May 31, 2011

Back to training, but with a twist for the next few months.  My upcoming races are all night races in an effort to avoid the Texas summer heat.  Night races will be a unique beast for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, I'm afraid of the dark, so my shrieks will be incredibly entertaining for the other runners.  Second, processing how to navigate a trail in the dark with only a flashlight and headlamp is a skill I don't quite have.  Tonight was my first night run out at the Greenbelt on the outer loop, along the ridge, down the power line and hill of death, across sculpture falls, and up the super highway and hill of life.  Running with a group this evening kept my fear of the dark at bay and, although I had a few precarious trips on roots and rocks, there were no tumbles tonight.  At this rate, it's going to be a great summer for running!

May 30, 2011

As I find out my Uncle David will be deployed to Iraq this weekend, coupled with a long family history of military service, Memorial Day took on a special significance of remembrance and a renewed sense of awareness this year.  The sacrifices our service members make for this country are overwhelming and it is important to recognize their service and honor them.  Behind all of the shopping sales, water skiing, and American flag-decorated angel food cake is a tradition of which we should not lose sight.  To celebrate this year, we held an all-American barbecue, complete with burgers and hotdogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, and pink lemonade.  The dogs chased each other and wrestled, the music was turned up, and the Army soldiers in attendance were dually saluted and handed a cold one.  Many thanks to the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard; happy Memorial Day!

May 29, 2011

The only negative aspect about brunch is its insistence on forcing me to miss Meet the Press on Sunday mornings.  Otherwise, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it: hot coffee, mimosas, delicious food, and a nice rehashing of the weekend's happenings.  We wanted to visit our go-to brunch restaurant, Taverna, but they were too busy to accommodate a large party so we went to Austin Java instead.  I didn't realize it was a full restaurant rather than just a coffee shop; breakfast was surprisingly good and dirt cheap, although they don't offer dollar mimosas like Taverna.  The best part of brunch today, however, was finding out Meet the Press is on Hulu, which means I can enjoy both of my favorites on Sundays.  If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press...and brunch.  Sundays just reached perfection status.

May 28, 2011

I'm a fan of celebrations: weddings, birthdays, completing the week successfully.  You name it, I'll celebrate it.  Tonight we celebrated a more traditional occassion, Adnan's birthday, in style at the W Hotel's Living Room Lounge.  Each of the four different rooms is absolutely amazing with high ceilings, rich and warm colors, and unique decor combining Austin weird with Texas-style class.  Although the lounge was packed with people, we were able to snag seating along an entire wall to enjoy the evening comfortably.  A few cognacs, stilettos, and much laughter later, I believe Adnan had a birthday celebration worthy of record.  We certainly are going to be hard-pressed to top the experience with future birthday celebrations.  Happiest of birthdays, Adnan!  

May 27, 2011

As usual when a semester is ending, I go into hiding, coming up for air only for food, a brief reprieve on the lake, or special occasions. This means I don't see many of my friends or family, or those who constitute both, until after the last final is taken and the last paper is submitted. I finally was able to reconnect with a few of these people this evening at Nadia's weekly dinner. She and I got to catch up, just the two of us, and were joined later by Dustin. Unfortunately, a few others were caught up in summer activities or the recording studio, and I wasn't able to see them before I left for the evening. Regardless, the three of us had a great time over lemon herb primavera pasta and pork chops, for Nadia, Dustin, Andy, and Lawrence, that is. It was a pleasant way to feel right back at home after my hibernation in D.C. 

May 26, 2011

Five cities, four states, and five modes of transportation later, I finally crossed the Travis County line tonight.  Such a relaxing feeling in my book, which is exactly what I needed after today's travel calamity.  As I settled in line at the United check-in counter two hours before my flight, I received a phone call announcing my flight to Chicago had been cancelled.  After waiting on hold with United for nearly half an hour, I was told all later flights to Chicago were full, and no seats were available to get me to Austin by the end of the day.  My best bet to get off of a plane in Austin was to wait until tomorrow morning.  Instead of waiting, I decided to rebook through Cleveland to Houston without really knowing how I would get to Austin from there.  After spending another half an hour on hold, I was told all of the flights from Houston to Austin also were booked solid and, again, I would have to wait until the following morning to get a flight to Austin.  Rather than demonstrating even a modicum of patience, I reserved a rental from Houston to Austin, determined to fall asleep in my own bed tonight.  Fourteen hours later, I crossed the Travis County line in my rickety Chevy Aveo, somehow without caffeine, and am grateful to be home in my own bed, safe and sound.

