Ok....I know it has been 3 weeks since either of us has written anything. Ross has a good excuse since he has been crazy busy with school but I just keep pushing it to the back burner. So I am going to try and sum up the last three weeks in this one post. Not much took place the week of the 8th besides getting things ready around the place for my parents to come out and visit. That meant cleaning the house up, mainly our second bedroom so we could put an air mattress down and have a place to sleep for 4 nights. And Ross also tried to get a little ahead in his reading for school so he would be able to spend time hanging out with my parents instead of stuck in a room reading and studying.
The week of the 15th is the week my parents flew into town. There is a slide show of pictures from their visit that you can click on to view larger pictures at the top of the page. They flew into Orange County on the evening of Thurs the 19th and I was actually able to get Fri the 20th off. On Fri, we went to the beach, where mom lost the Frisbee in the ocean. After enjoying lunch at In-N-Out Burger, we left Ross at home to do some studying and I took them to the South Coast Plaza Mall (giant mall) and we spent about 2-3 hours walking around there. After an evening of shopping we came home and enjoyed a nice ham dinner for Thanksgiving/Christmas. On Sat the 21st, we spent the day on Catalina Island. We took a 75 min boat ride out to the island then rented a golf cart to cruise around the town for 3 hours. After our golf cart adventures, we walked around the town and enjoyed lunch looking over the harbor. It was a lot of fun and a very pretty place! After dinner back on the mainland, we went up to Downtown Disney where we got to enjoy the fireworks show from the front gates of Disneyland. And I have to say, the fireworks show in Disneyland is better than any fireworks show I've seen on Colorado. On Sun the 22nd, we had Christmas morning around our 2 foot tree that my mom brought out for us since our regular Christmas tree is too big for our apartment. After a relaxing morning, we watched the sad Broncos game and then it was off to the Ikea store. For those of you who haven't heard of Ikea, it is a GIANT home furnishings store. And since my mom has been wanting to remodel their kitchen for awhile, we had to take them there. On Mon the 23, I called into work so I could spend one last day with them and we all got to join Ross in one of his classes at school. It was very interesting to see what a real law class is like. And I was surprised at how much I was actually able to understand. After class, my parents and I headed to the beach for a few hours while Ross had to go back to school. It was nice to have to beach almost to ourselves since it was both the middle of the day on a Mon and in the middle of Nov. We even got to see some dolphins swimming in the surf. After spending the afternoon at the beach, we had to head back home so they could pack, eat dinner and then head off to the airport. Thankfully the airport is only 10 mins away so we got to spend more time at home and not driving. We had a great time spending the weekend with my parents and it was really hard to say good bye. I know I can't wait to see them again.
Now we are on to Thanksgiving. This was the first Thanksgiving for both of us that we have not spent with family. So needless to say it was different and felt a little weird. It was also the first Thanksgiving that we did not eat turkey. Since we made a ham the weekend before when my parents were out, we did not feel like making another big meal for just two. So we took it easy the entire day. We watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade in bed enjoying our coffee. After the parade we finally went downstairs and decided to play cards. After our card game, we decided to play Rock Band for a couple hours. To help us unwind after all our game playing, we made chicken stir fry and watched some TV until bed time. So this Thanksgiving was kind of nice to not have to worry about where we had to be for lunch/dinner and at what time but at the same time we missed spending time with family.
Another first this year was that our house still is not decorated for Christmas. Normally the day after Thanksgiving is the day we spend putting up our Christmas tree and going crazy with Christmas decorations. But this year, the only Christmas thing we have out is the small tree my parents brought out, and the only decoration on the tree is a big red bow that is attached to the base. Ross has been so busy with studying that he has had no motivation to dig out the Christmas stuff. I would dig the stuff out myself but he packed it away in a place that only he can reach it. Plus it's more fun decoration together when you are in the mood. We still have time before Christmas to get a few things out.
