Not sure if I mentioned this, but when my parents were here a few weeks ago for Chinese New Year, I accidentally poured water on my old Kodak digital camera and destroyed it.
This made a little bit sad since I quite liked my old digital camera (you've seen the wonders it can do from the pictures I posted here). But every cloud has a silver lining, and in this case the silver lining is that I GET TO SHOP FOR A NEW DIGITAL CAMERA!
Anyway, after some extensive research last week (guess what I spent the more boring parts of tax doing?) I finally decided to get a Canon Powershot sd550. It had pretty good ratings from cnet, and my friend AC has one of the older versions and loves it.
So FedEx just delivered my brand-new camera! It's a nifty little thing, looks sturdy, shiny, and tiny. I already love it. Will be sharing random photos here again soon.
:D new camera, of course!
:( a ton of reading to do for tomorrow, my busiest day of the week.
2/28/2006
2/27/2006
Goals for March!
Man, can't believe that February is almost over! We have already spent 1/6th of the new year! And I feel so ... unaccomplished.
It's time to set some goals for the third month!
In the month of March, I would like to...
- go to the gym at least 4 times to exercise
- watch at least one movie and read one non-law-related book.
- read 1-2 law review articles per week for fun.
- go to at least 4 extracurricular law lectures and learn something that my classes are not teaching me
- cook at least 3 homecooked meals and enjoy with Boyfriend.
- spend at least two weekend days doing a fun activity with Boyfriend in B-town. (hmm... I have always wanted to visit the Aquarium...)
With spring break in 3 weeks this shouldn't be all that hard to accomplish. I'll be back at the end of the month to let you know whether any of this is in fact done.
Also, thansk to my friend AC, whose lively, sparkly blog inspired me to be a better blogger, I am introducing -->
":D" and ":(" for each post, starting today.
:D nearly done with Ames brief while everyone else is about to pull all-nighters.
:( having to walk home twice in 0 degree windchills
It's time to set some goals for the third month!
In the month of March, I would like to...
- go to the gym at least 4 times to exercise
- watch at least one movie and read one non-law-related book.
- read 1-2 law review articles per week for fun.
- go to at least 4 extracurricular law lectures and learn something that my classes are not teaching me
- cook at least 3 homecooked meals and enjoy with Boyfriend.
- spend at least two weekend days doing a fun activity with Boyfriend in B-town. (hmm... I have always wanted to visit the Aquarium...)
With spring break in 3 weeks this shouldn't be all that hard to accomplish. I'll be back at the end of the month to let you know whether any of this is in fact done.
Also, thansk to my friend AC, whose lively, sparkly blog inspired me to be a better blogger, I am introducing -->
":D" and ":(" for each post, starting today.
:D nearly done with Ames brief while everyone else is about to pull all-nighters.
:( having to walk home twice in 0 degree windchills
Zero degree wind chills!
Who knew that the distance between my apartment to the law school would be so long and so painful? I can't wait 'til spring!
At least my thighs are not aching so badly anymore. That went away in my very short sleep last night.
I was up 'til nearly 5 am last night trying to finish my section of the Ames, because I promise my partner J that I would have it done by today (it's due Tuesday). IH and I were discussing whether it's a good thing or not that one is Ames partner with one's friend. (IH's partner is this girl that he hardly knows in class). IH thinks that it's better to work with someone you don't know that well since then it's less bad if your work style is not in sync and you have a fight over the work. I did find that since I'm working with J, I'm much more circumspect about slacking off and really try to get things done early, as is her style. This gives me more pressure, but at least it helps me getting things done (and yes, I do need all the help I can get these days.).
Anyway, I'm impressed that I actually got up this morning to go to property. Now must go on with my busy day ahead now.
At least my thighs are not aching so badly anymore. That went away in my very short sleep last night.
I was up 'til nearly 5 am last night trying to finish my section of the Ames, because I promise my partner J that I would have it done by today (it's due Tuesday). IH and I were discussing whether it's a good thing or not that one is Ames partner with one's friend. (IH's partner is this girl that he hardly knows in class). IH thinks that it's better to work with someone you don't know that well since then it's less bad if your work style is not in sync and you have a fight over the work. I did find that since I'm working with J, I'm much more circumspect about slacking off and really try to get things done early, as is her style. This gives me more pressure, but at least it helps me getting things done (and yes, I do need all the help I can get these days.).
