The Dreaded Marks Are In ...

... and it looks like I'm officially a 3L! Woot woot!

Pretty much my best semester ever, save the last test that I wrote amid a scenario that I likely could have gotten a deferral for. I thought about trying to get one, but decided to just motor through and accept the grade that I got, which still is decent in the grand scheme of things, so I'm happy with my decision.

I'll have to write about deferrals which I'll post later ... since I think many students (actually, I KNOW many students) don't appropriately access this resource.

As for my two paper classes, I finished up strong. SO relieving. I did have a lot of help from one prof, which was awesome, and I think I may finally have the confidence to tackle another paper class. Never thought I'd see the day.

My Best class (in terms of marks): Tax law. Who'd have thunk? Looks like I'll have to be taking Tax II if it's offered next year.

I've been thinking about classes that I still want to take, and so far here's the list:

• Family Law
• Civil Procedure
• Intellectual Property Law
• Administrative Law
• Tax II
• Employment Law
• Labour Law
• Possibly Family Law II, or some other related seminar - I have a killer paper idea that I think fits under here

Other than that, it's far too hard to decide, since there are a LOT of things that I'd like to take.

Sigh.

Jason and I have mostly been working on our house, playing WOW (ahem ... ), and generally still trying to get our lives in order. It's so funny how much your life gets put on hold while it's -40 kazillion degrees outside (or maybe it's just us "soft" Calgarians).

Either way, I'm so happy that the weather is starting to display a pattern of smartening up.

I Spent All Day Yesterday

... fiddling around with the Law Student's Association website. I'm going to put it through an overhaul this summer, in hopes of achieving a really useful tool for both current students and people that are thinking about becoming students, but I still want to maintain the "look" that we had going on. I redid a few things, just to make them look a little more streamlined ... I hope.

I just have to figure out how to get the picture of the building to align right, and then I'm happy with the banner.

Funny thing ... takes me back to my undergraduate days ... it's so much easier to write your own code than to try and modify somebody else's.

I could use Frontpage, but I feel like that's a cop-out - hee!

If anyone ever has any suggestions for that site - please let me know!

PS. I <3 Photoshop.

Where Oh Where Have I Been?

I've done a little dropping off the map ... to celebrate being done school and all. I made a trip out to Calgary, and after being back in Saskatoon I had so many "housekeeping" type things to take care of that it took me awhile.

Now ... I'm back on track baby. I'm re-establishing my routines, and I look forward to hammering out a few great posts for everyone that actually reads this blog.

Things to look for in soon-to-be-published posts:

• My summary of 2L (OMG - Can't believe I'm done 2L - assuming I pass everything)
• Outlining the process I've been going through with applying for articling positions
• Other things I've been up to
• My dismay at the recently crappy weather, and my utter joy at seeing the sun again today

One Class Left, I Can't Believe It

Wrote my Professional Responsibility exam yesterday morning. Ah ProRes, how vague you are for me. This class is definitely a little different from other law school classes, which is refreshing in a sense, but a little hard to figure out which gear it is that you have to operate in.

There is certainly a framework to operate within, but it's a framework that is not so much based on rules, but on values. Sigh. A little tough to articulate at times, so hopefully I did a decent enough job on the exam.

The exam was only a 2 hour one, which was nice. There were no surprises on it either, Dean Cotter told us exactly what type of questions to expect, and we weren't disappointed.

So ... one test left. Oil and Gas. I can't believe it. Almost done.

Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.

3 Courses Down, 2 to Go

What a whirlwind.

So ... I finished my tax class on March 22nd (accelerated due to prof going on leave), finished Gender class on Tuesday (with the last class, and the handing in of my paper), and finished Natural Resources yesterday (with the last class, my presentation, and the handing in of my paper).

That means that I have a remarkably shrunken "to do" list before I'm officially a 3L and my focus changes to finding myself an articling position (of course, assuming that I pass everything):

• Write Professional Responsibility Exam
• Write Oil and Gas Exam

So, so, so much better than a couple of weeks ago!

Presentation went OK yesterday, but not great. As the last person giving the presentation for the day, when I began, it was already 9:00 PM (official end of class time), so I tried to motor through my material in a bit of a hurry, which of course was a bad idea. I really should know better than to try and pull moves like that. I knew the stuff, but my delivery was a bit of a gong show. Hopefully that came across, but if not ... it is over, which really is a huge load off of my shoulders.

Also, before this year I really had no idea what to expect from seminar classes, even though I registered for two this semester. For anyone that has yet to take one, here's the Lisa take on seminars, so you know what to expect:

• Seminar classes seem to be a great deal smaller than regular classes.
• They are more theory focused; as opposed to going through a systematic rendition of what the law is, the law is questioned and conceptualized on a theoretical level.
• Seminars require that a major paper is written rather than a final exam. This results in seminar classes being one 2 hour class a week as opposed to the regular classes at 3 hours a week - really frees up your schedule (although Gender and the Law was two smaller papers).
• You have to talk a lot more in seminars than in regular classes, which wasn't a bad thing for me, since classes are really so much smaller.
• Both of my seminar profs treated us right at the end of the semester; in Gender we were treated to snacks on the last day which was an informal and casual wrap-up, in Natural Resources we were treated to beers after class.

So ... I'd be inclined to take a few more seminars next year, but it really will depend upon the marks that I get on my papers. As I've mentioned, writing papers isn't my strength just yet. I'd like to work on that, but we'll see. I think I've wrapped my head around legal writing, it's just the academic writing that I'm still working on. I've definitely made progress this semester, so I think it would really be good for me to keep trying it out.

Sigh. And now, to prepare for the season premiere of Battlestar Gallactica tonight ... ahem ... I mean my Professional Responsibility exam. Sigh.

Almost Done ...

... my major paper, which is good seeing as it's due tonight at 7 PM, as is the delivery of my presentation of it.

So ... tomorrow I'll be a happy camper. I'll officially be done 3 out of my 5 classes; Tax, Gender and the Law (sniff - sad this class is done) and Natural Resources.

Then ... 2 exams, and I'm free for the summer.

So ... I'd love to chat a bit more, but I'm diving back into the paper writing. I have to finish up a couple of thoughts, write my conclusion, do some light editing, and then make sure that all of my citations are correct and line-up the right way.

Also - for anyone that is like me and didn't have to do a lot of paper writing in undergrad, take Gender and the Law! Not only is it super interesting, but you write two smaller papers which means that halfway through the semester, you get feedback on the first mini-paper that you write before you have to write a minor paper. This has really helped me ... I hope, I guess we'll see when the marks come in.

It's a pretty big Thursday for me!

While Word Takes a Break ...

... my version of Word likes to tune out for a while, every once in a while. Even more of an incentive to go ahead and download the Ultimate Steal ... but that is not on my TO DO list until school is done, so it will have to wait. SO ... while I'm waiting for Word to come back to me, I thought I'd check in here.

Since re-reading my last post, it really has hit me. I'm 2 weeks away from officially being a 3L (assuming that I pass all of my courses sufficiently ... eeee!). I CAN NOT BELIEVE how fast time has gone. You'd think the opposite maybe, considering the time away from the hubby, the gong-show of a house purchase, and all the other things in between ... but ... I'm honestly floored by the fact that I'm motoring along this law school path so quickly.

