0L Archives - Memos and Mirth

1L Frequently asked questions

August 8, 2009

The soon-to-be 1Ls are lighting up my inbox, and I’m starting to get duplicate questions.

The typical email starts with a variation of “Hi, I start law school the fall. I saw your blog, and didn’t get a chance to read it. Can you answer these questions?” I can, I did, and I will – but don’t be offended if you’re linked to this post (or this one).

Here are some of the common questions this week:
1L: “I’m thinking of getting a rolly backpack…and”
A: No, no, no, no, no, no, NO. Do not. Put down the fug and step away slowly. Yes we see people considering them every year, and it confuses me. Assuming your law school has student lockers, there is no reason for you to carry around 5 law books at one time, so a rolly bag is unnecessary. I simply carry my books in my hand because typically I’m going to my locker to exchange one book for another. And I find that when I’m studying, I’m not going to focus on more than one or two classes, so dragging a stack of books to the library is unnecessary. Don’t be that guy or girl who looks like they are about to catch the next flight to fugville. See: Jill on backpacks

1L: “What supplements should I buy?”
A: I recommend waiting for your professor to recommend a supplement. Check the syllabus. Some professors teach from the supplements, and other professors insist that you shouldn’t read anything but your casebook. I also recommend waiting to buy supplements until the middle of the semester when you have a better idea of what you don’t know. You’re not going to score any points or good will by bringing up obscure arguments from a hornbook. If you are inconsolably freaked out, then make a few purchases from West’s Nutshell series. These tend to be just enough to get you grounded in a subject. If you feel cheap, then wait until you get your LexisNexis and Westlaw passwords. Westlaw contains treatises like Wright & Miller (for Civil Procedure) and Lexis has course outlines.

1L: “I want to start a blog but I don’t know if I can keep up with it…”
A: Assuming your blogging goals are somewhat similar to mine (see post here), then my best advice is to sign up for a blog at wordpress.com and give it a shot. The trick is to post every day, even if it’s just a sentence or two. The second you stop posting consistently is when your blog is most likely to die. And yes, most blawgs die. See Three Years of Hell, and Frugal

1L (following up): “Why wordpress?”
A: WordPress is the standard for blogging software. WordPress.com accounts are free and easily customizable. The problem with blogspot and typepad blogs is that these services don’t have as many options and it is harder for people to comment on those blogs. Also, if you’re feeling fancy, you can get a dot com address for your wordpress.com blog for only $15-20 a year. I’m pretty sure this is what Huma of humarashid.com did. And please, when you get a new blog, don’t spam everyone’s blogs with your new address.

1L: “Okay, so I’ve seen in your fashion post that things can get really petty…are law students really that immature or is it just you?”
A: Let me remind you that I am not Oprah. All of my advice comes with a hefty dose of salt. Wear what makes you feel comfortable. Just do so with the realization that some of your peers are as petty as I am (see here). Think of it like this: you are in professional school. Showing up looking like a hot mess for law school is the equivalent of accusing your coworkers of being immature because you decided to show up at the office in pink, bejeweled crocs. Now, yes, the fact that someone is sitting at the UMN library, enraged that a classmate is wearing flipflops is silly, but I think that flip flops during orientation is more akin to the pink crocs at the office. See Think Like a Woman, Act like a Man.

Female 1L: “If I start blogging will have creepy men hiding in the bushes outside of my apartment?”
A: There will probably be creepy men hiding in the bushes outside of your apartment, but it won’t be because of your blog. Think of online privacy as a bicycle lock. Your average bicycle lock is going to stop the vast majority of bike thieves, but no bike lock can stop that rare, determined bike thief. The same thing is true for stalkers. The rare stalker is going to stalk regardless of how good your pseudonym is, and regardless of how carefully you guard your online presence. Frankly, so much information is available via public directories and information companies (like Lexis), that the rare crazy is not going to be stopped by anything but the Tazer x3 in your purse. So no, don’t post a picture of your apartment with the address and a challenge, but also don’t be afraid to use your real name – because frankly, it’s not a secret. See also: 3 years of hell, and Fresh Thought Soup.

5 Rules for Law School Orientation

July 24, 2009

Man on laptop at cafe by Tim Gouw via Unsplash.

By request, here are my 5 simple rules for law school orientation:

5. Dress appropriately.

How you present yourself¹ during orientation will shape how people think of you for the rest of the semester.

The appropriate style? Business casual — Think Banana Republic rather than yoga pants.

And no, you don’t need to buy designer clothes – the point is that you can look put-together without wearing your church clothes, or looking like a rental car agency manager (no high-water khakis please.)

My experience: There was a girl who wore the same thing throughout orientation: ass-cheek exposing shorts, a red tank top, an oversized hoodie, and her greasy hair in a sloppy bun. She was a super-smart girl, but she looked like she smelled, and was called uncharitable names (like slutty hobo) for the rest of the year.

4. Check the hormones.

This isn’t the first day of college.

Bedding your classmates will come back to haunt you. This is professional school, not Tinder.

