This is how I learn family news now, apparently.

Anyway, that’s my baby sister getting engaged. That means the balance has officially tipped and we’re about to about to reach the first time where a majority of my siblings are married.

I’m very happy for her and I actually met this guy a few years ago when I was living in San Francisco. I hope. If she’s engaged to someone else, I’m going to be really embarrassed to have said that. Because right now, all I officially know is what you see in that FaceBook update. That and apparently they’ve decided on December 30 just to make sure I’m stuck spending another shitty New Year’s Eve in Utah even though I live in New York City so I can definitely be there.

Does anyone think flying into NYC on Dec 31 is a bad idea?

ETA: In fairness to my sister, she did send me a text message last night. It could have arrived before the FB message, but I didn’t see it until after I’d written this post and scheduled it to publish in the morning.

I’ve mentioned before that my aunt has been battling terminal breast cancer. She passed away early this morning.

Julie used to babysit me and my sisters when we were kids, lived with my family in the last years of her life, and was always part of my most important family memories. Julie didn’t have an easy life or an easy death, but she was always an example of warmth, love and generosity in my life.

ETA: Jessi has a lovely reflection on her blog.

1.

Test driving my new Motorola Droid today. Technically, this photo was taken on the 11th, but I’m sure you’ll forgive me.

2.

Today is an interview day, so I got to put on my pretty suit.

3.

Slicing green and red peppers for my morning omelet. Also included, 2 egg whites, 3 green olives, 1/4 cup cheese. 156 calories.

4.

While cooking, I try to get some Civil Procedure reading done.

5.

Suit… check. Backpack with 3 binders, 2 textbooks, laptop and assorted study essentials… check. Still reading… check. I think I’m ready to get going.

6.

I didn’t get any pictures in class (the professors don’t tend to pose and smile), so here I am at New York Penn Station heading to my summer job interview.

7.

Here’s the Newark building where my interview took place. I feel that it went well, although I always hate when they want me to ask them questions. I wouldn’t have applied if I wasn’t interested enough to do advance research on your organization. Anyway… should know something by the end of the month.

8.

At this point, it was well into the afternoon and the last thing I’d had to eat was that omelet, so I stopped at McDonald’s and had two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches (840 calories).

9.

Now I’m at Newark Penn Station getting ready to head home to Manhattan.

10.

According to the Big Brother-y google maps with GPS tracker app on my new phone, I made it back to Hackensack (River). No one was there for me (feat. sad lonely Valentine’s Day for Jere #6,238).

11.

At the gym working off the McDonald’s “food.” If you enlarge, you can see the last two dry spots on my sleeves representing the color of this shirt when not dripping in sweat after a 4 mile run.

12.

After doing laundry, buying groceries, making a fake chicken ceasar salad for dinner (650 calories), and grabbing my mail… I’ve still got to clean off my bed before I can think about sleep.

13.

Because #1 was a cheat. Look, I’m actually wearing my Giftmas pajamas! Bedtime.

And a special bonus, another nephew born today (from the branch of the family I no longer have a relationship with). Since they went ahead and gave the kid the same middle name as me (also my recently deceased Grandpa’s name), I feel even less obligated to keep using it. His first name is Paul and I’m told he’s healthy.

This message has been approved by Elle is for Lizard.

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.

Not the most exciting NYE in my life, but not the worst, either.

So, my resolutions for twenty-ten:

1. 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.
2. Run at least one half-marathon. Maybe more.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.

I also got a bunch of clothes and a few gift certificates. One of the gift certificates is to a movie theatre chain with lots of outlets in Utah, but the nearest theater to Manhattan is about 5 hours away. That means I’ll be seeing a lot of movies while I’m in town.

Today has been the first really lazy day since school let out. No family to visit, no errands to run, no reason to take a shower and get out of my pajamas. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve had a day this lazy since August.

Last wish: Spread Christmas cheer
By Lana Groves
Deseret News

Carpal tunnel syndrome couldn’t stop Julie Robertson from crocheting hundreds of scarves and afghans for Iraqi refugees and Navajo Indians. And neither could cancer.

Even on her deathbed, the 51-year-old bipolar woman keeps giving. Instead of visiting tropical islands, she spent what friends and family believe will be her last Christmas giving away presents and stuffed stockings to other special needs people living at the Sugar House Care and Rehab Center Monday night. (cont.)

The article quotes from my mom, too.

There’s also video from KUTV. The local Fox channel was reportedly there, but their online story archive sucks. Anyway, we’re bringing Julie home for Christmas Day, so I’m excited to have a real life celebrity at our family holiday.

