Day 33 - Stuck

The day started with watching my fellow Zags beat up on a team.  They were doing awesome, but the courtroom was even hotter today and I had sights to see.  That said, I'll walk you through my day as through the pictures I took.  It started with the recycling of my trial notes.  SO LONG & GOOD RIDDANCE!

I then went down to the Fisherman's Wharf area where I spent the greater portion of the day.  I walked for HOURS while my teammates biked the bridge (I am not so confident in my biking skills).  But, I saw lots of fun things.

Golden Gate Bridge

In-N-Out for lunch

I found Heaven (but was good and refrained from eating any chocolate)

I spotted Alcatraz

And a pack of Sea Lions

After having walked all day, we decided to walk to China Town for dinner.  Jason promised it would only be about 9 blocks away, so of course it was closer to 20 blocks on some of the steepest hills I've ever seen.  Dinner was fantastic and it was nice to celebrate our hard work all together.  After the ridiculous walk back, we got our luggage and piled into cabs heading for the airport.  We had trouble using the hotel internet to web-check our flight, but we figured that we had left early enough for it not to be an issue.  WRONG.  Three of the seven of us did not have confirmed seats on the plane.  I knew I wasn't going to be making the flight from the moment my boarding pass printed without a seat assignment, but of course I had to sit at the airport for 5 hours after that while everything got figured out for how I was going to eventually get home.

Jason and Cherlyn also stayed behind, so at least I was not alone.  That, and United gave me a decent travel voucher which will come in handy this Summer when we go to Maui.  I can feel my blood pressure start to rise just thinking about my frustration over the whole process, so I'll just leave you with a few more pictures.

Sad and waiting to learn how and when I would be getting home.

The hotel United put us up in for the night

Check out that TV!

So the room is nice, but I'd still rather be home in my own bed.  Oh well, hopefully tomorrow will go more smoothly. 

Day 32 - Competition Day

View from 18th floor of the Courthouse

I woke up early, put on my freshly dry cleaned suit, tied up my running shoes (it's REALLY hilly in San Fran) and confidently marched my way to the courthouse.  The boys told us there would be breakfast and coffee available at the competition, so we didn't bother stopping on the way.  We'll call this Mistake #1.  There was no breakfast, nor was there a way to purchase water (or anything else for that matter) once we were in the courthouse.

Our team first represented the plaintiff, which meant I was a witness for the first round.  I was told I was "more than feisty," which I chose to consider a compliment.  The opposing attorney tried to get me to admit to having said something that was not in the prepared deposition.  In such situations, an attorney may ask a witness if viewing a copy of their previous statement would help refresh their memory.  Instead of properly asking if viewing the deposition would refresh my memory, the opposing counsel asked if I would like to have my memory refreshed.  My response? "Not particularly."  SHE WAS PISSED!!!!  The jury members (who scored the trials) started laughing out loud and had to turn away to compose themselves.  Sorry girl, but you asked for it.

Our plaintiff's attorneys did an excellent job and it was definitely a close round.  Unfortunately, the court room was at least 80 degrees.  The result of not having breakfast and sitting in a sweltering courtroom for a 3+ hour trial in a suit was that we were all moments away from passing out.

We only had about an hour to quickly eat lunch and prepare for our next round, during which I was a defense lawyer.  Mistake #2, about 3 minutes prior to the start of trial I managed to spill a cup of water all over myself and a stack of our exhibits.  Fortunately, it wasn't noticeable when I buttoned my jacket and the documents dried out before we needed to use them.  It threw me off my game for the first few moments of my opening statement, but it didn't take too long for me to find my stride.

The opposing counsel for the team we were against in this round were ridiculous.  The girl introduced herself and said her name was Vassi, as in "V" for Victory.  I threw up a little in my mouth.  To their credit, they were very competent in regards to how to work a courtroom and had clearly memorized EVERYTHING they had planned to say.  BUT, they made up evidence, grossly misconstrued evidence and raised objections that were contrary to their argument.  For example, V for Victory Vassi objected to the fact that John used leading questions on cross examination.  Genius.  Those are the only type of questions you are supposed to ask on cross.

I also managed to frustrate this team.  They had blown up an exhibit, which I objected to because they had rearranged and eliminated some information.  For the purposes of competition, the judge allowed them to continue with their questioning of their witness.  Then on cross examination, I told them that they had created a fantastic document and asked if I could use it (of course they couldn't say no).  I then made their witness on cross examination use their exhibit to prove MY case.  Suckers.

