Greetings from Tuscany! So, you''ll notice that a bunch of new entries appeared below: now that I'm on vacation I have finally had time to start recording my Tuscany trip (and a little before), and I've decided to post these entries according to the date they describe so they appear in chronological order on this blog. Thank god that backdating blog entries, unlike backdating stock certificates, is perfectly legal! :) But I still wanted to note this in case any of you who checks back regularly is not confused.
Anyway, enjoy! I'll try to post photos soon.
3/22/2007
Tuscany, Day 1 (Part 1)
SwissAir was perfectly on time, and I had a stress-free stopover in Zurich. This being Switzerland, the place was filled with boring banker types with subtly expensive suits, leather suitcases, eyeglasses, and no personality whatsoever. I looked at them, amused by how they fit every cliché in the book about the Swiss. And Jesus, the place is OVERRUN with them! I think the only other place I saw quite so many banker-types was in the Frankfurt am Main airport
The (very empty) flight to Milan was 35 minutes, and the unsmiling, super-proper flight attendant gave us chocolates. The captain and the crew spoke to us in English, German, and French, which was a bit odd given that this was a flight to Italy. But there appeared to be no Italian on the plane. Probably no Italian would ever want to go to Switzerland. I can understand it if no Italian would ever want to leave their wonderful, wonderful country. Almost every European I have met while I was living in Germany loves Italy and want to live there one day, and the Italians… they already live there! Lucky them.
So, did I mention that I reserved a Smart car to drive around while I am in Italy? I have been scared and excited at the prospect all week. I have never driven a car so small before, and I am certain that if I ever crash into anything, even if just a tree at 20 mile per hour, there is just no way I would survive. The car is just too small and provides no protection whatsoever. I’m sure I, along with the car, would just be crushed like peanuts.
But anyway, I collected my car at the Milan airport. It’s a small silver car, and there is just enough space in the back to put in my suitcase, and I put my backpack on the seat next to me since there is no one traveling me (sigh…).
It’s so weird looking at the car! From the front it looks kind of like a normal car, and then you look at it from the side, and it’s like the second half is just cut off.
Anyway, I got into the car and played with the controls, figured out how to turn the lights on and off, how to operate the windshield wipers, etc. It took me QUITE a while to figure out how to get the car in “drive” mode, and I had to experiment a little. NOT a good thing! The car has a lot of places to store things, but no cup holder, which is kind of annoying. Also, the gas pedal is kind of loose, so you have to step on it really hard. The brake seems to work excellently though.
A surprise: the car is actually a convertible, and the top went back when I accidentally pressed on this button. Kind of cool, though the value of this is probably lost on me because I actually have the feeling of wind on my face when I drive. I like everything in the car to be very… controlled, and also wind tends to mess up my hair. Yes, I know I sound like a moron.
So, off we go, driving in the Milanese countryside! Actually, for about 2 hours after leaving Milan, you see nothing but the concrete highway, concrete office buildings, malls, and gray auto stops. Not that different from the States (or the suburb of every developed country). After a few hours of driving, I was getting hungry and sleepy, so I went off the highway to this service area with a cafeteria/convenience store –type place called “Autogrill”. Sounds really ghetto, right? Looked really quite terrible from the outside, too. But inside – what a surprise! There is a self-service area, with the freshest salads I had ever seen, mounds of fresh-cut fruits like kiwi and strawberries, a dozen delicious-looking cheeses, thinly cut prosciuttos, juicy hams, steaming plates of pastas, bowls of soup, and lots and lots of bread. Wow. I immediately began piling up stuff on my tray, and really had to control myself to not get too much.
In the end, I got a salad, two types of cheese, and this piece of ham which the lady grilled for me on the spot. Everything was totally yummy, and I left the “Autogrille” feeling extremely content and full.
Sadly, about 20 minutes into driving some more, the fact that I had just eaten and all the blood when to my stomach, and the fact that I hadn’t slept the night before and only 3 hours the previous night really began to bear on my driving, and I began catching myself falling asleep. Not a good thing, especially driving on an Italian highway (more on this later). So I took the next exit, which happened to be Parma.
