Diary of a Something L
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
 
5:50 PM

I actually have something instead of nothing now. The end isn't necessarily near, but it is in sight.

   
 
12:41 PM

It was suggested that I quit my bellyaching. So I'll think of something else to talk about, like what classes I want to take next year. I think the classes I take will be 90% determined by which professors I like. Secondarily, I'll pick what sounds interesting. I don't think I'm going to worry myself so much about the bar. Maybe if somebody really twists my arm I'll take Evidence. I suppose I should learn just enough to represent myself well if I ever get sued or something.

   
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
 
5:17 PM

If I can just get through this paper, things aren't going to be so terribly difficult afterwards. I'll only have three classes, and the usual studying and outlining...but no more writing stuff, at least until the writing competition for journals...but why would I want to be on a journal? Getting through this experience with a minimum of effort is looking more and more attractive.

   
 
4:59 PM

I'm barely doing anything and I'm so sick of this!!! So so sick! Wanna quit! Too boring!!!

   
 
4:18 PM

So I've been sitting here an hour and a half and I haven't even looked at my paper. This is just pitiful.

   
 
12:56 PM

I have to get serious today. Real serious. I have less than 48 hours to finish my trial brief draft, and I basically haven't worked on it in like two weeks. I'm dreading this so much. During my last two years in college the solution would have been to drop the class (or switch to pass-fail) instead of writing the paper. That won't cut it here.

   
 
10:14 AM

Arrrgh...my brain is still on Spring Break. Actually, who are we kidding? My entire body is in Spring Break mode. Everything pretty much still feels like Spring Break except I'm not allowed to have fun. I'm definitely in the middle of one of those "why am I here" moments.

   
Monday, March 29, 2004
 
9:37 PM

And...it's supposed to rain for like the next five days straight! Phooey!

   
 
9:24 PM

It's raining! WORMS! Yuck! One of the few downfalls of spring.

   
 
10:54 AM

And...my guestbook is getting totally spammed upon. I'll keep pruning away the ads until it gets too annoying to do so. I wonder if people manually go on guestbooks and spam them up or if it can be done automagically.

   
 
10:52 AM

On the plus side, I like the social aspect of law school. I like meeting new people and I'm not so great at doing it without a bit of an outside push. On the minus side, I'm worried from time to time that I'm going in completely the wrong direction with my life and that I should be doing something far more unique and creative.

   
Friday, March 26, 2004
 
5:06 PM

I'm home from my adventures. I'll try to get back to talking about stuff that's actually related to the putative topic of this website.

   
Thursday, March 25, 2004
 
8:43 PM

Thursday:


I'm heading home early tomorrow.

   
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
 
5:53 PM

Wednesday...not so exciting for some reason. Maybe I didn't plan enough.


I think I'm going to kick back here for a little while and read and stuff and then go to the Thai place across the street.

   
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
 
7:09 PM

Tuesday so far (I think this will substantially be it):


By the way, I think me and Jessica need to start a support group of two for repressed creative people. Also by the way, my beard is getting to the length where it's really itchy, which is the stage just before it curls back on itself and gets really comfortable and fun for stroking intellectually.

   
 
1:38 PM

So yeah, the plan for today is to get some lunch cheepnis and then see the 3:45 showing of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".

   
 
8:28 AM

Monday in the happiest place on earth: Athens, Georgia! [Editor's note: this ended up a real long post! It was because I liked the place so much! But you can skip over it if you get bored.]


So that was my day in Athens. Today I need to settle down and relax and rest my knees and back...I must have walked...geez...like 5 miles yesterday or something. Maybe I'll go see a movie today. Anyway, sorry for the long post. I hope you skipped it if you thought it was boring. I was just really into Athens.

   
Monday, March 22, 2004
 
2:00 AM

Sunday activities:

   
 
1:54 AM

I think when it first came out I confused "The Sopranos" with "Falsettos".

   
Sunday, March 21, 2004
 
7:12 AM

Hello from Norcross, Georgia! I just discovered that there's a computer with a little tiny monitor here in the lobby of the motel! And the gentleman at the front desk has just informed me that the whole building is hooked up for wireless!!! Awesome! I'll have to try that. It's hard to believe that it was only two days ago that I took my Contracts final.

I stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Sweetwater, Tennessee for lunch, and then got a very nice Italian dinner at Dominick's in downtown Norcross. I think today I'm going to go into town. Then tomorrow I'm going to drive to Athens.

