Ingredients

• Roasted Califlower

  • Olive Oil

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • 1 teaspoon of Taco Seasoning (I get the one from Trader Joe’s it nice and spicey)

    • Roast at 425 for 10-15 minutes (the oven I use roast fast)

• Ice Berg Lettuce or Shredded Cabbage

• Pico de Gallo

• Greek Yogurt

• Avocado Mash

• Corn Tortillas

• Queso Fresco or Monterray Jack Cheese

• Cilantro (for garnish)

SALAD

Ingredients

• Sweet Mini Peppers

• Slice Roast Turkey Breast

• Shredded Carrots

• Red Onion

• Canned Whole Kernel Corn

• Homeade Crutons (I use whatever leftover bread I made

• Organic Romaine and Chicory Blend

Dressing

• Olive Oil

• Salt

• Pepper

• 100% Organic Sicilian Lemon Juice

MEDITERRANEAN BOWL

Ingredients

• Fully Cooked Falafel (frozen)

• Veggies (I roast these with olive oil, salt, and pepper)

  • Califlower Florets

  • Organic Tri-Colored Bell-Peppers

  • Red Onion

  • Cut Butternut Squash

  • Organic Brussel Sprouts

  • Broccoli

• Greek Nonfat Yogurt Plain

• Dill

• Mint

• Cucumber

• Roasted Pinenut Hummus (Costco since the hummus at Trader Joe’s has guar gum 🙄)

• Brown Jasmine Rice

• Romain Salad

• Crumbled Feta

I made a tzatziki with the greek yogurt, dill, mint, and salt pepper i n my mini food processor.

For the veggies I just roast anyone of them I have on hand. I have been obsessed with roasting veggies since I got my Wonder Oven from Our Place. I love it now I am eating more veggies and not using my microwave to reheat food. I bake the falafel in the oven too, surprisingly it is really good.

SLOW COOKER RAVIOLI SOUP

Ingredients

• 1 package of Chicken Meatballs

• Diced Yellow Onions

• 2 cubes of Crushed Garlic (frozen section)

• 1/2 tablespoon of Italain Seasoning (got at Whole Foods since Trader Joe’s doesn’t have Italian Seasoning)

• 1 tablespoon of Pesto Genovese ]

• 3 cups of Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth

• Organic Chopped Spinach (Frozen)

• 1 Package of Ricotta & Lemon Zest Ravioli

• Basil leaves (optional for serving)

• 1/2 cashew milk (I get it at Whole Foods)

• 1/2 of cornstarch

I use cashew milk instead of heavy cream since I do not use heavy cream since it would go to waste since I do not use heavy cream and with cashew milk I can use it for smoothies and oatmeal.

Directions

1. add everything but the ravioli, spinach, cashew milk and cornstarch to the slow cooker and cook it on low for 3 hours

2. add the remaining ingredients and cook on high for 30 min

QUESADILlA

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of refried pinto beans (I make beans in my Instant Pot and mash them without any oil)

• 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack Cheese (I have a shredder and shred my own too many ingredients in the pre-shredded cheese)

• 1/3 cup of Mélange à Trois (frozen)

• Sliced Yellow Onion (go crazy with the amount)

• Avocado Oil Spray

• Vista Hermosa Flour Tortillas (at Whole Foods since these are the only tortillas that are organic)

Directions

spread the beans on one tortilla and spray oil on the bottom of another tortilla and flip it and add the cheese, peppers, and onions. Put the tortilla with the beans on the top and then spray the oil on the top. Airfry it at 350 degrees for 6 min and then flip and airfry for another 6. Let cool for 5 min.

OMLET

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro

• 1/3 cup of Mélange à Trois (frozen)

• 1/3 cup of diced yellow onions or green onions

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 of cheese (I use Monterey Jack)

• 1 teaspoon of Onion Salt Seasoning

• Pepper

Directions

Whisk everything together and pour into a round baking pan (since I use frozen peppers it takes longer)

• I have the Wonder Oven and it airfrys and I got the round cake pan (if you have a regular Airfryer pour everything in the liner)

Airfry at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (since I use frozen peppers it takes longer)

I do not even want to talk about finals, they went horribly. I felt so unprepared and so I am expecting the worst. My performance on these finals do not even warrent a sprinkle of hope. I made a mistake and took 3 complicated classes. Federal Taxation of the Individual, Lawyers Ethics, and Bankruptcy along with Securities Regulation with my Admin Law professor and note advisor for the journal. Securities Regulation I wrote a paper on insider trading and the three (possibly four) theories. The class is uncurved for both the people who did the paper and the actual exam. I chose the paper so I did not have to take the exam. It is the only class I feel like I did well because he has mercy on me when it comes to grading.

I cannot even think about law school right now, I am too depressed and upset. It was just an awful stressful semester and I am glad it is behind me. This summer I start work a boutique real estate law firm working in the agency lending deparment in the City. It is unpaid, but it was rough job hunt (another reason why this semester sucked). I will have grades before the current 3Ls graduate. I know this semester I am going to receive the worst grades ever, my GPA and class rank are going to go down. There is no way I did well, I did not just mess up one issue or some MPQs I messed up the entire exam for every single class. I would not be suprised if I flunk out or am put on academic probation.

