Thursday, September 30, 2004

BINGO!
or The Presidential Debate


I don't like politics. It's messy. People get upset about it. There is rarely a definite line between right and wrong. Most of all, there are too many names to remember. But, tonight I found a way to make politics a lot more interesting.

It's called Presidential Debate Bingo.

Not only did it allow me to focus on important topics, such as weapons of mass destruction and waffles, it also gave me an incentive to pay attention. I must admit, with the help of this game, I was hanging on both candidates' every word! In fact, I even cheered them on. Say "Mission Accomplished!" Call him a flip flopper! Go go go!

The next presidential debates are October 8th and 13th. Plan a party, print out some cards (they change each time you push refresh), and have a grand ole bi-partisan time!

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Inspirational Quote

"The less you try, the less you feel bad when you suck."

~Kristen on Writing Jury Instructions

Monday, September 27, 2004


Killer Winter Boots!

My boots arrived today. I bought them a while ago during a class, probably contracts. They were initially appealing because they don't have heels. You would be surprised how many "winter" boots for women have huge high heels. Where would I be walking in winter where the weather necessitates a boot, but where a high heel would cause me to fall and kill myself? I'm a little fuzzy on how that is supposed to benefit me, or any woman for that matter.

Beyond the lack of a high heel, these boots are still supreme. They are tested and certified to -22 degrees Fahrenheit. They are waterproof, with fake furry stuff at the top. They also look like mean winter stomping boots, which is exactly what I was looking for.

Of course, I haven't tried them on yet.

Sunday, September 26, 2004

Single

I realized today that more and more of my friends are coupling off. Friends who have been single for a little bit are finding new people to pique their interest. Other friends who have never, ever, in the many years I've known them, dated, are suddenly finding that person they were always looking for. Add to that the fact that I know of possibly two people in my law school classes who aren't married or in long-term relationships.

It adds up to this: I feel very, very single.

Not that good kind of single, where you're all keyed up to go out on the town and hunt for manflesh. Not that "full of possibility" feeling. It's more the feeling that school will keep me so busy that I won't have the time nor energy for at least three months to go out and find a date. It's that uneasy feeling that I probably won't even notice that much.

Well, it's not like I haven't been completely single before. There are certainly positive aspects to not having to tell anyone where you're going or why. It's nice knowing that I can take a break from any drama that might come with a relationship. All in all, it's probably not a bad thing to be single.

It's just that no one else seems to be.

P.S. Read Something Positive I picked out a nice lonely one. To really get a feel for the comic, start from the beginning.

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Um, the Constitution?

I just saw "Unconstitutional," a film put out by the ACLU or something like that. I encourage you to see it, or at least to read the USA Patriot Act and compare the things it allows to what the Constitution protects.

Just to clue you in, you might find some discrepancies.

Oh, and when the media talks about the Geneva Conference, and how the people we're holding in the brigs of ships and on a little base in Cuba are being held in violation of it... What that means is that the USA is, in affect, committing war crimes. WAR CRIMES. You know, like Hitler. Detaining American citizens of Japanese origin all over again.

This is all stuff that Bush and Ashcroft support, have supported, and even pushed through into being.

Am I unpatriotic for not supporting the Patriot Act? Well, only if Madison and Milwaukee are too, cause they both passed sweeping resolutions condemning the unconstitutional sections of the Patriot Act (yes, the same ones our president supports).

One more thing: The people who flew the planes into the twin towers didn't have beards. They didn't wear turbans. They didn't go to mosques.

I feel sick.

Monday, September 20, 2004

Why I Will Eat A Krispy Kreme Doughnut This Morning

Ah yes, another Monday morning. The sparrows are singing in the trees outside my windows. Groups of motor vehicles speed by on the street below. The Wisconsin State Journal lauds and laments the weekend's athletic events/disasters. My body cheerfully begs me to sleep another fifteen hours.

What's there not to love?

Thus, to celebrate this lovely time of the week, I shall consume one (1) Krispy Kreme doughnut. Why yes, I did eat one yesterday as well. Consider it an extended celebration of the wonderful life I lead; what better way to celebrate being alive than sinking your teeth into the delicate glaze frosting of a melt-in-your-mouth treat such as a Krispy Kreme?

To those who would scold me, I say nay! I will not celebrate my life with lettuce and low-carb bars! If I were to take the advice of those wise souls who have gone before me, I should live each moment as though it were my last. Would I slip from this world to the next with a carob bar melting on my tongue? I say thusly, NO! A Krispy Kreme would surely ease my passing and bring peace to my soul at such a moment. Who can say this moment is not my very last?

