Yes, I'm still alive....

I just realized that some people might care about whether or not I passed the Bar Exam. Well....I did :) Ok, ok...so its not the "Who Shot JR?" episode of Dallas. Sorry.

Idaho

It's been a whirlwind 2 weeks. Starting with the drive from Texas to Idaho for my new job, and now with my first week of work. Ordinarily, I would tell (all 3 of) you about the 4 day trip, but right now I am feeling very unmotivated to do so. Or really to even continue this blog. I think a rebranding may be in order. I don't think my original niche of law school advice is for me anymore, especially now that I have an actual job that I have to, ya' now, do.

So, email me if you want to see pictures from the trip (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho). I'm going to leave everything up in case anyone wants to read my Australia archives.

TTFN

Countdown

I'm sitting in my should-be-more-empty-by-now apartment thankful that a few of my neighbors don't feel the need to secure their wireless internet signal. Seriously, I'd be bouncing off of the walls right now if I didn't have internet access. I wanted to drive my new car around some more before I tow the trailer with it, but it seems unhitching the trailer is significantly harder when it's full of stuff.

I did finally get someone to come with me, one of my best friends from high school. The only thing that sucks is that is new manager at work wouldn't let him take an extra day off without finding someone to cover for him, which he wasn't able to do. Apparantly, there aren't many people who work 8am to 6pm who wouldn't mind working 2pm to 2am. Who knew?

We'll be leaving sometime around 1am tonight, then breakfast and lunch with somefriends of mine in Dallas. Wednesday afternoon we'll head to Amarillo and as much further as we can get before we get tired.

Thursday will get us to Santa Fe and Taos, NM and all the way to Denver by nightfall. If we make good time on Wednesday, we may be able to push a few more hours past Denver.

On Friday, we'll have a long stretch (about 10 hours) from Denver to Salt Lake City, Utah. After S.L.C., we will only have 11 hours to go before we get to Moscow and my new home. Well, maybe "home" is too strong a word for right now...let's go with "domicile" (nice legal word) for now.

I have a feeling this is going to go by much faster than I thought it was.

Wheels and a roof

Talk about whirlwind! In 3 days I went from homeless with an 8 year old truck that made a new noise everyday to signing a lease on an 1100 sq. ft. condo in Idaho and a brand new Honda Pilot! I feel almost grown up. I'm guessing I'll feel all grown up when I actually get the car on Saturday and when I get the keys to my place. My landlord (described by self and others as "eccentric") has already mailed me the keys.

I'm still trying to find someone who wants to drive with me. 2200 miles is a long way to go by myself. The drive should be really pretty, though. I'm planning on going through Santa Fe, N.M., Denver, Co., Salt Lake City, Ut., and Boise, Id. 4 days of 10 hours a day, or 3 days of 14 should do it. Man, that's a lot of driving!

From the "What Took So Long" file (cross reference with the "Change is good, but why does this feel bad?" file

The Jefferson County (Beaumont) commissioners have voted to change the name of one of their county roads. (Full story above) The previous name was "Jap Road." Yes, you read that right. Aside from the fact that it took this long for enough people to care the word is a racial slur, those opposed to the change actually defended it saying it "honored" the Japanese farmer (I sh*t you not) that lived there in 1905. I'm sure that the city of Austin really had to debate hard to decide between "Cesar Chavez Blvd." and "Dirty Spic Lane."

The other thing that bothers me is that they changed the name to recognize a restaurant that was on the road for 30 years that closed recently. Hmmmmmm..."The name honors the Mayumi family patriarch."...How can we change the name and still honor him? Mayumi Road? "Naaahhhh, lets just go in another direction." That just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Like "Jap Road" was OK, but "Mayumi Road" is just too "foreign."

Am I crazy?

NOTE: I'm sure the majority of Beamont-ians are nice, well-meaning, educated...well nice and well-meaning anyway. But there seems to be enough that aren't to make this non-story a story, ya know?

Car Shopping...

