Sowande, 2L

A couple of things have happened recently:

First, it's gotten a little chilly! Thank goodness for inexpensive shopping at Downtown Crossing (a 10 minute ride by T). H&M was subjected to the power of my mighty wallet, and $20.00 of my fury. I picked up an hilarious hat, gloves (two pair!) and a scarf.

Second, but most notably, my uncle passed away last week. A great man and a scholar in Economics, nationally and in the San Francisco Bay Area, David Landes was the benefactor of my "Chump Change Scholarship", where I was endowed each month with $25.00 to do with whatever I please.

This occurrence has brought up what I think is a very important issue.

It's essential to remember that although law school is a life-changing experience, life continues to move forward. In deciding what school I would attend, I was careful to look into what sort of support system was available.

Knowing and looking into anything from having family members close by to what sort of counseling health services the university has to offer is crucial because you really never know. So if something unexpected happens, you want to be able to get back on your feet and to be able to have a healthy space to heal if necessary. Awesome housemates (which I happen to have), new friends, and local family are all very helpful, but just in case it's always good to know what the school has to offer.

During orientation, we were given presentations by key contacts from University Health Services, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, a local agency that also has resources for law school students, and the University Police Department.

This last week was wild for us all. Practice examination results, students were participating in last-minute fair election efforts, and memos and nonplussed assigned readings burgeoned forth like no other. I did, however, find the time to be interviewed briefly for a CBS news story.

As for the election, what can I say? One professor said, in class, that this election was most important to him because for the first time in a long while, a law professor was elected president!!! I'm just floored that a Black law professor was elected, well, the first Black law professor... well the first Black man was elected president.

Ladies and gentlemen, for me it doesn't get much more validating than that. All one need do is look for the statistics. How far fewer Black men are in law school... let alone graduate high school as compared to how many Black men are under the thumb of the criminal justice system? Shocking.

My mom, the woman who adopted me as a single mother, and who has been number one all of my life and was in the front row to hear Dr. Martin Luther King speak during our March on Washington, sent me the following email:

hey honey... "amped up" that's how We were all feeling when he took the stage for his acceptance speech...awesome....Ey...next step...after Law School, maybe the White...uhhh "Black" House in some capacity...I just know that the Pres. Elect will be looking for bright, aspiring, minds to help in some capacity!

Ohhhhh the future...wish that grandma was here to witness it...i just know all OUR folks are a-stirrin and spinnin, where ever their souls are...

I am just tooooo happy...You should have heard me scream...me scream and auntie bawling her eyes out...just too beautiful...so much emotion...still am reeling from the enormity of it all...

so glad I got to see you and hear your voice. nice...
mom

Whoa, this week was a little bit much.

So, law school is very much about pushing limits I didn't even know I had. I'll admit it though. I've had to head to campus super duper early to catch up on readings in the library or wherever I can find a quiet spot. The building is warm, well lit, and there is plenty of furniture AND you can eat in there--yeah, seriously! For those of us who are constantly eating (or dream of constantly eating), it's an all-of-the-above experience.

The library is being renovated floor by floor... which should be interesting. I think they're bringing it up to date to try to match the new Dockser building that opened up this year especially for me for the whole law school.

On to more serious things, we are having a client meeting for our Social Justice component project client today. So, I have to whip out the fancies and shine up the shoes... and shave. Today's class will be especially long because my law office is having the client meeting, having discussion, meeting about a transition memo we are creating in smaller groups (did anyone catch the media discussion about President Elect Obama pouring over a significant transition memo?), and then having some social work-free time with our Lawyering Fellow. Lawyering Fellows are upper-year law students who facilitate the Social Justice component coursework for a larger portion of the first year.

And... it's almost 7:30, the library calls. In the mean time, in between time, here's a photo I took last night. Yeah, it's real. My first New England fall. It was taken in Brighton.

Um... so I moved today, and now live in Brighton/Brookline. Yeah, one week (and some change) before examinations begin and while everyone else was busy outlining and catching up, I got to haul my prize books, Japanese films, and fashion. "Big ups" to my pal, Scott, who helped me out through what could have been a potentially dreadful housing situation--or "well bad", as one of my "Kiwi-phile" law office cohorts often says. Don't get me wrong--things never got to be that bad where I was living, but I was certain to act before falling into a housing situation that could easily jeopardize all of the hard work I put into getting myself into an excellent law school.

