Need a Study Break?

Here's the link for the Law School Student Blog Directory. You might find a few ways to distract yourself for a few minutes, while not completely getting off topic!

I feel like a law student....

I spent the evening at the Clovis Rodeo, and what made the biggest impression on me is the liability they have because of several conditions. I couldn't help but wonder how many times they have been sued for negligence.

Actually, the rodeo was a lot of fun. After the 3 hour event, Joe Nichols gave a 90 minute concert. All in all, a fun night, and perfect weather!

But, I couldn't help but notice 2 things. First of all, the concrete stands where most people sit had NO trash cans. There were some below on the lower walkway right above the boxed seat areas, but since we walked in on the higher walkway, I didn't see those until the way out. When I had trash I needed to throw out, I had to walk all the way to the restroom before I found a trash can. The result? Most people weren't as diligent as me, and left their trash all over the place. (Foreseeable when you don't provide abundant trash cans.) There was so much trash and spilled drinks everywhere. It seemed like you had to be very careful where you were walking, especially on the way out, if you didn't want to slip and fall on something.

Secondly, and worse, on the top walkway, the top row of "seats" (the top ledge of the concrete) is about 4 inches below the actual walkway. There is not a sharp edge or step to distingish it, but a curved edge. (Hard to explain.) Anyway, this edge is not painted in a bright color, nor is one part a different color than the other. This wasn't so much an issue when we got there early at 5pm. We sat in the very top row, so I got to watch what happened up close. As it got later, with a sold out crowd there, many people ended up standing along the fence behind the walkway that is next to the top row of seats. This crowd makes the walkway very narrow. On top of that, it was getting dark, with no lights on the walkway. Add to that the number of drunk and/or drinking people in the crowd. Now, you tell me how foreseeable it is that someone is going to walk in the narrow space and not see that curved edge and fall?

Let's see....the probability of injury when you have a sloping, curved walkway, not marked or distinguished in any way so that people will notice the slope, that is being crowded and and walked along by drunk people (btw, I didn't drink anything, as I don't like beer) , who are more interested in talking with friends and watching a rodeo than watching their step, is high as it only takes a little misstep to have someone slip and fall and hit their head on the concrete steps. The gravity of such injury is high, as people could hit their heads and have a concussion, break a bone, get cut, or fall on top of other people and hurt them. The burden on the rodeo groups is moderate. They would need to either paint a distinguishing line on the sloping portion, hang and use more lighting, and/or have their security patrol keep the crowd from standing and blocking most of the walkway. The utility in them keeping their behavior as is is low, as safety is important in any public gathering. Here, the probability and gravity outweigh the burden and utility, so the Clovis Rodeo grounds has breached their duty of reasonable care to all invitees on its property.

Yeah, so anyway, that's what I was thinking as I was seeing this. Does that mean that even though I didn't spend the evening studying, it kinda counts for something??? :)

Actually, in all seriousness, we DID see a lady fall. She fell on the sloped part of the walkway, exactly what I thought was so dangerous. She fell and landed right behind my husband. Kind of scary. Thank goodness she was ok. If she wasn't alright, and I was a lawyer, I would have been slipping her my card! That walkway is just ASKING for lawsuits!

Ok, other than that, I did wrap up my final edition of my Contracts outline this morning, and did a Defamation essay. I had to take my son to the doctor this afternoon, so unfortunately, that is all the studying I got in today. I do have the entire day alone tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get in a good 10-12 hours of studying. Sounds like a fun day....

Overheard in Contracts Class

Professor: In a 2 party contract between A and B, which one is the obligor and which one is the obligee?
1L: B
Professor: Is which one?
1L: Yeah.

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I'm going to miss that class the most. Always funny stuff going on in there. I can't believe I'm now done with all my classes. Just 9 hours of exams to get through and I'll be completely done. I found out that I will be able to do my clinical at the Small Claims Advisory, so that training will be soon after finals are over. I'm anxious to start doing that. For summer school, I'm debating if I want to take one or two classes. I'm definitely taking Children and the Law in the afternoons. But in looking at the class load I'll have to take next year, I'm coming to the conclusion that I'd rather than an additional class in summer school than have it piled on the already crazy schedule I'll be taking.