(to be continued…)
The (very empty) flight to Milan was 35 minutes, and the unsmiling, super-proper flight attendant gave us chocolates. The captain and the crew spoke to us in English, German, and French, which was a bit odd given that this was a flight to Italy. But there appeared to be no Italian on the plane. Probably no Italian would ever want to go to Switzerland. I can understand it if no Italian would ever want to leave their wonderful, wonderful country. Almost every European I have met while I was living in Germany loves Italy and want to live there one day, and the Italians… they already live there! Lucky them.
So, did I mention that I reserved a Smart car to drive around while I am in Italy? I have been scared and excited at the prospect all week. I have never driven a car so small before, and I am certain that if I ever crash into anything, even if just a tree at 20 mile per hour, there is just no way I would survive. The car is just too small and provides no protection whatsoever. I’m sure I, along with the car, would just be crushed like peanuts.
But anyway, I collected my car at the Milan airport. It’s a small silver car, and there is just enough space in the back to put in my suitcase, and I put my backpack on the seat next to me since there is no one traveling me (sigh…).
It’s so weird looking at the car! From the front it looks kind of like a normal car, and then you look at it from the side, and it’s like the second half is just cut off.
Anyway, I got into the car and played with the controls, figured out how to turn the lights on and off, how to operate the windshield wipers, etc. It took me QUITE a while to figure out how to get the car in “drive” mode, and I had to experiment a little. NOT a good thing! The car has a lot of places to store things, but no cup holder, which is kind of annoying. Also, the gas pedal is kind of loose, so you have to step on it really hard. The brake seems to work excellently though.
A surprise: the car is actually a convertible, and the top went back when I accidentally pressed on this button. Kind of cool, though the value of this is probably lost on me because I actually have the feeling of wind on my face when I drive. I like everything in the car to be very… controlled, and also wind tends to mess up my hair. Yes, I know I sound like a moron.
So, off we go, driving in the Milanese countryside! Actually, for about 2 hours after leaving Milan, you see nothing but the concrete highway, concrete office buildings, malls, and gray auto stops. Not that different from the States (or the suburb of every developed country). After a few hours of driving, I was getting hungry and sleepy, so I went off the highway to this service area with a cafeteria/convenience store –type place called “Autogrill”. Sounds really ghetto, right? Looked really quite terrible from the outside, too. But inside – what a surprise! There is a self-service area, with the freshest salads I had ever seen, mounds of fresh-cut fruits like kiwi and strawberries, a dozen delicious-looking cheeses, thinly cut prosciuttos, juicy hams, steaming plates of pastas, bowls of soup, and lots and lots of bread. Wow. I immediately began piling up stuff on my tray, and really had to control myself to not get too much.
In the end, I got a salad, two types of cheese, and this piece of ham which the lady grilled for me on the spot. Everything was totally yummy, and I left the “Autogrille” feeling extremely content and full.
Sadly, about 20 minutes into driving some more, the fact that I had just eaten and all the blood when to my stomach, and the fact that I hadn’t slept the night before and only 3 hours the previous night really began to bear on my driving, and I began catching myself falling asleep. Not a good thing, especially driving on an Italian highway (more on this later). So I took the next exit, which happened to be Parma.
(to be continued…)
3/21/2007
Tuscany, Day 0
I worked for the entire day today and only slept 3 hours at night – looking up cheap accommodations in Tuscany (so many choices!), doing RA work for Professor RB (didn’t finish before I left, sadly, so will have to do stuff while on vacation. Sigh. At least I will be doing it in a beautiful setting… beats being at home any day I guess.)
I got up this morning at 9:30, had planned to go to corps, but then just… didn’t. I actually missed my corps class for the entire week! Should I be worried about my lack of motivation? I just have so many last-minute things to do!