At this point in time, no risk is so small that it should not be considered very carefully in light of the significant time, money and soul investment being put into this educational undertaking.

So anyway, now I am living in an all-inclusive deal here in lovely Brighton. I've got a massive room, an attached office and a closet of my own all for an exceptional price... something about "closing doors and opening windows" comes to mind.

Oh, and back to the "opening of doors and closing of windows," check this out: I don't believe I mentioned this in a previous blog, but I lost my wallet a few weeks ago. I walked the streets where I thought it could have fallen out for an hour, but remembered that the streets of Boston are not the dusty roads of Kingman, Arizona, and to some folks a wallet means a meal, bargaining power (I've heard of people requesting finder's fees for the return of things they've found that they can attach to you), or a new kick toy.

To me, my wallet meant so much more because it contained pictures of my family, business cards of police officer friends and connections I'd met at local law student welcome events, my CharlieCard (which I'd just re-upped worth $59.00--ouch?), and even more importantly it was my partner's old badge wallet from when he worked in California--minus the badge of course.

Well, yesterday I received an email from one of the Registrar's Office ladies, with whom I am very close because she hands out the refund checks, noting that the Boston Police Department had mailed my wallet to the school and it was available to pick up... !!!

Who says a lil' faith and a colgate smile can't get you what you want in the big city?

Here's the new view... at night... it's not of Downtown Boston but there are cool lights in the background and when the snow falls, it should be a pretty cool site to see--DURING THE DAY!



And before I forget, I went to Maine with Scott (see above) to hang with his family for Thanksgiving. I didn't get to see the Portland Head Light, but I sure DID GET TO SEE THE B&M FACTORY, yeee haw! A drive-by baked beaning!! (Portland, ME is about two hours and a beautiful ride north of here).

I'm taking a break from non-stop studying for Friday's Property exam (and preparing for others next week) to drop a quick note while it's on my mind.

I, along with a small set of fellow mentees, met with my faculty mentor of color today, Professor Susan Maze-Rothstein, to talk about pre-exam jitters, study strategies, and other things that were weighing heavily on our minds. We spent a significant amount of time going over everything from how we've attacked the really complex issues we will be tested on, to the social dynamics of exam preparations. It was time apart, needed by all of us, to really connect with a faculty member and one another in the midst of what is a very time-intensive and tiring process.

Faculty mentors are available to all students. We were told this on the very first day, and were encouraged to seek one (or more) out; e.g., one for career path, one for networking, or just someone to share general interests with. They are important connections to make and if you get the right one, they can be a powerful ally with whom you can discuss everything you want to share. Academics, future path, to what to do if you suddenly have to move into a new place...

Speaking of new places, we had our first snow yesterday and I took a few pictures from my office window (I don't know if that's a chicken coop, a vineyard or a torture device down there, sorry), and our balcony, yes, balcony. On another note, today, it was in the teens and didn't get over 20 degrees. Ever so cold... but the cold is manageable. After 15 or so minutes in it, you stop feeling things... And it's supposed to get quite a bit colder 'round here.

Friday's high temperature is noted to be 1 degree Fahrenheit... That's pretty exciting.

We're back in the swing of classes, and along with the heavy, heavy, heavy workload required in our Constitutional, Contracts and Criminal Law classes, is our very... "complex" social justice project.

I really haven't had time to do much of anything outside of classwork these last two weeks--oh wait a minute... a school-mate and I had some amazing Colombian food, some of which has immortalized itself in my Contracts book. I guess I was pretty hungry.

I've been singing the praises of our Northeastern University Dining Hall. They have a tight salad bar, and even have beets. My aunt used to try to make me eat beets when I was little and they were so nasty back in the day--now I can't get enough. A little blue cheese (which they have at the dining hall) and I'm set. They also have cool lunch menus and spaces to work. It's also not too loud in there, because I think not a lot of people go there.

As you read above, we are taking Constitutional, Contracts and Criminal Law this semester, along with LSSC, and I am once again amazed by the professors I have been assigned to. They are "dynamic" in their own individual ways, but the required reading is something to behold, and something I sometimes want to be-THROW out of a moving vehicle... but you read, you learn, and you "keep it moving!!" as my road dawg says.

I am starting to see how classes really build on each other though, and that the concepts we covered last semester come up in rapid fire succession in each of these classes. It's exciting to actually be able to understand the words that are coming out of the professors' mouths.

