The ventilation system at school SUCKS!

I don't understand how it can function so poorly ALL the time. The room our Torts class meets in is either hot or cold. The entire class time, the professor has to continually tell the person sitting next to the thermastat to either turn it on, or turn it off. You can to wear layers in there, so you can pull them off or on depending on the temperature of the minute.

Even worse than that room is the room CivPro meets in. It was so stuffy and warm in there when class started today, I could hardly stay awake. I was having visions of those coal mine trapped workers, and started to fear I was going to lapse into a carbon monoxide induced stupor. I'm not kidding! It was SO bad that I could hardly keep my eyes open.

At break, I was able to get into the hallway and actually breathe. We did turn the air on when we got back in the room, but it was down to artic temperatures in about 10 minutes, so the professor turned it off. At least I could stay awake. I felt so bad because I sit in the front, and I was hoping he didn't think I was falling asleep because of him!

At least the room Contracts meets in is decent. It's a lot bigger room, so that probably makes the difference. I wish more classes I had were in that room.

It really bugs me when you can't focus because of something like the temperature. Maybe they should spend some of the million that got donated recently to improve the ventilation/heating/cooling system!

I'm either a huge nerd or just a procrastinor....

Or maybe both! I found this evening that I much rather do research for my next Legal Analysis paper than work on regular stuff (read, brief, outline). I originally was only going to outline today's tort class, but when I got home, I thought I'd just look up a couple of cases on Findlaw. That turned into about 2 hours of research! I have a bunch of good cases, though I still need some more. I don't know the exact structure of the paper yet, though, so much will depend on that. I'm going to the library before class tomorrow to get more research done. I had some cases that were too old to be in Findlaw, so I need to look them up in the library, and check out a few more areas.

Of course, it's not like I'm letting research put me behind. I'm still 2 full weeks ahead on my reading and briefing. I don't really even need to read any CivPro tomorrow, as 2 weeks from tomorrow there is no class, so that means I don't need to read anything for that day. That gives me more time to work in the library, so that is where I'll be tomorrow.

On an unrelated note, I had the repair guy out on Friday to fix our microwave. This was the second time it has been fixed. If it were some junky counter top model, I'd have tossed it and bought another, but it is the built in one that came with the (brand new) house. Anyway, a frickin' HOUR after he fixed it, it started randomly beeping AGAIN! There must be something wrong other than the control panel, which has now been replaced twice. I'm getting sick of this. Now, I have another 2 service calls to look forward to....one to diagnose (and order parts) and one to install. UGH! At least I'm going to be killing 2 birds with this annoying stone, as the dishwasher needs fixing too. I've never had anything like this happen, but it seems like the spring (?) or whatever keeps the door from dropping to the floor like a rock is broken because that's just what happens now when you open it. Too bad the Kitchen Aid guy can't fix toilets too, because 2 of the 4 are running. It really sucks when stuff doesn't work right!

Back to school.....we have another Torts quiz on Monday. It's just short answer again, so I'm not too worried. I spent 5 hours this weekend updating our study group's CivPro outline. It still needs work, but I couldn't do anymore on it alone. That midterm is at the end of Feb., so we need to get that refined and work on some practice tests. I think we'll be doing that this week in our study session.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has ranked some of our professors. If you haven't done so yet, click on the ad to the right and do it now! :)

Rate Your Professors!

This website was mentioned in the paper the other day. My school wasn't listed, so I got it added. Now to get people to start rating the professors! So, here it is:

Rate Your Professors

You can rate each professor on easiness, helpfulness and clarity, as well as leave some comments. For fun, they have thrown in a "hot" meter. Each hot vote they get is worth +1 point, each not hot gets a -1 point. If their total score is positive, they get a chili pepper next to their name! :)

I looked up some of my professors from college. I found that the few who were still teaching (yikes, it HAS been awhile) had comments that were true, even to how they were 20 years ago.

BTW, if you attend another school, check to see if yours if there. If not, you can add it, though it does take a few days. Also, their sister site has a similar page for high schools, which I used to read up on my kids' teachers.

If you are in my school, I'd ask you to stop by and leave your comments there. It's free and anonymous!

Points and Authorities

Our 6th Legal Analysis paper is to be a "Points and Authorities" memorandum, something new for us. I got a jump start on my research yesterday when I dropped by the school to pick up the assignment. Unfortunately, all the copiers were broken, so after making some notes and copying down some citations, I came home and looked up and printed off some cases using Findlaw.

Our professor is going to tell us more about this assignment on Wednesday, so I don't want to start writing anything before then, but I do want to have a bunch of the research done. I may go to the school later and look up more cases. The only other thing I need to do this weekend is update my CivPro outline, which I plan to start as soon as I finish this post. Looks like I will have a completely law school-free Sunday tomorrow! :)

Of course, next Sunday will probably be one too, as we always go over to my parents' house for their Super Bowl party. They have been doing it for probably 20 years, and we have certain snacks that we ONLY make once a year, for this event......ah, homemade preztels, cheesepuffs, crackers and cheeseball are the highlights. Then, we order pizza, and just when you think you can't eat anymore, there is "THE Superbowl Cake". This is a checkerboard (yellow and chocolate) cake that is about 12" tall, with chocolate frosting. YUM! It should be especially interesting this year, as my one brother has been a long time Steelers fan, and my other brother has been a long time Seahawks fan. Hopefully, no violence will mar our celebration. LOL

Enough about next weekend....I need to get to this weekend's work. Looks like I get to spend the next hour or so getting cozy with joinder, class actions and discovery. Yippee....

Efficient Use of Time

More and more I realize that efficiently using my time is a key focus of mine. That's not to say I don't waste time, but I want to use my time efficiently so I can be the one who determines how my time is "wasted". I really don't care to hear someone blabber on about all their problems. Unless it relates to my task at hand, leave me alone. When I finish everything I have to do, THEN I can decide what to do with any leftover time.....whether to spend it with my family, reading, doing sudoku puzzles, napping, whatever. It bugs me to no end when people are not considerate of your time. It's like they are saying, "I am more important than you, so I can going to decide for you, how you should spend this precious, irreplaceable commodity." They do this by talking to you when you'd rather be left alone, by showing up late, by saying things over and over (either because they love to hear themselves talk or just have to because of their own insecurities).

Going to law school has made me see how truly important time management is. I have my own little system down. I spend my mornings doing my reading, briefing and studying, my afternoons in class, and my evenings updating my outlines. Of course, sometimes real life interferes (ie., having to take my son to the doctor, for example), and then I have to squeeze things in somewhere else.

When I hear about the way some study groups work, I can't even believe it! I can't imagine sitting around as a group and briefing cases! What a horrible waste of time! Who cares about any one case? The professors tell us the important things pull from each one, so why waste time talking about it? All you need to do is read it and brief it in whatever manner will give you a shot at sounding like you at least read it prior to class if you happen to get called on to discuss it in class.

Our study group has been very efficient. I can't say that going into it any of us probably had any idea of how we'd use our 2 hours together each week. But we've ended up using that time for creating master outlines (that ROCK!) and doing practice tests. In the end, aren't your grades on the tests what matters? That is what is going to keep you in school after all. Preparing for the tests really is the top priority.

Last semester, we did much of that outline construction towards the end. Now, we are a little wiser and working on it as we go. Thank goodness for email, as we end up doing a lot of our joint work individually, and then send out, compare, revise, etc. as a group. It really works well. It kind of amazes me, because like I said, going into it, we had no idea what to do with our time.