Things are getting down and dirty now, gang. Even though I've known when I would have to leave Austin, it still freaks me out as being too soon. I think I would feel better if I had a place to live up there. (BTW, there's some guy has a rather extensive photo tour of the Moscow area if you want to check it out.) I emailed some folks who are going to help me, but it's still 7am there so I don't expect anything until later.

The other big mind drain right now is buying a car. Initially, I thought I wanted a Toyota Tundra, but I wasn't totally impressed after test driving (it seemed even smaller that I thought it would be). I also looked at the Toyota Highlander which I thought was pretty OK. My Dad wants me to look at the H0nda Pilot, but they are very popular right now and would probably be out of my price range because the dealers aren't really "dealing." I also want to test drive those new Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyons, but it seems they are hard to come by. Hardly anyone withing 200 miles has the model I would want. *sigh* I wish I had more than 2, check that, 1.5 weeks.

Done, done, and....DONE!!!!!

That big, steaming pile of crap in my rear view mirror is not Waco, NO! It is the Texas Bar Exam! It is times like this I wish I was a more emotional person. I should be dancing and singing and drinking (a little). Instead, I'm blogging. I'll probably go out somewhere tonight...unless, of course, the torrential downpour plus my natural circadian rythms combine to force me to sleep by 10 PM.

I can definitely say that studying for the Bar was worse than actually taking it. This assumes that one studies for the Bar exam. The first day is the half day, not bad at all. The Civil & Criminal Procedure/Evidence short answer isn't really that bad. They tend to test the same group of stuff every year, more or less, judging from old tests. The MPT is more annoying than anything else. Anyone going into law will innevitably be asked to write a memo at 4:00 PM on Friday that is due by 5:00 PM. This is the same thing...actually it's easier because all your research is given to you.

The MBE, the multi-state multiple choice portion, wasn't that bad. Then again, I kinda like multiple choice exams...yes, I know that is weird. Some people felt that it was harder than they expected. It did have a lot of questions in areas that had been on old exams or really been emphasized in BarBri.

The last day, the 12 essays, is the worst. The only thing that kept me going was all the pretty colored answer books. Green, light green, red, pink, yellow, gold, blue, lavender (yes, lavender...not purple), tan (blech!), and I can't remember the other two. We were the lucky class to have an Oil & Gas question. Everyone taking it the next three years should be thankful we bit the bullet for you, <Homer Simpson voice on>BE THANKFUL!<Homer Simpson voice off>. Now it's all in the hands of the curve. I heard that only one guy from Austin's BarBri class failed the Bar last year, and he was on Law Review! Apparantly, it was a combination of arrogance and the realization that he wasn't as smart as he thought he was a little too late. That kinda sucks for other folks though, because it means that most of the roughly 30% that fail are concentrated in Houston and Dallas.

Now I've got to go into preparation mode for my 2,200 mile move to my new job in Idaho! Maybe I'll go for some test drives tomorrow. I'm looking to buy a car before I move. Anyone with suggestions, feel free to drop in a comment. The main requirement is four-wheel drive for the ice and snow.

I started this at 7pm and it is now 9:15pm. I'm not sleepy, but I probably won't go out unless one of a short list of people call and invite. Is it you?

11 Days...

A friend of mine reminded me of my neglect of this blog and the 7 people that have accidently read this over the past few months. Things have been really hectic between job search and studying (or not) for the Bar exam (which, if any of you are wondering, is not the best way to spend a summer...I suggest something more fun, like sticking your head in a microwave with a mouth full of aluminum foil).

The good news is that I have indeed landed gainful employment in an admissions office. Unfortunately, it is far, far from the Lone Star State.

No...I'm not dead. Just feels like it...

Sorry to be away so long. Finals are over, as well as graduation. BarBri started yesterday. I never knew 3+ hours of filling in blanks could be so boring. No, wait...yes I did.

The bad news is that it will still be a while before the blog gets back on its feet because my laptop is currently in pieces in a box in my apartment. (Don't worry, I know exactly where each of the 40+ different sized screws goes...I think.) I really don't feel like doing this from the computers in my apartment complex's office, despite that being exactly what I am doing right now.

