Things I Saw

I had a lovely, albeit chilly, walk this morning.

I saw two interesting things. The first was a little duck family with the cutest ducklings:

This beautiful sight means that it's spring, folks.

The second thing I saw was a dead snake:

(No photo, as I was somewhat afraid that it might just be a comatose snake, or perhaps a sneaky snake with quail-like tendencies).

This not-so-beautiful sight means that the reptiles are dying off in the early stages of the apocalypse. Or it's just a dead snake. Tough to say.

Stuff

How can one tiny person have so much stuff?

I'm trying to get rid of lots of things and downsize the material part of my life in preparation for this fall. It's a giant pain, and I'm basically drowning in piles of stuff.

If it were cool stuff that I could sell to other people, that would be awesome, but alas, it is all stuff that has varying levels of meaning for me but no value for other people.

What a pain.

Poll Results

Well, what can we learn from the results of the poll so far?

You guys have a hard time making up your minds. Sheesh!

And I thought that I was the indecisive one.

End of the Visiting

So folks, the visiting is done. My mind is basically made up about where I'll attend law school, but I'm just sorting out the final details.

On the right, you'll see a poll. Go ahead and pick the city where you think I'm going to be living for the next three years.

People We Meet

Along our travels in life, we meet many people. Some of these people are fun, while others are frustrating. Some are sweet, and some are downright perplexing.

So here we are, folks. After thousands of miles and travel, I have selected one woman as the craziest person I met. Here, by popular request, is that story.

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When I was staying with my friend Laura in California, I got to meet many nice people. Laura is a wonderful hostess, and she always tried to note some commonality between me and the person to whom she was introducing me so that we had something nice for conversation. In this special case, it did not go well...not well at all. We'll refer to this special woman as Jane.

Laura: Liz is out here looking at law schools. (Note: Laura is being a sweetheart to mention this, because Jane's husband is a lawyer and her daughter is currently in law school).

Jane: Oh, really? Where are you looking?

Me: Well, I'm here to see UC Irvine.

Jane: (disgusted) Why would you want to go there?

Me: (nervous chuckle) Well, I suppose that's what I'll find out tomorrow!

Jane: (still inappropriately disgusted) Ugh, all those Asians.

Me: (stunned silence)

Jane: How are YOU ever going to compete with all those Asians?

Me: (still totally shocked, blurting out the first thing I can think) I am really, really smart.

Jane: (patronizing chuckle) Or really, really stupid.

Where Was Liz - South Bend, IN

Sure enough, I was visiting South Bend, Indiana, where I saw the University of Notre Dame. I can honestly say that I've never seen anything quite like it. Here are some pictures:

For some reason, the people in South Bend are really, really interested in having statues in their yards. Here's one house where the occupants are working on their collection:

But their neighbors are really, really out of control...

Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus:

Lots of birds on campus. They are terrifying to me, and these ones were really, really big! (Note: I was not calm enough to take these pictures. I was definitely far away while Somebody's Mother got these crazy shots of these big birds.)

I can tell from these pictures that the birds don't look nearly as large and terrifying as they were in person, but I swear to you, they were scary!!

And everywhere we went, there were lots and lots of birds. There was even appropriate signage.

Where's Liz - Part 5

Here's the last one, folks. Where's Liz?

Where Was Liz - Orange County, CA

Well, folks, although Matt's guess was once again my favorite, Tiffany's guess was much more accurate. Orange County was a wonderful paradise. I spent four glorious days in California. My very kind friend, Laura, was fabulous enough to not only let me stay with her, but also to shuttle me around, take me to the best restaurants, take me to a wonderful concert with her, and generally just spoil me silly. Although I was there to see a law school, I sure enjoyed all of the rest of that trip as well!

Here are some pictures:

FABULOUS beaches. The Californians were all very chilly, so hardly any of them were out. Non-crowded beaches are my favorite kind!

This bird watched Laura and I eat our amazing lunch at La Sirena. For some reason, the bird refused to get down on the ground, but just hopped from fancy car to fancy car, and since we were in Orange County, he had plenty of choices.

All in all, it was a wonderful, wonderful trip. It snowed in Utah while I was in California, making California all the more tempting...

Where's Liz - Part 4

It's that time again - where's Liz?

FAQ Part 2

Everyone continues to ask about law school. Since I have been neglecting those questions for some time, I thought it would be a good time for another Q and A post.

Didn't you just finish your undergrad? Why on earth are you going to go to more school??

Such a good question, dear readers. Such a good question... Some people go to law school because they don't know what they're doing with their lives and want to postpone figuring something else out. Some people go to law school because they want to be rich.

I am going to law school because I want to be a lawyer, and there's just not a way to get around the law school part. In truth, I suspect that I'll enjoy law school more than I enjoyed my undergrad, as I won't be working and will be able to focus on my studies. The classes I've visited have been interesting and engaging. I'm looking forward to classes this fall.

However, I completely reserve the right to whine, complain, feel stress, and discuss how difficult law school is once that day comes. We'll be sharing the experience together, folks, the good, the bad, and definitely the ugly.

