Yesterday two classmates came over and we spent a few hours cooking and eating a festival of Chinese food. Rest assured that all was authentic, as our head chef was from China. One dish consisted of boiling and then frying an egg in chicken flavored oil. The jury is still out on that one, but all the other dishes (shrimp, beef, chicken, fish,) were fantastic. It was a good break from what has been an otherwise work-oriented past few days. Did you know that the word for law in Chinese is actually comprised of two characters, one representing, “law as it should be” and the other, “law as it is” ? I find that to be profound.

Since the countdown to finals has begun, the onus to study and outline has increased as have general stress levels. Luckily I am not behind in anything (in fact, I’ve been getting ahead in my reading,) so all that remains for me to do is to outline and review. I’d like to think that I’ve been taking good notes, so I hope that the outline process will be more of a review rather than a frenzied search for information.

I am also looking into various options for summer employment. Although the job market is pretty bad right now, I’d like to get a paid position at a firm to gain some insight on that sort of work and a little money for next year’s expenses. If that does not pan out, there are many internships (sadly unpaid) that I can apply for. Any and all leads appreciated!

As per life in NOLA, it hasn’t been bad at all. It has been getting quite cold when the sun goes down, so although the telltale signs of fall are mostly absent here, I can feel the change of the seasons. Now would be a great time for a jacuzzi out in the back yard… Well, back to to work!

I’ve now been down in New Orleans for roughly two months. Some interesting things:

Visits: Yes, I love to see a familiar face or two. Rick made the trek all the way from CT, to attend an important conference on health care with Dianne. Who’d of thought? We had a temporary setback when the restaurant that had been recommended was inexplicably closed, but managed to find some okay grub (with a great view) on Burbon St. Rick, if you are reading this, next time I’m taking you to the Upperline (more on that below.) Later that night we visited the Polo Club, a fittingly named establishment, for some upscale entertainment and cocktails. It was a lovely night that I hope to repeat. // Kate and Nate also have come by casa lui Barison. While in town visiting Nate’s brother, who is working hard with Habitat, they all found some time to enjoy the culinary delights of the city. We visited Upperline restaurant, which I had been salivating over since visiting their website and perusing the menu. It wasn’t cheap, but it was all New Orleans. During the course of our meal we were greeted by the owner and the chef. Dishes included: turtle soup, gumbo, fried green tomatoes, lamb shank, seared tuna, etc… We topped off our evening of culinary delight with Blue Bell brand “Butter Pecan” ice cream, a sumptuous and fatty indulgence.

Parties: Tulane is a bit of a party school, and since law school is often equated with high school, there is lots to be done. I’ve been to a few birthday parties, quite a few happy hours, bar reviews, religious themed parties, pool parties, some seriously odd bars and one desert competition. As a poor student I’ve discovered two things: 1) if you look hard enough, you will find a drink special on whatever night of the week you may be craving libation, and 2) when one holds a party in one’s own house, all leftover goods become the property of said householder. Should you require any further details, feel free to contact me…

Trips: Not including my trip to Athens during the hurricane, I’ve gotten around a bit. A bike trip with the Environmental Law Society brought me and a handful of schoolmates to Lake Pontchartrain. The trip was leisurely and the only disappointment was the the amount of litter strewn about the lake-shore and the rather unpleasant condition of the water itself - there’s work to be done yet! Next week I may be going on a canoe trip, and there is a chance that I will soon visit the state’s notorious prison.

Improvement: I always feel the need to improve wherever it is I am. This tendency is currently being manifest in our house’s backyard. It seems as if the previous tenants decided to go with the “total neglect” theme, thus resulting in a wild lawn, trees overrun by vines and a pathetic remnant of a garden. It’s still a work in progress, but I’ve taken great satisfaction cleaning up this area. My great goal is to restore an old brick grill that is built into the ground out back. If I get that baby going, I’ll be sure to post some pictures of the resulting feast.

Cool Peeps: I won’t go into too much detail, for fear of not mentioning someone, but suffice to say that I have some pretty cool classmates - and by cool of course I mean interesting, articulate, funny and with lots of perspective from which I can learn. It’s re-assuring to know that not all future lawyers spent the majority of their college days in frat-house basements conceiving ways to torture one another… it’ll be a fight, but there may be some justice ahead. And to my former cool peeps, a blanket apology if I have not been great about being in touch. You see, while all this great stuff is going down, I still have to go shopping, pay the bills and, oh yeah, study. Best way to get my attention is to buy a plane ticket down here, you won’t regret it

Today I was called on in Contracts. During this, my first summons, I ended up on the hook for three different but related cases which focused on the question of whether an offer had been made (versus just implied) for the purpose of determining whether a contract could be enforced. Exciting? …maybe not as viewed from the eyes of a “reasonable person,” but when you are on the spot in front of your classmates the urge to perform emerges. I didn’t have all the answers, but I had the ideas and fact patterns down pretty well.

