Party Time!

Special thanks to Amy and Byron for hosting a post-bar party at their place. We had a great time eating, drinking, and enjoying good company. As usual, pictures are below:

Bonnie's beautiful flower arrangements

Co-host, Oggy

Amy smiling for the first time in two months

The spread

Erin and Amy amuse the crowd

The crew around the table after some successful binging

Megan and Ryan laughing it up

I Fought the Law and the Law Won

IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! My part in the torture-fest that is the bar exam is done! I thought y'all might want to know what it looked like inside the bar exam room, so I took these incognito photos after we finished day two. I tried to capture the size of the room but since I didn't want to look uncool the pictures are a little blurry and not the best quality.

Can you see the enthusiasm? This photo shows the front of the room.

Sorry about my finger and the blurry photo. This is a photo facing the back of the room. To give you an idea of the number to test takers, the tables filled the entire room with two people per table.

Just what the world needs, more lawyers... kidding Washington State Bar Association. I really like the legal profession (notice I didn't say "lawyers"). Don't fail me because I'm sassy!

Now that it's all over, I really don't know how to feel. Part of me feels relieved that it's done but another part of me is sad that law school is officially done and the training wheels are off. I don't have a strong feeling on whether I passed or not because the exam had a few surprises. The prep course I took for 6 weeks really focused on training students to follow their style and answer model, which was sort of a bad thing because it made me a little rigid when writing my essays. The areas of law overlapped in fact patterns a lot more than I anticipated. *Sigh*

Leave it to the law to take all the fun out of being done -- on to the binge drinking!!!!

Bar Exam, Day 1

After a full day of writing 9 essays, I don't feel like writing too much, but I did want to share my first day of the bar exam experience. I got up, showered, and left the house before 6 a.m. to get to Bellevue in time for the mandatory check-in and orientation. Just as I pulled into the parking garage, NPR reported that "wannabe" lawyers were taking the bar exam this week, blah blah blah. I wasn't nervous until I heard the radio report.

Once inside, the bar exam is run with the precision and formality of a military parade. Two test takers share a table and it turns out that my deskmate went to Syracuse Law School--I took this as a sign that I would be okay.

We are given questions in three at a time (three sets of three per day) and we write essays on each. The first two questions were really tough for me. The first appeared to ask for evidence rules but the facts were related to criminal procedure. Who knows, I may have answered incorrectly, but I was relieved to find another pure-evidence question after lunch (evidence is usually only tested once on the exam). The second question was a sales question, which I felt strong with before the exam but felt a little unsure after the first question.

Anyhoo, I feel bizarrely calm and haven't freaked out yet. Frankly, I care but I don't care. I don't NEED to pass the bar to get a job in policy, but it's a good tool to have if I need to work temporarily in a firm. Between you and me (and the worldwide web), if I fail, it's only my pride that is injured. That being said, I really have no gage for how to feel at the end of day one. I don't feel like I said enough but maybe I said more than I thought. I reached the character limit (strict limit where the exam program stops you from typing further) in nearly every question. I tried to be very concise and spot a ton of issues.

Oh well... on to day two! Bring it!!!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Darcy: Graduating from law school is an odd thing--you don't really feel like you've accomplished anything because the bar exam looms like a 600-pound gorilla.  For the last two months, I've been sitting in class, writing essays, and outlining 17 different areas of law.  The grading standard is "minimum competence", which means that you need to know a little about a lot.  In other words, preparing for the bar exam is not substantively hard but it does require a great deal of time.  

At this point, I just want to start the exam and get it over with, but I have to wait until Tuesday. I keep saying to myself, "A week from this moment, I'll be done with 1/3 of the exam" or "A week from now I'll be done!!" and that mentality makes me even more anxious.  On Thursday, July 26, at about 11 a.m. I'll be leaving the exam room and the entire ordeal will be over!

When the exam is over, I plan on getting a nice pedicure, chopping my hair off, and starting a triathlon training plan.  Results from the bar are not distributed until 71 days after the exam (sometime in October).  When I worry about failing, I remind myself that I don't want to be a lawyer.  I'm taking the bar to have an extra tool in my belt in the event that I need to do temp work until I find the right policy job.  The bottom line is that if I do fail, my pride is the only real victim.  That being said,  I won't fail because I feel like I can write something about everything--I can fake it until I make it.  

Ok, thanks for the therapy.  As a final note, let me just say that the money you spend preparing for the bar is unbelievable.  The prep course is a little under $2000, the exam fee is about $500, and if you plan to use a computer you have to pay $120 as a "registration fee" to download the appropriate software.  The expenses don't end there--many test takers are renting a hotel room for three nights so they can avoid traffic.  I'm not going that far, but we are boarding Soma for three nights because I need to be up and out the door between 6-6:30 in the morning.  Of course, there's parking, food, and other miscellaneous expenses.   The cost is another motivator for passing the exam the first time.  Cost aside, you need to spend money to make money, right? In the end, it's all worth it and next week at this time I won't care about the money!!

Soma's First Sprinkler Experience

Hi guys, Darcy again (I am procrastinating--can you tell?)

So, you may heard that the west is in a major heat wave. Eastern Washington is routinely hitting triple digit temperatures and wildfires are raging. Seattle has not escaped the heat but a heat wave for Seattle is more like a regular summer day anywhere else. Today temperatures hit the mid-90s, and I went over to my friend's house to study. Like a good mother, I brought Soma along and let him play in the shade of the yard. Soma also got his first sprinkler experience, which was hilarious.

A little uneasy at first, Soma checks out the strange contraption that is spraying water in his face.

Now he gets it...

Feeling more confident, Soma heads directly for the sprinkler for maximum water exposure.

