1) I am engaged!
2) We both passed the California Bar Exam!!!

Somewhere along the line I got to busy. Or I stopped caring. Or I just became too tired.

So now I sporaidically update -- maybe a few times in a week when I need to vent, or perhaps only once in a month.

Anyway, since last time:

1) Spring break in Mexico. Mayan ruins, warm weather, beaches...what more could a girl ask for? Apparently they don't let you climb the big pyramid at Chichen Itza anymore because a tourist fell off it last year. Pictures are on facebook.

2) Easter break (one of the benefits to going to a Catholic school) in Chicago which was so much fun but also the coldest I can ever remember feeling (the first day anyway). We somehow managed to avoid taking the subway while in Chi-town, walking everywhere instead. We saw the improv/comedy group, Second City which was probably the highlight of the trip. Also, and this is going to sound like a waste of a trip but it was some much needed relaxation for me, we spent one glorious day inside ordering room service and watching movies. Pictures on facebook.

3) School is...well, terrible at the moment. It's probably my least fun semester of law school academic-wise. I got my lowest grade in law school ever...on my first law school midterm, ever. I'm hoping to pull that up on the final. *sigh* I do NOT perform wel on multiple choice exams which really does not bode well for me considering the entire Multi-State Bar Exam is m/c. But really, my interesting classes have boring professors and my boring classes have just plain bad professors...or a ton of work. And I'm feeling completely overwhelmed. I've been working on these two papers non-stop for the past three weeks and neither one is done yet. To make matters worse, the completed portions of each of these papers are well...bad. I used to be a good writer, conceited as it may sound. But now? Everything I write is passive or trite or boring. I swear, higher education has slowly (but definitively) stripped me of all my creativity. Okay, it's not that I hate school. I generally love it and I do enjoy all the research for my papers, reading admin law, etc...it's just not as fun as previous semesters where I always had one or two classes where I absolutely LOVED the professor or I could not wait to get home to study for a certain class. Overall, school is decent, it's just not fantastic.

4) No, I do not have a job yet. Part of me is thinking that I should have sold out, should have gone the private practice route for no other reason than I'd have a job right now. But the whole reason I went to law school in the first place was to work in the public sector--whether it's government work or NGO work, I went to law school to help people. To have a career where I could pursue social justice. It sounds cheesy and idealistic, I'm sure, but it's why I decided to pursue law in the first place. Not to mention the fact that I want to actually have a life and have no interest in a sweatshop firm.

5) Love life deserves an entry all to its own which will (at some point) be posted.

6) I hate the 2Ls. Okay, not entirely accurate but some of them (i.e. one of them) has been making my life very difficult recently.

Only four weeks until I'm done with finals--forever!

P.S. If anyone has any get-rich-quick schemes, I'm all ears. I am so broke right now and desperately need money for the time between law school graduation and when I (hopefully) find a job.

I absolutely LOVE people who comment on shit that's none of their business. Even better: when they do it anonymously.

If I've never met you, if I don't know you, if you're not one of my LJ "friends" then you clearly have no idea what my situation is, how things have been handled, and what my life is like. So why are you giving your two cents on my life?

This is why 90% of my posts are "friends only". Guess it looks like 100% of them should be made friends only in the future...

I really am tired of all the shit he puts me through. I feel like my heart gets broken with him time after time . . . and all I do is come back for more. On top of that, I don't think he has even the slightest clue that he's doing it because I try to keep my mouth shut. So, where has that led me? To this perpetual rollercoaster of emotions: one minute I feel like I'm in an amazing relationship, and the next my heart gets broken all over again. At its best, this is an unhealthy relationship; I don't even want to know what this is at its worst.

I suppose that it doesn't matter for the time being. In a few months, we'll graduate and go our separate ways. I just really need to stop hoping that we'll move out to California together and live happily ever after together.

I need to realize, and I am truly realize, that I deserve a guy who treats me so much better. A guy that understands how to make things up to his girlfriend, who knows when and how to apologize, a guy who surprises his girlfriend just because he's thinking about her. At a minimum, I need a guy who doesn't constantly break my heart. Who doesn't have a dozen facebook messages from his ex. Who only refers to his girlfriend as "sweetheart." Who is 100% truthful and honest. Who doesn't try to hide shit, even when he's afraid it might make his girlfriend upset. Who takes his girlfriend and how she feels into account. Who prioritizes his girlfriend. I'm not getting any of that in my current relationship. Don't I deserve better?

