Category: Daily Dose

Finals Week: Brain Dumps & Caffeine Sprees

Post author By cerebellumchef
Post date May 7, 2018
2 Comments on Finals Week: Brain Dumps & Caffeine Sprees

This semester was a beast. I don’t think I’ve worked harder than in this second semester of my 2L year. Does everyone else feel this way?

This semester consisted of more coffee runs, more reading, and lots of mini panic attacks. So much effort went into this semester and, quite frankly, it terrifies me that a final can derail all that hard work. We have no clue what the essay questions are going to look like and I could’ve spent tons of time working on something I deemed important, but the professor didn’t.
It’s a gamble, so you basically need to study everything and hope that you get asked questions you are confident answering.

I have a final exam today worth 60% of my grade. Damn.
When our class grumbled about it, our professor’s reaction was totally nonplussed.

I get it, we’re big kids now and we need to know all the things. But, still…damn.

This course helped me finish reading Chemerinsky’s 5th edition.
The entire book, y’all. I’ve read the whole flipping thing.
Don’t let anyone tell you 2L is easy. I read an average of 300 pages a week.
Brutal…that’s a better descriptor. Your 2L year will likely be brutal.

I’ve read the cases, taken quizzes, prepped and reviewed my outline but – when it comes to first amendment rights – I get lost in the scrutiny types and the time crunch and then a deep sense of dread sets in during exams. Taking that deep breath before starting the exam is key for me but sometimes I forget.

Highly recommend the deep breath and a power pose.

For those of you working on these finals, I hope you do amazing things; may the knowledge stay with you and the curve be ever in your favor.

The extra-good vibes can’t hurt, right?

This past week has been stressful for everyone. I particularly love the hilarious questions I’ve had to answer because of the brain-lapses students (including myself) experience during finals mode and studying like fiends.

My favorite so far is “what food is allowed in the library?”

LOL. True story.
Just keep your study areas clean – there are no house elves here!

I hope your studying pays off and that you end this year on a phenomenal note.
Happy Book Surfing!

Tags #CrushIt, #powerpose, finals, finals week, law school finals, panic.

Daily Dose Law School

Patent Bar Woes

The Texas Bar exam is three days’ worth of terror. Pure, unadulterated, law knowledge. It’s an amalgam of everything you learned in law school and (it seems like) a lot of what you didn’t. Let’s be honest, our law profs do a damn good job of trying to shove every course topic into our ever-growing brains, but they just can’t get it all in.

There’s only so much a girl can know, Y’all.

For those of us with a science or engineering background – and some masochistic tendencies – we can opt to sit for an extra Bar exam. That’s right…a SECOND Bar examination. To practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, or work with patents, trademarks and such, you should be Patent Bar Certified.

What’s neat is that this Bar exam does not require you to earn your Juris Doctorate at all. You could just take the exam and work as a patent agent for the U.S.P.T.O., inspecting and approving (or denying) patent applications and the like. [They make about $110,000 in Dallas – FYI.]

I have an intense love of all things science: engineering, biology, medicine, electronics…
These are a few of my favorite things so, naturally, I did not plan on giving them up after entering the world of law. Instead, I searched for a way to marry my love of science with my passion for the law, and I decided that sitting for the Patent Bar would be a great use of my time.

As a 2L, active in various student groups and on Law Review…I have almost no time left in my day. This means I have to prioritize my limited time and resources to study for yet another exam. Fun, right?

YES! It is. Passing the Patent Bar means I can work as a generalist and take on Patent cases. The goal is to be both marketable and functional. I enjoy the law so much and want to learn as much as I can. Although I’m not sure that I will ultimately practice patent law, I plan to set myself up in a position to have the opportunity to do so.

