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The single most important semester of my entire academic life was the Spring of 1997. It was the Spring of my second year of law school. I took Copyright Law, Legislation, Administrative Law, and Corporations. What is my practice today? Copyright law, with a healthy dose of admin and a heck of a lot of brief writing, which is constantly informed by what I learned in Eskridge's Legislation class. All for corporate clients.

Just today, I once again took my notes from that semester off the shelf and they gave me the answer to a question very quickly. I have been using my Admin text book all week, and the mark-up of the APA in the back of that book is pretty much my Admin bible. I have given my copyright outline to other lawyers to help them learn about the subject, and used it for a basis for teaching in-house classes on the subject. It's amazing, really, that I rely so heavily on the knowledge gained in one small semester to guide much of my day to day life.

My colleagues roll their eyes when they see the notebook, too -- things are color coded, tabbed, and all underlining was done in Size 9 lead pencil, red, with ruler-ensured perfectly straight lines, and the highlighting is quite sparing and only in a certain brand of bright yellow high lighter. Yes, I was a geek, but that's what makes it still so useful, more than five years later.

It wasn't my best semester in law school. Although I aced copyright, of course, corporations was my single worst grade at GULC, with admin a close second. Still, looking back, I wouldn't trade it. That semester made me the lawyer I am today.

I am not sure if this is normal, but our rose bush has been responding to the unseasonably warm weather by sprouting some beautiful fall blooms.