Bar Exam Diaries - Day 1

Last night, I got all of my stuff together because I didn't want to have to deal with it in the morning. I read over the list of stuff permitted in the exam room, and I laughed because one of the things listed was "two pillows without pillowcases". What? Do they think we have time for a nap or something? Anyway, I went to bed, and my alarm went off at 6:00 AM.

I got up feeling pretty refreshed, since I get up at 6 for work every morning anyway. I showered, dressed, then went to the kitchen to make breakfast. I had peanut butter toast for breakfast because I wanted something with protein, but I couldn't have any dairy because today was my last morning on an antibiotic where I can't eat dairy products within 3 hours. Sigh.

After breakfast, I drove to the BART station, bought my ticket, and got on the train. There was only one empty seat left, so I sat in it. The guy next to me was feeling chatty. We had a conversation that went like this:

Soylent Green Tea

Something funny (in a gallows humor sort of way) happened at work yesterday. One of my many responsibilities is stocking the break room so that the engineers are well-fed and appropriately caffeinated. A few weeks ago, at the request of our CFO, we switched brands of tea. The new brand of tea we use coincidentally has the same name as an employee who was asked to resign last month.

I was in the kitchen re-stocking the tea, and one of the engineers made a comment about the name of the tea brand. He joked that the timing was suspicious and that he was a little hesitant to drink it, wondering what was in it. We had a little laugh about it before returning to our respective cubicles.

(And for the record, the tea in question contains tea leaves and other plant-based spices. No former employees were harmed in the creation of the beverage. HR people may be evil, but we're not that evil.)

Two Lawyers Walk into a Bar...

I'm drowning in work and bar exam studying. I panicked this morning when I realized that:

• There are 13 subjects on the bar exam.
• The bar exam is in 6 weeks!

I have so much information I need to cram into my brain between now and then.

I'm not too worried about the essay portions, but the multiple choice concerns me. Bar exam multiple choice questions are evil. Here's an example:

Oxnard owned Goldacre, a tract of land, in fee simple. At a time when Goldacre was in the adverse possession of Amos, Eric obtained the oral permission of Oxnard to use a portion of Goldacre as a road or driveway to reach adjoining land, Twin Pines, which Eric owned in fee simple. Thereafter, during all times relevant to this problem, Eric used this road across Goldacre regularly for ingress and egress between Twin Pines and a public highway.
Amos quit possession of Goldacre before acquiring title by adverse possession. Without any further communication between Oxnard and Eric, Eric continued to use the road for a total period, from the time he first began to use it, sufficient to acquire an easement by prescription. Oxnard then blocked the road and refused to permit its continued use. Eric brought suit to determine his right to continue use of the road. Eric should
(A) win, because his use was adverse to Amos and once adverse it continued adverse until some affirmative showing of a change.
(B) win, because Eric made no attempt to renew permission after Amos quit possession of Goldacre.
(C) lose, because his use was with permission.
(D) lose, because there is no evidence that he continued adverse use for the required period after Amos quit possession.

There are 200 of these on the exam! Eep!

(Oh, and in case you were curious, the answer is C.)

Whew!

I turned in my last paper for law school last night. I think I'll have to surrender my procrastinator card; I submitted my paper 23 hours before the deadline. That's the earliest I've ever finished an assignment.

So, what this means, in clear and concise language, is:

I'm done with law school!!!

Graduation is on Saturday, and then I get to start studying for the bar exam.

The reality of it all hasn't sunk in yet. I'll have a more substantial post when it has.

Take Back the Night

I'm going to be serious for a moment today.

On Tuesday, I participated in a Take Back the Night march. Take Back the Night is a march that occurs on college campuses and in communities throughout the world as a demonstration against sexual assault and other forms of violence against women. From the official Take Back the Night site:

A woman walks alone down a dark, deserted street. With every shadow she sees, and every sound she hears, her pounding heart flutters and skips a beat. She hurries her pace as she sees her destination become closer. She is almost there. She reaches the front door, goes inside, collects herself, and moves on forgetting, at least for tonight, the gripping fear that momentarily enveloped her life. This scene could have occurred anywhere last night, last year, or even 100 years ago. Historically, women faced the anxiety of walking alone at night and that is why Take Back the Night began.

I'm sure I speak for nearly all women when I say that I can relate to that feeling of anxiety while walking alone after dark. I used to work nights in unsavory areas of town, and although nothing ever happened to me, there was always the gripping fear of "what if".

The event began with a rally. A student who was majoring in music wrote and performed a song. I don't remember all of it, but the refrain stuck with me. "It is our right. We will take back the night."

Then a professor addressed us. He asked us to reflect on why we were there that evening. He indicated that many of the people present had likely been victims of sexual assault. (Statistically, one out of four women will be a victim of some form of sexual assault at some point in her life.) As I internalized that reality, I began to feel like I did not belong at the event because I was not one of the victims.

After the speech, we began a candlelight march around campus and through the streets of Santa Clara. I was still reflecting on the professor's remarks. Then I had a realization that I did belong there.

