A Day in the Life of the Delinquent Blogger

Yeah, yeah, I know I never blog anymore. But I have good reason! Ahem. Anyways, I thought I'd post something short to give any readers out there a glimpse into my 1L world.

My day starts at 7:20 AM when the alarm goes off and I contemplate squeezing another ten minutes out of the morning in bed. I grudgingly get up, get ready, and make a quick breakfast. I head out the door and make the fifteen minute walk (uphill) to the nearby bus stop, avoiding the streams of cars that are rushing down the busy streets and honking at each other to get on the freeway just one second faster. I then wait for the next approaching #8 or #12 Big Blue Bus.

On the bus, I get the same view of Westwood Drive each day, and I've started to memorize the sites along the way, letting them click through my head as they pass by, giving an indication of how far the ride has progressed. Winchells. Starbucks. Cost Plus. Peets. Ross. Bristol Farms. Coffee Bean. The bus reaches Le Conte and makes a right and then a left on Hilgard where I get off and walk to the Law School.

The law school is just one brick building on the rather large UCLA campus. The school is its own self-enclosed enclave of nerdy law students who don't really need the rest of campus. My favorite part is the outside patio because of the dark pink flowers that climb up the trellises (I've always liked those). Inside, there are all sorts of large lecture halls with movie theather rows, and one can easily imagine the days when students were called on and tortured with the Socratic method (it's supposedly much gentler now). The law school has its own library with limited use for other patrons in order to provide a more serene study environment for the law community. The library is actually quite nice - sunny and new.

Class starts at 9:15. Torts. The professor speeds through the cases we've read. He calls on students to summarize cases and distinguish or analogize them to others. He does it nicely, though, and never makes students look dumb. Class ends. Civil Procedure starts at 10:50, and the professor in this class is a friendly, approachable guy who recently passed around a sheet to have lunch with us in small groups. I have a good seat in that class (middle corner, near the door).

Lunch time is a flurry of activity. Student groups meet and entice 1Ls with free food in order to explain their cause. (So far, I've been lured by the pizza and cookie sandwiches.) Speakers invited by student organizations visit and give talks about world events and legal issues. For the 2Ls and 3Ls, firms may have events to attract future employees. Lots of folks also just hang out or study; the library is quite packed at lunch time with last minute catching up. And it's only the second week of school.

At 2:00, I have a zany professor for criminal law. He likes to draw hypotheticals with crazy fact patterns and events. He would make a terrific writer for Law and Order. After Crim Law, I might have my legal writing and research class, which is the smallest of my classes. And then the day ends. I either head to the library, or check out some other event if something is going on, or head to the gym for an athletic class. Then, it's back on the Big Blue Bus and back home. And more reading...and more reading...and more reading.

Sound exciting? Haha. Anyways, if you've made it here without falling asleep, I congratulate you. ;-)