Spring Break Recap, including:
1) The Near-Death, "UH, Want A Cookie," "I Almost Swallowed Shards of Glass and All We Got Was A Pizookie" Story
2) Bars I Have Known and Chugged
3) The Eagle Board of Review
4) Family Judge With No Love
5) Sorpresa!
6) Mood Lighting, Black Leather: Flying For-Ever.
7) Ideas Spring Forth - This One May Actually Work
8) Seeing April in March
9) Beds I Have Known And...
10) All I Could Think Was: "Sonofa..."
I have been MIA lately, but that will all change. And then I will be MIA again (Finals). Good stories soon to come.
8)
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Sick and Tired - March 17 - 19, 2008
I am not one to quote musical lyrics. As Mitch Hedburg said, in a likely drug-and-alcohol-filled stupor: "That is not my style." Doing so runs into the realm of cliché and, quite possibly, overly annoying. However, as I sat down to explain the past few days, I realize that the song that started to play on my computer could not more completely describe the words that I wanted to scribe, the things I wish to convey and document for a lifetime of reflection.
I'm sick and tired of being criticized;
I'm sick and tired of barely getting by;
I'm sick and tired of not living right;
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired;
I'm sick and tired of being pushed aside;
I'm sick and tired of calling folks for rides;
I'm sick and tired of this petty life;
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.
• Anthony Hamilton and the Nappy Roots
We will take each of these lines of lyrical genius, one-by-one. Perhaps this week, in terms of the song, is like a horoscope: I am merely assigning meaning to something that could be attributable to just about anybody or any situation.
On Monday I had a required conference with my Appellate Advocacy Professor. Everybody in the class must meet with her. Sign-up times were on a first-come, first-served basis. For some reason, most likely mental defect, I chose 8:20AM on a Monday. I have no clue what I was thinking choosing such an absurdly early time to meet with a Professor, but I dragged myself into her office on time. And then I left two-minutes later.
The professor that I had once adored lost a significant amount of respect upon returning the first draft of our briefs. Not only did her often contradictory comments not make sense, but they reached a level of incredulous that I did not see coming. Her main comment centered around one statement. "Could be more passionate." I have been told a great many things that did not make sense, but this comment entered the top five in non-believability.
In a somewhat shocked state of mind, I told those around me what she said. The resounding response was "You!? Not passionate enough? Are you sure she wrote that about you?"
As is apparent, I cannot open my mouth without bleeding passion. Obviously, after eight months of being around the same people, they too knew this.
Needless to say, I had little to say about what she had said. She gave me a lower mark than my partner. I read her portion of the brief, and it was wrought with errors - grammatical, spelling, formatting, and prose - and it was no better than mine. However, I was sent, in flashback form, back to my Junior Year in high school. I had an English teacher who told me that I would never write at the same level of my peers, and that I was not expected to be an "A" student. She was correct. I received an 80 percent scoring on every subjectively graded essay and assignment we turned-in. On everything objectively graded, I was at or near the top of the grades received. At the end of the semester, I received an 89.5 percent. I was definitely the "B" student she foresaw. This is ff the greatest real-life self-fulfilling prophecies that I can describe.
Again, my Father's brilliance was committed to memory, and taken off the shelf. While this was occurring, he told me the following:
"A student that a teacher believes is an 'A' student can turn in a 'C' paper and will receive a 'B'; A student that a teacher believes is an 'C' student can turn in an 'A' paper and will receive a 'B'."
I think life is very much unfair. And, it is. Apparently, my Professor is "waiting for me to have a moment of clarity, and suddenly 'get it'." I am waiting for said "clarity."
I am sick and tired of being criticized.
A subject that I have not before broached is that of finances. Without any regular or viable income, balancing my expenses, especially in the face of rising gas prices, is becoming increasingly difficult. I have always managed my money very well, and that will not stop. It is, however, becoming quite the burden to bear amid the other things in my life, namely school and academics.
It is annoying to listen to people whose parents are supporting them in one way or another (or in all ways) complain about having to pay for something. I guess this is one of those things that people do that really upset me. Perhaps people need to be careful what they say with certain people around.
I am thankful I am independent in every way. Having this independence is liberating and immerses me in skills I will need later that my peers will not have. Complete independence (financial and otherwise) is a parenting technique that I intend to take from my parents and pass on to my children, should I ever decide to spawn.
I am sick and tired of barely getting by.
On Tuesday, I had a hearing for one of my clients. This is the case in which I had attempted to get documents in an informal manner instead of obtaining a subpoena, which is quite a process. My worthless partner had no role to play since our client had given testimony at the prior hearing - testimony that was brought forth through the Judge's questions since my partner cannot comprehend the way in which examination questions are formed, where fifth graders in the mock trial program understand how to ask questions.
I showed up at the hearing and sat down to talk with my client. My partner was nowhere to be seen. When my client asked where he was, I told her I had no clue, but that he was not really going to do anything since she had already testified. She smiled at me, and said, "He does not do anything anyways. I can tell that he is not the one who knows what he is doing."
I had no idea how to reply to that statement. I cannot agree with her and badmouth my partner in front of her. So I changed the subject. I went to remove my notes and question outline. I could not find it anywhere. I ran back out to my car to search through it. Then, it hit me. I had unwittingly put it in the envelope that is now on its way to another state. Somebody is going to get a letter with about 10 pages of notes and statutes. It will highly perplex them.
Anyhow, I scribbled down those things I needed to cover in my cross-examination, included federal statutes and code regulations. As it turns out, I did not need any of these notes. The employer proceeded to really upset the Judge to the point that the Judge, quite literally, threw the file forcefully down on the desk as he admonished the employer for stating that he did not understand the hearing policies and procedures and that he wanted legal counsel. The Judge angrily defrocked him for wasting everybody's time, being that this was the fourth hearing, and that upon adjournment, we would be coming back for a fifth.
My client and I walked out very happy people. She was happy that the employer so gracefully enraged the Judge, and I was happy that my partner was not present.
I am done being taken advantage of by somebody who brings nothing to the proverbial 'table' other than a pompous and entirely egotistical demeanor that is leach-like. I keep on putting up with the guy, and he is exactly the type of person that I cannot stand to be around. Plus, the halls have communicated chatter of his less-than-acceptable talk about me behind my back. I wonder if he is living his delusions of grandeur, or if he knows how very little he has done.
I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I also had a meeting with the Office of Student Affairs regarding the organization I am attempting to found. We had an appointment at 11:00 AM. Three of us showed up five minutes early, and sat down to wait. The American Bar Association's Accreditation visit was taking place, and as the Administration at the law school has repeatedly showed, students do not come first. A member of the ABA team was meeting with the Director of Student Affairs, while we were enjoying the cramped corner of the office, with really ugly and uncomfortable chairs. We sat there for ten minutes. One of the three of us had to leave to go to another meeting after 15 minutes of waiting. After over 30 minutes of making small-talk and entertaining the idea of picking our noses to pass the time, we were invited into the office to talk.
We already composed a 47-page set of bylaws, an honor code and team rules for two of the four teams being proposed. In addition, we had already secured two advisers (one had firmly signed on and the other told us he would advise us as a very last resort if needed), so we were quite confident that we would have a successful meeting.
We were wrong.
I do not understand why the Law School insists on stifling student activism. Where we are an organization that not only provides numerous opportunities for students to gains practical knowledge in real-life skills where none previously existed, we would be competing with other Law Schools. The representation of a school helps to promote its name; recognition of a school is a portion of what is incorporated into a school's ranking. It is a win-win situation. And yet, egos and unexplained feelings run everything.
Moot Court has long been established. They think the world of themselves, and because of this, they feel they own the world. As a result, they want no other organization around that could be good. I tried to explain it to everybody through the following metaphor. The situation is like that of a newly broken-up couple. When you break up with somebody, you usually want nothing to do with them. You don't want to talk to them, see them or be around them. However, for some unexplained reason, you do not want anybody else to be with them. It is a weird form of jealousy.
In our situation, even though they have not ever entered into the proposed competitions and though we will not be taking from their membership base, they do not want us around. It makes no sense. The meeting with Student Affairs was made very much adversarial by the administration from the very first words out of their mouths. The Administrator even received and returned a text-message during the meeting.
I am tired of being pushed aside.
The people here are also very unreliable and not loyal. I am finding it increasingly difficult to really find people with whom I wish to be friends. As a great generality, the character of people on the East Coast is not the highest quality, nor do others expect quality from others. On the West Coast, I have met people who will be my friends for life. I know that my friends from home can be trusted without question. On my current coast, I do not feel like I can completely open up to anybody. I am perpetually in a guarded state of being. However, I am getting used to the area. Perhaps I am adapting, or finally given in to the forced assimilation.
I want people I can count on to fulfill a promise or be true to their word. I want loyalty. In fact, I demand it. It is a good thing my friends from home remain understanding and receptive to my minimal contact. Under the circumstances, it is very humbling.
I am sick and tired of calling folks for rides.
On Wednesday, I called all the students I recruited for the organization for a meeting to brief them and present a memo. The tactics I proposed became the first point of contention for the group.
Because we had been met with great hostility from the outset, I preemptively decided to engage in tactics that were necessary. In what became, probably, the most diplomatic arrangements of words that I could have assembled given the outright adversarial circumstances, I sent an email to the Moot Court Adviser. It is attached below:
--
To: Redacted Professor's Name
From: H
Subject: Meeting
Professor,
As I am sure you have been notified, there is a group of students who have gathered with the purpose of creating an organization to field competitive teams at four ABA competitions. {The Law School] does not participate in any of these competitions. One of these competitions is in Appellate Advocacy. We understand that this competition, and any related organization, would seemingly overlap with those of the Moot Court Association. We want to put these fears at ease.
As such, a few of the student leaders who are behind the organization would like to sit down with you, and discuss any potential conflicts that could arise. We are certain that after a meeting, we will have settled any uneasy feelings and come to an agreement that is best for both organizations (potential or existing) and the students of the Law School. We are dedicated to creating the best possible outcome for all involved.
Because time passes quickly (and the approach of Spring Break), we would like to inquire as to setting up a meeting as quickly as possible. We will work with your schedule to host a meeting-of-the-minds. We are hoping we can meet prior to Spring Break.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and taking the time to work with us to create a viable solution to any potential problems that could arise.
Very respectfully,
H
--
A few hours later, I received the following response:
--
To: H and Student Affairs Director
From: Redacted Professor's Name
Subject: Re: Meeting
H:
I cannot meet with you prior to the spring break, unfortunately. I don't think that the creation of an organization devoted to competing in the various ABA competitions is necessary, however. I think that if there is enough interest to participate in one of the competitions, we can endeavor to field a team under our existing trial and moot court programs.
