Sunday, November 27, 2005

High School

It's weird, but I think the most useful study skills I've applied to law school came from high school. For example, in Torts you have tons of factors (Tarasoff, Rowland, Strict Liability). How do I memorize them? I make acronyms of the leading key words. Same shit I did in high school. I rewrite sections of my outlines with the elements over and over - same thing I did in high school.

Now that Thanksgiving is over I have 3 more days of class. When did the end ever come so abruptly after Thanksgiving? I'm studying my outlines, but I think they're too bare-bones. It's almost nauseating, the amount of stuff you have to memorize. I keep reminding myself, insisting there's no limits to my brain. My little universe. But God, is it really limitless?? Like the universe, time and space in my brain are inherently intertwined. Do I have time to add to the space? At some point, will I be incapable of adding more elements to the factors? I want it all, I want to know every element; I want to do Better Than Them. I have an advantage: I've been creating and studying my outlines since Week 3. But I'm not convinced it's enough. It's hard to focus on one class when you have to make space for all of them.

And I'm distracted again by thoughts of New York. I want to give SF a chance, but my heart hurts when I think of being in NY. I wonder if I'm the kind of person who can do the East coast-West coast transplant. My friends at school are all west coasters. But me, I have this drive inside of me that screams East coast. I wish I could feel the West coast without the pre-conceived notions of it that you get. Thanksgiving was a break, but also an unwanted opportunity to think about bigger issues. I don't want that distraction right now. I have to focus, and I don't want the outer world intruding. I need a self-imposed small-mindedness. And yet...part of why I want to do so well is that I want the opportunity to leave SF.

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