This is for you, Virgin.

So remember that epic Saturday morning writing extravaganza I was on?

Yeah. 36 pages. I ran out of drivel 4 pages shy of my goal. Blast! Looking for block quotes today, obviously.

UPDATED TO ADD: Am spelling-challenged doofus. Please let this semester be over!

Law School Roundup #201

Welcome to Law School Roundup #201. Grab your bowl of leftover stuffing, pull up a chair, and enjoy this week's collection of posts from law students current, aspiring, and recovering:

MacGyver and the Art of Ass-Busting: A different kind of approach to law school stress (No. 634)

Sunshine and Sour Drops: On not going it alone (i don't wear skinny jeans)

Right Under Their Noses: In drug dealing, location is everything (The Rising Jurist)

Aspirations: Put it on the to-do list (oh hay, its kk)

Law School is Weird: Finals season disorientation. (Really? Law?)

Eye Contact: Like Medusa- run away! (Law Ingenue)

Alternate Plans: Farms instead of finals (The Corner in the Middle)

Worth it? Well, is law school worth it? (Legal Geekery)

Inspiration: Nothing like finals to inspire blogging. (Pay the Money and Take a Shot)

Not this week, but still good: Ruin a friend's life, win an iPod. (My Legal Fiction)

UPDATE: Butterflyfish is hosting this week's MILP roundup- featuring Glee!

Look for next week's roundup at the Legal Underground, and then back here again in 2 weeks. If you want to be added to the blog roll, but don't see yourself up there shoot me an email and we'll get you on the wall of dis-honor. Or email me anyway. I love emails.

Kisses!

NB

This is what my Saturday looks like.

Me, three cats and a cocker spaniel, camped out on the couch housesitting while Darwin brings home the bacon.

Case of Coke Zero (which college rooommate/Child Genius used to refer to as "liquid intelligence") on my left. stacks of caselaw on e-discovery on my right, warm fuzzy blanket in the middle. The Idiot Cat hunting squirrels through the window in the background.

Later, there may be tacos. There are worse ways to toil away, I think.

Writing like the wind. 40 pages by Sunday night? No problem. Current count (11am): 4...but they're a good four.

Law School Roundup #200

The 200th Law School Roundup is up over at Beyond the Underground.

Check back here, same great place and time, for #201.

We're having a FIRE!...sale.

FYI: The Limited is having a sale on outerwear and jackets today until 2pm- 40% off of everything.

The promo code to enter is 105 . Get thee to The Limited and get yourself all outfitted!

This is just to say...

Hi. I am here, post-meltdown.

In case you were wondering, yes, this is a normal law student thing. Sometimes, a girl's got to sit in her room and freak out a little bit about how the journal is a disaster and her laptop keeps crashing and eating her admin law outline, and how Paper of Doom #1 is due 10 days earlier than she thought, and how oh my goodness if she doesn't finish the Paper of Doom soon, she will only have 5 days to write 120 pages and why are all of her authors suddenly struck with an attack of the asshole bug?

...and then things just fall apart from there. Also, sometimes law school has a culture of Freak the Hell Out, and you just get carried away in it.

So: I sat down and hung out with Sputnik, drank some wine (thank you, Funny Wine Friend), freaked out to Darwin and Roommate a little bit, slept. T

o be clear: I am still totally overwhelmed. Cookies would still be appreciated. But, when I got to my office this morning and one of my wanker authors responded to my "Hi, did you get that paperwork" email to tell me that he think that he should have more time because we are unprofessional and slow (because we did not publish him 3 months ago, in the summertime. When we did not have an issue out), I could take a deep breath and remember that hey, he's an asshole. And this is not my problem.

It is going to be ok. For me, and also for you, fellow freaker-outers. November just sucks, is all.

Also: Tyra Banks, wtf? I know you were looking for a geeky one, and I know she's a redhead, but honestly? You picked the girl who walks like Frankenstein over the adorable bull-castrater? I'm not impressed with you, Tyra. Not impressed at all.

Ok. Back to the grind. But thanks for the support, guys.

Tonight

...is the night I have my total emotional meltdown over law school.

Please send cookies.

So. Freaking. Awesome.

You cannot possibly tell me this is not the most awesome thing you have seen all week. Unless you've seen live elephants. Which I have a soft spot for.



Also: This blog does not condone the maltreatment of penguins, on account of the fact that you never rough up guys in tuxedos.

Law School Roundup #199

Welcome to this week's Law School Roundup, the "Oh NO, Its November!" Edition.

Without further ado...

