Elle’s Monday Motivation
Monday, February 8th, 2010Our blog mascot offers some words of inspiration to kick off your week.
It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes. ~ Douglas Adams
I can’t, I have rehearsal
Saturday, January 30th, 2010Yup, school is definitely back in session.
I had my first summer internship interview this week. I thought it went well. I have at least five more scheduled for next week. Four of them are during the NYU Public Interest Legal Career Fair on Thursday and Friday. Without disclosing any detail I should avoid online, the positions range from the Bay Area to local opportunities in both nonprofit and government offices. There is a dramatically wide range of focus areas for each of these places, too.
I got cast in Fordham Follies, our school’s law revue, where we parody law school through musical theatre. There’s a gag rule in effect about the show’s content, but I can tell you that I’ve got a number that–if I pull it off–could be a showstopper. I can also tell you to mark March 26 and 27 on your calendars for my New York stage debut. It’s been almost ten years since I last had to factor rehearsal calls and line memorization into my schedule, but so far I’m pretty pumped about it.
We had a Mardi Gras fundraiser for Haiti and our various public interest student groups on Thursday night. Most of my photos didn’t really turn out, but check out this video of my classmates rockin’ out to a little Miss Miley Cyrus.
To be fair, there was an open bar. Any attempts I may or may not have made to flirt with the straight boys in my class were the effects of Mardi Gras fever. What happens in the church basement stays in the church basement. Kidding aside, it was nice to meet a few more of my classmates. Even after a semester, I still haven’t really met all 80 people in my section.
The last major writing assignment of the year begins this week and runs through the month. We’ve also got a couple lawyering skills projects including negotiation and oral arguments before Spring Break. It really looks like February & March are going to be the busiest part of the semester with April tapering off toward finals.
Classes are going well. I like all my professors, if not the subject matter. Constitutional law has been less exciting than I’d hoped it would be, but mostly because I’m already rather cynical about how the Supreme Court handles Constitutional matters. Civil Procedure is the most confusing material, but it’s beginning to make some sense. Tort law has the most entertaining cases, but it doesn’t seem terribly challenging yet.
It sounds like Dad is doing okay. In terms of health, he’s not out of the woods, but he spent this week at home instead of in the ICU, so that’s something. I hope it doesn’t sound heartless to say that right now I’m just hoping that whoever decides to die next can wait until Spring Break.
Anyway, it looks like I’m going to be a once-a-week blogger for the next few weeks. I’ll try to show up more often if I can. I’ve got so many things I want to blog about (the SCOTUS Citizens United ruling, the Perry case in California, the State of the Union, the movement on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the Obama v. Republican showdown, Ugly Betty’s unfortunate cancellation, etc.) and so little time.
Elle’s Monday Motivation
Monday, January 25th, 2010Our blog mascot has generously agreed to allow a guest motivator this week. Rockstar, puking machine and nephew-extraordinare Owen Ace provides your dose of Monday morning inspiration.
This message has been approved by Elle is for Lizard.
Drunk post
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010Okay, so some time ago I decided that drunk blogging was a bad idea, and resolved not to blog without a night’s rest to decide it I really want to say what I think I want to say after a night out. Tonight I just don’t feel like I can stop myself.
For those who don’t follow my twitter account, my father had a major health crisis this week. He was admitted to the hospital and the ICU ward early this week with kidney failure (I was told there was another heart attack, but now I don’t know). He’s doing okay now, as far as I’m up-to-date, but I’m not especially sure what’s going on.
Between first semester grades, the not-gentle beginning of the second semester of law school, the summer job search, family crises, and a general feeling of isolation, I’m not sure that I’m in a good place right now. I’m spending some time with my cousin tomorrow, which is good, but I’m not okay. I’m really not. I’ve been disappointed in myself and in the people I thought were my friends in the last week. I’ve also been touched by a few people who turned out to be better friends than I expected. Nevertheless, this blog is the closest thing I have to a diary, so for the historical record, this has been a bad week. Don’t worry, this isn’t a cry for help and I’m way too full of myself to hurt myself in any way. At the same time, I never admit when I’m hurting, so I’m trying to do that now in this strange personal/public forum that is my blog.
