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.

Coming to Utah

Hey, for anyone who reads this thing, I'm going to be in Utah from January1-7 and I'll love to see you if you're out there. Email me, post a message here or let me know on Facebook if you'll be in town and have some time to hang out and catch up. I think there'll be a shebang on one of those days down in Provo. If you're interested let me know and I'll get you the details when there are details to be gotten.

Isn't it cute!?