I am off to sunny & happy climes! Blogging will continue, so carry on!
Much like Ally McBeal & now Ernie the Attorney, it appears that I have my very own theme song. Lovely, no?
I suppose I am megolomaniacal enough to suppose that my advice to first years has spawned a continuing series of law student archetypes. Fortunately, they are much funnier than mine. There's too much perspective between here and there.
Although I'd imagine that not all 2Ls could say it, I have quite comfortably found my niche. I'm not certain where everything is headed, but I've managed to position myself so that I'm sure I'll be happy about the outcome. Last year I felt shifty and uncomfortable in most of my classes. It could have been that damned awful squeaky chair, but I'd wager the cause was that I just didn't like them. There were many moments last year that I was just plain miserable.
A lot of people figure that the difference between first and second years is the shift in workload, but I can't say I found that to be true. The amount of work wasn't that bad to begin with, so that definitely wasn't the cause in the first place. Work this year hasn't really abated -- if anything, it's increased. There's the job hunt and the note writing added on top of everything else. My investment in my classes has caused me to do even more work (klaxons are going off reminding me that Professor X is waiting on that memo!).
No, it's that investment that makes the difference. I couldn't be happier that I ignored the advice of the nebulous "they" and took whatever I felt like taking. No bar courses, no corporate finance. Now that I've found what makes me happy, it's that much easier to get excited about legal things that I thought I'd no interest in (I was never one of those students who got off on law because it was law). At the core of it all is critical thought. When your brain starts asking those niggling little questions instead of glossing over them and you figure out where you'd go on a preemption issue depends on your theory of federal government and statutory interpretation, you're right where you want to be. Unless you have that sort of boundless love for the law, you're never going to get to that spot until you find the subject that really gets your juices going. If you've got a thinky brain, it is too easy to look outside of law school for its fodder.
So where I stand now, the difficult part of law school is making a connection with the work. There's so much focus on learning the rules the first year that you often lose sight of the big picture (or the big picture as the professor understands it just doesn't serve to connect you with the material -- too often the "big picture" is more like a medium-sized portrait). There are too many times this year when I've wished to myself that I'd paid more attention last year and done the extra work rather than sliding by.
I know it's more than trite, but somewhere in this whole process I've rediscovered how to stay true to myself. Last year I'd all but given up on the prospect of anything but working in a big law firm. I couldn't even consider that option now -- it's just not me. I am just incapable of giving up control of my work and my life in that way.
One thing I am thankful for is that I've never given up any of my outside activities. Classmates have actually asked me if I realize I'm a law student, but doing outside things - whatever they might be (more classes, volunteering, social activities, writing) - is so important in keeping the right perspective (and your sanity).
I don't even know if a 1L could even attempt to follow this murky advice, or if it's something you must find for yourself - whether it's next year or twenty years down the line. Maybe the important thing is to try and the answers are a happy benefit.
The front page of Slate today features The Economics of Spanking and The Many Varieties of Sodomy. Shortly below that is the headline for this week's diary feature - "We live in a pornocracy—everything has to be on a screen to be truly experienced."
Is there something going on at Slate that I don't know about? Such silliness amuses me when I've got exam-head.*
* You know, that feeling one gets after an exam that one's brain has been switched off for the rest of the day. You just know that you're not going to get anything out of it for the rest of the day.
As is evident, my recent coyness is necessitated by the joys of the exam period. Unlike some others, I just don't have the ability to write long extensive essays on the nature of the exam experience while preparing for them.
Had I been paying attention, I might have seen the very nice pointer to my site from Ernie. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I definitely got the ego-buzz, which is good for exams. Confidence is my secret weapon.
That's why I officially declare today to be All Alice All Day. Everyone should write nice things about me while I work. This will provide the necessary ego-stroking to plow through it all despite a massive lack of sleep. I still need to finish an alarmingly large color-coded flowchart. [There are a couple types of exam takers. I am one of those ridiculously organized ones. Visio is my friend.]
So go ahead, give me warm fuzzies. You know you want to.*
* I will note that it is currently 5am, so if this is all nonsensical, illogical, or in any way proves me to be a nut job, I claim the protection of the early-morning madness defense. [Note to 1Ls taking crim: didn't you get that message about risible defenses? You should really pay better attention in class!]
How many lines does there need to be on a page for it to count as a page?
Is three enough?
Anarchy: (among other things) Absence of any cohesive principle, such as a common standard or purpose.
Oxymoron: the Anarchy online community.
I particularly liked the stuff about building an infrastructure on anarchist principles. One definition of infrastructure: the basic facilities and equipment needed for the functioning of a country. Note also these definitions of anarchy: the state of society where there is no law or supreme power, the absence of government.
Hey, at least you can't say I cocoon. Yay government!
And speaking of parallel systems... (BAD Government!)
Professor-student dynamics are weird. A certain professor ("Professor X") has taken a liking to me and invited me to join the cadre of research assistants at the law school. I feel as if I've been inducted into a highly secretive and bizarre group. There are a few key symptoms:
Every other sentence out of my mouth is "Professor X said...". The other half of the sentences start like "I have to do A,B,C for Professor X...". What's happening to me? Professor X & I think alike, but enough is enough!
All of my friends are starting to wonder what black hole I got sucked into. Well, while I was doing A, B, & C for Professor X, I wasn't hanging out with you. But let me tell you about A, B, & C while you're asking!
I haven't yet begun to study for exams. That's because I've been spending too much time working for Professor X. I've not yet even studied for X's exam, but I'm sure to be well prepared since all I do is research extremely esoteric questions of law that have no practical effect whatsoever.
I start randomly talking about Westlaw. For fun. I've logged so many hours on the damned thing I don't even bother counting anymore. And like only a true law geek, I know what's available on Westlaw that's not available on Lexis, and vice versa.
I get ten times more email than I did a few short weeks ago. Professor X is constantly emailing me -- even at 2 in the morning. This, of course, begs the question: Is Professor X human?
I've been bombarded with questions from fellow students about X's class. I'm not the damned expert here, people. Ask X! By the way, do you think I could get your outline? No, I don't have one of my own. Too busy doing work for X.
Of course, there are some benefits, like knowing what will come out of X's mouth before the rest of the class (because, uh, I did the research), and some killer recommendations. The rest of you guys should try being a toadie. Really. It's fun!
I think I was on crack when I thought it would be a good idea to write on the First Amendment.