Two hours a week might not seem like a not (especially when I remember hearing in the orientation about study groups that spent 8 hours a day together on Saturdays AND Sundays!), but maybe we've just gotten the efficient use of time thing down.

And now, since I've finished my tasks for the morning, and have some free time, I think I shall decide to do a little "wasting"......ah, time for celebrity gossip blog reading! :)

Traveling

One of my favorite "hobbies" with hubby is traveling. Before marrying him, I had not really been outside CA, except for a family vacation to Alaska and a couple of brief jaunts into Mexico. In the last ten years, we have traveled a lot. Let's see if I can remember all the out of CA trips: Seattle (twice), Vancouver, Victoria, Hawaii (6 times to Maui, once to the Big Island), Colorado Springs, Las Vegas (a bunch of times), Washington D.C., London (3 times), Paris (twice), Rome, Pompeii, Cabo San Lucas....hmmm...I think that is it. Of course, we've also been all over CA. Since hubby works in the SF bay area, trips up there hardly even "count" for me, though I do love it up there. (And I'm not counting the trip I took with dear daughter to see MIT and Harvard in Boston last June.)

One thing about going back to school that I didn't really look forward to was having restrictions put on our traveling abilities. I can't just go places "whenever" anymore. Of course, I'm hardly letting going to school stop me. We made it to Hawaii over Thanksgiving break, are taking the kids to Disneyland over the Easter break (for daughter's 18th birthday--her request!), and just now booked a trip to Vegas for hubby's birthday next month. I guess 3 trips during the school year, even though small ones, isn't so bad.

I noticed on the school's web site today that the calendar for the entire year is finally up. They were wrestling with summer school and not sure if they should change it. It used to start up in May right after finals. The problem was, grades for the finals took several weeks, so some students who didn't make the minimum 65 average had started school, paid for books and classes, went to classes for several weeks, and THEN found out they couldn't be there. They have decided to change it so that summer school starts about 3 weeks after finals end. The bad part is that the 3 year plan used to call for 6 units to be done over summer. Now, they changed it, so only 4 units are done in the summer, and they added another 2 units of electives to the regular school year for the second year. The schedule during the regular year for the 3 year program was loaded as it was, so I'm hoping this won't be an issue to me finishing in 3 years.

The good news is, since summer school doesn't start until June 1, we have 3 weeks of freedom in May, and about another 6 weeks from July 12 to August 21. Of course, if I end up doing an internship, who knows what that will do to my schedule. But I can't help but think about getting a trip to somewhere good squeezed in there somewhere.

Let me consider the possibilities, via pictures from previous trips:

How about going back to Rome, to spend more time in the forum and Colliseum (background, to left)? And seeing other places I loved, such at the Pantheon? TOOO COOOL!











Or how about going to the beach somewhere, back in Cabo:
or even back in Hawaii again:













Sometimes, it comes down to deciding if we want a relaxing trip (ie., beach and tropical drinks) or want to explore and see new places. I'd probably be up for either this summer.

So, the next trip on the agenda is Vegas, less than a month from now. We're just going over for the weekend. Neither of us gamble, but there are always great shows, great shops and great food there. This time we're going to see Brad Garrett. We saw him opening for Ray Romano last time we were there. He is extremely politically incorrect and SOOOOO funny! I'm sure that will be fun.

I just need to figure out where I should go this summer. Bahamas might be a possibility. Any suggestions??? :)

Further Refined Crap

Sorry to be so repetitive, but that Legal Analysis paper has been my life for the last few days. After class today, it was apparent that I needed to change my structure some. I spent a few hours doing that, adding a few things, deleting some, changing some. I ended up 8 lines too long. Then I had the hard task of deciding what to get rid of. I didn't see how I could cut that much, but somehow I did and have it down to exactly 5.5 pages, which is the limit for this paper.

I'm not really happy with it, but at this point, I think it is either rewrite from scratch the last 3.5 pages of it, or just leave it alone. I am going to sleep on it and see how I like it in the morning. But as of now, I'm kind of thinking of turning it in as is tomorrow. Because of the change for this paper (having to do our own research) and the modified structure, I have to look at it as a learning experience. It is only 15% of this semester's grade. I am sure as it stands, it could get at least a 70. I'm sure it is not higher than an 85, probably not even an 80. But right now, I can't say that I care to put in the hours necessary to possibly raise that grade 5-10 points. I'm weighing it, and it just doesn't seem worth it. (Watch how my feelings change on this, once I get my grade back! LOL)

I've had just about as much dead body mishandling that I can take, enough for now! Goodnight!

Refined Crap

I just spent the last couple hours "refining" my Legal Analysis paper. When I first went through it, I thought "hey, maybe this isn't so bad". But by the time I had made notes and went through and editted them in, I wasn't liking it much better. I did put in the fact comparions, but I still need to expand my reasoning section on one of the cases. Of course, I'm already 2 lines over the 5.5 page limit! So that means when I add in a paragraph, I'm going to have to cut something. I already feel like I don't have enough in there, so I have no idea how I'm going to cut anything out. In addition to that, I feel like the arguments on one side are so weak, it is ridiculous.

On other matters, I'm realizing that the CivPro 2nd midterm is but a month away. Since a better grade on that would replace my December midterm, I really want to do well on it! I need to get to work on revising and updating my outline for that class. I know I need to be working on that NOW!

Oh yeah, we got our Torts quiz back yesterday. It was only worth one point of our final class grade, so I only spend a half hour studying for it. Good thing too, because I got the full point. :)

Anyone watch 24 last night? Wasn't it kind of slow, especially after the 4 hour premiere last week? I think the biggest questions it raised was which one of Jack's babes is going to win him this season? And are Chloe and Edgar ever going to get together??? lol

5 pages of CRAP!

Well, I wrote my paper tonight. I had 2 pages from yesterday and did another 3 pages tonight. I just wanted to get the facts and reasoning from the cases I'm using down, plus the arguments I have thought of so far. I didn't put in my cites, nor my fact comparisons, so the paper is in very rough condition. But basically, even though I followed the format my professor told me to use, it feels like total crap.

Part of it, I think, is being out of practice, since our last paper was due 2 months ago. I'm "out of shape" in writing these papers. And, the whole research thing, while interesting, makes me nervous because I don't know if I have the "right"cases or if I'm incorporating them correctly.

For my previous papers, I had great insights while sleeping. I would work on the papers during the evening, and wake up with amazing clarity on what to write. (Too bad I couldn't have taken a nap during my LA midterm.....I probably could have improved my analysis and my grade!) I'm hoping that kicks in again. I could certainly use some inspiration!

A New Week

It's nice to wake up on a Monday and not be overwhelmed by the week that greets you. I've done all the reading and briefing due for 2 weeks out (including the Torts reading for Feb. 6), so I'm not behind in any way. Our 5th Legal Analysis paper is due this Friday afternoon. I've done the first 2 (of 5.5) pages, and know where I'm going with the rest of it, so hopefully it won't take me too long to just sit down and get it out. Then I can revise a time or two, and maybe get it turned in early, on Thursday. I sure like Mondays when I feel I have the week easily under control.

