Dress Form

With a lot of duct tape, modpodge, fabric, an old lamp stand, a pillow, blanket and a trusty ole (notice I said “ole” not old) grandma...I managed to finish up my most recent craft! Oh, and there was a trashbag...very important item to forget! (you will see why)

Ta da!

I’ve always thought dress forms looked so cool! No, I probably wont use it to sew on or anything, but I like the look of it!

The process:

Originally I tried using water adhesive packing tape instead of duct tape...FAIL. I wasn’t patient enough to wait for it to try, so obviously it didn’t hold its shape.

Second attempt was a success!

First- GET NAKED! Haha but really. Eventually you will have to cut this off of you, so you’d hate to cut a good shirt! Here is where the trashbag comes in! If you are taking pictures, make sure to get a black trashbag!!! However, any trashbag will do. Cut a slit for your head and arms then go to town wrapping atleast two layers of duct tape around you.

Second- grab a grandma! Or anyone happy to assist. Trying to tape your back is just too difficult! Then get some scissors and cut up the back! Don’t cut yourself! Retape it back together, stuff almost anything in it to keep its shape (I used an old pillow and a blanket ) and tape it back up.

Lastly- shape your shoulders and neck, tape up the holes, stick it on a stand. Here is my original lampstand which I then spray painted and disassembled a bit. And tape up the bottom. I thought the duct tape just wasn’t as fun, so I went ahead and ‘podged over it.

One of the many reasons I would never make actual instructions on how to craft...I get way to into them and forget to take pictures of my steps.

Yes, it may be useless just like everything else I make...but I like it!



DIY Day!

What do you get when you drill a hole through a book?

A planter!

Well at least in this case you get a planter! But I am certain you could do a plethora of other fun things by drilling through books!

Although it is sort of useless except for decoration…what do I actually make that is truly useful?!

Here I have my leftover pieces which I am almost equally excited about!

I decided on making them into a tester garland for a friend’s wedding!

Oh, and I decided to spruce up my blank wall a bit by purchasing a 79 cent roll of shelf liner paper from Salvation Army, rolled it out, painted on it (thanks to Kevin I have a mess of paints around here!), and stuck it to the wall for a great DIY wall decal!

Hint for my next craft:

involves duct tape/water adhesive mailing tape, me wrapped in a trash bag, and a floor lamp stand from goodwill!

"Good Work"

I forgot to mention, after 9 weeks, I got my very first bit of feedback from a professor! I mean first of ANY feedback. We've had 1 paper to turn in a month ago and still have not recieved it back. So basically this is the ONLY thing for me to even slightly determine how I am doing in school. My Property teacher was kind enough to allow anyone creating an outline, to turn it in, and she would comment on how well she thought it covered the important material.

Well, I cannot begin to tell you how much I treasured the feedback. She made comments throughout the 10 page outline, and wrote a note on the back encouraging me to keep up the good work. She said she could tell I was paying attention, understanding, and staying on track. I was thrilled by this small gesture, and only wish more teachers would take the time to do the same.

As simple and insignificant as this sounds, it was one of the greatest moments of my week!

Oh! And today I was notified that I got a job through the law school as an ambassador (you know, give tours call students ect). Let's be real...it was killing me not to have a job since this was the longest I've ever gone without one since... well probably for 5 years. So although its not many hours, its something I look forward to! 

Red Dirt Road

(Psh…don’t get your hopes up...I’m not going to break into a country song)

I had no idea a meager 4 years of my 23 years of life would have such a dramatic effect on me. Yes, I loved college at OC. If I could, I would go back and do the whole thing over again! (maybe I’d even change a few things…start a new club, play more sports, get a southern accent! JUST KIDDING. Oh come on, you know me!)   However, I feel spending 4 years at a private institution has spoiled me.

Now coming from OC, (and not only simply the college but the southern morals and lifestyles in general) state school has been more of an eye-opener then I had expected.

What I am getting at is, I had no idea Oklahoma would have such a huge effect on me!

I miss chapel, devotionals, the singing. I miss Friday nights where I could go out without alcohol, or Mondays when classmates weren’t hungover. I miss living with friends, decorating my own apartment and walking barefoot a friend’s apartment just to hangout.

