Has it really been almost a year?

Has it really almost been one year since my last blog post?  Seriously?  Have I been that busy?  Oh, I hate it.

I guess I'll try to sum up the past year (gulp) without being too boring.

My blogging really slowed down early last year as I wrapped up my final semester of law school.  Of course, almost as soon as I graduated it was time to get busy studying for the Bar Exam.  My entire summer was spent either studying for the Bar Exam or curled up in a ball crying over how there was no point in studying because there was simply NO WAY I was going to pass.

After taking the Bar, my life was quiet for about a month.  During this time I wanted to start blogging regularly again but I just didn't have it in me.  The thought of attempting to create something that others might want to read seemed overwhelming.  My mind was in recovery mode, from three months of 10-18 hour study days 6-7 days a week, from the years of law school that had come before that, and of course, from the years in undergrad that had come even before that.  For the first time, there was nothing to study.  And my mind went on autopilot.

Of course, autopilot didn't last long.  Two days before I found out I'd passed the Bar Exam (that's right -- I passed!!) I was offered a job.  Over the past ten months I've been practicing law.  It's honestly taken me so long to become an attorney that sometimes when I sit back and think about the fact that I am one, I giggle.  I'm an attorney.  Teeheehee.  :D

I've honestly liked practicing a lot more than I thought I would.  I went into law school thinking I'd love practicing, but left wondering if I'd like it at all.  While in law school I realized that I loved the study of law and being around others who are likeminded and share similar passions.  But I began to wonder if I'd like the practice of law as much as law in theory.  To my surprise, I've enjoyed it.  A lot.  I love the people that I work with and most of the time I even love my clients... haha.

So over the past ten months, we've been a two-parent, working household for the first time.  And it's sucked.  Our house has STAYED in a constant state of clutter and unfolded laundry.  My son started the first grade -- I blinked -- first grade was over.  Because my drive to work is (wait for it) 1.5 hours ONE WAY, we had to hire a nanny to pick up Maddox from school and take him to piano practice and swim practice.  If we'd have sent him to after-school care he wouldn't have been able to continue his lessons in either.

It's been so chaotic.  And I've hated it.  Although I've loved my work, I hated my ridiculous commute.  (Yes, it's my fault that I took a job that far away from where I work but I had my reasons.)  I also hated the thought of second grade starting next month -- me blinking -- and second grade being over.  Not again. And more than anything, I've hated not being able to put my family first.

So, after about two months of talks and prayer and thought, I turned in my notice.  This Friday, July 26th, is my last day.  My husband is BEYOND supportive and good grief I'm so thankful for that guy.

Where do I go from here?

Well, the plan is to start my own practice so that I can work part time and schedule my case load around what matters most, my family.  I hope to have my practice up and running by January.  In the meantime (and this is my favorite part) I'll solely be homeschooling Maddox.  It's something I've been wanting to do since before he started kindergarten but I couldn't do it because I had to focus on my own education.

So, next month we start homeschooling.  And, soon I'll slowly incorporate my part-time work into my routine as well.  I'm beyond thrilled!  Maddox is so excited too.  He's done great in public school, but (like most children) some subjects come easier to him than others.  I'm looking forward to seeing how much he'll excel in math now that he won't have to sit in class and wait on other children to finish their work.  And I'm looking forward to seeing how much he'll improve in reading now that we can spend extra time on it.

To wrap this up:  I'm back.  I've been gone.  But I'm so glad to be back!

Mad Jackie, J.D.

I've been missing again.  And oh, I'm so glad to be back... and to have nothing standing in my way of enjoying my blog anymore!

Why don't I have anything standing in my way anymore you ask?  Well, that's because....

I graduated from law school!!

See, I even have pictures.

My mom was a tad excited about my graduation.  Here's her car.

 My grandma and me before the ceremony.

 And one with my mom before the ceremony.

Then that sweet, sweet music started and we began to walk in.

I passed right by my fan club! :)

But then, the moment I'd been waiting for arrived.

It was my turn to walk on stage and get hooded.

I was officially a juris doctor!!  YAY!!

Afterward we took a few pictures before leaving (of course).

This is my mother and father.

 And, this would be my hubby and little man.

And one more of us, well... just because we're a good looking family.

