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Don’t be a Stranger

7 Oct

Photo from We Heart It

As anyone in law school knows, and anyone who is thinking about law school will find out, fall of your 2L year feels like a tornado. A cyclone of class, interviews, applications, and job hunting. We are merely two days away from fall break and I already feel like I have a full semester behind me.

In the midst of this storm, you are preparing for interviews, updating your resume and combing your writing samples for mistakes. You get to know your resume like the back of your hand, and are ready to answer any question that might come your way. Let’s just put it this way…you definitely want to be candid, but you don’t want to be surprised in an interview.

This is why it was odd that while I was going through the interview process this fall, I suddenly found myself going off script.

I was sitting in an interview one Friday afternoon when I was asked about my previous summer experience. Softball right. OK. I told them about my writing, about going to court with the attorneys, and the special projects I was a part of. But then, I was asked, “What was the most important thing you learned from that experience.”

Before I could think about it, I said, “How to see people.” Immediately, in my head, I panicked. What was I saying?! How to see people, come on. That’s not a concrete answer. They are probably wondering what’s wrong with me. Not surprisingly, I was asked to explain.

Click here to read the rest.

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Diary of a Law Student

9 Feb

“Do you think she woke up one morning and said: I think I’ll go to law school today.” ~Professor Callahan

I know.

I just can’t help myself.

I can’t stay away from the Legally Blonde quotes when I’m talking about law school.

Forgive me.

But I have some big news so I’m excited and when I get excited I tend to want to laugh…

I know, it’s weird.

What’s even worse is that that is my reaction when something really awful happens.  I’m working on it.

But again, forgive me.

Ok, so the big news…

Remember that time when I decided to quit my job and go to law school, all the crazy stuff that happened along the way and then how everything just fell in place, even if it was at the last minute?

Then fast forward to right now, where I am in my second semester of my 1L year and although it is crazy and hectic, I am absolutely loving it!

Well I have been given an amazing opportunity to be one of the law students that posts on the law school’s blog and I couldn’t be more excited!

Of course I’m really looking forward to writing about all the crazy things that go on in law school.  But more than that, as someone who benefited so much from all of you who read who are in the legal profession or in law school, and have encouraged me along the way, I want to pay it forward.

I love all the funny stories you all have shared with me to make me feel comfortable, the advice to steer me in the right direction and how everyone, no matter what school you went to, had THAT kid in your class.  But more than that, it’s the community and like I said, I want to pay it forward to those who are going through the process I did recently.

Some of it will be informative and informational, but for my first law school blog…I will write about my first day of law school where you are terrified of your own name!

I’d love for you to check it out and let me know what you think.

Oh, and don’t be freaked out by the long hair.

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Books?!? Books for Christmas?

3 Jan

As a former children’s book publicist, the first thing I did when I saw this video was zoom in to make sure it was not one that was published by a certain publisher in Nashville, TN. Again, old habits die hard ;)

You would think that after reading nonstop for a whole semester, to the point my eyes were in danger of crossing irreversibly, I would never want to look at the written word again.  However, this winter break books were exactly what I DID want for Christmas.  I had so many good ones still left over from this summer and ones that sat half-read and neglected on my bedside table once the craziness of Fall began.  Then of course right as finals started rearing their ugly head, all the “Best Books of 2010″ lists come out.  It’s enough to make a girl anxious to catch up.

So with my hideous Con Law, Civ Pro, Torts, and Contracts books in their 1L grave, I am finally able to read for pleasure again. Although I do have the irresistible urge to pick up highlighters and start marking different plot developments.  You know, just in case someone cold calls and asks about the plot.  Habit I guess.

The first book on my list was The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.  This book is to blame for this post not going up until now.  I just couldn’t put it down.  It was the one I had saved for last this summer and didn’t get to it when everything got crazy.  This is the last in the Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series and unlike most series, this one simply gets better and better.  I wanted to make sure I had it done before break was over because this is not a read 5 pages and then set it down book.  Once you get sucked in, there’s no hope of returning.

I have also been reading a lot about the movies that are in the works.  The first, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will release next December with David Fincher (Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and most recently The Social Network) as the director.  I think he’s going to be absolutely perfect for these movies and for once a movie might live up to the book.  Either way though, I wanted to make sure I was done with the series before it made it’s way to the silver screen.

