Frustrations
There's a lot of frustration in this house these days. For me, it's the lack of steady employment, the uncertainties regarding future plans: will we remain in California? Should I go back and finish my Ph.D.? Should I take the plunge and write full-time? Should I write part-time and continue looking for a day job to cover the bills? Will I ever become a mindless drone, or will I remain unique? Can I maintain my current starring role as the "family bum," an expert on unemployment and the current trends of unstable job markets? Or will I join the tie-slacks-and-8 a.m.-rush-hour crowd? Only time (and luck, or lack thereof) will tell...
For the distaff side of this abode, it's the frustrations associated with studying for the bar exam. This saga started on the second day of Christmas, for those of you keeping track at home, and has definitely continued way past Twelfth Night. The first part started back in October, with the purchase of Bar Breaker and a set of Bar Cards, both from Jeff Adachi (despite the links, Amazon took forever- I eventually ordered from here. Much quicker!). Despite the money we had to lay out for these materials and more, it's been worth it so far. Any law student reading this should plan to buy these books and materials! After the materials arrived, studying commenced, with a bar prep class (yep, Bar/Bri!) starting in late December. Thus far, the Bar Bri materials and the Bar Breaker/cards complement each other. Despite these aids, it's been non-stop studying around the clock for our resident legal acolyte. If you want to learn more about her travails, go here for a peek into her life the last several weeks.
The latest frustration for both of us came today. Ms. Legal Eagle-to-be is scheduled to take the dreaded California Bar Exam less than a month from now, in sunny San Diego. The scheduled site was Town & Country Resort, a sort of upscale "resort" just around the corner from Fashion Valley. This place is on the north end of Hotel Circle, where we booked a much cheaper pad for the few days we needed it. However, today, the State Bar sent us one of their increasingly frequent bar-related missives. This one said that because Town & Country had another "client" using the facilities, that the bar exam couldn't be held there, and that it would be moved to downtown San Diego, at the Concourse, just a hop, skip, and jump from Horton Plaza and City Hall.
It's only a couple miles south, but with arrival time coinciding with rush hour, and the need to eliminate as little stress as possible, it's a pain in the neck to make this kind of change at the last minute. You'd think a supposedly posh place like Town & Country would have done a better job coordinating their events calendar and guest lists? You'd think perhaps the Bar folks would have also have been as firm as possible and try avoiding these last minute changes? To their credit, they did include a list of hotels in the downtown area, but somehow places like the U.S. Grant, the Sheraton, the Hilton, The St. James, and Wyndham aren't exactly where the budget-conscious stay... We were able to secure a room in a more modest property that is within walking distance, but I feel bad for those that couldn't change their room reservations. Now they'll have to drive, battle traffic, and find parking. Those that choose to remain at Town & Country will have a shuttle, courtesy of Town & Country (I hope T&C is also providing a discount on those rooms, in exchange for royally screwing up! Now instead of walking yards to the exam, being able to head back to the room during lunch hour, etc., bar examinees will have to board a shuttle and buy lunch downtown).
Hopefully the remaining weeks will bring only the usual study-induced stress, and nothing else catastrophic. It's been a dry year, so there'll be nothing like the floods that closed the Pasadena location a couple years ago, and forced the State Bar to cancel a portion of the exam, thus adding even more stress than humanly possible to Bar applicants! Here's hoping it's smooth from here on out-- as few frustrations as possible...
For the distaff side of this abode, it's the frustrations associated with studying for the bar exam. This saga started on the second day of Christmas, for those of you keeping track at home, and has definitely continued way past Twelfth Night. The first part started back in October, with the purchase of Bar Breaker and a set of Bar Cards, both from Jeff Adachi (despite the links, Amazon took forever- I eventually ordered from here. Much quicker!). Despite the money we had to lay out for these materials and more, it's been worth it so far. Any law student reading this should plan to buy these books and materials! After the materials arrived, studying commenced, with a bar prep class (yep, Bar/Bri!) starting in late December. Thus far, the Bar Bri materials and the Bar Breaker/cards complement each other. Despite these aids, it's been non-stop studying around the clock for our resident legal acolyte. If you want to learn more about her travails, go here for a peek into her life the last several weeks.
The latest frustration for both of us came today. Ms. Legal Eagle-to-be is scheduled to take the dreaded California Bar Exam less than a month from now, in sunny San Diego. The scheduled site was Town & Country Resort, a sort of upscale "resort" just around the corner from Fashion Valley. This place is on the north end of Hotel Circle, where we booked a much cheaper pad for the few days we needed it. However, today, the State Bar sent us one of their increasingly frequent bar-related missives. This one said that because Town & Country had another "client" using the facilities, that the bar exam couldn't be held there, and that it would be moved to downtown San Diego, at the Concourse, just a hop, skip, and jump from Horton Plaza and City Hall.
It's only a couple miles south, but with arrival time coinciding with rush hour, and the need to eliminate as little stress as possible, it's a pain in the neck to make this kind of change at the last minute. You'd think a supposedly posh place like Town & Country would have done a better job coordinating their events calendar and guest lists? You'd think perhaps the Bar folks would have also have been as firm as possible and try avoiding these last minute changes? To their credit, they did include a list of hotels in the downtown area, but somehow places like the U.S. Grant, the Sheraton, the Hilton, The St. James, and Wyndham aren't exactly where the budget-conscious stay... We were able to secure a room in a more modest property that is within walking distance, but I feel bad for those that couldn't change their room reservations. Now they'll have to drive, battle traffic, and find parking. Those that choose to remain at Town & Country will have a shuttle, courtesy of Town & Country (I hope T&C is also providing a discount on those rooms, in exchange for royally screwing up! Now instead of walking yards to the exam, being able to head back to the room during lunch hour, etc., bar examinees will have to board a shuttle and buy lunch downtown).
Hopefully the remaining weeks will bring only the usual study-induced stress, and nothing else catastrophic. It's been a dry year, so there'll be nothing like the floods that closed the Pasadena location a couple years ago, and forced the State Bar to cancel a portion of the exam, thus adding even more stress than humanly possible to Bar applicants! Here's hoping it's smooth from here on out-- as few frustrations as possible...
posted by Mr. Sandman | 9:56 PM
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