First week, last year...
The uncomfortably short summer ended with two wonderful trips: a return flight to California to visit some of the wineries missed on the last tour (taken right before law school started), and an annual pilgrimage to Joisey to enjoy the company of various in-laws and fight a never-ending battle with Toxicodendron radicans (more commonly known as poison ivy). It is true what they say, by the way, each exposure to the vile weed brings on a more violent reaction. In that same vein, let me be the first to assure you that there are no horticulture classes offered at this (or any other) law school, which means your faithful scribe is no more adept at identifying the plant after two plus years of school. Add to this my city-boy roots, and Russian heritage (there is no poison ivy in Russia) and you get someone who is as likely to find a four-leaf clover on Mars as he is to realize that the particular ivy he’s been feverishly digging/tugging/cursing/yanking on for the last few hours is going to require carefully regimented dosages of Prednisone, Benadryl, Jack Daniel’s and coke just to keep him from going insane. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed the break from work/school.
I also participated in my umpteenth annual rite of passage for Boston-area residents: moving day. Something like 87%* of the leases in Boston turn over on September 1st. While I haven’t had to move myself on that date in quite a few years, I have been known to attempt to beef-up the pro-bono section of my resume by offering my moving services gratis to a select group of friends. Additionally, ever since piloting my then-fiancée’s moving truck from Delaware to Boston in January, I have been the driver of choice when any of said friends rents any vehicle bigger than a Ford Escape.
This year, a buddy decided to kick it up a notch. Arriving in Braintree to pick up what was described to me as a “twenty-two-footah” I was presented with a diesel truck that was thirteen feet tall, required me to climb two steps to get into the driver’s seat, had a power lift-gate on the back, a side door in addition to the big rear one, air brakes and suspension, a gross vehicle weight within one pound of the limit printed on my license, a twenty-six foot bed length, a 3,250 RPM redline, and an air horn (the partridge and the pear tree were optional equipment). Agreeing to the extra $20 a day for insurance coverage was what we law students call a “no-brainer”.
Driving this beast was actually quite a bit easier than I expected. Sure, you have to get used to the idea that the brake and gas pedal operate on about a five-second delay from when you apply pressure to either pedal. If you are like me, and were never very good at physics, it will also take some time and the aid of a too-close to the driveway telephone pole to get the appropriate grip on the physics of your pivot points and turning radius, but that’s why you paid the extra $20 a day.
There’s also the added benefit of professional courtesy. Trucks of this size are generally leased to professionals, and so other truck drivers treat you as such. This holds true for both the parents of the college kids piloting their tiny U-Hauls to dump-truck drivers on the highway. If you are looking for a review of the experience of renting a twenty-six foot truck to move all your belongings in style, this is a highly positive one. I just recommend you don’t do it around the first of September – it will be much cheaper any other day of the year.
In other news, my second-to-last quarter of law school has started, and with it the four classes I have chosen for this round. Evidence, Corporation and Trusts and Estates are all bar-exam topics, but are proving to be rather interesting in their own right. Antitrust (on some bar exams as well, I believe) promises to be an intriguing class as well.
In closing for this week, I’d like to add just one thing. As constantly reminded by the likes of Brett Favre, we humans have an uncanny inability to recognize that the time to quit is while we’re ahead. Most athletes, if given the opportunity, play way beyond their prime, most politicians stay well past their ability to be relevant, most actors refuse to ride into the sunset, and most writers don’t know when or how to walk away. I don’t even pretend that what I do here, with this blog, can be considered writing, but I think the rules still apply. I have been doing this for two years. A fresh class of 1Ls is starting here at NUSL, and it’s time for me to hand the reins over to someone new. After all, I don’t want to end up doing this so long that I am writing a blog for NUSL’s divisional rival (do we even have one?).
* 50% of all statistics are made up on the spot. :)
Comments
Hey Leon.... I had a question about the easiest/most common places people commute from. I don't know much about the Boston neighborhoods. Is living around campus costly? Are there areas that many 1L students tend to live? Does living off campus take away from the community experience? Thanks a lot. Jim.
Posted by: Jim | October 2, 2009 7:16 PM