Pretending to be an Undergrad

I have gotten an inordinate amount of outlining done in the past week thanks to my super-secret-amazing study spot.  I was here last night until almost midnight studying my heart out (and playing Jungle Gin on Pogo with my study-buddy during scheduled breaks).

I'm arriving a bit later than I would like tonight, but I was caught up in the latest episode of Deadliest Catch and couldn't walk away from my DVR.  It's 8:44 PM.  I figure if I stay until 11 I can accomplish enough to go home and go to bed after an incredibly long day.  And, the best part of the super-secret-amazing study spot is that it is full of undergrads.

I have discovered in the last few weeks that undergrads have some sort of fetish with sweatpants.  This was the motivating factor in getting my butt off my couch, away from my fave TV show and my bag of ruffles and ranch dip.

For probably the third time since I was 10 years old... I'm wearing sweatpants in public. And I'm loving it.

caffeine

I kind of wish I had kept all of the empty cups of coffee I drank this week, ya know like college boys save their beer caps?

I'd be interested to see what level of damage I've done to my body while finishing this paper that is ALMOST done. (I've thought it was almost done all week, actually, but since it's due at 5 PM I don't have much of a choice anymore.)

Sense of Dread...

When I graduated from Undergrad I was loan-less.  I had credit cards (what college kid doesn't?) but no loan held over my head. Exit counseling was a waste of time where they thanked me for finishing so quickly that the remainder of my scholarship could go to someone else. ... I wanted it in cash.

Today.... I have exit counseling again.  Except this time I will owe.  A lot.  I've heard stories of the horrible piece of paper they give you with your grand total.

I hope someone brought some airplane sized bottles of booze to ease the pain.

Earning the Grade

I am putting more time into this paper than I have anything since I had my article published.

If I get an A in this class it will be the sweetest feeling ever.  It will be because I dedicated hours of time, energy, research and editing.


If I get less than that it will be expected, but also beyond disappointing.

Let's all cross our fingers....

Heat.

The weatherman decided that our beautiful spring weather would be gone today.  In it's place would be the normal cold, windy and rainy weather of Spokane. I went to class and work in a long sleeve shirt and suit jacket, umbrella in tow.

Boy, was he wrong. It is another gorgeous, 75 degree day.  Silly weatherman (and weather.com, accuweather.com and all other weather predictors).

Something new happened today, because of the weather.  My steering wheel was hot.  I'd forgotten what that was like.  I also forgot what it was like to walk outside and not instantly freeze.  This is the warmest weather we've had since OCTOBER.  I can't wait to get out of here, four seasons and all.

<3B

Night Owl.

(http://www.leighhannan.com/botanical%20&%20animals.htm)

I have been and always will be a night owl. I am most often reminded of this around finals.  Between the hours of 3-9 I become useless. I get tired, lazy, and hungry. haha Around 9-10 PM I am an energizer bunny again. I can get stuff done, read without distractions, and stop being a fat cow until about 2 AM.  This is, by far, the most productive time of day for me.  

What brought this on now? It is 9 PM and I just got to the library. (Don't worry, I was working at a coffee shop for a few hours after church today.) The library closes at midnight and I would pay someone money if they would just keep it open two more hours.  For some reason the undergrad library stays open until 2 AM, but it's a longer walk back to my car from there and I'm afraid of the dark... haha

I'm on page 12/20 of this paper, but I've only talked about one country.  It's a two country comparison.  I haven't compared them either. I'll be well over the page limit but hopefully I can finish it by tomorrow night and just edit my heart out until it's due Monday. If I get less than an A- in this class I will be beyond pissed.

Signing Out,

The Night Owl.

There are Four Seasons

I made a discovery after my first year in Spokane. There really are four seasons.  Remember we learned that in elementary school? In the winter it snows, in the spring it rains and flowers come out, in the summer it gets hot and in the fall the leaves change colors and fall off of the tress.

Growing up in Vegas this was more about looking at pretty pictures than it was an experience I'd ever lived through. But, Vegas friends, I have to tell you something.  Seasons are legit.  

