Merry Christmas!

Well, a fabulous day it was yesterday, with my family. Today, we're on the move to spend some time with Jason's family.

There were lots of prezzies, there was lots of game playing, movie watching, eating, and good times.













Merry Christmas to everyone, and I'll write more later!

Busy Friday

So, Jason and I met a friend for breakfast, then we picked up one last Christmas present (don't worry, we didn't hvae to go to a mall for it, so it was super fast). I dropped Jason off at work, went home and wrapped up a few things, took care of some house stuff, picked him up, then his cousins from New York came to visit, then we chilled for an hour (or so), and then we went for dinner with friends, and went over to their house for a killer game of monopoly (NHL version). It was a jam-packed day, and it was awesome.

Thursday night, was even better on the funny scale. It was Joe's 18th b-day, and we went out for dinner, had cake at Mom & Dad's, and then we took him to the Rose & Crown pub to have some b-day drinks before he went to Hi-Fi (dance club) with his buddies. There are some pretty funny pics, here's a few:

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like ...

... Christmas. Even though Jason and I are foregoing the tree this year (we won't really be around to appreciate it), I'm getting into the spirit of things.

I went over to my Mom's last night to do some Christmas chocolate making and baking. We made our Polish Christmas cookie staple ... chrust (I don't even know where to begin in spelling it, so don't even ask if that's right). Here are some pics:









It's labour intensive, not very healthy, and the BEST thing ever.

I tried making truffles, again, this year. It's always a futile act, since never before have they worked out for me. BUT ... this year I had a Martha Stewart holidays magazine with me. I tried her recipe in the back, and followed all of her instructions, and they turned out SOOOO well! I couldn't believe it. I made them out of milk chocolate, we dipped some in white chocolate, some in dark, and we rolled them in crushed candy canes and crushed almonds. I'm so proud! You can always count on Martha!

Today is Joe's 18th Birthday, so we're heading out on the town to show that boy (ahem ... excuse me ... show that MAN) a good time. Should be pretty interesting. It'll be the first time that the four siblings head out together. I'm a little scared.

I had a dream last night about school, the first time ever. I think it's because I won't let my conscious mind think about it - so my unconscious mind is rebelling. We're going to have to see what we can do about that - unacceptable!

HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY JOEY!

Ahhhhhh ... Home Sweet Home

I'm home. I love it.

I finished writing my Criminal exam yesterday, and it was kind of weird. I didn't prepare as much as I did for the other exams, but I almost feel better about it, which worries me (perhaps I didn't know enough to be worried).

I went to Louis' after the test, with tons of people from law, had a pint, and then went for dinner to my Auntie Dona's ... got to see my cousin Mike, which was pretty awesome. Then ... zipped home, grabbed my bags, and got driven to the airport where I flew home.

Ahhhhh.

I have a dentist appointment this morning, and I'm baking with my Mom tonight ... think I'll try and hit the gym in between (oh how I've missed my own gym).

Goals for me, for the two weeks that I'm home ... crack through the Pro-Bono books that I've brought home, and start thinking about a summer job, make sure I have one, secure it up (maybe it's already a little too late to secure anything legally related?).

We'll see.

AND ... personal goals include seeing as many of my friends as possible. I've got a list, we'll see if I can get through it.

I GET TO GO HOME TODAY!

For two weeks! I'll be home! Ahem ... after I write my criminal mid-term, that is. I'm just wrapping up the studying (which I must admit, my whole heart hasn't really been into), and getting my place ready for being gone for two weeks (purged the fridge, cleaned my room, etc.)


SEE YOU CALGARY SUCKERS SOON!

I'm Finally on a Roll with Criminal

It took me so long to get into the groove, but I'm there.

I'm in the kitchen, working like a demon, and in the living room, my roomies are watching a biography segment on Pink ... it's the best of both worlds. I work fairly well with subtle background noise, and once in awhile I catch a few interesting things about an artist that I think is pretty cool ... as in, her promotion of stopping the Stupid Girl movement ... which reminds me that I want to read Female Chauvinist Pigs by: Ariel Levy. I started it one time, but had to return the book.

I have a bunch of music on hold at the Saskatoon library, but I must be at the end of a long waiting line ... I've been waiting forever for some CDs. I have a couple of books on hold as well, including Neil Gaiman's Stardust; we'll see how long that one will take.

Anyway, I've got to wrap up summarizing a few cases, then I'm hitting bed, then up early, finishing my flowcharts (yeah, I know ... I've been threatened with a nickname with the word "flow" in it), printing everything off in colour-coded goodness, off to school (maybe the gym, depending what time I get off), and then I've got to rush about to get a few things done and hit the airport to FLY HOME! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!

Did I Mention My Gratitude?

I am thankful for the opportunity to be in Saskatoon to study law, I'm grateful that I'm healthy, and that I have a family that loves me and misses me.

I'm reminding myself, because the final hours before the trek home are becoming unbearable. It's been the longest stretch that I've ever gone without seeing my husband (since we met, actually), and while I know that it isn't as long as some people have to go, it's long for us.

So ... while I'm in the throes of misery, at being here without Jason, and at having one more test before I'm allowed to take flight, I'm recounting why I'm a lucky girl. I'm so lucky that I get to go to the U of S, I really do like it there, the faculty are great, the school has a good vibe, and I've had the opportunity to be involved in some interesting things. I'm lucky that I live in a nice townhome with roomates that are nice to me, and take care of me. I'm lucky that I get to go home tomorrow (and that it's a home that I covet and crave), and that I get to fly instead of having to drive. I'm thankful that, after getting into law school, I actually like it, and am starting to see where I want my life's work to take me. This is a big plus ... something that I've been missing for most of my twenties. I'm SOOO lucky that my husband is supportive, and that he tells me that he misses me.

Sigh.

It's starting to help.

A little.

Property was Easier Than I Expected

But ... that's not to say that I fared any better in the marks department than any other test ... just wasn't as abstract as I imagined that it would be.

1 More Test.

Then. Home. For. Christmas.

I miss home.

I'm Kind of Jealous of Saskatoon

Almost. I just checked out their forecast, and it's going to be beautiful here (read: warm), over Christmas. They'll have the best of both worlds here ... gorgeous mounds of snow covering everything with sparkling winder goodness, and the roads should be nice and clear for driving, and it'll be temperate enough to walk around and enjoy the Christmas ambiance in the neighbourhood. Awww ...

Property Exam Day

I have four huge flowcharts already, and I'm doing one more before I leave the house this morning. That equates to craziness in my books. Once I got going, the studying wasn't too bad. It's -20 here this AM, but it's supposed to get up to -8 (yay), so I'm going to try and hold off with the leaving the house thing ... see if I get lucky (worked last time).

After today, there's only one more exam holding me back from Christmas at home. Yup ... that's exactly how I feel about my Criminal exam, and it's hard not to be bitter. It's a roadblock to my happiness (slightly melodramatic, I know).

I just wanted to mention what a Godsend the book "Understanding Property: A Guide to Canada's Property Law" by: Marjorie L. Benson & Marie-Ann Bowden is (Bowden is a prof of mine). This thing has seriously gotten me through property so far, and will probably continue to do so after the break. It's seriously expensive, though. Get a used copy if you can.

And ... personal property connections, here I come!

For Anyone Else Studying Property Right Now:

I found this flowchart on a UVIC website ... it's basic, but I liked it:

Finders Flowchart

I May Need Some Help

After getting back my memo, and having completed the 100% Constitutional Final, I'm having problems trying to motivate myself for the last two midterms that I write (worth 20%). Property and Criminal. SOOOOO HARD! Seriously, it is so hard to motivate now! I need some inspiration or something. I'm trying to fight falling into the Christmas flow, so far ... I'm hanging on by my fingertips.

Yesterday I finished up a few crafty-type Christmas gifts ... which was super satisfying. I was feeling like I wasn't going to get one gift done, and now I know that I will (still a few finishing touches necessary, shouldn't take too long).

