Paranormal Activity

6:30 am - Takes dog out. Come back inside. Put food in dog bowl. Dog freaks out in our kitchen as if there's a ghost. I didn't think anything of it because he can be on the skittish side.

6:40 am - I'm trying to go back to sleep when the dog jumps, uninvited onto the bed and plants himself firmly on my head. It is not abnormal for him to get into bed in the morning -- but he usually waits until I say okay and then rests at my feet. Husband thinks this is odd, and it is even odder when the pooch gets off of my head and puts his full weight onto the husband. He couldn't get close enough to the husband, but he also wouldn't settle down. Generally at that time he is super sleepy and passes out.

8:45 - We finally drag our asses out of bed. We realize that he did not eat ANY of his food. This is extremely strange. He's hungry all the time. He eats pork fat and fish skin and finishes each meal in 30 seconds. He pretty much spent all day hiding under my desk in the bedroom.

Fast forward to 7:15 - we have the windows open and it's getting breezy. We hear weird noises under the couch and look at each other confused. Then I hear a big CRASH in the hallway. Seth saw the dog's soccer ball fly up of its own volition and hit a mirror we have hanging on the hallway. The mirror comes crashing down but does not break. Husband proceeds to swear he hears some crazy stuff. I don't...

The boy just emerged from his hiding spot, tail tucked. Sniffed a few spots in the kitchen and ran back to hiding... ODD

A long time ago, I was baking cookies and felt a presence. I honestly think it was my grandma. That time, the pooch was staring straight up and wagging his tail maniacally. This is definitely not my grandma.

Friday while we were out of the park he ran past our usual spot. He should have been happy chasing his ball. Instead, his tail was tucked and on a sniffing mission. He led me to a spot where there were the discarded clothes of one of the gutter-punk-homeless kids who haunt our neighborhood smoking crack. Next to those was the torn up purse of a woman -- not of the gutter punk variety.

Why you don't want to go to the bathroom at my house

In attempt to memorize crim law, I have resorted to making really baudy mnemonics and writing them on index cards which are now taped on my bathroom walls. Add those to the flow charts on rape reform approaches and homicide charge comparison tables, and well, it's a real joy to brush your teeth in Casa SKH.

So tired, so tired, so tired...

So tired/ of beating/ beating myself up/ gonna take a trip and multiply
The line of the Jamie Lidells song currently running through my head.

Just got home from judging A's trial advocacy trial. Have to say she was great -- her cross was perfect. Watching a little Law and Order and sipping a very small glass of wine before lying in bed, repeating my positive thought mantras and drooling on my pillow for 8 hours.

random updates

Dinner at prof's house last night - good.
Studying for closed book crim test - bad.
Quote for the moment: "And I feel like this could just go on forever. And I feel like this could just go on forever." - Pinback.

Quote of the Day

"Don't wrestle with a pig in the mud. You both get dirty and the pig likes it."

I just wanna burrito

Today is April 20th, aka 420, aka the police code for smoking pot and consequently the national day to celebrate being a stoner. I live close to golden gate park which contains hippie hill and is like tha spot to be at 4:20 on 4-20 dduuuuuuddee. So, I was surrounded by stoners on the bus home from school and have been listening to the faint sounds of the hippie hill drum circle while reading environmental law. But I was still stupid enough to try to go get a burrito at the exact time the sun started setting and the drum circle went silent. That was fun. The place was packed with the ravenous and bleary eyed.

Post 600,000 about the same thing - finality

I was offered a spot on...both moot court and trial team. It's a long conflicting story that I'm not sure I feel okay blogging about.

During the trial team interview they asked me: "How has law school been?"

I was honest. I said that first semester was hard and that I'd spent it questioning if I'd made the right choice. It was a shock to my system, coming from a liberal arts college with a collaborative writing major and a touchy feely nonprofit job. But, I've been having glimmers this semester, times where I've felt less resistant and where my decision has been affirmed -- getting the summer job at the DAs, being told by my moot court judge that I was a natural litigator. Some small moments, some larger. These little specs make the whole picture make more sense.

I am greatful, and excited, and filled with Chardonay.

You down?

Just received thisin the mail -- a gift from Prof K's first class.

You down with UCC, yeah you know me. Isn't it the most hideously hilariously thing you've ever seen?

Registration, Complete.

In a fairly painless process, I was able to register for my option 1 list of classes: Con Law 1, Evidence, Family Law, Criminal Procedure, and Professional Responsibility. One more thing I can delete from my mental to do list.

Awwww... Freak Out!

It's about that time. But this isn't a post about the fact that finals are around the corner and I'm not ready and stressed to the point of needing to be talked down from a ledge. No, this is a post about family.