As for Ross and school, him and his study group have been spending some crazy amounts of time studying and reviewing concepts. The group was over at our place on Sat where they started studying at 11:30 in the morning and didn't finish until almost 7:00 at night. They did take a break for lunch and margaritas which I got to enjoy also. They plan on studying every night this week as well as all day next Sat. The first final for him is on Tues Dec 8. Needless to say he has been looking forward to doing nothing for 4-5 weeks after finals before the spring semester begins min-January.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The First Week of November
So what did you think of Ross' last post of what it's like to be a law student?? Pretty crazy stuff, and things are just getting more and more intense. I do have to say that I have even started learning some legal things by helping him study with his Law in a Flash flash cards. He keeps telling me that I should just quit working and start going to law school with him. I said ya right....I can remember some of this stuff because I am not required to regurgitate it back up weeks later on an exam. I can remember it just as something interesting to me that not many other people know.
Looking back, the first week of November was a good one. We started the week off with Ross' birthday on Monday. Unlike for my birthday, we weren't able to go spend the evening at Disneyland since I started a new work schedule. Maybe I should rephrase that last sentence....I was not able to spend the evening at Disneyland because I started a new work schedule. Ross went up there after class and got his free $72 gift card for going to the park on his birthday. And then he went and rode some of my favorite rides and thought he would share the moment with me by taking pictures and sending them to me while I was sitting on the phone at work watching the clock. At least he was able to have fun and enjoy the park on his birthday like we did on mine. It was just a bummer that I was not able to join him. After I got off work, we did enjoy dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant. I have to say though, you always seem to question the quality of the restaurant when you walk in and are the only people there besides the one waitress. No matter how you look at it, the food was very good.
As for the new work schedule for me, I started my original shift of working 10am-7pm Mon-Fri. I do have to say there are some goods and bads to this new schedule. The good sides are that I can sleep in a little longer in the mornings and enjoy being a night owl, I can get ready with Ross in the morning and not worry about waking him up, I have time to eat breakfast and sometimes watch a full hour long TV show, and the traffic is really light on the drive in. The bad side is that I have to stay at work until 7:00 at night and by the time I get off, the sun has already gone down and the evening is half over. But I guess one of the other good things I forgot to mention is that Ross usually has dinner made by the time I get home; one last thing I have to think about at 7:30 in the evening. I knew there was a reason I kept him around.
This past Sat Ross surprised me and got me ballet tickets as a late birthday gift. So we went and watched Giselle danced by ABT (American Ballet Theatre) at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. It was nice to see a professional ballet again. And Ross enjoyed the music so much that it put him to sleep. Yup....he dozed off, just for a moment though, and the guy sitting next to him noticed it too and decided to write about it on his Twitter page. Oh well, at least he came with me and I got to enjoy the ballet.
In about two weeks my parents will be out here for a long weekend and thankfully, I was able to get that Friday off from work to spend with them. When I first started working, I was told I wouldn't be able to have any time off. But since the company hired about 30 more people within the last month, they were able to open up more vacation time. So I put in my request again and I was able to have Friday off. I had tried to get both Friday and Monday off but wasn't going to complain when I got at least one. So now we need to sit down and figure out what we are going to do when they get out here. Right now we are thinking about the San Diego Zoo and/or Catalina Island. A lot will depend on how much studying and homework Ross will have since it is getting closer and closer to finals.
Looking back, the first week of November was a good one. We started the week off with Ross' birthday on Monday. Unlike for my birthday, we weren't able to go spend the evening at Disneyland since I started a new work schedule. Maybe I should rephrase that last sentence....I was not able to spend the evening at Disneyland because I started a new work schedule. Ross went up there after class and got his free $72 gift card for going to the park on his birthday. And then he went and rode some of my favorite rides and thought he would share the moment with me by taking pictures and sending them to me while I was sitting on the phone at work watching the clock. At least he was able to have fun and enjoy the park on his birthday like we did on mine. It was just a bummer that I was not able to join him. After I got off work, we did enjoy dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant. I have to say though, you always seem to question the quality of the restaurant when you walk in and are the only people there besides the one waitress. No matter how you look at it, the food was very good.
