I just finished all the homework that is due for tomorrow, so I'm taking a quick break to update here before I start on readings for Wednesday.
Friday were the section rep. elections, and I ran for both First Year Council Rep and PILA Rep. Unfortunately, I didn't get elected to either one. I was actually extremely disappointed about that initially, because I really wanted to get involved. But later I realized that there are plenty of other things for me to get involved with, and so I'll just have to find other things I can do. Thursday there is a Law School Student Activities Fair, so I'm sure I'll be able to find something to get involved in.
We also had our potluck Friday night at Grace's house, which was a lot of fun. There was so much good food, including some awesome guacamole and some awesome seven-layer dip.
Saturday morning I participated with Habitat for Humanity. When we arrived, they were almost out of materials because the morning shift had gotten a lot accomplished. We installed insulation. It wasn't fiberglass, but it was a new type of insulation made from recycled denim. It was pretty cool. We finished in about an hour and a half. It would have been nice to have given more time, but Saturday was also 101 degrees, so it was good to get out of there early. I hope to work more with Habitat projects in this area while I'm here, though. It was really a lot of fun. The rest of the weekend was just homework.
I obviously didn't get around to doing pictures this weekend, but I only have classes from 8:30-11:30 tomorrow, so I hope to get some done during my spare time in the afternoon.
I still haven't been cold-called yet.
Quote of the Day:
"If you are writing a brief and cite case law from 1466, you should talk to your client. You probably want to settle."
-Professor Sprigman
Monday, August 27, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
12 hours until the weekend...
The past week has been an absolute blur. It's amazing to think about how much has happened in such a short time.
Friday morning was the big move down to Charlottesville. Despite my misgivings about the apartment complex, it turns out that our apartment is actually rather decent. One nice thing about this apartment is it's a less than a 15 minute walk from the law school, so it's extremely convenient. The only real "problem" with it is that the bathroom is TINY. The sink is in the hallway (which is nice in the sense that you can brush your teeth if the other person is in the shower), but the toilet/shower area is so small. It's nothing terrible, though, since it's not a place I generally spend a whole lot of time. But whatever.
Although Dad didn't seem to think it would be possible, we did manage to get all the furniture down here with the two cars and the U-Haul trailer. My new furniture is really nice. The dinette set is great and the sofa/chair I got at Value City Furniture (though relatively inexpensive) look really good. The walls are all still empty. The next step will be to get art to decorate with, but otherwise we're all set up with the big items. This weekend I will try to get pictures of the apartment to post on here.
Friday we found a copy of "The Best of Charlottesville" and we saw Christian's Pizza listed as the best place in town to get a slice of pizza. It's located on the Downtown Mall, so we decided to go there for dinner. Oh my God. It was truly the best pizza I've ever had. I got one slice of Margherita and one slice of Mushroom and Sausage. But they had the most creative and interesting toppings I've ever seen... avocado with feta cheese, pizza with tortellini and ravioli as toppings... it seemed as though you could have any toppings you could even think of. The place was a madhouse, which just served as a testament to how good it really is. Afterwards we walked around the mall for a bit and looked in some shops. It is such a neat place. There are so many great-looking restaurants and stores that I hope to be able to explore further during my stay here over the next three years.
I have a pretty good schedule. All 1L's are required to take the same classes first semester but I'm pleased with the way my schedule is laid out. The classes I'm taking are: Torts, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Contracts, and Legal Research and Writing.
I really like all of my professors. My torts professor (Sprigman) is probably in his early 40s and may be the most eloquent, well-spoken person I have EVER met. Not only does he teach in a manner that makes the class interesting, but it's just so interesting to listen to him TALK.
I already knew I was in love with my Crim Law professor (Harmon) because she gave a curricular session at the Admitted Student's Visit Day. She is about 5-foot-nothing but is probably the most intimidating person you could ever meet. She used to be a federal prosecutor and has the charisma of someone who you would expect to see on Law & Order.
My Civil Procedure prof (Collins) just seems like a nice, grandpa-ish guy. My Legal Research & Writing (LR&W) professor, Moran, is a sincere lady. My Contracts professor, Kordana, is a little bit all over the place. He's kind of hyper, but he's still really nice.
