Hoping for Better Days

As some of you may know, my step-father took ill last weekend and has spent the last week in the hospital with a fairly serious internal infection and other complications. He has quite a road ahead because the infection needs to dissipate before surgery and, ultimately, recovery. My mother, the ultimate powerhouse, is amazing holding down the fort, making regular visits to David, and still managing to take care of everyone else.

I'm hopeful that better days are not far away, but your thoughts and prayers directed their way would be greatly appreciated.

A new day means a new distraction.

Today, I can't stop thinking about bianco carrara marble. George loves it, and I've agreed to use it in our third (and final) bathroom remodel. Nevermind that this project is not going to get underway for many, many months; I still cannot stop thinking about all the ways that we can use this fun stone in the last bathroom. Shower surround. Counter top. Sink. Backsplash. Half walls. Trim. The possibilities are endless. Besides, marble is a lot more fun than bar essay writing.

They're serious.

It's difficult to put the bar prep experience into words, but this article explains it pretty well.

Bytheway, Day 19 is the Rule Against Perpetuities. It's famous for being impossible to understand, and the California Supreme Court, in Lucas v. Hamm, ruled that it is so difficult to get right that a mistake involving the RAP does not constitute the basis for a malpractice claim.

My Day in Numbers

It started with 2 extra hours of sleep and 1 cup of coffee.

And it continued with the following:

9 practice essay answers [three 45-minute ones; six 22-minute ones]

5 loads of laundry

1.5-mile run (most of it with George)

1 trip to the supermarket (with George)

Phew.

It is time to DREAM.

Although immigration is often given the face of the person sneaking across the border, there are so many immigrant stories and situations. When I read this article, it reminded me of how little attention is paid to the immigrants who were brought here as minors, grew up in the United States, and either want to pursue or already have pursued higher education or military service. Under the current system, there is no way for them to legalize their status while remaining here.

The DREAM Act provides a solution. As proposed, it provides a pathway to permanent residence through a higher education or military service for individuals who were brought to the U.S. as minors, graduated from a U.S. high school, have good moral character, and have been in the U.S. continuously for five years immediately prior to passage. I understand that it also applies retroactively for those who meet the requirements and have already completed the higher education or military requirements.

Although their passports say otherwise, these youth are American at heart. Aside from the humanitarian aspect of allowing them to remain near family and established roots, it makes economic sense. The U.S. taxpayer has given them a public education, and, without immigration reform, they may never have the opportunity to legally work in this country. Regardless of the circumstances that brought them to this country as infants and children, they now want to live and work and contribute to the place they call home. And why shouldn't they?

It is time to DREAM.

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice and should not be relied upon.

Grace

If I had to use just one word to describe Denaye on her wedding day, it would be grace. She was so elegant, in control, and calm...without a snap, a tear, or a worry. I think it was captured perfectly in the photos posted on SOTA's blog this evening.

Amazing photos. Even more amazing people. Besitos, Denaye y David!

Make hay while the sun shines.

Make hay while the sun shines.

I thought it to myself this afternoon, and then I thought about how the meaning has changed over time and generations. When my grandfather repeated this idiom, he actually meant that he needed to cut the hay, bundle it, and store it before rain arrived. My mom was most likely to repeat it when she needed to accomplish something before a work deadline, the end of a vacation, or someone arriving at the house. For me, I was desperate (after doing my homework) to get in a run, a date with George, and a blog entry before my work load significantly increases tomorrow. My hay is in the barn, and I can rest well.

What comes next?

For the next 8 or so weeks, I'll be taking a bar exam prep course from BarBri and then studying independently for the bar exam. Classes are roughly 5 days a week for just a few hours a day, but the curriculum calls for approximately 10 hours of study on class days with an additional 10 hours over the days off each week. Phew!

The bar exam is held in Bellevue on July 27 to 29. The exam tests 18 substantive topics (contracts, torts, evidence, family law, criminal procedure, sales, corporations, agency and partnership, Indian law, etc.) mixed up in 18 essay questions, each covering 10-20 distinct issues, over the course of the first two days. The third day of the exam is a half day with six short-answer essay questions on professional responsibility. Of course, everything is time- and character-limited. Bar exam results will be mailed on October 15 and posted publicly (on WSBA's website) on October 18.

At the end of all of this, I look forward to the little getaway we have planned to the tropics. Ahhhhhh!

In the mean time, I am not sure how often I'll be posting on here. Sure, it's a great procrastination method, but I'm doing to do my best to not procrastinate with so much on the line. On the other hand, this is a slightly easier way to send out a smoke signal than emailing or calling each of you. We'll see.

Turkey!

This is all that remains of the turkey that wandered through our yard this afternoon. Random.