I was detained at immigration today at Heathrow Airport as a "mandatory refusal." Apparently even though I am not getting paid for my legal work this summer, I still needed to obtain a certificate of sponsorship in order to enter the country. I guess things would have been easier if I had not replied that I was in London for an unpaid internship. The standard procedure is to put mandatory refusals immediately on the plane and send them home. But the woman at immigration was very nice and helpful. I forgot the exact word she used to describe my entry, but she informed I will be detained the next time I try to enter the UK to be asked a lot of questions about my time here.
I was able to purchase an Oyster Card at Heathrow airport. Hooray! That's made getting around the city a lot easier. Figuring out the train changes to get to the area of London where I'm staying wasn't too difficult but my inherent inability to discern direction led me far astray once I was above ground.
I ended up doing some accidental sightseeing. Misled by signs that said London Eye (that's also the name of the hostel I'm staying in), I walked over to the London Eye pier where the famous ferris wheel and glass building are. I also saw Big Ben, the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey from the other side of the Thames. Unfortunately at that time I was also hauling around all of my luggage. My poor Wakamatsu...
Still looking for a place to live for the next 3 months. And trying to get a cell phone. Hopefully with GPS to correct for my lack of a sense of direction.
Apparently I left my laptop charger in Atlanta. That wasn't going to work, ya know, with that whole work thing. So I had to head out to the Apple Store in Covent Garden. Getting there by train wasn't too difficult. Finding the store, on the other hand, was. I wandered around the shopping plaza for awhile looking for it. Again, no sense of direction. On the weekends the place is full of people and also street performers. I saw a guy painted in silver body paint pretending to be a statute. And a musician playing covers of American pop songs (like "my heart will go on...") Eventually I found the store. $95 dollars for a charger that only works in England.
This trip hasn't exactly started out well, has it?
Showing posts with label 1L. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1L. Show all posts
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
"the casenote is done, man"
The write-on competition for law journal suuuuucked. For those of your unfamiliar with this particular travail, first, count yourself lucky and second, let me explain. Given a nearly 200 page packet of cases, we, the 1Ls hoping to make law journal as 2Ls, were asked to submit a casenote. That casenote condensed the law contained in the numerous cases contained in said packet into a narrative describing the line of jurisprudence, or case law and legal theory.
It really was 11 days of hell, made all the worse for procrastinating. I came home to Austin from Atlanta to see my family but also because I though being away from all the distractions of my many possessions in my apartment and small number of friends would keep me focused throughout the ordeal. #timemanagmentfail Unfortunately, after finishing exams, I didn't really want to do anymore "school stuff." I put in about 4-5 hours a day for about the first four days. Then came the weekend, Mother's Day weekend, and more family. Getting back on track this week was nigh near impossible. Excelsior!
But it's over and done with now. I submitted the casenote and Bluebook quiz (ah, the bane of my existence) this morning. Now all that's left to do is wait. We aren't notified until sometime in June? Hopefully by that time I'll have put this whole excruciating ordeal out of mind.
For other 1Ls / rising 2Ls around the country who may not have completed your write-on competition yet for law journal, good luck. And if you're brilliant enough to have graded on where you're attending, I hate you.
That is all.
Hopefully I can manage to get myself into the sun at Barton Springs Pool this afternoon.
Over and out.
It really was 11 days of hell, made all the worse for procrastinating. I came home to Austin from Atlanta to see my family but also because I though being away from all the distractions of my many possessions in my apartment and small number of friends would keep me focused throughout the ordeal. #timemanagmentfail Unfortunately, after finishing exams, I didn't really want to do anymore "school stuff." I put in about 4-5 hours a day for about the first four days. Then came the weekend, Mother's Day weekend, and more family. Getting back on track this week was nigh near impossible. Excelsior!
But it's over and done with now. I submitted the casenote and Bluebook quiz (ah, the bane of my existence) this morning. Now all that's left to do is wait. We aren't notified until sometime in June? Hopefully by that time I'll have put this whole excruciating ordeal out of mind.
For other 1Ls / rising 2Ls around the country who may not have completed your write-on competition yet for law journal, good luck. And if you're brilliant enough to have graded on where you're attending, I hate you.
That is all.
Hopefully I can manage to get myself into the sun at Barton Springs Pool this afternoon.
Over and out.
Friday, May 6, 2011
やった! (yatta!)
