Interesting Day Yesterday

Yes, I know I’m not great about writing in here.  I have been writing on my blogger diary, mostly because I can use Windows Live Writer to do so.  I’m going to try and be better about cross-posting the entries however.  Here’s the entry I wrote this morning:

Or least it was an interesting morning.  About 20 minutes before Contracts ended yesterday, I got called on.  Couple things to keep in mind about law school and getting called on.  Professors in law school cold call on people.  Sometimes they’ll take volunteers, but typically to discuss a case or get a discussion started, they’ll cold-call on people.  Some professors use more volunteers than others.  For at least my substantive law professors, when you get cold called on, being prepared and showing you can think about the question is more important than having the right answer. I’ve heard rumors that that’s not the case with some of the professors in the other section, so I’m glad I’ve got the professors that I do.

Back to yesterday. Prior to yesterday, I’d made one or two comments voluntarily in my substantive law classes.  I’d talked several times in my legal writing class as well.  Up until yesterday, I’d never been cold  called in any of my substantive law classes.  That’s now changed.  About 20 minutes before the end of Contracts, I got called on.  When a professor cold calls on you like that, you tend to answer all of his/her questions for about 15 minutes or so.  Usually it starts with laying out a case, and then answering questions stemming from that case.  I was definitely nervous when he called on me.  However, I was prepared.  I’d read and briefed the case in question and actually understood it.  I thought I had, and based on the questions the professor asked, I realized I had understood most of it.  Professors tend to ask questions to help us go deeper into the case and also help us get a better understanding of how it fits with our other cases.  One thing about answering questions though is that it’s rather hard to take notes while you’re being asked questions. 

So I made it through Contracts.  By the end it wasn’t quite so scary.  I mentioned to a friend online between Contracts and Criminal Law that I hoped I wouldn’t be called on in Crim Law too, but that it had been known to happen to others…not very often but I had seen it happen.  Sure enough, it happened to me.  I got cold called on the last 15-20 minutes of Crim Law.  Again I was prepared though 🙂  Some harder questions here, mostly because there’s more ambiguity in Crim Law than Contracts.    I had a few questions after class and went to talk to the professor and he remarked I’d done well.  It’s helpful to realize that the way I’m briefing the cases is actually helping me understand the cases.  Several people during the rest of the day remarked that I’d done well, getting picked on by both professors (on Mondays, we’re all in the same classes for our first three classes, and then four class four we’re broken up and mixed with the other section for writing).  A few people remarked on it today too. 

Now that I’ve been under the gun, so to speak, it’s not quite so scary to speak up in class.  I realize I don’t have to have the right answer.  I can answer the professor’s questions realizing that even if the professor calls on me multiple times it’s okay.  Sometimes when a professor picks a volunteer, he’ll use that volunteer for a few related questions. 

In other news, I suspect the heat in my apartment doesn’t work right.  The last few days we’ve been down around freezing at night.   Saturday and Sunday we were in the mid 50’s for highs and yesterday we got up around 62 for a high. Given that, it was pretty obvious the temps outside were going to cool off my apartment at night, and not sufficiently warm it up during the day.  So I decided Sunday night to turn on the heat (Saturday was okay, since we hadn’t been as cold Friday night so the apartment wasn’t as cold on Saturday).  I got up yesterday morning to find it 63 degrees in my apartment, even though the thermostat was set to 70ish.  I turned up the thermostat to 73 for during the day yesterday in hopes of conclusively knowing for sure.  I got home about 7pm last night and it was 67 in my apartment.  I talked to my dad and he thought it was possible it may be due to the fan being to “On” instead of “auto” so I moved to to auto before bed and hoped for the best.  Nope.  Got up this morning and it was 67 in my apartment.  When I’ve had the heat on, it’s been blowing, it’s just not blowing hot air.  Given the current temps, it didn’t an emergency off-hours call to maintenance.  So instead I’ll give them a call during hours this week.  Starting with today, it’s warm enough that I won’t need the heat for at least another week. We’re getting back into the low 70’s for highs and lows in the upper 40’s, low 50’s.   At least I know now the heat’s not working right and can get it fixed while it’s not absolutely necessary instead of figuring it out in a couple weeks when my heat will be necessary. 

Things are definitely getting busy around here.  I’ve got a fair amount of Contracts reading to do tonight. I’ve also got to finish my legal research assignment in the library today.  Thankfully I don’t have my legal writing workshop today so I’ll use that time for the legal research assignment. In addition to turning in the current legal research assignment tomorrow, I’ll also get a new legal research assignment tomorrow.  I’ve also got Memo 1 due on Monday for legal writing.  I’ve also got a midterm for Crim Law on the 18th, and I’m headed home the 15-17th.   I’m trying to figure out how to schedule all of it, especially so that I only have to take Crim Law home with me over that weekend.  This Saturday I’m going to completely write my memo 1, and then edit it on Sunday.  Tomorrow I’ll take a look at the legal research assignment and see how best to break it up, and how much I really need to have done before I go home.  I also need to create an outline for crim law.  All of that has to be done while keeping up with the everyday assignments.  Busy busy busy!

"Life is measured not by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

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