The Home Stretch

You have no idea how excited I am about the fact that I will be on my way to College Town in just a matter of days. Twelve days to be exact! I still need to finish packing, but I have plenty of time. Honestly, this job is REALLY getting on my nerves! I spend eight hours a day sitting in front of a computer doing absolutely nothing useful. I've already completed all the necessary planning for my transition to College Town and for law school and I'm afraid I've run out of useful things to search on the Internet. How sad is that?!?!? I continue to tell myself that the money I'm being paid to keep this seat warm is totally worth it. Hell, at this point, I'm damned determined to ride out the last eleven days, but I realize that I'm going to have to get creative, LOL!

As always, I'm down for a challenge!

Free Study Aids- Thanks Kel

As I've said before, I follow other bloggers who are in law school and thus far, they have provided useful insight into what I can possibly expect to encounter during my time in law school. Well, leave it to Kel to step it up a notch and offer up her 1L study aids to rising 1L's. She doing so by holding weekly drawings. I think it's a terrific ideal and may even carry on the tradition. Now, on to the rules....

• You must leave a comment on her blog in order to enter the drawing.
• You may not win two weeks in a row
• Only rising 1L's please
• If you have a blog, Kel would appreciate a shout out so that more 1L's can enter

Winners will be announced on Sundays. Good Luck!

Anxiously Waiting

All this waiting is SOOooooo for the birds! On the other hand, I imagine that in a few months I'll be wishing that I had all sorts of idle time. In the meantime, I've managed to find a few things to distract myself while I await the beginning of my law school career. First, I am currently planning a birthday/going away party. This party is actually scheduled to take place this Saturday...and I am going semi-nuts trying to get everything situated. It's been a decent distraction, I must say, however, it has affirmed the fact that I DO NOT enjoy event planning and would never pursue it as a career.

***

Next, I will travel to Dallas to visit my friend, hopefully see my brother and favorite cousin, AND catch Mrs. Beyonce Carter in concert. This trip shall be deemed "The Last Hoorah!" as I have no clue if/when I will be able to travel for leisure once I begin the next phase in my life. I enjoy Dallas and would hope to someday make it my permanent home. As far as the concert, I told myself the next time Miss B was in concert, it was imperative that I be in attendance. I am a huge fan and as concerts go, it's certainly money well spent.

***

The following weekend, I will travel to Atlanta to attend the A.I.E. (Attitude is Essential) Seminar sponsored by CLEO. I am excited to meet other 0L's and hope to make connections with other minority law students. Plus, I'll be in the ATL! Last year, I ventured out a little bit and it was fun. I imagine this year will be the same! I'll let you know all about it!

***

Once I get home from Atlanta, it will be time to pack up, as I will have less than two weeks until I move to College Town. Can you tell that I'm sooo ready to go, already??!?!?!!

Class Schedule...CHECK!

Well, one more piece of the puzzle has revealed itself. I now know what my first semester 1L schedule looks like! YAY! I was placed in the section I requested (score!) and now I have some sort of idea of the time constrains I'll be dealing with my first semester. Overall, I am happy. I'll have time to study, workout, cook a decent dinner for my food-loving child and hopefully NOT fry my brain before finals arrive.

***

It is now 47 days until I relocate to College Town. Unlike some, I've given myself about three weeks to get acquainted with my new home. I'm sure I'll need to know the location of a bank, a grocery store, a Wal-mart (they have those in every town, right?), and whatever else might come to mind. I certainly don't want to feel rushed in this transition. I already have enough anxiety as it is.

***

I am currently reading "Getting to Maybe" and am finding that it has some really useful information regarding the nature of the law school exam and how one should go about analyzing hypotheticals presented. I can absolutely see why this book is mentioned so heavily on forums and various blog sites.

***

I'd like to thank everyone for the comments on the blog. I really appreciate that folks are at least a little interested in what's going on in my lil' ol' life. I especially appreciate those who share their experiences, because I think something can always be learned from the experiences of others. Keep it coming!

