The only reason that I still use Outlook (until today) was that it allowed me to check all of my e-mail accounts from one source. I could check school, work, private x 3, etc. and then I could neatly drag and drop things into folders. Lately this has become quite bothersome as all of my e-mails, except one could be forwarded to my gmail account and organized with tags, grouped by conversation, and made easily searchable. Now Google announces in it's new features that:
Just launched!
Get mail from other accountsNow Gmail can check for the mail you receive at your other email accounts. You can retrieve your mail (new and old) from up to five other email accounts and have them all in Gmail. Then you can even create a customized 'From:' address, which lets you send messages from Gmail, but have them look like they were sent from another one of your email accounts. Please note that you can only retrieve mail from accounts that have POP3 access enabled. Learn more
Yay, I can now stop checking mail in Outlook. The only reason to do that would be to have my e-mail accessible while I'm offline, aka on a plane. It is nice to be able to catch up on old e-mails and send 15-20 in one fell-swoop when I land. But I'll gladly give this up to have all my e-mail in one easy to use place. Thank you Google, I love you even more.
2/28/07
2/27/07
I'm a J... now
I have a love hate relationship with my mailman. Yesterday he brought me two packages, good mailman. I love packages. But, last week he brought me rejection, bad mailman. Last night I received scholarship money and a nice shiny brochure, good mail man. I wonder which mail man I will get today? As if he has any control over whether law schools clear across the country love me. That I have this much emotion tied up in a person that I only meet when I'm playing hooky from work and happen to be home in the afternoon when a package needs delivered says something.
UPDATE: Mailman brought me nothing yesterday, not even a Victoria Secret catalog. I usually get at least 2 of those a week.
In other news, the University has finally changed my name from my maiden name to my married name in all of their systems. I'm officially a J... now. For your reference, I was married in 2004 and started the paperwork to do the change fall semester 2004. *sigh* There has been much drama between me and the human resources/registrar employees over this issue. Especially as I will be getting my diploma in May and there is no way I will accept it with the wrong name on it after they've had this long to fix the problem! Now if only I could get Blockbuster and Safeway to change it too. I'm getting tired of Safeway clerks saying, Mrs J..., say hi to Miss B... when you get a chance. They think I stole her card to get $0.25 off on my hot pockets or something.
2/26/07
Money Matters
T3-G finally sent me my admissions decision in the mail. Up to this point I only had an e-mail acceptance. And...money...woopee! $15,000 per year. Less law school debt=good thing. Still waiting on the rest of my decisions, 8 to go. The money was enough to inspire me to go to real estate websites and start browsing housing and moving options.
2/23/07
Accepted...and Ding
In at DePaul! I don't know how to feel about that exactly. I only applied because they gave me a free application fee waiver. But now I'll definitely have to check them out more thoroughly. They are apparently ranked pretty highly for Intellectual Property. This is going to make decisions time very hard. I really hope that my dream school comes back and says "Yes, we love you too." Otherwise deciding where to go/if I should delay is going to kill me. Unfortunately this school wasn't on the grand law school trip we're taking over Spring Break and it would be hard to convince hubby to go somewhere that he's never visited.
UPDATE: The pattern continues with another mailed rejection after receiving an e-mailed acceptance. I've yet to receive any good news by mail. Ding at American. Doesn't bode well for my hopes of being in D.C..
UPDATE: The pattern continues with another mailed rejection after receiving an e-mailed acceptance. I've yet to receive any good news by mail. Ding at American. Doesn't bode well for my hopes of being in D.C..
2/22/07
Weighty Matters
If the freshman 15 happen all over again in the form of the 1L 15, I better get a head start. My freshman 15 was more like the undergrad 40. Of course, I don't really have to lose all of that as I was pretty slim in HS. I had a pretty major lifestyle change going to college. I went from being a competitive swimmer with a mom to cook for me to a lump-on-a-log engineering/language student who never left her room when it was less than 60F outside (9 months of the year in AK). Still, working out has always lowered my stress levels and now that the sun is coming back the concept of salad as food for mammals other than rabbits is becoming more palatable, perhaps a healthier lifestyle will be more manageable. If I am going to be entering one of the most stressful periods of my life this fall or even next fall, I want to do it being the healthiest I can.