Professor
--
Well, thank you for hearing us out before passing uneducated judgment. Welcome to what I am dealing with at this school. It is lovely.
How curt and excessively unwarranted? If the Adviser wanted to shut us down, at least give me the opportunity to explain the organization. Egos running amuck, eh?
And, on top of that, the five page memorandum outlining (in perfect paradigm format, the legal writing form of organizing an argument) was signed by all the members of the organization. However, before I could send it out, trouble brewed from within. Some people had second thoughts about it. They just wanted to meet the demands of the Administration, who had not even allowed us time to explain what we are doing, and drop two out of the four competition teams. As I told everybody, last time I checked, only doing half is a failure. And we are now at a standstill.
As it has played out, the people who have complained the most in the organization have been the people who have done the least. The most fervent fighters for our original vision for the organization have been those who have done a great wealth of work. I am thinking about changing us from a Democracy to a Percentage-Based Authoritative Autocracy. Perhaps the world should do the same. The wealthiest would be the hardest-working, most highly contributing persons in society. Hope? Change? Not even.
Why do people think they can complain about things to which they have not contributed? This is always the case. People in demographics known for being apathetic about politics are usually the first to complain about taxes and politicians. Students who do not study or read, and subsequently earn a bad grade in a class are always the most vocal about their hatred of a Professor, while the students who learn the most say nothing.
I am sick and tired of this petty life.
I am coming home for Spring Break. I really was not very excited about the trip home until today. I talk with my Father every day, sometimes two or three times a day. Whenever there is good news, he is the first person I call. Whenever doom graces my existence, he, too, receives the first call. The order of calls that follow those to my father vary, but inevitably, they include my Mother and my elder Brother. However, back to the point: I have not been home in over four months. It does not feel like that long to me, but it is a very long time. Last time I was home, most of the nation was not in session, so I got to spend a lot of time with my family. I did not go home over the winter break because my parents were not going to be around. I did not want to be at home when they were gone because I felt it a wasted trip - this is a testament to my family being the most important part of my life.
A call I made to my Father changed me from apathetic (probably because of how packed my schedule has been lately) to overly excited. I realized that my parents would be working all week while I am back. I also realized that I have not seen my father in the practice of law since I started law school. Now that I actually understood a great detail of the procedure and laws, my experience watching him would be all the more intriguing. On the call I asked him if he had any hearings or trials. He told me that I would, in fact, have the opportunity to spend time with him, and watch him practice the law in a courtroom setting, a place I see myself in the very near future. Now I am excited.
I will have a chance to recuperate from the stresses and unnecessary drama that I hate so very much. It is a break from everything I dislike and a chance to experience things I love.
I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I am ready to be over it all. Why can I not fast-forward two years?
I'm sick and tired of being criticized;
I'm sick and tired of barely getting by;
I'm sick and tired of not living right;
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired;
I'm sick and tired of being pushed aside;
I'm sick and tired of calling folks for rides;
I'm sick and tired of this petty life;
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.
• Anthony Hamilton and the Nappy Roots
We will take each of these lines of lyrical genius, one-by-one. Perhaps this week, in terms of the song, is like a horoscope: I am merely assigning meaning to something that could be attributable to just about anybody or any situation.
On Monday I had a required conference with my Appellate Advocacy Professor. Everybody in the class must meet with her. Sign-up times were on a first-come, first-served basis. For some reason, most likely mental defect, I chose 8:20AM on a Monday. I have no clue what I was thinking choosing such an absurdly early time to meet with a Professor, but I dragged myself into her office on time. And then I left two-minutes later.
The professor that I had once adored lost a significant amount of respect upon returning the first draft of our briefs. Not only did her often contradictory comments not make sense, but they reached a level of incredulous that I did not see coming. Her main comment centered around one statement. "Could be more passionate." I have been told a great many things that did not make sense, but this comment entered the top five in non-believability.
In a somewhat shocked state of mind, I told those around me what she said. The resounding response was "You!? Not passionate enough? Are you sure she wrote that about you?"
As is apparent, I cannot open my mouth without bleeding passion. Obviously, after eight months of being around the same people, they too knew this.
Needless to say, I had little to say about what she had said. She gave me a lower mark than my partner. I read her portion of the brief, and it was wrought with errors - grammatical, spelling, formatting, and prose - and it was no better than mine. However, I was sent, in flashback form, back to my Junior Year in high school. I had an English teacher who told me that I would never write at the same level of my peers, and that I was not expected to be an "A" student. She was correct. I received an 80 percent scoring on every subjectively graded essay and assignment we turned-in. On everything objectively graded, I was at or near the top of the grades received. At the end of the semester, I received an 89.5 percent. I was definitely the "B" student she foresaw. This is ff the greatest real-life self-fulfilling prophecies that I can describe.
Again, my Father's brilliance was committed to memory, and taken off the shelf. While this was occurring, he told me the following:
"A student that a teacher believes is an 'A' student can turn in a 'C' paper and will receive a 'B'; A student that a teacher believes is an 'C' student can turn in an 'A' paper and will receive a 'B'."
I think life is very much unfair. And, it is. Apparently, my Professor is "waiting for me to have a moment of clarity, and suddenly 'get it'." I am waiting for said "clarity."
I am sick and tired of being criticized.
A subject that I have not before broached is that of finances. Without any regular or viable income, balancing my expenses, especially in the face of rising gas prices, is becoming increasingly difficult. I have always managed my money very well, and that will not stop. It is, however, becoming quite the burden to bear amid the other things in my life, namely school and academics.
It is annoying to listen to people whose parents are supporting them in one way or another (or in all ways) complain about having to pay for something. I guess this is one of those things that people do that really upset me. Perhaps people need to be careful what they say with certain people around.
I am thankful I am independent in every way. Having this independence is liberating and immerses me in skills I will need later that my peers will not have. Complete independence (financial and otherwise) is a parenting technique that I intend to take from my parents and pass on to my children, should I ever decide to spawn.
I am sick and tired of barely getting by.
On Tuesday, I had a hearing for one of my clients. This is the case in which I had attempted to get documents in an informal manner instead of obtaining a subpoena, which is quite a process. My worthless partner had no role to play since our client had given testimony at the prior hearing - testimony that was brought forth through the Judge's questions since my partner cannot comprehend the way in which examination questions are formed, where fifth graders in the mock trial program understand how to ask questions.
I showed up at the hearing and sat down to talk with my client. My partner was nowhere to be seen. When my client asked where he was, I told her I had no clue, but that he was not really going to do anything since she had already testified. She smiled at me, and said, "He does not do anything anyways. I can tell that he is not the one who knows what he is doing."
I had no idea how to reply to that statement. I cannot agree with her and badmouth my partner in front of her. So I changed the subject. I went to remove my notes and question outline. I could not find it anywhere. I ran back out to my car to search through it. Then, it hit me. I had unwittingly put it in the envelope that is now on its way to another state. Somebody is going to get a letter with about 10 pages of notes and statutes. It will highly perplex them.
Anyhow, I scribbled down those things I needed to cover in my cross-examination, included federal statutes and code regulations. As it turns out, I did not need any of these notes. The employer proceeded to really upset the Judge to the point that the Judge, quite literally, threw the file forcefully down on the desk as he admonished the employer for stating that he did not understand the hearing policies and procedures and that he wanted legal counsel. The Judge angrily defrocked him for wasting everybody's time, being that this was the fourth hearing, and that upon adjournment, we would be coming back for a fifth.
My client and I walked out very happy people. She was happy that the employer so gracefully enraged the Judge, and I was happy that my partner was not present.
I am done being taken advantage of by somebody who brings nothing to the proverbial 'table' other than a pompous and entirely egotistical demeanor that is leach-like. I keep on putting up with the guy, and he is exactly the type of person that I cannot stand to be around. Plus, the halls have communicated chatter of his less-than-acceptable talk about me behind my back. I wonder if he is living his delusions of grandeur, or if he knows how very little he has done.
I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I also had a meeting with the Office of Student Affairs regarding the organization I am attempting to found. We had an appointment at 11:00 AM. Three of us showed up five minutes early, and sat down to wait. The American Bar Association's Accreditation visit was taking place, and as the Administration at the law school has repeatedly showed, students do not come first. A member of the ABA team was meeting with the Director of Student Affairs, while we were enjoying the cramped corner of the office, with really ugly and uncomfortable chairs. We sat there for ten minutes. One of the three of us had to leave to go to another meeting after 15 minutes of waiting. After over 30 minutes of making small-talk and entertaining the idea of picking our noses to pass the time, we were invited into the office to talk.
We already composed a 47-page set of bylaws, an honor code and team rules for two of the four teams being proposed. In addition, we had already secured two advisers (one had firmly signed on and the other told us he would advise us as a very last resort if needed), so we were quite confident that we would have a successful meeting.
We were wrong.
I do not understand why the Law School insists on stifling student activism. Where we are an organization that not only provides numerous opportunities for students to gains practical knowledge in real-life skills where none previously existed, we would be competing with other Law Schools. The representation of a school helps to promote its name; recognition of a school is a portion of what is incorporated into a school's ranking. It is a win-win situation. And yet, egos and unexplained feelings run everything.
Moot Court has long been established. They think the world of themselves, and because of this, they feel they own the world. As a result, they want no other organization around that could be good. I tried to explain it to everybody through the following metaphor. The situation is like that of a newly broken-up couple. When you break up with somebody, you usually want nothing to do with them. You don't want to talk to them, see them or be around them. However, for some unexplained reason, you do not want anybody else to be with them. It is a weird form of jealousy.
In our situation, even though they have not ever entered into the proposed competitions and though we will not be taking from their membership base, they do not want us around. It makes no sense. The meeting with Student Affairs was made very much adversarial by the administration from the very first words out of their mouths. The Administrator even received and returned a text-message during the meeting.
I am tired of being pushed aside.
The people here are also very unreliable and not loyal. I am finding it increasingly difficult to really find people with whom I wish to be friends. As a great generality, the character of people on the East Coast is not the highest quality, nor do others expect quality from others. On the West Coast, I have met people who will be my friends for life. I know that my friends from home can be trusted without question. On my current coast, I do not feel like I can completely open up to anybody. I am perpetually in a guarded state of being. However, I am getting used to the area. Perhaps I am adapting, or finally given in to the forced assimilation.
I want people I can count on to fulfill a promise or be true to their word. I want loyalty. In fact, I demand it. It is a good thing my friends from home remain understanding and receptive to my minimal contact. Under the circumstances, it is very humbling.
I am sick and tired of calling folks for rides.
On Wednesday, I called all the students I recruited for the organization for a meeting to brief them and present a memo. The tactics I proposed became the first point of contention for the group.