Law Preview

I first heard about Law Preview (www.lawpreview.com) while reading "Law School Confidential" (a book I would recommend to all 0L's and anyone who is considering attending law school). It's basically a mini law school boot-camp that provides an overview of the subjects taught in the first year of law school. It takes place over the course of six days and they have classes all summer at various law schools across the country. Now, like anything else that has to do with law school and law school prep, this course isn't cheap. However, some super sleuthing allowed me to come across a need-based scholarship that would cover most of the cost of the class. Aside from filing out the application and providing supporting documentation, the only requirement is that once you become an attorney, you "pay it forward" and provide legal assistance to three needy people, free of charge. How great is that?!?!

***

After reviewing the website, reading the testimonials, and even emailing one of the students that attended the course, I became convinced that it would be something that would definitely give me an edge. I feel as though I need all the help I can get and I want to have a certain level of confidence once the "games" begin. Not to mention, if you attend the course, you get discounts on your first semester books AND free study aids.

***

So a couple of months ago, I sent in my application for the scholarship and imagine my delight a couple of days ago, when I received an email saying that I was chosen for the scholarship! I'm sure it's going to be a hectic week, full of lots of work, but I'm really excited to attend and will definitely make the most of the information I receive.

***

I will definitely provide a play-by-play of the course. I think it will be interesting!

Twiddlin' my Thumbs

The waiting is EXCRUCIATING! I continue to count the days (64...argh!). I have most of the major details handled....and so I wait. I wait for my schedule, because I am highly interested in knowing which section I'll be assigned to. I've sort of decided in my head which section I want...and may even "ask" for that particular section, if it isn't selected for me. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I am interested in being taught by a couple of professors that stood out to me on the couple of visits I made to my institution. I figure, I'm paying a ridiculous amount of money to be educated, so I should at least have the right to request a section. Besides, it's for a valid reason...I'm not trying to be paired up with a buddy or anything like that.

***

I wait to apply for my GRADplus loan because I still need to get my child care cost figured out. I have to submit additional paperwork and my distance from the school is posing a problem in that regard. The hope and plan is to have it all taken care of by Aug 1.

***

I wait to put in my letter of resignation from my current job. My boss is located in a completely different state than where I work, so I don't see this person on a regular basis, as a matter of fact, I've only seen this person once since beginning this job last year. The situation is really different than anything I've experienced in my working career, and getting someone to replace me won't be simple, for various reasons. That being the case, I will try to provide at least one month's notice.

***

Aside from waiting, I've been taking care of all the odds and ends. I actually had to get inoculated. Apparently, you must have at least two Measles/Mumps/Rubella shots on record in order to register for classes....well, Milla only had one on file. So- I had to face my fear of needles, twice over since the nurse was nice enough to recommend I also get a tetanus shot. My arm was sore for like three days...horrible!

***

I also took an opportunity to speak with some of my friends/ex-coworkers regarding their experience in law school. It was really just to pick their brains to see what they felt worked for them in law school as far as study habits, and how they were able to make the most of their experience. They know me, my work habits, and my abilities, and so their confidence in my ability to do well in law school was extremely encouraging.

***

64 days can't seem to pass quickly enough,

And so the waiting continues....

Daughter Enrolled in School....CHECK

As a parent of a school aged child, the most important item that has to be taken care of where she is concerned, is getting her enrolled in school AND finding additional child care. Here's the deal, my plan is to treat law school as if it were an actual job. Right now, I clock in at 8am and clock out at 4:30 pm. My daughter's regular school day runs from 8:20 until about 3:20, so to cover the time before and after her school day when I need to be at work, she participates in a before & after school program, which allows me to drop her off as early as 7am and pick her up as late as 6 pm. The school she will be attending seems to work on a similar school schedule and luckily, it has a similar before & after school program. I was able to get on the waiting list (in the top 5). I also found what seems to be a decent home day care that is down the street from her school, in the event the waiting list doesn't work out in my favor. The best part of all is that our home, her school, and the back-up daycare are all on the same street, just a couple blocks away from one another! A mother's dream....lol!

***

My daughter is actually excited about moving and starting a new school. She's already decided how she's going to say goodbye to her friends, and she even informed her current teacher about her upcoming move a couple weeks ago. I'm glad I won't have to deal with any tantrums or general anxiety about our move...one less thing to worry about...thank God!

***

I'm sure some are probably wondering about the cost of the above-mentioned child care options. Well, as always, child care isn't cheap. It's probably going to cost about $200 + a month, depending on which route I choose, but I think it's great that my school will allow me to add my child care costs to my cost of attendance.