I keep thinking about my Mom's baking, and all I want to do is bake some gingerbread cookies (for two reasons, 1) to smell up this place like Christmas, and 2) because one of my roomies said she hates gingerbread, and I see it as a challenge to bake her the softest, yummiest gingerbread she's ever had).

But alas, I know that I should study.

I've started studying for property a few times already, but everytime that I sit down infront of the material, a starting place eludes me. I think it's because I know that we don't have to refer to the cases in the exam ... it's all rule driven, and our Prof doesn't care about referencing the rule back to the case (therefore, I'm not going to). I think not starting at the cases is what's screwing me up, since that's where I started every other time.

Well, maybe I'll just hammer through the syllabus and see where that gets me.

At least for Criminal, I can revert back to the tactic of starting at the cases.

AND ... here's me starting to study Property ... AGAIN!

I picked up my memo.

AND ... it was a good thing that I did. I did pretty well, so now I'm pumped about law. I can't wait to study and write two more midterms (heh heh). I've gotten the little push of confidence/encouragement that I need. I don't feel like a fail-out is inevitable anymore. Could still happen, but it isn't a foregone conclusion (yay).

PS. It's friggin' raining here in SK. CRAZY! Thank goodness I'm not out on the roads!

I Just Found the Funniest Thing EVER

I was going through my Sis-in-Law's Flickr pictures when I saw one that she had done of her baby Eric ... it is freakin' hilarious through this site:

http://www.elfyourself.com/

SO ... I of course had to do one for my sister Julie:
Those are just screen shots ... click here for the full dance (have your volume one to fully appreciate), or make your own and e-mail it out ... it's freakin' hilarious!!!!

Well, The Biggest Test is Done, Bring on the Next!

Wednesday, I wrote my Constitutional Law final exam, which was worth 100%. It was 3 hours, and it flew by. I did take more time, though, to plan out each answer, than I did on my Contracts mid-term (which was an hour and a half). I think this really helped. I actually wrote an outline for each answer before I started writing.

I did the essay question first, since I figured that this question would be the easiest one for me to keep going on and on in, when it was worth the least amount of marks. I'm glad I got it out of the way first.

Next, I did the question worth the most amount of marks. There was a lot to it, it was a validity question ... there are a lot of characterizations to apply, and a few doctrines to go through. My friggin' hand sure hurt after that one. I tried to ID all the issues, and discuss them thoroughly, and I did try to spice in a few insights/policy type things ... we'll see if I hit it all.

Lastly, I did the difficult but short question, which was worth medium marks (I know, I'm feeling so verbal this morning). It didn't seem that short to me, it was a Paramountcy question, and kind of messed me up. Again, we'll see about that one.

Today at 3:30, we're supposed to be able to pick up our open memos. I'm kind of dreading getting it back. I worked so hard on it, and tried to go with much of the feedback that I got. If I didn't improve my mark from the closed memo, I'm going to be frustrated. Sigh. Double. Sigh.

But then, getting my memo back would require me to go outside today, something I'm not to keen on, especially when it as soooooo nice yesterday. Today it's blustery and cold. I know, I'm not going to complain since I've been lucky to have all the nice weather here lately, but it makes me want to stay in bed (where I am right now actually, heh heh heh).

Here's a screenshot from the U of S webcam (http://webcam.usask.ca/):

Yup. Looks cold, and kinda dreary. Oh well, I only have to leave the house between 2:30 and 3:30, hopefully it brightens up a bit by then.

Yesterday, I took the day off from exams and got a bunch of things done to gear up for the trip home. Did a bit of Christmas shopping, hit the Midtown Plaza, which has underground parking (divine). I wrapped some prezzies, packaged them up in a big bag, and started packing for my trip home. I have a lot of books that I'm bringing home, to go through for my Pro Bono project, so I have to make sure that they fit. I opted not to check any luggage on my way home, so it might be tricky.

I also did all my laundry, washed and changed all my bedding, vacuumed my room, and otherwise straightened up. It was great. Oh - and I watched Battlestar Gallactica. Made me pretty happy.

I feel ready to take on studying for my Property mid-term now, which is the task of the day that I better get rocking on.

Constitutional Final Tomorrow

And ... I'm already packing 'er in. Yup ... that's right. It's about 7PM here, and I'm going to bed. I haven't been sleeping great the last few nights, and my stomach was giving me problems today (physical manifestations of exam stress and anxiety, I'm sure), so I'm giving myself a head start and hopefully I'll get enough zzzz's before the biggest exam I write this month.

I casually went through all of my notes today, and finished the final touches on my flowcharts, printed everything out that I want to take into the exam with me (they are open book), and I'm feeling pretty good (perhaps in a naive way, but nevertheless). I looked at a few practice exams, and as I was reading them, I was picking out issues and picturing which cases they went with already ... so tomorrow I'm going to sit down and write out responses to them, just to get into the exam frame of mind (exam isn't until 2PM).

I miss my Husband ... today is his Birthday and it sucks not being able to be there with him. BUT ... I will be home one week from tomorrow. Colour me excited.

I just read on the U of S e-noticeboard that we get our open memos back on Friday. I don't know if I want mine back (well ... obviously I do). But I seriously have NO idea how I did on it. I tried pretty hard, but seriously, after spending a certain amount of time on 12 pages of double spaced typing, I just couldn't really read it anymore. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now, we'll see on Friday ... although, I can't see myself making a special trip to school just to pick up the memo. Probably, I'll get it on Monday then. Well ... maybe it isn't a great idea to pick it up RIGHT before my property exam .... just in case .... maybe I'll make a special trip on Friday (could always hit the gym too).

It was so warm here today, I had to zip out quickly to return some library books, and I didn't even take a coat - I KNOW! In Saskatchewan in December!

I can't wait to go home for Christmas, but I'm trying to compartmentalize my excitement so that I can try and focus on my friggin' exams.

I'm going to have to think about Christmas shopping, too. It'll be fun to buy something other than groceries and printer cartridges for once. These last few months have flown by, and I've forgotten that all I've been doing is school, visiting with Jason when I can, gym, yoga, and sleep. That's it. (except for the 3 times I went drinking ... that was pretty fun). Oh - and reading. I've read a few books, I always read right before bed, and I've definitely read some beaut's this semester. Next semester may be too busy. I'm going to have to remember to bring my suit back with me, for our moots (FUUUN!).

Anyway, I'm going to try and calm my anxiety ridden body into a semblance of peace and order (heh heh heh, but not good government ... POGG joke for those that have ever looked at constitutional law, and YES, I'm embarrassed that I just made that joke, leave me alone).

Good night!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON

How I wish I could be in Calgary with you!

Contracts - Done

The mid-term, that is.

I've experienced my first law school exam, and what an experience it was. It felt like it was 10 minutes, not an hour and a half. I wrote, and wrote and wrote and wrote, and I don't even remember 100% what I put down. I'm just hoping it was coherent.

Next focus - constitutional final (worth 100% of my grade). Scary thought. I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll feel pretty good about where I'm sitting.

But - my brain is tired. Will write more tomorrow.

Wow.

That's almost 10 hours at school so far. In about an hour I'm meeting a classmate to go over some Contracts problems, and then I'm hitting the gym, then home.

Weird that I'm not hungry quite yet. Not sure what to think about that one. Maybe it will hit me when I leave this place, only to return again tomorrow morning. I did eat a taco bagel (Treats here on campus was the only food place open when I went to grab lunch, and they have pizza or taco bagels, basically meat and cheese toasted on an open bagel half ... mmmm), and I've been munching on veggies and Diet Coke for the afternoon. Not really that much in Lisa-land, but I'm sure I'll be ravenous after the gym.