I miss the red dirt…just kidding…no one misses the red dirt.

Show me you briefs!

On average, I brief about 10 cases a day. Briefing a case is basically reading it, and pulling out relevant facts and find why the judge decided the way he did. Here is a rather humorous case to describe how the first part of briefing works.

The Facts: Cordas v Peerless Transportation Co.

As a lonely chauffeur in defendant’s employ he became in a trice the protagonist in a breath-bating drama with a denouement almost tragic. It appears that a man, whose identity it would be indelicate to divulge, was a feloniously relieved of his portable goods by two nondescript highwaymen in an alley near 26^th street and Third Avenue, Manhattan; they induced him to relinquish is possession by...a most persuasive pistol”

Brief would say: Man was robbed at gunpoint by two men.

Laden with their loot, but not thereby impeded, they took an abrupt departure and he...quickly gave chase through 26^th Street toward 2d Avenue, whither they were resorting “with expedition swift as through” for most obvious reasons

They ran, and he chased them.

He saw [them] board the defendant’ taxicab which quickly veered toward 25^th and 2d Avenue, where he saw the chauffeur jump out of the cab still in motion.

The robbers jumped in a cab, and the cab driver jumped out of the moving cab.

According to the cab driver his passenger immediately advised him to stand not upon the order of his going but go at once [and] in the event there was the slightest lapse in obedience to his curt command that he, the chauffeur, would suffer the loss of his brains

The cab driver claims the robber threatened to shoot him if he didn’t drive.

Well you get the picture for the first section of a brief (oh by the way, the conclusion is the taxi jumped the curb and hit a mother with her children) Then I would go on to talk about how the judge decided that becasue he feared for his life, he was not held responsible. It is like reading the script of a movie when you’d rather be watching the video, and then dumbing down the plot so you can talk about it quickly and move on. The trick is to not dumb it down so much to miss the important points that the teacher will drill you on in class. After the facts is when you deal with the issues in a case, rules and precedent, and the judge's ruling.

And a little brief humor

Kaitlynn v. Kitty

Incase you don’t know, my real name is Kaitlynn. Surprise! However, I say that in the most literal sense. Can I really call “Kaitlynn” my REAL name when I’ve never gone by it? As my mother likes to say “I always loved the name Kitty, but I thought I would name you Kaitlynn incase you ever wanted to change it.” So in my 23 years, I’ve never truly gone by the name.

Aside from the looks I get from fellow classmates at a new school when I proceed to inform my professor “Uh, I go by Kitty.” followed with “Yes sir, like the cat.” I do prefer the name. Why?

Lets think about all those great “Kitty”s out there! Of course there is:

Miss Kitty from Gunsmoke

(if you don’t know who this is, you must be under 40)

Kitty from that 70s show

(if you know who this is, you must be under 40)

Hello Kitty

(she wears a bow in her hair, I’ll give her props for that!)

What in the world am I getting at? Well for a number of years I have considered the following:

1. Dropping the nickname and going by my “birth” name

2. Sticking with the nickname (obviously what I’ve chosen so far)

3. Make it legal! Why not get out the papers and just change it to Kitty!

So there we have my dilemma at present. My sister so lovingly pointed out that someone with the nickname “Kitty” isn’t someone you would want as your lawyer in a case. (thanks sis) However, if it is legal, I doubt they would get the same reaction.  I’ll probably wait until I have to go through the process of changing my name anyway **parents, close your eyes I’m going to use the dreaded “M” word.** Yes, that would be eventually when I get married someday. If I have to be getting a new last name, why not just change the first while I’m at it!

I wont even get into the embarrassing moments I've had when a teacher calls on "Kaitlynn" and it takes multiple attempts to get my attention

Laughing in the Library

These are a few of the cases that have made me almost laugh aloud in the library:

A few of my favorite case endings:

1.       “He then hit his sister with a stick”

2.       “The evidence in this case clearly establishes the fact, that the blowing up of the house was necessary”

A few interesting case dilemmas:

1.       If there is an explosion, and you pull someone in front of you, are you liable? What if instead you simply jump behind them?

