101 in 1001 (Or: my addiction to lists is showing)

The 101 in 1001 days challenge has been around for quite some time, but (like always) I'm just now getting around to it.

I've decided to start today (12/20/2012), and it will end on September 17, 2015 (09/17/2015). (Jesus that's a long time away.)

As I complete them, I'll cross them out, and hyperlink to any blog entries I may have composed about particular goals I accomplished. And I really REALLY want to finish these goals. 

For convenience and ease of grouping, I put them in specific categories. 

Professional Goals

1)            Pass Louisiana Bar Exam

2)            Take a case to trial

3)            Land a great job

4)            Pass Texas Bar Exam

5)            Win a difficult case

6)            Take and pass the Patent Bar

7)            Become accomplished enough in my career that I feel comfortable speaking to undergrad students in my old department about it

8)            Speak to undergrads about career options with respect to my experiences

9)            Write a legal article and submit it for publishing

Personal Goals 

10)        Buy a house

11)        Pay off my student loans

12)        Start a savings account

13)        Become an expert at something

14)        Build or refinish a piece of furniture

15)        Build a budget and stick to it for one month

16)        Do one thing I have always said I would NEVER do

17)        Reconnect with two old friends

Self-Betterment 

18)        Donate 100 hours of pro bono time

19)        Participate in a 5K

20)        Discover a healthy activity I love doing

21)        Don’t cuss for an entire day

22)        Read ten classic novels

23)        Develop a nighttime skin/winding down routine and stick to it for two weeks

24)        Watch five classic movies

25)        Complete one, real, honest-to-God pullup

26)        Take a spin class

Altruism

27)        Write someone a thank you note for influencing me in a positive way

28)        Send someone a care package

29)        Hand write my grandmother a letter

30)        Digitally store and create at least one photo album for my mom

31)        Knit my little brother a scarf

32)        Buy someone a gift just because I can

33)        Give blood

34)        Plant a tree

Educational Endeavors 

35)        Educate myself about the stock market (at least 2 books)

36)        Reeducate myself about ancient history and modern geography (at least 3 texts)

37)        Revisit learning Latin

38)        Visit a museum

39)        Visit the Smithsonian

40)        Go to an orchestra performance with my little brother

Artistic Endeavors 

41)        Audition for a movie or show

42)        Take a painting class

43)        Participate in another play/musical

44)        Watch a Broadway play

45)        Sew something that I’m not embarrassed of

46)        Visit the opera

47)        Perform a musical number with my little brother

48)        Put an Earl the Squirrel story into writing, and make brother illustrate it

49)        Watch a stand up show/routine

Cooking

50)        Make homemade bread

51)        Make a homemade cheesecake

52)        Discover my signature dish

53)        Take a cooking class

54)        Make Christmas cookies with my little brother

55)        Create edible gnocchi

56)        Make a homegrown pesto

57)        Plan and execute an elaborate dinner, complete with tapered candles and music

Autonomy

58)        Do the dishes every night for an entire week

59)        Drink the requisite eight glasses of water every day for an entire week

60)        Go to bed by 11:00 every day for an entire week

61)        Get up at 6:00 every morning for an entire week in order to work out

62)        Change my own oil at least once

63)        Go through ALL old pageant clothes and donate, sell, or trash 90% of them

Travel Plans 

64)        Travel to NYC

65)        Take Josh to New Orleans

66)        Travel abroad

67)        Go camping

68)        Attend my 10 year class reunion

69)        Visit the Grand Canyon

70)        Visit somewhere with crystal clear waters and snorkel

Electronic Age

71)        Digitally store and sort all of my old photos online

72)        Fix an electronic of some sort

73)        Create photo albums of all my precious moments

74)        Finish photo editing photos for important moments (graduation, vacations, swearing ins)

75)        Store all of my old schoolwork digitally and get rid of all the paper I scanned

76)        Organize all of my files and documents

Just because I can.... 

