1st day of high school...I mean law school

Greetings from Los Angeles! I have now been a resident of Southern California for a long four days. In that time, I have become an expert on building Ikea furniture, parking in the tightest of tandem spots, getting used to a full-size bed (a real upgrade from the twin), and driving on the 405 freeway in traffic. The apartment is now fairly set up and liveable: my room is furnished and functioning; the living room has a TV with semi-decent reception; and I even have internet working!

Today was actually the first of a two-day of orientation at the law school. I woke up extra early and rode the big blue bus for the first time to campus. I left even earlier just to make sure I didn't get lost..and I was an hour early. Teehee. So I walked around campus and got coffee before everyone got there.

As many have told me, law school feels just like high school all over again, particularly the new student orientation. We awkwardly introduce ourselves even though name tags are plastered to us. We have silent moments before someone asks another typical question about where they grew up or went to school beforehand. We get lockers. We take all of our classes with small sections. We meet and mingle and feel each other out. There are those who scope you out and assess your coolness. I'm not hiding anything -- I've accepted my lack of coolness and I'm okay with it. ;-)

The actual orientation was long and exhausted. In the morning, the dean welcomed us and we heard a couple of guest speakers who urged us to embrace the "river of life" and law school. We had time outside to mingle with other students over a boxed lunch and soda. Then, we headed inside for a few more presentations on how to use the library, how to use the computing services, and how to stay sane for 1L. I got lots of fun stuff - my student ID card, my law school building key, my library copy card, a library badge to distinguish us from undergrads, three different mugs (one "approved" coffee cup for the library and two water bottles), description forms for different student organizations, a pen, and packet of skittles.

Oh. And I also purchased my textbooks. Now these aren't just any textbooks. These are veritable tomes, TOMES. The kind of dry, scholarly books that you might see in a lawyer's living room bookshelf. No color. Monochrome fine print. Dead ringers for reference books behind the shelf at the public library. And they weigh a thousand pounds. I lugged those suckers all the way home today, too. On the bus and for the several blocks from the bus stop to my apartment.

Anyway, that was my first day of school. I'm curious to see how the rest of this week and then semester will pan out...