If you can do a half-assed job of anything...

"...you're a one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind."

I love Rutabegorz, and am glad Alfred shares the affinity. As we walked up to the front, I wondered aloud, "I wonder what time they close." He answered my question, "They are open from 11 am until.... close. They close when they close."

I visited Southern California for part of spring break; things have definitely changed. Well, I don't know if things have changed, but I know law school has changed me. I don't want to be one of those people without long lasting relationships, without friends from high school, but I feel like I have very little in common with most of these people. And I've realized I would rather spend time with my family than with most of my old friends. I guess this is a part of growing and maturing, but a part of me is sad to see that part of my life go. But as old friends go, new friends come. I finally, for the first time in my life, feel like I have a "group of my own". I only felt this kind of comfort and camaraderie with one person in undergrad, and I am so glad she is in my life. But I never had that connection in high school, let alone with a group of people. I love Davis, and feel as though I have found a place of my own. It's mine, and I love it.


Hagrid, visibly despondent to have no more four-legged company.

I saw a middle-aged man leaning against a large planter today. He had a cart in tow with trash bags full of what I imagine to be his worldly belongings. An older man, probably in his seventies or eighties, with a hunched back and shake to his arm stepped up and asked him something I could not understand. The middle-aged man replied something along the lines of "I didn't ask", and then I saw the old man holding his wallet and a dollar in his shaking outstretched hand, offering it to the middle-aged man. I guess the cynic in me would see that scene and scoff at the assumptive old man, coming down from his high status to help those in need who don't ask for assistance. But then, as the tears formed in my eye (I am a sucker for the elderly), I realized something. Law school has failed to make me a cynical elite; instead, Davis has diminished the cynic inside. I can't imagine living in a happier, more peaceful place.

And every time I leave Davis, I quickly realize how much I really love Davis. It may not be for everyone, but... it's for me.




I am also making a concerted effort to eat healthier and more in line with these twelve points (though I've made a few of my own adjustments):

1. Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
2. Avoid foods containing ingredients you can’t pronounce.
3. Don’t eat anything that wouldn’t eventually rot.
4. Avoid food products that carry health claims.
5. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket; stay out of the middle.
6. Better yet, buy food somewhere else: the farmer’s market or CSA.
7. Pay more, eat less.
8. Eat a wide diversity of species.
9. Eat food from animals that eat grass.
10. Cook and, if you can, grow some of your own food.
11. Eat meals and eat them only at tables.
12. Eat deliberately, with other people whenever possible, and always with pleasure.

I normally don't do this kind of thing, but I think that Michael Pollan & Mark Bittman make excellent arguments particularly pertinent to our generation.

So I leave you with these seven words: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Fail.

I made dark chocolate cupcakes with green tea frosting today and failed. I forgot the sour cream, left them in the oven for too long, and my nifty two tiered storage contraption collapsed and smooshed the bottom layer.

Update: Life

Honestly, law school is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be as long as you're willing to make a few compromises in life. I've made my compromises keeping in mind that my ultimate life goals include working for Disney/Pixar, opening a tattoo shop/becoming a tattoo artist, having a family, and being happy. Putting your ultimate goals into perspective really take a lot of the stress out of law school.

So, just relax. I've made friends, I own a suit, I know what IRAC means, and I've gotten the hang of book briefing. I have also found time to pick up baking, and am currently mastering the perfect cupcake.

All in all, life is much better than I thought it would be.

"Well, I've worried some about, you know, why write books

... why are we teaching people to write books when presidents and senators do not read them, and generals do not read them. And it's been the university experience that taught me that there is a very good reason, that you catch people before they become generals and presidents and so forth and you poison their minds with ... humanity, and however you want to poison their minds, it's presumably to encourage them to make a better world."

I have argued with my father and brother on several occasions about the pros and cons of non-subsidized public higher education (the US system) versus completely subsidized, but selectively private higher education (think the French system). While I am wholly supportive of the idea of allowing those who are thirsty for knowledge the ability to quench their desires, the prospects of finding such persons at large public schools are, well, dismal. Our public school system is meant to be an affordable substitute for a private, Ivy league education. However, with tuition - I mean "fees", as it is illegal for public schools to charge tuition, though I am still desperately trying to discover any discernible difference between "fees" and "tuition" - at state schools rapidly rising, and the gap between the upper and working class growing larger and larger, I fail to see attending a public school is any longer a viable substitute.

I chose to attend a state school, not because I had no other choice, but because it was all I could afford to attend. Before even entering college, I knew I would want to pursue some form of graduate degree shortly after receiving (I intentionally use the word "receive" rather than "earn") my BA, so I chose to attend a less prestigious university that offered me a full scholarship. I could have attended Berkeley, or Boston U, or any number of big-league schools to which I was offered a spot, but because I could not afford to take out student loans before pursuing a graduate degree, I chose to go to school for FREE.

