Craziness

My great aunt's funeral was touching; several people came and were able to tell their memories. The burial itself was held in the rain, which was a little awkward, but artful in a way. Ultimately, it was good that many family and community members were able to come together.

Speaking of rain, the storms which hit Southern California over the past week have been particularly disruptive for me; Malibu is pretty much dependent on a select few roads, and the major access roads (Malibu Canyon, Topanga Canyon, and Pacific Coast Hwy.) were closed during various times during the week; only the relatively out-of-the-way Kanan Road was open the entire time. It was difficult to go to Glendale for the funeral because Malibu Canyon had been closed; I had to take PCH to the 10 freeway to the 405 to get to the 101 rather than taking the canyon directly there.* Things were even worse on Wednesday, as PCH was closed down. However, the school did not close down in spite of all the closures; while I live on campus and could make it to class easily, most people would have to contend with horrible traffic, and the classrooms were relatively empty over the course of the week.

In addition, I have had several responsibilities to take care of this week; consequently, I have been feeling a bit stressed out. As part of my journal duties, I have had to read, rank, and critique eight 30-page law journal entries. Also, the Dalsimer Moot Court competition takes place this weekend, and, because I am a member of the Moot Court Board, I have had to help set up rooms, monitor rounds, and score a participant's brief in preparation for the competition. There are even more responsibilities that I have yet to tackle, but I feel that I am at least in a decent position to deal with everything else at this point.

Fortunately, I was able to set aside some time to watch the Oscars with some friends, even though the ceremony itself was a bit disappointing.

* - Note: Click here if you are confused about any of the Los Angeles freeway information. The 101 isn't marked, but it is the red line next to 'Calabasas' which eventually leads to the 134. PCH is '1,' Topanga Canyon is '27,' and Malibu Canyon is the gray squiggle above (naturally) Malibu.