Did you know that of the 9 Incubus concerts I've been to, 8 were while I was living in LA? They (the band) were the first real celebrities I got to meet when I first moved down there in 2001 for my freshman year at 'SC. I waited in line for six hours at a Warehouse Records (back when record stores still existed) with another friend from my dorm to get a wristband and a copy of their latest CD, "Morning View," which we could get signed the next night. We waited in line for four hours the next night. I was so flustered when I met them that I'm not even sure if what I said to Brandon Boyd when he was signing my CD was in English.
Not that I'm obsessed or anything...
I really miss Southern California right now. I miss LA. I miss everything about it.
Fun fact: did you know that the above video is actually not the original video for the song? They decided to reshoot it because this video came out right after 9/11 and the original depicts the band running from a screaming mob of girls. Personally, I think the video they went with is so much better...
The more you know...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Lizard Hurdles
Normally after a day that's been more bad than good, a nice long run helps to even things out.
That is of course unless you come across a lizard hurdle.
A fancy track term known only by elite runners? No. I mean real lizards. Scaly, evil looking lizards.
I was about a mile from home and completely lost in thought. I was starting to feel a little more relaxed, almost forgetting the fact that even though it was Friday, I still had to wake up bright and early tomorrow morning to head to class. I happened to cast my gaze downward and in the middle of the sidewalk, saw two lizards right in my path. First off, lizards? This is Eugene, why are there lizards on the sidewalk??? I could tell that if I didn't do anything, I'd be cleaning lizard remains off the bottom of my shoes, so I took a couple of weird steps to try and slow myself, then ended up just leaping over them, landing on my left foot. Of course, this is the leg with the possible IT band injury, so as soon as my foot hit the concrete at a weird angle, the pain started up again. I stopped for a moment to curse the lizards who were still hanging out on the sidewalk and then attempted to start running again. I decided after a few seconds that it wasn't happening, so I ended up walking the rest of the way home. So much for a stress free evening run.
Stupid lizards.
That is of course unless you come across a lizard hurdle.
A fancy track term known only by elite runners? No. I mean real lizards. Scaly, evil looking lizards.
I was about a mile from home and completely lost in thought. I was starting to feel a little more relaxed, almost forgetting the fact that even though it was Friday, I still had to wake up bright and early tomorrow morning to head to class. I happened to cast my gaze downward and in the middle of the sidewalk, saw two lizards right in my path. First off, lizards? This is Eugene, why are there lizards on the sidewalk??? I could tell that if I didn't do anything, I'd be cleaning lizard remains off the bottom of my shoes, so I took a couple of weird steps to try and slow myself, then ended up just leaping over them, landing on my left foot. Of course, this is the leg with the possible IT band injury, so as soon as my foot hit the concrete at a weird angle, the pain started up again. I stopped for a moment to curse the lizards who were still hanging out on the sidewalk and then attempted to start running again. I decided after a few seconds that it wasn't happening, so I ended up walking the rest of the way home. So much for a stress free evening run.
Stupid lizards.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Freakout Cure
I decided to take a break from studying this afternoon and drove down to CG to see my mom and Cooper. How can you be stressed out when you look at this little guy?
After I took the picture above, I realized that he reminded me of someone else...
Adorable.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Let the Freakout Commence
It's starting.
I woke up a little after 5:00 a.m. this morning because I'd been laying on my arm for probably a good several hours and it was numb from the shoulder down. I freed my arm and as the blood began to slowly trickle back, I started thinking about finding a job. Then the thinking turned into panicking. I had visions of moving back to Cottage Grove, carrying a box containing my three advanced degrees, making my story even more tragic. My stomach tightened at the thought of filling out an application to work in retail again, or worse yet- food services.
Needless to say, those two hours before my alarm went off were not spent in a peaceful slumber.
