Reflections...Again

Vermont is a good place to think. It's quiet and peaceful. On snowy days, like those we've had the past week, it's easy to become enveloped in the silent blanket of white that falls for hours. Over glasses of wine, wrapped in a balnket on the couch after everyone has gone to bed, in the days just before the current year wraps its way to a close, the time is ripe for contemplation.

Most recently I've found my mind wandering back to Somalia. For those who may not have stumbled upon this humble blog until recently, it began as a journal of my days in a refugee camp on the border of Somalia--merely a way to keep people informed about my whereabouts, thoughts, struggles and successes of the work that I did while I was there. Now, almost 18 months later, I find myself wandering back to that experience and thinking about the country that left such a profound impact on me, even without stepping foot within its borders.

Somalia has been called recently the "other Darfur" by Time magazine. Somalia topped their list of 2007's most unreported newstories. Am I surprised? No. I would have been blown off my seat if, after 17+ years, Somalia had suddenly shot to the top of the list. But what's been interesting has been the slowly creeping importance of Somalia in the outer pages of the news we read most--stories topping the Washington Post and NYT's Africa sections dealing with Somalia, a story recognizing a region of Somalia, Somaliland, as a possibly independent government, and a fucntioning one at that by the Pentagon. Recognition of the refugee crisis that is ensconcing villages, towns, cities, generations of this country's people. The reminder in November of this year of the United States' failed campaign there in 1993 when 2 Ethiopian soldiers were dragged through the streets, much in the same way American soldiers were more than a decade before.

Somalia is not easily forgotten, as it has never truly been recognized. We, being those outside of E. Africa, have easily ignored the vast refugee surge into Kenya that has created over 1 million refugees since 1991. Somalia has lacked a functioning government since the same time, yet has retained a seat in the UN regardless of the indecencies it has inflicted on its people since the conflict began. It is lawless and frightening, a breeding ground for the terrorists that the US, with GWB at its helm, has sought to combat.

And through all of this hopelessness, the country lingers at the forefront of my mind. In D.C., my life tends to be...a blur. A complex mix of classes, work, journal, friends, life, self searching while remaining fabulous STUFF that inhibits my ability to really think about the things that mean something to me. I listened to an interview with Huckabee this morning (God help all of us if he gains the Republican nomination) where he spoke about valuing ALL humans as equals, every life valued, regardless of race, religion, national origin etc equally. I could not help thinking what a maddening and audacious statement this was. I wondered if he had thought, before making this statement, about the people outside of the US who we have allowed to descend into a place of hopelessness and despair for the fundamental reason he declared we should value each and every person.

In two weeks I begin my last semester of law school. Typically the semester where 3Ls throw caution to the wind, take late day classes, celebrate for 4 months at night the culmination of their studies, and, for me, the semester where I get the chance to represent my first client: an asylum seeker who is looking to me to advocate their very last chance to remain in this country based on past and potentially future persecution in the country from which they came should they return. I necessarily think of the experience on the border of Somalia, the current state there, the people I met. And I hope, with extreme and unrestrained audacity, that others think of it too.

On my parent's porch in Vermont, sipping wine and watching the snow fall, this is what I'm thinking about. Maybe not the most uplifting way to ring in the New Year, but perhaps not the worst way either.

Relief

My semester has ended, finally, and I've made it to the land of milk and honey (or snow and salt, whichever the case may be). And I realized I have ONE MORE EXAM to take before I graduate. Which is kinda kick ass.

It's great to be home, and I am looking forward to 10 days of relaxing--I would like to read 2 full books while I'm home (any suggestions????), frolick in the snow with Phoebe the Dog, maybe go sledding in the 2 feet of snow we have, hang out with my entire family who will be home together in the first time since before I left for Mali in 2002 (and yes, I am once again the only single person. Sweet).

I think it's going to be great. Except for having to go to the dentist while I'm home for a tooth issue. Other than that, it's definitely going to be great.

Happy holidays everyone--I hope the warmth of the season finds everyone who reads this in the same wonderful way it has found me.

Dear Blog Friends...

Please write something on your blogs so I have something to read. It's v. lonely without scintillating stories I can procrastinate with (In my studying stupor that sounded kinda dirty. heh). But you know what I mean.

I'll be all of your best friend.

Love,
DLS

Ho Ho Ho

This is one of the greatest things this holiday season. I'll post the one of my sis and her hubby as an example. But go Elf someone you love at: www.elfyourself.com.

Had To Do It

Am I procrastinating from listening to the third hour of the corporations lecture? Yes.

Have a lot of people already seen this? Yes.

Is it still funny (at least to people who are still taking exams)? Yes.

Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_RSQSYgGB4

The Small Things Make It All Better

So, exams suck. It goes without saying. And the thing that makes them a little more bearable are the flurry of emails that go around every now and then with some sort of amusing tidbit that acts as a distraction from the hell that we are all experiencing in solidarity.