3. Check the ego.

It takes people a while to understand that law school is actually a level playing field. Unless you ditched a full ride at Harvard for Nowhere University, you are probably not the smartest kid in your class. So be careful, because the section-mate you are bragging to just might be a PhD or getting a dual degree in Rocket Science.

Also, no one cares how much time you spent reading hornbooks during the summer, how prestigious your undergrad was, or how much money you made in your former job. You are in law school. Save yourself the ego-check and humble yourself before you get to school.

The grades are based on finals, so you don’t get any points for intimidating your classmates during orientation.

My experience: During orientation, the entire 1L class was in an auditorium. Some prestigious lawyer gave us a lecture about his experience and this girl raised her hand, preceded to tell the speaker (and the entire 1L class) about a lengthy book she read on a completely different subject, and asked the lawyer for his thoughts on the book.
The presenter’s mouth said: “Uh, I haven’t read that one.” His face added: “You crazy bitch.”

She was “that girl” for the rest of the semester. (that post is here)

2: Don’t overshare.

Your classmates will get to know you in time. Disclosing things too early will just earn you a reputation as a socially inept.

We don’t need to know about your DUIs, roaring undergraduate drug habits, or thoughts about your weight.

We also don’t need your blog address. We’ll stalk you when we add you on facebook.

1: Hold the hooch.

This happens at every school outside of Utah: after orientation, you will head to a local pub with your section-mates, someone will get crunk and embarrass themselves.

And in law school, no one bothers to stop a social train wreck.

Law students will just stand by and chuckle nervously as the disaster unfolds – and because no one ever says anything, this behavior is repeated throughout the year. Don’t be that guy.

And remember it is not too late to get the essential law school summer reading:

First Impressions: What You Don’t Know About How Others See You by Ann Demarais and Valerie White
“So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love” by Cal Newport

¹Some schools have formal orientation dress codes, most don’t.

0L / unsolicited advice

The spring before law school

April 7, 2009

As a senior in college, I relied on law student blogs to find out what to expect for my first year of law school. Part of the law school experience that was ignored by a lot of blawgs is the late law school application process (ie, deciding where to go, and then getting there.)

This sucked.

So, for all the 0L’s out there, here are four things that happened to me:¹

1) Applying to more law schools? Waiting for more money? When it’s time to quit:
The problem is that the law schools that have given me full tuition scholarships (Drake, Stetson, etc.), are not top tier schools, and the other schools that have given sizable scholarships (Yeshiva, Temple, DePaul, etc.) are still not in UMN’s league. (keep reading)

I applied to dozens of law schools. I realized that applying to every school that sent me a fee voucher was a waste of time, especially when the schools started harassing me for deposits. The only school I paid to apply to was UMN (my first choice school). And that’s where I’m at. The lesson? It’s good to have options, but there is a such thing as overkill.

2) Financial Aid. Patience is a virtue.

They were not kidding when they said late July. And once I accept these loans that I will supposedly receive, how long will it take for me to get the disbursement? (read more)

I go to a public law school, so financial aid is based on the FAFSA. Students who take out the full amount of loans get around $7,000 a semester for living expenses. Check with your school and don’t be afraid to ask the financial aid office, “How much do students have to live on after tuition and fees?” if that’s what you really want to know. And yes, loans came in about a week before class started.

3) Minority Followup: I am not Tyrone.

So what are law schools doing to recruit minorities? According to National Jurist, law schools are now taking “a personal approach” to admissions.

I saw this “personal approach” at work this past year. I was more aggressively recruited by law schools than when I applied to undergrad, even though I was a better applicant coming out of high school. (read more)

This included aggressive calls from deans and questionable tactics from minority organizations within law schools. The Lesson? Being an minority made me more desirable to law schools, but the best school for me was one that didn’t want me for my skin tone.

4) Housing: House me please! The apartment search was sort of a crapshoot. I spent a lot of time on rent.com, but I couldn’t really make any decisions without a financial aid award.

The lesson? Ask your financial aid department about your monthly budget (assuming you get all of the loans) and save up enough money for your first month’s rent and security deposit because you won’t get a reimbursement check until the eve of classes.

Also, check out the law school discussion forums. There are school-specific threads where upperclassmen from your school will answer your questions. This was very helpful to me because a lot of the UMN students I spoke to at campus preview weekend were local, or had rich parents…so they couldn’t help me find affordable housing.

I hope this helps.

¹ This is my experience, it may not be true for you. Please communicate with your law school and current students at your school.

² If you are applying to UMinnesota (and don’t have children or pets) you can apply to the Gamma Eta Gamma house. Gamma is a co-ed legal fraternity that is close to the school and rents rooms at $400/month.

Today isn’t your day

August 26, 2008

Today was a marathon, and not my housemate’s day.

A housemate and I wanted to get four things done today: buy books, get a locker, activate our student IDs for the law library, and a buy student bus pass.

Simple right?

Well, the library cards are only activated at orientation, so that taken off the agenda.

I was able to get books, a locker, and my bus pass. No problem.

