Year Three :: Day Three : Class Five

I’m in Insurance Law now and three people sitting in front of me have all loaded their AIM programs and are IM’ing each other frantically. Then one of them will laugh and look at the other and guys, could this be more obvious? Tone it down a touch, hmm?

As I was walking in, I noticed Professor Smith is teaching section A Property to the poor, hapless 1Ls right before my course. I sent him an e-mail reminiscing about my very first Property course and his reference to Monty Python; he’s my absolute favorite. I also slipped in a pointed remark about my eager anticipation of his spring Trademark/Unfair Competition course, in the hope that he will not cancel it. That will be my last Intellectual Property course that I’ve been lusting after… hopefully the times will pan out.

And now for something completely different… I am still in mourning for the Gilmore Girls. I realize this is a Wednesday, not a Tuesday, but it’s a retroactive sentiment.

Year Three :: Day Three : Class Four

Business Associations should be interesting, but it’s kind of pointless because we take notes all semester only to have our grade hinge entirely on a paper. But the good news is I’m now down to three final exams - international law is a paper, and business is partially a paper and partially in-class participation.

Should I do moot court this year?

Of Crickets and Circadas

°o° On this day in 1929 The Skeleton Dance, the first cartoon in the Silly Symphonies series, was released.

I love crickets.

Their gleeful song echoes up the stairwell into my apartment and wafts along on the pine tree scent of the incense I burn every evening. But the flipside (and there always is one, isn’t there?) is that the circadas are so vehemently vociferous and unified in the evening that you actually have to turn up your radio once the sun descends. They’re not that loud at home… maybe it’s the heat?

They have a bunch of new stations on Sirirus that I’m getting acquainted with on my extended travels, and I found one that’s so absolutely perfect for me I can scarcely believe it - Coffee House, which plays nothing but acoustic singer/songwriters. They have everything from unsigned artists to big stars doing acoustic solo renditions of their megahits (yesterday I heard Adam Levine doing “Makes Me Wonder” with shocking adeptness). Fabulous! It took the place of my previous favorite station BBC Radio 1, the best new music from the U.K. direct from London.

I indulged in one of the cool things about being a law student: slipping into the research lab, plucking in the case code for the Jude trial and printing out every single document for free. They also have attorney profiles, so I got to read about where they all went to school and passed the bar and whatnot. Very cool.

This morning that lady from the gym cornered me again and, in front of the entire “group” as we’re called (there’s a pack of us that always go at the same time and kind of hang out together on the machines) said, “Doesn’t Ashley look wonderful?” They all concurred (“the summer’s been good to you”) and I was so mortified I wanted to crawl into my locker and cinch the MasterLock®.

In other local news, everyone will be delighted to learn that I have moved past the almost-felon on to someone in my insurance law class. Guy doesn’t even know I exist, but who cares… sometimes that’s best, I think.

Beavers in the Stream of Commerce

“I don’t want to be a beaver in the stream of commerce, but turn off your cell phones.” - Professor McDonald

We filled out our seating charts in all three classes today so Captain Neurotic managed to procure her precious spots. I'll have to reinitiate the war for ideal seating again tomorrow, when I undertake two brand-new courses.

I’m rather concerned about how I will perform in International Law. Everyone else seems so well-informed and I’m woefully ignorant about what’s going on in the world. Woefully or willfully, I guess that’s the question. Per the Matrix, sometimes the blue pill is preferable.

Well, fatigue has settled in. At least I’m sleeping thus far this year. I didn’t wake up at all Sunday night and only once last night, slamming into the Haunted Mansion tapestries on the wall two or three times before managing to stumble into the bathroom. It rained a smite this morning before tapering into a slightly sunny afternoon - at least it’s 80°. I’ll take it.

I don' t know what to think about this... but I'm only going to have three exams this semester. International Law is a paper, and Unincorporated Business Associations is 70% a paper and 30% in-class participation (the latter portion of which arouses my anxiety, I must admit). Hmm, tomorrow's Wednesday already. Friday's the big day. What's really strange is one of the ladies I know at the gym, totally unprovoked, came up to me and told me I “look great” and “look the best [I've] ever looked.” Never had that experience before. Am I deluded… or is she?

