Grades

My law school doesn't do grade inflation. Like many "not" top tier schools, they adhere to a very strict curve, though thankfully its a B- median now and not the C+ of old.

So, how did I do? Well, I did better than the curve in all classes, and really above the curve in two (Torts and Crim). I feel pretty good.

The classes I did less well in were midterms and I have a chance to fix them. And Legal Research which I sort of blew off because it was two credits and I had to make priority choices. I can hopefully pull that up some.

But overall, not devastated by law school exams for my first semester. I know, its a marathon, not a sprint.

Would it be ominous foreshadowing if I said, "Wow, I really hope I am not linking to this post in May saying something like It all went downhill from here?" Yeah, I've never been one to feel happy about something for long -- I keep looking ahead to the next potential disaster.

The waiting is over, anyway, so that's good.

I think I'll take this weekend off and celebrate a little. Maybe. Catch you next week.

Waiting...

Ran into a fellow 1L (in the other section) in the grocery store yesterday. I discovered I am not the only one who logs in every day to find out if any grades have been posted. We joked about logging on three times a day, including New Year's, and my spouse/his girlfriend kind of rolled their eyes. I suggested they start a support group because law students are neurotic by design, and this is only the first of 6 semesters of this stuff (not including summer).

I think Bullshark paled slightly at that thought.

This is worse than waiting on LSAT results. And I never stressed out waiting for undergrad or grad school grades. So this is probably one of my first experiences waiting on grades . . . pins- and-needles-style.

It sucks.*


* More statements of the obvious forthcoming in future posts.

God bless us, every one...

1) I took my criminal law exam. I feel like I did as well as I possibly could have -- I didn't have any moments like "shit, what is the property interest for theft by false pretenses?" I knew my stuff cold. Which means I probably missed some huge glaringly obvious issue and got a D+ . . . but I don't care. I am DONE!

2) Bullshark is on a plane. Right now. I pick him up at the airport in a couple of hours. With the Clownfish. And then I don't have to give him back. I get to keep him.

Expect many happy tears and light (if any) posting for the next week.

May all your holidays wishes come true.

Torts final

I just finished my Torts final. I think I spotted many issues and handled them pretty well. I think I missed others. God, postmortum on an issue spotter sucks. I feel like I could have done more, done it better, done it more efficiently.

But really, all I can think of is one of the first sentences of the third fact pattern . . .

Guy A took an embarassing picture of Guy B (he was peeing in the bathroom).
Guy B demands the picture.
Guy A: "Sorry, Shrimp. This one's a keeper."

Two down...

My contracts midterm was this morning. Only 25% of my grade, which is good because I was kicked in the teeth.

The test was totally fair and exactly what I should have expected -- not faulting the prof. But the focus... very heavily geared toward damages, which I feel I discuss with much less panache than I do modifications, accords, illusory promises, requirement and output contracts... none of which were tested. There were 8 questions, and I don't feel like I "nailed" a single one... and there are a few I know I missed a key point or three.

I guess the only way forward is to take a nap (yes I am still effing sick) and start studying Crim for Monday.

One down

Civil procedure was my bee-yatch today. Ok, maybe not. But I don't think I effed it up too badly. How could I? It was open notes.

Too bad I have to go see some specialist tomorrow instead of studying contracts. Cuz today I discovered a whole new meaning of sick.

Contracts Thursday.

My body's timing really sucks.

Ok, now I am panicking...

. . . a little.

How did it get to be Friday night?

Why do I feel like I worked all week and accomplished nothing? That I know as little today as I did Monday? Or less even?

Oh, and I was getting better health-wise, and now I think I have an effing ear infection.

Getting back to work.

Remind me how privileged I am to have these problems?

Gratuitious 1L panic post

Ok, not really. I should be more paniced than I am. But I'm not. Not right now anyway. I feel ok about the amount of work I have put in so far. I am taking tonight off to watch a little TV and hit the sack early.

I feel marginally less sick.

Also, I blew my hair dry straight yesterday and everyone thinks I got a haircut. Who knew, with some basic personal maintainance, I can actually look kinda cute? I've been doing the mommy-do for a while now -- wash, comb out the knots, and wear. Maybe I'll put in the effort more often.

Eh, maybe after finals.

bullets of randomness

My first exam is the 11th. Reading week starts this week, but I've still got some classes. Yes, I know.

