Tuesday Updates - 9/30/08

I can't believe it's October tomorrow! Apologies for not having this up yesterday, I started writing it on Sunday and then I forgot about it!

Weekend:
I made a really quick trip up to Santa Clara/Campbell Saturday-Sunday. I went to a friend's birthday party on Saturday night which was really fun and then spent the night with another friend. When I woke up the next morning we went to Stacks, which was very exciting for me because its my favorite breakfast place and they have one in Campbell in addition to Menlo Park. The trip took a little over 5 hours each way which was a little longer than I expected, but wasn't too bad. Here are a few pictures from the road!
School:
After turning in my 10 page case memo, life got a little easier, but it's time to start reviewing what I've done so far, make sure i don't have any questions, and pull everything i have so far together. So I think I might have to cut down on the tv time to start reading supplemental materials, etc. It's sad, but I have to remind myself that this lifestyle is temporary :-).

That's all for now!

PS - I added pictures here if you want to see who I'm hanging out w/ at school :-)

USC Gym and other related wedding issues

So I finally got a decent workout today, my first since I started law school. I wanted to give myself a few weeks to get into the swing of things before I added workouts to the schedule. Plus, for awhile I was wondering if I'd even need to work out since I was carrying a 10-15 lb bag everywhere and all the time. It's remarkable that I'm maintaining my weight while eating whatever I want.

However, there is a reality that it would be best if I drop a pant size so that I get the optimal fit from my wedding dress. I figure that I need about 10 lbs or so to get there, which is enough to be a challenge yet not enough that I feel a sense of urgency. The best way I lose weight is a combination of diet and exercise. There are two goals with 2 different deadlines really: I have my first dress fitting in December so I need to drop the 10 or so pounds by then. I would also like to make sure my arms are toned for the wedding itself, but I probably won't really focus on that until Spring Break, and my Wii fit will be helpful, I'm sure. As much as I don't post about diet/exercise on the blog, I thought I'd make an exception because this is a common issue for brides.

So I put on my workout clothes, went to Civil Procedure, and then made the walk from the law building to the gym, which is unfortunately a 10-15 minute walk away. I really want to get my bike on campus so I can cut that trip in half. Maybe I'd go more if I had that ability. I didn't see much of the gym, and already it's obviously better than Stanford's. There's a nice big locker room where I could leave my purse, and the cardio machines there have their own TV's, so I watched the end of Oprah. I'll admit, I'm pretty sore, which is an indication that I'm pretty out of shape, but I'm patting myself on the back for making the trip and rewarded myself with a Jamba Juice. I'm really tempted to find the money to get a personal trainer for the next few months, just because that would make me go and get toned. If anyone is interested in sponsoring me, let me know =)  (just kidding!) 

8 months!

As you may have noticed from my wedding countdown, in 8 months I will be married! There are 3 major logistical implications of this –

1. Curtis (and his stuff) will be moving into the apartment. As much as I’ve been making an effort to leave space in the closet and the dresser for his stuff, it’s hard because I’m used to having a lot of storage to myself, and lets face it, I’ve been accumulating a lot of stuff over the past few years. But, we have this lovely walk in closet that still needs to be organized and we have 8 months to get ready for the logistics of co-habitation.

2. 8 months is not a lot of time for wedding planning. There are still some major things to get done. In particular I still have to book the music for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. There’s a long list of things that need to happen over Christmas break, like picking the menu, getting my dress fitted, etc.

3. I will be done with my first year of law school in 8 months (minus 1 week). That does not seem far away, given that the last 4 weeks went by in a blur. As much fun as I’m having in my first year classes (really, I think the classes are interesting), I will be happy when I’m done and know how I did and where I stand relative to my classmates.

It’s very exiting to acknowledge this milestone; I think once we’re under 6 months I’ll start panicking =).

