I recently discovered that when one googles (is that a word - if not: it should be) my name, this comes up as the second most popular site. Given that the most popular sites are of an individual who recently died, a guy in Tennessee who seems to get into a lot of legal trouble, and an English Motorbike Racer, I applaud those of you who have "googled" (past tense of googles - see above) my name. While googling (present perfect tense of googles...I think you get the idea) your own name may be an exercise of vanity - an examination into my psyche remains for another post.

With the constraints that come from being a law student, I abandoned this project long ago, no longer possessing the time or energy to post my thoughts (considering also I could never find the time to hammer them out into a tangible existence). Having finished law school, I find myself looking for a reason to procrastinate studying for the Bar exam. Consequently, I have decided that I will entertain those of you out in the world wide web (who undoubtedly, at some point in my life, knew me or perhaps another bloke with my name) who googled (need I say?) my name. With that said, I begin my post.

As mentioned above - my journey through law school is complete. My job is secure as an attorney for the United States Department of Labor (which I start in late August - in downtown Cincinnati). The only obstacle that remains is the Bar Exam to take place in late July. I graduated law school on a Saturday and began studying for the Bar on the following Monday. Now, the sad thing is that one need not really study that much for the Bar. Truth is, if you put in about 8-10 hours a day for two and a half months, you should be just fine. The sad part is, when you are not studying, you feel like you SHOULD be studying. That little voice enters your head - whispering...do you really have the doctrine of Summers v. Tice in your head? Res Ipsa Loquitur? Comparative vs. Contributory negligence? (for those of you in the legal field - you can tell I have been studying torts today). It is grinding to say the least.

Every law student has their strong subject. During the first week, most students test their knowledge on the six major subjects (contracts, constitutional law, torts, evidence, criminal law, and real property) to discover where their weaknesses lie. Well, for me, my weak subject torts (strong subject: contracts). I like to think it is because of my delicate sense of nature - although those that know me best will tell you, at least according to Myers-Brigg Typology, I have no feeling. Again, another subject for another post.

Besides preparation for the Bar, I spend as much time as I can with my wife (who heads to Austria early next month for some Opera stuff), who endlessly puts up with me always being busy. I also am in the process of reading all of Charles Dickens major works. Currently, I am reading David Copperfield - which, in my eye, is his best work (keep in mind, I have many more to go). Besides that, I play with my dogs, eat, and sleep (a little).

For those of you who wonder, after finding this site, "is this the Richard Freshwater I knew?" my timeline is as follows:
1979-1983 lived in Chicago, IL. (My peeps from the day care still drop a line every now and then.)
1983-1993 lived in Stillwell, KS.
1993-2003 lived in Madison/Clinton, MS
2003-2005 lived in Columbus, OH
2005-present - live in Fairborn, OH.

Oh yeah: I also went by Richie when I was younger. When I visit people in MS (including my family) and they call me Richie - it sounds kinda weird.

With that, I do hope that you will allow me this indulgence of keeping my sanity during an insane time by posting about my studies and thoughts concerning the Bar Exam. If in fact you have known me at some point, feel free to post a comment and say hello.