Team C Girls

At the end of the day, we did not advance to the final rounds.  We got some great feedback (apparently I talk too quickly and thanked the witness on cross every time they said what I wanted them to) and learned a lot going through the process of preparing for and going through a full trial.  I am really proud of my team and of the performances we gave.

Team C Boys

After learning that we were not moving on, we walked what felt like a million miles in heels (mistake #3) to find a mexican restaurant.  The food was great, but we had a LONG uphill walk to get back to our hotel.  Due to the extreme heat in the courtroom all day and not drinking enough water, I got pretty dehydrated and woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible migraine.  I forgot to pack any meds, so I got to walk the city streets alone at 2 in the morning trying to find something to stop the excruciating pain.  Not the greatest end to a long day, but at least it was over.  Nothing left to do but enjoy the rest of the weekend in sunny California!

Day 31 - One month down

This has been a long, but productive day.  It started with Zumba.  FYI, I will not be going back to Friday morning Zumba.  The instructor was unable to dance to the music which irritated my beyond belief.  I wasn't going to walk out of her class, but I was certainly tempted to after she just barely missed hitting herself in the face with one of her awkward arm flails. 

After Zumba, I hustled down the GU and then off to a lunch meeting with a local law firm.  Speaking with someone who practices in the field of law I'm interested further solidified that my career is heading in the right direction.  Then, it was off to the airport.  I made it safely to San Francisco on what was a mostly an uneventful flight.  One of my GU teammates has a fear of flying, which kept the rest of us entertained. 

The most exciting news of the day is that just after one month of working out, I am down 5 lbs!  I really haven't changed my diet much yet, so I can attribute the loss to hard work in the gym.  I will try to assess my eating habits more this next month.  I don't want to diet, but I am sure I can do better.  My mom got Charlie a NuWave oven for his birthday and I am sure that will help us make healthier choices. 

I've got to be at the courthouse at 7:30 tomorrow morning so I am turning in for the night.  Bring on the competition!

Day 30 - Glee

Glee music got me through this crazy day.  While studying, driving and during my run, the upbeat vocal stylings of the Glee cast kept me positive and Gleeful as I hurried to get everything done.  My current favs are Teenage Dream (WAY better than the Katy Perry version), River Deep Mountain High and the Start Me Up/Living on a Prayer mash-up.  If you're not a Gleek, you are missing out.

I only had one class to prepare for today (again, thank you evidence prof for some much needed time off!), but I did have a lot of last minute trial team stuff to finish.  Also, I intended to get a lot of work done on my brief after class.  Some work got done, but not nearly enough.  It is becoming VERY clear to me how I will be spending my nights next week.  Charlie's birthday is next weekend and I'd really like to be done with writing so I can celebrate properly with him and only have some minor editing left.  Even with the best of intentions, I have a feeling I will still be up all night Monday the 22nd scrambling to finish.  Fortunately, there is only one more semester of LRW.  Like my good pal Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive.

Survival is the instinct that has taken over at this point.  If law school is a case of survival of the fittest, it's a good thing I'm getting my fat butt in shape!  I can already tell that my cardiovascular fitness has improved.  I ran with a local running club (the Flying Irish) several times this summer and joined them again tonight.  I seem to run a much faster pace when I run with a group, which usually renders me gasping for air and walking stretches of the route.  Not today!  I finished the 3.25 mile run with energy to spare!  Go Katie!  Go Katie! Go! Go! Go Katie!  When you are the cheerleader in your group of friends, sometimes you have to cheer for yourself.

Although I ran like the wind, I looked like a freak.  I sported my running tights (which perfectly accented that lovely lady lower belly pooch), a hot pink long sleeve shirt, a hot pink headband, a blue fleece and a head lamp.   Yes, I said a head lamp.  It was DARK by the time we started running and I was terribly afraid of twisting and ankle because I couldn't see where I was stepping.  I was prepared to be scoffed at, but I was one of many sporting this awesome forehead accessory.  In fact, I noticed some runners would run closer to me when we were on some of the darker stretches to share in my brilliance (speaking of course about both the light produced and my level of genius).