I'm actually looking forward to next year ... being able to wrap up a few classes that I really want to take (Intellectual Property, Administrative Law, Employment and Labour Law, Civil Procedure ... etc.), taking on the LSA Publicity Director position with a vengeance, and having a full year of (hopefully) administrative peace and calm in our glossy and bright new building. Hopefully, no more strikes plague us, and we'll have the time and freedom to really do it up next year.

Did I mention that I got a new coffee maker? It's been a real joy, let me tell you. I think I'm ALMOST in love with it. It's an Oster one that we bought at Costco for about $40. Makes me so happy to be able to program it to have coffee ready for me when I wake up ... kinda like having a butler ... a svelte, stainless steel butler. My previous coffee maker was one of those tiny single serving kind of ones, but I'd lost a few pieces, and it was really battle weary. My favourite feature is that there's a water filter in there, working it's water filter magic to make sure that coffee tastes good. Mmmmmm.

Aurgh. Just got sick of waiting for Word. Just ordered the Ultimate Steal ... so waiting for my new version of Word to download. Sigh. And just when I actually want to work on my paper ... wouldn't you know it.

Sad But Happy Too - I'm a Contradiction

This weekend the siblings were here. My two sisters and my brother came from Calgary for a visit. It was amazingly awesome. Now ... I'm sad that they're gone. There were 8 of us here in our little house, so now their absence makes my house seem like a mansion. Sigh. So sad.

BUT ... when I take a look at my list of what's left to do ... it is shrinking, and that makes me happy.

I've finished my minor paper, and so now all I have left is to:

• Finish Natural Resources major paper (I have a good start on this one, and I know exactly what I'm going to say ... so shouldn't be too bad to just crank it out).
• Deliver Natural Resources presentation on Thursday (I'm a little nervous about this one, since it's about a 25 minute presentation with questions from the prof).
• Write Professional Responsibility Exam - 1 week from today!
• Write Oil & Gas Final Exam - 24 hour take home test that I can write at anytime during the exam period.

I'm on track, and getting excited about being done. I can't believe that my summer is right around the corner. This year went by REALLY fast. I also can't believe that it's my LAST real summer as a law student ... next year I'll have graduated, and it'll be nothing but serious business for this cowgirl.

Anyway - back to hammering out the major paper.

AND ... The Click Has Happened ....

I think I've wrapped my head around what it means to write a minor paper (with a little help from a friendly neighbourhood professor).

I'm so used to having to substantiate any claim that I make, writing about my opinion and thoughts seems WRONG ... heh heh heh.

I'm now kind of excited to get down and dirty and pump out that paper.

Sigh.

The list, at least, is shrinking.

I have only the following left:

• Write Gender minor paper (have outline almost done)
• Write Natural Resources major paper (have outline done)
• Give Natural Resources presentation
• Write Professional Responsibility Final
• Write Oil and Gas Final

Only 5 more things.

It's always a positive when the "goals" list shrinks.

Tuesday Morning Reads

Just to disclose a little geekiness - the whole Tuesday morning reads thing developed because this is the time that World of Warcraft does server maintenance ... I haven't had classes on Tuesday mornings all semester long, so I've taken to surfing the net before I get down and serious with reading for school, since I can't get any WOW action.

I know. I'm a geek.

Anyhoo ... I've been wanting to check out Second Life ever since I saw Dwight on The Office have his character:

... interesting article over on Canadian Lawyer Magazine - MUST make sure to look into this stuff.

They also have a great piece for anyone talking about lawyers advertising for our Pro Res class!

Jason and I saw this the other day when we were driving by - I'm SOOOO EXCITED. I've lived by an OJ's for the last 4 or 5 years that I was in Calgary, it's a staple of a place ... they have great food and great beer: Star Phoenix - Calgary-based Original Joe's opening on Eighth Street

Wow. That's all I have to say. Wow. How badly do we need dictionary updates on our press release software ... hmmmmm?

Has anyone been following THIS story? I've only heard blips on the radar here and there when it's reported in the news. Looks unbelievable though - must look into this a little more.

A GREAT piece over at the U of A Faculty of Law blog about the effect of motherhood/fatherhood on lawyer productivity for my Gender and the Law class ... would love to look at this for a paper topic, but alas, I think I've already committed myself to another. Tempting to have a paper-topic affair, though, I tell you.

The Precedent reports on an interesting movement by American law students trying to take a stand against "negative" aspects of law firm culture. Must see if there's anything like this that has been started by the Canadian law students.

"Saskatchewan is the new Alberta" ... Saskatoon Real Estate Resource Centre Blog takes a look at RBC's quarterly Housing Affordability Report.

Tip of the Day

If you're considering law school, and haven't yet committed to an undergraduate program, take something that will teach you how to write.

While computer science gave me the logic chutzpah to ace the LSAT, I'm floundering in paper-ville right now, as technical writing isn't exactly what I've found useful here in law.

GAH! I know it'll click soon ... I can feel the brain cogs almost aligning ... almost ... there.

One Down - Four to Go

Problem is, I don't feel like I wrote an exam this AM. Don't know if that bodes well or not. Yikes.

It was a long un'. Didn't have time to answer everything sufficiently. Hope EVERYONE felt that way, and the curve will embrace me lovingly. Sigh.

Good news, though, is that one class is officially done.

Now ... for the rest of the weekend, my plan is to ... write papers (you and I both were hoping for something more exciting). I'm hoping to crank out some quality verbiage. After my beer buzz wears off, of course. Well ... we had to go for beer after the test ... that's just what you do. It was a TAX exam. I wrote the Tax I exam, and all the peeps that wrote the Tax II exam were writing with us ... so there was a great group that was heading over to Louis' ... how could I resist?

I know, I know. It's crunch time. All right! No more Louis' extravaganza's until I've at least cranked out 1 paper. Deal.

I Never Realized ...

... how powerful it is to have people around you to experience the same things that you are. Writing a Tax final exam on March 22nd, when a lot of my 'peeps' aren't having to worry about such things ... it's dreadful. I hate it. I just want to go enjoy the weekend ... but alas ... I'm chained to my desk.

At least it's foggy here today ... although ... I love the fog. So romantic/mysterious.

I'll be done one of my courses in T-23 hours (earlier if I don't take the full amount of time - which has never happened for me in a law exam).

23 hours ... until ... perhaps partaking in a beer somewhere ... maybe a movie? Haven't been to a movie in months. Anything good playing? Yup ... trying not to think about tax for a few seconds.

Well ... that was fun. Back to the ITA.

As a fun tax trivia point ... just before I go ... did you know that, generally, where you reside on the last day of the tax year decides where you pay provincial tax (there's a few more ins and outs, though, which look at where different types of income were earned for different provinces)?

Julie Sent Me This

GREAT distraction from studying for the tax final:

Frozen in Time - Grand Central Station

I Think I'm Succombing ... GAH!

I've got the sniffles this morning. Yikes. Time to up the Vitamin C intake.

On the positive side, I'm wearing a skirt with no need for tights (woo hoo ... WELCOME SPRING)!

Been a busy few days trying to prepare for my tax exam that is on Saturday. Did make time to go into school yesterday to vote for the LSA elections, and grab a lunch with some friends.