Tenure: It explains so much (Awkward Turtle)

That's What They're Calling It These Days: Why November in the law school is a little...off. (The Corner in the Middle)

Just Off: When law school puts you in a funk. (J.D.? ...Maybe)

Shockingly Short: The list o' suck (Laughing: With or at You)

The Upside: But there are good things, too! (My Legal Fiction)

Changes: Really. Law school makes your life better. ((In)Sanity Souffle)

The Ole Facebook Alibi: Facebook as a defendant's ally, for once (the Rising Jurist)

Breather: Law school and swimming (An Invisible Man's Blog)

Panic: Yes, this is what most of the law student internet looks like (Chronicles of a Blawgirl)


Look for next week's roundup at the Legal Underground, and then back here again in 2 weeks. If you want to be added to the blog roll, but don't see yourself up there shoot me an email and we'll get you on the wall of dis-honor. Or email me anyway. I love emails.

Kisses!

NB

Is it so much to ask, really?

All I want is to not, upon reading an article think "Aw, crap. We could totally get sued for this."

Remember when I thought that I had terrified my 2Ls into productivity and fabulousness?

Foolish, foolish, me. We have a publication deadline on Monday and (fun fact!) the perfect storm of authors who like to make crazy (read: libelous) accusations about other institutions, and 2Ls who figure "Eh! Who needs citations anyway?"

So yes: the Journal's going well, thanks for asking. And I'll be here for a while- bring Doritos.

You're all a bunch of pushers.

In other recent news, I signed up for twitter.

Please believe that I will be using this an excuse for shoddy blogwork. You brought it on yourself.

Law School Roundup #198

This week's Law School Roundup is posted over at Beyond The Underground.

Tune in next week, same great place and time, for Law School Roundup #199.

It must be something in the water.

Our house is just full 'o smart kids: Roommate's paper just got accepted for publication.

Yeah, I knew her before she was famous.

Too bad the MPRE is spoiling our toasting time...bubbles to follow when we've crossed that hurdle.

When nerdiness meets 3L-itis

Because I like writing, pain, and being over-committed, I am doing a research paper for a professor this semester. If you know me, it will come as no surprise that I am tragically, desperately, and hopelessly behind on every. single. deadline. we agreed upon.

In fact, I was so hopelessly behind in research, class, and life, that last week my computer imploded, taking its own life rather than continuing to deal with my procrastinating shenanigans.
The upside of this debacle is that "Sorry, I'm having my motherboard replaced" is the trump card of excuses. The downside is that, well, I'm having my motherboard replaced, and I think I may have lost my fabulous collection of 80s cover band music forever.

...but back to the research. I am in way over my head. Prof. McAwesome knows that I am behind, I know that I am behind, it is all a big festival of lateness. She's been tolerant thus far (the deadlines are dates I set, so really, I guess she has to be), but it is a little awkward to be such a big pile of Fail in front of someone I like so much. To cope, I'm pretending that I cannot see her (this, as you know, is my M.O.).

This is awkward, because I am taking her class.

This morning, I am biting the bullet to meet with her about the project. I came promising an outline. This is what I have written, word for word:

1. Introduction:

a. Clever phrasing of problem and possible solution. Explanation of why this problem is Special and Important. Keep reading for more! Exciting! Yeah!

2. Body

a. Legislative History of the Electronic Communictions Privacy Act (Substance. Win.)

b. Here is a special and important problem.

c. The courts have not solved this problem. Boo!

i. Some courts think they have, but they are wrong.

d. Magical mystery solution

3. Introduction redux (cleverly disguised as conclusion).

4. Mailing address for my tenure offer.

Good start, right?

Ohh Internet. Even my gunner tendencies cannot overcome 3Litis.

To twit, or not to twit?

Twitter? Maybe?

Its a balance between my natural loathing of the medium and my need for attention and self-promotion.

Also, I sort of think that if I twitter, I might blog more, on account of the fact that I could do it in 140 characters. Or less.

...I'm just not sure I'm that kind of girl. Can you be a conscientious objector and a participant?

This one time, at law school...

...I met David Lat. And it was awesome.

I mentioned this some time ago, but then the fury of law school rained down upon my head, and I lost track of the post. Anyway, here's how it went down:

I had to be in Northern California for Family Wedding Shenanigans (Am emotionally scarred. We're not talking about it), and heard through the grapevine that David Lat was going to be speaking at King Law school (UC Davis). I love very few things more than sneaking off when I'm not supposed to, to go to events I'm not invited to, so I dragged my trusty cousin/partner in crime off to Davis for the day, and crashed his event.

Because I'm a groupie, that's why. Don't worry, I left my signs at home, and I didn't throw anything on the podium. This time.

First things first: the event was remarkably easy to crash. Keep this in mind, Northern Californians who are looking for something to do. This is not Notre Dame, where strangers get campus-wide alerts- this is California. Random law school age creepos can come and go as they please. An added bonus: they served In N Out. Glory be! Keep this in mind if you are homeless, hungry, or a chronic mooch. Being all 3, I chowed down on the most amazing cheeseburger ever.

But back to the story: Lat spoke for around an hour, which you can see video of here, on King Hall's website. If you're looking for me, I'm the really, really attractive one, right there. See? Yes, the hottest one in the room. That one. Totally.

