Vacation and Holidays

Yes, I am still around.

I have been on vacation since the 7th; I had my last exam (Income Tax) on the 6th. Unfortunately, I haven't been as productive as I would have liked, although I do have some time left. I would like to use some of my remaining vacation time to do some career research and keep up with my research assistant work.

It has been pretty peaceful in my apartment, as my roommates left for the holidays after they finished their exams. Although things have been quiet, I've kept myself a little busy. I have been able to meet with a few friends over the holidays, which has been nice. In addition, I've been trying to paint; although I enjoy drawing, I feel that I don't have very much experience with paints, so I'd like to change that. I've also been able to go to Disneyland with my sister and her longtime friend; as I hadn't seen the park set up for Christmas since I was little, the trip was fun despite the crowds. Right now, I am at home with my parents and sister, and will be celebrating Christmas with them as well.

Anyway, I hope that everyone has a good holiday season!

Still Around

Yes, I am still here. Classes ended on Wednesday, and my exams begin next week. Otherwise, things have been fairly ordinary.

Thanksgiving was fun; I went with my family for the now-traditional Thanksgiving meal at the Knott's Berry Farm chicken restaurant. I was joined by my parents, sister, aunt, uncle, and cousins (the twins), along with Chrissie's friend Laura and two newly-married friends of my aunt and uncle.

I've also signed up for next semester's classes. I am going to take my final required course (Wills and Trusts) plus three seminar courses; the seminars include a "Jurisprudence" class and two Constitutional Law seminars (one of which is taught by our "beloved" dean).

Late Night Posting

I can't believe that September is more than halfway over; the school year seems to be going by quickly.

My sister's 21st birthday was on the eighth, and, in order to celebrate, the family (plus Matt) went to Las Vegas for that weekend. We stayed at the Venetian and went to various attractions in the area, including the Liberace museum, the Stratosphere tower, the gondolas at the Venetian, and Madame Tussaud's. Additionally, we went to see a somewhat cheesy Rat Pack tribute show, which was fun.

Chrissie also had a birthday dinner with some of her friends on the 17th. Two of my friends were also able to come to the dinner, which made it enjoyable.

Yes, I've Been Busy

As of tomorrow, I will have completed my third week of classes; the idea that I am back in school is still a little unreal. My schedule for the semester is as follows:

Monday
Civil Rights (10:20-11:20)

Tuesday
Federal Income Tax (1:30-3:00)

Wednesday
Community Property (9:10-10:10)
Civil Rights (10:20-11:20)
Supreme Court Seminar (11:30-1:00)

Thursday
Supreme Court Seminar (11:30-1:00)
Federal Income Tax (1:30-3:00)
Ethical Lawyering (3:10-5:10)

Friday
Community Property (9:10-10:10)
Civil Rights (10:20-11:20)

Hello Again

I haven't been able to update lately; I've just been too busy.

My externship finishes this Friday, as I will be starting school on Monday. The externship has remained interesting. The Department of Justice arranged for all of the student interns to meet with California Attorney General Bill Lockyer and state Appellate Justice Mallano; both answered questions and gave general overviews of their work. I've also been keeping myself busy with research and writing assignments, and have been present at two administrative hearings.

Yes, I'm Still Here

If you haven't guessed, I've been pretty busy, so I've been hard-pressed to update.

My birthday was on the 11th. To celebrate, I went to dinner with my family (parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins... Chrissie is in Oxford right now). In addition, I went to dinner with my friend Natasha on the 12th.

My externship has been going well. On June 29th, I went to Santa Barbara and participated in an administrative hearing. The case concerned a chiropractor who had gotten two drunk driving convictions; the Board wanted to impose discipline, but the chiropractor argued that no discipline was appropriate. I did more than I had expected to. I was able to cross-examine three character witnesses and a psychologist, and I also got to make a closing statement.

In addition to working on research projects, I've also been able to make occasional visits to courts and the Office of Administrative Hearings. These visits included two trips to the criminal courthouse, where I saw the examination of an expert witness (DNA analyst) and closing arguments in a relatively high-profile case.

I was slated for jury duty on July 6th; I was a little concerned because I had deadlines to meet, but I never ended up going to court.

Hello Again

I'm sure you're surprised to hear that I've been busy.

I've been keeping busy at the DOJ; I've mostly been working on memos, but I've also seen a few hearings and arguments. I've also been able to see a few movies and go to some family events. The family gathered at my parents' house for Memorial Day, where we had lunch and watched the twins' commercial. On Saturday, I went with the rest of the family to see the twins tap dance; after the (2 1/2 hour, 30 number) performance, we went out for dessert.