Have you picked a law school yet?

No. Stop asking. The more you ask, the slower I will be in getting an answer back to you. Some of you are already relegated to hearing my decision some time around Thanksgiving.

I intended to post my decision in a posting here on the blog on May 1st. However, recent developments have caused me to push back that timeline to May 15th at the earliest. If somehow, it's sooner, you'll be happy. If not, then you won't be disappointed. And if it's later, well, you'll still live. Until then, my official answer is that I don't know where I'm going.

Stop asking.

So are you saying that you know but you're not telling us yet?

That's not what I'm saying. I don't know where I'm going. Really. Some people have expressed disbelief in my lack of commitment to a school at this point. Those people clearly do not know me well.

I'm so glad you're going to law school! You're going to meet so many great guys and then you'll get married!

I know this isn't a question, but it is a sentiment that gets expressed frequently, and I wanted to address it at this time.

Dear readers, I am going to a law school--not a finishing school. I'm not going to school so that I can get married. I'm going to school so that I can be an attorney.

Where do your parents want you to go to law school?

My parents don't express their opinion on the matter. Truly. I imagine that they have them, but they want me to make my own decision, so you'd have to ask them.

Well, if you don't have anything good to tell us about law school, at least tell us how things are going in general.

Wonderfully, thanks. I'm very much enjoying the traveling, relaxing, and sleeping in every day.

Doors

Why is this door in the airport?

There's another door behind it after that walkway, so what purpose does this door serve?

The best I can figure out is that the door is there for my amusement.

Voodoo Doughnuts

When I head out on the road, I always do some research ahead of time so that I have some ideas of places to see and places where I want to eat.

One of the places that was recommended to me again and again is a small place called Voodoo Doughnuts.

The doughnuts are pretty tasty, but you have to wait a long, long time to get them. Here are some pictures of the shop and the doughnuts. (My apologies for the blurriness: the doughnuts are spinning around in a display case, and the shop is very dark.)

Yes, yes, that is a maple bar with bacon on it. I did not eat one.

Here's the outside of the shop:

The entrance to the shop is just slightly to the right of the green door on the far left of the picture.

Slightly outside of the frame of this shot is an adult movie theater. Its sign says that it plays several films in rotation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's just information I didn't need.

The line takes about 30-45 minutes to get through. I didn't eat any of the crazy doughnuts, but the regular ones were just fabulous.

If you're wondering what it smells like in that giant line, to be honest, it smells like pot.

Fortunately, the doughnuts were great, and I used them to refuel after my walk that day in Portland.

Where was Liz - Portland

Well, we had some pretty good guesses on the last picture, and the correct answer is Portland, Oregon. I spent just a couple of days in Portland, but I really enjoyed it. Here are some quick pictures and anecdotes about the Portland experience.

I did a lot of walking in Portland. I like to walk, and the weather was fabulous while I was there. One thing that Google Maps does not tell you, however, is how hilly your walk might be. My first walk in Portland was basically straight uphill. I walked about three miles from my hotel, and about two of those miles were straight up. However, when I arrived, it was well worth the walk. I went to a giant park that had many smaller sub-parks. I was exhausted when I arrived, but I started my walk around the park. The first sight: Historic Reservoir 3. I really have no more words for that one, so here's a picture.

The stairs were fine, in case you wondered.

My next stop in the park was the Japanese Garden. It was very tranquil and beautiful, even though it was still a bit chilly. From the park, it's easy to forget that you're in the middle of a giant city, and the Japanese Garden is even more quiet and secluded. There is one spot with an extraordinary view of Mt. Hood, although I had to walk past that spot twice before I saw the mountain. In my defense, it is big and impressive, but it fits behind a tree. I'm from a land where mountains don't fit behind trees. Here are some of the many, many pictures I took at the Japanese Garden.

Later, I was looking at a map as I planned out the best trains to take to get to my next destination, and lo and behold, there is a Happy Valley out there, too.

When I got to the city center, I found this great sign that helped me get my bearings.

The law school I was touring in Portland wins the award for the most beautiful school I've seen so far, as it is literally on the edge of an incredible state park. Some pictures of the school:

Don't rush them--it's their park, too.

And back in downtown Portland, I thought I should take a picture of one of the giant bridges that go over the Willamette River.

And here's a close up of a sign on it that cracked me up. It's telling me to not trespass. Do they think that I am going to swim out there and somehow Spiderman my way up? You can see from the boat in the picture just how giant the bridge is and how implausible that feat would be for me, or anyone for that matter. There may be a way down off the top of the bridge, but then why is the sign over there on the side? The world may never know...

In summary, I loved Portland and had a wonderful time there. It's a beautiful city with friendly, quirky people, and a wonderful climate.

However, don't read anything into that. I still have made no decision about where I'll be next fall. I told you that I'll have more information for you all on May 1st, and I still will.

