If we were in New Orleans, it would mean sweatshirts, library pants and the same t-shirt and bra for three days straight. Pulled from a pile in the floor where they were dropped the previous night. Well, morning really, since studying never ended anytime before midnight. Quitting any earlier meant we didn’t feel complete. It is the time of year you fall into bed, your mind heavy with theories and pneumonic devices derived to remember. So tired you can’t think; so awake because all you can do is think. We would awake and repeat day after day. For almost three weeks. We would Starbucks at ten, two and eight. Three times a day, each visit seeking a caffeine infusion, a break and a glimpse of the real world. Christmas tunes, blind dates and turtle necks. The trappings of how the other half lives. We would laugh, make promises of our lives post-finals and encourage ourselves to get through three more hours, one more week, or a single final exam. We would be there for each other. That is what friends do. That is what law students do. That is how it was in New Orleans.
If we were in New Orleans, we would be hunched over a laptop typing and recalling, analyzing, outlining and praying. The weather turned cool, but we never noticed. It was always cool on the fourth floor of the library. The lights were strung, but it was all a blur in the car on the way to our carrels. There, there in law school were generic stale fluorescent lights. The same people, the same faces and no one knew it was December. It was just, “what exam do you have next?” Monotony spiced with a change in subject; contracts, criminals and intellectual property. Despite this we would take solace in each other. Sharing jelly beans to pass the time and lap up the sugar. Agreeing to a noon lunch and place for a sandwich. Helping to hold books and computers on the long walk back to the cars in the dead of night. Asking each other those damned hypotheticals and attempting to sort out those questions with no right answers. Crying when the stress was too much and we just, “knew we failed our Torts final”. We would be there for each other. That is what friends do. That is what law students do. That is how it was in New Orleans.
These were the times we prepared for the rest of the semester. Otherwise, it was Sunday’s where you made homemade scones and hand whipped cream topped with fresh berries from the Whole Foods. We dine while preparing meatballs to stew for dinner. We then curl up on Ikea with a third cup of coffee, flannel pants and enjoy our friends in Beverly Hills. The 90210 gang are our separate memories enjoyed together to make new memories. We may part ways with plans to call our moms and go to the gym. Only to meet up in a few hours for study groups and planned meals of pasta with gobs of cheese. At the end of the day, at the end of exams, at the end of it all we would be there for each other. That is what friends do. That is what law students do. That is how it was in New Orleans.
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Accidentally Me said:
Is it bad if I mentally hummed the opening to the 90210 theme when I read that?
Da nuh na nuh, da nuh na nuh {clap, clap}- 7:02 AM
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anne said:
I love it! They play it on re-runs on the soap network. Nothing better on a Saturday morning.
- 8:00 AM
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JustRun said:
Though I'm sure it nearly killed you, it sounds like you at least ate well while in law school. :)
(Maybe I am just hungry and the food parts really stood out.)- 9:25 AM
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anne said:
Oh no doubt we enjoyed at times. But I also recall periods of good behavior, a lot of time to exercise and so much stress I couldn't bring myself to eat. It was by far some of the thinest years of my life.
- 10:28 AM
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Ally said:
My friend and I were reminiscing about law school this morning on email--mainly the fact that if we were in law school right now, we could take a nap. I kind of forgot about the pesky little things called finals. Oh, and Macon didn't have Starbucks when I was in law school, so somehow we survived those three years without it!
- 12:38 PM
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anne said:
Clearly coffee was a must, regardless of the source. Starbucks was just there. Overall I agree, law school was great. Nap time and a lot of other time.
- 1:33 PM