Tuesday, Jason and I got to have dinner with my Auntie Dona and cousin Brenda (and Thomas and Kaitlyn too). So nice to have a "real" dinner ... heh heh heh ... our culinary techniques over here in the Hutch household have been a little sparse and routine lately.

As for the rest of this week - I'm fully in exam mode as of today. I can't wait until Saturday, when the Tax exam is done, and I'm down to only 4 courses. Then ... it'll be time to begin to hammer out the papers.

So ... since Monday, I've been able to check one major thing off the big checklist. Still have 7 to go: 3 papers, 1 presentation, and 3 exams. Saturday knocks off 1 more item, which is great, and I'd like to get the smaller papers out of the way next week, which hopefully knocks two more things off the list. I won't do much for the last two exams until the papers are done ... so looks like I'm in good shape for everything.

As for the Tax exam preparation ... my trial versions of Microsoft Visio have run out, so I'm making pseudo-flowcharts with Word ... sucks. I miss Visio, but I'm far too cheap to actually buy it.

SPEAKING OF WHICH ... the Microsoft's Ultimate Steal deal is up soon (ends April 30th ... just looked it up). I've been humming and hawing about this one, but I think I'm going to go for it. 91% savings off the retail price ... how could it get much better? Well ... it would be better if visio was included, but ... hey, what can you do? 2007 versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint would be great ... I've already run into some compatibility issues a few times, may as well upgrade. Just have to make sure that I'll be able to put the software onto all of my computers (yup ... admission of nerdiness right there).

Last Night ... The Rollins

Talking about the Googles and the Internets. It was classic Henry in Saskatoon (which as far as he knows is the first time he's ever performed here), a great Christmas gift for Jason from his parents.

I've seen Henry in Calgary twice before, so this was the 3rd time for me (5th time for the Hubby, as far as we can figure it), and of course, Henry never fails to deliver an awesome good time. There were periods where I was laughing pretty freakin' loud, I tell you.

Since it was my 3rd time, I opted to finally buy a t-shirt, just to keep up with Jason:




I love it.

The last time we saw Henry was in October in Calgary, so not that long ago. There were a few bits that were the same, but a lot of bits that weren't. Henry's performances are usually around the 3 hour mark, a little over. The guy literally gets on stage and talks for 3 hours straight ... so to have tons of new material was pretty cool. I love hearing about his travels, his political observations, and of course, his experiences in the punk rock world.

Different kind of crowd, here in Saskatoon.

First time I saw Henry in Calgary was at Mac Hall (left), so ... very much a university kind of crew with a feeling like you're attending a school assembly.

2nd time was at the Jack Singer (right), same KIND of crowd, but different dynamic (tickets were much more expensive), with assigned seating in a huge concert hall.

Here ... the venue was the Odeon Event Centre (couldn't find a great pic, but it's one of those older theatres that has levels, and a mezzanine, and no rhyme or reason it seems). It was general seating, so we made sure that we got in line a little early. Our seats were fabulous, and the venue really lent itself to that awesome intimate atmosphere that makes the experience that much more. There was a bar right inside the theatre, and places where people had tables to sit at (but we were near the front ... chairs only there).

The dynamic in Saskatoon, with the much more intimate environment and bar RIGHT inside the theatre, was a bit more on the heckler side of audience participation. People definitely added their two cents to the Rollins spiel as Henry motored along ... was great from the perspective that it made it that much more intimate, but not sure that I loved hearing people heckle. We were there to hear Henry, not some drunk dude down the aisle from us ... but ... I guess he paid for his ticket just like everyone else. The other times I've seen Rollins, the audience was in a much more adoring, reverential place ... maybe it was just different to see another type of dynamic going on.

Either way, we loved it. When we got home, the Henry Rollins show was on TV too ... so it was like Henry followed us home! Ahhahahaaha.

And so, in closing, here are a few videos for your viewing pleasure:

Henry on the Hour, with my George - safe for work:


AND ... here's the most PC video I could find of his spoken word from a few years ago ... gives you a real taste of what it's like (I think it's swear-word free - safe for work), but I urge you to youtube the Rollins yourself and find some of his really funny bits.

For Dad and Julie

Check out this Precedent post:

Winnie the Pooh v. Republic of Macedonia

Also ...

... I know that I have to clean up the links on my sidebar again.

Looks like we've lost a few law student bloggers again.

Will do when I have time ... if anyone has a law student blog, or reads a really great one, leave me a link in the comments, and I'll make sure to add it.

So ... I find Myself ...

... heading for the busy period.

One of the goals of this blog was to document what law school is "really" like. This semester, law school has been a bit of a treat. With two seminars (which at the U of S are classes where we write papers instead of tests), my class time has been much less than usual, and it's been a different kind of thinking for me. Also - my tax class was accelerated, due to a prof that is now on leave, and so my tax classes finished in February.

This means that since the beginning of March, I've had one class a day (mind you, they're 1 1/2 - 2 hour classes), except Mondays where I have a 1 1/2 hour class and a 3 hour evening class. I've been using my time to stay ahead with my readings, to work on various extra-curriculars (volunteering, LSA website, etc.), on one paper that I've already handed in, and to make sure that my job application materials are up to snuff for the blitz of articling applications that are going to be happening in May (had an appointment with our Career Services Officer, which was awesome and totally recommended).

So ... now that it is March 17th (Happy St. Patrick's Day!), I realize that I have the following left on my plate:

• Group Presentation today at 2:00 in Professional Responsibility (the prep for this is done, the run through is going on this AM, so I'm in good shape for this - DID I MENTION that I did it all in Flash? With MORPHING? Yeah ... it pretty much rocks).
• 10 Page paper re: above ProRes presentation (have not started yet, but shouldn't be hard to crank out since I've sorted through this material a few times now)
• Tax final exam Saturday March 22 (haven't begun to prepare yet, but I stayed up to date with readings ... this week will be preparation week)
• Minor paper for Gender and the Law - 15 pages - Due April 1st (haven't started this yet, or picked a topic, but am aiming to have a topic picked by tomorrow - have talked to prof about this, and have a few directions to look in, so it's not a stab in the dark ... just a squint into dimness)
• Major paper for Natural Resources - 35 - 50 pages - Due April 3rd (have outline done, have done much thinking about, just need to begin to REALLY hammer it out, expect to begin this week, and finish next week after tax final)
• Long Presentation of major paper topic for Natural Resources - 30 minutes - April 3rd (should be no problem)
• Professional Responsibility final exam - April 7th
• Oil & Gas Final - 24 hour take home final exam to be completed anytime over the exam period - I'm hoping to do it either April 10th or 11th ... but we'll see what kind of shape I'm in.
  

So ... 2 presentations, 3 papers, and 3 final exams until freedom for the summer.

Yikes.

Interesting thing, though. I'm not stressed yet. I think this is more than doable.

Tip to anyone doing seminars in the future - stay away from reading people's facebook status lines that say how many pages of their major papers they've completed - this can induce meltdowns until a reality check is performed.

Should be interesting in any case. Must be organized (especially as I have a few fun events coming up soon ... more on those as they transpire).

Ooooh ...