Now, tomorrow, my brilliantly bright daughter (senior in high school) is starting an engineering class at Fresno State. She is considering majoring in Math and Physics (at MIT if she gets in!), and is taking this class to see if perhaps she'd like the "applied" science better than the pure. (I'm guessing not, but cheaper to see here now than by "wasting a class" at a university.) The class is the in evenings, on Tuesdays, for this semester. Do you think she would be embarrassed if her mom drove her there, dropping her off as close to the building as possible and picking her up there afterward? Or perhaps I should just get her a can of mace to carry? I know, I know....I won't do either but I certainly don't like the idea of her walking around a dark campus at night. I'm going to have to at least give her a flashlight and maybe a whistle........how am I ever going to let you go across the country (or state) to attend school in a few months????

Italian for an afternoon

I went to a family reunion today. No, it wasn't my family.

I met an elderly neighbor a couple years ago through the church shut in visitation I was doing. Since she was not available on the day we would go visiting, I just ended up visiting her on my own. She's a sweet 90 year old lady who is lonely and can't get out any more. I've been visiting her every so often and keeping in touch with cards and such. I met her Italian husband and would greet him if he was home when I visited, but I never really visited with him.

In November, I got a call from their housekeeper asking me to call our pastor to go see him because he was in the hospital. I called and had to leave the pastor a message. I was concerned that maybe he wouldn't get my message, so I ran out to the hospital myself. Another friend of his and his wife were there, so I didn't really get to chat with him much. The 3 of us visited with him for quite awhile, and it seemed like I should leave once that couple said they were leaving. Before I left, I asked him if he would mind if I prayed for him. I just said a short prayer with him and hugged him, and he was so moved! It made me glad I had taken time out from studying for a midterm to go over and see him.

A month later when he was home and recovering, I got a call from his housekeeper inviting me to come over for cookies and eggnog with some other friends of his. I met some of his other friends and hung out with them for a couple hours. His niece was there, and told all of us about a family reunion that she was organizing for him. She told all of us to expect invitation, but I wasn't sure if she meant me or not. I certainly wasn't family.

Sure enough, I got an invitation for hubby and I to attend. And today we went. It was really nice. My own family here is rather small (though I have tons of extended relatives and second and further down the line cousins back in Wisconsin, Ohio and such that I've never met), so it was kind of fun to be part of a large family celebration like that. They had a huge family tree all drawn out, and lots of old family pictures. My 90 year old friend looked like a model when she was younger! It was fun to see her like that.

What's interesting to me is they held this same reunion last January. Even though I had been visiting his wife for some time prior to that, I was not invited (nor did I anticipate being invited) last year. Why did I get invited this year? The only thing I can think of is that prayer and hugs matter to people! Showing you care changes how people think about you. I never expected anything when I went to the hospital that day, but I get a warm feeling knowing that now I get included in the group he thinks of as "family".

And every time I see him, he gets a BIG hug from me!

Customer "Service"

We bought our house, brand new, 3 years ago. Considering that, and the fact that all of our kitchen appliances are top of the line Kitchen Aid, you would think we wouldn't have any problems with anything for YEARS! Hmmph! In the last several months we have had problems with the dishwasher, microwave and stove. Because the items were under warranty, we had to call Kitchen-Aid directly to get a repair service. What follows in a contrast in customer service.

Two of the gas stove 6 burners would not work because the handles were loose. A man from company #1 came out to fix it one day while my hubby was home. This guy was a chatterbox! Because at the time, I was in my office (next to the kitchen) trying to write a Legal Analysis paper, I really didn't appreciate his non-stop talking (to hubby). But, he was nice enough and fixed it completely.

Then the microwave started randomly beeping (which started my daughter the first time it happened when she was upstairs and knew no one was downstairs, but heard the microwave). So, Kitchen Aid scheduled our repair with company #2. Unfortunately, both companies must come out to first diagnose the problem, and then after they see the part needed, they reschedule a second visit to do the installation. The microwave had a problem with the control panel, so after waiting about 3 weeks for the part to arrive, their "customer service" person called to schedule an appointment with me. When she gave me the next available dates, I told her that I was only available in the mornings, as I attend school in the afternoon. She said that she could not guarantee any particular time for the appointment. I told her that she could schedule it on a Saturday then. Nope, she wouldn't do that either. This became about a 10 minute, increasing more deated discussion as she refused to give me an appointment time and I refused to miss school to meet their repairman. I had told her she could give me an appointment weeks out, if she needed to. (I have a second microwave, so it wasn't urgent that it be fixed.) Nope, she wouldn't do that either. I can't even remember how that call ended, except that I did not have an appointment scheduled. About an hour later, I get a call from this person's manager, who explained that she heard my situation and kindly gave me a guaranteed morning appointment the next week. (Subsquently, the repairman came and fixed the microwave with no problems.)

Then, our dishwasher stopped working. Another call to Kitchen Aid brought out the repairman from company #1 (who never made any issue with us about being here particular days or times). The same chatty guy came out. This time, since hubby wasn't home, I stayed with him in the kitchen while he worked. (Maybe it's just us but we feel weird leaving a repairperson alone in our home.) Again, he talked non-stop. But, he was so friendly, and I had nothing better to do, so I didn't mind. Of course, I kept thinking....I'm probably running up my own bill by talking with him so much! He commented on how hubby and I were both such nice, friendly people, and that often in our neighborhood the people are more snobbish. I told him that I grew up poor, wearing clothes from garage sales, so that living in a nice area was not in my blood. Blah, blah, blah....kept talking, and when he finally finished, he said he wasn't going to charge me for the repair, and he marked it down in his book as "showed customer how to work appliance", which qualifies as a free call. (In fairness, this product failure was not Kitchen Aid's fault. Hubby had accidentally broken a glass in the dishwasher before it stopped working, and apparently missed a piece or 2 of it. This is what jammed things and what the repair guy had to get out.)

So, right when I'm thinking everything is finally working, the microwave starts its random beeps again. UGH! Kitchen Aid sends out the guy from company #2 again, and hubby is here when he diagnoses a second part (not the same control panel) that is now bad. Yesterday, their wonderfully bitchy customer service lady calls me to schedule the installation. She said she had Wed. and Thursday of next week available. I told her I could do it Thursday morning. She said that (repeating her earlier performance) she couldn't guarantee me any particular time. I told her that she could look further out in the schedule if she had to, or look on a Saturday. No, she couldn't do that. "Look," I told her, "we did this last time. I go to school in the afternoons and can only be home in the morning. I'm not going to get into this with you again. Why don't you have your manager call me because last time she was able to accommodate me just fine?" And I hung up on her! It felt so good to not just sit there and be abused by someone who was supposed to be helping me, and who I was going to be paying money to!

My phone rang less than 2 minutes later. It was her manager, asking if Friday morning would be ok. Yes. There, I had my morning appointment. Was that so hard? You KNOW what I think of that customer service rep. I just don't get it though. WHY are people like this? Are their lives so pathetic that they have to abuse the "power" they have at work just to make themselves feel like they matter? All I know is if she were my employee, she'd be LONG GONE!

Contracts Grades Are Out; Final Ranking Calculated

Had a pleasant surprise today and not only were the Contract grades posted, but the actual exams were passed out. I'm very happy. I bettered my prediction (70) and my dream of a few night's ago(78) and got an 81, which in the afternoon section was the second highest grade in the class. Overall, there I have the 5th highest Contracts grade.

In the class, 36 grades were in the 50s or below (If a grade is less than 50, the professor will post a 50.) ---over half the class! Only about the top 20% had a 70 or higher.

