M.S.E.L. Students Blog

So last week was oktoberfest and it was a blast.  I was on team MCLOVIN and we dominated but ended up getting 7th place which isn’t bad for first timers.  Our one team member, Miss Meghan Dovick, won the pumpkin carving contest for the category of ‘best nonuse of a pumpkin.’  The week ended with an awesome halloween party at….where else but Crossroads.  It was a fun week and kind of brought me back to my undergrad years b/c everyone was just going crazy and not stressing out too much over work.  It was an awesome time and i’m excited for winterfest!!!!  Also, the weekend before I had gone to the Homebrew tournament and took some hilarious photos which i will put below.  Hope everyone has a HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coming home after Martial Arts Club, the moon was rising over the mountains and looked like the sun rising over the horizon.  There were stars glimmering everywhere in the clear night sky.  I knew on the ride home that tonight was going to be cold!  In the morning, there was a frost covering everything including the cars.  At least I know that fall is here and that summer has slipped away.  Besides the weather changing, classes are becoming more involved and in depth.  I have two large paper drafts due within two weeks that will determine my grade for those classes.  Those papers are consuming my life right now besides the clubs that I am in.  I am just hoping that I am on the right track with them and continue to improve upon the papers that I have already written for those courses.  Besides the papers, I am starting to go to review sessions and preparing outlines for the final exams which are looming around the corner.  Last week, we had to add/drop classes for spring semester, but I didn’t change my schedule because I was still wait-listed for Environmental Dispute Resolution.  So I am unsure of my schedule right now and that kind of bothers me because I only have 8 credits or 3 classes and should probably at least add one more class.  Well, I have to drive to campus for an ELS Meeting.

Last weekend, I returned to Illinois for my sister’s twenty first birthday.  I had been away for two and half months and I was excited to be back.  It was a good break from everything out here.  I maximized my weekend by leaving super early Friday morning and getting back really late Sunday, well actually it ended up being Monday morning.  My sister had a great time, and I enjoyed seeing her and other friends.  I could have easily stayed longer. 

My flight home was annoying.  We were on the plane and moving to the runway when we stopped.  Apparently high winds in Chicago were keeping us grounded.  So we sat for thirty minutes.  Then we were told we couldn’t leave for at least two hours.  So we went back to the gate and everyone was pissed off.  I was told my connection to Boston had been delayed as well so I should be ok.  We ended up actually delayed only another thirty minutes.  Once I got to Chicago I found my plane to Boston was delayed an addition two hours.  Thankfully they had TV’s with football on.

I was pretty exhausted from the entire weekend and looking to sleep on the plane.  We finally get going around 11p.m.  When I lean my chair back I hear this yell, then a tap on my head and hear, “No! You can’t do that!”  I was like WTF? I look back and this old lady has her purse on her lap with her tray table down so when I lean back the tray table pushes into the purse.  I said put your purse on the floor, oh no she can’t do that, so I’m like fine and getting really close to knocking grandma out.  She continues to complain about anything and everything the entire flight.  It’s 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. when the drinks roll around and her husband buys a Heineken.  I think that says a lot.

We finally arrive in Boston at around 2 a.m.  I still have a 2.5 hour drive.  Now why didn’t I fly out of Burlington or Manchester?  While Burlington is the closest to South Royalton, the tickets were $450-500 so nope not doing that.  Manchester didn’t have any flights that fit with the times I wanted to do and Boston is only a 30 minute farther drive from Manchester. 

The drive back was really peaceful.  I set my cruise on 65mph and let it go.  It was a good idea because I saw quite a few cops on my way back.  The drive was starting to get to me though.  I found I was talking to myself.  I thought good lord I need to get back.  I finally arrived at the house around 4:30 a.m. – 5 a.m. 

I woke up to get ready for legal writing class only to find it was canceled.  Let me tell you it was pure bliss.  After Environmental Law, I spent my time writing my short paper for Energy Law and Policy.  I was still really tired but able to focus long enough to crank out the paper.  It was on corn ethanol and Renewable Fuels Standard.  It’s just as exciting as it sounds.

