CE Dominates My Week

Today another CE is due. I'm almost finished it, just need a few details refined, and then I can submit my Wills CE. This is module 5 of 9. After this one, assuming I demonstrate competency (knock on wood), I'm more than halfway. Sigh. Sounds better than the 1/9 modules I reported back in November. Much, much better.

Exciting news for me - my kid STTN AGAIN last night. The first occurrence on Sunday night/Monday morning was glorious, but wasn't repeated again until LAST NIGHT! I think we're slowly developing a new pattern that may just make my life a little more rested. I'm so excited.

Last night really was the night for her to STTN, too, as I was up past midnight working on this CE (for the 2nd night in a row). Grrr ... when will we get more hours in the day? I just need a couple more, then I'd be able to crank through these CEs AND get my required sleep. Ah well. A couple of puffy-eyed days never hurt anybody ... I try and tell myself that people PAY to make their faces look as puffy as mine today, and I got mine for FREE ... mwoo ha ha ha ha.

Also doesn't hurt that it's ROLL UP THE RIM TIME! Woot woot! Makes me miss the good ol' days when I worked in Admitting. I remember drinking coffee with Jen (because you have to finish the beverage before rolling the rim, or it's unlucky), and then going through our routine of saying "Rrrrrrroll up the Rrrrrrim to win!", rolling our "r"s of course, and then rolling our rims. Feels like I used to win so many prizes back in the good ol' days.

Makes me miss the Timmy's at U of S, too. So many Timmy runs, so many roll-up the rim wins and losses. Sigh.

I have to say, though, that so far Roll up the Rim has been OK for me. I've rolled two coffees myself, with no wins, but I bought a co-worker a coffee, and she gave me the free coffee that she won on it. YAY! SO ... so far, so good. Maybe it's time to re-engage the Roll up the Rim to Win routine, maybe it will bring me more luck!

As for goals of the week, I'm happy to report that I am so far still on track.

I DID clean up my blog side-bar. The links that are now displayed should all be active. I haven't added any new ones yet, as there are a few more sites that I now frequent regularly, but that will have to be another week's goal.

I'm ALMOST done my CE for this week, so that goal will be taken care of.

My desk is about halfway organized ... I'm getting there.

Have not yet called the dentist or read up on fair use issues. These things will have to wait until my CE is over (today at 4 PM).

SO ... not doing too badly, all in all.


By the way, is anybody else still stuck in January? February went by so fast, I'm in shock that it is already March. Seriously, light speed. I can't believe that we're fast approaching the 1 year mark from when I finished law school. Seems like only yesterday (cue the reminiscing appropriate background music) ...

... anyhoo - back to work on my CE!

A Golden Sunday/Monday

For more reasons than one.

Yay for Canada breaking the gold medal count record for winter Olympics:
Canada's golden Games at CTV's Website

Also - just want to put it out there - my kid STTN (that stands for Slept Through the Night). It's a pretty big deal. We never did any sleep training, as I never had a point in time where I could sacrifice a week's worth of sleep in order to better our sleep situation (what with being a law student and articling student and all). She really only ever woke up twice a night on average, and was quick to put back to sleep. Coping wasn't that difficult.

BUT LAST NIGHT ... she STTN. I'm in shock, awe, and delight. She woke up so happy, and so did I. It may just be a fluke, but if so it's a hopeful fluke, and one that I will revel in for today.

As for the "Two Views" article (page 26 at this link), it was a great read. Both authors clearly know what they're talking about, and lay out the issues in an easy to understand way.

Overall, though, I must say that I agree with Michael Geist on this one. I argued essentially the same thing (i.e. the requirement for a principle based policy that can accommodate faster-than-the-speed-of-light advances in technology) in the major paper that I wrote for my Intellectual Property class Conceptualization of Intellectual Property in a Post-Industrial Era; Protecting Virtual Property in MMOGs).

What I like about this point of view is that it really forces us to rationalize and defend our motives, goals, and ideas about intellectual property. So much easier to say than to actually do, but something that I think is important and necessary.

This leads to the only thing that bothers me about Barry Sookmar's view, the way that he lays out as fact that IP law encourages innovation. This is a contentious point in academic circles, debated at length in various papers. To state that it is fact, without further discussion as to why this is true, or why he believes it to be true, discredits his point of view for me (notwithstanding that this is a brief article, which doesn't get into anything in too much detail). He is stating the popular point of view, but I need back-up and discourse. I'm not saying that I don't think it's true, I think that it is true in some cases, but I do NOT believe that it is always true.

Not sure how I feel about the Fair Use issues, though. Haven't read that much about them. Now that it is March 1st, perhaps that should be one of my weekly goals.

As for last weeks goals:

• blog sidebar clean-up
• finish CPLED LE
• send out at least 2 resumes
• try not to spend TOOOOO much time online shoe shopping for new good ol' trusty shoes that I can blitz around down-town in (sigh, the shoe industry was really not for me for a few years there, but now its' coming back around to styles that I'm coveting ... what is a girl to do?)
• maintain my new "reformed absentee blogger" status
• watch as much of the Olympics coverage as I can

I haven't cleaned up my blog sidebar yet, so that's a rollover goal. I somewhat finished my CPLED LE, I did send out 2 resumes, I didn't ponder shoes too much, I have been faithfully blogging, and I definitely got in some Olympics couch time.

So ... this week, a new list of goals:

• clean up blog side-bar (top of list, as this is a roll-over)
  
• read up on Fair Use issues with copyright
• finish my CE for this week (and do a GOOD JOB ... heh heh heh, I suppose this technically SHOULD be my first priority)
  
• make a dentist appointment (hee - been putting this one off)
• organize my desk at work, and try and actually IMPLEMENT the work flow that I have kind of started to get going

That last goal refers to my ongoing files. I have two file stands that sit beside my desk, I'm trying to use one for files that are waiting for some event (i.e. a return of a phone-call, response by correspondance of some kind, etc.), and the other for files that I have been assigned to do something on, but which I haven't yet touched. Hopefully, I can grab a file from the NEW FILES rack, process it, then either get it to where it is supposed to be, or put it on my WAITING rack. Just need to clear off all the files sitting on my desk that have been piling up. Ack.

Somewhat on track for weekly goals.

Ugh.

Well, I handed in an LE today, but it wasn't quite complete. Grrrr. Just ran out of time, unfortunately. I worked on it at home quite a bit, but I usually get enough time to finish up the details at work.

Unfortunately, my work week has been one of those weeks with MULTIPLE tiny little tasks that didn't really give me very much to wrap up the details that I needed time to wrap up.

Fortunately, this is only an LE (and therefore, not compulsory), and at least I handed in a first draft memo, and a skeleton of some will clauses that should at least garner some helpful feedback for me.

Also - the exercise of completing the LE is helpful in itself, and I did complete my thought process, just didn't have time to write all my thoughts out.

Oh well.

This week I have to work on the CE (compulsory), so I'll make sure that I have some time this weekend to take a good chunk out of it.

No news on the shoe front (I have been sticking to that goal).

Pretty excited about our Women's Hockey gold medal (woot woot).

Looking forward to reading the "Two Views" article in the current CBA National magazine where Michael Geist and Barry Sookman offer their POVs about Copyright Law. Too tired right now, though, I'm thinking over coffee in the morning. Saving it. Putting it next to the coffee maker so that it makes me smile before I get my morning brew.

It's a Happy Wednesday So Far

... ah ... the middle of the week.

I took my goals seriously today, and sent out two resumes this morning. I'm also working on CPLED right now, and rather than thinking about shoes, I'm thinking about cuff-links ... so I guess that's somewhat on track.

I'm wearing my star cuff-links today which were given to me by a friend quite a few years ago. I really don't wear them often enough (I guess, I really only have the one shirt that requires them). Must look into buying more cuff-link-able shirts, and more cuff-links. They're big red stars, which is fittings, as she's from Texas. Sigh. I miss my friends in far away places.

As for the rest of today, I've got stacks of files on my desk that I need to clear away in order to maintain my sanity, and two client meetings. It's a full one. I think I may try and find a lunch date, too, maybe to grab a quick bite of sushi ... hmmmmm.