After my run, it was time to start packing.  I struggled to stay awake and eventually gave up and went to bed. At 9PM I couldn't keep my eyes open, but now at 3AM I am wide awake!  I am packed and ready to go (I hope), so I should really try to get back to sleep for a few more hours before the madness begins.  I'm going Zumba in the morning before heading out to an informational lunch meeting with a local law firm.  After that I've got to rush home, grab my bags, meet my teammates and head to the airport.  I'm not sure how much time there will be for exercise and blogging this weekend, but I'll do my best to keep you posted.  Have a great weekend!

Day 29 - Fail

I did not earn my chocolate. Although I got everything I needed to done for class and survived another pilates (with weights), I did not make any progress on my appellate brief. When I got home, I sat down on the couch to eat dinner and woke up an hour and a half later swimming in my own drool. I only snore and drool when I am truly exhausted, so I don't feel too badly about catching up on sleep. Good thing I am already married and the hubs puts up with those traits that are less than attractive.

The next few days will be insane, so I'm going to sleep right... now.

Day 28 - Starting to Panic

It's that time of the semester again.  You can feel the building anxiety and panic from the instant you walk in the front doors of the school.  In legal research and writing, I started to experience the crippling fear of running out of time associated with the month of November.  I've got an appellate brief due in two short weeks and I will need every last moment of free time to complete it.  The only times that do not count as "free" out side of school are a daily hour for exercise and a weekly episode of Glee.  So if I'm not in class or doing one of those two things, make sure I am writing my appellate brief!  Please!

My stress level stayed around a 9 (of 10) through my Tots tap and Jazz class.  I REALLY try to not let them know that today isn't the best day of my whole entire life.  I want them to learn to love dancing as much as I did at their age.  They deserve to have a teacher who is enthusiastic and supportive of their efforts, even if my mind is concurrently working out the elements of Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress as they do leaps across the floor.

I have to say, though, by the time I was done teaching my advanced tap class, I was downright jolly.  I really have a fun group of girls in that class and they don't seem to mind a little bit of teasing.  I am really going to push them hard in terms of technique so they can be ready to compete by next year, but I also want to keep things light-hearted enough that they don't burn out before the year is over.

After gobbling down a plate of spaghetti (with whole wheat noodles), I headed to the gym.  I have got to stop going right at 7PM.  I had really wanted to just run tonight, but EVERY treadmill was taken!  There were a few elliptical machines open, but I tend to think of the elliptical as the last resort.  I could be VERY mistaken, but the people who frequently use the elliptical don't seem to make much progress towards their fitness goals.  I like to pattern myself after people who get results.

Instead of just leaving (as I may have done a month ago), I decided to give the rowing machine a try.  The dudes who use it are always RIPPED, so I figured it must do something right.  After about 10 minutes, a treadmill became available and I decided to switch.  I think I'll need someone to show me proper rowing machine technique because it felt like it was really straining my knees.

I had only 30 minutes to finish whatever remaining exercise I was going to do.  I had to make it home in time for Glee!  I decided to put in three miles on the treadmill and call it good for the day.  Note to self: allow at least 20 more minutes for digestion on spaghetti night.  A belly full of noodles and bouncing on a treadmill do not and should not mix.  I missed the first few minutes of Glee, but thankfully it didn't affect my viewing experience too terribly.  For those Gleeks out there, did any one else LOVE that Teenage Dream number?!

I'm heading to bed early tonight with the goal of waking up at 5 tomorrow, doing both my Employment and Constitutional law reading before Pilates (with weights), doing Pilates (with weights), and then spending the rest of the morning researching for my appellate brief until class starts.  If all goes as planned, I will deserve some sort of chocolate.

Day 27 - Guess Again

Pilates was awesome this morning. I was a little terrified going in because I had a pretty good idea what was in store, but I kept up surprisingly well. If there weren't 20lbs of fat covering them, my abs would be amazing! I think I'll need to start doing 30 min of cardio after pilates. Although it's a great core workout, it's not exactly going to help burn off the several pieces of pumpkin bread I enjoyed today.

After dinner, plopped down on the couch thinking to myself how nice it was to be completely done with the day by 8:00. Guess again! Without naming any names, someone in the Hilen household spilled the beans. No, I don't mean that someone shared a juicy secret. Someone literally spilled a pot of taco soup all over the fridge. After a few expletives and a lot of paper towels, the mess got cleaned up and the situation seemed more comical than frustrating. These are the moments...

Good Night!