What I Wore for Civ Pro 2 (and a little shindig)

Yay! My first What I Wore post! Here is what happened today: I got up early and worked out with my favorite lady, Jillian Michaels. We did our 6 Week 6 Pack workout. At first it sucked and I didn't want to do it, but by the time we were doing mat work, I got into it. I wore stretchy black capris from Old Navy and a grey sports bra from Target (they are the best, you guys, though it admittedly does not take much to contain this action, if you know what I mean. I have little boobs, if you didn't get it). No pics of that because I had not yet had my WIW epiphany. Also, I didn't wear a t-shirt, and I am a modest lady. After my workout, I got ready to go to school and put on this:

What I Wore:

Old Navy pink t-shirt (so cheap and comfy and bjkndnsocmds I love it)

NY&CO yoga pants (see above)

Old Navy black flippie floppies

Carrying: AZ Classroom Workook

Not pictured: black hoodie from Ann Taylor, which I have been wearing practically every day and couldn't stand to have on for another second.

I had a "Mini-MBE" today for my GTS workshop (that's Gateway to Success, or, Gym Tan Study, which more accurately reflects my summer - thanks, Mandi!) and then watched my Civ Pro 2 lecture. Joinder, Motions, Final Judgments... sooooooo fun! Just kidding. It sucks. But the lecturer was pretty funny. He sounds like Brak from Space Ghost. So if you're going to be studying a semester's worth of material in three hours, at least you can pretend an alien is teaching you. Aliens make everything better.

After my lecture, I did some Torts questions and then got ready to go PARTAAAAAAAAAAAY! Almost. Brady's BFF is moving from Boston to San Francisco, and his parents live here, so while he was in town, his parents threw him a moving party BBQ. Yummy! I didn't wear my shlubby clothes, though. What kind of BFF GF would I be?

 What I Wore:

Old Navy tank (I thought it was coral/orange, but it's looking red here? Did I wear red? I didn't want to.)

Old Navy cardi (literally dug out of the donate pile because the tank shows my bra straps and I wanted to cover that up)

Anthropologie Lido Light Skirt

Frye sandals

Kate Spade purse

After sitting around in "comfy" clothes, it feels so good to put on an actual outfit. Even if your outfit's shoes are 6 inch platforms and make three of your toes go numb. It's character-building.

I have a really good idea

You know how sometimes you ask me how my life is? How studying for the bar is going? And then I look off in the distance with a blank look and you think I have powered down or am contemplating running away right this instant? That second one might be true. But only because there isn't a whole lot to say about studying for the bar. I wake up, I shower, I go to school, I listen to a lecture on my computer, write an essay or so some multiple choice, and all this takes about six or seven hours and by then I am tired, so I go home, maybe lay down for a bit, work out, make dinner, do some more questions, and then zone out for a bit before I go to bed. That is pretty much it. Every day. So there isn't a whole lot to talk about there. The only thing that changes is what I do between step two and step three, which is get dressed.

Back in the day, before law school, I had a... job. Did you think I was going to say life? Nope, I didn't have one of those! My job preempted this "life" thing. But anyway, I had a job, and at my job, I wore clothes. Sometimes I wore dresses, or skirts, sometimes I even wore jeans. But I didn't wear yoga pants*. It was pretty casual, but I still had to go through the motions of "clothes" and "appropriate." It was okay. What I liked even better than wearing clothes to my job was wearing clothes to my internship. When I interned at the prosecutor's office, I was the only lady who wasn't support staff. I interacted with the public daily and made frequent courtroom appearances. This required that I step up my game on the whole dressing thing. I wore pencil skirts, A-line shifts, blouses, and suits like you wouldn't believe. And I looked super cute! I wish I had shared it with you guys, because I totally rock "business attire." But I didn't. And now I am not an intern anymore and I am sad and I am studying for the Bar all the time. Pout face. I don't wear business attire, because business attire is not conducive to sprawling on the floor crying ** or sitting cross-legged or with my feet up, or to the frigid temperatures in our study room. Instead, I wear t-shirts, hoodies, socks, glasses, and yoga pants***.  It's obviously not as glamorous. But you know what? That's okay! I'm still going to post it on here. Yep, I'm going to document my wardrobe during Bar study. It shall be a weird, anthropological study of the effects of brain melting practice exams on my sartorial choices. Maybe by July 15 I will be wearing jeggings! On my head! Who knows, we'll see. So, starting today, we're going to have a daily "What I Wore: Bar Study" feature. It's very NYT, but not as cool. Are you so excited? I am! First post will be tonight!


