What's new?

It's been a while so here's a brief update.

Because I failed the bar again (see previous post), I'm scaling way back at work so I can focus on studying.  Still, work is going well so it's nice to hang on to that and not lose it completely (having a paycheck during bar study is also nice - so I'm still gaining money instead of losing).

Today is my first official day of bar prep.  The first few hours have been taken up with scheduling.  The last couple times I ended up using the "shotgun strategy:" concentrate on one subject until I have it, then move on to the next.  The problem is if it takes too long to learn one subject then I don't have enough time for the ones at the end.  Just like using a shotgun; your primary target will get demolished, but it takes too long to reload and you don't end up getting as many shots off.  This time around, my first priority is to set a realistic schedule and then stick to it.  This way I can ensure I've got enough time to do everything I need.  I'm also going to start studying my first subject, the one I did the worst on last time.  It's criminal law & procedure, believe it or not.  It was my very first class of law school, and after a year interning in the DA's office you'd think I'd be a better expert on the subject.  The problem is the bar exam is not a practical exam; it's a different kind of beast.  And to be honest working for the DA gave me bad habits; even if I know something is probably not constitutional, I know the autobrief argument saying it should be admitted anyway.  That's good in the courtroom (and works most of the time) but bad for the bar exam.

(Disclaimer: I'm not saying the DA habitually makes specious arguments to convince the court to violate the constitution.  I'm saying my DA training has slanted my perspective.  I'm sure the same thing happens on the other side.)

"Jordan, what about your photography?"  Yeah, I've got photos going back almost a year that I haven't even sorted through yet.  Photography is a nice source of procrastination, but I'm doing less of that this time (and I do still have a part time job - most of my procrastination will go there).  So, the photos will probably have to wait until after the bar.  Same thing with changes & improvements to my website (other than the occasional post).

And that cold is still hanging on.  It's been almost two weeks now.

J<