Monday Updates - 9/22/08

Quick update on law school: I had a 10 page closed research office memorandum due this morning and I was able to turn it in to the library at 6 PM yesterday! To celebrate 2 of my friends and I went driving around in my car with the top down and ended up at the Beverly center for dinner at PF Chang's. I even took a few pictures!
So, even though my weekend was busy with law school activities and paper writing, I did get a few hours to relax. I don't have class until 1:20 on Mondays, so I had the morning to do my reading for today.

I had a pretty good day at school today, everything is starting to make sense ! I'm sure I'll have more to talk about, but right now I'm watching Dancing w/ the Stars!

Wedding Planning: Bridesmaid Dresses

So I haven't blogged about this much yet (partly because this isn't a topic that I like to talk about to be honest, but since I have a paper to finish today I'm procrastinating), but one of the hardest decisions I'm making about this wedding is the bridesmaid dresses. I don't think this is a common hard decision brides face (but correct me in the comments if it is) but for some reason I'm really indecisive. 

I have 5 bridesmaids who are wonderful and I'm sure will be supportive of whatever decision I make. When we first started working on this they all went and tried on dresses and told me what they liked/didn't like, and we narrowed on a canary-colored dress that everyone would be happy with. And as cute as I think this dress is, for some reason it's not like, speaking to me. It's weird I know, but I make most of my decisions on instinct and my gut has decided to abstain this time. I know, I know, it's really rather trivial and everyone is going to look good no matter what, so why the indecision? Well, I have conflicting goals with the bridesmaid dresses: 

1. The look of the wedding party: I am fascinated by the weddings where the Bridesmaids are in black. It just really adds some uniformity when both sides of the bride and groom are in black and I think the flowers could really pop (and I have this awesome florist that I'm very excited about). Plus there are practical considerations: Everyone can use a black dress and black generally looks good on everyone. I'd probably let everyone wear their own black dress instead of choosing one (although I might exert some control over the material). But I'm just really interested in going in that direction. 

2. The general theme of bright spring happy colors: Lets face it, if this wedding was held on a January evening, there would be much less hesitation to go with black bridesmaid dresses. While black is formal, it is also connected to mourning. And I'm not sure how black would be received by our guests. Yellow on the other hand is a happy color that would really promote the youthful theme of the day. Plus we have a dress picked out that's really cute and we will get a white sweater to go over it. And to a certain extent I respect the tradition of bridesmaids and the unusual circumstance of 5 girls wearing the same weird-colored dress all day. 

So obviously it sounds like I'm leaning in the yellow dress direction but I still want some time to think about it. There are other yellow options, and in fact there are some new really cute online-only satin dresses on davidsbridal.com. I gave myself until November 30 (if I remember correctly) to decide. 

Any former brides out there? Please comment with any wisdom! 

Quick Check-In

This week was odd because we didn't have a class 2 our of the 4 days its scheduled, plus we didn't have any new reading for Contracts, so the first few days were really easy and then the work just piled on. We had a 1L party organized by the university on Wednesday (with really good food btw) so essentially I wasn't prepared for class on Thursday. Luckily I didn't get cold-called so no harm done. But it's never fun to be behind in the reading. 

Of course, then today I spent a lot of time preparing for class and it went really well! I had a good grasp of the concepts, participated in both of my classes, and left school feeling really good. Of course, I have a 10 paper paper to write that's due on Sunday at 6, but I was happy with how the week ended. 

Tonight I'm going to a BBQ thrown by La Raza and BLSA, and tomorrow I have an academic retreat, also thrown by BLSA, so no free time essentially until Sunday night. But it's a good mix of work and extra-curricular activities. And I'm very excited because next week I'm sneaking up to San Jose/Campbell for a birthday party! So just knowing that something fun is horizon is keeping me sane :-) 

Have a good weekend! 

