Friday, June 10, 2011

Now, I'm in Training

I'm in the homestretch before classes actually start.  I have a mountain of reading to catch up on.  I'm also trying to manage the rest of my life to maximize my performance in law school.

The first and biggest thing is that I've started working out again.  20 minutes on the treadmill two days ago.  10K rowing yesterday.  Rowing is a lot easier than running for me.  I just have never been much of a runner.  I have really short legs and once I put on a little extra body weight, it's hard for them to move me along very fast.

I have been thinking of trying to get a stationary bike that's the same model the Navy uses and see if I can do my PRT on a stationary bike.  Hey, I'm old.  Give me a break.  We'll see.  The run is a struggle if I don't prepare much.  If I do prepare, it's not an issue.

I really intend to keep up with fitness throughout law school to help me manage stress and keep my energy levels up.

I need to finish my E&E on Civ Pro.  It's a drag.  I am undecided whether I'll be doing the other two E&Es prior to classes starting.  I think there's a huge benefit to going through the E&Es first:  you learn at least the basic concepts of the black-letter law before setting foot in class.  However, there's now only 2 months to go. 


I still have LEEWS and Getting to Maybe to get through.  If I do, I'll hit "Planet Law School", the two other E&Es and maybe "Later in Life Lawyers".  The only other thing on the reading list that's a bit of a wish-lister is "the slacker's guide to law school".

Fortunately, for the time being, the business is doing well.  So, that eliminates a stress in my life.  It should continue to do well for the rest of the Summer.  My finances are still in a hole, but I'm digging out relatively quickly these days.

Now for the Civ Pro E&E.  Time to get crackin'.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Time to move forward

I just finished reading Thane Messenger's book and it was a much needed shot in the arm.  It had a lot of good advice, and frankly, a lot of stark reality in there.

I am getting ready to turn in my final seat deposit and I just sent off my financial aid (student loan) applications.  So, everything should be lined up for the Fall.

I need to finish reading my Civ Pro E&E, and it's a chore.  Apparently, that's the most boring of the 1L classes and based on the E&E I find that really easy to believe.

I just ordered LEEWS, and will need to read "Getting to Maybe".  There are some other books I'll try to read if I have time, but the clock is winding down.  One of them is "Later in Life Lawyers" and there's a famous book called "Planet Law School" I should be reading.

Doing all this groundwork ahead of time has already given me some good tips that should save me time and help with my grades once school starts.  Of course, I won't really know how helpful they are until I get my grades, at which point it's too late to do anything about much. 

Really, just two months until class, and I have a lot going on between now and then.  I have to take a 2 week in-residence course for my defense contracting certification.  I also need to go to my franchisor's convention.  I might just lock myself in my room and work on law school stuff.  Not sure at the moment.

It's hard to believe how time is flying.  At least, for the moment, the business is doing well for a change.  So, I'm not sweating bullets wondering how the bills are going to be paid. 

Though, I have noticed that Discover is lowering my credit limit.  Odd.  I've never made a late payment in over a decade of holding the card.  They probably pulled a credit bureau and saw how much debt I've accumulated in the past couple of years.

I am not sure I'll get all the student aid I'm shooting for.  I think some of it depends on creditworthiness.  I guess I'll know all that, soon.  At this point, I'm not very concerned about that.

My brother is moving away, soon.  He's really been my closest friend these past few years.  Prior to that, I had a good friend in the area who moved away.  I'll be seeing him this weekend to attend his son's High School graduation party.

I am looking forward to Law School to give me a circle of friends I can associate with.  I get that with the Navy Reserve, but not nearly often enough.  I guess I'm starting to feel a bit isolated in my life these days.  It'll be good to get out into society a bit.