My housemate wasn’t so lucky – she tried to charge the books ($780!) to her student account, and her student ID was declined.
Bookstore clerk: “The computer says you’re not registered.”
Hm. Orientation is Wednesday. All of the other 1L’s are registered… That’s a problem.

So we go to the law admissions office and they send us to the law school registrar. The registrar tells my housemate she is registered, but that she must have a hold on her record.

Apparently international students have a hold on their records until they attend a special orientation.

So we are sent to the international admissions office. We wait and are eventually told, “Hm. That shouldn’t be a problem, but we put a temporary release on your stop. Go to the student card office to see if it worked.”

On the way to student card office we stop at the bank because my housemate’s name is spelled wrong on her debit card. The nice cashier orders a new debit card and tells my housemate that she can use her misprinted card until the new one arrives. Great. Peace out.

We walk across the river to the student card office, wait in a 15 person line, and are told by a woman who shouts everything TO GO TO THE STUDENT SERVICES OFFICE.

Thanks. We get to the STUDENT SERVICES OFFICE, take a number, wait. The student assisting us smirks and tells my housemate that she, in fact, isn’t registered.

My housemate calls the law school like “wtf mate?” and the law school registrar tells her that she was supposed to call them and inform them that the stop was removed.
My housemate: “But doesn’t your computer system tell you that my stop was removed?”
The registrar: “Yes, but you’re supposed to call us to tell us it was removed. Call us back in 15 minutes.”
Fine.

So my housemate decides to use her debit card to pay for the books. Who needs a student account anyway!? So we cross the river again, go to the law school bookstore, grab all of the books again, and she pays with her card.

Which doesn’t work.

Crap.
My housemate: “OH! I forgot to activate it.”
She goes outside and calls the activation number.
Electronic voice on phone: “Your card is invalid. You suck at life. Goodbye.”
So we leave the books at the bookstore again and go back to the bank.
“Nice” teller: “Oh, I accidentally deactivated your card. Oops.”
The Nice-yet-newly-annoying teller hands back to the now-useless card, and we go to the student services office next door to see if my housemate is finally registered. Yes. She is. Yay.
Student Services lady: But your registration isn’t going to show up for the bookstore for 24-hours. So you can’t get your books today. Hah. Sucks.
Crap.

So housemate decides she’s going to pay cash. You can’t mess up cash. She goes back to the nice-yet-incompetent bank teller and asks for $800.
Teller: “Trying to buy books?”
Housemate: “Yep.”
Teller: “You know you can charge it to your student account right?”
Housemate: “Well, actually, I can’t. I just registered today.”
Teller: “Oh, and your card doesn’t work. Sucks. Well, here’s the cash, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, and 800! Have a great day!”
So we return to the bookstore, get the books for a THIRD time, and my housemate pays drug dealer style, in crisp $100 bills. Cash money!

She then goes upstairs, gets a locker, and we go downstairs to shove the heavy books into said locker.

But course the combo doesn’t work. Housemate is two seconds from wigging out. We both try 10 times and then housemate storms upstairs and gets a new locker, which works.

Our entire adventure took about three hours.

We were both hungry so we walked downtown to Taco Bell. At Taco Bell my housemate checked her receipt from the bank and said, “Crap!”
Me: “What happened now?”
Housemate: “The teller gave me $800 but the receipt said she debited $900.”
Me: “Hah. How are you going to prove that she didn’t give you the extra $100?”
Housemate: “My word is going to have to do because this is some bullshit.”
We finish the Bell, bus back to campus, and my housemate goes back to the now-thoroughy-annoying teller, who thankfully remembered her. The teller was nice and apologetic because this was her second fuckup with one customer in a single day. They ended up giving my housemate the extra $100 instead of crediting it to her account.

We then went to the undergrad bookstore, (across the Mississippi river again) and raided it. We both bought speakers, U of M clothes, and I bought a lot of art supplies. A room opened up in the house so I no longer have a roommate. I’m using the extra space as art studio space. Har.

My housemate’s bad luck didn’t end at school. We went to dinner with two other housemates at the local pan-Asian restaurant and they forgot to enter her order.

So the three of us (dudes) politely waited for her food to come.
Housemate: “Cmon guys, EAT! Your food is getting cold.”
We smiled politely and ignored the request. Pfft. We aren’t going to be rude and chow when the only girl at the table is foodless.

After 10 minutes she started eating rice so we would eat our food.

Her meal came about 5 minutes later.

Heh. Today just wasn’t her day but at least she went through the circus today, and not during orientation.

0L / gamma eta gamma / Law School / Life

The Crazy: Home edition

August 23, 2008

Today I learned that I can’t escape the crazy. The crazy is omnipresent like the holy ghost or roaches.

First, crazy invades the porch: I am reading on the porch when this French guy named Jan comes up and asks me where he could find “affordable housing.”

