Giving "Down Under" new meaning

Mad props to the Aussie that googled i touched a stripper and found MY blog.

I hope I didn't disappoint.

Nota bene In re: Perspective

Taking my internal temperature and talking to fellow Bar-toilers, I realize that we’re all freaking out. I am a big believer in energy, and opportunity cost. Energy used for one purpose can’t be used for another. Energy wasted on worrying about not passing the Bar can’t be spent on actually studying for the Bar.

Referring to the cliché that this is a marathon, and not a sprint – there is a strong mental element. I let myself flounder a bit to find my feet, but now, in conjunction with preparing myself for the substantive component, I’m developing my mental arsenal. Channeling my inner-Tony Robbins, I’m visualizing myself at the exam, I’m focusing my self-talk (i.e. pulling the plug on my daymares about not failing), I’m building my confidence by thinking about the challenges that I’ve already faced, and I’m trusting the process (well, I’m trying – this is the hardest thing in the world for me.)

The other big part of this is perspective: every lawyer I know (and I know a lot – I live in the DC area) has passed a Bar exam. Hard, but not impossible. Sometimes you can eliminate anxiety by thinking about what you fear the most: if I don’t pass, I’ll take the exam again. It won’t be fatal.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand how difficult the exam is, and the pass percentage, etc. My most immediate goal is to PASS THAT SUCKAH - I’m just cleaning my mental house (the better to refill it with 1L class material, my dear.)

Comment dit-on?

My parents' friends are always skeptical that I understand Malayalam (understandably, since I won't speak it.) They always test my understanding with one of the following two questions:

(1) Do you understand?

(2) Would you like some tea?


And that explains Malayalees to a T, I think.

Bon Mots

Favorite quotes, etc. from today:

• "She seems really hostile, or maybe that's just how God made her face."


• Are You Meant to Be Sexually? [In my email inbox. I pondered and pondered what it meant. I was sure that there was a word missing. Are you meant to be sexually...what? Then I took it as some veiled message about my dating life (or lack thereof.) And they'd know, of course, I mean - they ARE Astrology.com, after all!]


• "She sits down hard and breaks a bone in her ass. And she’s not happy" - Prof. Schecter, summing up Garrett v. Daily in Bar prep Torts class today.


• Baby Saved by a Jury of Peers : more from my favorite Pun-jabi, Manish.

Stragedy

Nota bene: do NOT read this if you aren't studying for a Bar exam. It'll be hella boring and .... really, that's reason enough

I haven't found my BarBri groove yet. I'm trying to figure out what mix of strategies works for me. Right now, this is what I do:

• Go to class and take notes on the BarBri outline provided. (I'm planning to bring my laptop to the Torts lectures, since there is no handout thingo.)
  
• Review that evening by typing in the info I took down into the Word version of the outline. I find this helpful b/c I basically go over each of the "teaching hypotheticals" again and reason it out.
  
• After the topic is over, condense into my own outline. (For example, K went from 71 pages to 10.)
  
• When I take the multiple-choice questions, I check my answers after each group associated with a particular fact pattern. (I tried doing it at the end, but I have often forgotten WHY I went with a certain wrong answer.)
  
• I note what I got wrong, and the rule or trick in the question that I missed
  
• Flashcards from my condensed outline and what I got wrong.
  

How am I doing? What are you doing that's working for you? I am taking the 3-day PMBR course at the end, but haven't touched those books. I have some of the CDs as well, but realised that I need my (very short) commute to class to NOT be about Bar prep.

Update: I outlined my first essay, and I realize that having an approach for each topic is going to be a REALLY good idea. I know BarBri gives us checklists, and I'll definitely use them, but there's something to be said for coming up with your own system. Kind of like an "issue spotter" list - I used these in law school and found them very helpful. SO - when the lectures on a topic are over, in addition to the condensed outline - I will write an issue spotter checksheet.

I'm famous....in a bad way, part II

During exams, procrastination becomes high art. This last go-round, one night I told DTG that I have been quoted in just about every newspaper EVER. To prove the point to him, I googled myself (an unsavory, and slightly embarassing business.)

I was truly shocked when, in addition to the news links I expected, a hit on a blog that I had just started reading that week came up. His coverage of me being quoted partout:

This quote is from a story about cancelled flights: ''I am irritated,'' said maisnon, a law student from Washington who was supposed to be on a canceled British Airways flight. ''I am sure there are reasons but I do wish we had known what was going on earlier.''Those pesky terrorists! Why won't they give us more of a heads up?I love that quote, "I am sure there are reasons..." Did she just wake up from a three-year coma?

Wow. So, yet again, I surf the web and find...me, but in expected places. And yet again, I'm FAMOUS, but in a "people-think-I'm-an-idiot" way.

This is what happened: I was on a flight between Heathrow and Dulles that was cancelled. They'd cancelled the same flight the day before, so I had called British airways ALL day. I booked it across London, only to have the flight cancelled while I unloaded my bag. I broke my own little rule and talked to the press. AP, Reuters, BBC, ABC, et al interviewed me as one of the passengers on the cancelled flight. I said I was annoyed that they hadn't cancelled the flight earlier, which was spun in the stories as "maisnon is annoyed, but other passengers are glad the airline is looking out for safety." Mmmyeah....like I wanted to get back to school come HELL or HIGHWATER.