2 down, 2 to go...

Quick update: Evidence and Wills are in the bag, neither being as hard as I expected. I definitely know I got some answers right! Still left is the dreaded Texas Civil Procedure: Trial and Appeal in less than 48 hours and a take-home exam after that. For good measure, a friend from Australia is visiting this week and I have to throw my name into the hat for my perfect job by the end of the week.

Why am I breathing so hard? And why am I itching all over? Is it hives? OHMYGOD, is it Lyme disease?!!!! AAAAAARRRRRGGHHHHH!!!

Random news...

From the "That Noise is The Value of My Law Degree Plummeting to Earth" file...retired NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip awarded honorary J.D.

My final Finals...

I am entering what is most likely the last final exam period of my life. Why am I so sad? Probably because I am a nerd at heart and love going to school. Now THAT is something to be sad about!

I finally saw a copy of the law school yearbook the other day. My copy is waiting for me on main campus, which is why I still don't have it. I'll wait untill more of the great unwashed masses of undergrads skedaddle for the summer before getting over there. Anyway, the reason I mention it is because I have once again managed to be virutally nonexistant in the book. Going back to high school, I've had this knack for being very involved in school, but not being anywhere in the year book. The worse one was when I was the lead in the senior play, and the play did not get a single page in the annual! I gave a tour de force performance, dammit!

This time it isn't so bad. I'm just missing from the group pictures of every organiza tion I belong to. Same thing will happen next year, even for SROC! Somewhere along the line I developed this complex about being recognized for what I do and I somehow have tied recognition to appearance in a year book. I don't know what I'm going to do when I'm out of school. Maybe I'll start my own :)

I'll be a little slow for the next couple of weeks due to finals. I plan on writing a bit about what I wish I had done in law school for any of you that are just starting out, so check back.

Wish me luck!

We interrupt this semi-regularly scheduled blog...

To point my finger at America and yell, "YOU STUPID, MORONIC, MOUTH-BREATHING, IDIOTS!!!!" Why the vitriol? Did you see the travesty that was American Idol last night?!

Once again, my fellow Americans have dissapointed me. I can understand when we can't pick the right President or a bunch of us choose another actor to be governor; that doesn't bother me. The one thing I thought the American public would be able to handle would be voting for our next pop star. I mean, this is the country that practically invented pop culture! The last two competitions have proceeded pretty much the way they should have, with a few minor exceptions.

While I personally would never have chosen George Huff , Matt Rogers or especially Jon Peter Lewis, I agreed with the judges that this was the strongest 12, top to bottom, so far. But how in the world does one of the 3 "Divas" of the show, undoubtedly one of the most talented singers and performers, not to mention the TOP VOTE GETTER LAST WEEK, get sent home?!!

I smell voter fraud. It is an absolute travesty that Jennifer Hudson is watching the rest of the show at home, while John Stevens is forced to suffer through another horrible week knowing he doesn't deserve to be here and must die another slow, painful death on stage in front of millions of people. SHAME ON YOU, AMERICA!

Is it strange that a 25-year-old heterosexual male has opinions this strong on American Idol? Naaaaaaaahhhhhhhh....

EDIT: You think I'm the only one pissed? Think again...

FYI...

Congratulations to the newest additions to my "Songs I Liked Until Clear Channel Decided To Play Them Every 10 Minutes" list--Maroon 5's "This Love" and Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl". They join other such hits as recent favorite-turned-vomit inducer "Hey Ya" by Outkast and that song from the Quizno's commercial. Actually, I still kinda like the Quizno's song. "We love the subs!"

Out of curiosity...

How long are radio stations allowed to be "New?" I noticed the other day that every single station I listen to is the "NEW" Mix/Beat/Buzz/Beast/Q/Z/Marshmellow/Colostomy Bag/etc. And I'm fairly sure they have all been that was since I moved here 3 years ago. What's up with that?

Happy Easter!!

