This is only a test...

So today I decided to go ahead and reserve my hotel room for the bar. Yes, I know it is still 6 months away, but the early bird catches the worm, right? So, I went to the CA bar website, where they list the hotels that have blocks reserved for test takers. It lists the Sacramento Grand Sheraton, an address on J Street, and a phone number. I called the number listed... and it was the Radisson. I figured there may have been a typo or some kind of buyout/merger or something. The CA state bar can't be wrong, can they? I told them the dates I was staying and mentioned that there should be a bar exam discount of $159 per night. She told me there was an American Bar Association discount rate of $157. That sounded right, so I reserved a room. Then I realized that the CA Bar puts on the bar exam, not the ABA, and started to get nervous. I googled "Radisson Sacramento" and discovered that this fine establishment is actually located nowhere near the Sacramento Convention Center where the test is. I then googled the Sacramento Grand Sheraton, found a different number, called and made a reservation. They confirmed that they have a block reserved for the bar exam. I called back and cancelled my Radisson reservation. But I thought I should alert the CA Bar to this problem, especially since the Radisson does have some sort of bar event with a special rate that creates extra confusion. They really should alert other Sacramento test takers to this problem. (Ok, so it briefly crossed my mind to keep my mouth shut and help the curve a little, but then I remembered that silly little Golden Rule). So, I go back to the scene of the crime- aka the Cal Bar website. And I spend ten minutes searching for an email address for someone in the bar admissions department. There is a phone number, but no email. I have a hunch this is because they would otherwise be inundated with silly emails from paranoid/obsessive/compulsive law students like myself. So I sent my message to the general 'members services' email. Hopefully, it will do something. If not, don't say I didn't try to warn you! So my question is, is the Cal Bar testing me? Are they trying to frustrate me before bar prep season even begins? Can you just imagine the angry law students who show up at the Radisson in July? Wow... glad I'll be sitting in my window seat at the Sheraton.

Opening my bar tab...

Today marks five months until the torture known as the California Bar Exam will end for me. I think that means it's a perfect day to start this- my obsessive-compulsive, whining, complaining, self-pitying, self-loathing, and hopefully ultimately inspiring (assuming the results in November are good) bar study journal. I hope my title makes a few readers smile.... I spent hours choosing just the right pun.

My reasons for creating this blog are threefold (this will be the first of many F*R*I*E*N*D*S references). First, I was inspired by A Girl Walks Into A Bar (Exam), who kept a journal of her struggles, insanities, and ultimate triumph. Second, I don't want to annoy all of my regular myspace blog readers with my daily rants about the bar. Third, I'm hoping to find a community of others similarly situated.

So here goes.... Welcome- I'm sure we're in for a bumpy ride.