Unfortunately for me, I am a night person. Always have been, always will be. The idea of waking up early to exercise is just not going to happen. The last time I did that was back in the day when I thought ROTC was a good idea. But, by the time I get home at night all I want to do is eat dinner and go to bed as there is no sunlight. Now that the light is coming back, perhaps I'll have better luck with the post work exercise plan. Maybe once the snow melts in May I'll buy a bike! Wish me luck.
Unfortunately for me, I am a night person. Always have been, always will be. The idea of waking up early to exercise is just not going to happen. The last time I did that was back in the day when I thought ROTC was a good idea. But, by the time I get home at night all I want to do is eat dinner and go to bed as there is no sunlight. Now that the light is coming back, perhaps I'll have better luck with the post work exercise plan. Maybe once the snow melts in May I'll buy a bike! Wish me luck.
Glasses
After making a complete and thorough survey of all available eyeglass frames within a 600 mile radius (not hard to do in Alaska) I finally decided on the first pair of frames that I found at my optometrist. Talk about a waste of time. I went to like 8 stores and ultimately ended up where I started. However, I am now assured that the $430.00 I spent was not wasted and that there were in fact no better options out there.
They are apparently not pink, but berry in color. While anyone who knows me will tell you that my favorite color is unabashedly blue and that for awhile I had to make a conscious effort to buy clothes in any other color, apparently the color blue, no matter what shape it comes in, does not look good on my face. I am sad. So berry it is. In 7-10 days my frames will be returned to me with lenses inserted. Yes, I am in fact getting old.
They are apparently not pink, but berry in color. While anyone who knows me will tell you that my favorite color is unabashedly blue and that for awhile I had to make a conscious effort to buy clothes in any other color, apparently the color blue, no matter what shape it comes in, does not look good on my face. I am sad. So berry it is. In 7-10 days my frames will be returned to me with lenses inserted. Yes, I am in fact getting old.
Chat
I logged into the admitted students chat room for T3-G school last night. I didn't really have any questions that I needed answered coming into the chat, but ended up finding it quite interesting. At one point the moderator was asked about weather. She said that it had been really cold lately. Being from Alaska I asked her what cold meant there. She said, "Oh really chilly, like 20F." To which I responded, "Wow, that would be nice. It's currently -42F here, that's like 60 degrees difference." I guess it's all a matter of perspective.
I did get other questions answered. Where do people usually live? How successful are students at getting judicial clerkships? Why does your school have two years of LW&R and does that figure into GPA? What is your school's grading curve? (B-, ouch)
The admissions lady and I ultimately ended up being the only ones in the chat room at the end. She found out I was coming to visit the school and offered to have the school pay for my hotel room. SCORE! That's $79.00 that I can save for tuition.
The one question that I didn't really like the answer to was in regards to my plan to possibly delay a year. I asked her what my chances of getting in next year would be if I didn't matriculate this fall and she said that next year they are decreasing their entering class size significantly so admissions would be tougher. If I had a good excuse for why I was delaying they would work with me.
I did get other questions answered. Where do people usually live? How successful are students at getting judicial clerkships? Why does your school have two years of LW&R and does that figure into GPA? What is your school's grading curve? (B-, ouch)
The admissions lady and I ultimately ended up being the only ones in the chat room at the end. She found out I was coming to visit the school and offered to have the school pay for my hotel room. SCORE! That's $79.00 that I can save for tuition.
The one question that I didn't really like the answer to was in regards to my plan to possibly delay a year. I asked her what my chances of getting in next year would be if I didn't matriculate this fall and she said that next year they are decreasing their entering class size significantly so admissions would be tougher. If I had a good excuse for why I was delaying they would work with me.
2/19/07
Ouch
So, in my effort to have a better chance at law school next year, I am slogging my way through preparing for the LSAT again. Today I took the Princeton Review's online timed LSAT. It's free and keeps me honest on the time. The news...157, three points lower than my real-live LSAT score of 160 in December. Hmm...already forgetting how to approach these questions. The main thing I noticed is that like the real LSAT, I simply ran out of time. There were 6 questions that I didn't even get to. I think that timing and practice are going to be the keys to improving my score this time around. In case your interested in the pain that is LSAT preperation, you can take the same free test by: logging into www.PrincetonReview.com. Click on the "Student Tools" link in the upper right hand corner. On the next screen, enter your username (email) and password in the sign in screen and then click "Sign In". On the following screen, select "Demo of Princeton Review Online for the LSAT". Now you're all set to start your online demo! Note that once you are signed in, you only need to click on the "Student Tools" link on the upper right corner to access your course links.