UVA Law is just a great school, too. In the library, there are two big books of FUN DVD's that you can check out for free and watch during your leisure time. Forget Blockbuster or Hollywood Video!
I love my section (section D). There are just some really awesome people in it. One is a guy (in his 50's) who is a cardiac surgeon. I asked him why he was going back to school when he had that sort of profession and he said, "Well, I know that I'm approaching an age where I will have to stop operating. And I'm just interested in trying something different." One of the guys in my section worked for the CIA. There's a guy who was quoted by the United Nations. Another did sketch comedy in Columbus, OH. We have a girl who is pregnant and will only be with us for the first semester because she's taking a year off in the spring to have her baby. We have two exchange students from the University of Nottingham in England. We have a girl who is licensed to practice law in China, but wants to work here in the United States, so she has to get her J.D. It's just such an interesting group of people to know and interact with.
The great thing about having a section is that you have all your classes with them during the first semester. That way, you see the same people every day and get to know a core foundation of people really well. We also have 6 Peer Advisor's (PAs), who are 2- and 3-L's that teach us the ropes and plan activities with us all year long. They're sort of like RA's in college or Big Sibs at TJ. Speaking of TJ, one of my PA's is a TJ '01 grad, so that's kind of neat. I've seen quite a few TJ people in the past few days. I love all my PA's. They are all so awesome. Tomorrow night one of them is hosting a potluck for our section. Next weekend, they might be taking us to a polo match/wine tasting. That would be an entirely new experience for me, but it sounds so fun!
Saturday afternoon I will be participating with some other law students at Habitat for Humanity. Coincidentally, one of the people on the afternoon shift with me is Lauren Marziani. I've run into her a few times since orientation on Monday, but haven't really talked to her at length yet. I'm really excited about that, because I've never done Habitat before, AND, it just so happens, that is one of the items on my 1001 list...
I had so much to write about when I started, but now I've forgotten a lot of it. I think I hit most of the important stuff, though... I only have one class on Fridays, from 8:30-9:50, so I get an early start to the weekend. After class tomorrow, we are having an "elections meeting" with our PA's. We need to elect people to First Year Council, Softball Captain, and other positions for various events throughout the year. I'm considering running for something. I'm mainly interested in either First Year Council or PILA (Public Interest Law Association) Rep. PILA Reps help plan pro bono projects and other things of that nature.
But anyway, now that I have internet access in my apartment, I'll be able to update more regularly. For now, I'm going to relax a bit before getting to bed. It's going to be another early morning tomorrow... gotta wake up at 6:30.
Friday morning was the big move down to Charlottesville. Despite my misgivings about the apartment complex, it turns out that our apartment is actually rather decent. One nice thing about this apartment is it's a less than a 15 minute walk from the law school, so it's extremely convenient. The only real "problem" with it is that the bathroom is TINY. The sink is in the hallway (which is nice in the sense that you can brush your teeth if the other person is in the shower), but the toilet/shower area is so small. It's nothing terrible, though, since it's not a place I generally spend a whole lot of time. But whatever.
Although Dad didn't seem to think it would be possible, we did manage to get all the furniture down here with the two cars and the U-Haul trailer. My new furniture is really nice. The dinette set is great and the sofa/chair I got at Value City Furniture (though relatively inexpensive) look really good. The walls are all still empty. The next step will be to get art to decorate with, but otherwise we're all set up with the big items. This weekend I will try to get pictures of the apartment to post on here.
Friday we found a copy of "The Best of Charlottesville" and we saw Christian's Pizza listed as the best place in town to get a slice of pizza. It's located on the Downtown Mall, so we decided to go there for dinner. Oh my God. It was truly the best pizza I've ever had. I got one slice of Margherita and one slice of Mushroom and Sausage. But they had the most creative and interesting toppings I've ever seen... avocado with feta cheese, pizza with tortellini and ravioli as toppings... it seemed as though you could have any toppings you could even think of. The place was a madhouse, which just served as a testament to how good it really is. Afterwards we walked around the mall for a bit and looked in some shops. It is such a neat place. There are so many great-looking restaurants and stores that I hope to be able to explore further during my stay here over the next three years.
I have a pretty good schedule. All 1L's are required to take the same classes first semester but I'm pleased with the way my schedule is laid out. The classes I'm taking are: Torts, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Contracts, and Legal Research and Writing.