Because of the finals schedule for summer school, I'm assuming I could only take another class if it is on the opposite days as Children and the Law. A second class would have to be at night, which I dread. But I kind of figure I could handle it for the 8 nights it would be. Of my options, Family Law is the most appealing to me. I had thought about taking the 1 unit Family Law mediation, but that is the only 1 unit elective offered (that I see listed anyway). What good is one unit going to do me if I can't take another 1 unit somewhere to give me the 2 units I would need?

If I do take 2 electives in summer school, my schedule next year will be:

Constitutional Law (6 units)
Crim. Law and Pro. (6 units)
Real Property (6 units)
Bus. Org. (4 units- a year long class, but over early)
Taxation (3 units- one semester class)
Prof. Responsibility (2 units- one semester class)

I think that looks like plenty without having to squeeze another 2 units of electives in there somewhere. Plus, if I do that, and don't get in the full 144 hours for my 2 units of clinicals over the summer, it wouldn't be so bad to continue a few hours each week during the school year. I think I'm talking myself into it. How bad can it be? It's only 4 weeks. If I hate it and wish I didn't take it on, it will be over before I know it. Heck, this year is basically over, and look how fast all this "pain" flew by!

Ok, enough of this. I need to finish up my Contracts outline so I can be a crazy, studying fool. Ciao!

Alan Jackson and Joe Nichols...Just Weeks Apart!

Joe Nichols is performing after the Clovis Rodeo tomorrow night. While I should probably be spending the evening studying, I am going to the rodeo (for the first time in my life!), and his concert afterwards. Actually, I'm only going because he will be there. I saw him open for Alan Jackson a couple of times, and ended up liking him too!

I'm not really a country music fan (ie., I never listen to country music radio stations), but I do enjoy both Joe and Alan's music. I've seen Alan in concert 3 times (best was in Mountain View when we had seats in the 4th row!), and Joe twice (both times in opening for Alan).

It is already a treat to be able to see Joe Nichols, so imagine how thrilled I was to find out that Alan Jackson is coming to town next month! He is going to be at Table Mountain Casino. Thankfully, that one will be after finals are over. But how cool to see both of them within a few weeks! I'm hoping Alan sings some songs from his new cd, Precious Memories. I LOVE "I'll Fly Away", and would love to see that performed live.

See ya soon guys!

I love Joseph!

The Joseph in Genesis that is. The Bible study that I have been involved with for 6 years has spent this year studying the book of Genesis. While I appreciate that so many flawed people are in the Bible so I can feel like I can relate to them, I love that Joseph gives me an example of someone who made all the right decisions. He may have had some youthful pride (when he told his God-given dreams to his brothers), but after being first thrown into a well and then sold to slave traders, he did not complain. He had complete faith and trust in God, and just worked hard.

While some people may try to sell the "become a Christian and your life will be easy" philosophy, that is not what the Bible teaches. Indeed, becoming a follower of Christ will make you a target for satan and his agents, and you can expect attacks! God actually allows suffering in the lives of believers, not because He is mean or He doesn't care about us, but because going through those hard times is what trains us and molds us into the people He wants us to become.

Here is Joseph, and through no fault of his own he ends up as a slave in Egypt. But because of his faith and hard work, he ends up with many responsibilities in Potiphar's household. He could have easily thought, when Potiphar's wife came on to him that he deserved some pleasure. After all, he had worked hard for many years, and besides, who would know? But Joseph fled from that temptation, and endured the false accusation against him, landing him in prison. Again, Joseph didn't complain about his lot in life. In fact, it was at this time that he noticed the troubled cupbearer and baker there in prison. Because he took the time to care about them, he was able to listen to their dreams and given them God's interpretation. When the cupbearer was restored to his prior position and promised to remember Joseph, but forgot, Joseph continued to be faithful. Never once was he blaming, spiteful or bitter, though by today's standards he had every right to be.

