Finals Suck, but Drunken Ewoks do not.

i.have.no.time

So here is my first day of school photo. I saw lots of parents who take pictures of their children outside the front door of their house on the first day of school. So here you go. A really, truly, pitiful post after a pretty long hiatus. Maybe I'll post during class later.

Irony

“The irony is that often those that feel the most need for control, are themselves the ones being controlled by their own fears, insecurities, and doubts.”

Carlos Felfoldi

Jazz's Halloween Costume

My dog is going to be Dogzilla for Halloween. How much fun will this be???

I know I don't have time to dress up the dog, but it's the little things I have left in my life that make me happy. That makes my life sound sad, but it's really not, just busy!

Dear GPS

Dear GPS,

Let's talk about how you consistently drive me through the ghetto. I'm talking the worst parts of the worst cities in NJ ever. Yesterday was no exception. I was going to pick up a client's records for work from a really nice, ritzy, neighborhood. No problem. How did you take me? Through the worst section of Newark in the world. Dear lord. So, as I'm driving, this man knocks on my passenger side windows, frantically. I rolled it down enough to hear him say, "Don't you hear all the people honking at you? You are dragging your oil pan! Your car is smoking and sparks are everywhere! You are going to set your car on fire! Oh my god, pull over! I will help you!"

Stop. Jessica is not street smart. Jessica, however, realizing that her car is a lot smarter than she is, would have at least set off a billion buzzers by now and I would think I could hear or feel my car dragging something along side the Garden State Parkway, no?

However, my low air light came on earlier that day, so I was thinking, "OH MY GOD, the car is going to catch on fire."

But, I decided to pull into a gas station about a half block up. I'm, of course, wearing a suit skirt. I try to peer under the car to see if anything was dragging or if there is a trail of oil down S. Orange Avenue. I see neither. So I call my husband and explain the situation to him. Immediately he asks if there are lights blinking on the car. I told him no.

I then asked the proprietor of the gas station if he could help me. He looked under the car and also saw nothing. He had me drive around the gas station a few times and also saw nothing. He then looked at me and said, "They try to rob you and steal car. Not a good place. Get out. Roll up your windows, lock your doors and get away."

Hubs met me on the side of the parkway and he checked out the car. Nothing was wrong with it. Fabulous.

That goes in my ghetto story file for the week.

All nighter

Okay, it wasn't all night, but I'm old and 3:00 a.m. is late for me. Our first draft of our very first legal writing assignment was due this morning at 9:00 a.m. I started it last week and have been working on it. I just didn't realize how long it was going to take me to finish it up and the panic attack that would ensue at some point (thank you Bridgette for talking me off the ledge at midnight, LOL). I spent most of my weekend working on outlines and typing up notes, reviewing what we did in the first four weeks, and allotted a few hours for the assignment. Bad move.

Anyone, it's safe to say that I won't be putting anything off until last minute again. I did get to listen to lots of new music as I worked on it. I missed all of NFL football today. That sucked. And it's safe to say that today, I will be living on this:



So is Monday. Sigh.

First Game!

The First Carolina Game of 2009 at our house coincided with our first party with law school friends. As I remarked to my husband in the liquor store last night, law school has really improved my alcohol tolerance. I'm not joking - there is alcohol at every turn. Of course a house full of law school students and my BILs - we put down a few cases of beer. We didn't get to sleep until almost 4 and I had to be at SBA at 9:30 am. I made it!

I also got my school issued flu shot on Thursday. I figured if I'm going to be in close proximity to 70 other students, someone is bound to give someone else the flu and there is no way I can miss a week of work and school to be sick. Plus, I'm a BIG FAT BABY and cannot handle being sick. My arm still hurts from the shot. See? Big Baby.

Okay, need to knock out a Legal Writing Paper before Gametime! Fun times!

Three weeks under the belt

Three weeks under my belt. I was elected to SBA and have now tried out for the ADR team (Alternative Dispute Resolution). One of my professors made me cry. I didn't read for a class and got called on (and did okay!).

My body has pretty much adapted to the schedule - the first two weeks were rough. I was mentally and physically exhausted. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to get all of my work done. I slept for sixteen straight hours yesterday. SIXTEEN. Do you think I might have needed it? I was up for six more hours and went back to sleep.

