It's OVER!

Hooray, Cheers, Woo-Hoo!!!
The bar exam is over.  The Wicked Witch is dead!

It was definitely not as bad as I thought it was going to be (somewhat).  I had studied extremely hard all summer.  No seriously.  All summer.  On May 16th, I graduated.  On May 17th, I drove from Cleveland to Dallas.  And on May 18th I started studying.  There was so much information in my head by the last two weeks, I had daily headaches.  But, by the time the exam rolled around, I was confident.  In fact, on the Monday I drove to Arlington before I began my test, I got a call about an internship with the Texas Attorney General.  It was absolutely the confidence boost I needed to get through the week.  And then on Wednesday afternoon, I got a call about an internship at the Dallas County DA's office.  It was such amazing and welcome timing that two job opportunities would come during the most stressful week ever.  It definitely helped me keep focus on why I was putting myself through this stressful test!
So, as of last Thursday around 4 o'clock I began my climb back to normalcy.  It's probably going to be a long one.  The past few days I have still woken up wondering what I am supposed to be doing (i.e. instead of studying).  Fortunately, in my joy of celebration on Thursday, a little champagne got spilled on Maggie's computer, so the next few days were spent schlepping to and fro the Northpark Apple Store (no worries- everything is fine, all her stuff is now backed up and she has a new top-case (which she wanted anyways)).
All this to say, I'm back... I will be back blogging regularly about news, fashion, food, design, and moreso than ever about thinking and acting "green" (slightly ironic typing this now as I am inside a lovely and slightly chilly 78 degree house while it feels something akin to the foyer of hell outside... oh Texas).  I hope you all are staying cool!

Another Lazy Blog Post

Good Afternoon, Friends!

Only 10 more days of wretched, wretched Bar Review.  As Mrs. Hargrave put it so well, my brain is so full that all I have put in it over the past 6 weeks is starting to leak out.  I have taken to taking Benadryl every night so that I can sleep for 7-8 hours without horrific dreams of Oil and Gas Law and who owns redacre, greenacre, purpleacre, or blueacre.

So, while I continue to study who inherits what and try to figure out what a trust is, you should check out this blog: Daniel's Art Blog.


Daniel is a friend from Wylie and from Church who is a super-talented artist and features his work on his new(ish) blog.  Grab a cup of coffee (or iced green tea) and enjoy.  It's a like visiting a museum from the comfort of your desk!

Best Wishes to all my friends who are frantically studying right now!

"In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Study Music.

Today's addition to the study soundtrack:  Clair de Lune

Study Music.

As the bar frantically approaches, I find myself searching for the perfect study soundtrack.
I have decided that track One shall be Bolero- See the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing the second half(ish) below:

making it a job to get a job...

The Times published an article yesterday called, 'In Law Schools, Grades Go Up, Just Like That".  It chronicles to a tee the games schools play so that more of their students will get jobs post-law school.  I found particularly entertaining (and sickening) SMU's practice of paying Dallas firms to hire their students.  Perhaps this is why certain law firms are not hiring any 3Ls who are not from SMU.  
Law Schools are now engaged in a frightful race-to-the-top make their students look more attractive.  Will Loyola Law School's students look more attractive to employers after this?  I doubt it.  The article does point out that some firms follow Above the Law's reports on schools changing grading system and take that into affect when hiring... but some do not.  
The hope for those still in law school (especially with the traditional grading curve) seems to remain in Journal activity and Moot Court teams.  Firms say that they can usually tell a student's rank based on these factors without even looking at a G.P.A. Some other highlights from the article appear below:

"In the last two years, at least 10 law schools have deliberately changed their grading systems to make them more lenient. These include law schools like New York University and Georgetown, as well as Golden Gate University and Tulane University, which just announced the change this month." 

A Dallas family law firm will receive $3,500 to “test drive” him this August.

"It is unclear whether grade inflation is particularly effective at helping students get jobs, especially because many large firms adjust their expectations accordingly."

"These moves can create a vicious cycle like that seen in chief executive pay: if every school in the bottom half of the distribution raises its marks to enter the top half of the distribution, or even just to become average, the average creeps up. This puts pressure on schools to keep raising their grades further."