2.       If a child runs across a street to catch the ice cream truck, and gets hit by a car, is the ice cream truck at fault?

3.       Is TSA airport security liable because a lady fell and injured herself while attempting to balance on one foot to remove her shoes?

When I have kids, this is how I will send them through security!

Rockband with the Boones

FALL BREAK!!!!

Between Nebraska loosing today and the fact I only get one day for fall break (we arent allowed many days off or else we dont get acredited!) fall break just isnt as big of a deal as it usually is.

However, I did get to drive to Denver last night to spend my "vacation" with the Boone family!
And who can say no to an evening of music by the Boone's!

The Curve: Competition at its Finest.

Ah yes, I remember the good ole days when grading on a curve meant everyone’s grades went UP! Like when the best kid in the class got a 90%, so they made his grade a 100% and my 80% when up to a 90%. Man, those were great days.

I believe I was the last person in my class to learn that law school is also graded on a curve. The Dean was speaking to use earlier this week when she said “...and the grades are all curved, but that’s no surprise to anyone here” Uh...rewind...seriously?! How am I the only one in that room who was actually surprise?

Law School Curve:

First, We have a 9 point scale.

9 = A+

8 = A

7 = B+

6 = B

5 = C+

4 = C

(however if you have a C average, you flunk out of law school)

And so on.

Now to explain the curve.  For example, only the top 10% of the class can get an A. So I could totally dominate a test, but if 10% double dominate the test, I will get a B.

Let me explain a different way. My classes range from 35 people to 140 people per classroom. That means, in order to get an A in my smaller class, only 3-4 people can do better than me on the test. And in my large class, 14 people can do better than me.  

Or in picture form:

showing off my impressive "paint" skills

This is why law school students are known to be cut throat. That is: hiding books from students in the library, not sharing notes if someone is sick, and studying alone. Its every woman for herself.

However, I have yet to experience that at UNL. Thankfully, we are known for our community and general pleasantness. But I have heard horror stories from other schools about student ripping out pages in books, or just cutting out the citations to prevent others from competing assignments!

Cheshire Cat

Let’s get it out there in the open: My name is Kitty...and I’m a craft-aholic. *Phew* glad that is over!

To celebrate being 1/12 of the way through law school (special thanks to my contracts professor for pointing out how “far” we’ve come) I decided to spend the day crafting.

As many of you recall, one of the greatest honors in my life was being presented with my Starbucks apron! I thought I should “revamp” it a little so it isn’t creepy/weird for me to continue to stay so attached!

However, my one true enemy in all of my crafting, is the sewing machine. No, more specifically, the bobbin on the sewing machine. Minus Spring Sing costume making...I stay FAR away from those things. The bobbin likes to trip you up, its like the Cheshire Cat of my crafting. I’ll be going along, minding my own business when all of a sudden there are 5 threads coming out instead of two, and my needle comes to a complete halt.  There is no escaping now, I have to deal with my Cheshire Cat of a bobbin, sitting up in the tree taunting me while I try to sew. I truly believe I did nothing wrong, and it was simply bored so it decided to come down to have a little chat just to interrupt my progress.

On the other hand...that means I sew by hand. I’ll take the finger pricks over that infuriating bobbin any day! Some days I get tired of the hand sewing, and go for the staple gun!

My newly remolded $1.99 goodwill chair.  (yes, I did use my excess fabric from this to complete my apron! I’m all about resourcefulness!)

7 weeks of knowledge

Let me share a little wisdom from a law student who is still just sane enough to remember what life was like before all of this. I’ve decided on 7 points (for my 7 weeks) of advice:

1.       Don’t open facebook/email/google crafts while in class. Time wasted playing tetris is time you will have to make up double studying to understand what the professor said while you weren’t listening. (you’d think this was obvious…but I had bad habits coming out of OC)

2.       Don’t bother with how other students are doing, or judge how much time you should spend studying based on anyone but yourself. There are people who downplay how much time they study, and others who you say they don’t even have time to eat. Do what you think is necessary.