One of the many ways that people review for exams, and one of the "aids" that law schools provide are review courses that are put on video through a company called BarBri. BarBri is also the company that most law students pay excessive amounts of money for upon graduation to use as their Bar review course, essentially teaching you all of law school in 7 weeks. Every day a video (or live professor, depending on the location/state bar you're taking) gives a 4-5 hour lecture on a certain subject. Corporations, Torts, Contracts, Civil Procedure, Tax, Securities Regulation and so many more are all covered. It's the same at the end of the semesters in law school. A schedule goes out showing where and which courses will be shown at law schools around the city, and anyone who's a member of BarBri can go and watch the video with a group of folks all taking the same class. The videos are general--since there are a bazillion different text books created for every class, the videos are meant to give you a skeletal outline of the major points of the course, regardless where you take it.

My first year a group of 5 of us went to most of these sessions--generally at Catholic Law school and sometimes at American--and we would role in with our coffees, hook up internet, get into a chat room for the next 8 hours and watch this video. There are a couple of gems out there--Professor Epstein teaching Contracts (I think) was one--the man looks like the crazy pelican from the Little Mermaid and consumed close to a 12 pack of Coca Cola over the 8 hour review video. He often lunged out of frame when he was trying to make a point, and occasionally colided with the plant in back of him. And the best part is, they film these videos in empty studios, decorated to make it look like they're in a classroom full of students, and the professors PRETEND there are students to whom they're lecturing, which adds to how hysterical these videos are. By the end of 1L year my video posse and I would go to the classes just to see which professor would win the prize for absolutely most hysterical (It was Epstein. Ep, as he's now lovingly referred to).

This week I'm studying for Corporations. My last exam, 4 hours, closed book. I mean, I'm taking it pass/fail, but we've been conditioned to freak out and cram regardless of whether we were taking these exams for a grade ever. I decided to do a search and see if there were any upcoming corporations BarBri reviews, knowing that if not, I could always go to their offices downtown and podcast any of the subjects. When I put "BarBri" into Google THIS popped up, and it is seriously one of the best spoofs I've seen in a long time. While I understand that some non-law/non-barbri folks might not appreciate the full hilariousness that this is, I assure you, the actual BarBri videos are, in fact, often this ridiculous.

This video almost made me laugh as much as the flashcards from last semester. It really is the small things that make all the difference....

Things to be Thankful For

I wrote a post last night that I have since removed, I thought it too personal about someone other than me. But my mama and sis read it, and I'm glad they did, because it was about my sister who I love more than any gal on earth and who I am more proud of than anyone--and her recent struggles as a mentor, teacher, humanitarian, savior and friend have made me think about the things we all can be thankful for.

This month has proved to be a challenging one for many people who I am closest to. My sister who is struggling with the decisions she makes about her students--what is right, what her role in their lives is, the power that she wields. And she has made nothing but the best, right and most difficult choices. My great and unwavering friend H, whose 34 year old boss has just been diagnosed with a cancer that is rare, and progressive. And terrifying. She has been thrust into a role at work that is overwhelming and often lonely. He has been thrust into a fight for his life that will change everything. And that will give all of us pause. And finally my great friend M, whose mama is battling another cancer, which is the greatest fear I think any child can imagine. And she faces it with honesty and pause and grace.

The three gals are three of the strongest I know. And I love them all, and know that my role in each of their individual struggles is, in it self, individual. But it has made me think of all the things, this holiday season, I am thankful for. I am thankful for the fact I have these relationships and that they mean so much to all of us. And that we all have shoulders to lean on. I am more grateful than anything about the family in which I was raised, that has allowed the development of strength and hope in the person that I am. And I love that I can look at my friends and see the amazing women they are--cultivated through family, love, hardship, and friendship.

Storms rage around us on a daily basis. I am thankful that within the eye of the worst, there are refuges for all of us. And I hope, more than anything, that I can act as a small one for my closest folks. There is joy in the air, amidst the struggle. And that is what we need to inhale deeply while pushing through the rest.

"I Mean, I Only Pyschoanalyzed Her a Little, Not Extensively, But This is What I've Decided"

I've been chastised by EA for not posting anything on here since it snowed. There's no more snow in DC. Apparently that means it's been a while.

But to be honest, I don't have much to say smack in the middle of exams. I get up, trek to school, sit in the same place for 13-15 hours, trek home, sit on the couch and continue to study while the food network is on (Unless it's Rachael Ray. Or Giada _____. They both smile so much they kinda look like they're on drugs. Ok, in reality, I only like the Iron Chef. But I've only just started getting into the food network, so I have a lot to learn) and then I go to bed. And repeat. Sometimes an exam breaks up the sitting in the same place.