I am digressing from my main point. I feel as though most faculty members at my university are teaching at a level barely above high school. They pass students who cannot even write a coherent meaningful SENTENCE, let alone string together ideas and research to produce a quality paper, regardless of how absolutely atrocious their work is. I have yet to hear about students failing classes because they were not ready or equipped to move on; usually, students who fail do so because they never showed up to class. A D- is considered a passing grade, in the sense that you have "successfully" completed the course in a manner that is sufficient to earn credit. Professors constantly blow by prerequisites, making exceptions for students because they "really, really, really need the class, and they simply cannot get into any other course that fulfills the same requirement."

Why are we allowing such students into a university? There is a serious problem when students who are barely able to pass high school are making it into four year universities. The community college system was set up for three reasons: a. those who simply could not afford attending a four year university, b. those who fucked off in high school too much to gain admittance to a four year university, and c. those who will simply never be ready for a four year university. So why are those from category C being allowed into universities! Why are teachers passing them through college when they haven't EARNED it. This is why I don't think I have earned a BA. It was simply too easy. Honestly, college was no more challenging than high school. I coasted through it and still maintained a 3.71, with little to no effort in almost every single class. If I had exerted some effort, I am certain I would have a 3.9+ right now. What have I done to impress my professors? It's simple, really. I can write a coherent fucking essay. I know what a thesis is, and I know how to properly construct an argument in support of a thesis.

Have you ever wondered why a BA can no longer earn you the same prestige in the professional community? Because it's too fucking easy to get a BA today. Honestly, anyone who can show up to class can earn a BA. I don't know why there are so many safety nets and advisers in place to help students through the difficult process of choosing classes and taking the proper courses to graduate. WHY DOES IT TAKE HOURS FOR SOMEONE TO WALK YOU THROUGH THIS! I had it figured out by the time I finished my first semester. I knew exactly which classes I could take to complete my GE work, and which classes were required for my majors. I knew where to check my progress to ensure I was taking enough units to graduate; I did my own advising. Hell, I advise my friends when their faculty adviser is too boggled down for them. It's not that fucking hard, and if you aren't competent enough to figure out what fucking classes to take, you shouldn't be at a university. Period.

If you can't write an essay by the time you're entering a college, your high school has failed you, and you shouldn't be attending a university. Period. There should be a minimum threshold of scores to enter any sort of four year university to keep the academic environment thriving.

This is why I believe in the French educational system. You must score within a certain range to even attend a university, but once you get admitted, you don't have to pay a single Euro. Not one! Yeah, you have to study your ass off and be intelligent in order to attend the programs that prepare you for a job in the medical industry or legal field or any other "prestigious" career, but to be quite frank, I don't think I want some asshole who can barely write an essay defending me in court, giving me medical advice, or performing surgery on me.

The books that are being written to prepare future generations aren't being read because at least 50% of the students at my university do not enjoy reading. Why are you pursuing further knowledge and education IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO FUCKING READ. Our professors are no longer concerned with preparing students with the tools necessary to positively impact the world; instead, they just want students to get through the course so they don't have to deal with the same assholes again. We let too many people attend universities, and as a result, classes are severely impacted, we are desperately underfunded, and the value of a BA/BS is no longer what it once was. If you aren't ready for a university, spend two or three years in a community college learning how to write a fucking essay and really think about whether or not you want to keep being educated. Hang out there for a few years and then transfer. It's cheaper for you and better for the system.

Better yet, let's revamp the whole fucking high school system and make sure its initial purpose is served; to prepare students for either the working world or the world of higher education. If they are on the path towards higher education, lets make sure they actually have the skills necessary to do well in college, not just skate by with Ds and Cs.

Why do you think our generation is so void of revolutionary thinking? Why are we so apathetic and unkind to our human brethren? Because we aren't taught to think humanely. We aren't taught to be compassionate. Instead, we are taught to get by, caring only for ourselves, ensuring what we need is accomplished while we fuck everyone around us.

So why write books? If things continue as they are, I honestly don't believe we will have much need for books anymore.

"I urge you to please notice when you are happy...

...and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'"

Right now, I am happy. I am happy with my family, my personal life, school, my friends. I am content. Not everything is perfect, but I am happy, and I want to appreciate this, and remember this moment.

I feel like a new person, as though I have a new lease on life. I can't explain exactly how or why I feel like this, but life just feels... good.

So here is to new beginnings, and the many obstacles and accomplishments to come.