Tonight - Civil Procedure and Legal Writing. I have to finish a draft of my first assignment by Friday. I can do it, I think.

The Gamecocks Won!

Another week of law school is over. If you are keeping track, this would be the second week. I will say I'm getting into a better routine and my body and mind are adjusting to the 14 hour days. I do miss my naps, though. Napping is a big deal in my family, both maternally and paternally. Big Al takes a nap everyday when he comes home from work and my mom is famous for yelling at me for interrupting her nap time when I call her on weekends.

Last night the Gamecocks played their first day and it happened to coincide with my Civil Procedure Class. That was sad. I like Civil Procedure, but I love my Gamecocks. Luckily, there was only about a 35 minute overlap and I was able to keep track of the score on ESPN360.

I think, however, my classmates underestimated my love of the Gamecocks. I showed up at school in a jersey and with a "Beat NC State" sticker on. I hope I didn't scare them with the whole "Go Gamecocks" thing.

Oh well. That's just Jess. Ha.

Up next: Georgia on September 12! Party at my house :)

Another New Camera!

I know that I just blogged about getting a new camera that kicks butt. Well, speaking of butt, I dropped my Canon Elph in the toilet at a bar on Saturday night, so I had to get a new one. Awesome. Note, this is not the expensive one listed below, this was out point and shoot that we got two years ago right after we got engaged. It was an amazing camera and I loved it. So, upon waking up on Sunday and realized the episode in the Bar B bathroom was not a dream, I drove to Best Buy and bought the above camera. It is 12 megapixels. I don't even know what that means, but evidently, that means awesome in camera language. Oh, and I got it in bright red. Not by choice, but I think it will be rocking.

Thank goodness our photos of the debaucherous evening (which included Java Monsters, Mac and Cheese, the East Village, a phone booth, dead raccoons, CRIF dogs, leaving my BIL in Manhattan, and an English girl telling people in the park not to sell drugs), were saved. I do need to upload those, but that would require time and the actual act of sitting in front of a computer that's not related to work or school.

This weekend. I promise. I also promise Jen I'll post snake and champagne photos.

It's Gameday!

There are fewer things that make me happier than the sound of 2001 or the Carolina Fight Song. I'd even give up an hour of sleep for them. That's a big deal right now. I'm sort of sad kickoff is during my Civil Procedure Class where I'll be learning about heightened pleadings. No matter. I will be wearing my Jersey and immediately run to a television set when class is over at 7:35.

Things I've learned after a week of Law School

1 - My anti-caffeine stance has been lifted. I've consumed more caffeine in the last week then in the previous nine months.

2 - Law school books are heavy. Very heavy.

3 - It is easy to spot the part-time students who also work full time. They are the ones with the, "OMG, I have never been this tired in my life, where am I, how did I get here, please don't call on me" look on their faces.

4 - I will have no time for anything besides work and school during the week.

5 - People are very possessive of their seats, especially the ones in the back row of the classroom. Myself included.

6 - Sleep is highly underrated.

7 - Lionel the bus driver and I are going to become great friends.

8 - Beer.

9 - Most everything is a violation of the honor code and I had nightmares about it. I'm not joking.

10 - On Mondays and Wednesdays, I must eat before class. On Tuesdays, I can eat between classes and on Thursdays, I just don't care at that point in the week.

What Big Al Does in his Free Time

Big Al is my Dad. Lilly is one of my family's two pitbulls. The first one, Ace, my middle brother stole from a stripper, and Lilly, he bought for his squeaky-voiced ex-girlfriend and her parents wouldn't let her keep it, so my parents are the proud owners of two pitbulls. Who they spoil rotten.

Big Al refused to buy me clothes. He buys his Pit Bull a Michael Vick Jersey and emails the photos around to his family.

I find something seriously wrong with this situation.

This one is coming closer to us!

This one is coming closer. I knew we'd get one eventually. This is why I obsessively track hurricanes. For this purpose.

I'll be studying anyway.

RIP, Ted Kennedy

Love him, hate him - I happen to love him - he was a great man who served our country well for many years. May he rest in peace. He will be greatly missed by not only the citizens of Massachusetts, but by Americans everywhere. I'm sorry he never got to see a National Health care bill passed during his lifetime.