I just got my official id # for the Alberta matching program for articling applications, so I'm ready to start applying! Many firms participate in this process, which is outlined at the site below:

http://www.natmatch.com/albart/

I Don't Know How These Weeks Go By So Fast

... well, I guess I do. It's been busy.

The weekend was the Jessup gala party, which was pretty fancy and pretty neat.

Monday was evening class, Tuesday was my polygamy discussion in Gender (where I had to lead discussion for half the class) and my FIL came to stay. He and Jason are working on our basement, so it's been great having him here. Today I've got class and a bunch of meetings.

Also - nominations for the LSA elections next week are in. I'm the only contender for Publicity Director which, of course, means I'm in (will be officially declared next week). Awesome. I even had some sweet posters planned, but now I'll hug a tree and not worry about it.

BUT - just so my work was worth something ... check it out:


Anyway, better posts are coming when I'm a teensy bit less hectic - I swear!

So ... I'm Running For Office

LSA Office, that is. I'm going to run for the LSA Publicity Director position, which has just been amended to include the Web Admin responsibilities that I've had on my plate for the last school year. This way, I'd ACTUALLY be part of the LSA, and would feel a lot better about taking a few liberties with the website (and would be able to work on it over the summer).

So ... I'm trying to design posters for my "campaign". AHAHAHAHA. I feel SO SUPER CHEESY, which actually makes it pretty fun. I'm going to let the cheese flow like Velveeta! Hopefully people GET the cheese factor when they see them ... oh well ... even if they don't ... the result should still be funny.

Did my Jessup volunteering this morning. We're so lucky that the Jessup is being held in Saskatoon this year, volunteering for a moot like this is such an AMAZING way to be involved without having to commit to being on the team. I can't BELIEVE what a well-oiled machine that Jessup organizational team is. They've really got it down to a science, and they're all so nice, even while dealing with minor emergencies. I believe that they DON'T GET PAID to organize this all, and with the amount of work they put in, I find that to be a STAGGERING FACT.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the Jessup as it unfolds over the next few days. Will keep everyone posted (plan on wearing my NY shoes for the first time tomorrow - EXCITING).

Awesome Weekend in Calgary

What a whirlwind of a trip.

I had a minor (well ... I'll be honest ... major) anxiety attack on our way to Calgary on Friday morning. The highway between Saskatoon and Rosetown was so bad that I went into meltdown mode. Luckily, the Hubster is a cool-headed driving pro, and wasn't too distracted by my panic-attack gesticulations.

Once we got to C-Town, it was a whirlwind (a glorious, glorious whirlwind).

Sigh. Got to see a dear friend of mine (known her since Junior High School) get married on Friday. She was the most radiant bride ever, and it was such a thrill to be part of her day.

Jason and I got to spend time with my Family, get a bunch of errands done, and grab a pint with some friends at the Wildwood.

The drive home was much less eventful than the ride out there, and so we arrived back home safe and sound.

Now, to get back into school mode ... again.

Our Tax classes have ended, so it's time to prepare for the March 22nd exam. I have another Gender assignment that just came out, my Natural Resources long paper presentation is at the end of the month, and I have a Professional Responsibility group assignment unfolding in the next few weeks. Also - volunteering for the Jessup this week, so I'm shaping up to be a busy woman. Exciting, since that's generally the way I like to be. Have also had a few CLS appointments, which have kept my partner and I hopping. Exciting indeed.

Hard Getting Back into the Swing

Especially when it feels like I'm finally on the downswing. Things are going to be wrapping up quickly around here which makes me realize that:

1. I need to be serious about getting a summer job (I've started a few balls rolling, but need to hammer them down), and
2. I need to be serious about getting an articling job.

Sigh.

And just when the weather is starting to get nice enough that I want to go outside again ... and do stuff.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

I'm Back Baby!

And what an adventure it was.

5 airports, 3 hotels, 1 pair of shoes, and too-many-coffees-to-count later, I'm back in Saskatoon.

Ah New York. How I love you. You and I, we have a shy romance, don't we. I know, it's tough when we only see each other every few years. Maybe one day our romance will blossom into something more. In the meantime, I'll recount the fun that we had as best as I can remember (I know I'll leave some of the details out ... but what can you do?).

(Word of warning, though, some of the links on this site link to pages with some crazy sound ... if no sound is desired ... HIT MUTE NOW ... or don't follow any links.)

February 15th (a week ago Friday) I flew from the Saskatoon Airport (airport 1) to the Edmonton International Airport (airport 2 - realizing that I had NEVER flown INTO or OUT OF the Edmonton International Airport ... 1st time for me). I was greeted by a surprise visit from my Father-in-Law (FIL, who I thought was still working). My Mother-in-Law (MIL), FIL, my Sister-in-Law (SIL) and I hit up Moxies for dinner, and then collapsed into beds at hotel 1 (can't remember the name).

February 16th my FIL dropped my MIL, SIL and I off (bright and early) at the Edmonton International Airport to catch our flight to the Ottawa International Airport (airport 3). Last time I'd been there was 12 years ago. Wow. After a short 1 hour layover and a crazy last minute lunch purchase, we hopped onto a plane to hit airport 4 - LaGuardia Airport (airport 4).

We arrived, seamlessly found our car, and were whisked away to hotel 2 - the Mariott's Residence Inn - Times Square. We were perfectly situated on the Avenue of the Americas and 39th Street. That night we cruised around Times Square, and ate at Chevy's. I think this was the night that we later discovered what would be deemed the best carrot cake in the world at a small patisserie on 8th Ave.

February 17th, Sunday morning, we hopped onto the subway and rumbled our way down to Chelsea. First things first, we hit up B&H, the biggest, craziest photography/video store I've ever seen. SIL is a professional photographer, and was like a kid in a candy store (although, anybody would be ... I must admit that I had to staunch the salivation just a little). We were all amazed at the sheer volume of activity that went on, the level of service (sales staff were always readily available and so knowledgeable), and the crazy organization that lived there. Among our purchases (and by our, I mean one of us that wasn't me, but by being an in-law, I live through the purchase ... therefore ... "our" purchase) was the iPod touch - like the iPhone, but without the phone. So gorgeous, so jealous.

There was a wickedly chilly wind blowing, so we hopped into the Chelsea Market to find some grub, and came upon 202. This is where we discovered, at the suggestion of our fabulous waiter, the amazing french toast that is too good to describe, so here's a picture:





Yum. We browsed our way through the market, and ended up walking down into the Greenwich Village area where we browsed our way back to Chelsea, and hit up some shops including MXYPLYZYK, and Shoegasm where I purchased the gorgeous shoes below:





After all that crazy walking (with SIL being pregnant too - what a super-trooper), we wandered over to Carmine's for dinner. We sat at the bar to spend the 1 1/2 hour wait for a table over wine and a to-die-for appetizer called Spiedini, and watched the theatre crowd come and go. When our table was ready, we went for a 4-pasta special which was enough to feed a small army, but was yummy nonetheless.

After all that food and wine, it was lights out for these chicas.

February 18th, Monday, was President's day down in the States. We hopped on the subway and crossed over to Brooklyn, where we got to see our Cousins-in-Law; MIL's nephew, his wife, and their new baby girl - SOOOOOO cute (we also got to visit with new baby's G-parents who were visiting at the time). They were the ultimate hosts, and even treated us to an amazing brunch. We were so spoiled, and it was so great to see their wonderful home, and all of the loving care and hard work that went into the new nursery.

