The worst law student EVER!

It's true. I won the prize for worst law student ever! I had a 20 page paper due last semester. The stupid teacher told us that we could turn in the paper any time before we graduate. I HATE HER! I still haven't done it. I took Thursday and Friday off work last week to sit home and do nothing but my paper. Did I? NO! I sat in front of my computer all day. I did nothing else. I didn't watch TV. I didn't go shopping. I just stared at my computer thinking about how I needed to write my paper. At the end of two days, I ended up with 2 sentences and a table of contents. Seriously, what's wrong with me? Maybe I have a learning disability that has never been diagnosed? I should have checked into that way before now. On the bright side, assuming I finish the blasted paper, I graduate in 3 weeks. In 3 weeks from Sunday, I get on a plane to Italy. I can't even express in words how excited I am. That doesn't help my focus in school. I really hope I pass!

Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

A great thing happened yesterday. I'm not even sure why it is so great or why it means so much to me, but I actually had to hold back tears when I heard.

Yesterday, they were setting up some big "to do" at the law school but no one knew what it was all about. About one o'clock, a crowd started to gather and Governor Napolitano, Dean White (dean of the law school), President Crow (president of ASU) and Chief Justice McGregor (of the AZ Supreme Court) were sitting at an elevated table with news cameras pointed at them.

"This should be good," I thought to myself. It was all top secret. No one seemed to have a clue what it was all about.

President Crow was the first to speak. He announced that the Arizona State University College of Law would be renamed the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU. I really almost cried. I am so excited and so proud to graduate from a school named after her.

She's been a role model to me since 3rd grade, the first year that Sandra Day O'Connor Elementary School opened in my neighborhood. While I was going to school there, I got to meet her and see her speak a few times. I think it's kind of cool to go to an Elementary School and a law school named after the same person.

ASU will have the first law school named after a woman. It's also only the second law school to be named after a living person based on merit alone. I'm so glad they're not naming it after some random person who donated a gazillion dollars to the school.

She really was a trailblazer for women in the law. Though I don't agree with every one of her decisions, I respect her case-by-case approach to jurisprudence. In 2004, Forbes named her the fourth most powerful woman in the US and the sixth most powerful in the world. For a woman born in 1930, I'd say that's pretty impressive.

DDR

I know it's been forever since I updated. I've been really sad for the last few weeks and didn't want to post depressing stuff, so I abstained. I'm feeling better now, so here goes. I guess there's probably a lot to write about in the last few weeks, but I'm sure I won't remember it all.

The most recent and most exciting piece of news is that I am the recent owner of an Xbox. No, I don't want the Xbox for Halo. In fact I acquired Halo and Halo II, but I'll probably sell them. I had one sole purpose in getting the Xbox. DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION. I've only done it twice, but I LOVE IT! I bought the game and two pads last night on E-bay. Words cannot express the level of anticipation I feel at getting that package in the mail. I think it will be a great way to exercise and not realize that I'm exercising. My roommate told me I was unbalanced last night. I just think she's jealous that she won't be the proud owner of DDR.

Maybe my new exercise can help jump start me back on the path of weight loss. I started a new weight loss program back in October and have lost 21 pounds. However, I have completely abandoned it for the last couple months. I haven't gained any of it back, so that's good, but I have another 20-25 pounds to go until I'm happy. Monday was my first day back on the wagon. I haven't been perfect, but have been trying a lot harder. It's amazing how you feel skinnier when you're eating right even if you haven't actually lost more weight yet. I wish I wouldn't have been such a slacker because if I would have stayed on the plan, I would have been at my target weight in about a week. Oh well! Now, I'm just trying to lose as much as possible by graduation and Italy. Wish me luck!

School is coming to a close. I graduate in 5 1/2 weeks. While I'm so excited for this event, it's coming too soon. I feel like I need more time. I have papers to write, finals to study for, work at my job to do, Italy to get ready for, a graduation party to plan, and announcements to get out. AHHHH!!!!

That leads me to my graduation announcements. I got it in my head that regular graduation announcements were stupid...for several reasons. First, they are so normal. There is no personality. Every law school graduation announcement looks exactly like every college graduation announcement which looks exactly like every high school graduation announcement. Law school has been so personal to me that I wanted my announcements to have "TK flare". Second, I'm only sending announcements to my family and close friends. They already know I'm graduating. I wanted it to mean something. Third, I'm revolting against the stupid graduation companies that make up stuff for us to buy. Their announcements are grossly overpriced. So the apparent solution to this problem is to make my own. Geez! What was I thinking? Actually, I'm glad I'm doing it. They have just been more difficult than I anticipated. They are almost done. I wanted to make them more like a thank you note to all those people that have had an influence in my life. I know I'm not the only one that got me to this point. I just hope that the recipient's don't think I'm too cheesy. We shall see.

I found a quote that is particularly applicable to my life. I'm putting it on the outside of my graduation announcements. "We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." -E. M. Forster