Coyote Fun

I'm awesome

I got them today. I had received my sash yesterday and was wondering where the rest was, and today - they came. I tried them on and danced about in front of the mirror. I adjusted and primped them. I straightened and smoothed them. I looked awesome in them. Then I took them off. I wrapped them up with care and hung them in the closet. There they will wait until late in May when I will take them out, put them on proudly and walk at commencement.

A little friendly advice

I was asked today, for legal advice for the first time since applying to law school. More accurately, I was asked if after starting law school if I would give advice to this friend. I wonder how common this is. This led me to wonder how many times I will be approached with this in my career.

I know no lawyers in my circle of friends or family. I will be 'it'. Are mechanics often approached about that clanking sound by folks they know? Undoubtedly. Surely doctors are often asked about shoulder pain or leg rashes. Lawyers are asked about the law - but more than that, they are asked to advise. Given that lawyering is partly that - counseling in light of the law, perhaps most people don't see it as asking for the work they are paid to do, but merely asking for a little friendly advice. Certainly you wouldn't ask a doctor to perform surgery on your elbow at the family reunion; nor would you ask the mechanic to change your oil while at the office christmas party. Yet this is what people ask of lawyers, to offer counsel based on their legal expertise, to do the work of lawyers. This isn't coming out as coherantly as I'd like.

Do lawyers bill their friends? How close of a friend do you have to be to get a break? Family? If so, do they get billed at an equal rate? It is an interesting thought for me. It leaves me considering a field of law which has no practical value for my friends and family just to be elusive and of little use thereby reducing the chances I'll be asked for counsel again and again. I suppose that sounds harsh... Yes, yes it does.

Things I’m going to do today:

~Send in seat deposit

~Pig out at office going-away party potluck lunch

~Stop scratching my allergy irritated eyes

~Give at least 1 uptight co-worker something to pray about

~Wait to see if I go straight to hell

~Get a white chocolate caramel mocha

Fear and Loathing in Los Angeles

Stay of Execution has an interesting take on Jeremy Blachman's post about lawyers and law students and the self loathing that exists in this profession. This bit " I've tried to structure my life so I don't ever feel the need to earn a lot of money, so that I don't get trapped by possessions or obligations." rings true for me.

I'm reminded of a time last year when I was gearing up for the application cycle and I decided to attend the LSAC forum in LA. I had a bit of an idea of what to expect and for the most part it was just that. What I did not expect was the way people would behave. The monumental self-importance in that hall was astounding. People were scurrying around jockying for a better position near the Yale table. Some forum attendees ended up pushed back in front of some lessor known school's table and had to just wait until they could get their turn with the rep from Columbia or Harvard or Stanford; all the while trying not to make eye contact with the rep from the lessor known school. It was happening all over and it was embarrassing.

I would take a viewbook from a school which seemed to appeal to me and I would get snickers and glares by those nearby waiting at the tables for the well known top schools. I had dressed somewhat casually - skirt and a top - and most people appeared horrified at my lack of formality. I admit I was quite naive about this whole profession going in and what I learned what not encouraging.

I left with a bag full of great information having not stopped by the Yale table even once. When I got home, I slumped into a chair and started reading. My husband asked how it was - excited for me. All I could say is - "Don't let me turn into an asshole - no matter what". We spent quite a while talking about what we wanted out of this career move and how I didn't want to be reliant on some crap job for a lot of money. It helped shape my application decisions and continues to guide me as I head into law school. I hope that I am as energized and fulfilled by my job in 5 years as Scheherazade is now.

Mail Call

I wish I had starting chronicling (is that a word?) my law school odyssey last fall when I started this whole business. I would be interested to revisit some of that material now or a year from now - like mail. I have received more mail in the past 6 months than in the past 6 years. What started as a trickle of viewbooks and promotional material quickly morphed into a mailbox stuff-o-rama of fee waivers and LS niceties from all over the country. One of my favorites was the Rutgers 1L Survivor shirt offer: apply now and we'll send you this t-shirt - as if that is a reason to base the rest of my life on. It got me thinking about the kind of students taking them up on the offer and what was never really a serious consideration became solidly ranked amongst the No Way's.

Today I received a letter from another school at which I had been offered a fee waiver, applied, was accepted and offered a large scholarship. Ultimately, I chose not to attend, but it was nice to know that someone wanted to give me large amounts of money for just a short time. Today's letter was inquiring about my absent seat deposit. **Side note - I was that applicant who kept everyone hanging on until the last minute.** The letter asked me to call if I was still interested and see if there was still an available seat. They also wanted to know what to do with my scholarship. I want to ask them to kindly forward it to my school of choice but it seems unlikely they will go for that. They wanted to know where I chose to attend and if they offered me a scholarship and how much. It seems to me that it's none of their business what I was offered, but then I'm sure they use the info to tailor their offers next year.