This past semester, when things were imploding epically around me, I spent many, MANY nights waking up several hours before my alarm was set to go off, unable to get back to sleep because my mind would start racing. I was always amazed at how I could go from sleeping to panicking in a matter of minutes. I had been sleeping peacefully since April, but it looks like I'll have to get used to being sleep deprived again (as if I wasn't already).
I've never had a real job before. As a career student, I've been living comfortably in the world of internships, externships, and work study. I honestly don't know if how I'm going about searching for a job is even right. Everything I find, it seems like you need a minimum of one year of experience before they'll even consider looking at your resume. Where are those jobs that say, "No Experience? No Problem!" Why can't I find those? How am I ever going to clear that one year hurdle if the lowest level legal job I can find has that requirement as their minimum?
I don't know what I'm going to do come August 1st when I get home from taking the bar. I wish I could afford to stay down there for a couple of weeks just looking for a job. Lord knows it's even harder to search for a job when you're doing it from another state. I need to be in LA to look for a job, but I need money to move to LA, and to get money I need...
It's a vicious cycle.
I may or may not have teared up about this at least once today.
I woke up a little after 5:00 a.m. this morning because I'd been laying on my arm for probably a good several hours and it was numb from the shoulder down. I freed my arm and as the blood began to slowly trickle back, I started thinking about finding a job. Then the thinking turned into panicking. I had visions of moving back to Cottage Grove, carrying a box containing my three advanced degrees, making my story even more tragic. My stomach tightened at the thought of filling out an application to work in retail again, or worse yet- food services.
Needless to say, those two hours before my alarm went off were not spent in a peaceful slumber.
This past semester, when things were imploding epically around me, I spent many, MANY nights waking up several hours before my alarm was set to go off, unable to get back to sleep because my mind would start racing. I was always amazed at how I could go from sleeping to panicking in a matter of minutes. I had been sleeping peacefully since April, but it looks like I'll have to get used to being sleep deprived again (as if I wasn't already).
I've never had a real job before. As a career student, I've been living comfortably in the world of internships, externships, and work study. I honestly don't know if how I'm going about searching for a job is even right. Everything I find, it seems like you need a minimum of one year of experience before they'll even consider looking at your resume. Where are those jobs that say, "No Experience? No Problem!" Why can't I find those? How am I ever going to clear that one year hurdle if the lowest level legal job I can find has that requirement as their minimum?
I don't know what I'm going to do come August 1st when I get home from taking the bar. I wish I could afford to stay down there for a couple of weeks just looking for a job. Lord knows it's even harder to search for a job when you're doing it from another state. I need to be in LA to look for a job, but I need money to move to LA, and to get money I need...
It's a vicious cycle.
I may or may not have teared up about this at least once today.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The Magic's In the Hole
When Tiffany texted me to see if I wanted to take a break and hit up Voodoo Donuts, I didn't give it a second thought. Since I decided to watch the bar lecture online instead of trudge to school this morning, I've had little human contact today. Needless to say, leaving the apartment was a must.
I've also been craving sprinkles, so this hit the spot.
No more studying tonight. Time to just stare mindlessly at the TV for awhile...
Friday, June 18, 2010
Maybe I Should Have Listened...
"Oh sweetheart, you don't need law school. Law school is for people who are boring and ugly and serious. And you, button, are none of those things."
All I do is study. That takes care of the boring and serious part.
Hopefully my daily run will stave off the ugly part. Make-up can only go so far in my attempt to cover up how tired I am...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Study Tunes
Nothing good comes easily
Sometimes you got to fight
A little pick-me-up after having my confidence knocked around by property multiple choice questions all day...
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Happy Sunday
Sundays just got a whole lot better (and prettier to look at).
And these vampires don't sparkle (*cough*Twilight*cough*).
And these vampires don't sparkle (*cough*Twilight*cough*).
All I need is for 'Mad Men' to start again and I'll have myself a nice little bar review study break...
Milk, Cookies, and NCAA Violations
This was a sad week to be a Trojan.
