Why are there a billion new links in the Feedback Log now? Okay, there are really just five new ones, but who cares–why are they there? What’s this “Invites” thing? “Memories”? “Nudges”? Educate me, folks, because I have zero in all categories.

Is this Xanga’s lame way of getting into the MySpace thing? Because it’s not working. I don’t know anyone who uses their Xanga to keep track of how many friends they have, or to make new connections. Then again, I don’t currently know anyone who uses their Xanga, period. Thus the probability of someone using their journal to make new friends seems slim to nonexistent.

What Phobia Are You (Zoo only)

Zoophobias

• Ailurophobia, Elurophobia, Felinophobia, Galeophobia, Gatophobia — Dislike of cats.

• Apiphobia, Melissophobia — Fear of bees.

• Alektorophobia – Fear of chickens.

• Arachnophobia — Fear of arachnids, usually specific to spiders.

• Cynophobia — Fear of dogs or of rabies.

• Entomophobia, Insectophobia — Fear of insects. (Also the orchid genus Entomophobia)

• Equinophobia, Hippophobia — Fear of horses.

• Helminthophobia — Fear of being infested with worms.

• Herpetophobia — Fear of reptiles

• Ichthyophobia — Fear of fish.

• Mottephobia — Aversion to moths and butterflies.

• Musophobia, Murophobia, Suriphobia — Fear of mice and/or rats.

• Myrmecophobia — Fear of ants.

• Ophidiophobia — Fear of snakes.

• Ornithophobia — Fear of birds.

• Olfactophobia, Osmophobia — Fear of smells.

• Scoleciphobia, Vermiphobia — Fear of worms.

• Zoophobia — Fear of animals.

I didn’t win. Even after spending my entire Saturday prepping, arguing, prepping, and then arguing some more I didn’t win. I care–not about winning–but you’d think that when you’re stuck at school until 11PM for a competition no one knows or cares about…you’d get at least some kind of reward.

Instead, I got the “you are one of four finalists out off 300 students” and “you make oral arguments look easy” speech. Yes, the judges liked my use of the facts, how I was able to recite rules, and how I referred to exact pages and sentences thoughout the entire case record. And they really liked how I didn’t flinch once when they were berating and mocking me (I have to give the judges credit because they were really making me feel like sh*t at one point).

But that’s just not enough. What good is being one of the top orators–it’s much better to be THE top orator in the 1L class. I guess they didn’t like my bitch approach…which is kind of funny because that’s what got me to the top in the first place. I guess everyone has a preference…

Oh well. I had fun. If this is what being a lawyer is, then I’m all for it. I can’t wait. Give me more opportunities to battle it out in front of a judge…

I should try out for Moot Court next year…

The second round was today, and tonight is the final round of competition. And guess what? I made it. Yay…so I have two hours to clean up my argument, and then come up with an argument for the opposing side. Yes…THE OPPOSING SIDE. I get to be both Appellant and Respondent—which is gay because I’ve been kicking my ass trying to come up with concrete evidence supporting the Appellant’s claims…and now I have to poke holes in them. These people are sick. So…so…sick.

Why are we doing two rounds in a day? And why are they six hours apart from each other? Why couldn’t we just battle it out between the four finalists right then and there? Like a Battle Royale, but with words and rules. Then again…there are four different cases, and we’re technically battling ourselves, and the judges are just checking to see how we hold up under pressure.

As bitter as I am about public speaking, I really like arguing. No, I LOVE ARGUING. I get so defensive when I feel like I’m being attacked, and I just turn on the “b*tch, you best believe” thing. It’s so awesome. I was totally abrasive and throwing the elitist atitude right back at the judges—and my writing professor, who got to watch us argue during the preliminary rounds, was telling me that that’s the best way to make a case. Be firm, but respectful…I think I can get the hang of this.

I don’t really care if I win or lose—that’s been my entire attitude throughout this whole, random-ass, fall-into-my-lap competition. What matters is getting that nod of respect from my peers, and the stink eye from those bitches who just hate the fact that I kicked their ass.

Damn me.

My friend called and told me I won the first round of the oral advocacy competition…so I get to wake up at 8:00 tomorrow and go to school on a Saturday to participate in the next round. ARGH.

Why so bitter? Because I didn’t want to win the first round in the first place. The whole thing was just so ridiculous. First we had to write an appellate brief on whatever side we were taking on a particular case…and then we were all forced to participate in this so-called “first round” by dressing up in our suits, standing in front of two professors pretending to be judges, and getting berated and verbally abused by them as they try to poke holes in our argument. I was the seventh person to go, and the six people before me all looked like they were going to cry after they finished. I was thinking, “Oh…f*ck me I’m going to get killed!” So what happens? My defense mechanism automatically kicks in and I start giving the judges attitude when they ask me questions. And you know what? THEY LIKED THAT. Instead of getting offended, they deemed me the winner in my class. F*CK.

And what’s worse was we all had the opportunity to bow out before any winner was chosen—we just had to give notice by Wednesday before the actual arguments took place. I, thinking that I wasn’t going to win, didn’t decline a damn thing because I thought I didn’t have to! And now that’s totally bit me in the ass. It’s freaking 9:15 PM and I have to read 5 sh*t cases, prepare my rules, and sacrifice some babies in the hopes that I don’t get my ass beat this time around….because it’s going to be 15 minutes of me being a big, big, b*tch.

The only good thing about this is I get to sh*t on this girl who thought she did really well. She’s a stupid whore. And she got OWNED.