Invisalign, Tray 7

Almost at the half-way point!
Tray 7:

Bottom teeth don't overlap as much, you can really tell on the right side of this pic. Top teeth don't turn toward each other like a book anymore. My filling on the front tooth is still chipped, but we can't fix it until everything is done. At my last appointment, we did another interproximal reduction aka trimmed my teeth a little on the bottom row. Didn't hurt. I hate the feeling of permanence, like if someone trims my teeth, that bit of tooth is going to be gone forever. Then again, I want a straight smile forever, so it doesn't really matter that my teeth are being trimmed. I'm getting a little lazy and keeping my trays out for more than 3 hours a day on some days. I have to stay more disciplined.
Tray 1:

Foie gras ban

I've never thought much about foie gras. I've had pate. I think I get the gist of foie gras. Then came the ban. Once a temporal limit was imposed, I became a foie gras fiend.

First stop, foie gras and jelly donut at Umamicatessen.

This was my first exposure to foie gras, and it was lovely. Creamy mousse in the middle of a toasty donut. The jelly didn't add or detract for the donut. I would have been okay with it.

Tonight, I had foie gras as an appetizer at The Little Next Door. My friends and I were disappointed as we expected a chunk of the organ. We got a chunk of what looked like pate. It was much more buttery than pate and not bad, but I still long for a slice of the actual seared organ.

Tomorrow, I have reservations at Animal for their Loco Moco. This is the most foie gras I've ever had in my life. Going out with a bang. 

Cousin's wedding.

So romantic

Wish tree

Little Tokyo. Love downtown.

Fringe

Almost wore this out but I chickened out.  It looked like I was wearing a skirt of shredded paper.

Orange all over

"Love is so short, forgetting is so long."- Pablo Neruda

Invisalign, Tray 5

Week 1 of a new tray doesn't hurt anymore! I guess that's good, but it also kind of sucks, because I was using it to diet. Ha. No new revelations, but I am pretty happy with what's happening to the top row. My teeth are being pushed in gradually, but surely.

Tray 1:


Tray 5:

California Bar Exam

Some of my FB friends have disappeared; many have posted in much greater frequency. (I was the latter type when I studied for the bar.)

I am a California Bar Exam survivor, and these are my words of advice.

MBE
I found the BarBri MBE questions "harder" than the actual MBEs. I put harder in quotes, because the BarBri questions didn't do a very good job of mimicking answer choices you would find on the MBE. When I did BarBri MBE "difficult" level questions, there was always a deceptively true answer and the correct answer would be worded in the most convoluted way possible, making you wonder how that was even an answer choice. The bar questions had actual distinctions between the answers, so if you know the law, you don't have to take the extra step of deciphering the test drafter's wording before getting to the right answer.

Take the BarBri MBE with a grain of salt. I would suggest doing the online version in review mode, or whichever mode that allows you to see the answer right away. Learn the rules that way.

Essays
Do them. Do them all if you can. At the very least, read them and read the correct answer. One of the essays on the July 2011 exam mimicked almost exactly one of the previous essays, so I didn't even have to issue spot. I just spat out all the issues, their rules and the application and finished the essay 30 minutes early.

On the actual exam, issue spot on the exam booklet and write your essay outline in the exam software. It saves a little bit of time. This is an old habit from law school. Always write an outline first so you don't miss any issues.

Performance Exams
These are tedious, but should be done. I did two full ones and outlined others. It's a good idea to get BarBri feedback on these. I spent a lot of time memorizing and not a lot of time working on these, but they are a huge part of the bar exam.

The BarBri Schedule
Not necessary to keep up with the whole thing. I don't think I know a single person who did all 100% of it. I also don't know anyone who read all of the big outline. The Convisor outline is all you'll need. Also, when an "easy" topic for you comes up, just spend that time on a topic you don't know as well. There's no need to study exactly the topic they tell you to study. It's a good way to make sure you give all topics equal time, but I think it's prob a good idea to do a little swap when you need more work in a certain topic. I think I ended up doing most of Con Law (because I was weak in that) and maybe 50% of Evidence (one of my stronger topics). There's room for customization!