And let's have a look at the above quote: the "I am irritated" is PURE me, as any of my friends will attest to, but the rest of it....am I channeling Mary Poppins? Did I suddenly become British after 2 days in Merry Olde England? Shouldn't I have said "I am cross"?

I'm famous....in a bad way, part I

This is such a weird series of events, I'm not even sure where to start. Deep breadth.

Okay, backstory - I read A Girl Walks into a Bar (Exam) written by a fellow-toiler who will take the CA Bar in July. A chiquita named Heather has commented a few times on that blog, and I thought that she might be taking the CA Bar review in the same location as me.

Recently, Chai commented on my blog. I decided to peruse her blog, since she is yet ANOTHER fellow toiler. (By the way, she picked a FABULOUS template ;) ) On her BlogList, I see someone named Heather...could it be? What are the chances? Hmmm...THIS Heather is also taking the CA Bar....also reads Girl Walks into a Bar. I think we have a winner. Who woulda thought, right? What a crazy small world!

Yeah, no, it's just getting good.

I scroll through Heather's posts and find this one :

The girl in front of me today had with her on the first substantive day of bar/bri: a stack of no less than 75 hand-made contracts flash cards made with two types of pens, two-hole punched and stacked neatly inside a plastic index-card sized 'binder'; and a separate note-pad to take notes that she couldn't fit on the outline she was filling in and highlighting with multiple colors.

Um...

• I brought a stack of flashcards (and filled out the first 10 with the reading we did that morning),
• I just bought an index card binder,
• I had a little notepad in addition to my outline,
• I highlight the BarBri outline with two colors.

That's right, folks - I managed to paddle myself through the Interwebs to a post ABOUT ME, and more importantly ABOUT HOW GEEKY I AM.

Thank you, thank you - you've been a great audience. I'm here all week.

P.S. - I went through some denial where I thought it could be some other school supply-obsessed person, but no - in a quick volley of comments, Heather and I established that I was, in fact, the object of her geek scorn.

P.P.S - I met Heather today - this could be the start of a beautiful friendship. Isn't this the most hilarious "how we met" story?

Fugee-la

Oooh La La La

It's the way that we rock when we're doing our thang

Do you remember when you first heard the Fugees? I do. It was one of Jesse's hip hop nights at Stages (the beginning of my "I'm with the DJ" years.) The place had cleared out (not that there's much more clearing necessary when it's a Tuesday night.) Rick was doing the typical male hip hop dance move (hunch-y shoulders, left foot goes forward, left foot goes back, right foot goes forward, right foot goes back, head bob, head bob. Repeat.) The music started, then the beat, then Lauryn's voice.

"Ready or Not" came on the radio as I was driving to school this morning. I hummed along with Lauryn, and hit the first words at exactly the right moment. Why do I know all the lyrics to a song from 10 years ago, but can't remember what I just read? If someone explained the statute of frauds to me with a smooth flow over some tight beats... Lauryn, give me a call - I have a real career opportunity for you.

pseudo-sanctuary

i never promised you a rose garden

There is a wee little rose garden next to the law school where I am taking my Bar prep class. Thankfully, the powers that be at BarBri know exactly how long my attention span is - we get breaks every 50 minutes. I always find myself here. Two strips of roses separated by concrete and grates, an odd combination of urban grit and delicacy. It's my little connection with the world - I won't always have a schedule that involves 12 hours of studying, there will come a day where I'm not up to my hairline in the parol evidence rule, bona fide purchasers, and strict liability.

(yeah, okay, so I'm not doing 12 hours of studying - I should be.)

Why an evening with DTG adds years to your life and life to your years

Previous episode:

After I identified the aria* playing in the cheesy Italian chain restaurant we were in, DTG called me refined. Hilarious because (1) I called him not 15 minutes earlier and opened with, "Yo, b!tch ass...", and (2) because we were having a late dinner in order to catch Revenge of the Sith(the night it came out, thank you very much.) Neither of these things says "refined" to me. I did, however, write the word "raffiné(e)" (French) for him on the paper cloth with the provided crayons. (Yes - that kind of restaurant.)

Actual conversation last night:

Me: So are you having dinner with me?
DTG: Uh, no.
DTG: Blah blah blah (I think he was talking about his new job, but who knows?)
Me: Seriously, are we having dinner or what?
DTG: Blah blah blah. Oh, I got my first paycheck today!
Me: Oh good, so dinner is on you!
DTG: Wow, way to strong arm me! And we're not even dating!
Me: Well, according to us, at least.

Shortly thereafter, walking to dinner (I won), DTG was a little concerned because the back pocket of his pants ripped a teeny hole in his pants.

DTG: Does it look okay??
Me: It's not noticeable.
DTG: Are you sure?
Me: Yeah, looks fine.
DTG: Seriously?
Me: I don't want to look at your butt anymore!
DTG: But you kinda do.

Ah, good times...good times.


* "La Donna é Mobile" from Verdi's "The Rigoletto." Nearly everyone knows this tune - it was in a Pillsbury commercial, for crying out loud. (I think Doughboy sang about dinner rolls, or some such.)