At home, we had a nice little congratulatory party with cake and presents.  I'd always joked that I wanted a white lab coat like MDs get once they become doctors because it wasn't fair that JDs didn't get them since we're doctors too.  Well, my mother had one embroidered saying Dr. Jacquelin E. [last name], J.D.  How awesome is that?  And my grandmother had a gavel engraved with my name on it.  

So, for the last picture of my graduation day, I give you Dr. Mad Jackie.

As always, thanks for sticking with me through the break.  Graduation was in mid-May and since then I've been studying non-stop for the Bar Exam, which I took last week.  I'll post again soon to let you know the joys of bar prep.  I know you can't wait.... ;)

Law School 101: Dead Week & Finals

First, let me say that I'm so happy to be back!

In honor of my absence last week, I'd like to tell you a little bit about the law-school finals experience.  I knew nothing about finals before I began law school so I thought I'd share what every law student across the country is going through right now.

[Disclaimer:  This post is more for informative than entertaining in nature, although I still hope you enjoy it.]

Dead Week

During the semester, students sit through each course with essentially no feedback.  There are no homework assignments.  There are no quizzes or midterms.  There is, however, a lot of assigned reading (which I'll post about in the future).

One week before finals begin, classes end.  This leaves a one week gap known to law students as dead week.

Although I'm uncertain how dead week got its name I can only assume it has something to do with the fact that every law student you see looks like this.

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Or, possibly even this.

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Dead week is the week where each student is essentially dead to the world.  We cram.  We stress.  We complain.  We study.  We outline.  We read.  We pull out our hair.  We cry.  Basically, we realize we're screwed.

Finals Week

After dead week ends, finals week begins.  Now, our finals week actually lasts two weeks.  

Lucky for me, I had three finals in one week so I'm free a "week early."  [Note the slight sarcasm, as there's nothing lucky about having three exams on three subjects tested heavily on The Bar within a five-day period.]

To me, finals week is more exhausting than dead week.  It's the week I don't see my family or my bed.  I'm always mentally and emotionally overwhelmed, and no matter how many times I go through it, I feel like the worst mother ever.  (Gotta love those mommy guilt-trips.)

The one blog post I did manage to make last week was merely this photo to let all of you know I was still alive.  Yes, this photo accurately depicts finals week.

Studying even got in the way of eating last week.  [Fun Fact:  I realized Friday night (the evening I finished my last final) that I hadn't even eaten meat in one week.  Pathetic.]

The Exams

So what are the exams like?  I suppose I read about 300-500 pages of textbook material per course each semester consisting mainly of case law, statutory law, and secondary law.  Law-school exams are designed to extract this information from the student in a relevant manner.  

The most common type of law-school exam is the essay exam in which the professor will write out a hypothetical situation dealing with the type of law studied in the course.  Generally, the professor will give a few pages of "facts" and then ask you (without using this wording of course) to basically apply what you were supposed to learn all semester to the facts given to you just as you would if this situation described happened in real life and you were the attorney working on the case. 

And, although I've described the prototypical law-school exam to you above, each professor, of course, will have their own style: some give you two essays; others prefer mostly short answer.  I've even had two multiple-choice exams.

But no matter what the exam type, once time begins the goal is is the same--over the course of the next three to four hours (depending on the time limit) show the professor that you know the law.  

Once you do that, you're finished with the course.  You're happy to have survived and that's it.  

Although, after exams are finished the next stage of fun begins: waiting to find out grades, top paper distribution, and class rank (which I'll post on soon.)

Finals

Curious why I haven't blogged all week?

The ABCs of Being a Student

I've been in school my entire life.  Seriously.

I started elementary school, well . . . let's just say it's been a while.

In fact, just to give you a frame of reference this was the #1 song on the Billboard Charts the week is started kindergarden.

And this was at the top of every kids' Christmas list to Santa:

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Okay, so now that we've established that I've been in school a really, really long time I'd like to share a few things with you that have taken me, well, a really long time to figure out on my own.  