***

At this point, things are moving right along and I'm to the point where I am counting the days, 86 to be exact. I'm still as excited as ever!

Place to Live?...CHECK!

So, it seems that each step thus far in the process of preparing for law school comes with its own set of issues. This week, I had to deal with the complications that came with securing a place to live. After making a visit a couple of weeks ago, I was settled on our future home. This time I even submitted my application BEFORE leaving town (didn’t want to make that mistake twice). I emailed the woman who showed me the property to make sure she had everything she needed to process my application and it looked as though things were moving along pretty smoothly. That is, until I received the lease agreement. The rental amount on the lease was 25 bucks more than what she initially told me. So after an email and two phone calls, she tells me that her owner assigned all of the units that rented for the price we discussed and the more expensive units were all she had available. I respond by telling her to remove my application because I wasn’t interested. I mean, I’m on a budget and the most irresponsible thing I could do is accept a price that was outside of my budget. Besides, I had other options.

About an hour later I get a phone call from the owner of the property. She was interested in what happened to make me withdraw my application. I told her the situation, I found information on the internet that quoted a specific price, emailed her property manager who confirmed the specific price, viewed the property with the manager who once again confirmed the specific price, but then I end up with a lease locking me in with a different price, which I didn’t plan on paying. The owner was really nice in explaining that basically her property manager screwed up. The price on the lease is apparently what the unit rents for presently, and the price I was quoted might have been a winter special. Regardless, I wasn’t going to pay more than what she verbally quoted me, on more than one occasion. The owner apologized for her manager’s mistake and agreed to change the paperwork to the verbal quote. Problem solved!

This is definitely a situation that has some characteristics of a hypothetical that could be used in a contracts class, LOL! Tokyo Kiss got me thinking about it after the whole “unsigned check in the mail” debacle. What if I really wanted the unit for the price quoted? Would I have a cause of action to get the unit at the price verbally quoted? What if I signed the lease without paying attention to the altered rent amount? Ok, I’m going to stop now, LOL!

All the Pieces are Coming Together!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday!

I spent a portion of my holiday looking for a place to live during my time in law school. Since I have a child, I have to take so much more into consideration when looking for housing, such as neighborhood schools, whether the location is kid-friendly, and the overall size of our home. We are both particular about our space, lol! Luckily, College Town has extremely affordable housing, so finding a nice duplex, townhouse or condo in a nice neighborhood, with a decent school nearby wasn’t too hard to come by. My daughter endured an almost two hour car ride to and from College Town, as well as a directionally challenged mother who did her best to navigate in an unfamiliar town. By the end, I was decided on our future home, which had all of the things we needed to live comfortably for the next three years. So begins the application process for that and spending more money….YAY!

Approximately two weeks ago, I attended the Admitted Students Reception. My intention was to put my seat deposit down while I was there. It would have been the smart thing to do. It definitely would’ve saved $.42 cents on postage, but for some reason I decided against it. Even though when asked, I was telling everyone I spoke to I was 99.89% sure I would be attending, the .11% of doubt was enough for me to leave without securing my seat. I realize now that I was extremely nervous about everything. Putting the seat deposit down would make all of this FINAL! I would be a law student. That realization was absolutely overwhelming and for two days I was nervous wreck!

I didn’t understand why I was reacting in such a way because going to law school is something I’d been working so hard for and now it was all coming together. I had accomplished another goal. I’d been accepted, all I had to do was say, “Yes, Take my money. I want the seat!” So after two days of fretting and sorting through all of the nervousness, I wrote the check, put it in the envelope, and stuck it in the mailbox…but something still wasn’t right. Did I sign the check?

OMG! Are you kidding me! So, I examine the carbon sheet in my checkbook…and all signs pointed to an unsigned check. Apparently something subconscious was going on, but I was in no way amused. I call the school, let them know there’s a possibility that they’ll receive an unsigned check and I’ll be putting a signed one in the mail- ASAP!

That .11% of doubt cost me $.84, 2 envelopes and a little bit of embarrassment. One of the admissions folks tried to convince me she sends checks out unsigned “all the time.” I doubt it, but I’m glad she tried to make me feel better about the situation.

