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It's the first day back to school today. I'm halfway through one-third finished with law school.

It's not that I have a bad attitude about it - it's mostly enjoyable and I'm learning a lot, which is my favorite thing. But when I say, "The best thing about law school will be finishing," people look at me cross-eyed.

But why wouldn't that be the best thing? Maybe I'm just a Material Girl, but I like paychecks. I like having an office. I like responsibilities and coffee rooms.

I know that life as a lawyer will suck in major ways, but the coolest thing about it is that it's one of the most diverse fields - there are SO many different things I can do with a law degree. Don't like large law firms where I prostitute myself? Fine, I can do millions of other things. It's not like education where I can be a teacher ... or an administrator. Blech. Oh sure, with creativity in education I could be a consultant or an advisor or researcher - but I'm not creative. That's not my forte, and I never delude myself about it. And everything about education gives me a bad taste in my mouth now. I know too much. I've seen the sausages made, and there's nothing as sparkly as Oompa Loompas behind the curtain.

So here I go, on with school. Better get to class early to get prime seat - we actually have seating charts we sign the first day or so and we're stuck there for the next 15 weeks.

The classes I have this term are:

• Legal Profession (I heard great things about the prof - it's a course required sometime before graduation, so I'm getting it out of the way now)
• Contracts II (heard horrible things about the prof, though this is more her area than the other class she taught - it will just be hard for me because my Contracts I prof was freakin awesome and nobody can live up to that) (and this will be my first prof here who isn't a white male)
• Constitutional Law (I'm excited about because I don't know jack about the Constitution)
• Property
• and continuing Legal Research and Writing.

The best thing is - no more Crim Law. Ever. Except international criminal law if I go to The Hague this summer, because that interests me. No more fathers killing children, no more sociopaths torturing innocents, no more racist shoot-outs. Woo hoo. That's good.

The worst thing - I had two really awesome profs last term, one of whom is moving to another school and the other doesn't ever teach any other class because he's the Dean. I'll never have them again, and that makes me sad.

OK, I'm delaying departure.