One down, fifteen to go...

..or as my torts professor put it 38 individual sessions of each class. Yes, I counted (and so did she, apparently!) but not because I'm not enjoying myself. Quite the opposite; my brain is slowly turning back on after a year of typing, shredding and typing again, and it's a great feeling! So far, I LOVE being in school! The first few days have been stressful, especially the logistics of my 50 pounds of books traveling to and from class when I'm still under orders not to lift anything. Despite the stress, it's really gratifying to be sitting in class after a year of LSATs, applications, financial aid paperwork and decision-making. I think it just hit me today; I'm really here!

And to top off that wonderful realization, it's also the Friday of a three-day weekend! Suffice it to say, my somewhat frazzled mood has suddenly lifted and I can see the light. And the light involves(-ed) me going to a movie (The Nanny Diaries - eh.. not so great), having my first official cleaning frenzy (extremely satisfying when there are only 250 sq. feet to clean!), going to a beach (tomorrow, I hope!), and dinner plans with my new, real, live, law school buddies! Oh yeah, and maybe a little tiny bit of homework somewhere in there. AND the Red Sox are winning, which means my profs will probably be in a good mood when we come back to school on Tuesday. It's amazing, but I think every single professor has independently mentioned the Red Sox and found some way to use a Yankees fan as the victim or loser in a legal scenario, this within the first week of class!

Legal word of the day: Tortfeasor ('tort-fee-zur) : someone who commits a tort; a wrong-doer.

PS - This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but my internet was down. And by 'my' internet, I mean that of my mysterious neighbor Doug, which I've been ::cough:: borrowing. But today it was back up and I managed to put in an order for Verizon FiOS, which is supposed to be superduper fast and amazing. Also, it's the only Verizon internet available in my area other than dial-up, so that made the decision pretty easy. I had to wait to schedule the installation until I have a day off (Rosh Hashana) because the installation supposedly takes FOUR HOURS!!!

Contracts and Property and Torts, oh my!

Today was my first day, and it wasn't bad at all! I actually only had two classes (and an interminably boring Westlaw/Lexis training in which I determined that if my post-JD job is ever to teach law students how to use a database, I'd definitely be better in any of the other professions I considered before I chose law). Both of my classes seem interesting, but the professors have completely different styles; apparently they try to put the sections together so no one group of poor 1Ls gets ALL of the Socratic/sadistic professors! Also, I discovered that I may have to register with the Bar of whatever state I want to practice in within 60 days of starting law school! If you know me, you know that making even a preliminary decision about what STATE I want to live in in three years has thrown me into fits of panic. I'm looking into whether you can register for as many states as you might possibly be moving to!

Other than bureaucratic manners, I also discovered that the two main things you can buy in my neighborhood are coffee/donuts/pastries and salon services. There is literally beauty shop or spa on every corner! I guess that's what happens when you live in the "Safest City in America" (Newton, not Boston); people have nothing to worry about, so they spend their time frosting tips and peeling facial skin.

Anyway, tomorrow is a packed day with four (count em!) classes plus a legal ethics orientation, followed by a "Bar Review". And I mean that quite literally, as in, the entire school is invited to a bar, where they proceed to "mingle." It seems to be a theme! If my gallbladder had cooperated, it's one I would probably enjoy, but alas...

The New Apartment!

Sorry for my long absence. I've been busy trying to get back up to speed to start school and also moving up to Boston. Since I'm banned from lifting anything heavy for another couple of weeks, my dad helped me move in and buy furniture, etc. I could not have done it without him!! We snapped a few picture of my luxurious loft for your entertainment.

Above, the living room and kitchen (use your imagination, people!).

Below, reading in the office/dining area (read, table) and the 'bedroom'.

Tomorrow is the first day of orientation, so I'm trying to get organized. And by organized, of course I mean I'm reading magazines and watching Margaret Cho. Law school, here I come!

I'm alive!

I'm alive and well after my ectomy on Tuesday. Now, I'm back to the daily grind of Lifetime Movies, etc. I hope to be up and around soon!

Paging Dr. Freud!

The medicine I've been taking until I can have my surgery has one very odd side effect: weird, vivid dreams!

So far, I've crashed into the Boston harbor in a giant jet, visited my Latvian family (?) and been convinced that many of my family members are experiencing health crises of their own... Oh! And I broke my leg! My dad called them the "I am the most pathetic person in the world" dreams.

I don't think I need more proof that my subconcious should really stay that way!

Missing the beach was making me pretty down, so I decided to turn my life into a Visa commercial. (I'm also really bored - the only times I've left the house in about a week have been to the hospital or to buy more trashy magazines with which to rot my slowly atrophying brain.) Please imagine the sexy, commercial voice-over dude saying this over a sunset background with frolicking tourists (who all have tiny laproscopic scars on their belly buttons)...

Diseases which the U.S. Customs has at times suspected me of carrying: hoof and mouth, mad cow, bird flu.

Diseases which WebMD, Lindsay J., and Alyson have at one point or another convinced me I have: brain tumor, malaria, premature menopause (really! Ask Lindsay), and bird flu.

Actually contracting a simple and easily fixed problem WHILE I have health insurance: PRICELESS.

See, I'm actually feeling pretty lucky!

Chop chop!

Well, next Tuesday is the big day. My ****ectomy (I can't remember the name of it at the moment) is scheduled for that day, giving me exactly 13 days from operating table to TORTS. I hope I'll be peppy and ready for school, but if not, I plan to use this as a sneaky way to make new friends ("I'm sorry, I can't quite lift that heavy law book, want to carry it for me? And be my friend? And cook me dinner? Thanks!"). I'm crafty like that!

Unfortunately, that means our beach vacation has to be canceled and my grandiose plans for nesting in Boston curtailed. (Boo.)

To make myself feel better, I have been spending time online looking at pictures of kittens. Yes, this is the brain of a future lawyer I'm rigorously training here.

I hope you are all enjoying your August!

Edit: Cholecystectomy.