I have made certain promises to God about how I will relate to my fellow humans.

[A]nd now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in...
Mosiah 18:8-9

I was there to mourn with those who mourned and comfort those who stood in need of comfort. I was there to stand in solidarity with my sisters as we declared that we would not be intimidated. I was there on behalf of all women to take back the night.

Ode to Mineral Makeup

I've been so swamped with school and work that I haven't had time to blog. But today, I've decided to write an ode to mineral makeup. (Waxing poetic about makeup is really out of character for me, but whatever.)

I switched to mineral makeup about 4 months ago because of concerns about the additives in conventional makeup. My endocrine system is extremely sensitive these days, so I have to reduce my exposure to a laundry list of synthetic chemicals. Mineral makeup is all natural, so I decided to give it a try.

I love it! My rosacea has cleared up. Plus the makeup feels like it isn't even there. It stays on all day and looks natural. It also provides sun protection. My skin glows!

Jen thinks I'm a crazy hippie for using it (but then, she thinks I'm a crazy hippie anyway).

It's messy to put on, and it takes longer in the morning. (10-15 minutes instead of 5 minutes for conventional makeup) It's so worth it, though!

Update

I've been swamped with school. (What else is new?) I just realized it's been over a month since I've blogged, so here goes:

In the past month, my paper on religious exercise in prison has been downloaded 19 times and has made the top 10 for the religion and culture e-journal.

I'm currently working on a paper about the TSA's security screening procedures and a paper about the development of religiously based legal systems. Oh, and I'm in the process of moving to a new apartment. And I'm working.

I'm beginning to think that instead of being a human resources professional who writes, I'm a writer who works in human resources. Too bad writers don't make any money.

I'm getting better about that whole procrastination thing, but I'm not getting any better results. This semester, I got so swamped with everything that I'm doing the same last-minute scramble that I've always done. Only this time it was out of necessity instead of laziness.

My Paper is on SSRN!

Wow, I've been pretty neglectful of blogging lately. I've gotten swamped with work and school. I have some great news, though.

Remember that paper I've been moaning and complaining about? Well, I've posted it on SSRN! SSRN is the Social Science Research Network, an online repository of scholarly writing on a variety of subjects.

Now I just have to wait for the Supreme Court to rule so that I can re-write one section and then I can submit it to law reviews for publication. I'm way excited!

If you want to read my article, Religious Exercise in Prison - A Guide for Prison Officials, you can get it here.

Awesome News!

My Supervised Analytical Writing Requirement was signed off on today! (That's the law school version of "I just successfully defended my thesis!") What a relief. I didn't even have to do a re-write. I suppose that's because I had to do three drafts. My professor is probably sick of RLUIPA and never wants to hear about it again.

(Honestly, I'm sick of RLUIPA and never want to hear about it again...)

First Week of School

I survived my first week of the semester! Last semester was really rough, but I think this one is going to be great! I'm filling up entirely on electives and I only have to be in class 2 days per week. This is great because I'm working full-time, too.

I have a pretty good crop of professors. Two of them are re-runs, and I specifically chose them because they're great. I got to hear the familiar cynical comments about legal academia and stories about Mono County!

The third one seems really laid back and cool. He started out the first day of class by telling us that he got bad grades in school and still turned out ok. (He even got rejected from SCU law school twice and is now a prof here! Awesome!) Then he gave us a funny pep talk reminding us that we'll all eventually pass the bar and get a job and that we shouldn't give up. He's totally the opposite of the doom and gloom that most professors preach. (The whole, if you're not in the top 10% of the class, your life is ruined and you'll never get a job garbage.)

I'm also doing independent study to get credit for writing an article on the TSA, and I'm getting credit for being an editor on the high tech law journal.

Happy New Year! (and a new blog)

Happy New Year, everyone! It's that time of the year when we make resolutions that last for a few weeks.

Well, this year, I'm going to make resolutions that stick.

• The first one is that I'm going to get back into working out. Law school has really put a damper on that. I'm going to do the couch to 5k program, since running is free and I don't have to set aside time to go to a class. I need to lose 10 lbs, and hopefully running will be the way to do that.
• My second resolution is to finish law school, pass the bar exam, and get a job in the law field.
• My third resolution is to figure out what to do with my food storage. That's where my new blog comes in. I'm going to eat primarily from my food storage this year and blog my adventures. (Don't worry, I'll still blog my randomness here.) My new blog is called Food Storage for the Rest of Us. Go on, check it out, you know you want to. ;-)

Here's to a great 2011!

Merry Christmas

I'm going to break from my tradition of funny blog posts to pause for a Christmas message.

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Matthew 1:23

This is the miracle of Christmas - that God is with us, that He came to dwell on Earth as one of us to bear our pains and sorrows and save us from sin and death. God has many names. One of my favorites is Prince of Peace.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6, emphasis added

At this time, when war ravages parts of the earth, and when inner turmoil ravages the hearts of many, it's nice to pause and remember that the Prince of Peace was born in a humble stable in Bethlehem. It was heralded by angels but unnoticed by all except for a few shepherds and wise men.