I guess all this is off my usual subject, but I'm just rather excited to be able to get online here! So whoo hoo!

   
Friday, March 19, 2004
 
1:06 PM

Contracts is over!!! Hatlanta here I come!!! If I take pictures, maybe I'll post some here.

Two people have suggested the World of Coca-Cola Museum or whatever it is. The Lonely Planet Guide says it's overrated, but I went the last time I was there and I remember that the free samples you get at the end of the tour are exquisitely perfectly mixed and at exactly the right temperature and exactly the right bubbliness. So how much would I have to drink to make it worth $6? Well, we'll see.

   
Thursday, March 18, 2004
 
12:44 PM

What is something fun to do in Atlanta? If you give me a good suggestion and send your postal address, I'll send you a postcard from the road. Any takers?

   
 
10:48 AM

Whine, whine whine...I'm tired...don't wanna study no more....whaaaaaaa!!!

   
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
 
6:05 PM

Wow...someone in the adjacent study room is studying Contracts real LOUD...

   
 
3:33 PM

Welp, it looks like I'm going to Atlanta! Thanx Priceline!

   
 
3:27 PM

I'm getting all distracted thinking about my trip next week. Also, we have to hand-write this exam, and I get really tired having to actually push a pen. I just need to get through a few more practice exams and print up a halfway decent outline and I'll be all set.

   
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
 
5:40 PM

I have to go into slash-and-burn mode on my Contracts outline so I can get out of here and eat and sleep. Word tells me that the outline is at 72 pages. I think I would be happy if I could get it a nudge under 50. It is, after all, a year-long class.

   
 
2:19 PM

Oooh!!! Somebody gave me a present! They didn't say who it was from, though...but thank you very much! I'll put it on my locker!

   
 
12:51 PM

I just saw the school production of Trial By Jury. Great! Lots of fun! Some of the singers were really fantastic! I saw a tape of the production six years ago, and I think this one was even better. Way to go!

   
Monday, March 15, 2004
 
7:34 PM

Grrraarrrrgggh! Where's my concentration at? I just have to keep telling myself that in a week I'll be on the road, getting someplace warm...but for now, I've got to buckle down and take care of business.

   
 
5:44 PM

Okay...time to get so serious and intense...for real this time.

   
 
10:41 AM

Okay, it's 10:40 and I'm still home. I'm taking it a little bit easy before I get hardcore Contracty all week long. Then I really think I'm going to do this trip. I think I'll try to find Internet access points along the way so I can say something about where I am.

   
Sunday, March 14, 2004
 
5:33 PM

There are two NASCAR races over Spring Break: one in Darlington, SC, and one in Bristol, TN. Maybe I should have a cross-cultural experience. I went to the rodeo in Alabama over Spring Break three years ago. Another thing I was thinking about was trying to make it to Key West. That's two long days driving or three normal days. I also haven't been to Atlanta in almost ten years. That would be worth another trip.

   
Friday, March 12, 2004
 
3:35 PM

Glargh! Can't concentrate! Contracts outline is at 108 pages and is getting smaller very...very...excruciatingly slowly.

   
 
1:43 PM

I'm thinking of taking my laptop and my casebooks and such on the road and doing a road/study trip for Spring Break. I just want to pack up the car and drive south until I get someplace warm. Maybe the Carolinas...I've never been there before. Then once I get there, maybe I'll sit on the beach and write my trial brief. I figure I can't quite bring myself to stay home all Spring Break and study, but I don't think I could afford to just take off and do nothing for a whole week. Does anybody have any suggestions of where to go?

   
 
10:07 AM

I got called on today in Property and did some problems on estates and future interests. I always get them about 90%, but only when I can look through the book, especially to remember whether "so long as" is a condition precedent or a condition subsequent. But get this...the test is closed book!

Anyway, no need or reason to worry about that now...I have to get my mind around Contracts exclusively and put that bad boy to bed.

   
Thursday, March 11, 2004
 
8:23 AM

So I'm going to watch Wrestlemania XX at my cousin Adam's house (him of the guestbook entries) on Sunday. It seems that Brock Lesnar is quitting the business after Sunday. Well, that was fast! But if I could retire at 26, I think I would do it too.

   
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
 
1:17 PM

I hope maybe there are more future 1Ls reading this. There is a guestbook note from one. If you're getting ready to start in the fall or you're trying to decide whether to go or whether to apply, please feel free to e-mail me. I've been known to give out advice in the past. Also, let me know if I can post your question here. I'd like to think that I know something about something by this point.