Summer Reading

As one who is new to the commuting life, I am slowly finding my daily travel routine.  Initially, I was going to include barbri practice questions during my to and fro, but quickly learned that I lack the requisite concentration.  Thankfully, I have a stack of books I've been meaning to read for quite some time and I have found that they fill the time quite efficiently and wonderfully.

Last week I started the recently-published Scalia biography by Joan Biskupic.  It is phenomenal and absolutely fabulous.  Whereas "celebrity" biographies can be either hit or miss (but rarely hits) this one is thoroughly entertaining.  I am slightly convinced that this has nothing to do with Ms. Biskupic's writing (although fine), but everything to do with the person that Associate Justice Antonin Scalia is.  I am only 100 pages in, but am already so enlightened as to why Scalia is such a larger-than life figure and why he has decided some cases the way he has decided them.
Bottom Line: it's a great read that I encourage you all to buy!

Where My Bar Review Class Is Being Held

It's called Eddie Deen's.
It's right next to the Dallas Convention Center.
It is a "banquet hall."
It has a Texas theme.
There is a bar inside.
Here are some pics from the website:

The legit outside.

Picture the people removed and a bunch of tables lined up in lecture form.

The armadillos are, sadly, not there during our class.

I miss Ohio.

The Past Weekend.

Lovely Blog Followers,
My sincerest apologies for my absence over this past weekend.  I have so much to blog about, I don't know where to start.
First: Apt. 44 Finally got packed up for the movers (not as much as my parents had wished, but packed nonetheless)  Here is the SUPER SAD aftermath of "the move"

All the boxes... and then,

Nothing :(

Second: In the time between the above pictures, I graduated from Law School.  It was definitely a crazy weekend filled with going from this event to that event, seeing friends, and celebrating the end (or the beginning).  It for sure has not set in that this "Cleveland" chapter in my life is through.  Probably because I really can't face the reality that there are some people I won't be seeing every day.  Thankfully, I am certain that these friendships will not quickly fade and will continue.  I am also anxiously looking forward to certain reunion dates that are on the near horizon.  

Here are some pictures of the lovely events of the weekends.

The Parents

Herby

My Beautiful Mom

So that's the weekend... Fashion Sunday will be posted soon... Having spent the day with a billion (well, 500) recent law school graduates studying for the Texas Bar, I have MANY opinions on Texas Fashion and what may or may not have been worn at Eddie Deen's Ranch (yes, that is the real name of my bar review location).

Law Prom.

Last night, Law Prom happened.  It went down exactly how every Prom should go down.  The day started with massages.  (insert deep, amazing sigh here)  We then headed down to the hotel to get ready.  Mad props to Christopher Minue (and the commencement committee) for picking out an AMAZING venue:

Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade

The evening started off with a cocktail hour, then proceeded to a dinner, and then Bonkers dancing. (note: the only not awesome part of the evening was no tequila at the event... for some of us southern girls, that's all we drink; I made do at the Prom with chardonnay and various cocktails until the after party at Cadillac Ranch where tequila was most surely had) 

Now that I gave you the rundown of the entire evening, let's look at it!

My AMAZING, AMAZING date for the evening.  Yes, that is a corsage.  Yes, the ribbon does match my dress.  Yes, this is a classic prom pose.  Yes, we were the most amazing couple of the evening!

Minue and Me (yes, that is a working title for a show that will or will not air on MTV, but more likely will on Bravo)

James and Carly- 

Adorably amazing couple and future power-couple of Cuyahoga County.  Let's put it this way, James is pretty much exactly what Cuyahoga County needs.  Totes gonna miss ya!

Aaron and I, by request

Apparently there was a memo re: plaid ties that these kids obvi received.

I LOVE Kate.  And "hot dog" was pretty cool, too...

Oh right, and then things like this happened:

P.S. Nods, you look AH-Mazing.

Please reference earlier post entitled 'Geronimo' for explanation of this picture.  Sadly, there were no small coats to be worn.

That was our night!  How sweet it is to have amazing law school friends and be able to enjoy them all in one night!

A Few Reflections on the Last Exam

This morning (bright and early at 8:30) I took my last law school exam ever.  Sales.

First thought- Very Anticlimactic. Very.  Without a doubt it was one of the more intense exams I've taken in the past three years.  It was akin to the Kostritsky Contracts exam of 1L year that was pages and pages (on legal-sized paper) of fact patterns and hypotheticals.  The exam was "supposed" to be a 2.5 hour exam, but our professor "so nicely" gave us 3 hours.
It was a 3 hour exam.  And I could have used 5.