Monday Updates - 9/15/08

Alright here we go, it's a short one today: 

Weekend: 

This weekend turned out to be pretty low key. On Friday afternoon I made the trip to the OC to have dinner w/ Curtis and his parents for his mom's birthday. We had a really fun time at Cheesecake and I was very excited to have the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake again (I tried it for the first time on National Cheesecake Day). Then I went home and hung out w/ my family that night. I got in a good ranting session about politics with my dad, talked about the social dynamics of law school w/ my mom, and threw the ball around with Jon. On Saturday morning I did my laundry and then headed back to LA around 1PM. We watched some of the UCLA game, until we could watch no longer, and then went out to dinner that night. 

On Sunday morning we saw Burn After Reading. I still haven't decided whether I liked it or not. It was a very odd movie, but I had to admit, it did have quite a few funny parts. And the trailer is a lot more amusing now that I know what all of the scenes are about. Then Sunday night I had dinner w/ people in my section at Father's Office in Culver City.  It was nice to see everyone after a weekend where I had essentially no connection with law school (I didn't even do any reading). 

Law School:

The reading is still under control since I'm still ahead in Contracts. The LLE reading was remarkably short and Torts is canceled tomorrow and Wednesday (civ pro is only Thurs/Fri). So it's nice to get a bit of a break before we have to kick it into gear and start work on the outlines. As of now I had a free lunch today, tomorrow and Wednesday(there's like, 4 different things scheduled for Wednesday lunch, and one of them includes Chipotle!) . Plus there's a party thrown by the Dean on Wednesday night and a BBQ with BLSA on Friday. And Saturday I'm attending an academic retreat with the regional BLSA (Black Law Students Association) and possibly a mansion party later that day. So as of now, I'm healthy and happy with how law school is going. I hope that holds up at least through October. 

That's all for now, nothing new otherwise. Have a good week! 

Make sure to Register/Re-Register/Set up Absentee!

I realized on Saturday that I hadn't re-registered to vote in Los Angeles county. I was able to go here and fill out and print a registration form. You have to have your form postmarked by October 20th to be eligible to vote in CA. 

It was completely random that I even remembered to do this, and as someone who is excited to vote for Sen. Obama and also wants to vote on Prop. 8, it's a good thing I remembered in time. 

I think most of my readers are registered to vote, but make sure you're registered to vote in your current location, and if not make sure you will get your absentee ballot! 

A short Monday updates will probably be up tonight. Have a good day! 

Class cancellations, scrounging, and other assorted law school adventures

So far the week is going well, in part because at the unfortunate expense of our professor, one of my classes was cancelled all week because of illness. Granted, we're going to be making up the time in the future, but it's amazing how much more time you have without 3 hours of class and approx. 3 hours of reading. 

This week overall has been pretty manageable since I did a good amount of reading on the weekend. Instead of leaving the library between 7 and 8 PM I'm leaving between 5 and 6. I'm trying to be much more efficient and use my mornings since I tend to be more focused then. 

I'm also happy because we're using economics in my torts class to determine whether there's negligence! I won't say more about that since it's nerdy but just wanted to convey my excitement that the degree in econ is counting for something :-).

We've also had the opportunity to get free meals at various organizations' meetings. Granted, most of them are organizations that I intended to join/participate in (Black Law Student Association - BLSA, Public Interest Law Foundation, etc.), a positive externality of this is that I've been able to get decent lunches (not to mention cupcakes from the LexisNexis people) for free. 

Coming up, we have a social tomorrow afternoon for the Public Interest Law Foundation (the PILF "kegger" as they call it), a training on outlining from the 1L tutors (yes we have tutors), a tailgate for the Ohio State game, a party next week thrown by the dean (I'll try to snap pics), lunches with 2 of my professors, and I'm pretty sure there will be other opportunities. I'm starting to wonder whether these organizations were just created for the free food that comes with them. 

Monday Updates - 9/8/2008

Happy Monday again! I'm watching Big Brother After Dark as I'm writing this, Keesha put two and two together and realized that Memphis was going to vote her out and she's pretty upset about it. Not gonna lie, I do feel sorry for her. 

