the thin line between optimism and delusion…

I stayed up too late last night. It is becoming a trend. I have so much stuff I need to do, but I think I am going to just go to sleep. I am very tired. Daddy and I tried to go see the aviator, but it was sold out so we went to see a series of unfortunate events. I liked it, but I like children’s movies and love children’s books. I thought it was fun and just dark enough. But I don’t think that Daddy thought much of it. Oh well, he goes for the popcorn mostly anyway.

Libby and I are going to the ATL in the morning for a little shopping and to spend the night with Betsy and Katie. Then Libby is going to take me to the airport on Tuesday morning. I am flying to DC to hang out with Cybil and Jennifer and Emily and Caleb. I am really excited, I love DC. Caleb is going to pick me up and take me to see his family and house and then we are going over to Cybil’s for a dinner party. It is going to be awesome! Mary Beth is going to meet me in DC and on Friday Emily, Jennifer, Mary Beth, Cybil and I are all going to New York for New Years. Libby and Emily and Maggie will already be there and Katie, Katie and Sally are going to be there too. It is going to be all of my past colliding. Best friend from kindergarten, best friend from middle school, best friend from high school, best friends from college, pledge sisters, a couple old best friend roomies from college, best friend in law school…..I mean, I can’t tell you how happy I am going to be the entire time. I am going to be one big ball of excited. Plus New York has the best food all the time. And you don’t have to drive anywhere. Especially late night for food. Because there is a gyro place next to the bar, or down the street. (although I doubt I will be able to find a waffle house or a pancake house – but hey, when in rome – eat fried risotto balls). Come to think about it, I think that one of the greatest things about traveling is that everywhere you go eats something different as a late night snack. And it is normally delicious. And New York has some of everything.

I think I am going to get to hang out with some new friends I made last night time I was in New York, and I am also pumped about this. I love new friends. Mary Beth has never been to New York, so that is going to be fun as well.

Wow, I feel like I am partying up the east coast; the ATL, D.C., NYC. (it really isn’t a big city if it can’t be referred to by a few letters. I love calling it the ATL. But, I like prefer to call it THE ATL, and not ATL, and I don’t think I would ever call it THE D.C. – which is probably in fact more appropriate than THE ATL). (how about THE O.C.? – that isn’t really right either, but I like it).

My hands are cold. I left my laptop at Katie and Betsy’s house and have been without it for over a week – which is huge for me. Otherwise I would have had a lot more to say this week. I love Christmas. And I love y’all.

It didn’t snow, but it did sleet and was very cold. I will pretend that we had a white Christmas, even if it was only ice. I love my family and friends a lot, I am so very blessed. I will try to post on my travels, but if not I will get back to you when I return on the 4th. Sweet Dreams.

Read Full Post »

Great conversation
Libby was a Christmas party for work and was talking to a girl that she doesn’t know that well, but works with and likes. The girl was describing one of her friends, and this is how the conversation went:

Girl: Well, she is kinda weird about guys…
Libby: What do you mean?
Girl: She is one of those girls that tries to trick herself into liking a bunch of different guy in order to distract herself from the guy that she really does like.
Libby: Ohhh. I know what you mean.

Read Full Post »

Who am I kidding? It isn’t going to snow here. Especially not on Christmas day. Travers called from work today to tell mama and me that weather.com said it was suppose to snow on saturday. Travers is normally not to be trusted on information like this because he teases people unmercifully on an everyday basis. But sure enough, according to weather.com, there is a 30% chance of rain and snow showers here on saturday. The low is 19 degrees. Which is a little chilly. But I also don’t think I am going to hold on to the hope that the 30% of rain/snow showers is going to materialize. I don’t want to be disappointed on Christmas. I did talk to Cybil today and she said it snowed there, which is exciting. What if it snowed while I was in New York? It would be bitter cold and my feet would be colder than normal, something I don’t think I want. But maybe.