Because we had been met with great hostility from the outset, I preemptively decided to engage in tactics that were necessary. In what became, probably, the most diplomatic arrangements of words that I could have assembled given the outright adversarial circumstances, I sent an email to the Moot Court Adviser. It is attached below:
--
To: Redacted Professor's Name
From: H
Subject: Meeting
Professor,
As I am sure you have been notified, there is a group of students who have gathered with the purpose of creating an organization to field competitive teams at four ABA competitions. {The Law School] does not participate in any of these competitions. One of these competitions is in Appellate Advocacy. We understand that this competition, and any related organization, would seemingly overlap with those of the Moot Court Association. We want to put these fears at ease.
As such, a few of the student leaders who are behind the organization would like to sit down with you, and discuss any potential conflicts that could arise. We are certain that after a meeting, we will have settled any uneasy feelings and come to an agreement that is best for both organizations (potential or existing) and the students of the Law School. We are dedicated to creating the best possible outcome for all involved.
Because time passes quickly (and the approach of Spring Break), we would like to inquire as to setting up a meeting as quickly as possible. We will work with your schedule to host a meeting-of-the-minds. We are hoping we can meet prior to Spring Break.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and taking the time to work with us to create a viable solution to any potential problems that could arise.
Very respectfully,
H
--
A few hours later, I received the following response:
--
To: H and Student Affairs Director
From: Redacted Professor's Name
Subject: Re: Meeting
H:
I cannot meet with you prior to the spring break, unfortunately. I don't think that the creation of an organization devoted to competing in the various ABA competitions is necessary, however. I think that if there is enough interest to participate in one of the competitions, we can endeavor to field a team under our existing trial and moot court programs.
Professor
--
Well, thank you for hearing us out before passing uneducated judgment. Welcome to what I am dealing with at this school. It is lovely.
How curt and excessively unwarranted? If the Adviser wanted to shut us down, at least give me the opportunity to explain the organization. Egos running amuck, eh?
And, on top of that, the five page memorandum outlining (in perfect paradigm format, the legal writing form of organizing an argument) was signed by all the members of the organization. However, before I could send it out, trouble brewed from within. Some people had second thoughts about it. They just wanted to meet the demands of the Administration, who had not even allowed us time to explain what we are doing, and drop two out of the four competition teams. As I told everybody, last time I checked, only doing half is a failure. And we are now at a standstill.
As it has played out, the people who have complained the most in the organization have been the people who have done the least. The most fervent fighters for our original vision for the organization have been those who have done a great wealth of work. I am thinking about changing us from a Democracy to a Percentage-Based Authoritative Autocracy. Perhaps the world should do the same. The wealthiest would be the hardest-working, most highly contributing persons in society. Hope? Change? Not even.
Why do people think they can complain about things to which they have not contributed? This is always the case. People in demographics known for being apathetic about politics are usually the first to complain about taxes and politicians. Students who do not study or read, and subsequently earn a bad grade in a class are always the most vocal about their hatred of a Professor, while the students who learn the most say nothing.
I am sick and tired of this petty life.
I am coming home for Spring Break. I really was not very excited about the trip home until today. I talk with my Father every day, sometimes two or three times a day. Whenever there is good news, he is the first person I call. Whenever doom graces my existence, he, too, receives the first call. The order of calls that follow those to my father vary, but inevitably, they include my Mother and my elder Brother. However, back to the point: I have not been home in over four months. It does not feel like that long to me, but it is a very long time. Last time I was home, most of the nation was not in session, so I got to spend a lot of time with my family. I did not go home over the winter break because my parents were not going to be around. I did not want to be at home when they were gone because I felt it a wasted trip - this is a testament to my family being the most important part of my life.
A call I made to my Father changed me from apathetic (probably because of how packed my schedule has been lately) to overly excited. I realized that my parents would be working all week while I am back. I also realized that I have not seen my father in the practice of law since I started law school. Now that I actually understood a great detail of the procedure and laws, my experience watching him would be all the more intriguing. On the call I asked him if he had any hearings or trials. He told me that I would, in fact, have the opportunity to spend time with him, and watch him practice the law in a courtroom setting, a place I see myself in the very near future. Now I am excited.
I will have a chance to recuperate from the stresses and unnecessary drama that I hate so very much. It is a break from everything I dislike and a chance to experience things I love.
I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I am ready to be over it all. Why can I not fast-forward two years?
Friday, March 14, 2008
Three Day Stretch - March 12 - 14, 2008
Life has become very hectic lately. I think I have a lot of time, but then, somehow, I wake up the next morning without having completed many of those things I had wanted to. This feeling is probably the best I could possibly ask for.
Law School is a big burden, so anything to make the days pass with great haste is, quite possibly, the greatest blessing a Law Student could have. Because I am so busy, there is so very much to share, but so very little time in which I feel I can spend time sharing. We will take each day, one-step at a time.
-----
Wednesday was glorious. March 12 was very exciting, and marked many "firsts" for me. After not sleeping, at all, at night, I attended an unforgettable field trip that made me giddy. The Criminal Law Society arranged for a tour of the Medical Examiner's office ("ME"). The ME and Coroner rarely grant outsiders access to their extensive fleet of laboratories and tools. Having a member of the organization on the inside is invaluable.
The ME had persons from different divisions of their office give us lectures on various duties and skills involved in medical forensics and investigations. Among the many things I learned, was a great many ways to beat the Breathalyzer, or cheat the .BAC analyzing system. I have no idea why they made strident "over-shares," but I enjoyed the talks nonetheless.
After over 1.5 hours of lecturing, the real fun was to begin. We had been told that, although there were two autopsies being performed, we would not be allowed access to watch. I guess they were just covering their behinds by giving us the line. As we entered the secured area behind the lobby, we entered a hall that smelled like the mink I dissected in Anatomy/Physiology class my sophomore year of high school. (As an aside: we had the most obese mink our teacher had ever seen. We named him Billy-Joe, and subsequently gave him a Bar Mitzvah, complete with Tallit, yarmulke and mini-torah. His Hebrew name was Mordecai. But I digress.) The smell was of formaldehyde, and permeated the furthest corners of the corridor.
Even though the stench said otherwise, we did not know what it was we were about to view. Sitting not 10 feet from our gathering place, a (hopefully lifeless) body laid motionless. Upon further examination, we realized the thing was a body, and that the body's chest cavity was open. Were I as observant as they attempted to teach me in second grade, I would have quickly notice the hollow cavity that previously enshrined the body's brain. However, there was absolutely no brain, no skull cap, and the man's scalp had been pulled forward. As I was making creepy shrieks of wonder-filled joy, I noticed one of the autopsy specialists pick a medical gown up from the ground. I watched as he crumpled the gown into a shockingly solid ball of unsterile gut-covered, and what turned out to be very useful autopsy instrument. I had thought he was cleaning up, but really, he was preparing to stuff said gown-ball into dead-man's head. After jamming the multi-faceted gown into the corpse' brain-bucket (now a gown-bucket), the man replaced the skull-cap, peeled the scalp back into place, and sowed the incised hairline back together.
Now, you are probably wondering the same thing that the rest of us were: "Where is the guy's brain?"
As it turns out, they place all the organs and slimy stuff into plastic bags, and place all the bags (including the brain" into the chest cavity, and sew it on up. It gives new meaning to having your mind over your matter. (Insert rim-shot here.)
After the autopsy talk was over, we made our way into Second Amendment Heaven. The room we were ushered into had just about every shell casing and bullet one could imagine. There were ballistics tests displayed, and nifty targets with Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein papering the walls. We discussed how ballistics testing occurs and all the nifty effects of bullets and gun-shot residue. The tour guide (a Senior Level Forensics Specialist) took out his scan card and a key. Usually you need just your scan card, but this room was special.
As we walked into Red Neck Central, we understood why there was so much security. Displaying the immense glory of our right to bear arms, were, what I can only best estimate, over 350 guns of varying types. Lugers, 6-shooters, water-cooled machine guns, can guns, automatic assault rifles, single shot business-card sized guns and just about everything else in between. As we entered, the Guide told us to not even think about touching anything, as there were cameras recording every movement. And, of course, as we all looked up, there were a great many security cameras smiling back at us.
The DNA lab and other testing areas were not quite as entertaining or exciting, but were great to see nevertheless.
After the tour, I left the building and made my way back to campus.
The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Voting continued in the elections, and the games never stopped with the opposing party for the hearing I have next Tuesday. They agreed to give me the documents I requested, but somehow "neglected" to give me all the pages that were supposed to be in the transmission. Pages skipped and the fax did not include as many pages as it purported. This will be fun.
-----
Thursday beat-out Wednesday for busiest. I was to attend the Award Banquet for the unemployment association, where I was being recognized as the Advocate of the Year. I was to leave the banquet early, to make it, albeit late, to the Law School Spring Formal. There would be a wealth of alcohol at each event, and a very happy me.
However, not everything goes to plan. Ever. I had planned to skip my final class of the day to make it to the train on time to go into the city. I waited around school an extra three hours, and patiently awaited the arrival of my worthless partner. It took him over two hours to shower and put on a suit. Meanwhile, the deadline was closing in which we would be able to make either one of two trains. Mr. Worthless had us arrive at the train station roughly three minutes late. His elation at missing the train and the banquet proved dismaying to me. It was quite obvious that he had planned our arrival to be late. He wanted nothing more than to miss the award ceremony.
This just goes to show his perpetual leech-like attitude.
Not only did he inconvenience me, but he inconvenienced the girl I was dating. She agreed, without prompting, to drive back out to school to pick me up. The 45 minute detour proved to be as annoying as missing the train had been.
As if I was not already upset at life, the night began to get worse. Girl went home, showered and got ready. I sat on the angry spot of the couch, and let my feelings fester. Roughly one hour later, I received an email.
--
from Redacted SBA President's Email
to H
date Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 6:30 PM
subject Election results
Mar 13
Dear Candidate,
We're sorry, you did not win a position in the election. Thanks for running; it was great to have such a strong candidate turnout and your
involvement was integral to that.
The winners will be announced at [the Spring Formal] tonight. Thanks again for your effort.
--
That was it. No signature, no personalization, no emotion. Nothing. As this election would show, only six people total could have lost. Was a personalized call or email, at the very least, too much to ask? I wrote a reply:
--
From H
to Redacted SBA President's Email
date Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 7:12 PM
subject Re: Election results
Mar 13
[President Name],
I appreciate you taking the time to notify me that I lost the election. However, with only six people losing a position, it would have been more professional were a call made instead of an email. Furthermore, were six phone calls too much work, it would have taken very little time were the emails personalized. It is hard enough to hear this news, but it is worsened when the person relaying the information to a scant few persons does so without any compassion or empathy.