Anyway I haven’t been writing because this semester was. just crazy and I was just too stressed and busy with writing my note and the insider trading paper, plus all the other work I will give an update on how bad my GPA tanked. Last semester I did well, but I felt more prepared this semester was just too much. I am just going to not think about law school or finals until grades come out and my externship starts. I am too depressed and upset to write right now but I will once I get grades back and get over the shock of how bad they are.

Although I am starting to feel more at home in my apartment I got some stuff to make it look nice. I just need to get a TV and mini sofa. I also need some stuff to organzie my draws and cabinets. Anyway I probably am going to cry myself to sleep and contemplate running away to Bali.

I regret taking business organizations and patents. I should of taken Evidence with my Crim Law Professor (her evidence final was hard and is going to have a nice curve). I know there is no way in hell I passed patents, I did not answer 3 questions when everyone finished. Con Law I just accepted the highest grade I could get is a B. The gunners were in his class too, and I know I got a lot wrong on the muliple choice I am only sure about 3/66 questions. I am probably going to get my first F and D of my life this semester so there is that to look foward to. Eh, c’est la vie. Next semester I will do better. I cannot even do yoga or write my note because I am panicked. I will finish my note the last week of break and the first week of school. Just one more winter of this stress, and then the dreaded bar exam. I can barely handle 4-5 weeks of waiting for grades during break. 3L I am going to do seminars and clinics, and externships so I do not have to worry about exams. This semester 4 exams felt like too much. I am soooooo excited though,

Finals Recap

Foundational Laywering Skills (Predicited Grade B maybe B-)

This final I did not have the mental energy to even prepare for. I did not outline I took no notes, and I just did the assignments for the skills labs. The final was a joke and I just felt relief when I was done with that final. The class was pointless and I never thought that I would hate a class more than I hated criminal law, but somehow this class I hated even more. We had our large group for an hour every Thursday and then we break up into small groups for Tuesdays. During Tuesdays we spent two hours doing “skills labs” and had to turn in planning memos. I got lucky and had a very relaxed professor who would just watch TV on his phone while we presented. He never gave feedback or told me to redo the memo so I assumed full credit.

I do not even want to think about that final I just put it out of my memory and hope and pray I at least do well, it was not hard but It was just a waste of time when I should of been studying for my other classes. I think I got a flat B.

Business Organizations 😭 (predicted grade D or C- possibly an F)

This final was the worst final ever. I messed up royaly on one essay worth 25 points I put the wrong person to hold liable and I did not realize that until 5 minutes before the final ended and put the wrong rule of law. I also saw people who typed out longer answers than me so I know I missed major issues on the last two essay problems worth 20 points. The 35 multiple choice section I do not feel confident at all, I know I got more than half wrong for sure. I walked out the exam room today after taking the exam crying and I had to Uber to the train station I could not be in that school for one more second. I got the lowest score for sure on the exam. I messed up royaly I love the professor, he is an amazing professor, but I made a mistake of taking his class. I should of had biz orgs with the other professor where all the dumber kids were. I took the one with all the smart kids and I wish I never did. I regret not because of the professor but for the people who are in the class. They are all more business oriented and top of the class and I am not. I know everyone did better than me for sure. The curve is not going to work in my favor for this exam I am going to fall behind again. I messed up so bad I cannot stop crying as I am writting. I am going to be soo depressed for a long time after this final just like the property one. I feel worse after this one than any other exam I taken in law school.

If I get a B or better I am going to celebrate the miracle. It most likely will not happen but I have hope (but like Lana Del Rey says its a dangerous thing to have). I need to distract myself and stop feeling so awful for my major mistake. I feel bad because I loved the professor and I do not want him to think it was his fault I failed. It was me and my stupidity for not reading the problem right. I hope I do not have to retake the class this summer. I feel so stupid. His curve is tight too.

Con Law II 😵 (C+ or B-)

Most stressful class of the semester. I did not get anything about incorporation, free speech and the Brandenburg test, and the establishment clause. Do not even ask me about the state action doctrine. I just took notes on my iPad mini 6 and tried to take down what he said that I thought was important, and annotated the hell out of the readings in the book on my iPad. I knew what to expect and what lied ahead at the end of the course. This semester it was like waiting in the waiting the room in the hospital when you are having a major surgery with a long recovery. He got mad at me this semester twice. First was the Smith case about Peyote and the free exercise clause. He cold called me about that case, and I gave him the facts but he did not like the way I presented them. He asked me how the state became involved. I did not give him the answer he wanted. He said come on we can do better. He also got mad at me when he saw me taking pictures of the slides during his class. Sometimes he does “black letter law” lectures and he has slides he does distribute. He looked at me angry and turned his back. I handwrite my notes so it is hard for me to down whats on the slides and what he said.

The final was rough. Procedural due process and Loudermill!!!!! MARBURY V. MADISON FROM CON LAW I! Justice Black and his arugment for total incorporation! I am going to block that out of my head and pray that I did not mess up the multiple choice which is the majority points of the exam or the essay. If I did bad on the essay, I blame the President. IF HE KNEW HE DID NOT HAVE THE POWER TO TAX I WOULD OF BEEN FINE. We listened the stupid oral arugments about the tariffs, and he said it was fair game (thought it was going to be multiple choice). It was the essay and it was about the constitutional law principals the arugment was based on. Our president needs to learn the constitution. It is no fair I have to and he does not. I just want to forget about this final and pray for a miracle.