For Christmas I got some great books as well.  Actually, one great book, a McSweeney’s issue and the coveted gift of all book nerds lovers, a gift card.  Unlike the little one in the above video, I’m really excited about these Christmas presents.  My brother gave me Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I love the gifts from my brother each Christmas because it is either a new band who I have heard of but never gone to get the cd, and it ends up being my favorite or a book, like this year, that somehow got buried on my Amazon list but is one I should have read a long time ago.

I had heard of Mitchell through different literary circles and seen his book The Thousand Autumns of Jacob Zoet  on the Best of lists for 2010.  Cloud Atlas is Mitchell’s third book and was up for the Man Booker Prize.  Mitchell, who in 1997, was listed as one of the top 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine, is known for weaving together different styles and genres and from what I’ve read, this book is no different.  In Cloud Atlas there are six separate narratives each set in a different time or place each with it’s own unique style.  After reading about Mitchell, I am really excited to read this!

My brother also gave me McSweeney’s Issue 33, the San Francisco Panorama.  It looks like a full color Sunday edition sized newspaper and it contains everything you would expect, sports, arts, comics, and a magazine insert.  McSweeney’s says it’s “basically  an attempt to demonstrate all the great things print journalism can (still) do, with as much first-rate writing and reportage and design.” Articles are written by Michael Chabon, Stephen King, Miranda July, and so many more.   It combines everything I love.  I miss getting the paper every morning like I did in Nashville and staying in the loop on all things publishing.  Since it’s not my job to read literary journals, they have fallen to the wayside with law school but I am bound and determined to keep up this semester with my favorites like McSweeney’s and The Oxford American.

The last books is one that has intrigued me for a while.  It’s on almost every best of list, including the heavy hitters like the New Yorker, NYT, LA Times, San Fran Chronicle, Wash Post and Time, and I’m interested to see what it’s about and hear what you think about it.  It is written by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff and has been called compelling and captivating.  I have always been fascinated by history and secretly, my favorite types of books have always been biographies although it’s rarely what I will pick up (I’m sensing a theme here, good books that get lost in the shuffle).  I am intrigued by Cleopatra, the myths that surround her and the truth to be found within the pages.  Have you read this book?  What did you think?

There are so many more for this list but we’ll have to save them for later! I can’t get too ambitious this winter break.  It is a break after all right ;)

What are you reading this new year?  What books would you put on the Best of 2010 list?

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Things I’ve Learned in Law School…

13 Oct

Oh, sweetheart, you don’t need law school. Law school is for people who are boring and ugly and serious. And you, button, are none of those things. ~ Legally Blonde

 

Sorry...I just couldn't help myself.

 

Here I am, almost halfway through my glorious fall break and even though we don’t have midterms in law school, I figured I should probably look back and review what I’ve learned.

So, in these first 6-7 weeks of law schoolpalooza, here is what I know:

Nothing in moderation. Work hard, play hard, it’s an occupational hazard.  And don’t think this applies to just law school.  (You runners and type A-er’s, you know who you are and you know this applies to you too).

I will be spending a lot more money on makeup this semester. Who knew I’d have suitcases under my eyes needing to be covered up every morning.  I didn’t budget for that.

Running keeps me sane. Or at least from slipping completely into insanity.  No matter how busy it gets in law school or with jobs, anything, you need to do what keeps you sane.  For me it’s running right now and writing when I can.

Sarcasm and dry humor is part of legal jargon. My teachers crack me up.  I thought I was sarcastic.

Everybody has their crazy. Thank you Erin O. Anderson for this gem.  It’s so true.  There are some funny people in law school and I’m one of them.  You should see me with highlighters now.  Oy ;)

Anything you want is worth working for. People gripe and moan about how hard law school is, which is true.  And lord knows I’m guilty of complaining sometimes.  But I think working for 3 years really gave me a different perspective.  It’s tough learning how to learn a whole different world but if you put the work in, you can get whatever you want.

One day my back will write a thank you to my locker. I have become the bag lady when I go home with all my books.  I am thinking about beginning to count just walking to and from my car as strength training.

And on that note…These law school books could be made a lot better. Look, law school book publishers, I know how books are made and designed.  Why can’t you have a fun cover, one that actually makes me WANT to read it instead of such a foreboding cover.  And while we’re on it…I know what it costs to make a book…this is ridiculous.  When I get out of law school I’m going to start a law school book publishing company because this is just a racket.