3.       Take time off. Yes, I like to take an hour or so after school to craft, or work extra hard during the week so I can take time off to go places on the weekends. Thinking about all law school, all the time will drive you crazy

4.       Don’t be afraid to talk to strangers. (except for the ones trying to lure you into their car with a puppy....ever had a traumatizing childhood televised event?)anyway, the first few weeks I walked up to random people all the time to ask where things were...everyone knows what you are going through.

5.       Be open-minded. Don’t get frustrated about having to re-learn everything you thought you knew about studying. Take it day by day, then one day you will look back and realize you freaked out after orientation for nothing.

6.       Get excited to think about your future. We have law firms come talk to use all the time, and don’t be afraid to picture yourself in their position in a couple of years. Sometimes that is the only thing to keep me going!

7.       You will know you are a law student when everything makes you think “someone could get sued for that”: from stopping shoplifters, to manning parking garages, pulling out chairs from under someone, and even driving an ice cream truck.  

Let your cookies do the talking

This is how my Tuesday went:

I walk in the house after school and I get welcomed with “look who got a package!” Grandma loves telling me when I get mail. Its a very exciting time which usually requires me to open it in the kitchen in front of her. Good thing it is usually something I’ve ordered online so I know what’s coming! Anyway, I was puzzled because the last thing I could think of ordering was the day before, and much smaller, so I was sure it wasn’t that. So being the inquisitive person that I am...I immediately search the outside of the box. (I like to know what I’m opening first…surprises aren’t my thing)

So I am looking at this box and my thoughts are “Hmm...TN, so it’s from Tennessee. But I don’t recognize that address ...but the name is Williams-Sono...AHHH!” (and I literally began jumping up and down)

Maybe a few of you remember my wishful thinking last week about the amazing cookie cutters at Williams-Sonoma?

Well let me refresh your memory…

Aren’t they amazing!? Apparently when you post that you want something on your blog, it comes to you in the mail the next week. I’ll try my theory out again. Check out this amazing espresso machine from Williams-Sonoma….so cool right? On sale for $650! haha

Just playing! Anyway, you may be wondering who these really came from…I’ll let my cookies do the talking on that one!

They come with a few key phrases, and then bunches of letters so you can spell anything you want! I dare say they are the best cookie cutters ever. I decided to make cookies for a group of us meeting with our Contracts professor at lunch Friday

And on my way into town I wanted to drop off a few by my favorite Baristas!

It’s okay, you can be jealous of me and my great cookie cutters! I don’t mind

End of week 6.... 9 more to go?

Reminder: I am in a J.D program…not math program. I believe there are 15 weeks of classes in the semester, but I could be way off.

So far so good. Today I am making the finishing touches on my paper for Monday (phew!) Thankfully I’m the nerd that wrote it within the first couple days, and has spent an entire week and a half revising it. Hopefully I get good feedback. It will be the only feedback I receive all semester, and the writing class is imperative I do well on, due to my long term goal of working in transactions!

Finishing my millionth draft of the paper!
Yes, I do look glamorous and I do have a little lap desk...judge away.

Classes are tough, but still not as tough as they will be in a few weeks. I’ve decided crafting must take a backseat from now on.

This week, I am trying a new plan. On top of my other homework, I’ve decided to schedule each day of the week as review day in certain classes

Monday: Contracts

Tuesday: Civil Procedure

Wednesday: Writing

Thursday: Torts

Friday: Property

Hopefully that way I can update (or actually create…whoops!)  my outlines and keep the “whole picture” in my head to start studying for finals.  I’ll tell you in a few weeks how that goes!

Oh and incase I held you in suspense....I did decide "Susan Saxon" had a case, although weak, for sexual harassment.

Weekend

This weeked I got to enjoy a whole range of festivities!

"First Fridays" is an art festival downtown on the first friday of every month. I can tell I have become a much more cultured person after attending a few galleries!

This morning I woke up around 7:30 and biked to the farmers market again! Also, I inadvertantly biked near the great capitol of Nebraska!



Then I hurried back to go to the pumpkin patch!!

I found picking apples is alot easier with a little help!

But now its time to get crackin on that paper!!