This is the first Easter I can remember where the weather has been crappy. I always figured God had a little pull in that department and could "arrange" good weather for special occassions like rising from the dead.

I still haven't turned in my 25 words.

I missed another TX civil procedure quiz, and this one was a BIG one. I don't know what my problem is. The others I just didn't prioritized, but I really meant to do this one. I even put it on my calendar! I've been having this strange feeling, lately. No, not that one; I got some pills for that. No, this feeling is almost like senior-itis. My grades actually DO matter since any job I get will likely be after grades come out. My job now should be trying to get said job. Yet with all that, I keep deciding to go out with my friends as much as I can. This is the last time I'll be able to hang out with most of the friends I've made in the last three years. I guess that's a more powerful force than some are able to admit. Yes, I'm a big weenie. So sue me :)

Law school rankings...

Here's a good article that may give some of you a little perspective on all the USN&WR rankings hoopla.

Random thought...

Life Goal: Become important enough to be able to say cool things like "Give us the room, please." like they do on "The West Wing."

Countdown continues...

PSD went great!! The weather sucked, though. It was perfect the day before and the day after so I hope everybody got a little taste of it before they had to leave. All the feedback I got was positive. The "kids" were all a little pooped by the end of the day. Who knew sitting on your but could be so tiring? It was probably our fault for loading them up with barbecued beast flesh at lunch. Maybe next year we could spike their iced tea with Red Bull to keep them going.

Bad news, to me anyway, was that the U.S. News and World Reports law school rankings came out last week and we are 15. It doesn't mean that we dropped so much as some school got loose and got above us...I think. I don't really have last years list memorized. I haven't seen the actual magazine with all the specific category rankings so maybe there is something good there. This isn't the end of the world, by any means. Just a little disappointing.

On another front, as part of our graduation (the Sunflower Ceremony), every graduate gets 25 words read by the dean of student affairs as we walk across the stage. 25 words?! What am I supposed to do with that?! Do you have any idea how hard it is to be funny in 25 words without using props or fart noises? They were due Friday, but I got an extension. Not that this weeke is any less busy. I promised 2 good friends of mine I would be a witness in their mock trial rounds Monday and Wednesday. There go those nights. At least they appreciate that I will be missing the NCAA championship game. Aren't I such a good friend?

Big Week

We've got a big one coming up, kids. This friday is the Law School's Prospective Students Day. We've got about 150 folks coming and its my committee's responsibility to make sure they are wowed. Granted, many are folks that have no desire to go anywhere but UT, and that is flattering. Our big task is convincing all those who are on the fence to choose to spend the next three years in Austin instead of Boston, New York, Palo Alto, etc. Not easy, but not as hard as some of you might think.

My committee chair for this event has done a great job planning so I am really looking forward to seeing everything work out. We've got tours, mock classes, info sessions from financial aid, the Career Services Office, and study abroad, guided apartment tours, meal, mixers, and a DANCING BEAR!! Ok, so there's no dancing bear. We tried to get Bevo, but it has this little problem with loose bowels. (Lesson kids: Long term use of animal tranqualizers DOES have lasting effects.)

I know this week is going to be good because I won a raffle in my Texas Civil Procedure class for a free quiz grade!!! This is VERY important because I have already missed two quizzes thus far. Silly me...

From the "Persecution never goes out of style" department...

County Commissioner (CC): Ya' know...we really need to do something 'bout them gays.
Councy Attorney (CA): Um...
CC: Can we ban 'em?
CA: What, like, totally? I don't think...
CC: Shoot yeah! It shouldn't be that hard. The council can just have a vote--that wouldn't be a problem. Everybody in these parts supports good, old fashioned American values. This thing'll sail through.
CA: Um, actually...I'm pretty sure it would be unconstitutional, not to mention impractical. Would you...
CC: Oh, this is gonna be great. Wait'll I tell the boys down at the barber shop! YEEEEE-haw! I know we weren't able to fire that school teacher for teaching evolution (what a crock that is), but this is even better. We'll have a parade and check ID's at the county line...Wait. What did you say?
CA: It's unconstitutional.
CC: Un-con-sti-what?
CA: It means we can't do it.
CC: So we can't require homos to have little rainbows on their driver's licenses so we can pick them out?
CA: Um...No.
CC: Ahh, you're just paranoid. We'll do it anyway...right after the church social, before the stoning.