Anyway, I'm impressed that I actually got up this morning to go to property. Now must go on with my busy day ahead now.
2/26/2006
Perfect for Cold Weather...
Just made a pot of congee with chicken soup and preserved duck eggs (aka thousand year eggs). Yummm... makes me miss my childhood in China (and my freshman summer in Chinatown!)
Worked all day, including attending a mass subcite session at the library this afternoon. Still sore from the indoor soccer, can you believe it? (Yesterday I was so sore I could hardly move. I needed my arm's help to life my thighs. How pathetically out of shape I am...). Doing my Ames court brief now. It will be a long night...
Worked all day, including attending a mass subcite session at the library this afternoon. Still sore from the indoor soccer, can you believe it? (Yesterday I was so sore I could hardly move. I needed my arm's help to life my thighs. How pathetically out of shape I am...). Doing my Ames court brief now. It will be a long night...
2/24/2006
I Can Hardly Lift My Legs...
Yikes, just played indoor soccer with another section, and now I'm so exhausted that I barely had enough strength to walk home. I was hit once by the ball which broke the skin on my lips, which looked really heroic but actually didn't hurt that much.
We lost, 5-6. The other team was ALL large white guys and our team had several tiny women, so I think we actually did pretty well. Still, not having exercised for the past two weeks, and not having played soccer since, um, eighth grade, means that I probaby won't be able to walk tomorrow.
We lost, 5-6. The other team was ALL large white guys and our team had several tiny women, so I think we actually did pretty well. Still, not having exercised for the past two weeks, and not having played soccer since, um, eighth grade, means that I probaby won't be able to walk tomorrow.
Overheard in Property
My property professor looks like a Dilbert cartoon -- all squares and circles in his face and a bit nerdy. He also mumbles a lot and is not terribly expressive. So who would have thought that he would be so damned witty?
The past two weeks haev been particularly good classes for quotes. So I am collecting some of his more memorable ones below (my classmates helped collect most of these.)
Professor: "What if a state court said, 'We don't like due process much, so all these things that used to be called property are now called schmoperty?'"
Professor, on organ donation: "A brain donation would be the most--you can't even, well, think about it."
Professor, telling us about a barber who sold Lance Armstrong's hair: "If I were Armstrong, I'd be creeped out by that. I just felt the need to interject that. Oh, there are no more hands anymore."
Student: "If I cut off my finger, I can put it in my freezer."
Professor: "Put it in soup or something."
Professor: "Maybe it would be different if the mail was more like Harry Potter, and it sort of flew in and started screaming."
Professor: "That's the only data point we have. That gopher flushing is not beneficial."
I, along with 95% of my classmates, love property class.
The past two weeks haev been particularly good classes for quotes. So I am collecting some of his more memorable ones below (my classmates helped collect most of these.)
Professor: "What if a state court said, 'We don't like due process much, so all these things that used to be called property are now called schmoperty?'"
Professor, on organ donation: "A brain donation would be the most--you can't even, well, think about it."
Professor, telling us about a barber who sold Lance Armstrong's hair: "If I were Armstrong, I'd be creeped out by that. I just felt the need to interject that. Oh, there are no more hands anymore."
Student: "If I cut off my finger, I can put it in my freezer."
Professor: "Put it in soup or something."
Professor: "Maybe it would be different if the mail was more like Harry Potter, and it sort of flew in and started screaming."
Professor: "That's the only data point we have. That gopher flushing is not beneficial."
I, along with 95% of my classmates, love property class.
2/23/2006
Hopefully Not Sick, Definitely Addicted
For the past two days, I have been waking up with a sore throat. It goes away about 20 minutes after I get up. Still, I'm worried that I may be coming down with something.
I got the security clearance forms from my summer employer today. I have to go down to the local precinct to get my fingerprints taken! Fun. The forms themselves (there are seven or eight of them) are also quite long, and require a lot of info. Harder than applying to law school! Well okay, maybe not quite as hard...