Lat talked about his professional career, and his development into a full-time legal blogger (I was not aware, for example, that David Lat was the original voice of Underneath Their Robes). He also talked about general management issues with AboveTheLaw, and the role he sees that site playing both now and in the future.

It was interesting to hear his take legal blogging, especially given the mark he's made on the legal blogging world. Though he didn't bring it up, it's clear to me as a young legal blogger that Lat, and AboveTheLaw, have made an indelible impression on legal blogging and the legal world as a whole. AboveTheLaw, in the grand scheme of things, is still a baby site, so it's exciting to chat with the brain behind the blog- there's still very much a feel of "that could be me some day!" I didn't agree with everything he had to say, but the whole talk had a very collegial feel- it was really a fun conversation.

I identified with a lot of what he said about his blogging experience: the draw towards writing as a creative, informal medium, the need to create and network, the appeal of anonymity, etc. As a regular reader of AboveTheLaw, I found him surprisingly sweet and charming- downright boyish, actually. He appeared, at least, to be off the cuff and comfortable (though there was an awkwardly hilarious moment when he realized halfway into a "town bicycle" joke that this might not be the proper time or place).

Disclaimer: I would maybe like to grow up to be David Lat. Maybe a lot.

Basically, I was awed and charmed and entirely inspired. Cute, right? I'm like a kid on Christmas morning at these kinds of events. I'd bail on legal practice in a heartbeat, if I knew I could put the ramen on the table just chattering away to an appreciative audience. Regrettably, I am no David Lat (though we are both channeling a sort of geeky-chic that seems to work out alright), but it was quite an honor to meet the man behind ATL. All in all, a wonderful afternoon, and I'm sorry I didn't get you a juicier summary earlier.

But this story wouldn't be complete without a Nobody touch, now would it? When Lat's talk was concluded, I determined that I had to come up and speak with him. Remember what it was like when you were a geeky 6th grader, and the high school quarterback was just so cool? Yeah. That's about what I was like. Or, more appropriately, remember the crazy admiration you showered on your 1L professors? Ok, like that.

Anyway, I waited to talk to Lat. I hadn't actually determined what I was going to say, but by God, I was not about to come all this way and not shake the man's hand. So I waited. And waited. And the students in line asked "thought provoking questions" about "how AboveTheLaw could promote social justice." And I waited. And finally, as he was walking out the door, I grabbed him by the arm.

Me: Hi, I'm Nobody, and I just, like. Um. I don't go to school here, I came from somewhere else, but I have this blog and I just want you to know that I just think what you've done is awesome, and I really look up to you, and I have this blog. Well, I mean, it's a law student blog. And your talk was awesome.
D. Lat: That's great! Send us a link, we'll be glad to send traffic your way!
Me: Oh wow. Yeah. I will. Thank you. (ohmygodohmygod David Lat might read my blog oh my god...I have got to start editing as I write). I just wanted you to know, I was so excited to see you today. Because I think what you've done with your career is so neat, and when I heard you were here...
Me: I mean, you're like, my Nina Totenberg!

...Yeah. Nina Totenberg. That's where I went. Despite this total aberration, he was gracious. I was awkward. So David, if you're reading: thanks. And you're not my Nina Totenberg, you're my Will Shortz. Which, believe me, is even better.

Le sigh, Internet. Just wait till I meet Sandra Day O'Connor.

Law School Roundup #197

Welcome to Law School Roundup #197.

Here's this week's collection of good posts from law students current, future, and recovering...

Lesson learned: On how not to do law school (Starting to Melt)

Totally Dysfunctional: Law school- it's not just fun that dies here (Awkward Turtle)

Law School LOLCat: This one has been making the rounds (Chronicles of a Blawgirl)

Slippers: Sometimes, love is in the footwear. ((In)Sanity Souffle)

Alternate Careers: It's important to think creatively. (My Legal Fiction)

Panic: Words of wisdom on the post-LSAT freakout (Legally Questionable Content)

SCOTUS on LS: Wisdom from Clarence Thomas (Thank You Ma'am)

Timesaver: In case the mid-semester crush is keeping you from your Tivo, KK's got The Hills for you (oh hay, it's kk)

Bartleby the 2L: On preferring not to. (Now That I'm Awake)

Ethical: But what about the backstory? (Virgin in the Volcano)

Look for next week's roundup at the Legal Underground, and then back here again in 2 weeks. If you want to be added to the blog roll, but don't see yourself up there shoot me an email and we'll get you on the wall of dis-honor. Or email me anyway. I love emails.

Now pardon me, I have to hyperventilate over my directed reading and then watch every Hugh Grant movie ever made.

What? I'm a 3L.

Could not be a worse way to spend a Sunday

...than sitting in 4 hours of BarBri MPRE prep.


Ugh.