Law School:

I had my first writing assignment due today. I had trouble getting motivated to actually do it, and I was a little stressed out as I was driving to school to turn it in, but I got it there with 10 minutes to spare. Then I was confronted with the fact that I didn't have class until 1:20, so I did a little reading but mostly passed the time chatting with friends. Then it turned out that my contracts professor was sick, so I had another hour to kill before class actually started. Class was fine, and I'm in a pretty good position in terms of what reading I have done. Plus I was able to finish my legal research homework today that actually isn't due until Monday! 

Weekend: 

I had a fun weekend considering how much work I did. I stayed at the library on Friday until 5:45 typing up my Civ Pro notes, and then just hung out that night. I slept in on Saturday (it's sad when 7:45 is sleeping in) and went to the library from 9-12. From there I drove to Downtown Disney to meet up with Curtis for lunch. We had a really fun time there walking around and eating at the ESPN Zone. Then Saturday night me and 3 new law school buds went to a bar/restaurant called "The 3rd Stop" to have a beer and just hang out, getting to know each other. It was a fun night and definitely worth staying up for. Sunday I stayed in my apartment, went grocery shopping, took a nap, did my LLE reading, watched TV and did my writing assignment.

Wedding: 

I've been working on the website a little the last couple of days. It's not ready for me to share the URL, but it's getting there. I'm trying to figure out some efficient method of telling people to save Memorial Day weekend for the wedding, but I haven't quite figured it out yet. 

I wish I had pictures but I've been lazy lately plus I can't find the charger for my digital camera.

Have a good week! 

Tired...

Law school is not for the weak. I was at school from 7AM to 7PM today. I got there and read from 7-10:15, class 10:30-12:20, public interest law foundation (PILF) meeting 12:20-1:10, class 1:20-3:00, then more reading from approx. 4-7. And I still have reading to do for tomorrow, which I'm going to try and get done before class and during my 2 hour break between Torts and Civ Pro. 

Tomorrow afternoon/evening will be my chill/catch up on sleep night, and then I'll be back to the grind Saturday/Sunday in-between football. I'm hoping to finally be healthy again, maybe try out the USC gym, and get ahead in my reading. 

Also, it looks like I might be spending 20 hours or so in the San Jose area Sept. 27-28. I'm looking forward to the prospect of getting away. And as of now I'm planning on going to Stanford for homecoming, just need to finalize details and timing - I'm hoping to make an appearance at Orrick while I'm there :-). 

Monday Updates - 9/1/2008

Happy September! It's amazing that this year is almost over, I thought 2008 just started! 

Law School: 

I start week 2 tomorrow, which is fortunately 1 day shorter. I think I'm going to try and visit a few professors this week. I was planning to get ahead in my reading this weekend, but I got really sick this weekend so that plan never got off the ground. 

Weekend: 

I went home on Friday night, and on the way I stopped at BJ's in Huntington Beach and met up with Curtis and 2 of his co-workers. That was really fun, and given the way the weekend ended, I was happy to have at least a healthy evening. On Saturday I woke up feeling kinda out of sorts. By Saturday afternoon I knew something was coming, but it stayed away more the most part until 2AM on Saturday night when I woke up with a fever. I'm feeling better today, but still not 100%. I was planning on doing a full day at the library and I really didn't have the energy for it. On the positive side, I was happy to be back home with my family and they took really good care of me. 

On Sunday night I drove back to LA and hung out in the apartment Sunday and most of Monday. I did venture out Monday to IHOP/Ralphs (8 min. walk) and to the library so I could get my legal research assignment done, but other than that I was low key. I'll be up early tomorrow to get the rest of my reading done. 

Other: 

Not much to say other than that, law school is pretty time consuming! But check below for the pics of my apartment if you haven't seen them yet. I was able to do a little more unpacking yesterday and I'm 90% settled. 

Have a good week!