All those years (about 13) prepared Joseph for what was to come. He had taken on increasingly responsibility, both in Potiphar's house, and in prison, and all the while had completely trusted God to fulfill the dreams He had given him years earlier. God had trained Joseph to depend on him, work hard, and not complain. Finally, when the Pharaoh had dreams that couldn't be interpreted, the cupbearer remembered Joseph, and after telling the Pharaoh what the dreams meant, Joseph was exalted to be second in command!

I want to be a Joseph. I don't want to waste any of the hard times I go through, but learn through them what I'm supposed to learn, so that God can make me into who He wants me to be. I want to not waste time or emotion on complaining about what others say or do to me. I just want to work hard and please God. A high, but not impossible goal, and certainly one worth striving for!

I got my car back!

I actually have 2 cars, an SUV and a sportscar. Since dear daughter turned 16 and got her license, she has been driving the SUV. Since we only have a 3 car garage (hubby has a sedan), it made more sense to let her do that than to buy another car. Anyway, the SUV was making a weird noise which we thought was related to the tires, which were due to be changed. After changing them last week, the noise persisted, so we took it in to be looked at and got a rental car. Since teens can't drive rental cars, I ended up with that (at least it was a C280, which I loved driving!), and daughter ended up with my sportscar. Thankfully she is a responsible and mature girl and I wasn't worried about her using my car to drive recklessly. It is just very different from the SUV and has horrible visibility, especially compared to the SUV.

I drove the rental for 6 days until they finally figured out what was wrong with the SUV, got the part, and fixed it. And now, I finally have my car back. Yeah! Because I spend about an hour a day in my car, I guess I'm kinda attached to it, and I'm glad to have it back today. Now if the weather would just get better so I could put the top down!

One More Class...

That's it! That's all that is left of my first year of law school. I'm still not worried about finals. Yeah, yeah, I still have plenty of work on that front to do.

For summer, I decided to take "Children and the Law", because it is being offered in the afternoon, and because I am interested in children's issues. (And none of the night classes interested me anyway.) I wasn't sure about my clinical units, but got good news today, but will wait to post until I know for sure.

In case I get finals-tunnel-vision in the next week and forget to say it, GOOD LUCK to all my schoolmates on finals! Hope you all do wonderfully!

PINK As Defensive Strategy

I promise, this will be my last pink post (at least for awhile), but I thought I should squeeze it in here while I was doing the whole pink thing.

In my bathroom, hubby and I keep our towels on the towel bar across from the shower. When we moved in here, I told him that I would always keep my towel on the left, and his on the right. Since all our towels were the same color, it was only a matter of remembering which side was yours, and using that towel. Apparently this was not a good plan, as many times I would go to take a shower, and as I reached for my towel, I would noticed it was wet and recently used. Sure, I could just use hubby's towel, but I'm not that type of girl. It's mine or new. Not a horrible problem, I admit, but since I'm the one who does the laundry, and every new towel just adds to my chore, I'd rather not use a new one every single day. Finally I had the insight to buy a couple different colored towels. Not just different colored, but PINK! Will you believe that hubby has not used one of my pink towels even once??? Yes, a winning idea!

Another area of annoyance was the pillow stealing. We each have 2 king size pillows, so it's not like either of us lacks in the pillow department, yet way too often I was waking up with no pillows, or just one (usually my least favorite-- yes, I do have a favorite pillow). Eventually I transferred my pink theory to the bed and bought 2 pink pillowcases to distinguish my pillows. The amazing part is that it worked! I don't know how to explain it, but even in the dark, hubby wants nothing to do with the pink pillows.

Pink....not just pretty, but also very useful! :)

Speaking about PINK.........

I may as well come totally clean. I already bought myself something as a little present for completing my first year of law school. (Notice, I said "completing", not "passing". ) I need another Louis Vuitton handbag like I need a hole in my head, but I couldn't resist this one since, you guessed it, it is pink.
When I was in Las Vegas in February, I was talking to a saleslady in one of the LV stores there, and she told me that there were coming out with the pink denim pieces. I'm glad she did because otherwise I might have bought another blue denim one that time. I already have one in blue denim, so I was only too happy to wait for a pink one.

