It seems like as good a day to blog a few odds and ends before I have a little lunch and hit the books again...

Something Gained, Something Lost

Over the weekend, I gained, finally, my diploma from the University of Toledo College of Law. (Obviously, my inability to find the Coke's Institutes did not hinder me too much!) Proving that God has an incredible sense of humor, I also received what, one hopes, would be my last missive from University of Toledo parking enforcement in the exact same shipment.

Here's what I lost -- Lexis. Not a car, a research service, or, as they described it when I went on a visit to the Case Western Law School when I was looking at places to go, "like crack cocaine. Free long enough to get you incredibly addicted, then you pay through the nose." Lexis-Nexis contains so much. First, basically, any court decision beyond the common pleas level in the United States is there. Public records. Voter registration files. Transcripts of most all major news shows. Magazine articles. Newspapers. From years and years and years and years back.

I've had access to this stuff since my freshman year of college. You most certainly get it in law school, so they can get you addicted. But now that you've graduated, you're rudely pushed nto the real world where you (or your firm) would have to pay an arm or a leg for it.

So, while I'm still pretty decent at finding things out, I've lost a major tool in my arsenal.

At Least I Won't Be Sleeping In A Box...for a while, anyway...

...when I go to Columbus. I made my hotel reservation the other night at the Lofts, which is an awesome place to stay.

A Day In The Life, Pt. I (with apologies to Lennon-McCartney)

I read the news today, oh, boy
About a lucky man studying for the bar
And though the news was rather sad,
Well I just had to laugh and,
I saw the photograph and,
He blew his mind out in a car.
He had just completely gone deranged.
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
He was losing it over PMBR...

An Example of a Phone Message to Not Leave a Person Preparing for the Bar

"Hey, how'd your test go? Hope you did really well on the bar exam!"

-- my best friend, who was of the opinion the bar exam was June 20. I have since disabused her of said notion.

A Day In The Life, Pt. II

OK, seriously, one of the things I thought I'd be doing more of in this blog is giving you an idea of what an ordinary day in the life of someone studying for the bar exam is, and I'm not sure I've done it. So here's what you might call the ticktock of my life right now.

One disclaimer -- those who know me know I tend to get involved in a lot of extra things. I'm pleased to report I've successfully held my commitments involving those to a minimum for this summer (thanks, Carol.) So, my days tend to go generally like this...

I usually wake up somewhere between 6 and 7. While waking up and getting out of bed for me is not a problem, actually getting moving sometimes can be. I like to start out by checking email, reading news or surfing the 'Net a bit while watching the "Today" show. Around 8:15, I realize I have to start getting my butt in gear and have to get to the law school. (I'd like to start walking from 6:15-6:45 or something like that, and am actually considering it. My body needs more motion than it is getting right now!)

Class runs from 9-12, sometimes to 12:30. Then, I come back here, check in with messages and email and relax a bit. I try to hit studying from around 2-6, which is when I do my best work. I've been pleasantly surprised to find I am sticking to this pretty well for me, although it wouldn't hurt me to increase my time a bit. By 6, I'm usually done retaining information for a while. I sometimes can get another hour in in the evening, although not usually. I am usually asleep by midnight -- sometimes falling asleep well before then!

I think I'm about where I need to be. No one I have talked to (with the exception of Kylie, who, while wonderful, is a freak of nature when it comes to studying for law school) is actually up with the BarBri study schedule. I am hoping to attain that state of Nirvana soon...

At The Risk Of Sounding Like Laura's Mom...

So, about a week ago, I posted an easy recipe, and my friend Laura advised me I was starting to sound like her mother, also a friend of mine, dispensing recipes at the drop of a hat. Nonetheless, what I made last night was so good and so easy, I am willing to endure the slings and arrows of Laura's sharp wit. Plus, this doesn't really qualify as a recipe since I lost the actual recipe, and am so daggone proud of myself for being able to reconstruct it. So...you will need...

Farfalle (also known as bowtie pasta)
A 14.5 oz can of tomato sauce
A capful of olive oil
1/2 pint of cream
Sprinkling of basil [I told you, I don't have the damn recipe!!! What do you want from me?]
A cup of Parmesan cheese. (I suggest using more than a cup, actually, I just shake the thing to taste.)

Prepare pasta according to package directions. In separate pan, heat olive oil. Add tomato sauce and basil, heat over medium-high heat for four minutes. Add cream and Parmesan cheese; bring to boil and simmer for 1 minute. Toss with pasta. Enjoy.

PS: Thanks to Janet, who let me talk through this recipe before I made to make sure I didn't sound nutty.

Off to read ConLaw!