March Marches On

A view of Old Sac and the Capitol Mall Brige

A sigh of relief and a sinking into the couch; the March of the Perpetual Houseguest has come to an end. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining, but I am a tad bit tired. My mom left this afternoon after a wonderful brunch in Old Sac and a really fun weekend.

My mom and her new husband came down Thursday evening. We spent the weekend together playing Yahtzee, cardgames, and having conversations. We visited the Capitol Building and tasted some great wine and Chelsea made a wonderful Guyanese dinner in which we hung out with some  of mom's old friends.

One of the great things about having guests is it forces us to get out of the house and visit the sights that are always here, but we always put off for another time. We have our staples like restaurants we go to, but then there are other food places that we see along the road but say that we will check out later (and when we do, so far, we are super stoked with what we’ve found).  Then, there is the Capitol building that I’ve always admired from a distance, but never entered. That was a trip. There are museum rooms decorated as if from the early 20^th century and the rotunda is painted with complex patterns. In addition, Capitol Park is full of wonderful surprises from old statues to exotic trees.      

Mom in the foreground! The Capitol Building

On Saturday, we took my co-workers advice and checked out the Bogle Vineyards which is about 20 minutes away near a small village named Clarksburg. To get there we had to go along the river a ways, and carefully wind our way through narrow country lanes. When we finally arrived it felt like we were a thousand miles away. But the location was beautiful and the wine wasn’t half bad either.

The Bogle Vineyards

It was wonderful to see my mom because she hasn’t really visited Chels and me much since we’ve lived so far away (first San Diego, then Guyana, and now Sacramento) and she is usually so busy most of the time. Moreover, it was great to play host for her for once rather than the other way around.  There is this strange, affirming thing to have my parent come down and be in my space for a while. I was able to show her my classroom, take her to dinner, and engage her on a different level than before. In other words, rather than feeling like we were still on the level of mother and dependent child (even though I haven’t been that for while) I felt like we were engaging as two adults (though, you know she will always be mom!).  It was a fabulous feeling.  

Anyway, it’s spring break for me and I have a few weeks off. I have nothing special planned, just to laze around, work on my novel, finish some BTSA stuff, plan for the next few weeks, read, read, read, and do some things around the house that need fixing (Wow. That doesn’t sound like lazing at all.) I am sure things will come up, but for now I am going to sit back and enjoy the last vestiges of grand weekend.  

All of us at the Winery

Spring Break

            Today is my first official day of Spring Break! Yay! Last night I turned in my final graded assignment for my legal research and writing class which was a wonderful feeling! Another 1L law school milestone accomplished!

            Luckily, since I had started the memo earlier in the term, I was able to split my time between finalizing the assignment and enjoying my first weekend on Spring Break, which just so happened to fall on St. Patrick’s Day. My friend celebrated her birthday on Friday and she came to visit for the weekend. I am so lucky that we live close to each other so we can do weekend visits regularly. While she was here we ate yummy food, watched the St. Patty’s Day parade in Old Town, spent a beautiful, sunny day walking around mid-town for a celebratory pub-crawl and ended the evening with a raucous game of Cards Against Humanity.

            I felt like the weekend was a perfect balance between school responsibilities and fun. On Sunday I was able to finish my memo while Tim and Em did some of their own work for their respective professional jobs and then we all took Toast to the dog park followed by an afternoon at Tres Hermanas with margaritas (green drinks of course in honor of the holiday!).

            Over my break I am planning on getting started with my outlines for finals because when I go back to school next week there are only 4 more weeks of instruction before study week and then finals and then I will be officially done with my first year of law school. Hard to believe how time flies! I am also participating in the 1L Moot Court Competition so over the break I have to read a fact pattern, a closed-universe of cases from the hypothetical jurisdiction of Utopia and then prepare a brief and oral argument that I will submit next week. It is a fun competition that simulates the Appellate process so I will be practicing my persuasive writing skills and getting feedback on my oral advocacy. There is the possibility to win a scholarship prize and earn a spot on the Moot Court competition team as a research assistant next year if I do well so I am going to give it my best effort.