I explain to him that the area is mostly fraternity and sorority houses. And, being French, Jan has no idea what the whole greek-life shindig is about.
“Well, at least for undergrads, you typically pay a lot of money and get harassed for six weeks to be part of this semi exclusive organization. This one here is for law students, so we skip the hazing and extraneous fees. What? You don’t know what a lawyer is? Eh…we are those older kids with the thick books that aren’t going to be doctors.”
More questions from Jan, including why American houses are so dirty – I don’t know, because they aren’t French? Jan eventually left. Took forever and a dose of awkward.

I went inside and told one of the housemates about my encounter with the Frenchman. My housemate grinned and said, “Hm, funny. I had the same conversation with him when he came by yesterday.”

Le wtf?

So, the porch isn’t safe from crazy. Fine. Crazy is out in public, at cafes, and right there on my porch…little did I know that crazy had also been in my room.

When I returned to my room I found my miniature lay figure knocked over on my desk. There was also a two year old fraternity application in the middle of my room.

I looked around, halfway worried that crazy was still in the room or that something had been swiped.

Hm. No, everything was still in place….
… the only thing missing was my sense of privacy.

0L / Life

Still on vacation

August 22, 2008

Hm. I feel left behind. All the other 0L blawgers have become 1Ls… except me. I’m reading all the “first day of class” and orientation posts…and well, I’m still on vacation.

I finished my move two weeks ago but orientation starts on August 27th and my first classes start the day after labor day. I’m living in a coed legal fraternity house so my days are spent hanging out with other law students – namely in bars, shopping, and Mario Cart.

Excitement. I know. Enjoy your books. I won’t feel the pain for another week 🙂

Oh, and we’ve even gone on a rollercoaster!

That’s the “Fairly Odd” Rollercoaster in the Mall of America. I wanted to go on the other coaster, but I couldn’t convince Stella (another 0L housemate). Hm! Let’s add that to the finals to-do list.

0L / gamma eta gamma / Law School / Life

Lucy’s B-day

August 17, 2008

This weekend was mostly shopping madre and hanging out with the Gammas.

Madre flew up from Miami this weekend to help outfit the room. We took the rent-a-car to the suburbs and got, well…lost. We eventually found Wal-Mart, the madhouse that is Ikea, and Mall of America…

When law students go out: Lucy’s Birthday celebration with the Gammas.

0L / legal humor

k? Thx

August 16, 2008

Maybe I am too formal about email correspondence but, well…this is a short email exchange I had with a financial aid rep from Otherschool (a law school I decided not to attend.)

——————————————————————————–

Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 23:02:11 -0700
From: FinAid@Otherschool.edu
CC: FinAid@Otherschool.edu
Subject: No FAFSA on file
To: Jansen

Hello,

You recently received a letter from our office letting you know that we would be evaluating your financial aid eligibility. We can only do this if we receive a copy of your completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). As of today, we have not received your data.

Bla bla, complete your FAFSA bla bla bla.

If you do not need financial aid at this time, please let us know and we’ll code your account accordingly. In the interim, if you have any questions, please let us know, we’d be happy to assist you.

Sincerely,

Terry

Office of Financial Aid
Otherschool, School of Law
FinAid@Otherschool.edu
(213) 623-8088

From: Jansen 8/10/2008 12:59 PM
To: FinAid@Otherschool.edu

Hello, I do not know if this email was sent in error, but I am not attending Otherschool School of Law in the fall.

I have already communicated this with the admissions office. If my application is still on file, please rescind it.

Thank you.
– Dennis Jansen

Date: 13 Aug 2008 23:02:11 -0700
From: FinAid@Otherschool.edu

sorry abt that, we’ll take care of it. Thx, Terry

Office of Financial Aid
Otherschool, School of Law
FinAid@Otherschool.edu
(213) 623-8088

K, thx, ttyl lol.

0L / Life

End of a stakeout

August 14, 2008

So I waited for about eight hours… and convinced all of my housemates that I have absolutely no life, BUT my packages finally arrived.

Erm, well MOST of my packages came. UPS did lose one. But 5/6 arrived.

Package #6 is in limbo, probably right next to those misfortunate babies and my Target bookshelf.

0L / Life

Waiting

August 13, 2008

I’m staked out in the living room. I might be here all day.

I’ve checked the 22 blawgs I’m subscribed to and now there’s nothing but me and Live In Session.

Why? Am I sick of Minneapolis already? Am I determined to annoy the fraternity with my TV-hogging? Did I break my leg? Develop a sun allergy?

No, no, no, and no – I am waiting for UPS.

All day. Whatever it takes.

You see, UPS and I have some history…

A shelf I ordered from Target.com never arrived…erm well, it never arrived as far as I’m concerned. UPS supposedly left my shelf “at side door” but there was nothing at either side door OR the front door of the house.

Why would they leave it at the side door anyway?

UPS either delivered to our neighbors again (Campus Crusade for Christ), or UPS actually left the package at a side door and it was stolen by our other, less Christ-like neighbors.

Whatever. It was a generic shelf. Not a huge deal.

But today I’m expecting my big honking boxes of books and clothes to arrive from Miami.

If UPS loses my books I’ll be horrified. So here I sit.

Although I’m getting hungry, and I’d feel like a complete dork ordering in when there are dozens of restaurants in the neighborhood.

