Three Down ...

... two to go.

Just wrote Bus Org, so my brain is a pile of goo that leaked out my ear and is sitting on my living room carpet. I'm really not keen to pick it again ... maybe I'll give it a few hours ... I'm sure we could use some time apart for awhile.

Two Down ...

... three to go.

Evidence is over. Was a 2 hour exam, a bit different. We've only done 3 hours exams up until this point. Had to keep reminding myself not to run out of time.

We'll see.

NEXT UP: Bus Org.

I. Am. Terrified.

I'm Afraid to Take a Shower

I've been tracking the shipment of my printer ink online, and it looks like it's sitting on a delivery truck making it's way to my house. Unfortch, it seems that there are a few houses on the delivery route before mine.

My luck: I'd hop in the shower quickly only to miss the ink delivery person. So ... no shower until I get my ink! Hopefully ... this doesn't take days .... AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA.

It's that time of year again ... blog posts become rare, ink in the printer runs dry, my nerves are dropping one-by-one, and all I want to think about is the Christmas break. I'm not running on empty yet - but I'm getting there.

I've been pacing myself MODERATELY well for studying ... my first exam, Debtor-Creditor, is on Saturday. The only test I'm REALLY worried about is BusOrg, which is my third test. I feel like I understand the material, but there is SOOOOO MUCH OF IT. Seriously. It's ridiculous. While I've read most of it, and get most of it ... I just haven't found a great way to organize it all so that I can quickly retrieve the info I need. Also, I'm not sure that I always understand what the Prof is asking (I know, if not for the denial about the looming exam, I'd probably lose sleep over this one). After I toss and turn the words around a little, I eventually get it ... but my way of thinking isn't parallel to his ... it's perpendicular ... so while I KNOW the info he's looking for ... I don't always know WHICH info he's asking me for ... I'm not looking at the same horizon that he is. Yikes.

It's snowing right now, and I'm so happy that I'm snug as a bug in my cute little house. No need to go outside today, we're fully stocked with groceries (my Hubby spoiled me by seeing to my every exam-week grocery need); I've got yummy coffee brewing and yummy (FAT-FREE) hazelnut coffee whitener to put in it. I'm even stocked with Diet Pepsi and mini-wheats - essentials.

Now - I've got to get through a bunch of material before the second last episode of ANTM tonight ... EXCITING! Any guesses on who's going to get the boot? I guess ... Bianca or Chantal to be gone ... I guess that Saleisha and Jenah for SURE in the final two ... oooooh ... I can't wait.

I've Decided It's Time to Get Serious

Yeah ... finals are looming, so I've gone into preparation mode. I'm still in slow speed, but I'm there just the same.

Spent the weekend starting to prepare my evidence cases spreadsheet - and MAN did it take me forever, and I'm only about 1/3 of the way through. Doesn't bode well for how much time I need to start putting into this stuff.

I figure if I stay on top of readings for classes from here on out, that'll help ... so tonight, I read all my BusOrg readings. Yeah ... it was a lot ... but I survived. AND NOW ... all I want to do is play a little WOW, and I have to download a bloody huge patch before I can. AURGH.

With all of the school reading, I'm a little slow on the communication skills - so you'll all have to excuse me.

I can't wait until finals are over, it'll be so nice to have a fresh start in January.

I can't believe we're almost half-way through November.

School. That's all I've been doing lately. School. I might need some light therapy or something ... need to spend some time outside.

Oh Bus-Org, How You Rear Your Head

I was skimming the Precedent, and came across this article:

Executive couples must be careful to keep confidences
Vulnerable to charges of insider trading
by: Vern Krishna, Financial Post

Caught my eye, because our Bus-Org prof always jokes (kind of) with us ... "if you're going to act opportunistically ... ESPECIALLY DON'T TELL YOUR SPOUSE"

Here's a quote from the article:

An "insider" is a director, officer or senior employee of a corporation. A trade is improper where an insider buys or sells the corporation's securities based on material confidential information "Insider" also includes "tippees" -- individuals who receive improper information from insiders.

Typically, insiders have privileged access to confidential information that is not available to the general investing public. Thus, in a sense, they are fiduciaries responsible for the management of corporate information in the best interests of the corporation. That is the theory.

