Moreover, that's the hourly rate

It has returned: the the airborne occurrence I can only describe as "New City Smell." I first detected this breezy fragrance upon my move to Vancouver, a mix of salt water and abundant pine that a French parfumerie might deign to call "Nouveau Pacifique." A trip to Halifax will also produce the same result - even Toronto, though there it is more of a smoggy musk. However, since that first week of classes in September, the smell has worn off. No doubt its return is due to the re-leaf-ification of the city's vast florae, and the warm spring air wafting in the salty ocean smell, but the result is great... Wow, what a stupid blog entry that was - but it's what crossed my mind as I crossed campus. If you still think it's stupid, well, as the French say, "screw vous."

In non-nasal news, I think I have discovered the ideal playlist for studying case law. (Or perhaps just tort law, as there's really no appropriate listening music when you read over a sexual assault case in criminal law.)

At 68 songs, it consists of Elliott Smith's From a Basement on the Hill, Feist's Let it Die, M. Ward's Transfiguration of Vincent, Jack Johnson's In Between Dreams, Stars' Set Yourself on Fire, and Louis XIV's early tune "Love-Stricken Felony" thrown in on account of its understated awesomeness. Taken together, the albums offer a subdued mix, full of interesting interplay, but consistent enough to not disturb the reading: Johnson's unbridled hippie enthusiasm is balanced by Smith's pathos; Feist's stripped-down sultry voice (mp3) is complemented by Star's orchestration (visit here and scroll down for Stars mp3s), and M. Ward (who, I swear, sounds like Louis Armstrong in his 20s) envelopes the whole mix in a hazy acoustic ether.

That said, to fully enjoy the entire playlist, you'll have to have quite the pile of reading. A chapter on Pure Economic Loss, say, will take you through about 26 songs. But add a confusing chapter on the Rule of Perpetuities and you might make it.

As you can see, it takes incentive such as good music to get through all these readings. Despite what you may have heard, legal writing is not, I repeat, NOT, an ebullient art, dabbling in humour and witty anecdotes. Sadly, I must report it is rather dry, and lengthy to the point of boring. I know I am breaking your heart as I tell you this, but, as a future lawyer, I have your best interests in mind. Now... that'll be 300 dollars.