May 25, 2011

A popular new trend in D.C. has been league softball and kickball on the National Mall, in the shadow of the Capitol and the Washington Monument.  I was able to take part in this new past time tonight, subbing in for Shannon on her kickball league.  We definitely lost the game, almost by the mercy rule, but it was worth the view and the feeling of playing an all-American sport on the ultimate all-American lawn: the National Mall.  It was also a really wonderful and relaxing way to end a fantastic week-long vacation to one of my favorite cities.  I will be back soon, whether for vacation or permanently I'm not yet sure.  

May 24, 2011

I'm not sure if there's anything more appropriate than a baseball game to ring in the start of summer.  This evening we headed to Baltimore to catch the Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals with a walk-off home run.  Besides getting to see a fantastic bottom of the ninth, we were graced by an incredible stroke of good luck and kindness when a girl gave us three free tickets right behind home plate.  As it turns out, her brother is a relief pitcher for the Orioles and she had extra tickets for the game she wasn't using.  Since there were five of us with only three free tickets to go around, we split the cost of two more seats behind home plate and enjoyed the game from the best seats in the stadium for only $20 a person.  The only thing that would have made the night a touch more perfect would have been a foul ball our way, but lucky beggars can't be greedy choosers, right? 

May 23, 2011

After a short run and an hour of yoga, I was ready for our cupcake crawl, similar to a pub crawl but a bit sweeter and a tad loopier.  We chose six different cupcake establishments around D.C. and walked from place to place, which was mostly designed to cancel out the onslaught of sugary calories we were ingesting.  We started at Hello Cupcake, then off to Red Velvet, then Cake Love, eating a couple bites of one cupcake from each.  We took a short reprieve in a coffee shop, Busboys and Poets, to allow the sugar to level off before proceeding to M Street for Sprinkles and baked & wired.  The pièce de résistance, or so we had hoped, was Georgetown Cupcake.  All in all, my favorite was the Unporked Elvis at baked & wired.  I felt my heart break into a million tiny pieces as I threw away most of the banana cake covered in peanut butter icing drizzled with chocolate syrup.  A successfully juxtaposed day, to say the least: miles of walking and miles of sugar.

May 22, 2011

I don't think I've ever had a more relaxing Sunday than today.  After a breakfast of cold pasta, my favorite, and a quick trip to Trader Joe's, I went back to sleep for a glorious three hour nap while Shannon started preparing dinner for our little gathering tonight.  So I don't come off as a horrible friend, I must say I didn't intend on sleeping for three hours and I was planning on helping Shannon get everything ready, but such was not in the cards once I curled up in my warm nest of blankets.  We spent the rest of the evening with friends, new and old, enjoying baked brie, a delicious salad, bread-crusted chicken for the omnivores, General Tso's-style popcorn tofu for the herbivores, and an amazing baked apple desert with ice cream.  After dinner, and helping clean up this time, I fell right back to sleep as if I hadn't ever awoken from my nap.  A perfectly relaxing Sunday. 

May 21, 2011

What a beautiful day in Washington for a race!  Shannon and I made our way to Fletcher's Cove near Georgetown for the Run for Freedom 5K benefiting the Bridge to Freedom Foundation.  It was sunny, a bit muggy, and all kinds of gorgeous as we ran along the C&O Canal Towpath.  About 250 people ran the race and, as always, everyone was so encouraging and had smiles plastered on their faces throughout.  The smaller races tend to be so much more enjoyable because of camaraderie accompanying the run.  After finishing, we, eventually, caught a cab home to get ready for an amazing post-race lunch at Black Salt Fish Market.  Such a perfect race day gets me jazzed for the Tejas Trails races later this summer.  

May 20, 2011

Three hours on the road found us in Charlottesville today to visit the University of Virginia and find Shannon a place to live for August when she starts law school in the fall.  With the unpredictable rain, this was the best picture I could get of the best parts of the campus Thomas Jefferson built, leaving him penniless.  I always enjoy spending time on other campuses, imagining what it would have been like to go to school here, there, or wherever.  Tucked in among the Virginia hills, the University of Virginia is an absolutely stunning campus with perfectly maintained lawns and gorgeous architecture.  While we didn't have enough time to explore the entire campus, I was struck by its simple beauty and, despite its age, its contemporary appeal.  It's an inspiring campus, explaining the University and its graduates' reputation.

