In search of a money tree

There's a special aspect of law school unique to those who plan to be public interest lawyers: funding. I spent the better half of the day decked out in my pink bathrobe and surrounded by various iterations of my resume as I tried to finalize my applications for Peggy Browning Fund money. If successful, I could get paid some decent money for the summer doing employment/labor law for a cool legal services company. My preference is actually to get some experience doing immigration work for 2L summer, but if the money's in employment, employment I shall take. (Not actually necessarily true, but for the time being, that's what I'm telling myself.)

I don't generally concern myself too much with OCI or mock interviews, and I'm not on law review. Apart from the fact that very, very few firms (i.e. one hand's worth of fingers) are doing spring OCI at my school, I simply don't have an interest in working for any of the ones that do. I like it that way. If I did, it would complicate things and make my life full of tough decisions. I might actually have to try harder in the "dress like a grown-up" department. I might actually have to manicure my nails regularly. Or maybe not? I really don't know. All I know is that it's not in me to make the effort.

This probably paints a poor picture of public interest law, and fulfills the stereotype of PI as the field for people who aren't good at law school. That's a shame. Because I actually think I'm going to make a damn good lawyer. I am an excellent researcher and I have pretty good writing skills. I'm a creative problem-solver and I LIKE interpreting regulations and statutes. Somebody will be lucky to have me. They just don't know it yet.

I'm just not cut out for the aspects of law that I once thought were the bread and butter of law school (see OCI, law review). Turns out, while those are important and definitely smart ways to get ahead, they aren't the only ways. So I'm off in search of a money tree, doing my volunteer work and talking my enthusiastic talk about 287(g) agreements and OSHA logs, just hoping somebody will notice. That's my job search, in a nutshell. Best of luck in yours!

2L-and-a-half

So... school's back in session. I'm now on the back half of this law school ride. Crazy.

I am not liking this whole first week back thing. First of all, I didn't have my schedule straight from the get-go, unlike in previous semester. I'm dropping and adding classes all over the damn place. That hasn't helped in the Buying Books department. I currently own only 1/3248th of the books I will need to survive this semester (i.e. the NITA case file for my trial ad class).

My corporation professor actually put in the syllabus that he teaches the "Socratic" method. Now, I actually like a professor that'll keep you on your toes. And Professor Inc. appears to be one of the funny ones. The only problem is that his humor is at the expense of us unsuspecting students. And since I don't have my casebook yet, I won't be prepared tomorrow when he makes an a$$ out of me. AND we only get two passes for the semester. It's not a good sign for a class when you start out scrambling.

And thus, life goes on as usual. Despite feeling like this year is off to a creaky-groany start, I'm still grateful for being back in routine. I've been cooking like crazy since last week, when I took a stab at planning a menu out ahead of time. (Last week's menu: burritos w/fresh avocado, homemade pizza, breakfast-for-dinner with fresh biscuits & bow-tie broccoli alfredo!) Yesterday I made a to-die-for (fake) chicken fried rice, and tonight T & I baked a black bean spinach pizza. Yum!

In a Super Mario Wii update, I am on level 5 but appear stuck at the Big Castle.

Sometime not long from now, I would like to empty out some words about this new laptop I got as an "early graduation present" and how different the law school experience has been since taking a computer to school. But not tonight. I think I need to start scheming my way out of humiliation in the morning.

E

snugga wubba!

I don't remember exactly when I vowed I would never buy my dog a soft toy again, but it was more than two years ago. There are so many cute soft toys out there, and they're so cheap, but E would tear them apart within minutes. Inevitably, I'd be left with mountains of synthetic cotton all over the house and the sad shell of a chipmunk or M&M character. It sucked because E loves to play with the softies, and the disemboweled remains are often his favorite part. His toy box is filled with scraps of fabric, a graveyard of stuffed goldfish, carrots and miniature Santas.

This year, though, I discovered the Best Dog Toy Ever. It combines the fun (for a dog?) of a plush toy with the indestructibility of a hard rubber toy. Best of all, there's no stuffing! We always get E a stocking for Christmas, and I usually take advantage of the splurge to try out a new toy. This year, it was the Snugga Wubba by Kong. It's essentially a Kong (indestructible rubber chew toy) wrapped in a soft cotton exterior, with stringy octopus legs hanging off of it. Let me tell you: it's a hit.

For the last three days in a row, since we returned from our holiday travels, my dog has picked up his toy, marched up to me and knocked me in the knee. He wants to PLAY! With a TOY! Usually his idea of playing is to force me off my lazy behind to chase him around the house. In order for me to get him to use a toy, I have to bribe him with treats, or it has to have stuffing. Not with this toy.