I signed up to take the exam on June 25th, which gives me about seven weeks to study. Like the Bar exam, you need to apply to sit for the Patent Bar exam. Thankfully the vetting process doesn’t require nearly as many hoops to jump through. You need to provide (1) your official transcripts proving you have a degree that qualifies you to sit for the exam, (2) the registration fee, and (3) the examination fee. Also, you need to pay Prometric the exam fee to take the computer-based test. In total, this cost me a whopping $505 (almost $600 if you include the prep book).

If you’re thinking of taking the exam, just know there’s a process. Once you apply for approval, your response will be returned in 2-8 weeks. Once approved, you can sign up online for a testing timeframe. The sign up is the easiest bit.

Next comes the studying.

Without the funds to pay for an obscenely expensive patent bar prep course, I opted to take the advice of a professor and purchase this handy-dandy book:

It’s a compendium of questions and patent bar review aids that – in my opinion – are wonderfully condensed for a quick study. I plan to complete the entire book before sitting for the exam. If you’ve got big dreams of taking [and acing] the Patent Bar these practice questions (probably) can’t hurt.

The test itself is 6 hours long, 100 questions (of which 90 are scored).
There’s so much to do and so little time. PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

Did I mention that I’ll be studying while also working 60+ hours per week this summer?

Yeah…I’m not thrilled about it either.
Let’s just hope all this effort pays off.

What are your summer plans?

Tags #2LSummer, #PatentBar, Patents, Science Law, studying, Trademarks, USPTO

Daily Dose Reviews

Whistle Britches

A friend of mine sent me this text a few weeks ago:

Dude. Dude. Duuuuuude.

I was willing to die for that meal. If there had been a 3rd biscuit, I would have eaten it and it would have killed me and I would have died happy.

“RIP Shelly. She died doing what she loved: gorging on cheese covered carbs.”

Now, I should tell you – my friends know how much I lurrrrveeee brunch. They rarely send foodie finds unless they’re 100% confident that I will agree with their deductive reasoning.

When the Beau and I showed up at Whistle Britches on Sunday, I had zero expectations and an empty belly. Obviously, the first thing we did was order drinks and a round of biscuits – because, who the hell says ‘NO’ to that?! Enter: le biscuits.

That whipped butter is soft and creamy, it’s best friend happens to be the seasonal strawberry vanilla jam. Shut the french door. Y’all! These biscuits are the best damn recipe I’ve ever had the pleasure to gorge myself on. Seriously. Crumbly perfection, with just the right amount of fluff.

If I’d stopped at the [heavy-handed] rum punch and these biscuits, bliss would easily have been met. Sadly, this cute little pop stand peaked with the biscuits.

Sure, their Bloody Mary has a full chicken wing in it, and it is quite tasty, but the booze just wasn’t up to the brunch this time around. We ordered the pancakes, which were flat and carried way too much syrup (probably enhancing the wilted presentation), the Mother Clucker, and the B.E.E.C., which takes a crumbly biscuit and adds toppings. It was a mess. A tasty mess, for certain, but not something I was thrilled paying $11 for, especially since the side was a handful of kettle-cooked chips.

I will confirm that the spices and breading on their fried chicken is delicious. The wing on Beau’s Bloody Mary was tender, fried just long enough to have a bit of crunch. It was 11 a.m. though, we hadn’t checked the menu before we decided to venture north, and I honestly was not prepared for so many chicken options at brunch. At the time, I simply did not want another round chicken & waffles.

Hindsight is 20/20, right? I should have ordered the chicken & waffles! After oogling several other orders leave the kitchen, I think it’s safe to say what I’ll order next time.

I feel Shelly may have experienced either a far superior dish – or I failed to order properly. Normally I would have tried the Benny, but (after the biscuit) I didn’t think I could eat anything on my own. We shared three dishes among 4 brunch guests, and still didn’t clear the plates!

The servings were large, very filling, and tasty. Overall, I’d give WB a 7/10 for brunch. Their service was superb, the drinks delicious, and the biscuits push them up from a 6. My main complaint is their lack of other brunch options. Yeah, yeah – I get they ‘do chicken’ but a few other options would be extra-great!

