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: Thanks, But No Thanks.

The Write-On Really Wasn't Worth It.

It has been a while since you've gotten an update on The Journal of Fun and Wonderment, Internet.

This is not because the JFW has not been a thrilling whirlwind of joy and bubbles. Rather, this is because I have been taking the same approach to the Journal as I do to that dent in my car, Admin Law, and people who pass gas in class: if you just ignore it for long enough, it might go away.

Thus far, this really only an effective approach with in-class farters, by the way. I will keep you updated on the car thing.

The Journal is....going. We've flung the 2Ls through a flurry of library, research, and bluebooking training, and they are sending me panicked emails at strange hours of the day and night. The 3Ls have not yet hit that charming apathetic stage, where all work effectively stops and they remember that they are paying almost $50k a year for the privilege of having their lives made miderable. Our pages are nearly full for the year, and things seem to be humming along towards publication at breakneck speed. All is right with the Journal. Or, all is as right as it can get on a student-run publication, anyway.

In this era of Things Are Not a Total ShitShow for Once, our faculty advisor dropped a bomb. My best guess is that he got uncomfortable- for 20 years, the Journal has had chaos embossed right there in its masthead. This year, things seemed to be running ahead of schedule. Our pages were nearly full. Our shipping costs were down, our subscribers were up, there was magical fairy dust sprinkled all over the printers. Things were good.

Obviously, this was the point at which our faculty advisor decided that we should put out an extra issue this year.

If you are a 2L or a 3L on a journal, or have been in charge of a publication, ever, begin your deep breathing exercises now.

If you're a 1L, and blissfully unaware of the soul-sucking chaos that is journal life (especially journal life as an EIC), imagine that, tomorrow, your dean informs you that, oh-by-the-way, you'll also be taking one of your Spring semester classes this Fall. Starting tomorrow. And also, you'll have to convince 30 other overworked, slightly neurotic, unemployed and angry people that this extra project is "prestigious" and "a resume-builder." (Disclaimer: it is neither).

This "extra issue" thing, clearly, was a unilateral decision. On the upside, in the Great I Don't Wanna Please Don't Make Me Debate of 2009, I did negotiate (read: beg) an extra $300 of candy money into the Journal budget. Because without bon-bons, there will be no bluebooking, that's why.

What I'm trying to say is this: The Journal of Fun and Wonderment is clearly a misnomer. Secondary lesson: join Moot Court.

So now: back to the chaos. It turns out I have more reading than I expected.

Full post as published by Thanks, But No Thanks. on October 28, 2009 (boomark / email).