I am falling behind on my contracts reading, mainly because since the professor talks about logic and not contracts every day anyway it all feels kind of pointless. Still it's not good to fall behind too much even if we don't end up discussing anything interesting in class.
Property and tax are as interesting as ever though. In property we are now talking about property rights issues with web domain names. Really really interesting stuff. In tax we are discussing illegal income and whether they are taxable, which is actually pretty relevant to our Ames court research this semester.
One huge impediment to my doing work for the past week or so has been the Olympics, which is absolutely mesmerizing. I would turn the TV on, promise myself that I would read with the TV in the background, and just start watching and can't staop. Whatever it is, you name it: curling, luge, bobsled, speedskating, ice dancing... I will just watch and watch until it's midnight and I have done no work. I console myself with the thought that in a week I will have a ton of free time to catch up with what will be a mountain of reading.
Must watch the finals for figure skating now! And read contracts!
I got the security clearance forms from my summer employer today. I have to go down to the local precinct to get my fingerprints taken! Fun. The forms themselves (there are seven or eight of them) are also quite long, and require a lot of info. Harder than applying to law school! Well okay, maybe not quite as hard...
I am falling behind on my contracts reading, mainly because since the professor talks about logic and not contracts every day anyway it all feels kind of pointless. Still it's not good to fall behind too much even if we don't end up discussing anything interesting in class.
Property and tax are as interesting as ever though. In property we are now talking about property rights issues with web domain names. Really really interesting stuff. In tax we are discussing illegal income and whether they are taxable, which is actually pretty relevant to our Ames court research this semester.
One huge impediment to my doing work for the past week or so has been the Olympics, which is absolutely mesmerizing. I would turn the TV on, promise myself that I would read with the TV in the background, and just start watching and can't staop. Whatever it is, you name it: curling, luge, bobsled, speedskating, ice dancing... I will just watch and watch until it's midnight and I have done no work. I console myself with the thought that in a week I will have a ton of free time to catch up with what will be a mountain of reading.
Must watch the finals for figure skating now! And read contracts!
2/21/2006
Today
Finally done with the subciting from hell tonight. Still haven't read for property and tax for tomorrow yet. Property is lagging a bit as we talk about water rights in class. Our property prof confessed on Friday that it's because the co-editor of his casebook is a big expert in the area, so "may have gone overboard a bit with the details."
Tax is quite confusing these days. Not having an econ and finance background means I have to look up every other words, and read each paragraph 4-5 times to understand what they mean. However, we only have 6-7 pages to read per day, so it's not so bad.
I have been addicted to watching the Winter Olympics in the past few days. It's the perfect pastime as I subcite, though of course it means that my subciting is much slower than it otherwise would have been. It certainly makes a bit more bearable. I have a new favorite sport: ice dancing. It's like ballroom dancing except 1,000 times more graceful, fast, and difficult. The Russians won tonight and they deserve it, but I love the performance of the Americans.
Okay, need to go off to read property and tax now. The tax professor has been calling people one by one down the row, and tomorrow he will definitely reach me. I'm scared.
Tax is quite confusing these days. Not having an econ and finance background means I have to look up every other words, and read each paragraph 4-5 times to understand what they mean. However, we only have 6-7 pages to read per day, so it's not so bad.
I have been addicted to watching the Winter Olympics in the past few days. It's the perfect pastime as I subcite, though of course it means that my subciting is much slower than it otherwise would have been. It certainly makes a bit more bearable. I have a new favorite sport: ice dancing. It's like ballroom dancing except 1,000 times more graceful, fast, and difficult. The Russians won tonight and they deserve it, but I love the performance of the Americans.
Okay, need to go off to read property and tax now. The tax professor has been calling people one by one down the row, and tomorrow he will definitely reach me. I'm scared.
2/19/2006
Brrrrrr...
It's SO COLD tonight! Just went out with AC and a whole bunch of people from our section to the Square, and walking back home was torture. My jaw and thighs were completely frozen by the time I got home.
Went to lunch with ABS and his friend L today, then subcited with him in the library in the afternoon. It's the second round of subciting (actually third round for me) and this time all my citations were in German. I stupidly told the editors I understood German, and of course this made my job 100 times harder. I am barely mastering my legal vocabulary in English, and now I need to do them in German? Ha.