A Movie Review

Because I have an opinion on basically everything, I wanted to share a quick movie review of my most recent Netflix movie.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Basic (Spoiler-Free) Plot (as seen in any of the trailers):

Eric Bana travels through time. A lot. Really, really a lot. Every time he does, he leaves all of his clothes behind. Rachel McAdams is his very, very patient wife

Liz's Thoughts (non-spoiler-free):

Here's a good rule of thumb for all of the movie makers out there: I don't need gritty and real in my movies. I've got gritty and real in real life. I want sunshine, roses, and happy endings in my films; I basically demand it in any romance/romantic comedy/romantic drama/Disney movie.

For future reference, I'd like a better ending than the one we got here.

Additionally, I really, really, really was not interested in seeing Eric Bana's butt that many times. I mean, seriously. There was very little else in the film. I hope he used a butt double that got paid by the number of times he had to display his rear end. In this economy, I'm sure that someone could've used that job to pay their mortgage.

Where's Liz? - Part Three

It's that time again! Where's Liz?

Where was Liz - Rural Wisconsin

No good guessers on the last picture, but it was a tough one. I was in rural Wisconsin visiting my sister and her family in between travels.

Some pictures of that part of my trip:

Getting ready for a bike ride:

I love this next picture because they don't all look like they're having the best time, but really, we had tons of fun. This image just doesn't reflect that for all of them, but I think it's adorable.

Pizza night!

I went to help out in the class of my sister's oldest son , The Bean, and then he and I walked to the market to buy some donuts. He's such a good helper. He pushed a tiny cart around and helped me pick out just the right donuts. He was so cute. I asked him if he wanted to get a treat, and he said he'd like to get donuts, and then he immediately added that he wanted to get some for his two little brothers as well. He's so good at sharing.

Bean and the merchandise:

When we arrived home, Chubbers, the youngest boy, was taking his nap, so we figured he could have donuts later. We left the box with several remaining donuts on the counter and went about our day. Later, when he was awake again, running and playing around, my sister and I were upstairs. When we returned back to the kitchen, we found this:

That adorable boy found the box of donuts, pushed his chair over to the counter where they were, climbed up, opened the box, selected this donut, and then sat down to enjoy it. How he knew they were up there is still a mystery to me. From his eye level, it would've just looked like a box. He's a smart little man.

And of course, after all the donuts and pizza during the week, we had to make sure we did some Zumba to work off the calories.

My nephews are all much better at the Zumba than I am, but I'll keep practicing.

After Wisconsin, it was back to Minnesota for a two days, and then back home.

Stay tuned for the next travel adventure!

Friendly Provo

Note: this posting is the first in a series of thoughts and comparisons of cities where I'm contemplating attending law school.

One thing that Provo has on basically anywhere else is its overwhelming friendliness. For good or bad, people here are just always nice.

Even the graffiti here is friendly. I've seen two samples recently on my daily walks.

First: "I'd rather live kiss to kiss than paycheck to paycheck."

And my favorite: "Toy Story 2 was okay."

I'd tell you where it is so that you could go enjoy it, but it has been painted over by some very dedicated city clean-up crew.

Where's Liz? - Part Two

Next leg of the trip...

Where's Liz?

Where Was Liz - Minneapolis

Congratulations to all of the smart people who Googled "giant spoon and cherry" to discover that I was, in fact, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (I did, however, prefer Matt's description of being in a giant milkshake. That is basically what the whole park looked like--it was a big slushy mess.) I visited three schools in the Twin Cities, mostly because they were all very close together and not necessarily because they're all at the top of my list.

Minneapolis was very nice. It was not nearly as chilly as I expected it to be. There was about a foot of snow in some places, but it was melting quite a bit, so there was lots and lots of water everywhere, in addition to all of the standard rivers and lakes in the area. It was quite a change for a girl from the desert.

The giant spoon and cherry is a sculpture appropriately named "Spoonbridge and Cherry." I went to a sculpture garden in Minneapolis to see it. I liked this particular sculpture, and some of the others were interesting as well. Here are a few more shots of that garden.

This next one is NOT a bench--it's art, people. Don't be confused by its bench-like appearance. It is labeled with artist and donor information and everything.

I find this next one to be odd on many levels...

Minneapolis was great fun. I got to eat at some great restaurants, enjoy some good company, get a bit of clarity on some law schools, and do some nice relaxing.

I would tell you where the next leg of the trip was, but that will spoil all of the fun!

Where's Liz?

My law school decision is taking me across the country to investigate some of the schools where I've been admitted for the next few weeks. I'm a lucky, lucky girl with many options of where to go for school, and I need to visit my top choices to help me make a final decision.

After finding a fabulous house-sitter, I've headed on the road. I'll try to keep you posted, but things will be up a bit after I actually do them, as I am a very busy woman. :)

So, here's the first installment in the road trip game called "Where's Liz?" (In most of these cases, it'll be where WAS Liz, not where IS Liz, as I'll probably only post on the days in between legs of the trip when I'm home, but just take whatever you can get, people!)

So...Where was Liz?