2014-01-23 - 3:23 p.m.

Very strange that I can't access this site from my new laptop! I went to write about how happy I am that a couple of the sales persons I supported are willing to provide references for me, but I couldn't access this page. Just WEIRD.

I am at the library where I had a volunteer training to attend so figured may as well log in from here for a moment.

Studying is going OK but slower than I expected. At least on the next round of Property Questions I did SUBSTANTIALLY better. More like 70% correct in the Emanuel Law Review book. Either the questions in the PMBR review book are much harder, or I actually learned alot in the process of working on those. I only completed about 30 of the property questions in the Emanuel book yesterday however so I still have no idea how I could possibly work on the MBE questions within 1.8 minutes each. When I timed myself I consistently take twice as long to complete them. Bummer. That did include the unintended couple second or minutes doze. I never know how short or long that doze is when it happens. I mean can't time WHEN I fall asleep. They are often however I THINK just for mere seconds- even if they happen often, so in the aggregate are not that much time lost. I swear a smoker loses more productivity than a narcoleptic as they have to get up and go outside often enough for that. So will see how I am doing as on the prior bar exams I always just had to input a row of "C" for the final questions I never had time to even read. Yes it takes me LONGER but the thing is I ALWAYS just plug away and GET IT DONE when it comes to work- Always have! Even if it meant staying on campus in my dorm until Christmas Eve and THEN driving home days after everyone else was gone, I did it. I can recall many a semester doing that. I would get my papers done (albeit late) and then do my Christmas shopping on the ride home at a K-Mart I recall that was on the way driving downstate in NY. But hey I always got my work handed in and was home in time for Christmas morning with gift for the whole family. I am happy as an adult I have learned other skills to not be late missing deadlines. I mean I was spot on with my RFP review and contract deadlines being met with very few exceptions.

But this BAR Exam may not be managable if they don't allow me extra time. I can however only give it my best shot.

Study today was kinda fun thus far as I have been reading the VA CODE. Its kinda a blast at times- I mean to read the boundry line code of places I know and some of the bizarre things I never expected to be made law like the VA seal:

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+1-500

When studying I don't like to rely on secondary sources but do prefer to pull up a primary source and read it first before I try to memorize the points of law highlighted as most important. Who knows, perhaps the BAR examiners will have some question on some obscure point of law and I will be the ONLY one ready ? ( HA HA I imagine a crazy scenario of a new emblem which would violate the code ... or an exam question on a farmer generating electricity out of agricultural waste which is excluded under the definition of "Manufacturing"- but only in the event 51% of the farmer's gross income came from agricultural operations. I mean I can think of great scenarios to test that law). It's the really odd , weird stuff that I find interesting to read. ( Not that the exclusion of electricity generated from agricultural waste is WEIRD -as that is just AWESOME.) My point being the unique is always much more MEMORABLE. I have no idea why I have a harder time memorizing the legal concepts I have heard OVER and OVER and OVER again!

Well back to the grind. Working on study points from another bar review course today which go over main substantive law as memorizing them is really the MOST important task I have.

I can't write a decent essay if I don't know the law from memory . That has been my primary problem in the past. I can't recognize mis-statements of the law in the multi- state questions if I don't KNOW COLD the nuances of the laws being tested.That has also been a problem in the past due to poor memory. A SUBTLE difference can seem legit when it is not and it is easy to get nomenclature confused so repetitve study is needed.

Will see if I can master this enough. Heck I get thrown when I go to Mass and they are saying the NEW prayers as my brain STILL recited the old ones! Now how many years were they changed? TWO?? Old habits die hard and it is SO HARD for me to learn the new prayers! Just terrible at memory! I even brought a copy of them home. (I also analyze and think things like "Why the hell did they change " Lord I am not worthy to receive you" to something so idiotic as " not worthy to put you under my roof?" I mean really... that is just a stupid change in the prayer before Catholic member's receive communion.

I get caught up in my own internal debate over each "new" prayer and laugh at my own insistance that the language SHOULD NOT BE CHANGED.

So I try to think of that with understanding of when there was some template language we used at work and I drafted somethign really close that deviated JUST A BIT. It most often was something ANOTHER attorney approved and liked- but then when used for a third party in another drafted deal I would get reamed out for freestyle drafting. The freestyle drafting was never coming out of nowhere but heck it made WAY MORE SENSE than " not worthy to put you under my roof" does in the above change! My edits were legally salient at least! However I get it how one might CRINGE when they had expected a standard provision and I delivered something different.

I think of that as in my interview I was asked if I could draft . Sure I can draft. I can write very easily. I PREFER to use a well crafted provision that has become standard that is sure to reflect the mutually agreed upon position that has ALREADY been approved by a company - however if there is something being done NEW I never balked at giving it my best shot.

I think I forgot in my interview to then reiterate that of course then a second set of eyes and in particular ATTORNEY review was always provided. That would be DIFFERENT if I were to pass the BAR and BE the attorney. The thing is however, that even when there were objections - the language that was objected to had most often not really been MINE just drafted, but had been used by me ALONG with another attorney prior so I was always very perplexed by criticim of me drafting a provision if one were NOT found in our standard playbooks. I mean I wasn't pulling things randomly out of my hat- but using language I had LEARNED by EXPERIENCE and having thoughfully discussed prior for the most part on OTHER deals- EVEN IF there was something new being done on THIS particular amendment, service attachment or service order.

SIGH OH Well...

But I am obsessing over that interview still HA HA

Its funny however how an interview will make one think of things that had formerly been forgotten! I FORGOT about some of the moments when I was criticized until honestly assessing my strengths and weaknesses to give a very clear picture of my ability and limitations.

One thing I KNOW I am- that is confident and decisive and NOT unwilling to accept responsibility for judgement calls made. That is a big pet peeve of mine- indecision based on fear of being accountable. I think if someone does a good job and KNOWS it they should never hesitate to do their best work with all the resources and checks and balances at their disposal to ensure quality assurance- and THEN ACT. I just hated how many would sit on a project rather than DO it which seemed to me to be out of fear. I mean when one has a few years experience in a field one LEARNS the ropes and then will have good judgement. That skill has little to do with memory and more to do with making connections in the moment and knowing what prior work to pull for examples, references to review, and knowing what issues have arisen and being able to pull from your own work instances of those same issues having been handled in the past. I had a depository of MY Work along with comments of each attorney I supported and could review their take on things BEFORE I drafted.

It would be so refreshing to ONLY HAVE to understand the take of ONE or TWO people than a half dozen and to be on the same page with perspectives of how much risk to take, etc. It would then be SO EASY to pull from prior work as examples and know what the right call would be in cases of new issues arising.

Heck my judgement calls were after all validated- even if it was after a few months of meetings of others bouncing ideas around.

I know that, so am very confident I would be not only GOOD in the role of lead negotiator but just STELLAR considering my adeptness in the past at Debate and Moot Court.

I would SO love that role. I am pleased at the one place I interviewed with that there is a small team that I think I would enjoy working with. I SO HOPE to get hired by them.

At least I do have another interview set up. Funny the recruiter who has called me a few times, and sent a couple of e-mails from the third large company didn't call to set up an interview as he said he would do this week! I sent him an e-mail letting him know I am talking to two other companies so perhaps will hear from him too.

Enough rambling.

Back to studying.

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