I got my flowcharts done for Contracts, and I'm feeling pretty good about them. I started cross-checking my case spreadsheet with the CANS from the LSA, and found some mistakes in the CANS. This reiterates that while CANS are a useful tool, DON'T RELY ON THEM! One of the cases was even listed as having the opposite result. YIKES.

The most fun about exam time is getting together in groups of students trying to guess what your exam questions will be. I think this is a great exercise in knowing your stuff, and encourages you to think creatively when preparing (which is probably a good thing).

Been at School for Just Over 7 Hours Now ...

I was here too early for the law library to open, and I think there's exams in there anyway, so I grabbed a vacant classroom, and got to work. 5 others have drifted into this class, but it's a super quiet zone. I bought some carrots at lunch, and I'm too paranoid to start eating them for fear of hearing my crunching echo (or my TMJ cracking).

I've gotten through all of the Contracts cases and made them into a spreadsheet, I've made a flowchart for answering Offer and Acceptance problems, and now I'm tackling the Certainty of Terms flowchart. After I do that, I think I'll be sitting quite pretty (I hope, although not literally as I sit here with a yucky ponytail, my yoga pants, and the zip up pink striped sweater that my sisters continually threaten to burn).

I want to hit the gym before I head home. Healthy, healthy me. Actually, I consider myself to be creating a reserve for once the Christmas eating ensues. My roomate brought home some ginger snaps that a friend had made, and I had four of them before I moved them out of my reach. Oh Christmas ... how fun it is when your brain shuts down and has no qualms about allowing you to stuff your face.

Well, it's been a slice, a nice little break, but back to the books I head.

Must Have Overdone it Yesterday

I slept a lot today, but I'm studying now, and feeling pretty good about where I'm at.

I had a Wendy's salad for supper, which makes me proud of myself because I went to Wendy's and didn't get a burger and fries (which is SOOOO tempting). I'm continuing my healthy kick.

I'm almost done going through the cases for Constitutional with a fine tooth comb. I made a nice, concise little spreadsheet that I'll take into the exam with me. It organizes the cases as per the syllabus (i.e. the theory), and highlights the issues and the holdings of the court. I think this is a way better way of getting through a course than completing actual case briefs. I still read all of the cases, but if I did a whole brief, I'd never look at it again (and a load of case briefs are too cumbersome to be helpful in an exam).

My next plan is to make a spreadsheet of rules, and then to construct some flowcharts as to how I'd answer exam questions. A classmate found some flowcharts on the internet which are a truly great starting point (BEYOND a truly great starting point, upon initial inspection, they seem really good). She can't remember where she found them, but I got a copy.

Then, I want to do some practice questions.

Tomorrow, though, I'm going to devote to Contracts, which is the Monday mid-term (worth only 20% of my mark). I figure I'll devote all of Saturday to Contracts, back to Constitutional on Sunday, Monday morning Contracts (the exam is at 2, and is only until 3:30), and then Monday evening back to Constitutional. That means that I'll have all of Tuesday and Wed. morning to wrap up the Constitutional bag, which is good since that's the 100% final.

My next exam after that isn't until the next Monday (Property), and it's a 20% mid-term, just like my last exam for Criminal which is on Wednesday.

I figure that I'll use Thursday to get some Christmas shopping done, and rest my weary little brain (de-Constitutionalize, I guess), and then Friday get back into the study racket. I feel like I'll do Property on Friday and Saturday, Crim on Sunday, Monday morning - Property, take Monday evening off, Tuesday and Wed. morning - Crim. That should do it. Makes 2 1/2 days of studying for each of those, and they're only 20% mid-terms.

Sigh.

Back to the books (and by books, I mean sometimes refer to my notes and textbook, more often refer to online materials and soft copies of cases - funny).

I'm Officially in Exam Mode

I left the house this AM at 6:30, went to school, was in the gym by 7:00, and in the law library by 9:00. I studied until 12:30, met some pals for a study session, hit our last class (Contracts, a review class), then went back to the library and studied again until 7:00PM, at which point I left and went to yoga.

The weather here is SOOOOO much nicer right now (feels like home), and on the way to my car after school, I even appreciated how gorgeous the snow is. It was sparkling in the streetlights, like glitter. I love it when it does that.

Yoga was awesome, I'm so glad that I went. But ... I didn't get home until almost 9:00 PM ... that's a freakin' long day.

Tired.

Bed time.

In Honour of CariDee

... ANTM's winner last night, I thought I'd do a rundown of the last 6 ANTM winners, and where they are now (also, I'm in the law library studying, and I need a break from the books):



Cycle 1 Winner: Adrianne Curry
Still modeling (Feb 2006 did a Playboy shoot), the 25 year old co-hosted the TV gameshow Ballbreakers, appeared on The Surreal Life where she met her now Husband (50 year old) Christopher Knight.





Cycle 2 Winner: Yoanna House
Still modeling, Yoanna is also hosting the show The Look for Less on the Style Network.





Cycle 3 Winner: Eva Pigford
Eva has appeared in numerous TV shows, is still modeling (was even in a Jamie Foxx video), and is changing her last name to Marcille. She's also hosting BET's new show My Model Looks Better Than Your Model





Cycle 4 Winner: Naima Mora
Still modeling, Naima was a judge for the Miss Teen USA 2005 pageant.







Cycle 5 Winner: Nicole Linkletter
Still modeling, Nicole was a judge for the Miss USA 2006 pageant.








Cycle 6 Winner: Danielle Evans
Still modeling, under Dani Evans.

P.S.

Finale of America's Next Top Model - Cycle 7 - is on tonight: will it be Melrose (boo), Cari Dee (yay), or Eugena (blah).

I am ever so excited.

I Actually Kind of Like ...

... the Constitutional class so far ... Division of Powers is pretty interesting. Starting the class out with the "Persons" cases is a good way to endear the subject to me, but on the whole, I've liked learning about how the Canadian government works. I suppose if you were a PoliSci undergrad, it could be a little boring ... lucky for me that I'm not (I guess).

I like how the vocabulary attached to the subject sounds in my head; pith and substance, interjurisdictional immunity, paramountcy, necessarily incidental, patriation, secession ... I love it all.

I also really like flowcharts. I'm making one right now for my Constitutional class, and it seems to really be making me get into the grit of the subject. It's so funny how you think you know something, or a lot of somethings, until you actually sit down and put it all together.

Both of my roomies went to school to study, so lucky me, I'm sitting at home in my sweats, taking up the entire kitchen in my Constitutional craze.

They're plowing the parking lot of the townhome complex, and I can't wait to go get my car that's parked on the street and slip it into the newly smooth parking stall.

Sigh.

Time for lunch.

Catch Up

Poker night on Saturday was great - it was a collision of worlds for me - the law school world with my personal world, and it seemed to work out just fine. We quit playing before there was a clear winner (although clear losers shall remain nameless - wink, wink).

Sunday my Husband and sister left, which left me feeling rather melancholy and blue. So, I took my car for a spin on the icy roads, got some gas (so that my tank was full with it being so cold and all), and hit McDonalds. Yeah, I know, but it really did make me feel better.

Monday I got up super early, drove to school (BLT - brave little toaster), hit the gym, hit my classes, and then hit yoga. My hips are screaming at me, since yoga was all hip work ... but oh how good it feels.

Today I hit the gym again this morning, hit all my classes, got my exam ID number (they give us randomly assigned three digit numbers that are used for our exam IDs, so that it's uber anonymous), did some research for my Pro Bono project, went to Louis' for a pint with some classmates, and hit all my classes.

When I got home tonight, I was exhausted, hence me writing this from a prone position in bed.

Since exam season is upon us, a lot of review is going on in our classes, which is excellent (and scary). Tomorrow we don't have classes, but I have a date with my Constitutional text, and my Contracts notes. I'm hoping to go pretty hard tomorrow, and get crazy amounts of studying done, just to set the tone for myself. I may try to squeeze in a yoga class, though, since I feel like I need to inflict pain on another part of my body so that I can forget about my hips.

