For the Cool Use of Logic in the Face of Fire

Today was a monumental day for me. Why you ask? Because today I started a journey that will inevitably shape my entire future. In some ways, I've been on this journey for a while, but now it's much more real. Before today I was floating unwittingly along, hoping that I would stumble onto the right path. Well, as luck would have it, I discovered that path a few weeks ago and today I took the proverbial first step that often proves to be the hardest.

Today, I started studying for the LSAT.

Yep. Law School. That's my future. And the fact that I'm making such a public announcement should tell you how certain I am about this decision. Hopefully after a few minutes of reflection you will realize, as I did, that this path is perfect for me. So perfect in fact that I have an unusual confession to make: I honestly enjoyed the hours I spent studying for the LSAT today. I know, I know...I'm weird. I'm in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, I'm an hour away from the beach and I actually enjoyed spending today studying for one of the hardest standardized tests ever conceived. I feel the need to justify this, so here goes.

It's recommended to start with the Analytical Reasoning section of the LSAT, which is more commonly referred to as the Logic Games section. So, what exactly is a logic game? Remember near the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when Hermione and Harry are faced with Snape's obstacle? I'll refresh your memory. There's a line of 7 potions and a list of rules imposing conditional relationships between the variables. For example:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide You will always find some on nettle wine's left side; Second, different are those who stand at either end, But if you would move onwards neither is your friend...

Hermione mentions that figuring this out has nothing to do with magic, but logic. Fortunately, Hermione is awesome and has no trouble solving it so Harry can save the day. Well, Snape's obstacle is an example of a linear logic game and is actually what I spent all day learning how to solve in the most efficient way possible. (Hermione and I have always been kindred spirits and as I'm sure you know, she ended up pursuing a career in Magical Law Enforcement. Yet another reason this is clearly the right path for me. I wonder if the wizarding world has the equivalent of the LSAT...) Anyway, we used to do logic games in Target in elementary school and I always loved solving them. They were like fun brain workouts. And they still are. I'm not sure if that explanation makes me more or less weird...oh well.

I know the studying process is going to get a lot more tedious and the questions are going to get much harder, but I will probably still enjoy it. So you can now look forward to updates on my studying progress in addition to my abroad experiences. I'll leave you with a random bit of wisdom from one of the many Dove chocolates I ate today.

"Believe in yourself and everyone else will do the same."