Sunday, May 22, 2011

Grandeur Peak Fun Run

I ran my second Grandeur Fun Run on Saturday. It's a bit of a misnomer, because it hurts too much to really be fun, and much of the course is far too steep to run. But I had a great time this year just like I did last year, even if I was ten minutes slower. I miss my pre-law school fitness. Sigh.

Anyways, Jon carried a camera during the race, and his video is below. Look for me in the yellow shirt at the start. If you miss that, look for the bloody knee at the end. Because apparently I need training wheels.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

It's Over. For Now.

This week was the law review write-on, and at the recommendation of several reliable sources, including my uncle, I decided to participate. Basically, the contest involved two parts: writing a 15-page article based on a series of sources provided by the law review committee, and performing a technical edit on the footnotes of a sample law review article. Both parts were difficult. Both parts were frustrating. And there wasn't really enough time, either (especially since I spent so much time this week taking care of other, more important things, like a death in the family and maternity appointments with Catherine).

But I got everything done by the 5:00 deadline on Friday. And after I read my article, I realized it wasn't awful, which is much better than I had expected as I was writing it.

The best part of the competition was the relief I felt when it was over. It was exactly what I hoped to feel (but didn't) after finals ended last week. Because now, at least for the rest of the summer, I have some breathing room. Sure, I'll be busy--I start my internship next week, and Baby is coming next month--but for the next few months I can leave my work at work. For the last two semesters, I've been living with this feeling that I should be always doing something. I think I did a good job of balancing school with the rest of my life, but I could never truly enjoy my time because there was always a paper that needed to be written, a class that needed to be outlined, a case that needed to be read, or notes that needed to be studied.

After turning in my law review materials, I locked up my carrel, picked up my Nook, walked over to a couch in the library and spent an hour or so reading a novel while I waited for Catherine to come pick me up. I don't think I've ever enjoyed the simple act of reading so much.