This cute Plano restaurant has an open patio and they’re pet-friendly! Next time we hope to try their dinner menu and plan to bring our puppers along for a fun evening.

I hope your week is off to an amazing start!

Tags #BrunchDrunk, #DallasEats, @whistlebri, brunch, WhistleBritches

Daily Dose

Managing Your Debt

My parents couldn’t afford to pay for my college education. It’s that simple. There’s no whining or complaining here. Just straight facts.
I wanted to attend college so I could afford luxuries I just didn’t have as a kid. Every teacher I ever interacted with said some variation of “Get good grades. Go to college. You’ll get a great job.”

BULLSHIT.

Not all degrees will land you a well-paying job. Plain and simple. I studied Biology and was also Pre-Med. I love science and, until a few years ago, honestly thought I would pursue a career in medicine. But, you want to know something astonishing?

You can’t do much with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology other than work as a lab technician, pursue a research degree and stay in academia, or TEACH.

I decided to teach (while earning a decent living) and still believe it was the better option. While teaching, I researched options in both legal and medical careers, found available scholarships, and even compared loan amounts and institution tuitions before deciding against being a Doctor. Medical professionals do not graduate and land a job paying six-figures. In fact, they go on to make (in many states) less than a teacher. So that you know – the average surgical resident earns less than $50,000 per year. [I made nearly $70,000 as a high school coach and teacher.] The average attorney salary in Texas is about $110,000.

No one ever presented these factors to me; I also didn’t have the urgency (in my younger years) to take the time to research every single option. Instead, I was left to trust those telling me that school was the best option. Though I am quite happy with how far I’ve gotten, in my career and personal life, I think it would have been easier to make better decisions had I known all the facts. I may not have chosen a private school education, or maybe I would have changed my career path sooner. Who knows? Because of this experience, I opted for a straight-forward approach with my own students. And now you, my dear reader.

When I taught high school I told my students that school was expensive and ::gasp:: it just isn’t for everyone. Who the hell was I to discourage students from going to trade school or joining the military? I felt then, and still do, that my students would benefit from knowing how expensive an education truly is; plus, they’d be able to weigh their options ahead of time.

Why?

Because anyone can say “I’m going to college” but so few can afford to attend. Classes cost money. Housing costs money. Food? Yeah – that has a cost too. [As an undergrad, I budgeted $30 a week on groceries. It was manageable. I ate a ton of sandwiches and cereal, but I fed myself. #LittleVictories]

The problem with budgeting for college is that not many institutions break it down for you. What’s worse, is that the school offers you financial aid – and few institutions require a financial aid seminar to encourage better spending habits. (Y’all should really get on that)

One of my college roommates would receive her FAFSA refund and immediately go on a shopping spree: new MacBook, Wii, espresso maker, trip to Hawaii…you name it, she’d buy it. But as the end of the semester drew near, she was bumming off my oven fries or claiming that the bread I bought was her purchase. Not cool.

For those of you who don’t know – FAFSA is the “Free Application for Federal Student Aid.” It’s a lifeline for many who cannot afford to pay for school out-of-pocket. You can borrow up to the entire cost of education for your school year. As a student in private school, borrowing the max was pretty much what everyone else did. I borrowed that much and, some semesters had to take out private loans. As much as I love my Alma Mater, I still wish Baylor weren’t as expensive. The amount you receive from FAFSA varies based on your economic need.

Unfortunately, I had to request private loans – which tend to have a much higher interest rate than public loans, and are subject to further restrictions. As I am now in law school, it takes many extra steps to keep my loans in deferment, where they accrue interest, but I am not required to make a monthly payment on the balance while in school.

Here’s what 1 of my loans looks like:

Notice that the daily interest is $2.47…that’s half of my morning macchiato. DAMN.
The $15,000 I originally requested will cost me nearly $22,000 when paid off. Although I am currently in school, I think about paying my loans off every single day. The debt bubble bothers me. I will have 3 degrees worth of debt. But the truth is, I wouldn’t have been able to attend school without borrowing the money. All I have to do now is graduate with my J.D., pass the Bar, and land a job. NBD, right?