   
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
 
2:15 PM

So exhausted today...and it can't be that I didn't get enough sleep. What is it? Maybe not enough caffeine. Or too much the rest of my life, and then the right amount now.

   
 
10:55 AM

Okay, I have two heroes for the day and a beverage of the day.

My first hero of the day is Fred Rogers. He was a great man. Somehow I managed to accidentally catch "The Neighborhood" yesterday and today at 6 AM on PBS, but now I'm thinking I should set my alarm to be able to watch the rest of the week. When you're little you don't notice how cool the music is. Johnny Costa was a very fine jazz pianist. I love when they do the "how things are made" short films and the musicians improvise along to it. If I could do anything one-tenth as good with my life as Mr. Rogers did with his, I'll be very satisfied.

My other hero for the day is Warren Buffett. Yeah, the rich guy! I just discovered his Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letters. So cool! He sounds like such a smart and thoughtful guy. And funny! You could almost forgive him for being a billionaire a dillion times over. His letters really make me want to be a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder. Maybe that's really the point of the letters. But then again, one share of Berkshire Class A stock is trading at $94,300 today. Of course, the spread is enormous: the ask price is actually more like $150,000. Then again, for the little people like you and me, there's Class B stock, which is a bargain at just $3,142 a share today. Of course, you or I would pay more like $4,500 for it.

And my beverage for the day is blue drinks. Like blue pina coladas or blue martinis. They used to have a blue shake at Max & Erma's that I think was called a "Smurf shake". They might have run into some copyright issues with that one. There's also blue Icees or Slurpees or Arctic Blasts that will turn your tongue totally bluish. Blue drinks are fun and colorful and fruity.

   
Monday, March 08, 2004
 
5:11 PM

So...what about today? It takes me most of Monday just to realize it's not the weekend anymore.

   
Sunday, March 07, 2004
 
7:45 PM

Did you know that there are hats that cost $500? Did you know there are coats that cost $4000? $300 shirts? $1500 boots? $670 leather pants? Somebody must think they're really great to think they ought to wear such stuff. And this is just from looking at Amazon. Not to mention women's clothing. $50,000 fur coats! I don't get it. I'll never get it. Why pay more? I mean, ever? Than anything!

   
Friday, March 05, 2004
 
11:56 PM

And oh yeah, these Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles are getting all up in my business.

   
 
11:53 PM

Oh yeah, and he's the Democratic National Committee Treasurer. So all your money is already going to him, why not just vote for him too?

   
 
11:32 PM

How did I know that a rap song called "Hotel" would contain the words "hotel, motel, Holiday Inn (say what?!)"? There's probably a formula here: originality is inversely proportional to the cash value of the jewelry that appears in the video.

Meanwhile, I came up with my ideal presidential candidate: Andrew Tobias! That guy is awesome! "The Best Little Boy in the World" and "TBLBITW Grows Up" were the best and least pretentious books I read in my Bert Cohler class. Then, all the of the sudden, I realized: Andrew Tobias. As in Andrew Tobias's Managing Your Money. So he's funny, smart, iconoclastic, a great writer, an inexorable promoter of no-fault auto insurance (boo trial lawyers!), and an erstwhile purveyor of Apple II software! What's not to love?! Tobias '04! Well, or maybe '12, let's take care of business this year first. How about an Andrew Tobias/Garrison Keilor ticket?

   
 
8:32 AM

You tell me why I woke up in the middle of the night and ended up watching the second half of Rocky III and the first half of Rocky IV. Ugh...well, only two more classes until the weekend.

   
Thursday, March 04, 2004
 
10:40 AM

I haven't gotten any e-mails lately from new people. If you're reading and haven't e-mailed me before, drop me a line! I promise to write back! Also, sign my guestbook! I promise I'll read it repeatedly!

   
 
8:53 AM

I haven't looked yet, but I have a feeling that I'll have no idea what the heck I was talking about last night.

   
Wednesday, March 03, 2004
 
11:23 PM

Procrastination Wars: Episode IIIIII
THE THRILLING CONCLUSION!


Do you ever feel like you're going to get rich and die trying? For some reason, I feel like that right now. I'M DONE!

   
 
9:25 PM

Procrastination Wars: Episode IIIII


Okay, I just got pretty distracted for a while reading The Onion. But now I think it's time to really hit the home stretch and sprint for the finish line to preserve the possibility that I could get a normal night's sleep tonight.