I had already begun packing the night before, and was in fact about 80% finished. But I also needed to wash dishes, clean up and tidy my apartment a bit, and organize books to take with me on my trip (yes, I’m bringing law books! Don’t bother telling me that I won’t have time to read anything on my trip! :P) My parents are coming up to B-Town to meet some friends over the weekend and wanted to stay in my apartment. Too bad I won’t be there. I had warned them that my place will be a bit messier and dirtier than usual, due to having no time. My mom promised that she wouldn’t mind, and also said she would clean up for me. He he.
Then of course there was the stress of making sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, which makes me rather listless and completely useless for a couple of hours right before leaving (constantly checking and rechecking that I had all my travel essentials… Passport? Wallet? Laptop? (Can’t leave home without my beloved laptop!) Atkins snack bars? (this is in case I get stranded in the middle of nowhere without any food, then I will just whip out my Atkins meal replacement bars and rest contented knowing that it has 17 grams of protein and only 1 gram of sugar!)
I’ve developed a few travel quirks over the years. I like to think of them as “tricks”, but they are tricks that probably only works for me. For one thing, I always pack a few bottled water in my shipped luggage, because I want to make sure that when I get to the destination I wouldn’t have to run around trying to find water when I’m thirsty, or be forced to drink tap water. Another is that I like to bring some food, in case I get stranded somewhere and feel hungry. Another is that I like to bring some ziplock bags. The ones that holds a gallon (or was it a quart? Whatever. It’s the large ones). They are very versatile and one never knows when one needs them. I put shampoo bottles that are likely to spill, or small items that are easily lost if not grouped together, or dirty clothes in them. They are so useful.
Anyway, left my apartment around 5:30, almost half an hour behind schedule. Took the subway to the airport; got there about an hour before my flight takes off, and made it through security with no problem. Had just enough time to shoot off an email to Professor B before I boarded the plane, and called my parents before taking off to let them know that I was on my way to Italy.
SwissAir was everything that I remembered about SwissAir. Efficient, generous, but cold and business-like. The flight attendants do not smile when they look at you. They speak stiffly and precisely. But, there is a little TV on the back of every seat with like 5 movies showing and 7 games you can play, they give you as much wine as you want, their travel itinary actually maeks sense (as opposed to Air France, whose itineraries are made by a deranged person who thinks it’s perfectly fine to have passengers race with their bags down the runway of Charles de Gaulle chasing after their planes), and in the morning they serve up hot croissants that you can eat to your heart’s content, so I’m happy. See, it doesn’t take a lot. Airlines of the world, take note!
So I read my corps study aid, tried to sleep (couldn't), and watched this awful movie called Deja Vu with Denzel Washington off and on. The guy sitting next to me, who spoke German to the flight attendant with a weird accent that was probably Swiss (he he), kept on smiling at me, clearly wanting to talk. But I hate talking strangers when I'm on a plane - it's already so uncomfortable that I just want to be alone. So I tried not to look at him, and I think he got the message, and soon went to sleep. Phew.
I got up this morning at 9:30, had planned to go to corps, but then just… didn’t. I actually missed my corps class for the entire week! Should I be worried about my lack of motivation? I just have so many last-minute things to do!
I had already begun packing the night before, and was in fact about 80% finished. But I also needed to wash dishes, clean up and tidy my apartment a bit, and organize books to take with me on my trip (yes, I’m bringing law books! Don’t bother telling me that I won’t have time to read anything on my trip! :P) My parents are coming up to B-Town to meet some friends over the weekend and wanted to stay in my apartment. Too bad I won’t be there. I had warned them that my place will be a bit messier and dirtier than usual, due to having no time. My mom promised that she wouldn’t mind, and also said she would clean up for me. He he.
Then of course there was the stress of making sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, which makes me rather listless and completely useless for a couple of hours right before leaving (constantly checking and rechecking that I had all my travel essentials… Passport? Wallet? Laptop? (Can’t leave home without my beloved laptop!) Atkins snack bars? (this is in case I get stranded in the middle of nowhere without any food, then I will just whip out my Atkins meal replacement bars and rest contented knowing that it has 17 grams of protein and only 1 gram of sugar!)
