An Awesome Weekend in the Middle of Chaos

Jason's brother and his family surprised him (I knew though ... oh how hard to keep a secret) for his birthday this weekend, and it was SUCH a nice break for me from my study schedule (it's always nice to see those two little nephews).

They arrived on Saturday and we all got to catch up. Saturday night, we toured through the Enchanted Forest light display up at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park (I just saw on the website that you can buy cheaper admission passes at Safeway - if only we'd known). What an awesome sight ... it was a drive-through tour, which was nice (especially touring in their new mini-van). The nephews were SOOOO cute looking at the lights.

Sunday we made some sugar cookies and did some hard-core decorating and checked out the Mendel Art Gallery, where we took in some festive harp music by harpist Chris Lindgren, the nephews got to paint on the snow, and we caught the Woodrow exhibit by artist Graeme Patterson.

We tried to do a little Christmas shopping, but we were bad hosts and couldn't find an appropriate store that was OPEN on Sunday. I guess Jason and I don't shop a lot. While we probably won't REALLY start shopping any more, it's a good reminder that we really should be doing our best to take in the Saskatoon experience in general (we wouldn't have done any of the fun stuff this weekend without the visitors). It's hard to remember that we need to take breaks in the middle of getting things done to really enjoy where we're at, but maybe that can be our New Year's resolution.

All in all, it was an awesome break from studying, and SOOO good to catch up with those guys.

The only downside is that I've developed a sore throat, which I blame on stopping to enjoy myself in the middle of exams. I usually don't have such a big break between exams, and don't stop until I'm all done, and THEN get sick. SO ... I'm trying to stall the inevitable and get through the last one before the sickness takes full hold.

And now ... I'm back in the crux of it all ... back to studying, flowcharts, CANS, casebooks, notes, and spreadsheets. One test left, and it's one that I'd really like to do well in. Oh Health law, hopefully we'll get to know each other REAL well over the next two days.

We Took a Look at This News Item in Health Law

Interesting ... I can't wait to see the outcome of this.

Jury mulls tubal ligation injury case by: Chris Purdy, the Star Phoenix

Baert's bowel was unknowingly perforated during the laparoscopic operation in July 1999, allowing toxins to leak into her body. She was discharged from hospital but two days later was rushed back in critical condition, suffering from septic shock.
Doctors in Edmonton later had to amputate her hands and feet. She also suffered major brain damage during cardiac arrests, leaving her with the mental capacity of a child.

Now 29, she lives in Saskatoon's Parkridge Centre long-term care home where staff change her diapers and feed her.

Along with her husband Mark and their two young sons, Baert is suing Graham for more than $10 million for negligence. The Lloydminster hospital and several nurses originally named in the suit have already settled out of court.

Glazer told the all-female jury that bowel perforations are recognized risks of tubal ligation operations.

All-female jury, hunh? Sounds interesting ... from that point alone.

I've Been Cranking Away

At my Health Law assignment. It's really funny, because we have 10 days to write a memo about an assigned topic, so it's pretty much like our open memo, but we've covered most of the research part in class (maybe, it's like a mix between our open memo and our closed memo).

I remember the panic and fervor over the open memo last year. This year, this assignment is something that I have to remind myself not to forget about!

Framing the issues was a lot easier. Also, organizing the material came to me much more quickly than last year. Instead of trying to whip all of the theory into submission, I've let the material dictate the organization, and let me tell you, it's an easier road traveled. I've forgotten, though, how the legal writing method is different. I keep referring back to my open memo to make sure I refer to cases properly, that I do my citations properly, basically ... for formatting. Also - thank goodness for that McGill guide!

The new season of Scrubs started last night ... exciting ... although the episode was a little disappointing. Maybe because it was a little less silly and a little more serious. I like Scrubs for silly, so .....

I think Battlestar Gallactica starts soon too .... SOOO excited about that one. Uh oh - just looked it up ... 2 hour premiere on Nov 24th ... cripes ... that's almost Christmas for goodness sakes. I don't think I'll be able to make it that long.