77)        Get my concealed carry

78)        Roast marshmallows around a campfire

79)        Decorate a gingerbread house

80)        Take a partners dance class

81)        Buy myself a piece of jewelry

82)        Buy a hammock and lay in it

83)        Try eyelash extensions

84)        Plant a garden

85)        Frame and mat my diplomas

86)        Read the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy

87)        Grow, dry, and drink my own tea

88)        Mail a secret to Post Secret

89)        Pay for a fancy meal for me and the bf

90)        Compose a list of 101 things I’ve already accomplished of which I’m proud

91)        Have a day at the spa

Online Presence 

92)        Meet up with at least one of my twitter friends in real life

93)        Write a blog entry once every day for a week

94)        Break 500 followers on Twitter

95)        Redesign my blog

96)        Market my blog in such a way that I become more mainstream and relevant/pick up   more followers

97)        Blog 10 haikus

Grown Up Stuff 

98)        Host Thanksgiving

99)        Throw a dinner/themed party

100)    Discover and add three new vegetables to my diet

101)    Stand up for one person who is being ganged up on, regardless of the setting

Confessions that no one should be surprised about....

I'm about to drop a little bit of truth on you.....

I dress like a 90 year old woman.

No, really. On my first date with my boyfriend of three years, he made a quip about me suffocating him with my "Bill Cosby sweater." (And here I was thinking I looked snazzy.) When I was a kid, I used to circle turtlenecks and those shirts made out of the long underwear material in the JC Penny catalog. And then I wore them every day. One Christmas, I distinctly remember begging my mother for weeks for a pair of penny loafers.

(I'm going to let that soak in for a minute.)

In high school, I wasn't much better. I shopped at Goodwill. I chose things that made me laugh, and made others laugh. I didn't give a flying flip about what others thought. (And still don't, honestly, which isn't always necessarily a good thing.) I opted for outfits that were outlandish. Garish. And I still loved turtlenecks.

Nowadays, I resemble a librarian. The unsexy kind. I live in cableknit sweaters. Hugemongeous cardigans. Sweater-set cardigans. I layer them over camis. And over turtlenecks (obviously).

I love fashion. I really do. I like trendy clothes, and cool makeup, and funky styles. I follow fashion bloggers and drool over their outfits. I participated in pageants and have the 29 LBDs and 50+ other cocktail dresses to prove it. I wore false eyelashes. Rocked the five inch pumps. Know how to dress for every occasion. (And I'm honestly not making that up.) I own no less than 13 Antonio Melani Suits. But when it comes to picking up an outfit for my day-to-day non-career wear? I'm cheap. I hate spending money. And I hate cheap clothing. Which is a catch-22. You can't hate them both.

Which means I'll probably die wearing the same cardigan I almost suffocated my boyfriend with on our first date.

But at least I'll die warm.

How to study for your law school finals....charts style

Due to the volume of people who happen upon my blawg while searching for law school charts, I decided I would give a brief tutorial as to how I used to create my charts for law school finals, as well as show you the style in which I drafted them. You're going to have to click these images in order to see the larger size, but it should be suitably ginormous when you do.

If you have ANY questions, please feel free to comment or email me at ms.dr.juris@gmail.com for more information.

Comfort Foods....A Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe

I follow Centsational Girl's blog because I envy her craftiness and know I will never be capable of doing anything she is able to achieve with a can of paint and some old furniture. Today, however, she featured a link-up for favorite comfort food recipes, which is something I can TOTALLY do. I do NOT have any pictures, but the recipe I do have is one that will make your taste buds want to praise the little baby Lord Jesus, and is something I've been working on perfecting for a couple of years. Introducing:

Makes approximately 4-6 HEARTY servings. 

Prep:

Cube 2 chicken breasts

Slice your carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and any additional veggies you want to add to the mix. (Some people may just want to throw in Veg-All to save themselves some time. Phooey to this, I say....but really, you can.)