Okay, it's time to stop. It's time to move on. It's time to think about the future. To think about getting on with my life. Getting an apartment by myself in SF (one that's dog friendly, because even though he refers to her as his dog or "our dog" she was MY present and therefore MY puppy).

It's hard because I fell in love with him. I know that's not a good enough reason to stay, but it does make it harder to leave . . .

I got a PUPPY for Christmas!!!

Picked her up from the pound today. Pictures to follow.

In California for the next four weeks!

It's amazing the things that can change in just a few short months...

Joshua Bell's playing at DPAC on February 7th. Student tickets are $15. How awesome is that?! (And yes, they are almost sold out; just a handful of balcony seats left.)

P.S. Pearls Before Breakfast (credit: turkeycurry)

It snowed on Thanksgiving -- and it was cold enough to stick for the first time this year. And I discovered that windshield wipers don't work when you have a sheet of ice on your windshield. It's been snowing off and on since then, mixed with rain and sleet.

***

It was one of the most ridiculous weekends of football but somehow, all three of my teams pulled it out in the final minutes of their respective games.

On Saturday, ND beat Stanford to finish out the season 3-9. Our worst finish, but the first time we've won our last two games in the past ten years. At the end of the first half, Stanford launched a hail mary pass into the end zone which ND intercepted, lateralled about four times and returned for a TD. Basically, ND pulled "The Play" but, unfortunately, it was called back for unsportsmanlike conduct. My favorite line from the game: "25 years after 'The Play' all that was missing was the Stanford band out on the field..."

Last night's Patriots game should NOT have been as close as it was. Unbelievably, the Pats almost lost to the Eagles! Makes me super nervous for the Steelers game. On the upside, though, not only did the Pats win, but before they even stepped onto the field they clinched their division and a playoff spot by virtue of Buffalo's loss.

Best of all, the 49ers managed to beat the Cardinals in overtime. Somehow, Arizona missed a 32 yard field goal and three punts later, Kurt Warner fumbled in the endzone -- recovered by SF for the win.

Yes, all in all it was a fantastic (if not somewhat nervewracking) football weekend.

Now, if I could only get my academic life in order.

I am NOT f*cking high maintenance.

I hate anonymous posters who comment on my entries. Some random person in Chicago commented in my LJ last night. Seeing as how I know about two people in Chi-town, none of whom have my LJ address, I can't even begin to guess at who it was.

Coward.

Fed tax is absolutely killing me. I know I've whined and complained about classes in the past (Property, BA, Civ Pro I...) and been afraid that I was going to fail but this time...I'm legitimately concerned that I'm going to be the only person in my 180 person class that doesn't get to graduate in May. I do the reading, I take notes in class, and I have three different supplements to study from. Still, my knowledge of tax law barely reaches the level of "minimal understanding."

***

I absolutely cannot stand being lied to. It's a cowardly thing to do. It's dishonest. It's hurtful. Yet I'm still here . . . and I'm not entirely sure why anymore.

***

I'm quickly becoming overwhelmed. At the start of the semester, 18 units didn't seem like a big deal. After all, my entire second year of college, I took no less than 24 units a quarter. At the moment, though, I feel like I've spread myself just a little too thin. Legal Aid is a lot more time consuming than I originally expected. Trial Ad is also a lot of work . . . but hopefully, that'll calm down after this weekend. Add that to Fed Tax (see above), plus a directed reading with a very awesome but highly demanding (in that he has high expectations and I will do anything not to let him down) professor, and JLEG responsibilities . . . it's a lot right now. Then there's random law school activities like powderpuff, a class that I'm auditing, and a research job. Not to mention my personal life has gone into an emotional tailspin and . . .

I need to take a deep breath and calm down. I also need to pray that after Sunday, things will start to get easier. Trial Ad will be over (more or less) and I can start getting everything else together.