Thanks for your service.
-H
--
Needless to say, I was having a bad day.
When girl showed back up at my house, we left. As I locked the door, I noticed her beginning to walk towards my car. I asked her what she was doing, to which she replied that I had agreed to drive. This was not the case, and as I later pointed out (and as she later realized and agreed) this was a figment of her imagination. She had agreed to drive us to the venue, but her attempts to renegotiate and offer to drive were heeded as empty attempts that fell on my deaf ears.
I angrily drove to the venue, had a pretty horrible time, and had a minuscule two drinks in the course of six hours.
After driving home angrily, I recapped the night in my head. One good thing did happen. I began to speak to one of my friends with whom I had ceased conversing during the first semester because of a falling out. She was too much drama for one me. However, we had matching personalities, and really appreciated each other. When I got home, she was online, and we chatted for nearly two hours. It was a decent way to end the day, given everything else that occurred.
-----
For some reason, my Friday class Professor decided to move the start time up one hour, to 9:00 AM. As if everybody was not going to be tired enough at 10, the extra hour of not sleeping was absolutely wonderful. Not only did I have class, but the fellowship was hosting the next class of fellowship finalists. They were to be interviewed and see the campus.
We were all assigned "Buddies" for the day. We were expected to usher them about the campus, ensuring they arrived at their destination on time.
One room was designated the headquarters. It was where all 15-plus Finalists returned after completing their scheduled task or appointment. At one point I was sitting in the room, minding my own business all alone, when all 15 Finalists piled in. The Fellowship Coordinator, a Law School Alumnae herself, entered as well. I took it as my chance to answer any questions. I told the mass of Finalists that this was their time to ask any questions they felt otherwise uncomfortable asking with Faculty or Administrators around. They stared at me blankly, until I relayed some dismaying scholarship information to them.
The questions then flowed. It was as if Drain-O cleared the clog. The questions were unstoppable. I have no idea how the answers were perceived, but I answered them with all the honesty I sought when asking the very same questions merely one year ago.
After dropping off two Fellowship Finalists at the train station, I drove home to relax for a bit. That afternoon, I met with Girl and told her that she wanted a commitment, and I only wanted to date, and that I was not enjoying time with her as much as I once had, and that I wanted to stop dating for a bit. I was then smited for my honesty. I spilled a fresh cup of hot chocolate all over my lower-mid-section. The chocolate warmth promptly ended the meeting, and I drove home very quickly.
Later that night, I was supposed to go to a bar to see another friend's band play, with girl and our two friends, a nice Jewish couple who met in Israel (he is my age and in law school, while she is the breadwinner.) Those plans were put on ice as per the pre-hot chocolate incident conversation.
Instead, my roommate and I drove to the bar, where the other three were, anyway. The ice thawed, we all watched the band (who played two hours later than they said they would). After the band played, my roommate left, and the four of us demolished two large cheese pizzas and an order of bread sticks.
-----
That was quite the three day stretch. I have been tired ever since.
Law School is a big burden, so anything to make the days pass with great haste is, quite possibly, the greatest blessing a Law Student could have. Because I am so busy, there is so very much to share, but so very little time in which I feel I can spend time sharing. We will take each day, one-step at a time.
-----
Wednesday was glorious. March 12 was very exciting, and marked many "firsts" for me. After not sleeping, at all, at night, I attended an unforgettable field trip that made me giddy. The Criminal Law Society arranged for a tour of the Medical Examiner's office ("ME"). The ME and Coroner rarely grant outsiders access to their extensive fleet of laboratories and tools. Having a member of the organization on the inside is invaluable.
The ME had persons from different divisions of their office give us lectures on various duties and skills involved in medical forensics and investigations. Among the many things I learned, was a great many ways to beat the Breathalyzer, or cheat the .BAC analyzing system. I have no idea why they made strident "over-shares," but I enjoyed the talks nonetheless.
After over 1.5 hours of lecturing, the real fun was to begin. We had been told that, although there were two autopsies being performed, we would not be allowed access to watch. I guess they were just covering their behinds by giving us the line. As we entered the secured area behind the lobby, we entered a hall that smelled like the mink I dissected in Anatomy/Physiology class my sophomore year of high school. (As an aside: we had the most obese mink our teacher had ever seen. We named him Billy-Joe, and subsequently gave him a Bar Mitzvah, complete with Tallit, yarmulke and mini-torah. His Hebrew name was Mordecai. But I digress.) The smell was of formaldehyde, and permeated the furthest corners of the corridor.
Even though the stench said otherwise, we did not know what it was we were about to view. Sitting not 10 feet from our gathering place, a (hopefully lifeless) body laid motionless. Upon further examination, we realized the thing was a body, and that the body's chest cavity was open. Were I as observant as they attempted to teach me in second grade, I would have quickly notice the hollow cavity that previously enshrined the body's brain. However, there was absolutely no brain, no skull cap, and the man's scalp had been pulled forward. As I was making creepy shrieks of wonder-filled joy, I noticed one of the autopsy specialists pick a medical gown up from the ground. I watched as he crumpled the gown into a shockingly solid ball of unsterile gut-covered, and what turned out to be very useful autopsy instrument. I had thought he was cleaning up, but really, he was preparing to stuff said gown-ball into dead-man's head. After jamming the multi-faceted gown into the corpse' brain-bucket (now a gown-bucket), the man replaced the skull-cap, peeled the scalp back into place, and sowed the incised hairline back together.
Now, you are probably wondering the same thing that the rest of us were: "Where is the guy's brain?"
As it turns out, they place all the organs and slimy stuff into plastic bags, and place all the bags (including the brain" into the chest cavity, and sew it on up. It gives new meaning to having your mind over your matter. (Insert rim-shot here.)
After the autopsy talk was over, we made our way into Second Amendment Heaven. The room we were ushered into had just about every shell casing and bullet one could imagine. There were ballistics tests displayed, and nifty targets with Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein papering the walls. We discussed how ballistics testing occurs and all the nifty effects of bullets and gun-shot residue. The tour guide (a Senior Level Forensics Specialist) took out his scan card and a key. Usually you need just your scan card, but this room was special.
As we walked into Red Neck Central, we understood why there was so much security. Displaying the immense glory of our right to bear arms, were, what I can only best estimate, over 350 guns of varying types. Lugers, 6-shooters, water-cooled machine guns, can guns, automatic assault rifles, single shot business-card sized guns and just about everything else in between. As we entered, the Guide told us to not even think about touching anything, as there were cameras recording every movement. And, of course, as we all looked up, there were a great many security cameras smiling back at us.
The DNA lab and other testing areas were not quite as entertaining or exciting, but were great to see nevertheless.
After the tour, I left the building and made my way back to campus.
The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Voting continued in the elections, and the games never stopped with the opposing party for the hearing I have next Tuesday. They agreed to give me the documents I requested, but somehow "neglected" to give me all the pages that were supposed to be in the transmission. Pages skipped and the fax did not include as many pages as it purported. This will be fun.
-----
Thursday beat-out Wednesday for busiest. I was to attend the Award Banquet for the unemployment association, where I was being recognized as the Advocate of the Year. I was to leave the banquet early, to make it, albeit late, to the Law School Spring Formal. There would be a wealth of alcohol at each event, and a very happy me.
However, not everything goes to plan. Ever. I had planned to skip my final class of the day to make it to the train on time to go into the city. I waited around school an extra three hours, and patiently awaited the arrival of my worthless partner. It took him over two hours to shower and put on a suit. Meanwhile, the deadline was closing in which we would be able to make either one of two trains. Mr. Worthless had us arrive at the train station roughly three minutes late. His elation at missing the train and the banquet proved dismaying to me. It was quite obvious that he had planned our arrival to be late. He wanted nothing more than to miss the award ceremony.
This just goes to show his perpetual leech-like attitude.
Not only did he inconvenience me, but he inconvenienced the girl I was dating. She agreed, without prompting, to drive back out to school to pick me up. The 45 minute detour proved to be as annoying as missing the train had been.
As if I was not already upset at life, the night began to get worse. Girl went home, showered and got ready. I sat on the angry spot of the couch, and let my feelings fester. Roughly one hour later, I received an email.
--
from Redacted SBA President's Email
to H
date Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 6:30 PM
subject Election results
Mar 13
Dear Candidate,
We're sorry, you did not win a position in the election. Thanks for running; it was great to have such a strong candidate turnout and your
involvement was integral to that.
The winners will be announced at [the Spring Formal] tonight. Thanks again for your effort.
--
That was it. No signature, no personalization, no emotion. Nothing. As this election would show, only six people total could have lost. Was a personalized call or email, at the very least, too much to ask? I wrote a reply:
--
From H
to Redacted SBA President's Email
date Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 7:12 PM
subject Re: Election results
Mar 13
[President Name],
I appreciate you taking the time to notify me that I lost the election. However, with only six people losing a position, it would have been more professional were a call made instead of an email. Furthermore, were six phone calls too much work, it would have taken very little time were the emails personalized. It is hard enough to hear this news, but it is worsened when the person relaying the information to a scant few persons does so without any compassion or empathy.
Thanks for your service.
-H
--
Needless to say, I was having a bad day.
When girl showed back up at my house, we left. As I locked the door, I noticed her beginning to walk towards my car. I asked her what she was doing, to which she replied that I had agreed to drive. This was not the case, and as I later pointed out (and as she later realized and agreed) this was a figment of her imagination. She had agreed to drive us to the venue, but her attempts to renegotiate and offer to drive were heeded as empty attempts that fell on my deaf ears.
I angrily drove to the venue, had a pretty horrible time, and had a minuscule two drinks in the course of six hours.
After driving home angrily, I recapped the night in my head. One good thing did happen. I began to speak to one of my friends with whom I had ceased conversing during the first semester because of a falling out. She was too much drama for one me. However, we had matching personalities, and really appreciated each other. When I got home, she was online, and we chatted for nearly two hours. It was a decent way to end the day, given everything else that occurred.
-----
For some reason, my Friday class Professor decided to move the start time up one hour, to 9:00 AM. As if everybody was not going to be tired enough at 10, the extra hour of not sleeping was absolutely wonderful. Not only did I have class, but the fellowship was hosting the next class of fellowship finalists. They were to be interviewed and see the campus.
We were all assigned "Buddies" for the day. We were expected to usher them about the campus, ensuring they arrived at their destination on time.