I got Friday off because of Reagan's death, so I spent the morning at my grandparents' with my mom and sister (and dog); the TV was on, so I was able to watch some of the eulogies. Later, I went to my sister's new apartment, and the two of us watched DVDs while waiting for her new bed to arrive.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

I started my externship on Monday, so I have been pretty busy. Things have been relatively laid-back at the Department of Justice, but I have worked with my fellow externs on a memo. The environment in the department is good, as everyone is very friendly and assignments are fairly flexible. The supervisor has also encouraged us to see appellate arguments and administrative hearings whenever things aren't too busy.

I've also been meeting up with my sister and dad a bit, as my externship is pretty close to USC and my dad's office. Over the weekend, Chrissie and I helped Matt with a film project of his, although I spent the bulk of the time watching Matt's TiVo. I helped out a bit on Monday as well. Last night, I was able to use my sister's guest membership at the gym and work out with her and my dad. After we went to dinner, I went to see a screening of Shrek 2 with Chrissie and Matt.

Settled In

I have more or less moved into my room for the summer, although there are a few things I'd like to take to Northridge when I get the time. I was able to find a 'place' for everything, and things are starting to fall into order.

On Mother's Day, I went to Chuck E. Cheese with the family; since the twins are still young, it's less of a headache than the traditional brunch. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and it was good to see my family again.

Other than that, things have been pretty quiet around here. I've devoted most of my energy to settling in, and have taken some time for free reading and DVD watching. I also got to see my sister tonight, as she came over to see what my room looked like.

I'm probably going to spend the remainder of the week on random chores and tasks; I'd like to have everything taken care of before I start my externship on the 24th.

Moving Out

My exams have been taken, my papers are finished, and all I have left to do is move out.

Moving tends to be an ordeal for me, and I have less time to get out of here than I originally thought I would. However, it's generally easier than moving out of Bryn Mawr was (although I didn't have heavy things like microwaves or TVs there), since I only have to drive a few blocks to get to the place I'm subletting. I was also able to get some help from my mom, who took the stuff that I wouldn't need over the summer.

I've already carried the first group of things over, but I still have quite a bit of stuff to move, plus I need to clean and vacuum before I leave. It should be nice once I'm moved in, although I'll have to make do with dial-up internet access and won't be online too much for a while.

Awaiting Summer

Classes ended yesterday. It seems like the semester has passed by so quickly. I only hope that I have enough time to study for exams. Week 2 should be more than manageable, as I only have one exam late in the week, but the first week might be difficult, as I have three exams, two of which are on the same day. At the moment, I'm taking it easy; I need to recuperate a little after having lost some sleep over the last week.

I've also been busy with meetings for the NAALJ journal and Moot Court Board as well as a trip downtown for fingerprinting (so that I can extern at the Department of Justice). I also got my car back from the shop, but I am going to have to take it back, as the carburetor needs to be replaced.

I am looking forward to the summer, though. The externship should be a nice change from academic work, even though the commute will be exhausting (and expensive, if you consider gas and parking costs).

Busy

Easter was fun; I went to a family gathering at my parents' house. It was good to see everyone again, and we were able to take the annual Christmas picture, since everyone from my mom's side of the family was present.

Yesterday, when I drove my car, the engine stalled as I was going downhill. Since my brakes wouldn't work, I had pretty few options, so I steered into a nearby curb. Inevitably, I hit the rear end of a parked car, so I left a note and later met up with the car's owner. I sent the car in for repairs and picked up a rental car as soon as I could (this makes this the second time in a one or two week period that my car has needed repairs). Fortunately, I wasn't hurt and the damage was minimal, but I am a little concerned, mostly because stalling has been a recurring problem with the car, even though I do try and get it repaired.

I was pretty busy yesterday. In addition to taking care of the car situation, I needed to go to the doctor's office for a checkup. Later on, I had to go to the local pharmacy to pick up my prescription. I had to return a few times; my medicine was not ready the first time, and they needed more time to check my insurance the second time around.

Easter Eve

I spent the largest portion of my week working on a paper. The paper took it's toll on my room; papers are strewn everywhere, and I haven't had the time to focus on keeping things tidy. Hopefully, I'll find some time later this week.

Though I've been busy for most of the week, I was able to go to USC and see a student performance of Patience, Gilbert and Sullivan's satire of aestheticism, with my sister, dad, and grandparents. The school puts a great deal of effort into their musicals, and the result was very good (particularly since I like Gilbert and Sullivan to begin with). I was also able to meet up with a friend on Friday, and that was a nice break after a week of writing.

In other news, Ken Starr (yes, that Ken Starr) has recently been appointed as dean of my law school. Though I'm sure that the appointment will raise the school's profile, my feelings on the matter are a little mixed. I'm not surprised, though; at least among students, the appointment has been treated as a foregone conclusion for some time now.

I found out on Wednesday that I will be the Legal Summaries editor for the NAALJ Journal next year. The job is basically what it sounds like; I will be selecting and writing summaries for recent cases. I was slightly surprised, because my interview didn't go well, but I'm glad I got an editorial position.