Our professor made comments on the exams, but as he said, he generally wrote about things that were missing or wrong. He said he really doesn't write many good comments, but I was very pleased to read at the end of mine, "Very nicely written answer. Well-organized with clear issues and legal authority supporting arguments. Nice work." I certainly didn't expect that, but loved it!

So, now for the final ranking for the first year students' first semester. It is hard to tell how many students are regular first years. Some only had grades for one class (which I assume means they are second years, doing a 5 year program). I think there are 70 people with grades for all 4 first year (regular) classes. My ranking is 6th! It's nice to finish both in the top 10 (ranked), and top 10%. And I think it is EXTREMELY cool that of the 4 people in my study group, ALL of us finished in the top 10! Wow, I'm so proud of us!

I should be getting my Contracts exam back soon! (As in a few minutes....)

SO, I found out last night from some friends (and an anonymous poster) that the Contracts grades were to be posted today. I got here early, and they weren't posted. I checked in the office and ran into the dean who said the grades would be posted this afternoon or tomorrow, and he was giving our tests back in class today, even though the night class didn't get theirs yesterday. Apparently they will be able to pick them up in the office. I guess he changed his mind (what the dean said).

I brought my laptop in anticipation of doing new ranking calculations, so if I can get away with it, I'll update this once I get my test back.

I need a wife!

I come home from my weekly Bible study: the bed is unmade, laundry that needs to be folded and put away is on the couch, dust is everywhere, and the frig is near empty. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to come home to a clean house, with my laundered clothing all put away, and a well stocked frig. (Don't laugh, but my husband probably wonders the same thing!)

It is so frustrating because nothing ever STAYS done. No sooner have I washed, dried, folded and put away all the laundry, and the basket is already half full of dirties already! Once the house is vaccuumed, it seems to take the cats an hour to get their hair and toys everywhere again. And as soon as I finish picking up clutter and returning it to its rightful place, its progeny makes an appearance. Maybe that is another reason why I like law school...at least I can feel a sense of completion....whether it is in reading a chapter, briefing a case, making an outline, or taking a test. While the reading and briefing continues on and on, at least when I'm done reading one chapter, I don't have to go and read the SAME one over again!

I have a "sweet ride".....

No, I don't think about it that way, even though that is the comment I got on it the other day. I mean I have a nice car, but I don't get hung up on it. (I have plenty of nice things, but I don't believe having them defines who I am, nor do I base my existence on having them.)

It's funny.....when you first get a car, it is SOOO cool. Pretty soon, you are used to it and it is "normal". I felt like this with the first car I purchased (old VW bug), the first new vehicle (Mitsubishi truck), the first new car (Camry), the next new car (Mazda 626), the first SUV (Mercedes ML 320), the first sportscar (2000 Corvette). Well, maybe the "cool" part of the vette never wore off for me (but that is another extremely long post in inself!). Somewhere along the way, you just get "used to" the upgrading. And what used to thrill you, now is no big deal.

Maybe part of it was the lesson I learned from owning the vette (which ended up owning me!). It's fun to have a cool car, but having one doesn't make YOU cool, or make you any different. I guess that's why I have to chuckle to myself when someone makes a deal about what I drive. Yeah, it's a very nice car, but I'm still the girl who was happy to have her own VW bug!

I got a 78 on my Contracts midterm......

at least I did in my dream last night. This is pretty pathetic. We took the test over a MONTH ago, and I want to find out so badly how I did that I'm dreaming about it. Actually, I would be thrilled with a 78 in there. I'm not sure I could have scored any higher than that, though I don't think I did poorly. A 78 would give me an overall weighted GPA of 77 (darn CivPro!).

I'm really doubting we are getting them back this week, or next. I bet we don't get them back until the first week of February. UGH! No wonder this professor doesn't do a spring midterm, any practice quizzes or other assignments. We'd never get them back in time to help us! Good thing he is a well-liked professor. Honestly, I can't imagine anyone else making me enjoy learning about Contracts. He seems to know the right mix of teaching the law/doing cases and humor. He does make the class go by fairly quickly. Oh, and a random thought....he is ALWAYS 5-7 minutes late for class. ALWAYS! But last week, he was "only" 3 minutes late. Maybe this is a sign of a coming miracle.....maybe we WILL get our midterms back this week. Hmmmm....

Jack saves the world, but he couldn't save President Palmer

24 sure started off with a bang....one that killed former President Palmer, in fact. I really liked him, so I wasn't happy with that starting off a new season. Of course, it didn't take long for Jack to come out of hiding and avenge that death by killing the assassin. However, now Jack has the misfortune of trying to prove who was behind Palmer's death while being set up for the murder himself! I trust you Jack....I know you'll do it somehow! ;) Stay tuned for 2 more hours tonight!

My study group cancelled this morning, which is fine with me. Gives me more time to get other things done. I doubt I would have spent 2 hours studying for a Torts quiz (which is what we were going to do) anyway. Instead I'm doing my Torts reading and briefing (for Jan. 30, since I'm working 2 weeks ahead), and probably doing some preliminary work on my #5 assignment for Legal Analysis/Research (meaning, read the cases and make notes, possibly write the beginning on the paper).

On a mostly unrelated note, many of my fellow students will comment about how they "talk law" with their spouses, family members, etc. and how doing such helps them cement the concepts in their minds. They are lucky! I don't make a habit of trying to discuss things with hubby (kids, or family), but whenever we are discussing something that has a legal component, I share from my learning what I think is applicable. Now, what I really do NOT get is that hubby will then try to tell ME what the law is! (He has never taken any law classes or studied it in any way.) I don't get it. Maybe he really is trying to express what he WANTS the law to be, but that's not how he says it. Maybe he is just not comfortable with me knowing more than him in a certain area. I don't know, but it is really frustrating because I am not going to fight about something that I know and he doesn't. Granted, he is a downright genius in some areas and probably knows much more on most topics than I do, but I think I'm allowed to have "my area", especially when it is one I'm going to school to learn more about. UGH!!!! So, those of you who have spouses who listen to your law talk without trying to act like they know more about it than you, enjoy and appreciate it! (In case hubby is reading....you know I love you baby, but give me a break!)

Ok, time to get moving. Vicarious liability is waiting.......

Countdown to 24

I'm not in the habit of watching live tv. That is what happens once you have tivo. That, and never having to watch stupid shows or commercials again (well, unless you want to). But tonight I will make an exception......for the season premiere of 24. This time we have a 2 hour segment to watch tonight, and ANOTHER 2 hour segment tomorrow night.

I guess I should be honest. I WILL watch it on tivo, just at the time it is being recorded. That way I can replay anything that flies by too quick, or pause should the phone ring (yeah, right, as if I'll answer the phone during 24!).

I don't have a whole lot to work on today. I need to brief the Exxon case for CivPro and outline that class. For my Legal Research class, I already did the research part for the next paper. My study group and I found 2 excellent cases, and several statutes. Once we get the note from our professor (which she said she'd leave in our boxes this week to answer some commonly asked questions), I will know how many of the statutes to use. I'm assuming we won't need more than 2 cases, as the 5.5 page paper length would not be enough to discuss more. I think tomorrow I will start the paper (the beginning structural part) and make notes on the cases. I don't want to start writing the main section until I know how many statutes and cases to use.

