Posted by TDot on Nov 26, 2009 in
Randomness Second only to Independence Day, I have to confess Thanksgiving is my other favorite holiday of the year 
It’s not about the food (though that’s definitely a perk for someone on the “impoverished law student” diet). Thanksgiving is a useful holiday for benchmarking how much things have changed over the years and reminds me how truly fortunate I’ve been.
Today I enjoyed a delicious meal with a half-dozen or so classmates who stayed in town to study for finals, prepping for the end of my first semester in professional school.
1 year ago I was in Virginia Beach visiting my grandparents, still a semester away from finishing my undergraduate degree, but enjoying the insane schedule that came with being a first-term President of the UNC Association of Student Governments and a second-term Student Senate President at N.C. State — highlighted by the Raleigh-to-Elizabeth City-to-Virginia Beach-to-Greenville-to-Raleigh itinerary for the break 
Myself and QuietStorm back in 2004
5 years ago I had an equally insane schedule but it wasn’t quite as fun. I was a college dropout working 2 jobs, enjoying a small-but-delicious Thanksgiving meal at the country club apartment I shared with QuietStorm, thankful for having a full-time job after the 2004 election season ended but also relishing the day off before I headed back on Friday to work overtime on some pleadings. It was at that point I decided BigLaw was probably not my cup of tea 
And 10 years ago I didn’t have much of a Thanksgiving meal at all, with QuietStorm and I sharing some EasyMac and leftover Pokey Stix from Gumby’s while we surreptitiously stayed in my dorm room (despite the residence halls being closed) because I didn’t have the money to travel and she took pity on me wanting to make sure I enjoyed my Thanksgiving (it worked 
).
Some people ask why my ego is so outrageously oversized. In all candidness I’ve even wondered myself every now and then (ok really just once). Yet when I go back through the old photos and old emails from holidays past, when I reflect on going from a high school scholar to a college dropout, from being homeless to living in a ridiculously swank apartment, from having to work 2 jobs just to make ends meet to studying law full-time while being a student advocate on the side — it’s hard to be humble.
But it’s harder not to be humbled.
For all the experiences, I owe most of it to circumstances and people beyond my control. So with Thanksgiving 2009 winding to a close, here’s a brief (non-exhaustive) list of some of the things I’m thankful for this year:
Can you guess which one is the college degree?
- My degree — After I dropped out back in 2000, I thought I’d never graduate from college. By the time I made it to my senior year in Computer Science, I really thought I’d never graduate from college But for whatever reason my teachers took pity on me, and the Bachelors of Science degree they gave me this past June is proudly framed and hanging on my wall.
- The NCCU School of Law — Out of my 3 options for law school, NCCU was really the only one I could afford. It turned out to be an excellent fit, plus I met some pretty awesome people in the process
- Madame Prosecutor — Speaking of those classmates, no one has challenged me quite like this lady. She drives me absolutely bonkers at times but I’ve got no doubt my grades and overall 1L experience have been better because of her.
- My SG colleagues — This is such a diverse group of people I can’t really single anyone out, but working with these folks has been the highlight of my life for the past 4 years. I appreciate and respect all of you, and look forward to the great things you’ll be doing in the years ahead!
- Q.T. — One of those aforementioned colleagues, she’s not only helped me get things done in UNCASG but has been a great friend as well. She even helped me study for the CivPro midterm
- 雅雅 — Dealing with me on a daily basis is bad enough in a normal year; it’s even worse when I’m active in 2 separate Student Government groups, interning downtown at the N.C. General Assembly, and trying to graduate in Computer Science. 雅雅 supported me the whole time even when more rational people would have bailed, and some of the best times in my life have been spent with her
- Nan and Pops — I love my family, but my grandparents deserve more recognition than I could ever give them here. They helped raise me, helped me get back on my feet as a dropout, helped me stay in school when I made it back, the list goes on. When I was at N.C. State the 2nd time through I was terrified one of them would pass away before I got my degree, and more so than anyone else on this earth they’re responsible for me graduating and making it to law school.
- God — I’m not a particularly religious guy, and I’m generally averse to publicly displaying my faith (not sure why, I’ve just been that way my whole life). Even so, I’ve had so many great experiences and been surrounded by so many amazing people that I can’t ascribe it to mere coincidence. I just hope I can live my life in a way that reflects my appreciation for all the blessings I’ve been given.
I’ll end the list there, since this entry is already pretty long 
I hope all of you had an amazing Thanksgiving with friends and loved ones! And remember: it gets even better from here
Tags: About TDot, 雅雅, Festivities and Diversions, Madame Prosecutor, Nan & Pops, NCCU Law, NCSU Student Senate, Q.T., QuietStorm, UNCASG
Posted by TDot on Nov 5, 2009 in
Fail I’ve been enjoying law school so far, and realized around Fall Break that I was griping more than experience warranted. But every now and then things just don’t work out the way I intended. Like today.