On this Christmas Eve, as we pause to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I join with the angelic choir proclaiming the aspirational message of peace on earth and good will toward humankind.

Merry Christmas!

It's an Article!

Going along with the awkward childbirth analogy relating to my supervised analytical writing requirement (which is more or less analogous to a thesis), I have an announcement to make.

At 5:30 this morning, Pacific Standard Time, I gave birth to a healthy and beautiful seminar paper. Labor was lengthy and protracted. There were complications and it was touch and go for a while, but thanks to supportive classmates and a talented and patient paper midwife, both author and paper are doing fine. Its name is Religious Exercise in Prison - A Guide for Prison Officials. It was 5,500 words long and weighed 4 ounces. After the Christening (in a month or so), there will be a virtual reception on SSRN where anyone who is interested can meet the lovely paper.

I have high hopes that this paper will sometime in the next few months grow up into a fine, upstanding law review article. This paper joins its sibling Hagar's Sisters: Gestational Surrogacy in the 21st Century, which will be entered into a writing competition next month and which I also hope will grow into an article. Look for this paper to be in attendance at next month's SSRN reception as well.

I would also like to announce that I'm expecting another paper in the near future. Its name will be I'm (Not) Leaving on a Jet Plane - The TSA's Unconstitutional Screening Procedures. I'm excited for my growing family of ideas. Pretty soon I'll have such a full portfolio that I'll have to move out of my little student apartment and take up residence in the ivory tower!

----
Ok, this blog post is proof that I didn't get enough sleep last night. But, here you go, my silliness at its finest. I'm so tired that everything is funny. I'm way too old to be pulling all-nighters! Oh, to be 19 again...

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving

I didn't get a chance to do a Thanksgiving post this year. So, since ingratitude is a sin, I figured I should rectify that by posting something now. Better late than never. (I'm really trying on that whole procrastination thing.)

I spent my Thanksgiving weekend writing about the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. (RLUIPA for short.) It sounds like a strange juxtaposition of ideas, and honestly, it is. (I won't bore you with the details of why land use and institutionalized persons ended up in the same statute.) Anyway, lots of ink has been spilled about the land use portion of the law. Not too many people have dealt with the institutionalized persons section. Since I have to make a unique contribution to human knowledge (pesky requirements for getting a doctorate and all that), I'm writing about the institutionalized persons section of RLUIPA. As a result, I've been reading about all the stuff that goes on in prison.

So, I'm grateful that somebody taught me to read so that I could read these cases. (I don't remember learning to read, so I'm assuming my parents were the ones who taught me. By the time I was in school, I already knew.)
I'm grateful that my professor didn't yell at me when I turned in a really lousy draft. I'm grateful to the other professor who (according to the rumor mill) convinced my professor to chill out a bit.
I'm grateful that I'm not in prison. It's really a nasty place there. I'm also grateful that I can practice my religion without having to sue for it.
I'll really be grateful when this paper is done. The scary thought is that when I'm finished, I'll probably be one of the leading authorities on the institutionalized persons section of RLUIPA. I'm not sure if I'm ready to be the leading authority on anything. (Well, I'm the leading authority on how to use the HR database at work, but that's much less complicated than federal law. All I have to do is check the code every now and then to make sure the HTML gremlins haven't misplaced a tag. It's amazing how often that happens.)

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and that you're having a wonderful Advent season!

An Ode to My Scarf

My scarf is the most versatile item of clothing in my wardrobe. It's awesome! It's striped in various shades of blue, my favorite color. Elisabeth got it for me when she was studying in London. I've used it for various purposes:

1. To keep my neck warm.
This is the typical use of a scarf. I can tie it in so many different ways depending on my mood and on how cold it is.
2. To keep my shoulders warm.
It's big enough to be used as a shawl. This is helpful especially at church, where the chapel has two temperatures: Cold and colder.
3. To keep my head warm.
When I've taken trips to Utah in the winter, I've wrapped my scarf around my ears to keep the chill out.
4. To protect from sunburn.
I burst into flames when exposed to direct sunlight. (Don't worry; I'm not a vampire - just a redhead.) I can wear my scarf over my head to keep the sun off of me to protect from sunburn. It works especially well at high school graduations.
5. To show respect to other cultures.
I've traveled abroad, and in some of the places I've been, I've visited holy sites that require women to cover their hair. My scarf is a nice portable way to do that.
6. Emergency change of clothes.
I've even used my scarf as a skirt. I used to work nights doing in-home health care. When I worked the Saturday night shift, I would get off on Sunday mornings just in time to go home and change for church. One day, my relief person was late. I was able to use my scarf as a skirt so that I didn't have to go home to change. I was still on time to church.

I wonder if there are other creative uses I haven't thought of yet. (Today my scarf is keeping my neck warm.)