More Than Adequate

The convenient thing about living in a rainier climate is that every time my car starts getting really dirty, a storm rolls through and washes it off. This week it was especially convenient because I had run out of window washer fluid.

Another bonus about the climate here is that thunder is better in the east. Maybe it’s louder because it doesn’t run into any foothills. Or maybe the storms are bigger because they don’t have to climb over the mountains. Whatever the reason, thunder just sounds better in this half of the country. When I was little, I didn’t understand why people were afraid of thunder. It only started to make sense when I was serving a mission in Kentucky and Ohio. After a night of bed-shaking, heart-pounding thunder, I understood how someone could be afraid of it. I’m still not afraid of thunder, though. I relish a good, powerful drum roll across the sky.

I am not, however, a fan of another consequence of the rainy climate: humidity. The hot and sticky days have started. It hasn’t been too bad yet, but we’ve had a day or two when walking outside was like walking into a wall of air and not having my hair in a ponytail was a bad idea.

***

Over the last year, I’ve heard several remarks about 2Ls and 3Ls not reading for class. One person even expressed surprise that any upperclassmen still did any reading. That was hard for me to believe. As a student I had always done all of my reading. And considering the intense, competitive nature of law school, it seemed improbable that a large percentage of law students were not keeping up with daily reading.

Well, now I know why. Sometimes it just isn’t worth the time it takes. That, combined with a professor who openly acknowledged to the class that she didn’t really expect us to do all the reading, left me skimming a few chapters this week. And, as minimal perusal was adequate for those classes, I’m not exactly averse to doing it again in the future. I doubt I’ll ever give up on the whole concept of reading for class, though.

***

I made a happy discovery this week: a painting by James Christensen titled “A Lawyer More Than Adequately Attired.” The painting is good, but my favorite part is the explanation. It is just so, so true.