The Plan
Plan A) Get into great school this year on a hope and prayer.
If plan A fails, proceed to plan B.
Plan B) courtesy of the nice folks at Princeton Review
Jan - take practice LSAT (well, I took the real thing in Dec., so that should count as a good diagnostic)
Feb - start prep (slowly, but yes, will begin again, at least I now have copies of like the last 30 LSATs)
Mar - LSAT Registration Booklet, good sample questions and info on new comparative reading section to be included
Apr - Register for LSAT (assuming failure of plan A at this point)
May - Continue LSAT preperations, taking regular full length TIMED exams - this was my failure last time, I could get the questions right given infinite time. I hate timed tests.
June - take LSAT. New comparitive reading section to throw off all competitors, leaving me with perfect 180 scaled score.
July - Register for LSDAS (did that this year, good for five years, CHECK)
Aug - Get apps from schools. Sounds silly given that most are sent electronically from LSDAS anyway. But, let me tell you this from this year. If you ask for a brochure they often give you the little golden ticket of law school brochures, a FEE WAIVER! Trust me, I got one from Northwestern and it certainly wasn't based on my LSAT score, because I hadn't taken it yet. Brochures are also helpful when doing your personal statements.
Sep - Write personal statements, Update resume, Register for Oct LSAT if necessary (pray it is not necessary)
Oct - Send early decision applications.
Nov - Send remaining applications. (Hopefully having received tons of fee waivers after excellent LSAT performance, this will be a less pricey prospect.)
Dec - Sit back and relax. Reflect on the fact that I have not really lost a year as much as I have gained a year of employment and thus work experience for resume, good soft factors, and extra money in savings account to offset evil law school costs. I wonder if brains are insurable? Mine will be worth 150k after all of this is said and done, and that's not even counting undergraduate.
If plan A fails, proceed to plan B.
Plan B) courtesy of the nice folks at Princeton Review
Jan - take practice LSAT (well, I took the real thing in Dec., so that should count as a good diagnostic)
Feb - start prep (slowly, but yes, will begin again, at least I now have copies of like the last 30 LSATs)
Mar - LSAT Registration Booklet, good sample questions and info on new comparative reading section to be included
Apr - Register for LSAT (assuming failure of plan A at this point)
May - Continue LSAT preperations, taking regular full length TIMED exams - this was my failure last time, I could get the questions right given infinite time. I hate timed tests.
June - take LSAT. New comparitive reading section to throw off all competitors, leaving me with perfect 180 scaled score.
July - Register for LSDAS (did that this year, good for five years, CHECK)
Aug - Get apps from schools. Sounds silly given that most are sent electronically from LSDAS anyway. But, let me tell you this from this year. If you ask for a brochure they often give you the little golden ticket of law school brochures, a FEE WAIVER! Trust me, I got one from Northwestern and it certainly wasn't based on my LSAT score, because I hadn't taken it yet. Brochures are also helpful when doing your personal statements.
Sep - Write personal statements, Update resume, Register for Oct LSAT if necessary (pray it is not necessary)
Oct - Send early decision applications.
Nov - Send remaining applications. (Hopefully having received tons of fee waivers after excellent LSAT performance, this will be a less pricey prospect.)
Dec - Sit back and relax. Reflect on the fact that I have not really lost a year as much as I have gained a year of employment and thus work experience for resume, good soft factors, and extra money in savings account to offset evil law school costs. I wonder if brains are insurable? Mine will be worth 150k after all of this is said and done, and that's not even counting undergraduate.
2/18/07
In need of study partner
In honor of my "big decision" I am putting out a call for all June 2007 LSAT takers and all class of 2011 1L wannabes. I am need of a study partner(s)/motivator(s)/cheerleader(s)!