The Rules

Someone sent this out to the law school e-mail list, and I had to copy and save it for future reference. Very few things make me laugh out loud when I'm surrounded by people, but this was one of them....

From: Schneider, Joshua M. S
ent: Monday, August 20, 2007 5:02 PM
To:
Subject: The Rules

Dear Everyone:

As we enter a new year -- for some of us, our first in law school -- it seems worthwhile to remind ourselves of the appropriate uses of the mailing list. Acceptable uses of the mailing list are as follows:

(1) ads for used books;
(2) complaints about the number of ads for used books;
(3) ads for used supplements (legal);
(4) reminders to 1Ls, all of whom are vibrating at an extremely high frequency for the first couple of weeks of the semester, that it is crucial that they buy supplements (such as those listed for sale on the mailing list) if they have any hopes at all of ever securing a job; significant other; religious epiphany; or, if worst comes to worst, a warm grate to sleep on, out of the wind, and safely beyond the bounds of Angry Wilson's turf;
(5) accidentally sending extremely personal messages intended for a close friend to hundreds of strangers, none of whom were aware of your existence before, but all of whom now know enough about your intimate academic/medical/cat-sitting/romantic problems to casually but accurately judge you in the halls;
(6) sweeping and ill-considered statements on extremely controversial issues written late enough at night to be forgiven;
(7) wild overreactions to (6) in the form of either (a) ad hominem attacks written at equally forgivable hours, or (b) sanctimonious chidings which are capital offenses regardless of when they are written;
(8) concerned reminders in response to (7)(a), probably from the same people as (4), that law firms carefully monitor all law school mailing lists to cull the applicant pool, meaning that even the most innocent genitalia-based joke can condemn you to a life of back-breaking labor in the salt mines of public interest;
(9) playful responses to (5) and (7);
(10) bile-drenched responses to (9) from a hitherto entirely uninvolved party, often claiming to speak on behalf of the beleaguered 1Ls who are "under enough stress as it is" and are presumably incapable of navigating the delete button, despite have record high LSAT scores and being, according to Dean monthly newletter, the most physically attractive incoming class the College has ever had (19th in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Reports, just after Emory);
(12) reminders that there is a meeting Thursday at noon in room A, helpfully provided every hour on the hour for the 72 hours preceding the meeting;
(13) warnings not to miss the incredible one-time-only deal BARBRI has for its three day PowerMaxx(TM) bar preparation course and to act now. If you miss this incredible deal, you will be kicking yourself until this time next year when the deal is miraculously resurrected;
(11) complaints about parking.
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about the acceptable uses listed above, please direct them to the entire list.

I can scarcely wait for the replies to start rolling in; they ought to be good. You guys think I'm acerbic... you have no idea. This ought to be good.

Year Three :: Day One : Class Three

Now I’m in International Law, toting a text entitled International Law and World Order. A rather tall order, I think. The professor is one of those manic human rights people and thirty-four minutes into the course he has already ruthlessly skewered Bush on his war practices. One of our assignments is to read the New York times every morning. I have to say that’s one of the better assignments we’ve ever received, but he claims that the online version does not “have everything” so we’re supposed to subscribe. I don’t know how he expects a bunch of broke college students to afford such a thing...? But the final exam is a take-home, bless him!

I keep waiting for the anxiety to kick in. This time last year I was breathless and panicking all day. Strange.

When I pulled in last night and surgically extracted my proliferation of catalogs, bills and newspapers from my tiny apartment mailbox, I almost leaped out of my skin when I spotted an elegant tan envelope at the very bottom with the return address Law Offices of Rodney Cubbie, S.C. How fabulous of him to write back! I couldn’t believe it. What a great guy. He was my favorite one to watch in the court room.

Year Three :: Day One : Class Two

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think I can satisfy your moral needs in entirety. I am not here to teach you about the greater public good. Real estate is about money.” - Professor McDonald

I’m in Real Estate Transactions, which is an absolutely humongous class. It’s even hosted in the Auditorium, which accommodates a massive amount. Professor McDonald has apparently taught this course and its Spring partner Real Estate Finance for ten years, which bodes well for the quality of the course. He also teaches at the Business School, which is immensely promising and indicative of an interesting approach to the course, not a strictly Socratic method - driven military regime.