In the evening was at this section outing that AC and I organized. Quite a few people showed up despite the cold. We drank and talked and watched the Winter Olympics on the bar TV and danced a bit. Around 1 I walked home with J and her husband.
In other news, I have decided to take the summer internship in N-Town to avoid the astronomical rent in NYC and being apart from Boyfriend. I called and emailed the organization on Thursday, and now am completely looking forward to my summer in my "hometown."
Class-wise, contracts is unbearable and stupid as ever. I might have to resort to teaching myself contracts if the prof doesn't stop talking about LOGIC on and on and on. It's not even about real logic, just putting the court's holdings in symbolic form. How stupid is that? I am a little angry that what could have been such a great class is now turning into such a big joke.
But property and tax have both been really fun, and I am really enjoying them. I have a lot of reading to do though for this weekend, so I should go to sleep right now. Good night!
Went to lunch with ABS and his friend L today, then subcited with him in the library in the afternoon. It's the second round of subciting (actually third round for me) and this time all my citations were in German. I stupidly told the editors I understood German, and of course this made my job 100 times harder. I am barely mastering my legal vocabulary in English, and now I need to do them in German? Ha.
In the evening was at this section outing that AC and I organized. Quite a few people showed up despite the cold. We drank and talked and watched the Winter Olympics on the bar TV and danced a bit. Around 1 I walked home with J and her husband.
In other news, I have decided to take the summer internship in N-Town to avoid the astronomical rent in NYC and being apart from Boyfriend. I called and emailed the organization on Thursday, and now am completely looking forward to my summer in my "hometown."
Class-wise, contracts is unbearable and stupid as ever. I might have to resort to teaching myself contracts if the prof doesn't stop talking about LOGIC on and on and on. It's not even about real logic, just putting the court's holdings in symbolic form. How stupid is that? I am a little angry that what could have been such a great class is now turning into such a big joke.
But property and tax have both been really fun, and I am really enjoying them. I have a lot of reading to do though for this weekend, so I should go to sleep right now. Good night!
2/16/2006
Decisions, decisions
Wow, what a hectic couple of days! After the storm over the weekend, on Tuesday (Valentine's Day) I flew to NYC to interview for two more jobs, (one at a well-known office), and got offers from both of them. Now it's decision time regarding whether I want to stay in N-Town (more low-key, relaxed, and cheap) or go to the Big City and the office with the bigger name recognition (but not necessarily more interesting work, and certainly a lot more expensive.)
I have a few more hours to decide, and then I have to get back to the folks in N-town. Sigh...
In the meanwhile, really haven't had much time to do anything else. After having a pretty successful day of interviewing, I ended up being stuck at the airport for 3.5 hours while the planes were mysteriously delayed and didn't even get home until nearly 2 AM. Was cranky and pissed off that I didn't spend more time with Boyfriend on Valentine's Day, but Boyfriend calmed me down and cheered me up with a nice present.
And today, miraculously went to 2 out of my 3 classes and actually listened better than normal. Hung out with ABS at our usual haunt on campus after contracts (I skipped tax. he he.) and looked through the course catalogue for courses that we both wanted to take next year. There were so many! Next semester I want to take more policy-oriented courses like family law and human rights law. We'll see...
I have a few more hours to decide, and then I have to get back to the folks in N-town. Sigh...
In the meanwhile, really haven't had much time to do anything else. After having a pretty successful day of interviewing, I ended up being stuck at the airport for 3.5 hours while the planes were mysteriously delayed and didn't even get home until nearly 2 AM. Was cranky and pissed off that I didn't spend more time with Boyfriend on Valentine's Day, but Boyfriend calmed me down and cheered me up with a nice present.
And today, miraculously went to 2 out of my 3 classes and actually listened better than normal. Hung out with ABS at our usual haunt on campus after contracts (I skipped tax. he he.) and looked through the course catalogue for courses that we both wanted to take next year. There were so many! Next semester I want to take more policy-oriented courses like family law and human rights law. We'll see...
2/11/2006
One Down, Many More to Go
Interview yesterday went well. I was nervous beforehand, but immediately calmed down when I saw my interviewer who looked very friendly. We chatted about why I wanted to work for his office, and about general things like Germany and China. At the end of the interview, he offered me a job. I asked for a week to decide.