Patents (predicted grade C or C+)

I did not get anything about this class I just tried to go to the classes and do the best I can to understand the material. I made an outline and brought it on the final exam and hoped for the best.

I do not want to talk about it. Everyone finsihed before me and I left 3 answers blank leaving points on the table. I did not even go deep enough into the analysis like the others on their exam. I hate how no matter how hard I study for finals I never feel prepared, I never feel confident during the exam, and I want to cry after. I am always depressed and anxious after. Even sttudying is stressful and I am depressing, because I feel like I should be spending all my time studying and feeling guilty for taking time for myself.

Anyway I got an apartment and live alone right now and I was moving during finals season which was stressful (long story). It is a small studio and I need to order a bunch of stuff in order to make it organzied. I should be happy but after a brutal final season I am too upset to be in the festive or happy mood. I am just hoping for a miracle after this terrible finals season. Winter law school blues as I await grades. I am tramatized from hearing anything about business or constitutional issues. I am probably going to watch greys anatomy and cry myself to sleep tonight and until grades come out. I am going back to LA in a few days and maybe that will help with the fact I failed business organizations.

Also, I had to take a break from praacticing headstands because I had a real nasty fall and brusied my knee and landed on my neck wrong. My neck is still sore because I continued practicing the next day and put way too much weight on it. It feels better now so I am going to see if I can try to start doing it again next week after my Friday yoga class in Ridgewood. Yoga is the only thing keeping me sane these days. I am not good at yoga, but all that matters is I try and get back up when I fall. The most important thing is I am learning more about what my body is capable of and how to listen to my body. My goal is by next spring to master the tabletop headstand and the supported one. I am able to hold crow for more than 30 seconds now and my knees are closer to the inside of my armpits now.

Monday I had classes and just rode the train to and back from school. In between classes I did get some source gathering done and ate my lunch. Monday night I just watched Wicked (my new obsession) and outlined a little for biz orgs before my appointment with my professor on Wednesday.

This week I had Tuesday off, so I walked around the West Village and ran some errands, and then got some chicken tacos by the GUCCI store after completing some school work. I love spending the day in the city. I got the confidence to finally sit in a restaurant alone outside where people could see me and sat and enjoyed the noise of the city and live music play. No phone or book to sheild me. I had a little Carrie Bradshaw moment. One friday I’ll go to Cafe Nonnino for dinner and get some pesto and shamelessly eat an entire bread basket. I will do that maybe the day I got see Wicked For Good.

Wednesday I just had classes and an appointment with my Biz Orgs professor regarding some questions I had when outlining. I need to memorize it now. I need help.

Thursday morining I worked out and made some chicken tikka masala and did some reaading for FLS in the afternoon. I do not see the point of commuting all that way for just 1 hour but eh. It was about evaluating circumstantial evidence, which I do not need to do if I want to be a contracts attorney. I do not like FLS, but I do participate and put in decent effort into it so I can do well. I cannot afford another hit to my GPA. I need to do well this semester.

Friday I went to a baseball game with all the other members of the journals at our school. It was sort of fun. In a crowd full of people, I never felt more alone. I need to build more confidence and start reaching out, rather than wait for people to reach out to me. But then sometimes I think, if they wanted to talk to me they would come up to me. Why should I try to force something that they probably do not want. I should of stayed, but I never seen the stadium, and I wanted to see how it compared to Dodgers stadium. Dodgers stadium is better, you can see the sky better, and you have a view of the LA skyline. They all went to a bar afterward near the stadium, but two years in NYC without socializing really and the fact I do not drink I did not think to bring my ID. The bar carded upon entry 🙄. I went home afterward, which was probably best, I would of been there just akwardly standing silently sipping on club soda and lemon with ice. Whoever said law school is about making friends?

I learned to enjoy being alone in the city, but it is hard not to when I am around a crowd of people I know and feeling like I do not belong. I talked to some people, but it was just causal small talk. I have not had a real conversation with someone in what feels like an eternity. I cope with feeling alone mosty with yoga, and working out. I feel better afterwards, and it helps relieve my stress from law school and everything else. Music helps, I listen to Lana or Bowie on the train while reading or reviewing my notes. Sometimes I just stare out the window wondering “What am I doing?” and “Is it going to be worth it?”, especially on the train rides home.

The workload is a lot since I am on a secondary journal. I had to come up with a list topics to write about for my note, and develop one topic from that list. My topic is about succession in the luxury fashion industry. I still am looking for legal support, but I did well on the topic development report so I ordered Chipotle today. Surprisingly I did not do so bad with bluebooking. Also, we had a source gathering assignment and a cite checking assignment. I had to gather some sources since I forgot to put a table of contents page and a separate document containing a URL for a website. Hopefully my first cite checking assignment went well. I am expecting a re-cite.