(Don’t be surprised if this entry disappears in the next couple days… summer job hunt… professionalism… blah, blah, blah…)
So, yeah, I went out tonight and got a little intoxicated. I posted some embarrassing comments to twitter (I still don’t have the courage to look at the replies). But I’m home (alone) now and hoping that next week is better.
Elle’s Monday Motivation
Monday, January 18th, 2010Our blog mascot offers some words of inspiration:
Well, look who got herself a jerb. Of course, she walked away from a very important and secure jerb in the middle of record 10% unemployment, so I’m glad she was able to land on her feet when so many qualified folks with advanced degrees and expertise are having trouble finding work.
No one can be right all of the time, but it helps to be right most of the time. ~Robert Half (with suggested edits by Elle)
Another Semester Begins
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
The first week back at school has been a bit rough. Unlike last semester where classes started tough and things got layered on, everything is happening as soon as we got back from the break. Groups are in full swing, summer job hunting is going full tilt, service groups are trying to schedule meetings (especially those who want to help Haiti), etc. I’ll find my schedule and rhythm soon, but I feel like everything is rather chaotic at the moment.
Not sure what to think of my classes yet. I don’t have a great first impression of the subject matter in any class (Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, and Torts), but it’s only the first week.
Grades from last semester are starting to come out. I can’t really complain about any grade I’ve received so far, but I’m also confident I can do better this semester. I can’t tell you how many “I got my worst grade in the class I was most confident in” stories I’ve heard. I’m still waiting on one class, but so far I’m another person in that group.
I have at least one interview lined up for a summer internship. The position would be in Las Vegas for 10 weeks, which would be nice. I haven’t been back in a very long time. On the other hand, a Vegas summer… oy!
After barely working out at all the entire time I was in Utah (what? it was super smoggy and unpleasant to run), I’m regaining ground at the gym. I broke a personal lifetime record for chin-ups today (3 sets of 8). I also put in 4.25 miles on the treadmill, which puts me right where I need to be for half-marathon training. Unfortunately, I missed the open sign-up for the half-marathon, so I have to figure out if I can still participate by joining up with a charity team or wait and do another one later in the year.
Anyway, it’s nice to be back in New York and it’s nice that we already have a three-day weekend. I wish I had some sort of exciting plans this weekend, but I’ll probably just end up studying.
Elle’s Monday Motivation
Monday, January 11th, 2010Our blog mascot offers some words of inspiration:
Some of you might have noticed that somehow a certain blog mascot got abandoned in a locked dorm room without computer over the winter break. Not to worry, I’m back now, and I’m sure we’ve all learned a valuable lesson.
An injury is much sooner forgotten than an insult. ~ Lord Chesterfield
So What? [feat. Callie Jo]
Friday, January 8th, 2010Now that I’m back in New York and I’ve spent a day restoring my laptop back to factory settings to correct a malfunction in the USB ports, I was able to pull this video off my camera. On my last night in Utah, Callie and Craig and Owen came by to spend one last night with me. While we were hanging out, Callie and I made a music video with the help of Lego Rock Band for the Wii.
Since I didn’t get much sleep on the red eye home, I’ve tried my best to stay awake until late enough that I won’t be up again in the middle of the night, but I’m fading pretty fast. Friday night in New York and I’ll probably be asleep by 9pm at the latest.
And I am a weapon of massive consumption
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010Thanks to holiday gift cards, I’ve spent much of my break doing things like reading non-law books and going to movies. Also watching cartoon marathons on television. Anyway, here are my quick reviews of the movies and books.