I’ve developed a few travel quirks over the years. I like to think of them as “tricks”, but they are tricks that probably only works for me. For one thing, I always pack a few bottled water in my shipped luggage, because I want to make sure that when I get to the destination I wouldn’t have to run around trying to find water when I’m thirsty, or be forced to drink tap water
Anyway, left my apartment around 5:30, almost half an hour behind schedule. Took the subway to the airport; got there about an hour before my flight takes off, and made it through security with no problem. Had just enough time to shoot off an email to Professor B before I boarded the plane, and called my parents before taking off to let them know that I was on my way to Italy.
SwissAir was everything that I remembered about SwissAir. Efficient, generous, but cold and business-like. The flight attendants do not smile when they look at you. They speak stiffly and precisely. But, there is a little TV on the back of every seat with like 5 movies showing and 7 games you can play, they give you as much wine as you want, their travel itinary actually maeks sense (as opposed to Air France, whose itineraries are made by a deranged person who thinks it’s perfectly fine to have passengers race with their bags down the runway of Charles de Gaulle chasing after their planes), and in the morning they serve up hot croissants that you can eat to your heart’s content, so I’m happy. See, it doesn’t take a lot. Airlines of the world, take note!
So I read my corps study aid, tried to sleep (couldn't), and watched this awful movie called Deja Vu with Denzel Washington off and on. The guy sitting next to me, who spoke German to the flight attendant with a weird accent that was probably Swiss (he he), kept on smiling at me, clearly wanting to talk. But I hate talking strangers when I'm on a plane - it's already so uncomfortable that I just want to be alone. So I tried not to look at him, and I think he got the message, and soon went to sleep. Phew.
3/20/2007
Tuscany, Day -1
Okay, so this post is not officially about traveling in Tuscany yet. But still, since the trip is on my mind (and I'm on the trip) I thought I should just count this day as a pre-trip day. :-)
Today I went to the mall on the other side of town with ABS to get my stupid portrait taken for my stupid law firm. I am about 1.5 months late in submitting the “professionally taken, professional attired, black-and-white” photo for the summer associates facebook, and finally decided to bite the bullet and do it before I leave for Italy. Fun, I know. Not.
But at least I got some quality time hanging out with ABS out of it. We aren’t seeing as much of each other as we did last semester, since we only have one class together this semester and that class only meets every two weeks. Also, law review apparently really picked up this semester, so he’s hanging out all the time at their depressing office. Since I cannot seem to enter that office without leaving with at least 3 bagels in my stomach (why can’t they serve healthier food there?!), I avoid going there as much as I can. (Though I still seem to end up there at least once a week, much to the chagrin of my stomach, which keeps getting larger and larger…)
Anyway, so I got my picture taken with the photographer at Sears Studio. Super ghetto, and the photographer made me do 14 different poses!! Was that really necessary?! As far as I could tell, the only difference was that I sometimes smiled with my mouth closed and sometimes smiled with my mouth open. (I look better smiling with my mouth open, in case you are wondering… because I look more exuberant and sincere. I’m sure my firm wants all its associates looking exuberant and sincerely and just DELIGHTED to work for the clients!).
The photo session took an hour or so, partly because I couldn’t remember what sized photo my firm wanted, and didn’t have the information with me, so tried to call my firm to find out. Ah yes, I know, what a good impression I’m making already before I even started working there! Sadly, the legal recruiting all left and the operator there had no idea. While all this was happening, AG called me and we had a somewhat anguished conversation, cut short by my phone battery running out. Yes, it was a pretty hectic day. I finally decided just to order a set of prints whose size made sense to ME, and damn the firm if it wasn’t the right one. I checked after I got home, and the size I got was probably fine.
ABS waited for me at Borders while I took the photos, then we walked around the mall a bit trying to decide where to eat. We finally ate at the food court, where there was a surprisingly decent Japanese sushi stand where they sold excellent salmon sashimi for $1 a piece. I was skeptical at first and ordered 3 pieces, was absolutely delighted by the quality, then ordered 6 pieces more. I would have ordered more too, but felt quite full b/c I had also ordered vegetarian rolls. I vowed to go back to that place as soon as I could.