            Again, I am working on the whole school/life balance thing so also during this break I am heading out to Santa Rosa to visit my cousins and my 2 year-old second cousin while they are in town visiting Oma. It will be great to see the family and have some chill family time. Also, next weekend my mother-in-law is visiting us, which we are really looking forward to! I love hosting family at our little house and I am looking forward to showing off the fun parts of our new hometown.

            Tim has his Spring break next week and the following week (major bummer that our breaks do not coincide) and he is looking forward to having some time to relax, plan lessons without being under a time crunch and take care of some tasks around the house that he has had on his list for a while.

            The weather is beautiful here in the Capitol so we are happily taking advantage of our free time to get outside and enjoy the warm breeze, smell of the blossoms on the trees and sunshine. Toast loves the spring weather too. At the moment, I am watching her play in the backyard. She must have lost some toy in a bush and gone in after it but now she is stuck in the bush and all I can see is her little head poking out! She is a hilarious animal (although she is not staying tiny, technically a medium sized beast) and it is great to have a little dog friend to keep us company. Life is good. 

Toast and her best friend Atticus playing in Erin's backyard

The Paddy Wagon at the Parade

Celebrating Tim's Irish heritage

Seriously LOVE these ladies!

Old Town Sacramento reminds us how amazing California is!

Yay! Vacation! Yay friends!

Summer Sorted and March Madness

Exciting things are happening in Casa de Tibbs! Our summer plans are sorted out which is such a great relief and this month we have our house full every weekend with visits from friends and family, which is such a joy!

My summer plans were looking promising anyway, since I had interviewed and been accepted to work (on a volunteer basis) for a nonprofit that advocates for vulnerable populations in rural communities. I was excited for the opportunity because the hands-on legal work of underrepresented farmworkers was right up my alley but I was also a little concerned about how working for free and the long commute would be a serious hardship for Tim and me.

I had also applied to a program funded by the Bar Association that offers paid summer internships to 1L students. The Fellowship program is a great opportunity because it has an educational component where the participants get to know the lay of the land in the local legal community. It is a great networking opportunity and excellent experience. I wasn’t feeling very confident about getting the Fellowship because I was competing in a field with student from my school and Davis. And the competition was stiff. Plus, I did not leave my interview feeling like I had nailed it. So, I was starting to look for grants and scholarships to fund my summer working for the nonprofit.

Then, last week I found out that I was chosen for the Fellowship program! I was placed at a boutique labor and employment law firm. It is going to be such great experience for me to learn how things work in private law firms and the corporate legal world. I know I will learn a ton about many facets of employment law from wrongful termination, sexual harassment and labor law. I am excited about the technical skills I will gain and thrilled to have an established, structured introduction to the legal community in my new town. Plus, I’m gonna be getting paid!

So things are looking up for my summer! Unfortunately, my internship coincides directly with the month of summer vacation that Tim has so we don’t see ourselves being able to do much travel or vacationing together this summer unless it is local and we can go over three day weekends. But we are really looking forward to spending more time acquainting ourselves with the leisure and adventures that this part of California has to offer.

Now that I have my summer planned, I am able to focus more on school and ending my first year strong. Also, this month we are so lucky to have visitors who we adore coming to stay in our home every weekend. This weekend, both my mom and Tim’s friends from high school are visiting. Next weekend, Tim’s cousin will be in town, the following weekend Emily will spend her birthday and St. Patrick’s day celebrating in Sac and the last weekend in March, Tim mom will be here! We are so excited and so lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing people. After spending two years away from our families, we have developed a deeper appreciation for the amazing community that we are a part of.

So, as it starts to warm up in and the blossoms start to flower on the plum tree in the backyard, we give thanks for the blessings that we have; family and friends, a sweet home, great jobs, promising futures, a silly puppy, and each other.

What I am learning in law school

      This semester my school cranked up the heat for us ILs by requiring us to take an additional class. Now my weekly course load includes: Civil Procedure, Contracts, Property, Torts, Legal Research and Writhing (Global Lawyering Skills GLS) and Criminal Law. Over the past few weeks I feel like I have been learning some very transferrable life skills, some technical legal skills that will only be applicable in my life as a lawyer and learning about some laws that make me very sad/angry/frustrated.