New Toy Arrived Yesterday

Oooh...this was my birthday/starting law school gift to myself - a Canon SX10. It's 10 mp and has 20x zoom. Since I'm a picture whore, I figured it was time to graduate from my point and shoot to something a little more awesome, but not an SLR, since I didn't have $1,000.00 to drop.

This came as I was walking out the door to school. Husband automatically started playing with it. I'm looking forward to sitting down this weekend (after I read Contracts, OF COURSE) and figuring it out. Frank is Phil's favorite subject.

First Day!

It's my first day as a law student! I've read & re-read. Please God, don't let me be called on.

Things I've bought on Ebay

Yeah.

I *might* be obsessed with the Gamecocks. I *might* need to step away from EBay.

Exhibit No. 1:

I don't have a lawn. I don't have a yard. I live on the 4th floor on a condo building and don't even have a balcony. I am the proud owner of the above pictured Gamecock Lawn Gnome. I call him Little Steve. He sits on my living room entrance table and watches the mail. I asked permission before I bought him. There is a matching cheerleader gnome that I hope someone buys me for Christmas! Hint, hint!

Exhibit No. 2:

Phil doesn't know about this one yet, but I think it's going to be a perfect match for the Spiderman Mr. Potato Head that I bought him. Additionally, I can change his faces based on the score of the game. Jenn O. said it was okay to buy this if any problems arise when Phil finds out. I don't think I'm going to mention it to him and just put it out and see what he says when he sees it.

Exhibit 3:


This does not match the decor of any room in my house. However, the laundry room was naked of all Gamecock paraphernalia, so I decided that this would be PERFECT and would totally dress it up. Everytime I do laundry or feed the cats, I'll remember where I went to college!

Exhibit No. 4:
It's a magnet for the dishwasher to let members of the household know if the dishes are clean or dirty! How ingenious is this??? We obviously needed this because the light that's actually ON the dishwasher that let's us know if the dishes are clean or dirty isn't sufficient enough.

Step.away.from.ebay.jessica.step.away.

Lolcat for Frank.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

One time there were 17 fake toy mice under our couch. It took Frank only three days to manage to bat that many cat toys under our couch. Emmy could care less about fake mice. She just likes to nap.

Hurricanes

I can't help it - I'm addicted to NOAA. I really should have been a meteorologist and worked for NBC. During hurricane season, I check the NOAA website daily. I wait for the hourly updates from the National Hurricane Center. Have I ever been in a hurricane? No. Have I ever been in danger of one? Once, sort of. Hurricane Floyd in 1999 when they made us evacuate the South Carolina campus, but nothing happened. We didn't even lose power. (Shout out to the Greene family for letting me stay with you!). I *think* when I was little (circa 1985 according to Wiki), Hurricane Gloria came up the east coast. I vaguely remember my mom running into the yard to rescue the bunny from the hutch, but there is a chance I'm making that up.

Hurricane Bill is now up to a Cat4 storm (I say Cat like I'm a damn expert at this stuff). According to this morning's NOAA update, there is not a chance in hell it will hit New Jersey. There is a .75% chance it might get windy.

Countdown begins - two weeks until school starts

Hubby and I took a staycation last week - I haven't done any crafting! As soon as I upload some photos, I'll share them. We had a wonderful long weekend with our friends Leslie and Brad and got to see tons of NYC!

Anyhow, it's down to the final countdown for lawschool.

I received these tips from an attorney I used to work for. I thought they were hysterical, especially No. 7.

******************
1. Be prepared for class.

2. If you're not prepared for class then:
a) if your professor understands that not everyone will be prepared for class every single day and is fine with you coming to class and letting him/her know beforehand that you are not prepared, then tell him/her before class (just don't abuse it) - if not, then
b) don't go to class.

3. If you get study tools (Emanuels, etc.), try to find the ones that correspond with your textbook (it makes life MUCH easier).

4. Find a good group of people to study with. This group should consist of people who are serious about class, but not so serious that when it comes to crunch time that they are not willing to share outlines.

5. Get to know the law library staff early.

6. Get to know the job placement office staff early.

7. There are always a few people in the class that no one can stand. If you can't figure out who those people are, you're one of them.