One room was designated the headquarters. It was where all 15-plus Finalists returned after completing their scheduled task or appointment. At one point I was sitting in the room, minding my own business all alone, when all 15 Finalists piled in. The Fellowship Coordinator, a Law School Alumnae herself, entered as well. I took it as my chance to answer any questions. I told the mass of Finalists that this was their time to ask any questions they felt otherwise uncomfortable asking with Faculty or Administrators around. They stared at me blankly, until I relayed some dismaying scholarship information to them.
The questions then flowed. It was as if Drain-O cleared the clog. The questions were unstoppable. I have no idea how the answers were perceived, but I answered them with all the honesty I sought when asking the very same questions merely one year ago.
After dropping off two Fellowship Finalists at the train station, I drove home to relax for a bit. That afternoon, I met with Girl and told her that she wanted a commitment, and I only wanted to date, and that I was not enjoying time with her as much as I once had, and that I wanted to stop dating for a bit. I was then smited for my honesty. I spilled a fresh cup of hot chocolate all over my lower-mid-section. The chocolate warmth promptly ended the meeting, and I drove home very quickly.
Later that night, I was supposed to go to a bar to see another friend's band play, with girl and our two friends, a nice Jewish couple who met in Israel (he is my age and in law school, while she is the breadwinner.) Those plans were put on ice as per the pre-hot chocolate incident conversation.
Instead, my roommate and I drove to the bar, where the other three were, anyway. The ice thawed, we all watched the band (who played two hours later than they said they would). After the band played, my roommate left, and the four of us demolished two large cheese pizzas and an order of bread sticks.
-----
That was quite the three day stretch. I have been tired ever since.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Dr. Jarvis and Mr. Woods - March 10-11, 2008
An interesting day is just what I needed. It is definitely what I got.
Amid political controversy that follows me like gnat on an alley dog, I have been waging a war on candidacy, founding an organization, juggling three cases for the Unemployment organization, catching up on my reading, and tending to my duties as a class representative on the current student government board. I did, however, get a chance to listen to a Justice of the Supreme Court speak, a rare treat for any legal professional.
We will peruse my life, one topic at a time, hopefully allowing a piece of insight to seep through the cracks of an otherwise normal setup in my life: chaos.
The battle of good versus the other guy came very quickly. I had thought that I would retire the winner of an election. Little did I know – Scratch that. I knew that I could not stop. When election time was nearing, I told myself: “Self, no running for another position.” But, like everybody else in the world, I did not listen to me. Instead, I heeded the call of nearly every other person on the current student government to run for a position.
I get too far ahead, or perhaps we need to spring forward. Either way: When I started on the candidacy mission, I did not want to work for the election. I was only running because I was upset with the current leadership, and wanted to transform my disillusion into action. However, what really threw me to the flames was being approached by each of the three candidates for president separately. I thought that they were possibly pandering to me, but, as it turns out, each of them actually wanted me to be back.
Who was I to deny them my presence?
But, in all seriousness, I was thoroughly upset with how the class reps were treated and the leadership of the executive board. As is always my way, if I think something is broken, I attempt to fix it. The best way for me to fix it, was to run for Vice President. I can count the number of times I have run for a supporting officer role in an organization on two fingers. This time, running for the number two spot feels “right.”
I was faced with an opponent that is more popular than I – he is of the crowd that thinks they are still an undergraduate in a fraternity. However, this opponent was convincingly unaware that I am strategically savvy in elections. If only we were allowed to run attack ads, I would be able to seal the deal. However, I have been through election where careful planning was needed.
I employed the same poster blitz of my September 2007 run, where I won the race against three others. With one opponent of the three a virtual “nobody” I was really just planning everything around my fellow class rep from the other section. He is latch-key in his position, at best. He is the type of guy who runs for the title, but is not willing to do the work to earn it. My opponent is, at best, the guy who will do the absolute minimum, while everybody thinks he does the best he can. He is the guy who missed his last two Student Government meetings, but wants to be one of the leaders on it next year. He is nice, though.
My name shined brightly in large print on the most luminescent paper I could find. Simple, memorable, me. I modeled my campaign after the Howard Dean pre-media-hating-him era. Grassroots and word of mouth would be my method. Instead of starting groups on social networking sites, I allowed others to do so for me. Each club in which I had been active began driving its members to support their own.
The kicker, however, was the key to the lock of my candidacy. Because I understood that each Presidential candidate wanted me as their Vice, I carefully devised a plan in which each campaigned on my behalf, all quietly, none knowing about the others. I let the candidate I supported and hoped to work with know what I was up to, and that she was my choice, but nobody else knew.
Voting is today and tomorrow. There is a large chance that I will not succeed, but I can only hope that my efforts will be realized with reward. The announcement is made at the Spring formal on Thursday, which is already a packed day (three classes, the Unemployment Association Banquet at which I receive the Advocate of the Year award, and the student formal).
Wish me luck.
As if campaigning against somebody, who was banking on his popularity alone, was not enough, the founding efforts of the competition association was in full bloom. We had our first meeting on Monday, and we ensured that each of the eleven of us were on the same page. We set goals and made priorities. Appointments have been made with various faculty and administrators, correspondence has been flying around willy-nilly, a 38-page set of bylaws has been authored (and is in editing mode) and an extensive honor code is in the works. On top of that, I recruited the final law student to assist in founding the organization, putting us at a twelve student corps of leaders and go-getters.
I was worried that those recruited would not follow through or understand the commitment they made, but am pleasantly surprised that they are doing their work, and doing it well, at any rate.
The professor we pegged as a potential adviser (the lead adviser of five total advisers) turned us down because of his already-packed load of things to do. Resilient, as always, we moved to the next on the list. He is probably even busier than the one who turned us down, but I happened to know that he has trouble saying “no”. This professor is also the one who is very much one of the reasons I chose to attend the school. We await a reply on that front.
As long as everybody stays excited, well, as long as I can keep everybody excited, all will go as planned. More on this later.
Add to the foregoing three pending hearings, all with high-maintenance clients (one loves to call after 9:30PM). I love doing the hearings, but sometimes they all fall around the same time, making my life pretty hectic. When it rains, it pours, or so they say. Each case has a quirk that I will definitely enjoy. One is against an employer that is already scared of and frustrated with me because we have argued a case against him before, another is highly complex, very challenging and deals with criminal elements, and the final has me pitted against an employer with a very short temper (always a fun cross examination).
But wait, we are not done. My current role as the first year class representative has gotten increasingly difficult because the other reps (including my opponent for VP) have stopped showing up. Leaves me in a glorious position. At least the other officers recognize my dedication, or just-plain follow-through. Either way, it is both a positive and negative for me.
Catching up on reading is still going strong. I am slowly making my way back to “square-one”. In the middle of the square is me. Work, work, work.
However, bright spots do emerge. I was able to set my eyes upon and position my ears at attention in the presence of a Supreme Court Justice. However different his views may be, and how opposed I am to almost every decision he has signed, I was elated that Associate Justice Samuel Alito gave the students at my law school the opportunity to talk with and listen to him speak.
This may not seem like an occasion in which one should become overjoyed, but meeting and listening to a Supreme Court Justice is the equivalent to a Cardiology intern meeting Dr. Jarvis, or an aspiring tennis player having the opportunity to watch and learn from the Williams Sisters. On the SAT, the analogy would go along the lines of: Tiger Woods, Masters Champion is to Golf, as Samuel Alito, Supreme Court Justice is to the legal community. He may not be everybody’s favorite, but Alito sure is a power-player.
I enjoyed the experience, wrote of his ineptitude in interpreting the law correctly, and went back to reading for the rest of the day. And, here I sit: hoping my self-proclaimed popular opponent loses to what he described as “the most qualified for the job,” me. There are bigger things in life, I guess. Perhaps winning the three cases I have pending, or being the founder and leader among leaders of a competitive organization at the Law School is bigger.
Perhaps.
Amid political controversy that follows me like gnat on an alley dog, I have been waging a war on candidacy, founding an organization, juggling three cases for the Unemployment organization, catching up on my reading, and tending to my duties as a class representative on the current student government board. I did, however, get a chance to listen to a Justice of the Supreme Court speak, a rare treat for any legal professional.
We will peruse my life, one topic at a time, hopefully allowing a piece of insight to seep through the cracks of an otherwise normal setup in my life: chaos.
The battle of good versus the other guy came very quickly. I had thought that I would retire the winner of an election. Little did I know – Scratch that. I knew that I could not stop. When election time was nearing, I told myself: “Self, no running for another position.” But, like everybody else in the world, I did not listen to me. Instead, I heeded the call of nearly every other person on the current student government to run for a position.
I get too far ahead, or perhaps we need to spring forward. Either way: When I started on the candidacy mission, I did not want to work for the election. I was only running because I was upset with the current leadership, and wanted to transform my disillusion into action. However, what really threw me to the flames was being approached by each of the three candidates for president separately. I thought that they were possibly pandering to me, but, as it turns out, each of them actually wanted me to be back.
Who was I to deny them my presence?
But, in all seriousness, I was thoroughly upset with how the class reps were treated and the leadership of the executive board. As is always my way, if I think something is broken, I attempt to fix it. The best way for me to fix it, was to run for Vice President. I can count the number of times I have run for a supporting officer role in an organization on two fingers. This time, running for the number two spot feels “right.”
I was faced with an opponent that is more popular than I – he is of the crowd that thinks they are still an undergraduate in a fraternity. However, this opponent was convincingly unaware that I am strategically savvy in elections. If only we were allowed to run attack ads, I would be able to seal the deal. However, I have been through election where careful planning was needed.
I employed the same poster blitz of my September 2007 run, where I won the race against three others. With one opponent of the three a virtual “nobody” I was really just planning everything around my fellow class rep from the other section. He is latch-key in his position, at best. He is the type of guy who runs for the title, but is not willing to do the work to earn it. My opponent is, at best, the guy who will do the absolute minimum, while everybody thinks he does the best he can. He is the guy who missed his last two Student Government meetings, but wants to be one of the leaders on it next year. He is nice, though.
My name shined brightly in large print on the most luminescent paper I could find. Simple, memorable, me. I modeled my campaign after the Howard Dean pre-media-hating-him era. Grassroots and word of mouth would be my method. Instead of starting groups on social networking sites, I allowed others to do so for me. Each club in which I had been active began driving its members to support their own.
The kicker, however, was the key to the lock of my candidacy. Because I understood that each Presidential candidate wanted me as their Vice, I carefully devised a plan in which each campaigned on my behalf, all quietly, none knowing about the others. I let the candidate I supported and hoped to work with know what I was up to, and that she was my choice, but nobody else knew.
Voting is today and tomorrow. There is a large chance that I will not succeed, but I can only hope that my efforts will be realized with reward. The announcement is made at the Spring formal on Thursday, which is already a packed day (three classes, the Unemployment Association Banquet at which I receive the Advocate of the Year award, and the student formal).