After our visit, we hopped back onto the subway and jumped off at SoHo where we shopped our way through to a french bistro late lunch on a patio to people watch. We hit up shops like Giggle, Barney's Co-Op, Bloomingdale's, and more (I think we even wandered into a Burberry store, just because we could). When we were in the Lucky Kid shop, we saw what appeared to be an Adidas commercial being filmed just around the corner, which was kinda neat.

After we finished up SoHo, we were DONE LIKE DINNER, and basically flopped ourselves into a fast slumber once we got back to the hotel.

February 19th we made our way downtown to the Financial District. We stopped by the World Trade Center site. It was neat to compare the construction progress that has been made as compared with my trip about 3 years ago. We then hopped across the street and spent a crazy amount of time in Century 21 department store. This store resembled chaos, but it was chaos filled with desirable products for super cheap. It was a mecca of fashion steals, and we went to town. I even tried on a pair of Victoria Beckham jeans, but they didn't fit JUST RIGHT. It would have (in the illustrious words of Lainey) "made my life" to own a pair of VBs.

After a marathon shopping stint in C21, we walked towards Fulton Street, and ducked into a great diner for lunch, I THINK it was the Pearl Street Diner. It was greasy, had super service, and had the busy atmosphere that makes you giggle just a little. We explored the Fulton area, and we checked out the South Street Seaport area, browsed some shops, and then made our way back to the subway.

For dinner we dined at Shun Lee's Palace, which was good, but we wouldn't say GREAT in terms of the food. The atmosphere, service, etc. were all stellar though.

February 20th was MoMA in the morning. I got to see Andy Warhol's soup cans. It was awesome:





Makes me realize that I'd love to learn a little more about art. Ahhh ... so much to learn when life is so short ... how to decide!??!?! The ongoing Lisa debate.

Wednesday lunch was at the Red Lobster, grabbed a quick lobster bisque (which gave my tongue the tinglies in a scary allergic-y kind of way - weird, hunh?), and then hit the LION KING on Broadway. Wow. That's all I have to say about that. Wow. The music, of course, was fantastic, but the costumes. THE COSTUMES. The costumes were incredible. Unlike anything I've ever seen. Spectacular. The sets were kept relatively simple, and the music and the costuming took center stage. Sigh.

After the Lion King, we wandered our way over to the Empire State Building, and dined at the Heartland Brewery at the base. We made our way up the ESB for a nighttime view of the city. What was CRAZY was that there was NO LINE-UP. When Jason and I hit the ESB in 2005, there was a crazy line-up that spanned about 3 floors of the building, in and out, winding all around. This time ... nada. It felt like we were VIPs. I didn't have my camera on hand, but here's a shot from the top that I took in January in 2005.





We got to listen to the audio tour this time, which was pretty neat, and something I'd definitely recommend.

February 21st was a spa day at Bliss. We got ourselves to the Bliss SoHo location right on time for our pedicure (MIL), maternity massage (SIL), and deluxe scrub (yours truly). I had first heard about Bliss by reading a Calgary Herald article about founder Marcia Kilgore's Albertan roots. After reading THIS Maclean's article, I see that she even has Outlook SK roots (as does my Dad's side of the family). So ... of course, I must support, I have no choice, you see.

The scrub was heavenly. HEAVENLY. Sigh. Just thinking about it makes me happy. I, of course, stocked up on my favourite Bliss products (which I only buy when I'm at a Bliss Spa - you can buy at Sephora, but I find it to be more expensive in-store): bliss hot salt scrub, bliss lemon+sage soapy sap, bliss lemon+sage body butter, and I bought the on-sale limited edition snow wonder body butter to try out. (I was introduced to the lemon+sage awesomeness of bliss during my 2005 trip - but more about that later).

After the luxurious spa treatments, we dazedly wandered down to Balthazar for lunch. We had been having uncanny good luck at picking spots to eat so far, and this random pick didn't disappoint. The food was incroyable ... and after our waiter presented us with dessert menus, as though it was a foregone conclusion that we must try one of their little slices of heaven, we decided to try two desserts to share; the Crème Brûlée and the Lemon Mille-Feuille. While we had already sampled the best carrot-cake in the world ... I think it is safe to say that these desserts were the real dessert highlight of our trip. Ah ... just imagining the melting on the tongue ... heavenly.

After more shop browsing, we found ourselves busting up to the upper west side to spy on Tom's Restaurant ... the REAL Monk's Cafe from Seinfeld.







Here we ordered coffee and rice pudding (to meet the minimum purchase requirement - just to say we did, we were all still stuffed from Balthazar), and had the craziest service experience. An older lady with an accent (I'm not sure which language the accent was from) grumbled and mumbled her way through serving us ... it was comical how bad she was - but after reading THIS review - seems that that's part of the whole "experience" ... I love it!

Lastly, we checked out St. Patrick's cathedral at night, and then zipped down to Grimaldi's in Brooklyn for a unique and must-have pizza experience. Again, didn't have my camera, but here's a 2005 pic:





The pizza was awesome, the staff were so engaging, and Grimaldi's didn't disappoint (I wonder if it ever does).

February 22nd we decided to hit up our food favourites on the last day we'd be in town. We went back to 202 in Chelsea for the french toast experience. Then we motored on up to 5th Ave to do that strip, including St. Patrick's Cathedral in the daytime. We saw Tiffany's, F.A.O. Schwarz, Bergdorf Goodman, Central Park ... all those goodies. We grabbed a brief lunch at the Europa Cafe, and then went to check out the Waldorf=Astoria ... and ... the W Hotel where Jason and I got engaged (awwww .... insert sighs of reminiscing right here). It was here that I was first introduced to the lemon+sage awesomeness of bliss ... the mini-bottles of shampoo etc. that are provided as room amenities are bliss products! How could I not LOVE this hotel!

After this trip down memory lane, we wrapped up our day with another amazing meal at Carmine's. This time we had cesar salad and the chicken parmesan ... and we only had about a half hour wait ... much shorter this time. We also tipped off our stay with a wonderful cheescake there.

February 23rd we hopped back into a car and were driven back to LaGuardia airport, where we flew to Toronto's Pearson International Airport (airport 5), where we had to clear customs. With a perfect 2 hour layover (any shorter and it would have been a dicey connection, any longer and we'd have gone a little crazy), we all decided that Ottawa's airport is WAAAAAY better than Pearson (less confusing, a little friendlier ... etc). With that, we jumped back onto a plane and flew back to Edmonton. SIL's Hubby and her kidlings were there to greet her at the airport (cute), and FIL was there too. It was a happy reunion. MIL, FIL, and I checked into hotel 3 and hit the sac pretty quick (SOOOO TIRED).

February 24th I had a great breakkie with FIL and MIL, and then they dropped me off at the airport for my short flight back to Saskatoon where Jason was waiting for me in the airport (sigh).

And so ... my brief 2008 fling with NYC was over. BUT ... I know I'll be back. The question is only ... when.

Relevant Information For Me

The Weather Network

Seems too good to be true!

