(R)- This Is Real

I tried my best not to be surprised by anything I would be told today.  That worked until about 9:45 AM.  When I woke up, it felt as if I had my eyes closed for a minute and then my alarm went off. Luckily, I set an alarm for 7:20 and 7:30 because I would have missed class.  I got to class at exactly 9:00 and expected to be chewed out for being late on the first day, but our professor, Mrs. Scott, was still on her bus she takes to get to the university.  I walked up to the wrong building at first and felt like a total freshman lost on campus, but I simply confused one bell tower with another and had to cross the street to find my class.  

Mrs. Scott arrived at 9:30 and we got into some introductions. The first thing she told us was that we will be learning a whole year's worth of basic law in the next three weeks and that we have a three-hour test on Friday.  No big deal.  We have 16 students in the class; Six are from outside of the United States, and everyone else is from some different region or state.  I think this is an excellent opportunity to have exposure to a diverse group of people.  Our class began with an introduction of names, and we learned essential vocabulary for the course.  We then took a small quiz to see what our basic knowledge was of the Constitution, but I only answered about five of twenty perfectly.  Good thing I have the next four days to review before our first big test.  Afterward, we went to purchase a large stack of paper with case packets inside and then ate some lunch.  The food is quite good, and everyone says that is because the dining hall got a new provider. Rumor has it the food was terrible just a few weeks ago.  

Back in class, we learned all about juries.  The basic stuff I knew, but it was interesting to see the real thought that has to go into choosing a proper jury.  There are certain archetypes the attorneys avoid or hope for, and we looked into what a favorable or unfavorable juror looks like on a case by case basis.  

Nothing happened in class to spark controversy, but I know there will be soon.  I want to play devil's advocate so that I can get in a friendly debate with one of my extremely liberal classmates.  Even if I agree with them, I just want to be a part of some argumentation.  One of the items on my bucket list.

I am most excited to watch a case in the Chicago Court House next week.  The county of Cook has over 1 million cases filed every year, so a lot is going on in that court.  Another thing is my professor has a license to practice law in California so many of the examples she gives are ones to which I can relate.  This will make the class even more interesting for me as I can learn more about the law in my home state on top of the constitutional law.

The only picture I took today.  This is the view I missed yesterday as the
sun was setting behind the downtown skyline.

I got out of class, went on a run, ate quickly, and got down to business on the 100+ pages I have to read before tomorrow.  I am told it gets easier after the first two days.  I sure hope so.  This is physically impossible to do for the next three weeks straight.  Regardless, I am excited about class tomorrow, and I just want to look at the positive by thinking it is best to have the work at the beginning when I have the energy for it.