Watch…UPS will arrive the second I turn the corner. Hmf. To be continued.

Update: Made a Qdoba run and ran into a UPS guy on the way. Not my UPS guy of course. The driver said he had no idea when my driver delivers. Hm. I also checked the side doors… no packages yet. The stake out continues.

Update #2 : Snuck out to the convenience store. On my way back I ran into my UPS driver. She told me 30 minutes. Yippie.

0L / Life

St. Paul & Excitement

August 11, 2008

Now there has been more to my week than the random coffee shop crazies. MC took me on a tour St. Paul, which has a ton of beautiful old buildings. I also saw Macalester, where I almost went for undergrad. Hm.

And, gasp, a big honking Cathedral.

And yes those dots by the doors are people.

Ooo and look at the inside of the dome!

The Twin Cities remind me a lot of Germany. Well, of course you don’t have the altstadts or castles here, but there is definitely a richer sense of history in than in Miami or Wichita.

St. Paul feels like mountain country (after living in Miami at least). The Cathedral is on a slope and has a pretty nice view of the Minnesota capital building.

Seeing the Capital made me excited all over again for law school – “In a few years I might work in that building with the cathedral as my daily backdrop.”

I saw myself in a crowd of other lawyers marching up a nearby courthouse’s steps. NBC logo in the corner of the daydream screen.

Hah. Call Nancy!

I haven’t daydreamed about/dwelled on school too much though. I’ve hung out a bit more with the housemates and asked most of the wide-eyed 0L questions. But other than that… nope…

Class starts in three weeks. I can worry about it when my butt’s in the chair.

Until then I have almost a month of playing tourist and coffee-house rat.

And taking pictures of random things I see downtown like:

0L / Life

Day of the Crazies

August 10, 2008

I felt like a certain Ms. Someone yesterday because the Crazies were out in full force.

1. Rocker-Clepto Crazy

I sat at the B&N Café downtown at the window-counter. To my left was a tall redheaded punk boy with tattoos and an overbite.

To Punkboy’s left is an Arden B girl: a petite, no-nonsense Brunette who is refined in an unfriendly (but not quite bitchy) way. She’s hunched over her laptop with a grimace on her face.

Punkboy leans over to Ms. Arden and asks to use her phone,
Punkboy: I really really need to call my girlfriend. I can’t use my phone because I don’t have any minutes. It will be really short I promise.

Ms. Arden squirms a bit like “gasp why are you talking to me?!” She then says ‘sure’ and hands over the phone.
Punkboy (on Ms. Arden’s phone): Hey Jamie, it’s me. I’ve been waiting for you at the downtown Barnes and Noble for two hours now. I really really wish you’d pick up your phone baby. I’m going to be here until 4 and then I’m heading over to Rob’s house. I have all your stuff here, your bag, your bike. Why won’t you pick up the phone? If you’re not here by four you can find it over at Rob’s house. I really wish you’d pick up the phone. I hope you’re safe.

Punkboy leaves this whiny message as loudly as possible. I exchange “wtf” looks with Ms. Arden and a pretty Somali woman with an elaborate headscarf at a table behind us. The Somali shoots Punkboy one of the nastiest looks I’ve ever seen.

Punkboy gives the phone back to Ms. Arden and thanks her profusely.
Ms. Arden: No problem.
Punkboy: I really really appreciate it.
Ms. Arden (avoiding eye contact): Okay, seriously, no problem.
Punkboy: It’s just that she’s a Clepto, and I’m never sure if she’s been arrested or not. That’s why I don’t go shopping with her it’s like, “What did you take now?”
Ms. Arden (still staring at her laptop yet completely annoyed): Well, good luck with that.

About 40 minutes later I see this ratty looking girl outside. She looks like a dirty, black-haired version of Robyn. She’s weirdly hunched like she’s cold or violated. She just wanders near the Café window looking over her shoulder (either for a coat or her attacker I guess).

Punkboy looks up, sees Cracked-Robyn and shouts, “TENTH!”

He then jumps up, almost knocking over his chair, and runs outside. Ms. Arden, the Somali and I are all wide eyed / what the hell?

We watch Punkboy run outside and grab Cracky-Robyn by the arm. He hugs her and kisses her. Ms. Arden, the Somali, and I exchange a look. Que Crazy.

Punkboy and Cracky-Robyn come in, gather all their crap and leave. Thank goodness. I returned to Underworld with my phones in.

A few minutes pass and then this stocky short guy sits next to me. He’s middle aged and wears a camouflage cap. He has several of those current-event “administration/political expose books.”

Whcih brings us to #2 – Camouflage Crazy

Since it was the day of the Crazies, of course Camouflage starts talking to me. At first I’m confused because I have my headphones in. I always thought headphones and a book at a café sent a very clear “fuck you & yours/don’t bother me” message.

Camouflage starts telling me about Cheney’s cover up involving WMDs and the Iraq war. There are secret contracts and conspiracies. He goes into detail.

The whole time I stare at him blankly like, “why are you talking to me? Why why why sweet baby Jesus!?”

