Bride: Invitations

Lots of people have been asking, "how's the wedding planning going?" Well, it isn't. It's on hiatus. I really have stuff I should be doing--I need to check in with the florist, ask the reception coordinator some questions, and there is about 20 pounds of cardstock waiting to get turned into invitations under my desk. But...I feel like I don't know where to begin. I tell myself, "Once you have your bar study routine down, then you can start back on the Wedding To Do list." But I feel like if I don't start it now and make it part of the routine, I won't get it to fit in at all.

So a goal for myself: by the end of the weekend I will email the florist. Not an ambitious goal, but one I can manage. I actually have been making progress on the invitations. My parents and FI really liked the mock-up, so now I just have to finalize it. The map is pretty set, and I think I finally came up with a "motif" I like and that is unifying without being cheesy.

Oh and terminology. Since this blog has two very different topics and hence no audience, I've struggled with how to refer to the Boy I'm Going to Marry. If it were a strictly wedding blog, he'd be FI, duh, and I wouldn't have to worry about anyone thinking an STD involved a tort. But since it's a Bar blog too....well, tough, the wedding wins out. Mr. BB is going to be FI (until he becomes DH--and I still won't know if I passed!) and I'll say DIY and pocketfold as though normal people knew those words. Normal people don't know who the reasonable person is or what dispositive means either. So I'll still end up appealing to no one, except those few people (read: idiots) like me who thought planning a wedding while studying for the bar would be just fine!

Bar: Trouble Kit

When Mr. BB turned on the television this morning, I was thrilled to see that it's once again time for the Scopes National Spelling Bee! I love watching the spelling bee, and I consider myself a "true" fan--I watched even before all the movies and attention made it cool (okay, not really cool, but at least not pathetic) to have a mild interest in the spelling bee. In the mornings, I like TV that I don't actually have to watch to know what's going on because I'm always running around getting ready and making breakfast and hunting for my keys. Since the visual stimulation of a spelling bee is on the low side, it's a perfect morning program.

I also like to see if I know any of the words. I am a very good speller, among normal people (although I'm as prone to typos as anyone, so don't get all high-and-mighty if I forget to hit spell check on occasion), but these kids are amazing. This morning was the fourth round, and I think I got one word right out of the twenty or so I overheard. Humbling, but not much to get upset over, unlike getting certain other and more pressing things wrong, right?

Which brought me to the idea of a Trouble Kit. When I was in elementary school and we had weekly spelling tests, my mom LOVED to take me over the weekly list. It was something she really and truly looked forward to, for some reason. I can remember countless times sitting on the sofa with her in a recliner reading words to me and tsking if I was wrong. I did not enjoy these sessions particularly, but I think it was helpful. My mom's pride and joy, though, was the Trouble Kit. One of her elementary school teachers made them all have trouble kits for words they misspelled, and the trouble kit words were ones for special review and attention. I'm proud that my trouble kit was always rather tiny, but it did include words like "embarrass" and "privilege" (which I REALLY thought should have a 'd'--"knowledge" has a 'd' and it's the same syllable, right?).

So I now have a Bar Exam Trouble Kit. As I go through the answers to the MBE questions or the Essays, if there is something I got wrong or didn't know (even if I got the question right), it goes in the trouble kit. Hopefully the act of realizing I don't know something plus the act of typing it into a list, combined with occasional read-throughs of the trouble kit will yield a sinking-in of unfamiliar concepts. Love it. Which I guess means a thanks to my mom for all those painful mornings of going over spelling (and if you think this didn't migrate into taking me over vocabulary words once I got to high school...).

Bar: taking PMBR for a walk

Well, not on a leash so much. After reading Girl Walks into a Bar Exam's thoughts on PMBR, I decided to go with the CDs rather than spending money on the course. Given that my stipend still hasn't arrived (cough, cough, HR person), I'm glad I'm not out another grand or so at the moment. Instead, I plunked down $100 on eBay for the 29 CDs. To kill two daily goals with one stroll, I have decided to walk the approximately two miles to the Bar/Bri class location while listening to PMBR on my mp3 player. Fitness + Studying = A happy BB. Maybe not happy, but at least productive. Hopefully. I experimented with it today, and it worked fine except that the tracks weren't in order, which was more annoying than you'd think. Note to self--re-name the tracks so they'll play in order for tomorrow.