As for the new work schedule for me, I started my original shift of working 10am-7pm Mon-Fri. I do have to say there are some goods and bads to this new schedule. The good sides are that I can sleep in a little longer in the mornings and enjoy being a night owl, I can get ready with Ross in the morning and not worry about waking him up, I have time to eat breakfast and sometimes watch a full hour long TV show, and the traffic is really light on the drive in. The bad side is that I have to stay at work until 7:00 at night and by the time I get off, the sun has already gone down and the evening is half over. But I guess one of the other good things I forgot to mention is that Ross usually has dinner made by the time I get home; one last thing I have to think about at 7:30 in the evening. I knew there was a reason I kept him around.
This past Sat Ross surprised me and got me ballet tickets as a late birthday gift. So we went and watched Giselle danced by ABT (American Ballet Theatre) at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. It was nice to see a professional ballet again. And Ross enjoyed the music so much that it put him to sleep. Yup....he dozed off, just for a moment though, and the guy sitting next to him noticed it too and decided to write about it on his Twitter page. Oh well, at least he came with me and I got to enjoy the ballet.
In about two weeks my parents will be out here for a long weekend and thankfully, I was able to get that Friday off from work to spend with them. When I first started working, I was told I wouldn't be able to have any time off. But since the company hired about 30 more people within the last month, they were able to open up more vacation time. So I put in my request again and I was able to have Friday off. I had tried to get both Friday and Monday off but wasn't going to complain when I got at least one. So now we need to sit down and figure out what we are going to do when they get out here. Right now we are thinking about the San Diego Zoo and/or Catalina Island. A lot will depend on how much studying and homework Ross will have since it is getting closer and closer to finals.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Law School
Well, here I am over half way through and I must say, this has been quite a journey and it has only just begun. I apologize that it has been a while since my last post, but when I get a few minutes away from studying and writing case briefs, the last thing on my mind is more writing. Hopefully, this will give a small window into my life right now.
Let me start by trying to describe (as best I can) the environment and culture surrounding law school. Law School is essentially the same as any other school, with the same types of personalities and social interactions. As much as people try to remain professional and respectful and create an environment of friendship, the inherent nature of law school is competitiveness. It it so hard not to see your neighbor doing well, and wonder what their secret is. Or, what study aid do they have? Why do they get it and I don't? The response for this is one of two ways, either to befriend them and pick their brain, or to see them as competition and find ways to destroy them.The incoming class is divided into three sections (I am in Section A). From day one, the school tried to create a sense of cohesiveness in Section A and promote bonding within the section. This was all to easy when everyone was on the same playing ground and in the same situation - a state of confusion. Every one latched onto each other and was very supportive, encouraging and open to each other.
However, this mentality and environment has slowly deteriorated over the past few weeks and is only expanded by the impending stress that is growing daily with the upcoming final week. Slowly but surely, people are becoming much more self-engaged and self involved and a mentality of competition now fills the air. Last week we had a research project where research books strewn about the library were to be shared between 40 students. 1 day after the project began we all received warning e-mails about people hiding, and destroying the material that was to be shared equally amongst people (this mentality does not go away unfortunately when you become an attorney because attorneys who come into our library have to be removed by the police when the tear out papers from legal books and put them into their pockets because they don't want to shell out the 10 cents to make a copy).
However, I have been able to find and attach myself to a few people who are genuinely concerned with the need to effectively network, and like myself, see the potential and positives in sharing and helping grow others. We study in groups nearly two to three times a week and have now begun studying for a few hours after class at member's homes. This is working out so well because it allows constructive exchange of ideas and internal teaching.