Cooking instructions:

In a soup pot, slowly melt 6 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add ½ cup of flour, and stir continually for 1.5 minutes still over low heat. Add in 1 box of chicken broth, and half a can of cream of chicken* and stir vigorously over medium heat. (*I throw in the COC because it makes it super thick, which I like; but it’s totally not necessary*) Allow to simmer for about three minutes, until suitably thickened. Lower heat and add ¼ cup of milk. Stir and continue to let it simmer. (You don’t ever want to do this over high heat, since it will curdle. Add seasonings to taste—I recommend ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder (and a pinch of Tony Chacheres, but that’s a Louisiana thing).

Now, add your cubed chicken, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and any other veggies (a frozen bag of Veg-All works in a pinch too, although I’d suggest defrosting it first) to this mixture. Bring to medium heat, and keep at this temperature for about five minutes, or until you’re reasonably sure the chicken is cooked. Turn the heat to low, cover it, and allow it to simmer about 20 minutes, or until your veggies are soft.

For the crust:

I recommend either Pillsbury pie crust mixture or Jiffy pie mix (highly recommend Jiffy, but it’s not always easy to find). Make the whole box, because the crust is the best part. Roll it out on a cookie sheet, slice it into 2x2 pieces with a pizza cutter, and broil (making sure to watch them closely!) until they are brown on top. These are added to your soup when you feel like eating it…and it never gets soggy that way.

Additional:

You may want to pre-heat your chicken broth and cream of chicken so it goes into the mixture of butter/flour better. (I’m lazy and usually don’t.)

Watch your flour/butter combination closely—it will burn if you do not continually stir it.

Do not ever boil your mixture, because it can curdle due to the milk content.

Getting to know me, getting to know all about me....

I generally tend to talk a lot about law school, and now that I'm done, about bar prep. I rarely talk about myself in a strictly personal sense, because I like to pretend that I'm operating under the shield of anonymity. What the hell, though? This is my blog and if you don't like this particular entry, you can content yourself with the law-related blog that's sure to follow.

There are relatively few things I can't live without. Here are a few of the things that make my "have to have" list.

1) Sleep--obviously, we'll all die if we don't sleep. However, if I do not sleep, I have the added benefit of being a raging bitch. I need at least 8 hours per night, and I tend to get in bed early rather than sleep in.

2) Citizen jeans (specifically, the Dita style)--this past Christmas, my awesometastic boyfriend invested in a pair of ridiculously overpriced jeans for my wardrobe. He somehow hit the amazing-jeans lottery, because these ARE.IT. I'm really short (5'2) so the inseam (31") works awesomely with a pair of heels, and the rise in front and back are high enough to cover asscrack without looking like mom jeans. The Oxford wash is as buttery as velvet. They feel like money. And I've bought 3 pairs since (off ebay, of course). Which brings me to my next obsession:

3) Ebay. I love ebay. I love deals (but hate couponing), so this is my site of choice. I'm constantly trolling, and wish I had MOAR MONIES so I could buy ALL THE THINGS. Normally I'm content to buy tiny things off of ebay, or things I would be purchasing anyway (so I might as well get a good deal on it, right?).

4) My support pillow. You know those hideously ugly pillows that offer you back support and have the arms? Ugly as sin? I couldn't bring myself to buy one for the longest time (both due to ugly factor and the fact that I didn't want to shell out $15, since I'm a huge cheapskate). Now, I'll never go without my ugly-as-shit pillow.

5) Intuition razor--like the support pillow, I hate shelling out the money for the cartridges. But they're worth it. And anything that ensures my legs aren't hairy and scaly is worth a few extra dollars (but seriously guys, why the hell are razors so effing expensive?!?!?!?!).

6) Candle warmers--these are cheap. And amazing. I can always have melted, amazing-smelling candles in my house. And I don't have to worry about burning down my house or setting my eyebrows on fire. (The latter has happened before, only it was a grill and IT'S A LONG STORY, SO GET OFF MY BACK.)