I kind of actually like the CDs. I'm a pretty good auditory learner, so hopefully some of this will sink in. I haven't heard much of the PMBR-hawking that GG mentioned, but I've also only listened to like three or four of the CDs thus far.

Tomorrow Bar/Bri is only in the morning again, thank God. The 9-5 thing yesterday was awful. Imagine that will be a "short" workday in a couple months!

Bar: BarBri first impressions

First day of Bar/Bri today. Trial by fire! Since I missed the first week, I felt a little unsure of what was where and what to do anyway. But it was great to see everyone, and most of my classmates seemed pretty calm although aware of the intensity and time required. There were lots and lots of interlopers though, most of whom seem super intense and gunner-ish. Rather like how many transfer students are fall of 2L year.

Today was Con Law from 9-5. All of Con Law in a day. Delightful. I did enjoy learning from the celebrity of Con Law though--if I'd known he was the lecturer I totally would have brought my Fed Cts treatise for him to autograph b/c I'm a big dork like that. SO many puns! I'm also thrilled to have the Boy Scouts forever associated with Nazis and the Klan, since all can discriminate in membership because of their expressive message. Yeah. I'm also thrilled that since class is so ridiculously full I have to get their early to ensure I get a spot at one of the tables or on the aisle to be left-handed.

There is tons of reading and practice questions for every day. But we have the 4th of July off, yippee! And now: time for homework.

Bride: Carrot Plan for Healthy Living, Week One

I am a person who lives for rewards. I am very goal-oriented, but I need to see immediate benefits. Instant gratification, short attention span, etc. So I have set up for myself a week-by-week plan for fitness with weekly rewards, which will hopefully result in looking and feeling fabulous on my wedding day. I might have to switch up some of the rewards as budget/time allows, but I absolutely need a carrot each week.
p.s. I'm super excited to buy some posterboard and set up a little chart, a la the kids I used to babysit for who had a little chores chart with stickers. OH yes, there will be stickers.

So this week it begins!
Goal: weights 3 days, aerobics 3 days, Denise Austin on Lifetime at 7AM 3 days (shut up), 6 glasses of water/Crystal Light a day
Reward: pedicure

Bar: The Fear Begins

I missed the first week of BarBri because I was traveling with the family (yes, FI got to spend a few weeks with the future in-laws, and he survived!). Before I left, several people were freaked out, several people were convinced it would be more chill than we expected, and most everyone was just kind of pretending it wasn't going to happen. Since my return I've talked to a couple of people, and they are universally freaked out. People whom I've never seen freak out about anything. Terror. Frustration. Completely overwhelmed. I am not a happy BB. I did take the Conviser with me and I did make a half-hearted attempt to read some Real Property and ConLaw, but now that the fun begins in earnest I'm so not ready. Law school is still school--you can skip class if you want, you can schedule your classes for sleep-in mornings or long weekends, and everything works out and you still graduate. Not that I did those things, of course. Ha. But bar studying seems like the beginning of preparation for what working will be like. I didn't like working very much. I liked my job and I liked the people, but working....ehh. So why am I entering a profession with one of the most demanding work schedules and with probably the poorest work-life balance track record outside high risk pregnancy OB? That's a question for another post.

So tomorrow, I shall hunker down and see what kind of catching up I can do before I attend my first class on Tuesday. I have the schedule, I have the books...but I also have a fluffy kitty who needs his tummy rubbed and an FI who wants to have a picnic. I need to start making rules for myself. I actually gave up reading blogs for Lent (sort of...) and I did really well with it, I think because it was cold turkey. If I were to let myself have one nibble, then I think I would have lost the whole game. So I think that's what I'll have to do with entertainment and bar studying--absolutely nothing until I'm done for the day. Otherwise I'll get completely sucked into my beloved Television Without Pity, Go Fug Yourself, and The Superficial. Speaking of which, I have two weeks of that to catch up on! That shall be my reward after I finish tomorrow's work.