May 19, 2011

While we enjoyed a wonderful meal at Tabaq Bistro, interesting company at The Front Page, and great music at Garrett's today, the real story was my successful arrival in Washington D.C.  Due to a poorly set alarm clock, I barely woke up before Danielle was at my apartment, bright and early, to take me to the airport, giving me fifteen minutes to do my hair and last minute things (Thank you, Danielle!).  Despite this, I got to the airport on time, got a coffee, and went to my gate with a few minutes to spare.  The true test, however, was on the flight from Chicago, where I had the pleasure of sitting next to the female version of Gary Busey.  She was interested to know why I was "opposed to fun" in between her ordering double screwdrivers on an hour and a half flight and yelling at other passengers for talking.  I'm curious to know how she defines "fun," although I think I caught a glimpse of it today.  I was afraid I was going to become a casualty of her wrath if I didn't play my cards correctly.  Thankfully, I arrived safely with nothing worse than an absolutely fantastic story. Welcome to Washington, D.C.!

May 18, 2011

It's finally time to take a long vacation.  I've been on a handful of trips in the recent past: a few weekend getaways, some business trips, and one rather sad trek to Montana, but no true vacations.  Today I spent the day getting ready for my weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., one of my favorite cities in the world.  I have been looking forward to this for months now.  Today I blitzed around town to the bank, Nordstrom for some last minute shopping, to the journal office to catch up on some work, and finally to my closet to pack everything I can fit into one bag.  I'm praying I've remembered everything; I'm notorious for forgetting to bring essentials, like pants.  I guess we'll see whether I live up to this tendency over the course of this next week!

Mary 17, 2011

Half the year isn't even through and tonight marked the second going away party for a good friend of mine.  Laura has accepted an amazing job in Des Moines, Iowa and will be leaving in a week.  Laura and I have become friends over the past year while at Texas and I'm really going to miss her happy and hilarious personality while she is off building an amazing career.  In her honor, we threw her a beer and pizza party, as these are two of her favorite things.  Everyone brought either a pizza from a unique Austin pizzeria, or a unique beer, or both!  We had piles of pizza and almost ran out of room in the fridge for the beer.  Good thing Laura is loved by many because all of the pizza and nearly all of the beer was consumed as countless people came by to wish her well.  We will miss you Laura!

May 16, 2011

This has been one hell of a semester.  When I think back on it, and realize everything I've done just in the past few months, I'm surprised I haven't dropped dead from exhaustion or haven't been committed for going insane.  Everything from class, to mock trial, to the journal, and back again has been pulling me in so many different directions, not to mention life outside of school.  Today was the sweet release of all of this stress and anxiety over a (few) cold beers at Crown and Anchor.  Besides celebrating the end of my 2L year, we also celebrated Jerry, Danielle, Kate, and Laura's finishing of law school, which is amazing and an object of envy for me.  Now it's onward to summer work and, hopefully, relaxation.

May 15, 2011

After two and a half days of nonchalance, this little guy depicts the tenor of today quite well.  I should have forgone the lake and the Draught House in favor of studying for my professional responsibility exam, as my increasing anxiety levels today demonstrate.  Discussing concepts of the course with classmates has proven this reality and has made me a bundle of nerves and jumpiness.  Thankfully, when business needs to be taken care of, I know how to buckle down and take care of it.  I did more practice exams through CALI, BarBri, and past exam essays.  I also read through the relevant rules and comments.  Hopefully I've recovered enough from my bout of irresponsibility to gain sufficient ground for this exam.  Only two hours time tomorrow will tell.  Just keep calm and carry on, at this point.

May 14, 2011

Alice and Dustin have been together since freshman year of college and tonight, they finally got married.  Watching their relationship over the years has been such a blessing, and being able to be a part of their celebration was an even greater one.  Although we've been talking for years about how great this wedding would be, I don't think our imaginations quite met the mark.  It was incredible to witness all of our friends from over the years come tonight; we all picked up right where we left off and spent the evening dancing to live music, reminiscing about college, and celebrating this special moment with Alice and Dustin.

May 13, 2011

I'm a sucker for Texas sunshine and trips to the lake.  In my mind, very little is so important that it cannot wait until after a couple hours are spent out on the boat.  Life is simply better when part of it is spent on the water.  With a new boat in the family just in time for summer, studying was put on the back burner once again in favor of a relaxing cruise around Lake Austin, followed by dinner at an old favorite, Waterloo Ice House.  I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer, re-learning how to water ski, avoiding blistering sunburns, and relaxing out on Lake Austin.