7) My Dinair airbrush makeup--spent lots of money on it. Worth it. Enables me to quickly apply my makeup, covers everything I need to cover, allows me to blend two or three colors to get the perfect match for my skintone, and doesn't break me out. Also, the makeup ends up lasting a lot longer than most foundations I've used.

There you have it...seven things that I consider to be personally awesome. You're welcome.

Thanksreceiving

It's been a really great day. A really really REALLY great day. I've washed about a quatrillion dishes and gained about eleventy billion pounds, but that's okay.

I'm thankful for my little brother, who keeps torturing my poor dog. I'm thankful for my parents, who drove to ME to prepare and devour our delicious meal. I'm thankful for Leonidas, who was unable to be with his family today and has been stuck at work unable to leave for the past fifteen hours. I'm thankful my football game isn't until tomorrow, and hopeful the Hogs play the second AND the first halves to their greatest potential (here's looking at you, Aggies).

I'm thankful to be able to represent children who might not otherwise have an advocate looking out for them. I'm thankful for the opportunity to plead down two felonies to misdemeanors yesterday for one of those clients. I'm thankful to have the chance to present a full Crawford v. Washington confrontation clause defense before I ever graduate law school. I'm thankful for two more weeks to cram in all I need to do before finals start.

I'm excited for Christmas. And Christmas trees. And Christmas decorations. And purchasing and wrapping cheerful presents for other people. And possibly dressing Crackers in a silly Christmas costume and posing with her in front of the aforementioned Christmas decorations.

I'm fearful of the next few weeks and the incredible amount of work I have to accomplish before it's all over (I equate it to childbirth). But thankful....because I have an amazing support system, a roof over my head, a dog that loves me unconditionally....

and about three weeks of leftovers. YAY FOR TURKEY (and dressing, pie, casserole, and other soon-to-be-frozen items)!!!!!!

Great loves (or, YOU DON'T KNOW ME!)

Everyone has their own quirks and idiosyncrasies, particularly when it comes to things they like. I am no exception, although my gleefulness when I encounter one of my favorite things may rival that of a child on Christmas day, while simultaneously coming across as weird. Really weird. One of my favorite things is the first day of school, particularly when I was younger, because it always smelled different. And we had to wake up early when we weren't used to it, so it felt different too. And because I got fresh school supplies.

To this day, I love looking at a fresh sheet of paper, just ready for my writing. Same goes with index cards. And brand new planners. 

I love anything that comes in the mail. My boyfriend (Leonidas) thinks my obsession with checking the mail every single day (and sometimes, admittedly, twice a day) goes beyond the scope of normal behavior. I say, WHO CARES? (And I absolutely love bubble wrap that packages are wrapped in. I'm six years old. And what???) This may also be attributed to the fact that Maxine eschews checking the mail, and I could have had TONS of mail just sitting in our PO box, just gathering dust. Gah.

I love new mascara. Something about taking the brand new wand out and putting on that fresh coat....oh yes. Same with most new makeup, really (but mascara is seriously the best). Hair products are in this same category. I just want to go home and use them. 

New books that haven't been cracked yet, especially when they are leather. Especially not when they are legal related. 

Chips and salsa from a particular Mexican place in town, which has precisely the right amount of cilantro in the recipe. Oooh, and mixing queso with the salsa in a separate bowl (which Leonidas finds repulsive).

Printing out papers and stapling them and having them so fresh and so clean-clean. 

One of my most favoritest things in the entire world? FALL. Growing up in the deep south, I never experienced seasons like we do up here. Our leaves didn't slowly change colors. You just woke up one morning and they were all shriveled up and dead on the ground. I love cold weather. AND TURTLENECKS! (I don't know what my obsession with turtlenecks is, other than when I was young and my family was poor thrifty, we would get the 3/$30 deal from the Penny's catalog in all different color turtlenecks. And I thought I was the SHIT. And a few years, I demanded and received penny loafers. To this day, I still love penny loafers. Maybe that should have been my mom's clue I was to someday become a lawyer.) And I love that first day when you wake up and go outside and your breath fogs! It's delicious.