Surprisingly the reading is not too overwhelming. I am taking Con Law II with the same professor I had last spring for Con Law I. He said I did well on the essay portion of my exam but I was below the median for the multiple choice. Same thing with property, I know now this semester to practice MPQ for finals. His reading assignments are not so bad, it just takes me a while to understand the reasoning since the supreme court judges like to make my life hard by using complicated language to basically say “The right is rooted in our nation's history and tradition.” Do they need to use fancy metaphors and cite so many cases? He is a good professor though and really cares that we learn Con Law.

I feel like I made a mistake choosing that class since all the smart people are in the class and that is going to make the curve tight. I barely made it out alive for Con Law I with a B, imagine how many people are going to be gunning for the A. All of his favorite students are in that class too. I am definitely going to have to work hard for that class and study my butt off for the final. Hopefully he recognizes that a lot of smart kids are in his class and he makes the final tough. I cannot be down bad crying at the gym after the final again.

I am taking Biz Orgs also. I love my Biz Orgs professor. He teaches like my contracts professor but he does not use numbers for the rules which is helpful. He actually constantly repeats the rule so it is drilled in my head. It is not too difficult but we are going into corporations soon and I am scared (WINTER IS COMING). I have no business background and everyone seems to have one. I like how he has office hours and you can schedule an appointment so I do not have to hear people come up with all these intricate questions and make me feel dumb. I made an appointment next week to go over some questions about partnership I have before I start outlining.

FLS is a weird class. I do not like it, but as long as you participate you can get a B. I had to do an oral argument and he said I did well, but chi sa? We are learning in that class so far how to use facts and organize them, apply them to legal elements, and create a narrative based on the facts. Next small group class we have to write a story for a fictional client we are representing, BORING. Hopefully I do well, even though most of the prep for class is done on my train ride.

The class I am most terrified of is patents. I do not have any engineering, biology, or biochemistry engineering background. All this science I do not understand. I am terrified for the final. I get the general rules, but what if I have to apply them to a certain technology and I miss something in the specification and it makes the patent invalid. Everyone seems to have experience in IP law and I know nothing. However, the professor works at a firm and knows the head of the entertainment and media department of the law firm so he said he likes to get student jobs. Hopefully I get a good job this summer. I cannot be in family court again on those elevators that smell like weed, and walking in the heat because I have no money for the subway.

I went back to handwriting notes on Goodnotes on my iPad Mini instead of typing notes on OneNote. It is more difficult to get stuff down, but I did better when I handwrote instead of typed. I am not one of the typers anymore. I also am able to focus more on what the professor says since I cannot get every single thing he wrote down, so I have to condense it in my head in a simplified version. Also, I started my outline for Biz Orgs since our midterm is coming up and I had to go back and type everything in my notes instead of copy and pasting. I think I am going to continue handwriting and see what happens. Sometimes I get tempted to type, but I like how I can structure my notes better when handwriting them. This semester it is me and my iPad Mini against the world again just like my first semester of 1L.

Outside of law school I am still practicing yoga daily. I went to a yoga studio in Brooklyn and took a handstand development class and have been attempting to do one ever since. It has not been going well but I am able to get my feet in the air and extend half way before I fall. I like it, it helps my anxiety and it is fun to see what my body is capable of. My yoga instructor on the peloton always says “have fun” and I do. I have been more calm and relaxed and I feel a little stronger. I am in the process of becoming a working girl as well. I got a research assistant position at the law library at the school, the pay is not good but it is Chipotle money and clothes on ThreadUp. I start once I fill out paperwork with HR. I am soo excited to get money! It will also helo

I also had fun and went to the MAYHAM ball. It was amazing. I did not have the best seats, but I got to hear Lady Gaga and be in the same room as her for 2 ½ hours. She performed her new song live for the first time the night I went to the concert. She performed it twice, but I think it was for the VMA awards, since she prerecorded her performance. I was so happy when she performed Summerboy and How Bad Do You Want Me. She is soo talented, after this I am going to watch A Star is Born or Wednesday on Netflix while applying for jobs next summer. My next concert is going to be Ariana Grande. I am going to be in Barclay Center in Brooklyn in July to see her.

I have Tuesday off so I am going into the city to get some tacos in the Meatpacking District or go get some Thai food. In the morning I need to study outside of this house. I plan on studying at the Piers by the East River and enjoy the scenery or study by DUMBO at a café. I have not decided yet, but I need to go to Trader Joe’s to get more ginger juice mix and get some turmeric powder. I will be alone of course, but at least the city will keep me company. Me and the city are becoming quite close. I am in love with the city.

So far it feels different benig a 2L, I am in class with different people than I was during 1L so I feel even more like an outsider and uncomfortable. Everyone is going and talking about how great there summer was and studying in groups, and I feel left out. Everyone has their cliques from 1L and I am on my own most of the time, which is something I am getting used to. I am learning how to be at ease in my own company, yoga and bread baking helps. I found an area I like to study in the library thats quiet and I put my noise cancelling headphones on and just work. I go home straight after school now, eat dinner, do some yoga and jogging on my walking pad, and finish studying. During the weekends sometimes I go walking in the city by myself and explore, but I end up missing around people. Even during my judicial internship the other intern would hang out with the other interns and I was never included. Was I meant to be alone here in New York? Sometimes I think New York is trying to teach me to be alone so I figure out and become who I am meant to be by myself. So far I am still figuring it out.