Camouflage goes on for about ten minutes. And then finally shuts up.

#3 Gaunt the Enquirer Crazy

Later that day I was at the Purple Onion Café, my local hangout. I had headpones on, listening to Rautemusik and attempting to catch up on my favorite blawgs. This gaunt African man (with too many bags) walks in and sits at a table near me. I smile briefly and then look back at the laptop.

A few minutes pass and he asks,
Gaunt-guy: So what are you working on?
Me (taking off an earphone): Pardon me?
Gaunt-guy: what are you working on?
Me: Nothing. I’m reading legal blogs.
Gaunt-guy: What?
Me: Uh, I’m looking at websites.
Gaunt-guy: Oh.

I put my phones back in. Bothered. Crazy #3 at my favorite Cafe. NOOO.
Gaunt-guy: Are you a student at the University of Minnesota?
Me (again, taking off an earphone): What?
Gaunt-guy: Are you a student at the University?
Me: Erm, Yes.
Gaunt-guy: What do you study?
Me: Law.
Gaunt-guy: Very Good.
Me: Do you teach at the University?
Gaunt-guy: No, I wish.

Gaunt-guy goes back to his book and I put my earphone back in, legitimately worried that I just gave too much information to a serial killer.
Gaunt-guy: Where did you go for undergrad?
Me: University of Miami.
Gaunt-guy: What did you study?
Me: History and English.
Gaunt-guy: Ah, so you’re a good writer?
Me: I hope so.
Gaunt-guy: Well, it looks like you have a good background. English and History. Yes. Good background indeed.

Gaunt guy continues reading in his book, and waits for me to put my headphones back in before talking again.
Gaunt-guy: Are you from this country?
Me (wondering why I’m telling him as I’m telling him): No, Germany.
Gaunt-guy: Ah, I’m reading a German philosopher right now. Have you heard of him?
Me: No, sorry.

This line of questioning continued for a bit. It became extremely annoying. I felt like the crew of MTV’s Boiling Points would jump out at any moment. They never did. I eventually got frustrated so I called the first friend in my phone, packed up the laptop, and left.

The Schedule

August 8, 2008

Me: Hello, Is this the law school registrar? Yes, well, I just moved to Minneapolis from Miami. A package from the law school arrived in Miami the day I moved. It was supposedly forwarded to Minneapolis… but it’s been a week and I haven’t received it yet. Is there any time sensitive material in there?

Registrar: No, not really, it’s just your class schedule and registration packet.

Me (slight gasp): Erm, Well –

Registrar: Don’t worry, it’s nothing that I can’t print out for you here. Second floor of the law school. See you soon.

Heh, well.

My class schedule, (as far as I can discern…)

Monday
10:10-12:10 – Contracts
1:25-2:20 – 1L Lecture Series
2:30-3:25 – Torts

Tuesday
10:10-12:10 – Contracts
2:30-3:25 – Torts

Wednesday
10:10-12:10 – Contracts
1:25-2:20 – Civil Procedure
2:30-3:25 – Torts

Thursday
8:00-8:55 – Legal Writing
9:05-10:30 – Con Law
1:25-2:20 – Civil Procedure
2:30-3:25 – Torts

Friday
9:05-10:30 – Con Law
11:15-12:10 – 1L Mandatory Lecture Series
1:25-2:20 – Civil Procedure

0L / Life / memories / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures

Notes from Minnesota

August 7, 2008

I knew Minnesota was cheaper than Miami but dang – the portions are ridiculous here. I went to the Pagoda pan-Asian restaurant and ordered this $8.99 dish. And erm…. Yeah. That’s too much food. It doesn’t look like a lot but that plate is like 10×10 inches of nothing but meat. PETA would flip.

Another thing that’s killing me is the drink specials. The drinks are about $2 cheaper than in Miami and there always seems to be a 2-4-1 or 3-4-1 special going on. My problem is that I’m not a huge drinker, and at some clubs they don’t give you a ticket… they just hand you two beers.

There’s no graceful way to doublefist beer at the clubhouse. You’ll look like you have issues every time.

So the result of the Minnesota portion problem is that I’m always lugging around a to-go box.

And yes, there’s one sitting on my coffee table as I’m typing this.

The University is only about two miles from downtown so I’ve spent a lot of time roaming and playing tourist. I love the sculptures that are all over downtown.

These guys are my favorite. It’s like the bird turds have come to life and decided to garden!

So apparently the Mary Tyler Moore Show was based here… as a kid I assumed all city shows took place in NYC. Oops!

Moving to Minneapolis a month early was a good idea. I’m meeting my housemates sort of one-by-one as they move in instead of in a huge group a few days before school starts. I also get to explore at a relaxed (and random) pace –“Oh let’s see where this bus goes to!”

One thing that has been on the to-do list is City Hall.

City Hall!

Stained glass windows in City Hall

I was a history major as an undergrad and I’m a huge sucker for historic buildings. City hall didn’t disappoint – a highlight was the heroic statue in the middle of the lobby.