Unfortunately, that is not the theory. Insiders have fiduciary obligation because they have limited access to corporate resources that they could opportunistically divert. Fiduciary is not a best-interest obligation, it is the obligation not to act in your own interests without permission.

The article gets it right here, though:

It is improper, however, to use confidential information for personal profit or to pass the information on to friends.

The rest of the article has some good points too.

Ah ... Bus-Org ... how you creep into every facet of my life. Here I was, just trying to skim some legal gossip ... sigh.

Dinner and Dishes and Curling

It was a smashing weekend. The first weekend we've been in our house, here in Saskatoon, without a TO DO list the length of my arm (we still had one, was just the length of half of my arm).

We were fortunate to attend a dinner invitation on Saturday night, which was so nice. Having a social encounter in Saskatoon put us both in a good mood. The food was excellent, the wine flowed freely, and the conversation was so enjoyable.

Dishes - we've been hand washing. We haven't picked up a dishwasher yet and I'd forgotten what it is like to live without a dishwasher. I lived in a place for one year that didn't have one, and now I'm getting flashbacks. My tactic is to do most of the dishes in the sink before I leave the kitchen ... for example, if I'm cooking dinner, before I sit down to eat it I'll wash all the dishes I used to make it. It really makes it manageable ... because if we leave dishes for even a day, it becomes a daunting task that nobody wants to take on. So ... yeah ... I thought laundry was bad for consuming your life ... nope ... dishes are worse.

Last, but not least, I curled. Yup ... I'm so excited. It was one of my goals that if I was going to live in Saskatchewan while attending school, the experience wouldn't be complete without doing some curling. So ... I joined a law extra-curricular team as a stand-in, and my services were called upon tonight. It was the first time I've EVER curled, and it was so fun ... I landed on my ass quite a bit (uh ... yeah, not always while I was wearing a slide), and could barely get the rock all the way to the opposite hog line ... but I came, I saw, and I whipped it good. The best part is that the parking meters are free at the time that we play ... woo hoo!

I wrapped up my Health assignment that's due tomorrow, so I'm going to bed without having read BusOrg yet (yikes). It's two articles, and I have them printed and ready to go, so hopefully my three hour break tomorrow will be sufficient time to tackle them to the extent that I won't embarrass myself in class tomorrow.

Tired. Wow.

So ... I was up fairly late last night, tackling my BusOrg reading. We were assigned 2 1/2 articles (about 20-25 pages each, from bar review journals), as well as 1/2 a chapter of our textbook.

I decided to start with the articles, which in hindsight I think was a smart idea.

I got through basically 1 article in about 3 hours.

It took me FOREVER! It was academic writing, which I'm not used to. I've learned to read cases and textbooks a little bit faster and more effectively, but academic writing is a new thing for me (remember, I hail from computer science, technical writing is more familiar to this girl).

I had to stop and look up words in the dictionary, and re-read sentences that were conveying fairly complex ideas in a succinct way.

All in all, I think the one article I got through sums up an ENTIRE concept (i.e. what fiduciary obligations really are), which is pretty huge ... so that's kind of exciting.

But - holy smokes, it took me forever.

I made notes while I went along, which I think helped solidify things in my head. I'm usually a highlight and make notations in the margins kind of girl. That worked for me all of last year ... but this stuff about corporations is a little too abstract for me to pull those moves off. I think I'm going to have to adopt this formalistic approach, and REALLY make myself good notes while I read.

I always try and leave myself more time to finish this BusOrg reading, and each time, it seems like I get less done. Aurgh. I guess I'll have to try and tackle most of the reading more seriously on the weekends. I really like to try and leave my weekends school free, so that I can spend time with the Hubster, but looks like I may have to sacrifice a bit until December rolls around.

ANTM is on tonight. Exciting.

I can't believe that I haven't seen any of new episodes of The Office. Double Aurgh.

I have an extra long Evidence class on Friday (make-up class), as well as our regular class ... so about 4 hours of Evidence on Friday. I still have to do the reading for that, so looks like The Office might be out this week too. Triple Aurgh. Luckily on the NBC website they post full episodes. Good ol' NBC, keeping up with the times.