Oh - and my sister brought a special present from my Mom --- LONG UNDERWEAR! I'm so excited about them, they fit like a dream - my legs will never be cold again (and they're pretty - go figure).

My roomies picked up a mini Christmas tree today, and seeing it made me realize how close Christmas is - so easy to forget when you're in law world.

Sigh. Makes one want to sing Christmas carols (if one could carry a tune).

So tired - I hear my bedfellow calling me (i.e. Battlestar Gallactica, if you didn't read the post bellow).

It Just Got Colder Here

I thought that when the sun is up, the temp is supposed to rise. I feel cheated. The weather network now shows -30. I guess this settles it - I have to stop being so wimpy, and just get my #&$^ done without a care in the world for the weather.

Ah, the learning process.

I'm Bringing Out my Martha

Jason, with one of my sisters as an escort, is on his way out to Saskatoon. I'm so excited I could spit (and I probably have).

In honour of their blessed visit, I'm bringing out my inner Martha, and whipping up some short ribs in the slow-cooker. Mmmmmm ... short ribs. Hopefully they turn out OK. I think they should.

I've got some running around to do, and I'm going to try and push it off until it warms up even a few degrees, the weather network is reading -29 right now ... yikes. I started the prep for Constitutional exam studying ... this is the only exam this Dec. that isn't a 20% midterm, but a 100% final. I feel like it's going to take some serious studying to feel OK going into that one. Luckily, I did write the optional mid-term in that course, so at least I know that I can pass. There shouldn't be any nightmares about failing miserably.

I'm going to try and hit the mall today to get a jump on some Xmas shopping, and pick up some snacks for a POKER NIGHT tonight. I've already got the chip category covered, but I'm thinking of picking up a fruit platter or something, so that we can intersperse the fatty goodness with fiber and vitamins, and feel like it may have balanced out in the end somehow.

Brrrr ... OK, I'm going to get out of bed now. I feel like I should be hearing applause, since it's such a dramatic performance, and a feat that requires bravery.

My School is So Posh

A classmate of mine told me about this, and I absolutely had to find an image of it to post here (click on the images for their source):



Yeah, that's right. THE Victoria Beckham, wearing a University of Saskatchewan sweater. I can't even begin to bask in the glow of my six-degrees of separation feeling of closeness to her!

I Woke Up and Turned on the Radio

... and heard them talk about how slippery the freakin' roads are ... looks like I'm taking the bus today.

I've been thinking that while everything is fresh in my head, I should compile a list of things that I would have liked to have known my first month of law school. That's going to be the project for the next week, I'll publish it when I'm done.

I've got to start thinking about Xmas shopping. When, oh when will I get to it?

I went grocery shopping last night, and tried to stock up so that I wouldn't have to go again until in the New Year (since I'll be gone from Dec 20 - Jan 3, back home for Christmas). I bought so many yummy things ... mmmm ... yogurt raisins. I wonder if I'll make it last?

Oh ... And ...

With windchill that's supposed to be like -38 ... I hate Calgary today (actually, I hate Saskatoon, I wish I was in Calgary) ... whine, whine, whine, I know.

Am I Nervous About Something?

I didn't sleep very well last night, and my tummys a little rumbly this morning. Sounds like physical manifestations of stress, but I don't feel particularly stressed about anything (more than usual) today.

Any thoughts on what it could be?

Our contracts class is cancelled (again) today, so I have constitutional at 10:00, and then property at 4:00 ... a painfully ridiculous break inbetween, it's true. I was going to try and be at school by 7:00 today to hit the gym, but it looks like it's going to be more like 8:00, so maybe I'll try and hit the gym in the ridiculously long break. As long as I don't opt to sleep on my books in the law library ... it's only 7:21 in the AM, and I'm already looking forward to a nap? Yikes.

I finished the Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, and it was fabulous. If you need a good book for your Xmas list, this could be one. LOVED IT. I want to read more by Philippa Gregory now.

Jason is coming this weekend, and I'm counting down the days, hours, minutes. I'm going to have to scramble a bit to get everything done that I should, so that I can do nothing with him in a guilt free kind of way.

I've started thinking about Xmas shopping ... maybe that's the anxiety feelings ... thinking of the Xmas crowds at the mall, the Xmas traffic, the masses of people that make everything take forever ... could be.

Oh well - I'm off to school.

I'm a Brave Little Toaster

I decided to drive my car home today. It wasn't bad at all, so I'm lucky. Lots of snow clearing appears to have been done, so I pat myself on the back for acting like I'm from Saskatchewan (except for how slow I was driving), and driving my butt home.

BUT - I really need long underwear. Yup. I need it, like I need chocolate at certain times of the month (those of you who know me understand that this is therefore a need that rates with food, shelter, and water). Yup. long underwear. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it has to be warm. Any suggestions that seasoned long underwear users have would be appreciated.

Battlestar Galactica, My New Bedfellow

A classmate told me about a site where you could watch Season 1 and 2 for free - and I found it the other day:

http://tv.quicksilverscreen.com/watch-the-new-battlestar-galactica-free/

And ... it looks like they have a bunch of other shows you can watch, too. Finally, my heart's desire has been met (besides having my husband here with me - I love this since I have no TV hookup in my room).

I'm excited about getting caught up with that show. I LOVE it, but I'm a little lost right now. The added bonus of no commercials is truly divine.

Today I'm prepping for a Constitutional tutorial where we're going through some exam examples. This is going to be great, as this is my only 100% final in December (the rest of my exams are 20% midterms). I already wrote the practice midterm for this class, and did OK, but I definitely am a little fuzzy on how to answer an essay question (this is where the undergrad in CPSC doesn't help out so much). I think we're going to go over that, so that should be good.

In our LRW class today, we're going to go over exam prep/writing strategy. So ... I suppose that we officially approach exam season (nope - not the holiday season, that won't approach until my hard exams are over). So ... Merry Exams to you, and you, and you, and you.

My little car is safe in the parkade at school, and I think I'll bus it all day today, and let her remain covered. It just hasn't stopped snowing, and last time, the roads were way better after a few days of plowing. I've lived and learned, so to speak.

I still can't believe that Saskatoon is warmer than Calgary, and that the west coast got close to a foot and a half of snow. What is this crazy world coming to? I thought we were fighting global warming? Doesn't feel too warm now. This article explains the way I'll feel today when I'm trudging to the bus in -38 degrees C with windchill: Kyoro-Schymoto by: Karen Walchuk

Oh. Boy.

Evil. Fish.

I had a bite, and now I'm paying the price. I'm sitting on my couch, trying not to move. Luckily typing doesn't take very much effort.

Well, on Sunday the flight back to Saskatoon went very smoothly, and Sunday evening I hunkered down and finished the memo. I chopped it down, edited it as much as I could, and came in just under the word count.

I feel like I did as good a job as I could, but I still feel insecure about how it actually went. After editing it down and re-reading it over and over again, the words stopped making sense to me, so when it came to looking for cohesion, I kind of couldn't tell anymore.

Oh well, it's done.

Our Constitutional class was cancelled in the morning, so I made a quick trip to school to hand in the memo before the deadline. My next class wasn't until 3:30, so I went home and caught up on everything that I had been neglecting in deference to my memo. At 3:30 I went back to school for Contracts, just to have the prof cancel it, since many students were already at the bar.

So, we went to Louis to wait for the Evil Fish event, then came back to the student lounge for the event itself. The last person who hands in their open memo is labeled as the Evil Fish, and festivities ensue around that.

It was a late night, and I'm paying the price today.

One thing I did learn last night, though, is that to cure the hiccups - just take a shot of vinegar. No joke. It works.

It's Done

And ... the word count is way over (actually, only by about 400 words).

Yikes.

Tomorrow = editing and chopping.

After the flight back to Saskatoon. I'm eager to finish up my memo, but I'm so very sad to be leaving home. These last few days in Calgary have been heaven. I haven't done very much, but I've gotten lots of home time, which I've really been missing (and of course, lots of Jason time, which I always super miss).