“Father of Waters” by Larkin Goldsmith Mead

The downtown Barnes & Noble has become my downtown hangout spot. It has window seats facing Nicollet Avenue – the people watching is amazing. Today however, the entertainment was inside,
Lady sitting behind me (to her friend): Our new couch is AMAZING. This must be the best time in our marriage because we must have tried seven different positions last night – the sex has never been better!
Umm… maybe they’ll name the baby Ikea?

Other snippets:

I’ve now competent with the public transit system. Well, uh, less awkward at least.
Package scare. Madre Jansen calls me and says, “Uh, the package I sent was delivered yesterday. They left it outside of the house on the side door. FIND IT!” Turns out that they left it on the side door of the house. Why? No clue. I think it was out there all night but someone brought it in eventually. Whew. This is after yesterday’s package mishap where mom accidentally sent my stuff to my next door neighbor, Campus Crusade for Christ.
Latin Night at Saloon was a hot mess. I had my “Oh my god where the heck did I move to?!” moment somewhere between the Latin room (where no one knew how to whine) and the karaoke room where the male cast of Friends was belching out golden oldies.
There are so many bikers (bicyclists) here. A lot of them wear helmets too, which I find unusual as well. They tear down some of the streets like the apocalypse is nigh – I’m scared that I’m going to get hit one of these days.
What really perturbs me is that the clubs here serve food. A girl was eating fries at the bar. Ew. “Girl you know your breath is hot.” One club even has computers. That’s right. Computers. People check their email up in the clubhouse – that’s just seven different forms of unacceptable.
And finally, NASCAR came to downtown Minneapolis today. Why? I don’t know. I don’t question racecars in the middle of the city.

And I realize my posts are incoherent/in snippet format. Things will shape up once I get out of my wide-eyed tourist mode.

0L / Life / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures

First Weekend in Minneapolis

August 5, 2008

My first weekend in Minneapolis was a lesson in Krawall & Remmidemmi, but I think I have my bearings…well, sort of. Here are some snippets:

I met the stereotype on Friday: a strikingly blond girl who I asked for directions. Her Minnesota accent was so thick that I couldn’t understand her at all.

Me: Hello, do you know where can I get my student ID?
Minnesota Girl: YodelYodel GurbleGarble Yodel Gardel!
Me: Uh… Pardon me?
Minnesota Girl (slower): Yooou go ooova der and YodelYodel left Garbel Gurble dontcha know?!
Me (thoroughly confused): Okay thanks!

I’ve been downtown several times. Most of the buildings are connected by skywalks. There is also a mini-Broadway-like street called Hennepin that has theaters. One of my favorite things downtown is the ginormous two-story Target. (Target’s headquarters are downtown too.)

Look Mommy! It’s America Sized!”

There is a conspicuous lack of Starbucks in Minneapolis. Miami has them on every-other corner. I think it’s because of competition from a regional chain called Caribou Coffee and another one called Dunn Brothers. Caribou and Dunn Brothers stores are a nicer inside and offer free wifi. There are also tons of indie coffee shops. I’m in one right now called The Purple Onion Café. I like the Purple Onion but I suspect it gets miserably crowded when school’s in.
Saturday I hung out at JR’s house. His dog is cute, in spite of being slightly enfeebled by a recent accident.

I signed up with TCF Bank since there are no Bank of Americas. The cool thing about TCF is that they are open 7 days a week and they have ATMs everywhere here. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a TCF ATM in my kitchen.
Late Night Hilarity: Me dressed as a cowboy (I’ll explain that later) running full speed across a bridge in the middle of the night. Classic Jansen-being-special moment. After 7 years in Miami you’d think I have enough sense to carry an umbrella right? Wrong. Of course I was halfway across the old stone bridge when the sky just dumped on me. The cellphone survived, the verdict on the MP3 player is still out.

The stone arch bridge!

I went to Mall of America today. I’m pretty sure it’s the biggest mall in the country. It’s so honkin’ big that it has a theme park INSIDE. Why do we do things like this?

Friday was my first time on a public bus in the US. I’m now fairly competent with the mass transit system here (we didn’t do buses in Wichita or Miami), although a major transit f-up is probably in the works. “Crap! How did I end up in Michigan!?”
Definite differences from Miami: wild rabbits (Miami has lizards), tons of bikers, squirrels that aren’t skinny and decrepit, huge historic houses/buildings everywhere, a weird grid system, new categories of immigrants – Somali, Ethiopian, South-East Asians… there’s also that Minnesota-Nice stereotype… hm.. OH! And the falls on the river!

So yeah, things are geil! More later. OH, and by the way…I found out that my neighborhood DOESN’T have a legit grocery store… just two Gas-Station-Mart-esqe things…hmmf!

Gross

August 2, 2008

Moved into Gamma…the carpet is filthy, stained, crawling, and giving me allergy attacks…so I’m ripping it all up tomorrow.

0L / Life / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures

Hello Minnesota

August 2, 2008

So I’m in Minneapolis now!

Packing was a less-than-graceful affair – I didn’t realize how many books I had until I filled three ginormous boxes with them.