We have a Torts quiz on Wednesay, but it is only worth 1 point so I'm not worried. It is only going to be 15-20 minutes and a short answer format. My study group is meeting tomorrow morning to work on that. After that meeting, I will probably not have to spend a whole lot of time studying for that. It will most likely be something like, "Do the duty part of the analysis on this fact pattern." Shouldn't be too bad.

Other than that, not much going on here....except waiting for 24! :)

Joinder and Sudoku

I went to my CivPro professor's optional section this morning on joinder. He went through the basics in about 10 minutes flat, and then we went through 2 old exams. It made perfect sense to me (a true rarity for CivPro!). I especially appreciated his sharing of the exam method of going through the fact pattern, and taking each fact, and deciding what part of the answer will use that, before writing your answer. If you do that, after drawing out all the claims, it seems very matter of fact, which is right up my alley. I thought it too funny then when near the end of our time the professor commented that people who like Algebra like joinder, because it is just a series of logical steps you go through. Then he said it is like Sudoku puzzles! LOL~! So I guess that explains why I'm actually liking joinder.

In other news, my legal analysis professor said that my 68 in CivPro would not keep me from doing the Small Claims Court Advisory, but she would need to talk to the dean about it and see how many other first years are eligible. I think I counted 14 as of now that are. Once we get our Contract grades, a few more will probably be knocked out. Then it will depend on how many actually want to. My professor did say, "Since I know you REALLY want to do this, I will make every effort to put you in the program as soon as possible." Is that cool or what? :) It's nice to feel like someone is on your side and WANTS to help.

I know I may still end up not being able to do SCCA now, but I'm sure I'll end up there either later in the semester, or in the summer at the latest. Since the volunteer work I'm doing right now is very minimal (only half hour a week), this would make me feel like I was doing something else to help others.

New Rankings Calculated

The CivPro grades were posted on the board today, so I was able to get new (weighted) rankings done for the class. I knew I would drop out of #5, and I assumed it would be alot, but I actually only fell to #7. (YEAH! Still in the top 10%!) I felt really good about my Contracts exam, so if we ever get that back, I may just move back up a notch or two.

It was also interesting to note that there was only 3 grades in the 80s for the entire class, and 17 in the 70s. So, really, being 21st in that class isn't too awful. It's the top 1/3. Just seeing how much grades in the lower 60s and 50s there were made me feel a little better. But again, mostly knowing I haven't dropped out of the top 10 probably made me feel the best. Of course, you can be sure I will try harder to do better, especially in that class!

Researching away

I had the time, so I showed up an hour early for Legal Research today. Last week there were 40+ of us squished into the library, and since I had shown up only 2 minutes prior to class time, I had an uncomfortable front row seat in a plastic chair. I was NOT about to let that happen again, so I figured I'd show up early, pick up my first assignment, read it, and maybe get going on it.

It actually was nice to have the library virtually to myself. I read the assignment and then tried to remember how to start researching. Fortunately, at 10 minutes prior to class time (when I thought it oddly strange that NO ONE had yet come for class), a study group member popped in, saw me and told me that (since I had gone into the library) the professor had taped a note on the door saying we were meeting in our regular class. Ah, ok!

Today we learned about Shepardizing. Even though the exercise we did wasn't the most exciting, I'm glad she is MAKING us do this, because just telling us how to do it would not help me to really know what I'm doing.

Since I finished early, I tried to research some more items for my assignment. I was not feeling very productive. I found a statute, but I'm not sure how good it is. I think our study group is going to meet there on Friday to research together. Having a paralegal in our group is GREAT! She knows how to do this really well, and I think she will be help us if we get stuck or don't know where to look for something. Again, maybe another dork feature of mine, but I kinda like looking up this stuff. (NOTE: it is still new and hasn't had a chance to get old or mundane or frustrating yet.) Maybe it's because instead of being "forced fed" the info you need for the assignment, you have the "thrill of the hunt" involved. LOL

Oh, I was hoping the CivPro grades for the whole class would be posted today, but they weren't....at least not when I looked before class. So, calculations on that will have to wait.

And THANK YOU to the 2 nice comments from last night. What you both said is true and much appreciated. I didn't come here to show off and get the highest grade. (Wanting to do that might be some of my personality, but it's not my purpose.) I have no intention of slipping in anything that I'm doing, and will definitely do and try even more and harder.

An interesting note: I KNOW that I am more of a morning and afternoon person. That is why I don't take evening classes. I have lamented the fact that our exams are all in the evening, 6:30-9:30pm. I KNOW I just don't think that clearly or am I in the mood for this sort of thing in the evenings. By 8pm, I'm really done for the day, academically speaking. So, take a look at this:

Legal Analysis: First half of exam 90% , second half of exam 62%
Torts: First half of exam 88% , second half of exam 80%
CivPro: First half of exam 80% , second half of exam 55%

See a pattern there??? I know the school sets up special testing for students with various disabilities or problems. And these testing times are earlier than the regular test times (but the same day). Do you suppose I could qualify as being "evening-challenged" and get them to give me the exam earlier in the day? While I'm not really serious, I wonder about it. It doesn't seem fair that others can test earlier in the afternoon if I don't have that option. A few hours would probably help me SO much. When I look at my first half results, I just wonder if the second half would have been the same if I had been able to take the exam in the afternoon, WHICH IS WHEN I SIGNED UP TO TAKE THE CLASS! Probably nothing I'll do anything with, but makes me think.

Gotta run!

Perspective

Ok.....so I didn't get a score I'm proud of in CivPro, but:

1. As the kind and encouraging comment from last night noted, we have another midterm in that class next month. The professor will use the highest of the 2 midterm grades and drop the other.

2. The midterm grades are ONLY worth 10% of our final grade. So what I got (68%) and what I would have like to have gotten (70-85 range) would amount to a 1-2 point difference in my final grade for the class.

3. A couple of my study group members talked to the guy that is the editor of the school's law review. What he told them was that after you get out of school, NO ONE cares about your GPA. All they care about is if you passed the bar or not. Of course, having "law review" on your resume impresses people too, but in interviewing, GPA will not really matter.

4. I have a loving husband, wonderful kids, great family, beautiful home, fun car and this view to look at every day:

5. AND I AM doing well in law school. I am still better than average in every class, and probably in the top 20% overall. (Will do some calculations later today to determine that.) I will do as suggested and carefully go over this midterm and learn from it.

What was the big hurry?

I don't know why I wanted my CivPro grade back so bad. It wasn't as low as my predicted "not lower than" score, but it certainly wasn't as high as I had hoped. I knew it would be my lowest grade....I knew that right after taking the test. I guess I shouldn't freak out too much.

I predicted I wouldn't get lower than a 50. That was correct. The professor said that the class average was 61.2. I did better than average. And 65 is considered passing. I passed. But that is about all. :( I got a 68. So much for ranking 5th. So much for working at the small claims advisory this semester. So much for feeling like I had my s*&% together.

Maybe I should just not worry about it too much. Maybe I should say, "Hey, you still don't understand any of this, so 68 is a great score for someone who doesn't really know what she is talking about!"

I don't know what else to say. I'm just disappointed in myself. I know 68 isn't really bad (at least at my school, which doesn't grade on a curve), but to me it is. I need some good news now. I hope I get a decent grade in Contracts. Of course, I'll need a fricking 87 to make my weighted GPA an 80. :( (As of now, I'm sitting at a weighted 77 GPA.) Even if I got a 100 (which there is NO way that will be happening), I would only have a weighted GPA of 84. This is depressing!

