persistence

Sarah • 弁護士の卵 @tryingandtrue

[lawegg]

twenty twenty goals

Um, Hey.

I’ve been off of tumblr for a little bit to focus on school work and the LSATs. Didn’t really realize that my follower count would double while I was away. So for those of you who see this, hello!

I wanted to take a moment away from studying to make a quick post about my goals for the new year. Because the more I put them out there, the better right?

low-buy 2020

I could make an entire post about rules that I’ve made for my low-buy year, but I’d much rather talk about my motivations for it. As most of you probably don’t know, I’m currently doing my undergrad at a university in Tokyo but I have plans to move back to the United States after graduation. International moves are stressful and expensive, so to make things go a little smoother I’d like to avoid accumulating things that I don’t need. I hope to make more meaningful purchases and to live a more sustainable life by consuming less. 

law school applications

The dreaded year is here. While I do have a relatively well structured timeline for my application process, I am not going to hold myself to specific numbers. The reason is that I don’t want my entire year to feel like a failure if I don’t score high enough on the LSATs. My year will be about discipline and accountability—not about beating myself up for missing X number of questions of whatever section of the test. 

listen to 100 new albums

This one is just for fun. As much as I love movies and tv and music, I’m the kind of person who will re-watch and re-listen rather than exploring new releases. My goal for 2020 is to listen to 100 albums which are new to me. Who knows, maybe I’ll even write reviews. Please leave me suggestions for music if you are so inclined. 

That’s just a short run-down of some of my 2020 goals. Of course these goals have their own sub-goals or tasks, but so far they are feeling relatively manageable. Have a happy happy new year!

[shymagnolia]

so I got into grad school today with my shitty 2.8 gpa and the moral of the story is reblog those good luck posts for the love of god

[shymagnolia]

okay so i just got my dream job??? a week after applying to it?? and now i’m thinking….maybe this is the good luck post

[flagellant]

…..not even six hours later i got an offer of a well paying full time long-term job with free room and board in queens in nyc, allowing me independence and a way to escape an abusive situation and an unhealthy environment

likes charge reblogs cast, folks, this is the good luck post

[studyhardinstyle]

reblog for a perfect second semester

the universe knows you will learn from your first semester mistakes

second semester is when we all get 4.0s

we got this. 

reblog to help a friend

[lawegg]

[034/100] 12.18.19

/HC

We had another meeting for HC, but what we’re beginning to realize is that getting real engagement is really difficult, no matter the amount of general interest we seem to receive. The good thing is that we got to have a really productive brainstorming session about how we could promote our organization to a larger audience. 

/class work

Did some reading on literary theory. We’re learning about structuralism and about narratology specifically. The cool thing about learning literary theory is that it gives me a lot of really great ideas for writing prompts that will force me out of my comfort zone. I don’t write a lot of fiction, but learning all of these ways to write compelling stories is making me want to give it a shot.

/lsat prep

I got to meet a school alumnus who went to a US law school and his biggest piece of advice to me was that the LSATs are effectively the only part of my application that should matter to me right now, especially since I’m an international student and my GPA will only get me so far no matter how high it is. Now I’ve got a fire under my ass about this exam and how much I should be pouring over test prep materials every moment of every day, but I know that’ll drive me insane. Rather than diving in too deep right now, I’m trying to structure a study schedule that will work with the rest of my life s well. 

As for today, I wrote out all of the advice I received from that alumnus and reviewed informal logic and concepts like validity. Worked through some LR questions too. I can’t wait for winter break starts so that I can dedicate more time to LSAT prep. 

[lawegg]

[033/100] 12.15.19

/school work

My reading load for this weekend isn’t too heavy. I read Angela Carter’s The Tiger’s Bride for my gender in literature class. We’re reading and comparing it to more traditional versions of the Beauty and the Beast story by Beaumont and Villeneuve. Carter’s writing is filled to the brim with detail and symbolism, it’s wild. It’s especially cool that we’re reading it in a class that’s taught by a professor who’s research is primarily on aspects of gender in Carter’s writing. 

In my literary theory class we’re reading Donkey Skin, a French story that has remarkably similar tropes to other fairytales. I don’t know a lot about literary theory, so it’s been really exciting to learn about different theoretical lenses and applying them to the works that we read. We’re reading Donkey Skin through Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale. 

/lsat prep

I spent about two hours working on lsat prep. Most of my time was spent working on question sets and blind reviewing. LR is starting to get a little easier now that I’m making it into a habit. I also spent time reviewing informal logic and conditional statements. 