On to Contracts reading. FYI, what happens when class has to be re-scheduled sometimes is that there is a makeup day--one of which happens to be tomorrow, so we have four classes (instead of the usual three on Thursdays) back to back from 8:55 a.m. to about 6:00 p.m., with about an hour break somewhere in there--I hope.

I'll make it through.

As you probably know, students receive what are called "Evals" (evaluations) of our performance here at Northeastern University School of Law. They are [sometimes] detailed records that become a part of our transcript. Instead of grades, they are credit/no credit, and they contain buzzwords (e.g., excellent, great, good, satisfactory, poor) that potential employers, scholarship organizations, and students use to evaluate performance.

As strange as it sounds, we are not the only law school to use such a system, and I find it to be a very interesting approach. There are certainly positives and negatives. One one hand, the professor's words and impression are included in them, so you get some great talking points for interviews. On the other, they are not so easily understandable at first, and may even say some things that make you think, "whoa, that's a pretty strong word."

I received my set of evals for two of my classes today--Civil Procedure and Torts, and the anxiety building up to this first set was harsh. For me, it feels as though I've completed the first semester of law school--again. But there is a very important sense of closure that has come with receiving them, actually I'm almost hesitant to say closure because these sassy little nuggets are going to follow me from here on out. I get the feeling that my exams were fairly scrutinized, and from them was extracted a sense of the "Torts me" or the "Civil Procedure me" that was put into the professor's own words--some of which I understood outright, and others that it took some reading between the lines.

The difficult thing about evals for me is that they seem to take quite some time to receive. So, as for examining my performance in a class, it's a bit trying to have to wait what seems like an eternity to receive them. Also, not receiving them all at once is a bit difficult, but I'll take what I can get. It's fine now, but the wait had its moments.

Now that that's over, well the first part, I'm heading out for live Brazilian music and FOODS! [Okay Sowande, let's see if we can keep food out of a blog just once...] Oh, one thing about Boston is that there's always some good grub grabbin' somewhere. Take your pick, Vietnamese, Brazilian, Colombian...

Final note: if there is anything on campus or around Boston you want to see, let me know. Camera is at the ready.

It's been a fast and furious two weeks.

Last week, I finally went to the Massachusetts State House for the LSSC Project client meeting I'd been coordinating and preparing for some time. Two other students (Law Office Representatives, who also put in a huge amount of time), myself, our Advising Attorney, Professor Hall, and our Faculty Supervisor, Professor Maze-Rothstein met at State Senator Spilka's office.

We met with the Senator (via teleconference which was really great because she was out in the field, but took the time out to talk with us for close to an hour and a half), her Lead Counsel, her Aid and her new Policy Analyst. I just have to say that it went SO well. We got some excellent feedback, but more importantly, we were able to show off a tiny bit of what we learned. I was really nervous at first, but quickly became comfortable participating in the discussion because I realized how much I've grown, and felt that I was actually being closely listened to.

One thing I'd heard about law school was that students don't typically get a lot of feedback, so it seems hard to figure out where we stand sometimes. I've noticed that in my experience here, if I seek it out, I am able to get feedback all over the place, which I think is great because there are chances to be evaluated on many different fronts--not just on those two or three, terrifying Socratic moments and a final examination.

Last weekend, I traveled to Springfield to meet up with my mom, who flew into town for her uncle's memorial service. He was 96, and was the oldest of nine brothers and sisters, one of whom was my grandmother. He was a very prominent figure in our family, and I even found out that he had secured his very own U.S. Patent for a stroller safety device--I had no idea!

We stayed with my mother's cousin on Friday night, and made the drive down to Mt. Laurel, New Jersey on Saturday morning. As soon as we arrived into the small town, my mind started to buzz and I was thinking--wait a minute, Mt. Laurel, Mt. Laurel what IS it about Mt. Laurel and it suddenly dawned on me that we'd spent quite some time discussing a very famous zoning case involving Mt. Laurel in my Property class. I spent almost an hour talking about the case with another of mother's cousins, who spent a lot of time in Mt. Laurel and gave me some very interesting background. It's all about context, and coincidence!

That night, I stayed in New Brunswick with a cousin I grew up with, and he and I made the trek to NYC. I hadn't been to the city for eight years, and was in shock to see how much it seems to have changed.