Another grade tomorrow

Ah, to confront my lowest midterm grade in person, finally. That is what I have to look forward to tomorrow. When we had a quiz in that class a couple months ago, the professor did not let us have the graded quizzes back until our break time! That meant we had to sit there, for an hour and a half, with the stack of quizzes mere feet away, and there was nothing we could do about it. I am SO hoping he will have mercy (pity?) on us and spare us the agony of that extra 90 minutes and let us have them right away.

I've gone back and forth on this one. I predicted that I would not get any lower than a 50. I know that sounds horrible (and believe me, it's not that I want that kind of score next to my name), but this is my hardest subject. But then I remember that I got a 60 on that first quiz and hope that I at least got that much. And then I wonder if somehow I could have improved since then and gotten a 70?? I hate to get my hopes up. I'm the kind that rather be guessing on the negative side and be pleasantly surprised that guessing on the positive side and be disappointed. I HATE to be disappointed. Maybe that's why I put my prediction so low.

This to me is the critical class to get a minimum of 70 in. I NEED that 70 to be able to do the small claims court advisory this semester. I guess I know I won't be crushed if it can't happen now, but I'd love to be able to start helping people with the knowledge I've gained this far.

My plan to stay 2 weeks ahead isn't going so well. I am 2 weeks ahead in everything by CivPro. For that, I have this week's assignment done and that is all. I justified it to myself because the professor told me he would tell us this week how he will be adjusting the schedule because of last class' cancellation. I didn't want to read something, brief it, and then find out he cut it from our assigned reading! (Yes, I'm such a dedicated student! lol) It didn't help that the next assigment was to read 41 pages and brief 5 cases, or that the one after was 30 pages and 4 cases. I have a seriously hard time staying awake plodding through that much Civpro reading. I guess I know he isn't going to take anything off our reading list, but a girl can hope can't she???

Ok, I finished reading the Torts assigment due on the 23th and briefing those TWELVE cases. now on to update that class' outline.

Would I trade my house for this one?

This house is half the size of my current house (but it still has 5 bedrooms and 2 baths), yet it is the same price as what my house was recently appraised at. Would I trade for it? Considering that it is in Pacific Grove, probably!

Once I graduate, we are likely to relocate to another area. I can't help but look at places in the Monterey area. I love that area!




Or how about this one? It is virtually the same size as my current house, but about 30% more $$$. While I love the old Victorians, I love this look too.

I just added it up. I have moved 10 times in the last 21 years. I don't like to move; I don't want to move, but if we end up relocating, I want our next house to be our last.

Ok, ok....enough with the daydreaming. Back to Torts......

This, that, and the other

1. Feeling confident vs. feeling insecure

As I think I mentioned awhile ago, I grew up being the smart, nerdy, unpopular kid. The ONLY thing I felt confident in about myself while growing up was my intelligence. I wasn't arrogant about it, but I knew I was smart. I was also smart enough to realize that I wasn't THE smartest, but I also knew I was ahead of the crowd.

After 17 years as a stay at home mom, my confidence was shaken. I wasn't sure how I could possibly stack up, academically speaking, next to those fresh out of college, who were used to the whole studying routine. That confidence was further eroded during the orientation week when we were scared into believing none of us could possibly pass first year, and later when my Legal Analysis professor gave a 20 minute speech about how grades are different in law school and we should not expect much, and be thrilled to receive a 65.

I really wish I had started this blog in August, so I could remember all those emotions of the first 2 months. Even though in the back of my mind I knew I was still intelligent and could do this, all the other input was drowning it out. I started to believe it....until I started getting feedback. Of course, the latest is the midterm grades.

Even though I expect lower grades in the 2 classes I have yet to receive grades in, I have regained a measure of my confidence. Without intending any arrogance, I feel like I can say that since I'm in the top 6% of my class right now, as long as I continue how I have been (which is a given), I see no possible way for me to sink to the bottom 50% and risk not making it to year 2. I could not have said that a couple months ago. And it's a wonderful feeling. I guess 17 years of being a SAHM do NOT turn your brain to mush! :)

2. Parking lot drivers in Fresno SUCK!

I have been meaning to post about this for awhile. (Actually, I need to write a letter to the editor at the Fresno Bee!) The car I usually drive (yeah, I have 2, but my 17 year old daughter has virtually taken over possession of my SUV) is a tiny 2 seater. As you probably know, most people now drive either an SUV, a truck, or a mini-van. I have no problem with that. Everyone should be free to drive whatever they want and can afford. My problem is because I almost always end up between 2 monster vehicles when I'm parked, when I go to back out, I can NOT see anything until I back up some. So, I cautiously inch my way out of my spot (obviously with my reverse lights showing to all that are behind me) and it never fails that just as I am able to see both ways behind me, someone will come BARRELING down the row, ignoring the fact that I am trying to get out of my spot. I can't even tell you how many times I have almost been hit. I guess everyone in parking lots in Fresno is in such a BIG hurry that when they see someone trying to back out of a parking space, they can't be courteous, stop, and wait the 10 seconds for them to do so. Yeah, that 10 seconds might put you 5 names higher on the wait list for Cheesecake Factory. "We live in a SOCIETY,".......oops, sorry, Seinfeld episode. But seriously people, can you be polite? It matters more for people like me who drive tiny cars and can't see over the behemoths parked next to us. All I'm asking for is 10 seconds!

3. I didn't even know what to say

At the church I go to, somewhere during the first half of the service, they will say to greet those around you. Usually, they add some dorky comment like, "And tell them the first New Year's resolution you broke this year." I'm sorry. I love my church and all, but I absolutely HATE doing this! It is so stupid, because you (well, I) never remember their names, and it is mostly just shallow and silly. It's not like I ever felt truly welcomed into a church just because the person next to me was forced to shake my hand and say good morning. If they didn't do that when I first came in and sat next to them, I can do without it.

Anyway, this morning I ended up sitting next to a woman I would guess to be 65 or older. She HAD to be at least as old as my mom. The man next to her looked to be the same age range. When they made the announcement about shaking hands, I was kind of looking around hoping to avoid doing it as much as I could. Ok, so a couple people caught my eye and I did have to shake their hands. (Ugh, I hope I didn't get any germs. There were SO many coughers today....disgusting!)

Afterward, as we were sitting down, the lady next to me leans over and says, "Hi, what is your name?" I told her, and she replied (I kid you not), "I'm Janie, and this (pointing to the man next to her), is Matt, the man I sleep with......I mean my husband."

EWWWWW , ewwwww and more ewwww. That is just wrong. I don't need any mental images of that sort of old folk loving, and certainly not while I'm in church. Really, I don't even know what more to say about that. But maybe that is the only way I'll actually remember any names!

I'm #5 in my class!

I couldn't stand it. Since the grades for the entire class are posted, I had to go over today and make some observations. Of course, this is all just concerning Torts and Legal Analysis (so it will all change on Tuesday once we get our CivPro grades), but it made be feel good. In Torts, 6 people scored higher than me, so I'm 7th in the class. In Legal Analysis, 4 people scored better than me, so I'm 5th in the class. However, I took BOTH grades and averaged them. Because some people did well on one test but NOT on the other, when I average the 2 grades, I am 5th in the class overall. Since the class had 75 people (at least who took the tests), that puts me in the top 6%! :) (I did notice that my Legal Analysis grade, while changed officially, has not been changed on the board. Anyone else who tries to figure out these standings will be underestimating me!)

