Written in Pieces #2 in Book Two: The Fifteenth Year of the Third Millennium of the Common Era

2/22
Went to church this morning. It was fine, it is an old church that became a Super Church and is now the young hip church. But- whatevs. They have their hearts in a good place, stay community focused and Biblically centered so that’s good. Today’s sermon was about the Beatitudes and how Christ’s point was that the Ten Commandments weren’t just Strict Legal Principles Guiding You to Heaven; but were about relationships. Don’t commit adultery, but if you lusting after another woman means that you have committed adultery in your heart. That isn’t to say “Sleeping with another woman is equal to lusting after her” it is to say “if you cheat on your wife, you deeply hurt the relationship; if you lust after another woman, you hurt the relationship.” The ending had a sign that had the words Rules and Religion crossed out but the word Relationship circled. I told my parents, nope. Sermon about Relationships over Rules? Love over Law? Not the right sermon for before the bar exam!

After that, we drove into downtown to stake out parking for the bar exam to make sure I knew where I was going to go. Then took a very long (very cold) walk with the dog. All-in-all, got back home around 3pm. I should have jumped straight into studying… but so sleepy after all that activity and sunlight. I got some studying in, of that you may have no doubt. But as seems to be a mantra practically- I didn’t get as much done as I would have preferred.

Late 2/22
Goddammit. It is hard to be with my parents after 7pm. My dad’s bedtime is usually 7. For some reason. But with me here, he tries to stay up to make sure I “do as he thinks I should.” Tonight… it was to “Stop studying, start tapering, and remember concise writing is always best.” Except… he isn’t a lawyer. He’s never taken a licensing exam. He knows nothing of the law. But he keeps trying to tell me how to study and how to take the exam. SERIOUSLY?! Plus, he is near deaf and refuses to get a hearing aid. His exact words were “There is nothing I want to hear that is as valuable as a hearing aid is expensive!” But… because of that (and his deep addiction to the television) when he finishes dinner, he immediately goes into the living room and turns on the TV and turns the volume up as loud as it goes. My mother and I are shouting at each other to pass the salt at the top of our lungs. Which just creates the atmosphere to get my mom and I arguing. Cuz my mom is worse. She demanded we watch the Oscars and is trying to pull some entertainment shit with me. Her expertise in the area? She teaches music to elementary students who “keep her in the loop.” My expertise in the area? I was an actor from the ages of 5 to 20. My mom is sitting here trying to tell me about how foley is done. I have to remind her that I did Foley for a film once. I don’t know why I need her to explain to me how “people do the sound of leaves” when I can tell her the type of microphone needed for it. Then we get to the movies themselves… and she demands vehemently that “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is a sequel. I explain to her that it is not. She argues and demands that, yes it is because she saw the first one in theaters. I told her that Wes Anderson has made movies prior but none of them technically connect. We went back and forth on this until I flat out showed her. To which her response was “Well, what about the one with Richard Gere?” ::grumph:: You mean “The Second Best Marigold Hotel?” And tried to argue that it was the same thing. BAH! Then she was horrified that I so badly wanted to see the Lego Movie and was aghast at how many people thought it should have been nominated for an Oscar. I know I’m 30 but my parents aren’t so old as to be nearing that level of ornery and confused and everything. My dad is 62, my mom is 61.... I’m worried about them a little.

2/23
Today has been largely about whether to study or not. I don’t want to over do but I also feel like keeping up habit in this case will be better for me. I’ll likely drill MBE questions for my weakest categories and do a lot of reading on Partnerships and Corporations; as those two topics may appear on an essay and I am super weak there. Or… I may just re-watch some videos about Corporations and Partnerships. Basically… I’m going to review but I don’t know how much. We also had the registration event today. To be crass, between the stress of this event and the majority of the attractive would-be-lawyer girls wearing their yoga pants… I may have to relieve some stress in a most sexual manner when I return to Omaha. Though, in thinking about this something comes to mind that I may wish to write about later.

Late 2/23
I’ve studied today, watched (and fallen asleep) to a few MPT training videos and some Corporation videos. As always… there is more I could do. But… running over the same stuff again just doesn’t seem like it would be that helpful. I hate saying it because I don’t want to believe it… but at least for tomorrow’s Essays.... if I don’t know it now, I’m not likely to be able to get it quickly tonight.