Never lose yourself. One of the first things the 2L’s and 3L’s told us was to never forget who you are and why you wanted to come to law school.  Never lose yourself in it.  I think this is great advice not just for students but for anyone.  I had problems with this in my job and because of that, I’ll never let it happen again.  You are not your profession.  Make sure to never lose yourself.  Keep doing what makes you you.  Never let yourself just become your job.  Have hobbies, go explore, never be complacent.

Savor encouragement, even if its silent.

There is a sausage theory of law. I know, don’t ask.  No one wants to know how sausage is made and no one really wants to find out how law is made.

I love what I am doing and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

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On Procrastination, Planning and Patience

4 Oct

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry…”

And here’s my addition, “So why do I even try.”

From We Heart It.

Hi.  My name is Jaye and I am a recovering planner.

Life is so funny sometimes.  This whole summer, I learned time and time again that sometimes good things happen when you just let go, unclench your fist and let it happen.

As someone who color-codes her moleskin planner, has a to-do list for everything and has a list of goals, that my friends, is terrifying.

This summer there was a seismic shift  in everything.  I moved from a home I absolutely loved, quit my job and uprooted to go back to school. It’s not surprising that my coping method was to plan.  That way, even with all the changes, I had some idea of what was going to happen, right?  Wrong.  The more I clenched my first about different things, the more things slipped out of my fingers.

I tried it with my best friend.

And I tried it with law school.

It was funny to me to go back and read those two post now that I know the ending.

SO…since I’ve been eerily quiet on here for the past two months, I wanted to tell you all how this worked out so that you can laugh with me and see how funny and strange it is that sometimes when we just let go, it all falls into place.

Here it is, the beginning of one of my favorite months and I’m almost 6 weeks into law school at…my #1 choice! After I wrote the Plan B post, I gave in.  I planned on going to my #2 school, which was a great one as well.  I went to visit with the family on our way to vacation, got an apartment, my schedule, did my summer reading and was ready to go.

What I felt like for a couple weeks. The roamer. From We Heart It.

On one of the last days in Michigan, we went into town and I had a couple of messages so I dialed the number, keyed in my password and sat to listen.  My heart stopped when it was a message from the admissions dept of my #1 choice for law school.  I’m not sure I heard anything that was between his name and “call me back.”

I called back immediately but it was too late to get to him.  I tried to calmly leave a message then I hung up and tried not to go insane.  This was it.  This was either my no for sure or maybe, just maybe, I had a spot.  I was a wreck that night.

The next day we were going to visit family.  I got in the car and listened to my ipod trying to drown out the “what if” thoughts that kept swirling around in my head.  I looked down at my phone and I had one missed call.  Are you kidding me.  It was them.  I called back and left another message, again trying to be calm and probably failing miserably.

A couple of minutes later he calls back, we start to talk and it cuts out.  AGH!  This is the one time in my life I’ve ever hated northern Michigan.  Cell service is horrid.  This is then followed by my dad pulling on and off the road trying to find service.  Finally I get on the phone with him and he said he had great news.

I was in!  I was in!  I was in!

To say I was excited would be a gross understatement.  When we pulled in for breakfast, even though I try not to do it, I had to call the Boy at work.  We were both so excited!  He was probably more excited that his girlfriend wouldn’t be so batty now that this was over ;)  All the studying, the tests, the applications, the recommendations, writing samples and waiting was done.  I was headed to the school I wanted to go to.

Now I just had to get all my stuff packed, re-route plans and get to Cincinnati before orientation started in a week.  THAT’S where my planning skills could kick in.

And now, 6 weeks into this, I have so much to tell you all!  I can’t thank you enough for all of your encouragement and making me smile through this whole process so many how many times I have to learn the lesson that seems so dang simple…just let go!

I have the sneaking suspicion someone was trying to teach me patience. I think part of the reason I plan is because then you know what’s coming ahead of the curve.  I hate waiting till the last-minute to know what’s going on.  And getting me to be patient is probably like pulling teeth.  But I have learned this summer about the beauty of knowing what you want, working hard to get it and then relaxing in the fact that things will happen as they are supposed to happen.  And I can’t rush it.  HA.

So I have the feeling I’ll always be a planner (especially now when they tell us our lives are going to be planned out in 6 minute increments…are you kidding me?!?!  I’m not even that crazy ;) but I’m also learning that sometimes, you just have to wing it.

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