That's the end of this blog.

I survived a year in Ethiopia. Or, to be more precise, I survived nine months in Ethiopia.

But rather than start up again with this blog, I've decided to switch over to Wordpress. I've gotten bored with this format and want to try something new. Join me at the new blog!

Drum roll please...

I finished the Bar Exam!!!!

I don't feel like I deserve to fail, but I don't quite feel like I deserve to pass either. It's been a roller coaster for three days, and now I'm numb.

To kick start the emotions again, more drum roll please....

I'm going to Africa for a year!!!! I leave at the end of August, and I'm going to volunteer teach in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while also volunteering in a care center for HIV+ orphans. TOTALLY. STOKED. TOTALLY. TERRIFIED.

Which means it's time to say goodbye to this blog for a while. This is the last blog entry I plan to have on blogspot for at least the next year. If you feel like following my adventures in Africa, you'll have to go here.

If I weren't so bad at goodbyes, I'd make this post a little more sentimental. But growing up a child of divorced long-distance parents has made me really awkward and uncomfortable with goodbyes. So let's leave it at this: I'll see you July of 2010!

Uncle John’s Parting Words of Wisdom

Make sure you get a good night’s sleep because “if your mind is clear, the sh*t will flow.”

See you on the other side of the bar exam!

4 days from today I start the bar exam.
1 week from today I'll be done with the bar exam.

I can't sleep without having nightmares about the bar exam.

I have exciting news about the lengths I've gone to for the purpose of finding a direction for my blog. That'll be released as soon as the bar is over...stay tuned!

Who's Counting?

$968.00.... Hotel for 4 nights for the duration of the bar exam
$245.00.... Flight to and from San Francisco for the bar exam
$60.00.... Cost of the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam
$648.00.... Cost to register for the California Bar Exam
$92.00.... Cost to register for the California Bar
$431.00.... Cost to register for the Moral Character Determination
$3,982.50.... Cost of Bar Review Course for California
$1,250.00.... Cost of the iPod version of Bar Review Course (to study from Denver)

Total: $7,676.50

Waiting from July 29 until November 20 to get my score.... PRICELESS (not in a good way)
Passing the California Bar on the First Try.... PRICELESS (in a good way)

T - 20 days

Back to the grind.

This cover is giving me the post-holiday blues, but I think it's worth sharing anyway. Normally, I really like Greg Laswell, but if I don't switch to more upbeat music soon, I might not make it through to the bar (T - 22 days!!!).

Summer of Transition

I opened a new checking account today. This makes me feel like I'm starting a new chapter of my life. I know, I know. Graduation from professional school? No sweat. Studying for the biggest exam of my life? Eh, whatev. Opening a new checking account? HOLY COW, Bagel! You're clearly up to big things these days!

In any case, now that I won't be in school anymore, I feel like this blog needs a new direction. Most blogs have a focus, and mine is sorely lacking. The obvious focus is, well, me. But yawn! "Me" in the spotlight is not so fun. Me + direction might actually keep some readers next year.

Here are examples of direction based on some of the blogs I read:

1. Adoption Blogs:
My Fav, of course, Party of 5

2. Cooking Blogs:
The Pioneer Woman

3. Being General Badass Blogs:
i hate so much, A Traveler's Notebook, Why Mom Drinks Rum

4. Boy Drama Blogs:
Hi Lynn!, The Pioneer Woman: From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels

5. Photography Blogs:
The Pioneer Woman (have I mentioned how I love her?), Stephanie Williams Photography, Inspired By This

Clearly, I'm lacking a theme. If anyone has suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them. Otherwise, stay tuned. I'll try and come up with one by the end of summer.