Jason and I are going to see Henry Rollins on Sunday, so I'm really looking forward to that. We've seen Rollins twice before, doing his spoken word, and it's always entertaining ... that man literally vibrates with energy and intensity.

On campus interviews (although that name now no longer seems appropriate ...) for Calgary are next week, so many students will be getting ready for those. Due to a pending strike at the U of S (I think both faculty and administration staff are on notice ... haven't gotten any announcements about it but ... I've heard a bit about it through the grapevine). The interviews have been moved to the Delta Bessborough hotel, which is on the posh side of ordinary. Exciting.

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.

Professional Misconduct

It's a subject that I've been studying in my Health Law class, as it applies to Health Care Professionals.

In Law Times this article was posted:
Guelph lawyer disbarred by law society
Could lose Order of Canada

I only point this article out, because although I've come to see how serious the implications are of professional misconduct, I didn't realize you could lose your Order of Canada (which makes sense, of course, when you think about it).

I look forward (even more now) to next semester, as I'm enrolled in Professional Responsibility. Professional misconduct as it relates to lawyers will provide an interesting contrast to how it works for the doctors that I've been studying (the thought of which reminds me of a thread I read awhile back on lawstudents.ca).

Here's the calendar description:

LAW 421.3 — 1/2(3L)
Professional Responsibility
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.

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!!!

Sorry I've Been Away So Long

But ... I've really been up to a lot.

Last weekend I tried to wrap up as many loose ends as I could.

We were treated to drinks with some friends on Friday night, which was both fun and sad, since I'm going to miss this couple.

On Saturday, I had breakfast with Jason, Mom, and Dad, and then I got to spent some QT with my Mom while she spoiled me by buying me some jeans for school (thank GOD, because without the jeans I bought, I don't know what I'd be wearing, seriously, the wardrobe was looking dire). Also, I've resolved myself to the fact that no jean will ever fit my butt perfectly (except for the Jacob wide-leg trouser style jeans that I got - OMG I love them, and the waist fits better than most, but the pockets do gape a little). So ... once my jeans stretch out a little more, off to the tailor I will go to make a little nip/tuck in the waist so that I won't lose my jeans when I bend over.

The guys at work this summer, much to their dismay, I'm sure, were treated to endless rants about the state of jeans in the world today, and how for a 28 year old married woman, it was hard to find something appropriate that didn't display one's "goods" for the entire world to see. I would tirelessly lament the passing of the old style Silver jeans, since these were the last jeans that I truly loved (of course, before my Jacob jeans existed). Well, I'm happy to report that Silver has brought back their Original Fit! I'm so excited. When I put on a pair last weekend, it felt like coming home. Seriously. I'm going to have to buy a couple more pairs before they take them away from me again. Might take me some time, since they've essentially doubled in price in the last 10 years. Yikes, non?

Saturday night we were treated to sushi by some more friends of ours. We went to sushi boat, which was SOOOO much fun.

BUT ... I have to run to the bookstore right now (I'm trying to beat the crowds, the typical first few weeks at school have me nauseated at the times I have to spend in lines).

Will finish post later.


...


I'm back.

Sunday we had brunch with some more friends, again, a sad parting. Sunday afternoon we shopped for appliances for the new house, and packed.

Monday we packed some more, and in the evening we had dinner with my family, which I don't even want to talk about, because it makes me sad even now to think about missing out on Sunday dinners with them for the next couple of years.

Tuesday was my official move to Saskatoon (and Jason's unofficial move with me to Saskatoon).

Wednesday was the first day of classes. I had four of them, which I'll describe in detail later. I also warily regarded many line-ups that I have NO desire to go anywhere near. Aurgh. Start of year line-ups suck. Hence my hasty depart this morning to hit the bookstore before the afternoon rushes (and hour long line-ups).

Today was a successfully quick trip to the bookstore, and my Health Law class, which promises to be everything that I wanted it to be.

Lunch time for Lisa now, though, so I'll check in a little later.

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."