Early flight tomorrow.

Must ... go ... to ... bed.

The Caveat Lector website is up and running.

Check it out.

http://www.caveatlector.ca

Back to Work

I drove Jason to work, had breakfast, watched What Not To Wear, and am now hunkering back into the legal writing position (i.e. hunched shoulders over a keyboard, half-frown furrowing my brow).

I (more or less) finished the legal framework part of my memo, and now move onto applying it to my situation at hand. Wow ... you have to sort through a lot of stuff to GET THERE.

I think, for next time, that I would split my research into two phases; phase one to get a general idea and see where you're going to go with the memo, start writing the memo, and then phase two of research to supplement your framework. Like pay as you go, but slave as you go instead.

Calgary is even colder today than it was yesterday, but my car is nestled into her garage (sigh, how I love my garage).

I'm going to try and hit the U of C law library today to find a couple of parallel citations ... hopefully this is an easy endeavor. Scary ... rival school (not really) law students!

Sitting at Home, Writing my Memo

Sigh (of contentment). It's super snowy and mildly cold here in Calgary, but I'm loving every second of it. Even the fact that I'm busy working on an assignment isn't getting me down.

I got to have coffee with a friend of mine that's home for American Thanksgiving (she lives in Texas), which was a treat, and a good way to get my brain going for all the rock-star legal writing that I've been allowing to pour out this afternoon.

It's been a slow start to the Open Memo writing process ... the research took awhile, but I'm happy with the things that I've found. It's awkward, almost. I know how to write, I know how to research, and I know how to read cases - but putting it all together in one spot ... it's like I'm learning to ride a bike. By the same analogy, I hope that it gets easier as time goes on. I feel like it would ... but I guess only time will tell (unless anybody wants to leave me a reassuring comment ... it might make me feel better).

I've finally refined the bare-bones legal structure part of my memo into something that I really like. It took longer than I thought it would, but I feel like this may be the most important part. Now ... for applying the law. This is where I'll have to incorporate most of my rogue research (i.e. what I call cases that weren't covered in class). SCARY!

Jason and I are hitting up Costco tonight, I have to get some ink for my printer in Saskatoon. I find that I like printing things out so that I can highlight them, mark them up, refer back to them etc.

Ah .... Duty of Care ... how I love you as a concept, but not as a friend ...

SOOOOO AWESOME

My Cousin Mike's Blog (about his current stay in Japan):

http://mikeh37.smugmug.com/

Caveat Lector is Out

And ... my article is in it. If you click on the link below, you can see a scanned version of my article. Fun.

A Necessary Evil by: ME!

There's going to be a website up soon, and a national version of the Caveat Lector is also coming ...

... prepare for the onslaught.

I had to quickly add a screenshot - at this moment, Saskatoon is actually warmer than Calgary!

I Love Being Home, and the Open Memo

What an amazing weekend. I flew home after Criminal on Friday, my lovely Mom picked me up (PS. Thanks Mom), and we went for manicures. I felt ever so pampered. Friday night, I went for sushi with my husband and my sister, at Sushi Kawa on 4th Street, and I basked in the glory of their Alaska rolls. MY. Favourite.

Saturday morning, Jason and I got up, and drove west. We stopped for a leisurely panini in Canmore, and then pushed on through to Lake Louise, where we hiked around the lake (through the snow ... it was funny, there was ZERO snow in Calgary, and then in Lake Louise, it looked just like Saskatoon). Then, we checked into the Chateau Lake Louise, where we got ready to go to one of their dining rooms for Jason's work Christmas party. I got to meet a bunch of the co-workers for the first time, which was great. Everyone was very nice (and very dapper looking in their fancy duds). The party was great, and the food was YUM.

Here's a picture that we took while standing in front of the hotel. We hiked around the lake to where the mountains appear to meet in a V in the middle of the picture.


In the picture below you can see the Chateau, with the Lake Louise ski resort behind it ... from the end of the little hike that we took to the back of the lake. We wanted to bring our skates so that we could go for a glide around the lake, but obviously, it's just not cold enough yet.


The picture below was the view from our room!


Sunday morning we got up, had breakfast, and then checked out and drove home. We got dinner at my parents house, and then I flew home. Got in at about 12:30 last night, and I'm already up and doing laundry.

It was a great weekend. A great escape from the student life, and just enough of a taste of luxury that it seemed more like a fantasy, and returning to my student life wasn't too hard. AND ... on the way to Lake Louise, I had a chance to read some of the cases that I've printed for my open memo. I think I've managed to still the bees, but the Queen Bee (which I've come to call my direct and applicable line of thinking for the memo) was buzzing away, and I was only too happy to let her. No matter what, I'm thinking about this thing at the back of my mind, and it seems to be getting clearer ... which makes me happy.

Laundry, on the other hand, does not make me happy.

Still the Bees

Exciting news - I just spotted a mention of MY BLOG in the Canadian Bar Association newsletter, the Addendum (student edition)! I feel famous, and appreciated, and validated, and oh-so very special (or ... "spesh" as my Dad would say). How very cool. It's an article about law student blogs ... so I'm going to have to check out some of the other blogs that were mentioned.

As for the bees - it's the ones in your head. It's Open Memo season, officially, and I've been given my Torts problem. After being given serious talks about ethics and academic honesty, I'm now almost too paranoid to even write about my experience thus far (i.e. 2nd day in), but I'm going to go for it anyway ... I'd like to think of myself as a risk taker.

First, I'd like to start by saying that the legal research flow chart that we were given in our Legal Research and Writing class - GOLDEN. It's pretty much a forehead slapper if you even try to start researching your issue without looking at what this flowchart says (i.e. START with a textbook). I can't emphasize this enough - START WITH A TEXTBOOK. It may not have the answer to your problem directly, but it gives you a starting point ... which is pretty valuable when it comes to searching aimlessly through a HUGE database of legislation and case law.

I have a lot of ideas buzzing around in my head regarding my problem ... as it was designed to NOT be directly on-point with anything that is currently around ... the bees are buzzing with different takes, some of them feel a little crazy, some feel pretty conservative. I created a flowchart (I'm into flowcharts right now, obviously) about Duty of Care (with group input from some classmates), and I'm going to try and stick with that, ignore the bees until I'm done, and then let the bees run wild, and see if they have anything interesting that could still be worked into my problem. Does that make sense? Is it scary if it makes sense to me?

I had an interesting comment a couple of posts back from Yorick, who asked "...if you had to describe your law school experience up to this point with a single word, what would that word be?" I answered "VAGUE". I decided to pose the question to some fellow law students, and the answers I got were: vague, confusing, arbitrary. Yup - it's a consensus.

AND ... I'm so excited about going home this weekend. It's been almost distracting in a bad way to be apart from my Husband, and I get a whole weekend with him, and most of next week too (I'm flying back home on Tuesday, since I have no school on Wednesday or Friday ... extended long weekend for me, and lots of quiet time to write my memo).

So Much to Talk About, So Little Time

I've been hard pressed to find time on the computer lately, as I've been stepping it up into high gear.

We get our open memos assigned to us tomorrow, and in anticipation of that I've gotten a couple of Tort textbooks out of the law library (yup ... I paid attention in the Legal Research and Writing class ... I've obtained secondary materials for myself to start initiating my legal research plan). I'd also like to find time to take a look at any of the sample memos on reserve.

I realized today that we only have three weeks of classes left (less, really) after this week. YIKES.

Jason and I went cross-country skiing on the weekend, and it was great. I've been hitting a yoga class, and I love it.

I also think, depending on the problem, that it would be really funny to cite my Torts prof in my memo by finding one of his books. It would be funny, but may not work out, depending on the problem.

I'm tired ... going ... to ... bed.