Admitted Student Reception

At the end of March, I attended an Admitted Students Reception at the school I am now 100% sure I’ll be attending this fall. For the most part, I had a really nice time speaking to the student, the professors, and other students that are attending the school. I only had one somewhat negative experience and it was with the first person I spoke with. When I arrived, I chose survey the event, walking around first before I approached someone or allowed myself to be approached. After that, I walked up to a guy that at first glance seemed approachable. I introduced myself, and maybe said one or two more words before he diverted his attention to someone else and carried on what seemed like a two minute conversation. He then offered me a half-assed apology after the conversation with the third person, at which point I’m sure I just walked away….I pray that these types are few and far between. We shall see.

The rest of the people I spoke to were not rude at all. They were actually really nice and went out of there way to answer my questions and engage in conversation. I have to admit that I spent the majority of my time speaking to a group of African-American students. I think one thing any minority looks for is someone that resembles them. It’s a sign that maybe they won’t be uncomfortable and hopefully there will be someone they can relate to during this whole process. I did speak to non-minority students and they were equally helpful in making me feel comfortable. At this point, I’m anxious to see my classmates this fall. I CAN'T WAIT!

A Gift and a Curse....

My job! While the economy continues on a ridiculously scary downward spiral (the unemployment rate is 8.1% WTH?!?!), I have to be extremely grateful about the fact that I have a job. Not only do I have a job, I have one that pays well, doesn't require much effort on my part, and is secure at least until I go to law school. Though that is the case, I am literally counting the days until it's all over, mostly because I'm sooooooo bored! I have entirely too much free time, which allows my mind to wander and I end up thinking up these crazy scenarios regarding law school. Some of it is helpful because it allows me to make certain plans regarding my legal education, but on the other hand, my brain usually doesn't know when to stop, so I have to create a distraction....like WORK!

Meanwhile, the situation with the economy has got me wondering about its chances of rebounding by the time I graduate law school. I don't want to dwell on it too much, but I'd be a fool to completely ignore it. I have decided that after dealing with and overcoming so much in order to get to the part where I could say "I'm going to law school," I'm going to move forward with my dream. I'm sure competition will be intense and the work will be hard, but it is true that anything worth having is worth the hard work. I just need to be wise in my decisions and take any and every opportunity presented during my journey in law school.

Which brings me to my question to those who are in law school now. What are your thoughts about the state of the economy, job outlook, and how is it affecting choices you're making about your education?

We've got a winner!

I will be attending the University [school name redacted for privacy] this fall and I am extremely excited about it. I think this school with be a good fit for me academically and financially. I also think the transition for my daughter and myself will be pretty easy, and for me the easier the better! I've been informing friends and family of my final decision and they have been helpful with directing me to people to help with moving, babysitting and any other out of the way need that may come, so I'm feeling very blessed to already have some sort of network.

My daughter is very excited about everything as well. She has been there for almost every envelope opening and each time she would say, "Mama, everybody wants you. It's because you're a really smart girl." I figure if anything, this journey I'm taking both of us on will instill in her the importance of having an education. As a first generation college graduate, I wasn't exposed to college campuses, I didn't have any immediate family members who talked about going to or graduating from college, and I have had to navigate my way through undergrad and to law school through trial and error mostly. She's been with me since day one and she knows that college isn't an "option" it's AUTOMATIC!

Right now I am working on finishing a scholarship application which is due on March 2nd! Once that is finished and sent off, I will be sitting pretty for the next two or three months. Then comes the pre-work, if you will....finding a place to live, enrolling my daughter in a new school district in a new city, MOVING, argh! Wish me luck!

Admitted Students Day

Admitted Students Day presents the opportunity to visit the schools you've been accepted to in order to determine if you are ready to take the next step of forking over the cash necessary to reserve the seat offered. At this point I realized that somehow I miscounted the schools to which I have applied, (it was nine instead of 8...weird) but even with this oversight I'm still pretty set on which school I plan on attending. Although my "choice school" has not yet scheduled its Admitted Students Day, I know I will be one of the first to register.

Meanwhile, I'm starting to notice a trend with some of the schools and their Admitted Students Day. Schools are offering travel stipends and reimbursements to perspective students. So far it's ranges from $75-$250 for one or two days. It's nice to see these schools realize the cost associated with visiting a school, especially if you are attending out-of-state. I'm on the fence about whether I will take advantage of the offers, mostly because I don't want to waste my time or anyone else's if I'm not totally sold on the school. On the other hand, you can't really tell what a school is about by just looking at their viewbook. Furthermore, if time (as opposed to a lot of money) is all I have to give up in order to make the best decision about where to spend the next three years of my life, and most importantly, where to begin what will be the foundation of my career, it's worth serious consideration. At the very least, it will get me out of this cubicle for a couple of Friday's next month. Who could ask for anything more?