I really like all of my professors. My torts professor (Sprigman) is probably in his early 40s and may be the most eloquent, well-spoken person I have EVER met. Not only does he teach in a manner that makes the class interesting, but it's just so interesting to listen to him TALK.
I already knew I was in love with my Crim Law professor (Harmon) because she gave a curricular session at the Admitted Student's Visit Day. She is about 5-foot-nothing but is probably the most intimidating person you could ever meet. She used to be a federal prosecutor and has the charisma of someone who you would expect to see on Law & Order.
My Civil Procedure prof (Collins) just seems like a nice, grandpa-ish guy. My Legal Research & Writing (LR&W) professor, Moran, is a sincere lady. My Contracts professor, Kordana, is a little bit all over the place. He's kind of hyper, but he's still really nice.
UVA Law is just a great school, too. In the library, there are two big books of FUN DVD's that you can check out for free and watch during your leisure time. Forget Blockbuster or Hollywood Video!
I love my section (section D). There are just some really awesome people in it. One is a guy (in his 50's) who is a cardiac surgeon. I asked him why he was going back to school when he had that sort of profession and he said, "Well, I know that I'm approaching an age where I will have to stop operating. And I'm just interested in trying something different." One of the guys in my section worked for the CIA. There's a guy who was quoted by the United Nations. Another did sketch comedy in Columbus, OH. We have a girl who is pregnant and will only be with us for the first semester because she's taking a year off in the spring to have her baby. We have two exchange students from the University of Nottingham in England. We have a girl who is licensed to practice law in China, but wants to work here in the United States, so she has to get her J.D. It's just such an interesting group of people to know and interact with.
The great thing about having a section is that you have all your classes with them during the first semester. That way, you see the same people every day and get to know a core foundation of people really well. We also have 6 Peer Advisor's (PAs), who are 2- and 3-L's that teach us the ropes and plan activities with us all year long. They're sort of like RA's in college or Big Sibs at TJ. Speaking of TJ, one of my PA's is a TJ '01 grad, so that's kind of neat. I've seen quite a few TJ people in the past few days. I love all my PA's. They are all so awesome. Tomorrow night one of them is hosting a potluck for our section. Next weekend, they might be taking us to a polo match/wine tasting. That would be an entirely new experience for me, but it sounds so fun!
Saturday afternoon I will be participating with some other law students at Habitat for Humanity. Coincidentally, one of the people on the afternoon shift with me is Lauren Marziani. I've run into her a few times since orientation on Monday, but haven't really talked to her at length yet. I'm really excited about that, because I've never done Habitat before, AND, it just so happens, that is one of the items on my 1001 list...
I had so much to write about when I started, but now I've forgotten a lot of it. I think I hit most of the important stuff, though... I only have one class on Fridays, from 8:30-9:50, so I get an early start to the weekend. After class tomorrow, we are having an "elections meeting" with our PA's. We need to elect people to First Year Council, Softball Captain, and other positions for various events throughout the year. I'm considering running for something. I'm mainly interested in either First Year Council or PILA (Public Interest Law Association) Rep. PILA Reps help plan pro bono projects and other things of that nature.
But anyway, now that I have internet access in my apartment, I'll be able to update more regularly. For now, I'm going to relax a bit before getting to bed. It's going to be another early morning tomorrow... gotta wake up at 6:30.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
First Day of School
Just a quick note to say that I survived the first day of school without incident*, and I LOVE IT. I can't really write much because I'm pretty swamped in my torts assignment at the moment, but I will definitely be able to update tomorrow.
*Except for the part when I thought I lost the power cord to my BRAND NEW LAPTOP. After frantically rushing back to the law school and freaking out like the world was about to end, I emailed the people I sat next to during class, and one of them had accidentally picked it up. So all's well that ends well, I suppose, and my power cord will be returned tomorrow morning.
*Except for the part when I thought I lost the power cord to my BRAND NEW LAPTOP. After frantically rushing back to the law school and freaking out like the world was about to end, I emailed the people I sat next to during class, and one of them had accidentally picked it up. So all's well that ends well, I suppose, and my power cord will be returned tomorrow morning.
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