Near Death and a Cough

Yup ... you read it straight - had a near death experience yesterday (well ... perhaps I'm adding a bit of drama, but I'll give you the story anyway), but it isn't related to the cough - keep reading.

I was so excited to be leaving Saskatoon yesterday, after class, with a classmate. She was driving home to Calgary, and offered a ride. I ecstatically accepted, as I haven't seen my Husband in a couple of weeks.

We started out right after class, and were leaving the city of Saskatoon by about 12:30 or so. The roads were pretty icy, but there was other traffic out there, so we felt secure in my friend's Blazer. Right before we got to Delisle (45 KM away from Saskatoon), we had our "incident".

We were in a line-up of cars, all heading the same direction, all going no more than the speed limit. For some reason, our truck started fish-tailing (I'm still not sure why, I can't tell what was different between when we weren't sliding and when we were). We started drifting into the other lane (i.e. on-coming traffic), spun around, and wound up in the ditch on the opposite side of the highway. HOW we got lucky enough to avoid any oncoming traffic at that moment, I'll never know.

My classmate kept her cool, and eventually got us out of the ditch (took some fancy maneuvering to get out of the powdery snow ... how we wished we had our snowboards and a hill), and we kept going.

When we got to Delisle, we stopped at a gas station to recheck the windshield washer fluid, and as we were getting ready to hit the highway again, we actually talked about whether we should keep going or not.

My vote was to go back, and my friend agreed (I can't tell if it was the other way around though). So ... here I am in Saskatoon, writing about the harrowing highways that are holding me prisoner here (all the flights sold out between me getting home from the Delisle trip, and phoning the airline to book one - no joke).

My Husband is on the road right now, and will be here by supper time, so all is not lost, and I still get to see him this weekend.

As for the cough - I woke myself up last night (a few times) with a cough, cold, and congestion (just kidding, just saw a cough syrup commercial, really just a cough). I think I'm getting sick again, and now my weird craving for orange juice last week seems to make sense.

I'm going to try and rent some cross-country skis for my Hubby and I, and we'll see if we can head out tomorrow. As long as the weather follows the Weathernetwork forecast ... because if it stays around -20 C, I'm staying inside!

One of my roomies and I now have a pact that we're moving to California, because we can't handle the snow. I know, we'll get used to it, but we're enjoying being wimpy right now. I think we're supposed to get even more snow tonight. YIKES.

Another really funny thing is that it's kind of a Stat holiday here in Canada (i.e. the U of S is closed, most Government offices are closed, etc. BUT ... some offices are taking Monday as the holiday instead, so not everybody is off) in lieu of Remembrance Day tomorrow. Today's the day that the condo maintenance crew where I live decide that they need all the cars moved from the parking lot from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. So ... on a day when a lot of people probably aren't working, when there is so much snow that (for me, anyway) parking on the street would mean that I wouldn't get my car out without a push, they want us to move our for 9 hours. Hmmmmm .... doesn't seem to add up, to me. I actually started my car this morning, and drove around looking for somewhere that I could park, but all I encountered were huge banks that my car CLEARLY wouldn't CLEAR. So ... I'm back in my stall, and they'll have to plow around me. I did try, though. Oh well.

I bought a pomegranate at Co-Op yesterday (mmmm ... pomegranates), and there was a sign there illustrating (with pictures) how to dice one up. I've always taken the brute force method, and resulted with tiny sprays of pomegranate juice staining my clothes (usually white t-shits, which I always seem to be wearing for some reason when I attempt the feat of seeding a pomegranate). The pictures showed filling a bowl with water, seeding the pomegranate under the water (I'm guessing, so stifle the juice spray), and then straining the resulting seeds. GENIUS! I'm going to try it today.

What a Gong Show

So ... I decided to take the bus yesterday, on account of the icy roads NOT disappearing before 9:30. I called the bus lines to confirm that my route was on schedule, and then hoofed it out to the bus stop (walking mostly on the grass, since I'd bail for sure if I actually walked on the icy, icy sidewalks). The bus was 15 minutes late, and then halfway through the bus trip to school, we were all ushered OFF of the bus, and told to wait for the next one. While we waited outside for 10 more minutes, we watched trucks and cars slide through the 4-way stop right next to us. Marvelous.

I finally got to school, and the bus ride home was much more uneventful, which was great.

This morning, I woke up to the following pictures:

2 Views From My Bedroom - Notice the Falling Snow:

Out My Front Door, and then Looking to the Left and Right

So ... needless to say, it looks like I'm going to be taking the bus again today. On the radio, all they could talk about was how horrific all the roads are, and to stay home if you can. Crazy, really, when it doesn't have to be that way. If they'd just freakin gravel the main roads, it'd all be dandy ... but I suppose it's more complex than just waving a magic wand.

Sigh.

BIG sigh.

I'm Stiff Today, and I Love It

I hit the gym again yesterday, for the first time since before Thanksgiving. I know, I'm lazy. But at least I'm back into it now. I also went to yoga at Yoga Central. This place is great, the first class was free (woo hoo), and they were very welcoming, and went at a good pace. Now my poor muscles are crying, but I'm proud, since it meant that I was doing more than just reading.

I forgot to mention, last post, about the Under the Paper Moon Pro Bono fundraiser that I went to last Friday night. We listened to the U of S Law Jazz ensemble, and were privy to the chocolate buffet at the Saskatoon Inn. It was heavenly. They had an art auction, and I was tempted to bid on a water colour of the law building, but it quickly moved out of my price range (yeah ... I didn't think I'd get it for $30 or under).

The first guest lecturer that we had yesterday, John Whyte, was great to listen to. Good ol' Alan Blakeney was there too, and got to add his two cents, which is always a riot. The focus of the talk was on November 5, 1981, the 25th anniversary of the confederation pact which was the precursor to drafting our constitution. John Whyte spoke about how regarding merely the constitutional text isn't sufficient in moving forward with our country, but that looking into the constitutional narrative that surrounds the development of our constitution is an essential element. Pretty interesting stuff.

The second guest lecturer yesterday, Madam Justice Beverly Brown, told us about her time in Nunavut, and what the criminal justice system there is doing to improve the delivery to the Inuit people; they've initiated youth panels to sit on young offenders cases, and they've integrated Elders into the criminal proceedings. Pretty neat stuff.

It was raining here early this morning, and I was ready to take off to go to school, but when I walked outside I almost did a feet reversal with my butt. It could have been pretty embarrassing. I decided to wait the ice out, since it's warming up here pretty quick. Hopefully by 9:30 it looks ok to drive, since I have no confidence in the city of Saskatoon to gravel any kind of important roadways.

So Hard To Get Going this Morning

I had a great weekend, kept busy with catching up on everything that I've been putting off lately. Didn't get to see Jason (sad), but did get a lot done (happy). Still VERY behind on my e-mail, though, which makes me sad as well. Hopefully I'll clear that up by the end of the day, though, since I brought my laptop to school with me today.

I got my closed memo back, and didn't fare too badly ... right on the class average, which is OK (not stellar), but OK. I got really great feedback on my memo (I think I was approaching the analysis from an exam perspective i.e. spit out everything possible, as opposed to a refined, clarified perspective, as we were supposed to). Two of the things that I was worried about, writing and citations, were two of my strengths (go figure), which leaves my mind at peace over the open memo.

I've gotten my passwords for Westlaw, and for Quicklaw, so I'm going to practice doing some research before the open memo is assigned (I have some stuff that I can look up for my Pro Bono project).

When I walked into school this morning, I saw a banner for a public lecture called "The Novelist as Physicist", where Alan Lightman will be giving a talk. Alan Lightman wrote Einstein's Dreams, and will be comparing the way that scientists and artists approach the world. I think the alternate title for this lecture could be "Exactly What Lisa is Interested In".

The lecture is Wednesday evening, so I'm going to have to check it out. I may have to put Einstein's Dreams on my reading list too ... we'll see how the lecture turns out.

