Category Archives: Law School

3 done, ONE TO GO!

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Can you see it? The finish line is in my sights! There will probably not be any blogging here until Friday. I have my final final in two days (Civ Pro) and Thursday night will be a party night with no blogging. There are so many things I cannot wait to do after I’m done with finals:

  • Get a car
  • Read the Sunday New York Times
  • Go to the beach
  • Get a library card
  • Try a donation based yoga studio in Santa Monica
  • See my little bro, whose visiting LA a week from Thursday!

There is so much to look forward to, not to mention the huge feeling of relief when 1L ends. I mentioned getting back into yoga, and I definitely need to. My hips and knees have been really tight since I got back into running and are starting to hurt slightly. On my off running days I’m going to start going to yoga. Until I get my car I’m doing yoga from home. This presents a slight challenge:

Perhaps “play with Izzy” should be on my list of things to do. I get the feeling she is restless. And hungry. The past two nights she has started counter surfing and trying to eat a bag of bread. I almost always have some type of food on the kitchen counter and its never been an issue.I had to hide all the food!

As mentioned today I had a final. Then I went on an awesome run! My post final runs are always some of my best. After I had roasted brussle sprouts with multi grain pilaf. After I entered my calories into “Lose It!” I realized that with my food, minus the running and walking calories I burned, I still had 900 calories that I could consume. Obviously I went to the promise land:

And obviously I had no problem finishing it off:

Red velvet + chocolate = amazing. OK, I’m going to enjoy my night off because tomorrow it is ON!

Mad Sprint to Freedom

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We’re almost there!!!! Less than a week. Ugh, everything I’ve been eating lately has, sadly, not been blog worthy. But I have other announcements:

First, Happy May Day

Not only is May Day a day that raises awareness of important social issues, but it’s a major Simmons College tradition. Above you can see me with long hair my Sophomore year on the far left doing the may pole dance. The tradition involves running through the senior dorms way too early in the morning with pots and pans, waking up said seniors and then dancing around the may pole. Then we indulge in a strawberry breakfast. I loved participating sophomore year and it was great being woken up by the sophomores last year, about two weeks before graduation. May day is one of my many cherished Simmons memories. Plus, how New England woman’s college is this tradition? I love it.

Secondly, I have an urge to blog about issues again. I had a short lived blog on the Simmons College network where I talked about actual political and social issues. Maybe its the finals stir craziness, but I have an urge to write about the racist email that was sent at Harvard Law last week. BUT. I will NOT write anything until after finals are over because it would only serve to be a distraction. Yell at me to focus on my studying via blog comments if I post any sort of commentary. But check this article which I think does a good job of summing up several main issues related to the email. I’ve been appalled by the commentary on above the law and was glad to find another source of commentary.

That’s it for now. I promise to have something more interesting later.

Welcome to the Future

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Do you think this is what the skype people had in mind when they were creating their product? Today at the Constitutional Law review session my professor skyped in from France. Goldstein was a total champ for spyking in from France at 11 pm. If I were in France I would be eating a fromage course and drinking red wine, not leading a review session. Plus, the session its self was highly entertaining. Nothing like an older man with a headset and some prankster was sending a message across the screen that said “Antonin Scalia, ‘I am the law””.

After a highly entertaining review session I went on a run. It was a really hard run, and not in a good way. My legs felt like they were in peanut butter. I’m not sure if it was the wind, the fact that I’ve been sitting a lot, or the fact that I hadn’t had any protein but I couldn’t seem to “break through”. It was frustrating and I didn’t feel satisfied after my run so I did “yoga abs” on the On Demand. It was nice to do something not running so I plan to incorporate it more often. Yoga is such a great workout and really works your arms and abs. I really want focus on working yoga and abs into my workout on a consistent basis.