The day has brought 78 degree weather with sunshine and cool breezes.  Of course, I took advantage of  today as much as possible while still working on an energy paper due tomorrow.  I didn’t think that I would be able to go swimming in the river if I wanted too this late in the season.  I thought there would be morning frosts by now especially in Vermont.  However, VT has exceeded my expectations in every way possible.  Sitting in a chair at campus, people always walk by you on their way to class, home or running errands.  Everyone that passes by is friendly and usually likes to start a neighborly conversation.   For the first time today, I actually talked to my professor while he was walking around campus.  We didn’t talk about the upcoming lecture, but rather he told me to be careful and not get sunburned in the sunshine and to enjoy this gorgeous weather cause it isn’t going to last long.  I think VLS helps its students learn the law, but also to learn about the community around them and how to be apart of it by being a good neighbor.  I feel that I am becoming a better neighbor and community member, and my experiences will continue to grow as the year goes on and as I have more interaction within the town. 

Helllllooooooooooo

So I know everyone is stressing this week b/c of midterms and memos so I thought I’d share some pictures from my adventures in south royalton to cheer people up!!!!!!

Part of this past week was our fall break.  We got Monday and Tuesday off and as a MSEL you get Fridays off as well, so it made for a nice break away from school.  The break came at a great time.  I knew it was time when we were going over English stuff in writing class.  It was important information but I am terrible at English.  Ralph from the Simpsons comes to mind, “me fail English? That’s unpossible.”

I had good intentions on getting a lot of work done but it never happened.  In a sense I have three papers to complete relatively soon.  I did have to work on Monday but I didn’t mind, I definitely need the money.

We grilled out quite a bit during the break and had some people over.  On Friday we grilled chicken, bratwursts and salmon.  On Sunday, we grilled some ribs which turned out amazing.  I was a little worried as I had never done ribs before. 

The weather was great and I went on a hike up to Kent’s ledge and was able to get some nice pictures of fall foliage.  I was hoping to get some more pictures this weekend but it’s been cloudy.  It’s finally gotten a little chilly with temps in the 40’s and 50’s.  Our heat just kicked on for the first time yesterday.  It’s been really rainy this week.  I feel like its Seattle and I should get out my Pearl Jam and Nirvana.

Sad to say but the highlight of my break was getting my hair cut.  My hair was pretty long and getting a little ridiculous.  I was tired of moving it off my face.  It’s been short my entire life.  I grew it out this past year just because.  Originally the joke was, I had just graduated college and didn’t have a job.  It then turned to I’m in law school and can’t afford a haircut.  I went down to West Lebanon to Supercuts.  South Royalton has a couple places but I was unsure about them.  I think everyone would be lost without West Lebanon.

The girl who cut my hair looked pretty young.  I asked her how long she had been doing this and she said only a month.  I was like great, but she did a decent job.  She didn’t exactly get my vision but we got through it and at least I don’t have to wear a hat.

On Thursday, a group of us went out to eat in Hanover for a friend’s birthday.  We went to Molly’s and the food was pretty good.  Hanover is completely different from South Royalton.  SoRo has its charm but it’s nice to get a college town feel now and again.

