Things are Looking Up

I got the internet going at home, whoo hoo! Internet seems to be a necessary utility these days like telephone, at least if you're in school.
I'm almost done organizing and putting away all my stuff in my new apartment.
The saga of the missing appellate briefs has come to an end.
I think I'm going to get some reading done, and then bake something delicious. Perfect for a cold, rainy day like today.

Mmmm...cookies? Or madelines? These are decisions I actually like making.

No Spring, No Break

This was supposed to be spring break, but it was cold and raining, and I experienced no break to speak of. I had such hopes of getting ahead on my reading for class, going out for happy hour with friends, maybe reading a book for fun, seeing a movie, just generally relaxing. But due to two jackass (to put it nicely) ex-roommates, that didn't happen. Instead I spent all my time moving furniture, moving boxes, unpacking, organizing, working, freaking out because I thought my final project for Legal Writing was lost (turns out my professor just misplaced it--grrr), and just feeling incredibly tired all the time. I DID NOT get ahead on my reading for school, go out for happy hour, read a book for fun, see a movie, or have a chance to relax, unless you count sleeping relaxing. I just call that a necessity.
I'm beginning to think that law school just isn't worth all the misery. I miss having plenty of money and free time. I have a really sweet job now as it is. Sure, it's not the most exciting, but I'm also beginning to think that excitement is also overrated. But it pays extremely well, the people I work with are nice, it's secure, and provides lots of wonderful benefits and free time.
So basically what I'm saying is, that if I do wonderful and amazing at the end of this term, then obviously, I'll continue with law school. But if I only get so-so results, I'm going to seriously consider whether or not to continue. It's an incredible amount of pressure, and if I already have a good job, why go through all that?

My New Wonderful Apartment

Whoever beamed me good thoughts, thank you, because I got the apartment! I move in tomorrow. It's huge, beautiful, has entire wall of windows looking out over the hills and valleys below, and it's a very good deal. I don't have to set up any utilities--I just pay $50 to the owners and everything--electricity, internet, cable, etc.--is included. Also, I can use part of the yard. The photos above from craigslist don't really do it justice.

How Soon Until I Wake Up From This Nightmare?

I'm having a hard time lately, to put it mildly. I can't talk about everything here, because it's public, but I hope I'll find a new place to live soon. Things have to improve. And, even though it sometimes takes a while, people tend to get what they deserve. I believe in karma.

Class was actually a lot of fun last night, in spite of my overarching feeling of doom. The professor asked my report partner and me to improvise in front of the class a pre-trial negotiation with another pair. We were the prosecution. We were supposed to stand our ground and NOT compromise, even though that's generally not a good negotiation strategy, obviously. Even though when I'm thinking about it, oral advocacy (that's speaking in front of the court) scares the heck out of me, when I actually do it in class, it ends up being a lot of fun, and I think I might be pretty good at it, much better than doing research. This really surprises me. Anyway, I put on a good show in class last night in spite of being exhausted, emotionally drained, and having only ate a cup of yogurt and a green shamrock cookie all day. (Seriously.) In fact, I heard one of my classmates in the audience comment, "that's cold!" after something I said to opposing counsel. Awesome!

So, dear readers, please send good thoughts for me, and hope that I find and get accepted for the apartment of my dreams within the next day or so. I really need a break. You have no idea how stressed out and upset I am. Sweet Alex is letting me stay with him until I find a place, which I infinitely appreciate. But I don't want to stay too long and annoy him. Last night I ended up sitting in my car for 1 1/2 hours waiting for him to come home because I didn't want to call and bother him. Fortunately, there was wifi in the area, so I checked my email, etc. until he returned. I need a home. I need to regroup and sort things out.

Postal Service Boxes=The Height of Fashion

I was walking from the parking garage to the office this morning, and saw what at first glance appeared to be an ordinary bag lady standing on the lower level. Then I realized what was catching my attention: she was wearing a United States Postal Service box on her head like a hat. Obviously, I stared at her. She smiled at me--a surprisingly lucid, normal smile. Weird.

Tonight I discovered that this is not an isolated event: one of my friends works at Kitchen Kaboodle (a housewares store for those of you not aware of Portland-based businesses), and noticed that this woman was standing outside of the store blocking the door. When my friend asked her to move along, box-hat woman pulled the box down over her head and pretended she couldn't hear her.
My roommate also has encountered her. She asked him to buy her ice cream (not just a cone, mind you, but a couple of pints), and when he wouldn't, she said she put a curse on him.

I think box-hat woman might just have made my day.

Add Another Continent to My List

I'm going to Syria and Istanbul! Really. Last night I talked my dad into it finally. After all, he's accompanied my cousins there (sometimes I think he likes them more than me, since they're successful doctors, have nice families, etc. and I'm a verging-on-old maid with cats), but never his own daughter.
I bought tickets to Istanbul last night (really cheap! Lufthansa's having a sale). Now all we need to do is figure out how to get from there to Latakia.
I'm so excited! I finally get to see where I'm from! Maybe people there will actually look like me.

***

I got to work at 7 today to finish a report, but didn't end up going to bed until nearly midnight last night. The report is done, but I still have a shitload of reading and some hypotheticals to do for Constitutional Law tonight. Yesterday, I thought I had already been called on recently, but the guy sitting next to me thought we might be called on tonight. Upon further reflection, I think he might be right, so I have to be fully prepared for class tonight. But I'm tired, and I can feel my mood beginning to crash. Yup...my eye just twitched. And, I told one of my friends I'd meet him at the new Noble Rot after class. It will be fun, but I hope I won't be too tired. Tomorrow I have a break though....

List of Abominations

The following are phrases, tired, old, over-used phrases, by people who lack imagination, that I hear on a daily basis. I think they believe that by talking in cliché, they sound professional or something. Well, they don't, they just sound boring. Without further ado, here is a list of phrases and words I never want to hear again:

• He/she has a lot on his/her plate
• Grab lunch
• Utilize
• Touch base
• On the same page
• Any other baseball analogy
  

That's all I can think of at the moment, and those are definitely the most grating. When I remember more, I'll add to this list.