You Lost Me at Jesus.....

I was recently invited to join a webgroup that advocates boycotting South Dakota because of its efforts to make abortion illegal. While I have always been pro-choice, it is people like the person who sent me the invite that make me feel uncomfortable with the sometimes hostile anti-christian overtones of the pro-choice movement. On his personal site, he had games where you could nail jesus to the cross or dress him up in a ballerina tutu. It is unfortunate that the very person asking for tolerance and understanding of other viewpoints is blatantly intolerant. I'm not saying the person should believe in Jesus, but a little respect for something many consider sacred would go a long way.

Motivate Me

Am I the only one completely unmotivated to read or do anything? I am on day three of the first week of school and I haven't read for my classes at all, nor have I made any attempt to start ranking slave drivers for OCIP. I don't know what it will take to get me back on track. If the thought of a big P hanging around my neck for the rest of my life or paying for my own lunch this summer doesn't do it, I don't know what will.

The Final Countdown

It is mere days before I begin my 2L year. I feel like I will have to be dragged back to school kicking and screaming. As much as I love Boalt (and I do genuinely love Boalt) I am just not ready to go back. My shoulders have enjoyed their freedom from heavy book bags and I haven't touched a hi-lighter in months. On top of not wanting to resume going to class, I also feel the specter of OCIP lying in wait for me. Although I am confident I will get a job somewhere, I am not looking forward to the rejection I will likely face during OCIP. In many ways, the OCIP process has inadvertently become a reminder of how much connections play a role in landing a job.

For me, making it to law school was a great accomplishment. As a high school graduate I had already beaten the odds, and as a college graduate I could do no wrong in my family’s eyes. I will never forget my father’s face the day I graduated from college because it looked like his heart was going to burst out of his chest with pride. My mother practically blinded me with camera flashes as she documented every second of my college graduation with disposable cameras. Consequently, it is impossible for my family to help me navigate my path toward a successful legal career. While it is pointless to focus on how disadvantaged I am compared to others who have parents or family in the legal profession, it is still worth noting how few Latinos there are in the legal world, and how each of us must still blaze our own trail despite all the inroads that have been made. We still have a long way to go.

You Aint Nothing But a Hoochie's Mama

As I searched for a power suit to divert attention away from the big P on my forehead, I couldn't help but notice all the back to school clothes on sale, and the pubescent teenagers squeezing themselves into this year's fashions. A girl who couldn’t have been more than 12 modeled a pair of super short shorts for her mother who groaned with disapproval at the selection. The girl replied that all the shorts were that short, and it was just the style kids wear now. Surprisingly the mother seemed to accept this and agreed to buy the shorts. This may make me sound like a prude, but I really don’t understand why parents allow their children to dress like little hoochies. I wouldn’t care if that was the style kids wear or not; I wouldn’t fork over my hard earned cash to make my daughter look like a streetwalker. I think its unfortunate how many parents feel like it is more important to be their child’s friend than their parent. There may have been times during my teenage years when I disliked the boundaries my mother set for me, but looking back I appreciate the way I was raised.

Summer Lovin', Had Me a Blast

In addition to working this summer, I kissed my share of toads to find a prince. I went to a salsa club one night and met a tall attractive Cubano who turned out to love George W. Bush. yikes! Given my prolonged dry spell I decided to give him a chance in the hopes of discovering he was just misguided, not a jackass. As I tried to ignore his beliefs I disagreed with long enough to eat my free dinner, he did something no one has ever done before. When I asked for one of his french fries, he said sure and pushed his entire plate toward me. As I gently pushed the plate back in front of him, he waved the plate away and said I could have his food because he was going to order more french fries. Apparently in addition to not believing in welfare, he also doesn't believe in EVER sharing food. Weird. I could go on about the other dates I went on, but in the interest in brevity, I’ll only do one nightmare date per post. In any event, I ended up meeting someone in the last place I ever expected to—church. We started talking over the coffee and donuts after service, and haven’t stopped talking since. So far I appreciate the fact that he isn’t a law student, but only time with tell if things will work out. Right now, I am having a lot of fun and enjoying my summer of love.

OCIP Induced Blindness

Since there is less than two weeks left before school starts, I figured it was time to start researching firms to prepare for the OCIP process. I am practically going blind from trying to compile a list of firms that I would even be interested in working at. It is amazing how much they all start to sound alike. I wish they all had a school specific tab where I could find out just how many Ps they are willing to put up with. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to the OCIP process.

In all honesty, I haven't even fully committed to doing the firm thing. However, I will admit the potential money to be made has been singing its siren song to me. Working for a non-profit organization this summer was rewarding, but it didn't really pay my bills. It is very tempting to work for a firm next summer and make enough to pay almost all of my tuition. My biggest fear is that I will either be painfully bored doing firm work, or will be used to do evil in my community. Granted, as a summer associate I doubt I would be given any real substantive work, but in general I didn't go to law school to end up working for corporations who don't really need my help. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with working for a firm; it’s just not where I ultimately want to use my law degree.

School Year Resolutions

I feel like the beginning of a new school year is similar to the beginning of a new year. As such, I like to make promises to myself that I'll study more, surf the internet in class less, and actually go to the gym. In an effort to motivate myself to actually go to the gym, I am trying to cobble together good workout music. Maybe trying to put this collection will just be another excuse to delay going to the gym, but I figure it is worth a try. Any suggestions?