The drunken escapades of Karen, episode 405

yesterday, i got drunk twice, starting at 4pm and going strong till about 12am, then from 12:45 till i fell asleep.

my school had some reception for the new alumni center (read: free unlimited alcohol and food!), and i was not one to turn down an invitation to get drunk on the school's dime. then, we went to top of the cove for $3 martinis, of which i had only two, but still managed to be quite buzzed when by the time i left. then, i went to scott's house to watch friday and have a hypnotiq and malibu (my new favorite drink). Then i watched Lost in Translation (made me want to go to japan!). THEN i went back to tim's place and drank more.

thus, studying today has become quite arduous.

malicious content

my ie explorer was temporarily disabled two days ago due to an unnamed male conducting searches for "nude biker chicks" on my computer. the website somehow infiltrated my system and installed a PROGRAM into my program files that disabled ie explorer. i eventually detected and fixed the problem, but am now left in a state of rather acute paranoia...what else lurks in my computer that i am not aware of? further, what kind of webiste would want you to stop being able to use ie explorer? isn't that counterintuitive?

also two days ago, i dreamt that a murderer was on the loose in a downtown area. i woke and told aforementioned unnamed male, but we decided that since everyone in my dream was inexplicably speaking in chinese, this must be a dream about hong kong. anyway, i came home today and lo and behold, all over the news were reports of....a murderer on the loose in downtown san diego. no joke.

my dreams have been strangely lucid lately. i should really start writing them down again.

made my day....

QUICK! Everyone type "miserable failure" on Google and hit the "I'm feeling lucky" button.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA, thank god for the Internet.

Me: AARRGH! My wireless internet is failing to detect any sort of wireless signal!
Compaq customer support: Is your wireless card properly installed?
Me: Yes!
CCS: Have you rebooted your computer?
Me: Yes! I have also uninstalled and reinstalled my dsl router monitor, unplugged/plugged back in the router, twiddled with a variety of settings, taken out my battery, disabled/enabled my wireless card, etc. etc. ad nauseum…..
CCS: Did you check to see if you accidentally pushed the little button on the front of your computer that turns off the wireless?
Me: ……..oh.

This site is for the inner voyeur in all of us...and the deep dark thoughts we never ever wanted any one to know, but just wanted to get off our chests: Notproud.com

Very illuminating, and strangely therapeutic.

This has been a relatively interesting evening at work. I talked to a dermatologist who is also a lawyer (but is currently not practicing law)...he told me that he actually wanted to attend law school and med school concurrently, and inside, i cowered at his dedication and obvious brilliance. I also helped out a rather computer-illiterate public defender who was doing research to defend a witness whose life is being threatened by a gangster. I really feel I helped someone.

I Googled "bad law school grades first semester" and found these encouraging words:

First Semester Law School Grades
This post is for whoever found my site searching for "bad grades first semester law school". My first semester grades were disappointing. I did not even make Dean's List my first semester and my class rank was decidedly unexciting. By second semester I had graded onto law review (for what that was worth -- more later on why law review was not my bag) and I got all the job offers I cared about (an interviewer teased me about my Torts grade once, but we laughed about it together and moved on). Now my school was very small and I happened to do very well second semester but the message is, everyone's just figuring all this stuff out, and so how you prepared for, took, and scored on first semester exams is not an accurate predictor of how you are going to do in law school or in life. It just isn't. Now you have a clue about what to do and how to study and what to expect -- you didn't before. So quit freaking out and turn your attention to the fascinating and baffling topics they're asking you to learn THIS semester. You are just as smart and full of potential as you were in September. Smarter, in fact. Go learn.

More on Bad Law School Grades
I don't have much more to say about getting off to a bumpy start in law school, gradewise. But good heavens, lots of people are doing Google searches or writing me about it. My heart goes out to all of those of you who were disappointed, heartbroken, shaken by your grades, who are now doubting yourself and looking to Google to make sense of it all.