I'm feeling rather energized, as the spud-let had a really good night last night. So nice. So much sleep. Don't feel like I NEED my coffee, but I will still drink it (because I love it so). Ah coffee - you and I have a long and vividly recorded love affair. I don't think we'll ever leave each other, we just like each other too darn much.

New Addition to My Sidebar

Hopefully anybody that hasn't given up on me as a blogger will notice a new addition to my sidebar.

Under the heading "Law Blogs", I've finally added a link to Slaw.

I have been a reader of Slaw for quite sometime, but with my rampant blog neglect which has been festering for quite some time, I never did get around to updating any of my links.

Hopefully, Simon Fodden realizes that I'm not breaking up with Slaw at all (heh):
http://www.slaw.ca/2010/02/23/blog-by-articling-student/

Now that I'm on a blog housekeeping roll, I'll have to make sure that all of my links are updated ... I'm pretty sure that some are no longer active. Look for a clean sidebar in the next week or so.


I've always been a fairly goal driven person, and so in addition to my blog housekeeping goal, I also need to get a few more resumes out this week. The sole practitioner that I'm articling with does not hire students back, and so I need to secure a job for September 1st. If anyone knows of an opening in a litigation or IP setting - make sure to leave a comment!

So ... goals for this week look like:

• blog sidebar clean-up
• finish CPLED LE
• send out at least 2 resumes
• try not to spend TOOOOO much time online shoe shopping for new good ol' trusty shoes that I can blitz around down-town in (sigh, the shoe industry was really not for me for a few years there, but now its' coming back around to styles that I'm coveting ... what is a girl to do?)
• maintain my new "reformed absentee blogger" status
• watch as much of the Olympics coverage as I can

That's not bad for this week. With next week bringing the beginning of a new month ... I'll have to come up with some more ambitious goals for then.

If You're Going to Article in Litigation ...

... make sure to have appropriate footwear.

Ha.

I've been lucky enough to lose all my baby weight, and I attribute it to many things, but one in particular is the amount of walking that I do as an articling student at a litigation practice.

Between jumping around down-town and from the office to the court-house and back again, I log a lot of walking time, which has been great for the slim-down process.

As for all my cute shoes that aren't exactly hiking shoes - they sit at the office and wait for me to return from my adventures in the good ol' trusty comfortable shoes.

My good ol' trusties are flat dress shoes that are actually made by Naturalizer, and they're on their last legs. I'm going to have to go shopping for a new pair of good ol' trusties, and I'm kind of nervous about the process. Finding cuteness mixed with comfort can be a daunting task, mix in the good deal factor, and I may have to spend a while on the prowl.

This week is swimming by so far. Other than my shoe ponderings, I've been busy drafting pleadings, sorting out medical charts, going through corporate minute books, and trying to work on CPLED.

I'm on the Wills and Estates module for CPLED right now. I LOVED wills class, very algorithmic, very logical, like puzzle solving. When I sat down to actually draft a will from scratch, I realized that I never actually had done one before. Took me awhile. This is why it is so good to actually DO all of the Learning Exercises. Now that I've got the one under my belt, in addition to the feedback that I received from my Learning Group Facilitator ("LGF"), the next one should be a lot less painful to crank out.

It seems like CPLED really is organized to help you to be successful, but you do have to do the work.

Interesting ...

... that JK Rowling is still dealing with copyright infringement claims:
Globe & Mail: Harry Potter author calls plagiarism claim ‘absurd'

AS IS George Lucas:
The Lawyers Weekly: Empire fails to strike back: Star Wars creator loses helmet appeal


IP Law is so interesting to me, but must be a bane to those with epic success.

So, I've Been Busy?

I've had some epic blogging pauses before, but I think this one may take the cake.

I'm still here.

I'm still articling.

I'm still loving it.

Why the humongous hiatus? In an acronym ... CPLED. I'm now finished 4 modules out of a total 9. I've had 2 of the in-class sessions (where we were assessed on a mock Chambers Application the first time, and on a client interview the second time), and 2 online modules that consist of written assignments (the Debtor-Creditor module, and the Real Estate module).

The online modules consist of a weekly assignment, optional learning exercises ("LE") that lead up to the compulsory competency evaluation ("CE") at the end of the unit.

Even though the LEs are optional, I've been doing them all. It's really been worth it when it comes to the CE, as much of your ground-work is done, and you can focus on doing a good job with the writing aspect.

So why the absence in blogging? I wouldn't say that the CPLED assignments are DIFFICULT, but they are time consuming. There is a lot of reading (if you do it all, which I do), and the CEs have many subtelties that sometimes take me awhile to flush out.

Over the past few months I have started quite a few draft posts, but just haven't had the time to finish them.

So ... hopefully I can check-in once in a while and do a better job. I really did want to relate how my articling experience was going, and give a flavour for what to expect.

I must admit, though, that it can be difficult. There are, of course, confidentiality issues to consider, and so I can't talk too much about work. There is a CPLED professional integrity policy, and so I can't talk too much about CPLED. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how to relate my experience without losing too much meaning through necessary vagueness.

Ah well.

In terms of my articling experience, my CPLED in-class time has been so enlightening. Being able to compare experiences with other articling students has really made me thankful for the position that I landed. I've been so hands-on, I've been able to see so many things, and I really do have confidence in what I'm doing (even when I don't know what I'm doing, I know that I can always SOMEHOW find an answer). I'm lucky that I have a principal who MENTORS. Hopefully, I can really take advantage of that resource while I still can. I'm about half-way through my articles now, so there's a light at the end of the tunnel (egads).

Busy, busy, busy.

Haven't had much time to update, but articling is swimming along.

I've been so lucky at this job. The hours are tremendous, I'm learning so much, and I'm feeling like everything is going to be OK (although, I could use a few more hours in the day everyday).

I started CPLED last week. I now have one "Competency Demonstrated" under my belt, for the Chambers application exercise. 1 down, 8 to go (sounds intimidating ... 8 to go ... may have to reconsider how I report that until I'm closer to half way).

I have much more to write about, but I just can't muster the energy right now. Fridays are so hard (even though Wednesday was a day off). I'll try and muster some energy tomorrow morning (i.e. my munchkin and I will go for a walk tomorrow morning and grab Mommy a Starbucks), and relate all of the exciting things that I have to tell you.

Feeling Bad For My Fellow U of S'ers That Are Still In School

U of S law students face first fee increase in five years @ Canadian Lawyer Magazine

Learning to Multi-Task - Again

First of all, where the heck did the last week go? Wow.

Long weekends ... sigh. Awesome. We entertained my sister who came to visit for the weekend, and got to make it out to the In-Laws for a visit and to do some awesomely-fun-muddy-quadding.

Back to work yesterday, though. Wasn't too bad. The new office coffee maker really helps out with the Monday-or-Tuesday-After-A-Long-Weekend-Blues. Mmmmm ... coffee.

This week, it seems that my lot in articling life is to re-learn the meaning of multi-task.

I swear, the Admitting Department at Foothills Hospital was wonderful training grounds for this Articling position. In Admitting, we had tons of things thrown at us all the time, where everything was a number one priority. We were put into extreme situations with extremely emotional people, and we were part of a very clear hierarchy, where orders and organization came through the proper channels.

Now, when I look at my desk at work, I'm always reminded of Admitting, and how I learned to keep my cool when there were important tasks piling up, with time running out.

Luckily, since I really have been EASED into the whole articling experience, there hasn't been an overwhelmed feeling of too much work, but I can see how lawyers really must perfect the fine dance of keeping on top of many files. I can see, as well, that my inefficient processes will hopefully soon be refined. As things become clearer, I'm more comfortable mixing tasks together ... today I had about three files open, and as I was waiting for something to come through for one file, I'd putter away at another, etc.

Ah ... the multi-task.

And now ... to bed. So. Tired. Good. Night.

Ah The Life of an Articling Student

It's like being a brand- new law student all over again, wandering around in a fog of confusion, except this time things sound vaguely familiar. I've had some amazing experiences so far, which makes me so thankful, yet again, for the job opportunity that I landed. I've drafted some actual court documents, I've written a real memo answering a question of law (hee), I've seen quite a few matters attended to at court, and I've even seen parts of a preliminary hearing ... all very exciting for someone that has never seen these things before.