8. Find that balance between school and regular life. That probably won't be as hard now that you're married, but it makes all the difference in the world.

9. If you have an idea what type of law you want to practice when you graduate, then start thinking about how to gear your law school curriculum towards that - not so much in your first year, but when planning your 2nd year schedule, be thinking about it.

10. Definitely tryout for the law review and other publications (and/or moot court). The worst that can happen is that they say no.

11. Don't be afraid to go see the professor in his/her office if you're having trouble understanding a case or a subject. They're more willing to work with you than they will let on (though SOME will just be dicks).

Thanks Chip! I'm so glad that we've been friends for the past nine years and you were able to offer me this insight.

The Disparity of Clean

Let me start out by saying, I love my husband. To bits and pieces.

He actually cleans his own bathroom every week (or other week). I usually take care of the rest of the house, but he cleans his own bathroom. I hate his bathroom. He keeps saying he's going to redo it, but my hopes that that will ever happen shrink daily. Despite the fact we have all the materials and someone to lay the tile. Nevermind. I'll stop dwelling on that and get back to the issue. Cleaning.

Anyway, I made Phil leave the house today so that I could give the house a good cleaning. We have guests coming this week and I wanted to make sure the house was good and clean. I do have two cats and a dog - hair can become quite a problem. Even though I used the "Shred-Ender" on them last weekend, there is still quite a mess of hair. Everywhere.

When I got into law school, I told Hubs we needed to get a cleaning lady and he scoffed, telling me he could handle it. I plumb won't have time to work 40 hours a week, go to school 20 hours a week, and clean the house, do the laundry, etc. I just can't. It's not physically possible. I asked him if he knew what cleaning baseboards meant. He did not and accused me of not cleaning them. I asked him when was the last time he cleaned his bathroom walls. He never has. The questions like this went on.

I'm not, in any means of the word, a clean freak. I do like a nice clean house, especially when we have guests coming over.

So today, I started with his bathroom. I spent almost an hour in there alone. Despite his "weekly" cleans there was about nine inches of soap scum on the tub. When I inquired about this, he assured me he'd just throw out the tub and get a new one. WHAT?? I cleaned his walls, his baseboards, his medicine cabinet, etc. In short, his bathroom is now spic and span. I do need to go back and attack the soap scum with steel wool, but my fingers were cramping and I couldn't deal with it anymore.

He arrived home shortly after I finished his bathroom and asked what he could do. I told him I'd appreciate his dusting the bedroom. He did. Sort of. After he was done, I went back in and finished. He asked why we needed to clean the picture frame because, "I thought the Pope would ban the dust." Hubs was speaking of our Papal Wedding Blessing which was dusty. I then cleaned the window sills and he scoffed and said, "Those don't get cleaned." I also wiped the headboard down, since there were cat prints on it.

I then reiterated, "We are so getting a cleaning lady when I start school."

He reiterated, "We are not."

He'll see. Oh, he'll see.

First Assignment Done!

I just sent in my first assignment for school. It was a brief 250 word essay on Ethics for our legal writing professor. Unknowingly, I used the IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application/Analysis, Conclusion) Method, which is common in law school (Thanks Andi for pointing that out!). I think that's just from the motion practice that I do everyday at work & getting red-lined by my boss all the time.

I also did lots of reading over the summer - John Delaney's publications helped me out immensely. I have to give credit where credit is due. At times, it was difficult to get through (I'm still sloushing through his Criminal Law as an Advocacy Book), but I hope it'll be worth it in the fall.

I need to reclaim my kitchen table

Our kitchen table has been taken over by my sewing machine and quilt. Two weeks ago I put the leaf in to make the table bigger and it's now become my quilting area. We've still eating off of the damn snack tables.

You can clearly see how I've given up with keeping things neat until this quilt is done.

Poor husband. Thank you for putting up with me.

Here's my beautiful binding, though, that I made last night. It took several hours. I used a continuous bias cutting method recommended by my friend Kristen that I was actually shocked worked (not because of the directions, but because I thought I was too spastic to figure it out). I should have enough to go around the entire quilt and if I don't, I'll probably start to cry because it was such a pain in the ass to make.


