As of two hours from now, I will officially be done with classes for the week. I will head home and furiously pack for my fourth Burning Man trip. Tomorrow, my stuff will be packed on a new and improved trailer, and will be dragged behind a bus full of hippies, across numerous states toward its destination in Nevada.

Then, I will be at my house, with the remainder of the people who are going but who didn’t get on that bus. We will twiddle our thumbs in anticipation of Wednesday afternoon, when we will board our OWN bus, a giant airbus in the sky, and begin our own adventure across the country.

I have been surprised by my lack of concern with regard to planning and packing for Burning Man this year. I really haven’t stressed about it at all. The only reason I’m at all stressed now is not so much because of the trip being imminent, but because of all the OTHER crap in my life. Burning Man is actually a CALM place compared to some of this other crap that has been going on.

I think I’m just not scared of it anymore. I think I’ve done it enough now to know what to expect, and how to be prepared for just about anything. I welcome the concept of dust storms or rain or cold or hot.

This should be interesting. I’m excited and ready to go.

As I am up to my eyeballs in personal drama relating to my small West End business, I don’t have a lot of extra time to post about other things that are happening.

But I wanted to take a minute to comment on my first week of my second year of law school. Currently, I’m in the law library, between classes. I figured it would be empty. It is absolutely full of terrified 1Ls, who are surrounded by brand new text books and legal dictionaries. You can tell, as you watch them switch between their pens and their highlighters, their laptops and their note pads, that they are still just beginning to puzzle out their note-taking and studying habits. I clearly remember how I felt at this time last year. It is absolutely amazing that it is so different for me now.

Now, I’m not afraid of my professors. I respect them, and will talk to them like colleagues and human beings. I honor them for their experiences. But I’m not afraid.

The professors are all so much more…chill. I hate to say it so casually, but really, they are so completely laid back when compared with professors from last semester. The Socratic method?! Are you kidding? Not in 2L land, kiddies. They don’t even LIKE calling on you. They just want you to speak up if you have something to say. So completely chill.

Our syllabuses (syllabi) no longer read like a death camp sentence. They were all 4-5 pages long last year. This year, we get half a page. They pretty much say, “show up, read the assignments, participate, or stay home.” No “don’t play on your laptops.” None of that extra crap they apparently throw in for 1Ls.

And I know where everything is already. For example, couches in the library had been rearranged. But I knew exactly where that hidden power socket was, which allowed for me to nab my favorite study spot, because none of the other people in here know the secrets yet.

My classes are all absolutely amazing this semester. I am thrilled by all of them so far. I really like all my professors, too. It really seems like every single class is going to have an impact on my immediate future and on my career.

By the way. I’m going to be a criminal defense attorney. I’ve decided. Barring some really major shift in thinking in the next 6 months, it’s a done deal. ACLU, protecting people’s rights, criminal defense, with some background in things like family law and stuff that would be appropriate to know regarding small businesses.

I am so completely glad to be here, and to be continuing this journey.