California Dreamin'

So, just over a month to go until I leave for San Francisco and the next three years of my life, and all I can think about is:

How am I going to afford any of this?

Aside from the astronomical costs of the actual school, San Francisco is just not a cheap place to live in general, and that's if you have a job (which I surely will not). Food, transportation (read: BART pass), books....Ugh. It's all so much to think about.

In the meantime, I've enjoyed spending the last few months at home, doing as little as possible. I don't think I've ever been so content to do nothing as I have since I arrived from my study abroad. I've been spending quite a bit of time with my friends and family when I can, but mostly just enjoying these last precious weeks before the fall, and the beginning of what has been promised to me by everyone I've talked with to be the beginning of three years of hell. I'm not so sure it will be quite that bad, but just the same, I'm prepared for the worst. I remember what everybody told me about Madison, too, and that didn't turn out so bad, right?

One question I'm tired of answering is, "So where are you going to law school?". It's bad enough that few people have ever heard of Hastings (outside the legal world, anyway), but it's worse when I have to deal with the accompanying slew of questions that inevitably follow: "Where's that?" (San Francisco), Why there?" (great school, great city), "Why didn't you go to UCLA?" (didn't get in), Where else did you apply? (everywhere), "What kind of law do you want to do?" (I don't know yet), etc., etc. I don't mention that I turned down $23,000 /yr. from Pepperdine, in Malibu of all places, to go to Hastings because that would just make me seem insane to the outside observer. And in all honesty, to myself sometimes.

Which isn't to say I regret my decision - quite the opposite, in fact, is true - but it certainly would make answering those questions a lot easier.