Fall Break ended on Tuesday.  I went to class on Wednesday.  However, on Thursday morning at 5am I went to St. Louis, MO for the Sigma Alpha 2007 National Convention.  I missed class on Thursday which I know that I will be catching up, but I have completed all the readings and spoke with all my professors so hopefully I will be fine.  I think missing class was worth attending the conference though.  For the many of you that do not know what Sigma Alpha is, here is a brief overview.  Sigma Alpha’s purpose is promote its members in all facets of agriculture, and to strengthen the bonds of friendship among them. Sigma Alpha encourages its members to strive for achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service, and to further the development of excellence in women pursuing careers in agriculture.  I have been apart of Sigma Alpha since November of 2004 and have held many positions within the sorority and have met many people in the agriculture and natural resources business along the way.  I have attended conferences in Atlanta, GA, Philadelphia, PA, Madison, WI and Indianapolis, IN.  I am now an alumni of the Michigan State University Chapter (Gamma).  So this year, I ran for National Board Director at National Convention.  This is a position that comes with many responsibilities and travel commitments.  I am very excited and thrilled that I will be helping women around the nation strengthen their chapters and their capabilities in the realm of agriculture.  I know that these women will continue to strive for excellence and will become the future leaders in our agricultural industry.  I am finding that this position will lead me to network with many different organizations and women that will help me to continue my path of environmental law seeing as it has already opened so many doors for me.  Sigma Alpha is a great organization to be involved with and it is a young organization that continues to grow with each coming year.  I hope that I can continue this growth of our National Sorority in hopes that it will promote more women to step up to leadership positions and to continue to work in mostly ‘male dominated’ fields.  If you want to find out more, check out www.sigmaalpha.org or www.msusigmaalpha.org These are both great sites that showcase the scholastic, professional, service and sisterhood related achievements women in agriculture have accomplished.   

First, I want to say how happy I am that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to a very worthy individual for very important work — Al Gore (along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) for his consciousness-raising on climate change.  You go, Mr. President!  (Oops, I mean Mr. Should Have Been President ’cause more Americans voted for him than for that other guy, even without a recount in Florida, so obviously he was our preference even if there was a stupid technicality that gave the office to someone We the People didn’t want to represent us.)  (Yes, again, opinions are my own and do not represent those of Vermont Law School!)

Today was the Energy Symposium at Dartmouth.  It was great, although it was a rather long day.  But no, it really was great.  I wouldn’t have minded a little more discussion of wave (and/or tidal) power, which was only briefly acknowledged once or twice (New Hampshire has eighteen miles of coast… not much compared to most coastal states, but it’s something!).  It may be the least developed of the alternative energy possibilities, but I find it very interesting.  But anyway, what we did have in the symposium was definitely interesting too.  I’m glad I went.  (It was a long day, though!)  I might elaborate more, but I’m tired and who can really sum up 11.5 hours (minus break time) of expert discussion on many sub-topics related to one big important topic?  I could definitely never do it justice, even if I tried.

Okay, that’s enough for now.  Need sleep.  Later…

Sally

So this weekend my friends and I went to Boston!! It was my first time ever being there and it was a pretty sweet city.  We got a tour from my friend’s brother and apparently it was the craziest day of the year b/c everyone we saw was either dressed up like a fairy or was on stilts. Anyways it was a blast and we had some awesome sushi which was nice since there is NONE around here.  The picture below is of a new friend we made near the subway…he was magical and played us songs with his magical recorder…..Hope everyone’s having a good breakkkkkkkkkkk!!!!  Check ya later

Red, yellows and oranges cover the mountain side behind my house.  I have been waiting for awhile for this time to come.  I took a nice hike up the hill yesterday to notice all the colorful leaves and to play in the stream that flows along the path.  I had to climb a steep hill to get to it though and then I played in it for awhile.  It is a stream made of all shale rock and there is no sand or fine particles as you may find in a river bed.  This stream flows over the shale rock and erodes it away and someday, a long time from now, there will be sand and smaller particles, but that is going to take awhile.  I have also been to Billings Farm and Museum in Woodstock, VT (http://www.billingsfarm.org/) this weekend.  What an experience.  I got to taste pumpkin bread, taste test four different types of apples, see the jersey cows in the milking barn, look at the farm exhibits, try to eat an apple off a string without using my hands and try pumpkin ice cream!  Billings Farm was started in 1871 and today it is apart of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, the only national park to tell the story of conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America.  I have really enjoyed this break, but it has been hard trying to study when it has been so nice outside.  The weather has ranged from low 80s to low 70s this weekend with some rain here and there, but overall it has been a perfect weekend.