With this newfound confidence, I now have to tackle the many interviews I have to face next week!
With this newfound confidence, I now have to tackle the many interviews I have to face next week!
2/09/2006
News
I should be asleep, since tomorrow will be a busy day, but I also think I should post something before I go to bed.
So, it's been a week full of news and developments. Since it's going to be another one of those megaposts, I'm going to use subheadings again.
School
Two out of three of my classes are definitely less than thrilling. The worst of them is contracts. The professor goes at a snail's pace, talks endlessly about elementary symbolic logic (like, HELLO! We all rocked the LSAT! Why are you talking about necessary and sufficient conditions as if it's the first time we've heard them?!). Every class is simultaneously infuriating and soporific, and never fails to make me sorry that I came at all.
So far we've gone through three cases. Today we spent the ENTIRE class talking about a very simple case about consideration. Half the class was IMing, the other half probably asleep.
Tax is, well... tax. Although the first few classes were really dead, I think it's getting better. So far we have been talking about what income is, a question I've never given much thought to. But apparently the concept is incredibly slippery. For instance, is gift income? Does employee discount count as income (the percentage that you would have paid had you not been an employee?) What about fringe benefits like free meals and lodging, if you are a live-in nanny. Does it matter if you are not a live-in nanny but the employer pays for your housing? What if you won the lottery or a trip to Hawaii? Anyway... you get the idea.
Property is by far the most interesting. Boyfriend and I spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon walking around in B-town and we talked the whole time about property cases. I gave him fact patterns, and he tried to guess what the court decided, and what he would have decided. And then I told him the answer. It was surprisingly fun, and helped me review too.
Jobs
Well, did I ever mention that I applied for around 30 domestic jobs and another 30 International jobs. Well, in retrospect that was, ahem, a little crazy. Replies are now coming in, and I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon to go to an interview in H-Town for a job that I really want (skipping contracts for Friday). Living in H-Town this summer would make my life so much easier in terms of housing!
On Monday I have two more on campus interviews (both of which I probably won't get because they are uber-competitive, but I signed up for them anyway since I want to take a shot and thought it would be god experience for next year. Then on Tuesday I'm going to take the train for 4.5 hours to go south for another interview, at a job that I moderately want but certainly wouldn't hate if I happen to get it. Then on Friday another interview, and another two next Monday. Add to that a couple of phone interviews with international employers and I'm swimming in interview land, which is not as much of a good thing as I had thought it would be... Yikes!
Grades
Yes, they are now posted online, waiting for me to log in and view, which I'm not inclined to do for a while. Why? I guess I don't feel the need to yet, and I don't feel like obsessing over them (why didn't I get a good grade in torts? what did I do wrong?!?). I also honestly feel like good or bad, nothing good can come out of me knowing them. I'm still going to work just as hard (or not as hard :)), and will apply to exactly the same jobs and the same organizations and journals. So I just can't imagine why I'd want to know them now, other than pure curiosity.
My classmates though have looked at them. And grades talk has already begun! Perhaps I'll succumb to peer pressure soon, but this is also why spending a few days out of town would be good for me. Great timing, Buttercup!
Career
Did I just write that as a subheading? Gee. I don't really have anything profound to say under career, except that I'm more interested in becoming a litigator. The Circuit court sat a session in my law school today, an apparently very rare (so says my First Year Lawyering teacher again and again) and very cool event. I really enjoyed hearing the attorneys present their arguments and the judges grilling them. Heck, I even enjoyed readng the briefs they submitted, and really look forward to writing my own briefs for Moot Court this semester.
Obviously, this is after ONE semester of law school, but it's nice to have a goal and a direction, for once.
Boyfriend
The Israel trip has really gotten me and Boyfriend closer. I'm very happy with the way everything is right now.
Miscellaneous
My new obsession is this Vietnamese restaurant in the Square. I have been begging my various friends to go nearly every day. ABS, who introduced me to the restaurant, caves some of the time, while people like J and I shake their heads in disbelief.