We have a guest lecturer in Constitutional law this morning, Dr. John D. Whyte, a Senior Policy Fellow at the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy (which made me think of my friend Chris, who's in Montreal doing a Masters in Environmental Policy). Should be interesting.

We also have a special lecture today in Criminal law, with one of the judges that travels on the circuit through the territories, with emphasis on native law issues (I think talking about sentencing circles, etc.). Should be very interesting.

Looks like an enlightening week. And a busy one.

I can't believe it's November already. Time is going a little too fast (and a little bit - not fast enough - I miss my Hubby)!

Oh You Closed Memos

I found out we get them back on Friday at 2:30. It'll be a mad dash to the general office to pick them up ... I kind of feel sorry for the nice ladies that work there.

I'm taking it easy this morning, just finished eggs and toast, since I only have 3 hours worth of school today, starting at 11:30, and ending at 3:30. Shouldn't be too bad.

Had a meeting with the law school newspaper people yesterday, which went swimmingly. I'll be working on the next issue quite extensively, so I'm pretty happy about that. I've got to dust off my cynical wit and get it back in shape (or find it at all in the first place ... hmmmm).

ANTM is on tonight - I'm looking forward to that, as I am looking forward to the Night Under the Paper Moon fundraiser that Pro Bono is throwing on Friday. A chocolate buffet and an evening of jazz. Who could as for anything more?

Had the pleasure of chatting with some 2nd/3rd year law students, who confirmed my suspicions about law school in general. In the illustrious words of Graham Lang ... "THE ANSWER IS IN THE TEXTBOOK." Words to live by.

Let it Snow?

I had a wonderful weekend in Calgary. I flew in early Saturday morning, then went back to bed and napped until noon (oh the luxury). I got up, ran some errands with Jason, and then we cooked dinner for some friends of ours, heard some excellent news, and played my sister's backpacker card game from the UK (oh so very fun).

We went to bed late on Saturday, and when we woke up on Sunday, it was to a whole new winter wonderland of white fluffy stuff. It snowed like crazy, the snow plows were out in full force, and Jason and I didn't want to leave our cozy abode.

We did finally leave our lair, and had dinner at my parents place, where I got to see the family, and then I flew home early this morning. The plane landed at 9:45, and I was in class by 10:08. It was perfect.

Now, I'm debating whether I should do some reading for tomorrow, or have a catnap. Mmm ... catnap might win. Tough to say. I have one more class today at 3:30, and then some reading to do tonight (on account of doing no school at all this weekend).

Interesting notion ... I commented last week, to a group of people, that I would die without my siblings ... and another person in the group commented that that was wierd, since he would have stated that he would die for his brothers. "Without" vs. "for"; is it a boy/girl thing? A brother/sister thing? Or a selfish/sacrificial thing? What do you think?

Life is So Much Better with a Soundtrack

Don't you think? There's just something about marching to the beat of Radiohead that makes a long corridor at school seem like a runway (airport, or fashion ... either one).

I'm So Spoiled

Firstly, because I get to fly home this weekend instead of driving. Yup ... colour me a spoiled brat.

Secondly, because I got an e-mail from my friend Leah, from London. What a nice surprise in the inbox ... not in the least because I get to peruse through their new (I think new ... maybe newer?) website, which I've put on my sidebar under blogs.

Now I'm just studying away for my Constitutional mock midterm on Friday, and waiting in anticipation for America's Next Top Model to come on tonight. Who will be the next Lovely to leave? Oh ... the anticipation!

I Love Rice Pudding

I made some last night ... after my long, long day.

I was at school early to do my usual reading etc., hit all of my classes, and then did some running around after school. By the time I got home, it was about 7:00, and I was famished. The rice pudding was my treat for getting through a long day.

I wrote a piece for the student newspaper, the Caveat Lector. Their editor dude said that he liked it, and that I'd be invited to their next meeting. I'm excited.

I have to go now, and prepare for my tutorials, and get ready to do some serious studying tonight for my mock-midterm on Friday. I'm excited (really), since I bought some cue cards and fine-tip felts for the studying (yeah, I know, I'm an incredibly crazy nerd ... it's true, but I embrace it).

So, through some kind of bone-head move on my part, I wiped out a bunch of material from my sidebar (including my new books that I want to read/have read lists), and wiped out my footer completely. I'll slowly reconstruct it over the next few days, but it did give me the opportunity to switch counters. I decided to start over, and keep track of my site visits with statcounter.com, as I saw how Yorick was using it on his blog, and it all looked pretty snazzy.

I know that I could have just tracked down the code from my original counter, but I didn't want to. I hated it, wanted to start over, so don't even try to convince me.

HAPPY 25th B-DAY JACKIE!!!

Serendipity Shines on Me

One of my classmates, today, offered me a printer. He had bought a new one, which also has a scanner, and just GAVE me his old one. It's an HP Photosmart 1115. I downloaded the driver from the HP website, and it works like a dream. I'm so lucky, and so thankful. He didn't want any cash for it, so I'm going to have to think of a sneaky good deed to bestow upon him. A case of beer won't do it, he's a non-drinker. Hmmm ... perhaps some of my baking ... a few times throughout the year ... I'm not sure yet.

Anyway, I also installed the driver for my scanner ... and so my computer is almost entirely set-up. I want to back-it up to a CD, as well, but I'll have to buy some CDs first.

I joined the Canadian Bar Association today, as a student member. I've been thinking about it for awhile, and while I was cleaning out my shelves (so that I could fit my new printer in them), I found the sign-up form. It was easy to do online. I'm pretty excited about it, because I think we get some great resources for a crazy-cheap student membership rate. They have some events, as well, which look like they'd be interesting to attend.

We only had one class this morning, so I really have got a lot done (including making beef on a bun in my crockpot, which is smelling up my house with a heavenly aroma that's making my tummy grumble).

I've even worked on my Pro Bono stuff a bit, which is fun.

Now, I'm going to go get some studying done for the practice mid-term that we have in Constitutional law on Friday. It isn't worth any marks, but I want to prepare as if it were, just to get the most out of the experience as possible. Our Prof is going to mark it as if it were the final (which is in December and is worth 100%), so it should be enlightening.

Everything is Bleak, It's the Middle of the Night

I'm listening to Music @ Work by the Tragically Hip ... my title is a lyric (in case anyone is worried about whether everything is REALLY bleak etc.).

I finally put my i-pod software onto my laptop, and put some more music onto my i-pod (and took off the Amanda Marshall songs that have been driving me nuts). As I was updating my software, I started browsing through podcasts for the first time. I'd love to subscribe to a few, but how does one know if the podcast is worth listening to? I googled up a couple of podcast review sites, but they didn't seem to be that helpful to me.

I am still sick, but I think I'm on the upswing (although my cough doesn't sound like it). Jason visited this weekend, which was blissful. Due to my lack of energy, we mostly couched about. It was heavenly. We watched a crazy movie: "The Squid and The Whale", directed by Noah Baumbach (the same dude that authored "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", along with Wes Anderson who's work I LOVE).

The movie was kind of (good) weird, and now after having read a little bit about it, I think I understand it a little bit better. If you're interested, you can follow the link on the movie's title.

Tomorrow I only have one class, so I plan on doing a bunch of reading, and doing more research for my Pro Bono project.

Nothing else is too exciting, although I already moved one of the books from my "Want to Read" list to my "Just Read" list, which are new features on my sidebar, at the bottom. Yay me.

I'm starving right now, going to go get food.

Closed Memo has Been Handed In

Now that the memo is in, the sun seems to be shining brighter (which, if you check the weather, is literally true), the birds are singing (yeah, they might just be in my head, but blame it on my crazy), and I've seen people frolicking in the streets (pure fabrication, on my part).

I went to school early this AM, finished editing it up, then handed it in, an hour early. Wow.

A few things about my closed memo writing experience.