* Okay, I wore yoga pants sometimes, but only when I was the only one there, frequently on the weekends, when I was probably menstruating. Have I talked about periods yet on this blog? It's about time, then.


** Just kidding, this hasn't happened. Yet.


*** Yay!

Summer Resolutions

You guys got any Half Year Resolutions? I had never heard of Half Year Resolutions before, but I like them, because, let's face it, I abandoned my New Year's Resolutions, like, 4 months ago. Half Year Resolutions are like a fresh start, and we can all use those every now and then, right? Here are mine:

1. Get back into daily workouts. Cardio, gym, Jillian Michaels, or running up and down the stairs. I feel like crap when I don't work out and that is not helpful for anyone. Especially my butt.

This is not me. I am blonde, OBVIOUSLY.

2. Drink more water. Booze only on weekends. This was Brady's idea, but I am joining his bandwagon, because I think it will help me feel better. So I've heard. Before anyone says anything (DAD), it's not as if I tie one on Monday through Thursday. Yes, I will have a couple beers or glasses of wine. MAYBE a G&T. But I certainly do not wake up in the bathtub, or even with a headache. Still, I figure it can't hurt to be as clear-headed as possible, and that probably means skipping the spirits during the week. Weekends, however. Let's be realistic, you know?

Yay, responsibility!

3. One night a week, I will not read the internet or watch TV. I will either study more or read something or embroider. As much as I love killing brain cells reading blogs, but the nights when I sit on my couch and read are, like SO NICE. I just don't even. I know it's so nice to have all this info at our fingertips, etc., but sometimes it's equally nice to turn off ALL THAT INFORMATION and just chill out.

Please do not be law books OMG.

4. Seven days out of the week, I will study for the bar in some way. But also, one day out of the week, I will do something not related to the bar at all. I will hang out by the pool, I will hang out with my ponies, I will clean, I will paint, I will spend time NOT studying for the bar. I also will not spend that time sleeping or watching television. PROMISE ME YOU WILL MAKE ME DO THIS. This is not going to be easy for me.

No sleeping, I know, but isn't this the cutest?!

What about you? Are you going to try some Half Year Resolutions? I don't think the "half year" is technically until, like, July 1, but now you have plenty of time to plan!

Times I Tried Something New and Liked It

1.      Fantasy and Sci-Fi – In undergrad, I ate, slept, and breathed British, Irish, and American Lit. I wrote dissertation after dissertation on Catcher In the Rye, Flannery O’Connor, James Joyce, and Thomas Hardy. If you tried to throw your Jules Vern or Frank Herbert in my face, I would tell you to shove your broomstick in your butt. Then I watched “Lord of the Rings,” and at that point my life changed. It turns out the fantasy genre is not all glitter fairies and woodland nymphs! Fantasy has wars and politics and hot hot hot Orlando Bloom on a horse! I converted to fantasy. But I didn’t stop then – then I watched Battlestar Galactica and then I felt dumb for hating sci-fi so hard. I always assumed these niche genres neglected character development in favor of playing god with physics or robots. I believed the plot would bend to the whims of alternate science theories and pseudo-physics and the “writer” would try to make up for it with some “thousands and thousands of light years” nonsense. Battlestar Galactica proved otherwise and how. Battlestar develops characters; they have their good and their bad, and people you love do things you hate and don’t agree with. When President Roslin makes tough calls, you think she’s doing the wrong thing, but then you don’t know, maybe it’s right, but at the same time it is so WRONG! About three episodes from the end, I started having that depressed knot in my stomach you get when a novel is almost over and you don't want to be done reading it. And ohmygosh that show is amazing and I can’t wait to watch the whole series all over again.

2.       Horror Movies – I saw The Ring when it first came out and I could not watch another scary movie, or have a television in the same room where I slept, for a long time. Then I got coerced into watching Paranormal Activity and I had so much fun being scared, we went and saw the second one at the midnight show. So fun! But sometimes I still jump into my bed from 10 feet away because I’m afraid there’s a demon under there who’s gonna possess my toes.

3.       Zombies – They are super gross, but like the stereotypes of fantasy and sci fi that turned out not to be true, zombies aren’t all gore and braaaaaaaaaaainnnnnnsssss. They’re people struggling to maintain society in the face of an unknown and surprisingly strong enemy. They’re families watching each other die and either standing by someone who is no longer the person you love and might be trying to eat you, or shooting them between the eyes. My favorite zombie things are World War Z, Fido, The Walking Dead (comics AND the TV show), and Zombieland.