I am still sick -- I have a cough and a stuffy nose and I kinda feel like I was hit by a truck.

Clownfish is also sick. I am probably taking him to the doctor tomorrow.

I pulled myself together enough to put up the tree and put on some lights.

Grandad took us out to Friendly's and bought Clownfish a Thomas train.

If I can get the coughing to subside through something wonderfully zombie-sleep-inducing like Nyqu*l, I will probably go to bed when Clownfish does.

Blogger is being stupid and I can't spell check or bullet this list.

And I am still out of wine. There should be a booze fairy.

Update Monday:

Clownfish was up all night, and consequently so was I. Coughing woke us both up. Repeatedly. Doc said it was just a cold and he'll be fine and he could go to daycare. So I took him to daycare and tried to study at school for a few hours.

My torts prof took pity on me and stopped asking me questions when my answer was punctuated repeatedly by paroxisms of coughing.

I need some serious anti-cold drugs.

And damnit, I still haven't picked up any wine.

Better...

Turns out I know more about civ pro than I thought. This is salvagable.

I will be ok.

Incompetance

I just made my son bleed. I was going to cut his nails and I started at the pinky and he was being cooperative and I don't know if I was inattentive for a second or he moved, but I cut his finger. He bled like a stuck pig. I've never seen so much blood from such a little cut. And he cried, oh did he cry. And since it was right before bedtime, he was tired, so he cried even more.

So I am feeling like a bad mommy.

Today was my last class in legal skills for the semester. I turned in the memo (yay) but I somehow managed -- in my countless revisions -- to put a section in the wrong spot. It was too late to change it. I doubt it'll count much toward my score, but I'm feeling like shit -- I can't even follow simple directions. Today was my last class in civ pro too. I don't know why, but I am feeling so incompetant in civ pro. No one can understand my confusion -- "its so mechanical, just apply the rules." But -- and this could be because its been at the bottom of my priority heap for at least the past two weeks, and possibly longer -- I am confused as hell as to how I am supposed to write a passing exam, let alone a good one.

So I am feeling like a bad mommy AND a bad law student.

Oh, and Bullshark has been irritated with me. Its kind of difficult to have a long distance marital dispute. I think its resolved, but it leaves me feeling... like a bad wife.

I guess you can only half ass your way through so many things before it all catches up with you.

And I am out of wine.

memo... rinse... repeat...

My big final memo is due tomorrow.
I finished it before Thanksgiving.
Then I finished it Monday.
Then I finished it Tuesday.
Then I finished it today.
And if I read the damn thing with fresh eyes tomorrow morning, I'll probably make MORE substantial changes and finish it at the last minute.

Neurotic much?

UPDATE: Hey fellow person at (mylawschool). Welcome back. Not sure how you found me as I no longer access the blog at school *at all.* I also no longer allow annonymous comments, but you can create an identity for yourself and comment freely. I probably won't even be able to figure it out, cuz I won't really bother trying. If you plan to create a whole lot of drama about the blog being back up, just let me know in advance so I can get some dark glasses, mmm k?

Thanks,

Me.

When in doubt, Google

Law students, particularly 1Ls, are starting to get desparate. Zams loom large on the horizon. They've spent one too many nights at "bar review." And suddenly, they're on the wrong side of Thanksgiving break and they're careening headlong into the end of the semester.

Sure, I'm one of them. That's not the point, damnit!

In the last three days, about fourteen people found my blog through Google searches such as these:

free contract outline law school; flow charts and outlines for torts; law school contracts suck; prosecutors behavior in a time to kill (ok, I hope this one wasn't a law student); privilege intentional tort acronym; law schools suck; crim outline law school; outline flow chart civ pro; civ pro sucks

People, I don't have any answers for you. Stick around and read a couple of other posts, you'll soon see I'm probably more on the edge of reason than you are. Chill out. Have another drink.

Meet you at the bottom of the curve.

EDED

In torts we're studying about inflicting emotional distress, negligently and intentionally. This has led to lots of acronym throwing (NIED, IIED, some prof invented ones like NIBH and IIBH, etc.) and use of phrases such as "physical manifestation" to show how distress shows up as heart attacks and miscarriages.

Like "exploding package" during Palzgraf, stuff like this brings out the 12-year-old boy in me.