First year is over. Let the animerathon begin... I've decided that I'm going to watch the entire Macross series and eat waffles until I pass out. I'm really not kidding. After the last set of exams, I need a serious reset and waffles should do the trick.

I made it back to Arizona (in one piece unlike this last winter's terror flight), and it's beautiful here. We drove up into the mountains with our friends who are getting married next weekend, and took "some lovely... photos." (a little "Absolutely Fabulous" humor there)

So, here's the deal with school. If you've been keeping up, I am on the Fall/Spring rotation. This means that I'll begin my 2L year in a few weeks. I've signed up for a ton of classes, but it seems like the ones I am definitely hoping to get into are Bankruptcy, International Law, Evidence and maybe Communication Law? I'm not really sure though... the only one I'm absolutely 100% certain that I must take this summer is Evidence, but I've got a few weeks to think about it.

I also met with a dean to talk about my future courses, and I may be heading to Japan next spring. Haven't been there for a while! Heh. Temple University has a program that, apparently, they are trying to get some more Northeastern students to check out. I hope to spend some time over the two-week break looking into it, and maybe applying to the program.

I'm looking forward to enjoying Boston in the summer time. There will be very few undergrads, and Boston is an entirely different city. The weather should be really nice, and instead of sweating in a suit, I'll be able to sweat in shorts and t-shirts.

So that's what's up.

I just got a scholarship award letter, so I'm a happy camper. Har har har. "Levity" aside, every scholarship award lessens the amount of money I'll end up owing when this whole adventure is over. It would probably behoove anyone interested in saving some money, to check out some of the scholarships available to law students. For some of the more obscure ones, the applicant pool is smaller. Also, applying for scholarships can only help.

Before I gloss over the idea of school starting in about a week, I'll say that I'm getting excited about returning and digging back into the books (which will cost about $650 this semester... thank you MS Excel). I am taking a pretty hefty round of courses, but I figure they will prepare me for a broader range of co-ops to choose from.

I did some research on the FCC's website, and it looks like they have some interesting internships available in their wireless communications division. Those of you who are avid readers of EngadgetMobile are probably familiar with their FCC Friday posts. For those of you who are not familiar, mobile phone companies (Nokia, Apple, Samsung, etc.) are required to submit certain specs to the FCC for approval. They are required to submit certain images, or diagrams/schematics, and sometimes these images and specs reveal "exciting" information about the newer phones that are being released... I know, "exciting"?

I went to a wedding this past weekend--first one I've been to in ages. I can't really remember the last one I went to... ah wait, Long Beach back in March, 2007? One of my previous co-workers (and a best friend) married her beau up at the Hualapai Lodge last Saturday afternoon... awwww. In actuality, it was more like a Mohave County Superior Court Courtroom Clerk reunion. She hauled in a pretty high-profile crowd, the Clerk of Superior Court was there, our previous supervisor was there, one of the judges was there, jail staff--it was a good 'ol time.

View from the bridal suite.

The more I think about it, the more amazed I am at how much I accomplished during my first year of law school.

Even before the school year started, I was running an uphill battle. I had to figure out how was I going to deal with being so far from everything I knew and loved about my life, friends, partner, and dogs in Arizona, and my closest friends and family in California. I had to arrange my finances in preparation of qualifying for the appropriate financial aid--and then I still had to secure the means to attend law school in a matter of months. I had to gather all of the belongings I thought I would need, and then figure out how to move them across the country. Luckily I had an excellent support system, and a network of friends and family, all of whom were in my corner. They offered everything from words of advice to a nice floor to crash on while I sought the appropriate living arrangements.

I relied heavily on Northeastern University staff, and not just the people in the law school, even before I got into Boston. In retrospect, open communication was really what set the school apart. I'm not here to diss other schools or sell anyone on Northeastern, but I will admit that I kinda based my choice to come to Northeastern on what the voice at the other end of the line sounded like, or how open they were with information. That's MASSIVELY important to someone like me, who was a tiny bit familiar with the rigor of law school, and who moved across the country to jump on in. I'm big on the "moved across the country" thing--maybe I'll make a t-shirt or something.

I'm a second-year law student now. Things feel immensely, immensely--I cannot stress this enough but I will try--immensely different. My classes are smaller, I can actually read cases, the subject matter seems increasingly relevant... what else... I don't know, I mean this is incredible. And who knew I'd love Bankruptcy Law so much?