CLEO

I decided not to attend the summer institute. While I understand it would give me a six week head start on my first year, it would then leave me stressing over my finances. If given the choice, I would rather stress over law school, figuring it out as I go, than stress over my financial situation. At least the stress over law school can be alleviated with the help of professors, classmates, law school staff, or even a little exercise. Financial stress is a beast all its own and since I have no one I can call my own personal ATM, it just wasn't practical to give up the 2k for the seat and the additional income on the back end for something I can surely figure out on my own.

I sent a very gracious email thanking them for the opportunity, but declined due to financial reasons. I do still hope I can go to one of their weekend programs. Last year's was SO fun!

**Update** A couple of days ago I received a letter offering a seat in this Summer's AIE program, so I'm super excited about that!**

Credit Cards, Taxes & FAFSA's Oh My!

At this moment, I am pretty much focused on taking care of as much financial stuff as I possibly can. I filed my taxes over the weekend, and filed my FAFSA on Monday. Though doing both of these things is somewhat time consuming, I figure the earlier it's done the sooner I'll have tax refund in hand, which will go straight to credit card balances. As far as the FAFSA is concerned, I have alleviated some stress in that department as I have notice that some schools have a deadline as early as March 1st. Also, having these two items complete means that I have a couple more components needed to submit external scholarships, should I choose to do so.

And that leaves CREDIT CARDS! Right now I considered them to be the devil! I can admit that in the past I was an avid credit card charger and I liked having those pieces of plastic at my disposal. I must also admit that as a full time undergraduate student, a parent, and an employee at a job that just barely allowed me to make ends meet, the cards supplemented my income. I can recall many of the items I purchased and feel that most were justified, but once I decided that law school was going to be the next destination in my life, it became quite obvious that I needed to get rid of this awful debt. So far I have gotten off to a really good start paying down my balances and hope to have it all credit card debt zapped by this summer!

Momma, I'm sick...

Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call from my daughter's school nurse. Apparently my daughter wasn't feeling well. Symptoms were headache and vomiting. Great! Luckily, I have enough sick time (although sometimes I wish they would give a separate allowance of time specifically for use for the children) and the call came towards the end of the day (and I was really ready to go home). What struck me about the whole situation is that most of the time I found myself thinking about how I would feel if/when this happens while I'm in law school. Overall, it's not a huge deal because my daughter is my number one priority and she'll be taken care of no matter what I have going on, but I just thought it was funny that my head was in that particular place.

So far, so good!

The last couple of days have been very interesting and have produced many new developments. First, I received a phone call from one of my school choices advising me that I have been offered a seat for the Fall semester. EXCITING! Honestly, at this point the acceptance was merely an ego stroke, because I think I know where I will be attending law school (approx. 90% percent sure).

Second, I toured the campus of my 90% school and was BLOWN AWAY! The city is quaint and has everything you need. If you like to shop, the mall is nice. If you like nature, there are plenty of walking and bike trails. The cost of living is extremely affordable. The public school system is excellent. The campus was bright, clean, and modern. Add to this the fact that the students and faculty were all very welcoming. It just so happened that one of the Student Ambassadors I met with has a 5 year old daughter. Apparently they were running late and were unable to get the tike to daycare, so while I'm in the admissions office, in walks this cute little girl. All of the adults greet her by name and immediately offer her candy and a drink. It was really refreshing to see the exchange because it showed me that I didn't need to feel uncomfortable about bringing my little girl into the admissions office if I ever needed to. At this point, I don't have any reason NOT to attend this school, however I hold out the 10% because I believe that you can never be 100% sure about any decisions made in life.

