What? It’s only been two weeks? Second semester is definitely busier for a few reasons:

• Legal writing now has an (additional) statutory interpretation class that meets twice-a-week. There are also SSGs (structured study group) sessions wedged into my schedule.
• Job-Scholarship search, application essays, etc.
• Fees Committee season. We heard and debated discussed proposals for about six hours on Saturday. Fees Committee sessions are scheduled for most of this upcoming Friday (3pm onward) and Saturday.

Jamie and I saw The Uninvited* on Friday night. We used the comp tickets from the Unborn fiasco. The movie theater wasn’t as chaotic, but the girls next to us got into a fight with the movie theater cops. I’ve never heard someone call a police officer a “stupid m-f” to his face. It was impressive, in a “I feel bad for your public defender” sort of way.

The fees hearings took up the bulk of Saturday (noon-6pm-ish). That evening we went to the roller derby:

My camera only gave me two options that night – blurry or dark. Let’s blame the lighting. This was my first time at a roller derby. I didn’t expect it to be so family-friendly. The husbands of the rollergirls had shirts that read “Mr. (Wife’s Nickname)” the best was Mr. Strawberry Snatchcake. Yes. He actually had that on his shirt.

The roller derby was very tame. There were little kids running around everywhere. Brady, Jamie, and I got bored fairly quickly. Joe (who initiated the event) was MIA for the majority of the time. After the roller derby we went to the 19. On the way there I almost slid Charlie-Brown-Style on some black ice. Ugh.

Sunday Jamie and I loitered at Panera. I read this obnoxious case for Civil Procedure where the Supreme Court Justice attempted to compare a modern suit to 18th-century British claims for law and equity… it was dense, confusing, and irritating.

And apparently some of the Justices agreed: two of the concurring opinions said, “Uh guys, why are we doing this? We Justices not historians. We look ignorant, and we are wasting our time…” Yes Indeedy.

After Panera we went to Target and Ikea. I almost bought two (5-foot) palms for my room at Ikea, but when I got to the checkout line the cashier said, “Uh, that’s a display pot you can’t buy that.”

Me: “You mean this plain ceramic pot?”
Cashier: “Yeah. It has the product price tag on it. You can’t buy it.”
Me: “It’s a plain pot from a stack of plain pots. Can you just put the tag on another one?”
Cashier: “No. You need to get another pot”
Me: “Fine. I don’t want either of the plants or pots.”

I didn’t return her bitchy attitude, but I hope she had fun putting back those massive plants and the pots. I got some smaller plants from Home Depot.

I’ve noticed a change in my attitude: I have become more efficient. I realize that I am too busy for certain things, like arguing over an Ikea pot.

In the spirit of efficiency, I will work harder this week at single-tasking. I wasted a full two hours on Wednesday night doing a little bit of everything: scholarship essays, corresponding with professors, updating my calendar, etc – but I was at the library to read Criminal Law – not to do all those other things.

And what was the one thing I didn’t get done? Exactly.