Wish me luck.
As if campaigning against somebody, who was banking on his popularity alone, was not enough, the founding efforts of the competition association was in full bloom. We had our first meeting on Monday, and we ensured that each of the eleven of us were on the same page. We set goals and made priorities. Appointments have been made with various faculty and administrators, correspondence has been flying around willy-nilly, a 38-page set of bylaws has been authored (and is in editing mode) and an extensive honor code is in the works. On top of that, I recruited the final law student to assist in founding the organization, putting us at a twelve student corps of leaders and go-getters.
I was worried that those recruited would not follow through or understand the commitment they made, but am pleasantly surprised that they are doing their work, and doing it well, at any rate.
The professor we pegged as a potential adviser (the lead adviser of five total advisers) turned us down because of his already-packed load of things to do. Resilient, as always, we moved to the next on the list. He is probably even busier than the one who turned us down, but I happened to know that he has trouble saying “no”. This professor is also the one who is very much one of the reasons I chose to attend the school. We await a reply on that front.
As long as everybody stays excited, well, as long as I can keep everybody excited, all will go as planned. More on this later.
Add to the foregoing three pending hearings, all with high-maintenance clients (one loves to call after 9:30PM). I love doing the hearings, but sometimes they all fall around the same time, making my life pretty hectic. When it rains, it pours, or so they say. Each case has a quirk that I will definitely enjoy. One is against an employer that is already scared of and frustrated with me because we have argued a case against him before, another is highly complex, very challenging and deals with criminal elements, and the final has me pitted against an employer with a very short temper (always a fun cross examination).
But wait, we are not done. My current role as the first year class representative has gotten increasingly difficult because the other reps (including my opponent for VP) have stopped showing up. Leaves me in a glorious position. At least the other officers recognize my dedication, or just-plain follow-through. Either way, it is both a positive and negative for me.
Catching up on reading is still going strong. I am slowly making my way back to “square-one”. In the middle of the square is me. Work, work, work.
However, bright spots do emerge. I was able to set my eyes upon and position my ears at attention in the presence of a Supreme Court Justice. However different his views may be, and how opposed I am to almost every decision he has signed, I was elated that Associate Justice Samuel Alito gave the students at my law school the opportunity to talk with and listen to him speak.
This may not seem like an occasion in which one should become overjoyed, but meeting and listening to a Supreme Court Justice is the equivalent to a Cardiology intern meeting Dr. Jarvis, or an aspiring tennis player having the opportunity to watch and learn from the Williams Sisters. On the SAT, the analogy would go along the lines of: Tiger Woods, Masters Champion is to Golf, as Samuel Alito, Supreme Court Justice is to the legal community. He may not be everybody’s favorite, but Alito sure is a power-player.
I enjoyed the experience, wrote of his ineptitude in interpreting the law correctly, and went back to reading for the rest of the day. And, here I sit: hoping my self-proclaimed popular opponent loses to what he described as “the most qualified for the job,” me. There are bigger things in life, I guess. Perhaps winning the three cases I have pending, or being the founder and leader among leaders of a competitive organization at the Law School is bigger.
Perhaps.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Amazing Young’uns - March 6-7, 2008
While other classes are rewarded with a week of relaxation upon turning their appellate briefs in for grading, my class was busy recovering with a meager 125 pages of reading and a very taxing assignment. Life just is not fair. The professor removed every iota of “like” I had for her.
She basically said: “Congratulations on your completion of the most major assignment you have had to date, here is a large assignment to celebrate.” However she did not say that.
On Friday, I attended the final session of the elementary school mock trial program that I started over one month ago. The three sessions seem to fly by, as they should. Teaching fifth graders about the civil law system in addition to how to operate a trial and, just when their brains have been pumped with information that is over their heads, we throw them into a mock trial.
During the mock trials, the Law Student Mentors are always amazed at their secure grasp of the procedure and methods. The children on Friday were no different. I sat back as the clerk of the court while my appointed Bailiff and Judge, both 11 years old, ran the courtroom with precision. I brought the young lady who played the Judge a black robe to wear, and made the Bailiff a “badge.” The young attorneys grilled the witnesses, made opening and closing presentations and wowed the jury of their peers. The witnesses knew their information to the smallest detail, though they were often no match for the attorneys who often caught them in misstatements.
The boy who played the Defendant mis-answered a question, and I leaned back while enjoying the Plaintiff’s Attorney’s grilling of the misstatement. The young lady turned the Jury in her “client’s” favor with ease. After the Judge directed the Jury to deliberate in the hall, I listened to them elect a Foreperson and vote on the verdict. The Foreperson announced that the Jury found the Defendant guilty, and the case ended.
It was a spectacular showing of the depth of young people to comprehend some of the most complex and unbelievable things. Their brains are like sponges, for sure. I told them that I have peers that could not do nearly as well as they did, and that they were all very gifted. Indeed, I know other law students who could not handle a direct or cross examination, nonetheless give an opening or closing statement. Some people just cannot handle public speaking. Not only could they handle it, but they did so very well. It was a fantastic way to end the day.
I am pretty upset that I lose an hour this weekend. Daylight savings ruins my life.
She basically said: “Congratulations on your completion of the most major assignment you have had to date, here is a large assignment to celebrate.” However she did not say that.
On Friday, I attended the final session of the elementary school mock trial program that I started over one month ago. The three sessions seem to fly by, as they should. Teaching fifth graders about the civil law system in addition to how to operate a trial and, just when their brains have been pumped with information that is over their heads, we throw them into a mock trial.
During the mock trials, the Law Student Mentors are always amazed at their secure grasp of the procedure and methods. The children on Friday were no different. I sat back as the clerk of the court while my appointed Bailiff and Judge, both 11 years old, ran the courtroom with precision. I brought the young lady who played the Judge a black robe to wear, and made the Bailiff a “badge.” The young attorneys grilled the witnesses, made opening and closing presentations and wowed the jury of their peers. The witnesses knew their information to the smallest detail, though they were often no match for the attorneys who often caught them in misstatements.
The boy who played the Defendant mis-answered a question, and I leaned back while enjoying the Plaintiff’s Attorney’s grilling of the misstatement. The young lady turned the Jury in her “client’s” favor with ease. After the Judge directed the Jury to deliberate in the hall, I listened to them elect a Foreperson and vote on the verdict. The Foreperson announced that the Jury found the Defendant guilty, and the case ended.
It was a spectacular showing of the depth of young people to comprehend some of the most complex and unbelievable things. Their brains are like sponges, for sure. I told them that I have peers that could not do nearly as well as they did, and that they were all very gifted. Indeed, I know other law students who could not handle a direct or cross examination, nonetheless give an opening or closing statement. Some people just cannot handle public speaking. Not only could they handle it, but they did so very well. It was a fantastic way to end the day.
I am pretty upset that I lose an hour this weekend. Daylight savings ruins my life.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The Unigroan is Born - March 4 - 5, 2008
I thought I had seen it all. I never fathomed the situation in which the astonishment of an entire class was exhibited through a "unigroan." The class, eerily, enjoyed a premised statement where hilarity ensued, right before the "unigroan" was introduced into my life. The spectrum of "whoa" was definitely seen.
I have mentioned annoying boy many times. He is the guy who over-shares everything, lies a lot and loves to tell everybody how he "feels." The problem with the last part is that the law could care less about what or how somebody feels about a certain situation. The law is the law. His feelings have become quite the target of hatred.
The "Girl" I have been dating has those shining moments where she is of the most attractive beings in the world. If time had allowed, I would have run to the jewelry store, picked out 1 karat of glory and proposed on the spot. What she said was sheer brilliance and probably the best one-liner any person in the over 100-person class has heard this year.
The topic was prenuptial agreements, the sanctity of marriage and all else divorce. The professor rarely lets a debate ensue that is outside the scope of the law, however, she let the class go wild. Between annoying girl, annoying boy and rally guy (always has some radical stance or a rally to attend, as he makes blatantly obvious in class), I thought I may poke my eyes out. Annoying guy let us all know how he felt about the situation. We are all frustrated every time he speaks, and though we all think the same thing, never has anybody publicly displayed their true affections for the guy.
This is where "Girl's" hand went up. With perfect timing and delivery, the following left Girl's vocal chords, deploying purely blissful joy into world of Property Law.
"I hate to publicly announce that I agree with [annoying boy], but …"
The simple premise left every person in the room laughing, except of course, annoying boy himself. The state of affairs during the ensuing seconds of hilarity were completely unexpected and very much deserved. To say what we were all thinking with the poise and nonchalance of Girl was magnificent. It was probably a "you have to have been there" moment.
But then, much to everybody's shock an alien hand shot into the air with lightning speed and quality precision. We had been warned that potential students could possibly be joining us for class, but there was no preparing us for what happened next.
The alien hand belonged to a student alien to the class. Were there ever a time to deport somebody, this moment was exactly what was needed. The prospective students were seated in the very front row on the left side of the room. Having somehow snuck into the room without my uncaring eye noticing, they had sat in silence, casually watching the class debate all things marriage and divorce. As it turned out, the hand belonged to said visiting potential student.
A double take was not enough. I had to look over, shake my head like a Yoohoo, look back, question those sitting around me, swirl my eyes as a washer in its spin-cycle, and look back again. The process of my disbelief must have been amusing in its own regard. However, the scene I and nearly every other student in the class was busy enacting was only half as unbelievable as this college student who had not before read a case, had no background and was in a second semester law class trying to enter himself into the conversation.
Sadly, the alien was successful in his attempt, wherein he launched himself into a over-zealous soliloquy that I did not care to listen to. It was unbelievable. People were actually asking each other if he was actually speaking in a law school class. This is where the “unigroan” was first introduced to the law school community. Everybody was grunting or groaning about the un-naturalized visitor’s interjections. It was quite a horrific sound.
What was going on?
In less outrageous moments I have been trying to catch up on lost sleep and a lot of reading I neglected while writing the appellate brief. The assignment really threw me back on everything, and I have yet to reconnoiter with my old self.
I feel like I am actually starting to get used to being a law student. It all seems so very normal now. The days are passing with greater speed, and the weeks are faster than a speeding Superman.
Tomorrow is another day of catch-up and fall-behind.
What a mess I am busy cleaning up. I hope my grade in Appellate Advocacy reflects the work I tendered.
I have mentioned annoying boy many times. He is the guy who over-shares everything, lies a lot and loves to tell everybody how he "feels." The problem with the last part is that the law could care less about what or how somebody feels about a certain situation. The law is the law. His feelings have become quite the target of hatred.