I'm debating whether or not to send all the info requested of me. On one hand, I wish them the best and don't mind helping out for future endeavors. On the other hand, they are likely to use the information about where I chose to attend to try to lure future students away from that competitor and that doesn't seem loyal to my school of choice. Now, loyalty and LS's mutual exclusivity aside, I feel like where I'm going is no one's business but my own.

I had a similar reaction when asked on several applications what other schools I was applying to. Frankly, I imagined a committee at school B saying "Oh she'll get in over at school A so let's not bother." Then the same thing happening at school A. Silly as it may sound, I really didn't want to put the info in there. I did because was at the mercy of the committee. I was whoring myself out to any school who'd have me - I was their application beyotch.

And now? It's nice to be only one school's beyotch.

Smoking

I quit smoking last year. It was a fine moment for me. What started off as a crap week or two turned into a much better me in the long run.

I was coming up on the one year mark when I started thinking about going to law school and not being able to smoke. The irony is, I had been through several trying times during this past year and never thought much about picking it up again. The mere thought of law school without cigarettes vexed me and left me wanting to smoke again. I convinced myself that if I started smoking after I started law school that I would be OK with that. I began to look forward to it.

When I quit, it wasn't a monumental thing. I just decided I didn't want to smoke anymore so I didn't. Not another cigarette and that was that - no big deal. So the thought of taking it up again was, likewise, no big deal to me. This comfort level extended beyond the start of law school and if I was going to start smoking in the fall, what difference would it make if I started earlier?

A couple months ago, I tried to smoke a few times and found that I had developed a dislike for cigarettes. Well, I'm no quitter, obviously, so I kept at it and before long I was enjoying it once again.

Now I'm smoking perhaps more than ever and I like it - so there. Allowing myself to smoke through law school has warmed my heart and touched my spirit (is there really ever a time to use those phrases?). It is my comfort vice and everyone should have one. I may even start promoting on a wider scale.

Well yes..

I'm getting my nails done today, which is such a girlie thing to do. Anyway, the woman who does my nails is wearing a smock, which is relevant because it is obviously something she would only wear at work. On the smock is a pin which reads "I Do Nails". Well....yes...and who are you telling exactly? The folks in the salon seeing you do nails? Maybe there is a trend here. I'll see the tellers at the bank with pins reading "I Cash Checks", librarians wearing "I Find Books" and cops with "I Eat Donuts". Maybe not.

Finger Lickin' Goodness

Chips are terrible study food. They get your fingers all messy then you have to lick or wipe constantly to handle your paperwork. Then you want more chips. It's not a good combination. Chips are the debble.

Law School

My law school future is feeling more and more like reality every day. After months of preparation, countless applications and the endless wait that followed, I have settled on a school. I had no idea what to expect. I admit that I knew very little about this whole process when I started. I didn't really know what my chances were at each school. When I got back several offers I felt awesome and...overwhelmed. Now that I have decided, I feel a sense of loss at letting go of my other offers. I also feel largely relieved at having made this decision.

I'm getting more and more excited about going as each day passes. My fear level is also racheting up proportionally. I know that I can do well, but how do I know that? I'm basing this assumption on my past performance and my work ethic, but I have nothing LS related to support this. I could just as easily fall flat on my face. I won't be the smartest person at my school and seemed positioned for mediocrity, or worse. I'm older than the average student. I'm married with children and family obligations. I'm leaving a job that I love to do something I may suck at. I'm going to owe my future to some loan company. And I'm pretty sure that most of the people in my life think lawyers are a-holes and aren't terribly excited about me going (excluding SO). These fears aren't new nor am I unique in feeling them. I suspect I'll muddle through like most.

If it doesn't work out, I'm thinking of beauty school. That or giving up all worldly possessions and moving to some obscure, remote location with a name one can pronounce only with great difficulty. I wonder if I can count children as wordly possessions...

Everybody Wang Chung Tonight

My favorite radio station (news) went off the air. I'm so disappointed. In an effort to fill the silence on my daily jaunt, I did a bit of AM/FM surfing. Now, there are no other suitable news stations that I can receive clearly (damn the static). Next, it's a small market, so there's not much of anything that comes in clearly.

My first scan landed squarely on a country station. I tried and tired but just couldn't hang with the twang. Next up were several spanish stations. Muy Bueno...but...no habla..?? The pop station, which doubles as the rap/dance/techno/with a two hour local news talk program on Friday's station was just too...local (read: low-cul...a canna cunt?) for me. I found another music station and then...the musical splenda began. I listened for several minutes and was half way through Wang Chung before I realized what crap this was. Given that it took me the longest to appreciate its suckiness, it has become my new station. Tomorrow I hope the morning drive nets me some Divo or Starship. A girl can dream.