And as long as I'm coming clean, I will admit that this arrived last week (gosh I love being a VIP customer at eluxury!). It is in its hiding place in a certain closet for 2 more weeks until I finish my final exams. It can then make its public debut on May 9. :) Now, above, I mentioned that this was my personal reward for completing, rather than passing, my first year. It's not that I have any doubts I will pass. I don't. But, I won't find out that information until the end of May. And I seriously could think of no good reason that this gorgeous handbag should be sitting in a box in my closet for an additional 3 weeks. It's bad enough to think of it all lonely in there now!

Now that I'm sure everyone is rolling their eyes, I would just like to say that I DO not have a pink car, so at least you can be grateful for something......

Since I already have the pink cell phone.......

it just made sense to get the pink laptop. Well, ok, it is officially called "raspberry red", but it looks pretty pink to me. The inside (around the keyboard) is light pink, and the keys are white (looks much better with pink than black would).

I promise I didn't get this just because it's pink. Actually, my laptop screen had been "twitching" for the last couple weeks. It made me feel like I was watching an old movie or something when I was using it. Knowing finals were approaching and that I would panic if my laptop died somewhere in the midst of them, I decided to buy a new one now, and get everything switched (not that I have a clue how to do that, so THANK YOU to my hubby for doing it for me!) over before finals. Once over, then I'll see if my old one can be repaired. If so, it doesn't hurt to have a backup machine.

As long as I needed a new laptop, and a pink one was available, it seemed only natural to go ahead and get that one. (Lest anyone think I didn't have a "valid" reason for choosing this model, if had not been a Sony, I would not have gotten it, as I like using the memory stick, and didn't want to have to deal with an adaptor for it, as I had some bad luck with that in the past.) Yes, this laptop just seems to fit in my life!

One Week Left

It's hard for me to believe that I only have one week left of my first year of law school, and then finals, of course. All that is left to do now is study and memorize. I honestly feel like I know the subjects and understand them (well, maybe not CivPro so much), but I don't have all the law memorized in those easy-to-spit-out-on-exam formats (at my school, endearingly called "barfs").

I thought I'd feel more freaked out right now. I don't. I know I have work to do, but it seems achievable to me. Maybe I'm confident, maybe I'm just delusional. At this point, it is hard to say.

For this weekend, all I know is I'm going to spend it studying and memorizing. What fun, huh? I wish the weather was going to be a bit better, as then maybe I'd do that outside or on the boat or something. Perhaps if it doesn't rain, I will anyway.

Ok, you've probably noticed.....this post is mostly about nothing and probably just a way to procrastinate. Okay, so back to my Contracts outline and 2-207......

Verse of the Day

Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.--- Phil. 1:6

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I found a Verse of the Day site that will put a daily verse on my page. I decided to incorporate that in my right margin as you will see. From now on, I will have that verse as my verse of the day, unless there is something else I particularly want to share. :)

Overheard in Contracts Class

1L: What is "onerous"?
Contracts Prof.: "Onerous" means unduly burdensome. You gotta use it. It is a "law word". It comes in a little gift pack with "egregious".

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In discussing UCC 2-610:
Contracts Prof.: So here's the statutory way to get away with all kinds of duplicitous conduct.
......laughter by class....
Contracts Prof.: See, a year ago you wouldn't even have known what that means. And of course, now I'm quite happy to encourage you in that kind of behavior!

Verse of the Day

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.--- Psalm 18:30

Clinicals

Students planning on completing the program in 3 years at my school must do 4 units of "clinical" work. Each unit require 72 hours of work, and 10 pages of work product. Only 2 units can be done at any one place. I had been planning on doing 2 of my units at the small claims court advisory that the school runs, but we just found out that the county slashed the budget, so the school won't be doing it anymore. The school does run a family law mediation, but it sounds like the hours are not reliable, and can be hard to get in the total you need.

The school highly recommends working with a judge if you can, or trying out several different law offices, or working in the public defender's or district attorney's offices. They also recommended using some strategy.....if you ultimately want to work in a certain place, do NOT start there with your first clinical. You're better off starting out where you do NOT want to be, in case you make mistakes, look dumb, etc. (Seriously, this is what they said!) It makes sense to me, though I hadn't thought of it that way before.

