the daily snivel

The trickiest part of the Civil Procedure exam I just wrote was simply finding the time to say it all. Normally, exams run for three hours, but for this one we were given just two to explore the exciting world of certification of class proceedings, costs, amending pleadings, and many other delights. I like the way my friend Jenn put it, when recounting her experience of today's exam in an e-mail to me. She's been working on a flood of papers this week and had to spend less time preparing than she would have liked (though she's a smart cookie and will doubtlessly surpass my grade), and says "I was literally learning things in the exam room - motions to strike, huh, would you look at that, etc."

Naturally enough, and like many exams in the past, and despite my very best efforts intentions, I spent way too much time on the first half of the exam, and ran out of time for the second. I want to invest so much detail and analysis into each part, especially since the professor urged us to delve not only into statutes, Rules of Civil Procedure, and caselaw, but to get into policy and strategic considerations as well. And I'm like the genie that gives you what you literally wish for and not what you meant to wish for. Way too much information.

And it's not like I'm holding this out as something I'm proud of. No, it's a pathology and I am afraid I need help. I don't know how to be concise and portion my time into 10 and 12 and 24 minute allotments and be thorough as well. This is why I'm better at essays -- and why I opted for so many courses that evaluate through essays and not exams. I'm a good student but I suck at brevity.

If you can name one good thing that is better when done in a hurry, I'll retort with innuendo. Like, "Not when it's done in bed!"