By the end of the day, I'm exhausted. Just enough energy to properly tickle and bounce my daughter around, eat some dinner, wrestle her through her bath and bedtime routine, and then slunk into a stupor of chill for a couple of hours before wrestling myself to bed. Must work on the energy scenario. Sleeping at night would help, but I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch (teething has put a real CRAZY SPIN on our nights, waking up every hour on the hour hasn't been great, but the last few nights have been decent ... I'm sure it isn't a pattern yet, though, and I don't want to jinx it).

Anyhoo - with September 1st being today, it felt weird not preparing to go back to school. While I know that CPLED will be school-ish, my CPLED session doesn't start until November, so that still seems years away.

And now, to figure out a way to work on my law lingo ... so that I don't sound like a complete dunce when I'm let loose from the office. Ooooh - and must remember to make a dentist appointment (yay for having benefits again ... woot woot).

I'm Loving It

Articling, so far, has been great. My principal is really easing me in. I've been doing actual drafting of various court documents, I've used my Notary Seal, and I'm learning the ins and outs of the office - oh - and I'm also trying to soak up as many of the stories that my principal doles out as I can. He has an amazing memory, and is the best storyteller ever.

Got to have lunch today with a fellow U of S alum, which was very nice ... especially in a town where it feels like all the local law school peeps know each other, and I don't know any of them.

The heel is healing ... heh ... and I think the cute dress shoes will be back on the menu in no time.

As for the suit wearing, it's a far cry from the Lululemons that I'm so used to wearing. I still feel like I'm playing dress-up when I walk around downtown in the suit. Maybe one day I'll feel like it suits me ... ahahahha. Sorry, so tired.

I'm sitting in the loft, watching some crazy lightning outside, which is reflected in the office towers around our building ... pretty spectacular ... and trying to decide if 8:42 is too early to go to bed. Grrr.

I think I'll wait a bit longer. Don't want to wake up too early in the morning.

One Day Left in the First Week

I'm still feeling a little lost, and like I'm swimming in vagueness. Similar, amazingly enough, to how I felt at the beginning of law school. I figured out the law school thing, so I'm hoping that this too shall become more clear.

Amazingly, I'm looking back at my years working in Admitting in a hospital in Calgary with gratitude. My multi-tasking skills are coming to a forefront again, and while I'm being eased into the fold with a more than manageable stack of files, I can see how it all becomes a juggling act. ESPECIALLY when I look at my principal, a master juggler if I've ever seen one. Thank goodness for post-it notes, which I LURVE to use to organize files sitting on my desk.

Oh - and I am still LOOOOVVVVIIIINNNG my "I am not a paper cup". Best purchase ever. Starbucks lattes are so cheap in it! It's equivalent for a tall, so it's $2 and change. YIPPEEEEE!

Oh - AND I went to my first bar call ceremony today. They are still individual here in Alberta, and they're so personal and intimate. It was so special (although I didn't know the person being called to the bar ... I went with my fellow articling student who knew her), and I can't believe that just one year from now it will be me going through the same thing ... EEP!

Also, today is my baby's 8-MONTH birthday! Aurgh! She's such a big girl! I can't believe how much she can do now (stand up on her own, with support, thank you very much). The time has gone by so fast, and they grow so fast, and all that jazz.

Day 2 And ...

... my feet, accustomed to wearing flip-flops, Uggs, or sneakers everyday for the last ... oh ... 3 years, have begun to reject dress shoes already. I suppose it's my fault for putting my bare feet into the shoes, with nary a sock or nylon in sight, but I still can't believe that day 2 is already resulting in blisters.

I suppose my treks back and forth to the court house didn't help either. Yup ... got to sit in on some court action today. Made me feel like a real growed-up law student.

Also got the news today that I am officially a "Student-at-Law". My paperwork all cleared last week, and the Law Society is mailing my "Student-at-Law" card to me this week. Exciting. That means that I'm a Notary now. I have my notary seal, guess I better learn how to use it.

Did I mention the treat that I bought myself for my first day of articling? It thrills me in the mornings. The "I am not a paper cup.... " ceramic mug, which I picked up at Chapters:

I love it so much it hurts.

The First Day of Phase 2

I know.

Forever and a day.

But ... I'm back. With a looooooong story.

Today was the first day of my articling job. Thank goodness. The economy, it's not doing so great (did you hear, ha), and articling jobs have been less than plentiful. I've been super lucky to secure work at a general litigation practice. My principal appears to be hugely into mentoring, and has a vast array of experience and knowledge. I'm stoked. The $$$ isn't great, but the hours are incredible (9-5, Monday to Friday, generally) which is SOOOO IMPORTANT for me, so that I can spend as much time with my Husband and Daughter as possible.

Oh. Did I mention? I had a baby in my third year of law school. Ahahahahahahaha.

If you know me in real life, that is no shock to you, but if you know me only through my blog, I kept the baby news under wraps so as to secure articling work without any prejudice towards my new Mom status.

So ... back to April 2008, found out I was pregnant. Due date was December 29th. The blog enteries weren't plentiful during my first trimester, the three months of nausea that I endured. Sitting at the computer wasn't a great position for me, actually, only lying on the couch was, when I think back.

Came back to school with a little baby bump, and sat through my first semester behind a growing belly, and a mountain of healthy snacks to keep me going. Luckily, as a student, when I wasn't in class, I could be at home napping and studying. Made the final trimester a dream.

All of the Faculty at U of S were beyond supportive. My profs were great, always accomodating of the preggo in the room, asking about how my pregnancy was going, offering their own parenting stories. When it came time for exams, I was essentially 9 months pregnant, and operating on a very active bladder. I was able to secure exam accomodation, which meant that I could take up to an hour in bathroom breaks without penalty to my writing time. This was amazing considering that I did have to go to the bathroom, and that getting up to walk once every hour and a half was crucial to minimize the feet swelling that plagued the final stages of my pregnancy.

Previously, we had found out that the little spud was breech, and so we booked a c-section for December 20th, 3 days after my last final exam in the winter semester. I wrote my last exam on December 17th, flew home the next day (yup, Westjet will fly any pregnant woman with a Doctor's note), hung out the day after that while Jason drove home, and then Saturday morning, we booked it to the hospital to have our baby.

I had just about two weeks to recover, then we drove back to Saskatoon, with our baby in tow, as well as my Mom, and I went back to classes full time. My Mom stayed for a week, and was then replaced by my Mother-in-Law for 3 weeks, which meant for the first 6 weeks (crucial recovery time for a c-section), we had an extra set of loving hands to help with our little bundle'o'joy.

After that, the semester was a fog of going to class, hauling a breast-pump with me, and sleepless nights. My Husband was beyond supportive, and was home with the baby while I was at class and while I was studying.

I finished up the semester and even ended up getting more than decent grades.

So ... it can be done.

You can have a baby in law school. Having proper support in place, though, is crucial if not essential.

As for my articling job, with the baby on the way, and with previous experiences hob-nobbing with bigger firms, I had decided that the big firm way of life was not for me. I had been told that smaller firms frequently hired in April/May, and so when I finished school, I religiously tracked both the U of C (as an alumni, I have access), and the U of S career listings for articling jobs. There just really wasn't much coming up for this year, only jobs for next year. I began to send out resumes to law firms, with a cover letter, looking for work for this year. I'm sure I sent out close to 80 resumes (conservative estimate), with nary a positive response.

Panic set in.

Finally, in July, there was a posting on the U of S job board for an Articling job, but it wasn't in Calgary.

I applied. I got the position. We moved. Now I'm working, am totally grateful for the opportunity, and my Husband and baby are looking forward to exploring this new city and carving out a little niche for themselves here.

Whew.

Now that you're all caught up ... ahahahahahaha.

My first day was pretty awesome. I had so many questions and uncertainties flying around my head before I walked into the office this morning. What should I wear? What should I bring? What am I going to be expected to know? Do I look alert and awake enough (the baby decided to BARELY sleep last night)? They were all answered fairly quickly, and I was eased into the flow of the office. Hopefully it felt as natural to everyone else as it did to me. I'll be working with another articling student, which is awesome, so that I'll feel like I have a shoulder to cry on when I'm feeling overwhelmed.

