On School

Sunday night I made Rose watch 4 episodes of 30 Rock and What's Up Doc in an attempt to prevent the first day of school from coming. It did not work, but 30 Rock and What's Up Doc are all very funny.

I attended 4/5 classes yesterday starting at 11a.m. and ending at 6p.m. I thought it would be terrible, but the day went by pretty fast. I think being busy makes a difference. I had a three hour break between classes today and it felt more like six. Schedule-wise, my week is a dramatic decrescendo, 4 classes Monday, 2 Tues. & Wed., 1 Thurs., and none on Friday. I start every day around 11 and end about 6. Not too shabby.

I decided to apply to for a job teaching for Kaplan because they pay fairly well and the schedule is usually pretty flexible. A little extra cash won't hurt either. If it looks like it'll interfere with school, then I won't do it, but hey, people have done it before me I guess. I feel a bit spoiled because everything always seems to work out for me with little effort on my part. At least that's how I remember things being, even if it's not true.

For example, I remember applying to law school and studying for the LSAT and all that jazz. I wasn't sure it was what I wanted to do (and if I'm honest, I'm still not) but it seemed like a good idea at the time (it still does) and so I did it. It took a lot of time and work, and so far it's paid off beautifully. Had I not, I wouldn't have married Rose, and then where would I be? The thought is as bone-chilling as our floor, which is tiled with ice.

It's a little like looking for a summer associateship. Right now, it's terrifying because I don't have one yet. Some of my classmates do and some don't, so I'm not the only one, but I mostly care about me. Once I find one (and I'm sure I will), it'll seem like I didn't do much besides apply and show up to the interview, and I'll be glad to be where I'll be. But the process reminds me of something J. Rueben Clark said about interest: "Interest never sleeps nor sickens nor dies; it never goes to the hospital; it works on Sundays and holidays; it never takes a vacation; it never visits nor travels; it takes no pleasure; it is never laid off work nor discharged from employment; it never works on reduced hours; it never has short crops nor droughts, etc..." Until I find a summer post, the need to find one is always there looming, and it is scary and stressful and sometimes sends me into existential crises asking myself why I'm doing this or that and why didn't I become an engineer or an artist or an eccentric scientist and why don't we quit using paper money and go back to a barter system and what ever happened to Jefferson's idea of a country of agriculturalists, and that living in a cabin in Montana's Bitterroot Valley probably isn't as romantic as James Galvin makes it sound in The Meadow and what if 20 years from now I really want to join the circus?

That's how I felt waiting to hear back from law schools. I knew I'd get in somewhere, I just didn't know where. Some places accepted me and that felt good. Others rejected my application (not me of course, just my application) and that made me sad. Except for Columbia who laid me down gently explaining that, though they would like nothing more, they were unable to grant me admission. This was probably due to the actions of some third party outside of my or their control. Personally, I blame el nino and Y2K. I'm sure it'll be similar with employers.

My classes all seem interesting and my professors all seem eager to help and get to know students. So I hope to make this the semester I take advantage of that. Shouldn't be too hard since my Jurisprudence class only has 6 students and my Supreme Court seminar on the certiorari process only has 4. That last class is from a Patent powerhouse professor and he told us the goal is to get our papers published, and that sounds exactly like what I need to do.

Rose is busy looking for a new job since Home Made Simple moved to Austin, TX. Hopefully there will be something at Discovery Studios, but if that doesn't pan out, then I'm sure we'll find something else. One good thing is that she's singlehandedly nearly finished our wedding thank you cards, which is momentous and takes a lot longer than you'd think. Now I'm going to find a picture, post this, and go to bed. My teeth are already brushed.