I'm not positive that's how it went, but I have a feeling. Click here to read about Rhea County, TN 's attempts to ban gays.

Spring Break...Next stop, final exams...

Time continues to pass at break-neck speed. My spring break was mostly boring, with two major events serving as bookends. The first weekend was Wrestlemania XX. Before you laugh, pause to consider this--that's 20 years, people! It was 4 hours from Madison Square Garden, most of which was entertaining. The best part was that Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit walked away with their respective heavyweight titles. For the uninitiated, those two have been in the biz for years, wrestling literally all over the world, and have never gotten the credit they deserve. Maybe one of these days I'll inform y'all on why you should respect what wrestlers do.

The other major event was the wedding of two very good friends of mine, Erin and Tim. OK, so that is probably a little more important than Wrestlemania. It was really beautiful. I was really honored to be a groomsman. Imagine what it means to tell a person that you want them standing next to you on the most important day of your life...and I got to wear a tux. That's always cool.

North Carolina was a pretty place. I was reminded I was in the heart of tobacco country when I walked into the terminal at the airport and it smelled like cigarettes. Then I got in my rental car, and the radio was set to a NASCAR race. I didn't know it was possible to cover NASCAR on the radio (Announcer: The field turns left...now the leaders are going straight...WHOA! A left turn...), but apparently it is.

On the plane, I sat next to a woman who was an accountant from New Zealand who, after taking a 2-year contract job in the Bahamas, met her future husband and has been in the Bahamas ever since. She and her husband now run a furniture business (which is why she was in Greensboro, N.C., a furniture mecca). How's that for a life story?

Update...

Sorry I have been silent . Last week was spring break here at UTLaw so I was busy out and about. I have class in 3 minutes, but I will report on my activities--from Wrestlemania 20 to Erin and Tim's wedding--as soon as I can.

From the "Things that make me lose faith in the human race" file...

Headline: Woman arrested at Wal-Mart after trying to pay with a $1 Million dollar bill.

Busy weekend...

Just Saturday, actually. First, A&F was awesome! By far the best in my short time here. Joey did a great job writing. Ron and the rest did a great job choosing and playing the songs. Amy, Melissa, et. al. in Medley were great, too. It's a cool feeling to see so many of my friends getting to dislpay their talents.

Speaking of talents, my friend Karen gave me a copy of her debut album which, I must say, was off the hizzie. Ok, maybe I shouldn't say that...but it was really good. I wish the "only MC with a JD" tons of luck in the future.

After A&F, I hit not 1, but TWO spots downtown. Seriously, I am WAY over my quota for the semester. The A&F after party was on the east side of 6th street! I deserve combat pay for wading my way through the drunken, half-naked undergrads. Then again, perhaps it is it's own reward...

I didn't want to live in Beaumont, anyway...

I got another rejection letter from a judge this week. I can add Beaumont to the list of backwater places that don't want my services, joining the state of Kentucky. Just kidding, far be it from me to be bitter. The weird thing was that Judge Hines actually listed the name and school of the person who got the clerkship. I should Google them later...then maybe a dead fish in the mail. Just a thought.

My friend Mark and I just finished working on my truck. Notice I hesitate to use the word "fix." Call it caution on my part. I just feel bad about the pool of enging coolant we left in the parking lot. If you live in San Marcos, try not to drink the water for the next, oh, 30 years or so. This ad paid for by Ozarka.

At school, I spent 2 hours talking to an admitted student about where he should go to law school. Obviously, I was trying to convince him to come to UT. His dilemma was between Texas and UC-Boulder. Not much of a question, really, but for him it was. It really is a tough thing. As much as I think Texas is the right fit for most folks out there, I know that it is not for everyone. Piece of advice for all you applicants out there--Ultimately, you have to go to the school where you feel most comfortable. 3 years goes by in a flash, but it can seem like eternity if you end up at a school that makes you miserable.