But slightly bride-ish, I am vowing that I'm going to take sleep seriously. I really do feel better (and look better, hence the bride-ish-ness) when I've had enough sleep. And Denise is waiting for me tomorrow at 7!

Bar: Scary Salaries doesn't abbreviate to SS for nothing

All the West Coast seems abuzz with the news of Orrick's jump to $160, followed by OMM and MoFo. While some other big players haven't announced yet, it's a very safe bet they will--when GDC and LW go into fall recruiting they don't want empty dance cards. Frankly, I'm scared. In my three years of law school, market jumped from $125 for everyone coast-to-coast, to $135 WC/$145 NYC, to $145 WC/$160 NYC, to $160 coast-to-coast. Until NYC bumps again, but a bump to what?

If you read the full news over at ATL, it seems that at least for MoFo it might not be a "true" bump--bonuses and the summer bar-stipend are getting adjusted as well. I hope that's true for all the bump-ers, for several reasons. First, I don't think I'm worth that much. No, I know I'm not worth that much. Even $125 was double what my dad ever earned. $160 is just preposterous, much like the Bay Area housing market. And also like the Bay Area housing market, the bubble has to burst at some point. Every graduating 3L knows damn well we didn't learn enough at law school to make us worth nearly that much money when we start. I'm sure my future secretary will know more law than I will.

The second reason I'm worried is that I rather like Mr. BB. I'm hoping to see some of him after we're married. $160 isn't a gift. A $35K bump in 3 years outpaces inflation, so it isn't matching whatever prices the clients get charged. No, my best guess is that the $160 means more work will be demanded, and more work means more billable hours and less time with Mr. BB and less time doing fun non-work things.

Which seems to me to be the firms shooting themselves in the foot. The stories of associate attrition are legendary, often at years 4 or 5 when the person is finally profitable. To me, $160 means a firm might get 3 years of 2400 hours, but it makes getting years 4 and 5 or beyond even less likely.

Does anyone want to hire me for $100K and 1600? How about $80K?

Bar: One More to Go!

All that stands between me and my degree is one. more. exam. And not even, really, since I have enough credits as it is. But that's not exactly a good motivational thought, so I'm trying to keep it out of my mind. The weather is just too nice today--sunny and high 70s/low 80s. On this side of the hills, we just usually don't see weather that warm (one thing I miss about living by the Bay--real summer weather).

The exam I have left is also a take-home, which also is not helpful for my motivation. Whenever I have a 24-hour take-home, I know I can look up answers if I need to along the way. This is the one class that I did a good job of keeping up with the reading during the semester, so I think I should be fairly familiar with whatever gets thrown at me. The two in-class exams I had last week were pretty intense and I had put in some grueling studying, and I just can't muster the energy to go through it again.

Plus there's a big box of books sitting behind my desk that is just waiting, Waiting, for me to open it for some Serious Studying this summer. Knowing they're waiting for me is also not helpful.

Okay, BB, get to work.

Bar/Bride: Healthy Eating

This has been making the rounds, but it was new to me.
What do 300 Calorie Meals Look Like?
The pictures of the meals look really tempting and tasty! One of the things I want to pay attention to this summer is eating healthy foods (and exercising, but that's another post). I think eating better really helps keep my mind clear and alert. And of course, looking lean for the wedding is also a motivation! I don't think I eat badly now, but I definitely could do better. My problem seems to be that once I eat one chip or one cookie, I can't stop. If I don't start--no problems. So a Bar Exam Diet/Wedding Day Diet--onwards!
One part of that blog is really disturbing--does the average American really eat 3800 calories a day??! That seems impossible. Did the guy in Super Size Me even eat that much?

Of course, yesterday after the Evidence exam I had plans to celebrate by going with some friends to a new gourmet cupcake bakery. The menu sounded amazing and I was super looking forward to it. But they're closed on Mondays! So today is Cupcake Day instead. That's probably more calories than in any of those cute little meals!