The third box, of course, broke in my car, sending almost 100 books flying everywhere. Eh.

I had a layover in Atlanta. That airport is massive, but surprisingly clean…although I was shocked to see so many bars in the airport.

Well, so many bars, and so many people smoking (and drinking) at 10am. The layover was less than an hour so I had time to grab breakfast at Phillip’s Seafood, which was pretty empty. Yeah. I don’t go to an airport in the morning and think “CRABCAKES!” either. In the interest of dear Mr. Stomach, I had the eggs and cheddar.

There were so many cute Nordic-blond kids on the flight to Minneapolis. Well, I thought they were cute. Their grandma obviously didn’t share my opinion and opted for a few bloody-Marys, compliments of AirTran.

I got to Minneapolis, had a public transit/taxi adventure, and then met two of the (14?) housemates. After chucking my luggage in my room I roamed the neighborhood. I’m living in Dinkytown, which is the university neighborhood for the University of Minnesota.

UMiami doesn’t have an equivalent supporting neighborhood. Actually, walking around UMN makes me realize how a-typical UMiami really is. UMN dwarfs UMiami. UMN is also way nicer. Pictures!

I got my student ID, but couldn’t sign up for the gym.

Gym Lady: You’re not registered for any classes so you can’t get a gym membership.
Me: I’m a law student. They register us on the first day of orientation, the 27th.
Gym Lady: Then we can’t sign you up. Besides, we don’t prorate our summer membership so even if we did sign you up, you’d have to pay $80 for a 20-day membership.
Me: Erm. Where’s the closest Bally’s?

The next adventure of the day? Finding a grocery store!

0L / legal humor

We don’t teach manners here

July 31, 2008

A group of handymen walked through the law library this afternoon. They talked loudly to each other over the sound of their NexTel phones – SQUAWK somethinginSpanish SQUAWK

Guy and I watched the handymen pass and shot the “oh how rude” look.

“You can tell they never went to college,” Guy said.

Ten minutes later: A female law professor stomps through the aisles, juggling three bags and a Blackberry.
“What? What? Honey, SPEAK UP. Oh, Edward? I’ll pick him up after I make copies.”

Guy and I watched her pass and then exchanged a look.

“So what’s HER excuse?” I asked.

0L / Life

Patience is a virtue m’dear…

July 28, 2008

I laugh at the high school seniors who sit at home weasel-faced with angst…but, hm. I sometimes wonder if I should look in the mirror.

I eventually found the ‘real’ financial aid page on OneStop, and it reads:
Step 1 – Your FAFSA was received.

Step 2 – You do not need to complete any additional requirements.

Step 3 – Wait . . . your financial aid is under review. You will receive an e-mail notice beginning late July in your University e-mail account when your awards are available for your online response.
Erm… it’s the 28th. They were not kidding when they said late July. And once I accept these loans that I will supposedly receive, how long will it take for me to get the disbursement?

Is SallieMae just sitting there ready to pelt me with money or will they have some additional hoops for me?

But maybe that’s just me being impatient. No, not maybe. It is me being impatient. But impatience is not to be confused with angst; Angst was not knowing where I would live. I knew this wait for $$ was coming…Silly Little Law Student said she didn’t get her loan until two weeks before class – so, I have about three weeks to go before I’m worried.

I’m realizing how easy financial aid would have been if I had gone to Localschool A or Otherschool B… but in spite of the prospect of soul crushing debt I still think I made the right decision… I just wish they’d get on with it already!

0L / Life

So mom’s buying furniture…

July 28, 2008

My mother is shopping for furniture online right now. She’s choosing and ordering things for my room in Minneapolis.

Helicopter mother? Hardly. This is extremely out of character for the woman who let me fly to Germany by myself every summer starting at age 8.

I’ve lived at the UMiami campus for the past four years. Madre Jansen works about 3 miles from campus but we sometimes went months without seeing or phoning each other – so yeah, mom’s not clingy at all.

Madre Jansen isn’t one of those check-writing mothers either. Replay of senior year in high school:

Me: “I got a 3/4th’s scholarship at Georgetown! Will you cosign for the loan?”
Madre Jansen: “Hells to the nah. UMiami and FIU will give you money back if you commute. Why would you rack up debt for this Georgetown place?”

Selling the idea of a prestigious private school to a frugal German mother? Heh. It’s easier to take a Vegan to Church’s.

So why is Madre Jansen ordering furniture for me?

There’s something about my permanent move to another city that makes mom feel sick. She has no problem with me living across Miami in the dorms, or spending months with the family in Germany, but Minnesota? Minnesota?! That means baby’s flying the coop!
I think it’s silly, but I suppose I understand.

And if picking out furniture makes madre Jansen feel better about my move then I don’t see anything wrong with it, especially if she wants to pay for it.

I haven’t received any loan disbursements (or information!) yet so I’m destitute until I hear otherwise. Heck, Madre Jansen can furnish my room in Hello Kitty and I’d still be grateful…

…although the roommate might not be down with that.