Oh!! He lives in the country and - get this - he breeds and shows Morgans! “Showing horses costs about the same as sending a youngser to college…” And he’s a self-professed tree-hugger who has sponsored the planting of more than fifty thousand trees. Wow.

I made a very serious investment yesterday at the grocery store. I was whipping along looking for the frozen vegetables and passed a giant display for Ratatouille, with little foot-tall stuffed animals from the movie. So now I have a small, squishy figurine of Remi the rat grinning at me from my dashboard. I loved that movie.

Remy: Hey I brought you something to...
[sees Emile eating garbage]
Remy: AH! NO NO NO NO! SPIT THAT OUT RIGHT NOW!
[Emile obeys]
Remy: I have got to teach you about food. Close your eyes.
[Emile obeys, Remy hands out piece of cheese]
Remy: Now take a bite of this...
[Emile snarfs cheese]
Remy: No no no! Don't just hork it down!
Emile: Too late.

Office 2007 is driving me BATTY.

We're in the Top 25!

U of I is now one of the Top 25 law schools in the country, according to the newly-released Top Graduate Schools of 2008 per USNews. How cool!

Marquette's #97, so at least it's back in the top 100 (although it has still fallen since I was accepted). Madison's #31, holding steady. #25! It keeps going up, and every other school I was admitted to has either held steady or decreased. Yahoo!

What's really fascinating is that #1 is Yale, #2 Harvard, #3 Stanford. Looking at their average LSAT scores, my test score would have gotten me into each of those schools with room to spare. I guess that's encouraging.

Year Three :: Day One : Class One

°o° On this day in 1928, “Hot Dog” was released. It was the final Disney-produced sort to star Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit.

Well, it’s day one of year three. Here’s hoping! Today I have Patent Law at 8:30, Real Estate Transactions at 1:30 and International Law at 3. We started the day with a rather voluminous thunderstorm that rattered the rafters and pounded angrily on the roof throughout the morning, which most consider a rather ominous initiation to the new year, but I consider it extremely auspicious, being the thunderstorm afficionado that I am... Hooray!

Last night when I left home it was absolutely freezing, and by the time I arrived in Champaign the thermometer had ascended (mercifully) to 86 degrees. I couldn’t believe it! Yahoo! This morning when I hopped in the car, it was already 81!

My first course, Patent Law, is taught by the same professor who presided over my Cyberspace Law course last semester, so at least I know one of my professors is all right. The only thing is he’s big on introductory talk, so I’m kind of in a flux at the moment.

Today I’m using Microsoft Office 2007 for the first time and I’m totally frustrated. Now I realize why uneducated people don’t like computers; it’s totally frustrating not to know what’s going on. I’m sure one I get the hang of it the program will far exceed its predecessor, but in the mean time I’m going batty.

After this I have to go down to the bookstore and duke it out to get my Real Estate Transactions textbook, which I am not looking forward to in the slightest. It’s usually an abysmally lengthy line of extraordinarily tired or terrified students who shift their weight from foot to foot restlessly, as though this will aid their situation...

...and The List Shrinks by Two

°o° On this day in 1970, “hippies” and “radical yippies” tried to take over Disneyland when seven hundred and fifty of them infiltrated the park. Before a major confrontation or riot could arise, a platoon of Anaheim police officers in full riot gear poured into the park from the backstage areas. From this day forward, Disneyland would enforce a “dress code” at the park. This marks the only time that an outside security force ever made a full-blown appearance in the Anaheim park.

I recently had the opportunity to check two items off of my List of Things to Do Before I Die: visit the Walk of Fame outside Raumen’s Chinese Theater in LA and see Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland. As to the former, I absolutely adore the city, and the fact that it seems to never “sleep.” For the latter, I have created a separate compare/contrast post. Even after visiting Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and Sunset Boulevard, I was positively bounding out of my skin in enthusiasm to enter the Disneyland grounds. I still can’t believe I got there! Yahoo!!!