Some of the things he likes to do with this toy:
- Have it dangled over his head so he can jump for it.
- Play tug of war
- Fetch it

Notably, he is not interested in having me chase him around the house. His little trick of bringing me a toy to get my attention, only to have it devolve into chase? That's not happening here. And I'm so happy! (And lazy.) So, because I am still trying to avoid writing cover letters, and because I just got interrupted by a game of jump-pull-fetch, I thought I'd take a moment to urge any other dog owners to try this thing out. And no, I'm not getting paid or endorsed in anyway for this review!

Law School: the meme

I'm going to try my hand at a law blawg meme, because it beats the hell out of working on cover letters!

LAW SCHOOL: The Meme (a work in progress)
In class, have you ever:
Handwritten your notes? yes, it's all i do.
G-chatted? no.
...with other people in class?
...about things people are saying in class?
Secretly read classmates' computer screens? all the time.
Raised your hand? yes.
...during the last 5 minutes of class? yes...shh...
...to correct a professor? no
...to correct a classmate? no

In the library:
Earliest time you've arrived: 8:00 a.m.
Latest you've stayed: 12:15 a.m.
Favorite place to study: the first floor - it's less embarassing to fall asleep when everyone coming in and out can see you.
Ever...
eaten in the library? yes
been given dirty looks? yes
been asked to move or be quiet? yes...sorry.
asked someone to move or be quiet? yes
witnessed someone flipping out? no, but i narrowly missed someone being escorted out by police once during finals
flipped out? not out loud
sabotaged a book or old exam? no way
been the victim of sabotage? i checked out a book and a couple pages were missing once..

During finals:
Longest time without showering: 5 days
Longest time without eating: 12 hours
Favorite procrastination method: cooking, wii, blogs
Favorite study aid: E&Es
Outlining: yes or no? yes
Study groups: yes or no? no, sadly
Earliest you've finished outlining: 5 days before an exam... usually it's hours before...
Most ridiculous thing you've been jealous of not being able to do: grocery shop
Ever...
gone two or more days without changing? yes!
...underwear? ...yes...
gone two or more days without stepping outside? i don't think so...
had a meltdown in front of others? yes
...who? my BF/fiance/husband is the only one whose had the pleasure of witnessing them
wished you didn't go to law school? duh
avoided classmates? yes, i hate them during finals
avoided live-in significant others? yes, sorry T
avoided phone calls or visits from parents/loved ones? 12 new voice messages...yes!

Study habits:
Group or solo study? i study best alone
Best advice you've received about studying: just do the reading, don't worry about extra stuff, and you'll be on top of your game.
Do you...
highlight? yeah!
...How many colors? six
...What is your yellow highlighter for? Facts
...Green? Reasoning
...Blue? Issue / Question presented
brief cases? nope
...How far into the semester?
...In the book or separately? i kind of book brief sometimes
belong to a study group? No
finish most reading before class? Until the last third of the semester.

In general
"What kind of law do you want to practice?" - what's your standard answer: Public interest; immigration or employment law
On a scale of 1 to 10, rank your school: 7
Best food truck or eating option: 24-hour cookie truck
Ever been called a gunner? Yes! Can you believe it?!
If you hadn't gone to law school, what would you be doing right now? Living in VA, working in HR probably.
Belong to any clubs or extracurriculars? Yes
...what's one? NLG
Would you do it again? Yes, mos def

Back when I knew it all

It's been almost two years since I started this blog on February 22, 2008. I started it at work, from my private office, behind my mahogany desk, in a fit of feeling old. My first entries were about my short-lived experimentation with the South Beach diet, my attempts to manage my personal finances, and suddenly feeling grown up. The entire tag-line for my blog, "in which the author expounds upon life over the age of 25," stemmed from this sense that 25 was an invisible, equatorial line, and most of the people in my life were below it while I was above it. T was 24. Our friends in Richmond were 24 or younger. I was "about" to turn 27. I felt older and out of place.

Isn't it funny, then, that I feel so much younger now? Younger than I want to feel, I might add. I feel this way for three reasons: First, because I don't have a kid. This is the kind of younger that you feel when all your friends got their period and you hadn't yet. It's the kind of younger that isn't really a reflection of your age, but is actually some kind of milestone or rite of passage with as much or as little meaning as you choose to bestow upon it. Second, because I am in school. Unlike the private office and the bi-monthly salary, Jansport backpacks and student loans just exude an aura of youth. There's no two ways around it: while everyone else has to get up for work in the morning, you are up all night doing homework or going out with friends over winter break. Third, because I am not getting paid. For many people, having a steady job is not an indication of adulthood. There are non-traditional employees, stay at home parents and med/PhD students who are quite grown up. But for me, part of feeling like an adult is knowing I have a steady stream of income upon which I can rely in times of financial need, or simply for the comfort of knowing that I don't have to ask my parents for any help if need be. In fairness, I don't. T is doing the bacon-generating while I'm in school, and I'm so grateful for that. He plays the responsible one who wakes up early every morning and puts on nice clothes, takes vacation days to have time off and sits in a cube from 9 to 6. Thanks to him, I can be investing full-time in my future career as a lawyer, which will hopefully pay off for both of us, and will result in me feeling much more adult than I ever have before. But for now, I am still the one playing Wii to alleviate the stress of final exams.