As for the classes that I'm thankful for so far ... Civil Procedure. Thank goodness for you. To a lesser extent, Contracts (though it seems so long ago that I took you).

I received my stamp with "Student-at-Law" below my name, and my Notary seal, and my business cards are on their way.

Hopefully, I'll be able to continue this blog over the next year, highlighting some of my experiences and advice about being an articling student. We'll see how much time I have ... I am a new Mom you know. Ahahahahahahaha.

Three Down, Two to Go

I wrote Civil Procedure on Thursday, so I'm down three exams, have two left to write. That means that I'm 93% done law school. Hard to believe.

I'm sort of still in a stunned state right now. Can't wrap my head around being done.


Sigh.

Exams Left:
Monday - Family Law II
Friday - Intellectual Property II

Then it's over.

I need time to reflect on how to convey this experience in a blog post.

Two Down, Three to Go

Finished Admin. law this morning. Sigh. Three more exams, but at least now they're a little more spaced out.

3rd Year Apathy ...

... it'll getcha!

Wrote my first final today, out of 5 total. 4 exams left ... possibly EVER. Unreal. Can't believe I'm so close to the end.

I'd love to write a bunch more, but I have back-to-back finals. Next one is tomorrow morning, so I'm off to study my face off.

Will hopefully be back to do an update on Wednesday, but seeing how my blogging effort has been lately, I make no guarantees!

Wow ... I'm Neglecting the Blog

But ... I'm only doing so because I'm NOT neglecting everything else in life, so I suppose that's a good thing.

Colour me unimpressed with the weather this AM:

Our friggin truck has been giving us grief with starting in this cold, so I'm crossing my fingers today that it will start today.

School is swimming along nicely. Not much time left, which is both exhilarating and terrifying. I've had my grad portraits taken (looking to pick up the proofs today), we do the voting for our valedictorian this week ... it's all coming on fast.

We've had a few guest speakers over the last few weeks in our classes, which has been pretty awesome. I attended the Heald Lecture where Mr. Justice John Evans, from the Federal Court of Appeal, gave the lecture “The Standard of Judicial Review, Post-Dunsmuir”. I love going to talks given by Judges, they're always such great speakers and writers. Makes for a somewhat entertaining delivery of material that could easily turn dry.

I've got to go try and get the truck started now, but I'll try and be a little more diligent with the blog writing.

I blame Nancy for having this in my head:

I'm Always Worse ...

... at posting in the 2nd semester. I'll try and do better.

Well ... the silly groundhogs are predicting 6 more weeks of winter ... bah. Luckily, I have it on good authority from a classmate (in fact, I got some kind of guarantee), that winter is on it's way out. I honestly am so ready for the spring. It doesn't help to see all of the spring-like weather that Calgary is getting ... soon ... soon I'll be moving home.

In the meantime, school is trucking along. There seems to be a consensus among all of us 3rd years that motivation is at an all time low. It is so hard to keep trucking with the end so close at hand. Sigh.

My classes are alright, although a little dry (which makes me feel kind of bad saying that, since I've basically loved everything up to this point). The highlight of my week is Family II. Super interesting, and super relevant class discussions that incite controversy and critical thinking about the way that we organize ourselves.

My goal for this week ... get organized about my paper writing. I still haven't really gotten focused with that yet ... this week is the week.

Also ... write a cover letter to start sending out with the resume that I edited last week. Time to put the job search into full throttle. Anyone need an articling student?

Wow.

It's been crazy in my world.

Routines have gone out the window and chaos has moved into the house here ... but I'm fighting my way to being back on track.

Must pick out paper topics and refine out a thesis for each, and do some work on outlines.

Must do civ pro assignment at some point, before deadline next week.

Should probably do some readings for some classes.

Have a few things to do on a personal level, as well, which will also take some time.

Need a few more hours in every day, and quite possibly a few more days in every week.

AND ... need more sleep.

I've Decided

I'm going to go ahead and try to write two major papers this semester. One in Family Law II, and one in Intellectual Property II. I already have a start on the ideas for Family Law II, I'll just need to complete some research to refine my thesis. For Intellectual Property II, I want to be a little more cautious in picking my topic; I wrote a paper for Intellectual Property I, so I want to make sure that this paper is quite different from that paper, also, I want to make sure that I relate the topic back to my background in technology. So ... we'll see what I end up with for a topic.

Classes seem to be going relatively well so far ... nothing surprising or shocking. My schedule has my toughest day as Mondays, so my long day is over first thing in each week, which is really great. This weekend, my plan is to get organized for the long haul. I'll have three days to really get on track, and then hopefully I can stay there all semester.

Well ...

... the marks are in and it looks like I passed all my courses ... so onto my last semester of law school unhindered. I'm finally thinking that I actually have a chance at getting through (haha)!

As for my trip to the bookstore last week - unnecessary. 4/5 of my courses are providing material online. Awesome. The last class (Admin) does require a textbook, but I already purchased it before Christmas (the vendor came to the student lounge to sell it). So ... I'm set. What a treat for my very last semester, no bookstore chaos.

I still can't believe that this is the last start to classes in law school that I'll get to experience. It's such a bittersweet feeling. I'm so ready to move onto the next phase ... it will be nice to be earning a paycheque again, and I am so excited to see how the practice of law differs from the study of it. On the other hand, I go to school with a pretty great group of people, and it will be hard to be so scattered from them. I'm thinking we'll have to schedule get-togethers once in awhile ... we'll see. Also, I've really loved the law school experience. The faculty at U of S are so amazing and so supportive, and for the first time I've felt myself in an academic environment where I can really explore things that I find interesting and riveting; it's a feeling that I'll really miss ... especially since it allows me to be truly (academically speaking) self-indulgent.

Sigh.

Now, to decide if I'm going to try and write a couple more major papers. Two of my classes seem to be offering the option. That means I'd only have 3 exams to write again, which is a very compelling idea to consider ... especially since that means I'd be done April 9th instead of April 17th. Looking at my marks from last term, I seem to perform better in paper classes ... which ... all things considered shows how far I've come. Last year, academic paper writing was most definitely NOT an area of strength for me (what with the technical background and all). I made it a goal and priority to do better in that area, and it would seem that I'm finally getting it. BUT ... I've never done TWO major papers in one semester ... can I do it? Can I be organized enough? I must deliberate, hopefully wisely.

Back in the Saddle ...

... ah 2009. The beginning of my last semester of law school. The Christmas break went by entirely too fast (as per usual), and we're back in Saskatoon after a wonderful time in Calgary visiting with friends and family.

Our semester started yesterday, and I have the following classes lined up this time around: Administrative Law, Municipal Law, Intellectual Property II, Family Law II, and Civil Procedure.

I don't quite feel organized yet, for a variety of reasons, but I'm getting there.

Now ... to plan my trip to the bookstore ... the most dreaded event of each semester's beginning.

DONE!

Finished my family law exam this morning. I'm done this semester (as long as I pass everything). It's such a good feeling, but I'm in a state of utter exhaustion and numbness. Going to take 'er easy tonight, and maybe tomorrow I'll feel a little more jubilant. So nice to no longer have a crunch-time to-do list.

So ... tired. Where's my couch?

Two Down, One to Go

(AGAIN) Exams, that is.

I liked looking at it in terms of classes, though, so if we look at CLASSES, I'm four down, one to go. Much more encouraging.

Wrote my International Trade Law exam this morning. Yikes. It was definitely a fair test, had enough time to ponder and write, while still taking the full three hours. Hopefully I was on the right track for answering some of the questions ... they seemed to me to be the kind of questions where you could go a couple of different ways in approach ... just hope I covered all my bases.

What's always lovely about law school exams is that even if you think you smoked an exam (or bombed an exam), you'll never truly know how you did thanks to the lovely curve. It all depends on how all of your classmates did. Both a curse and a blessing. AND ... a good reason NOT to think about it until marks are available in January.

So ... to-do list for crunch time shrinks again:

• Write my Family Law final exam on Dec 17

Last exam. Tomorrow morning. Must motivate myself to study somehow. I think I'll take a nap to refresh myself, first. THEN ... straight to scholarly pursuits. Why is it always so hard to motivate for the last one? Because ... the light at the end of the tunnel is just too close ... you can almost bask in its glory ... you can feel the heat of it but you can't quite see it through the darkness yet.

