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.

Holiday Update

Things have been a bit hectic lately, so I haven't gotten around to updating for a while.

On Friday, the twelfth, I visited my friend Natasha, who had just finished her last exam.

That Sunday, Natasha came over to Malibu, and we hung out a bit before going over to a Chuck-E-Cheese, where we saw the twins. We came at about the same time as my aunt, uncle, and cousins did; my sister and her boyfriend Matt arrived a bit later. Looking after the twins can be tiring sometimes, but it's good to see them when I get the chance.

I went along with Chrissie, Matt, and a couple of Matt's friends to a midnight premiere of the Return of the King. I hadn't fully realized that we would have to wait in line, since the tickets had already purchased, but we ended up in line for at least an hour. This was a little problematic for me; although I had brought a sweater, I hadn't prepared myself to wait in the 'chilly' California weather. I finally made it back to my room at around 4 in the morning. Naturally, my schedule was completely messed up for the next few days.

Friday (Dec. 19th) was very busy. That morning, the family had to drive out to Redlands for my grandfather's funeral. Along with the other grandchildren, I was a pallbearer, and stood throughout the ceremony. Although I think that most of my emotions had already come out when he had died, the ceremony was naturally a bit emotionally difficult as well. After the funeral, we went to a wake at the nearby home of a relative. My sister and I had spent most of the time chatting with our cousins before leaving.

On Death and Dying

My grandfather passed away this Saturday afternoon, while my family was visiting him. It has been pretty difficult and heartwrenching for everyone, but I'm glad that the family was able to be there when he needed us. I can take some comfort in the fact that it was a 'good' death; he wasn't in pain when he died, and he was around people who cared about him.

Of course, it was a very challenging experience; I think that the grief is harder to rationalize when you're directly witnessing the death of a loved one. I was very distraught for the first few days, but I think I've more or less regained my composure by now. More than anything, I feel lucky that I was able to see him and lend whatever support I could give.

Winding Down

The last couple of weeks have been hectic, which is why I haven't written anything here for a while.

Thanksgiving was fun; mom, Chrissie, Laura, and I went to see my mom's parents, my aunt, my uncle, and the twins. We have a little tradition of going to the restaurant at Knott's for Thanksgiving, as nobody has to cook and we can walk around the craft fair later. After we had finished lunch and walked a bit, my aunt and uncle took the twins to the theme park while the rest of us headed back home.

I had my first exam (Administrative Law) the next Monday. After I had finished the exam, I met Chrissie in Laura in Westwood, where we had dinner before going to a jazz concert over at UCLA. My friend Natasha had a solo about halfway through the concert, and I went to see her soon after she had finished singing. Later, Chrissie, Laura, and I stopped and got ice cream. Since the premiere of The Last Samurai had finished while we were eating, we were able to people-watch a bit (Robert Downey Jr. apparently walked right past us, but I didn't really see him).

I had my next exam, in Corporations, on Thursday. On Friday evening, I met up with Tiffany; we went out to dinner and looked through photos of the UK trip. I drove home to Northridge after I had finished seeing her. The next morning, I went up north with the family for the day, so I didn't get back to my room until 9 or 10 that night.

On Sunday, I went to a review session for my Evidence class. My final was the next afternoon; it was the last exam, so the semester was officially over for me. I celebrated by meeting up with Chrissie and Matt to see The Station Agent in Santa Monica.

I haven't done much since then, though I was able to see Chrissie yesterday and was also able to get a large chunk of holiday shopping done. Even though I don't have any classes for a while, I still have a lot to do, so I'm hoping to stay on top of things over the break.