I could write a whole post on why the fact that I feel less grown up now than I did two years ago is a good thing. I have a love-hate relationship with the stage in my life. But I have to stop writing because I have a date with the people at the work-study office on campus. With any luck, that whole lack-of-income thing will be taken care of before the spring semester starts!

Resolved

I am thrilled that we are beginning not only a new year, but a new decade. I'm surprised to find myself happy about such a heavy marker of how quickly time passes. But when it comes down to it, I'm happy to be moving forward rather than trying to cling to the past. Moving forward means progressing, getting better at things, becoming wiser (hopefully)... That's my hope for this new year, anyway.

Resolutions aren't really something I make a big deal out of each year. In the spirit of my first post of 2010, however, I think it's appropriate to reflect on what I could do better. So, in no particular order, here goes...

1. Be a better partner.
T and I were talking on the plane ride out to Colorado about something that I had read out in the blogosphere recently, in a post about things nobody tells you about marriage. I remarked to him that getting married has really made me see how selfish I am. Surprisingly, he said he felt the same way. Before we were married, I felt like everything I did to help out T was a gift out of love. You don't give gifts every day, do you? They are special, a treat, something that can be bestowed or not, at the pleasure of the gift-giver.

But almost immediately after we became marrieds, I began noticing all the opportunities I was not taking to help with all of the little things in life that makes running a joint household so much smoother -- unloading the dishwasher, paying a parking ticket on time, studying during the day so I have more time in the evening to hang out, making the coffee in the morning. I have so much to learn about being a good partner, and it starts with my attitude. So, my first resolution of this year is to work on being a better partner by viewing my actions less as gifts and more opportunities to give T a reason to feel as grateful as I do for this partnership.

2. Plan ahead.
We knew we wanted to go to Denver, but we weren't entirely ready to commit to a date. I watched the plane ticket prices skyrocket from a non-stop flight out of our home airport for under $200 round-trip, to $400 for a flight with two layovers each way. We ended up having to drive an hour and a half to get to a smaller airport, where we'd have to stopover in my hometown just to pay the same price. And I had to defer an exam so we wouldn't miss our flight.

That's just the latest example, in a year where I lost a chance to get grant money for the summer, had to pay exorbitant late fees on parking tickets and swore up and down to my aunt that my failure to make car reservations for our all-expenses paid honeymoon trip wasn't out of a lack of gratefulness but due to my embarrassing procrastination. I could rattle off a list of reasons excuses, but what's the point? I can do better. This year, I resolve to have the difficult conversations, quit avoiding unpleasant tasks and simply get the job done sooner.

3. Appreciate my family.
I lost my uncle in 2009. One of the things I am most grateful for when I reflect back on my relationship with him is that it existed beyond my childhood. He and his family moved away from the area where I grew up when I was very young. I remember someone telling me they'd be back in 5 years, and thinking that 5 years seemed like an eternity. I kept waiting and waiting for my cousins to live closer again, and eventually I realized that well over 10 years had passed, and they weren't coming back. Shortly after, my uncle divorced his wife and moved back to his and my dad's home country. It would've been easy for him to remain a distant character in my life at that point. He almost did.

My junior year of college, he was visiting home and my dad drove him down to see me at school. At the time, a professor was trying to get me to apply for a grant and travel abroad, since she knew I was restless and itching to get out of town. As I told my uncle and dad about this idea, they encouraged me to consider going down to Colombia. My uncle invited me to stay with him there, and for some reason, I uncharacteristically jumped at the invitation. I scribbled out a grant proposal and within months was down to my family's country of origin for the first time in my life. I've been back every two years since.

At our wedding, my uncle wasn't there, but my aunt who lives out in Colorado was. So were my two cousins that had moved away so many years ago, who never returned and who I saw for the first time in years only a month earlier at their father's funeral. There is so much family out there that I love dearly and don't want to lose touch with. This year, I resolve to make a greater effort to stay in touch with my loved ones, including my own parents. I've got Skype now. I've got a husband who actually likes getting to know all the characters in my gnarled family tree. I've just gotta do it!

4. Get through some of those 30 things I want to do before I turn 30.
Enough said!

So those are my resolutions for 2010. None have anything to do with law school, thank goodness. I'll be happy simply to get through my second year and get a job. And if I stick to resolutions #1 & #2, I should be able to get paid. There ya have it! Anyone else got any resolutions?