I know we started enjoying the limelight a little too much. I was there at the games with all of the celebrities on the sidelines; I saw Snoop Dogg and his entourage walk through campus to come watch spring practice on a regular basis; I stopped in my tracks, just like everyone else, when Pete Carroll would jog past, his aviator sunglasses gleaming in the bright Southern California sun.
Damn, it felt good to be a Trojan.
When word started to leak out on Wednesday that we were banned from playing in any bowls for the next two years, I actually felt nauseous. I was angry, not just because the punishment seemed a little harsh, but because I knew that my Facebook newsfeed would be 50% filled with Oregon fans talking about how USC sucks and how we're all a bunch of spoiled rich kids that got what we deserved. Case in point:
"hahaha screw USC, I hope Reggie Bush is stripped of his Heisman and USC has its National Championship vacated. They are a bunch of cheating bitches and I hope the program never fully recovers."
You stay classy, Oregon. Forget about the fact that the day before our quarterback was kicked off the team for being a dumbass and getting arrested (AGAIN) for driving with a suspended license and possession of pot. Or the fact that like, what, half the team was arrested within the first two months of the year. Whatevs.
Anyway, when I read the NCAA's report the next day (well, the first half of it), I gotta say, I was pretty disgusted. I still think the punishment was harsh, but I definitely agree that we deserve to be punished. Reggie Bush, who I used to like, deserves to have his Heisman taken away. If the school decided to erase all knowledge of him in the records of USC, I'd be perfectly fine with that. He's currently about as welcome on campus as OJ Simpson. The fact that Mike Garrett hasn't been run out by a torch wielding mob baffles me. Screw Pete, he abandoned ship and is resting comfortably in Seattle. So, while I think the punishment is harsh and it's gonna take a miracle to come back from that, we definitely deserved something. Leave the star treatment to the celebrities, let's just get back to playing college football.
I was so depressed on Thursday that concentrating on bar prep was just too hard. I decided to take a break and make some cookies, my favorite comfort food.
Yes, I realize I used a wine glass for my milk and cookies. But 1) I was out of regular glasses and 2) I don't drink, so when else am I going to use this? Might as well put it to some use, right?
I know we started enjoying the limelight a little too much. I was there at the games with all of the celebrities on the sidelines; I saw Snoop Dogg and his entourage walk through campus to come watch spring practice on a regular basis; I stopped in my tracks, just like everyone else, when Pete Carroll would jog past, his aviator sunglasses gleaming in the bright Southern California sun.
Damn, it felt good to be a Trojan.
When word started to leak out on Wednesday that we were banned from playing in any bowls for the next two years, I actually felt nauseous. I was angry, not just because the punishment seemed a little harsh, but because I knew that my Facebook newsfeed would be 50% filled with Oregon fans talking about how USC sucks and how we're all a bunch of spoiled rich kids that got what we deserved. Case in point:
"hahaha screw USC, I hope Reggie Bush is stripped of his Heisman and USC has its National Championship vacated. They are a bunch of cheating bitches and I hope the program never fully recovers."
You stay classy, Oregon. Forget about the fact that the day before our quarterback was kicked off the team for being a dumbass and getting arrested (AGAIN) for driving with a suspended license and possession of pot. Or the fact that like, what, half the team was arrested within the first two months of the year. Whatevs.
Anyway, when I read the NCAA's report the next day (well, the first half of it), I gotta say, I was pretty disgusted. I still think the punishment was harsh, but I definitely agree that we deserve to be punished. Reggie Bush, who I used to like, deserves to have his Heisman taken away. If the school decided to erase all knowledge of him in the records of USC, I'd be perfectly fine with that. He's currently about as welcome on campus as OJ Simpson. The fact that Mike Garrett hasn't been run out by a torch wielding mob baffles me. Screw Pete, he abandoned ship and is resting comfortably in Seattle. So, while I think the punishment is harsh and it's gonna take a miracle to come back from that, we definitely deserved something. Leave the star treatment to the celebrities, let's just get back to playing college football.