I shall now partake in the sensual sweetness that is my after-breakfast snack. Woe to you who are not so lucky!

Sunday, September 19, 2004

Migraines v. Law School: Bonus Round
Friday morning I awoke thinking I had survived my first round with a migraine with little collateral damage. I thought I could get back to normal and go about my education.

I was wrong.

Friday I spent from 8:45AM to 12:30PM at UHS. The problem was, I had taken the top dose of migraine medicine, so all they could do for me was give me anti-nausea medicine and let me sleep until I could receive a shot of Imetrex closer to 24 hours after my first dose on Thursday.

God bless the lovely people at UHS. I slept for a majority of the time. They gave me my own room and a nice warm blanket, and a little bowl in case I needed to be sick. They let me eat my bag lunch while I waited to get my shot. They were really nice about giving me another parking pass when my first one ran out. If I had to have a migraine, at least I was lucky enough to have one there.

I came home from the doctor's office and promptly passed out on the couch for about three hours. Migraines are tough work!

So, that means I've missed a total of 5 hours of classes thus far.

Migraines 5, Law School 0

Friday, September 17, 2004

Migraines v. Law School: Round 1
I have suffered through my first official migraine during my time in law school. It started about half-way through my contracts class. My head hurt. My stomach felt unsettled. I couldn't concentrate. I took a bus home after that rather than go to my criminal law class.

Score: Migraine - 1; Law School - 0

Not only did it disrupt my day, but my entire night as well. I wasn't surprised that, while waiting for my two doses of imetrex to kick in, I couldn't concentrate on writing jury instructions. Huh. Who'da thunk?

I hope my migraine attacks are few and far between. Otherwise getting a J.D. might not be in my future after all.

~Kristen

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Tonight, once again I find myself in the Law Library. I'm done working now. I've put in as much time as my brain will allow me.

It's tired.

I didn't realize this until tonight. Once I rationalized not doing more work, and how I'll be ok tomorrow regardless, I decided to give myself some time to sit and let my mind wander. I knew I hadn't written a good blog in a while (or, some might argue, ever) and wanted to put down some of the thoughts bouncing around in my head. So, I put on some Miles Davis, leaned back in my chair, and let go of the trials, statutues, crimes and contracts, and found...

...nothing.

Stillness. Air conditioned air filling my lungs. In and out my nose with the all the flavor of cold bottled water. Blackness filling the space beyond the windows. High ceilings to allow room for the enormity of the thoughts filling the room. Clean tables. One more minute clicking on the clock.

But no wondering. No pondering or day dreaming.

There have been times I haven't known what to write before; I'll start with an idea and it just won't go anywhere. There are times I can't put words to thoughts yet, try as I may. I think, thought, that this is the first time that I haven't had any wonderings at all. Nothing. Just stillness. I hadn't realized I'd stopped.

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

On Surfing the Web During Class
I know that I'm paying a lot of money to be in law school. My learning now is going to be important to my performance as a lawyer. Civil procedure is certainly an important topic in the legal system, and could very well be directly applicable to my chosen field of practice. The learning I do here will be the foundation for later learning in the next two and a half years here at the UW Law School.

Yet, I'm writing a blog during class.

This, of course, comes after an hour of intermittently taking notes and checking my favorite web comics.

I suppose it's a bit more subtle than knitting during class, which was my other solution to a slow-moving class and my small attention span. I knitted an entire hat in my German class one semester.

I suppose if the law school really wanted me to pay full attention, they wouldn't have such great wireless signal in the classrooms.

Monday, September 13, 2004

My Mom Rocks
Today my mom came to Madison from Germantown (aka home) to spend the day with me making my apartment feel more like home. She helped me unpack boxes, iron curtains, wash dishes, take out garbage, hang rods, not to mention buying me odds and ends (aka TONS OF STUFF) to put around my place to make it feel warm and inviting.

In the span of one day, my apartment has gone from cold and semi-inhabited to cozy and friendly and HOME.

I have a HOME again. :)

Mom, you're the best. I love you!

~Kristen

P.S. Now you have to come visit me to see my new place! And coming soon, a reupholstered recliner!

Friday, September 10, 2004

I rock


This is my nametag for my contracts class. I made it with styrofoam, pipe cleaners and beads. I am going to dominate the nametag competition.