Look, guys, I got a C- and a C+ my first semester of law school. (And two A-s and a B+, to be complete). I was 22nd in the class after that. The next semester I got two As, a couple of A-s, and another B+, and I was 4th in the class. I just kept moving up, and I graduated first. So it's not hopeless. You're not destined to have dismal grades for the rest of your law school career. They needn't hold you back.

Stop gnashing your teeth about what these grades MEAN about who you are and what you're capable of and what the Rest of Your Life is limited to. You are just as smart as you were the day before you got your grades. And now you know something you didn't know before: what to expect from law school exams. March your butt into your professors' offices and sit down with the exam and talk to them about it. We all know you studied your head off, but did you articulate what you knew, or did you study the wrong stuff, or did you have trouble identifying the issues, or were you a disorganized mess, or did you confuse the terminology, or what? Whichever one(s) it was, you're going to fix it next semester. The professor will help you, if you ask. And now you know to ask.

I received a letter today confirming my acceptance into Santa Clara Law's summer abroad program, so I'M GOING TO HONG KONG!!! I'll be there from June 1-August 1, probably a few weeks before or after for extra vacation-time. The first month will be law classes and the second will be an internship at a HK firm. Yay!

the sadism continues..75 pages of reading for today.

how ironic that lawyers across the country argue every day to protect their clients from cruel and unusual punishment.

a few days ago, i answered the doorbell to a high-school aged kid who said, "is your mom or dad home?" "No..." I stammered, and before I could say anything else, she said "K bye" and left.

this is probably worse than the time me and sherry got carded to watch Bad Boys II.

I'm done resting. Sigh.

School is almost upon me once again, and I have a stack of horrible reading to complete.


I went to Tahoe for Christmas, and it snowed and snowed, so for anyone looking to ski this season, now's the time to go. I spent Christmas day riding through a blizzard--it was magnificent.

New Year's was at the Bonaventure. They did an awesome job of decorating the five-story lobby, and the rooftop garden room. Too bad the lines were too long and I did not get to see Oakenfold spin. I don't think Bonaventure security had any idea what they were in for when they agreed to host Giant. Around 2am there were epuddles in the hallways and cracked out people passed out on the lobby couches..it was hilarious.


My foray into Interior Design:

I have spent a good portion of winter break redecorating Tim's pad. For those of you who have seen the place prior to its metamorphosis, the change is amazing. As the unofficial decorator/indentured servant, I invite everyone to come and witness my very first interior decorating exhibit. The place itself has always held such great potential. Most of the furniture and decor were already sitting there, waiting to be placed and cleaned. It's priceless, really, watching a great-looking home emerge from the ashes of years of neglect and dust and random piles of porn (I found three stashes, but more doubtless exist). Here's a virtual tour:

We went for a modern, blue and silver look for the living room (element: water), a warm, lounge/wine bar/cafe atmosphere for the sitting room (element: fire), garden theme for the stairs (element: air) and an autumnal theme for the end of the upstairs hallway (element: earth). The decor moves from modern to old-world to nature, and finally the decadence of nature as expressed by the large poster of autumn trees in luxembourg, at the end of the upstairs hallway (which is also the natural end to the navigable hallways of the house).

Living room:
Where there was once a mass of blankets and an incredibly ugly couch, there now is a beautiful living room with a massive triptych of Ansel Adams photos, drawing attention to the high ceiling. Van Gogh's Irises hangs above the fireplace and Night Stars hangs next to the door leading to the patio. A multicolored tropical plant, kind of trippy looking and reminiscent of the Van Goghs, sits atop a wood and glass table in the corner of the room, where there used to be a pile of dust and junk. The ugly orange couch, until now the bane of my very existence, has mercifully been covered with a beige slipcover. A new blue rug with geometric accents in a grid pattern further adds to the modern feel of the room.