1.       Eating Things With Weird Names – Pork Belly. Didn’t want to try it, tried it, and now I want to eat it every day, even though it has the word “belly” in it.

(Don't) Wish it (were) Sunday

I feel like I should update this thing, but I'm feeling too lazy to write a real blog post. So here's a list of things!

Today I lost my first trial. I feel like a real lawyer now.

Almost Attorney at Law! That's an official title.

I tend to buy stuff to make salads, and then I don't make them. When I clean out the fridge, I get so mad at myself, and I throw that brown lettuce in the garbage like I mean it.

Speaking of food, I spend this weekend cooking, as well as cleaning and doing laundry. I have no interest in doing this full time. When I got to work today, I was so happy to be in that courtroom and not chopping carrots, even if I didn't win my case. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking, and I love cooking for others, but I can also get tired of it. Quickly.

Cooking, cleaning, and laundry among other things, like mirror painting! I knew I wanted to hang this is my living room, but the black felt too heavy.

So it's pink now! Watermelon Pink, but I call it Malibu Dream House Pink, and I also tell you not to look too closely. It needs some touch ups.

I was one of those girls you (maybe) hated in high school. I had perfect skin. Don't worry, I was a total inept nerd in other ways. But anyway. My skin broke out really bad right before my undergrad graduation ceremony, and then it cleared up in 3 days. A couple of months ago, it broke out again. It's always on my chin! I cried a couple of times, then I went to my dermatologist and rethought my skin care. I stopped buying new products all the time and now I have a regiment I really like. I also stopped wearing mineral make up and went back to old fashioned liquid foundation, and I love it.

I hate being complimented. When people tell me my skin looks good or whatever, I worry they're telling me that because they think my skin looks awful and they feel sorry for me.

Mulder, looking off in the distance, contemplating his crazy Mom.

For a long, long time, like up until extremely recently (last week. just kidding, but almost) I could not for the life of me accept a compliment. If you say "I like your hair," you're going to regret it, because I will tell you that my hair sucks and I spend a small fortune on hair products, or I will tell you that you're wrong and my hair is ugly and the worst hair ever, and then we will feel awkward. Not fun. Finally I learned to smile and look pleased and say "thank you!" But I feel forced if I say "I like your hair too!" I don't want you to think that I'm just saying that. I am secretly trying to race you in your compliment, so I can make sure you think I like you and maybe I can avoid receiving one. It's a sickness. I'm sorry.

 You can tell me you like my new nightstand, though. I'll say "thank you!" and then we can talk about mid-century danish teak furniture. Or I can talk and you can nod politely, as you do with an obviously crazy person.

Now that classes are totally completely forever over (except for the bar, whoops!) my main goal (after getting a solid tan before moving into the library full time) is to update this blog much more regularly. Can you stand the wait? Well, good news, it's already started! See you soon!

Feelin' the Love

I started this post with picking a bunch of pictures to show you. Why these pics? Well, they're all right-side up, are not embarrassing, and they're things I love. Obviously, I love my family and my horses and my boyfriend/best friend and I am grateful for all the blessings in my life, but these are things I don't necessarily express my appreciation for on a regular basis, so I am doing it now.

First is my favorite thing to make and eat: Pasta with Lemon and Olive Oil. I got the recipe from SmittenKitchen. Brady and I eat it at least once a week. It's perfection, and it makes so much that I have leftovers until I'm ready to make it again. I make it with whole wheat linguine so I don't feel bad shoveling a bunch of carbs in my mouth.I make it with basil, but you can also use arugula, which I would do if I could find arugula. Anyway. It's a good thing.

Ahhhhh. Diet Coke. I've strayed and been on a Diet Cherry Dr Pepper kick for a while, but there is still nothing like a Diet Coke in the afternoon. This particular DC is on my desk at work in front of a case file. I am not 100% sure, but it may be the file I'm working on for my next trial. It's also in front of the Arizona Criminal and Traffic Code. It's all the statutes you would ever need, and I love them. I also love trials, and I love this desk. There is nothing special about this desk except that it's where I sit when I review files and get ready for trial, which is part of the Prosecution Clinic through school. I get to spend two days a week doing something that is so important to me. It's my dream job and it's why I went to law school in the first place. I am a lowly intern, but I still get to meet with defendants, make plea offers, talk to witnesses, and put on an entire trial. It's just a taste of the bigger picture, but it's a picture I hope I get to be a part of in October/November. I love the municipality I am in because of the way the City Prosecutor has set up the process and flow and the attitude toward defendants. It's very focused on solving problems, which I think is so great. I am also grateful for the people I work with. They are all incredibly helpful and eager to help me try out new things, and they are very supportive and I feel like they really want me to succeed. I wish I could stay there forever! Wow, one picture with a whole bunch of things I love. That's efficiency.