The hours necessary to dedicate to full time studying is at times overwhelming. During orientation, the guideline that was relayed was 3-4 hours of studying for each hour in the class room. This equates to about 40 to 60 hours of school work per week. At the time, it was inconceivable to think that I would be spending more time studying than I had been working. What happened to all this free time I told myself I was going to get? Let me say, it is nothing like undergrad. Now I find myself struggling to keep my head above water at times even studying 60 hours per week and it is a constant struggle to not give up and not get behind by just avoiding studying one night. Getting behind even by one day is like getting a flat tire. If you stop to change it, it will take a while and you are behind in the race, but if you push forward, the race will certainly pass you by and you will surely lose. I just hope to avoid any more flat tires.
We recently went through mid terms which are not for grades, but just for the experience of taking law exams. Every exam is the same format, a given set of facts which we need to state the rules of law and apply the law to find a conclusion against the facts. Confused yet? Yeah me too! Just think IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion). This is how every exam should look, but knowing how and when to state a rule, and how much application is the difficult part. Each exam is only an hour long, but in reality would take about 2 hours to properly write. So, "welcome to law school" is what everyone keeps saying.
On top of the class work, the studying, the constant nightly reading, the preparation, the research and the writing, and the shoving in times to keep my sanity, on top of all of this, it is important to keep you eye, and your plan on the future. We have already began discussing summer internships, networking opportunities, resume writing, and legal emphasis. This must always be in the back of your mind in order to ensure that you are always on the direct path to do what it is you want to do and give you the tools to get there. Crazy to think that the things I do now will affect and direct what I am able to do and accomplish 3 years from now.
It may seem daunting (and it is), but it truly is where I want to be and I am doing what it is I enjoy. The intellectual stimulation is exciting and the discussions had inside and outside of the classroom are exhilarating. The people are interesting (both positively and negatively) and I wouldn't trade going to school for anything. Luckily I have the greatest wife in the world which decreases the burden of the stress of life management. Without her, I might be slowly going insane.
Well, hopefully this allows you a glimpse into a classroom and into the life of a law student. I am more than happy to share anything about this experience to anyone who will listen, but don't want to bore you with unnecessary details. Let me know if you want to know anything more.
With Love
Let me start by trying to describe (as best I can) the environment and culture surrounding law school. Law School is essentially the same as any other school, with the same types of personalities and social interactions. As much as people try to remain professional and respectful and create an environment of friendship, the inherent nature of law school is competitiveness. It it so hard not to see your neighbor doing well, and wonder what their secret is. Or, what study aid do they have? Why do they get it and I don't? The response for this is one of two ways, either to befriend them and pick their brain, or to see them as competition and find ways to destroy them.The incoming class is divided into three sections (I am in Section A). From day one, the school tried to create a sense of cohesiveness in Section A and promote bonding within the section. This was all to easy when everyone was on the same playing ground and in the same situation - a state of confusion. Every one latched onto each other and was very supportive, encouraging and open to each other.
However, this mentality and environment has slowly deteriorated over the past few weeks and is only expanded by the impending stress that is growing daily with the upcoming final week. Slowly but surely, people are becoming much more self-engaged and self involved and a mentality of competition now fills the air. Last week we had a research project where research books strewn about the library were to be shared between 40 students. 1 day after the project began we all received warning e-mails about people hiding, and destroying the material that was to be shared equally amongst people (this mentality does not go away unfortunately when you become an attorney because attorneys who come into our library have to be removed by the police when the tear out papers from legal books and put them into their pockets because they don't want to shell out the 10 cents to make a copy).
However, I have been able to find and attach myself to a few people who are genuinely concerned with the need to effectively network, and like myself, see the potential and positives in sharing and helping grow others. We study in groups nearly two to three times a week and have now begun studying for a few hours after class at member's homes. This is working out so well because it allows constructive exchange of ideas and internal teaching.