I'm going to keep picturing the feeling that I'll have when I walk out of the test tomorrow and I'm 5/6 done law school. THAT is a good motivator. Being able to focus on the holiday break and put my feet up without guilt ... that is enough to get me to study ... AFTER my nap of course.

So ... the Cold Hasn't Let Up Yet ...

... and our car wouldn't start this AM. Luckily, we're good ol' AMA members, and so we put our call in to the booster truck. About 8 hours later, we got our boost. Yikes. Must be BUSY out there. To be honest, it was nice NOT to be a priority, we were safe in our house ... can't imagine being stuck in the middle of nowhere and having to wait!

Oooooh ...

... just found a new motivator for studying. I made myself some hot chocolate (stove-top styles, cocoa, sugar, milk, and a little peppermint extract), and cut up some apple slices. Mmmm ... so satisfying, so worth sitting infront of the computer for.

Oh the Weather Outside ...

... is truly frightful:

The warning is an EXTREME WINDCHILL warning. YIKES! Good day to stay inside and not leave the house, I'm thinking. I guess procrastinating the studying will be a bit tougher ... although there's always the house to clean ... my place is never cleaner than during exam time.

For Jason's birthday on Friday, we had a nice little date night. We went over the the Keg to get a nice steak dinner, but as per usual the wait there was 60 - 90 minutes. We should know better by now, and get there before the dinner rush, but apparently we're not good at dragging our butts out the door much before 6:30 or 7:00.

In the interest of saving our poor stomachs from hunger pangs, we decided to check out Red Lobster instead. We got a table right away (faster than it took Jason to park the car), and I got to indulge in those garlic cheese biscuits that I always forget how much I love. Jason's snow crab was especially yummy, too ... I even got to sneak a nibble.

We then (finally) checked out the movie Zack & Miri Make a Porno. It was pretty much what we were expecting based on what our friends had said about it ... started off strong on the comedy side, got a little sappy near the end ... pretty much what you'd expect from Kevin Smith and the gang. It was a good date movie for us (Jason thought the beginning was funny even though the humour was a little over the top for me, I thought the ending was sweet even though Jason was a little disappointed in the lovey-dovey twist).

Yesterday, we opted not to leave the house due to the cold, so I actually did get a lot of studying done. Today ... hopefully ... will be the same. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed over the whole International Trade Law preparation, but now that I've spent some quality time with the material, I'm feeling much better about it. Sure does pay to actually DO THE READINGS and MAKE CANS throughout the semester, as opposed to right before the test. I always say that I'm going to to do that for every class ... this semester I did it for one. I guess that's a step forward.

Family law preparation has been slow for me, for some reason. I think because there is just not as much material to cover, so it feels like I should be going over it in painstaking detail. May have to just call it a day soon and focus on practice exam problems. We'll see.

Either way ... 2 exams and 3 sleeps to go before I'm finished this semester. Can't even express how impatient I am. I'm jittering with it, the impatience is leaking out of my pores ... I don't know how Jason stands to be around me right now!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON!

AND ... oh yeah ... So EXCITING

Picked up my new jacket today:










Now even MORE SO, I can't wait for spring.

One Down, Two to Go

Exams, that is.

If we're talking classes, it's three down, two to go ... sounds a little more encouraging that way ... like the exhaustion that I'm feeling has been worth a little more.

Ah sigh. Wrote my International Law exam this morning. I love my pre-exam routine ... went to Starbucks, got a YUMMY peppermint mocha twist, and relaxed my way through getting into the International Law frame of mind while fully waking up by going over the practice exams that I'd already done. No new material, boosted my confidence, and made me feel warm and fuzzy.

Ended up being a long test, but it definitely seemed more than fair. The questions were very similar to the practice exams, so doing those in the last few days definitely helped this girl out. Spent SOOOOOO much time writing! One of those tests where I didn't know if I'd have time to touch on everything that I wanted, especially as I was still trying to keep a mind to HOW I was writing it all out, trying to keep the style a little more on the logical reasoning side as opposed to the frantic-rambling-about-material-from-the-syllabus side of things.

I don't like to dwell too much, though, on exams once they're written. It's done. Can't do anything about it now. On to the next one.

So ... the to-do list for crunch time shrinks again:

• Write my International Trade Law final exam on Dec. 16
• Write my Family Law final exam on Dec 17

I think tonight I'll get over the exam hang-over by organizing myself to begin studying for Family Law (preferably with my feet up, something yummy to drink, and some kind of festive movie on TV) ... and then I'll have to organize my time between International Trade and Family over the next week.

And now ... a nap (I feel I deserve it ... ha).

First Exam Tomorrow

Well, I'm just about ready to head to bed. I've prepared like crazy for this exam, although "preparing like crazy" seems subjective at this point. I've spent a lot of time on it, but I'm not sure that all of that time was super efficient.

International law is so tough to put together, especially with so many unanswered questions and no real binding authorities. This will be a really different kind of exam, hopefully I'm on the right track though.

I'm going to try and take 'er easy now ... relax into what will hopefully be a deep and super refreshing sleep.

I SMASHED DOWN THE WALL!

Yay! Must have just been having an off day yesterday ... I pushed through that material that was holding me up, and I'm already well into the next section ... I feel like I'm getting a lot done today. Hooray. So encouraging. Looks like I don't have to drop-out of law school yet.

Motivation is Dissipating

Yikes. For being so organized and getting so much done last week, I feel like I'm hitting the motivation wall now. I guess it's usually the same around exam time, though. Just don't really want to study, and want exams to be over (and want to focus on fun holiday festiveness).

I've been doing my prep work for International Law, a class I've really enjoyed, but I've just hit one spot in the curriculum that I can't get past. My goal for today, get it done by noon and then move on. Maybe a time limit will help (helped when I was little and didn't want to eat my supper ... I don't see how this is any different than that).

If I just can't get the International Law stuff going, I think I'm going to switch over to International Trade Law prep. I've been making CANS for that class throughout the semester, so it will be a far less daunting class to study for.

Sigh. Might have to throw something festive in for a study break somewhere ... I'm thinking ... some kind of baking maybe? Dangerous, since I'll probably eat it all ... hmmm ... must put my thinking cap on. Maybe I'll just put on the Bell fireplace channel (which actually IS playing holiday tunes this year too), and read a little Harry Potter ... that would be a nice break from studying. I could even make my poor-man's version of the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha
Twist ... I've been making hot chocolate (just milk, cocoa and a little sugar), and putting in a little peppermint extract ... so good! Is it bad that I'm thinking about my study breaks before I've even begun to study?

Busy Few Days - Huge Sighs of Relief

Well, with handing in both my ADR Progressive Learning Journal and my Intellectual Property Major Paper, and with my classes all being finished, I'm officially DONE two of my classes, and only have three to go. My to do list is looking a lot better:

• Write my International Law final exam on Dec. 10
• Write my International Trade Law final exam on Dec. 16
• Write my Family Law final exam on Dec 17

AND NOW ... a word about citations.

Yuck. I had a tonne of authorities for my major paper. I thought I was being smart about the whole citation thing by creating a new system for doing them ... tried to be über organized ... but I think I ended up spending a good 7 hours total, after my paper was done (which is another story), just wrapping up the citations. Too long. I must find a way to cut this process down.

After 2 years of law school complete, I think I finally understand (more or less) how to use the McGill Guide ... and use it I did ... but I'm getting ahead of myself already.

As I was researching and writing my paper, I compiled a numbered authority list (in no particular order) in a word document. This reached about 60 authorities in no time (yikes).

While I was writing my paper, I would add footnotes, and reference the authority in the footnote as "Authority #", where the # corresponded to the # where that authority appeared on my numbered list.

I was able to edit away at my paper, add footnotes, delete them, etc. and I still knew which authority they referred to (as opposed to previous approaches that I've taken, where I did Supra and Ibid. references while writing, and when I changed the structure of the paper, I had no way to figure out which footnote referred to which reference). When I was finally done with the paper, it was time to address the footnotes.

First, I had to go through my authority list and find the proper citation format from the McGill Guide. This took awhile.