WHO IS THIS?! I LOVE HIM! He is my favorite thing in my house at any given time, which, DUH. But as much as I love him, I really love his personality - his little quirks that make me laugh at least twice a day. Lately he's been working hard on arranging pillows and blankets for the best couch experience and it's hilarious. On this day, we were watching talk shows all morning and he sat right there, right next to me, the whole time. Love him.

My kitchen! I love this place! It's very bland and apartmentish, but it's roomy and easy to work in. The only thing I don't love is that oven and stove, which is incredibly bipolar, especially for an appliance, you know? But I love being in my kitchen and making that Lemon and Olive Oil pasta at the top. I also have tons of cupboards so I can keep stuff off the counter. The print at the top is a reproduction vintage travel poster for Ireland, my favorite country, and that taller vase up there with it has delicate diamond-shaped cut outs and it's a pretty purple color. I hate the idea of pot shelves, because it's such wasted space, but I focused on creating a little vignette of things that make me happy, instead of just throwing a bunch of crap up there. I think it worked out pretty well.

What I don't love about my kitchen is my sink. The sink side is not even and water puddles up, so every time I use it, I have to use my brush to shove the water into the drain. The disposal side is scary and I worry my disposal is going to rattle the counter off the wall. What I do love is my little sink alcove. Dishes are among my least favorite chore, so I wanted this place to make me smile. That's why my Mr. and Lady Rabbit prints hang out here in their fancy looking frames. I also use soap that smells good and is not stocked full of chemicals that give me migraines. 

This is not an exhaustive list, but I just wanted to share a few of the pics that made enough of an impression on me that I had to take a pic. 

Oh, and you'll also notice that all of the pics here were taken with Instagram, which I also love!

What little things do you love?

Oh, this thing.

I bet you are one of those people who gets up just dancing every morning. Little birds sing to you while you shower, and mice mend your buttons for you. I know! You are amazing. And you never neglect your blog. Ever! You always have something funny to say, and you always include pictures. You can totally judge me for ignoring my blogger duties. I fail at marketing myself! I am destined to live my life unknown!

A lot has happened since that last post. After attending the memorial service, there was a wedding, and then some trials, and then some other stuff, and then Barrister's Ball. I made it through all of those things, even though sometimes they sucked. WINNING. Sometimes it's nice to acknowledge your accomplishments, even if other people don't think they're a big deal. Charlie Sheen taught me that. Is it too late to talk about Charlie Sheen? My blog is so behind Charlie Sheen jokes are still cool.

I promise I haven't forgotten this thing. I have thought about things I would like to write, and I even started writing something, but then I felt so overwhelmed that I gave up. Life's like that this semester. Ending law school does funny stuff to your brain. It's not like I have a ton of stuff to do. I don't have cases to read. I don't even have homework. But even just going to class is, like, excruciating. One week, I went to one of my classes on Tuesday, and then I went to a different class on Thursday, but there was NO WAY I was able to go to both classes both days. That's right - my senioritis is such that I cannot even go to more than one class on one day. My life is so hard.

But okay, so I promise, right here, to write something once a week. No excuses. Even if I have nothing to say, I will find something to say, and then I will say it. It's weird because I feel like I'm not even talking to anyone on this thing. I don't know if anyone is paying attention or reading. Maybe no one is even checking this. But the longer I go without writing something, the more guilt I feel over letting down people who probably do not care at all about new content. Maybe I feel like I'm letting myself down, and I'm projecting. But I am not a psych major. I'm just a 3L who can barely get her butt to school these days. If it weren't for ABA attendance policies, I would still be on my couch in my yoga pants. It's not pretty, guys.

You know what is pretty?

Don't be jealz I have a handsome boyfriend plus sweet jewels (from the Icing). And you can't see it here, but my hair? It was rocking. And I did it in about 10 minutes in my bathroom. If you have ever chopped your hair off and had to painstakingly regrow it, you know my joy at being able to style my hair in something other than "down."