High-lights

I think I can with confidence begin to report on the quailty of high-lighter brands. I would have to say, the Zebra brand Zazzle high-lighter far surpasses the Sharpie Re-tractable, or the Papermate Intro. I high-light...a lot.

Mark suggests instead of high-lighting, I black out the parts I find unimportant. I'll consider it Mark.

Moonlighting

Just in case you don't know, I spend most of my blogging time over at Third Place Blog nowadays...here is what I think constitutes some of my better work...

We got a new author events podium yesterday...and wouldn't you know it, as soon as it was put together Stuffed Toy Horse King just had to make a speech about it.

That's right people, they pay me for this...and guess who put that podium together? You guessed it! Yours truly. Also guess who initiated the Stuffed Toy Horse King Prank. That's right...they pay me...actual money.

KRAKEN!

My most recent film effort (for those of you not friends with Third Place), I guess this is my directorial debut!
That's Steve releasing the Kraken, Jason with special effects, and Mike as the frightened citizen...I'm camerawoman.

Study Hall

The cats have really taken a liking to this studying business...Momma's Boy, Brody especially. I think it might be the extended amounts of time that I'm around now, or the stillness while I'm home. There isn't a lot of movement or cleaning or vacuuming, just lots of sitting and reading and typing. While I lay on the bed, or at my desk, or on the couch; the cats are there trying to jump in my lap or sit on my books. They are a welcome distraction. Here is Brody attacking my pen. I charge him with adorableness in the first degree!

Just Two Things

Of the many, Many, MANY things I have crammed into my brain in the past 3 weeks, one thing sticks out as being the most sanity securing idea ever...
Pick two things that you enjoy that you want to continue doing during law school, and continue doing them.

When I first read that I thought, don't be ridiculous, I'll have time for more than two things. Um...further reflection leads me to say, no, not so much the case. I'm not speaking in hyperbole when I say I have put more effort into the last three weeks than I did my entire freshman year of undergrad. I'm not sure if that's depressing or simply a testament to my seriousness about this lawyering thing. In any case, it's a lot of work, and this is just one class.

But even with just one class, I realize the importance of balance. Are we seeing a bit of a coincidence with my self-professed year of balance? (while not widely reported on, a huge success on most accounts)... I spent the entire first half of this year working on balancing myself to get ready for this "adventure", and I'll be damned if I give up on it now. The last three weeks may have careened wildly out of control but I chalk that unbalance up to, working & school, out-of-town visitors, and basic terror. I've got three more weeks of class, and then three weeks of freedom before it starts for real. I plan to get the equilibrium back.

And based on what little I have learned at this point, I say that one of the things I'm not giving up...reading...I will continue to read for pleasure. There's not going to be a lot of pleasure reading, but there are few things in the world that bring me as much joy as reading, and I think giving it up would be a severe detriment to my sanity.

The other thing I am not giving up is a little more intangible. Me... I'm not giving up myself.

These last few years; in Seattle especially, I feel like I've really come into my own. I know who I am, what I want, what I like, and what I don't. Maybe it's cheating, because there are a lot of things I can roll into the idea of not giving up myself, but I'm gonna try. Using the balance I have tried to perfect in the past few months, I will not give up juggling, knitting, puns, Battlestar Galactica, playing with the cats, blogging, cooking, laughing, running, friends, journaling, trying to garden, James McAvoy, discussing Harry Potter, naps...I will not give up the things that make me, me.

Sounds like a tall order? Well, if all goes as planned, you'll be able to mark my success in future blogs.

Um...

So, here is my first official law school textbook. Looks riveting, doesn't it? Well, I think it looks terrifying, and Carrie says it looks like a cliche. I wonder if they make Cliff's Notes for these?

My first class starts 3 weeks from Monday, called Criminal Law, of course. It seems unbelievably surreal to think I'm taking a class called Criminal Law...crazy.

These next three years are going to be; well, to speak plainly, fucking expensive. And if I may not know what kind of law student I will be, I do know that I am nothing if not frugal. So I thought I might keep a tally on all the money I'll be saving. The computer the school suggested (the best, most expensive computer they suggested) is $1200. I got a better computer at a better price and saved about $400. And this beautiful book bought new is about $150, used from the college, about $100. I got it online from a place called Better World Books for $64 (including shipping). So far the tally is at -$486. I'll keep you posted on my future money saving adventures!

Not too bad.

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I'm Number 2!

Some of the fantastic goings on at the bookstore. The rap video isn't quite ready, but it will be soon!

Tremors

I know it's just jitters, but I don't want to go to law school. This morning I think the truth really hit me for the first time. It's Saturday, and I woke up at 8AM, and couldn't go back to sleep. If you know me at all you must know this is practically unheard of. If there is anything I do well, it's sleeping in, but I couldn't. I tossed and turned, thinking about how soon my summer class will start. One month from Monday. One month. I am running out of time to enjoy all the things I'm able to do without worrying about tests and homework and grades. And what about all the things I wanted to get done before the first day of school? So I got my nervous self out of bed and went for an hour-long walk. It worked to stave off the panic for awhile, but now I'm back at it.

A big part of my reticence about school is in leaving behind Third Place Books. I know it's not often that people find something they love to do. And while, of course there are days where I want to scream and burn the place down; I count myself lucky that those days are few and far between. On the whole, I am genuinely happy at work. And things are going really well right now. I love all my new responsibilities, and I feel like I've hit a creative stride that's been transferring into my personal life. Leaving that sense of security will be hard, but I'm mostly afraid that leaving will mean saying goodbye to all the fabulous people I've met. After moving to a city where I only knew two people; this bookstore and my lovely, kind, hilarious co-workers, feel like home. I don't want to start all over again. I feel like I just did this.

So there it is. I'm incredibly nervous, and while everyone keeps telling me to 'calm down,' 'don't be nervous,' 'this is a great time in your life!'; I will continue to be nervous until I set foot in that classroom and finally get this interminable waiting game over with.

Under Construction

Clearly, there has been a bit of a shake-up. Things aren't looking too pretty right now, but in my defense, I did get side-tracked by District 9. Can I just say, "Wow, what a movie!" Anyhow, hopefully things will be back to normal, or at least greatly improved, in no time.