/not productivity

We had our dorm Christmas party today! There wasn’t any gift giving involved, but we had a lovely meal together and had lots of fun just goofing off and taking photos. My dorm is really cozy and comfortable and I’m so happy that I get to spend four years of undergrad in a place that really feels like home. 

[lawegg]

12.14.19 | keep your goals where you can see them! I’m getting back into bullet journalling and I’m trying to find a new layout that works for my needs. 

motivational wallpaper by @luminous-studiess 🌿

[lawegg]

[031/100] 12.12.19

/class work

Three more poems down. I forget that reading poetry is something that comes with practice. Literary analysis doesn’t always come easy to me, and there are lots of times where I get down on myself because of it. I know that if I read more this probably wouldn’t be an issue, but I’ve been too tired at the end of the day to be reading for pleasure. I have started reading Decline and Fall on the recommendation of my favorite professor though! 

Read the case summary for Dred Scott v. Sandford for my constitutional law class. It’s cool getting to re-learn all of these famous cases that we basically glossed over in high school history like “yeah sure this is important too, but WAR!”

/cutting class with a professor?

Not really a productivity thing, but I cut class to go get lunch off campus with one of my professors. He was going to introduce me to an alumnus who had gone to law school in the US, but my professor had gotten the date wrong so it just ended up being me and him eating Thai food together. I will get to meet the alumnus next week though! I am a little glad that I get some extra time to prepare questions. 

[lawegg]

[030/100] 12.10.19

Exultation is the going Of an inland soul to sea -

/class work

Analyzed and recited three Dickinson poems. I’m trying to be prepared in case I get called on in class to recite. It’s strange that my poetry class has cold calls and my law class doesn’t. 

Read a summary on McCulloch v. Maryland for con law. Didn’t quite have time to take separate notes on the case, but I made sure to annotate the important bits. 

We get to watch Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast tomorrow in gender and lit, which is going to be really cool. Honestly this class has mostly been fun and games and I shouldn’t have any problems with it so long as I keep up with the readings. 

/work

My translation job has been kind of frustrating lately because I’ve been locked out of one of the platforms that I need to be able to access to get any work done. Most of my shift was just me sending messages to the IT department to try and get someone to help me. I know this would have been resolved in minutes if I worked in the office, but I enjoy the comfort of working from home way too much.

/lsat prep

Worked through my missed questions book again to make sure I know what I’m consistently missing. I know that most of my errors are in the high difficulty questions, which is good and bad. Good because it means that in general, I’m doing pretty well on the test overall. Bad because it’s those high difficulty questions that are going to be the difference between getting into a good law school and getting into my dream law school. 

[lawegg]

[029/100] 12.08.19

/JAZZ

I spent the weekend in a different prefecture for a jazz concert. There were bands from a handful of schools performing there and I got to be a part of it. The concert hall that we were performing in seated 1500 and the event was completely sold out. I only sang for one song, but it’s still crazy that I got to sing for an audience that big and that I didn’t mess up. Polkadots and Moonbeams will be in my heart forever.

/lsat prep

I’m not proud of the fact that I’ve gotten inconsistent with my LSAT prep. Diligence is key! I know this! I’m trying to work it back into my everyday routine. Today I started by reviewing my missed questions book and reworking them with detailed notes. I can’t just be getting questions right or wrong, I need to know why I got the score I did so that I can improve further. 

/class work

Got through my short reading for my conlaw class. Since it’s an introductory course, we aren’t reading actual case books. I’m trying my best to make a proper outline and case briefs as we go so that I won’t be overwhelmed at the end of the term. I don’t know if I’m doing them right though since I have no idea how to actually write a good case brief.

Analyzed my first ever Dickinson poem and I can already tell that my American Poetry class is going to be a rough ride. The OED is an absolute godsend for reading a poet with such a big vocabulary. I still wound up pretty confused in the end so I still need to polish my poetic analysis skills. 

[lawegg]

[028/100] 12.05.19

/school

The new term has started and I’m pretty excited about all of my classes! I’m a little bit nervous about managing my time, but I’ll make it work. I’m taking three literature courses and one class one American con law.

The first reading assignment of this term for my gender in literature course is Beauty and the Beast by Beaumont.

/misc.

Worked on my translation gig today. I’m not the best with tech which is frustrating sometimes because I work from home. I was locked out of an account and had to spend a chunk of my work hours trying to get back in.