Last Thursday, I went to the American Civil Liberties Union's First Amendment Dinner. A table was donated to Northeastern University School of Law, and about ten of us attended... let me see, I took some notes here...

The night was in honor of a former Army Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, James J. Yee, who was arrested and placed in a naval brig for 76 days. He put it down, and gave an awe-inspiring speech about being held for such a period of time without knowing what was going to happen to him at almost every turn. I couldn't imagine...

Oh, and we also heard from Katrina vanden Heuvel, an editor for The Nation, who said something I absolutely loved: "There's never a time to compromise America's highest ideals." Quotable quotable if I do say so myself.

So, a few of us from my old "law office" (see LSSC Thoughts) are going to go to Martha's Vineyard for the weekend. Yesssss, I'll be bringing my books... I've never been, and though I had the opportunity to go a couple weeks ago (SO glad I've been forgiven on that one...) I am pretty dang excited. I can't help but worry about getting sand in my phone, or bitten by ticks and getting lyme disease... whoa, speaking things into existence is where I wrap it up with a lovely picture of me, reading for Contracts toward the end of last semester. //end stream of consciousness

I have been relatively quiet on the issue of marital rights in the U.S. these days because, believe it or not, I am a little bit of a "sit back and watch" type when it comes to politics. This is because for me, many of the intricacies of American social institutions and politics didn't seem within grasp--particularly before law school. My parents lived paycheck to paycheck, so there were no investments discussed at the dinner table or at family gatherings, nor was anything directly lost in the recent economic downturn*. The effects I felt during the last two economic downturns that I remember since 1980 seemed minimal to me at the time.

My first significant introduction to such things was in Property last semester. Our professor gave us a most memorable breakdown of what the "mortgage crisis" meant, and explored several theories as to how it came about. Admittedly, I had very little prior introduction and so I felt like I was being told a big secret.

To many in America, in fact I would go so far as to say to most in America, such "secrets" are coveted and discussed among a select few. The micronization, packaging and resale of mortgages and investments are not impossible to understand in very general terms. I am certainly not saying that I now can solve the problem, or even that I can wheel and deal with the top financial minds, but I feel like I understand what the headlines mean.

More importantly, I see a more distinct line that exists between those who are in the know and those who aren't--and it worries me. If early education continues to be de-prioritized and cut, I think the line could easily become a wall... Many would say, "Well why don't people go out and find out for themselves?" To that I say, a majority of people beyond the reaches of the biggest cities (most of America) aren't instilled with the interest or drive to seek such information out. They--WE aren't encouraged to do so and many of our priorities are backwards. Funny how sporting events still sell out, but library funding and staff are constantly being cut.

Coming back to my main point, taking Bankruptcy still remains one of the best educational choices I could have made. It really speaks to just about every aspect of American life, especially marriage. So far, I can definitely see benefits and downsides to filing for bankruptcy while married. But focusing on the benefits for a moment, I noticed that married couples are availed to certain benefits that unmarried couples (who want to get married but cannot) are not.

I think it would be interesting to see an equal protection case, and perhaps with the current financial situation, we may come across something. Who knows, I'm only a few weeks into classes but I will be keeping an eye out for something good.

*I'm obviously glossing over a very powerful ripple effect, but that would make this post much longer.

Well, I think I actually am moving downstairs this time... Blargh, ever since we lost our original roommate, things just haven't been the same. Good roommates are very hard to find, so if you are incoming, I sure hope you've already started looking.

Summer continues... of course the weather doesn't seem to agree. It is rainy... more like a heavy mist actually, and it's cool outside. I've spent this weekend catching up with law office friends on the opposite rotation, and it's been a hoot (I was going to say "incredible" but somehow that word seems a little disingenuous). Hearing about what they are doing on Co-op has been incredible. One is writing memo after memo, and a few opinions (a lot of people only get to write one or two, so I've heard) for a Federal District Court judge in Springfield. I'm not surprised since she's a super genius. Another friend has been doing a lot of constitutional law and racial disparity work with a local organization. And yet another is in New York doing immigration law. Everyone seems to be learning a lot and putting our first-year work to very good use.

I'm not sure where I'll be working for the fall just yet, but we sent in our first round of applications last week. How it works is there are co-op employers, and non-co-op employers. Those who are co-op employers are applied to, by students, through the school. I've applied to the Federal Communications Commission in Washington D.C., the Human Rights Commission in San Francisco, a local media company, and a few others.