It is also hard getting back into study mode when I was in work mode all summer. I like my classes, but I have a feeling I am not going to do well with the commute and being on a journal. I am praying I am going to well this semester and going to try my best. I am also stressed since I do not have a job already for next summer, but my patents professor said since he is a practicing attorney he loves helping students look for jobs (mostly IP related). I do not know what a patent is or anything about business so we will see how this semester goes. This semester I already have 3 journal assignments due by next Sunday (one is going to be assigned this weekend), a lot to read for patents, skills lab for one of my classes to prepare, and reading for biz orgs along with applying for jobs and meal prep. Adulting sucks, but I am looking foward to making either a white bean or lentil soup with rosemary bread, and some arroz con pollo in the instant pot. I have one chicken breast I need to cut and sauteé.

The commute is not so bad now that I found a decent route, and I just listen to my music and read for class. I have to start reading the Wall Street Journal for Biz Orgs, and lets just say I was being bad and read the article about Taylor and Travis getting engaged so far. My Con Law professor was talking about it and I love how he is a total Swiftie. The commute is loney and long, but it will all be worth it someday when I am a lawyer in Manhattan. As of now I am a Queens commuter dreaming of a better in Manhattan and trying my best to make it happen. Luckily it is not so humid so I do not go to school all sweaty from walking so my pits do not smell. Next winter I want to try and find a nicer place hopefully by myself and in Manhattan close to a train station.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

1 pack of trader joes Mirepoix chopped vegetable mix

1 teaspoon of salt (more to taste)

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

2 teaspoons of cumin

1 teaspoon of ground corriander seed

1/2 of fresh chopped cilantro

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 a 28 ounce can of tomato puree (cento is the best)

3 yellow corn torillas cut into strips

4 1/4 cups of chicken broth

1 or 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast

Toppings:

green onions

monterray jack cheese

Directions:

1. Sauté the veggies and the spices for 6-8 minutes with olive oil, adding in the garlic during the last minute of cooking

2. layer the chicken breat on top of the veggies and add the tomato puree and tortilla strips

3. add the chicken broth to the pot and put the instant pot on soup mode

4. add toppings

I have not made any friends my first year here in New York, but I am on a journal and hopefully we all grow close as the year goes. Sometimes I miss LA, not the city itself, but the people. It was a major adjustment having people constantly around me to having no one. I spent most of my time here reading and studying and not having any time of pure fun. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES ME A DULL GIRL. I miss having the time to go to the beach, hanging out in the city, and going out to restaurants.

I am learning more about the city and getting more familiar with it (I am a West Village girl for sure). I found a good Mexican restaurant that has pretty good rice and homemade corn tortillas by the Gucci store. I can say I know the West Village pretty well and Chelesa. I found cute thrift stores on West 26th Street by Penn Station too. Soon I will be back in Long Island for law school and not having time to explore the city. During weekends I’ll try to go to Pier 45 near the High Line and study by the water before the cold of winter. During winter I’ll be at the public library in the West Village to study.

I still do not feel at home here, I wish I did. I love spending time in the city, but it is no fun when you are alone. Summer here is gross and humid compared to California. I am always sweaty during my city excursions and my hair is a frizzy mess. I have hope though New York will start to feel like home eventually and will be shopping at the Hudson Yards or on 5th Ave.

I am so happy to be done with my internship in the family court. This morning I was rushing walking from Atlantic Terminal to the Trader Joe’s by the court house to get the judge a plant and some sweet treats. Her court room is always known for having snacks and all the officers and judges come in and grab them during the day. I chose wisely and got apple cider donuts. I had some in Vermont and they are like crack, so I figured everyone would love them. They did! The judge got me tulips and brought some bagels for me since I do not eat sweets, I had to have a bagel and grapes even though I ate breakfast. Despite me not really enjoying the internship too much, I am going to miss the people I met there. They were all so kind and patient with me despite me not knowing what I was doing and messing up a lot.

I think I am going to miss the court officers talking about food and random stuff and am going to miss the crazy characters I have seen that entered the court room. Let's just say they were very colorful people and I was never bored observing cases. In some cases I would have to hold back my laughter. My favorite quote was a 14 year old saying “I got things to do, I got a life ” when he was having a problem going to therapy. What 14 year old has a life?

I learned a lot from this internship and hopefully I can take the lessons I have learned from this experience and use it for next summer. I hope next summer to intern in a nice firm in Manhattan doing transactional work or drafting contracts, and getting paid. I know now for sure I want to be a contract lawyer and I am a transactional girl. I am grateful for the experience though. The experience taught me valuable skills in the legal field and showed me the path I want to take. Hopefully my C+ in Property won’t affect it. I already had so many rejections and have not heard back from firms I applied to. I am going to put it out in the universe. I will receive a paid internship next summer at a firm in Manhattan that does transactional work.

I start school next Monday and am hoping for the best in 2L. I already have my first journal assignment due this Friday, and I have chosen a faculty advisor for the note writing process. It is my admin law professor. I liked the feedback he gave me during the comment letter writing process and he is a very nice professor despite his reputation. I have a lot of reading, spending, and meal prep to do for school. 2L is going to be a beast. I am not looking forward to it.