It is completely possible to be responsible with your loan money (and pay it back later). To accomplish such a feat, you need to set a budget and, possibly, make a few lifestyle changes. Getting through law school is hard enough without worrying about how many hours you need to work this week to pay rent, bills, and feed yourself.

Trust me on this, take stock of what it is you owe, how much it will cost you in the long run, and make a plan to pay it off! I strongly recommend making interest-only payments while in school. It will help lower your payments slightly. Every little bit helps!

Once you graduate and ace the Bar, you’ll have a job paying you more monies than you’ve made in a long while – so you’re going to need to set yourself up to pay off those loans (rather than blowing an entire paycheck on prosciutto and bubbly). Make good choices!

Have questions? Email me at cerebellumchef@gmail.com

Tags #StudentLoans, cost of education, debt, debt repayment, student loans

Daily Dose Law School

Venting Frustrations

Attending law school as a former educator can sometimes be incredibly upsetting. For example – our professors recently started speaking about “unpacking concepts,” and I swear, I almost thought I was sitting in the back row of a professional development meeting ~~about to die~~. I damn near fainted. How in the hell, did Texas TEKS end up gurgling into my law classes?

I thought pursuing law school might mean I would no longer teach.
But I was soooo very wrong. I think I spend more time teaching classmates [and re-teaching myself] concepts throughout the day – and it’s freaking exhausting. At least my high-schoolers took my word as gospel…law students, not so much. We question everything. It’s both beautiful and terrible. I kind of hate it, but usually only when I’m trying to explain it, and then having a friend question my process. I found myself thinking that – if it frustrates me…how much does it frustrate our professors?

Here we are, a bunch of grown-ass adults, complaining about how we interpreted the statute. It is honestly laughable to me that we (as a collective group of law students) seem to think that *we* know more than our professors [you know, the peeps at the front of the class that hold shiny bar cards and have years of practical experience on us].

Why is that a thing? Why do so many of us think it’s acceptable to argue/back-talk a professor over anything other than a substantial topic in class? [Let me clarify, debating a point in class may be useful, but arguing with a professor for the sake of trying to “one-up” them is just not classy. Neither is arguing over an exam in class]. Judges don’t like smart-asses. Why form a bad habit in law school?

Personally, I feel that any grade issues or concerns should be addressed during office hours. Any questions regarding content and confusion could be asked in class, especially if you know a few friends also struggled with that issue.

Now, I do understand that not everyone feels comfortable speaking to a professor one-on-one, but I can promise you they don’t bite. In fact, they’ll probably be happy to help you. I highly recommend you visit a professor if you’re grappling with a concept, or even having a difficult time with their teaching style. Whatever the issue – be kind and courteous when addressing it.

This post isn’t meant to stir anyone into a frenzy. I merely think we should (as students, and adults) be mindful of the questions we ask, as well as the tone in which we frame them. Professors are [usually] seasoned veterans of the legal profession. It makes no difference if you are 21 or 61 – if you’re in law school, then they have years of experience above you. Be respectful of their teaching and their time. Teaching is incredibly hard, and not every great attorney will be a great teacher. It’s a sad fact.

Don’t misunderstand me. I get that law school is upsetting, and sometimes you don’t make the exact grade you want. But here’s the deal – you are not your grades! The goal is to learn how to deal with the setbacks and keep chugging along.

What you, my dear law school friend, need to focus on boils down to this:

Learn from your mistakes
- You don’t like your last quiz score, or the feedback you received sucked – then go talk to your professor and figure out how to fix it.
Study Like Your Livelihood Depends on It
- Because it does. If you want to be an attorney – graduating is only HALF the battle. You still have to pass the bar, yo!
Don’t be an Ass-hat
- Your professors will become your colleagues. One of my professors, Mike Maslanka, told our class one day, “Once you pass the bar. We are equals.” What he didn’t say is that we may be equals, but his network and connections far exceed the capabilities of my own. How do you think a professor you were rude to is going to react when you ask for help securing an associate position? #FatChance

Be awesome. Do good things. Don’t be a jerkwad.