The "Girl" I have been dating has those shining moments where she is of the most attractive beings in the world. If time had allowed, I would have run to the jewelry store, picked out 1 karat of glory and proposed on the spot. What she said was sheer brilliance and probably the best one-liner any person in the over 100-person class has heard this year.
The topic was prenuptial agreements, the sanctity of marriage and all else divorce. The professor rarely lets a debate ensue that is outside the scope of the law, however, she let the class go wild. Between annoying girl, annoying boy and rally guy (always has some radical stance or a rally to attend, as he makes blatantly obvious in class), I thought I may poke my eyes out. Annoying guy let us all know how he felt about the situation. We are all frustrated every time he speaks, and though we all think the same thing, never has anybody publicly displayed their true affections for the guy.
This is where "Girl's" hand went up. With perfect timing and delivery, the following left Girl's vocal chords, deploying purely blissful joy into world of Property Law.
"I hate to publicly announce that I agree with [annoying boy], but …"
The simple premise left every person in the room laughing, except of course, annoying boy himself. The state of affairs during the ensuing seconds of hilarity were completely unexpected and very much deserved. To say what we were all thinking with the poise and nonchalance of Girl was magnificent. It was probably a "you have to have been there" moment.
But then, much to everybody's shock an alien hand shot into the air with lightning speed and quality precision. We had been warned that potential students could possibly be joining us for class, but there was no preparing us for what happened next.
The alien hand belonged to a student alien to the class. Were there ever a time to deport somebody, this moment was exactly what was needed. The prospective students were seated in the very front row on the left side of the room. Having somehow snuck into the room without my uncaring eye noticing, they had sat in silence, casually watching the class debate all things marriage and divorce. As it turned out, the hand belonged to said visiting potential student.
A double take was not enough. I had to look over, shake my head like a Yoohoo, look back, question those sitting around me, swirl my eyes as a washer in its spin-cycle, and look back again. The process of my disbelief must have been amusing in its own regard. However, the scene I and nearly every other student in the class was busy enacting was only half as unbelievable as this college student who had not before read a case, had no background and was in a second semester law class trying to enter himself into the conversation.
Sadly, the alien was successful in his attempt, wherein he launched himself into a over-zealous soliloquy that I did not care to listen to. It was unbelievable. People were actually asking each other if he was actually speaking in a law school class. This is where the “unigroan” was first introduced to the law school community. Everybody was grunting or groaning about the un-naturalized visitor’s interjections. It was quite a horrific sound.
What was going on?
In less outrageous moments I have been trying to catch up on lost sleep and a lot of reading I neglected while writing the appellate brief. The assignment really threw me back on everything, and I have yet to reconnoiter with my old self.
I feel like I am actually starting to get used to being a law student. It all seems so very normal now. The days are passing with greater speed, and the weeks are faster than a speeding Superman.
Tomorrow is another day of catch-up and fall-behind.
What a mess I am busy cleaning up. I hope my grade in Appellate Advocacy reflects the work I tendered.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Just Wow - February 28 - March 3, 2008
My entire week, minus fleeting thoughts of happiness and short-lived times of optimism, has been dedicated to Bliss. Do not be misled, Bliss is not as good as it would suggest.
My fake client for Appellate Advocacy happens to have sued her employer in a U.S. District Court. Sadly, she decided to take her case to the Court of Appeals when she lost her case. The U.S. Court of Appeals is in the District of Bliss. Thus, I have given my client every single thought that I could muster over the last few weeks - with no time this last week for me to do another thing of interest. Let's just say she will be sending my kids to college on the bill she is going to receive.
The 35-page limit seems like it is more than enough. Again, do not fall for the rhetoric. My Professor demands triple-spacing, which has become enraging. The brief is written in pairs, with one student taking one of two issues. My partner is pretty obvious, as we are pretty inseparable when at law school. She decided, without looking at the issues, that she felt that the first issue was the right one for her. As it turns out, it is not so fun. We both wrote our issues separately, as the instructions require, and had a very easy time collaborating on the parts that necessitated joint work.
Hopefully the feeling will continue when the grades are returned on them.
I have also been given great news since my last posting-based indulgence.
I was working late in the library at the law school on Friday when my phone began to alert me that an incoming call was yearning to be answered. I looked around, and noticed that there was not another person within a great distance (nobody that I could see), and against library rules, I picked up the phone.
Without incriminating myself or a potential employer, I can only describe the call as less than usual. I did not know who was talking to me on the other side of phone. They asked me if I was still interested in a position. Even though I had no clue who was asking me if I was still interested, I answered, "Of course I am." I figured it could not hurt to have interest in an organization.
They then proceeded to make me an offer for the coming summer. I should have been very excited, but I did not know who was making the offer. The call was awkward in that sense.
I was told that I would be receiving a packet in the mail. I was trying to come up with a plan as to how to figure out who this person was calling for. I really thought it was a friend playing a prank on me.
The light-bulb then went off in my densely populated brain. I asked the man on the line if he could supply me with his email address so that I could contact him if the package did not arrive, or if another problem was experienced. I figured his email would tell me from where he was calling. And, I was correct.
The Los Angeles County Public Defender made me the offer. I was incredibly excited and relieved that the interview that I thought went well, did in fact go well.
Now I have big decisions to make: do I stay in New York and explore the opportunities that I was just given, or do I go to California to work for one of the organizations for whom I wish to work when I graduate.
Tough decisions like these should always be this good.
In Property Law, we began to discuss a topic about which my Father is actually knowledgeable: Marital Interest. During class, we began to discuss and debate the merits of community property and what each spouse should get upon divorce. Again, I was stuck in the minority.
Before I tell you how I feel on the issue, try to guess if you can tell what position I took on the following:
What and how much property interest does each spouse retain upon a divorce, including property that was owned or made prior to marriage and during marriage when, for example, one spouse worked and the other stayed at home? (Also ask how much ownership does one spouse have in a Degree ascertained before or during marriage?)
While my classmates were arguing that any prior property was not to be ascertained by the other spouse upon divorce, and that any willed property was to remain in the name of the person named in said will, I argued that everything should be split right down the center. The basic "you are a union, and as one legal entity you share everything that is ascertained before or during marriage" argument, I reasoned with the class that "if a wife stays at home while her husband enters into a long-term occupation, with heightened earnings, then that husband should have to support his ex-wife until such point that the earnings equalize. The wife would have lost the income capacity over the years because she was at home, instead of having a career, thus losing her years of potential while tending to the needs of her husband." I also argued that one should not get married unless you are completely ready to share everything.
Welcome to the get-divorced-and-be-selfish-"me"-generation. It looks like family law attorneys have a little piece of job security in this generation. What happened to the sanctity of a marital union? Divorce is much too easy an option these days, and the in-class discussion proves it. How can people say that they are, completely and with steadfast resolve, ready to join another person in a civil union for the rest of their lives, and then, also not be prepared to completely divide their assets with another person to whom they took an oath to share everything for as long as they live? It makes no sense.
As my parents say in regards to marriage: "you should only do it once, so do it right the first time." If you do not do it correctly the first time, you then have to live with the consequences.
After the short debate, one of my friends had the following conversation with me via messenger. It made me laugh:
-----
ME: I can’t understand any of these kids
Friend: hahah true
ME: way to freaking restate the question in the answer, _______ (insert name of confusing-annoying girl)
Friend: I hate that _______ (your guess as to the fill-in is probably right)
ME: I loathe her
ME: I swear to all that is holy that I will end up in jail one day because I lose it… thank you law school.
ME: "Who has right to property in the community estate?" - She answers: "the community has the right to property in the estate"
- A Few Minutes Pass... -
ME: welcome to generation divorce
Friend: hahah so true
ME: why get married if you aren’t going to share everything?
ME: you east coasters are messed up
Friend: please you west coasters are weak
Friend: weak sauce
Friend: like hunts ketchup when it’s clearly Heinz time
ME: oh please
ME: 57 varieties?
ME: too much
ME: give me 32 flavors, and I am set
ME: the rest is all a waste
Friend: did u know that there are actually like 250 flavors, 57 was the original amount
ME: all the more egregious a waste then
ME: wasteful corporate idiocrity
ME: take your Heinz, and shove it up your tomato
Friend: aright hunts
Friend: that’s ur new nickname
-----
Anyhow, there was an upside to being a part of this vocal minority. The non-vocal minority (ie: the persons who do not participate or like to talk in class but usually agree with my view) was very much enamored with my stance. Apparently it is an unlikely position from a man. As I got up to leave class, the gaggle of gorgeous women who sit behind me stopped my hasty exit.
"By the way, H," they began. "We totally agree with you and your position of marriage. If you are not willing to share everything, then do not get married. Marriage is a one-time event, and should not be redone many times. Divorce and community property should not even be an issue."
Then Michelle joined the crew with a few comments of her own. Of course, I was too busy soaking up the ladies' comments to completely listen to her.
The middle of the three women, who I thoroughly appreciate for her presence, relayed that she loves how passionate I was. Michelle piped in, and I actually heard her this time.
"You always get like that when you speak in class, H!" she exclaimed.
The Middle-Gaggler then reinforced Michelle's comment. "That is true. Very forceful opinion and persuasive argument. I like that."
Oh, how life is good. I did not know what to say, but something left my mouth to the effect of: "Yeah, I guess so. It is hard to be any other way."
A great way to end the only class of the day.
In other news, the "Girl"-dating scene is interesting. One of my favorite people ("C") at the Law School was invited to the same get-together in the very same way I invited the girl I am "seeing". Like her, C was busy that night, and invited me to join he and his girlfriend at a bar that next weekend. "Girl" was invited to join as well. Girl and C are partners for the aforementioned Appellate assignment. He was very unaware that Girl and I were seeing each other. When we both arrived at the bar, C greeted us at the door, and we chatted while his girlfriend was fulfilling the five-hour bathroom quota women must complete each week. After a few minutes, Girl grabbed my hand. A few minutes later, he looked down, saw the hand-holding, and created a lasting picture of realization that I can only hope will occur at a later date.
He placed both hands on his head and, with great excitement, went "OHHHH!" Then the hands went straight into the air, "Ohhhhh!" Hands together: "OHHHH!" Hands on cheeks: "I didn't even reali…. Ohhhh!" C's girlfriend arrived at this point. He turned to her and said, "Did you… oh my! Now it all makes sense."
"Wow, that is all… this is… just wow!" he ended.
It was a fantastic night. The one outing has turned into a weekly double-date. They are great people, who are fun as can be. C and his girlfriend met on a Kibbutz in Israel, and have dated for quite some time. She is from California, while he is from New Jersey. As it turns out, Girl and C have quite the connection also: their mothers went to the same high school and graduated in the together. So, that is fun.