I was so depressed on Thursday that concentrating on bar prep was just too hard. I decided to take a break and make some cookies, my favorite comfort food.
Yum
Cookies make almost everything better.
Yes, I realize I used a wine glass for my milk and cookies. But 1) I was out of regular glasses and 2) I don't drink, so when else am I going to use this? Might as well put it to some use, right?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Some Days, We Have Sun...
It was beautiful on Monday. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temperature finally broke the 70 degree mark. I know Oregon very well though and was sure it was going to go back to doom and gloom by Tuesday (surprise, it did), so I put the books down for a little bit and went for a run around campus.
The NCAA National Track and Field Championships are at Hayward this week, so they've been setting up for the past week. By tomorrow, the track will be filled with people who can easily run laps around me.
I decided to run up Hendricks Park since I was in the area. Anyone who hasn't run Hendricks Park before, it's slightly punishing, especially when you're running straight uphill and your body hasn't adjusted to the "heat" (I realize low 70s isn't sweltering, but when you're used to running in 50 degree + weather, 20 degrees is a noticeable difference). It was a sweaty run.
Nothing but hills and trees from here on out...
Up, up, up...
The urge to go to Prince Puckler's afterwards was slightly overwhelming, but I was sweaty and there was a crowd...
I hope the sun comes back soon...
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Hives
I had class this morning...Saturday morning...and came home four hours later with every intention of getting right back to work after lunch. And I did...I got a full 1.5 hours in, but not a single thing was actually absorbed. I'm pretty sure I officially hit the wall, so I decided to close up shop for awhile and go out on a run. I was feeling pretty good, minus being spooked by a snake that slithered across the sidewalk on my way home.
And then, the itching started. Oh, the itching! First, my neck turned bright red. Then my stomach. I looked at my arms and saw little red welts forming from my wrists to shoulders. My legs were bright red; and as if that wasn't enough, when I looked in the mirror, my eyes were bright red; I look like I had either re-watched the last episode of LOST or had spent some time at Saturday Market with the rest of the hippies. I took out my contacts and jumped into a cold shower, trying desperately to scrub the likely culprit off me. Stupid pollen...well, can't say that run didn't wake me up.
I'm still trying to find that balance of work and down time. I don't wanna burn out too early, and I feel like I got dangerously close to that this week. I would preferably like to keep any emotional breakdowns to midway through the bar prep process, not right before the start of the third week.
...I know my goal should probably be to avoid the emotional breakdown all together, but let's be honest here. There will be one day where I'll be in the middle of writing a con law essay, forget what level of scrutiny is used in evaluating substantive due process claims, and burst into tears. It'll probably end looking something like this:
Here's to hoping that I can get a little more work done tomorrow...after I get a little more sleep.
Mmmm, sleeeeeeeep...
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tuesday FAIL
Alarm went off at the wrong time.
Our bar class gets kicked out of our usual room in favor of a summer school class.
Our bar class gets kicked out of ANOTHER room because the professor just couldn't wait five minutes for us to finish the last of our four hour lecture.
Hit every red light between school and Starbucks. Every. Single. One. I counted.
Fell up the stairs to my apartment.
Did a 17 question torts drill and got most of the answers wrong (after doing so well last week).
I get it, Tuesday. We're not getting along this week. Maybe try again next week? When we've both had some time to cool off? K?
Our bar class gets kicked out of our usual room in favor of a summer school class.
Our bar class gets kicked out of ANOTHER room because the professor just couldn't wait five minutes for us to finish the last of our four hour lecture.
Hit every red light between school and Starbucks. Every. Single. One. I counted.
Fell up the stairs to my apartment.
Did a 17 question torts drill and got most of the answers wrong (after doing so well last week).
I get it, Tuesday. We're not getting along this week. Maybe try again next week? When we've both had some time to cool off? K?
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