Tags @MikeMaslanka, law student, learning, Teaching, Vent Session

Daily Dose

Love & Law School

Friendships are incredibly important to your life balance and ultimate happiness. This notion is even more crucial in school and, in my honest opinion, more-so in graduate school – where you’re testing the very limits of your own capacity to achieve and persevere. [Translation: Law school is hard, yo.]

Law school is an institution that can cultivate deep, long-lasting relationships; law school will break you down. Everyone gets brain fatigue. Everyone needs to vent. Everyone struggles.

And that is perfectly alright.
The struggle is what makes the reward sweeter. Those gold Bar cards are the light at the end of the tunnel. But, I’ll be blunt – you simply cannot get there on your own.

Best friends are hard to find. When you do find them, hold on tight.

As an example – 2 of my dear friends, both who I met in law school, will be my bridesmaids. They are just as important as the amazing friends I met in high school, at Baylor, or while teaching. The people you mesh with are simply good for your soul. Once you find someone that speaks directly to who you are, I believe it is your solemn responsibility to keep them and be their friend. Build each other up!

It may seem cheesy, but I do my best to breathe positivity into damn near everyone, in every situation. That said, sometimes my friends [and yours] need a boost in confidence, an extra hug, a few kinds words – do whatever you can to make them feel amazing and brilliant.

Why?

Friends are worth the effort, y’all. You will need each other to lean on, especially during those crazy late-nights, while stuck frantically reading through your Wills, or Family Law, or Property Outlines because you have an exam the next morning and are ::completely:: freaking out! You’re going to want to call someone who (is also awake at 3am) needs to take a break and discuss the finer points of Bridezillas or Housewives of L.A. – trust me, you need those peeps. I damn sure know I need mine. They’re amazing men and women who lift me up when I need it, and knock me down a few pegs when I need that too.

Cherish every moment you spend with these wonderful people. Hug them, hard. Love them forever. They will get you through your crap-tastic days, and be there for you during finals season, when you’ve studied so long you can’t remember how to get home. [Seriously, those moments have happened]

I guess what I’m trying to say is – don’t forget about your friends! Law school is rough, but its even harder to walk those struggles without helping hands. My besties are fantastic, and I make sure to let them know it, often.

Happy Valentine’s Day, my lovelies!

Tags Law school advice, love, valentines day

Daily Dose Recipes

Breakfast Prep!

Rolling out of bed and getting the day started is not as fun when the Texas weather refuses to pick a season. This past week brought temperatures ranging from 28 degrees to 70 degrees. With classes in full swing, the motivating factor to get me up and at ’em is the withering stare I’d receive from my morning professors for interrupting their classes. [There’s really not a whole lot worse (class-wise) than ending up on a professor’s sh*t list.]

I’ve tried to think up creative ways to get me out the door faster, because having two doggos makes it quite difficult to leave home (and the snuggles) for Business Law. In an effort to be more focused (and work toward accomplishing these goals), I started meal-prepping both breakfast and lunch. It’s not as massive of an undertaking as you might expect. I figured I was spending about an hour and a half, each day, cooking and eating dinner. Most days, I was forgetting to eat breakfast or, in a more costly fashion, simply picking up a muffin with my morning Starbucks coffee run.

In case you’re keeping track, that’s $1.95 for a muffin + 4.45 for a caramel macchiato.
On mornings where I was running late, I spent an average of $7 each morning. Habitually late weeks meant an added $30 expense for the week, just for myself. Add in the Fiancee (who usually commutes with me), and that expense is now double. I’m not saying the occasional splurge is bad, instead, I’m suggesting a re-prioritization of expenses. Between the time-suck and the over-spending, I found myself frustrated…deliciously warm with my “christmas-in-a-cup,” but still, not entirely pleased.