Writer's Strike Officially Over

Tuesday Morning Reading

Fight the overzealous marketing ploy that has become Valentine's day, but if you can't ... ditch the gift for a poem.

Property class meets Civil Procedure.

Professional Responsibility in Florida.

Galileo makes the news.

Another Simpson's writer/Executive Producer knows exactly how I feel. Exactly.

Looking for A Free and Fabulous Wednesday Night?

Go see the lunar eclipse at the U of S observatory on Wed. February 20th!

Here's the Star Phoenix Article:

The public is invited by the University of Saskatchewan to take part in a viewing of the lunar eclipse, which will take place the night of Feb. 20.

The U of S observatory will be open for viewing of the total eclipse from 7:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m.

This is the first of two lunar eclipses in 2008, and the only total lunar eclipse until 2010. The planet Saturn and bright star Regulus, not usually visible from earth, will be near the moon during the eclipse.

The eclipse begins at 7:43 p.m. and ends at 11:09 p.m.

Admission to the event is free. Call 966-6429 for more details.

Well ... No Monday Incident, Must be a Good Sign

My Monday is turning out better than my Friday did ... so we're heading in the right direction.

Got TONS of work done over the weekend, so I'm feeling pretty good about myself. Especially in light of the fact that I WENT TO CLASS today, even when I didn't especially want to leave the house.

Luckily, it has warmed up a smidge here in Saskatoon, which makes my whole life better. The garage door even worked for me.

As for my house ... still not too clean, but I did tackle the kitchen. Kitchen is spotless. One room at a time, right?

Now ... must finish preparing for Oil & Gas class tonight. And figure out what to make for dinner ... hmmmmm ....

Useful Link for Paper Writing

This seems about right:

Writing a College Paper

Found Another 2008 Follies Video

I LOVED this one ... it is so funny.

On the Amusing Side of Things ...

... thanks to the GoFugYourself girls, I stumbled upon this:

Planet Unicorn.

Watch - it's awesome, I promise. Can't get the theme song outta my head.

I Woke Up Tired This Morning

Why? A bit of a headache from the temperature fluctuations outside, I think, coupled with the need I felt at 12:00 last night to stay up and watch Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (what was I thinking). And ... maybe a bit of a cold coming on.

Anyhoo - here are a few things that're rattling around in my brain right now. These are what I blame this morning's incident on (see below for the incident).

• I have a major paper outline 10 minute presentation to give next Thursday (the outline is MOSLTLY done, just needs some tweaking, and needs to be submitted to prof).
• I have a Gender and the Law paper due next Friday (which is this weekend's mandate).
• I have a hair appointment this afternoon (which is so long overdue it's crazy, seriously).
• I've been running around trying to get ready for reading break, which has meant taking care of a lot of administrative details (which, generally, are the bane of my existence).
• My house is a disaster area. I need to clean it. I don't want to and I don't really have time to right now ... so it's been a struggle and weighing heavily on my mind (especially because I don't want to clean it).
  

All of these factors in addition to the regular ol' grindstone, and things like THIS start happening to people:

FRIDAY MORNING INCIDENT:
- Last night, I set my alarm for 7:00 AM, as per usual.
- The alarm went off at 7:00, I turned on the radio to listen to the news.
- When I opened my eyes again (keep in mind, from my perspective, I've been awake and listening to the news for about 10 minutes) it's 8:15. Wow ... lost an hour of my life dozing to the news on the radio.
- Got up, got showered/dressed, ate breakfast.
- Checked the computer for any updated notes from today's prof.
- Thought about hair appointment I have scheduled for 2:30, which is AFTER my 2 hour class.
- Thought about making coffee, but decided I was running late (this is at 9:30), so decided to stop at the Timmy's drive-thru and pick some up on the way to class.
- Got in the car, picked up my Timmy's, drove to school.
- When I was looking for a parking meter, I was trying to think about how much change I'd need when it dawned on me that my class is at 12:00 NOON, not at 10:00 AM. Wow. I'm 2 hours early unintentionally. AND ... I'd thought repeatedly about how my hair appointment was AFTER class and was at 2:30.
- Drove home.
- Garage door wouldn't open (does this in the cold). Cursed the cold, and cursed my sister Julie for being in Cuba right now (how dare she go when I'm stuck in cold Saskatchewan).
- Gave up and parked in the front (didn't even try the manual garage door open dance that I usually try).

So ... I'm already impressed with myself today. The coffee hasn't quite kicked in yet, and I'm still feeling super fuzzy.

Oh well. I guess a dress rehearsal never hurt anyone. Now ... I've had my coffee, and I should be able to get to class without feeling like I'm running a little late.

Sigh.

I'm Afraid to Promenade

On Sunday afternoon I made a quick run to the local grocery store on foot. Unfortunately for me, when I was crossing the street, it was so icy that my feel literally flew out from under me and I landed on my right hip. Ouch. Luckily it was on the way there, so there weren't any FLYING GROCERY dramatics.

Yesterday while walking home from the bus-stop, I was crossing another street which was also slippery. Taking caution not to lose my footing again, I was SCARED OUT OF MY TREE when an older lady in an '80s Crown Vic turned left ALMOST INTO ME ... her car literally could have bumped my ass if I had paused for a second with my last stride. If I'd been facing the right direction, I would have been able to touch her car.

Made me think. Had I slipped yesterday and not Sunday, I'd have been toast. So ... I guess I'm thankful that my right hip is killing me?

Also - I'm rereading my Princessa Book (Machiavelli for Women) by Harriet Rubin. In light of all the reading I've been doing for Gender and the Law, I want to see if I feel differently when I read it this time.

Follies Weekend

Friday night I volunteered for Legal Follies, and on Saturday night J and I went to the show and the afterparty. With an amazing crew working like dogs behind the scenes, the show was well put together, and showcased some of the most amazing talent here at the law school. From musical performances to performance of skits that were written by law students themselves, it was an awesome night to appreciate my fellow students in a whole new way.

Here's one of the pieces I found that has already made its way onto youtube.






Oh - and that lecture that was held on Friday, I WANT THAT BOOK now ... although I'll probably see if I can get it from the U of S library ... reading material for reading break maybe.

Bar Codes
Women in the Legal Profession
BY: Jean McKenzie Leiper

TGIF

Well, another week down ... and everything has been chugging along.

I have an assignment in Gender and the Law which is due on February 15th, so I've got to get a move-on with that one.

I'm working on my Coalbed Methane paper outline, which has taken up some time.

I've been reading for my classes (novel concept, I know).

I've been missing my laptop for purely "I like to sit infront of the TV and surf the internet" reasons ... but frankly I haven't been sitting infront of the TV that much anyway ... so it's not a big deal. And ... Jason has one ... so it's more like "we both like to sit infront of the TV and surf the internet at the same time" reasons, which sounds excessive and silly, so forget I ever said anything.

I've been meaning to upload a couple of new CDs to my i-pod, haven't done it yet.

I found my camera cord (M&D - it was here the whole time).

The whole Law School is gearing up for Legal Follies which is tonight and tomorrow night, so it's been a different kind of stressful/excited atmosphere around there.

To get ready for Follies, here's a sneaky peaky at some of the videos from last year's show:

Aurgh ... Only Gender and the Law Would Entice Me ...