Disneyland vs. Disney World

Disneyland vs. Disney World:
Compared, Contrasted & Considered

“To all who come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
- Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955

The Immersion Quotient
As in, it’s just doesn't exist at Disneyland. Driving from LA, we saw very few signs beckoning us onto the property, and only a scant two billboards advertising the new Nemo Submarine Voyage, in sharp contrast to the innumerable advertisements and propaganda that literally submerse the Disney World property. We could clearly discern the entrance to Disney’s property by the appearance of a suddenly-immaculate street and the sharply-painted lanterns that adorned it... however, entering Disney World is somewhat of an event, akin to a giant black hole sucking in a particle of dust. You become suddenly engulfed by impeccable greenery and a parade of uniform-colored street signs, all bearing Mickey ears; the rest of the world ceases to exist as you hum along a strip of black concrete amongst an explosion of emerald. The cement of Disneyland simply did not create a comparable effect. That said, I fortunately was not able to glimpse any of the “neon jungle” that Walt so despised while within the park’s walls.

The Castle
It’s no wonder Sleeping Beauty stayed zonked for so long: who would want to wake up in that castle, knowing that in Florida Cinderella scurries around one that literally dwarfs its California counterpart? I hurried through the first circle of Main Street and turned the corner to gaze upon... a tiny little gas-station sized patch of pillars and pink. I have absolutely been spoiled by Disney World. There, you enter Main Street, turn the corner and... BAM! This giant castle holds you absolutely captive as it looms in the distance, massive and imposing, its 189-foot stature aided and abetted by the carpentry technique of forced perspective. I looked up the stats and, well, no wonder.... Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is only 77 feet! In other related trivia... it was originally designed for Snow White, but was changed to coincide with the release of Sleeping Beauty; I had always wondered why they gave the least successful of the Disney princesses a castle at their flagship park. Another entry in the category of fascinating facts: during construction of Sleeping Beauty Castle, Walt recalled stories about huge castles being erected in Europe to intimidate the peasants, and believed a smaller castle would appear friendlier and more appealing. Further, Cinderella Castle can easily withstand massive winds exceeding 110mph and was designed as a visual magnet (also known in Disney parlance as a “wienie”), a term introduced by Walt himself that originates from the cliché that a carrot dangled in front of a horse makes the animal walk forward. Call me a horse, but it certainly beckons me. There's nothing better than glancing out your window at the Grand Floridian and having the horizon greet you with so beautiful a structure as this.

The Concrete
At Disney World, it’s stamped; at Disneyland, it’s the real stuff. I realize this is not particularly important, but the actual presence of individually-placed bricks and concrete slabs lends Disneyland an authenticity and historic charm that Disney World, with its sleek, streamlined components, comparatively lacks.

Meet Me on Main Street
While structurally similar and containing many of the same shops, Disneyland's Main Street has managed to maintain some of its individual, specialized boutiques, whereas all the seemingly distinct Disney World shops have morphed into one giant and largely indecipherable souvenir store. I hopped like a delighted 10-year-old when I caught a glimpse of my beloved Penny Arcade, and could scarcely find a quarter fast enough to retrieve a peek into my future from Esmeralda, the mechanical gypsy fortune teller. It is obviously a truncated version of the original shop, but at least my enlightener survived budget cuts! I wish they would have retained the astrology-based fortunes as well, but I’ll take what I can get.

The California Adventure
What a waste of Disney time, space and money. It’s basically a miniature Six Flags - bereft of the delightful Mickey ears and Disney magic that so delightfully illuminates the Magic Kingdom. Sitting on a park bench and taking in the scenery, you may as well be seated at a local amusement park. Soarin’, at least, proved a delightful addition, but the Tower of Terror is miniscule compared to MGM Studios’ and, besides, what’s the point? A tribute to California’s landmarks? A large percentage of the park frequenters live in California; should they so desire, they may simply visit these places with a few turns of a car wheel. The remainder are visiting from other locales and thus also able to swing by these places on their sightseeing expeditions. A miniature rendition of the Golden Gate bridge is charming, but unrelated to Disney folklore or production.

The Grand Californian...
...isn’t so grand. While the Grand Floridian is modeled after the famous Hotel del Coronado in California and thus almost bleeds elegance and opulence, the Grand Californian is inspired by the famed arts and crafts movement (in the US, “craftsman” style typically denotes the styles of architecture, interior design and decorative arts that prevailed between the dominant eras of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, roughly from 1910 to 1925). It certainly does reflect the kind of neo-gothic, rustic and “cottagey” feel of the intended time, but accordingly fails to astound or entrance. With its muted hues that emphasize hunter greens and chocolate browns rather than the bright, resounding Imagineer-designed white and gleaming reds of the Grand Floridian, it seems to emanate a sense of friendliness rather than grandeur. It’s almost like a toned-down, non-themed version of the Animal Kingdom Lodge, absent the latter structure’s intense, captivating African-inspired elements and influences.

