Blah day...

This morning I woke up sad.

You know, that happens to other people right, or is it just me? I am stressed about school, feeling emotional, and have looming deadlines.

But then I saw this when I went downstairs...

Ok, it's hard to be angry with the world when God paints this beautiful sunrise, just for me, just to make my day better, and to remind me that he's working all things out for my good.

Now, instead of trying to finish my legal memo which is due tomorrow evening, I decided to change the template on my blog, in hopes that it would load faster, be cleaner, and well, be different.

I can't afford to go shopping, so its time for a blog makeover!

So, what do you think? Honestly?

I'm really curious about what you think about the blog, not the incredible view of El Dorado Canyon I can see from my back steps, and the glistening white capped Continental Divide. Trust, me, today I am needy, and I need your feedback! Thanks!

Give me some... tongue?

This last Sunday afternoon while snow was flurrying around outside, my husband cooked tongue.

I'm all about eating meat. In fact there's nothing better than a good rare steak in my opinion.

However, when my husband, The Chef, came home, proudly carrying three tongues, I was skeptical, but tried to encourage him. Isn't' that what a good wife does?

And the tongue did smell good. The Chef put it in the crock pot and cooked it for hours and hours, with yummy vegetables and stock.

But well, when it was shredded it up and on my plate... all I could think of is that I had tongue in my mouth and I was chewing it.

I cleaned my plate. Don't' get me wrong, but I longed for the days of Rocky Mountain Oysters and a simple pigs foot.

I am not in love with the tongue, and am secretly hoping there won't be leftovers.

Legal Writing

Snow flurries,
Hot Chocolate,
Country Music,
Vanilla Cookie Candle,
my laptop at my desk in my office,
and one EVIL legal memo to write before I go downstairs to have dinner with the Chef.

What does all of that equal? A not so fun fall weekend. And one stressed out 1L who has just figured out that six weeks from today will be finals week in law school.

Eek!

Inspirational Writing Quote of the Day

"If you're going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow."

– Louis L'Amour

One of the biggest disappointments I've had this year is the lack of time I've devoted to writing. Sure I blog, well, sporadically. But I often don't just write. Writing is my passion, and something that I do to release the inner creative monsters under my bed. I love to write, but at the same time, I dread it as I dread nothing else. Sometimes it takes so much to pry open the lid of my writing mind, to prepare and get ready, and then actually to block out the time to write, that by the time I'm ready to put pen to page... or in my case fingers to keyboard... I'm exhausted.

I know that it's essential that I block out a regular time on my weekly calendar to write. I know it. But with work, law school, being a wife, homeowner, dedicated friend... I always seem to push it to the back burner and don't actually sit down and write.

(Sigh)

Yesterday was the National Day on Writing, which hopefully will become an annual occurrence. While I'm glad people are celebrating writing on a national level, on a university and school letter, I know I need to celebrate writing on a personal level... and celebrate writing by actually doing it!

So somehow, in the midst of legal memos, torts classes, and civil procedure outlines, between household chores and dates with my husband, I really want to be writing-- writing just for me.

Somehow.

Quest for Organization (!?)

In an attempt to be organized, disciplined, and on top of both my full time job and endless insanity that is the first year of law school, (and the fact I lost my old cell phone a week ago) last night I bought this beauty.

It's like Christmas and Halloween candy all rolled up into one slim, adorable phone. It's a Blackberry, and apparently has everything I could ever ask for on it...

just one problem,

I have to figure out how to use it.

So in my attempt to be organized and disciplined, I'll probably spend the next 36 hours trying to figure out how to use it.
{And I think I'm already addicted to my little crackberry. :)}
help.

Stupid and Pedantic

On Tuesday night I took my first law school midterm. I didn't prepare for it and study for it as much as I should have, but I feel that I did understand most of the questions, and feel like I did pretty well on the test... which means at least I had a beginning, middle, and ending on each of the two essay questions, and 7 out of the 8 multiple choice questions made sense.

But how did I do? I have no idea at all.

There is the curve for one thing, and then there is the fact that what made sense in my mind may have been completely wrong. I haven't been in a class with a curve... uh... ever. And its a weird feeling, knowing its my classmates' performance that will make or break me. No wonder law school students can be cutthroat sharks.

I'll find out in a few weeks how I did... I am hoping for a B, but think I'll be satisfied with a C.

I can't believe I just typed that. Here I am, type A anal personality, and I've always thrived on a solid 4.0... and I'm hoping for a B? I'm cracking up.


Last night, I dreamed about receiving my Lawyering Process memo back from my Civil Procedure's professor, and she failed it. I clearly remember her going off on how bad my writing was, how it didn't make sense, how it didn't follow the CRuPAC or IRAC format...

and she said it was Pedantic and sounded Stupid.

As I dreamed, I thought, geez, now that's harsh criticism from a professor. And when my alarm sounded this morning I was still thinking. "Stupid and Pedantic."

And the kicker is, I couldn't readily give the definition of Pedantic to my husband when I told him about it. I mean its one of those $10 words that you pull out when you're talking to intellectuals, but the definition? I gave a fairly good guess, and rushed to the computer to look it up.

Merriam Webster says of Pedantic:
1 : of, relating to, or being a pedant
2 : narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned
3 : unimaginative, pedestrian

Well, I still am not very confident about my legal memo, but I'm pretty sure that my professor won't write "Stupid and Pedantic" on the top of the paper. So at least I have that to not worry about.

I wonder when these law school nightmares will end?

Bringing in the Harvest: Fried Green Pumpkins?!

Well Colorado had its first big freeze of the fall, so I hustled to bring in the perishable vegetables from my garden. I was hoping for a few more weeks of warmth to get my pumpkins to grow a bit more, but I am happy that I was able to harvest so many.


My mom told me not to worry about the green pumpkins, that they would slowly ripen while decorating the house. But I wonder if they will taste as good as vine ripened pumpkins?

I don't even know how pumpkins work so I researched it... and although pumpkins aren't quite like bananas and tomatoes, they will slowly ripen after being picked. They just need good air circulation and a warm place to stay.


So I scattered pumpkins throughout the living room and kitchen, and at last the fall harvest has come! And I decorated!

Twilight

It's Monday.


It's Raining and the dark clouds have already cast the campus into shadows.


I'm sitting in the brightly lit, warm, and tomb silent law library studying for my Civil Procedure midterm tomorrow.


By bloggie buddy D.A.R. recently told me not be stressed about about law school, that I wasn't alone, that "by the middle of October, everyone is looking for the closest cliff to throw themselves off of. I promise."

Her words of wisdom made me feel a lot better actually. And since I have been reading Twilight before falling asleep into a stupor, I imagined Bella diving off the cliff. I don't have werewolves or vampires to worry me, just midterms, legal memos, and law school.

If I just take it one day at a time, I'll survive. I just have to have greater faith.

Sigh. I can do it!

(Gulp) Right?
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