Law school vacation...I mean, competition.

Went to law school competition this weekend. And by weekend, I mean Wednesday through today (Sunday). As I have class on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday only, this means I missed AN ENTIRE WEEK OF SCHOOL. Happily, I'm regaining about 12 hours of free time per week that I am no longer devoting to practicing for the competition, so I should be able to mitigate missing so much school.

So, highlights of my week include:

1) The two feet of snow that fell while visiting. Thank God I packed snowboots. And purchased sweater tights. And that I like snow.

2) Visiting the Molly Brown Museum. She did so much more than survive the Titanic. I seriously recommend visiting if you are ever in Denver. She's a remarkable woman and a monument to to the women's rights movement.

3) Arguing in a real courtroom. It was marble. With real wood. And I got to introduce blown up evidence (i.e. evidence that was enlarged, not set on fire). And make really sweet arguments. (ON THE GROUNDS THAT IT'S DEVASTATING TO MY CASE!!!)

4) $65 per diem. Enough said. NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM.

5) Losing all the competitions, but winning the mingling award and gleaning the best prize of the night: free drink tickets. My teammates loved me for this. (Although those huge gavels were pretty fucking sweet, too.)

6) A hotel room all to myself. Apparently my school is awesome. And understands the possibility of women killing each other if forced to room together. My room was baller. The view? Not so much.

Some of the not so awesome things that I experienced while on my "boondoggle" to Denver (you trial comp people know what the hell I mean by that):

1) Missing the opportunity to eat at Crepes & Crepes. DAMN YOU, SKEWED SENSE OF DIRECTION. DAMN YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL.

2) Missing my dog. I'd like to thank a VERY good friend of mine, Tigger (she'll get this reference), for watching my crazy Crackers. I'm eternally grateful, and glad to be home with my goofy dog.

3) Not having any type of schedule. Our itinerary was one of a bunch of half-drunk fratties on spring break: we had no fucking clue what was going on. My coach isn't big on communication. Didn't know my flight number. Or my hotel name. Or my flight time. Or when any of the competitions were. Or my middle name. You get the drift. Thus this blog was spawned by my freaked out (and obviously sarcastic) mother, Maxine.

I could go on and on, but I'm going to save it for tomorrow (or perhaps the next, after I've fully recovered from this trip) when I blog about the politics of law school competitions, and perhaps offer a few friendly pointers for those considering competing in such a program.

And maybe tell a funny story or two.

Maybe.

Leav-aaaaaannnnnnn on a jet plaaaaaaannnnneeeee

So yeah, don't know if you have heard, but I'm going on vacation. And it's kinda a big deal. Five fun-filled amazing days full of roller coasters, tasty pool-side beverages, sand between my toes, and rocking some of my new vacay wardrobe........oh yeah, and chilling with Leonidas. ;)

I've been packing for the better half of six hours. I laid out precise wardrobe pairings. I changed them. I fretted. I clucked. Then I put ALL OF THEM on my carry-on bag. And it all fit. All ten pairs of shorts. And gazillion shirts. And dresses. And even my heels. I'm already feeling a sense of incredible accomplishment and I haven't even left yet.

On the other hand, I went to the donut shop today and my total was $6.66....so I tipped $1.11 and brought it to $7.77. NOTHING WILL RUIN MY DAY/VACAY. (Even superstition.)

Any suggestions while in Orlando?

Old friends and new beginnings

Went to an old roommate's wedding this weekend. Caterwauled  Sang during the ceremony. Drank during the reception. A good time was had by all, and I enjoyed getting to see people I hadn't seen for several years. We told old war stories, laughed about our most ridiculous memories, and generally felt old because people are getting engaged/married/having babies and it's not shocking anymore.

And because we're reaching the points in our lives where we are actually carving out our career paths. And considering class reunions (yes, it's still a few years away, but STILL). And losing our metabolisms and having to work super hard to maintain our girlish figures. And contemplating our late twenties rather than our early twenties.

Growing old doesn't have to be terrifying though. I've been able to meet people who are restarting their lives in law school at 40, and by God, they are having the times of their lives getting along just fine. Every day, I see women who bust their ass in the gym and look/feel better at 45 than they did at 20. There's a chance to learn, to live, and to enjoy life in such a way that you don't consider when you're barely twenty.

This is really just an aside though. The wedding was beautiful, my friend was GORGEOUS, the dress was fantastic. Open bar=cha-ching. And I figured out what I'm going to do for my creative summer project (stay tuned, Budget Blonde).

And (drum roll please)....I totally booked airfare and a rental car for Orlando. Up next....timeshare points galore.

BEST.SUMMER.EVER. Can I get an amen from the front?

Summer vacay on the cheap

Leonidas and I have been weighing our options regarding summer vacay. He's a notorious spender, while I'm a total cheapskate spendthrift. This would seem to be a good thing, as I would presumably put him on the "straight and narrow," and influence him positively to spend his money wisely. This isn't the case though, because Leonidas equates a deal to a cheap alternative to something better something too good to be true. At any rate, we've decided to go somewhere hot and fun and QUICKLY, because we only know his schedule a few days in advance. We've opted for Florida, and we're thinking Orlando. This means beach access, as well as some time at Disney and Universal Studios. It also means a few cocktails, some good food, and some cheesy souvenirs for Maxine, Danny, Cyd, and Calvin.

I'm envisioning our days starting something like this:

Followed by some of this:

And a lot of these:

And ending like this:

 

In short, I'm anticipating paradise. And between my parent's timeshare points, Allegient Airlines cheap fare, and the fantabulous company of the ever-entertaining Leonidas, it's sure to not disappoint!


Any suggestions from my fellow cheapskates spendthrifts on good deals down in Florida? (Too bad, Leonidas....my cheapness reigns supreme.)