After dinner, ABS and I rode the bus home. He went back to his 2nd home the law review office, while I went to my real home, worked on research for RB, and researched for places to stay while I’m in Tuscany. E called around 9:30 to wish me a happy trip and we talked for a bit. He was the one who really encouraged me to go (and the one who made the point that the few hundred dollar difference in price wouldn’t really matter now that I’m making the big bucks in the summer – oh but I have so many uses for the big bucks! I think I’ve probably already spent most of it by preemptively buying all sorts of things by now. And the rent this summer is seriously going to kill me. But anyway.)
Didn’t go to sleep until 4:30 am.
Today I went to the mall on the other side of town with ABS to get my stupid portrait taken for my stupid law firm. I am about 1.5 months late in submitting the “professionally taken, professional attired, black-and-white” photo for the summer associates facebook, and finally decided to bite the bullet and do it before I leave for Italy. Fun, I know. Not.
But at least I got some quality time hanging out with ABS out of it. We aren’t seeing as much of each other as we did last semester, since we only have one class together this semester and that class only meets every two weeks. Also, law review apparently really picked up this semester, so he’s hanging out all the time at their depressing office. Since I cannot seem to enter that office without leaving with at least 3 bagels in my stomach (why can’t they serve healthier food there?!), I avoid going there as much as I can. (Though I still seem to end up there at least once a week, much to the chagrin of my stomach, which keeps getting larger and larger…)
Anyway, so I got my picture taken with the photographer at Sears Studio. Super ghetto, and the photographer made me do 14 different poses!! Was that really necessary?! As far as I could tell, the only difference was that I sometimes smiled with my mouth closed and sometimes smiled with my mouth open. (I look better smiling with my mouth open, in case you are wondering… because I look more exuberant and sincere. I’m sure my firm wants all its associates looking exuberant and sincerely and just DELIGHTED to work for the clients!).
The photo session took an hour or so, partly because I couldn’t remember what sized photo my firm wanted, and didn’t have the information with me, so tried to call my firm to find out. Ah yes, I know, what a good impression I’m making already before I even started working there! Sadly, the legal recruiting all left and the operator there had no idea. While all this was happening, AG called me and we had a somewhat anguished conversation, cut short by my phone battery running out. Yes, it was a pretty hectic day. I finally decided just to order a set of prints whose size made sense to ME, and damn the firm if it wasn’t the right one. I checked after I got home, and the size I got was probably fine.
ABS waited for me at Borders while I took the photos, then we walked around the mall a bit trying to decide where to eat. We finally ate at the food court, where there was a surprisingly decent Japanese sushi stand where they sold excellent salmon sashimi for $1 a piece. I was skeptical at first and ordered 3 pieces, was absolutely delighted by the quality, then ordered 6 pieces more. I would have ordered more too, but felt quite full b/c I had also ordered vegetarian rolls. I vowed to go back to that place as soon as I could.
After dinner, ABS and I rode the bus home. He went back to his 2nd home the law review office, while I went to my real home, worked on research for RB, and researched for places to stay while I’m in Tuscany. E called around 9:30 to wish me a happy trip and we talked for a bit. He was the one who really encouraged me to go (and the one who made the point that the few hundred dollar difference in price wouldn’t really matter now that I’m making the big bucks in the summer – oh but I have so many uses for the big bucks! I think I’ve probably already spent most of it by preemptively buying all sorts of things by now. And the rent this summer is seriously going to kill me. But anyway.)
Didn’t go to sleep until 4:30 am.
3/12/2007
Tuscany!
In spite of my insane schedule, I still wanted to post in celebration of the ticket I just bought to Milan. I'm leaving next Wednesday and will be in Italy for a week. I'm flying SwissAir; the price was totally reasonable ($580), with a short stopover in Zurich. I plan on renting a car (already found a Mini for about $30 / day) from the airport and drive south immediately, hopefully running through some nice little towns on the way, and eventually stop for a couple of days in Florence.