Next, I went through my paper, and began to substitute in the proper citation from the list for the "Authority #" that was in the footnote, all the while keeping track of the original footnote citation # on my authority list so that I could cross-reference easily while adding Supras and Ibids (i.e. If the first time I referenced Authority 1 in my paper was at footnote 22, I would put the proper citation in footnote 22 and write "22" next to authority 1 on my master list. If the next time that I referenced Authority 1 was in footnote 57, I would look on my authority list for "Authority 1", see by my notation that it had been originally referenced to in footnote 22, and I would then write "Supra note 22" for footnote 57).

May seem slightly complex, but it allowed me to complete all citations in one pass of my paper. This was a VAST improvement over other papers that I've written where citation chaos was the norm.


NEXT TIME I do a major paper ... I think I'll take the time, as I add each authority to the list, to actually put the proper citation on the list as opposed to just the author/title/website url approach that I used this time. This could probably cut almost 3 hours off the process. Could be enough for me to downgrade citation from "miserable pain in the butt" status to "tedious, but at least I have a good system" status.



As for finishing my major paper ... this one was really hard for me to "put to bed". I had a lot of things to say, but didn't have the space to say all of them (who'd have ever thought that a 50 page maximum would hold me back ... so crazy). I tried to pick and choose the most meaningful things, present them in a sufficiently general way so as to appeal to a legal reader as opposed to a legal/technical reader ... AND ... tried to keep the focus centered around what we covered in class. Also - it was tough, as someone with a technical background, to know how to inject my technical knowledge without referencing back to some authority from a class I took in University 10 years ago. As someone not super experienced in academic paper writing, this was a tall order. Hopefully I somewhat achieved these goals ... only time (and my Professor) will tell.

So funny how, when I'm actually trying to convey a point of view that I care about, my insecurity about how the paper will be received and understood goes WAAAAAAAY up. While caring about the subject matter makes it easier to write (especially on the motivation front), it sure leaves me quite vulnerable feeling in the end.

On a final note, there was a Jostens Rep in our student lounge over the last couple of days showcasing rings that could be purchased for graduates of this year. I had to really get me head around the fact that I fall into this category. Law school has gone by SOOO FREAKIN' FAST! Once exams are done, and it is established that I've passed everything (heh), I'm 5/6 done ... that's 83.333% done ... that means that I have about 3 1/2 months left of being a student before I'm back out in the real world as a working woman. Crazy. Don't get me wrong, a salary will be a nice thing to re-establish in my life, but it seems like it's happening so fast.

Welcome December!

Holy smokes. It is December.

Usually, I'd be raring to deck my halls with various holiday paraphernalia, but this year I'm opting to focus on school instead. The halls will have to wait.

Luckily, there are a few things that definitely get me into the holiday spirit, without all the grunt work of digging out my decorations.

The smell of mandarin oranges. I'm not a huge orange fan myself (it's a texture thing, love the taste, not fond of the texture, I will still eat them, but I don't LOVE them). Jason bought a box for himself at the grocery store, and every time he eats one, the smell makes me feel Christmas-y.

The fireplace channel on our Bell satellite. Last year it played holiday tunes as well, this year it seems that it's just the sound of a crackling fire ... still OK by me though. Chucking that channel on and listening to holiday tunes while wrapping presents ... definitely makes me feel Christmas-y.

I've already mentioned the Starbucks addictions that I've fallen prey to, flavoured as they are with festive merriment and goodness. They make me feel Christmas-y.

Seeing the Tim Horton's holiday cups around school. Also ... makes me feel Christmas-y.

I'm so excited about our donation drive for adopt-a-family beginning this week. I'm pretty sure that this will give me the ultimate Christmas-y feeling.

Unfortunately, when I'm feeling especially Christmas-y, all I want to do is bake, which both takes time away from studying, and adds unnecessary layers to my butt ... I will have to resist the impulse.

I do have quite a few birthdays to focus on ... December is a big birthday month for my family. I'll have to try and shift my focus ... that may just help.

Now ... all I have to do is get through the crunch-time to-do list (which is shrinking - fa la la la la, la la la la):

• Go through major paper one more time in an editing spree, and fix all citations, then hand the sucker in tomorrow.
• Write my International Law final exam on Dec. 10
• Write my International Trade Law final exam on Dec. 16
• Write my Family Law final exam on Dec 17

While it is so nice to be crossing things off of my list, I must admit that there is a certain paranoia to holding 25 pages of text in your hands and realizing that it compromises 80% of your grade (as in the case of my ADR learning journal), or holding 45 pages of text and realizing that it compromises 100% of your grade (as in the case of my major paper). Yikes. Where's a salted caramel hot chocolate when you need one?

It Pays to be Organized

If only it were easy to be organized.

So ... I had a really successful weekend. I finished my major paper. I've edited it (on paper, still must transfer edited changes to the e-copy), and only need to tackle the citations before I hand it in by 4:00 on Tuesday. This is, quite possibly, the earliest that I've ever finished a paper for law school. While two days early doesn't seem like a big deal, it really squashes the stressed out feeling that usually comes with finishing these types of assignments.

I'm also a member of the LSA's Community Outreach Committee (a new committee this year), and we're launching an event this week, which I worked on a little over this weekend. We're hoping to raise enough money to adopt a large family through Rawlco Radio's Brent and Penney's Adopt a Family program. Tomorrow we're starting the donation drive, so that should be super exciting. The support from the college faculty, staff, and students so far has been so amazing and encouraging ... I'm pretty excited to see how quickly we can reach our goal.

AND ... I'm printing the final copy of my ADR Progressive Learning Journal. It seems like a big commitment to actually print this, since it is such a different style of writing than I am used to for assessment in university, and I'm feeling a little insecure over whether what I've done is what was expected for this exercise. Ah well. Since it's due tomorrow, I'm not going to be changing it.

Now ... I'm going to start transferring my paper edits to my e-copy of the major paper ... and try and stay away from the half a Twix bar that Jason just put on my desk. I've already brushed my teeth, which is helping, but resisting the siren call of a Twix ... I'm just not sure if I'm up to it. Luckily, I'm pretty tired, and it is pretty close to my bed time. Will the Twix survive? Only time will tell.

Well ...

... I made some real progress on my paper today. I have wrapped up talking about the legal theory, I just want to point out how my thesis topic has been handled in other jurisdictions, and then get into the analysis portion of the paper ... which SHOULD be easier and quicker than what I've done so far. I'll definitely have no worries about meeting the page number minimum quota, which is kind of nice ... felt like last year I had to stretch a little.

My goal for tomorrow is to finish the paper off, so that I can have all day on Sunday to edit, and then Monday to wrap up the citation nightmare that I am sure will ensue. Not sure if it's wishful thinking, but here's to having goals.

OMG

I think I just finished my ADR journal. I'm just going to do a quick edit, but that's one thing off the list already. I'm so excited!

...
...
...


YUP - I'm done. Did my quick edit and I'm fairly happy with it all. Just have to find where I wrote down the method for submission. Crikey. At least that part I can wait until Monday for.

AND now ... to tackle the beast that is my Major Paper.

Crunch Time

Things Left to Do before December 17th:

1. Finish 1 1/2 ADR Progressive Learning Journal entries (amounts to about 3 1/2 pages of writing, I already have about 23 pages and 8 1/2 journal entries done) - will be handed in on Monday Dec. 1.
   
2. Finish Major Paper for Intellectual Property (have about 25 pages written, have about 12 pages or so to go, outline and research are done though) - will be handed in on Tuesday Dec. 2.
   
3. Write International Law final exam - Dec 10.
   
4. Write International Trade Law final exam - Dec. 16.
   
5. Write Family Law final exam - Dec. 17

Only 5 things to do before I'm officially 5/6 done law school (assuming I pass everything, of course).

I think I'm in decent shape. I've already handed in my International Trade Law term commentary, so that's already a burden lifted from my shoulders. I feel much more organized this semester than any other semester so far. Hopefully that's a good sign. I felt rushed the last time that I wrote a major paper, for Natural Resources, and this time I think I'm way further ahead in schedule than I was then. Hopefully I don't have that same rushed feeling at the end (I always leave citations to the last, and MAN is that tedious stuff that gets the blood pressure going when running out of time).