Dating Girl has been interesting in the least. In a two-week period I have had some pretty interesting experiences (not dirty, so don’t even think about implying such here), and have had mixed emotions. It is not fair to share too much with the world, but she may be the furthest thing from what I am used to. I am also not wanting to rush into anything, and I have a lot of time. No need to make a poor decision or get into something serious right now. Dating, however, is good.
For some reason, one of my Professors that I originally thought had no idea who I was knows me. The Property Professor (the one who I emailed about being upset that we did not explore a topic in further detail) was exiting class at the same time as I was lavatory-bound. I took the opportunity to hold the door open for her. Again, I did not know that she put my communications with my name, and definitely did not think that those two items were recognized as belonging to my face. As I held the door open, she looked at me and said, "Mr. H, I really hope you enroll in and look forward to having you in my Wills, Trusts and Estates class next year."
Oh, man. She knows me. I replied that, "I certainly hope I have the opportunity to be in that class." What else was I to say? "Uh… yeah. I really… enjoy?... your class?" That would not work out well.
It is funny that when we think we have everything figured out, life goes and mixes things up. I am not liking New York any more than I did weeks ago, nor am I becoming more satisfied with the current situation of schooling, but I am having experiences that I did not expect to have, and opportunities that I never considered possible are being lobbed my way.
For a guy who started planning his life (including career) in third grade, having plans that regularly get reassessed and changed is a new experience. Despite other unmentioned problems I have had, I am impressed and optimistic that I am attaining and experiencing all that I am.
Everything is "…just wow!"
My fake client for Appellate Advocacy happens to have sued her employer in a U.S. District Court. Sadly, she decided to take her case to the Court of Appeals when she lost her case. The U.S. Court of Appeals is in the District of Bliss. Thus, I have given my client every single thought that I could muster over the last few weeks - with no time this last week for me to do another thing of interest. Let's just say she will be sending my kids to college on the bill she is going to receive.
The 35-page limit seems like it is more than enough. Again, do not fall for the rhetoric. My Professor demands triple-spacing, which has become enraging. The brief is written in pairs, with one student taking one of two issues. My partner is pretty obvious, as we are pretty inseparable when at law school. She decided, without looking at the issues, that she felt that the first issue was the right one for her. As it turns out, it is not so fun. We both wrote our issues separately, as the instructions require, and had a very easy time collaborating on the parts that necessitated joint work.
Hopefully the feeling will continue when the grades are returned on them.
I have also been given great news since my last posting-based indulgence.
I was working late in the library at the law school on Friday when my phone began to alert me that an incoming call was yearning to be answered. I looked around, and noticed that there was not another person within a great distance (nobody that I could see), and against library rules, I picked up the phone.
Without incriminating myself or a potential employer, I can only describe the call as less than usual. I did not know who was talking to me on the other side of phone. They asked me if I was still interested in a position. Even though I had no clue who was asking me if I was still interested, I answered, "Of course I am." I figured it could not hurt to have interest in an organization.
They then proceeded to make me an offer for the coming summer. I should have been very excited, but I did not know who was making the offer. The call was awkward in that sense.
I was told that I would be receiving a packet in the mail. I was trying to come up with a plan as to how to figure out who this person was calling for. I really thought it was a friend playing a prank on me.
The light-bulb then went off in my densely populated brain. I asked the man on the line if he could supply me with his email address so that I could contact him if the package did not arrive, or if another problem was experienced. I figured his email would tell me from where he was calling. And, I was correct.
The Los Angeles County Public Defender made me the offer. I was incredibly excited and relieved that the interview that I thought went well, did in fact go well.
Now I have big decisions to make: do I stay in New York and explore the opportunities that I was just given, or do I go to California to work for one of the organizations for whom I wish to work when I graduate.
Tough decisions like these should always be this good.
In Property Law, we began to discuss a topic about which my Father is actually knowledgeable: Marital Interest. During class, we began to discuss and debate the merits of community property and what each spouse should get upon divorce. Again, I was stuck in the minority.
Before I tell you how I feel on the issue, try to guess if you can tell what position I took on the following:
What and how much property interest does each spouse retain upon a divorce, including property that was owned or made prior to marriage and during marriage when, for example, one spouse worked and the other stayed at home? (Also ask how much ownership does one spouse have in a Degree ascertained before or during marriage?)
While my classmates were arguing that any prior property was not to be ascertained by the other spouse upon divorce, and that any willed property was to remain in the name of the person named in said will, I argued that everything should be split right down the center. The basic "you are a union, and as one legal entity you share everything that is ascertained before or during marriage" argument, I reasoned with the class that "if a wife stays at home while her husband enters into a long-term occupation, with heightened earnings, then that husband should have to support his ex-wife until such point that the earnings equalize. The wife would have lost the income capacity over the years because she was at home, instead of having a career, thus losing her years of potential while tending to the needs of her husband." I also argued that one should not get married unless you are completely ready to share everything.
Welcome to the get-divorced-and-be-selfish-"me"-generation. It looks like family law attorneys have a little piece of job security in this generation. What happened to the sanctity of a marital union? Divorce is much too easy an option these days, and the in-class discussion proves it. How can people say that they are, completely and with steadfast resolve, ready to join another person in a civil union for the rest of their lives, and then, also not be prepared to completely divide their assets with another person to whom they took an oath to share everything for as long as they live? It makes no sense.
As my parents say in regards to marriage: "you should only do it once, so do it right the first time." If you do not do it correctly the first time, you then have to live with the consequences.
After the short debate, one of my friends had the following conversation with me via messenger. It made me laugh:
-----
ME: I can’t understand any of these kids
Friend: hahah true
ME: way to freaking restate the question in the answer, _______ (insert name of confusing-annoying girl)
Friend: I hate that _______ (your guess as to the fill-in is probably right)
ME: I loathe her
ME: I swear to all that is holy that I will end up in jail one day because I lose it… thank you law school.
ME: "Who has right to property in the community estate?" - She answers: "the community has the right to property in the estate"
- A Few Minutes Pass... -
ME: welcome to generation divorce
Friend: hahah so true
ME: why get married if you aren’t going to share everything?
ME: you east coasters are messed up
Friend: please you west coasters are weak
Friend: weak sauce
Friend: like hunts ketchup when it’s clearly Heinz time
ME: oh please
ME: 57 varieties?
ME: too much
ME: give me 32 flavors, and I am set
ME: the rest is all a waste
Friend: did u know that there are actually like 250 flavors, 57 was the original amount
ME: all the more egregious a waste then
ME: wasteful corporate idiocrity
ME: take your Heinz, and shove it up your tomato
Friend: aright hunts
Friend: that’s ur new nickname
-----
Anyhow, there was an upside to being a part of this vocal minority. The non-vocal minority (ie: the persons who do not participate or like to talk in class but usually agree with my view) was very much enamored with my stance. Apparently it is an unlikely position from a man. As I got up to leave class, the gaggle of gorgeous women who sit behind me stopped my hasty exit.
"By the way, H," they began. "We totally agree with you and your position of marriage. If you are not willing to share everything, then do not get married. Marriage is a one-time event, and should not be redone many times. Divorce and community property should not even be an issue."
Then Michelle joined the crew with a few comments of her own. Of course, I was too busy soaking up the ladies' comments to completely listen to her.
The middle of the three women, who I thoroughly appreciate for her presence, relayed that she loves how passionate I was. Michelle piped in, and I actually heard her this time.
"You always get like that when you speak in class, H!" she exclaimed.
The Middle-Gaggler then reinforced Michelle's comment. "That is true. Very forceful opinion and persuasive argument. I like that."
Oh, how life is good. I did not know what to say, but something left my mouth to the effect of: "Yeah, I guess so. It is hard to be any other way."
A great way to end the only class of the day.
In other news, the "Girl"-dating scene is interesting. One of my favorite people ("C") at the Law School was invited to the same get-together in the very same way I invited the girl I am "seeing". Like her, C was busy that night, and invited me to join he and his girlfriend at a bar that next weekend. "Girl" was invited to join as well. Girl and C are partners for the aforementioned Appellate assignment. He was very unaware that Girl and I were seeing each other. When we both arrived at the bar, C greeted us at the door, and we chatted while his girlfriend was fulfilling the five-hour bathroom quota women must complete each week. After a few minutes, Girl grabbed my hand. A few minutes later, he looked down, saw the hand-holding, and created a lasting picture of realization that I can only hope will occur at a later date.
He placed both hands on his head and, with great excitement, went "OHHHH!" Then the hands went straight into the air, "Ohhhhh!" Hands together: "OHHHH!" Hands on cheeks: "I didn't even reali…. Ohhhh!" C's girlfriend arrived at this point. He turned to her and said, "Did you… oh my! Now it all makes sense."
"Wow, that is all… this is… just wow!" he ended.
It was a fantastic night. The one outing has turned into a weekly double-date. They are great people, who are fun as can be. C and his girlfriend met on a Kibbutz in Israel, and have dated for quite some time. She is from California, while he is from New Jersey. As it turns out, Girl and C have quite the connection also: their mothers went to the same high school and graduated in the together. So, that is fun.
Dating Girl has been interesting in the least. In a two-week period I have had some pretty interesting experiences (not dirty, so don’t even think about implying such here), and have had mixed emotions. It is not fair to share too much with the world, but she may be the furthest thing from what I am used to. I am also not wanting to rush into anything, and I have a lot of time. No need to make a poor decision or get into something serious right now. Dating, however, is good.
For some reason, one of my Professors that I originally thought had no idea who I was knows me. The Property Professor (the one who I emailed about being upset that we did not explore a topic in further detail) was exiting class at the same time as I was lavatory-bound. I took the opportunity to hold the door open for her. Again, I did not know that she put my communications with my name, and definitely did not think that those two items were recognized as belonging to my face. As I held the door open, she looked at me and said, "Mr. H, I really hope you enroll in and look forward to having you in my Wills, Trusts and Estates class next year."
Oh, man. She knows me. I replied that, "I certainly hope I have the opportunity to be in that class." What else was I to say? "Uh… yeah. I really… enjoy?... your class?" That would not work out well.
It is funny that when we think we have everything figured out, life goes and mixes things up. I am not liking New York any more than I did weeks ago, nor am I becoming more satisfied with the current situation of schooling, but I am having experiences that I did not expect to have, and opportunities that I never considered possible are being lobbed my way.
For a guy who started planning his life (including career) in third grade, having plans that regularly get reassessed and changed is a new experience. Despite other unmentioned problems I have had, I am impressed and optimistic that I am attaining and experiencing all that I am.
Everything is "…just wow!"
New post soon...
New BIG post coming soon ... Just finished a 35 page brief that is due Monday.
Cheers!
Cheers!
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