In fact, I accidentally burned the carpet with the iron with folding it over. You are going to have to look closely to see the two spots where this happened. Luckily, I have a seriously wonderful and understanding husband who just turned the carpet around and the burned spot will now be under an ottoman.

Tonight - we attach binding! I thought I'd do that last night, but sadly, making the binding took ALLLLLLLLLLL night.

Congratulations, Penn State!

One of my favorite mediums to work with are corkboards. This is one I made for my cousin, Sam, for her high school graduation. She obviously is going to Penn State (Class of 2011). I'm sort of jealous, since Penn State was just named the #1 Party School in the Nation. I just checked and did not see Seton Hall Law on there. Newark just doesn't scream party like College Park!

I *think* when I was at Carolina (SOUTH CAROLINA) we were ranked a few times.

I need to make myself a Gamecock Corkboard for my office at work.

I'm an ESTP

Have you guys ever heard of the Myers Briggs Personality Test? One of my sorority sisters suggested I take it - you can too.

I'm an ESTP - Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving. I think this definition fits me pretty well.

The Doer

As an ESTP, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Your secondary mode is internal, where you deal with things rationally and logically.

ESTPs are outgoing, straight-shooting types. Enthusiastic and excitable, ESTPs are "doers" who live in the world of action. Blunt, straight-forward risk-takers, they are willing to plunge right into things and get their hands dirty. They live in the here-and-now, and place little importance on introspection or theory. The look at the facts of a situation, quickly decide what should be done, execute the action, and move on to the next thing.

ESTPs have an uncanny ability to perceive people's attitudes and motivations. They pick up on little cues which go completely unnoticed by most other types, such as facial expressions and stance. They're typically a couple of steps ahead of the person they're interacting with. ESTPs use this ability to get what they want out of a situation. Rules and laws are seen as guidelines for behavior, rather than mandates. If the ESTP has decided that something needs to be done, then their "do it and get on with it" attitude takes precendence over the rules. However, the ESTP tends to have their own strong belief in what's right and what's wrong, and will doggedly stick to their principles. The Rules of the Establishment may hold little value to the ESTP, but their own integrity mandates that they will not under any circumstances do something which they feel to be wrong.

ESTPs have a strong flair for drama and style. They're fast-moving, fast-talking people who have an appreciation for the finer things in life. They may be gamblers or spendthrifts. They're usually very good at story telling and improvising. They typically makes things up as they go along, rather than following a plan. They love to have fun, and are fun people to be around. They can sometimes be hurtful to others without being aware of it, as they generally do not know and may not care about the effect their words have on others. It's not that they don't care about people, it's that their decision-making process does not involve taking people's feelings into account. They make decisions based on facts and logic.

ESTP's least developed area is their intuitive side. They are impatient with theory, and see little use for it in their quest to "get things done". An ESTP will occasionally have strong intuitions which are often way off-base, but sometimes very lucid and positive. The ESTP does not trust their instincts, and is suspicious of other people's intuition as well.

The ESTP often has trouble in school, especially higher education which moves into realms where theory is more important. The ESTP gets bored with classes in which they feel they gain no useful material which can be used to get things done. The ESTP may be brilliantly intelligent, but school will be a difficult chore for them.

The ESTP needs to keep moving, and so does well in careers where he or she is not restricted or confined. ESTPs make extremely good salespersons. They will become stifled and unhappy dealing with routine chores. ESTPs have a natural abundance of energy and enthusiasm, which makes them natural entrepreneurs. They get very excited about things, and have the ability to motivate others to excitement and action. The can sell anyone on any idea. They are action-oriented, and make decisions quickly. All-in-all, they have extraordinary talents for getting things started. They are not usually so good at following through, and might leave those tasks to others. Mastering the art of following through is something which ESTPs should pay special attention to.

ESTPs are practical, observant, fun-loving, spontaneous risk-takers with an excellent ability to quickly improvise an innovative solution to a problem. They're enthusiastic and fun to be with, and are great motivators. If an ESTP recognizes their real talents and operates within those realms, they can accomplish truly exciting things.

What I want for my Birthday

His name will be Rock.

Phil won't mind. Seriously.

I've wanted a Boston Terrier going on five years now. I anticipate I will be wanting one for at least another five before my dream becomes reality.

My weekend of Quilting (and Harry Potter)

This is the current view from my kitchen table. We're eating on snack tables tonight. Sigh.