LSAT Take Two
Chris' Blog: Entrepreneur and wannabe law student: Who Owns the Fish
Now that I've decided to retake my LSAT I have to start studying for it. The previous link came up on a search for "2007 June LSAT." It is a good example of the type of mental manipulation that the LSAT asks you to do sometimes. I immediately started doing a PowerScore diagram in my head. Maybe I'll sit down and actually solve it a little bit later.
The LSAT retake decision was a hard one. It means that I will have wasted all of my application money this year. I guess the preparation won't hurt me either way. Ifpigs fly I do get into my dream schools this cycle (unlikely given the rejections have already started) I won't have wasted that much, just time that would have otherwise been spent wallowing in the waiting process. Plus, with the new changes to the LSAT starting in June 2007, perhaps I have a better chance of scoring higher as all of the high powered/expensive test prep programs will be starting afresh in making preperation materials for the new comparitive reading questions.
So wish me luck! I am now completing my Intro to Justice, Latin I, and Russian Studies Thesis courses, as well as preparing for the LSAT (AGAIN!!!) in my copious spare time. Hmm...I was supposed to be spending this year taking good care of hubby so he doesn't feel neglected for the next three years of law school.
Who knows, I may yet be in the class of 2010. It still sounds cool. If not, "11" is a prime number and goes better with my number set so far "1" for high-school and "7" for college. All prime numbers. The engineer in me relishes the thought. Feeling better about delaying a year already.
Now that I've decided to retake my LSAT I have to start studying for it. The previous link came up on a search for "2007 June LSAT." It is a good example of the type of mental manipulation that the LSAT asks you to do sometimes. I immediately started doing a PowerScore diagram in my head. Maybe I'll sit down and actually solve it a little bit later.
The LSAT retake decision was a hard one. It means that I will have wasted all of my application money this year. I guess the preparation won't hurt me either way. If
So wish me luck! I am now completing my Intro to Justice, Latin I, and Russian Studies Thesis courses, as well as preparing for the LSAT (AGAIN!!!) in my copious spare time. Hmm...I was supposed to be spending this year taking good care of hubby so he doesn't feel neglected for the next three years of law school.
Who knows, I may yet be in the class of 2010. It still sounds cool. If not, "11" is a prime number and goes better with my number set so far "1" for high-school and "7" for college. All prime numbers. The engineer in me relishes the thought. Feeling better about delaying a year already.
2/17/07
In...Ding
At least my acceptance came before my first ding. University of Washington sent me a nice letter saying how they had way too many qualified people apply (2600) for their limited slots (180) and that they would like to talk to me about reapplying next year. I think I'll retake my LSAT in June and then reapply next cycle, but we'll see, I haven't found out whether I'm in at any of the other 11 schools that I applied to. I wonder if I can defer at any schools I get into this year so I don't have to reapply next year? Then I could try for other schools and keep my options open. In other news, I did get in to Gonzaga. I found out via e-mail invite to admitted students web cast. I expected to get in, so I wasn't uber exited.
2/16/07
I'm getting old
Went to the eye-doctor yesterday. I've been taking a pistol marksmanship class and have been having trouble with my eyes switching which one of them is in control. Apparently I am right eye dominant, but left eye strong so my brain doesn't know whether to use my dominant eye or my better eye and it gets confused. That is apparently why I've been having headaches after class. So I went to the eye doctor. In addition to this whole dominant vs. stronger thing I have slight astigmatism and am getting nearsighted. Based on the change in my eyes over the last two years my eyes are changing at a time when they are supposed to be stable. Dr. says that is because of school, studying with poor light, and straining my eyes from too much near work. He showed me what my eyes could see now and then put on the amount of power that I should have with corrective lenses, and poof I could see the blur turn to letters (albeit they were 10 ft. away, and when do I ever need to see that much detail). Scary as I've never thought I needed glasses.
The Dr. says that with planning on going to go to law school and a lot more "near work" aka studying in my future, he would strongly recommend wearing glasses during high eye-strain situations. Dark driving, large presentation rooms, shooting, or any other time when I need to "see like a hawk."
The good news is that I'm now justified in spending more than $6.00 on sunglasses. Bad news is that I hate the way most glasses look on my face. When I finally found a pair that look good on my face, they turned out to be pink frames. Hubby and Dr. swear they are purple, but they are still WAY too girly for me. So this weekend I'll be driving around town going glasses shopping.