I have a good family friend that is a judge in superior court, so I need to call him and find out if there is any chance of me working with him this summer. I'm only going to have class 2 afternoons a week, so I could probably work up to 2 full days if I needed to. If that doesn't work out, I may talk to my personal attorney and see if there is anything in her office I could do. She happens to be an adjunct professor, so that is an added bonus. Her firm is looking for a law clerk, though they want someone in their final year though, so I'm not sure they would want me.

I'm thinking I'm probably going to want to take the 3 day Family Law Mediation 1 unit class that is a prerequisite to doing that clinical, just in case I decide to do that one. All of this makes me realize that even though I will have about 2 months off from regular classes, I really won't have much "vacation" time. If I can, I'd love to start a clinical in May right after finals, so I can start squeezing in all those hours. I hope it is not too hard to find one that will work out!

Verse of the Day

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. —Psalm 34:18

Verse of the Day

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.--- Romans 10:9-10

Torts Midterm Back-----FINALLY!

While we got the first question from our Torts midterm back the week before Easter break, we didn't get the second one until yesterday. At least that was a nice little confidence booster for me before finals. I did not do well on question 1, but I got a 93 on question 2! : ) The highest grade in the class was 94 on that one, so I'm very pleased. It brings my grade for the March midterm up to an 80, which is more like what I was expecting, and close to my December grade. The professor did say that she will only count the midterms if they better our grade. So, my midterms will only matter if I get less than an 82 on the final.

I know I have a lot to study and memorize in the next couple of weeks, but I'm feeling much more relaxed and confident about it now. I'm mostly just anxious for it to be over. It's nice to see and feel the end in sight, and not be freaked out about it.

Verse of the Day

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ---1 Corinthians 1:18

In Support of Those with Mental Illness

I wanted to tell you about an upcoming event that I am participating in that is both very important and very exciting to me. It is NAMIWalks for the Mind of America, NAMI’s signature walkathon event that is being held in Fresno, CA at Woodward Park on May 20, 2006.

I have a brother who is bipolar (manic-depressive). His mental illness has affected all of my family. It is hard to describe the pain mental illness causes, both to the person who has it and to all who love them, unless you have lived through it yourself. What makes it so hard is that since it affects BEHAVIOR, people don't think about it the same way they do other medical conditions that require medication, such as diabetes and heart conditions. I love my brother dearly, and am participating for my second year as a symbol of how much I love and support him.

I would like to ask you to donate to support my participation in this great event. Any amount is greatly appreciated! Visit my personal walker page to sign up:

http://www.nami.org/namiwalks06/FRE/mary

It features a link to my team's page where you can see who else is walking with me. There is also a link so you can donate directly to me online. Donating online is fast and secure, and I'll get immediate notification via e-mail of your donation. I would appreciate even the smallest donations, as they all add up and can make a difference!

NAMI, the Nation's Voice on Mental Illness, formerly the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, is the largest education, support and advocacy organization that serves the needs of all those who’s lives are touched by these illnesses. This includes persons with mental illness, their families, friends, employers, the law enforcement community and policy makers.. The NAMI organization is composed of approximately 1100 local affiliates, 50 state offices and a national office.

The goals of the NAMIWalks program are: to fight the stigma that surrounds mental illness, to build awareness of the fact that the mental health system in this country needs to be improved and to raise funds for NAMI so that they can continue their mission.

NAMI is a 501(c)3 charity and any donation you make to support my participation in this event is tax deductible. NAMI has been rated by Worth magazine as among the top 100 charities "most likely to save the world" and has been given an "A+" rating by The American Institute of Philanthropy for efficient and effective use of charitable dollars. NAMI has also been given 4 out of 4 stars by The Charity Navigator for short-term spending practices and long-term sustainability.

Thank you in advance for your support. :)

Happy Easter!

I woke up way too early and can't fall back asleep, so thought I'd post this:

10 Reasons to Believe Christ Rose from the Dead

Verses of the day:

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!---- Luke 24:1-6

There IS such thing as a FREE LUNCH!

