Worse Than My Actual Journal

Apparently I'm worse at keeping up with this thing than writing in my actual journal. It at least has some entries between August and now. I'm such a lame-o-head.

So news... I got hooked on Bollywood movies thanks to some fun friends of mine. Shahrukh Khan you're my hero! Seriously though, he's a good actor. Probably better than a lot of the guys we see here in the states. He does everything from comedy to drama to sing-a-longs and crazy dance routines and is totally amazing in all of them. I recommend Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi for beginners followed by Veer-Zaara and Kal Ho Naa Ho. P.S. That's three of the four or five I've seen. So really I'm a beginner myself.

I know in August I said that I'd be losing some weight once fall started. Ha! I think I'm chunkier now than ever. Possibly back to just of the mission weight. But I'm back at the gym because I'm tired of the waistband on my pants cutting off the circulation to my legs.

And Christmas is coming! Oh boy! We put up all the decorations and lights on Saturday and the house looks AMAZING!!! My usual routine when I get in is to do the final lockup of the house which includes turning off all of the lights. Except now the Christmas Tree lights stay on to brighten my evening. And the lights that are wrapped around the banister. They're so pretty! And I need to start my shopping soon, too. Eep! But it'll be fun looking for gifts and finding that perfect thing.

Finals start next week. I think I'll be ready, but I'm having trouble being as motivated as I was my first couple of semesters. I think it's because I know the routine now and have far less to do. I've got two written finals, a paper to edit and develop a bit further and a title examination. So two and a half finals instead of four and a paper like I'm used to. And I've really been studying hard for a couple of weeks now. Last year I felt like I was barely keeping up with things and then cramming the two days before the final. None of that this time around. I've got a good grasp on the general concepts, the tests, and the analysis for the written finals. Now it's just filling in the details.

I think that about covers it. I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks. Finals and a looser schedule than normal coupled with some super fun activities. Should be a good holiday lead-in!

Much Obliged

So a buddy of mine told me that it was time to update my blog. Probably right since the last time was when Spring grades came out. Since then I've taken Summer courses and held two jobs. Well, one was an unpaid internship that I did for about six weeks. The second is my current job as a paid intern in Edmond. Except for the drive, I really like it. I've gotten to write complaints, contracts, letters to lawyers and research everything from automatic stays to trusts to construction defects. A friend of mine told me the other day that he likes to hear about my day because it's always something new. And he's right. I never know what I'll be asked to tackle next. And that's the way that I like it. I tend to get bored with things after a while so new projects keep me sharp.

I've also gained a bit of weight. Ugh! I'm hoping that I'll get back in shape in the Fall when I've got a regular schedule and the gym is open later. I'm a night runner, like a 9pm runner, so the gym closing at 7:30pm doesn't do a lot for me. Soon, though, I shall take my revenge on the little pudgies that have taken up residence in my body. Die pudgies die! Bwahahaha!

Other than that it's mostly just trying to enjoy the end of the summer. Only two weeks of freedom left. I'm debating putting together a two day fun fling. Go to White Water one day and Frontier City the next, but I haven't really decided yet. Or maybe head to the Six Flags in Dallas. I dunno.

I think that about covers it for me. God is great, life is good, and people are crazy.

Woot!

I got the results from Spring semester in. I'm on the Dean's List! And I moved up in class rank! I may have a chance at continuing to get real lawyer jobs! WOOT!

And just as an update- I'm continuing my work for the firm in Edmond and really liking it. It's challenging and has enough variety to really keep me on my toes. I've gotten really familiar with the OU Law Library and with navigating community red tape, which is a lot of fun. The people I work with are nice and very understanding about my class schedule. Which reminds me- finals are coming! I also ended my internship with Legal Aid. It was great while it lasted, but with a paying gig and finals fast approaching it was just too much. So it's nice to have the time to devote to studying and working and a couple of recreational pursuits like I did at the beginning of the summer. I'm also working on editing my resume to look as impressive as possible, no mean feat.

