The Next Time You Hang Out With Me, I Might Be Annoying
This weird thing happens when you enter law school - your brain gets saturated with new vocubulary and logic patterns; you're spending around 20 hours a week in class, and at least 10 hours a week studying (or if you're like me last weekend, around 20). Plus, if you're new in town most of your friends are all gaining the same knowledge and it's something you end up talking about all the time.
I find that I can't turn it off. When I see a cart rolling towards me, I can't help but wonder if the cart pusher is meeting the standard of care in the way he's pushing it. When I mail a letter, I think about the mailbox rule, which states that an acceptance is valid once it is mailed, whether it gets there or not. What's worse is that I can't seem to keep my mouth shut about it. Phrases like "usque ad coelum" have worked their way into my vocabulary. I make lame jokes about wilful blindness, and I can't seem to stop blurting out things like "an agreement to agree is not a contract." I don't know many lawyers, but I wish I had someone around to assure me that it stops eventually.
Comments
ummm... 20 hrs last weekend? Yikes, I don't think I've put in half that many all year. You really frighten me sometimes, MG. Though, it was very funny when Ainslie outed you in front of the whole class as being the geek who had read ahead and had complained to her about the incomplete reading package (I think you knew I was going to have to bug you about that one).
P.S. You are expressly forbidden from making any sort of law comments/jokes on Thurs night under punishment of severe ridiculing for weeks to come.
Posted by: james | October 20, 2004 08:30 AM
in my defence i'm counting friday as a weekend - does that excuse me somewhat?
Posted by: hilary | October 20, 2004 01:28 PM
Why are all comments being attributed to Hilary, regardless of what name is used. I'm putting "Tony", and it still says "hilary".
Posted by: Tony | October 20, 2004 03:59 PM
Oops, that's what happens when you edit your code while chatting... little mixup with the MTEntryAuthorLink and MTCommentAuthorLink coding. All better now!
Posted by: hilary | October 20, 2004 08:36 PM
I hate to tell you this, Hilary, but I lived with a law student for four months and even though he was in his third year, he never stopped with the law references. Whenever he was reading a case that he thought would be useful or interesting for us, he would explain it in detail . . .
Luckily the first step in treating a problem is admitting you have one!
Posted by: Shannon | October 21, 2004 01:35 PM
I think it's natural to apply what you're learning to your everyday life. When I studied psychology in undergrad I would memorize mental illnesses by associating them with the behaviour of my roommates or family members (although I was convinced that some of the labels were accurately describing their condition). The only problem with law school is for the people around us. Luckily I don't have much of a social life anymore (other than with fellow law students, but even that is lacking these days with the tower of reading continually growing taller). I'm sure from the vacant look Paul gets when I start talking that my conversation skills have become considerably uninteresting. I'm hoping for the sake of my relationship (and my friends outside law school, if I ever see them again), that it stops eventually.
Oh, and by the way, any chance of setting up a "Donations" account for my law school tuition? I guess I may have to start my own website for that. By the time that happens I'll be out of law school.
Posted by: Catherine | October 25, 2004 02:41 AM