Transferrable Life Skills

Recently in Property we have been learning about leasing and buying real property (land/houses). I have been paying close attention because I realized I know next to nothing about that topic. I have leased residential property a few times in my life but I certainly did not take a close look at the lease to learn my legal rights and responsibilities. I realize now that a more careful read of a lease could protect me in the future as a renter, and that if I need to, I can even negotiate the terms to get a better deal (not necessarily in price, but it terms to security and amenities). And, when the time comes, I am equipped with a basic understanding of buying property. I know the basics of how the sale of real property works from purchase agreement, to examining the title, to mortgage and closing. I understand the fundamentals of what types of deeds and securities exist and which ones protect the buyer the most. It is nice to know that when Tim and I buy our first home we will be coming into the process armed with substantially more know-how than many first time home buyers so we will be able to make sure we are getting a good deal and will be safe from problems down the road.

Technical (read: boring) lawyerly skills

If I tried to explain the complex rules of submitting a pleading to court and what one must disclose at the discovery phase of a trial, I would bore you to sleep.  However, these are crucial skills that I am developing in my Civil Procedure class. This week, we are participating in a simulation of the discovery phase and I may have the opportunity to conduct a mock deposition. The technical rules are complicated but the rules of procedure are so important for a good lawyer to know to make sure that the client doesn’t lose their case on technical errors. Although the class is tedious at times, I feel like I am being well prepared, not only to pass the Bar exam in a few years, but also to earn the (hopefully) big bucks that people pay for a top notch attorney who can work the rules of procedure to conduct an efficient trial from the initial filing of the complaint, through discovery and all the way to the judgment.

Laws that Make me Mad

I have unaffectionately dubbed last week, “Rape Week” at school. In our criminal law class we focused on rape law and read case after graphic case illustrating the complex analysis of rap law. It was so upsetting to read detailed descriptions of these horrible, brutal sexual assaults. As I read the cases, I tried to focus on the law but it is hard to read those cases without thinking of all the beautiful women I know. It was hard not to imagine each cousin, friend and mother in the place of the women in these cases. The infuriating part was two-fold:

First, rape law is in need of serious reform. Each jurisdiction has a different definition of the crime of rape. The most common similarities are that the prosecution must prove that the intercourse was done with “force” and/or “without consent”. Now, most young women I know have heard the quip, “No means no”. Well, it turns out in many courts, even if a woman says no, she might still not be able to win on a conviction of rape because she cannot prove “forcible compulsion”. The opinions I read brought in supporting facts from the surrounding circumstances to try to prove that the women consented. Facts such as; she went into his dorm room willingly, she was murmuring “no” passionately, she didn’t scream or scratch or run away, therefore she must have consented. Those of you who know me, can anticipate why this makes me so mad. What happened to “no means no”?!? Rape law today often requires victims of the most invasive, degrading crime to stand up for themselves. If a woman were robbed, we wouldn’t be asking why she didn’t stand up to the robber and defend herself. Yet we do with rape.

The second thing that made me just sick to my stomach, was listening to some of my classmates adopt and defend this position. I am slightly embarrassed because at the end of Rape Week, I couldn’t play nice anymore and so I jumped up on my proverbial feminist soapbox and spoke out in class. The gist of my position was that we should have a criminal system that does not require the victim to magically produce evidence that proved her subjective mindset that she did not consent. Instead, we should shift the burden to the defendant and ask him, what led him to believe that the intercourse was consensual. I know it flies in the face of the traditional process of criminal justice to place the burden on the defendant, but frankly I would like to hear how the defendants in rape cases can justify why they thought the sex was consensual when the victim was crying, or muttering “No, I need to leave” or asking questions like “If I do what you want, will you not kill me?”. These were examples from actual cases that we read and some of my classmates tried to argue, with these facts, that there was not enough evidence of force to find a conviction of rape! Seriously, what the hell?!?

Despite my frustration, I am glad we engaged in these conversations. I know there were men in my classroom who had never heard some of the counter arguments that I, and some other of my colleagues, were espousing in class. Our assigned reading consisted of some brutally honest feminist scholars discussing rape law reform with much more authority than I can. I think it was good for all of us, young attorneys to-be to gain insight to different positions from those that we were familiar with growing up.

