2d semester

Part deux. Novelty has worn off. Realized that big-name law school might not suffice to get access to big-name law firms. Time to kick it up a notch and really live this stuff. I need to sleep quasi in rem, subtype 1, eat the Restatement of Contracts, and prey the Model Penal Code. Ok, slow it down. But seriously, coming back with a vengeance, and feeling as though this semester is the last one that really counts, so may as well- just for the shits and giggles of it all- go balls to the walls.

Dabbling in romance during law school is a bad idea. Nerves from potentially feeling the wrath of the Socratic Method are confused with nerves from potentially seeing Mr. Lawstudent, and the result is an expenditure of too much nervous energy.... a precious fuel that must be conserved for the gauntlet that law professors like to called "finals." Maybe the situation is different when you are in a serious relationship with someone, meaning the thrill is gone, and the two of you become more like co-counselors than a romantic item. Well, I'm not willing to become latched onto someone just yet. As a woman, it is especially important to make a name for yourself in this field, and not become the mere other-half to Mr. Lawstudent. So, sorry sir, but I don't have the energy or willingness right now.

j-o-b-z. looking at human rights positions 'round the world, judicial internships, and a couple of interesting research positions.... ya veremos. (we'll see.) It would be nice to do something meaningful this summer, use my legal edumacation to do some good in the world. For this reason, I've been focusing more on grass-roots-type organizations, where the work is more connected to the people, rather than some huge charitable corporation.

Hasta la proxima!

finals. cuckoo.

I can't wait to have a proper job so I can plaster inspirational little tid-bits such as this (above) all over the place. Leaving room for my taxidermy kitten calendar of course.

I'm trying to keep up with the reading in the final weeks of classes- and by keep up, I mean actually read, retain, digest- I would only be doing myself a disservice if I skim now or do a half-ass job, because I'll only have to re-read when I outline next week.

So far it's been all friendly, and supportive, and "super-competitive, frigid law students? Phsaw! We're having fun." until recently that is... the tide has changed and I can't even be in the law school anymore without feeling consumed by the atmosphere of anxiety. Seriously, I've succumbed to home study, unable to deal with the lonely carrels, the useless jabber about what I am or am not doing, the dinner by plastic fork and fluorescent library light. I'd rather get home, get in my comfies, and do the thing. Sometimes that nervous energy is motivating, but right now it only leads to unproductive worrying.

I look at my bed, and I think - I cannot wait to get into you. I love having a big, cozy bed to retire to.

On that note, back to Civil Procedure so that I can get into that big, cozy bed at a reasonable hour, and stay there for 5 - 6 more.

Toodles.

reconsider your silence.

Our professor urged us to reconsider our silence at the end of the last class, after a discussion of pornography and freedom of expression. We were assigned a few Supreme Court cases as well as the anti-pornography ordinances that Catherine MacKinnon (my idol, remember?) and Andrea Dworkin wrote. It was a moment when I should have spoken up and said I agreed with the ordinances that treat pornography as sex discrimination and allow women to bring a civil suit against anyone that produces these loathsome materials. No one said they supported the statutes, and our professor seemed disappointed, as was I... in myself for not piping up. So in 9 minutes we have class again, and the topic will come up in the beginning of class, and I feel like it's one of those decisive moments in my career, where I can get through the next hour and fifteen minutes of class, or actually say something that is important to me. And it ought to be important to all of the women around me. We'll see..........

idol

Catherine MacKinnon. The more I read about her, the more I want to follow in her footsteps, and speak up, and study harder, write things that matter for the women of my generation.

cold-called. brr.

Of course I had prepared the cases that we were assigned that day of class. I had just finished a thorough reading before class. But that's the thing about law school. Being prepared for today's assignment is not enough. So my professor turns to me after lecturing for half an hour and asks for a run down of a case assigned over a week ago. Mind immediately went blank. I have no idea what you are referring to. Umm. I start turning pages, probably looking frantic and changes colors in the face. Luckily my neighbor whispered to me the appropriate page and I start rambling little highlighted sentences from my book, and looking to my inadequate brief that shone in front of me on my laptop. Not to get into the nitty gritty, but once I realized what case we were on, things got better, and I made a couple good points. I can only hope that tomorrow I will be called on again to finish the case, and maybe dig into the next one. I loathe when I have all this information and good points to make and am asked about the one thing that isn't at the level of understanding or accessibility that it should be. Damn, I sound like I'm about to get anal about the whole studying and preparing before class thing. Maybe not. Maybe moral of the story is to speak up more in class so as to play down the detractors.