On a side note, if you didn't know that he was playing in a spray of water, don't you think Soma looks vicious in the second photograph? If only we had Photoshop, I could take his crazy looking face, blow it up on a large photo, and make my own "Beware of Dog" signs and make millions.

OK, it's time for me to return to my studies. Maybe I'll post pictures of Soma swimming in the lake tomorrow. Geez, I can't wait for the afternoon of July 26th...

Peace out

Green Thumb Victory!!

Darcy: The old adage "simple pleasures for simple minds" is particularly appropriate for me these days. Preparing for the bar exam has left my brain mushy and completely preoccupied with rules for subjects like commercial paper, secured transactions, tort law, etc. In other words, my brain is pretty simple and can't take a lot of stimulation. With my brain simplified, I'm appreciating little things like my container garden (see our entry flower pots to the left--the green plant in the front is a geranium plant that is between blooms).


Our friend, Amy, is an amazing gardener. In fact, we enjoyed the opening of evening primrose flowers in Amy's garden on the 4th of July over the traditional firework display. I know, I know--when you start watching flowers for minutes at a time, you really know you are getting old. If you have no idea what an evening primrose is, it's a flower that blossoms at sunset and the blooms only last one day. When the flowers open, they spring open and the process takes about 20 seconds from start to finish.

Evening Primrose

Anyway, like I said, we have several containers with herbs, annuals, and even two tomato plants. The weather in Seattle is amazing right now with clear skies everyday and a nice temperature (75-80) most days. This weekend, we noticed that our little Sweet 100 tomato plant started to produce ripe tomatoes (see photo to the right). We also have a Big Beef tomato plant that is loaded with green tomatoes. Our herbs include thyme, golden oregano, a bay leaf shrub, sage, rosemary, and basil. The basil plants are a little temperamental and wilt if they aren't watered every other day, but the warm weather has done the basil some good.

The reason I felt compelled to blog about our gardening experience is because I've never been a gardener. When I was a teenager, I killed a cactus and not because I watered it too much. I really like watching things that I planted grow and flourish. Yep, we are crazy vegetarian hippies...

In Memory of Laura Grimes McGlenn (1949-2007)

Unfortunately, our family has experienced another sad loss - Darcy's uncle, Roger, lost his wife, Laura, suddenly last week. A fond tribute to Laura's life can be found on the Idaho Press website. Darcy first met Laura last Christmas while the family attended a basketball tournament in Las Vegas. Laura was a very warm and caring soul with great energy and a love for laughter. Tragically, Laura was diagnosed with Acute Mylogenous Leukemia and passed away a few days later. We send our love and sympathy to Roger and all the family Laura left behind. Our thoughts are with you all.

Laura Grimes McGlenn, July 8, 1949 - July 2, 2007

30 Is The New 7

Yesterday, I left behind my twenties to become a member of the thirty-something club. In the weeks leading up to my birthday, many people told me that age has become increasingly irrelevant--a thought that suggests turning 30 is a bad thing. In the same vein, I can't help but laugh at the fact that the Desperate Housewives set the cultural norm on how women should age. Apparently, the Housewives make "40 the new 30". Setting aside the likelihood of plastic surgery, unhealthy dieting, or just good genes that make the cast look fabulous at 40, I think the 40/30 comparison is not a "one size fits all" equation. I propose a new difference where 30 is the new 7. I don't know about you, but I still like to make flatulence jokes, laugh at men who get hit in the crotch, and learn about the world. The only difference between now and my childhood is that I set the rules within the confines of grown-up responsibilities. Not bad if you ask me...

For my birthday, we went to a local Ethiopian restaurant for dinner and then came back to our place for an amazing chocolate raspberry cake and wine. Thank you to all our friends who joined us for a few laughs and some good eats.

***WARNING*** The rest of this post may be offensive to some... You Are Warned!

For those who missed it, look out for our new band, Prolific Vah-Jay-Jay, to release it's first album, No Douchebags Allowed, next year. We need to learn how to play a few instruments and get our interpretive dance choreographed for our first world tour before we make it big.

Eastside Visitors

Todd (Ryan's childhood friend) and Jen Gibson traveled to the west coast from Connecticut for a quick weekend visit before continuing their trip down the coast to Napa, California. While in Seattle, Ryan and I showed Todd and Jen some of our favorite places in Seattle:

• Pike Place Market - including the famous flying fish stand,
  
• Ballard Locks (where ships, yachts, and other boats transition from inland waters to the Puget Sound and where visitors can see salmon use a fish ladder during their migration from ocean to fresh water for reproduction),
  
• Discovery Park ,
  
• Madame K's brothel-themed pizza restaurant,
  
• Ballard Farmer's Market , and
• The Fremont Troll
  

The weather was divine and we managed to tire ourselves out enough to need naps in the afternoon. Todd and Jen left this morning in a hot red Mustang convertible to continue their trek south. When it's all said and done, Todd and Jen will stop in Portland, Oregon; Brookings, Oregon (via the gorgeous coastal highway); Napa, California; and San Francisco. We can't wait to see all the pictures from their amazing trip! Here are some pictures from our weekend together:

Our Fair City
The white bump in the background is the top of Mt. Rainier.

Say Cheese!

Ryan Gets Bitten by the Shopping Bug

Sockeye Salmon Traveling From the Ocean to Fresh Water

In Memory of Jack Gates (1917-2007)

Last Thursday, we received the sad news that Ryan's grandfather, Jack, passed away. Jack's great sense of humor, passion for music, and love for his family will be missed. Ryan's grandpa gave him many wonderful memories including family vacations to Jack's cabin on the St. Lawrence River.

We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when,
but I know we'll meet again some sunny day!
Keep smiling through, just like you always do,
'till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away! -- Johnny Cash

Grandpa Jack making funny faces at Hannah's wedding.
We love you, Jack!