A few weeks ago I posted a link to an article about the Animal Legal Defense Fund's lawsuit to free Tony the Tiger, a Siberian-Bengal tiger, being held in a cage at a Louisiana truck stop. Today, victory for Tony was announced when a East Baton Rouge District Court judge granted ALDF's request for a permanent injunction against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries. The Department is enjoined from renewing the annual permit required to allow Grosse Tete Tiger Truck Stop to exhibit the big cat under Louisiana law.
True Blood's Kristin Bauer recorded a video urging support for ALDF's campaign to free Tony. The star power behind the campaign went supernova when Leonardo DiCaprio encouraged his facebook and twitter followers to help end the inhumane conditions of Tony's captivity. Thanks to these celebrities and others (hopefully a few of this blog's readers), ALDF went into court with 31,000 signatures petitioning the state of Louisiana to deny the permit to Michael Sandlin, owner of the truck stop.
I have a personal connection to this story through one of my closest friends, Matthew Liebman, who is a staff attorney for ALDF and was in court today in Louisiana advocating on behalf of the law (former Louisiana Representative Warren Triche, a co-plaintiff in the case, had authored the bill banning the private ownership if big cats), animal welfare, and general decency. Every time I doubt my reasons for going to law school, Matt always pulls off something amazing like this to remind me that lawyers can make a difference. Thank you Matt, the ALDF, Warren Triche, and the law offices of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, P.C., who provided pro bono assistance on this case.
The ruling only enjoins the Department from renewing the permit which means that Tony will remain on exhibit at the truck stop until the current permit expires in December of this year (2011). ALDF is working with the Department to help find Tony an appropriate sanctuary. Stephen Wells, Executive Director of ALDF, had this to say.
UPDATE: Yay! Matthew's in the New York Times.
True Blood's Kristin Bauer recorded a video urging support for ALDF's campaign to free Tony. The star power behind the campaign went supernova when Leonardo DiCaprio encouraged his facebook and twitter followers to help end the inhumane conditions of Tony's captivity. Thanks to these celebrities and others (hopefully a few of this blog's readers), ALDF went into court with 31,000 signatures petitioning the state of Louisiana to deny the permit to Michael Sandlin, owner of the truck stop.
I have a personal connection to this story through one of my closest friends, Matthew Liebman, who is a staff attorney for ALDF and was in court today in Louisiana advocating on behalf of the law (former Louisiana Representative Warren Triche, a co-plaintiff in the case, had authored the bill banning the private ownership if big cats), animal welfare, and general decency. Every time I doubt my reasons for going to law school, Matt always pulls off something amazing like this to remind me that lawyers can make a difference. Thank you Matt, the ALDF, Warren Triche, and the law offices of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, P.C., who provided pro bono assistance on this case.
The ruling only enjoins the Department from renewing the permit which means that Tony will remain on exhibit at the truck stop until the current permit expires in December of this year (2011). ALDF is working with the Department to help find Tony an appropriate sanctuary. Stephen Wells, Executive Director of ALDF, had this to say.
Today, the law was upheld in the state of Louisiana, which has explicit regulations designed to protect tigers like Tony... It is an incredible victory for ALDF, the tens of thousands around the world who have supported this campaign, and most of all, for Tony. We eagerly look forward to the day that he leaves behind the noise and fumes of the Tiger Truck Stop for a new life of freedom that he has never known.You can read the press release or find out about other campaigns and ways to get involved with animal welfare at the www.aldf.org.
UPDATE: Yay! Matthew's in the New York Times.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
a primer on anime female "types"
Here's a few archetypes to get you started. I won't list examples. Yet.
- busty, sweet, but stupid
- vixen-ish rogue
- tough, loud, and obnoxious - usually short
- geeky lesbo
- the quiet warrior
Enjoy Chun Li Baby in the meantime. She's so adorable. And if you want to generate more, go here.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
i love college radio
I intend to wow my readers with a comparison between GSU's station, Album 88, and the college station in my hometown, 91.7 KVRX, in the future. Unfortunately, this whole law school thing requires a lot of time to do, ya know. Practicing my oral for this weekend. As in oratory. My other skills are still quite amazing, I'll have you know.
In the meantime, I'd like to point out that I love the variety of programs 88.5 carries. Tonight was 8bit88. I tuned in around midnight. The entire show is devoted to playing the music from video games. Even better, somebody else in this crazy city loves the the Moon theme from Duck Tales on the NES enough to actually request it.