The Monorail
Where does the Disneyland monorail go, does anybody know? I’m not sure where, precisely, I had expected it to run, but it seems largely superfluous, merely an alternative to walking that a large percentage of the users simply frequent as an attraction rather than a relocation device. At Disney World it actually serves the function of transporting guests from the Magic Kingdom to the parking lots or adjacent hotels, and a second tram line moves people over to Epcot, so it provides a critical service and is typically one of the most effective and timely methods of entering the park. This could just be my perception, but the Disneyland monorail seemed rather pointless to me. From the Minnie Mouse portion of the parking structure, it was much easier (albeit less stimulating) to walk.

Parking
Speaking of parking structures, I was shocked to enter one when we pulled in to Disneyland. I realize they have to put all the people somewhere, and that with 47 square miles Disney World can afford flat parking lots whereas Disneyland cannot accommodate such luxuries, but it was still strange to enter a structure associated with lurking criminals and shadows on Disney property.

Size
Disneyland is small - 85 acres as opposed to Disney World’s 107 acres. You notice this most in the size of the walkways: Disneyland feels tight and has the feel of a small town, whereas Disney World’s paths were obviously designed to accommodate massive crowds. This makes the California park preferable for those with small children (or little sisters who abhor exercise of any sort) and lends it the small-town feel that Walt reportedly sought while constructing this interpretation of his Marceline, Missouri childhood home.

“What’s a Motto with You?”
There’s a plaque by the entrance of Disneyland that reads: “Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy.” Where’s Disney World’s motto? What a beautiful saying, and magnificent way to set the mood. I’m going to frame that saying and put it above the door to my apartment. How absolutely perfect.

“A Pirate’s Life for Me”
Disneyland’s Pirates ride is superior in every way except for its queue. I missed the skeletons caught in a checkmate, but absolutely adored everything else about the Disneyland version. The Blue Bayou restaurant at the beginning was totally cool; I can see why everyone in the online community so reveres the place. The tiny green lights meant to resemble fireflies, my favorite insect besides crickets, were a brilliant addition to set the mood. Actually traveling under ground into a swamp-like area really made it seem like we were in the Caribbean, puttering through a thick area and awaiting a rather terrifying fate.

The Matterhorn
This was my first ride at Disneyland, as it does not (and never did) exist at the World. I couldn’t wait to hop on after reading so many stories about people being seriously injured by the ride vehicles, but it’s basically a cheap version of Expedition Everest at the Animal Kingdom. Boring, but I can see how it would have been totally invigorating and amazing in 1955. It’s also a nice addition to the park’s landscape.

it’s a small world of Beautiful Places
After leaving the Matterhorn, I wandered toward a giant, attractive piece of architecture gilded with gold paint and rather enchanting structural components... only to discover the building housed one of my least favorite attractions! There were also many little nooks and crannies off the main path that were so pretty I would just kind of stand and stare for a while; in particular, a little side road off of the Pirates entrance that led nowhere but sharply resembled the intended era and décor. It just served to set the scene and make for a pretty picture, and fulfilled its purpose excellently.

Troubadours
Disneyland is clearly meant for meanderers, who have all the time in the world to explore and traverse every nook and cranny of the park. Several times we thought we were headed toward the next land and wound up in a dead end, staring stupidly at the brightly-colored map in my hands; but, there were no empty areas bereft of eye candy or engaging décor. Walt obviously spared no expense to make his world engaging, encompassing and worthy of repeated viewing, whereas Disney World has several stretches of walkways that don’t really serve any discernable decorative purpose.

The Queues
... are so short at Disneyland! How delightful!

And finally, the traffic... rather, the lack thereof. We arrived around 10am on a Sunday, yet the place seemed almost deserted. Maybe it’s just part of the California lexicon to rise and come to attention at a later hour than I am used to at the Florida parks. I thought this was one of the peaks of the tourist season, the month before school starts, and a weekend day to boot!

But, you know what? Disneyland or Disney World, the Animal Kingdom or Epcot, I am absolutely delighted to be on Disney property anywhere, at any time.