I know I mostly do legal stuff. And perhaps the next one I write about will be what I love about the law. But I don't think it will make me as happy, as the list is shorter. And comes with all kinds of qualifiers. 

Right now, I'm just content with listing the things that make me unabashedly, unqualifiedly happy to be alive.

Because sometimes, they can seem worlds away. Which is just ridiculous.

First week of classes? THAT'S OKAY!

I like linking up with Neely and Amber for It's Okay Thursday.....especially because I sometimes need that reassurance. ;)

It's okay....

to refuse to get out of bed until you get your eight hours of sleep.

to eat string cheese and a fiber bar for breakfast.

for you to purposefully skip your period using BC because you don't want to have one for your birthday.

to think Casey Anthony is pretty even though she's probably a very twisted individual.

to shop for your Halloween costume in August.

to want to kick 2Ls in the head just for being 2Ls.

to wear a Transformers t-shirt and a Jagermeister keychain around your neck at the same time and still demand respect because YOU ARE A 3L.

when ALL YOUR FLORESCENT LIGHTBULBS GO OUT AT ONCE (5 years my ass).

to keep every single shoebox your shoes have ever come in (never know when you might need them).

to go on cleaning purges so severe that your stomach actually hurts at the thought of them.

to stuff your dog's Kong with turkey so she will let you blog uninterrupted for ten minutes.

to mumble comments under your breath about marriage, divorce, maiming unfaithful spouses, and how the law is wrong during your DR class.

Conviction-less

I didn't wake up until almost eleven today. I stayed up way too late last night watching Netflix. Then I watched more Netflix.

So after finally finishing the entire first season of Conviction (the spinoff show to Law and Order: SVU), I realize that they ONLY.SHOT.ONE.SEASON. ::this is me, falling to my knees, screaming Stella, only instead of screaming Stella and having raped my wife's sister, I'm screaming Aleeeex and realizing others can only see so many criminals walk before they get tired of a show::

Now, I realize this show had a bit more gratuitous sex than was necessary. And I realize that they were showing the harsh realities of prosecutorial work. And I realize that SVU generally shows the bad guy getting put away.

In reality, a lot of crime is never reported. Of those crimes, only slamdunks are generally brought to trial. Sometimes you have cases of public outrage like the Casey Anthony trial, and you see how that ended up. For the most part, rapists seem to serve about seven years. Even child rapists. Murders often are charged with second degree murder instead of first degree, which (in all actuality) they deserve, and they are eligible for parole after about twenty.

Conviction showed this. And people didn't like that. You want truth?

People can't handle the truth.

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.)

A few of my favorite things....(and no, it's not raindrops on roses and kittens' whiskers, you pansy)

I have a few favorite things I like to do when I have the time. Few of these are healthy, since it's my firm belief that if you are exercising and are NOT miserable, you apparently are not doing it correctly. This top five blog will not include spending time with my friends and family, because that's way too obvious (for the record, I love doing this, but this post is not about the obvious things I like to do....).

Much like my brother Cyd, I definitely include sleeping in my top five. I love to sleep. I also use sleeping as a defense mechanism; that is to say, I sleep when I’m sick, I sleep when I’m pissed off, and I sleep when I’m sad (no emotional eating for me…I only eat when I’m bored or have nothing else better to do). Last night, I fell asleep at 10:00. (Refer to my post re: my conversation with Maxine about being an old lady.) If you read my blog, you’ll notice that sleeping is a common theme. So is being pissed off about people’s incompetence (to which I rant and rave…then sleep). Another common theme is frustration with law school (to which I sleep…FORGET READING!). Sleep…it’s the answer for just about anything.

