First Day

It's the first day of class and already I feel like I don't have enough hours in the day. Of course, part of this is due to my inefficiency and relative lack of direction. I'm hoping the professors can help guide me a bit. It's about an hour before my first class starts - Contracts. I've already met the professor and he's our small-section professor, which means our class will be the only Contracts class taught by him. We'll also only have our section present - so about 30 people total. On one hand the smaller class size should lead to a more intimate atmosphere. On the other hand, it'll be harder to just be a face in the crowd. And obviously, your odds of getting 'cold-called' meaning the professors just randomly asks you a question, is much higher than when you're in a class of 100.

Today isn't too bad, I only have 3 classes, but tomorrow I have 4. Based on how long it took me to do reading for 2 classes I shudder at the prospect of reading for 4. But I'm sure I can knock out 1 during my break after lunch today...and maybe 2 tonight. And I'm exaggerating because I've already done the one for Torts.

My understanding of the cases isn't strong at this point and I feel like I should be reading them until I achieve a solid grasp, but I'm sure pouring in tons of effort prior to even attending the first class may not prove all that useful. It's inevitable that you'll know only a sliver of what you need to know. It seems like the Socratic Method is designed to show you that.

Aside from classes, I need to find time to go to the gym. The gym is really close so there's no issue of convenience. I think I'm also going to try studying in the library because I have a tendency to get too comfortable if I'm at home.

Orientation flew by in a blur - 2 days, packed to the gills. I met so many new people and forgot so many names already. I can't help but get the sad feeling that by the end of this year I might only be in contact with those in my sections. It's probably hard though, as you have the same classes every day with these people.

So far my plan of making huge batches of food, portioning them into meals, and freezing them has worked out well. My blend of rice, beans, potatoes, zucchini, topped with chicken has been filling and not horrible to eat. As somewhat of a foodie though, I'll miss really spending time cooking and enjoying meals. Now it seems like eating is more like a chore you have to do to stay alive.

A bought a big batch of supplements (books) at this used booksale yesterday...they had lots of good stuff and compared to my texts, they were dirt cheap. I've only looked at some so far so I can't tell how useful they'll be. But like Scott Turow in 1L, their presence amongst my books alone offers some comfort.

I realize I'll probably be talking a lot about law school, so I should probably make an effort to discuss other things as well.

Sports - Predictably, Brett Favre is back...AGAIN. How many times can one man retire/unretire? He should just take a lesson from JoePa and keep playing until he dies on the field.

Big Ben - it sounds like his civil case is looking up for him. One of the many people named in the suit is McNulty's former best-friend and employee of Harrah's. Her legal representation has filed a motion to dismiss the case. There's also been some buzz about emails/IM transcripts from McNulty that show she wasn't acting consistently with someone who had been raped. For instance, these emails supposedly show McNulty saying about how she was excited to have dinner with Ben (after the alleged rape happened) and that she would date him if she ever broke up with her imaginary boyfriend (who ironically was also named Ben). I've seen the emails and I'm certain they're real - but if they aren't, someone went to great lengths to fabricate them. It'll be interesting to see if this case is just dismissed.

Okay I've probably written more than I have in several months, so I'll end it now. I think I'll try to write something pretty frequently to provide all those who care about me with an update on my life.

I'm doing well though - excited to be in this new environment - not yet burned out or beat up!