Tracker

See post below... I'm trying to use extremetracking.com so I can check out how people are finding my site... It always sounded so interesting when A Girl Walks Into a Bar (Exam) did it. Am I doing it right?

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$50 well spent

Apparently Mary Campbell Gallagher's "Under, Here, Therefore" approach from her book about bar exam essays really works. I used the technique in a recent memo to my externship supervisor regarding 4th amendment suppression issues. He just came by my office and told me that he is impressed by my writing style- it is very clear. Let's hope the bar examiners agree.

One month to the start of bar prep...

It's been a busy few days on the bar prep front:

FRIDAY: Drove to Davis. (Yes, that is where I go to school, but I worked the system so that I could do a full time externship this semester in Fresno where I will be doing bar prep and working post-bar.) Professor Fessler (Contracts PMBR Lecturer) and I don't quite see eye to eye on the village full of happy bicyclists he so loves. I tend to think it's a tiny village full of rich people masquerading as liberals but then refusing the development of affordable housing in their village. But I digress. So I had to drive to Davis for an award interview and to tie up some loose ends before graduation. I used the 6 hours in the car to finish the evidence PMBR Cds and begin the Con Law set. Mr. Con Law is so far just as scintillating as Mr. Evidence, which isn't saying much. I also discovered that our library has on reserve the full PMBR CD set including wills, trusts, and criminal procedure- three sets that do not come with the course. Unfortunately, I discovered this late in the afternoon and was only able to rip wills to my computer before I had to leave. Oh well- maybe I'll have another chance- if not, I think I'll survive.

SATURDAY: My long awaited first installment of my bar study loan came from the morons at Sallie Mae. Husband and I headed straight to Costco, where we've been eyeing their laptop selection. You see, my Dell has survived 3 years of law school, but come out quite battered and bruised. The screen no longer stays open without propping it against something and can actually separate from the entire unit altogether if I so desire. None of the arrow keys work and that paralysis is slowly taking over the lower left quadrant of my keyboard. So long story short, the bar exam deserves better. And so do I! My new laptop is a glorious Hewlett Packard model. I don't know all the specs- just that my computer engineer husband approved, so that's good enough for me. Tomorrow I will attempt to register it with Examsoft. The examsoft website now says that Vista is ok... I'm a little skeptical, but I guess we'll see. I'm also a little concerned about battery life. Best guess is that mine has 3 hours in it... but that's sort of risky. So I think we'll splurge and get the $130 12-cell ion-lithium battery that doubles that battery life and quickens the recharge time. What are others doing about this problem? And more importanty, What would the Energizer Bunny do?

SUNDAY: Listening to my con law CDs on the way to church this morning, the lecturer went on a bit of a side note tirade about how to study/practice multiple choice questions. He recommends doing 50 at a time in 90 minute intervals and specifically not reading each answer after doing each question. Now this is quite in conflict to how John Talamo has been telling me to master the MBE. Talamo says you should start off 'studying' the MBE by reading each answer fully after doing the question and then building up to timing yourself. Opinions?

In other important news, I beat the medium level of Guitar Hero 2 and began playing on hard. We have also acquired a second guitar controller so the hubby and I can play face-offs. If this whole lawyer/bar exam thing doesn't work out, the Mr. and I will just become rock stars.

Off to work out and listen to more about the dormant commerce clause...

PMBR Rocks!

Ha- I spoiled the ending of the PMBR Crim Law CD series. Yes, my friends, he actually says "PMBR Rocks." I finished the crim CDs at the end of last week and eagerly started the evidence series. Now, I should note that I learned absolutely nothing from my evidence class in law school except that my professor was very angry that they were making her teach it. So this is all new to me.

It's going well so far. Mr. Evidence is no where near as funny as Mr. Contracts (Fessler) and no where near as enthusiastic about PMBR as Mr. Crim Law (Feinberg), but he'll do. I wanted to spend my two hour trek down to Bakersfield for Easter and two hour trek back listening to them, but alas my dear passengers (husband and sister) were not having it. Oh well, hopefully I can finish evidence this week when I trek up to Davis on Friday. I'm nominated for a graduation award and am going up for an interview- cool to know that at least somebody recognized I did something other than complain in my three years of law school.

Other news on the bar front... I'm seriously considering photocopying the previously mentioned "how to be supportive to your friend, the bartaker" flier after talking to family yesterday. My aunt's exact quote (bless her heart) was "I bet you could not study at all and still pass- you're so smart and good at tests." I wanted to laugh- my husband did. Clearly, he's been listening to me. I also realized yesterday that four of my close family members (1 aunt, 2 grandmas, and possibly my mom) will be having major surgeries this summer (1 stomach and 4 knees amongst them). Did they not get my memo about putting their lives on hold until July 27th?

Summer Vacation Itinerary

Barbri sent out the class schedule. This was very exciting for me since I am an obsessive planner by nature, and it was driving me crazy that I just had these two and a half blank months in my palm pilot. My class is all by video so it starts May 23rd. It doesn't look as bad as I expected. We get Sunday off every week, we get Saturday and Sunday off several weeks; and we even get 4th of July off! Unfortunately for my dear husband, his birthday falls squarely during a 6 day bender which includes the simulated mbe and two day review. Sorry sweetie- don't expect a big fiesta this year. Regardless, I am glad I was finally able to fill in the blanks in my palm pilot.

I'm also a little more than half way through the PMBR criminal law CDs. Definitely less entertaining than contracts, but I surprisingly feel like I'm learning more. Feinberg repeats all the big points at least seventy seven times each. His teaching style is also reminiscent of my crim law professor from 1L year who was 80 years old and so cute I wanted to put him in my pocket (Jim Hogan- he was actually referenced in one of Fessler's contracts hypos). Also, I just love to hear Feinberg say "intentionally, wantonly, recklessly" as if he's reading some scathing piece of feminist poetry. These little bits of joy are the things that will get me through July.

We are in BREACH.

Finished the Contracts PMBR CD set today. I still have 5 other sets to go, but this was the longest set- 7 CDs. The lecturer was good- apparently used to teach at Davis and likes that "village" a lot more than I do. It at least made the material interesting though. I love how he says "we are in BREACH" as if breach is like a code word for "nuclear holocaust" or something. I think my biggest concern about contracts (one of my stronger 1L subjects) will be the UCC/Common Law distinctions. Next up is criminal law...

Also, I've been reading a few of the random books that I impulse bought from amazon. Don't buy "Pass the Bar"- It's basically like a lame text book they'd make you buy if your law school offered some sort of pre-bar-prep class. Lots of useless advice like "don't stress out too much". I do, however, like the handout they have included- ready to photocopy- that you can give to friends and family so you can say "leave me fuck alone- I'm studying for the bar exam" in a nicer way that won't damage relationships in the long term.

In other news, I have four weeks left in my externship. I'm still fairly certain that half the office doesn't know my name... I'm not exaggerating- my client called the other day and once he was put through to me he told me that the secretary said "We don't have an Amanda in this office." He had to say "the law student" so she would remember who I am. Oh well, I didn't want to work there anyways. The firm I'll be working at after the bar only has two other attorneys and a handful of office staff... hopefully they'll all know my name.

Finally, my husband bought Guitar Hero 2 for the Xbox 360 today. That game may be the death of me during bar prep.