Preamble

The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my experiences as I undertake the challenge of successfully completing law school at the University of South Carolina School of Law. However, to begin the story with the first day of classes feels like beginning in the middle of what has already become a rather bold and somewhat reckless adventure. I suppose the real story started 10 years ago, as I graduated from high school. Upon enrolling at the University of Houston, I had aspirations, albeit somewhat delusional in nature, to continue my education with law school, but abandoned my compulsions after what I considered to be a struggle simply to get my bachelor's degree. I yearned for some real-world opportunities and so I tried the grown-up life for six years: I worked as a self-employed professional bagpiper; got married; changed careers to be a SharePoint developer and documentation specialist with Bastion Technologies, a NASA contractor; my wife Amanda and I had a son named Jackson; and that, I believe, is where the story begins to get interesting.

Jackson was born in October of 2008; one month after Hurricane Ike tormented the Houston/Galveston area, which ironically did less damage to the city on the Gulf Coast than Jackson does to a room full of toys, as it turns out, when he is allowed to shoulder his full authority. It was his birth that served as the catalyst for me to go back to school. Nothing serves to show you how fleeting time is when you sit and watch time pass at the schedule of a newborn baby. Everyday the creature is different. Every month something new occurs: smiling; crawling; eating solid food - pureed then chunked then just whatever - walking. Six months old; nine months - soon the kid's a year old and there's orange frosting spackled to every surface of the dining room after the kid's first cupcake.

I doesn't take long to notice that this kid could easily pass you by at the rate he's growing, so if there are any last minute plans or aspirations, you'd better get on them. Last February I bought a study book and sat down at my favorite bar in Webster, TX and drank four beers while I worked logic games from the study book. By mid-June I had my LSAT scores and began sending out applications by the time Jackson had turned one year.

Once the acceptance letters came some pretty radical decisions had to be made. It was my feeling that we needed to move - far. Fortunately, this wasn't a decision I had to make; UH Law Center made it for me with a rejection letter. After that the goal was to attend the finest, cheapest law school that was offering. Enter USC and their willingness to throw a little money my direction.

Next was the execution of said plan. The house went on the market and sold in 72 hours (didn't see that coming); next we had to find a place to move our stuff before we could actually move (because I still had a job that was paying); finally we had to find a place to live once we got to the Capital of Southern Hospitality. All three tasks were accomplished within three weeks and we found ourselves living a weird half-life for six weeks. It was supposed to seem like forever, but it was over before I could even get my bearings.

Amanda got to learn what it was like to move back in with her parents after living on her own. I shacked up with my best mate Jeff and his very hospitable wife and twin children (3 months old at the time). And it was supposed to be suffering, but we didn't even have time to learn to irritate each other. I miss my second family terribly.

And after putting off our move as long as we could, there was no option but to hop in the car and drive to Columbia where we now call home and where I am to attend law school for the next 35 months before I take the Bar. I thought that the term was ironic since you can't even get a car loan for that short a period anymore.

So in a nutshell, that's how my family and I became residents of the Palmetto State. School starts this week.