During the weekend I just prepare for the week and apply to jobs for next summer (it is crazy how I am doing this and the summer hasn’t even ended)I used to be a girl who looked foward to the weekend even if it was a weekend at home running errands. Weekends now feel long and dull. I am not happy but I am not sad. I feel stuck sometimes and want to be the silly, happy carefree girl I used to be. I miss the days where I could sit around and do nothing and not feel guilty, not having this pressure to succeed, and feeling like I have to have figured out already. In law school there is this pressure to constantly work and everything is moving so fast. I am already applying for jobs for next summer, and I am getting emails saying they do not want to interview me. I am even asked right now to think of a topic for note to submit for my journal publication. I can barely decide what to make myself for dinner or what to watch on TV (Wicked is on Prime, so I will be watching on repeat) let alone decide what I want to publish.

Everytime I ride the train I imagine I am back in LA. I miss the beach and the warm sand underneath my toes, feeling the nice sea breeze, the smell of tacos around every corner, the sound of palm trees swaying in the wind, the bougainvillea along the freeways, and I miss looking at the moutains and all the nature around the city. I miss feeling like I belong, in LA there was more Mexicans around and I felt more sense of community. NYC is amazing, but I do not feel at home. It is an urban jungle here and I am trying to find my place. I loved the spring how there were tulips everywhere and cherry blossoms but it does not last, you slowly see them wilt away as the weather becomes discustingly hot and humid. I would give anything for a day of sun in California with the nice warm weather.

I look at myself in the mirror every morning putting on outfit for my internship and I think “is this who I am really meant to be?” I am not used to seeing myself in business attire, nor am I used to having to act professional in a work setting. I am used to laughing and joking, being messy, and winging it. I never had this much anxiety or stress since starting law school, and maybe it could be the fast pace of New York or the legal feild in general. As I head into my second year law school questioning whether I want to even be a lawyer, I am scared once I become a lawyer I will never be myself again. I will be this attorney living alone in the city (hopefully) miserable full of regret leaving LA and not going to school to be a translator. New York may grow on me one day but for now I am sitting writting in the outer boroughs homesick.

1 pound of ground turkey or chicken

1 whole yellow onion diced

1 jalapeño pepper (with seeds or not)

1 tablespoon of chili powder

3/4 teaspoon of ground cumin

1 teaspoons of cumin

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 of dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

2 cloves of garlic

1 can of diced green chilies

1 can of diced tomatoes

1/3 cup of chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon of lemon or lime juice

1 cup of chicken

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 cup of frozen corn

1 can of pinto beans

1 can of black beans

Toppings:

Cabbage

Green onions

Mexican cheese blend

Directions:

1. Sauté the onion, jalapeño, and the ground chicken with all the spices for 10-15 minutes until the ground chicken is brown (add garlic in at the last minute).

2. Add cilantro, lime or lemon juice, tomato sauce, diced green chiles, diced tomatoes, beans, corn, and chicken stock

3. Put the instant pot on slow cooker mode and slow cook on medium for 6 1/2 hours

I celebrated by getting a chicken and guacamole bowl at Chipotle. The guac may have been extra but I felt as if I deserved to treat myself. I have been showing up to my judicial internship in family court and making the best of it, I did well in a summer course while interning, commuting from Brooklyn to Queens every days of the week, and I have been navigating the city pretty well for a broke girl.

Now all that is left is to finish this externship in Brooklyn at the Family Court and apply for internships for next summer (or during the Fall and Spring semester). I am anxious to enter into my second year of law school. I am a junior staff memeber for a secondary law school journal, which I am going to be in Long Island this weekend for the orientation. I am not looking foward to all the work the journal is going to entail. I have to start picking a topic already to write about and I am struggling to find one. I am considering writing about fashion and tax, so I am starting to do research and hopefully find some inspiration. I can barely decide what to eat every night for dinner let alone a journal topic.

After next week I am going to be starting to prepare for classes next semester. I got another sleeve from Coconut Lane. It is pink with roses 🤗. I have to buy a new lunch bag (the string on mine broke and I lost it on the subway), buy the online bluebook for my journal, buy some new clothes, and figure out my commute and the bus system in Long Island. Soon I am going to need to buy a walking pad for my room so I do not have to walk to the gym in the winter. I was freezing walking from the gym to the dorm all sweaty when it was freezing outside. Winter is going to here before I know it and last winter took time for me to adjust, but it beats this humidity (two heat waves so far, I feel so embarassed walking into the court house sweaty).

Mentally I am preparing for the second year by taking what I leaerned from the yoga mat and applying it to law school. My instructor on the Peleton App always says “it is yoga, it is not that serious.” Yoga so far has taught me it is okay to be messy and fall, just get back and keep trying. The instructor told us to go into yoga with a child like curiosity. Children do not care about how they when when the fail or fall they just do it over and over again. I am going to go into the second year not afraid to fail and going to try my best. I know I have to stop comparing myself to others. It is okay I do not have a job for next summer yet at a big law firm, it is okay I am on a secondary law schooI journal and not on Law Review, it is okay if I am not in the top 20% of the class, it is okay if I am not at the law library all day everyday. I am going to focus on trying to do the best I can and focus on getting a good job post-grad (hopefully not in the state court house).

