Law school:
Aug. 25th, 2003 07:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vicarz1) I’ve stopped denying I’m going to it, at least here. I worried it would sound arrogant to talk about it, but now I’m hoping that I can just watch how I come across rather than avoid the subject entirely. People have been misinterpreting my reluctance to talk about going to school as some sort of embarrassment, which I do not feel.
2) Plain and pretty. Like the gym, law school is a place for slightly pretty, some ugly, but a vast majority of kinda plain people. I’ve decided in this society where people are very much judged by their appearance, it is most beneficial to be almost but not quite attractive. You don’t get unconditional feedback as a plain person, you have to work for it. You never see a very pretty person in the gym, but hard work makes you hot as hell (case in point? Me baby!) It’s the same in law school, these people have received positive feedback based on a combination of their looks and performance, so they have worked very hard and accomplished much in that pursuit. I think this is a very healthy thing so long as it’s a stage that is passed through in life. Unfortunately, I’ve met some sad adults who never seem to break out of the living for other people idea, still seeking approval and respect through court decisions, awards, and diet coke.
(I may be overestimating the power of attractiveness on ‘ratings,’ and I may be overestimating other people’s need for feedback from others...or YOU could be underestimating if you disagree with me. I have no current research to back up my crackpot theories)
3) It’s not so bad! I have sacrificed a lot of my life to do this, or have I? I enjoy the readings, I laugh out loud at many of the cases and comments, and feel kind of good about working so much. I feel like I’m accomplishing something, similar to the gym only with less mirroring.
4) The funny thing about law school, my new line, is that it’s like being catholic. Every second I spend doing something that is not studying, not writing a paper, not researching case law, I feel guilty. No matter what I am doing, eating, buying, or reading - so long as it isn’t helping me get schoolwork done, it’s keeping me from studying. It’s great! Everything is guilty pleasure! Go go catholic guilt mechanism! When you're not studying, everything is sex? (my old line was "guilt is foreplay")
5) I’m trying to keep an eye on myself to keep from becoming a nervous wreck, anal-retentive ninny, or some sort of other twit while I work my way through school. I’m not basing my career on law school, nor my self-identity, nor much of anything for that matter. I’m going to settle for B’s if that is what it takes to maintain my sanity. I need to keep this little project in perspective, and not lose all I have gained in the last few years. I like who I am!
6) Our law: I’m not sure I like it. I don't like the law in this country compared to others. Remember I said I thought zealous advocacy was absurd and dysfunctional? That representation should not require outright lies and attempting to get improper judgments that held no parallel with reality or objective truths? Well, our adversarial system of law is also annoying compared to systems where the judge conducts genuine investigations with an eye on objectivity. The difference is whether the general culture trusts or distrusts authority figures. In our system, two opponents present their client’s information with the intention of winning the judge’s favor in the decision. In other systems, the judge hires OBJECTIVE fact finders, and decides based on uninterested third parties who is right and wrong. Our system is better if the authority sucks, others if you can trust your judge somewhat. Given the lunatic judge in Alabama, I’m all about distrust...but it’s sad that you just have a choice amongst different biased systems. Any system that involves people is inherently flawed?
7) Speaking of laws, such as grammar, I’ve decided that the rule to create the contraction, morphing “it is” into “it’s” is not as important as the possessive use of “its.” I’d much rather say “The octopus wrapped it’s tentacles around her thigh” than “It’s apparent she was dragged to a watery grave by an octopus.” How can I petition for this change? ITS important to me! How about we allow an apostrophe in both cases, and let context sort them out?
Note: this does not mean I'm going to start putting up with misuse of to, two, too or there, their, they're!
8) It may be really anal to post with outlined bullet points.
2) Plain and pretty. Like the gym, law school is a place for slightly pretty, some ugly, but a vast majority of kinda plain people. I’ve decided in this society where people are very much judged by their appearance, it is most beneficial to be almost but not quite attractive. You don’t get unconditional feedback as a plain person, you have to work for it. You never see a very pretty person in the gym, but hard work makes you hot as hell (case in point? Me baby!) It’s the same in law school, these people have received positive feedback based on a combination of their looks and performance, so they have worked very hard and accomplished much in that pursuit. I think this is a very healthy thing so long as it’s a stage that is passed through in life. Unfortunately, I’ve met some sad adults who never seem to break out of the living for other people idea, still seeking approval and respect through court decisions, awards, and diet coke.
(I may be overestimating the power of attractiveness on ‘ratings,’ and I may be overestimating other people’s need for feedback from others...or YOU could be underestimating if you disagree with me. I have no current research to back up my crackpot theories)
3) It’s not so bad! I have sacrificed a lot of my life to do this, or have I? I enjoy the readings, I laugh out loud at many of the cases and comments, and feel kind of good about working so much. I feel like I’m accomplishing something, similar to the gym only with less mirroring.
4) The funny thing about law school, my new line, is that it’s like being catholic. Every second I spend doing something that is not studying, not writing a paper, not researching case law, I feel guilty. No matter what I am doing, eating, buying, or reading - so long as it isn’t helping me get schoolwork done, it’s keeping me from studying. It’s great! Everything is guilty pleasure! Go go catholic guilt mechanism! When you're not studying, everything is sex? (my old line was "guilt is foreplay")
5) I’m trying to keep an eye on myself to keep from becoming a nervous wreck, anal-retentive ninny, or some sort of other twit while I work my way through school. I’m not basing my career on law school, nor my self-identity, nor much of anything for that matter. I’m going to settle for B’s if that is what it takes to maintain my sanity. I need to keep this little project in perspective, and not lose all I have gained in the last few years. I like who I am!
6) Our law: I’m not sure I like it. I don't like the law in this country compared to others. Remember I said I thought zealous advocacy was absurd and dysfunctional? That representation should not require outright lies and attempting to get improper judgments that held no parallel with reality or objective truths? Well, our adversarial system of law is also annoying compared to systems where the judge conducts genuine investigations with an eye on objectivity. The difference is whether the general culture trusts or distrusts authority figures. In our system, two opponents present their client’s information with the intention of winning the judge’s favor in the decision. In other systems, the judge hires OBJECTIVE fact finders, and decides based on uninterested third parties who is right and wrong. Our system is better if the authority sucks, others if you can trust your judge somewhat. Given the lunatic judge in Alabama, I’m all about distrust...but it’s sad that you just have a choice amongst different biased systems. Any system that involves people is inherently flawed?
7) Speaking of laws, such as grammar, I’ve decided that the rule to create the contraction, morphing “it is” into “it’s” is not as important as the possessive use of “its.” I’d much rather say “The octopus wrapped it’s tentacles around her thigh” than “It’s apparent she was dragged to a watery grave by an octopus.” How can I petition for this change? ITS important to me! How about we allow an apostrophe in both cases, and let context sort them out?
Note: this does not mean I'm going to start putting up with misuse of to, two, too or there, their, they're!
8) It may be really anal to post with outlined bullet points.
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no subject
Date: 2003-08-25 05:22 am (UTC)I felt like this the whole time! After I took the bar and had nothing to do before starting work, I would get sudden panic attacks trying to remember what it was I needed to do. Then I realized it was just the lifting of that feeling. It was such a relief.
no subject
Date: 2003-08-28 01:28 am (UTC)No, no... anal is using bullet points to on a date to hit on someone. I went out once with a DA who actually said: "I have 3 points to make. Point #1 I am having fun. Point #2, subpoint A, I think you are cute. Point #2 subpoint B, I would like to kiss you. Point #3..."
Now THAT is anal.