AND ... all I want to do is bake gingerbread men. Sigh.

International Law, Fish, and it Feels Like Home

I've really loved my International Law class this semester, and it helps that it's taught by BVT (love her). It will be our last class today, which makes me kinda sad. Lately, we've been going over the prohibition on the use of force, and the self-defense exception. Makes me look at the terrible happenings over in Mumbai with a new perspective, wondering what will happen next (ahem ... what will the US do) and the significance of State responses, especially in terms of what would seem to be a non-State actor's use of force and the US/Pakistan exchanges from earlier this semester (although the origin of the non-State actor here seems to be in question from what I can gather through media reports, i.e. either from Pakistan or from within India itself).

As for me, I caved and got another salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks last night. I'm weak, especially for evening classes it would seem. Luckily, I only have one evening class left this semester, so I should be able to contain the beast of addiction that I seem to be developing for them. Still haven't looked up the calorie count and have no intention of doing so.

Also, the realization is starting to hit home that, after today, I have 2 days left of classes, with 3 classes left in total to attend. I still feel like I'm fairly organized, and the Family Law review class yesterday made me feel A LOT better about that class, but it's hard to ignore the heightened frenzy of energy that always occurs around this time of year. Must try and insulate myself from the aura of panic that will soon descend on campus ... but not tonight ... tonight is EVIL FISH!!!

Oh - and one more thing. I hope writing this doesn't jinx it, but I can't BELIEVE how lucky we've been with the weather so far this year. I almost feel like I'm back in Calgary.
Here's a post from this same day last year, showing all the snow, and here's a screenshot of the U of S webcam from right now:

Still looks a little frosty, but it is supposed to warm up today, which makes this cowgirl ever so happy.

Mmmm .... Starbucks

So, one aspect of being a student at the College of Law in Saskatchewan is that there is a Starbucks located, literally, across the street from our building (in the Royal University Hospital). It's pretty much a STAPLE for law students.

The fall is always awesome when the Pumpkin Spice Latte comes out. My usual lately has been a non-fat, decaf, 1/2 sweet PSL (and with getting Starbucks gift cards from turning in some points I've been accruing on an airmiles-like program, it's been FREE ... mwoo ha ha ha ha). Last night, though, I dashed over to SB on a 10 minute break in my ADR class and was in a rush (had to get back for a guest speaker). I had wanted to try the Peppermint Mocha, but they were out of it. So ... I quickly decided on a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate.

In the illustrious words of the character Janice from Friends ... Oh.My.God.

It was so good that the classmate sitting next to me asked me what it was because it was even tantalizing her olfactory senses.

I don't even WANT to look up the nutritional information. It will only spoil the splendour that was last night. OK ... maybe I should ... ahhhhh ... saved by the internet Gods ... that part of the SB website is down right now ... I take this as a sign that I should never know and that any calories that were consumed last night no longer count! WOOT! At least now that I've identified this weakness, I shall have to be very cautious when approaching the Starbucks kiosk. "I will not become a slave to the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate" is my new mantra.

Yay Stamps

Congrats to the Stampeders!

While Researching for my Paper

... I stumbled across this. Love it. Hilarious.

WIPO's copyright comic book.

Had to Share

A classmate of mine had this picture for their Facebook profile:


Intrigued, I had to find it and see what it was. Mental Floss sells it, here's the run-down from their website:

Law School in a Box

Sure, you could spend $100,000 on an Ivy League law degree. But then you'd have to deal with crowded classrooms, inconvenient course schedules and rigorous academic study (the worst!) That's why we're proud to offer the very prestigious Law School in a Box, jam-packed with:

• Law School in 96 Pages: This mini-textbook features Law Lingo (what’s the difference between assault and battery?), Famous Cases (Brown v. Board of Ed.), and the most supreme of the Supreme Court Justices.

• 10 Heroes of the Courtroom Trading Cards: They’re all here—Abe Lincoln, Johnnie Cochran, Sandra Day O’Connor—with portraits and famous quotes on baseball-style trading cards.

• 10 “You Be the Judge” Cards: Put your new legal knowledge to good use! One side features an ethical dilemma—the other side features real courtroom verdicts on the matter. Test your legal IQ!

• Mini-Bar Exam: Ready for trial, Matlock? Not so fast! Better answer these tantalizing legal trivia questions first! They come complete with detailed answers on an accordion-folded exam.

In fact, we're so confident in our system, we're even including a rolled-up diploma with real Latin words. It's the perfect gift for lawyers and would-be lawyers of all ages.

I'm not gonna lie ... kinda makes me want trading cards of the Canadian Supreme Court Justices ... hmmmm .....

Grrrrrr.

//START RANT

So ... I'm sure that many of you heard about the Supreme Court of Canada denying WestJet and Air Canada the right to appeal the Canadian Transportation Agency decision which says that the 'one person, one fare' policy must stand (i.e. that some obese people and some disabled people cannot be charged for more than one airplane seat, even if they require two).

What KILLS me is the way that this story is reported in cases like this:

Obese have right to 2 airline seats

GAH! I'm pretty sure it's not about having the right to 2 airline seats, but about the right NOT to be discriminated against. Let's all keep in mind that the airlines choose the spacing of their seats ... with a MIND TO PROFIT from packing as many people in as possible. THIS IS THEIR CHOICE (and blaming it on the airline manufacturer is nonsense, since they'd be able to have it changed if they wished ... hence the existence of first class seats on some airlines). THE AIRLINES are creating the accepted norm for airline passenger body size by doing this, and therefore they are targeting certain passengers for differential treatment when they implement the 'one seat, one fare' policy to those that require more than one seat.

As for those that will say that the poor airlines will flounder because their profit margins are so narrow, they NEED to have every tiny seat filled and paid for to even break even ... to argue that the only way to ensure the success of a business is to require a discriminatory pricing policy is UNACCEPTABLE. There must be some brilliant business people out there that can take the parameters of a NON-DISCRIMINATORY scheme and effect some profit through an appropriate business plan ... especially when people are always going to have to fly!

Reading the CBC reporting of this ...
Top court backs free seat ruling for some disabled, obese travelers
... also makes me want to lose my mind.

Bus, train and ferry companies have long agreed to such arrangements, but the airline industry has argued it would lose too much money by doing the same.

...

But WestJet spokesman Richard Bartrem said there are still many unanswered questions.

"Will we be putting criteria in place to determine whether somebody travels with an attendant out of necessity or out of desire?" he said. "What is morbidly obese? How are we going to be able to make that determination and implement that respectfully, and consistently and fairly?"

It's like they aren't even TRYING! If other transportation services have already put these policies in place, what can POSSIBLY be so hard about figuring out how to get this done? They have examples to look at!!!! I'm fairly certain that most people who can't fit into one airplane seat are well aware of it (assuming they've flown before), and would take whatever measures that they could ahead of time (i.e. a doctor's note) to avoid any humiliation at the airport. Same goes for those that are disabled and need assistance ... I'm FAIRLY CERTAIN that the need for assistance is known about ahead of time, and a doctor's note would be fairly easy to obtain. Being clear about these policies at the time of booking a ticket doesn't seem like it is a far stretch either. I thought that people that made "big decisions" at companies like WestJet and Air Canada would have more creativity and gumption than this ... to be defeated by having to implement a non-discriminatory policy that they've KNOWN was coming for years now.

Grrrr.

Not good for my blood pressure.


//END RANT

It's Official

The snow has begun to fall.

While I'm not opposed to gorgeous, gorgeous snow in the winter-time, the first snow-fall symbolically represents the beginning of a stage of hibernation for me, and so it is a little sad.

It doesn't help to look at my post from a year ago.

But ... looking at two years ago makes me feel better.

Here's a pic from right now, just to keep the tradition going.



Luckily, I don't think this snow will stick around. The forecast seems to say that we'll be getting a little warmer this week, with some rain thrown in there for good measure. Looks like by next Sunday we may be back to snow, but a week is a long time for the weather to decide it wants to do something different.

Unfortunately, the forecast for tonight is coupled with this ominous looking graphic:


Those ice pellets look like they could put an eye out, non? I'll have to make sure to wear safety goggles if we go out tonight.