To celebrate my birthday, hubby took me shopping and let me pick out some shoes at Macy's. (Don't even ask me how many pairs I own!!) Afterward, we were contemplating whether to go to a movie, or do more shopping. I originally wanted to go to Broilers, but since we were right there, I suggested we go to BJ's pizza. This place opened about a year ago, and we have been there twice. Each time, the service was horribly SLOW. One of those times, it was so bad, they comped our entire meal. Since it was pretty empty, we thought we would give them a third try. We were joking about it after we placed our order, and even made a note of the time, in case they did it to us again. We could not even believe it when we had to wait 30 MINUTES for 2 6" pizzas! The manager came over to apologize, and told us that they had messed up one of the pizzas, and someone mistakenly took the other one. We related to him their poor track record on our previous visits, and that it was my birthday. He comped the pizzas, drinks, and a brownie sundae, AND gave me a $25 gift certificate! Of course, that would mean I have to go back and subject myself to their horrible service, but hey, maybe I'll just pass it on to someone else. And I did get a free meal out of it!

We had a fun time in Disneyland. We had perfect weather, and while it was crowded, we still got on plenty of rides. I got to hang out with my sister (who lives near there) too, which I always enjoy. It was a nice break to just be with family and having fun. I can't believe my daughter is 18 though!

Tomorrow after church we're going over to my parent's house for their annual Easter parade and Easter egg hunt. I'm hoping it doesn't rain so we can be outside, but even if it does, it will still be fun over there.

In case I don't have time to post tomorrow....Happy Easter everyone....He is risen!

Verse of the Day

The Lord your God is with you, he is might to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. ---Zeph. 3:17

Verse of the Day

I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according Scriptures.-- 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Verse of the Day

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.---1 Peter 2:24

Action for the Price????

One of my study group members and I were going over an old Contracts exam today. It only pointed how totally unprepared I am. Ugh. And we came across a lovely discovery....either both of us totally missed the discussion on UCC 2-709 in class, or our professor decided not to let us in on this little tidbit. I was able to look it up, of course, but neither of us recalled it ever being discussed. It doesn't seem like something that is in the one area still left to be discussed, so I felt very unsettled. Just how much more little surprises like that are waiting for me out there??? Yikes.

I have come to the conclusion that (duh) traveling and studying do not mix well. Two weeks before December midterms I went to Hawaii. Total study time there-- approximately a half hour. A week before March midterms I went to Las Vegas. Total study time there-- zilch. Now, 2 weeks before finals I went to Boston, and am going to Disneyland. Total study time in Boston- nada, expected study time in Disneyland- you guess!

The only thing working in my favor at this point is that the last two weeks of the month there isn't really any thing else to do BUT study. My papers are done, and all but the last 40 pages of my books have been read. So, other than going to classes, I can study....read, memorize and do practice tests. I didn't have that much time to prepare for the December midterms, so I just hope this will be enough!

Verse of the Day

At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ----Romans 5:6-8

Home and Tiiiiired

We just got home from MIT in Cambridge, MA a little bit ago. It was a great experience to be back there again, and be able to see and find out more about the school. My daughter was able to go to 3 classes (Chemistry, Physics and Calculus) and is excited looking forward to actually being there. We also toured some of the dorms. It was interesting, because they are all so different in style and personality. I know which 2 I liked best, but my daughter isn't sure. They do things different at MIT than they do at most schools. You submit your top 4 choices before school starts, and during the week of orientation (before classes start), you are assigned to a temporary dorm. If you like that, you can stay there. If not, you go check out all the other dorms, and put your name in a lottery to switch. At the end of that week, all the switching takes places. Apparently this system allows 96% of the students to get their top choice dorm.

As far as we know, there is only one other student from the valley who is going to MIT as a freshman in the fall, a boy from Dinuba about an hour from here. My daughter had found him through one of the MIT sites, and emailed him. The weird thing is we just happened to start talking to his dad at the student center, not knowing who he was. We were happy to have met them. Nice to feel like we weren't the only ones there from "home".

We did get to see a little of Boston, walking around Boston Common and doing some of the Freedom Trail, and had an awesome dinner at Legal Sea Food. Our hotel was about a 10 minute walk from the MIT campus, so it seems like we've walked about a dozen miles in the last couple days with all the tours, running all over the campus, and back and forth from the hotel.

