Stealth Help

I was wandering around today, as part of my ongoing mission to stomp on every square of pavement in this town, when I stopped back home to find the front door open. Music was coming from inside. I crept up the steps to find a startled-looking Hispanic woman carrying laundry through the living room. How dare she! That was my mess. I'd already been feeling guilty about it, guilty enough to half-heartedly make my bed in the morning, and that was when I thought it was just mine. Now that somebody else was going to clean it up, I felt really bad.

Because apparently, we have a cleaning lady. One who not only vacuums and tidies up, but who washes my sheets too. Didn't hear about that from the roommates. This is crazy - I'm a twenty-three year old with a maid. Who does that? Already I can feel my self-reliance diminish as I allow one essential life skill to be handled by professionals. I don't want to be one of those people who aren't good for anything but signing the checks!

Still, it is nice to have clean floors. And she flipped over the cheap reversible throw rug I got at IKEA, and it really does look better this way.

Guarded Optimism

It's nice to see a rundown on Kos of ten reasons why Bilbray is toast in the runoff election in my hometown congressional district, but I'm not quite ready to believe the hype. After all, there is one big reason to expect that Cunningham's seat will go to another Republican.

Misled

So far the city has not lived up to the reputation alluded to in my title. It's been clear, calm, and in the seventies. I spent today hiking around and into downtown, and I came back sunburned.

I fear the climate is trying to lull me into a false sense of security. I think it's working.

Assholes 1, Blueberry Farmers 0

Tucker Max wins a defamation suit.

After viewing the tuckermax.com message boards, which are read by people using screen names like "Jerkoff," "DrunkenDJ," and "footinmouth," the intended audience could not mistake the site for the New York Times. In short, it palpably is not serious.

Link from Glenn Reynolds.

Das Boot

I went to REI today and bought new hiking boots. In fact, more than boots, I got an entire Foot System, which apparently includes two layers of sock. I love REI because the staff are friendly, knowedgeable, and proudly unhip. I somberly traded notes with the boot guy on layering, waterproofing, and other un-fashions. "What matters about boots is how they feel on your feet - don't worry what they look like." He recommends longer hiking socks because they can wick more water away from your feet and stopping immediately at the first signs of a blister. "Don't worry about what anybody else is doing - you sit down and take care of it right away."

Going hiking is Serious Business. There are mountains involved. It is done by Serious People, and Serious People are too Serious about hiking to worry that they look square. Squares are sturdy. You build things out of squares. Being square is good.

A good pair of boots isn't really good until it's been properly broken in, so this afternoon I wore them when I walked the dog, tromping like a German tourist.

Re-Acclimated

Back home in San Diego!

I spent all of yesterday sitting around the house, wondering why it was so damn hot everywhere. After months in the frozen wastes of the Northeast, my blood had congealed into a viscous sludge that jealously held on to every joule of heat. Exacerbating the situation, I had gotten used to wearing shoes every day, eschewing the traditional footwear of my native people.

Now I've got my sandals back on, and I feel much better already. I hear that you can thin the blood too, either by taking aspirin or drinking alcohol. I never did like pills.

Fin

So my 1L year is over. Here's the part where I would write a thoughtful retrospective and share with you all the hard-earned wisdom I've gained since September. Looking back in my archives at how I felt going in, there's plainly a lot to say. But I don't feel like compiling it right now. No telling when or if I will.

Everyone working on law review, I pity you. Everyone else can find prints of my soulful "Make Love Not Law Review" design at cafepress.

I'm done here for the summer. I'm writing a different blog, The Coldest Winter, until the fall. I may start back up here after that, or maybe somewhere else. I'll let you know.

Dear Writers and Producers of Grey's Anatomy

I hope you're happy with that shit you pulled last night. Your wildly implausible yet irresistibly compelling storylines are making it very hard to concentrate on the Property exam I am meant to be taking. Thanks a lot.

Trevor

P.S. See you tonight at 9 for the conclusion!

Sabotage

You know what's awesome? Ask A Ninja. Happy Studying.

A Theory of Justice

My Super Sweet Sixteen has reinvigorated my belief in estate taxes.

Blodgett

It's just like me to wait until I'm only here six more days before I finally take the extra five minutes to walk to the Olympic sized pool instead of the MAC. It was totally worth it.

Also? I'm only here six more days. My first year of law school is all but over. That's crazy.

Comments!

It has come to my attention that readers previously had to register with Blogger in order to post comments. This oversight has been remedied.

Favored

Andy asks that I link to his new, non-secret blog. The old one was so secret that I never saw it, only hearing whispered rumors of its existence. The new one is decidedly less secret. Andy lives two doors down from me, so it would be awkward if I were to say no.

If a little learning is a dangerous thing, how much do we need to know before we are safe?

I Am Old

I just got an invitation to a friend's engagement party. Holy crap.

Burnout

There's something about reading several hundred pages of voting rights cases that makes me long for a good old fashioned monarchy.

Also, the results from the course lottery are back. The all-knowing Algorithm, in its ineffable wisdom, gave me Con Law, Corporations, Admin, and Fed Courts all in the same semester. I think there's a drop mechanism. There had better be.

War Weary

The more time I spend in Crim, the more sympathetic I become to calls for drug ledalization. And not just beacuse I have to read so many cases about it.

Practice Safe Shooting

Amber has a thought-provoking post comparing conventional attitudes towards sex and firearms.

Outre Couture

So I just got a splashy e-mail from the recruiting list. Why is Thomas Pink holding a cocktail reception? They are not a law firm.

DRAGON

This is in my inbox this morning:

Today i bought a lab coat which i will be using for chem 36 and whatever chem lab i end up workin in. I was curious if anyone with mad art skillz would be willing to draw a badass dragon on my coat for $10-15 (name your price). Email me if you can do this.

Badassly yours,

[my friend]

How great is that?

Vici

Finished my oral argument last night. The title here is misleading since they didn't actually name winners, but it's a victory just to be done. In truth, my team kicked ass.

I agree with CM, too: I really enjoy this stuff. Even when it's the ungraded portion of a pass-fail writing class (where my teacher has told us "You will get a low pass over my dead body") and the stakes are absolutely zero, it's thrilling to be up there making your case. I am way too competitive for mediation.

Finally, whoever invented the suit is a genius. I saw myself in the mirror as I was heading off to the arguments and immediately thought, "Hey, that guy looks like he knows what he's doing!" It's uncanny.