2 Down, 2 To Go

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Well, finals are officially halfway done! Today I had my property final. It went as expected. I’ve never left a law school final thinking it was easy. If it was easy everyone would do it, right? The first part was particularly challenging. We had 33 questions and an hour, which is less than 2 min. per question. And the questions? About 90% of them were at least a half page long. Gah! And its curved so who the hell knows how you actually did. So basically, thinking about it is a recipe for driving your self crazy. When I got home I was preoccupied by the final but I decided to put it aside and go on a run. MAN! I felt good after! I just left all my anxiety on the pavement. Plus, my new mix totally came through in the clutch. What does one do after a final and a killer run?

A glass of Bordeaux obviously (check Iz out in the background. Totally interested obviously). And I had a pasta with my homemade sauce which I enhanced with roasted tomatoes. It made the whole experience so much more flavorful. Then I made a mango soda with the leftover mango compote from this morning and seltzer water:

Isn’t it pretty? Now mix…

It was SO GOOD. It was almost better than breakfast. The mango is refreshing and adds a bit of pizazz to otherwise boring seltzer water. You will have to excuse me now… I have to watch Glee.

Mango Breakfast Parfait

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It’s such a yucky overcast day here is Southern California. At 1:30 today I have my property final so I decided to make myself an extra special breakfast. I like to take the morning before the exam to take time for myself. If I don’t know the information by then I’m not going to learn it, am I? Today I decided to make a Mango Puree Breakfast parfait that I read about in Everyday Food.

Seriously Martha, I love you, but I really don’t want to pay 99 cents for the Everyday Food iphone app. Can you reduce the price to free please?

The first step is to peel, core, and chop the mango. Mango’s are slippery! I was having a hard time holding on to it by the end.

Then you throw the mango into the food processor with a tablespoon of water and 1/6 of a cup of sugar and puree until smooth.

Then layer it into a cup alternating with Greek yogurt.

Yum! So light and refreshing and delicious. I love starting the day with fruit! Always sets a good tone for the day. Then I went to campus to blog this and they had free cookies in the entry hall. Delish! I’m never far away from a free cookie!

YUM! Off to my final, wish me luck!

Snacking Through Lunch

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I’ve noticed the past few days I’ve been having snacks instead of a formal lunch. One of my favorite snacks are Lara Bars. This is another thing I’ve noticed my favorite bloggers eating. The ingredients in this bar, literally, are cashews and dates. Kinda like a healthy Turkish Delight (favorite dessert item of mine!)

I’ve been doing a good job of focusing on studying but I’ve allowed my mind to stray a bit. Things I’ve thought about in the past 4 hours:

  • Maybe I will do a 30 day Jillian Micheal’s shred in June or maybe July. Anyone done this or have any thoughts on the topic?
  • If I need a formal dress before I finish losing weight and get my formal dresses tailored I’m totally using “Rent the Runway”. Maybe my birthday?
  • I still really want to do all my shopping at Whole Foods.
  • I want an espresso machine in my apartment.
  • The redesign of Pandora is distracting.
  • I hate that finals are making me break out.
  • The “countdowns” all my friends have going are making me anxious.

That’s about it for now! Back to present estates and future interests!

In Control

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“There are two ways to live life. One is stressed-out, the other isn’t. One hurts, one doesn’t. Look, if you’re having a nightmare, don’t you want to wake up?” -Eckart Tolle

Um, yes I would like to pick the second one please! Since yesterday was essentially a family/social/small amount of work day, today became the first “real” day of reading period. Reading period in law school lasts for two + weeks. This is wonderful, since my entire grade is dependent on one exam which is curved against a bunch of truly brilliant people. Obviously this is also a recipe for stress. The theme of the entire last semester was “clinging on for dear life”. This semester the theme is “I have the power to make choices”. We are all in control. I can choose to go on my run, eat well, set a realistic study schedule, and manage my stress. I am in control. That is what I intend to do this semester.

Along the lines of eating well…Last night for dinner I had a multi grain rice pilaf with roasted Brussels sprouts! I never liked/tried Brussels sprouts before but I figured that there was no way I wouldn’t like them roasted. Everything is better when slathered with EVO, salt and pepper, right? Naturally. Plus, its probably the healthiest thing I’d had in a while (because we have to balance out all my treats). And now for another gratuitous shot of my dinner.