Went to jazz rehearsals today since our performance is in two more days and I’m totally unprepared. My nerves got in the way and I straight up forgot the lyrics. A nightmare!

[lawegg]

Call to action for the universe to bring my planner back to me because I’m lost without it

[lawegg]

upd8s

I’m back in Tokyo after my weeklong trip to Berlin which was an absolute dream. I’m going to make a write up of some of my favorite museums/things to do.

Ended last term with all As :’) trying to bump up my gpa bit by bit before my law school apps begin

The new term starts tomorrow and I’m going to be taking mostly literature courses! I’m also taking my first ever law class, which is very exciting.

I’m going to be singing Polkadots and Moonbeams for jazz band and I could not possibly be more stoked!! It’ll be my biggest audience yet and I’m scared lol.

[lawegg]

11.28.2019 | I’m absolutely loving my time in Berlin. I bought two new Sontag books and had a really tasty bagel and chai at Distrikt Coffee with my friends!

[lawegg]

sometimes I wonder if I should reblog more study content from others. the original intent of this blog is to hold myself accountable, but that means that I can’t post as frequently bc not a lot of my study days are pretty. I’m not sure that reblogging pretty study content from others is the right way to fix that though.

[lawegg]

[027/100] 11.22.19

/lsat prep

Today was a lessons day. I decided to take it easy since the weather had me down and I’m still readjusting my sleep schedule. I’m trying to get better about guessing what the answer might be before reading the actual answer choices. It’s surprising how much better I’ve gotten at recognizing argument structures and assumptions. We’re just gonna keep on chugging along.

/HC

I worked on some Her Campus stuff. Again, I didn’t do as much as I’d hoped but that’s because writing scares me! Even if it’s just a sample piece about a fun piece of media that I consumed recently, it’s scary to have someone read and evaluate your work. I wish I grew up writing more, but better late than never I guess. 

/self care

I let myself make pancakes from scratch and binge some of season four of the Good Place. I’m trying not to watch them all in one sitting since there’s only so little left. Since I won’t be going back to work for a little over a week, I decided to paint my nails. They’re a very lovely green color now, but it does look a little messy up close. 

[featuresofinterest]

fun fact for you all: bram stoker started writing dracula just weeks after oscar wilde’s conviction…….we really are in it now

[housmania]

Dracula! And Oscar Wilde! YES! *drops papers everywhere*

I’ll just casually drop this here–it’s a long (and good) read, but essentially, the author argues that:

Stoker wrote Dracula as a direct reaction to the Wilde trials

Many of Dracula’s characteristics actually echo Wilde as described to the trials, and Dracula’s lifestyle resembles an exaggerated version of precautions to hide homosexuality

Stoker is basically the pro-closeted 1890s alternative to Wilde’s flamboyancy, and that comes out in how he portrays Dracula and Jonathan Harker

Like if you look deeper into Stoker’s letters to Whitman, he’s practically obsessed with feeling “naturally secretive” and “reticent”

(Also he and Wilde had some weird personal rivalry going on, since Stoker married Wilde’s definitely-not-straight ex-fiancee, though later they were friendly…there’s a lot to unpack here)

So, arguably, Dracula was Stoker’s way of apologizing for his silence during Wilde’s trials.

Some highlights:

Wilde’s trial had such a profound effect on Stoker precisely because it fed Stoker’s pre-existing obsession with secrecy, making Stoker retrospectively exaggerate the secrecy in his own writings on male love.

It is difficult, Stoker admits, to speak openly about “so private a matter” as desire. In carefully calibrated language, Stoker asks forgiveness from those who might see that his silence is a sin-to those few nameless souls who know his secret affinity with Wilde.

Since Dracula is a dreamlike projection of Wilde’s traumatic trial, Stoker elaborated and distorted the evidence that the prosecutor used to convict Wilde. In particular, the conditions of secrecy necessary for nineteenth-century homosexual life–nocturnal visits, shrouded windows, no servants–become ominous emblems of Count Dracula’s evil.

Dracula…represents not so much Oscar Wilde as the complex of fears, desires, secrecies, repressions, and punishments that Wilde’s name evoked in 1895. Dracula is Wilde-as-threat, a complex cultural construction not to be confused with the historical individual Oscar Wilde.

tl;dr:

Stoker is actually too repressed to function

Oscar Wilde (especially his trials) absolutely influenced Stoker

Dracula gay

[lawegg]

autumn light and peach cobbler | 11.21.19