Middle Sitting Room:
In my opnion, the piece de la resistance of the house. Where there was once a guilt-inducing weight set and mishmash of desks and yet another horrid couch, there is now a cigar-lounge inspired sitting room and shiny bar setup. The color theme here is dark mahogany woods, red, black and chrome. A black leather loveseat sits on the wall facing the living room, in front of a dark wood coffee table. The paintings on the wall are a Paris Cafe/Brasserie scene (unknown artist) and two art-nouveau liquor advertisements: Cinzano 1920 by Leonetto Capiello and Martini and Rossi: Vermouth Torino, by an unknown artist. The two liquor ads sit above the loveseat, while the Paris Cafe painting hangs above a dark wooden park bench, flanked on both sides by palm tree and ficus plants. Two miniature palm plants sit atop the coffee table, which sits atop a deep crimson rug. In the corner of the room sits a rolling two-tier bar setup with chrome tray and coasters, ice bucket, bar gadgets, etc.

While pondering the modern/antique juxtaposition of the main living room and this room, it occurred to me that actually the Van Goghs are from an earlier time than the Art Nouveau prints in the middle room. So I guess it's a stylistic, old-money "feel" rather than a chronologically correct juxtaposition.

Stairs:
The wall area along the staircase is graduated in four steps. I have placed (straw-colored) woven palm-leaf mats on each step, with a small potted plant and clear glass tealight holder. The bottom step has a chameleon poster that matches the green color scheme and adds a little variety to the whole garden theme. The other wall hangings are antique turn-of-the-century botanical prints.
When lighted, the tea lights draw the eye upward, ascending the stairs and culminating at the top of the stairway, where a large botanical print in more muted colors blends the green theme of the stairs into the autumn-hued theme of the top level.

End of upstairs hallway:
This is the natural termination of the main hallway connecting all rooms of the house. As such, I chose an autumnal theme. The poster is a sepia-toned photograph of autumn trees in the Luxembourg gardens in Paris. The persepective of the row of trees adds depth and extends the hallway. Underneath the poster is a collection of leaves and potpurri (autumn colors) given to Eva by her cousin Karolina during her summer visit, and four frosted glass votive candles in red, purple, orange and yellow. I thought the autumn theme was a natural extension of the green, garden theme of the stairs below, yet indicates a movement toward termination.

Upcoming projects:
The kitchen. I have yet to think of a fitting theme. Woodland? Sky? Kitsch? Asian?
Adding mirrors to the upper level that reflect the large cathedral windows, creating the illusion of an atrium-like space.

I am DONE! donedonedonedonedone!

i have spent the day doing...not too much. lazing around, resting, blissfully giving my brain a rest.

in fact, writing is getting a little taxing right now. i'm going to take a shower and lay around in bed reading.

tomorrow will be spent cleaning and getting paperwork done and preparing for my 5-day boarding trip to lake tahoe this weekend (to my benefit, my dad seems to have gone snow-crazy this year and this is one of two trips we'll be taking, the next one in jan. to mammoth)....teehee.

in a daze i flipped through my copy of One L , desperately seeking for some corroboration with the horror and nerve-wracking stress i have been experiencing lately. i found near the middle of the book a passage that i had underlined about two years ago when i first read it:

Correlations between exam success and worthwhile achievements in the practice of law are speculative at best. Until that connection is better established, the narrow and arbitrary nature of exams will continue to dictate a narrow and arbitrary means of selection for training for the bar. And that is a particular state of affairs for a profession and an education which claim to concern themselves with rationality and fairness.

Word.

terms that should be abolished from the english language:
theft and robbery
words like "militate"
public trust
reciprocal negative easements
the erie doctrine
the federal rules of civil procedure
intent-based and harm-based retributivism

sadly ironic result of a quiz:


Athena


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

my professors are sadists hellbent on sapping the last drop of humanity from my poor, starved soul.

whatever innocence or naivete i once possessed is now totally gone. i had heard that law school makes you a cynic, but i had not expected this.

How can I spend every waking hour studying for something and yet not even grasp the question they're asking?

Also, who the hell uses the word militate in a question??

at the suggestion of a classmate, i have been reading belle de jour, the blog of a london call girl. she is so witty and hilarious!