My goal this week is to apply for more co-ops on my own. We are allowed to work virtually anywhere as long as we will be supervised by a practicing attorney, we get a certain number of hours per week for a certain number of weeks, and as long as we will be evaluated at the end of the number of weeks we've worked. So that leaves it pretty much open to whatever you can latch onto, anywhere in the world.

I'm still holding out for Viz Media, LLC, a Japanese animation licensing company in San Francisco. Persistence, persistence, persistence.

Weekends after the first year are so different. I've enjoyed a few road trips, spending time with local friends who are on the opposite rotation, being at home, and getting to see Boston when people are a lot more relaxed and the population is down to a more realistic size.

I've been working on finding a co-op these last few weeks, and evaluations for the spring are due at any moment. What's really been interesting about the co-op process has been the research part of figuring out who I should apply to. A little bit of "google-ing" has turned up some very interesting judges who I believe could provide some great learning opportunities.

The co-op office procedure is very straight forward, and the past-student views on working for those employers are very helpful. When flipping through the files available in the co-op office, which contain the student reviews, my eye tends to gravitate toward whether the job is accessible by public transportation or not.

Although I was really hopeful and excited about working for a Japanese animation licensing firm in San Francisco ("persistence, persistence, persistence"), as my summer coursework has progressed I have found myself continuing to fall prey to the lure of Bankruptcy Law.

What mystery hast thee in store, oh ye treacherous sirens of debtor/creditor relations? Pray release me from thy treacherous cognitive grasp, that I may once again possess innocence, free to discuss the bounty of knowledge and life through ear and lip unknowing and fresh as the morning dew.

Actually, pray keep me intrigued about the practice area, but pray help me to stop bringing it up in every conversation with anyone who will listen.

I've been lagging on the "bLAWg" so I'm entitled to a two-fer... at least that is what I'll tell anyone who asks.

Two things:

(1) just got an offer from the Co-op in Santa Barbara, so Bankruptcy Court, here I come;

(2) I don't know if you remember the Legal Skills in Social Context (LSSC) project my law office did [Restorative Justice Youth Court Diversionary Program for the Office of Mass. State Senator Karen Spilka see here], but it looks like it is being taken to the next level; that is to say, possible enactment.

I know, don't choke on your popcorn with excitement like I just did. [syke]. Really though, each law office put a lot of hard work into their projects, and I wouldn't be surprised if I hear about more of them being set into motion--either through legislation (like ours), or future case law, or...

Why am I eating popcorn at 12:30 a.m.? Slightly inappropriate budgeting--a $4.00 sausage (and $4.00 fried dough) at the tall ships thing, but what was I supposed to do? Pack a lunch? [Answer: yes]

As of the date of exams, the Fall/Spring 2Ls will have been in school for a full calendar year. I just bought my plane ticket for Las Vegas this morning, and I couldn't be happier.

We are getting busier here at the law school, now that the attention has shifted from securing Co-ops for fall to preparation for exams. Summer in Boston is still relaxing, but I will say that there are a LOT of people in the city right now. I don't seem to remember it being so busy last year, but I didn't arrive until August 1, 2008.

* * *

Alright, I was leaning toward not including thoughts on this topic when I thinking about what to write about for this week, but the Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. media blitz has been weighing very, very heavily on my mind this week. I am not going to say anything about it, other than to offer a fantastic link I received from a fabulous classmate. I really like it because it presents varied perspectives, and thoughtful insights.

Read here...

Oh, and CNN aired the second segment of "Black In America" last night, and though I only got to watch about 30 minutes of the presentation, it was FASCINATING! We may have a Black Law Student Association viewing.

Try saying THAT bad boy three times fast. Or coming across that phrase at the beginning of a case. Thank goodness for dictionaries. Thank goodness for the law library! Thank you Lexis!

Anyway, tomorrow I get fingerprinted for my Co-op. Thank goodness for the Campus Police Department! This will be, what... the third time I've been fingerprinted--all for jobs, all for jobs--not what you're thinking. The other two were for employment at the Superior Court.

There's something funny about someone else holding your finger and rolling it across the fingerprint cards. I mean, what do you say? "Oh yeah, had this finger for quite some time now... Works purdy guud."

Aside from a deluge of bankruptcy lawyering ethics and strategy in Bankruptcy today, we learned that the Central District of California (where I will be working) has a massive, massive, HUGE bankruptcy filing in comparison to Massachusetts. The Central District may have the most filings in the nation. My curiosity besting my apprehension, I took a look at the filing statistics for the last few years... I'm going to be very busy this fall, which is nothing BUT good.