Well - gotta go brush the chompers!

Gobble, Gobble is Over

Makes me a little sad. That it's over, I mean.

We had a sensational weekend. Hit up Jason's hometown first, where we got to spend some QT with his parents. Watched a couple of movies, took care of some business, enjoyed the crispness of fall with an amazing turkey dinner ... was very nice. I got to bask in the glory of the smell of pumpkin pie baking ... a wish come true.

We also hit up Calgary, and got to spend a Thanksgiving dinner with a great gathering of family and friends ... there were 14 of us in total, and it was great to see everyone at once.

Now, I'm back to business. Had class this morning, and I'm currently trying to get through my BusOrg reading. EGADS, it's so much. There's a ton to get through, so I'm hoping to put a major dent in it before I go to bed tonight.

I hooked up a printer that Jason's parents gave to us, and I'm SOOOO happy that I'm able to print in the comfort of my own home. So thrilling.

The first year formal seems to have gone well for those that attended last Thursday, I've had the chance to peruse some pics, and it's amazing how dashing the fellow classmates look all dolled up.

Our house is finally starting to feel like a home - my handy Hubby installed blinds on all of the windows that had been either bare, or covered with a sheet and clothespins. Makes me very happy.

Sigh.

Now ... back to work. BusOrg, I'll conquer you yet.

This Is What I Was Thinking on the Bus Today

I warn you in advance, it's pretty random, and I have no idea where it came from.

I've always been jealous of the fact that people with shorter legs look better when they sit cross-legged on the floor.

I know.

My legs are on the longish end of the spectrum, and while I'd never complain about it (especially now that most jean labels are carrying 34 lengths as a rule), when I sit cross-legged on the floor, I look like an awkward gangly flamingo ... all lengths and corners and gangly awkwardness. I don't look like a concise, symmetrical package.

I've always been jealous.

I warned you. Random.

This weekend was a flurry of activity. My In-Laws came, and helped us crank through an inordinate amount of housework. My Father-in-Law even risked his neck by getting up on our roof and cleaning out our eaves troughs (it had been awhile - I'm thinking YEARS, it was a pretty dramatic undertaking).

Suffice it to say, that I'm physically and mentally drained, and today is one of my longest school days. I'm done. Like dinner ... although, not MY dinner specifically ... speaking of which ... thank GOD for left-overs. Re-heating is SOOO on the agenda ... the thought of actually starting fresh to COOK is making me want to heave. Hopefully, nobody is reading this while they're eating ... hee hee.

I submitted a bunch of applications today (yup ... the deadline day) for the Calgary law firms that are holding OCI's (On Campus Interviews). I'm in the usual flurry of insecure anticipation right now, which probably won't end until I hear about the outcome.

Cross your fingers for me people!

OK. No more thinking about things that aren't in my control.

Classes were pretty good today. Wills was neat - we're talking about incorporation and conditional wills. Debtor-Creditor was a review of execution against personal property. Evidence was an overview of criminal and civil procedure as it pertains to evidence. Bus Org was all about corporate structure as it pertains to law; addressing the mischief that can occur when ownership and control are separated.

And now ... I look forward to vegging, watching a movie with the Hubster, and perhaps even allowing myself to bask in the warm glow of Thanksgiving anticipation. So far, I'm not doing TOO badly with creating a reserve in the paunch for the feasting to come ... but I could probably do a little better. Darn those Dibs and their delicious little bundles of tastiness. Darn them all!!!

PS. How awesome is the Saskatoon Landfill? They have a stellar set-up. Just saying!!

I've Forgotten How Fun It Is ...

... to crunch your way through leaves on the ground on perfect fall days. I'm really missing my camera right now (still in Calgary), since early mornings on campus are just ethereal. No joke. I truly feel so much gratitude that I get to be here doing what I'm doing. Ask me how I feel about Saskatoon when it's -40 degrees out ... then we'll talk again. But right now ... it's heavenly.

Sigh.

Well, I've been a jerk about keeping up with people lately, but I'm serious, I'm on the active side of managing chaos still.