Whereas I am unfamiliar with issues regarding buying and selling real property, I certainly had my fair share of exposure to women’s rights issues growing up in a feminist community in Santa Cruz. And, as my mom and I have to remind ourselves often, not everyone was raised in a women’s circle. So, perhaps my colleagues may be more familiar with discussions of estates and trusts than women’s rights, but we are all learning and filling in the gaps in our experience to become well rounded, level-headed legal scholars. Little by little, week by week. I hope. 

If you want to stand up against violence against women, check out One Billion Rising:

ONE IN THREE WOMEN ON THE PLANET WILL BE RAPED OR BEATEN IN HER LIFETIME

ONE BILLION WOMEN VIOLATED IS AN ATROCITY

ONE BILLION WOMEN DANCING IS A REVOLUTION

On V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, 14 February 2013, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men across every country. V-Day wants the world to see our collective strength, our numbers, our solidarity across borders.

What does ONE BILLION look like? On 14 February 2013, it will look like a REVOLUTION.

ONE BILLION RISING IS:

A global strike
An invitation to dance
A call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends
An act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of their struggles and their power in numbers
A refusal to accept violence against women and girls as a given
A new time and a new way of being

Hey, January. Where ya goin?

Just Toast, being adorable!

Dear January, so you’ve decided it time to move on already huh? Gotta make way for Febuary you say? Well, I can’t say I’m sorry to see you go. Not that you have been bad, really. Just a little cold; frosty actually. In fact, I did resent having to de-ice my windshield every morning. And sure do appreciate being able to feel my toes again. Toast is especially looking forward to spring so she can enjoy sunshine in the back year, walks and trips to the dog park. So, go ahead January. Off you go. Ciao, adios, go long yuh way.

So far, 2012 has been keeping us busy but has ben full of fun too. Tim and I both started a new semester. Tim is assigning two books to his students this semester, Night and The Kite Runner. He is enjoying teaching his students how to be critical readers and thinkers. Although Tim loves his students and is so passionate about helping them learn to love to read, this semester hadn’t been a calk walk for him. The administration at his school has very high expectations and is primarily focused on test scores rather than holistic education. I know they are placing unreasonable expectations on him and rarely give him positive feedback. I try to make up for it, but Tim knows I am biased. He is truly a dedicated, thoughtful and caring teacher. That damn school is lucky to have him.

            As far as law school is concerned, this semester began with some good news and high expectations for me too. The good news is I got my grades back and I am pleased to say that my hard work paid off. I got good scores all around and was especially proud that I earned the top grade in my legal research and writing class. So, that was great! The workload for this semester is already in high gear. The school requires 1Ls to take an additional class, Criminal Law, this semester. And on top of the new class, all my professors have been assigning us more reading, more projects and more memos to write. It has been hard to keep up but I am miraculously making it happen. Almost on a daily basis though I wish for one of those time-turners that Hermione had in Harry Potter. 

            I am also starting to make plans for the summer and that has been a bit of a time commitment too. I am applying to a very competitive Fellowship program that places first year law students to work as (paid!) interns in 15 of the top law firms in Sacramento for 10 weeks. It is an amazing networking opportunity and chance for me to get a type of hands-on legal work that is rare for first years. Keep your fingers crossed for that for me. If that doesn’t happen, I’ve got my resume updated and looking fancy and I hope to land an internship that will let me work only part of the summer and, for the other half, I’ll participate in the 3 week comparative international law program that is held in Antigua, Guatemala. Either way, things should work out. I am just staying busy getting all my ducks in a row. 

            Neither of us are too busy, however, to have a little fun now and then. We have been having so much fun with little Toast (although we can’t fairly call her little anymore!). She is finally finished with her puppy vaccines and we took her to the dog park for the first time over the three-day weekend. She had so much fun chasing other dogs and sniffing all sorts of new smells. It was great to socialize her and see her play nicely with other puppies. Tonight we are going to a Sacramento (soon to be Seattle) Kings game, which should be fun. We got free tickets from a coworker of Tim so we thought we should enjoy having a pro-basketball team in our town while it lasts. We have some other fun things in the works, like tickets to see Wicked in SF, a coupon for wine and chocolate tasting we need to cash in on, and movie coupons we got for Christmas that we are looking forward to using. 

