Second Impressions

Law school is hard. This is a simple statement, but nothing more clearly characterizes the nature of law school. The amount of work expected of us is staggering, and in the process of doing this work, allegedly our brain will be transformed. Just about everyone in my section seems to be just as talented, if not more so, than me, which is an incredible blow to my ego yet inspiring at the same time. This is a situation I've wanted to be in all my life, where I was truly surrounded by my peers. I could be completely off base with this observation, but I typically get pretty good reads on people fast. This makes me think I really should give poker a real go, rather than law school, but I think my mother would have a stroke, so I'll stick to statutes and opinions instead of flops and raises.

To help manage the burden of this endeavor, I'm approaching this like a job. I get up at 7, and until 5 or 6, I'm either in class or studying. Unlike my experience initially at LSU, I can't blow this, as second chances in law school are incredibly rare. Of course, my experience at LSU makes it all the less likely that I won't. I may not keep my scholarship (the aforementioned smart people play a large role in that), but I will give it my best shot, and there's no reason I can't continue law school if I lose it.

Ultimately, my anticipation of law school has been confirmed. Prior to law school, I was scared and excited at the same time, and that feeling owns me throughout the day. Every time a professor asks a question, it frightens me to know that I probably don't have the right answer, but I am excited to know that I ultimately will, and that knowledge will enable me to help people in ways most people never approach. Speaking of my professors, they have bachelor's from Notre Dame, Stanford, Brown, and Ohio State and J.D.'s from the likes of Harvard and Yale; most of the faculty carries the same academic pedigree. Once again, this reinforces the dichotomy of intimidation and inspiration.

I feel I have the right mind set about this, so I rarely worry, but utter anxiety does creep up occasionally. I am able, however, to reassure myself and continue to plug away.

My Big Move

As most, if not all of you know, I've relocated my person and meager belongings to the Buckeye state. I've been here about 10 days, and there's not too much to report. Since this is a blog, however, it seems to me I should report it here.

I am renting a house in Fairlawn, OH (though my address is still Akron), which is a township west of Akron. I'm all of 1500 ft. from Akron city limits, though. I share the house with my roommate Scott, who is a graduate of Akron law and is currently practicing law in Cuyahoga Falls. Scott has certainly lived up to my first impression of him; he's a super nice guy who shares my love of baseball and all other sports. It will also be nice to have someone who can explain the stuff I have to read daily for class.

I've not done too much since arriving here. When Stephen was in town, we made it up to Cedar Point and had a blast. While the new coasters were all amazing, we had the great fortune of being there on the hottest day of the year; allegedly the heat index reached 113. We visited the water rides to remain cool, and I managed to avoid a sunburn, so no harm no foul really. Also last week I joined Scott and his friends for their weekly poker game. They have a point-system tournament going over the weeks but also play for a weekly pot. I came in third and got my $10 back, so it was some cheap fun.

I've bought most of my books already, which will total over $550, and have begun reading. It's pretty much what I expected, but a little harder. My expectation that this will require extreme dedication has been reinforced. Orientation kicks off on the 21st, during which there is a slew of planned activites and an Intro to Legal Studies class. It ends with a dart tournament at the tap room downtown, which is fitting.

I have run into some slight trouble while here, as I lost my check card at Cedar Point. No one takes out of state checks, so my inactivity has been complemented by a lack of available funds. These go hand in hand very well for those who didn't know. Part of me also wishes I had not come up this early, as I miss Kellie very much, but in the end I think it's the best. I'm getting acclimated and have had plenty of time to work out all the logisitics.

Also, I've come to the conclusion that I will have to rollback severely, if not cut altogether, my Warcraft time. If I were to simply play 15 hours a week, it would be the only thing I can do, and I would like to live a more balanced life. I'll probably keep my account active for something to do when I need cheap entertainment though may cancel it if the money becomes too much or I find myself tempted to play.

Sorry for the time it took to update, especially considering I've not had much better to do. Nick (an EQ friend) told me tonight he had read it, which reminded me to update. Fear not, my next update will not take so long.