Chaiken, her fabulous team of writers, and the wonderful (mostly straight) actors who portray them. Check out the “behind the scenes” interviews. Yes, OK, it helps that they are really HOT. I am sometimes remarkably shallow.

Secrets of the Universe?

Ever feel like you’re on the verge of a great discovery and have just one more clue to find before the secrets of the universe will be revealed? I feel like I am on the journey – so close, and yet, so far. There have been so many changes this year with the birth of our second child, the emerging of our son from a toddler to a little boy, and me going back to school. The challenges and joys of two children are greater than I ever imagined. For me, kids are like the something I never knew I needed, but did. They keep me balanced and sane, despite the insanity they create. They require that of me, to some degree. The challenges all of this has caused for my wife are ten-fold that of what I experience, but I will leave that for her to process in her own way and time.

I’ve just spent a wonderful Holiday with my family, and the days surrounding it with two good friends I have known since high school. In fact, one I have known since the 6th grade. In most ways, no one knows me better, or is more accepting of me than these two beautiful women. We have, at times, been separated for months and even years, and yet, each time we come together, the years fall away and we are simply ourselves comfortable in the bond forged years ago. After spending time with them, I always feel more grounded and sure of who I am and where I am going. In being accountable to those who have known me for so long, I am forced to be as true to myself as possible. Especially as the year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on my decisions and actions of the past and wondering if I am where I am supposed to be. We all have dreams in high school of how our lives will turn out, and few of them tend to come true exactly, and in many ways, this really is best. I am happy to know I can look back, and at each juncture know that I did what I thought was best for me at the time. It doesn’t mean all has turned out as I’d hoped, or that I made no mistakes, but I can say, I have been true, have not sold out, and not compromised values that turned me into someone who I am not. That is a type of success, for certain.

I never thought I’d be going back to school, particularly law school, at almost 40. I never thought Id’ be accumulating the debt I am in order to do so, and yet, here I am. That is a little frightening, and yet overall, as for going to law school, I still think, “How cool is this?” It feels right, and I have to trust it is.

Still, attending law school also forces me to confront some big issues. It is such an “academic/intellectual” field that I find myself more and more drawn towards the arts for balance. I look towards my lifelong aspiration of being a writer. I’ve done some writing, completed a novel, a screenplay and nearly completed another novel, yet I am not published (thanks to the freak publisher I got involved with who did not fulfill my contract – probably a good thing, in retrospect). That is still something I want to do – to be a well-known, published author. Maybe I will be the next John Grisham :) More and more, the theme of my life that is emerging is balance. It is about balancing the elements that I know are important, those that I want to be important, and those that I still need to discover are important. Maybe that is what we are all doing.

What a wonderful Christmas we had! The family got up early to rush to the living room to see what Santa had left for us. At our house, Santa leaves one gift for each child, and fills everyone's stockings with goodies both edible and non-edible. What fun to have Christmas with a 3-year old! Such pure joy! The first thing he saw was the colorful present Santa left for his baby sister. He pulled it out from under the tree and said, "This is for you!" She barely woke up to acknowledge that something was happening, and then the boy was on to his remote-control car and bike. (Santa left him two presents this year, since they were thematically related.) He actually got tired of opening presents after opening his stocking presents and about two others, and said it was OK to wait until later to open the others. We were shocked, but happy to be able to go at a slow pace and just enjoy the toys that had been opened. The last present was opened 27 hours after the first. Not bad :) We enjoyed visits and meals with relatives, opened more presents for the kids, and had a packed, but good, day. The day after Christmas was also spent visiting with family and friends, enjoying good food, including the best pizza in town (Thank you, B.), and playing with new toys. Great times - great days!

I am now at work for 1 day and then have the rest of the week off! Today I've been enjoying one of my Christmas presents, Melissa Etheridge's Greatest Hits/The Road Less Traveled . I absolutely LOVE it. No denying it, Melissa Rocks! I recently found out that my best friend's husband has a thing for Melissa. After seeing her recent video, "Refugee", which can be viewed from her webpage, I can't even imagine anyone, gay/straight/male/female NOT having a thing for her :) It is my desire to be that hot at 44. Wow. (Note: The video is not overtly sexual in any way, it is Melissa's beauty, movements, voice and energy of the music that make her really irrestistable.)

I believe I mentioned I'd be sharing some good tequila with an old friend (or was that old tequila with a good friend?). I did. The 1800 Anejo she brought over was amazing. So amazing, in fact, that we were "forced" to drink too much of it. *grin* Tequila has always been somewhat of a mysterious temptation for me, and I've located a great site with lots of tequila facts and myths. Fun to browse for a while. Good tequila, good friends, good food. Great night. Merry Christmas to us!

There may be another post happening today, but for now, lunch!

Just two more short hours at work and I’m outta here! I can’t believe that tomorrow is Christmas Eve! This season, not to mention this year, has flown by! I’m looking forward to Christmas morning with the kids. Our boy is going to be so excited! My partner will be excited, too! As I mentioned previously, she’s getting a kick-ass Christmas present…plus a few other decent ones :) The baby girl? Well, she’ll probably be overwhelmed, as the Boy was on his first Christmas, but she’ll enjoy the activity and eating Christmas paper – yum!

Tonight I’ll be having my “end of the semester” drink(s) with the previously mentioned friend from high school who is also a student again. She’s bringing over “the good tequila”. *grin* I’ll have to remember to go easy – got kids and a wife to think of, plus don’t want to feel crappy tomorrow. Still, a toast to our accomplishments and in celebration of the Holidays will be good.

