Day 540: Very keyed up

Whoa. I am sooooo keyed up. Took a while to fall asleep last night even though I was tired. And then I woke several times during the night. I'm scared, but I just want to get this over with.

Torts. Dean Dallon's class. So scared. But he's so nice and encouraging. I want to do well, if only for him. And, well, to keep my scholarship obviously. I'll bet law students across the country are praying harder than they've ever prayed before.

This weekend was awesome. Friday classes were. All right. I have lots of studying to do. I stuck around and studied after school with Sylvia (mostly known as Rodriguez) and Kate as well as Adam and Jason for business like usual. We studied for Torts and Contracts, because Torts is today and Contracts is on Wednesday. I spent the rest of Friday night studying or loafing off like a goof.

Saturday morning was cold and wet and NO ONE was on the road. Jason and I met up at Toys R Us to buy presents for his little girl. At first we thought Barbies, then he decided she had lots of barbies and we should try for something new. We found these awesome figurines done by a German company for really reasonable prices. They had cowboys and livestock for a ranch, but they also had elves, knights, kings, princesses, dragons, and unicorns, so we got her some of those, as well as some cool baby animals (white tigers and such) she should could build her own fantasy kingdom. It's best to encourage kids to use their imaginations, right? They were really awesome-looking figures for how much they cost, and she'll be able to get a lot of use out of them. Maybe I'll even play with her so I can share in the very cool toys.

I bought new strings for my violin and then spent the rest of the day loafing off and watching anime until Mom called. I called to wish her happy birthday, and she called to tell me her internet was working, and then we went over my Torts and Contracts outlines like in the old days, back when I was in high school. It was awesome. I know Mom liked knowing what I was learning about, and I think the older I get the more left out she feels, plus it was good to have someone to talk things over with. White was right - if I read things, then write (or type) them out (though typing isn't nearly as effective) and then talk it over, it all really does sink in. And Mom is so patient with my explaining. Sad thing was that Thomas invited me over to Chez Checketts for movies, but I couldn't go.

Sunday was awesome. Halley and I practiced our duet for the Christmas party. And I actually played well in front of another person. It was the weirdest thing ever. I played for her, and I wasn't nervous at all. I'm pretty excited now. Hopefully I won't screw up in front of LOTS of people. But oh well. Break the fast was great. Jason came along and we all got to have good food. The Christmas Devotional was awesome, and the MoTab singing Christmas Carols is super cool. I love listening to them sing. Afterwards Jason came back to my place because my toilet has been acting funny. Since he's done the plumbing for an entire house I reckoned he could help. He found the problem and says he can fix it, and in the meantime he gave me a temporary solution to fix the problem. Afterwards we had hot chocolate and talked. It was fun. He's a good guy.

Today I got up early, mostly to write the letters I didn't write yesterday. I'm nervous. My hands are sorta shaking. I ran into Stacy in the hallway. The trash chute is either backed up or just hasn't been emptied, so we talked to the nice Indian lady on the second floor to get things done. I hope everything goes all right.

Tomorrow I'll study more.

I've decided to open one Christmas present for each exam I survive, as most of them are probably books that I won't have time to enjoy next semester anyway, so I might as well enjoy them now. I'll open the rest of them next Friday night after my very last exam. On Wednesday night I'm going to play board games at Clan Checketts. I'm very sad, because they'll be gone before I get back from Christmas break. And I'm nervous that I'm getting sick. I feel fine, but my nose is still running, I sound like a frog, and I cough a lot. I hope I don't get really sick, eh?

I think I can do this.

Day 540: mini-denoument

So I survived my first law school exam. It was hard, and gruelling. I don't think I got an A, but I definitely passed. I'm glad I decided to handwrite mine rather than use the computers. Those poor laptop kids had a hell of a time because the testing software network couldn't handle a hundred and seventy-odd kids trying to upload their exams all at once. The twelve or so of us who decided to handwrite our exams got out a good half an hour earlier than those poor laptop kids. Technology isn't everything, eh?

I was pretty keyed up before, but I worked all morning to stay calm - wrote letters, worked on Marty's scarf, checked email and messages, that sort of thing. But once I got in there, looked at the exam, and started writing, I was okay. I didn't know all the elements as well as I thought I did, but that special brand of student test adrenaline kicked in and I remembered things I hadn't otherwise remembered, so I think it went well.

I survived.

I opened a Christmas present. It was a pretty wood-burned image of the St. George temple, with a space so I can get my name and my husband's name and the date of our sealing engraved on at a later date. (So as not to confuse those of you who were under the not-mistaken impression that I am not, in fact married.)

Now I just have to figure out how to hang it.

But I survived, and I'm okay. Not going to study tonight. Will study like a demon tomorrow.