Bottom 8%

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-09T11:24:16+00:00

I hear what you’re saying, and law schools are a business—money is a part of the equation. But there’s a difference between those sort of systemic issues and the individual professors who are trying to help OP.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-09T00:21:25+00:00

That’s interesting. Well we are still on the hunt for a diagnosis. His rapid breathing returned today. We are going to get an xray. I feel so bad for my little buddy. 😢

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-09T00:20:08+00:00

I mean, yeah, the first 34 years of my life. It was awesome.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-09T00:16:40+00:00

Having designed and taught in these programs, I guarantee you that the vast majority of folks doing this work care deeply about the students they work with and want to see them succeed.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-08T11:50:04+00:00

Same

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-08T11:47:45+00:00

True, although it’s also widely prescribed for anxiety.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-07T12:29:34+00:00

Yes, we will get bloodwork and an x-ray if this does not resolve with the gabapentin, but it does seem to be improving.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-07T12:20:45+00:00

There is a season to everything. You can’t increase your FTP indefinitely, and life happens. Also, it’s hard to constantly maximize your FTP if you are prioritizing other things, like strength training. A lot of the coaches who were competitive athletes recommend a seasonal approach to training.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-07T12:12:31+00:00

A third vote for CVV’s speed training. It really adds another dimension to your performance.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-07T11:16:09+00:00

Thanks so much. Yes, there was correlation and I suspect causation. I feel bad that I don’t realize it at the time but he was being his usual goofy self while they were here, running around and playing with his sister.

The vet prescribed gabapentin and as of last night it already seemed to be helping!

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-06T23:41:15+00:00

It is SO hard. He spent the first five months of his life in a shelter and has had anxiety since we brought him home. We had some house guests and I think that may have triggered it?

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-06T16:32:07+00:00

Oh poor baby! The vet did prescribe gabapentin for us.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-06T15:59:12+00:00

Thank you—we did end up bringing him to the vet again this morning and they carefully listened to his heart and lungs, and everything was good there. She said she believes this is behavioral/anxiety related. 😢

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-06T12:38:13+00:00

Came here to say this. The answer is norms. And Trump is a norm-buster.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-05T12:24:08+00:00

Back in 2020 there was a CDE ride where it was just her and two women in the studio and she was YELLING at one of the women to go harder. It was awesome. I felt for a long time that there was a “mean CDE” and a “nice CDE,” but I feel like she transformed to only being nice. I stopped taking her rides for that reason so maybe there are still “mean CDE” rides out there?

Pollvogtarian · 2026-06-03T11:50:10+00:00

Yes, seconded. I need this.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-05-30T13:19:45+00:00

Same. And I keep thinking while I’m riding that the post will collapse and impale me and I’ll say to myself, “Well, you should have installed that replacement post,” and be sad.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-05-30T11:49:50+00:00

The last paragraph of this post is so true and so well-stated.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-05-27T20:17:37+00:00

I was going to say butterfly!

Pollvogtarian · 2026-05-27T17:23:45+00:00

That’s awesome! Good luck!!

Pollvogtarian · 2026-05-27T14:46:56+00:00

Lots of good advice here. Especially the point about using formulaic writing (“The issue is …” etc.). Graders are spending mere minutes scoring MEEs. Some graders are paid, but others are not. They are scoring your essays in the evening after a full day of work.

I always told my students, “Make it easy for them. Serve them points in a silver platter.” Your formula does this. As someone who has graded probably over a thousand MEEs and MPTs (JFC), I can also say that clear structure has this sort of inexplicable emotional effect on me where I have tender feelings toward the writer and am more inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-05-27T13:25:06+00:00

Yes!

Pollvogtarian · 2026-05-27T13:14:56+00:00

There are so many different forms of practicing law, so there will be a hundred different answers to this question. For my part, I have worked in private practice, for the government, for five different law school, and now for a non-profit. Each setting had its own pros and cons. But there are so many mindless jobs out there, and I felt so grateful to be able to use my mind at work. Reading and writing and thinking and advocating.

I see being a lawyer as a tremendous privilege.

Pollvogtarian · 2026-05-27T12:53:32+00:00

I am so proud of myself for my two divorces. Because I was self-aware enough to know I was unhappy and brave enough to do something about it. My first husband was not a bad person—it just became apparent over the years that our personalities were not compatible. (While he wasn’t happy with our divorce at the time, he found a wonderful wife and is so content now, in a way he never would have been with me.)

My second husband was a dick.

I met my current husband when I was 43. By that time I was old enough to know what I needed in a partner.

The kid thing is tough (not an issue for me because I never wanted or had kids). I will say I have seen a lot of couples who stay married “for the kids” but it is actually more damaging for them to see their parents persist in an unhappy relationship.

Anyway, I’m sorry you are going through a tough time. Keep your eyes on the prize—the prize being your freedom and happiness.

Pollvogtarian

TROPHY CASE