When we left on Thursday, we got up at 2am, arrived at MIT around 7pm. We spent all day Friday and Saturday walking around the campus and Boston. Today, we got up at 3:30am PST, and got home around 8pm. UGH......I'm sooooo tired. I'm relieved to have this next week "off", though I somehow need to find some study time before we leave on Wednesday for Disneyland. My daughter's 18th birthday is on Thursday, and we scheduled this trip months ago to celebrate (long before we knew we'd be doing the MIT trip). We come back on Friday, my birthday is Saturday, and Easter is Sunday. And then Monday, school and normal life resumes. Doesn't seem like I'm going to be very productive this week. But that's ok. My kids come first, and this week is really about and for my daughter. I'm happy to celebrate her, and all her accomplishments!

Verse of the Day

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Col. 3:2

Overheard in Contracts Class

Contracts Prof: "If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. We have 30 seconds!"

Verse of the Day

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.--- 1 Thes. 5:16-18.

Verse of the Day

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." -- Isaiah 55:8, 9

Overheard in CivPro

CivPro Prof: "California doesn't have common law marriages. We just live in sin. We're used to it."

Change is a GOOD thing!

So, yeah, I changed my blog today.....besides using a new pic of me, I changed the colors. Yes, I had heard from so MANY of you that the dark blue gloomy background just didn't match my naturally cheery and positive attitude, so here ya go! Honestly, I do think it is a better expression of my personality. Hope you like it too! :)

Verse of the Day

"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ----Jeremiah 29:11

I have officially finished one year of law school.....

in one class at least. I turned in my final Legal Analysis paper today, and because we are done meeting and have no final in there, I AM DONE! YEAH! It feels so good to have something completed. I know it's "just" a one unit course, but there was an awful lot of work for that one unit. I'll surely have my highest grade on this class too. Anyway, I loved my professor and am planning on taking her again for one of the other classes she teaches. I enjoyed her and the class itself and felt that I learned something that was actually practical, unlike the substantive law classes, which aren't geared that way.

Oh, and here's a little tidbit from today:

OVERHEARD IN TORTS CLASS

1L (while discussing a case where a reporter secretly recorded her fellow employees at a psychic network job she took to get the story) : "If they are working for a psychic network, how could they have an expectation of privacy?"

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No one quite has the wit and humor that my Contracts professor does. Thank goodness too! He knows just how to break up the boring factor of Contracts with enough bad jokes and puns to keep you laughing, or groaning, but at least awake and listening. I guess I don't expect the Dean, who teaches Torts, to be as funny, though we do have a number of students in there who are. Personally, I love all the humor, because I find it refreshing and it lightens the seriousness of everything else. Thank goodness for laughter and smiles!

Verse of the Day

Thought I'd try a new feature, putting a favorite verse here every day. Here's one for Monday:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

A good reminder! :)

Done and ready to turn in!

My #9 paper is sitting here, all pretty with its red cover, all ready to turn. I AM planning on doing a read through and possible revise in the morning. I did see my professor this morning in church, and made a point to go up and thank her for getting my graded #8 to me early. (I would have not have had as much direction for #9, if I had to do it blindly.) Poor thing, she's had the flu and still not caught up. Apparently she said she still has 9 papers left to grade!

My daughter has finally heard from all the colleges she applied to. She was accepted by UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and MIT, and rejected by Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and CalTech. Actually, because of the caliber of those 8 schools, a 50% acceptance is a great accomplishment. I was surprised that she didn't get accepted by Harvard and Stanford though, because I really thought they would take her. Not that she would have gone there. Of course, after the fact she admitted she didn't put nearly the effort into the others as she did on MIT's application. That was WHERE she wanted to go. Her heart wasn't in it for the other places. But it all worked out for the best. In fact, this makes it all the more clear where she belongs. If she had gotten into Stanford, a part of me would always kind of wish she was there, just to be closer. We had prayed too, that God would have her go where He wanted her. All of it points to MIT being THE place for her.

The next 2 weeks are going to be crazy. A quick trip to Boston, a Disneyland trip, Easter break, my daughter's birthday, my birthday.....all squished in there. At least I won't have any papers to do, though I will have to find some time to study. This last month of school is going to FLY by!