As for me, I've been cranking away at my major paper for Intellectual Property Law. I've got the introduction done, and I'm hammering away at the first section of background material, to set the stage for my analysis. I think if I keep this pace up, finishing on time will be a leisurely process. So much better than the last major paper I wrote for Natural Resources ... I definitely allowed myself to get a little too rushed with that one.

November Already?

I suppose I should be grateful today that it's raining here instead of ... the s-word-ing. I am, but the rain is a little depressing, I must say.

Ah November. I can't believe you're here already. This is, really, the last month of my semester. December is pretty much about exams, so I don't really count it as active school time since there aren't any classes to attend. After this semester is finally over, I'm 5/6 of the way through law school. Unbelievable. The time really has flown by fast, and after reading James' post, I completely agree with it being a time for reflection.

Celebrating the lasts is something that has been on my mind, but it has really been mixed with the excitement of moving back home and beginning my life again, which makes for a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. I've made such amazing friends at law school, and I know that these relationships will continue on into the future. I really miss my friends and family back home ... those people who have been around for me for years, and will continue to do so for years to come. Sigh. A light at the end of the tunnel always brings about contemplation of the next phase (especially contemplation of earning a paycheque again - ha).

As for school, I feel like this semester has gone by sooooo fast. I've fully caught up with my ADR journal entries, which is all that we're really marked on this semester (as well as class participation, there is no final exam), so that's a good thing. We have a double class tonight though, so I'll have to crank out a couple more entries this week to keep up. I'm just about finished my Term Commentary for International Trade Law, which isn't due until the beginning of December, so that's well under control. I just have to hammer out the last little bit which shouldn't take too long, and then edit it and make it a little more "flow-y" than it is (and yes, that's a technical term for term commentary writing). My major paper is mostly researched, I've filled in my outline with points from the research and my own commentary in return, so this week the goal is to begin actually writing. Hopefully by this weekend, I'll have at least started, so that I can use the weekend to just keep hammering it out. Besides exams, these are the only things that I need to worry about.

I suppose I should start thinking about exams, but my exam schedule is so great that I'm not sure that I'll have to do too much before December. I only have 3 exams, so it won't be overwhelming. My first test isn't until December 10th, more than a week after classes end, so I have lots of time. I've been putting a lot of effort into keeping up with my readings in International Trade Law, so I'm not too worried about the prep for that one. For International Law, my prof is BVT, so my class notes are pretty amazing. For Family, I'm feeling pretty disorganized about the class, but I think because it is so legislation based, that if I take some time in November to actually work through the Family Property Act on my own, it should come together a little quicker for me.

Sigh. I just can't believe that it really is November already.

Can't Get it Out of My HEAD!

But ... I'm still loving it:

Got Through One Movie Last Night ...

... The Band's Visit.

We both really liked it, and knew that it would be a little heavier than the usual movie that we pop in (in terms of thought process required to enjoy the movie). If you read the Director's Statement at the website linked above, it will give you a good idea of what the movie feels like.

We still have Noise for tonight ... so exciting.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We don't get very many trick-or-treaters here at our place, so what to do to occupy my time tonight, while still feeling festive? MAKE HALLOWEEN COOKIES!



I used these two recipes:
The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies
Decorator Frosting

AND ... they really are the BEST ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES ever. So yummy. My icing was a little runny, but I kind of threw in some of the ingredients instead of measuring ... ya know, trying to be a rogue or maverick or diva or something.

Luckily, these pumpkins didn't get out of control like the gingerbread men did that Jason and I made a few years ago:


We also rented a couple of movies that we're about to pop in.

Last week, we rented War, Inc. and were pleasantly surprised at how much we liked it. Good ol' John Cusack, he just never disappoints me. ALL of the acting was delightful, great cast. Highly recommend.

As for school, I'm still swimming along. This week was busy, since I had an LSA meeting as well, but one of my profs has the flu (yikes), so I had one less class than usual, which helps with the ol' schedule. I'm still as caught up as I want to be in terms of reading/assignments etc., and I hope to be a little ahead by the end of this weekend.

On the home reno front, we've pulled apart our kitchen for painting, and hopefully we'll begin to put it back together over the weekend, so there's a lot on the go.

Sigh. These weeks are flying by. Christmas vacation seems just around the corner which is great and also terrifying.

But ... in the meantime ... I'm going to go have a cookie.

First Year Charter Class In the News

Always neat to see something that you've taken in school on the pages of the newspaper:

Tories scaling back on tough-on-crime agenda

With regards to the artistic-merit exception they must be referring to R. v. Sharpe (had to really dust-off the cobwebs in the ol' brain for that one), which always stuck out in my mind as being a dramatic case.

Makes you wonder about campaign promises in general (not that everybody doesn't wonder about them already). Making broad, sweeping promises that fly in the face of the Constitution and the Charter really doesn't seem like fair play or responsible campaigning, and really drives home the point that so many Canadians know so little about their Charter rights (including, it would seem, many of our politicians).

Help a Fellow Law Student

Lend your ear and your vote:

How Embarassing

For Canada, that is.

Income inequality and poverty rising in most OECD countries
Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development

OECD study - Canada specific information

Income gap growing wider
Canada lags behind 17 developed countries; has no detailed plan to fight poverty, study finds
The Star

Results of the Canadian Election Are In

While there is much that can be said about it all, I'd like to highlight the fact that:

Canada elects record number of women

YAY! Thanks to Equal Voice which has worked hard in promoting this outcome, especially when we have ranked 49th as compared with other countries with regards to the equality of gender representation in our government:
Women in National Parliaments (as of January 2008)
Inter-Parliamentary Union

Hopefully this is the start of a real trend towards true gender equality in government representation!

For a little more information about the issues that lie behind women in politics, see here:
Women in Government, Resource Kit
(The Center for Legislative Development and the UNDP-Asia Pacific Gender Equality Network

Was Away for Thanksgiving ...

... so I'm trying to piece my life back together for the rest of the week.

I'll post a more complete update in a bit, but I'm so excited about these pics (which I've been promising for awhile) that I had to take care of them first:

BATHROOM RENOVATIONS!

Before Pics (just a reminder of how far we've come):




And now .... the AFTER (woot woot):


We moved the shower piping behind the wall to make it a permanent shower, tiled the tub surround, tiled the floor, replaced the toilet, vanity, sink, faucet, light fixture, mirror, towel rack, added some shelves, and painted. Whew.

My Thoughts ...

... are obviously worth far more than a penny, especially when the penny itself costs MORE THAN A PENNY to produce:

Copper coin costs pretty penny
The Star Phoenix

Won't be long now that, just like our friends Down Under, we no longer have to deal with copious amounts of pennies ... I'm hoping.

YAY! We Finished!

They're addictive, I tells you.

From far away, looks like a distinct picture well enough:


BUT ... from up close, it was chaos.



We decided to do all 1500 pieces WITHOUT looking at the picture on the box too ... cause we think we're hardcore.

Well Known, But Little Talked About

I haven`t encountered this much in my law program, but undergrad is notorious for this. As someone who didn`t ever cheat (kinda tough to do in computer science at the time), it`s nice to know that this is on the radar, as it should be:

Fewer U of S students cheating
Star Phoenix

Must Be a Good Sign ...

... I'm not NEARLY as exhausted today as I have been the past couple of Fridays ... so the school schedule/routine must be becoming more comfortable. Jason and I did a bunch of running around today, all over Saskatoon, and I feel like we got a lot accomplished. He had already done the raking of our leaves earlier in the week (which I had been putting off for the weekend), which was just awesome of him. What a great way to start off the weekend.

I'm working on my goal for the week right now - finishing up the organization of our office. I'm pretty excited about it (yup ... I guess my need for visual harmony is a pretty driving force).

I made a batch of these cookies a while ago, and they were so good that I think I'm going to have to make some more today (I leave out the coconut, though). They're so perfect and fall-licious.

My organization frenzy in our office should also be directed towards my school work this weekend, I suppose. I'm fairly caught up, but I'd really like to start organizing my notes so that when exam time comes around I can get straight down to studying (instead of spending copious amounts of time shuffling papers into an easily scannable, easily flippable bundle). I'll let everyone know how that goes. It's so hard when the weather outside is so gorgeous. Sigh.