I've recently added a new role to my repertoire: I'm the new Web Administrator for the U of S's Law Students Association website:

http://www.uofslawstudents.ca

The LSA wants this site to be a real portal for current students and prospective students alike. There's some updating, etc. that needs to be done, and general maintenance type stuff. Should be fun. I'm excited especially about setting up some foundations for the coming years.

School is, as per usual, running away at the speed of a crazy train. Luckily, I'm still hanging on ... but one hand is slipping.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the Saskatchewan Business Corporations Act right now. I feel like I'm almost there, and I can see how having a Commerce background may give you half a leg up in the BusOrg class that I'm taking. But ... I'm so close. Soon.

Also, I'm trying to sort out all my affairs regarding applying for the summer jobs that hold OCI's (On Campus Interviews). These applications are due on Monday. My transcripts are ordered, my resume is done, and I'm about half way through all of my cover letters. This weekend I'll have to wrap all of those up.

I'm starting to get excited for Thanksgiving.

Speaking of which, I went to the gym today (yup, I appreciate your applause). Hopefully I can at least create a buffer before I partake in any turkey or gravy.

One thing that was kind of cool was that the cardio was REALLY easy for me. Last year I was panting my way through the level that I started at today. I guess that, even though I don't feel that my paunch shrinkage was remarkable in any way, all the crazy running and sports that I participated in over the summer really did do something for me. Yay! Guess I'll have to focus on cutting out the junk. What sucks is that there really isn't that much junk to speak of, mostly weekly pizza rituals. Sigh. I've gotta give up the pizza demon.

The house is doing well so far, I still feel incredibly disorganized, but we're getting there. It feels comfortable, and even kind of homey. So ... I definitely don't regret the decision to buy this one at all.

Well ... I really have to go and hit the books. I'll come up with something a little more exciting for next time (read dramatic, I've been feeling a lack of drama in my life lately).

Whew!

I finally feel some semblance of order among the chaos.

I'm mostly caught up with readings, and even a little ahead in some classes.

Most of the things that I've had to have sorted out have been sorted (administration wise).

Our move is on schedule for this weekend.

I caught some excellent zzzz's last night ... BUT ... my eye is still twitching. Aurgh.

I'm excited this year, because I'm going to try a few new things, one of which is volunteering for Campus Legal Services. There's some lunch available tomorrow for people that are interested in learning more about volunteering with this organization, as well as with Pro Bono, Classic, and Scales of Social Justice, here's the PAWS announcement about it:

ProBono Students, CLS, Classic, and Scales of Social Justice are having an information meeting for all interested first years on Friday September 14th from 11:30-12:30 in Commerce 46. Lunch will be served.

Please come out and learn how you can get involved in these organizations. If you have any questions, please email:
campuslegalservices@hotmail.com
probono.sask@usask.ca

Also - just saw the new College of Law website, exciting. Looks a lot more modern.

As for me, I'm plugging along. It's been tough not having a phone at my disposal, but I'm making do, and it won't be long now.

It is so chilly here today that I can see my breath outside. Don't get me wrong, I love a real fall ... the kind of fall that inspires wool sweaters and hot chocolate, mittens and scarves, and running through leaves on the ground. BUT ... I wasn't expecting it quite yet. Ah well, I suppose we get what we get, so we may as well enjoy it.

As for my classes so far, here's the run-down:

Wills: Like the looks of this class. Seems like it'll be a Lisa kind of course, the Prof equated it to the logical games section of the LSAT, which was nothing but fun for me (yeah, I know).

Debtor-Creditor: Once I wrap my head around the unfamiliar lingo (this is where having an Econ or Commerce background would help), I think this won't be too bad. Looks like a lot of material to get through, but the Prof makes sense.

Evidence: Haven't had as many of these classes, Prof has had the flu. So far though, readings make sense, aren't too overwhelming. Should be good. Really seems to touch on EVERYTHING else that we learn, so that's neat.

Business Organizations: i.e. Corporate Law, this class has an OVERWHELMING amount of reading, which has been a struggle to keep up with already. It is super interesting though, and the Prof frames it in a really thought provoking way. Again (like Debtor-Creditor), I feel a little out of my element, and feel like I'm spending a lot of time with the dictionary, but I think it'll come with time. This is another course that I'm seeing reflected back in many of the other course's readings - especially Debtor-Creditor.