I remember days when we had five hearings, and I ended up working in the Evidence Vault. "The State moves for admission of Exhibit P-1; IT IS ORDERED entering Exhibit P-1." Yeah, P-1 was alleged victim's skin!!!

[Okay, so I didn't actually "clerk" that trial back in Kingman, but I did have to handle some pretty dodgy stuff. Can't say what, but if you wanna know, come to law school and get a Co-op with a Superior Court judge. It's not two years of being a Courtroom Clerk, but if you are "lucky" you may come across some pretty gnarly junk.]

Getting to the airport Friday was like a Chevy Chase movie... any one, pick one. Exploding boxes of clothing, being dragged through security by the airport check-in staff so the plane could leave early (?), squeezing between people to get to my window seat, only to realize that in all of my frantic hurry, I'd forgotten to drop by the loo... so I had to get back up before taking off... it goes on but I won't drag it out because I'm home now.

Over the next two weeks, I plan to gain ten pounds. It began with ribs at a "welcome home" pool party, and then continued with a visit to see my good pals from the Superior Court. I left with half a pork loin. People throw food at me and I just can't say no.

My Co-op starts in two weeks. Twelve weeks of pure Santa Barbara fun... I haven't spent much time there, since I left a few years after high school. Actually, I think the last time I was there was at least... man it was years ago! Nutz. I'll have to stop by the old high school and see if I can find any old teachers. Sounds like a good blog topic.

Hey 1Ls, welcome and all of that "jazz'eration". Hope you're ready to learn real good! Suggestion--if you haven't done the readings that are posted on the WeBoard yet (the inside bulletin board for school of law students), DO get on that, and early. Classes get going quickly. The farther ahead at the start, the better. I'm just sayin'...

A lot is happening next week. 1Ls begin, most of us on Fall/Spring are starting our Co-ops, it's the first of the month... *le sigh* Where has the time gone? I'm hopping on a midnight train from Kingman to Santa Barbara on Saturday. Such a tragedy. Summer weather, beaches, family and old friends. Life is rough ain't it??? I just hope the place doesn't light up while I'm there. Poor California is constantly on fire, and devastatingly broke these days. Maybe I'll be able to look into one of those municipal bankruptcies while I'm working there. That would be quite rad--to learn about, not necessarily to happen.

"Les attitudes les plus incompréhensibles dans la vie sont souvent dues à la persistance d'un moment intimidé dans la jeunesse."

Bon chance a tout!

Speaking of "bon chance" don't forget about the Goodwill. I know it sounds gross to some, but there are some nice things a good dry-cleaning away from being quite presentable. I got two gold-button blazers at one out here in the remotest of Arizona, and they are HIGH quality vintage designer blazers. Not a single flaw... and this after trips to various local clothiers wanting at least $140 for low end blazers that didn't even fit me correctly. Pish tosh.

Well, it is, there's no better way to say it.

Santa Barbara: I may have grown up here, but it's a very different place twelve years later. The Greek/Italian Deli that used to be at State and Ortega--gone. That place was an institution. The pastrami was boomin. So many of the stores on State Street have changed, but at least Metro Comics is still around.

Since I've been working, I haven't had too much time to get out and really see the city, but I will in good time. Three-day weekends, like the one coming up, are good for that.

Classes vs. Co-op: Let's talk about hands-on work. There is no better way I've come across, to understand in-class concepts than to apply doctrine on Co-op. When I was working, before starting law school, I could only draft so much of a pleading, or explain potential client inquiries to a limited extent, or tell a judge what I thought in very limited terms when asked what I thought about how a trial went. The discussions are much different now, and I feel as though my contributions are more insightful and substantive.

On the real though, I can't wait to get to the beach. It's been about 80 degrees and sunny for the last, I don't know how many days. I'm just going to have to bring my trunks to work and hit the beach right after. It's been done.

Co-op is fantastic but I can't believe I'm already at week THREE. I am being kept very busy and I definitely chose the right place to work. I enjoy one on one time, a good amount of pressure, and complicated projects. And I can't tell you how exciting the cases are... I mean I really can't because I promised I wouldn't discuss. Bankruptcy is all over the place in terms of the topics involved, so for someone like me it's a great fit. Seriously, intellectual property, real property, taxes, corporations, FCC licensing (no really)--it's a mixed bag.

