think like a lawyer

oh, how glorious it was to see the white smoke soar into the sky today! bong hits can truly be a thing of beauty. (see what i did there? you probably thought i was talking about the pope, but i flipped it on you. i'm such a loser.)

seriously, i didn't smoke any pot today, although when i was in college, april 20th was like a weed-smoking holiday for some folks. why is that?

is anyone else a little bit surprised by how many of our classmates use drugs on a fairly regular basis? i've met at least five or six classmates this year who have told me that they get high "pretty much every day." i definitely know of a few people who have come to class stoned as well.

(i could understand the appeal - in theory - of going to, say, civil procedure while high, since you don't have to worry about getting called on, and the class is short enough that you might not get too antsy, and also because if you're really baked, gora would probably be pretty funny with all his subtle jokes and innuendos. however, if i were to go to property class while high, i'd be absolutely terrified. i think i'd probably have a panic attack.)

plus, i'm pretty sure that a fair amount of coke is going up the noses of certain members of the BLS student body... not that there's anything wrong with that, but where do these kids get the money? then there are those who basically drink themselves to sleep every night, whether in bars or at home in their apartments. this activity seems to become increasingly popular as exams get nearer.

anyway, that's neither here nor there. it's just something that intrigues me. i guess if you can balance your law studies, your social life, and a drug habit, more power to you.

i'm going to keep this short tonight, partly because nothing too interesting went on in class today. either that, or i'm so emotionally deadened to the world after a year of law school that i have lost the capacity to feel anything anymore. let's hope it's the former.

by the way, what the hell is a shirting?

so i was thinking about how back in july i was always looking at these books and websites about how to succeed in law school. one thing i remember was that a lot of them said that after a few months of school, i'd surely learn how to "think like a lawyer."

i guess i'm sort of wondering what this phrase means, and whether any of you feel like you're starting to think like lawyers, or if you're thinking differently at all.

i'm not sure if i've begun thinking like a lawyer or not. in a sense, i guess i have, since i can now read a case in 20 minutes that would've taken me an hour back in september. but really, this is pretty much because i now know what words like mandamus and penumbra mean, and i don't have to go running to the law dictionary every other sentence.

but is this all there is to thinking like a lawyer? vocabulary? certainly there's something else.

the other day i was watching this thing on 60 minutes about parents who let their under-age kids get drunk with their friends at home under their supervision. they talked all about the ethical and social aspects of the issue, but the thing that struck me the most was how none of the parents seemed to be worried about the tremendous liability they were creating for themselves if a friend of their child got hurt or whatever.

so then is that what it means to think like a lawyer, to think about tony's torts exam every time i poke my head out to peer around a delivery truck double parked on the street? or to think about how the UCC applies to the claims made on the a bag of doritos?

any input would be much appreciated. especially from adam ness, elisha cuthbert, and evan wagowski... i treasure your opinions above all else.

later taters,

-menlove