I am excited for my classes next semester I am taking Con Law II with the same professor from Con Law I so I know what I am getting myself into, Foundation of Lawyering Skills (do not ask me what it is), Patents, and Business Organizations. I do not know anything about patents and business so we will see how this upcoming fall semester goes.

Olive oil

1 package of mirepoix mix from trader joes (or ⅓ cup each of chopped celery, carrots, and onions)

*I like extra onions so 1/2 cup of onions if you want more flavor

2 cloves of garlic (or 1 tsp of garlic powder)

1/2 teaspoon of dried sage

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of salt

4-5 cups of low sodium chicken or veggie broth/stock

1/2 tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce

1 bay leaf

1 cup of dried split peas

1/4 cup of uncooked of pearl barley

2 bunches of green onions (I like a lot of green onions)

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Directions:

1. Set the instant pot on sauté mode and rinse the barley and split peas.

2. Sauté the mirepoix mix and spices in olive oil for 10 minutes to soften the veggies (add the garlic in at the last minute if using fresh).

3. Add the split peas, barley, bay leaf, soy sauce, and broth or stock to the pot and set the instant pot on soup mode.

4. Let naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and add the lemon juice and green onions.

Some useful tips I found to dress nice in the court room on a shoe string budget were I only bought 2 pairs of professional dress pants from Tj Maxx. Since it is summer and humid here in New York I am lucky I do not need to wear blazers. Most of the attorneys do not wear a full suit in the court room. I bought some nice blouses from TJ Maxx and ThreadUp that go well with the two pairs of pants I have. Most of the blouses are white and floral or black and floral. I also have a nice cheap belt to hold my pants. For shoes I just wear a black pair of skechers that look very nice. I walk to the LIRR station and walk to subway station at Penn to take the A train downtown. From the subway station in Downtown Brooklyn I walk to the court house. I am not wearing heels or flats since I cannot afford the ones I want and no one wears nice shoes at the court house.

Another useful tip is I pack my own lunch and eat dinner on the train back home. I did splurge onn Cava a few times but since my Property grade I have not had Cava or been picking up a tomato and mozzerella sandwhich at Pret-a-Manger at Penn Station. It saves a lot of money since I usually have a lot of left overs from one meal I make. I am currently eating rigatoni with mariana sauce with lentils, onions and mushrooms for the third day in a row. I barely finished my white bean soup yesterday for dinner that lasted me four meals. I also bake my own bread on weekends to go with the soup, one loaf of french bread last me a little over a week. My grocery bill is not too expensive since I mainly eat oats, beans, rice, tofu chicken, and make big batches of soups. Surprisingly I eat prety decent as a “poor student”.

For entertainment on the weekends I have been staying home and doing Yoga on the Peleton app, and cooking. So far I am able to lift my feet off the ground to get into crow pose, but I can not hold it for long without falling foward or belly flopping on the ground. I would like to explore the city but the humid weather and the temptation of all the shopping around. My parents are visiting next weekend and I am going to take them around the city and show them where I work and currently live. I really want to take them to the Meatpacking District and the Upper East Side. I know for sure they want pizza in Brooklyn and I do not know any good spots. I might have to ask.

I barely discovered that I do not need to take the train to Penn Station and go on the subway. One of the court officers that works with the judge told me this week I can get off at Atlantic Terminal and walk 20 minutes to Downtown Brooklyn. I wish I would of known this sooner instead of having to spend $2.90 twice a day for a subway. I just need to load up on sun screen and use my umbrella so I do not get sunburned or skin cancer. I will be all sweaty walking to the court room but $2.90 adds up. So next month I am going to be walking, for an LA girl 20 minutes is too much. We drive to go some place just a block away. I should of done more research on cheaper ways to commute from Queens to Brooklyn. Next semester I am going to be commuting from Queens to Long Island and we will see how that goes. I am scared for the winter commute.

I am not looking foward to my class that ends at 8pm. I am probably going to Uber or Lyft back home. At least I have Fridays off next semester so I have 4 days to outline and read. I also will have a day where I can complete my journal assignments and my note. Maybe I might hold a part time job for some extra cash. I have to be able to earn some money next year. I might apply to be a court interpreter in the Kings County court house on my days off. They always need an interpreter and I can do it part time when I am on break from school. Most of them appear virtual anyway so I can do it in between classes or on the weekends during weekend court.

Anyway, I am looking foward to another weeking doing unpaid labor. I am manifesting a good paid position in the city next summer and I am manifesting a good grade in Admin Law. Grades for summer courses have not came out yet and I am a nervous wreck. I am terrified the professor will not have mercy on me. He did not like the topic of my paper it seemed like, and he has a reputation around the school to be a harsh grader. I even heard he has favorites, and in that class he definitely had his group of favorites. I am not political nor do I have a backround in finance or business. I am just a SoCal girl winging through law school and life the best I can hoping it ends up well.