Odd how alcohol and the Holidays seem to go together. I was talking with a co-worker this morning and he said that Christmas is definitely the biggest alcohol-buying time of the year for his family. He’s not very fond of the family members who imbibe the most, so will probably not be drinking. Makes me wonder why people drink so much this time of year – to celebrate, to forget, to just get through? For some, I think the act of sharing a drink with friends and family truly is a ritual, if not exactly religious, as least almost sacred. For others, it may be a way of tolerating annoying relatives. For hopefully a minority, it’s just another excuse to get drunk. Such extremes. Guess everyone has their own reasons. I’ll be hoping people remember to stay safe, drink responsibly and stay off the road!

So, as we eagerly await our visit from St. Nick, we’ll be spending time with family and friends, and remembering what life was like before law school! At least 2 hours at the end of the day with the kids asleep now seems like a luxury! Just another fringe benefit of going back to school…

Oh - check out the great digital scrapbook pages my wife has done in just the short week since her birthday! What fun!


HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!

Wahoo! I made it through my first semester of law school! Naturally, everyone keeps asking, “How did you do?” and the real answer is that I won’t know until...well, I don’t know when. I’m assuming mid-January or so. There’s nothing I can do about it now, so no point in worrying about it. I felt good about my performance and don’t think there is anything I wish I’d done differently given my current information. Guess if I really blew my finals, I’ll have to rethink that statement - and my study methods!

Sometimes, I am still amazed that I am in law school. I like that feeling of wonder and respect for where I am in my life. For so many years it would have been much easier to go back to school, but I really did not have the interest or motivation. Now that I have the interest, and am perhaps motivated by the fact that I have a family and that I am rapidly approaching 40, it is less convenient than ever before. Ironic, isn’t it? Things come together, or fall apart, for a reason, and at the time that is meant to be, so I don’t question it too much. It’s kind of like being on a ride and just enjoying it, but at the same time, I know to a great extent, I am in charge of the ride and my ultimate destination. OR – MAYBE I AM NOT IN CHARGE OF MY ULTIMATE DESTINATION. What’s really at work here, free will – or something else? I don’t know, and it doesn’t even matter much right now. (Hmmm....is that a symptom of a brain-dead law student?)

I am enjoying spending time with my family. I just had three days off with no work and no school, then a “snow day” stuck at home, making it 4 days in a row that I was home with my wife and kids. It was so nice to have both kids asleep by 8:30 last night and to be at home. We watched a movie, mostly uninterrupted, other than my partner having to nurse the baby back to sleep a couple times. Poor baby is getting in her two top teeth and it seems to be quite painful. I am happy that as adults we do not remember the pain!

I have a feeling I will be at a bit of a loss trying to slow my life down after the Holidays. Right now, it is already slowing down, but we have the excitement of Christmas approaching, and needing to get last minute things done, wrapping, all of that stuff. Next week, I have most of the week off; we’ll do family stuff with my partner’s family, then back to work for two weeks before school starts again. I know the time will fly by...but still...anticipate the “let down” as I do not have to be “on top of my game.” I admit, that it is even harder work to be at home taking care of two little kids. Perhaps "slowing down" is not the correct term. Maybe mentally slowing down? I have the easy task of going to work and school and only being “mommy” part-time. What is really unfair to my partner is that even though she takes on the brunt of the childrearing responsibilities, I get to be the “fun mom” that the kids want to spend time with. Right now, she’s mostly OK with it, as it is allowing her lots of time to play with her new digital scrapbooking program that she got for her birthday (Happy Birthday, Honey!), but when we are out and about, it’s not that much fun for her when the kids just want me.

I see I am rambling. I will stop here with one last thought, “We made it through the first semester!!”

First final of 1L down, 2 more to go!

Wahoo! We've made it this far. Completed a full semester of law school and seem to have suffered no major damage. Civ Pro final went well, I think. Guess I won't know for sure until next month sometime. At any rate, I had answers that seemed in the realm of correctness and didn't panic, or draw a blank or anything like that. First real test since high school. I went to the Evergreen State College for my undergraduate education - no tests, no grades. Emphasis actually was on learning - we just didn't have to spit the knowledge back out in exam form. I can see there was value in me having to study for the last couple weeks, and outline throughout the semester. I probably would not have solidified my knowledge nearly as well if there had not been a final to prepare for. Hmmm....guess there is something to testing. I'm not saying I'm suddenly an advocate for traditional testing methods, just that I can see there is value on both sides of the debate...or maybe I should say...all around the debate since I'm sure this is more than a two-sided issue.

Contracts Wednesday.

Con Law Thursday.

Then one whole month off with the family! Happy Holidays!

Little Revelations from a Law Student...

1) I was informed by my wife that the FRCP quiz from the prior post was not particularly funny, though she conceded that maybe it would be to a law student. I am still pretty sure if I went back and took it again, I would be laughing. Again, I've not had enough sleep. Guess it will have to be enough. Civ Pro final is in 3 hours! Bring it on!

2) I was informed by my best friend since high school that we need to get together drink once finals are over. She is also an insane adult returnee to the upper educational system. (I hope I am able to form such eloquent sentences later this evening.) This proves that no matter what age you are, the need to cut loose after finals is still the same.

3) I was informed by a friend/classmate that I am a smartass. I am quite sure the informers of topics #1 & 2 would agree.

4) Same friend/classmate warned of letting my mind drift in the midst of our Contracts final and creating my own hypos containing offer, acceptance and consideration based on the behavior of the women of the L Word. As a generalization, I'd say there are many implied, if not express, offers; acceptance by performance; and as consideration...well, not so sure there are many mutually negotiated exchanges of legal detriments.....therefore, no enforceable contracts. Now, were we to consider Promissory Estoppel, that might be a different matter.

OK, OK, clearly I am tired and am only amusing myself. Though I may slightly amuse at least one other 1L. If so, my work here is done.

I am off! (As, I am sure, all of the aforementioned parties would agree!)