Exeunt.

Friends, Foes, Family,

As of 3.30pm, 15 April 2010, my time as a student at Western Law has come to an end.  

I won't pretend that I feel something other than weird.  Like, "I don't think this is my skin" weird.  

3 years has come and gone more quickly than I ever could have imagined.  I remember a lot, and I'm glad for that.  But with memory comes the familiar pang of nostalgia, colouring even the most mundane endeavours with an impossibly rosy sheen.

The Facebook albums have grown more ubiquitous: "Last Denning of Law School", "Last Civ Pro Lecture of Law School", "Last 3rd Wednesday of March of Law School", all trying to chase down and bottle the fleeting feelings of safety and comfort that school provides.

I have been openly hostile to any such memorializations, ostensibly because they are "lame".  But deep down I know that I feel the pang, too, lame as it may be.  I guess I just hope that with a little distance from the like-minded it won't sting as much.  Fat chance, that.

My first day of university was 10 September 2001, right here at the University of Western Ontario.  Four years of undergrad, two years of employment with the school, and now three years of law school amounts to nearly one-third of my entire life spent at Western.  One third!  My forthcoming graduation (fingers crossed) feels more like a retirement.  I've already got my velour tracksuit steam-cleaned and ready to go.

That this past decade has provided me with some great memories is an understatement, but that's as it should be: no blog post could (or maybe even should) capture this experience with any appropriate fidelity.  And insofar as this little corner of the internet was able to provide me with an outlet for my (admittedly sporadic) hopes, fears and ninja cat videos, I offer to you a sincere, but otherwise unadorned, "thank you".  The number of conversations that I've had with strangers and near-strangers because of a thought that started here is pretty incredible.  Especially since I assumed that the only one reading was my mom.  Boy was I wrong: I'm pretty sure my dad reads, too.

Anyway, I hope to avoid overstaying my welcome (that's assuming, mind you, that a welcome was there in the first place.  For all I know, I'm the guy at the party who nobody invited but is quite comfortable to just go ahead and eat all of the ringolos out of the snack mix) and say simply that I've had blast doing this.  A huge thanks to the powers that be that set me up with this cozy spot a year and a half ago.  You have my word, I'll vacuum before I leave and lock the door on my way out.  

To my fellow students, thank you for reading and for taking the time to let me know whether I wrote something that you liked or not.  In either event, you read it, so I win, right?

And to any prospective students: if Western Law becomes your home for the next three years (or for you keeners, a three year span beginning 5 years from now) I wish you all the best, although it would be fair to say that I am a wee bit jealous, if only because you have yet to experience the stunning revelation that you don't own your cellphone, but you may hold ownership in it.  Good luck with all that.

Alright, that's enough out of me.  It's quarter to 5 in the morning, this extensive collection of pilates DVDs is not going to pack itself, and I'm hitting the road in a cube van in t minus 5 hours.  I may have to bathe in coffee if I plan to make it through the day.  I am at least 96% serious about this.

For those of you with exams, best of luck.  To everyone else, as you were.

I'll be in the bathtub if you need me.

Webloggingly Yours, For Now and Forever

Chris

Posted by Chris Crighton on April 16, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

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Comments

Perhaps you would have enjoyed partaking in the salad-serving-size bowl of ringolos bearing the message "You are engaged." that my friend Devo considered an appropriate cake substitute upon hearing of my engagement. That and the $6.50 bottle of "champagne".
The statement "You are engaged." is equally true for you. Fact.

Posted by: Julia | Apr 18, 2010 8:37:40 PM

You had me at "salad-serving-size bowl of ringolos".

Fact.

Posted by: Christopher | Apr 27, 2010 3:04:02 PM

I shed a lonesome tear when this ended... I don't even remember how I stumbled apon your blog but it's depressing to see it go. Is it werid that Western feels like home even though I'm only 16 and have never been? I took Grade 11 Law because of this blog - why not go ahead and plan my life around it... especially when I find it suprisingly enjoyable-> Law, not your blog.. although that too. Western is definitely #1 on my list of schools I'm interested in. Thanks for shedding some light and opening my mind to the whole amazing world of Law. I really appreciate it.

Posted by: Alison | Nov 16, 2010 6:44:35 PM

this is definately a way to sustain your growth. Who doesn't need more clients? Give it away if you can, and keep traffic coming in!

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