A short flight down to San Francisco turned into one extended study break, between a delayed flight, dim sum with my parents in Millbrae, and my first afternoon nap in 6 weeks.
I guess it's about time to get this exam over with. Two days to game time, five days to freedom.
Might be time for a self-directed pep talk. So many to choose from:
"If it doesn't kill you, it only makes you stronger." (A family favorite)
"You are the queen of the beasts." (Nigel Lythgoe to Melanie Moore on So You Think You Can Dance)
"Your lips will turn blue and you will pass out, but you won't die." (Jillian Michaels to a Biggest Loser contestant)
"Fighting!" (My Korean friends)
"Visualize yourself opening that envelope in November and...you passed!" (Prof. Honingsberg, for Barbri)
"Git 'er done!" (Mr. TPG and the other southern boys)
How do you pump yourself up for a big challenge?
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
T-minus 12 days.
Well, the bar exam is really close now and I'm starting to feel the pressure. My mind is filled with all sorts of random knowledge, and my kitchen table is filled with books and flashcards. I'm starting to freak out a bit and my daily gym break is the only thing keeping me sane (that and solo dance parties in my kitchen).
Somehow throughout the madness I'm still keeping one finger on the future - trying to figure out where I will live when I return to D.C. for the fall semester (check), schedule my classes (almost finalized), and find some legal work to keep me "fresh" while I finish my master's degree courses (as of today, check).
All in all, I'm treading water on all fronts, trying to finish up my last degree and set myself up to find a job after I finish. Hopefully the madness will end soon. From the end of February through next spring, I hope to spend as much time as I can blowing off steam from the last 6 years (law degree, masters degree, two years of crazy hours in a law firm) on the slopes at Heavenly. Employment, who needs it? Okay, okay, I do - but at least Mr. TPG can bring home income while I revel in my unemployment (thank goodness for earnings & wages being community property!).
Back to studying. There probably will not be any more posts until July 29th - when I will be crying with joy or crying from the pain of the bar exam.
Somehow throughout the madness I'm still keeping one finger on the future - trying to figure out where I will live when I return to D.C. for the fall semester (check), schedule my classes (almost finalized), and find some legal work to keep me "fresh" while I finish my master's degree courses (as of today, check).
All in all, I'm treading water on all fronts, trying to finish up my last degree and set myself up to find a job after I finish. Hopefully the madness will end soon. From the end of February through next spring, I hope to spend as much time as I can blowing off steam from the last 6 years (law degree, masters degree, two years of crazy hours in a law firm) on the slopes at Heavenly. Employment, who needs it? Okay, okay, I do - but at least Mr. TPG can bring home income while I revel in my unemployment (thank goodness for earnings & wages being community property!).
Back to studying. There probably will not be any more posts until July 29th - when I will be crying with joy or crying from the pain of the bar exam.
Monday, July 4, 2011
4th of July.
Happy Independence Day! I haven't left the house yet today, but I imagine that patriotism is bursting in the streets of Carson. Hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful summer weather, celebrating the founding of our great country.
Here's how we spent our weekend:
Grilling in the backyard. I *heart* veggies! This is a pre-meat photo.
Running on trails like this one, photo from Carson Valley Trails Association.
And lots of practice questions -- a stranger would probably be concerned if they saw these on our table.
How did you spend yours?
Here's how we spent our weekend:
Grilling in the backyard. I *heart* veggies! This is a pre-meat photo.Running on trails like this one, photo from Carson Valley Trails Association.
And lots of practice questions -- a stranger would probably be concerned if they saw these on our table.How did you spend yours?
Sunday, July 3, 2011
It's gettin' hot, hot, hot.
Things are heating up here in Carson City. The weather is topping off in the 90s and it supposed to stay this way for at least the first half of the week. While I would absolutely take this dry heat over the D.C. humidity, 90+ degrees is a little warm for my Bay Area-bred body. Nevertheless, I wish I was outside playing instead of inside doing practice bar exam questions.
Squaw Valley (and a couple of other resorts, including Alpine Meadows) have re-opened for the July 4th weekend and the pictures have me chomping at the bit to be done with this exam and out enjoying the Sierras. While there is something about the hustle and bustle and intellectual intensity in D.C. that I absolutely adore, I have to say that being back West tickles the active side of me. Growing up, I played sports, went skiing and snowboarding, camping, hiking and enjoyed what Northern California had to offer. Going to college in San Diego, California (UCSD alum here) was amazing for all the outdoors had to offer -- softball, outdoor basketball, running, boogie boarding, beachin' it...all year round. It wasn't so great for motivation to study though!
When we moved East a few years ago, Mr. TPG practically cried as we watched the Rockies shrink in the rear-view mirror. And now, living in Carson City, we are both super excited about all the outdoors has to offer nearby with the lakes (Lake Tahoe and the multitudes of lakes in the Sierras), rivers, and mountains. I only wish that we had friends up here to play sports or go hiking with! My group of college girlfriends included numerous athletic girls, and I'm sad to say that I haven't found any other girls that compare to them (athletic-wise) since.