Deciding I’d rather use my weekday evenings to relax a bit, or ::gasp:: read/prep MORE for class, it made the most sense to add a breakfast prep to my Sunday routine.

Enter: Overnight Oats!

Picture courtesy of J. Ezell, a fellow classmate with a love of Oats.

This recipe is super easy to follow, or even customize for other add-ins. I make a large batch on Sunday, and it usually carries us through to Thursday morning. This recipe makes about (10) 1.25cup servings. Both the Beau & I just grab one container each on our way out the door, and I tend to eat mine during class. My professor’s don’t seem to mind, and it actually helps keep me engaged in the lecture. How often do use snacks to keep you focused?

What you’ll need:
16 oz. of oatmeal, steel cut is a good option. Just do NOT get instant!
5 cups of milk (I use 1%, but you could opt for your favorite almond or cashew milk)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
8 oz. of raisins (or another fruit option of your choice)
½ cup of white sugar, if you’d like sweeter oatmeal
— Note: Use 2 smashed bananas instead of the sugar for a natural sugar substitute!
1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon
¼ cup of chia seeds

Directions
1. Pour all ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix the all ingredients in a large bowl.
3.    Portion out 1 cup to 1.25 cup servings
4.    Place in refrigerator, leave overnight.
5.    Eat cold the next morning, or microwave for about 90 seconds.

I am currently in love with apple+cinnamon, blueberry+banana, and cinnamon+raisin overnight oats. These breakfast meals are ridiculously easy to prepare, and even more scrumptious to devour!

Now you have more time to ~~dance in your undies~~ be a serious adult in the morning and get lawyering stuff done! You go, Glen Coco!

How does your breakfast get you started?

Tags #Breakfast, #LawSchoolEats, #MealPrep, Overnight Oats

Advice Daily Dose Law School

Spring Semester Goals

It’s really odd to think about being half-way done with law school.
Time flies when you’re ~~drowning in~~ enjoying case law, I guess.

Despite the law school struggles, I am incredibly thankful for making it thus far. There’s a helluvalot of work that goes into prepping for class, attending networking events, and maintaining up-to-date writing samples plus a resume. Seriously though – the effort is worth every ounce of energy you expel.

I went into fall 2017 finals feeling a bit deflated. I’d worked incredibly hard to prepare for all my exams, and just felt like I was coming up short. Dean’s List seemed like over-reaching. The fall semester was, for some unknown reason, just not as focused as I wanted it to be. [To be clear, I was unfocused.] I think I may have gotten dangerously close to burn-out.

I figure this semester deserves a fiercer beginning. I made sure to get off on the right foot, made it to class early to get a seat (although, I kind of cheated and had a friend save my favorite seat because I knew she was in the same classroom just before my earliest class), meal-prepped for the week, and updated my calendar for both class and study purposes. What brought this on? I was super inspired by this quote:

Be addicted to the feeling of having your life together.

How awesome is that? I kind of assume everyone has goals in life, so this quote makes complete sense to me. I think I’d go even further than wanting the feeling, and actually shooting to make your goals a reality.

What does it mean to you to have your life “together?”

My mom always reminds my brothers and I about “getting our PIG,” which stands for “Poop in a Group.” It’s a polite, southern momma’s way of saying “Get your Shit Together.”

