The Lazy Days of Summer

There has been nothing lazy about my summer.  Gone are the days of indiscriminate leisure—replaced instead with a season of carefully planned recreation and reprieve.  I have been clerking full time for a government agency and am  now taking my second session of summer classes.  I carry at least one book with me at all times—in case the day brings pause.  Few pauses come which are not devoured by articles and cases that require my attention.   

Realizing that the summer could easily escape my grasp and that fall could descend without my breath having been caught, I have decided to take my own advice and slow things down a bit.  A few days ago, I volunteered to teach a pastry decorating class to a couple dozen  5-15 year-olds.  While being in a kitchen (especially with a bunch of kids) might sound like another layer of work, my time with chocolate and buttercream  is far more life-restoring than sitting around with a magazine.  The next day, I took my friend to Cannon Beach.  My friend has stage-4 cancer, and because of that, we took things extra slow, and each moment was packed with appreciation.  The following day, a group from work headed out of the office for a field trip.  One of our stops was at a Sandy River Delta Restoration Project where we learned about various habitat restorative efforts.  Among other things, it was a beautiful hike, and I got some good tips for dealing with invasive blackberries. 

This week, I did not buck when my husband decided to pull me away from my reading to take the kids and I down to the river.  I intentionally left my books in the car (and he had the keys), so I could fully enjoy our family time.  We ended our river day at my parents’ house where fresh berries abound.  The following morning, I picked up an additional flat of blueberries, and I spent the day making berry tarts and fruit sauces—it was delicious way to avoid reading.  Tomorrow, I go back to school and work reminded of the importance of relaxation—even if it takes some work and planning, it is well worth the effort. 

26 July 2009

• relaxation
• Summer vacation

Anticipation and Preparation

Finals are still a month away, but as a 1st year evening student I am not yet sure of how much time I will need to prepare. In anticipation of upcoming finals (and corresponding with a deadline free week at work) I took a week of vacation in order to work on my outlines and begin my study process. So far the week has been great, although I will admit I haven’t done that much studying so far. I have, however, been able to sleep in, run errands, spend time with my dog, and attend to other matters that will likely be placed on the back burner during my finals. I still have two more days this week to complete more studying and despite spending the first three days on other tasks I am feeling more organized and refreshed, which I hope will be valuable in the long run.

Corresponding with my week of preparation and relaxation, the Legal Writing and Analysis TA’s put on a panel presentation about preparing for finals. The presentation was helpful. Although a lot of the information was not entirely new, it was comforting to be reminded that there is no right or wrong way to study for finals. The biggest piece of advice I took away from the presentation is to not forget how you studied during college that was effective. If study groups work for you then you should study in groups for law school. Just because it is a different type of material does not mean that the basics and the way I learn most effectively should be forgotten.

In addition to preparing for the short term (ie. finals), last night I took advantage of a Career Services mentor networking event. At the beginning of the year, we were given the opportunity to be matched with an attorney mentor. The mentors are typically Lewis and Clark graduates who are working in the Portland legal community. After being matched, I was introduced to my mentor at a meet and greet in September. There was at least one other event held before last night, however, I believe they were daytime events which are difficult for both my mentor and I to attend as we both work downtown. Last night, however, the event was hosted at the Uptown Billiard Club in Northwest Portland which allowed both my mentor and I to attend.

The Uptown Billiard Club was a new to me. Despite having been on NW 23rd numerous times before I had been oblivious as to its existence.  It is a warm and cozy bar with delicious food. The club provided a nice respite from the downpour of rain and puddle-filled streets outside (Portland winter has arrived!). In addition to having the opportunity to chat with my mentor and some other attorneys and law students, I had the chance to work on my pool game. Admittedly I was borderline inept at playing pool, but after a few helpful pointers from my mentor, my game seems to be improving! Overall the night was enjoyable and needless to say I will hopefully be attending the next networking event that comes along.

13 November 2008

• finals
• networking
• relaxation