In the meantime, I'd like to point out that I love the variety of programs 88.5 carries. Tonight was 8bit88. I tuned in around midnight. The entire show is devoted to playing the music from video games. Even better, somebody else in this crazy city loves the the Moon theme from Duck Tales on the NES enough to actually request it.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
tourniquet
unfortunately it's that busy time of year around here for 1Ls. brief is due in a few days. applications for fall clinics and field placements must be submitted by tomorrow. and just 3842 more minutes until spring break for this guy.
but i didn't want to leave you without a daily dose of my own special brand of geek.
here's a link to an article about the fear of the feminine in video games. there's a lot of freud in there, especially vagina dentata, castration anxiety, and repression / expulsion. i've got a troubled relationship with freud but that's gonna have to wait for another entry.
here's an interesting video about the origins of wonder woman.
i've discussed the complex story of wonder woman and her creator william moulton marston before in the context of jodi picoult and gail simone scribing for the amazon. it's particularly interesting stuff, especially dr. marston's unconventional lifestyle and beliefs about gender inequality (spoiler: they aren't equal; i for one welcome our new female overlords); maybe i'll revisit it in the future in the context of gender and representation. oh goody, the topic of comic books and feminine bodies. better haul out the gallagher poncho now...
but i didn't want to leave you without a daily dose of my own special brand of geek.
here's a link to an article about the fear of the feminine in video games. there's a lot of freud in there, especially vagina dentata, castration anxiety, and repression / expulsion. i've got a troubled relationship with freud but that's gonna have to wait for another entry.
here's an interesting video about the origins of wonder woman.
i've discussed the complex story of wonder woman and her creator william moulton marston before in the context of jodi picoult and gail simone scribing for the amazon. it's particularly interesting stuff, especially dr. marston's unconventional lifestyle and beliefs about gender inequality (spoiler: they aren't equal; i for one welcome our new female overlords); maybe i'll revisit it in the future in the context of gender and representation. oh goody, the topic of comic books and feminine bodies. better haul out the gallagher poncho now...
Thursday, October 7, 2010
whoa, man
It's been a long time since I blogged. After residing here for almost 2 months, here's my impressions of the ATL.
Driving
You can call what they do in Atlanta driving same as you can say a virus reproduces sexually: only by destroying the meaning of the words. But they do have one thing in common. Coming into contact with either is hazardous to your health.
Music Scene
I like the bands Atlanta attracts. Just this week LCD Soundsystem with Sleigh Bells, the National with Owen Pallett, and the xx with Zola Jesus came through. Last Friday Deerhunter had their cd release party here. Godspeed You! Black Emperor added nearby Athens as one of the dozen or so US tour dates they've had in years. But what I don't like is the quality of people those shows attract. If I had to describe it in one word, I'd say the scene here isn't chill like Austin. The venues themselves are great but I wish they made you check your douchebags at the door.
Food
Being a poor law student, I can't afford to sample all the local fare. Still no Atlanta BBQ but I hear Fat Matt's ribs are delish. I've also heard great things about the breakfast / brunch at Flying Biscuit. A few fellow 1Ls and I have started an unofficial burger club to ferret out the best burger in Atlanta. After only two meetings, the consent so far is Vortex but we have a number of places yet to be tried. We've also got a Friday afternoon ritual at a local hole-in-the-wall which shall remain nameless so as not to attract a crowd. Suffice it to say, it's yummy. BYOB, too, and an afternoon beer, great food, and cool company is always the best way to wrap up another week in law school.
On an unrelated note, I finally finished reading Murakami's "Norwegian Wood". Remarkable book. I'm a growing fan of the post-war Japanese writers. This has cleared my pleasure reading calendar for Richard Bernstein's "The East, the West, and Sex" and my expected harsh criticism thereof. Let's see if I can deliver something on a more consisten schedule this time.
Driving
You can call what they do in Atlanta driving same as you can say a virus reproduces sexually: only by destroying the meaning of the words. But they do have one thing in common. Coming into contact with either is hazardous to your health.
Music Scene
I like the bands Atlanta attracts. Just this week LCD Soundsystem with Sleigh Bells, the National with Owen Pallett, and the xx with Zola Jesus came through. Last Friday Deerhunter had their cd release party here. Godspeed You! Black Emperor added nearby Athens as one of the dozen or so US tour dates they've had in years. But what I don't like is the quality of people those shows attract. If I had to describe it in one word, I'd say the scene here isn't chill like Austin. The venues themselves are great but I wish they made you check your douchebags at the door.