I don’t think I am going to go outside on Christmas. I think I might stay inside and watch movies and eat cookies and soup and lasagna all day long and play with all my fun new toys that santa claus is going to bring me. Maybe I’ll drink a bloody mary. But probably not. That would involve me refraining from cookies for a few minutes and I don’t know if that is a possibility. I could drink champagne, because I can do that and eat cookies at the same time.

I just want to give a shout out to all of those people out there that are at work, and aren’t at home yet. Christmas will be here soon!!!

Read Full Post »

maybe I should go slide down the banister. it might make me feel better.

Read Full Post »

sometimes I like to write things in my exams that are completely superfluous – like this:

when I think there is a good chance that what I have said is wrong:
“I am pretty sure that ‘issue’ includes the spouse of the dead person (and/or Testator/Decedent).”

Know what? spouse is not included in issue. points off. In addition – my teacher doesn’t care whether I am “pretty sure” or not.

Or when I have no idea but it just sounds really bad:
“I do not think that Chemical, Inc. should be penalized for reusing methylene chloride obtained from stripped paint in bubble christmas lights because this has to be better than making more methylene chloride in addition to the methylene chloride that is already in existence in the stripped paint.”

Know what? My teacher doesn’t give a damn about what I think. Never start a sentence in an exam with “I think.” It is like when you order at a restaurant – don’t say, “Can I have…”, because this is a pretty dumb questions when you are looking at a menu. Of course you can have – that is the point of the restaurant. The only place “can I have” is appropriate is at some soul food or bar-b-q restaurant where they only cook a certain amount and when they run out, you are out of luck. “I think..” is only appropriate when you are talking to someone who cares about you as an individual and about your opinion (maybe your mom?). When grading your exam – your law professor does not care about you as an individual or about your opinion.

When I have a minute left in an exam and I don’t have any thoughts that can be articulated in a minute but I don’t want to spend the last minute before my exam cuts off staring at the screen:

“To conclude, it was negligent of Chemical Inc to not warn their non-english speaking workers about the dangers associated with radio active waste, because it is dangerous and the workers didn’t know it was radio active, but it doesn’t really matter because in georgia not warning isn’t enou…” (at which point the computer beeps, and cuts off, sealing my fate as a below average student).

If I was a professor I might be tempted to take off points for stupid reiteration of obvious facts stated in the problem. But as a student – I would hate a professor for doing this. I get nervous, and sometimes typing something – any thing – especially something that isn’t “wrong” even if it isn’t right – makes me feel better.

I’m having problems getting my life together tonight. I have so much more of my business crimes take home exam to go. I have got to get a grip on my attention. Why oh why do I think I will be able to pay attention for 17 hours straight on the last night of finals when I can’t pay attention for three hours straight during a regular school day?

Brrrrrrrrr -it is cold outside. I love black’s law dictionary. any legal term not in black’s law doesn’t count as far as I’m concerned (and I mean the pocket edition). This leaves out all kinds of legal terms. What a happy thought. Ignoring legal terms. Pretending them away. How do you feel about the misappropriation theory of security fraud? Pretty messed up, huh? I think the criminals in business crimes today are the federal prosecutors. Oh, and the enron people that ruined all those people’s lives by destroying their retirement funds. I think I am going to go wander around.

In other news, this time tomorrow I will be drinking something alcoholic – most likely a beer. Mmmmmmm, happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts……I would burn my books but I think according to what I learned in environmental law I might exceed my daily allowed load of ash pollution.

Read Full Post »

How is that you can go for such a long time and never notice something and then once you do notice it – you can’t stop thinking about it – or noticing it – and you don’t understand how you never noticed it before?

Why are the stars so much brighter when it is cold outside?

Why do the coffee people at coffee shops like to put so much foam on the top of lattes? Does anyone actually like the foam? What is the purpose of the foam?

How come I love to play free cell during finals?

Law students will do anything to avoid studying – which includes talking to people that they don’t know very well, or don’t like, or don’t know at all, or just don’t normally talk to. Striking up a conversation with a perfect stranger is much easier than facing the situation at hand (i.e. the impending final in a class for which you only took seven pages of notes all semester).