But, it was very much a typical law school fact-patter, hard-as-hell exam.  Before we commenced this morning, some of my other 3L colleagues in the "handwriting room" and I talked about the ironies of law school.  How law school absolutely changes our opinion on how we look at things.  For example, throughout my undergraduate career, I CRAVED easy exams.  An easy exam was a great thing.  It meant that everyone was going to do well, and there were no worries.  Fast forward three years to the following conversation;
"hey, how was the Criminal Procedure exam"
"UGH! So easy"
"oh man, I'm sorry"
Why do we feel this way, you ask?  A little something called the "curve."  A little something called "friendly competition" because no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that the "curve" just doesn't matter, that it just doesn't exist- it will always be there, judging you against every other single person in the class.  The ever-mystical "curve" in law school makes us do batty things- like being upset about an easy test... because if everyone thought it was easy, no one's getting a good grade.  A single, teeny, tiny mistake on an easy exam will quickly put you into the dreaded B-/C range.
In law school, we crave hard exams-  tough exams that will easily space us out among the curve so that you feel a little bit better about getting the grade you got.  Sigh.
All that to say, I'm kind of glad it's over... but very much in a daze from the past three weeks.  I feel like I've run 3 brain marathons back-to-back.  My brain, right now, is running a mile-a-minute, but is also neither working, nor good for anything but movie-watching and sangria-drinking.
Cheers.

Study Humor.

Alert: This post is going to be full of nerd-humor... but more than just your average nerd humor.  I'm saying the humor of this post is absolutely relative to (a) the subject matter (Sales); and (b) to how absolutely fried my brain is from a month of studying.  So, be warned... you may not find this funny AT ALL.

That said, these are the following hilarious things that Emanuel Law flash cards are teaching me about Sales (UCC Article 2)... yes, that parenthetical is contained on the outside of the box... for those of you not familiar with  "law lingo" that's akin to putting a sticker on a banana that reads, "fruit."  I knew these flash cards were going to be entertaining upon opening the box.

1. Mnemonic for Acceptance between Merchants: MALE LOOn (Material Alterations; Expressly Limited; Offeror Objects).

2. "The Frankenstein Candy Company writes to the Herman Munster Sweet Shop, stating: "Will have 1,000 gummy mummies..."

3. Sam Shyster is a sales manager at the Krullen Heartless Appliance Store...

4. Madame du Pompadour Bathroom Fixtures Company enters into a contract with the House of Whoopee Wholesale House...

5. Park & Tiquetts are makers of a populer game, Oligopoly

6. Mnemonic for four principle types of warranties under the UCC? MET FloPPy (Merchantability; Express; Title; Fitness for a Particular Purpose.)

I'm going bananas...

Smells in the Library

The Following Conversation just took place in the Case Law Libs. I lol-ed:

(S and Aa start sniffing the air, S gets a smile on her face, A takes off her headphones and joins the sniffing) 

A: what is that?
S: I don't know, but it smells good
A: hmm...
S: (quietly) I hope it's not pee
A: What? What did you say?
S: I said, "I hope it's not pee..." because that would be gross if I thought pee smelled good.

Our brains are officially turning to mush... NBC's The More You Know scare-mercials had it wrong: The picture below is not your brain on drugs-

This is your brain on law school.

Live. Love. Laugh.

I had a conversation today with someone.  And it stuck with me.  Perhaps it was because my throat was a bit sore from yelling.  Perhaps it was because of the words he used.  But, perhaps it was because the subject matter we spoke about got just a little too deep for comfort.

He told me that in the world of this law school, in the midst of our post-grad reality, two of my friends managed to become the epitome of "frat boys" and that somehow I had become their sorority girl follower.  He called our behavior and "immaturity" a feat for law school and scoffed that in my last months of "university-living," I would choose to spend my time even conversing with these two.  He said that he lost respect for me after I told him that I was having fun.

After we finished the "conversation" and after the letters, "G.K.Y." finally stopped flashing in my head, I calmed down and write the following now:

Yes. To most everyone in this world I am superficial.  Not in a bad way, but in the way where not many to see the real me.  Most only see the surface.  I am perfectly okay with that.  I am okay with my surface personality and I am VERY OKAY with who I am.