May 12, 2011

There's no better way to learn professional responsibility than by discussing it over a hefeweizen or two with some professionals, right? Tonight the lawyers, engineers, and business professionals met at the Draught House to celebrate ending semesters for some, the finishing of law school for others, and successful doctoral programs for yet a few more. It was such a pleasant night, all of us squeezed around a table on the patio, discussing very little of anything related to law or engineering. It's easy to get wrapped up in and only talk about law, so it was really refreshing to escape it tonight. I'm looking forward to summer happy hours, unencumbered by the voice in the back of my head telling me I really should be studying.

May 11, 2011

Three down, one final and one paper to go. It was difficult to get motivated to study for my evidence exam. I had my mnemonics and I knew I would be taking the Texas and federal rules of evidence into the exam with me, so I just didn't have the fear in me as with other exams. Sometimes semi-open exams are a bit more challenging than closed book exams because of the false sense of security. However challenging today's exam was or was not (I genuinely have no idea how to describe it), a little over three hours and thirty seven pages of questions later, evidence is now behind me. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I thought I had an extra fifteen minutes and found myself in a bit of a rush when five minutes was called. We'll see how it all shakes out in a few weeks.

May 10, 2011

Evidently, I have a final exam tomorrow afternoon.  I'll admit, the exam tests concepts relevant to practice, but the application of the concepts simply seem to waste time and are more misleading than they are helpful.  To me, this seems to counsel against giving them much weight.  However, perhaps I am biased against exams as a general matter and therefore, lack any credibility whatsoever.  On the other hand, some experts have indicated their skepticism about the value of testing, although such opinions may also simply be unreliable without further testing and acceptance in the field.  Regardless . . . I give up, I can't come up with anymore puns based on the rules of evidence.  I'm ready for this exam to be over so I can stop spotting evidentiary issues everywhere and making objectionable jokes at every available opportunity. 

May 9, 2011

And another one bites the dust.  Today was my higher education and the law final exam.  This was probably one of my favorite courses in law school, which I did not expect when I registered for the course.  We discussed the professional definition of academic freedom and the protections of tenure, in comparison with the Court's definition of academic freedom and how the First and Fourteenth Amendments fit in to the mix.  This exam, thankfully, wasn't as demanding as my race and sex discrimination final last week.  Having studied from past exams, I knew I wasn't going to encounter anything unexpected.  For as many professors who love to twist the minds of their students beyond recognition and necessity on an exam, there are just as many professors who are content to write challenging and fair ones.  This was one of the latter exams.

May 8, 2011

I love the evenings before a final exam.  I stop studying around 5-5:30 p.m., clean up around the apartment, and relax.  Sometimes I even get a little light reading done.  Unfortunately, even though I go to bed at the normal hour of 11 p.m., my study schedule up to this point also means I won't be falling asleep until 2 a.m.  Regardless, pre-final nights are like a "reset" button, allowing my body to catch up and reposition itself for the next marathon of studying. My brain takes a breather, while I kick back and slow everything down to a crawl.  Just seven more days until kicking back is the norm again.

May 7, 2011

My horoscope tells me "passion is one thing, but obsession is something else" and I just need to "let go." Because I've effectively shut myself off from the world and everything in it except for anything relevant to law school during this finals season, I assume my horoscope can only be referring to my recent "obsession" with Freebirds. I'm not sure I'd label it an "obsession," as opposed to a circumstance of convenience, but I digress. Regardless, I took the advice of the person who, allegedly, has the expertise necessary to opine about the implications on my life of planetary alignments and astral configurations and decided to "let go" of Freebirds today. Instead, I went to Fricano's, a tiny Italian deli on Speedway. While it was a decent sandwich, and this may be the "obsession" talking, I simply don't think Fricano's beats Freebirds as a better finals meal to such an degree so as to justify my horoscope in concluding the change will "make life easier all round." Sorry; maybe next time, astral expert. 