Textbooks

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• Never, ever buy a textbook from the campus bookstore unless it's a do-or-die situation.  They're extremely overpriced.  Type in the ISBN into google or amazon or buy used from a friend.
• Post your books on amazon.com immediately after the semester ends if you plan on selling them.  (It's simple.  You just set up an account and type in the ISBN, which is listed on the back of the book.)  Books are replaced with new editions very often.  If you don't list it immediately, you risk having another paperweight around the house.  
• And speaking of making the decision of whether to sell or keep your books:  unless you found the layout of the book so helpful that you'll reference it in the future (either for class or your profession) get rid of it!  You'll be forced to buy way more than you have room for, trust me.
• If a book is recommended by the professor, rather than required find someone who's previously had the class to find out if you should purchase it.  Chances are, you won't ever use it and you won't be tested over any material in it or else the professor would have required it.  My vote: 9 out of 10 times, pass them up.

Classes

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• If you're not a morning person, don't enroll for morning classes and magically expect that you'll feel like going.  You won't.
• Think ahead.  If I take "x" this semester instead of "y" will "y" still be available for me to take next semester?  Some courses are only offered once per year.  This requires planning.
• And speaking of planning, know exactly what classes you plan on taking, exactly what you need to do to register for those classes online, and the exact minute registration opens.  Registration at my school is online and each class is assigned a number.  I write out the numbers of the classes I want as well as alternatives in case I don't get into the courses I want.  Then, I set my alarm (our registration is always at 7:15am), wake up in the morning, grab my list, log online, and am ready to go.  This insures that I almost always get in the classes I want.
• Try to keep one day class free if possible.  I usually try to do this on a Monday or a Friday so that I have a longer weekend.  Some people prefer Wednesdays so that it breaks up the week.  Think about what would make the semester easier on you.

Costs of College

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• There are people whose jobs are to help you with your financial aide.  They know you don't know all of the answers, or even all of the questions.  Use these people!  Make appointments with them.    Take a notepad and pen.  And ask tons of questions.
• FAFSA is the federal government program that will help you pay for college.  You'll fill out a form and the government will send the information straight to your school.  Almost 100% of my undergrad and doctorate have been funded through the use of this program.  
• Avoid private loans, such as loans through banks.  Stick with the government grants/loans.  Trust me on this one.
• Don't forget to research scholarship opportunities.  You'd be surprised what's available.  Ask the HR department if your corporation offers them.  Ask the colleges you're applying to.  And don't forget to visit your state's website for scholarship opportunities as well.  
• College is expensive enough as it is--don't add to the costs if you don't have to.  For example, do you really need to go out of state?  Or, can you take your basics at a technical college and then transfer them to the university you want to attend?  Many times, this is possible and can save you thousands of dollars.
• Find out what your tuition entitles you to and take advantage of it.  For example, my college has a gym with workout equipment and a huge pool.  It's free to all students, so if you live near campus there's no reason anyone who attends there should be paying for a gym membership.

The Kitchen Sink 

• Friends.  Make them!  If you're shy, find at least one person in each class that seems nice and ask him for his phone number/email.  Make a deal, "I'll take notes for you when you're absent if you'll do the same for me."  You'd be surprised how helpful this will be when the professor decides to make a sudden change in the syllabus while you're not there.  And you'd also be surprised how many of these "strictly business" relationships turn into lifelong friendships.
• Absences.  Find out the attendance policy up front.  If you know you're going to be out, let your professor know as soon as possible.  Despite what they say, many of them won't count it against your total if you let them know up front.  Also, keep track of your absences on your calendar.  And use your absences wisely.  Spring 2010 semester, I had to allot my absences perfectly so that I didn't miss any of my son's t-ball games.  Think about these things in advance.   
• Involvement.  Whether you're 18 and going off to college or in your mid-forties with kids at home going back to college--get involved.  Colleges have activities to fit all interests and lifestyles.  For example, many of the activities I've participated in are ones in which students are encouraged to take their spouses and children, such as baseball games or luncheons.  Seek these opportunities out and have fun with them.  Many are funded by your tuition anyway, so you might as well enjoy them!
• Student Discounts.  Tons of stores offer these, so make sure you get your Student ID while you're in the campus bookstore not buying books.  Most campuses supply your ID for free.  Keep it on you and ask around.  Many places offer student discounts:  movie theaters; local sports events; amusement parks; department stores; auto insurance companies; and more.  One of my favorite places to shop is Express.  They offer a 15% discount to students who show their ID.  Now that makes me happy!  

Alright, well I hope someone found this helpful.  If you did, please let me know by commenting below. 

This post idea came from Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.  Be sure to stop by there for creative inspiration!