We went to the in laws for Easter. I have a long history of feeling conflicted about religion, so celebrating the resurrection of our savior strikes a little skeptical place in my heart and makes me feel like quite the hypocrite. Add this to the fact that I am stressed/ busy and that we don't smoke at all in front of the parents, well....Jesus questioning and nicotine withdrawal aside, I had a great time. I only put my foot in my mouth a few times, and most of them were minor. The most glaring example would be when talking to my mother in law about surrogate mothering. She wrote the California policy on the subject and has lots of strong, well informed opinions. But, she was quite surprised when I said that if we couldn't get preggo the natural way (assuming we decide to have kids, a subject left for another year) we would definitely adopt. To get the impact of the conversation, I will let it unfold in dialog:

Me: "Well, if husband and I couldn't have kids, I don't know that we'd do that. (Meaning pay 50 grand for a surrogate mom to carry a genetic creation of our sperm and egg)"
Her: "Oh, yes you would. I KNOW you. You'd do whatever it took"
Me: "Well, I think that at that point, we would be more likely to adopt."
Her: Trying very hard to relate "Well, you don't want to adopt in this country. The only ones that are adopted out are...
Me: "Drug babies. But (thinking, don't they deserve loving parents? Get gloriously saved by husband.)
Husband: "Oh, well, at that point, we'd adopt from China or another country."

The thing about my MIL is that she really is perfect. She's never had a hangover, never forgets birthdays, never farts in public, and almost died giving birth to both of her sons. She's a nurse director and works 12 - 14 hours a day. When babies die, it is her job to call their time of death and comfort the parents. She is successful in her career, socially perfect, and a domestic goddess who makes 5 desserts for a 6 person Easter dinner.

Meanwhile, I crave drinks at 2pm while my dog destroys her lawn, muddies her carpet, and ignores me for 42 straight hours. I have tattoos, and don't know if I want kids, and, and, and...

Round 2!

Made it to the second week of tryouts for the trial team. Awesome!

Dude, I'm totally high on Vitamin D

Trial team tryouts went better than moot court. I was nervous but actually had a good time. And, as I emerged from the parking garage after finishing the sun was shining. I put on my sunglasses and rolled down my windows. Hooray! Even better...it is sunny today too! After around 20 straight days of rain, the rays went to my head. A few friends from school and I spontaneously went for a drink. Ahhhh...

post 587,654 about the same thing

Moot court tryout - check. I think it went okay. Not brilliant, not terrible. I felt comfortable but was unprepared for one of the questions they asked me. I think I did far better in the informal interview, but not sure that matters much. Oddly, the director of the program pinned me as a DA. When I was talking about my summer plans to work at the DA's office, she showed me her paper and said she called it. It was the first thing she wrote down right after I opened my mouth. Hmmm...

Am currently rehearsing my closing argument for the millionth time. I keep getting hung up because all the players are named after fish - Fish, Salmon, Grouper. It's making me hungry. Thanks to all of the good luck wishes. A special public than you to B who make me a "WWJMD" wallpaper for my computer. So, whenever I get the urge to check random blogs and web sites, I think, well, Jack McCoy would definitely not be reading Go Fug Yourself right now.

I'm seeing something large and alcoholic in my future.

Still Friday Night

Interesting that I have been blogging less since admonishing myself not to whine. I had a lovely dinner with friends last night and lunch with A today. Still feeling stressed and tired. I have tryouts for moot court and trial team on the same day next week. So, I've been outlining and trying to come up with brilliant arguments and closing arguments and cross examinations. At least I can watch law and order and say it's for a good cause because the trial team members actually said: "When in doubt, think, WWJMD -- What Would Jack McCoy Do?"

It's Friday night and I'm watching some dumb show called "Survival of the Richest" and drinking tea. Conviction is on at 10. Trying to decide if I'll stay up or not, you know, in the name of research.

I felt oddly excited to be included on this list.

Note to self

Quit your fucking whining. Just found out that a fellow student has cancer. Caught early, things should be okay. But I am a total tool for writing that last post (with the exception of list item 1.)

On a more positive note, moot court argument rocked. I had fun. The judges were great. One told me: "If you want to be a litigator I absolutely think you should. You're a natural." Somewhere in a deep, dark, placein my soul, I used to know that I was good at public speaking, but any such knowledge had been beaten down since starting law school. It's nice to have it back.

At least the time change means the hour I lost puts me that much closer to a socially acceptable time for wine

Topping today's list of anxiety inducing factors...

My mom's as of yet undiagnosed but potentially very bad medical problem
Moot court argument tomorrow
Registration (why do the only 2 classes I really want to take conflict??)
My neighbor's (and probably soon my) mouse problem
The countdown to finals. I have arrived at the wearing sweatpants, looking pale and zitty phase.