I love having all these nice restaurants within walking distance. I think I have probably eaten out 6 days out of every week, an so far I have been to every restaurant within a mile radius multiple times. It's definitely more expensive than eating at home, but I'm already so in debt that all this eating is hardly making a dent. :)
Went to the only mall in town with S today after tax. It reminded me of the first time I've been to that mall with DK and S during the first week of law school. What a fun and disorienting time that was, and how much we've changed! At that time I thought I knew a lot about law. I was wrong, just as I was wrong about so many other things (how I'd feel; how I'd relate to others in law school; what I'd spend my time doing (hint: NOT reading.))
It's all well and good. And I'm going to bed now.
So, it's been a week full of news and developments. Since it's going to be another one of those megaposts, I'm going to use subheadings again.
School
Two out of three of my classes are definitely less than thrilling. The worst of them is contracts. The professor goes at a snail's pace, talks endlessly about elementary symbolic logic (like, HELLO! We all rocked the LSAT! Why are you talking about necessary and sufficient conditions as if it's the first time we've heard them?!). Every class is simultaneously infuriating and soporific, and never fails to make me sorry that I came at all.
So far we've gone through three cases. Today we spent the ENTIRE class talking about a very simple case about consideration. Half the class was IMing, the other half probably asleep.
Tax is, well... tax. Although the first few classes were really dead, I think it's getting better. So far we have been talking about what income is, a question I've never given much thought to. But apparently the concept is incredibly slippery. For instance, is gift income? Does employee discount count as income (the percentage that you would have paid had you not been an employee?) What about fringe benefits like free meals and lodging, if you are a live-in nanny. Does it matter if you are not a live-in nanny but the employer pays for your housing? What if you won the lottery or a trip to Hawaii? Anyway... you get the idea.
Property is by far the most interesting. Boyfriend and I spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon walking around in B-town and we talked the whole time about property cases. I gave him fact patterns, and he tried to guess what the court decided, and what he would have decided. And then I told him the answer. It was surprisingly fun, and helped me review too.
Jobs
Well, did I ever mention that I applied for around 30 domestic jobs and another 30 International jobs. Well, in retrospect that was, ahem, a little crazy. Replies are now coming in, and I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon to go to an interview in H-Town for a job that I really want (skipping contracts for Friday). Living in H-Town this summer would make my life so much easier in terms of housing!
On Monday I have two more on campus interviews (both of which I probably won't get because they are uber-competitive, but I signed up for them anyway since I want to take a shot and thought it would be god experience for next year. Then on Tuesday I'm going to take the train for 4.5 hours to go south for another interview, at a job that I moderately want but certainly wouldn't hate if I happen to get it. Then on Friday another interview, and another two next Monday. Add to that a couple of phone interviews with international employers and I'm swimming in interview land, which is not as much of a good thing as I had thought it would be... Yikes!
Grades
Yes, they are now posted online, waiting for me to log in and view, which I'm not inclined to do for a while. Why? I guess I don't feel the need to yet, and I don't feel like obsessing over them (why didn't I get a good grade in torts? what did I do wrong?!?). I also honestly feel like good or bad, nothing good can come out of me knowing them. I'm still going to work just as hard (or not as hard :)), and will apply to exactly the same jobs and the same organizations and journals. So I just can't imagine why I'd want to know them now, other than pure curiosity.
My classmates though have looked at them. And grades talk has already begun! Perhaps I'll succumb to peer pressure soon, but this is also why spending a few days out of town would be good for me. Great timing, Buttercup!
Career
Did I just write that as a subheading? Gee. I don't really have anything profound to say under career, except that I'm more interested in becoming a litigator. The Circuit court sat a session in my law school today, an apparently very rare (so says my First Year Lawyering teacher again and again) and very cool event. I really enjoyed hearing the attorneys present their arguments and the judges grilling them. Heck, I even enjoyed readng the briefs they submitted, and really look forward to writing my own briefs for Moot Court this semester.
Obviously, this is after ONE semester of law school, but it's nice to have a goal and a direction, for once.
Boyfriend
The Israel trip has really gotten me and Boyfriend closer. I'm very happy with the way everything is right now.
Miscellaneous
My new obsession is this Vietnamese restaurant in the Square. I have been begging my various friends to go nearly every day. ABS, who introduced me to the restaurant, caves some of the time, while people like J and I shake their heads in disbelief.
