Whatever Gets You Through The Day.

The Bar Exam is next Tuesday and Wednesday. No big.

Obviously, I'm nearly insane with the stress. Comprehensive, two day, closed-book exam covering more than a dozen topics. 300 multiple choice, 3 essays, multi-state and Florida specific law. Why has no one ever sued for cruel and unusual punishment?

If you google "preparing for the bar exam" I'm sure you'll be directed to lots of sites that tell you not to stress out, to study a lot, and to try to keep perspective. All good advice. Totally unrealistic. What's getting me through this? I'm so glad you asked:

1. Coffee. I'm drinking an average of eight cups a day. Some days more.

2. Buitoni Four Cheese Ravioli. It's in your grocer's endcap that has all the refrigerated pastas and expensive sauces. I don't cook them. I eat them straight from the package. I've eaten at least five packages in the last two weeks. I'm unclear on the health benefits (consequences?) of this.

3. Owl City. Looking for uplifting music? This guy makes me want to go dance in the street. Necessary counterbalance to studying murder charges. I strongly recommend Fireflies, Hello Seattle, Rainbow Veins, and The Bird and The Worm.

4. My green Florida Law sweatshirt. I'm wearing it roughly twelve hours a day, six days a week. Hot.

5. Did I mention coffee?

6. Samy Dry Shampoo. I just don't have time to wash and dry my hair every day. Seriously. That's like twenty minutes I save. I can spray and go, and no one's the wiser.

7. Ryan Reynolds movies. In the last six weeks I've watched the following: Wolverine, The Proposal, Definitely Maybe, Blade Trinity, Chaos Theory, Foolproof, Van Wilder, Just Friends, Smokin' Aces, Waiting, and School of Life. I have not really done much else besides study and watch Ryan Reynolds movies, actually. Most of them I watched on tv or watched free on my roommate's netflix account. Let me know if you'd like reviews on any of them.

8. Emily's blog. It reminds me that there is an outside world.

9. WiiFit. I do aerobics on it while I watch the Ryan Reynolds movies. Oprah calls it multi-tasking.

10. Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Video Version. I'm not sure, but this may be my favorite thing ever. When I (or one of my study buddies) hit a wall on something we're studying, we invariably watch this video. (For those of you wondering, because I invariably do this, it could be used as evidence against me, to show conduct on a particular occasion was in conformity with my habit...assuming it's relevant to a case brought against me. There's your Federal Rules of Evidence tip for the day. You're welcome!)

An additional blog post before the Bar is unlikely, but I'll be checking for comments. Feel free to send encouragements! <3