So, as I predicted on Friday, I spent the weekend quilting. It actually wasn't as difficult as I had originally thought, but it is time consuming. Especially when you have to move Frank off of the quilt every few minutes.


I first finished "stitching in the ditch" which means that I sewed around every single block on the quilt.

Here's a photo op of the back:

Don't mind the copious amounts of cat hair. I swear, he's addicted to the quilt.

Now I've started machine quilting the border. I practiced for a few hours on Saturday. I did lots of internet research on how to machine quilt and most tutorials started with, "Drink a glass of wine before you attempt this." So I did. Or two. Whatever. I was following the directions. Clearly.

This is called the meandering stitch and it takes forever. I'm hoping to finish the quilt before law school, but this machine quilting part is ridic. It looks nice, but damn.

Anyway, I left the house yesterday afternoon to watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince with Phil. Yes, I've read all of the Harry Potter books. I own all the movies and all the books. Phil had no idea what was going on (it was like watching Twilight all over again, LOL). I felt bad and kept leaning over and trying to explain who people were and why they hated other people and what certain things were. The Room of Requirement is really hard to explain.

Law school news: My tuition bill came with my schedule on Saturday. I'll be in class from 6 - 10 Monday - Wednesday & 6 - 8 on Thursdays. That's insane. We also got our first assignments. I have to write a 250 word essay and take a 75 minute diagnostic test by August 10. I should probably get on it.

13 more days in my twenties!

The T-Shirt Quilt and Frank

This is a photo of my t-shirt quilt. I have never attempted to quilt before, and I chose one of the largest and cumbersome quilts to start with. Go me. There are 49 Delta Zeta t-shirts on here (guess what sorority I'm in. I dare you. Go ahead. I bet you won't get it).

After cutting the shirts into 12.5 x 12.5 squares, I interfaced them. Then I layed them out, sewed them together, put on a pink border, bought some batting online, and here is the quilt sandwich. And then there's Frank laying on it. Frank loves this quilt something fierce. No matter where I put it or how it's folded, he's all up in it. I'm serious. I currently have it on the dining room table rolled so that I can machine quilt it. He unrolled it and crawled under. Frank is also hairy as hell. You know where he's been. Hence, there are Frank hairs ALL over the quilt. He doesn't care.

All I have to do now is machine quilt it. I say "ALL" like that's easy. I only did ONE seam and my arms are about to fall off, it's so heavy. I had to have hubs help me out with it because I couldn't manage moving it myself. And of course, I've never used a walking foot before, so I need to tear out the one seam I did do and redo it. Guess what I'm doing this weekend!

The New Blog

Welcome to the Crafty Law Student - after getting into law school this spring, I realized that my previous blogs weren't, er, career-friendly.

So I had to kill them.

It was really, really sad. There was some good material on there.

Anyways...I do like to blog. I'm a sarcastic one, you see, and I usually just make the people around me mad with my cracks on them. It's a family thing, though. One time an ex-boyfriend of mine came to a family function and was around me and my brother and dad for like nine minutes and asked why we were so mean to each other. It's love, I tell you, love. Anyway, I need a creative outlet to let my inner-snark out and this is what I came up with. I just have to keep it clean.

A brief bit about me - I'm almost thirty (gasp, I can't pass for 24 anymore). I've been a medical malpractice and personal injury paralegal for the past eight years or so. I always wanted to go to law school, but I didn't go right after undergrad and then I didn't feel like taking the LSAT again. Do you know how horrific that thing is? I would prefer being bitten by spiders and bats or eating some of that crap from Fear Factor. Anyway, my husband finally registered me for the LSAT and I took it and now I'm going to law school in the fall.

I'm also a craft whore. I love crafting. I'm constantly starting new projects. Right now there is a quilt on my dining room table that I'm learning how to machine quilt, umpteen scrapbook pages half done, three corkboards that need to be painted with various college mascots, two bibs that I meant to have ready for our friend's babies first birthday, and an entire closet full of other crafts I haven't gotten around to finishing.

So hence, the title - "The Crafty Law Student." I figure I'll blog about my journey through law school and my craft projects and try not to bore the snot out of people. If I do, though, stop reading. I won't mind.