As absurd as it probably sounds to y’all, I’m convinced that I’m allergic to the cold. It’s not a bona fide “allergy” per se, but for years now any time the temperature around me drops below 70 or so I end up with the symptoms folks would have for the flu: stuffy nose, sore throat, burning eyes, etc. It makes for a pretty miserable fall/winter (and even summer — when QuietStorm and I lived together and she insisted on having the AC set to “arctic” 24/7 ). I compensate by staying warm, to the point where 雅雅 once teased me that being in my apartment during the summer reminded her of being in Shanghai.
I must not have set the thermostat high enough before going to bed last night, because I woke up at 5am feeling thoroughly wretched. I pulled the covers over my head and went back to sleep, just to wake up again an hour later. I got out of the bed, made some breakfast, read the news, and decided I felt bad enough I was just going to skip Contracts class and go back to sleep. Then around 7:45 or so I woke up, felt guilty for skipping, once again crawled out of bed and headed for the law school.
Professor Ks is more laid back than the other professors, and let’s folks show up late to class — provided that if you walk in late, you’re “on deck” for all of the questions for the day. I get to the law school about 5 minutes before class is scheduled to start, and skip going to my locker to get my notebook so I can make sure I’m on time. We were starting a new section on the syllabus anyhow (Principles of Interpretation) so I figured I wouldn’t need my old notes for class.
By 8:28am I’m at the classroom… and Professor Ks has already started.
“@#$%.”
Instead of going back to get my notebook, I figure “what the hell, I’ve read everything we’re going over today and understand it. let’s go.” and walk in. Professor Ks greets me with his predictable you’re-going-to-get-grilled-and-better-be-ready smile, and starts to ask me questions about… the Statute of Frauds.
We were starting with a review of the previous section. The section that was in my notes… in my notebook… in my locker… that I skipped getting to be on time and avoid getting grilled.
I couldn’t even bluff my way through because I felt like shit and hadn’t reviewed the SOF material since Tuesday. Professor Ks called on someone else to bail me out on the review, but then instead of coming back to me for the new stuff and giving me a chance to recover (since I knew it backwards and forwards) he picked a few other folks and I was left to sit there in silence.
It was a decidedly not-fun experience, and successfully earned me a “see me after class” admonition from the professor. And I’m pretty sure I’ll be called on next week due to the poor performance…
w00t
Tags: #fml, 1L, About TDot, 雅雅, Ks, Prof Ks, QuietStorm
Posted by TDot on Oct 1, 2009 in
Drama I really hate being wrong.
Down in the comments of this entry from a few days ago, I mentioned to idwsj that the law school drama (at least involving me) had pretty much died off. Evidently I neglected to knock on wood or something because one of my classmates was working hard to rope me in today.
It started shortly after Contracts. Class itself had me rolling, as we went over cases like Wright v. Newman (266 Ga 519) — affectionately referred to as the Baby Mama Drama case. I suspect few things can prompt more humorous class discussion among 1Ls
Once class was over I headed downstairs to my locker to grab a few books and head home, same routine I’ve followed for weeks now. A fellow Legal Eagle I’ll just refer to as the Unnamed Gunner comes up to me and asks if I’m planning on being at the law building on Saturday since we have midterms next Thursday and Friday. I tell him I’m not, that I’ll be heading to the Aggie-Eagle Classic in Greensboro.
Then comes the crazy: ”Yeah whatever man. I saw you being the first one to turn in your LRA quiz on Tuesday and then the first one to finish in Torts yesterday. Do you think you’re better than us or something?”
::cue scratching record sound effect::
I’m not sure if it was the comment itself or the look of “wtf?” that came across my face, but a young lady walking by us promptly choked on her coffee.
Let’s hit the obvious point first — why the hell are you keeping track of when I turn in my assignments? Insecurity? Envy? Inherent stalker tendencies? You might get better grades if you pay attention to your own work instead of figuring out when I’m done with mine. Just saying.
Second: how does someone in law school make the logical leap from finishing an assignment first to feeling superior as a result? Last time I checked, none of us got bonus points for how many seconds were left on the clock when we turned something in.
I’m usually one of the first people done because I refuse to overanalyze the problems. I’ll read the facts, re-read them again to make sure I understand them, pick an answer and move on. It’s a strategy that served me well on the SAT in high school, all throughout college, and on the LSAT before coming to law school. If I sit there and think about the question even more, I’m that much more likely to change my mind and go from having a maybe-correct answer to choosing a definitely-wrong one.
For an example, compare Madame Prosecutor and myself. Madame Prosecutor is the archetypal “good student” — she has two degrees already, is heavily active in a bunch of stuff, studies hard, and makes good grades. She’s also 1 of only 2 people I’ve met so far in my life who can successfully make me feel like I haven’t accomplished much in my almost-three decades on God’s earth.
Madame Prosecutor takes a lot longer to finish her assignments than I do. So do I feel superior to her because I finish sooner? Of course not, because (among other reasons) she gets better grades. But I’m also not going to do any better compared to her by mimicking her. Would spending more time on a question help me do better? Not likely. It would, however, substantially increase my chances of doing worse.
That’s not me thinking I’m superior, it’s me doing what I know works for me academically. I’d suggest you do the same… preferably without stalking me in the process
Hope all of you had a great Thursday, and enjoy your night!
Tags: 1L, About TDot, Ks, LRA, Madame Prosecutor, QuietStorm, The Unnamed Gunner
