Acceptance?

I am standing here in the lobby of the Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University. My initial trepidation at being surrounded by thousands of green-and-white-clad Spartans has faded, as I realize that I am mostly barricaded from them inside this fine Center.

As the test nears -- it's 9 am tomorrow -- I now feel a sense of calm. I earlier felt a sense of dread, but that was only because I was trying to remember everything, and as the test date approached, I realized that was impossible. Now, however, I have accepted that I will not know everything, I CANNOT know everything, and there is a high likelihood that I will have to do this again in July.

I'm not too horrified at the prospect. I don't have a job lined up yet, so nothing is really riding on this other than a few hundred dollars more fees. I know that in some way I am purposely trying to downplay the importance of the test so that I don't totally freak out, but I also know that I *don't* know important fundamentals of courses I never took. I also know that I am still shaky on elements of torts, or some crimes, that by this point should be down cold.

Don't get me wrong; I have studied my ass off in the past two months. Perhaps I have studied HARD instead of studying SMART. In any case, we'll know in a few months how I did. For the next few days, I will awake and proceed with confidence combined with the knowledge that even the worst is not THAT bad.

Conviser

Matt is sitting at Starbucks, reading through his indecipherable property outline in the "Barbri -- Conviser Mini Review" book. Man comes up to him.

Man: Just out of curiosity, what is Conviser?
Matt (excited because I just looked it up last week because I had the same question): Richard Conviser is the president of Barbri. I think he wrote the review.
Man: Oh. I wasn't sure. I thought conviser was about giving advice to cons.

Not quite, but wouldn't that be an appropriate title for a book of legal outlines!

Gah!!!

The grandchildren's interest can be best described as... D) Nothing??! Rule against perpetuities?? Wha??? But grandfather said he wanted the life estate to his daughter and the remainder to his grandchildren once they reach the age of 25! And his grandchildren are alll alive right now, so how coiuld the..... Oh no you are NOT serious....... Well yes I know in theory his daughter could have more kids but...... So you're saying that because the remainder might vest in theoretical grand kids more than 21 years from now, his current grandkids are screwed?????

Damn tricky law
MBE stands for Matt Be Educated

In for a landing!

IMG_8299, originally uploaded by CaseWriter21.

Rudy flies in for a landing!

Sleeping Winston

IMG_8342, originally uploaded by CaseWriter21.

Winston sleeps peacefully while the screen saver behind him is a beautiful visual echo of his form.

Vote Rudy in 2008!

rudy-for-president, originally uploaded by CaseWriter21.

I'm Still Here... Snuggling with Cuddly Things

matt-mickey-billy
Originally uploaded by CaseWriter21.

My little sister Elizabeth woke me up this morning with several hundred click-click-clicks of my Canon 20D. I took it as an opportunity for some good, old-fashioned modeling work, and quickly arranged Mickey (the dog) and Billy (the teddy bear I've had since I was a lad) into several photogenic positions. This was my favorite, because we all look so cute and because my trips to the gym are evident. :-)

Also, notice that I am shorn once again! Yes, that's right, I shaved my beard off, as I do every few months or so. I just get tired of looking like a man in his late 30s, and instead want to look like a boy in his early 20s. Word on the street is that I'm cuter without a beard, but try telling that to the hypothetical county prosecutor interviewing me for assistant DA. Can you imagine it? A boy trying to convict a drug dealer. How on earth can a jury of peers take me seriously with such a cute and round babyface?

Oh well -- we will tackle that problem if and when we come to it.

So, after being woken up by flashes and clicks, I headed through the 15-below windchill to the gym, where I had a rousing good time doing a lower body workout of squats, hamstring curls, calf presses and plenty o' ab work. I was in a pretty good mood until I hit the showers, tried to wash my hair, and realized that the shampoo I keep in my gym bag in the trunk of my car had FROZEN INTO A SOLID BLOCK OF SHAMP-ICE. Or ICE-POO. (Pick your favorite.) Not to mention the fact that my shower shoes were also little blocks of ice, and after I finished and left the gym I was assaulted by icy wind, and got into my icy car and put my cold fingers on an icy steering wheel, and so on and so forth. I HATE MICHIGAN WEATHER.

Let's see. Oh! I discovered a great new quick protein-filled meal. This takes about 30 seconds to make and tastes DELICIOUS:

Step 1. Open up a can of chicken breast.
Step 2. Plop in two dollops of hummus.
Step 3. Drizzle with olive oil.
Step 4. Mix up with a spoon.
Step 5. (In a flamboyantly gay voice) Heaaaaven!

(Note to visitors: I love gay people. You know, in a platonic sort of way.)

Anyway, it's an amazing protein-filled and low fat dish, perfect for getting some extra protein at night, and if you want to have it as a real meal during the day (i.e. with carbs), just put it between some whole wheat bread. SO good.

In other news, I am still studying for the LSATs. Er, Bar Exam. Haven't tackled the essays yet -- have been focusing on the multiple choiced Multistate Bar Exam -- but I will get to the essays this week. Twenty-three days to go. Hmm. Time to find religion.