... to leave my house with this going on outside:


... now ... where are my long john's again?

Word of the Day

I've been reading "Difference and Dominance: On Sex Discrimination [1984]" by Catharine A. MacKinnon for my Gender and the Law class.

Here's a word I had to ironically look up:

obfuscatingly

Tuesday Morning Reads

Interesting bit on fraudulent power of attorneys in real estate transactions over at Law Times.

When do you plan on retiring?

For those of us thinking about articling, Law, Eh? Canadian Law School's bit about The Average Law Student ... After Law School is a little bit comforting.

Simpson's writer and executive producer Tim Long blogs at Vanity Fair about the Collective Anger Quota ... hits a chord for me ... you?

I've been waiting to trade some CAN currency for US ... looks like it's about that time.

Yikes ... didn't know breast size could be a sign of risk ...

Free LAW Lecture!

If you can make it - you should go!

This was an announcement sent out over PAWS:

Jean McKenzie Leiper, Ph.D will speak on her book:

Bar Codes: Women in the Legal Profession

Friday, February 1, 2008
10:00 to 11:30 am
Room 1008 Arts

Jean McKenzie Leiper (Professor Emerita, Department of Sociology, King's University College at The University of Western Ontario) examines women lawyers' attempts to reconcile their professional obligations with other aspects of their lives. It charts the life courses of women who constitute the first wave in a profession designed for and by men and in which formal codes of conduct and subtle cultural norms promote masculine values. She analyzes women's encounters with this culture and raises questions about the stresses common to many Canadian women.

Sponsored by:
Department of Women's and Gender Studies
Humanities Research Unit
College of Law

In the Name of the Budget!

I'm looking to compile a list of budget friendly specials/deals about town for food and entertainment (this proved remarkably hard to find by simple Internet searching).

So ... here's the start of my list (I'll be adding to it all the time, so I guess I'll put a link on my sidbar). I'm hoping that people will jump in here with suggestions/known deals etc. Saskatoon is supposed to have a crazy restaurant-to-person ratio ... so let's find those CHEAP EATS IN TOON TOWN!!


Mondays:

Yard and Flagon: Pub burger night, burger and a beer for $4.99.

Tuesdays:

Yard and Flagon: wing night

Wednesdays:

Aroma Mediterranean Resto Bar in the Radisson Hotel: Half-price pizza and selected pints at $3.50.

It's Coming ...

... last night in Natural Resources we had guest speaker Monique Wismer come in to speak about climate change and carbon credit trading.

Ms. Wismer gave a GREAT overview of something incredibly complex and technical to fairly non-technical people, and was an engaging speaker.

It was so interesting to have the perspective of a REAL SCIENTIST, as opposed to the political activists (I could write a lot about fear mongering for ulterior motives ... but we'll leave that for another day).

Looking at real data, you can see how greenhouse gasses (did you know water vapour is considered a greenhouse gas - I didn't ...) have risen exponentially since the industrial revolution ... a lot more so than the historically expected rise due to the cyclical patterns that exist on this planet (~ a 100K year cycle from ice-age to ice-age ... is what I gathered from the presentation last night ...).

This info isn't highly controversial ... so from what I gather, the controversial bit is what this actually MEANS. It seems that MOST scientists worry about this increased rate itself, while there is the worry out there that if the pattern deviates too greatly, we could actually break the cycle and not GET to our next ice-age. The hugeness of that seems crazy.

So ... as one of my classmates put forward in discussion ... what we need is for some genius to invent some radical technology to fix this. Any takers?

As for the carbon credit trading overview - I had no idea that there were separate markets for this stuff (maybe I've had my head in the sand?).

The policy and decision making that Canada is involved in RIGHT NOW is so neat to be able to watch ... this is governing in action with real repercussions! Talk about an administrative nightmare.

Gave me a little to think about regarding the major paper that I'm going to do on coal bed methane - WHICH I have to do an outline and pick a thesis for ... ah ... the to do list is starting to grow ... I'm not gonna lie ... I kind of love it.

I'll tell you, though, having evening classes is sure changing the dynamic of my life. Not in a bad way ... just a very different pace.

Feeling Less Blue ...

... which is nice.

I'm REALLY enjoying my Gender and the Law seminar on Tuesdays. It's an entirely different kind of thinking ... the type of thinking that I imagine I'd have used had I done classes in sociology before (which I always wish I had). It's so engaging and interesting, and it's neat to apply an academic structure to concepts that have always seemed intuitive for me. Aurgh. I love it.

Also ... I hesitate to admit this ... but I am really liking Tax so far. I know! It's something that you'd picture being a little dry, non? But ... I'm really liking it. I think it's neat that it's so relevant (i.e. applicable to ME PERSONALLY), but also that it really is a statement about Canadian values and policy making. When we are looking at things and our Prof tells us that this is as in depth as we go - any further analysis is for Tax II (the next class - I'm in Tax I), I get frustrated because I want to know NOW!

I think I'm going to take Tax II for sure next year, and I hope they offer the Tax Policy seminar ... I think that'd be so interesting.

As for summer job offers ... feel pity for me because I didn't get any. Luckily, I'm the kind of girl that appreciates the process, and I really am so thankful for getting to know people at each of the firms that I interviewed with, and getting to learn a little bit about firm culture. This in light of the fact that soon I'll be needing to make decisions about where to apply for articling, and so any information I can get is invaluable. I believe that everything happens for a reason (I know ... cliche, but I think it's true), so I'm happy for those that got job offers, and I'm already looking for the next opportunity that comes along ... wherever that may be.

And ... last but not least ... a friend from school showed me the most hilarious blog/zine ever:

http://www.thesneeze.com

I urge you to check out the Steve Don't Eat It section ... but not right before you plan on eating ... or even remotely NEAR ANYTIME you plan on eating.

Feeling a Little Mopey and I'm Blaming it On ...

... Blue Monday being today.

Seems about right.

On the bright side, doing my readings for Oil & Gas tonight have really put me in the mood for my Natural Resources major paper ... got a bit of an enthusiasm rush thinking about the principles in Borys as applied to Coal Bed Methane.

Yikes.

I need to clean my house.

Busy Weekend - Lots of Fun

Well, after a long stretch of quiet relaxing ... it looks like our hectic lives are back on.

Friday night Jason and I went to the poker and beer night fundraiser that was hosted by the Legal Follies team. It was held upstairs at Maguires, and I think they raised tons of cash for the Legal Follies event, which is awesome. We didn't partake in the poker, but we did partake in the $10 for unlimited beer (yikes).

Saturday night, we had a function at the Saskatoon Club. It was a nice dinner, and it was great to get back inside that building, which always seems to be a little mysterious from the outside for some reason!

Tonight, I went to curl with my intramurals team. Ahahahah. I know ... I'm pretty bad, but I have a pretty good time, so it all evens out in the end. It's nice that the games are back on ... we really didn't get many in last semester due to the CUPE strike, so I'm glad that I'll get a bit more of a taste this semester. I even got a few past the hog line - and a few somewhere in the area of where my skip wanted them. So ... seems like each time I play, I get better - although - I only have a decent chance at a shot when I don't worry about staying upright ... so usually I end up sprawled across the ice - it's a sight to see.