Of course, the bad news is once the grades for CivPro and Contracts come out, I'm sure that will change. So I guess I better just enjoy my high ranking while I can.

Today was very productive. In addition to going to school and doing all these calculation, we put away all the Christmas stuff (and yeah! Hubby helped me without even complaining! Thank you baby!), and went to see a movie. We ended up seeing "Family Stone" instead of "Munich. Hubby said he wasn't in the mood for a heavy movie, and through the process of elimination, we ended up at Family Stone. Yahoo has it rated a B-. I'm still not sure exactly what I think about it. It wasn't a comedy in that you were laughing the whole time. Laughs were sporadic. Mostly I felt embarrassed that the family was so rude. The ending just seemed odd to me to. The mom dies and the final scene is looking at an old photo of her. But I didn't think she was that great of a mom. She encouraged her children to give her one son's girl a bad time. She said she hoped her children would be gay. (They do have one gay son.) She made fun of the son for him and his girlfriend not staying in the same room at their house. I just didn't find her a likable character. So I didn't really care that she died and wasn't around the next Christmas. Just kind of bizarre.

Oh yeah, THANK YOU to the 3 of you that left me comments! :) I appreciate it!

Something fun for a Friday night

I thought I'd share one of my bizarre quests, for fun. I have a peep (one of those yellow marshmallow Easter treats) that I take with me on my travels and photograph. This peep has been all over the world. Here's some of my favorite pictures of it....

With the Rosetta Stone (in the British Museum, London). Before you tell me how disrespectful this is, please note that the original is in another gallery there, behind glass and untouchable. This is a replica, perfect for picture taking!








Here's the peep at the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome.







Still in Rome, here is the peep in front of the Pantheon.












In Paris, peep is looking at the Eiffel Tower.


















In Paris still, on top of the Arc de Triomphe, looking down the Champs Elysees.

Again in Paris, inside the Musee de Orsay, looking across the Seine towards the Louvre.













In Washington D.C. in front of the Supreme Court.












In front of the Watergate, in D.C.













In front of the arc in Cabo San Lucas. (We had to take a boat out to get this close of a picture!)

So, now you think I must really be a freak, so I should tell you the history of how this started. A few years ago I took the kids to Disneyland. We were waiting in line for the Indiana Jones ride. Right before you get on the ride, you are in a cave like place, and there are some logs or poles dividing the line from those entering the ride. We looked over and saw a peep sitting there, alone, on one of these logs. We thought it was so funny. Just a little peep sitting there. Next time we had peeps, I saved some for our next trip. And then, my silly little adventure started. I take it with us on all our trips and try to get pictures of it with famous sites. I have since discovered that I'm not alone in this obsession. I do not, however, have a whole web site devoted to my peep. I DO draw the line somewhere! :)

Hope you get a smile out of these!

I have to wonder....

I'm curious- I can't help it! My blog doesn't get a lot of traffic, but it gets a little. I can't help but wonder WHO reads it and WHY? Is it other stay at home moms who are cheering for me to succeed in law school (or hoping I fail)? Is it lawyers who are reminiscing about the days of yore when they were in law school? Perhaps it is someone in the district attorney's office who is thinking, "Damn, this girl will make an excellent prosecutor!" (Wishful thinking!) Is it others who find my insecurity and sarcasm mildly amusing? Maybe it's just people who came across it on a random search. The suspense is killing me! NO ONE ever leaves me any comments, so I haven't any idea.

Here's a challenge to my readers.....leave me a comment and give me a clue! :)

Other than my curiousity, not much going on today. No class on Fridays, and my study group met to clean up our master contracts outline from last semester. We had all done a bunch of revisions right before the midterm, and this has been the first chance to really go over all of them and decide which ones are staying and which ones aren't. I would have preferred to get ahead on my reading, but that didn't happen today because I had an appointment this morning.

I'm going to try to finish up that CivPro reading because that would put me a full 2 weeks ahead. Again, my dorkness comes shining through. I can't help that either. It makes sense to either be 1 full week or 2 full weeks ahead at all times. The 1.5 weeks ahead is driving me crazy and my competitive spirit won't let me fall more behind (less ahead?) than I am now (at least while the work level is the same--meaning no papers yet).

I think we're going to go see Munich this weekend. It seems like the reviews are good, but I'm prepared for a sobering, rather than entertaining, film. That's ok. We also never finished watching the last 2 episodes of 24, but that will have to wait now because the kids will be at their dad's house this weekend and my daughter wants to watch it too. And UGH, even though we took down the Christmas tree already, none of the other decorations have been put away. I did take them all down and they are neatly stationed in a corner of the living room. We need to get all the boxes out of the attic, put them all away, and then haul all the boxes back upstairs and put them back in the attic. It always seems that taking down the tree is the worst chore, so at least that is done. The other stuff shouldn't take more than a couple hours for all of it.

I wish I could say I had something super exciting and fun I was doing this weekend. (But I don't!) But lucky you, you will get to read about it anyway! :)

It pays to be obsessive!

So, I went to school early to get my LA midterm and make a copy (since it is considered the final for that class, we can't keep the original). I did so, and then turned it back in and went to sit in my class. I was going over the grading matrix as I sat there. On the first question, which was on cite form, I got 19 out of 20 points. Yeah. On the second question, which was the shorter analysis problem, I got 26 out of 30. Yeah. The problem was, as I knew before seeing it, the third, longer analysis problem. It was worth 50 points and I only got 31. :( I was looking at it and realized I had gotten 45 out of 50 on the first half and thinking if I had kept up the same pace I would have gotten a 90! And then it occurred to me....wait, I got a 45 of 50 on the first half, and a 31 of 50 on the second half. WAIT A MINUTE......45 PLUS 31 DOESN'T EQUAL 66 (which was the score that had been marked on it), it is 76! That improves my semester grade from a 81 to an 84! :) This may not seem like a huge deal, but it is to me.

I had been feeling like I was such a loser to get a 66. I mean, I knew I had problems on the second half, but I didn't think the rest was so bad. I just hated to see myself get anything in the 60s. And now, I am thrilled because my grade is not just in the 70s, it is in the upper 70s. Yes, I truly am a dork to get excited over such things, but what else do I have to get excited about? (Ok, yeah, my cat did spend a half hour in my lap today, I know....)

No new grades today :(

I found out from a classmate who went to the evening Contracts class last night that the exams are not graded yet (nor does the professor know when they will be), so I won't be finding that out today. I am supposed to be able to see my Legal Analysis bomb, I mean test, today and make a copy. Not sure I really want to see it, but I suppose it's kind of like not being able to look away from the scene of an accident.

I did email my CivPro professor to find out if he (and his daughter) are ok since he cancelled class on short notice on Tuesday. I also asked if he was going to post grades prior to next week, but I haven't heard back from him. So it is doubtful that grade will be posted. I'm just assuming I will find out at class next Tuesday.