I love having all these nice restaurants within walking distance. I think I have probably eaten out 6 days out of every week, an so far I have been to every restaurant within a mile radius multiple times. It's definitely more expensive than eating at home, but I'm already so in debt that all this eating is hardly making a dent. :)
Went to the only mall in town with S today after tax. It reminded me of the first time I've been to that mall with DK and S during the first week of law school. What a fun and disorienting time that was, and how much we've changed! At that time I thought I knew a lot about law. I was wrong, just as I was wrong about so many other things (how I'd feel; how I'd relate to others in law school; what I'd spend my time doing (hint: NOT reading.))
It's all well and good. And I'm going to bed now.
2/05/2006
2/01/2006
Delinquent
Wow! I haven't posted forever! I'm becoming one of those delinquent bloggers who only posts like once a month!
Will try to be better in the future.
Well, since there are so many things to record, I'm going to be methodical, and do something I've never done before. Use subheadings!
新年快乐
First thing first: happy Chinese New Year! We are now in the year of the dog. The Chinese restaurant across the street has been giving out "red pockets" with dollar bills inside every since last week. Last night ABS and I went there and they are STILL giving them out. Sweet.
Celebrations
My parents drove up to spend Chinese New Year's with me this weekend. They got here on Friday and stayed until Monday morning. It was a very successful trip. We had a lot of good food (some I made, some they brought from my favorite Chinese restaurant at home), drank 1.5 bottles of wine, walked around B-town when it was in the upper 50s here on Saturday, went to the Harbor, and played a lot of games. Fun fun fun.
On Sunday I also went to a Chinese New Years dinner at AC's boyfriend J's house in B-town. S, JW and her husband N, and J's roommate were also there. We made dumplings (well, AC made the filling and I helped her put the fillings and skins together in a package). AC also made congee (with pork and preserved ducks eggs -- yum! so typically Chinese and reminds me of childhood). I made a brownie with chocolate ganash.
Sadly, my part of the dinner was cut short when my parents locked themselves out of my apartment (while I was with my friends they decided to go to B-town to sightsee, but weirdly the keys that I made for them didn't work). So I hurried downed some dumplings and congee and took a cab home.
Parents and I spent a pleasant evening home, however, having my frozen dumplings from costco (they are actually surprisingly good. You should try them); having wine, and playing games.
School
Now, on to this semester. Grades are not yet out, and I'm determined not to look at them once they ARE out. Let's see how long this resolution lasts.
This semester, we have new classes with new professors! We are taking property, contracts, and my elective which is tax. Incidentally, my elective starts today, and I haven't read the reading assignment yet. Does not bode well for my semester.
For property we have this visiting professor from our rival school, who is so nerdy it is endearing. He is using his draft casebook. I groaned when I heard this, because I didn't feel like being guinea pigs for some professor who hasn't completely worked out the kinks in his book, but the book has been surprisingly good and really enjoyable to read, perhaps even more so than our torts book which I love.
I had also expected property to be boring, since in my readings before law school property invariably involved arcane categories of land conveyance like "fee simple", "fee tail", and other such nonsense that no one is really interested in nowadays except estates lawyers. But this guy's casebook is very philosophical. So far we are talking about questions like "what is property?" "what does property entail?" "How does one acquire property?" and things like that, with interesting cases to illustrate the competing phiosophical views (strangely, most of them involving capturing wild animals and fishing).
Contracts have been boring so far, and I have been playing games nearly nonstop in that class (I know. It's bad of me and I should stop doing that.) On Friday S, AK, AHH, and I played monopoly on games.com, and I hardly heard a single word the professor said. I don't think I missed that much, however, since we haven't even been talking about contracts at all, only how to read cases. I hope we get to the substantive parts soon.
Jobs
Now, here's the real bane of my existence. Since I was in Israel, I hadn't had time to look for jobs like the rest of my classmates. Many of them already have summer jobs now while I'm still starting my search. This is not fun, especially given that I have no real sense of what I want to do (only had, um, one semester of law school), where I wnat to be (both Boyfriend and I are very flexible), and what kind of organization I want to work for. My vague sense is that the Department of Justice and the USAO are a safe and prestigious jobs, very competitive, etc. But there are also so many interesting organizations out there. So anyway, I have just sent out 27 resumes to various DOJ and USAO departments, and my next wave of applications will be non-profits legal organizations. My third wave will be international organizations, which has a much more flexible deadline and seems much easier to get (since we are essentially working for free for them).