God, that last paragraph kind of bored ME! Go watch this--my posse in the journal office and I have been watching it continuously since it's just so amusing.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=we9_CdNPuJg

I'll try to be back this weekend when I have some time to, I don't know, rediscover the outside world.

Slip Sliding Away

As it did for much of the Northeast this week, the weather turned on our fair Capitol yesterday and delivered 12 straight hours of light snow. 12 hours of snow anywhere else would most likely result in at least...7 or so inches. Not so in DC. We only had about 2 inches, but it was lovely nonetheless.

I love snowy days, and I especially love them in the city. A normally loud and crowded area becomes peacefully quiet, where people move more slowly and everything takes on a more welcoming feel with the buildings and cars and trees and parks enveloped in this new blanket. Even though it snows every single winter in DC, at least a couple of times, no one knows how to deal with the snow any better each time it falls, city authorities being the worst. So people just stay close to home, which is nice.

I went for a walk around 8:15pm last night--the snow had slowed and the flakes that were falling were the billowy large flakes. Not many people were around, no sidewalks had been shoveled. Walking down past the row houses with the Christmas trees all lit up and the snow falling and the quiet was a lovely way to wind down a busy day holed up studying for exams.

When I left the house this morning I was reminded of why snow in DC is nice during the period of time that it is falling, and that's about it--there are no city wide mechanisms for clearing snow. In Vermont, you can go to bed with snow falling to beat the band and by morning a foot or more of snow has been plowed off most major (and not so major) roads, sidewalks, driveways etc. In DC, the snow sits there and freezes into an ice skating rink the size of...well...the city. I walked to the metro this morning, normally a brisk 8-10 minute walk--it took about 25 today. As I teetered in my snow/ice-inappropriate Pumas calculating each step while watching cars slide and skid to stops at lights and stop signs the only thing I could think was "omgomgomg please don't let me fall and break my laptop!!!! It's almost EXAMS". Having had a hard drive crash 2x now in exam periods, I am highly protective of my little machine. 4x in about 7 blocks a foot went out from under me, but using my cat-like (HA!) reflexes I saved myself each time.

I think I might deposit a shovel and bag of ice on each of my neighbor's doorsteps for the holidays with an instructional note on how easy it is to clear the paths in front of their homes...or maybe I'll just get a better pair of shoes...I'm thinking crampons..

Random Bouts of Being a Moron

Law exams have the tendency to make people a little crazy. Add to exam time the "thrill" of trying to get an issue of Journal to the presses and crazy turns into downright...insane.

For example: My editor-in-chief (EIC) and I have spent countless days and nights at the office working on the final proofs to the articles being sent to the printer. Being our first issue, the last month or so has been an exercise in patience working with the authors, editors and 2Ls who are all integral to finalizing and perfecting the articles that are going to print. EIC and I have tweaked things somewhat from last year's process. For example, by the time article come to us, there is a certain expectation that there will be minimal errors since each article has gone through multiple edits, has been seen by NUMEROUS people, and has been read and re-read (theoretically) by people at least 4 times. Changes should be minimal. This year, EIC and I have decided that if the work that has been done below is incorrect/incomplete, we will send it back down to the 2Ls/editors to fix within 24 hours. That's worked well. What we did not expect was for articles to come to us in a state of such disrepair that we would be spending multiple hours re-bluebooking the citations, highlighting the sources, and editing/adding footnotes to the text. As a result of this, EIC and I have gone a little nutty and now have the "who has found the most egregious mistake" game that keeps us amused for hours. So far, I'm ahead, having found a citation within the text that had been overlooked by at least 4 sets of eyes, and a short form of the citation as that (I recognize this is not going to make sense to most readers. But trust me, it's bad). What used to be annoyance on EIC's part and mine has now turned to absolute hilarity scaring editors and 2Ls in the office whenever we come across one of these...slip-ups.

Another fun result of exam time is the pervasive feeling of being pulled in 67 directions at once (and with all the journal fun from above, it's more like 89 directions), while trying to make sure that everything is being paid on time, studied completely, noted diligently, and generally taken care of. I had the lovely reminder that this is not as easy as I would like to believe when I emailed my landlord this afternoon making sure my rent check had arrived safely--I was concerned since it has not been deposited as of this afternoon. Here's our exchange:

Hi L, I wanted to touch base and make sure you received my rent that was sent on Friday, November 30, 2007 since I had not seen it deposited. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, DLS.

Response: Hi DLS--I did receive the check (Oops!!! Sorry for not letting you know!!!) but have not deposited it yet because you neglected to sign it.

Right. Awesome. My new morning checklist will now go something like this:
Laptop, check. Power cord, check. Keys, wallet, cellphone, check. Ability to fill out 4 lines on a check that is no larger than 3x7 inches so I can continue to inhabit my lovely apartment? Let's f*cking hope so.

At least the Starbucks folks have started giving me my free daily exam-time coffee to help counteract my moments of idiocy...I'll let you know if it helps..