PS Those are the frames, see they're PINK!
The Dr. says that with planning on going to go to law school and a lot more "near work" aka studying in my future, he would strongly recommend wearing glasses during high eye-strain situations. Dark driving, large presentation rooms, shooting, or any other time when I need to "see like a hawk."
The good news is that I'm now justified in spending more than $6.00 on sunglasses. Bad news is that I hate the way most glasses look on my face. When I finally found a pair that look good on my face, they turned out to be pink frames. Hubby and Dr. swear they are purple, but they are still WAY too girly for me. So this weekend I'll be driving around town going glasses shopping.
PS Those are the frames, see they're PINK!
FAFSA...Done!
Apparently if you call the nice FAFSA people at their 1-800 number and give them all of your info, Student ID, DRN, Social, Birthdate, etc. the will add as many schools as you want over the phone. Just be sure you have their federal school codes in front of you. Took like 5 minutes on the phone and presto, my problem of applying to more than 6 schools and deciding which to send FAFSA info to is gone! Yay. Now, I've just got to figure out how to get some decisions out of these schools.
2/14/07
The Hidden Law School Deadline
Everyone knows when their applications are due. The deadlines are clearly printed on the applications. But, there is another, hidden, and far more sinister deadline that is cleverly hidden on most admission websites. The financial aid deadline of March 1st. Even more sinister is the fact that this is the date that the school needs to receive the data from FAFSA, meaning you really have to have everything done and completed by February 14-15th. Even more frustrating is the fact that FAFSA only let's you send reports to 6 schools. Meaning, unless you start the process back in January, get the reports sent to the first 6 schools, and then make a correction and have the report sent to additioanl schools, you will miss the deadline for any schools above your top 6.
I have been blessed/cursed with a lot of application fee waivers. For $12.00 worth of LSAC fees, sure, I'll apply. Even better, if you throw in 25 free iTunes downloads for simply applying, I'll apply. But, this has left me applying to 14 law schools. I'm debating whether to put the top 6 that I want to get into on my FAFSA list, or the top 6 that I think that I will get into. It would be horrible to get into a school, but not be eligible for need based aid because I missed the deadline. Hmm...I guess I'll compromise and put my top 3 picks, and my top 3 probabilities on the list. Ok...FAFSA sent. Now I just have to wait a few days and start seeing if schools got the info so I can replace them with other schools that need the information.
This is so silly. The information is sent electronically. It doesn't cost the government any more money to send the info to 12 or even 50 schools than it does to send it to 6.
I have been blessed/cursed with a lot of application fee waivers. For $12.00 worth of LSAC fees, sure, I'll apply. Even better, if you throw in 25 free iTunes downloads for simply applying, I'll apply. But, this has left me applying to 14 law schools. I'm debating whether to put the top 6 that I want to get into on my FAFSA list, or the top 6 that I think that I will get into. It would be horrible to get into a school, but not be eligible for need based aid because I missed the deadline. Hmm...I guess I'll compromise and put my top 3 picks, and my top 3 probabilities on the list. Ok...FAFSA sent. Now I just have to wait a few days and start seeing if schools got the info so I can replace them with other schools that need the information.
This is so silly. The information is sent electronically. It doesn't cost the government any more money to send the info to 12 or even 50 schools than it does to send it to 6.
2/13/07
Another Engineer & Future Lawyer
It is dangerous to troll the blogosphere as you will inevitably get sucked into someones archives. I spent the better part of the last few weekends reading Suasponte's archives, in order, from start to finish. Now I've discovered that there is another blogger out there with a similar background. From Engineer To Lawyer
Lucky Number
Both my birthdate and my husbands are lucky numbers. Hmm...I never knew that. Now what should I use my luck on? I've always been unusually blessed when it came to winning random door prizes. I hope I haven't used it all up. I still need some to get into law school.
2/8/07
New IP Legislation
And this is why I want to be an IP lawyer. I want to work in this field!
Senators Propose Legislation For Better Intellectual Property DefenseManufacturing.Net - February 8, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) – Manufacturers need a more focused defense from the government in the battle over intellectual property theft, two senators said, citing the billions of dollars in losses from piracy and counterfeiting.
Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, outlined new legislation that would target the loss of intellectual property theft, replacing the current system that involves nine different agencies working on the issue. Taking a cue from the international approach to combat money laundering, it would also try to partner with other countries to help companies remain competitive.
“If we’re going to make it as a nation, we have got to look at developing the infrastructure of competitiveness. The world has changed,” Voinovich said.
Intellectual property loss affects manufacturers large and small. A U.S. Chamber of Commerce study recently found counterfeiting costs U.S. companies up to $250 billion a year and linked the loss of 750,000 jobs to fake merchandise.
Ford Motor Co. estimates it costs them about $1 billion annually in lost sales, undermining vehicle safety and undercutting the billions of dollars it puts into research, design and production.
“We cannot allow intellectual property thieves…to prey upon the unsuspecting American consumer,” said Joe Wiegand, Ford’s global brand protection manager.
The proposal fits into larger concerns on Capitol Hill over the Bush administration’s handling of trade issues. Some lawmakers have tired of dialogue and want more action on the nation’s soaring trade deficits and lost manufacturing jobs, which critics have blamed in part on unfair trade practices by foreign countries.
“I’m not a protectionist. I believe in competition. But I also believe that all competitors ought to play by the same set of rules. That’s not happening today and that’s unacceptable,” Bayh said.
© 2007 Advantage Business Media. All rights reserved. (copied here in case the link breaks)
2/6/07
Labor Calls Me
Labor me vocat is the first sentence of real Latin I learned, as it was for thousands who learned from Wheelock's Latin textbook. It translates to Labor calls me. This is true, I need to finish two latin lessons and have a couple chapters of Justice reading to do. Not to mention the thesis that I haven't touched since last November.
2/5/07
See, you can come from T4 and do great things
Good thing I kept Gonzaga on my list of schools to apply to. I really like Spokane. The whole ratings game was starting to get to me though. I saw my future washing away if I was tempted to go to a T4 school. We'll have to see what happens. I haven't been admitted anywhere yet. Of course, I haven't been rejected yet.
Law student honored as chair - News
Law student honored as chair - News
Getting ready for trip
Plane Tickets - check
Rental car - check
Hotels - check
Now all I have to do is how to see Seattle, Phoenix, Tucson, Spokane, and Boston in one week and still have sanity left. So much for Spring Break. And this trip totally leaves out visiting any D.C. law schools. Oh well, I've spent two summers interning in D.C. I know what the city is like even if I haven't visited the schools.
Rental car - check
Hotels - check
Now all I have to do is how to see Seattle, Phoenix, Tucson, Spokane, and Boston in one week and still have sanity left. So much for Spring Break. And this trip totally leaves out visiting any D.C. law schools. Oh well, I've spent two summers interning in D.C. I know what the city is like even if I haven't visited the schools.
You Are Jupiter
Hmm, this is amazingly accurate.
 You are exuberantly curious - and you love to explore newness. Enthusiastic and optimistic, you get a kick out of stimulating intellectual discussions. Foreign cultures and languages fascinate you. You love the outdoors, animals, and freedom. Chances are you tend to exaggerate, so try to keep a lid on that. If you do, you'll continue to be known for your confidence, generosity, and sense of justice. |
2/3/07
What does this mean?
Letter from A. University today. I was expecting an admissions decision. Instead it is a letter from the financial aid deparment telling me that "During the admissions process, you will receive information regarding these merit-based departmental awards." Does this mean that I've been admitted? They never even sent me an e-mail that said my application was complete. Hmm...
2/2/07
! You are most Like A Sapphire !
Dark, mysterious - but unforgettable. You have a deep beauty. Delicate, and shy you try to stay away from the limelight but often your intelligence puts you in at the deep end. You're like a Sapphire, because, your beauty is priceless. You're intelligent, full of opinions, and not big-headed about it all. Sometimes you need to put yourself out there, as you can be a bit shy. Congratulations ... You're the mysterious gem everybody wants to have and learn more about.
Which gem are you?
Which gem are you?
2/1/07
The trickle begins
The trickle of complete notices has begun. Three so far. Unfortunately the ones that really matter haven't said boo to me yet. Oh well, that's what I get for sending in my apps in Jan. rather than Oct.
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