I'm good at sleeping, y'all. I can literally lay down and go to sleep in less than two minutes. Maxine is convinced I've got narcolepsy. Still, sleeping isn't always the best for Fidget here....I have a tendency to doze off at the wheel of my car, to hibernate when there is bad weather (like that one winter my sophomore year of college), and when I don't sleep...well, I turn into a raging bitch from hell.

Another on my top five list of things to do is eat. Remember above how I said I'm not an emotional eater? Well, I'm not. I'm a compulsive eater. This is probably only a negative thing, although I'm sure I could find some positives about it if I looked hard enough. Leonidas likes to grumble about my eating views (my eating views, for those that do not know, consist of living to eat. Leon prefers to eat to live....the snob). Yes, this one cupcake tastes delicious. You know what would taste even more delicious? TEN MORE CUPCAKES!!!!!!!! Nom nom nom.....

Unfortunately, I do not get to eat nearly as much as I would like to. If I had my choice, I would probably be six hundred pounds, bedridden, and in a permanent diabetic coma (oh wow, I just combined TWO of my favorite things). Since I do not allow myself to eat everything in sight, I chose when to blow my calories....chili? No thanks. Chocolate cake? Yes, please. Eating out? Not really. Big homemade platter of ribs? DOUBLE YES. Not eating everything in sight is an exercise of willpower, which I've finally kinda gotten a handle over, although there are times when the fat kid in me comes out and hoards a homemade cookie (notice a theme? I don't really care for prepackaged--it's the stuff made with love I can't resist. I NEED LOVE!!!).

Something else I have always loved to do (when I have time, mind you) is read. Good demonstration: Leonidas and I were talking the other day about going out. The conversation that ensued went something like this:

Leonidas: You should go out some this summer. You can call a few people and get to know the town.

Ms. Dr. J: I don't really go out, Leonidas. I like to stay in. I like to sleep. I've never even been to a bar in my hometown.

Leonidas: You've been to bars in _________ (college town). And here!

Ms. Dr. J: Yeah, but I don't just love going. I like grabbing margaritas in restaurants, not playing beer pong in a bar.

Leonidas: You've NEVER been to a bar in your hometown?

Ms. Dr. J: I have owned library cards in every town I've lived in. That's the kind of person I am. I have LIBRARY CARDS.

Leonidas: Maxine was right.

Ever since I was little, I've been this kind of person. I love to read. I am really bad at remembering to bring library books back, but by God, I consider library fines my contribution to the community. My mom thinks my voracious reading is what rendered me partially blind. I used to get in trouble in elementary school for reading at my desk. My dad is convinced I will eat anything put in front of me if I'm reading a book (which may or may not be true). Reading is cool! Don't judge me. (Disclaimer: I am talking about any kind of book other than the legal casebook kind, unless the legal casebook kind involves something ridiculous and resolves itself in the way I think it should have, and the judge writing the opinion does so in a bitingly sarcastic and witty manner.)

Finally, the last thing I like to do when I have time (remember, I'm only really doing four, because the whole family and friends thing comes first on my list. {Y'ALL HEAR THAT? YOU'RE FIRST. Leave me along already!}) is spend money. I'm not talking about on stuff like clothing (for the most part, because I'm pretty lazy and don't want to try a lot of shit on)--I'm talking shoes, jewelry, accessories, real estate, and in places that have dirt cheap prices like TJ Maxx and Ross Dress for Less. Unfortunately, I can never do this. GIRL IS BROKE. I'm talking snake that got run through the lawnmower broke. One day, when I'm a super mildly successful attorney, maybe I'll get to spend money, but for the time being, I guess it's more apt to say another favorite thing of mine to do is to daydream about spending money.

So there I am, in a nutshell. I obviously like to spend time with my friends and family (but who doesn't, unless you're a psychopath or have psychopathic family, although it's your own fault if your friends are psychopaths). But in the meantime, I also like to sleep, eat, read, and daydream about spending money. I'm like a human parasite.

That has a ring to it: Fidget....the human parasite. (After all, one day, I will be a lawyer....ba dum cha.)