It is a long exam.

I took the Nevada Bar exam. Perhaps the most remarkable feature is it's 16 hours of testing. I felt fine taking the test, even thought I was doing pretty well. But with that much material it is easy to start second guessing. So I try not to think about it. The pass rate for the July test is usually between 60% and 70%. I assume I am smarter than most people who take the test, but it is still disconcerting to think that between 30% and 40% of people who go to three years of law school and then go through the same preperation I did fail. By comparision, Utah's pass rate is about 90%, closer to 96% for BYU graduates taking it.

The most frustrating part of the exam has to be the 6 hours of multiple choice questions. I've come up with the following non-law question to demonstrate:

Thomas has 10 oranges. He gives 5 to Sally, 6 to Susie, and steals 8 more from Peter. Assuming these transactions are otherwise valid, which of the following is the best description of how many Oranges Thomas has?

A. Doorbell
B. Radio
C. Overcoat
D. Finland

In some instances, learning the answer and hearing an explanation makes the answer seem fair. In other instances, you end up thinking the test was really of your Jedi Mind Powers, not any legal knowledge or reasoning.

Alison came down on Thursday so we could go look at places to rent. We found two 3 bedroom homes that we are considering. Your input will be considered.

Willows House:
One is in a neighborhood called The Willows, which has parks and grass and a community pool and stuff like that. The Willows House is 3 bedroom, 12oo sqft with tile counters and tile floor everywhere. The real upside to the Willows House is it has a nice little grass backyard, maintenance paid for by the landlord. Single door two car garage. Rent would be $1150 a month. 5 miles from work.

Aspen House:
This house is larger, about 1450 sqft. It has brand new carpet everywhere but the bathrooms and kitchen, colored formica couter tops, 8 foot ceilings, double sinks, walk-in closets, and slightly upgraded plumbing features. It is newer than the Willows. BUT, it only has a paved patio in the back. It is in a gated community that is about 10 miles from work. It has a community pool, but not the nice parks and walkways that The Willows has. It is clearly a litte community that was built just before the real estate bust and is kind of the last thing before the endless desert begins. Similar garage. Rent would be the same.

And, a house Alison says we can't consider:
This house is located in Desert Shores, an established community built around 3 man-made lakes. Community features include beaches, walk ways, paddle boats, shopping centers, and (did I mention?) beaches and lakes. 2300 Sq Ft, synthetic stone counter tops, fancy apliances, cieling fans, 3 dinning areas, 4 bedrooms, 3 bath, roman tubs, seperate showers, upgrades throughout, a grass back yard, a large 2 car garage with built in storage cabinets, vaulted cielings, etc. About 5 miles from work. $1495 a month. A nice many name Johnny and his Russian friend with bleached-blonde hair showed us the place, letting us know it had been paid in cash. Johnny showed us a couple of places, all owned or occupied by Russians.

This was kind of funny/disappointing. Almost every landlord/realtor we met commented on how we looked like the perfect renters, how wonderful it was that we are married, and had trouble not being excited when we told them I would be working for a law firm. The conclusion I drew was they loved that we were white and assumed we would have the credit and income to rent. Well, they are right that we are white. . . :)