My current away message:

EDED: erectile dysfunction stemming from emotional distress; a physical manifestation of a lack of physical manifestation.

Things to do ...

Before I leave for Thanksgiving...

1) Clean my house.
1a) Steam clean couch. Ok, that's not done. It'll wait til Christmas break. But my house is pretty much in order as of now, Monday evening... except for my room and a bit of laundry. Feeling much better about it all, though.
2) Civ pro flow charts. Got a good start on this yesterday. (2 classes left)
2a) Actually, may cut civ pro tomorrow in favor of a Thanksgiving feast at Clownfish's school. Conflicted.
3) Outline: Torts
(finish intentional, defenses, and whatever new stuff we do) (we have 7 classes left -- prof moved some classes into reading week.)
4) Panic. No wait, don't panic.
5) Outline: Contracts damages (6 classes left).
6) Outline: Crim larceny offenses and insanity defense (2 classes left, schedule quirk)
7) Meet with career services again.
8) Aquarium maintainance. My poor neglected fish...
9) Favor for my sister -- should take about an hour. Must... remember... to ... do ... it!
10) Write this list.

There are many more things, but these are most pressing on my head right now. Going to Thanksgiving at Mom's and already excused from any cooking/baking this year. Law school has its privileges.

Also, I am getting sick. And Clownfish was coughing and oozing green snot this morning. Hope this doens't get worse.

Eventually... Christmas tree... Christmas shop... Christmas bake... I'll worry about that later... say 12/22 after my last exam?

Slacker

I cut Civ Pro yesterday.

I cut Contracts (right now... Friday morning).

I woke up feeling not so good the last few mornings and decided to listen to my body and take it easy.

For someone who had a perfect attendance record for all four years of high school (I know, I know) and rarely missed a class in undergrad or grad school, this is the ultimate in slacking.

Probably going in for torts.

Tort spelled backwards is trot *

"I shot the sheriff, but I swear it was in self-defense."

Bob Marley, the original common law pleader.

Tortious humor, courtesy of my prof.



* The post title refers to a frequent typo I make.

Yeah, not much of a post, I know. But that comment has been sitting in my draft box for a few days waiting for something else funny to happen that could go with it. Unfortunately, other than my getting called on in civ pro today nothing else interesting or funny or exciting has happened. (Civ pro -- I was completely unprepared -- I mean so unprepared I couldn't even fake it. No one has ever just said "pass," but I did today. My name went back into the tupperware-cup-of-doom from which my civ pro prof draws 'volunteers' ... but you know, no other consequences.)

Faking it

No, not that kind of faking it.

I fake being prepared for class at least a couple of times a week. I fake interest when prof's go on political rants. I fake tolerance when fellow students go off on tangents. I fake interest in children's books when I read to my son, because the back of my mind is running through something about intentional torts. I fake like I feel totally fine when I am less so. I fake having it all together when I am having a hard time balancing everything.

Sincerity -- the first casualty of law school.

Things professors say...

Out of class, or trying to explain it to a non-law student, this makes no sense at all. In the context of a class, sometimes these things make sense. This is not one of those times.

Professor Tort: "Declaring bankruptcy is like permanent deodorant."

Huh?

Also, my crim prof did an extended metaphor about colored birds, elastic arms, and different property interests when introducing larceny. I'd try to reproduce it but in the interest of trying to make things "easier," he just confuzzled the daylights out of me. I understood larceny and embezzlement before class began...

Zams are looming large on the horizon. Eeek!

Professor K is out to get me

Anyone ever see An Officer and a Gentleman?

Professor K has declared himself to be Lou Gossett and me to be Richard Gere. (God, I hope that doens't mean I have to buy a hamster. Sorry, where was I?)

Professor K sees it as his goal to drive me out of law school.

I'm not being metaphorical. He has actually declared himself to be Lou Gossett.

In. Those. Words.

I told him the get out the boxing gloves because I was ready to take him on.

I wonder if I have to carry out Debra Winger when I get an A on my final?

Now before anyone starts offering to commit intentional torts for me, this conversation was in good fun.

(Yes, it was in good fun. Really. After I -- the diligent law-nerd that I am -- rewrote my horrible practice K midterm and he gave me feedback on the new version... my new score was 2 points below the highest in the class and earned me a B+. Woot.)