15 weeks, give or take

The past month has been fun...historic elections, historic sporting events, beer festivals, beach vacations....time is flying by. I realized that the bar exam, take 2 is right around the corner. So...

Last night, I bit the bullet and devised my plan of action for studying. I calculated that I have about 15 weeks of studying ahead of me. My approach to this bar exam will be quite different than my approach to the July exam. First of all, I have more time. Secondly, many of these concepts and rules will still be fresh in my mind, so I won't be learning them for the first time. Lastly, I have a better idea of what will work for me and what won't.

General plan: Start slowly until mid-December (tackle smaller NC topics, do about 50 MBE questions weekly, read outlines). From mid-December until week before Bar exam, tackle 1-2 bigger NC topics and 1 MBE topic. By then, I should be averaging about 100 multis a week, with a few essays thrown in there. The whole week before the exam will be dedicated to review.

If anyone is interested in my specific study plan, I've posted it online should you wish to 1) re-live your experience from this summer as a reminder of how lucky you are to *not* have to be doing this again; 2)compare your study schedule to it; or 3)offer suggestions as to what you found most helpful in your successful endeavor to pass the bar.

Like last time around, I will do my best to make time for myself and for my friends and for my significant other. I will enjoy a glass of wine or a beer in the evenings as I review flashcards. I will eat well and get enough exercise and enough sleep. This time, though...I will pass.

Perhaps the Biggest Failure of 2008....

Enough said.

And, finally, NC turned BLUE!!!!

I waited all day yesterday to hear the other bit of news that I was eagerly anticipating...that Obama had won North Carolina.  Unfortunately, provisional ballots kept many from calling North Carolina, though Obama had received more votes than his opponent on election day.  

The Obama campaign battled hard in North Carolina and I wanted this last victory.  Even if Obama had lost in North Carolina, it would have been a feat in itself that we had come so close.  Luckily, Obama was not relying on our electoral votes to win the election, so I felt some comfort in knowing that even if we lost North Carolina, we *did* win the United States.

And then today, two days after the election, the AP called it....

President-elect Obama is the apparent winner in North Carolina, a symbolic triumph in a state that hadn't voted for a Democrat in more than a generation.

North Carolina turned blue.  Carolina, Blue!  Today was a beautiful day for such inspiring news.  I have voted in every election I have been eligible to do so, so my experience at the poll was not much different than what I've experienced in the past.  However, I have never felt so proud to be a North Carolinian and an American as I do today.

President-Elect Obama

Change we can believe in! Barack Obama is the next President of the United States!

I am humbled to have been an active participant in this monumental time in our country's (and our state's) history.  I spent the day at a Durham precinct as a poll observer.  Though the other poll workers and other election officials did not disclose to me their political leanings, it was quite apparent that we were all hoping that Obama would win.

Over the course of the day, I had to restrain my tears and giggles.  I will never forget the grandmother who kept telling her granddaughter (who was too young to vote) to "just mark the Democrat."  The young lady named the candidates for a few races and granny insisted that she "just mark the Democrat."  She said to the young lady that her first vote was for a Democrat and her last vote would be for a Democrat.  I nearly erupted in partisan laughter when I heard granny say (likely out of frustration that her granddaughter kept asking her to mark on the ballot), "Girl, I've done told you...just mark the Democrat.  I don't care if it's a kitty cat, if it's Democrat, you mark it."  Now, I don't advocate voting for someone purely because of one's political party, but I do think it's a good guideline for novice voters.

I was also impressed by the sheer numbers of people who voted for the first time in their lives (and especially the ones who asked for help at the precinct because they had never "done this before").

When my precinct closed, I called in my numbers and turned on the radio to listen to the news for the first time all day.  I could not wait to see the results come in.  When the results did start trickling in, I found myself getting more and more excited, yet I had to remind myself that it was still too early to tell for sure.

On the way to a friend's house, we heard Elizabeth Dole's concession speech and felt relieved that NC had booted the incumbent Senator who had little connection to our beloved Tarheel state.  More results from North Carolina came in (we elected Bev Perdue as the first female governor) and it was becoming more likely that North Carolina would vote for a Democratic president for the first time since Jimmy Carter in 1976.  It was also looking more likely that Barack Obama would be the next president of the United States.