This week is shaping up to be pretty busy too ... which is awesome. Now ... we just have to find our X-Country skis, and we'll be set.

Hilarious!

My cousin posted this link on his Facebook account - had to share - HILARIOUS!

I'm Very Proud

Jason and I hit the gym last night. Yup ... getting back on that horse. It's been far too long. Hopefully we'll be able to motivate each other ... I was finding it too hard to go alone.

If you see me on Saturday ... likely I won't be able to move my arms.

Yesterday didn't have any classes, just a brief meeting with my Natural Resources prof to go over my major paper topic.

I'm starting to realize that soon ... soon I'll have to have my affairs organized to get ready to apply for articling positions.

In Calgary (well, Alberta actually) there is a matching program which is run through National Matching Services. The stuff for 2009/10 articling isn't up yet, but looks like the end of February is when it will be.

One thing that is nice is that having gone through the summer job finding process already, my resume etc. are pretty up-to-date ... so that helps.

I'm going to have to book another meeting with our Career Services Officer, Terri Karpish ... Terri was so helpful when I had questions about summer job interviews ... so I'm definitely going to go get the low down for articling positions.

The Career Forum at school is coming up, too ... so that should help get me in the mood for articling job searching.

Found this on the SK CBA website - super interesting comparison of U of S Law Grads, comparing and contrasting experiences as students/lawyers in AB/SK.

Also - on the subject of jobs - Monday is when the job offers are supposed to be made for the on-campus-interviews (Calgary firms) that were held back in October.

I've Been Remiss in my Blogging, I Know

But ... I'm starting to feel the routine come together, which makes me happy.

The beginnings of semesters are always chaotic, and this one seems like the worst so far. We've finally gotten to move into our new building (hooray), and so I've been wandering around trying to figure out where the heck I'm going, while trying to figure out how to get my readings, and buy textbooks, and refill coffee ... whew ... it's been crazy. I have a locker again, though, which makes me so happy I could scream. Also - my new Timbuk2 Messenger Bag (pictured at the right) which was a Christmas gift from my Sis Julie, is making my everyday a joy in textbook hauling. I never knew a bag could make me so happy. Seriously. I'm spoiled. Also - it feels fitting since we first found out about Timbuk2 bags by watching the show Ed, where ED - the bowling alley lawyer - sported one.

I'm pretty excited about my semester, which seems to be shaping up to be a VERY different pace from last semester.

Luckily, I passed all my classes (heh heh), and even did FAR better in Bus Org than I thought I would. I have a lot of choice words about that, but we'll save those for another forum.

This semester, I've got Gender and the Law, Natural Resources Law (both of which are seminars requiring paper writing as opposed to test writing ... so that should be interesting considering it's been about 10 years since I wrote a paper), Tax Law, Professional Responsibility, and Oil & Gas Law. Pretty exciting.

I have 2 evening classes too, first time for that. Opens up a lot of my day, but hopefully that just means that I'll be cranking away on papers ASAP.

I've been following that CRAZY Linda Keen story (click here for the news story about her getting fired). It's an almost embarrassing story ... what with the publication of things like this. Makes you wonder what all the REAL back-stories are here.

I've been doing a lot of work on the web, as well, lately. I'm trying to keep up with the LSA web stuff, and I've been working on a friend's wedding website: http://www.WADEandCARRIE.com.

Also - I'm trying to not let my house reach disaster mode. It's coming close - which is scaring me ... but so far we've kept it JUST in check.

I've been fighting migraines too, for the last week. Weird, since I haven't gotten many since being in SK.

Anyhoo - I promise to be better at blogging ... mostly to myself, since I find it cathartic.

AAAAaaaaaaaaaand ..... I'm Back.

I know.

I haven't posted in forever.

Jason and I went home for Christmas, and I took my break very seriously. It was heavenly.

We spent Christmas near Edmonton with Jason's parents, and spend Joe's B-Day, Julie's B-Day and New Year's in Calgary.

We caught up with friends, watched Battlestar Gallactica (got season 1, 2, and 2.5 for Christmas - woo hoo), watched lots of movies, I crocheted, we went snowmobiling on Buck Lake, I got a manicure with my Mom (which is still holding up decently), played some awesome games (Apples to Apples is awesome, and we LOVE the new Cranium), we were spoiled, and we relaxed.

I'm still trying to clean up my house after getting home late last week, and trying to get myself in school mode since I've already begun classes.

Had tax on Friday, and today have Professional Responsibility and Oil & Gas ... sigh.

Time to detox from the chocolate too ... which is depressing.

Anyhoo - I'll catch up with a better post soon ... promise!

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Happy B-Day JULIE!

Happy Birthday Joey!

Done ...

... drunk (kinda) ... and about to undertake some Christmas baking.

It'll be a time. For sure.

Here's the News Piece About The Other Westjet Story

Dad miffed WestJet policy fails again
The National Post

I Have Many Buddies That Are Fans

... and not just fans ... SUPER fans! It was a pretty neat year to be in Saskatchewan for the Roughrider win of the Grey Cup ... and now, apparently, fans can buy a Rider Grey Cup fan ring ... to celebrate. Probably not in time for Christmas, though (but that's just me guessing).

Check out the Intergold website here for the fan jewelery. On the radio, they said that the gold fan ring runs about $1200, and the silver about $375.

Mitchell Blair (co-host of the Drew Remenda Sports Show) starts what looks to be the beginning of a great debate on the issue here at the News Talk 650 website:
Fans Don't Deserve Rings

The comments are already starting ... I'm hoping some of the über fans out there will leave their 2 cents ... everyone knows how I like a good debate!!!

I'm Proud of Alberta!

Alberta soccer approves hijabs for players
CBC News

Final Distraction Before Serious Studying

Came to this site via a link from the Freakonomics Blog ...

Lost Wallet Test, where wallets were dropped in front of hidden cameras to test people's honesty.

Good news ... people seem mostly honest! Yay - score one for those of us with positive outlooks on the world.

BUT - be wary of the data (as I always am with statistical experiments like this). MAKE SURE to read the comment on the Freakonomics link page, as it does talk about the misleading nature of some of the graphs.

Interesting, for sure. Seems like I would have liked to have taken some sociology classes in the undergraduate days. Shame.

On the Calgary Breakfast Show this Morning ...

... this headline caught my interest:

Westjet suspends their unaccompanied minor program
Joel Kom, Calgary Herald

This allegedly in the face of a situation with a girl in Montreal, but as I posted on my blog back in August, this isn't anywhere NEAR the first time this issue has plagued them, and this response may seem to many people to be too little too late. See the site below:

http://www.casemp.com/

Also -

- is it weird/embarrassing that I kind of want to see Alvin and the Chipmunks?

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.

Four Down ... One to Go

Wrote Wills today. Was a lot of writing. Hand is cramped. SOOOO TIRED. Thank goodness I have a break until my last exam - last one isn't until Thursday, so I'm taking a few days of respite.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooo needed.

Yup - More Shoes as a Distraction

On my way out the door to meet a classmate to go over a few things before the Wills test at 9:00, but check out these shoes at PiperLime:


Apparently, I'm hankering for a metallic shoe - who knew?