After dinner a (very) small group of section 3 people went to the Gaslite, in Santa Monica. They are known for having karaoke every night. Of course there was an eclectic group of regulars hanging out and rocking out. Hardcore. I also observed some new dance moves for the next time I dance with a mic stand.

The only down fall was that there was no tonic at the bar. What is a g&t loving preppy to do?

There was a girl in a North Face, pearls + she had a martini. I felt like I was back in the North Shore, but I opted away from the martini. I love me a martini but I had a review session today and it is finals. Time to show restraint! I was really glad I went out last night. It mellowed me out and reminded me that fun and finals CAN coexist, despite all other indications. Lets hope I can keep this mellow zen up until May 6th around 5 pm. Whose with me?

Last Day of 1L Class!

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We’ve made it kids! 3.5 hours from now 1L classes will be all over. I cannot believe that this semester is almost over. This has been the most exciting and academically challenging year of my life. I have mixed feelings about it ending:

Pro

  • I get to take Critical Race Studies classes (this was the entire reason I came to UCLA)
  • I get to pick the times of my classes meaning no more 9AM class
  • I get to mingle with new people
  • It means I’ve been at this for a year and it hopefully will get easier

Con

  • I’m going to miss my section. I’ve had class with the same 40-80 people all year long so its going to be weird not to see them every day.
  • I’m one year closer to adult hood and having to take the bar exam.

At this point, the pros out weigh the cons, no offense section 3/4!

I spent the AM working from Starbucks (big ups to McGuire Woods for the free gift card! I don’t want to work for you but thanks for the swag!) and then treated myself to lunch at the lunch trucks. Today I checked out the Yum Yum truck!

The Yum Yum truck comes to UCLA pretty often but I had never sampled it before. Today I made a beeline as I was crazing Thai food.

I opted for the drunken noodles with spring rolls and a diet coke. The spring rolls were a bit plain but the sauce had tangy after taste which made it really special.

The outside was great! Just crispy enough.

Then I moved on to the main course, the drunken noodles! They were really good. The noodles were just done enough and was mild but was still flavorful.

And to top it all off I had a nice cold diet coke! Hope it gets me all the way through my last Property AND Civil Procedure.

Off to my last classes! YAHOO!

Comfort Food.

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As finals draw nearer I find myself seeking out comfort food like I used to. I have been able to maintain some semblance of health and wellness. I basically coffee shop hopped all day and made some progress then I came home and decided to treat myself. According to Clementine, its grilled cheese month, so I decided to keep with the theme…

Whole Wheat Brie Grilled Cheese with Arugula! Typical grilled cheese. Butter both sides of bread, fry it up with the cheese and the arugula and then mush it together.

YUM! I had dinner with the TV tonight. E! was playing an oldie but a goodie…

Dazed and Confused!

Love this movie. Matthew McConaughey’s character cracks me up every time. The music in this movie remind me of driving around the North Shore at 17. Nothing like driving around in the summer with “free ride” playing. I also treated myself to a beer:

I rarely drink beer but occasionally I get a craving which I’ll indulge. Tomorrow is the second to last day of class AND I don’t have my 9 am! It feel like finals, but its also the second to last day of instruction of 1L. I can’t believe its almost over. This year has flown by and I am so excited for the summer to get here.

And here is a picture of Iz while I was eating grilled cheese. She was very interested and clearly loves french cheese as much as I do:

Isn’t she looking slender?

Victorrrrrrrryyyy!

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Ok, so potato pancakes are not part of my commitment to health. However, last night I got a job offer from a well respected public interest organization in Los Angeles. I figured a celebration was in order. My friends and I went to Jerry’s Deli in Westwood Village.

I had already had pound cake with lemon curd so instead of a milk shake, I got potato pancakes. It actually worked out because I had only had a small serving of soup before my driving lesson and a small portion of soup can hardly be described as dinner. Not that fried potatoes are packed with nutrients… In any case, the potato pancakes was good (my total guilty pleasure) and I am so relieved that I have something for this summer!