Most people would agree Texas is worth the loans. Law school is an investment. I have a feeling we are going to lose some students this year who will make exactly that choice, but between Texas and Harvard/Yale/Stanford etc. Whatever you do, you owe it to yourself to visit schools before making your final decision. COME TO PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS DAY!!! That's my own plug :)

Assualt & Flattery is tomorrow night...I'll let you know how it goes...

Memo to girls with long fingernails...

PLEASE DO NOT TYPE YOUR NOTES IN CLASS!! It is hard enough to ignore the low hum of clicking (mostly email, not notetaking which is easier to defend) without the louder, harsher clicking of acryllic nails on plastic keyboards. Yes, the girl who does this "wears a lot of pink" a la Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. Am I saying there is a connection? Naaaaaahhhhhhhh....

Oh, and my laptop battery has decided to semi-retire and only work part-time now. I love it when my battery says "75%--30 minutes left." I seriously almost bought an iBook last night.

The Oscars

I can't believe I watched the Oscars from beginning to end last night. I went with some friends (and some strangers, it turned out) to the Oscar party at the Alamo Drafthouse. It was a bit of a hoot. The group that won best costume was 7 mom's wearing old bride's maids dresses. My friend Cydni actually won a poster of the LOTR: Return of the King signed by Peter Jackson in one of the raffles. She's a pretty lucky gal. I don't mind...my philly cheesesteak was pretty good. Though I was hellu dissappointed when we ordered cookies and they brought us Chips A'hoy. Can you say, "Party foul?" The apple pie made up for it...a little.

Tim Farris Freedom Festival

Friday was a busy day for me. It started with the aforementioned high school students visiting the law school. Besides running out of breakfast snacks, everything went smoothly and ON TIME!! Surprising, I know. We got rave thank you's from the teachers so, hopefully, they weren't just being nice.

Right after that, I drove to Dallas for the "Freedom Festival." Tim is marrying Erin, a good friend of mine from law school. As a matter of fact, Erin was one of the first friends I made here. It didn't hurt that she happened to be sitting next to a gorgeous 6'3 blonde at the time. Anyway, they graciously asked me to be in their wedding party which is accompanied by certain duties. One of those duties is getting the groom very drunk at least once.

Thankfully, Tim isn't down with the whole strip club bachelor party cliche because neither am I. As much as I eschew participating in debauchery, I try not to infringe on others who want to have women rub on them in exchange for crumbled $1 bills. We went to a Dallas Stars game (Dallas won, 3-1). My first hockey game, for what its worth. I didn't realize that there are only 6 to a side-it seems like so many more on TV. That may have to do with the line changes, they subsitute just by skating on and off the ice in groups.

Next we hit Pete's Dueling Piano Bar which was fun. This was also where Tim proceeded to get drunk. Another funny thing that happened was that the success of a guy in our group with the ladies seemed to vary inversely with their availability. In other words, the only guys that got any play were the one's w/ girlfriends. Don't worry ladies. No one did anything wrong...in front of me, anyway. JUST KIDDING! Can you guess from my tone which one of us was the only single guy? Yep, it was me. :( Oh well...

The best part of the night was Tim yelling at the cab driver on the way home, "SLOW DOWN!! You're doing, like, 90!!" What makes this so funny is that we were AT A STOP LIGHT!! Another one of my favorite lines, "It's pilates, Jackass!"

Dave Chappelle...

has a funny ass show. I haven't been able to stop saying, "What did the five fingas say to the face? SLAP!! I'm Rick James, bitch!" all week. His sketch in the first season on what it would be like if the government paid reparations for slavery was hysterical. NEWSCASTER: "On Wall Street today--Fubu, KFC, and (Def Jam Records?) announced a merger, creating the world's largest corporation. Also, Lincoln has announced Navigator sales have shot up 5000% in the last 48 hours."