Everything is speeding up and I am trying to keep it calm, get 'er done, and enjoy myself as much as possible in law school. Not necessarily hardy partying, but maintaining a sense of mental well-being. Exercise, yoga, healthy-eating, and good friends are the most important elements for the mental upkeep. And shleeeep. Time to get some.

on rights.

So nobody is probably going to even this see this blog, but I just wanted to take a second to address something really disturbing I read in the news yesterday. It was an article about an Iranian woman, a fellow blogger, named Fariba Pajouh, who has been held in solitary confinement by the Iranian intelligence ministry for over three weeks. Ms. Pajouh worked for a reformist newspaper, and her arrest is an obvious attempt to silence the voice of opposition. My sympathies go out to her and her family, and I hope she is freed soon. It is hard to believe that such blatent violations of human rights are happening every day. I guess that forces us to question whether freedom of speech is a basic human right. Should it be one of the prioritized rights that each society promise to its citizens? By prioritized, I mean to say that I do feel that some rights are more important than others. In our country, for example, I think due process is more important than owning a rifle. Not that I'm against the right to bear arms (heck! the men in my family have always been hunters), but I don't think it is thee most crucial. I suppose it's only natural for my discussion of human rights to lead to the Constitution. Since I've already wandered down this path, it's interesting to consider the order of the Amendments in the Bill of Rights. Right there, at number one, freedom of the speech and freedom of the press. In making the new nation, the framers of the Constitution felt it was a priority to protect these freedoms, and perhaps it's one of the rights we take for granted. In Zambia, the editor of The Post has also been imprisoned for sending photos of a woman giving birth outside of a hospital to the vice president and health minister. Sadly, the newborn did not survive the birth. The editor did this in order to demonstrate the failings of the nation's health system, but was charged with distributing obscene materials. Really? You leave a woman with no choice but to give birth in the streets, and then call it pornography when faced with the reality of the consequences?

Cases like these demonstrate the necessity to protect rights such as freedom of speech, press, and due process. But how to intervene or influence the basic rights and values of other nations seems a precarious task to undertake. The challenge does not mean that we can turn a blind eye.

motivation.

Thank you to the student organization who did not vote for me to be the committee chair of their newsletter. I won't be bitter. I'm a writer, and yes, I really wanted that committee chair. And although I did not realize that we were going to have to give a little shpeel about ourselves and why we wanted respective positions, I delivered an off-the-cuff little run down of who I was and my experience and goals for the newsletter, and I think it did the job. Got'er done. Smiling faces looking back at me, expressing approval. I mean, it was no Obama speech, but it was good, if I might say so. And the other female gave her shpeel with less enthusiasm, albeit she did have comparable qualifications, and was voted the 1L committee chair for the newsletter. Seriously, I'm not a sore loser, but first off, she ran for two positions, lost the other, and had a second opportunity to expound on her qualifications. And secondly, I think people have a bias against stylish females, and tend to think they're not as serious professionally speaking. Well that did it for me. It's like I have to work harder to prove myself a competent, intelligent young lawyer. I wonder if things would be different if I shaved my head, and went for the full-on feminist, activist look. Seriously, I think the election would have taken a different twist. But that's ok. I will take it as even more motivation to work my ass off and assert myself.


Week 2 is going really well. It's nice having a small section with 35 people. We're forming a little fam, and I see us becoming a great support network throughout the year. Hopefully we'll get good and drunk together a few times also.

My favorite course at this point is Contracts. Surprise! I never would have expected that. Well, I guess I like all of my classes in different ways. Constitutional Law is challenging, but very intellectually engaging, and Torts is fun because we think up all of these crazy hypotheticals for situations when people can be held liable for things. My professor is this hilarious, gregarious, highly respected torts scholar, that is just impossible not to love. Or at least laugh with several times each class.

This has been the densent 2 weeks of my life. But in a good way.