My Messy Purse

What do the contents of my purse say about me?  Well... let's take a look inside.

What is it?  Highlighters.  Lots and lots of highlighters.  

What does this say about me?  It says I'm in law school, and that I read, a lot.  As I read a case I highlight specific parts in different colors to help me focus on what's important and recall the case quickly when I get called on in class or while studying for finals.  

Green:  The Facts of the Case

Yellow:  The Issue (What's the question the Court has been called upon to decide?)

Pink:  The Rule (Think of it as the law the Court applied in the case.)

Blue:  The Analysis (Think of it as the way the Court applied the facts to the Rule to decide the outcome of the case.)

Orange:  The Procedural History & Conclusion (What did the lower court decide when they heard this case and what did the court that's hearing it now ultimately decide?)

What is it?  Wrappers. Crystal Light energy to-go packet wrappers and Fiber One chewy granola bar wrappers to be exact.

What does this say about me?  Well, besides the obvious--I need to clean my purse out--it says I'm really busy.  

It also says that I try to watch my calories; there's only 140 Calories in the granola bar and only 10 calories in the energy packs.  [I say this as I'm eating ice cream, but no one needs to know that so shhhh!]  Many of my classes are during lunchtime so I'd rather have these guys handy than hit up the vending machine. And, I'm only a bottled water away from an energy kick anytime I need it!

What is it?  My inhaler and reading glasses.

What does it say about me?  Well, that I'm a nerd, duh!   

What is it?  To-go pack of tissues and stickers.  

What does it say about me?  That I have a five-year old and have learned the hard way to be ready for runny noses and to entertain him at a moment's notice.  

What is it?  Chapstick.  Glorious, glorious chapstick!!

What does it say about me?  Well, you may think it says that I have crazy, dry lips, but really it just says that I'm addicted to chapstick.  The thought of reaching in my purse and not having any with me is terrifying, so I tend to have way too many on me at one time.  

So, there it is.  Interesting stuff, I know.  ;)  

This post idea came from Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.  Be sure to stop by there for creative inspiration!

The Week of 04.04.2011 In Review

Here are this week's highlights that didn't make it into their own post:

1)  My sister Stevie had a history project due on Wednesday, which meant that we were all up until 1:00am Wednesday morning working on it.  I'm happy to report that she made an 89%!

2)  United States Supreme Court Justice came to speak at my law school Wednesday morning.  I was exhausted, but there was no way I was going to miss it!  Seriously the highlight of my non-existent career thus far!

3)  Maddox had his first t-ball game of the season on Thursday, which was also my first game as coach.  We lost by one run, but he did great!  I'd like to think I did alright as well.  ;)

4)  On Friday, I turned in my graduation application... a very surreal moment for me!!  Isn't she beautiful?

[school identification has been electronically redacted for privacy]

5)  I attempted my first DIY project and failed miserably, ruining these pretty letters which I had such big plans for.  I overestimated my abilities and underestimated the permanence of spray paint, so now they're in the trash.  Live and learn [and go buy more.]

6)  We all enjoyed the beautiful Saturday weather at the park.

Law School Prom

Last night was Barristers Ball, better known as law-school prom.  It was held at The Hilton, which I hadn't been inside of in almost ten years.  The last time I was there, interestingly enough, was for my senior prom.  So I felt it proper that my "senior" law-school prom was held at the same place.

A wardrobe malfunction meant we couldn't meet our friends for dinner.  So instead of sushi in a nice restaurant, we grabbed $1 hamburgers at McDonalds and ate in the car.

Thankfully I didn't get any mustard on my face or dress.  Trust me, I looked.

We had such a wonderful evening at The Ball.  

But sadly, although these boots were made for walking... 

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...these shoes weren't made for dancing.

Or, maybe my bum leg just wasn't made for dancing, because those shoes were actually pretty darn comfy now that I think about it.  Either way, I definitely limited the time I spent on the dance floor.

Overall, the night can be summed up as friends, friends, friends!

And although there was lots of this... 

...I was way more interested in this.  Because let's face it, the only thing better than a milkshake is a free milkshake!

And, I even won two great prizes from the silent auction that was held to benefit a local battered women's shelter.  

So my days of law-school prom are over.  Oh, I sure hope there's some sort of big-kid ball I just haven't found out about yet because everyone needs a reason to play dress up and spend time with friends!