As I type this post, I am not baring my soul.  I am not telling you what I really feel about this situation.  I'm not taking down the wall.  I don't use this blog as an outlet for emotion, and I never will.  I will use it to show you shoes I like, things I love, things I hate, and to tell you about my hilarious friends.  I take pleasure in making people happy. I like to look pretty.  I like to make people laugh.  I like to hang out with all sorts of people for a few weeks/months/years and make memories to cherish.  I like living.  I never want to have to conform.  I never want to apologize for my choices.  I'm never going to.  I am who I am, and I'm not perfect, but I'm PERFECTLY HAPPY with me.

The point of this blog post is to just say this: If you're doing something that makes you incredibly happy, no matter how small or how big it may be, keep doing it.  Our lives are measured in moments and memories, and how dull our existence would be if we tried to fit them into some pre-supposed outline?  I almost let someone get me down today because he tried to convince me that his way of thinking, and his self-proclaimed "right" way of life, was the only way.  The superior way.  But it's not.  And this isn't to say that my way is the only way to live, either.

But I know this: living and loving and laughing has never led me astray.  

"Rate My Professor"

Last week, I stopped into the Law Clinic to say hello, check my mailbox, and update my advisors on certain aspects of my cases.  While in Andrew's office, he asked if I ever went onto Rate My Professor (dot com).  I told him not that often, but I did know of the site.

[insert back story: Andrew had just gone on to rate my professor and had seen the comments about the one and only, Jonathan H. Adler, and asked if I had commented on him on there [insert further back story: I have MUCH admiration for this professor: both as a professor, and as a Libertarian]]
After I left Andrew's office, this conversation, and the topic of rating professors, stuck in my mind.  As I sat down to continue my studies in the Library, I reflected back on my law professors I've had at Case.

Without sounding too sentimental and over-dramatic, I can honestly say that EVERY law professor I've had over the past three years has been great.  A few have been phenomenal.  As I sit, only 3 weeks from graduation, I extend my greatest thanks to the following professors for making my Law School Career absolutely fabulous: Cassandra Robertson (Civil Procedure); Jonathan H. Adler (Constitutional Law, International Environmental Law, Administrative Law); George Dent (Business Associations); Mike Benza (Death Penalty Issues).

Additionally, this list would not be complete without the following two professors, who not only taught me the fundamentals of civil litigation during my Law School Career, but taught me how to be a great attorney.  SO many thanks to Yuri and Andrew!!!  I'm going to miss you greatly!

reading week. pt. II

Every Semester, it's always the same story.  I start out reading week just outlining from my notes and the book, and then FREAK OUT and rush to find an Examples and Explanations, Nutshell, or other hornbook.  Welp, here we are again: 4 days from my Bankruptcy final and I'm on a 2-hour leash to the library's copy of the Bankruptcy E&E.  I never learn.  How helpful this would have been, oh I don't know, 2 MONTHS ago.  Sigh...  Lament... Etc. Etc....

Study Music. Pt. II

Mc Solaar- La Belle et le Bad Boy:

Yesterday, I studied to Lady Antebellum.  Today, it's Jay-Z and the above Gem, French Rapper Mc Solaar.  I first heard this song during the last season of Sex and the City (When Aleksandr Petrovsky leaves Carrie at the art gallery and she runs off to her book party that has already ended, and then Petrovsky slaps her and then Big rescues her... but, that's a post for another day).  I LOVE LOVE LOVE studying to music like this that has a great beat.  As ridiculous as it sounds, my fingers need some sort of rhythm to type to, and this provides the perfect tempo.  And as a plus, I can't understand any of the lyrics.  I also love the below song- I just incorporated "la vie est belle" into one of my paintings-in-progress.  Happy Studying to those in the midsts of reading weeks and final exams; Happy listening to those of you who are not!

Mc Solaar - La Vie Est Belle

mornings.

mornings are not usually a place of abounding luxe. they are frantic, hectic, and filled with sounds of alarms, cnn, water running, and the pitter-patter of heels. however, even in the most rushed of mornings, luxe can abound:

Despite knowing I'd be 25 minutes late to Sales with THIS GUY,  I took time to grab a Venti Non-fat, Misto (more coffee than milk).

As I'm sitting in class right now, that 5 minute stop into Starbucks was perfect and necessary.