The Ill-Fated Yellow Cardigan

I have a yellow cardigan. It's not a subtle butter yellow color, its more or less a bright canary yellow. Although I generally would not consider this to be one of my better colors, I really like the sweater and think it is pretty flattering. I really, really like cardigans--but there are still some that are much, much better than others. This is one of my favorites. But I haven't worn it since I was a 1L.

Call me superstitious, but I was afraid that it was bad luck. How, you ask, could a cheery, bright yellow cardigan be the bringer of bad luck? It should light up the room and make everyone around you feel a little bit more spring-y than before. Maybe it does, but, unfortunately, it also has the effect of making you exponentially more likely of getting called on in class which, in general, is something I try to avoid. It is one thing to raise your hand and voluntarily call attention to yourself; it is quite another to be the victim of the Socratic method. If something as simple as a wardrobe choice can make you less likely to be victimized, who wouldn't make that choice?

It was an early Fall day in my first year in my first semester of law school and I was in Civil Procedures class. My professor was a dynamic professor but an incredibly fearsome man. He would sweep into the classroom, generally wearing all black (although inevitably either his shirt or his pants were washed more than the other so the blacks didn't QUITE match), and call on some unfortunate student or other. He also made the student stand while he questioned them in front of the entire class.

Perhaps coincidentally (or perhaps not), I was called on the day I wore the yellow cardigan.

It's not that it was a bad experience, really. I promise you, though, I will never forget International Shoe. But, really, compared to some of my classmates, I handled the interrogation pretty well. I mean, I didn't cry or stutter. I do have an unfortunate tendency to blush bright red when attention is on me and I am uncomfortable about it. It's pretty terrible. But I did just fine. Still, I swore not to wear the yellow cardigan again.

And I haven't. Until today. For some reason, being a 3L made me feel a bit more brazen. I guess this is the moment of truth--will I get called on, or won't I? So far this morning, I have only had one class. I was not called on. Schwoo. Maybe it was a coincidence? If so, then I regret not wearing the cardigan more often. Because, after all, I do really like it.

Today will be a beautiful day, with highs in the mid sixties. I hope you wear something yellow that puts you in a spring frame of mind and go for a drive in the sunshine with the windows down. That's my plan.