Thankyou, thankyouverymuch.

~kzo

Tuesday, September 07, 2004

From Diva to Dork in One Week Flat

Here I am once again at the Law Library, preparing myself for at least three hours of work tonight. The soda machine is out of both Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. My legs are sore from biking to school too fast this afternoon. I am also warm.

So, how did it happen? How did I go from carefree summertime fun to study nerd in just under a week? When did I officially trade my time in the spotlight for the anonymity of the study desks?

It was probably a long time in coming, to be honest. I loved being in the spotlight, but the effort to get there (aka practicing for long, lonely hours in the dark depths of humanities, or drinking too much) became too much for me to justify the short moments I had there. Music was fun and challenging, but not really at the intellectual level I craved.

Apparently all the build-up from undergrad led to a blossoming of study skills this first week. Hours tick by like minutes, and studying feels almost therapeutic. I feel more myself, more at home here in this airplane hangar of a room than I did after two or three years in humanities. Sure, I may know less people at this point, but I know that the only person who really matters during my time here is me. I know that the only expectations upon my shoulders are the ones I place there myself. I know that my potential here, at least in this moment, is limitless.

My homework also seems limitless.

I bid you adieu.
So, so sad...

Thank goodness for the weather channel! How else would I know what to wear in the morning as I'm leaving for school? Or if to bring my umbrella? Well, of course, I wouldn't! The weather channel is just that important.

Which only makes the betrayal that much more painful.

How could you, Weather Channel? I thought ours was a relationship of mutual respect, but now I know better...

How do I begin? Local on the 8's has always been a particularly favorite of mine. It made me feel special to see my very own local weather on such an important station. Imagine my surprise when, yesterday, I noticed I recognized the song they were playing in this special moment. What? Is that, could it be, from Kind of Blue by Miles Davis? But... but...

WHAT BLASPHEMY IS THIS?!?!?!

Yes, it's true. The weather channel took the groundbreaking work by Miles Davis and, stripping it of all dignity and glory, transformed it into elevator music. Oh the horror!

Oh... Oh the horror!!!!



Monday, September 06, 2004

As Promised, Another Entry

See? I really am trying!

I'm sitting in the Law Library, taking a short break from the books to let my mind wander to lighter subjects than contract law and civil procedure. On a side note, though, I really do think that Shirley MacLaine Parker's assertion that a role in a dramatic western to be filmed in Australia was not similar enough to a role in a comic musical filmed in LA to qualify as refusing mitigation, and therefore was entitled to the $750,000 awarded to her in lost wages.

Law school is fun, by the way. I feel like I'm learning so much so fast! Probably because I find it so interesting and important that I'm soaking it up like a sponge at this point. For the first time in my life I'm not looking at the subject matter of my classes and asking myself, "So what?" To me, that which I am learning is so vital and pertinent that I cannot help but be in awe of the future significance it may have in my life. Besides, I think I can probably help more people through law than through opera singing. ;)

It's also nice to know that, at any given time, I can go to the Law Library and run into people I know, working on the same thing as me. When faced with the choice to either lay around alone in my apartment or come here with classmates and be productive, the Law Library has a lot of appeal.

Add to that the fact that the law library is infinitely more aesthetically pleasing than humanities...

Look! It has real windows!

Anyways, I should get back to my studies. We shall see how my opinion of law school changes throughout the semester, and over the course of three years too I suppose. Can I maintain my interest and optimism? Will the study of law turn out to be all I hoped for? Will I still like the law library after exams are over? Will I recover from my caffeine addiction anytime in the foreseeable future?

Tune in next time...

Sunday, September 05, 2004

So, I haven't updated in a while. I guess work got busy, and since I was on the computer all day at work, my desire to be on the computer at home went down significantly. Oh well.

Anyways, UW Madison has this great new My Website feature that will allow me to host pictures of my lovely Sophie and share them with you here! Yahoo! She's currently running around my livingroom, getting her "out" time. She usually just burries herself under something difficult to move or squeez her out of, but I think it's important for her to have the opportunity to use lots of space regardless. Did you know hedgehogs can run up to four feet per second? Silly little things!

Ok, here's my attempt to include a picture of Sophie in this entry:

She enjoyed nosing around my parents' back yard. Isn't she cute? :)

In any case I'll be sure to update now that I'm doing interesting things again. Law school is fun, by the way, though a lot of work. The people are great, and I think it is going to be a good three years!

Cheers!
Kristen