Anyway, won't bore you with the minutiae. Will just keep you posted on what turns up, and where I will end up this summer.
Will try to be better in the future.
Well, since there are so many things to record, I'm going to be methodical, and do something I've never done before. Use subheadings!
新年快乐
First thing first: happy Chinese New Year! We are now in the year of the dog. The Chinese restaurant across the street has been giving out "red pockets" with dollar bills inside every since last week. Last night ABS and I went there and they are STILL giving them out. Sweet.
Celebrations
My parents drove up to spend Chinese New Year's with me this weekend. They got here on Friday and stayed until Monday morning. It was a very successful trip. We had a lot of good food (some I made, some they brought from my favorite Chinese restaurant at home), drank 1.5 bottles of wine, walked around B-town when it was in the upper 50s here on Saturday, went to the Harbor, and played a lot of games. Fun fun fun.
On Sunday I also went to a Chinese New Years dinner at AC's boyfriend J's house in B-town. S, JW and her husband N, and J's roommate were also there. We made dumplings (well, AC made the filling and I helped her put the fillings and skins together in a package). AC also made congee (with pork and preserved ducks eggs -- yum! so typically Chinese and reminds me of childhood). I made a brownie with chocolate ganash.
Sadly, my part of the dinner was cut short when my parents locked themselves out of my apartment (while I was with my friends they decided to go to B-town to sightsee, but weirdly the keys that I made for them didn't work). So I hurried downed some dumplings and congee and took a cab home.
Parents and I spent a pleasant evening home, however, having my frozen dumplings from costco (they are actually surprisingly good. You should try them); having wine, and playing games.
School
Now, on to this semester. Grades are not yet out, and I'm determined not to look at them once they ARE out. Let's see how long this resolution lasts.
This semester, we have new classes with new professors! We are taking property, contracts, and my elective which is tax. Incidentally, my elective starts today, and I haven't read the reading assignment yet. Does not bode well for my semester.
For property we have this visiting professor from our rival school, who is so nerdy it is endearing. He is using his draft casebook. I groaned when I heard this, because I didn't feel like being guinea pigs for some professor who hasn't completely worked out the kinks in his book, but the book has been surprisingly good and really enjoyable to read, perhaps even more so than our torts book which I love.
I had also expected property to be boring, since in my readings before law school property invariably involved arcane categories of land conveyance like "fee simple", "fee tail", and other such nonsense that no one is really interested in nowadays except estates lawyers. But this guy's casebook is very philosophical. So far we are talking about questions like "what is property?" "what does property entail?" "How does one acquire property?" and things like that, with interesting cases to illustrate the competing phiosophical views (strangely, most of them involving capturing wild animals and fishing).
Contracts have been boring so far, and I have been playing games nearly nonstop in that class (I know. It's bad of me and I should stop doing that.) On Friday S, AK, AHH, and I played monopoly on games.com, and I hardly heard a single word the professor said. I don't think I missed that much, however, since we haven't even been talking about contracts at all, only how to read cases. I hope we get to the substantive parts soon.
Jobs
Now, here's the real bane of my existence. Since I was in Israel, I hadn't had time to look for jobs like the rest of my classmates. Many of them already have summer jobs now while I'm still starting my search. This is not fun, especially given that I have no real sense of what I want to do (only had, um, one semester of law school), where I wnat to be (both Boyfriend and I are very flexible), and what kind of organization I want to work for. My vague sense is that the Department of Justice and the USAO are a safe and prestigious jobs, very competitive, etc. But there are also so many interesting organizations out there. So anyway, I have just sent out 27 resumes to various DOJ and USAO departments, and my next wave of applications will be non-profits legal organizations. My third wave will be international organizations, which has a much more flexible deadline and seems much easier to get (since we are essentially working for free for them).
Anyway, won't bore you with the minutiae. Will just keep you posted on what turns up, and where I will end up this summer.
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