Avatar is sort of like a twink on ecstasy working a stripper pole. Sure, it’s fun to look at and mildly diverting, but you feel bad about it because it’s shallow, not very smart, and kinda offensive. I could forgive the plot holes bigger than Craig and Enrico’s combined p33ns (like the disappearance of all the other human-driven avatars after act 1), I could forgive the characterization that made me yearn for the complexity of stereotypes (the general who walked on screen and said “I’m the bad guy who wants to kill or bully everyone… hate me now, hate me forever, I have no positive characteristics”). What I can’t forgive (because I’m me) is the offensive white hetero male fantasy where strong women sacrifice themselves, the white man assimilates into native culture and saves the minority culture through (essentially) terrorism, and the thinly veiled use of blue aliens as stand-ins for Native Americans and tribal Africans.
On the flip side, there’s not much about Sherlock Holmes that I didn’t like. I don’t remember Sherlock Holmes being quite so smartass or lecherous to chamber maids in the books, but whatever. Robert Downey Jr is great at playing Robert Downey Jr. The story was well done and I was able to pick up on a few clues prior to the unraveling of the mystery at the end. I hope the holder of copyright isn’t going to stop the future movies because of teh gheys having buttsecks subtext.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides wasn’t exactly my idea of light vacation reading, but it was Enrico’s idea of light vacation reading, and that’s what I get for asking him for a recommendation. Kidding aside, what I loved most about this book was the style. The writing itself was superb and I don’t think I’ve ever read another book that so effectively used first person plural for a narrator’s voice. The structure of the book was also interesting as it vaulted back and forth between present day commentary and various points in the story. What I didn’t love about the book was the story itself and the themes. They struck me as being the weak point of the book and I wish Eugenides had used his excellent storytelling skills to tell a more interesting story.
Ah, urban fantasy. Now this is my idea of light vacation reading. White Witch, Black Curse is the seventh book in Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series. Unlike some urban fantasy series (I’m looking at you Laurell K. Hamilton), it always feels like Harrison is moving the larger story along rather than stringing it out as long as possible. I still like the characters and Harrison manages to continue coming up with new and credible threats and mysteries to solve (again, looking at you LKH).
Anyway, my flight back to NY is late Thursday. I’m already getting emails from my professors and school is coming back way too quickly. I wouldn’t mind another few weeks of down time. Of course, when you’re putting in several resumes a day for summer internships, it’s not really a true vacation.
ETA: Somehow I forgot to mention the first movie I saw on this trip, Nine. I didn’t really love it much more than when I first heard the Broadway Cast Album in the 90s. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t exactly riveting cinema, either. The cast did a fine job, but if you never connect with or care about Guido Contini, it’s all an exercise in standalone performances.
2010 Resolutions
Friday, January 1st, 2010Well, those of my family members who stayed awake until midnight brought in the new year with Rock Band on the Wii.
Not the most exciting NYE in my life, but not the worst, either.
So, my resolutions for twenty-ten:
- More unpredictability. I like to think that a guy who occasionally throws on a pair of wigs and records himself singing a showtune duet is zany and spontaneous. Not so. After 16 months apart, my mother was able to guess what I’d be wearing when I got off the plane (and it was an outfit she’d never seen before). To those who know me well, I’m boringly predictable. My goal in 2010 is to do more things that are out-of-character.
- Run at least one half-marathon. Maybe more.
- Explore more of New York. I’ve spent way too much time cooped up in the dorms and locked up on campus. I need to get out and do a bit more and see parts of the city I haven’t yet seen. Especially museums and shopping.
- See more live theatre, take two. The only one of last year’s resolutions that I regret not meeting. Of course, compared to 2009, “more” just means “any” – but I’ve got to make it happen.
- Make time to keep in touch. This first semester of law school has been hard to keep in touch with even my closest friends and family. I need to adjust the balance to allow a little more time for emails and phone calls and texting and IMing and blog commenting and whatever else.
- Find an apartment I want to stay in for at least a few years. I generally like being a bit of a nomad, but it wouldn’t kill me to find a place this summer and settle in until at least the end of law school. I don’t have to put down permanent roots, but I should feel comfortable buying things that are meant to hang on the wall.
I’m not making any resolutions about law school achievements or goals simply because I would have to reassess based on what happens after grades are posted and how I do in the summer internship search. I might not know until February where I need to focus or redefine or improve.
