Rafting the Clackamas

Had a wonderful day rafting with my fellow Lewis & Clark students and the Blue Sky Rafting crew on the wild and scenic Clackamas river. Saw some new faces and a few familiar ones, and made some new friends. It was a hot day, which made for perfect rafting weather. Stayed in the raft through all the rapids, and enjoyed the "wheel of fortune" dunking. This has got to be the perfect distraction from what lies ahead.

PIB

This was supposed to be another networking event for the law school, but I guess I didn't get the memo. Stuck around until about 45 minutes past the appointed start of the gathering. On the plus side, I got some good blogging in before that over at Keghunter. So it was a good time for me at least. Where was everybody??

Mojito Night

This was just a fun little house party with a few of the other social misfits who have spare time for social gatherings before law school begins. Mojitos, snacks, and Indiana Jones movies. Very enjoyable.

We're going to get along fine. Just don't let me have more than 4 drinks. Thanks.

OWLS: Leg Up

Amazing turnout at this networking-focused event sponsored by the Oregon Women Lawyers, with space provided by Barran Liebman. Once the group moved to the lobby, things really got rolling, with Judge Maurer playing the extrovert and Yumi O'Neil the introvert.

Good tips on setting realistic benchmarks for meeting folks, and some basics on effective follow up. Had the good fortune to meet a few fellow Lewis and Clark 1Ls, and we put our networking skills into practice. Now to get on with the follow up. Should be fun!

Technical Issues (Silverlight Sucks)

I dropped in at the Computing Services office today to see about getting set up for school, and to ask a few of my more technical questions. It turns out that getting on the network is no problem at all, and antivirus is no issue - the problem instead has turned out to be Microsoft's proprietary technology (as usual).

In this case, the offending product is Silverlight, a web development platform that Microsoft has built on their .NET framework. The first version of this software was made available for PowerPC Mac users, and I have it installed, but it is not compatible with any of the later versions, and no newer versions have been developed for PowerPC.

So I have been looking for a work-around, but so far have not been successful. The plug-ins built for Unix installs are all x86 - so poor old PowerPC users like myself are apparently out of luck. I plan to have a nice chat with the IT folks at the school later this week about best options. It is a really silly reason to buy a new computer - but on the other hand, I will need a new machine eventually. Yet, with the PowerBook still going strong, I am in no hurry to send it into a premature retirement. I would much prefer to buy a new computer on my student discount as a 3L and get the most modern machine possible to start my working life.

But, if it means massive inconvenience to stick with the current machine, a shiny new Macbook Pro would be okay with me. Maybe I will get lucky for my birthday....?

Street Fair & Walkfast Show

Yesterday I attended my first officially sanctioned Lewis & Clark event in the form of a meet and greet at the Mississippi Ave Street Fair. About a dozen law students met at Mississippi Pizza for some face time, and then moved out onto the street for a stroll. Had a great time, saw some now familiar faces from the previous meeting we held at the Flying Pie, and met some new folks as well.

I took the opportunity to invite folks to a show with Walkfast later in the evening, and I was pleasantly surprised that about half the group made it to the Mock Crest for the show. A good time was had by all, and I am looking forward to more law school fun as the summer slides on by. Beer is on the agenda for next weekend, with rafting to follow. Should be sweet!

Another blog?

Yes. Another blog. I know I have too many already - but this one has a very specific purpose.

I want to write here about my experiences as a law student, and eventually a lawyer, partly so I can work through problems I might have along the way, and mostly so I can remember what goes into the long process of becoming a working attorney.

This is also my way of claiming the "Pioneer Law" appellation for myself.

I realize now that I should have started this blog about a year ago, when I scheduled my LSAT test date - but in all honesty there is not much to tell from the application process, aside from an admonishment to get all the materials - including and especially your recommendations - prepared far in advance. I got a decent enough score on the test, and eventually completed successful applications for the three law schools in the State of Oregon. I've decided to stay in Portland and attend Lewis & Clark.

So you get to skip all the anxiety and self-doubt of the application process with me, and jump right into the anxiety and self-doubt of the law school process itself. Score!