   
 
7:42 PM

Procrastination Wars: Episode IIII


I think I'm getting a second wind. I'm at the point where the memo is way longer than it needs to be and I'm getting close to going into trimming mode. Once I get into trimming mode, victory is in my grasp. The tough part is getting all the good stuff in. Getting the crap out is fairly simple and mechanical.

   
 
5:40 PM

Procrastination Wars: Episode III


I'm starting to hit the point where I fade. Well, that's just tough. I have over six more hours and I'm going to get this done, like it or not. I've already had lunch; I've already had dinner. I don't have anywhere else to go or anything else to do. It's just the paper, all these highlighted cases printed out from Westlaw, my Legal Writing textbook, and me.

   
 
5:20 PM

There's no section in the traditional office memo where you can write what you really think, or what you think is fair regardless of the law, or what should happen as opposed to what will happen or what we can finagle for our client. Clever, huh? What a good way to keep us from really thinking about right and wrong! It's just "QUESTION PRESENTED", "BRIEF ANSWER", "FACTS", "DISCUSSION", "CONCLUSION", and that's it!

   
 
12:14 PM

If it were up to me, who would I really want to be president? I think I would prefer a weak, genial administration. Hmmm...maybe I would reelect Carter! Or, for that matter, Ford. I could go for Voinovich too, I think he's pretty moderate. I like McCain pretty well. What about a McCain-Feingold cross-party ticket? That would have instant name recognition! I like Patrick Leahy pretty well. Jessie Ventura maybe. No, but really...who would make a good president? Or who would I agree with on stuff? How much experience should someone have in order to be president, and what kind of experience? What about E. Gordon Gee? Maybe you don't need experience, but you just need to be able to hire smart and capable cabinet members. I feel like there's somebody right under my nose who would be perfect, but in the real world could never get elected.

   
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
 
7:23 PM

Procrastination Wars: Episode II


Ohio exit polls are coming out soon. This probably means I'm not going to get anything more done tonight. That's probably okay because I'm very nearly done briefing all the cases for my memo, and then I just have to interpolate what I found into the guts of the thing. As long as I'm not here until midnight tomorrow I'll be tickled.

   
 
4:33 PM

Some days I feel good, like a case briefing machine. Maybe it's the caffeine. Caffeine and sugar. Coke from a fountain in a tall glass (made of glass) with ice served to you on a platter by a friendly waitperson and drunk through a straw tastes really good.

   
 
8:39 AM

It is 100% classless to sit around before class and insult other people in your section, by name, in their absence in front of a bunch of your classmates. If you want to have a private conversation in private and insult people, it's not okay, but it's sure better than having a private conversation in front of 20 other people who can perfectly well hear what you're saying. And by the way, many of them are trying to study while you're chatting. Like right now, I'm hearing you insulting blogs in general as being stupid. Well, guess what? You just made it on a blog! Congratulations!

I have a pretty high tolerance for annoying behavior, but I have a very low tolerance for mean behavior.

   
Monday, March 01, 2004
 
7:54 PM

Okay, I'm home now and calling a truce with my memo for the evening. I'll get you next time, memo...NEXT TIME!!!

   
 
6:01 PM

Procrastination Wars: Episode I


I have the idea in my head that the thing to do in order to have the raw material to flesh out my memo is to actually brief all the cases that I printed out during my research. I figure that if I do this it will be easier to compare the facts and holding of each case to the facts we're writing about. But is this productive? Or is it just an extra-exquisite form of procrastination itself?

   
 
12:49 PM

It's all about willpower tonight. I've gotta, gotta, gotta put in some time on my memo. A good grade in Legal Writing means a shot at one journal (JDR), at least. It's hard to imagine how working on a journal could be bad. Likewise the sameways with a clerkship. I want to get all clerky!

   
 
11:31 AM

Jessica hasn't posted for nearly a week! Come on, get your head in the game, J!

   
 
10:24 AM

I don't know if I'm getting lazier or if I'm getting more efficient, but my cases are getting read less carefully and fewer notes are being taken. Maybe it's just a matter of making the most of the time I choose to devote to school stuff. For example, as long as I have stuff to write for Legal Writing, there is absolutely no way that a 28 page unedited case is going to get read in full. And with the Contracts final less than three weeks away, there's no way I'm going to be working on any outline but Contracts.

Wow...not much more than two months to go and I won't be a 1L anymore! That went pretty fast.

   

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