Celebrations, etc.

Congrats to my college roommate. His wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy last night.

I'm really happy for him, but man, this is kind of weird. Nothing really changed when my friends started getting married, my friends would go to the bar and drink a little too much on occasion... maybe they'd stay home a little more often to be with each other, but you know, it wasn't a huge change of pace. This seems like it's going to be different. I think my buddy's days of getting wasted and thrown off the stage at the karaoke bar are over. Goodbye old chum.

Do you see???

Do you see what happens when you let me into your school? Your team wins the world series. That's what happens.

Dinner with an Elephant

I think conservatives really get a bad rap. I don't mean their policies, I mean them as people. A lot of liberals seem to assume that right-leaning folk are bitter, greedy, angry, religious nutjobs who hate humanity. However, in my personal experience, I've met about as many bitter, humanity hating liberals as I have conservatives. Conversely, I've met about as many warm friendly conservatives who genuinely care about their fellow man as I have liberals who do the same.

For some reason, I can actually tolerate bitter a-hole conservatives a lot more than I can tolerate bitter a-hole liberals. At least with conservatives the stereotype is that you're a bastard who doesn't care about the earth, old people, or the poor. So when you oblige, it isn't that big a deal... however it's really hard to be a liberal and treat people like crap without coming off as a total hypocrite.

Deal With the Devil

Is your soul worth $125,000 plus bonus? What if it's $150,000 plus bonus after three years? What are the last years of your 20's worth to you?

What if you made two thirds as much, but worked 20% less?

What if everyone else took the first option... but you were pretty sure you liked the second?

Would you have the guts to turn down the money? Or would you flinch?

Stay tuned for the gripping series finale of OCI.

Dear Packers:

I hate you.

Conversation Awkardness

There are very few questions that can bring a conversation to a screeching halt amongst law students who are only casually acquainted. Chief among these questions: What was your LSAT score?

Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problem telling my friends in the privacy of one-on-one conversations, but last night was different. There were 6 law students, from 5 different law schools present, and we didn't really know each other well enough to delve into the whole LSAT quagmire.

The other awkward element to the conversation was the perceived difference in quality between our different schools. Thanks to US News, I can no longer have a conversation with another law student without both of us knowing exactly where we sit on the law school food chain. My friend who was present, and attends the same school I do made a few comments about how all schools were the same, and so forth, the tone was almost apologetic, which I found troublesome.

I just kept my mouth shut during the few minutes we were speaking about our schools. I don't want to make other people feel bad about the school they're at, and I won't brag about the one I'm at, but I'm also not going to apologize for attending mine, and I certainly won't denigrate something I'm so proud to be a part of to make other people feel better about theirs.

The Wasted Weekend

I am living a dream that I have chased throughout my entire educational career. I have no classes on Friday. As if this were't enough, I only have one class on Monday, and it's in the afternoon.

This is essentially a 3 and a half day weekend... which sounds like a great deal right? Unfortunately due to my motivational "issues" I've been slacking like crazy on the weekend, so the weekdays are pure hell.

This weekend I've decided to get hold of the situation, and read ahead for the week. That's going to have to wait until after my nap though... I'm beat.

Motivational Issues

I'm having a tough time keeping my head in the game. I'm at a better school than I ever dreamed I'd be at, and I have a better job than I ever dreamed I'd have lined up for the summer.

What's the point?

What comes next? I feel like I've secured all the gains to be made from working hard in law school, and have no incentive to keep running at breakneck speed. The fact that I know how much money I'll be making this summer really brings home the opportunity costs associated with sitting in school. I just want to finish this and get on with it.

I keep telling myself this. But I feel like there's some switch in my head that will get thrown in a week or so, like I can't consciously choose not to compete, that the same part of me that carried the day last year will show up at the 11th hour and by sheer force of will I'll be ok.

I doubt it. At some point my old tricks will fail me.

Enough with the Sports

Ok, I'm alright with football on Sunday afternoons, but Fox really owes it to us to can this Sunday night baseball crap. The station that brings us The Simpsons has a moral obligation to make sure that their regularly scheduled Sunday night programming is available.

Go Pack Go

Look who finally learned how to play football? I guess Brett realized it wasn't the preseason anymore.

Also, word verification ON. Comment spam is annoying.

Useful Career Information?

Someone sent me the American Lawyer Mid-level Associate Survey last weekend. It seems pretty useful for those of us trying to distinguish firm A from firm B. I'm kind of curious to see if anyone has any opinion about it... The sample size at a lot of firms is small (thirty associates or so at most of these places), and the hours worked vs. hours billed ratio seems kind of crazy. If this survey is right, most associates end up working 50-60 hours a week and billing 40-50 of them. This runs contrary to everything I've heard about the billable hour... anyone have any comments? I know not everyone reading this is a 1L... come on...

Links to the surveys are at the bottom. You have to register to see it, but it's free. Make yourself a bogus e-mail address and have fun.

XOXO

For some time I've debated adding a link to the xoxo board. The board is full of racist, anti-semetic, homophobic, sexist, and elitist filth. However, if you sift through the trash you can find useful information about law school. I can honestly say I probably would not be at the school I am at right now if it weren't for my lurking at xoxo. Despite being total a-holes, they do know quite a bit about getting into top law schools, and doing well once you get there.

I don't condone most of the stuff that goes on over there, but I have decided to add the link, because some of you may find it useful.

I've come down with some kind of sickness.

'Tis the season. A new school year and changing seasons have brought my body into contact with a host of bastardly germs. I've had a really bad sinus infection all weekend. I think I'm starting to turn the corner on this thing though. The girlfriend gave me some dynamite pills.

In other girlfriend news, she took me to see my first college football game this weekend. She lives about a block away from the stadium, and we got tickets in the students' section, so the atmosphere was "lively." Fun was had by all and I got a mild sunburn. I've got an assignment for corporations due this week. I know I should do some work tonight, but I've only got one class tomorrow, and I've already read for it. Maybe I should just go to bed and sleep this off.