May 6, 2011

And on to the next: evidence.  Evidence met at 8:13 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.  I may be a morning person, but it doesn't mean my brain is anything near functional when I wake up.  Because I tended to be more of a zombie than a responsive human being on these mornings, evidence was more a lesson in transcription than an active process of learning.  Thus, I find myself at the end of the semester with two sets of rules, a forty page outline, and not a clue where to begin.  So, I did the only logical thing: I started handwriting my outline while listening to Professor Goode's evidence CDs, condensing, comparing the Texas and federal rules, and coming up with mnemonics: PA-Hear-PICCASO-BROWN (the entire course); BAD-SPLITS-PEPPI-FM (hearsay exceptions); MIAmI-COP (acceptable purposes for offering proof of other bad acts); BICCC (methods of impeachment).  Along with my lovely mnemonics, I also have a hand covered in black ink and highlighter of five different colors.  I guess we'll call it a productive day?

May 5, 2011

Every semester during finals I become a daily visitor of Freebirds.  It's quick, cheap, and generally means I don't have to eat dinner later.  I've also discovered it is good brain food.  Today was the day the staff not only recognized me, but asked my how my first final had gone, and how studying was progressing for the next one.  I've been there everyday for almost a week straight at this point, but the consistency is worth it.  Plus, I'm not really focused so much on the taste, as much as satisfying the hunger pangs after realizing I haven't eaten since 7:30 a.m.  Moreover, they're always so genuinely cheerful and tend to commiserate with my sorry finals existence, rather than pretend life is all butterflies and fixed-gear bicycles like the folks at George's Cafe in the law school.  Well done, Freebirds.  Well done.

May 4, 2011

The time between "time's up" and a post-final meal is when things are just a bit strange.  Everyone looks around at each other, laughing nervously and being just a touch more deliberate as they pack their things away.  This is where the doubt sets in: you start going over your answers, second guessing yourself and feeling a drop in your gut as you realize how you should have answered the question.  But it's too late now.  So, instead of focusing on what you should have done, you begin to rationalize your performance as the best you could do, given what you had.  And slowly, all of the negativity begins to dissipate, as it must, because there's just another exam waiting in the wings.  For me, this roller coaster of doubt, however, was worth the feeling of simply being done with the hardest exam I've had in law school.

May 3, 2011

Question:  what is the best part about the period of time between the last day of class and the end of finals?  Answer: textbook buy-backs.  It's so convenient.  Not only do I get to unload the pounds of books I've been lugging around all semester, but I also get a source of funding for all of the carry-out, snacks, and caffeine I consume while studying.  Since I basically take two weeks off from work during finals every semester, the extra "free" cash helps make up the difference.

May 2, 2011

Before I can sit down to study, I have to "get everything squared away."  I have to get caught up on emails, troll Facebook for a while, check my horoscope, read the news . . . you get the idea.  This process can take anywhere from ten minutes to a few hours and it is amazing what I decide I simply must take care of before I start studying.  Thankfully (in a pathetic sense of the term, since willpower is apparently no longer sufficient), I found a program that blocks me from accessing any website I place on a "Blacklist."  Once I activate the program, I can't access any of these websites or servers until the end of the time frame I've chosen.  I've been able to figure out how to game the system for some of the websites, which just indicates how averse I am to studying at any given time, but by and large, the program is successful at keeping me on task.  With the time crunch between my last race and sex discrimination class today and the final on Wednesday morning, this program was essential today.  Unfortunately, I seem to have been too productive and have two more hours before I can get back to my "squaring away" business.

May 1, 2011

After a morning warm-up run, I was ready for round two: me versus the Fourteenth Amendment.  Today has proven to be a bit more fruitful and productive as to the broader concepts of the course, but this remains a frustrating final to study for.  For most finals, working past exams will undoubtedly be the best preparation for the exam.  For this final, though, this doesn't seem to be the case.  Knowing how to answer a previous question simply will not prepare you for how to answer the questions on the actual exam.  Every prior exam question I've read examines the course material from a distinct angle, which is beyond frustrating and anxiety-inducing.  I'm just hoping each prior exam was tailored to the unique discussions that arose during the semester.

April 30, 2011

The tools of studying: caffeine for energy, spill-proof straw for sipping (for the drinking challenged among us), oatmeal for brain power, headphones for drowning out distractions, and snacks.  Today, with the aid of my trusty supplies, I got intimately acquainted with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.  It's a squirrely clause, especially when in the hands of the Supreme Court, which is about as clear on its meaning as the water off the coast of Galveston, Texas.  Unfortunately, it seems the wonders of caffeine, oatmeal, and salty snacks are no match for the inane intricacies of the world of equal protection jurisprudence.