Daylight Savings Time is the Bane of my Existence

First of all, I'd like to congratulate Chrissie for getting into BADA's summer program in Oxford!

In other family-related news, my dad got cited in an article that dealt with a case which he has been working on.

As far as my life is concerned, I've been fairly busy. On Saturday (March 27th), I began by going to a fund-raiser for Wildworks, a program that a friend of mine volunteers for. The volunteers presented several of the animals, giving information about the species as well as the individual animals. Later, I went out to Venice to meet another friend for a late lunch.

This Friday (the 2nd), I drove out to Hollywood, where I met with Chrissie for lunch. The area was pretty crowded (I had arrived during the aftermath of a Janet Jackson appearance), but we finally were able to find each other. After a quick lunch, we met up with my aunt, uncle, grandmother, and cousins for a showing of Home on the Range at the El Capitan (a rennovated movie palace owned by Disney). Since we had time to kill before the screening, we spent some of our time by Grauman's Chinese Theatre; the twins seemed to enjoy putting their hands into the cement handprints there. After the movie, I went shoe shopping and had dinner for a friend. Now, I have two more pairs for work, and they ought to be more comfortable than the boots I've been wearing for interviews.

Other than that, I've mainly kept myself busy with the same old tasks and schoolwork. I did have to take my car in for repairs (belt trouble), but I should be able to pick it up tomorrow.

Summer Plans

I got an offer for an externship the Licensing section of the California Department of Justice on Wednesday; I decided to accept, and have been starting to make further arrangements so that I can be certified to appear in court and get class credit for my work. I also have to arrange to get fingerprinted with the other externs, which needs to be done quickly so that background checks are finished before I'm ready to work.

Finally, I'll have to cancel another DOJ interview (with the Torts section). The selection process for the section wouldn't have been completed until April, and I didn't want to jeopardize a concrete opportunity that I genuinely am excited about for a chance at another one, especially since both of the two externships are at the DOJ and are probably fairly similar.

More than anything, I'm happy and relieved that I have some practical job experience lined up for the summer. I think it's something that I could really use at this point, both on a personal level and on a practical one.

Busy

I have been super-busy for the past few days, and I expect to be pretty busy for a while.

I went out to Santa Monica after class on Thursday, grabbing a bite to eat and seeing Monster. It was nice to get away from school, and I'm glad I was able to catch the movie before it left theaters.

I had my interview on Friday. I think it went well; my interviewers were friendly, and I think I made a good impression. In any case, I should know the outcome in the next week or so. After the interview, I went with a friend and saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which had just come out.

On Saturday, I helped man the rooms for the first-year moot court tournament. Since literally everyone in the first year class participates, the rounds lasted for a long time. I arrived at 8:15 and wasn't finished until 5:00, so I was utterly exhausted by the time I got back. In addition, my feet were hurt from two straight days of wearing heels; for a while, it hurt to walk. I was a bit surprised at how tired I was, but I was able to get some rest later on.

I basically took it easy today, and I think I needed to take some time to do nothing (or at least very little). I just hope that I'll be able to budget my time over the next few weeks.

School and Such

Fortunately, Sunny got through the operation and is doing well.

I've been able to get back into the school schedule, although I felt a bit sleep-deprived today, as I needed to stay up late to work on an outline.I'm going to have to be a bit more careful with my sleep schedule, especially since it seems like half of the school has come down with a cold.

In other news, I have an interview with the Licensing Section of the Department of Justice later this week. I hope that I have a decent shot at an externship there; I think that my Administrative Law background will put me in a good position, but it's hard to know what will happen.

Back to School

My spring break was this week, and, on the whole, it was uneventful. I just wasn't as motivated as I'd like to be, and I felt too guitly to do something exciting when I should be studying. I was able to watch a few DVDs from Christmas, and I got to meet up with Chrissie a couple of times. I did a little bit of schoolwork, as well. Unfortunately, I ran out of print credits for the semester and will have to buy more.

I spent my Sunday afternoon at home in Northridge. After going to lunch with my parents, the three of us took Sunny (our Golden Retriever) to the vet. It looks like he has a tumor, so we had to schedule an operation for him tomorrow. These things tend to get more complicated as pets get older, so I hope that the surgery goes well. We also went to see The Passion and out to dinner with Chrissie, who had come back from a day of coaching. Both of us also got Palm PCs as super-early "birthday presents."

I wish I had more time to prepare before school started up again, but I guess I'll have to just get back on schedule. If nothing else, I'm a bit more rested up than I was when the vacation started.

Have you heard the campaigns? It's Super Tuesday!

Please forgive the cheesy wordplay in the title.

