Can't sleep- wandering mind
I'm retaking the MPRE tomorrow. I say that with as little shame as possible as I've never failed at anything before, so I figure the test in August was my one free pass, right? I didn't even do that badly considering I hadn't studied nearly as much as recommended but still my score didn't satisfy what was necessary to sit for the bar exam. Apparently I'm not as ethical as some states would like...hmmm. Hopefully I'll be able to focus and do better this time around so as to put this behind me for good.
Anyway, it's 11:30 and I have to get up by 7am to get to the test site with tons of time to spare (type A personality rears it's ugly head). All I can think about while I lay here restless are things that are coming up, mostly fun stuff I'm having trouble waiting for. My semester is really dull but gearing up so I really need to crack down next week so I'm not totally screwed during exams. Instead of focusing on that all I can think about is how much things will change really soon.
Moving to New York is huge, even if it's just for a few months. It's going to require a lot of self-sufficiency and possibly wearing a certain kind of personality as a mask most of the time. I'm really excited about all the opportunities this will afford me and how it'll be exposure to something completely new, but I'm also thinking I may have to leave the city fairly often to catch my breath. Good news is that there's a paddling club based out of the general NYC area, so I think I'll get hooked up with them right away to get an excuse to see some country every few weekends.
I'm also stuck on a few trips I'm thinking about. Montana is a definite to see Jessi and that's in March. Not really sure what we'll be up to, but I'm sure it'll be fun. There's tons to do there and I'd like to fit in at least one day of kayaking just to see what it's like out west. Jessi has said that the rivers don't run as much in March because the snow hasn't melted enough yet, so that might be a no go. At any rate, I'm looking at another trip in May when I have about 2 weeks off between end of classes and graduation. At first I was thinking Puerto Rico for the mix of beach bumming and river kayaking. Then I did a little more research and found that the kayaking kind of sucks there, meaning it's either too dry to paddle or such big water that it's expert level. Who am I kidding, right? Puerto Rico might still be an option, but I'd have to modify my trip to reflect the lack of rivers. Perhaps I should try out surfing? Or maybe just stick to laying on the beach....
My other idea was Costa Rica. Flights are a smidge more expensive, but not prohibitively so, and there's tons of paddling to be done for all skill levels (according to the tourist sites anyway). Plus it's in a jungle, which could be a neat experience, and if I am comfortable driving I could rent a car and spend a few days at the beach. The best part is that if I can't get a group together I could always drop the cash and pay a kayaking tour leader to babysit me along with a bunch of other Americans. It would be more money than I'd like to spend and a little less fun, but at least I'd still get to go on my trip. Hopefully I'll meet some cool paddlers in and around NYC who are up for a hiatus in the boonies of Central America and we can just wing it.
If I want any hope of either option I MUST start making the time to work on some skills. So far I've been invited to go out with Buffalo paddlers twice but had class or some other prearranged commitment on both occasions. Maybe after tomorrow my weekends will clear up enough that I can get out at least twice before the rivers ice over.
Regardless of my above ideas (which are, admittedly, a little far fetched- you only live once!), I'm flying up to Anchorage the week after graduation to hunker down and study for the bar. After that I have no idea, but I'm pretty excited to see what happens. I might end up being a bum version of a lawyer for a few years, but I figure I'm young and can afford to take a few years to figure myself out. If I fail miserably I can always start over again somewhere else.....
On that happy note, I'll try to get some sleep now. Wish me ethical thoughts!
Anyway, it's 11:30 and I have to get up by 7am to get to the test site with tons of time to spare (type A personality rears it's ugly head). All I can think about while I lay here restless are things that are coming up, mostly fun stuff I'm having trouble waiting for. My semester is really dull but gearing up so I really need to crack down next week so I'm not totally screwed during exams. Instead of focusing on that all I can think about is how much things will change really soon.
Moving to New York is huge, even if it's just for a few months. It's going to require a lot of self-sufficiency and possibly wearing a certain kind of personality as a mask most of the time. I'm really excited about all the opportunities this will afford me and how it'll be exposure to something completely new, but I'm also thinking I may have to leave the city fairly often to catch my breath. Good news is that there's a paddling club based out of the general NYC area, so I think I'll get hooked up with them right away to get an excuse to see some country every few weekends.
I'm also stuck on a few trips I'm thinking about. Montana is a definite to see Jessi and that's in March. Not really sure what we'll be up to, but I'm sure it'll be fun. There's tons to do there and I'd like to fit in at least one day of kayaking just to see what it's like out west. Jessi has said that the rivers don't run as much in March because the snow hasn't melted enough yet, so that might be a no go. At any rate, I'm looking at another trip in May when I have about 2 weeks off between end of classes and graduation. At first I was thinking Puerto Rico for the mix of beach bumming and river kayaking. Then I did a little more research and found that the kayaking kind of sucks there, meaning it's either too dry to paddle or such big water that it's expert level. Who am I kidding, right? Puerto Rico might still be an option, but I'd have to modify my trip to reflect the lack of rivers. Perhaps I should try out surfing? Or maybe just stick to laying on the beach....
My other idea was Costa Rica. Flights are a smidge more expensive, but not prohibitively so, and there's tons of paddling to be done for all skill levels (according to the tourist sites anyway). Plus it's in a jungle, which could be a neat experience, and if I am comfortable driving I could rent a car and spend a few days at the beach. The best part is that if I can't get a group together I could always drop the cash and pay a kayaking tour leader to babysit me along with a bunch of other Americans. It would be more money than I'd like to spend and a little less fun, but at least I'd still get to go on my trip. Hopefully I'll meet some cool paddlers in and around NYC who are up for a hiatus in the boonies of Central America and we can just wing it.
If I want any hope of either option I MUST start making the time to work on some skills. So far I've been invited to go out with Buffalo paddlers twice but had class or some other prearranged commitment on both occasions. Maybe after tomorrow my weekends will clear up enough that I can get out at least twice before the rivers ice over.
Regardless of my above ideas (which are, admittedly, a little far fetched- you only live once!), I'm flying up to Anchorage the week after graduation to hunker down and study for the bar. After that I have no idea, but I'm pretty excited to see what happens. I might end up being a bum version of a lawyer for a few years, but I figure I'm young and can afford to take a few years to figure myself out. If I fail miserably I can always start over again somewhere else.....
On that happy note, I'll try to get some sleep now. Wish me ethical thoughts!