Lande and law school

In dealing with those who are undergoing suffering, if you feel burnout setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, for you to restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.

I always knew the Dalai Lama was wise.

That is why, despite a hearty serving of business in my life, I took a day and a half off of work, homework, blogging, email, Facebook, Twitter and anything else technology related. Instead, I went home Thursday evening to surprise my dad on his birthday and go out to dinner with the family. I think he was pleasantly surprised, and it was nice to be home, even if only for about 10 hours, since I had not been home since the end of spring semester.

The next morning, I got up at 5 a.m., got ready and drove to Iowa City to visit the University of Iowa Law School. John Lande, or just "Lande", was kind enough to take me in for the day and let me sit in on a class. Upon parking, I accidentally missed the law school and walked all the way past the U of I Hospital and medical research buildings, clear on the other side of the graduate campus. It was cold and rainy, and sans-umbrella and high heels made for an interesting trek to the law school.

After Lande's Crim Pro (criminal procedures) class, we then went out for lunch at The Vine and a meeting for AA (Appellate Advocacy) and then to see four 3L students argue a case in front of the Iowa Supreme Court justices. It was a really good learning experience, and I give props to those four students who were able to brave what one of the justices later joked as "questioning almost to near law student abuse."

Later on in the evening, we went to a reception dinner at one of the law professor's homes. The food was obviously great (catered), and I took my plate and sat down at a table. Who would sit down next to me other than Iowa Supreme Court Justice Hecht. Wow! He made small talk with me for a good chunk of the dinner; you certainly don't talk about living in a small town in Northern Iowa with a supreme court justice every day, so this was a good experience. Afterward, Lande showed me some of Iowa City's night life, which I enjoyed (I also liked that we went to a graduate bar, not one densely populated with undergrads with fake IDs). Following a couple drinks, we grabbed some delicious walking tacos and a cab ride home to sleep.

It was a full day, but I really enjoyed it. Now, I am back in Des Moines and have to face the reality of work and school and homework again. I think it finally hit me how hard law school is going to be. Certainly, I didn't think it would be a cake walk by any means, but it will be intense. This is why I need to find ways to relax and destress in times of burnout and overload before next fall begins. "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. -Aristotle"