hitting my stride

Well it's almost one month into my second year here at the LLSOP, and I really feel like I'm beginning to hit my stride. Second year is a completely different beast. One of the things that I like is that I get to take the classes that I want (well subject to balloting). It's one thing to have read 50-60 pages a night, but it's a whole other thing to read 50-60 pages a night of stuff you are interested in.

My courses this term include Evidence, Environmental Law, International Law, Indian and Aboriginal Law, Law Reform and Law Review. Yes six courses. Law Review really isn't a full course, but one I'll do all year. Next term I get to drop one course in lieu of the work I do in Law Review.

For those non-lawyers out there, the law review is a scholarly journal published by the LLSOP. 18 students (9 3rd yr and 9 2nd year) form an editorial board which makes decisions on what articles are published, and other editorial (and editing) tasks.

Also, this year, all of my marks don't rest on one 3-hour final exam. In two of my courses, I get to do papers. One major paper (worth 100%) is on environmental protection of arctic waters, while another (worth 60%) is likely going to be on reforming Saskatchewan's Human Rights Code. I know these may sound dry to many of you, but for me it's like a kid in a candy store. Somewhere along the way, I became a law school nerd, I'm not sure when it happened but I'm coming to terms with it.

room to breathe

Yes I am back at the little law school on the prairie for my second year of law school, but more on school later. Today, it's time to talk about the prairies.

Over the last week, I've had the opportunity to get out of Saskatoon and onto the prairie proper twice. Once a morning trip to Delisle, Saskatchewan for breakfast, and then a weekend trip to Edmonton.

On the trip to Delisle, I had a person from Toronto, who now lives in London, England along who had never seen the prairies. The sense of wonder shown by this person got me thinking about the prairies.

On the drive back to the LLSOP I went through canadian shield, boreal forest, massive mountains, and towering cedars. Although the mountains make you feel small, the prairie sky can have the same effect. Nothing can make you feel as small or as insignificant as a clear, vast prairie sky.

As a kid, I always considered the prairie's dull and boring, and slept through that part of the cross-country car ride, but I now realize that the prairies can give you something that I think we all want these days, which is a little room to breathe.