-Perfect- You're the perfect girlfriend. Which
means you're rare or that you cheated :P You're
the kind of chick that can hang out with your
boyfriend's friends and be silly. You don't
care about presents or about going to fancy
placed. Hell, just hang out. You're just happy
being around your boyfriend.


What Kind of Girlfriend Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

...as many of you have so astutely pointed out, the figures below assume i get my oranges for free. thanks guys.

at $5.00 a bag, I would have to sell 8,600 bags of oranges by the freeway in order to afford my first year of law school should i flunk out this year.

any pre-orders?

*a dream deferred*

I can’t find the words to describe our friendship, but I think it is the color of a bright purple sky, who-knows-how-many- sunsets over the ocean
I think it would sound like hundreds of late night conversations, the distant roars of cars on a freeway just close enough to see in the distance, to remind you of civilization, but far enough for you to hear the invisible croaking of frogs in the grass,
I think it would taste like constant comment tea laced with an acid-infused sugar cube,
It would feel like eight years of laughter, warm summer nights, cold winter ones, the best and worst trip you ever had.

So, even though we won’t talk for awhile, I’m sure this isn’t the end of our friendship. Find it in yourself to get the hell over this, and call me when you do.

Bad for me, good for Mat?
From The National Jurist:

A British Epidemiology researcher says law students are 30 percent more likely to die young than most other graduate students.

The study, reported in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, followed 9,887 men who had health checkups while studying at Glasgow University between 1948 and 1968. The researchers concluded that people who had studied law had a 30 percent higher risk of death in the 40 years following graduation than students in other faculties.

Medical students were found to live longer than most other graduate students, despite the fact that they smoked more while in school than most other students—only law students smoked more. However, people who became doctors were twice as likely as other students to die from alcohol-related causes.

Only arts students had a higher risk of death than law students, and were especially likely to die from lung cancer. However, medical students were found to most likely die from accident, suicide or other violent means.

Not surprisingly, divinity students had the lowest blood pressure and were least likely to consume alcohol, but their risk of death was still 10 percent higher than medical students.

Who Will Die First?
1. Arts Students
2. Law Students
3. Divinity Students
4. Medical Students
5. Engineering Students

My horoscope for today:

Enthusiasm for your career could have you putting in a lot of extra effort - and perhaps a lot of extra hours - getting something going for yourself, Karen. Your mind is working especially quickly - perhaps too quickly, as you may be experiencing a mental overload. Stop a moment, catch your breath, and write down the most workable of your ideas. Trying to do too much at once, or spread yourself too thin, could be counterproductive.

It's 6 am and my brain is full.

I work from 8-10 am though, so it is useless to try to sleep. Being too disoriented to study any longer, I can only sit and worry for the next two hours about how exactly I am going to repay $40,000 in loans should I fail out of law school this week.

Stress-induced delerium? Maybe. Whatever it is, I can't believe I'm studying my ass off, harder than I have ever studied before, to HOPE to get a C. Whatever illusions of intelligence i once had have been utterly crushed by two words: bell curve.

I believe I can name the people in my class who are getting A's...and I can point out the ones who are getting B's...and none of them is me, so all logic leads inexorably to my status as mediocre.

In a state of hopelessness, I went on emode to take an IQ test, and found that according to them, my IQ has dropped by 26 points. How encouraging.

From the book The Lexus and the Olive Tree:

Pepsi's "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" was translated into Chinese as "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave."

Frank Perdue's chicken slogan "It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken" was translated into Spanish as "It takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate."

The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as "Ke-kou-ke-la," meaning "Bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax," depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent, "ko-kou-ko-le," translating into "happiness in the mouth."

When the Parker Pen people marketed a ballpoint pen in Mexico, the ads were supposed to have read, "It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you." Instead mistranslation resulted in the ad reading, "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."

-from a list of Ten Great Global Marketing Mistakes, published in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, January 19, 1998
Thanks Mark! :)