Hello everyone. This is the last post regarding transportation to the party; that is, the library or wherever it is that you will study for the bar exam this summer. We have already discussed walking and public transportation (bus/subway), but do I have any thoughts on driving? Yes, I do.
1. Tickets: Make certain that if you are unfortunate to get tickets that you pay them on time. You do not want to receive a boot while parked in a space that eventually will become a no parking zone because of rush hour. You do not want a boot at anytime, but rush hour means that you will be towed. That's time that you will now need to travel to the Department of Motor Vehicles, and pay all of the fines on your vehicle with cash or a major credit card. This could be troublesome. FYI: Take the tickets with you when you leave the car and place them on the desk where you keep all of your study materials. You can pay the tickets on line and the tickets will be right there, in front of your face, as a daily reminder. We won't allow our tickets to double.
2. Parking: Think about finding a parking place where the car will be hidden from the sun most of the day. Don't be compelled to look for the space closest to the library. Shade is what you want. You do not want anything to melt in your car while you are in the library and that includes you, when you leave the library for the day or a break. Yes, it's best to have the "car visor" to protect your seats when you enter the car, however, if the car is already parked in the shade that will give you a nice, familiar place to take a break inbetween study periods. If you know there will be thunderstorms, then move closer to the door of the library; otherwise shoot for shade.
3. Change For The Meter: If you have to park at the meter, don't waste time running back and forth to a change machine. If Friday, for example, is your early day out of the library (only early day a week), then that is the day that you head to the bank or a local grocer and get your week's worth of quarters. Don't spend the quarters on the snack machines! Leave them in the car, for the car. Set your phone for the time in which you need to put change in the meter and allow for 15 minutes to gather up the items that you need to take with you and the walk to the car. This is also a good time to take something to the car that you completed and to pick up something else to work on for later.
4. Some books; Not all. You will have a lot of trunk space - - maybe. I don't suggest that you carry all of your books in the trunk. You don't want to be towed, or even worse, someone to steal your car. Take what you need for that day and keep it in the car. Also, everything you put in your car, you eventually have to take out of your car at the end of the day or the next morning. The books can be heavy. Take some books, not all of them. It's like a vacation - - you know that you won't wear all of the clothing you bring with you. Think carefully, before you pack.
5. A Cooler. Keep a cooler in the trunk of the car. There is nothing like running out to the car for a cold drink during break time and a sandwich, or anything light (eg., a piece of fruit, a few crackers, popcorn, etc.). The cooler, once closed tightly, is your window to good snacking and good breaks without moving the car or driving to the nearest 7-11.
6. A little "brown" bag: Keep some type of overnight bag in the car, too. A shaving kit, an extra change of clothes, toiletries, including a toothbrush and toothpaste can come in handy, IF YOU NEED IT. Murphy's Law sends out extra recruits to accompany every law school graduate taking the bar this summer, and you want Murphy on someone else, not you. Moisturizer, vaseline, face cloth, hand sanitizer, travel sized soap, lotion, after shave, a favorite cologne, deodorant, a brush and a comb. Whatever you think you need that you can stick in a little black bag in the back of the trunk is what you want to carry with you.
7. Getting to the library: Go early or go late, and try to stay out of rush hour unless you don't mind the traffic. If you don't mind the traffic, then I don't mind the traffic. I do, however, mind your time! Make sure you know more than one route in the event that one or more streets are cut off from you. If more than your requisite number of streets are not available, and it is taking you twice as long to get to the library as usual, then TURN AROUND, and go in the opposite direction to another library, even if that library is not a law library. A public library is just as good as the law library if it means that you can get to it in 15 minutes, and will not get to the law library for another hour and 15 minutes. Don't forget to adjust accordingly. That is the most important word during the bar prep period. Adjust. Adjust. Adjust.
8. Getting Home From the Library: If you are too tired to drive, then don't. If you are too tired to drive, then don't. If you are too tired to drive, then don't. There. I thought I would say it several times just to make sure that you are not too tired to read. You know yourself very well and can gauge how tired you are and whether you need sleep. Everyone can't just decide to go to a hotel and get some rest if she is too sleepy to drive home. There are other options. Stay with friends. Take a nap in a car in a place where there are a lot of people and traffic coming in and out of a store (even 20 minutes in a police parking lot is better than just sitting somewhere without human traffic). Do not put yourself in a position that we are now studying you (criminal law - manslaughter) on the bar this summer. Also, look at this word - man ---> slaughter. When you really break it down, it is not a pretty term. For you, for me, for anyone.
9. A Car Is A Home? My car was my home during the bar review period. It was a mess, but it was my mess and I did not explain my mess to anyone. I believe that I get to do what I want to do for the things I pay for, without anyone's help. So, it's my car to trash. The only thing is that you start to feel a little trashy when the car is a little trashy. Keep some plastic bags in the car and once a week throw stuff away. I don't say that you have to do it everyday because I know people that will spend 90 minutes cleaning out the car before heading into the library (anything to prevent the long walk to the library's front door). At night, no one is throwing away anything; we are sprinting to the car. Once a week, perhaps Saturday morning, take the bag out of the car and stuff it in the trashcan. Try to take out foodstuff right after you've eaten it.
10. Maintenance. We covered this in an earlier post, but now I'm speaking of cleaning the car. Go through a brushless car wash unless you want to spend some comfort time cleaning the outside of the car. Then, of course, you will feel guilty for taking all of the time to clean a car when you know you should be in the libary. Car wash. Please.
11. Tires. I have mentioned tires before, but just look at your car when you leave the library every evening. Look at it for anything out of the ordinary. Underinflated tires do not wear well. A quick look - - two minutes may help you prevent your home from being sidelined on the highway.
12. Embarrassed? Do not be embarassed that you do everything from sleep, eat, talk on the phone, or memorize an outline in your car. The car is the home away from home. It is just a small place for you to relax outside of the library during breaks when you need it. You don't owe anyone a reason, and you do not have to provide anyone with an excuse about your automobile.
I want you to get in touch with your bar exam. Don't worry about anything or anyone else.
Prof. Smith
Next Stop: The multi-state bar examination (multiple choice).
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