Lawyers Are Alcoholics

At least I seem to be...

Bacardi 151 Congratulations! You're 141 proof, with specific scores in beer (80) , wine (116), and liquor (104).

All right. No more messing around. Your knowledge of alcohol is so high that you have drinking and getting plastered down to a science. Sure, you could get wasted drinking beer, but who needs all those trips to the bathroom? You head straight for the bar and pick up that which is most efficient.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 71% on proof You scored higher than 82% on beer index You scored higher than 96% on wine index You scored higher than 92% on liquor index

People you meet in Bar/Bri - #2 The Neurotic Study Poser

I know, it’s Sunday, and I really hadn’t planned on being able to add to this list until Wednesday (seeing as that is when class starts again.) But I went to the library yesterday to do some work. Why, might you ask? Because Albany Law was graduating yesterday, so I figured, since pretty much my entire bar review class went to Albany Law, the library would be empty, sans me and the one other kid who did not go to Albany Law, but is for some reason here (and if you do exist, non-Albany Law kid, come say hi. I sit in the back row. :-) )

But lo, when I arrived at the library (mind you, it was after they graduated) there were 4 or 5 kids in the library. WEARING ALBANY LAW APPAREL!! Which leads me to People you meet in Bar/Bri #2 – The Neurotic Study Poser.

The Neurotic Studier has not quite learned that it is not the quantity of studying that is important (although studying needs to be done in some amount) but the quality of the studying. The Neurotic Study Poser is the person you knew in law school (or even college, or MAYBE high school, as they are prolly born like this) who would tell you, “I study 14 hours a day. I live in the library!” But when you ask them about a case you did the day before, they look at you blankly, and say “Gee, I don’t remember that.” And they mean it. This is not your brilliant, hard working person, who lives in the library and walks out of law school sum cum laude. This is the person who likes to appear like they are smart, knowledgeable, etc, but is in fact, a rather nervous poser.

Sure signs that you are dealing with the Neurotic Study Poser:

1. They feel guilty if they leave the library. Ever. If the library is open, they should be there.

2. They will ensure that you know that they are at the library all the time. This makes them feel better, since part of the rationale behind studying all the time is that it will “get them ahead” and making YOU nervous will help them in the long run.

3. If they leave the library, they will likely be going to a different study location.

4. If you somehow see them outside an academic setting, they are likely to be talking about law (and getting a fair bit of it wrong) and talking about how they should be studying.

For true entertainment, put at Neurotic Study Poser with the Information Overloader. More on the Overloader later…

People you meet in Bar/Bri - #1 The Slacker

In the spirit of one of my favorite law student blogs, “Barely Legal”, I am gonna single out some of the characters that I am having the joy of meeting in my Bar/Bri review class. (Note: Since I am taking my review class at Albany Law, and I am pretty sure I am one of the few non-Albany law kids in the class, I get the joy of watching my classmates interact with each other without knowing pretty much any of them. A weird feeling for social little me…)

The Slacker is a person you probably recognize from law school. He’s back, in Bar review, because hey, he graduated while being a slacker, so why change? This is the guy who comes in 15 minutes (or more) late to class every morning, doesn’t really seem to take notes (why take notes when you can play free cell?) and even manages to fall asleep at some points. The Slacker is known for such catch phrases as “Wow, you seem to be taking this class really seriously. Can I borrow your notes?” and “I don’t remember that lecture, I’m pretty sure I was drunk that day.”

You kinda have to love the Slacker. They make even the least productive of us feel like we are not totally screwed. You weren’t productive yesterday? That’s ok, the Slacker hasn’t even picked up his books. Running late? Not later then the Slacker. The Slacker is the feel good pill of the Bar class. If you are worried about not studying enough, just look at the Slacker, and all your fears will melt away. (Note: do NOT confuse the Slacker with the Insanely Smart Guy. They have some similar characteristics, but are VERY VERY different.)

The most amazing thing about the Slacker is that a significant portion of them have jobs. Granted, about half of them are working for Dad’s firm, potentially leading to the slacking aura. But some have managed to obtain actual legal jobs on their own accord. It might be the only work they did in law school, but then again maybe they borrowed someone else’s resume too (“I was too drunk that day, can I borrow yours?”) Note that some Slackers flip and become the Leech. More on the Leech later…

Welcome to Bar/Bri

Welcome to Bar/Bri, the class that teaches you everything you need to know for the bar exam. Funny, I swear that is what law school is suppose to teach you. I mean, with the exception of clinic, law school doesn’t really teach you how to be a lawyer. You don’t really learn how to deal with clients (or even how to find them.) You don’t learn how to do billing, or draft the different kinds of motions, or even how to deal with other attorneys. Which is fine, since we (the law students) all assume we will learn this stuff on the job. But then, why go to law school? We ponder this, and come up with the only logical explanation we can think of: to prepare for the bar exam. “Of course!” we think, as we start our first year, “This must be the reason!”

