July 2008 Archives
Waiting to take the bar exam was almost on par with the waiting I endured on the day my sister died. We'd met with all the doctors and we knew the prognosis and it was only a matter of time. A period of long, tortuous waiting where you are helpless and waves of different emotions wash over you. Helplessness. Anger. Sadness. Apathy.
The drive to Pierre is about as exciting as a bowl of shredded wheat. I stopped twice: once to pee and once when my "Check Engine" light came on. I checked the engine, it looked like an engine. The light turned off when I started the car back up. Chock one up for following directions.
The heat was oppressive and I was only moments too late to get a picture of the 100ºF on the car thermometer before it dropped back to 99º. White tufts torn from cotton bales floated across a sky of stretched polyester batting over a pale blue canvass. Dry brown grass swayed from horizon to horizon. This is the South Dakota you see in Dances with Wolves. No picture can truly do it justice and it was flippin' hot so I wasn't stopping for photo ops. It was so hot two days later, even the geese were panting.
I arrived safely, checked in and settled into my room. My veins were as sharp as Chef Tony's Miracle Blade 3 knives (Just $40 for $500 in knives!). Maybe it's obvious that sleeping hasn't been going so well as of late and when you don't have cable you just have infomercials after 2:30AM.
The first day of the exam was much like the second day of the exam: I don't want to talk about it. What's done is done and to rehash or speculate as to how I did is futile. I don't need any false hope as I'm preparing for the worst. Results should come in the mail sometime in September.
I would like to thank everyone for all their support, both metaphysical and the kind words in the comments and in person, although I cannot condone the sacrifice of a chicken or a goat... I said no harm to animals. There's no doubt in my mind, it all helped. That, and the performance enhancing drugs... ok... supplements.
Most people have asked me if I feel a huge relief having the exam done. Yes, and no. Really it doesn't feel any different apart from I feel no obligation to be studying now. Instead, I shift gears and I have other big items on my plate that have been ignored and put off all summer as the bar exam was highest in priority. It's a bit like in the movie The Great Outdoors, and eating the "Ol' 96'er." I've finished the meat, but now I've got to eat the gristle as well as some cold sides.
After the exam was finished people went their separate ways. Some to the bar, some to their cars to drive back across the plains to get home and me to my room to get my camera. I went on a bike ride around Pierre to take most of the photos you've seen above. It was about being free to do the things I love to do again, like taking photos with no guilt about how I should have been studying. I did meet up with friends after a while to have a beer and dinner but I couldn't stay out all night, I had to go take some night shots of the capitol too. Oh, and test out the beds in my room.
I assure you that no harm was done to the beds in the above photo. For more fun see BedJump.com (ps: personal favorite)
Tis the eve of the bar exam and all through the hotel,
Children are running and the halls really smell.
The weather is hot and sticky and stupid,
I really really hope that for this exam I will be lucid.
That's all the poetry I can muster tonight. I gotta rest all 9 brain cells so I can rock the socks off this exam tomorrow and Wednesday. Is it really already exam time? It seems like yesterday that I was graduating, and my sister died. Was that really almost two months ago and a little more than a month ago? Huh. Well, it's been one hell of a summer to try and study and I'd be lying if I said it went well and I feel prepared. Quite the contrary.
I hate excuses though, so I'm not making any and I'm just going to own up and take this exam and see what happens. Everyone has told me over and over, all summer long that "you'll be fine," or "I'm sure you'll do just fine," and best yet, "I'm not worried about you." Uh, okay. Hope everybody else is right and my fears are unfounded.
There's a good chance I've failed to really explain this exam here for people who don't know me well or know me outside of my computer. Here's the break down:
2 Days of Examination
Day 1:
Morning - 3 hours for 2 essay questions
Each question has a library consisting of a problem, a bunch of information both relevant and irrelevant to the problem, and laws that might or might not relate to the problem. You get to read it all, sort it out and write an answer in the form that they request to solve the problem
Afternoon - 3 hours for 6 essay quesitons
These are from several areas of the law (too several to list). One of these will be on Indian law, that fact we know, but that's all.
Day 2:
Morning - 3 hours for 100 multiple choice questions
This may sound easy but some of the questions have lengthy fact scenarios and regardless, it only allows 1.8 minutes per questions (108 seconds). This will be over the major areas of the law: Contracts (incl. Sales), Real Property, Torts, Criminal Law & Procedure, Evidence and Constitutional Law. Sounds fun, right?
Afternoon - 3 hours for 100 multiple choice questions
If we didn't have enough fun in the morning, we get to have one more go at it in the afternoon. Exactly the same subjects as the morning.
So, that's my Tuesday and Wednesday on a plate, well done with a large helping of stress. I'll write again when it's all over, probably on Thursday, but that's all I've got right now. All good karma, positive test taking vibes, prayers, and Tom Cruise witchcraft are much appreciated. I'll need all the help I can get, but please don't hurt any animals in the process.
In one week I will be in a hotel room on the eve of the most important exam of my life. Irregardless, life must press on and that includes paying bills the torture of online banking, and blogging. Blogging?
For months I've been unable to get into one of my accounts online. I input the username that I've had for 7 years now, and that takes me on to the next level of security. Questions about my first car, my mother's birth city and the last school I attended taunt me. How many times have I called their customer service because I cannot get past the last school attended question. Number one reason for not getting a higher education: it simplifies this question immensely.
Today I miraculously got past the extra security questions to fail at the password. Why is it so hard for me to see what my balance is? I appreciate security, but is all this really necessary? Online banking should simplify my life, not complicate it. I call customer service and navigate through the labyrinth of sub menus for English, Existing Customer, Organ Donor, Brown Eyes, Right Handed etc etc to get placed in a queue for someone to reset my password.
Finally, a real, live, human being that geographically isn't even an hour from me! I explain the problem and she asks me if I'm using a bookmark. Um, okay, a bookmark relates to my password how? Delete the bookmark? Why? I highly doubt that my browser is redirecting the domain I've just typed into the address bar, at your direction, to my bookmark. Fine. Deleted.
Still not working and I'm still not surprised. What's that you say? My password has suddenly and magically been suspended? Imagine that. Oh, super, you're finally going to give me a temporary password. Isn't that what I asked for in the beginning? Now where's my bookmark? Thanks for that. Yes, it's logging in and asking for a new password that's a minimum of 8 characters long. (excessive maybe?)
You're still talking, and I'm still not caring but what's that you say? You've just told me to write down my password? Are you kidding? I am telling you it surprises me that you suggest I write down my password to my online banking account. Welcome to the 21st Century, You DON'T Do That. No. Never.
One more thing, you say? No, I don't want to do your stupid 4 question survey, I want to drop this account like a steaming pile of feces and go to a different bank that doesn't waste my time with more security procedures than they use to keep track of nuclear warheads.