How come grits taste so much better when my mom makes them when anyone else makes them?

How come food in general always tastes better when someone else prepares it?

How come I am such a terrible student?

I’m pretty sure “how come” is bad English.

Why does my dog think that everyone wants to be in physical contact with her at all times? Or maybe it is that she wants to be in physical contact and doesn’t give a damn about what you or anyone else thinks or wants. Kinda like some people I know.

Why does my ipod get stuck on a certain album when it is on shuffle – where every other song is from this one album when it is suppose to be shuffling through my whole library of 1734 songs?

I think I like friendster better then thefacebook. I think friendster works better. facebook is really, really, really slow and I think it does strange things sometimes.

What are the chances that I am going to fail my trust and estates exam tomorrow? Any bets on business crimes?

Read Full Post »

I am in augusta and it is December 10th. AND IT IS 75 DEGREES OUTSIDE. A very warm, balmy 75 degrees outside. I think this is ridiculous. I should have worn flip flops and a short skirt today.

Read Full Post »

For some reason this week – I have had lots of thoughts about things to write – but I have been uninspired to actually write. I think this is probably unhealthy – it probably adds to my suppressed individual status. But these are some things that have been going through my head.

Phrase I would have liked to have worked into my environmental law exam:

People criticize CERCLA for cleaning too inefficiently – “protecting non-existing dirt-eating children.” I love that. non-existing dirt eating children.

How professors really grade your exams – don’t worry – they actually put a lot of thought into it. (idea stolen from Alex):

Professor sitting alone in office – dramatic music playing in the background. He shuffles through the papers – identified only by the 4 digit random number.
0426 – daughter’s birthday – A
7654 – amount wasted on son’s tuition at college last semester – C
5346 – last four digits of social – A+
3865 – last four digits of ex-wife’s social – D
1229 – today’s date – B

and so on and so on…..

Sample Question from my Workers Comp exam:

Johnny is working on a punch press in Detroit. Johnny doesn’t wear safety goggles and his employer – Disaster Inc – has rigged up his machine to bypass the safety features installed by the manufacturer – Prudence Inc – because it allows Johnny to work faster and this benefits Disaster. Johnny cuts his hand off in the punch press after showing up to work drunk and while joking around with co-worker Dave. What can Johnny do about his lost arm.
A. Nothing – shouldn’t come to work drunk – no workers comp and no tort case.
B. Johnny can sue Disaster and Prudence in tort and send them into bankruptcy.
C. Johnny can cut Dave’s hand off.
D. Johnny can blow up the whole plant

Read Full Post »

Read Full Post »

It is easy to get caught up in my own life. I quickly become absorbed in my immediate surroundings and lose sight of the world around me. Right now it is hard for me to relate to anyone that is not in law school. This is interesting because this time last year I was not so absorbed.

While getting a bagel at Zim’s this morning I became aware of the vast quantities of undergraduate sorority girls scattered about the restaurant. They wore sevens, cool fleeces, carried large purses, and a couple had on large sunglasses. Most had their hair in a messy ponytail (but the same messy ponytail). And of course each group vaguely knew each other. They all looked very young, and were all very, very pretty.

The large groups that these girls were traveling in made me realize that they either live in the dorm or, more likely, live in the house together. They probably all went out last night(to find dates to Christmas date nights), came home late, ordered pizza, and slept in this morning. When they did finally get up, they went and laid in each other’s beds and complained and told ridiculous stories of boys and bars and girls in other sororities or of other ages. Someone had the bright idea to go to Zim’s, and they all piled into an oversized SUV, cranked up the music, and took off. After Zim’s they probably drove downtown to pick up someone’s car or someone’s credit card.

It caught me off guard how far removed I am from such situations. It made me kinda sad. But it also made me realize how so many different worlds can co-exist blissfully unaware of each other.
This afternoon Jessica and I saw a hawk on north campus. He was huge. It is strange to think of hawks in the middle of the town. It just makes me realize how small Athens really is. Yet another crazy co-existence. (jessica hates birds! isn’t that awesome?)

Read Full Post »