            All in all, good things happened in January. But I’m not sad to get it behind me. Did I mention it has been cold. Yeah. Freezing. I am looking forward to watching Sacramento turn into spring, working hard and enjoying life. I am feeling very blessed.

 

Good-bye 2012...HELLO 2013!

The setting sun at Sea Ranch

Our vacations are coming to an end. School and work are just on the horizon. But it should be a good year.

My first semester of teaching ended on December 21^st 2012. It was an 11^th hour day with students coming in and out, making up work they had plenty of time to do during the semester, while grades and data analysis were supposed to be done. I had big plans to leave in the early afternoon head off to The Sea Ranch for some R-and-R, and then enjoy my vacation, but this was not the case. I was in my classroom until 5 or so, and then left with still work to do; however, luckily, the admin extended the due dates for our grades and analyses until December 26^th.

I finally finished all my work on Christmas Eve, and haven’t really thought if it since.  But it was a great holiday all the same.

Chelsea had finished school earlier in the month, and she was stoked. She visited her mom in Santa Cruz and on the 20^th went up to prepare for our vacation at Sea Ranch with Emily and some of our friends. I came up the next day, and our long lost, Chicago-dwelling, friend, Dave, showed up with his wonderful boyfriend, Al, later that night, while Stephan and his girlfriend, Taylore, were there, as well as Eltgroth for a quick spell.

Chelsea, Brang, and Al

It was just what the doctor ordered. Plenty of conversation, arts and crafts, hikes and hot tubs.  We weren’t there for too long, since we agreed to spend Christmas Eve with Chelsea’s Oma in Santa Rosa.  (Which was probably one of my most favorite Christmas Eve/Christmas celebrations to date. )

Arts and Craft Project

This was only the beginning of our whirl-wind trip. 

After Santa Rosa, we had to pick our puppy in Sacramento, then head off to Santa Cruz to visit with Victoria and then Nana in Carmel. It was a quick stop, but really, really delightful. We had a great day with Nana, eating brunch, conversing, and then had an amazing dinner at this dog-friendly place called Cypress Inn in Carmel. 

After which, we made our way to Southern California to stay with my dad and visit my mom and brother, niece and friends. It was the first time we had been back together with my family since we left in July. The weather was perfect, our friends were all awesome. (Go Llew and Tom, I can’t say it enough, you guys rock! And I am so happy for your burgeoning family!) It was great to see my cousin, whom I’d thought we’d miss, but we stayed an extra day so we caught him.

The furthest South we traveled to was Pasadena (no San Diego this trip :(  not this time at least). We spent our New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day in sunny Pasadena. We met up with some of our San Diego/LA crew then walked down Colorado Blvd before the Rose Parade to see all the people who were camping out the night before. It was pretty neat to ring in the New Year on the streets, but I was happy we had an apartment to stay at nearby, rather than camp in the cold. The next morning, we saw a bit of the floats, then spent the rest of the day in relaxation and bid farewell to some of the friends we won’t see for a few months and headed back to Oxnard.

Wisconsin's Rose Parade float

We returned home to Sac a few days ago and have been prepping for work and school and getting our house ready for this positive 2013 year ever since. But this year, of course would not be complete without a list of some sorts, so here we go for the highlights of 2012, in no particular order, and some hopes for 2013.

Goodbye 2012:

•   Returned home from the Peace Corps
•  Decided to spend, at least, the next 3 years in Sacramento
• Got my first permanent teaching job; with benefits!
• Started Law School, and finished the first semester
• Got Toast!
•  Got a new car

Hopes for 2013:

• Finish first year of Law School and start the second
• Finished first year of teaching and start the second
• Take a big trip somewhere (Hawaii, Chicago, New York/Boston/D.C., or Zurich?)
• Study abroad in Guatemala
• Stay positive and take care of ourselves
• Minimize stress! 

Anyway it was a great year, but I know this coming year will be full of more change and exciting things! 

Sea Ranch glories

More Sea Ranch Scenery

Walking back from the Rose parade