Food
Being a poor law student, I can't afford to sample all the local fare. Still no Atlanta BBQ but I hear Fat Matt's ribs are delish. I've also heard great things about the breakfast / brunch at Flying Biscuit. A few fellow 1Ls and I have started an unofficial burger club to ferret out the best burger in Atlanta. After only two meetings, the consent so far is Vortex but we have a number of places yet to be tried. We've also got a Friday afternoon ritual at a local hole-in-the-wall which shall remain nameless so as not to attract a crowd. Suffice it to say, it's yummy. BYOB, too, and an afternoon beer, great food, and cool company is always the best way to wrap up another week in law school.
On an unrelated note, I finally finished reading Murakami's "Norwegian Wood". Remarkable book. I'm a growing fan of the post-war Japanese writers. This has cleared my pleasure reading calendar for Richard Bernstein's "The East, the West, and Sex" and my expected harsh criticism thereof. Let's see if I can deliver something on a more consisten schedule this time.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Feels like the first night...
Tonight is my first night in Atlanta. Storms a'brewing all day but thankfully I got all my stuff moved inside safely dry. No rain has fallen yet but the forecast calls for rain all weekend.
Traveling was hell. I'm not opposed to road trips per se but I definitely prefer to sleep in a hotel room as opposed to the back seat of a pickup parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I hurt my right shoulder again. It happens every few months when I sleep on it wrong. Apparently along the backseat of a wide-cab pickup was wrong. I really need some yoga therapy right now. Too bad there isn't any place as great as Yoga Yoga here in Atlanta.
Atlanta is quite a beautiful city. Very green. Evergreen trees surround my entire apartment and I live very close to a nature preserve. I even took a little trip down to the campus. Clairmont reminds me of the Drag in Austin or that one street Matt, Salena, and I strolled near Berkeley. It was teeming with little shops and restaurants, even an independent record store called Wuxtry Records. It feels a lot like home.
I noticed an Indian food place nearby that bills itself as vegetarian. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised this near campus. Colleges tend to be hotbeds of "liberalism" and "left wing nutjobs," even this far in the south.
I received notice by email that my class schedule is available online. Emory, like many if not all law schools, operates on a "lottery" system for first year classes. All 1Ls take the same curriculum but obviously can't be crammed into the same class room at the same time with the same prof expected to grade coursework. Instead, the registrar assigns you a schedule. In other words, you the student have no say in when or by whom you will be taught during the first year. Since variations in teaching styles, grading philosophies, etc. exist, some sections of the same core class may be preferable to others. It is all up to the luck of the draw as to which section you will be assigned. Since I have not received my Comcast modem yet, I have been unable to review my schedule. This situation should be remedied tomorrow.
The Emory Public interest Committee (EPIC) is hosting a discount law book fair on campus next week. They will be offering 1L books at steeply discounted prices on Wednesday. Who has two thumbs and will definitely be there to save on his text books? This blog writer. But you got to bring cash or check because they don't take American Express. Or Visa, for that matter.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Traveling was hell. I'm not opposed to road trips per se but I definitely prefer to sleep in a hotel room as opposed to the back seat of a pickup parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I hurt my right shoulder again. It happens every few months when I sleep on it wrong. Apparently along the backseat of a wide-cab pickup was wrong. I really need some yoga therapy right now. Too bad there isn't any place as great as Yoga Yoga here in Atlanta.
Atlanta is quite a beautiful city. Very green. Evergreen trees surround my entire apartment and I live very close to a nature preserve. I even took a little trip down to the campus. Clairmont reminds me of the Drag in Austin or that one street Matt, Salena, and I strolled near Berkeley. It was teeming with little shops and restaurants, even an independent record store called Wuxtry Records. It feels a lot like home.
I noticed an Indian food place nearby that bills itself as vegetarian. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised this near campus. Colleges tend to be hotbeds of "liberalism" and "left wing nutjobs," even this far in the south.