***

Fall ball was Friday night and held at the College Football Hall of Fame, a seriously awesome venue for a semi-formal. Other than my camera getting broken, it was a pretty fun night. :) A pic or two will (hopefully) follow shortly.

I am way too good for this. So why the fuck am I still here?

Which really just goes to show that you don't need to get that many right to get a high scaled score.

I've been in class a total of two weeks; today marked the start of week three. Already, I'm feeling the pressure, realizing that I'm falling behind, and starting to get stressed about upcoming deadlines. And I've only been in class two weeks.

We have fifteen weeks in a semester. Once this week is done, we'll be 1/5 of the way through the semester. 20% down. And it makes me sad. Although I'm stressed (already) and have way too much on my plate, I know that I love every minute of it. I love school. I know school. I love learning. I love going to class, taking notes, and preparing for class. I love how none of it matters -- at least not in the sense that what I'm doing will affect anyone but myself -- and, as a result, I can IM friends in class, ask questions that I know will make me look stupid, and just love every minute of it. I want this year to stretch itself out. I want to savor every moment, make every week last as long as possible.

Already, though, I see the days flying by. When I look at upcoming deadlines, they seem to be approaching so quickly. Note submissions were due today. We're going to pick 2 Notes for publication by next Monday. My trial ad analysis is due this Thursday. The trials are in less than a month. And don't even get me started on the twenty or so Legal Aid deadline looming over my head (just fyi, legal aid is eating up my life). Every deadline that seems to quickly approach means the days are going by that much faster. And all I want, is to stretch out each day -- to make it seem like there are 30 hours instead of 24 -- because before I know it, May 18th will arrive...

I absolutely love football -- I've been a die-hard 49ers fan since I was old enough to really understand the game. My parents dressed me in baby 49er sweathshirts and toddler-sized Joe Montana jerseys. I grew to love not only the 49ers, but also the game itself. When I was ten I read Pro-Football Weekly and pored over the predictions in Football Digest all summer long. I memorized stats, read up on training-camp battles, kept up on signings and firings in the league. My love of football was so strong, I even watched a four-and-a-half hour preseason exhibition game in its entirety. I was, in a word, obsessed.

Although when I entered high school, then undergraduate, my obsession lessened to make way for cross-country practices, orchestra rehearsals, and 7 a.m. AP Bio labs, I still followed the NFL and could be found in front of the TV switching from FOX to CBS on any given Sunday. I can still talk football with anyone -- Zach sometimes introduces me as, "This is Krista. She knows more about football than most guys." My obsession with football meant that football was the only true sport in my mind. All other sports were pointless. Basketball was boring. Soccer was unexciting. And don't even get me started on baseball. To this day, I get super excited when training camp starts and football games begin again. I skipped the law school luau my first year because it was opening night -- Patriots vs. Oakland on a Thursday -- and talked Jared into going to Legends with me to watch the game. When my other friends tried to talk me into going to the luau, I explained, "I have to deal with seven and a half months of crappy sports. I want to enjoy the first game of the season. It cannot be missed."

This summer, I went to my first two baseball games: one for intern appreciation day at the AG's office, the other because my best friend managed to score four tickets. I had a blast at both. Even though my interest in baseball never grew past San Mateo's Little League (give me a break . . . my brother is ten years younger than me and loves playing little league), going to those two games sparked my interest . . . or, at the very least, made me reconsider my whole "Baseball is stupid" theory. The first game the Giants won, though Barry Bonds did not hit a home run during any of his three at bats. The second game was, in a word, historical.

Yes, I saw Barry Bonds hit #756 to break Hank Aaron's record. The excitement and energy, the cheering, the fireworks, the . . . everything made Tuesday night amazing. The Giants ended up losing the game, with our incredibly overpaid pitcher (do you like how I've figured that out despite having zero interest in baseball up until mid-July?) giving up three homeruns. But none of it mattered. I doubt that fifty years from now when I'm telling my grandson about witnessing baseball history, I'll remember the score of the game. Most other fans didn't even stay past the sixth inning once it became clear that Bonds was removed from the lineup . . . they only came in hopes of seeing that historic record-breaking homerun. Tickets were selling for $700 outside the ballpark with two hours left before gametime . . . Christine joked late in the 7th inning, "Man, I could've had $2800 dollars. I could be shopping right now." But we all knew that she was joking -- even though she doesn't follow any sports and had even less of an understanding of baseball than myself.