This, however, is not a self-congratulatory post; rather, I hope to extrapolate from my humble experience today to those challenges faced by Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee. While I do not expect Gov. Palin or any other one person to have all the answers regarding how to solve our our country’s ills, I do expect those in positions of power, such as herself, to be able to articulate the basic ideas and fact patterns that lay before us.

A good, I dare say competent, leader knows how to take complex issues and give people an in as to their exploration; that is, the process of distillation helps us understand both what is and what one aspires to do about it. In this regard, Gov. Palin is a complete failure. Not only is she unable to tackle questions that she ought to be able to anticipate, but she also fails to lay out a convincing rationale for her own beliefs.

Perhaps I ought not be surprised, given the fact that Palin has been chosen for the express purpose of pandering to the faith-based community. But to that community, I ask, in what do you intend to place your faith? Since the Bible or a “value” can not serve as our leader we are forced to place our trust in humans, whose fallibility is guaranteed. Obama and Biden are fallible, as are McCain and Palin.

A rabbi who recently gave a lunchtime talk to a group of Jewish students here threw out an interesting point: the interpretation of the word of God by his messengers has itself become an ongoing continuation of that word. While one could argue that such a formula was probably fomenting in the mind of the Unabomber, the basic principle is sound; our being is not static and we must strive to make sense of what we are given from all sources.

After three weeks of legal studies I can say that much of what constitutes this human element in our system of justice can be found in decisions of merit as rendered by judges and juries. The Rules (of which there are many) help guide us in reaching just and equitable conclusions; we who chose are asked to find connections, discern intent and apply facts to that for which we ultimately have no guidance. This process, which occurs both with and without volition, a billion (or 700 billion) times a day, forms the lexicon from which new paradigms are promulgated when the times so demand. We are but the random ball rolling from the table; like the enigmatic neutrino, our rare moments of connection prove our very existence…

Governor Palin, who once struck me as a ballsy fighter, has proven herself to be yet another American who seeks to restrict rather than broaden this fundamental lexicon. As evidenced by current events that, if taken to their logical conclusion, may well precipitate the collapse of our society, the last thing we currently need is to narrow our already myopic focus. I do not elevate Obama and Biden to any sort of mythic status; the Democratic ticket’s humility, as opposed to the folksy opprobrium of its opponents, is emblematic of its embrace of the evolving word. In a world that appears to be getting the better of us (literally,) it’s right time we embrace the both.

I have been spending the past few days in Athens, GA with my friend Josh. I left town on Saturday, at which points the roads were still clear. Those who left on Sunday, however, ended up sitting in gridlock for hours. It’s been a bit disconcerting having to do this the 2nd week of classes, but considering how bad things could have been, we were all very lucky this time around. Tulane did not sustain any major damage and classes are slated to resume next Monday. I find this a bit strange to say, but I am actually looking forward to getting back to school! Law school is a strange beast, and finding some sort of rhythm regarding work/study habits is key. So, let’s hope for no more drama, at least for a while!

Next Monday I officially start law school. Orientation has been both interesting and a drag, all in all, to be expected. Today we had a very insightful session organized by the career development office (CDO,) which will no doubt play a large role in my next three years here. A highlight of today’s presentation was a panel discussion by four Tulane Law alumna from various fields. The two most interesting panelists were Andrew deKlerk, an admiralty law specialist of South African origin, and Jim Letten, the United States Attorney for Eastern Louisiana. deKlerk made clear that for admiralty law, New Orleans was the best place to practice and that the Tulane name had the highest international cachet. Letten, who was instrumental in convicting the former Governor of Louisiana on corruption charges, reminded us of our new status as professionals and the effort we’d have to make to get ahead. Letten’s advice largely hinged on the fact that unlike 30 or so years ago, competition for good legal positions is much more intense, and that merely getting by is no longer enough. His talk was inspiring and helped re-kindle some passions that I’d lost sight of in this hectic time of transition.

And hectic it has been. I don’t think I have done as much socializing and mingling in the past two years as I’ve done in these last few days. For those of you who know me (wait, who the hell else is reading this anyway,) “chit-chat” is not my forte. I tend to jump right to a critical analysis of the situation at hand, which can be a bit off-putting. That said, I have come across some very interesting people, many of whom have traveled extensively and some of whom have had other careers before winding up here. While I’m still a little exasperated by the cliques that are starting to form, I have come to realize that it is just human nature and I am no great exception to any of it. What I do take from this, though, is that it will be healthy for me to maintain interests outside of law school (a sentiment echoed by many of today’s speakers.) I’m not sure what that will be yet seeing that I don’t really know non-law school people and I’m so focused on getting my bearings at school.

What I can say I’m psyched about is the fact that I have received my student ID which means that I can now access the gym. Working out has always been a way for me to focus and calm myself, and I’m sure that I’ll be able to establish a routine shortly.

But the fact remains that I am way out of my comfort zone and feeling a bit vulnerable. A sincere thanks to those who have reminded me that I am my own harshest critic, and what may make me feel weird is often what others find attractive. Wish me continued luck, especially with the ***tload of reading that is soon to be upon me.