The automatic stay has got SWAGGERRRRR!

Friday I'll be heading back to LA (and back to San Diego--oh yeah, again, see infra) for an Extern/Law Clerk training that the Central District is putting on... with free lunch. And, AND I get to see a fellow Bankruptcy classmate who is working in the same district, but in a different division. It will be quite nice to compare notes.

Mmmm, I don't think I was supposed to go all the way down to San Diego this last weekend but I did. I went from having no plans after getting out of work (or off of Co-op), to waking up on Saturday morning with my mom in my FACE talking about, let's go to LA... then wandering off into the sprawling metropolis called So-Cal, and ending up in San Diego. It was really wonderful seeing friends I haven't seen in years--and since they're broke too, we were all on the same level in terms of recession chic.

Wearing out my signature look... [Santa Barbara Superior Courthouse--it's not where I'm working, but it's down the street]

You deserve it so here goes...

I had to take a break from another project with a tight deadline, so I walked downtown. I figured I'd take side streets, go to Barnes & Noble and browse the economics section for anything that could give me some water-cooler talk topics outside of our normal workload. Along the way I ran into a really old friend of mine, who happened to be on his way to the "bunny festival". Seriously. Santa Barbara's got an annual bunny festival that's held in the sunken gardens behind the Superior Court. I don't know much about rabbits, but I've always thought they just smelled disagreeable, among having other odd natural qualities.

***LSSC NEWS FLASH***

I just got an email from my LSSC Law Office 12 Faculty Mentor, Prof. Susan Maze-Rothstein, and portions of our Restorative Justice Youth Diversionary project are being incorporated into proposed legislation which will be heard tomorrow by the Massachusetts State Senate Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. Law Office 12--and you know this.

//end LSSC News Flash

This weekend was the 23rd Annual Avocado Festival. The festival is held in Carpinteria, CA, which is actually where I grew up. (Bullhead CIty has only been home for the last 2.5-3 years.) Carpinteria is one of the main producers of avocados, and is about 15 miles or so south of Santa Barbara, CA. It's a small, sleepy California beach town where everyone knows each other, and where avocados are grown like whoah. I saw some REALLY old friends from elementary school and days spent at the beach.

The first time I volunteered for the festival was with my entire family, my mom, dad, older brother, older sister, and younger brother--in 1986. We all worked in the Pepsi booth together and had a great time. This year, my mom and I volunteered and had a great time selling event merchandise.

Enjoy the photos.

It's been raining off and on for almost 24 hours. I've been blamed by several people for bringing this weather from the east coast...

"Condemned to the use of words, we can never expect mathematical certainty from our language." - Justice Thurgood Marshall said it right. Grayned v. City of Rockford, 408 U.S. 104 (1972). I'd provide the page number but it's better if you find it yourself. That case is chock-full of literary confection.

This morning I got to work excited to sit in on a hearing for which I'd done a lot of significant writing, research and preparation. The work was intense, and dealt with a lot of issues with which I was very unfamiliar. Also, the emotional charge of bankruptcy is almost ever-present but what's particularly difficult and even ironic about the work is that the lure of adhering too closely to the black-letters is powerful. Translating the arguments of individual human beings, who fear losing their homes, cars, or whatever, into something that makes sense within the Federal Bankruptcy Code requires more than a dry sensibility because the average human being just doesn't speak the language of the Federal Bankruptcy Code.

Years ago, I dreamt that I would some day translate between Japanese-speaking and English-speaking record executives. Or between French and Japanese, I don't know, pie makers. But what I am doing now is beautiful because what I do all day is translate. Translate between a pro per party and the Court. Translate between state and federal law. Dive deeply into a phrase contained within environmental law, and translate that into bankruptcy law. Haha, I feel like a gameshow host, "all this and more..."

I definitely don't do it alone. I've had a lot of excellent conversations, help, comments, support and suggestions from the Judge to the US Marshalls. I've been experiencing a lot of deja vu, and from what I recall it means that I am on the right path--or it's too late and I need to "deja vu" my behind to bed.

On a heavier note, I saw the new Michael Moore movie this evening with my mom. It's an interesting perspective and an interesting start. I'll just say that it was a little peculiar to sit in a Santa Barbara boutique theater, watching a film about wealth and capitalism in the United States. *grin*