Right now, together [for me] revolves around these goals:

Read everything for class. If not for my own self-improvement, then at least to avoid feeling like an idiot in class. [hey, who said I’m not up front?]
Run three times a week. I love running. I love it almost more than reading [which is saying a whole lot], but since I hurt my back several weeks ago, I haven’t been able to run at all. Visiting my chiropractor has improved my mobility a whole heap!
Spend Less. Law school is expensive enough without adding in lunch runs, coffee networking sessions, and purchasing extra supplements to help you through a class. My biggest expenditure is coffee. I’ve started setting my coffee maker the night before and waking up to that enticing aroma makes it sooo much easier to get out of bed. Since we are also planning for our wedding later this year, keeping that $200 a month in our bank account, instead of spending it out of sheer laziness, makes a huge difference in a short amount of time.
Participate more. I sometimes feel that being part of so many law school organizations and law review means I’m active enough. This is only true, outside of class. I need to participate more in class; speak up and volunteer when a professor questions the ether. It forces me to not just prepare for class, but to really think about how the law applies to various situations. After all, the end goal is to become a practicing attorney!

This semester, I plan to dedicate more time to everything I need to do, and spend waaay less time on distractors. I highly recommend you evaluate your own performance, as well as the goals you set for yourself.

Be productive. Work hard. Make the grade!

Tags 2L, Burn out, goals, Law School Thoughts

Daily Dose Law School

Law School F-Up

Today kind of sucked. Mostly because the textbook market failed me. Supply/Demand curves, yo.

I needed a ConLaw book for a class, specifically – the 5th edition.
Since I don’t have a million dollars, I pay for my schooling (including books) with loans, and can’t purchase my texts with blood or tissue samples [my undergrad was secured by promising my first-born to the Baylor Line] – I am careful with my funds and purchasing.

Imagine my surprise when I paid for 3 versions of the same freaking textbook, because ALL THREE orders were cancelled.

Thanks for nothing, Chegg.

Instead of getting my book 8 days before class, I am still waiting for it.
Class #1 was today.
I was supposed to have prepped almost 60 pages of reading, and I wasn’t anywhere near my level of preparedness.
Ain’t that a kick in the teeth?

Sure, I went to the library…but it just wasn’t enough.
I am terrible about taking notes outside of my textbook. I prefer to book-brief, because I can write the notes directly in the text, and will never be caught off guard by obscure (“where are you reading that?”) professor questions.

Want to know what’s worse than not having a textbook for a law class, and not having your amazing notes to rely on?

Getting pegged right out of the damn gates.

Welcome to First Amendment.
Miss Dill, tell us what’s going on in Reed v. Town of Gilbert?

Well damn. I can’t say ‘I’m unprepared.’
So I recited the facts. – Cool.
I stated the issue, not anywhere near eloquent.
Then, I stammered and failed to answer a question (which I highlighted!) ugh.

A classmate jumped in to save me…and pointed out the page she’s reading from, plus the exact paragraph. I know she probably meant to be helpful, but it didn’t feel too great.

I loathe being unprepared. This situation, and others like it, are made significantly worse when you can’t B.S. your way through it.
And you know what? It’s pretty damn hard to B.S. a law professor.

At this point, I have 2 options:
1. Wallow
2. Put on my game face, get my book (yes, eCampus saved me) tomorrow, and prepare for my next class.

Learn from me, people!

If you’ve had a minor setback, or even a super embarrassing class fail, do your best to dust yourself (and your ego) off. Keep moving forward. One crummy afternoon will not define your legal career.
Trust me.

Get out there and be awesome.

Tags 2L, LawSchoolProblems, Vent Session

Daily Dose

Bookstore Proposal

This year, the Beau & I celebrated our 10th anniversary!
10 years, y’all. There’s a ton of dance-offs, snort-laughs, and late night star-gazing wrapped up in that decade. This amazing man, who I was pretty sure I had pegged (and knew full-well he couldn’t keep a secret), managed to catch me by surprise.

As a law student, you know surprise anything (unless it’s wine and dark chocolate cake) rarely ends well. My calendar was hectic, I was planning a law school event for the Sports & Entertainment Law Association, and there were more things in the air than I care to admit. So, when this man added events to my calendar, without checking with me first…

I just about lost my damn mind. What kind of shenanigans are these?!?! He’d blocked off an entire day in my calendar and, what was worse, all of the time frames he blocked off were so vague: “brunch,” “dinner,” “adventure.”
My brain does not do well with adventuring during the school year. I am a highly-planned individual and am task-oriented – you know this. That said, I can appreciate the need to veg out in front of a show or even traipse across Dallas at the drop of a hat for some really great Emporium Pies slices. This instance, my dear readers, was both wonderful and terrifying.