Olive Oil

1 pack of mirepoix from Trader Joe’s (or 1/2 cup each of diced carrots, onions, and celery)

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning

1 Teaspoon of Paprika

1 teaspoon of Salt

Pepper

I 15 0z can of cannelli or great northern white beans

1 can of diced tomoatoes

1 zucchini

1/2 of macaroni shells or elbows (I use shells they look prettier)

4-6 cups of Chicken or Veggie Stock

1/2 a bag of spinach

Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Put the Instant Pot on saute mode and saute the veggies and spices in olive oil for 7-8 min adding the garlic in at the last minute.

2. add the macaroni and diced zucchini., drain the can of white beans and add along with the diced tomoato.

3. Add the broth and the instant pot on soup mode and cook.

4. Add spinach once done cooking and serve with Parmesan cheese

They have a small garden near by that is not open yet, but I do get to see some flowers during my warm up walks. There is also have a Chipotle and Cava near by for when I can afford to spend $16 dollars on lunch. They give you too much food too and sometimes I do not feel like bringing home or leaving it in the fridge at the office. I am treating myself to Chipotle if my Admin Law grade is good. It is a huge IF. Spero che andrà tutto bene.

So far the internship is going okay. I mainly research issues regarding the cases, and summarize them to help the judge make a decsion. I also so far assisted in drafting two decisions regarding family offenses and violations of temporary orders of protection. I do not like observing the cases since most of the time it is just nonsense. My judge even says sometimes it is just “ghetto” or a “hot mess”. I know in my heart I am not a family law girl, I am dreaming of a career in contract law, which I am going to talk to my contracts professor about if my Admin Law grade is good 🤞. I am praying and hoping to God it is a B+ or better, I cannot afford another blow to my GPA.

It is interesting learning how the law differs in New York versus California throughout this internship. Being a California girl I only heard of restraining orders, which I do not know if they are the same as orders of protection. California law is different, I hated having to memorize it for Criminal Law my first semester of law school.What can I say we are all freaks in California, especially LA. Also in California child support stops at 18, in New York it stops at 21.

They have a cool food hall down by my courthouse. It has a Trader Joe’s and different restaurants. I am too poor to eat out right now so I have not been able to try them. Sometimes I do have extra money to eat out, but I do not know any restaurants in NYC. So far since my time in New York so far I went to a cafe on Old Jay Street and treated myself to a truffle grilled cheese sandwhich and Juliana’s Pizza with my parents when they visited during the winter. I also went to Café Maude in the Lower East Side and got a Mexican Bowl with chicken. After the horrendous property final I went to Serafina in Tribeca and got a ceasar salad with salmon. I went to one weird cafe in the West Village that was a cowboy themed and served Mexican food and got a chicken salad. I did not like one. The last one I went to was Coppola's somewhere I do not know and got a pesto rigatoni on the 4th of July. Soo good. I do not like going to restaurants since I go alone and I feel awkward eating alone in a restaurant.

Sometimes I feel like Carrie in Sex and the City when she was walking around Paris when she sees the group of girls in the cafe. I love New York, but it does not feel like home yet. I still feel like an outsider and I am hoping soon maybe everything will change and I will have something here to make it feel like home. I rent a room and there is no pets allowed, which sucks. I am having major puppy fever right now. It seems like everyone has a dog right now and I am here dogless. My neighbor by the end of the corner in my street has 2 little dogs and they are too cute. I am going to look into moving into a pet friendly apartment or room so I can get a dog after winter break.

I am not looking forward to next semester at all, being on a journal seems like too much work and I feel like I am going to be overworked next semester for nothing. Also, I am looking into getting a job since I could use the extra money. It’s hard being in NYC and seeing all the major shopping the city has to offer and I’m here wearing a cheap pair of professional looking black pant I got for €4 at a thrift store in Germany and cheap blouses from TJ Maxx. Most of my clothes are from the thread up too. Luckily family court is known as the “poor people court” so my clothes look fitting. I wish I can afford to shop on 5th Ave or in the Meatpacking district. I am struggling interning and not getting paid. I do like TJ Maxx though here in Chelsea, they have nice stuff.

I am happy though I have a Star is Born on Netflix to distract me from my admin law grade and poverty 😝. I am also hate watching and Just Like That. It is like the writers forgot who the characters are. There are all these storylines in one episode and it’s a big mess. I still have to watch it though. I miss Samantha she was my ultimate favourite character. She is goals living in the Meatpacking district alone and always looking fabulous.

I have been doing yoga and I am proud to say I can finally get into crow pose it only can hold it for 2 breath than I collapse. I need to work on a smoother transition out of crow. I am too scared to try a full wheel back bend, I don’t have enough upper body strength to lift my head off the ground and I’m scared I’m going to hurt my back. Yoga has been helpful and I feel stronger in my legs and core since I have been doing it consistently since the end of May. I think next weekend I am going to go to a yoga class at Daya Yoga in Brooklyn. I like Brooklyn but I’d rather be in Chelsea. I feel in love with Chelsea and it’s the only thing that makes me want to stay here in New York.

Someday I’ll be a lawyer writing contracts and living in Chelsea.

Breakfast Staples

1. Trader Joe’s frozen wild blue berries and mango chunks

   I don’t have time or Tupperware to be able to buy fresh blueberries so I make my oatmeal (Quaker Oats Family Size) with a…

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