I received notice by email that my class schedule is available online. Emory, like many if not all law schools, operates on a "lottery" system for first year classes. All 1Ls take the same curriculum but obviously can't be crammed into the same class room at the same time with the same prof expected to grade coursework. Instead, the registrar assigns you a schedule. In other words, you the student have no say in when or by whom you will be taught during the first year. Since variations in teaching styles, grading philosophies, etc. exist, some sections of the same core class may be preferable to others. It is all up to the luck of the draw as to which section you will be assigned. Since I have not received my Comcast modem yet, I have been unable to review my schedule. This situation should be remedied tomorrow.
The Emory Public interest Committee (EPIC) is hosting a discount law book fair on campus next week. They will be offering 1L books at steeply discounted prices on Wednesday. Who has two thumbs and will definitely be there to save on his text books? This blog writer. But you got to bring cash or check because they don't take American Express. Or Visa, for that matter.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Bye bye Austin, hello law school
Today I got into a truck to begin the 15 hour drive from Austin, TX (my home of the last 18 years) to Atlanta, GA to attend Emory Law. I attended high school in Austin, got my undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. I've met most of my friends and all of my exes in Austin. 18 years is a long time to accumulate memories, both good and bad. So it is with mixed emotions that I depart. I am sad and scared to leave behind so many important people and familiar surroundings. But there's also a lot of pain left behind there. Moving away quite literally is moving on. UTA has a great law program, no doubt, but they don't offer the area of study I'm most interested in. Emory does.
Moving is also a chance to start over, to shed the scales of the past to become somebody new, hopefully somebody better, happier. That doesn't mean anybody is getting cut out. I'm just interested in ch-ch-ch-changes.
So it's a new city, major educational endeavor. Big changes. A number of my friends have had the law school experience; most have not. I'll start by sharing my 1L experiences here on this blog as (legal mullet). If you're hoping for something salacious like Lena Chen's Sex and the Ivy (the infamous Harvard sex blog), you'll be disappointed. I'm not like that and I certainly don't kiss and tell. I'm almost 32 for crissakes, not 19.
Instead, what you'll get is an idea of the brutality of the Socratic method, study groups, exam hell, and the reading, reading, reading (among other things). I'll also review those handful of Atlanta places I can afford to frequent on my student allotment of money and time.
Orientation officially starts on Wednesday, August 18 and runs through Friday, August 20 from 8 am to approximately 4 pm. Attendance is mandatory. There are also some events scheduled on the 16th and 17th. Kaplan/PMBR are sponsoring Building Community Day on Tuesday. They say it's an opportunity to meet about 90% of my fellow 1Ls and includes, among other things, a scavenger hunt. I'm looking forward to it.
I'll let you know how the lottery goes on class draw. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, I'll explain it when I receive my fall class schedule.
Classes starts on August 23. In the meantime, I have to get to Atlanta, sign my lease, and move in to my apartment. Then I'll need to scout out the neighborhood for essentials like the grocery store and a yoga studio (more on that to come).
I'm really excited to start this new phase in my life. It has been a long time coming.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Moving is also a chance to start over, to shed the scales of the past to become somebody new, hopefully somebody better, happier. That doesn't mean anybody is getting cut out. I'm just interested in ch-ch-ch-changes.
So it's a new city, major educational endeavor. Big changes. A number of my friends have had the law school experience; most have not. I'll start by sharing my 1L experiences here on this blog as (legal mullet). If you're hoping for something salacious like Lena Chen's Sex and the Ivy (the infamous Harvard sex blog), you'll be disappointed. I'm not like that and I certainly don't kiss and tell. I'm almost 32 for crissakes, not 19.
Instead, what you'll get is an idea of the brutality of the Socratic method, study groups, exam hell, and the reading, reading, reading (among other things). I'll also review those handful of Atlanta places I can afford to frequent on my student allotment of money and time.
Orientation officially starts on Wednesday, August 18 and runs through Friday, August 20 from 8 am to approximately 4 pm. Attendance is mandatory. There are also some events scheduled on the 16th and 17th. Kaplan/PMBR are sponsoring Building Community Day on Tuesday. They say it's an opportunity to meet about 90% of my fellow 1Ls and includes, among other things, a scavenger hunt. I'm looking forward to it.
I'll let you know how the lottery goes on class draw. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, I'll explain it when I receive my fall class schedule.
Classes starts on August 23. In the meantime, I have to get to Atlanta, sign my lease, and move in to my apartment. Then I'll need to scout out the neighborhood for essentials like the grocery store and a yoga studio (more on that to come).
I'm really excited to start this new phase in my life. It has been a long time coming.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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