The hours necessary to dedicate to full time studying is at times overwhelming. During orientation, the guideline that was relayed was 3-4 hours of studying for each hour in the class room. This equates to about 40 to 60 hours of school work per week. At the time, it was inconceivable to think that I would be spending more time studying than I had been working. What happened to all this free time I told myself I was going to get? Let me say, it is nothing like undergrad. Now I find myself struggling to keep my head above water at times even studying 60 hours per week and it is a constant struggle to not give up and not get behind by just avoiding studying one night. Getting behind even by one day is like getting a flat tire. If you stop to change it, it will take a while and you are behind in the race, but if you push forward, the race will certainly pass you by and you will surely lose. I just hope to avoid any more flat tires.
We recently went through mid terms which are not for grades, but just for the experience of taking law exams. Every exam is the same format, a given set of facts which we need to state the rules of law and apply the law to find a conclusion against the facts. Confused yet? Yeah me too! Just think IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion). This is how every exam should look, but knowing how and when to state a rule, and how much application is the difficult part. Each exam is only an hour long, but in reality would take about 2 hours to properly write. So, "welcome to law school" is what everyone keeps saying.
On top of the class work, the studying, the constant nightly reading, the preparation, the research and the writing, and the shoving in times to keep my sanity, on top of all of this, it is important to keep you eye, and your plan on the future. We have already began discussing summer internships, networking opportunities, resume writing, and legal emphasis. This must always be in the back of your mind in order to ensure that you are always on the direct path to do what it is you want to do and give you the tools to get there. Crazy to think that the things I do now will affect and direct what I am able to do and accomplish 3 years from now.
It may seem daunting (and it is), but it truly is where I want to be and I am doing what it is I enjoy. The intellectual stimulation is exciting and the discussions had inside and outside of the classroom are exhilarating. The people are interesting (both positively and negatively) and I wouldn't trade going to school for anything. Luckily I have the greatest wife in the world which decreases the burden of the stress of life management. Without her, I might be slowly going insane.
Well, hopefully this allows you a glimpse into a classroom and into the life of a law student. I am more than happy to share anything about this experience to anyone who will listen, but don't want to bore you with unnecessary details. Let me know if you want to know anything more.
With Love
A look back at October
October held a lot for us out in our new home. I started a new job, celebrated a birthday away from home, Ross had mid-terms, and we had our first Halloween with no trick-or-treaters. It was also the first time we could wear shorts on Halloween since the temperatures were in the 80s! October was a good month and now we look forward to November, which holds some exciting events; Ross' birthday, I start a new work schedule, and my parents are coming out to visit, and then there is Thanksgiving!
This week I start a new work schedule...10am-7pm. It is going to be a long day. Last week was the first time my entire training/new hire class were answering phones by ourselves. So there was a lot of teaching myself and realizing how poor the training class really was. But one good thing that came out of a lot of new hires being added to the payroll is that the company was able to cut out some of the mandatory overtime and open up more vacation hours for the remainder of the year. So as things look right now, there is only one day of mandatory overtime instead of three and I might be able to get some time off to spend with my parents when they come out!
Ross is still pushing along with school and found out last week that he only has 4 more weeks of class until dead week (when they stop introducing new material) and then he has 2 weeks of finals. So first semester is almost out of the way! He is both excited and nervous.
Today is Ross' 27th birthday so he can no longer say that he is younger than me. With it being on a Monday and us only having one income, the festivities are quite small, but at least we can still celebrate it together!
This week I start a new work schedule...10am-7pm. It is going to be a long day. Last week was the first time my entire training/new hire class were answering phones by ourselves. So there was a lot of teaching myself and realizing how poor the training class really was. But one good thing that came out of a lot of new hires being added to the payroll is that the company was able to cut out some of the mandatory overtime and open up more vacation hours for the remainder of the year. So as things look right now, there is only one day of mandatory overtime instead of three and I might be able to get some time off to spend with my parents when they come out!
Ross is still pushing along with school and found out last week that he only has 4 more weeks of class until dead week (when they stop introducing new material) and then he has 2 weeks of finals. So first semester is almost out of the way! He is both excited and nervous.
Today is Ross' 27th birthday so he can no longer say that he is younger than me. With it being on a Monday and us only having one income, the festivities are quite small, but at least we can still celebrate it together!
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