Third, I received a letter in the mail from CLEO, advising of my acceptance into the CLEO Summer Institute. The program boast of a scholarship upon completion (ranging from 1K-5K), which is matched by my 90% school. Also, it is an excellent opportunity to get a head start on the teaching methods used in law school and while I am happy that I got accepted, I'm bothered by a few things. First, I have to pay a total of $2K by February 23 in order to hold my seat. I have the money, but it is money that is set to go towards my credit card debt, debt I'm trying to rid myself of before I move on to law school. Second, it is going to require me to be out of state for six weeks. This is a problem because it means I would have to quit my job 9 weeks earlier than I initially planned. Quitting my job earlier would take a huge chunk of money out of my pocket, further hindering my ability to rid myself of credit card debt. You may say, but you'll get a scholarship, Milla! True, but because I am not considered low income, the most I could hope for is 1K from CLEO and 1K from my school. At that point I've only recouped what I paid to reserve my seat. On the other hand, if you look at from the standpoint of gaining the knowledge and what it's worth- I've already located a program that teaches the same thing for 1/6 of the time, 1/2 of the cost, and is scheduled during the period AFTER I plan on resigning from my job.

So now I wonder how other future 1L's made the decision about which school to choose. How do you know when you've found "the one"?!

And, if anyone has an opinion about the my CLEO debacle, please feel free to share. I would appreciate another perspective.

All it takes is a little effort!

Yesterday evening I attended an online chat with one of the schools to which I have applied. It was an opportunity to ask any questions I thought I might have and to also get $50 bucks off my seat deposit in the event I was accepted and decided to go to this particular school. I have attended several chats with a few schools and it never ceases to irritate me when folks sign on and ask questions that are specifically answered on the school's website. Usually, when those questions are asked, the moderator will say....go to this link-it's on our website! How much thought have you truly put into attending a school if you haven't even glanced at their website??? Then I begin to wonder what the moderator (usually an admissions director) thinks about one's lack of preparation for something as simple as an online chat? Do they correlate that to the effort one might put forth in law school? I doubt it- but I'm sure at the very least they, like me, feel some sort of irritation.

Meanwhile, I received a very nice, personalized, hand-written letter from my 80% school. I especially appreciate the personalization. I was reassured that I wouldn't be the ONLY single parent on campus AND the other parents provide support for each other with things like babysitting! Music to a mother's ears! They put forth the extra effort and it really makes me feel that they truly want me to attend. I think the only reason I haven't totally committed is because I have yet to receive any scholarship information. Supposedly I should know something by mid-February.

I have planned a campus visit for next Friday and it's possible they can convince me without the scholarship information. ;-)

Odds and Ends

This morning I had a meeting with my attorney (yes, the irony) to discuss my court ordered parenting plan. Many years ago I felt it necessary to file for sole legal and physical custody of my daughter as a C.Y.A. measure. I'm very glad that I did it, for many reasons, but now today my attorney and I are discussing the additional hoops I may have to jump through in order to attend law school.

I made a choice to forgo applying to the school that was in my city because I didn't feel like I would succeed there. To me, it wasn't a very welcoming environment and after visiting as many times as I had over the last 3 years, you would think I would have felt SOME level of comfort. At any rate, the school I am 80% sure I will be attending is approximately 2 hours away from my current residence and of all the schools I applied to, it's the second closest (the closest is about 1 hour away).

I realize this is just one more thing that I- a single parent and aspiring law student- have to deal with when trying to make this transition. Now I have to draft a letter to my child's father, advising him of the move and what little details I have about it. My only hope is that I don't get any resistance from him. I secretly believe he expected me to fail and not amount to anything once we split, so I'm sure he will not be happy to receive my good news.

We shall see......

The Amazing Blogosphere

It's amazing how many different blogs there are from folks sharing their experience in law school. Most of them are interesting and unique and have provided me with a great deal of information regarding what I need to plan for and what to expect once I become a 1L. I have decided to follow a few because their stories were especially interesting to me, some because of their candidness with their experience thus far and others because I identified with certain personality traits or thought processes and am interested to know how they navigate the maze that is law school.

Meanwhile, I continue to "mailbox watch" and two days in a row I've opened an empty mailbox...the good news- no bills (YAY!) and no letters of rejection, the bad news- no letters of acceptance. The thing is, even if I did get any letters of acceptance, I'm about 80% sure that I'll be attending a school that has already accepted me. Why am I so worried about the others??? Maybe I should shift my "mailbox watch" to the scholarship information that should be coming from my future professional institution.

In the meantime, if anyone has any advice as to what I can do to distract myself from the "mailbox watch" I will be forever grateful.