I had no real idea of what he wanted to do, but he’d clearly planned the day. What surprised me even most? I went along with it. I was happily allowing him to coordinate my day, up until a classmate threw a wrench in his plans.

One of my classmates dropped the ball on a group assignment, leaving it to me to complete…at the last freaking minute. Talk about a kick in the pants. Ugh.
Instead of our “adventure,” I had to head back home and work on the project, which proceeded to take two+ hours. During this time, the Beau said he was going to step out and come back to get me for dinner. He seemed really worried, but assured me that my assignment was priority – so I trudged on and completed it. #HeIsAKeeper

During the time I worked on the assignment, the calendar changed and pinged at me – the 2-hour drive to dinner was removed. According to my iCal, I had one hour to get ready before we had to leave for dinner. We’ve started somewhat of a tradition of celebrating big moments by enjoying a great meal at various Dallas steakhouses. This anniversary dinner fell to Truluck’s and it was exceptional! We enjoyed a seafood tower, wedge salad, lobster mashed potatoes, spinach, and two steaks: prime ribeye + filet.

The creamed spinach was delicious, but I was sad I agreed to adding the gorgonzola to my steak; not such a great combination. By this point in dinner, we’d begun talking about gifts (the Beau received a Nintendo Switch) and just how happy we were together. It’s true. Everything was cheesy (grade A Wisconsin), but wonderfully sweet. We discussed our plans, where we hope to be in our careers in two years, and we joked about how time seems to have stood still. [It certainly doesn’t feel like we’ve been together for the better part of a decade]. It was comfortable conversation.

Then he blurts out “do you want to know what I got you? Because, you can’t actually open it.”

::intrigued:: I nodded.

He simply said “Books. I am getting you books, to fill the bookshelves I am going to build in the living room. We are going to Barnes & Noble and you have no budget. Buy whatever you’d like.”

You guys. STAHP. I started happy-crying at the table, because – I’ve literally waited my entire life to hear those words. Everything was building up to this moment. On my face was this ridiculous grin, from ear-to-ear. I cannot even begin to describe the level of happiness I found myself floating on. After we finished dessert, Angel and I left for the bookstore; this girl’s second-most happiest place.

As we walked up to the doors, he told me “since Barnes & Noble doesn’t have shopping carts, I asked a few friends to help us carry your books.” When I looked inside the store, there they were – some of the best friends a girl and guy could ask for.

Everyone was so happy to help me run around and carry books. I hit up all the box-sets my collection lacked, ran to snag a few classics, and even thumbed through some new material I hadn’t had a chance to check out before. All the while, I’m piling books onto the guys, while Ashli & Melissa help me find other titles they knew I wanted.

[What I didn’t know, until later, was that each one of these wonderful people was in on the surprise. My heart is so full.]

After hauling everything to the checkout counter, and when everything was totaled, TJ handed me a book saying, “Sarah, you forgot this one!” ::gasp::

Only, I already had the original cover-art version of the Artemis Fowl book he handed me. So I replied, “No, TJ. I already have this book.” And I handed it back to him.

But he refused to take it back. He said, “No, you need this. Open it.”

Annoyed, I opened the book:

Angel dropped to his knee, and proposed. With a Book. And a snowflake ring, which he designed. I thought cloud nine was hearing about my book shopping spree, but I was wrong.
Everything about his proposal was beautifully-crafted, and wonderfully executed – despite the hilarious events that caused him to change his prior plans. All the while, I was blissfully unaware that he planned anything other than my amazing gift.

The beau did everything just right. He asked my mom for my hand, got down on one knee, and had friends capture the moment. All I can say is that I am one lucky girl.

Best. Proposal. Ever.