Health: Love it so far, interesting look at health care providers and how the law works to protect them, and to protect others. I like reading these cases because the context is so familiar to me.

All in all, all of the Professors really seem to be amazing authorities on their subjects. I'm really excited to get into it this semester, especially since I've already been piecing things together for myself, on an abstract level.

Anyhoo - off to do some reading ... yup, never ends, but I think I'm on track for a manageable semester. Hopefully.

Big Brother 8 tonight. SO EXCITING!!!

The Schedules Are Up

So ... as far as I can tell without looking back at what I originally balloted for, the only class that I didn't get (that I wanted) was the Alternate Dispute Resolution limited enrollment course. Luckily, I can try again for it next year, and as a 3L I should have some kind of priority over the lowly 2Ls ... ahahahaha.

I'm so impressed and excited, and realized that I even set myself up to have the recommended courses to take Psychiatry and the Law next year.

Also - my exam schedule rocks. This is what I was the most worried about, but I have nice spaces between each test! WOO HOO!


Lisa's fall line-up is as follows:

Wills
Calendar Long Description: "This course examines the law surrounding the execution, construction and revocation of wills, as well as issues of probate, survivorship, intestate succession, dependents' relief, and family issues as they relate to wills and estates."

Debtor-Creditor
Calendar Long Description: "The issuance of a judgment does not, in itself, enable a successful claimant to reach the financial resources or property of the judgment debtor for purposes of satisfaction of the successful plaintiff’s claim. The enforcement of a judgment for the payment of money entails resort to the specialized system of law that constitutes the subject of this course. The various methods of judgment enforcement are examined."

Evidence
Calendar Long Description: "Examination of the foundations of the law of evidence in civil and criminal trials in Canada. The principles, rules, statutes and procedures are examined from a critical perspective with emphasis on the history, rationale and reform of rules and statutes affecting the admissibility of evidence. The topics examined are admissibility, relevance, character evidence, opinion evidence, hearsay evidence, competence, privilege and confessions."

Business Organizations
Calendar Long Description: "Examination of the basic features of business corporations. The following topics, among others, are considered: corporate personality, the process of incorporation, the powers and duties of directors and officers, shareholder rights and remedies."

Health Law
Calendar Long Description: "This course introduces students to the basic principles of medical law and their application to common issues in health care. It also explores the legal framework for the health professions and the health care system."



Lisa's winter line-up (starting in January) is as follows:

Taxation
Calendar Long Description: "Deals with federal income taxation which focuses on basic tax principles and underlying theoretical concepts. The taxation unit concentrated upon is the individual. Topics normally covered in the course include procedure, statutory interpretation, the tax base, measurement of income, deductions, exemptions, and capital gains."

Trusts
Calendar Long Description: "This course covers the creation, administration, variation and termination of express trusts, including charitable trusts. Breach of trust, trustee defences and beneficiary remedies are examined. Resulting trusts and constructive trusts are also addressed."

Gender and the Law
Calendar Long Description: "This course examines the social construction of gender and critical and feminist perspectives on law."

Oil & Gas Law
Calendar Long Description: "This course introduces students to oil and gas law. Topics addressed will include: the nature of interests in oil and gas; rights of mineral interest holders inter se and the operation of the rule of capture; acquisition of freehold interests in oil and gas; the freehold oil and gas lease; estoppel, waiver and involuntary termination; disposition of minerals by the Crown; oil and gas conservation (pooling unitization and shut-in wells); and, surface rights."

Professional Responsibility
Calendar Long Description: ": This course introduces students to i) the roles, responsibilities and authority of the legal profession and ii) the legal and ethical duties of lawyers in the practice of law. The regulation of various aspects of the profession – admission, regulation of the practice of law, lawyer discipline, etc. are critically examined. As well students will learn the elements of a lawyer’s duties to client, the court and others, including himself or herself. This involves an understanding of the lawyer’s role in the adversary system, the nature of lawyer-client confidentiality, integrity and conflicts of interest in various roles performed by lawyers."