The last two days have been BEAUTIFUL.  It's a little breezy right now, but overall the sun is shining and it is HOT compared to a couple of weeks ago.  Yesterday we got to 78 degrees.  It looked like the whole city came out of hibernation.  People look happier, there is traffic, and (most importantly) I put on a pair of shorts and went to write my UNBELIEVABLY demanding paper on a coffee shop's patio.  

Right now I am also on a patio, but like I said it is a bit breezy, so there are no shorts in this equation.  It is very strange to me to ease into heat.  In Vegas I feel like there's some sort of switch that turns on and off. It goes from 50 degrees to 90 degrees overnight.  There aren't any April showers or May flowers.  It is winter, and then it is summer.  I support this theory by the fact that my little sister told me a story when she came to visit.  The story went like this "One time we went to [some place].  It was some time between winter and summer." So I asked, "You mean spring?" ... She looked at me like I was speaking another language, thought about it, and said "Yea, I guess. Or maybe it was fall."

So, seasons. They're real.  They're kinda neat.  I prefer to be hot so I'm not really thrilled about winter.  However, spring is reminding me that summer is coming and it's only a matter of time before I unpack all of my summer clothes and put on a bathing suit again.

Now, back to this horrible paper, but at least I'm sitting in the sun while I type, and type, and type and type.

Pictures from the week

An Easter Sunday museum visit

Graffiti 

Candlewall

A sisterly competition - that I've lost for the last two decades

The Winery of Chateau Ste. Michelle

Three time CHAMPIONS

Shankins, Redleadr, Foxxy, Girks, Lil' Tickle, Bombshell

Road Trip

Last weekend was road trip time. Road trips with the right travel-buddy are amazing.

I'll include more pictures later but I liked this one, that I took while I was just messing around with my camera, the most.

Things that Excite a Type A Personality

I have a couple of things in my life right now that I cannot get over.

First, my iPod touch. I love my iPod classic. I was actually angry when I was forced to order a Touch for bar prep. BAR/BRI mobile requires one and since I'll be in small-town, Nevada and spending a weekend at a wedding this summer, I'll need the mobile option.

This thing is I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E. Seriously. It does things that I didn't even know I wanted it to do! I have both emails on here and working, and my iCal syncing seamlessly.  These are two things that my Blackberry has never been able to do, regardless of how many RIM updates come out.

I'm sure I'll post more about that later.

The second thing, and the reason I'm rushing away, is that I found a super-secret-amazing study spot.  It is stress free, but filled with productivity. It also doesn't require me to buy a 4 dollar white chocolate mocha to sit in it for hours. I'm beyond psyched.

It's the little things in life when you've dedicated your entire life to the pursuit of a J.D.

<3 B

Deactivate.

I took the plunge. No more facebook for me until at least after finals. I might re-activate to keep everyone posted on my move to Nevada, but that's it. We'll see how long I last.

For now, my days will be filled with China, Iran, Professional Responsibility and Media Law.  Yay life.

A light in the darkness is that my little sister is coming to visit this weekend. Plus, there is a special secret visitor in town. I can't wait :D.

<3 B

MPRE

Check, check, and CHECK! I passed that pesky test with by a lovely margin of two points. I'm OK with it, though, because it is a passing score in EVERY state if I get the urge in the future to apply to another bar.

I also got my PMBR lectures in the mail today. I didn't even know that my QBank registration gave me these, so I'm pretty stoked. They are discs, but are MP3s so when I get my iPod Touch (soon) I can load these babies on. Yay!

I've decided, even if I pass the bar by two points, I'll be satisfied.  Because in Scott's words, "If you fail by one point, you still failed."

True freaking story.

<3 B

I'm Ready

I'm finally feeling it...

I feel ready to be out of here. I feel ready for my life to start. After a great pep talk from my externship supervisor I am actually feeling excited to conquer bar prep. I use "excited" as a relative term, of course. I like a challenge.  I will miss my friends beyond belief, but I will also NOT miss some people at all. Which is odd for me...

Nevada. I'm excited to be home, even though Elko isn't technically home. I'm excited to be a "real" lawyer.

Now hopefully I will remember all of this from May 18th to July 30th.

<3 B