1L Quotes: Part II

I love quotes. Perhaps if this law school thing doesn’t work out, I might publish a book of my favorite quotes with chapters like Spiritual, Famous, Personal, Funny, Friendship, Life, etc. But, until I find time to work on that project, I have included another installment of favorite quotes from the 1L year of law school. I hope that they are as humorous to you as they are to me.

I have much more to report on the blog but just don’t have the time to do it right now; but, before classes begin in August, I promise a complete update. Until then, enjoy a glimpse of the ironic statements that get glued inside my head:

"Toner. What is toner? And how might one procure it?" 1L K. Taylor. Such a sweet young girl who is a great friend, BUT she readily admits that she hasn’t had too many responsibilities in her short, privileged life.

Prof T: We don’t want you becoming experts in the law.
My response: Did I make a wrong turn; this is law school, right?

“I don’t mention Florida a lot, but I will in this setting” – Famous quote from very intelligent professor who once practiced in Florida . . . and subconsciously mentions Florida five to seven times per class period.

“We would hire her, but we'd have to put a sack over her head.” – Prof B referring to model who sued when facial surgery severed nerves in her face. He said this with a straight face, and I blew Coke threw my nose.

“Normally I don’t like to say ‘Okay – here’s what you ought to believe.’ But today, I have an agenda” – From this professor, this is the understatement of the year. He always has an agenda which is as apparent as an elephant in the room; and his “agenda” is always the same, i.e., to tell us what we ought to believe.

“This case was about one word. ‘Slut.’ … Now let’s go through the elements.” Prof B. I really have to quit drinking Coke in class; it burns after it’s blown through the nose more than once a day.

The student "most likely to succeed" in any law school is the brightest asshole. --Walt Bachman, J.D., Author of What Lawyers Are Afraid to Say About the Legal Profession. Good read sent to me this year by one of my favorite lawyers (and people).

She is gone, again.

I don't need to recount for you how gut-wrenching it was to take my daughter to college, drop her off, and leave. I cried the entire three-hour trip home. Little did we know--in August '05--that I would be enrolling at the same college in one year in order to attend law school. But, even though we were attending the same school, we chose not to live together. She had her life on campus in the residence hall; I secured a nice apartment close to campus, and we were both happy with that arrangement until....the entire story is just too long and boring to tell, but the synopsis is this: life became so unbearable in the dorm during the fall semester of her sophomore year that she was ready to move out and move anywhere. The logical solution was that she should move into my apartment until she had time to think about other options. So, between final exams and Christmas break, my daughter joined me, the dog, and the cat in our cozy little home.

Over time we all grew accustomed to living with one another again. We developed our work and school routines. We collaborated on shopping lists and cooking meals. We would occasionally indulge in a movie and popcorn. We would paint each other's toe nails. We'd freely advise one another about whether "those shoes really match that outfit." And we'd gripe about who took out the trash last and why "I" always have to take out the trash. We'd grumble and nag when the house got too messy, and we'd prefer deep conversation to deep cleaning.

Life wasn't perfect, but it was nice. It was nice to come home to another human being. It was nice to know that someone else could pick up my slack. It was nice to have someone to depend on, and it was nice to feel needed by someone as well.

Tonight, in the silence of this apartment, I'm pondering how nice it really was. Last weekend I helped my daughter move into her new place. She and some friends are renting a townhome. It is close by; just a few miles up the road. Nevertheless, she is gone, again. She came back just long enough for me to grow accustomed to her being her, and then she is gone again.

I know that it is truly best for her to be living with girls her own age and with girls who share her interest. And I will enjoy having a quiet house to come home to when the fall semester gets underway. But, today, I'm just trying to get accustomed to the quiet house and the fact that she is gone, again.