Alright, I suppose that's enough dreaming and longing for today. Less than four weeks until I'm free from the bar exam -- then the Sierras will be mine!
Squaw Valley (and a couple of other resorts, including Alpine Meadows) have re-opened for the July 4th weekend and the pictures have me chomping at the bit to be done with this exam and out enjoying the Sierras. While there is something about the hustle and bustle and intellectual intensity in D.C. that I absolutely adore, I have to say that being back West tickles the active side of me. Growing up, I played sports, went skiing and snowboarding, camping, hiking and enjoyed what Northern California had to offer. Going to college in San Diego, California (UCSD alum here) was amazing for all the outdoors had to offer -- softball, outdoor basketball, running, boogie boarding, beachin' it...all year round. It wasn't so great for motivation to study though!
When we moved East a few years ago, Mr. TPG practically cried as we watched the Rockies shrink in the rear-view mirror. And now, living in Carson City, we are both super excited about all the outdoors has to offer nearby with the lakes (Lake Tahoe and the multitudes of lakes in the Sierras), rivers, and mountains. I only wish that we had friends up here to play sports or go hiking with! My group of college girlfriends included numerous athletic girls, and I'm sad to say that I haven't found any other girls that compare to them (athletic-wise) since.
Alright, I suppose that's enough dreaming and longing for today. Less than four weeks until I'm free from the bar exam -- then the Sierras will be mine!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Finding food, revisited.
Finding food, or found food? I was kind of grumpy last week, in case my two blogs (Finding Food & Anti-Fitness Postman) didn't convey that. Though one of my friends thinks that grumpy me is normal for most of the world. I beg to differ, but I will take the compliment!
Right after I wrote the Finding Food blog, Mr. TPG and I decided to check out one of the highest rated Carson restaurants on Yelp.com, which happens to be a Thai restaurant called The Basil. We only ordered two dishes (the downside of eating as two instead of a large group) -- a panang curry and a spicy noodle dish. They were both great. I wish I had room in my stomach for more food, because papaya salad and angel wings are also some of my Thai restaurant favorites. So I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and the service was great. The owner herself might have been waiting on our table. The ambiance was nice, and the walls looked like they were covered in Thai silk. We will definitely go back there again, and it made my day to know there's at least one great Asian restaurant to fall back on!
Spicy Basil Noodles. Yum!
I was definitely in a bit of a funk last week though. I think I'm hitting a fatigue point in my bar exam studying. So last night we took the evening "off" and went out to dinner and then watched a DVD at home. We were going to check out the brand new Olive Garden in town, as it's currently the hot spot in Carson, but we weren't the only ones with that idea and my 3.75 mile run + strength training made me starving enough that we left and just went to Chili's. [Side note: the Giants game was on when we were at Chili's. BWeez, I understand the angst, but holy frustration with your beating the water cooler!] Then we watched one of Mr. TPG's favorite movies, and one I like enough that I've seen about 6 times -- Legends of the Fall. As the Mr. said post-video, "they don't make 'em like that anymore!"
This holiday weekend, we are packing in the studying and celebrating in one way: we bought a Weber grill yesterday. Fajitas are on the menu for today and I don't have to cook since Mr. TPG likes to grill! I think I shall plan more grilled menus for the rest of summer. It's lovely to be up here in the dry heat of the Sierras, instead of the humidity of D.C. Can't wait until the bar exam is over and we can really live it up in Tahoe.
Right after I wrote the Finding Food blog, Mr. TPG and I decided to check out one of the highest rated Carson restaurants on Yelp.com, which happens to be a Thai restaurant called The Basil. We only ordered two dishes (the downside of eating as two instead of a large group) -- a panang curry and a spicy noodle dish. They were both great. I wish I had room in my stomach for more food, because papaya salad and angel wings are also some of my Thai restaurant favorites. So I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and the service was great. The owner herself might have been waiting on our table. The ambiance was nice, and the walls looked like they were covered in Thai silk. We will definitely go back there again, and it made my day to know there's at least one great Asian restaurant to fall back on!
Spicy Basil Noodles. Yum!I was definitely in a bit of a funk last week though. I think I'm hitting a fatigue point in my bar exam studying. So last night we took the evening "off" and went out to dinner and then watched a DVD at home. We were going to check out the brand new Olive Garden in town, as it's currently the hot spot in Carson, but we weren't the only ones with that idea and my 3.75 mile run + strength training made me starving enough that we left and just went to Chili's. [Side note: the Giants game was on when we were at Chili's. BWeez, I understand the angst, but holy frustration with your beating the water cooler!] Then we watched one of Mr. TPG's favorite movies, and one I like enough that I've seen about 6 times -- Legends of the Fall. As the Mr. said post-video, "they don't make 'em like that anymore!"
This holiday weekend, we are packing in the studying and celebrating in one way: we bought a Weber grill yesterday. Fajitas are on the menu for today and I don't have to cook since Mr. TPG likes to grill! I think I shall plan more grilled menus for the rest of summer. It's lovely to be up here in the dry heat of the Sierras, instead of the humidity of D.C. Can't wait until the bar exam is over and we can really live it up in Tahoe.
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