Spencer OUT!

I'm building an antenna
Transmissions will be sent when I am through
Maybe we could meet again further down the river
And share what we both discovered...
Then revel in the view

Well, this is officially my last blog post! It is funny, on the schedule it says "Exam week, optional." The last law school exam was Saturday the 12th.

This blog has been a really great experience. I have never actually written for anyone or anything, at least other than school work. Although I frequently blog and participate in online communities, never before have I had a regular readership or deadlines. The pressure of the deadline was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, I hated when it was a busy Tuesday and at midnight I have the option of finishing my reading, going to bed, or blogging. Having said that, I found myself driven to continue writing, even when I wasn't feeling inspired.

Having a readership is a lot of pressure as well. I figured I can't write caffeine fueled rants all the time. But like the deadline, it helped me to think more about my writing, proofread it, edit it, and made me a better writer.

A quick thought on blogging in general: It makes you more aware of, and appreciate better, your life. If you go through your day thinking, what will I tell people when I get home, it makes you notice the fact that you are sitting in orientation week after week. You also notice that you plan your day around the orientation to get that free pizza. You laugh about it to yourself, you go home and share it. I would recommend anyone reading this try blogging. It is sort of like journaling, but less private. This blog is run through Blogger.com, a Google owned service. It is easy and free. Other popular sites include Wordpress.com and Xanga.com.

I hope that my posts were interesting. I tried to provide a look into UB Law. We exist in our own microcosm sometimes. There is really no reason for someone not attending the law school to ever enter our building. We tend to be too busy to get very involved with things like intramural sports. Very few of us live around campus. We are older. We are busy. Law school also has a certain aura surrounding it, like it is this mythic beast, that is both scary for its ruthlessness, intimidating for its level of knowledge, and yet awesome in the dedication of its students.

Yes, these are all true, but underneath it all, we are students, just like everyone else at UB. We worry about our grades. We pull all nighters. We drink too much on occasion. We drink WAY too much coffee. We love free pizza. We complain about the cost of books. We watch reality television.

Seriously, we have one of the coolest places to hang out on campus, in the Edgar Allen Poe quad. Stop by and say hi. If you get there early in the morning, and the weather is nice, you will see myself, James the sailor, Heather the student rep, and maybe a few others at one of the picnic tables, doing a little reading, doing a little gossiping, drinking a lot of coffee. Stop by and say hi.

And a few shout-outs to some people who have made all this possible. First of all, a big thank you to Laura for your firm but understanding guidance through this whole process. As blog administrator, you do a great job keeping us all on task. And the secretary in the office, for always being efficient and professional.

Thanks to my fellow bloggers for inspiring me each week. I always looked forward to Charlene F. revealing a little more about how hard she works, and how she takes nothing for granted. Liz B, I always felt like you were sharing something I thought but was too embarrassed to write. Ariana H. for always having her eyes on the prize! And Tabitha, Lainey, LJ, Ned, Miles, Abdu Eaton, trust me I read all your posts every week, and appreciated them all.

I also have to thank my professors, especially Mr. Lindsay, Mr. Tiefer and Mr. Rochvarg, for making law funny enough to end up in a student blog. Also, the law scholars fall into this category. And Mr. Boan, my TA, for the line, "In this economy, you have to put periods at the end of your citations." My fellow students, for providing insight and ideas. Particularly, I can say for sure that Mr. Kiniry inspired at least one post. Sirs Plaxen and Doring definitely made me laugh with astute commentary, which I then repeated here. Mr. Rapport, Mr. Hovell, and Mr. Heron for confirming that yes, my criminal professor DID just make that joke. Mr. Gorton arranged a field trip that was subject of a post. Also, everyone on my bar-bowl team. Even though you don't even know it, you have your picture all over this blog.

Mr. Jeffcoat and Ms. Allison, all those early morning bull sessions have been key in my success and sanity through law school. Also Ms. L-O'Toole, Ms. Evans, Ms. Snowberger, I have enjoyed each of your unique takes on law school. Mr. Rosemond, for making sure to not infringe on my personal beliefs on the time-space continuum. Mr. Guy, for being the best comedian at UB. To the other guys and gals that I have studied with, complained to, drank with, laughed with, or just sat next to in class, thanks.

To my family and my girlfriend, obviously more thanks than I could ever give. That is all I am going to say about that.

Finally, the BIGGEST SHOUT OUT IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, TO MR. BRETT SCHWARTZ. He is the only person who I can confirm read my posts each week, and he offered nothing but support and interest.

GOODBYE all, its been real.

Really awesome.

(Anyone who does desire to continue to follow my blogging, I have a personal blog, as well as a Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, etc etc. I would suggest either a web search or an email to spencer.mierzejewski(at)ubalt(dot)edu.)