Phrase of the Month "Ugh"

Six weeks until the dreaded three-day California Bar Exam. Realizing this week that I need to pick up the pace and actually start studying 6 hours after class each day, instead of only 4. Can no longer easily take off an afternoon, and may have to cancel some plans in the near future.

Today, took first practice 3hr Performance Test and sort of liked the change from the MBE and Essay monotony of late. Also took a long MBE practice set this afternoon and found that I am already starting to forget the stuff I crammed in my head during the first four weeks and need to start re-reviewing again to make it stick.

Little more reading, then bed . . . ugh.

Been A While

It has been a while, a long while, since I have posted anything.

As a general update, I graduated from law school this past May and now I am studying for the California Bar Exam. In other words, my days are filled with watered-down, generally phrased legal rules and doctrines that I am doing my best to memorize.

Below are the books I have recently read; they were both excellent! I am looking forward to reading Hosseini's most recent book "A Thousand Splendid Suns."

More later . . .

UPCOMING EVENT

The University of California, Hastings College of the Law and
the Monterey Institute of International Studies
present:

SURVIVING CLIMATE CHANGE: ADAPTATION AND INNOVATION

The Conference will be held at:
U.C. Hastings in Mary Kay Kane Hall, 200 McAllister Street, San Francisco

The 2008 Hastings Climate Change Conference will address public and private strategies for adapting to the impact of climate change on economic development and human rights, fostering innovation and building resiliency.

The Keynote Speakers include:
Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board and
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

The Conference features speakers and panels on the following subjects:
• Strategic Complements: Adaptation and Reducing Greenhouse Gases
• The Impact of Climate Change on Development and Human Rights
• Financing Adaptation and Innovation
• Building Resiliency
• Acting Locally
• Urban Strategies for Coping with Climate Change
• Private Market Responses

Co-Sponsors of the Conference:
• Hastings West-Northwest Journal of Environmental Law & Policy
• Hastings International and Comparative Law Review

What's Left After

For a friend who recently ended a relationship. I think that the hardest part of break-ups, is getting through the identity crisis that is triggered afterwards. What was half of your life--or at least a large part of your life--is gone. You are no longer Mary & Joe anymore, you are just Mary or just Joe. While spending time alone can be liberating, it can be frightening at first. This poem is about dealing with these challenges.

What's Left After

Sitting on the floor, your
back against the door,
knees crouched in at your chest.

He left hours ago, but the fabric
of your clothes and sheets, is
still saturated with his scent.

Your heart begins to race
at the sound of footsteps in
the stairwell, but the sound fades--
and the room grows quiet.

Across the room, your dinner plate
sits on the kitchen counter,
the vegetables withered and cold,
the meat limp.

You just need a little more time,
to figure out what's left of you
now that he's gone.

Fall Food

PUMPKIN SOUP with PUMPKIN BREAD

At this time of year, when the air gets a little cooler, the leaves change, and entryways are all accented with pumpkins, I love cooking seasonal dishes. Although the pumpkin puree used in this dish was not from the farmer's market, the carrots, celery, cilantro, onion, and garlic were!