For the fourth I'm headed to Cali to visit the good old Dad. We're definitely going to D-land and possibly a few of the old haunts like the Queen Mary or Exposition Park. Should be a fun trip and I'm looking forward to a bit of a break.

Adventures in Lawyer-dom

This is a bit silly and I realize it. But I got a real lawyer job today. I'm doing research for a firm up in Edmond. First off, yay money! and secondly, yay experience! I've been doing work for Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, which I love, but this is a little more grown-up feeling. I spend most of my time at Legal Aid on the phones slogging through the quagmire of American justice and governmental agencies. Basically calling different departments to find out why horrible thing X happened to the client and what the policy is to appeal, repeal, or dispute it. Today, however, I was given the outline of some case facts and told to go find out if there's a cause of action. Oh, and call this person (a real witness!) to see if you can get some more information from her. Then they handed me one of those huge brown accordion file folders full of hearing transcripts and evidence and basically left me to my own devises. Pretty cool! Anyway, I just got off the phone with the witness and I feel like a grown up lawyer doing real lawyerly things. It's a good feeling. Like maybe I'm going to enjoy my profession. And maybe I did actually learn something over the last year.

View

So I've got 16 hours until my last final begins. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent at this particular table, but it's a lot. So I thought I'd share the view. Lots of books, a computer, more books, and the carrells.

Follow Ups

Moot Court:
Jared and I made it to the Sweet 16, but were knocked out after that. Curiously enough, several of the top speakers came from our section, but none of them made it to the semis. Strange things...
School:
Finishing up the 1L year on Friday. I won't know grades for about a month. Come on Dean's List! I also got an internship up at Legal Aid in the city for the summer. I'll be working under one attorney doing whatever she needs. It sounded like a lot of estate planning and landlord-tenant stuff, which is what I like. I'm geekily excited to take Wills and Trusts, and Wind Law in the Fall. I'll also be taking two classes over the summer, Evidence and Professional Responsibility. The two classes make me a full time student.
Work:
Looking for part-time, evening employment in Norman. Yeah, slow going. I'll probably end up as a waitress somewhere. But I need the money, so I'll take the job.
Church:
I'm still the Enrichment Counselor and we've got some great activities coming up. In June we'll be doing a craft project and focusing on the example of the Savior. And hopefully in August and September we'll be doing a two-parter that is still very much in the planning stages. Camp will be happening in just a few weeks and I'm excited to get out there and get this thing going! We've go a ton of great activities for the girls and I really hope that they jump in with both feet.
Life:
Still playing racquetball. I got myself a partner now so it's been easier to get to the gym and play. So far I'm whomping him, but I think that'll change over the next few months.
I got roped into doing a floor show for a church dance. It's a swing routine with about six couples and a lot of fun. A little more time commitment than I think I was prepared for, but it's sure been a blast and I'm glad that I can do it. The performance is on June 6 if anyone is reading this and wants to come.
There's an OU/BYU football game in the fall that I'm REALLY looking forward to. The tickets are little pricey, but it's totally worth it! And I'm pretty sure the band is coming. WOOT!

I think that about wraps it up. I'll try and remember to put up how things came out with grades and how the internship is going, but I'm pretty sure that no one reads this so I won't feel too compelled to post things right away.

Best CES Broadcast EVER!

So Elder Bednar gave a CES Fireside last night. It was pretty awesome for a few reasons. First, I got to sit with a couple of really great people. One in particular was very handsome. Second, I've never heard the principle of physical reality from the plan of salvation taught in that context. It was incredible. And it made me particularly greatful for the Restoration of the gospel and the guidance of prophets and apostles. Without their connection to a higher power and their guiding light it would be so easy to get lost, to be blinded by the deceptions of Satan. The prophets warn us of pitfalls and dead ends so that we know what they are when we see them. Without those warnings and that instruction we could be trapped in something horrible before we even knew what was happening. And it brought home the importance of sharing that knowledge with others. So here's my first effort- a link.