My mom spent yesterday in the hospital having some follow-up work done on her knee, but she should be home today. My newest nephew, Owen Ace the rockstar, came over the night after I landed and he’s a cutie.

I took my brother Jordan shopping for some last-minute gifts yesterday. By shopping, I primarily mean that he sat in the van playing video games while I ran in to a few stores for gift certificates. We did have an entertaining moment making fun of the (sorta hot) guy walking into Old Navy in nothing but flip-flops, gym shorts and a tank top while the snow was coming down. After the shopping trip, I spent most of the day fixing my sister’s computer (the iTunes library was a mess and eating up almost the entire hard drive with multiple copies of songs). Then, late in the day, Craig and Callie came by to show me the karate and ballet moves they have been learning.

There is no shortage of bad food constantly available here (for instance, there is a large garbage bag-sized bag of popcorn sitting on the table) and I left my running shoes in New York, so I’m going to have a lot to atone for at the gym in two weeks.

I forgot that my family had adopted one of the hell beasts this year. Her name is Schmarmy. She keeps trying to befriend me, but I’m sure it’s just a ploy to get me to lower my guard. Like when I was trying to do dishes and she insisted (as, apparently, she often does) that the only way to drink water is from the tap. As soon as I fall for this “cute” act she’s going to steal my soul and drag me to hell. Cats. Blech. Please notice the little Hitler mustache markings. I believe it to be a sign.

Scooter, the poor dog who has been humiliated by the presence of a hell beast in the house, sensibly stays warm under my blankets as often as possible.

I don’t know what’s on the agenda today, probably more lazing around eating junk food. Unlike previous years, there isn’t a big agenda of extended family parties and social functions to deal with, so I have more free time than I’m used to before Christmas.

We’re likely going to have a trip to the movies tomorrow, but I don’t know what we’ll see. Probably Avatar. I’d check out movie previews to see what else looks good, but the internet is painfully slow on my parent’s wireless network. Too slow for video (and all that implies for my decongestant needs), so it may be a long two weeks.

And there are lots of family birthdays I don’t mention on this blog (like yesterday, which was my sister Jacki’s birthday and my niece Alexia’s), I draw attention to Jared’s birthday not (just) because it’s a special day for him. I want to congratulate my parents on successfully caring for and shepherding all nine children into technical adulthood. Their duties as a matter of legal expectation are finished (sorta – there’s still the responsibilities for my permanently disabled brother Jordan, and Jared won’t graduate high school for a few more months, but still…) If they were smart, they would move into a tiny condo with no extra bedrooms and begin to enjoy their so-called golden years. Mom always threatened to sell the house and buy a mobile home with the intention of parking it in front of our homes for about a month at a time. Instead of doing that, they continue to look out for us, support us, and always make sure we have a place to call “home.”

Jared should have a happy birthday, but our parents deserve some celebration, too.

I wonder if my contracts professor will remember yelling at me for drunkenly singing and dancing to “Hollaback Girl” at the beer bust event held in the law school cafeteria on Thursday night. I told him he was stifling my self-expression and that shit it bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. I’m not entirely sure which of us had more to drink at that point, but I suspect that I’m in for some public shaming on Monday.

So yesterday I had my first opportunity to represent an actual client in a courtroom. Through the Domestic Violence Action Center, another law student and I got assigned to help a woman at the Bronx Family Court obtain an order of protection (aka restraining order) against her husband who has been threatening to kill her if she ever tried to leave him or take custody of their child. The judge temporarily granted all the protections we were asking for and in 6 weeks we will return to court in an effort to get the order of protection made permanent for 2 or 5 years.

It was a very satisfying result, although it took all day. We started our day at 9am, met our client around 11, and didn’t get out of there until almost 7pm.

After a long day at family court, I headed directly to the Stein Scholars Karaoke party where I drank too much and sang badly with several friends.

More photos/video

I sang “I Kissed a Girl” and a lot of group songs. And now I’m convinced that they need to work “Africa” by Toto into an episode of Glee.

In proud uncle news, yesterday ended with some surprises in my phone messages when I got new glimpses of the adorable Owen Ace.

Jessi also posted some super cute pictures of Craig and Callie this week. And I’m sure Alexia will win the next season of So You Think You Can Dance.

Anyway, this upcoming week is super-short, only 3 classes and a training session for a pro bono research project. On the other hand, it’s time to get serious about finals. I only have 12 classes left until the end of the semester and we break for final exams. Since I don’t think it’s possible for me to study effectively more than 8-10 hours a day, this actually means I’ll end up having a bit more free time next month.