But lo, we are wrong. And in comes Bar/Bri. Now granted, without taking my law school classes (especially the horrible first year ones) there is no way I could possibly learn all this information in the 2 months. But I still need to take this class (ok, to be fair, I don’t HAVE to take this class, but I think that I would be very much behind my colleagues if I don’t.) But it leads me to the line of thought: why isn’t law school sufficient in preparing me for the bar exam. Or, conversely, why is something like Bar/Bri part of law school? I mean, unlike college, where people take all kinds of different tests (MCAT, LSAT, etc.) law students generally take one test, the bar exam. It is one test, and the only required test for law students to take. And while I understand that every school can’t cover every different state, just about every state uses the multistate. So review that! Make it a class or something.

Ah well, back to watching video professors. Woo.

So close to a trifecta...

Yesterday I graduated. Wow. Graduated. Still in a bit of shock on the graduating thing. Although the best moment was when they called my name. It is all my imaginiation, I am sure, but it sounded like a roar of clapping and cheering (I later found out that not only did I have the Dryer clan cheering, but my favorite Texans were cheering as well, so that may explain the noise.) I took a ton of pictures with people, and had a pretty good time all around (although it is HOT in those gowns...) I love my friends and family, and they came to see me, which meant sooooooooo much to me, since I know they couldn't have gotten home till late, and almost everyone had to work the next day.

Today is my birthday. 26 years old. Dang, I am old. I am moving back to Kinderhook today, so that should be intersting. I just had dim sum with my friends here in Boston, as a birthday brunch and a good bye (I hate good byes. Hopefully it will be a hello soon again.) And I ate birthday chicken feet.

My prof asked me with graduation and my birthday if I got the trifecta. And I was like "Yes, graduation, birthday and....bar/bri? Sure, that is a trifecta." Maybe I'll use my trip to the Adirondacks as the trifecta completer. Gotta be more fun then bar/bri...

Editors note: One of my fabulous classmates did a WONDERFUL job of explaining our graduation cermony. Rather then trying to top this, I submit to the superior...mind? Check it out.

Got my links back!

Well, my links seem to be back and functioning well (I was worried they were gone forever.)

And even better, I found my haloscan password, and I got my comments back (both old and the ability to add new ones...)

I know, it is sad that it took me like 3 hours to figure this all out, but I've found that my computer knowledge, while relatively up to date in college, has decreased rapidly (or should I say everyone elses increased rapidly) while I was in law school. Projects for the future....

New Life, New Look

Hey everyone. So today I dropped off my second bar application. I finished my last test yesterday, my paper certed. And I am officially done with law school (except that whole graduation ceremony thing.

In lieu of my starting on a new juncture in life, I decided to lighten up my page (no more dark days of law school...) But in the process of doing so, I managed to lose my comments section. I am trying to figure out where it went (along with all my links and such). As soon as I get them all back, we will be up and running.

I'm hoping to update more frequently in the future, and really make this a more interesting blog. We'll see if this actually happens. For now, since I figure I'll be busy for a bit: So long, and thanks for all the fish. ;-)

Elite Humor

I've decided that Americans have a broken humor center. Not fully broken, mind you, but one that seems to lack a true appreciation of dry witty humor. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy brought on this line of thinking (no big surprise there.) The movie, like the book, was gleefully confusing, complex, twisted and at some points down right illogical. It is SUPPOSED to be this way. I was rather impressed that screenplay writer made it as logical as it was (for those of you who somehow missed out on the books, the books were written so that you really really needed to read all the books in the series to understand what in the world was truly going on.) But the reviewers, both critical ones and "average people" reviews are not grasping this. The best reviews are from people who read the books. No shock there. Chances are, if you like a good dry twisted and convoluted plot, you have already read the book. And you will like the movie (which, while not perfect, was great. Especially the sperm whale. lol!) And if you don't get the movie, or really don't find it funny, I feel bad for you.

I mention all of this because after I left the theatre, these people behind me were talking about how stupid it was. The jokes didn't make sense, the acting was dry, etc. **sigh** Pardon me if I sound like an erudite here, but what astounds me is the lack of class in the American comedic audience. While I am oft throughly amused by a flatulence joke, or an evening of the Blue Collar comedy tour, I rather like the intellectual comedy that makes the journey across the Atlantic. The fact that I have had to EXPLAIN Monty Python to people (and no, I don't mean translating their accents, which are heavy at times) is rather sad.

Thankfully, I have developed friends over the years who understand and enjoy british humor as much as I do. Because the sadest thing for me was having a discussion in my humanities class in high school (senior year Honors english) about british humor, and having my teacher give me a mildly condescending smile and saying "Katrina, not all of us feel the need to have deep thoughts about comedy. Most of us just want to sit back and laugh, and the British comedies are just not funny." Ugh.

I think I'll find my teacher and bring her to Hitchhiker. Should be good for a laugh. For me. :-)