http://lds.org/broadcast/ces/0,7341,538,00.html

If you didn't see it, go watch it now. His actual discourse is about 30 minutes long. Maybe even less. And well worth the time.

iPhone

I finally got rid of the Dinosaur 2000 and bought an iPhone. It's pretty dang awesome! I've got my calendar, email, text, camera, and anything else I may need all in one little gizmo that I can carry anywhere. It's got some minor problems, but mostly it's the best purchase that I've made in a while and I encourage anyone who's in the market to do some research and see if it's right for you.

Round 1 Complete

I had my practice round on Friday and it actually went alright. I didn't completely choke and the judges gave me some fairly positive feedback about my knowledge of the law and of the cases. I was also told that I'm "charming" a rather nice compliment if you ask me.

My next round is this coming Friday. That one is graded and I'll be switching sides. Basically I was arguing that our hypothetical person Mesha Steele was not barred from seeking withholding of removal and this time I'll be arguing that she is. I have mixed feelings about that. I'm glad because that was the position that I argued in my brief, but unnerved because I have more experiencing arguing orally for Mesha. I'm basically afraid that I'll get mixed up when I'm speaking. But I'm sure that it'll turn out alright.

Moot Court

The next couple of weeks I'll be participating in a Moot Court competition. It's required of all 1L's, so in my mind it's not that big a deal. There are some prizes at the end, but I'd rather not get very far in the competition and have the time to outline and keep up with my church activities. My first round is Friday next. It's just a practice, so I'm not too concerned. And I'm glad of the extra time to prepare my argument. I was under the impression that a list of the cases we would be using for the arguments would be posted as of Monday. It's not posted yet. So going later in the week means that I'll have a little more time with the cases.

TTFN. Ta-ta for now!

Some thoughts

So I survived the first semester of Law School. I actually came out okay aside from the wicked breakout that always follows periods of intense stress. The more intense the stress, the more wicked the breakout. So you can imagine how I looked during Christmas when all the family gathered. Ugh.

Speaking of Christmas... It was great. I really enjoyed the time off from school and a chance to catch up with the family. Maybe in a couple years we can really get everyone, everyone together for a holiday. Or it might be time to start having family reunions. Hal does have two great-grandchildren and it looks like a couple more of the grandkids are moving toward marriage. Michelle's missionary comes home soon. Or he's already home. And JP is dating a girl. I get to see them a lot, too, and that's pretty fun. You know how some people just look cute together? Well, they're like that.

In other news, this semester is moving right along. Our appellate brief is due in about a week. I've got a rough draft about finished, just need to put some final touches on things. I'm especially in love with my withholding of removal argument. It's a bit weird because I'm arguing for the government when I ultimately would like to work for the immigrants, but I've enjoyed seeing things from another angle. It's confirmed to me that I want to work with people and in immigration law. Now I just need someone to give me a job.

Presidential Reaction

Okay. I'm more impressed with the new president than I thought I'd be. Hard work and responsibility, unity and caring for each other. I like those ideals, those values. Those are what make this nation great, they're what has always made this nation great. I'm not too optimistic about the programs actually being cut and the "hard choices" actually being made, but at least there was an acknowledgment that those changes need to be made.

This IS a great nation. And we have made it through hard times before and we'll do it again. And it IS going to take a lot, a lot, of hard work. More than anyone really realizes. For the most part that hard work will probably be done by the aging baby boomers, they're the ones who've done it for the last 40 or so years. But pretty soon they'll be retiring and it will be time for my generation to take over. For the most part we're over-educated and under-worked. We'd rather play video games and mooch off of our parents than support ourselves. (Don't get me wrong, I have some of these problems myself.) So the president and the legislature have a tough job to do. They need to make work worth while to the people my age. And Obama may be able to do it. It's been many years since people have rallied around one man like that. He's got the support, I hope he can keep it long enough to get the job done.