And so the Northeast turned blue....and Pennsylvania turned blue and Virginia turned blue and at 11 p.m. EST on November 4, 2008, the United States officially turned blue.  I can't even describe what I felt that moment except by saying that I still tear up when I think about the emotions running through my head and heart in the hours after we learned that we had elected the first African American to the highest executive office of this great country.

I fought back tears as he spoke and as I watched the celebrations going on across the world. I look forward to hearing him speak for the next eight years.  I wish him clarity of thought, a peaceful heart, and much safety, perseverance, and courage.

Game 5, Take 2

After 28 years, the Philadelphia Phillies win the 2008 World Series!

Game 5 was scheduled for Monday, October 27. It was a dream set-up for Phillies fans--a star pitcher on the mound, in Philly, with the team coming off of a blow-out win the night before. The game started off to the Phillies' advantage and Phillies fans became more believing of the reality: the Phillies were in Game 5 of the World Series with a chance at bringing home the coveted title.

And then it started raining. Phillies were ahead 2-1 going into the 6th inning when the Rays scored, tying the game. The decision was made to suspend the game until the weather cleared up. Had the Rays not scored, the game could have been called as a win for the Phillies, but everyone seems to agree that there is limited glory in winning the World Series because Mother Nature happened to be on your side when you were ahead.

So, Game 5 resumed on Wednesday, October 29. It was an exciting game all the way to the end, when the Phillies struck out a Rays batter in the top of the 9th to clinch the victory and the World Series. I always love watching the celebration after a championship win, but I admit that this was one of the most heartfelt victories I've seen.

It took them 2 games to accomplish what they could have accomplished in one game. When all is said and done and time passes, people will begin to forget the weather-induced spectacle that forced Game 5 to be played on 2 different days. However, Phillies fans will never forget that they won the World Series.

I will remember this World Series as I begin to study for the bar...again. In the end, when I PASS the bar in February, others may forget over time that I did not finish the game and bring home the victory on the first occasion. My game has merely been suspended until February. When I pass in February, the sweetness of that victory will overshadow the fact that I had to play the championship game on 2 different days. Like many Phillies fans, I might even shed a few happy tears.

Flat Blueberry Muffins: Another consequence of law school

Yesterday morning, I was excited to bake blueberry muffins with a very highly rated recipe, using blueberries that my mother had picked (mom has this blueberry-picking fetish of sorts, which is nice, because we all end up with pounds of organic, North Carolina grown blueberries).

I followed the recipe to a "T" and awaited the promised glory of fresh, streusel topping muffins to accompany my coffee and Sunday paper.  When they were done, I admit I was disappointed.  That didn't stop me from eating 3 of the flat muffins.

I wondered why the muffins didn't turn out well.  I called up a culinary-minded friend of mine who promptly asked about my baking soda. I replied that I didn't use baking soda, just baking powder. Hmm...

Looked at the baking powder... "Best if used before July 2003"

Obviously I didn't do much baking in those 4 years I went to law school at night while I worked full-time during the day.  I tossed the can and bought a new can of powder at my trusty convenience store.

The second batch of muffins came out gloriously.  Sometimes the second time around is sweeter and better anyway...

Closer to 346 than to 13.1

I missed passing the bar by 1 point.  I scored 345.  I needed 346.  I have until February to improve by 1 point (or, hopefully, more...some insurance would be nice).  Training for that will start in November.  I will post my study schedule once I figure it out myself.

Now, as for the other February goal...

Right now, I can do a 4 mile run once a week.  My other 2-3 runs are about 3 miles. I need to get to 13.  The thought of running 13 miles is still overwhelming.  By the end of November, I need to be able to run 6 miles comfortably.  I really believe that my big obstacle right now is getting over the mental finish-line. When I'm running on a familiar course and I near the end, I fizzle out.  I just can't. run. another. minute.  I know that it's mental, yet don't know how to get over it except for just making myself go a little bit longer each time.

So, come February, I will know what sitting for a bar exam feels like.  I hope to know what running 13 miles feels like.  Either way, I will do both and be successful.