Citations are still a little fuzzy for me. Knowing how and when to cite appropriately is something that I'll still have to look into. Hopefully, I'll get some constructive feedback in this regard when I get my closed memo returned to me.

Writing the outline took longer than I thought it would. I usually tackle assignments, such as this, by drafting a concise and complete outline. My outlines organize the material that I'm going to discuss, and include all of the points and supporting arguments that I want to make. I fiddled with my outline for quite awhile to make the organization as effective and non-redundant as possible, and I kept thinking of new points to include from the cases. Next time, for the open memo, I'm going to try and get working on my outline as soon as possible.

I think I should have referenced more specific examples in my application of the law. I organized my memo by first outlining what the law said about my topic, and then applying the law to the problem that I was assigned. When I outlined the law, I made many references to what the cases said about the law. BUT ... when it came to applying the law to my problem, I think I should have used comparable examples to situational outcomes from the cases. I thought about this yesterday, but didn't really have enough time to effectively work that idea into my paper. Especially since I had a hard time in keeping my paper under 2000 words (I clocked in at 1996 when I handed it in).

I'm Worried that I Don't Know a Thing About Grammar. I think this point comes a little bit from the law student paranoia that I seem to have developed, but part of this point may be valid. It's been a long time since I've been assessed on my grammar skills - a LONG time. While I've always confidently helped friends and family with editing their papers, I find that now, even as I write my blog, I'm second guessing myself (which is especially weird in the blog writing, since I've made a conscious effort not to care about grammar in order for the DRAMA of my actual thinking to come through in the way that I actually think it).

Oh well. I'm satisfied that I did the best that I could in the time that I had to do it in. I just hope that I had the right idea about it all, as I chose not to look at any example memos. Since this assignment isn't worth SO much in the marks department, I wanted to see if my instinct on reasoning it all out was on the right track. If I find that it isn't ... then I'll go take a look at the sample memos and see where I went wrong.

Now, I'm going to focus some on my Pro Bono project, which should include doing some research and formulating another outline. AND ... I really need to get back into the gym swing of things. I realize, now, why I haven't had the energy to do it, and as long as I take care of myself over the next few days, I should be good to go with hitting it hard.

My philosophy on the sick thing is always that if your body tells you to slow down - listen to it. I don't believe in pumping myself full of cold medication so that I can go about my daily grind, since I think that leads to a longer illness, and possibly a worse one. I've seen more than one person push themselves too hard just to be able to go to work, and end up off a week with a sinus infection, or something else comparable. If they had just taken one or two days right at the beginning of their illness, and actually rested, and allowed their body to combat whatever it was fighting, then maybe they would have nipped it in the bud.

In any case, I rested a lot yesterday, and I'm already feeling better today (although, still not 100%). Since we basically don't have any more classes today, I'm going to try and rest up some more, take my vitamins, and maybe go for a walk later to get the blood pumping, and get me some orange juice (which is what I always crave when I'm sick).

I'd also really love to finish my scarf. Almost there! All ... most ... there ...!

Sick ...

... as a dog. Feel sorry for me.

So - the Lecture was Pretty Neat

And ... what made it even neater was the presence of Allan Blakeney, former Premier of Saskatchewan, who delivered (in answer to a question from our Dean) his opinion on the intentions of the drafters of the Charter of Rights as pertaining to "Judicial Activism", which from the point of view of a Legislator; I'm sure you can imagine.

There were a few other dignitary-types there, as well, including Roy Romanow, another former Premier of Saskatchewan.

CTV was there - so maybe there will be something on the news about it tonight.

That's two things to watch for now ... news on the freakin' awful roads, and news on the Law Review Lecture. Now - how to get home? Take the bus, or attempt the awful roads?

Adrenaline Beats Caffeine Hands-Down

Although, today, I opted for both. At Starbucks, I asked if they'd add a shot of whiskey to my Pumpkin Spice Latte, which they didn't take very seriously. Little did they know, I wasn't kidding.

So ... Saskatoon and the snow. Interesting combination. It snowed lightly last night, but I guess that because of the specific temperatures, there was a crazy ice factor that happened. My car had about 3 cm. of snow on it to clear off, but it was the heavy snow that was iced to the car. My roomate Kathryn could barely get her driver's door open, and no other door for sure.

Once I got onto the road, things weren't bad in the residential areas, they were slippery, but moving quite well. As soon as I got onto Attridge (a main road in my books, it feeds into multiple neighbourhoods, and the speed limit is 70 km/h), I came to a standstill - for a reason. We were bumper to bumper traffic, and we were driving on a skating rink.

Now, I'm no stranger to winter driving. I did grow up in Calgary, and while tempered with the thaw of chinooks, winter driving and I have an intimate relationship. I hate it most of the time, but there's the resolve that comes with something that you know to be a permanent fixture in your life. I've seen slippery, but I've also come to depend upon the gravel and salt trucks that make sure that Calgarians don't lose their LIVES out there on the slippery, slippery roads.

On the main road that I referred to above, there was no gravel. That's right. NO GRAVEL at all. I was on that road from 8:00 - 9:30, which I consider to be rush hour. I've never seen an icy road like the one that I was on this morning. People were fishtailing like crazy, and braking was dicey at best. I kept a slow but steady pace (much to the chagrin of the black SUV that was RIGHT on my bumper most of the time). I was OK, but could do without the adrenaline that accompanies watching neighbouring drivers almost swerve into the lanes beside them (lanes filled with other cars).

It took me an hour and a half to drive a distance that normally takes me 15 minutes tops. Yup. Crazy. AND ... in that hour and a half that I SLOWLY and painfully progressed through some main thoroughfares, I didn't see ONE gravel truck or plow. I don't think plows could have done anything, but gravel trucks were beyond necessary.

When I got onto College Drive by the U of S, it was apparent that a gravel truck had been by, and it was smooth sailing ... driving like it was spring time in 1999.

I've heard various things about Saskatoon's infrastructure, most of them not very positive, which makes me want to contact the city and get a schedule of their gravel route, just so that I can plan accordingly and avoid the ridiculousness that I went through this morning. If I ever get one, I'll post it.

Sigh. Maybe I'll take the bus home - if they haven't gravelled I have no desire to go on those roads again. It is supposed to be 10 degrees on Wednesday, so it should all melt ... maybe that's why those cheap infrastructure buggers haven't hit the roads yet. Hmmm ... we'll see what they say about it on the news tonight.

I went to Costco yesterday, got lots of basics, and found for the first time the Kashi's TLC Chewy Granola Bars. I don't know if anyone will recall my previous post about Kashi, but I freakin' love the cereal and crackers that they make, and have been scouting out their granola bars. I've looked in Calgary Saskatoon at the grocery stores, and haven't found them. HOORAY for Costco, I got the peanut butter kind, and the Honey Almond Flax kind. I'll let everyone know what I think when I actually try one.

At 12:30 today (less than half an hour), I'm going to attend the 9th Annual Saskatchewan Law Review Lecture here in the U of S law library. The Hon. Chief Justice Bayda will be giving a talk on "Judicial Activism", and I'm super excited since this subject seems to be a theme that threads it's way into most of our classes.

The memo is coming along. I really don't feel panicked ... I think I'll finish writing it tonight, finish editing it tomorrow, and possibly hand it in tomorrow night so that I don't have nightmares about getting stuck in traffic and missing the 10:00 AM deadline on Wednesday morning.

Oh yeah - and I'm almost done the book Dating Amy: 50 True Confessions of a Serial Dater, by Amy DeZellar ... but I'm not going to finish it. I thought it would be a fun and spicy read, but (in my opinion) it falls a little short of the tone that it seems to be reaching for. I don't really feel like I'm missing out by not finishing it (which rarely happens with me and books), and I don't really feel any richer for having read the bit that I did. Kind of a disappointment.

I'm going to the library today, though. Hopefully for a couple more books that will actually be worth my time to read (is that too harsh?).

Any suggestions from all those out there in cyberland?