If you've read my entire blog, you know I have 2 cats. While they have very different personalities, neither likes to be picked up or held. That's a bummer because I love my kitties and just wish they would like it when I do that. (Of course, it never stops me from doing it anyway.) But my older cat (Jamba) will at least purr and sometimes come and sit next to you (when it it HER idea, mind you!). Our younger cat, Tiber, is what we like to call autistic. She truly seems to live in her own world, rarely purrs, but strangely seems to like to be in the same room with us. (I guess we don't TOTALLY annoy her.) Anyway, Jamba likes to jump up on my desk and sit behind my laptop while I'm working on stuff. She was up there for awhile, and then she crawled down into my lap. She has been there for about a half hour now, and after a good 10-15 minute loud purring binge, she is now curled up most contentedly and taking a nap on my lap.

The sad part is I need to go get ready to go to school and will have to disturb her. What is it about waking up a sleeping cat (or baby!)? I hate to do it! I wish I had my camera within reach because I would show you how sweet she is. Well, I guess I've put this off long enough. Pooor Jamba!

Ya win some, ya lose some......

So I got my Legal Analysis grade today. I KNEW I didn't do that well on the second half, as it was a complicated analysis problem and even though I had 90 minutes to answer it, I didn't start that until 8pm. I just am NOT clear thinking and quick after that time. I didn't actually see my exam (hope to do that tomorrow), only my score. At least I passed the midterm, but it brought my grade for the first semester down to an 81. :( In the grand scheme of things I know I should be happy with that, but I'm disappointed in myself because I think I should have done much better. The good thing is there is no exam in this class for the second semester (Legal Research). We "just" have 5 papers to do. I did much better on those (which tells me I know what I'm doing, but I just don't do well: 1. With little time, 2. Under pressure, 3. At night....all of which I already knew), so I suppose my grade for the second semester will be higher. I can hope anyway.

I had hoped the the CivPro grades would be posted since that class was cancelled yesterday. No such luck. I have no idea why the class was cancelled. I did hear the professor called the school with only about an hour to go before class, so that sounds kinda scary like some sort of emergency. I hope his daughter is ok. (She had a health issue earlier in the semester.) His not being there made me think it might be related to her. I hope not. But thinking that made me a little more understanding about not getting that grade yet.

Tomorrow is Contracts and I have no idea if we're getting our exams back or not. I'm thinking no. Maybe it's for the best. I seriously doubt that I have any chance of getting an 80 or higher on Contracts (or CivPro), so maybe it is better to not know yet! I really, REALLY want at least a 70 in each, but I'm just not sure. I thought I got at least that on Contracts, but now I'm starting to doubt myself. Maybe I didn't do as well as I thought. I'm more nervous about CivPro. I'm afraid 70 is too high to hope for in there. I don't know. Maybe I'm just panicking because I didn't get surprised by anything 90 or above.

Regardless of the grades, it is nice to be back in the whole "routine" again. I guess I like having my days more structured. (And I LOVE having time at home with no one else here. I guess I'm part hermit. lol)

Okay, enough of this. I need to outline Torts class from Monday. Ciao!

The only time I DON'T want to have a cancelled class...

would be when I'm supposed to be getting my graded midterm back. So, yeah, of course, guess what happened today? And as if that wasn't bad enough, they didn't call me until 1:20pm (for a 1:30pm class) so I obviously didn't get that call in time. Driving to the school is a 10 mile, minimum of 20 minute trip each way. If it were freeway driving it wouldn't be so bad, but it is driving across town on a main drive that has lots of construction and lots of traffic and usually lots of red lights!

When I got to school, to find out it was cancelled, I thought at least maybe I could find out my Legal Analysis grade. Of course, it wasn't posted. That would have made my trip worthwhile.

So let me just get it all out now...UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!

Finally, a midterm grade!

Yeah! When I went to registration, our graded Torts midterms were there. If you remember, I predicted that I would not get any lower than an 80. And.........I got an 84! : ) I got an 88 on the first question, and an 80 on the second. To keep my ego in check, I heard that there were some grades in the high 90s, so I'm hardly the top of my class. :( Oh well, at least I did good.

I also talked to my Legal Analysis professor. I was surprised to find out that she has all of our midterms graded as well, though she is waiting for the grades to be posted. Apparently, we don't get those actual papers back (since it is considered the "final" for Legal Analysis, with the rest of the year being the "research" portion of the class), but we can see and copy them soon. I can hardly remember what the questions were, much less what I wrote!

I saw all my study group members while at registration today and we all got grades in a similar range (77-84). I'm glad we are all together. But I'm dying to know who in class "beat" me. Ugh, I'm competitive!

I need to get ready to go to class. Both sessions are tonight since registration was this afternoon. If I find out my LA grade, I'll post when I get home!

So much for getting any scores before classes restart....

Went all the way across town AGAIN today. The school was open, but no grades were posted. UGH! I am hoping that when I am there tomorrow for registration SOMETHING will be posted. I have no hope of grades for Contracts or Legal Analysis being posted (heard they are not done until later in the month), and the professor for CivPro told me he was giving back the tests the first day of class and posting afterward. My Torts class does meet tomorrow, so if the grades aren't posted by registration time, at least we should get them back in class.

My plans of getting 2 weeks ahead in my reading did not succeed. It is nearly impossible to get anything done with everyone home with me all day. I was very frustrated on Friday because I was not able to do any reading, but decided to just give it up and enjoy the weekend, because I could tell it wasn't going to happen. No use being stressed about it. At least I got 1.5 weeks ahead. It sucks that everyone else still has tomorrow off and I'm back in school, but I'm looking forward to being back on the normal schedule.

We spent most of this weekend watching the second season of 24. I had come into watching the series somewhere in that season, but didn't remember where. If you aren't familiar with the show, there are 24 episodes in each season, each an hour long (about 45 min. with no commercials), which are all the events of one 24 hour day (a dreadfully, suspense and action filled day, mind you). Over the last 3 days, we've watched 22 episodes, so that leaves us with about 1.5 hours worth to finish tomorrow. Then there's another dumb thing I can cross of my list of things to do. lol

I hope my next report here is my Tort midterm grade. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2006! It is always amazing to have a chance at a clean slate, a brand new beginning. And at the same time, sometimes entering a new year is a bit scary, as it will certainly bring some things we may not look forward to. I am excited that this will be the year I finish my first year of law school, but I also know that this is the year that my first born, my precious daughter, will be leaving to go away to college. While I want her to go, learn, and succeed, it is difficult to face the reality of what that really means.....not hearing about she is excited (or pissed off!) about when she gets home from school each day, not sharing all the silliness that we do, not having another female in the house with me! It's an odd feeling to on one hand be happy for her and know she will accomplish so much and yet ache in my heart for how much I will miss her.

Ok, I have to stop myself. Before I look ahead any more, I want to say that in addition to having gone back to school in 2005, I also did something else. I read the entire Bible cover to cover. Sure, I have been in various Bible studies for years, and have read a lot of it, but I had never actually read the entire thing. Last January 1, I started reading One Year Through the Bible
and I finished it yesterday! This version is really nice, because it gives you a little overview, an application, and then gives you a selection from the day's passage to read. You can either read the abbreviated passage, or look up the entire passage in another Bible. If you read the full passages, you will finish the Bible in one year. I did it! I won't say I'm proud of myself (because don't we all know that "pride comes before the fall") but it does feel like an accomplishment. I had attempted to do this several times in the past, and never made it past March. Also, doing this daily reading is how I found my "theme" verse, which in case you don't remember is:

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." ~Psalm 82:3-4

Yeah, 2005 was a great year. But I'm looking forward to what 2006 will bring, even the challenges......