Anyway, on Saturday, I went to the annual Law School Dinner with my dad. We were seated at one of the Moot Court Board tables near the front. The evening consisted of a dinner, the presentation of awards, and a keynote speech by Alberto Gonzales, counsel to the White House.

I watched Sunday's Oscar ceremony, and was a little bit disappointed by the outcome. I would have liked some upsets, and there were some categories in which I don't think Lord of the Rings should have won.

Yesterday, I found out that my journal paper is one of those selected for publication; it will be in the NAALJ journal this fall. Of course, that means that I have all summer to make revisions. However, I am pretty excited about being published. That afternoon, I sent in my absentee ballot. Later in the evening, I visited Chrissie, and we watched Woody Allen's Love and Death in her film theory class before going out to eat.

Today, I finished up my Education Law presentation, so that's a relief. I think it went over well, and I'm glad that I got the presentation itself over with at a relatively early point.

Anyway, I ought to be going!

Stress

The last couple of weeks have been full of responsibilities, so naturally I've been a bit busy and stressed.

Last week, it took me an inordinate amount of time to finish checking participants' briefs for the Dalsimer competition. Since I was looking at the Blue Book citation format, my work on each individual brief was more involving, although I had fewer briefs to look at than people with simple assignments did.

Last Friday, I got a haircut. I had let my hair get to the point where it was downright unmanageable, so it was something that had to be done. My hair is still relatively long, but it's much easier to deal with now.

On Saturday, I went over to Loyola and made an appearance at the government jobs fair, staying long enough to ask some questions and pick up a few pamphlets. I'm really hoping that I can find some sort of summer job or internship using these contacts, and, though I've been swept up in my everyday class schedule lately, I'd like to try and focus on getting more resumes out.

I had two assignments due this week: a paper for my Education Law class (which ended up being 15 pages long) and a list of sources for my upcoming Federal Courts research paper. I also put together a powerpoint presentation for an oral report to go along with my Education Law paper. Naturally, on the night before my source list was due, the internet became unreliable because of a rainstorm, so I had to walk to the library and finish my research in the hour or so before it closed. I also had the responsibility to help oversee a round in Thursday's Dalsimer competition.

Fortunately, things are finally calming down, so I should have more time and breathing room soon. There will be a one-week vacation in a couple of weeks, and that should at the very least allow me to calm down a bit.

"Be My Valentuna" - Sign on the Reel Inn in Malibu

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

I haven't been motivated to post much recently, but I have done quite a bit lately.

The final draft of my journal article was turned in on the fourth, so that was naturally a relief. The final version ended up being over forty pages long (double-spaced and with footnotes), which I am pretty sure is longer than any single paper I've written before. The next day, the NAALJ journal had a celebration meal at Duke's in Malibu, which was pretty enjoyable.

I've been fairly productive recently, although I have been able to make some time for other things. I finally got around to seeing Vertigo, and I was able to see both City of God and A Mighty Wind on Friday. I've tried to be slightly more conscientious about my reading, but I've also got writing and subchecking to do, plus I'd like to do more research assistant work.

Today, I sent my car in to by worked on and picked up a rental; it was pretty late, so I was lucky to get it taken care of. Later in the afternoon, my sister came by; we watched part of the documentary Spellbound (which I had gotten her for Valentine's Day)before going to watch the filming of a student production on Zuma beach.

Now, I'm going back to Northridge; I am going to spend the night at my parents' house. I hope everyone had a fun V-Day!

Blah

I have been a bit under the weather. I woke up with a sore throat on Friday, and that evolved into a stuffy nose and ear infection by Sunday. Fortunately, I was able to see a doctor this afternoon, and I am starting to feel better, but the cold has been an annoying distraction.

On Friday, I saw Master and Commander, so I've now seen all the Oscar-nominated films except for Seabiscuit.

I went to the wedding of a second cousin on Saturday. After driving over to Chrissie's apartment, the two of us drove over to the church, which was somewhere in the Riverside area. After arriving at the church (we got a little lost, as the church complex didn't look 'churchlike') and meeting up with mom and dad, we sat down and watched the ceremony. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the reception. I spent most of the time at the table with my immediate family, as well as my aunt, my uncle, and some other relatives. Eventually, we left, and I went out to dinner with Chrissie and Matt; I was also going to go to a "launch party" for a friend of Chrissie's who is starting a production studio, but I decided that it wouldn't be wise, as I needed to get over my cold.

I'm Actually Updating...

I've been busy and preoccupied until recently, so I haven't been able to update as much as I usually do. Anyway, here are some highlights from the past few weeks.

I spent New Year's Eve at home with my parents; we watched the annual New Year's special on TV before going to bed. I left for Malibu the next day.

After some frustration, I was able to get a draft of my paper (for the NAALJ journal) turned in. I later discussed the draft with one of my professors, so I have an idea of what I can do to refine it. A final draft is due in early February.