I texted everyone until the lines got jammed and my texts stopped getting sent. One of my first texts to was a ND Law alum (class of 2008). He and his friends (also '08 alums) have been taking a post-bar exam ballpark tour and caught the Giants game the previous night. I, of course, ungraciously ended my message, "See? You guys should've stayed an extra day!" But they were excited -- despite not being SF fans -- and simply responded "Give us more details! Where did he hit it?"

I could go on and on about the fun I had on Tuesday night. I could talk about the fireworks (which Christine deemed "the best part of the homerun"), the paparazzi style flashes going off every time the pitcher would go into his windup, the Hank Aaron video or Barry Bonds' thank you message. But somehow, I feel like the magic and excitement of that night could not possibly be explained here -- at least not by me. It's like when people ask what Notre Dame football weekends are like -- it's something I can't describe other than to say, "you have to see it and feel it to understand it."

All I really want to say is that, while I may be biased as a SF girl, Barry Bonds deserved every second of cheering. I am so glad he hit #756 in front of an adoring crowd who chanted, "Bar-ry! Bar-ry! Bar-ry!" through the first five innings. What he has done is incredibly impressive regardless of any controversy. He has worked hard, he has long been recognized as a talented player, and has the raw talent that any sports superstar needs in order to be truly great. Is he a jerk? Undoubtedly. But so is Joe Montana. So are many sports heroes. They may not be great role models, but there is no doubt that their records and achievements are nonetheless impressive. Not to mention the fact that we live in a society of "innocent until proven guilty." Even Tom Brady has been linked to Balco. Don't even get me started on the fact that after years of investigation, there's still not enough for a grand jury to indict Barry Bonds.

Tuesday night was a night for the record books. And even though football will always be my first love, Tuesday's game will always hold a special place for me.

( Pictures here! )

Well, since I actually have something to study for now, I'm sure I'll be updating the LJ a bit more. The MPRE is a frightening four days away...I'm just hoping that it'll all be okay...that it'll all work itself out in the end. But for now, here's a recap (in list form) of my year abroad. I know, I was terrible about updating on my travels. This certainly can't make up for it, but expect a couple more of these posts in the next week or two.

Cities Visited -- In Order of Preference*:
1. Prague
2. Athens
3. Paris
4. Rome
5. Sintra
6. Barcelona (tie)
6. Istanbul (tie)
8. Geneva
9. Florence
10. Rhodes
11. Pompeii
12. Marrakech
13. Malmo
14. Belem
15. Amsterdam
16. Canterbury
17. Brussels
18. Galway
19. Madrid
20. Helsingor (tie)
20. Kutna Hora (tie)
20. Lisbon (tie)
23. Pisa
24. Palma de Mallorca (tie)
24. Calais (tie)
26. Windsor
27. Cascais
28. Brighton
29. Izmir
30. Naples

*This list takes into account only the city itself. By that, I mean, it excludes factors such as company, weather, or other things that affected the actual experience of the trip itself. This list isn't necessarily my own preference of the experience or time I had in these cities...it is just how I felt about the city itself. Thus, this list may be considered to be the order I'd recommend these cities to a friend travelling through Europe. It's also not 100% accurate -- there days when I remember certain cities more fondly than others -- but it's pretty close to how I'd rank the cities on any given day.


Top 10 Trips** Taken:
1. Athens
2. Paris
3. Belgium (Brussels & Brugges...the latter being the better city, in my opinion)
4. Rome
5. Czech Republic (Prague and Kutna Hora)
6. Amsterdam
7. Palma de Mallorca
8. Canterbury
9. Barcelona
10. Galway

**For purposes of this list, I consider each day of the cruise a separate "trip"...otherwise the cruise itself would be #1, hands down. Unlike the previous list, this one focuses on the experience of the trip itself. For example, I had a fantastic time in Belgium because of the 7 friends who joined me, not necessarily because I was particularly impressed with Brussels.

Not true, but it still made me smile (and blush)


uclabruinpimp: i remember cuz tri delta had the hottest girls
uclabruinpimp: and u were the hottest one at ND