There is a lot to do before then, including finishing the research on my local government law paper and starting my independent writing, but I'm soooo looking forward to this!
Tomorrow, I'm going to go to the wonderful travel book downtown to pick up a few travel guides to Tuscany. Yay! :)
There is a lot to do before then, including finishing the research on my local government law paper and starting my independent writing, but I'm soooo looking forward to this!
Tomorrow, I'm going to go to the wonderful travel book downtown to pick up a few travel guides to Tuscany. Yay! :)
3/05/2007
Monday Blues
God, Mondays are so exhausting, especially since I have been determined to wean myself off caffeine (hence, no coffee/tea) and sweet tooth (hence, no candy or sugar high). I had three hardcore classes today, and even though I had read for all (well, most) of them, I was still so tired, especially in the afternoon, that I could barely follow what the professor was saying.
By the time I got out of local government law today, I was barely walking. Every single muscle literally felt sore and I couldn't wait to go home.
After the absurdly happy weekend where I walked around in a very good mood, today sure dragged me down to earth fast.
Tomorrow I have FOUR classes, from 10:30 nearly nonstop until 6:45! Argh! I can already foresee what kind of a zombie I will be by the time I get home...
In other news, I am almost certain that I want to go to Tuscany for spring break. Tickets are not cheap, but E made the point the other night that time is and will always be a luxury and I should enjoy it while I can, and money will soon not be. Well, at least the kind of money that I am talking about - a few hundred dollars. I think he's right.
By the time I got out of local government law today, I was barely walking. Every single muscle literally felt sore and I couldn't wait to go home.
After the absurdly happy weekend where I walked around in a very good mood, today sure dragged me down to earth fast.
Tomorrow I have FOUR classes, from 10:30 nearly nonstop until 6:45! Argh! I can already foresee what kind of a zombie I will be by the time I get home...
In other news, I am almost certain that I want to go to Tuscany for spring break. Tickets are not cheap, but E made the point the other night that time is and will always be a luxury and I should enjoy it while I can, and money will soon not be. Well, at least the kind of money that I am talking about - a few hundred dollars. I think he's right.
3/02/2007
Flossy?
You can laugh at my bad taste, but I have been obsessed with Fergie's song Glamorous for the past few days. I first heard it a week ago while running on the treadmill at the gym. There's just something so deliciously... vulgar... about the song. (And of course, it is EXTREMELY catchy. I have had it in my head ever since the first time I heard it.) The comic ridiculousness of the music video only adds to its appeal.
And of course there is the intriguing conflicting message in the song, which i have been devoting a lot of thought to while not thinking about my mountain of work. :) Fergie says in the beginning that she "won't be changed by the glamorous," and then proceeds to catalogue all the ways in which she's still a down to earth girl, who goes to Taco Bell, etc. (Also, since when is a fastfood drive-through a "raw-as-hell" experience? Well anyway.) But then the background chant is "if you ain't got no money take your broke ass home," a chant that she apparently joins in from time to time. Also, the rap interlude is basically an extollation of money, so... is Fergie perhaps of two minds about this? Or rather, is the main part of her song a struggle against the overpowering message about wealth and fame that the "industry" sends?
And finally, what on earth is "flossy" anyway? I must be getting old...
Today the song finally became downloadable on iTunes, and guess who has been putting it on repeat while I work through my raw-as-hell admin law reading assignments? (I'm sure my neighbor is ready to kill me.)
In other news, today I am in an irrationally good mood. Nothing substantial's changed between yesterday and today. It's not like I suddenly got my work done, but almost from the moment I got up (7:45 am, in case you're interested... yes, I'm still sticking with my healthy lifestyle), I have been in a good mood, and even the rain was not enough to dampen it. I went to the gym and ran/walked for 5 miles, came home, showered, then ran out for lunch with J, which was nice and gossipy. Also ran into AG, who is indeed getting his divorce and has stopped wearing his ring. Didn't really have time to speak to him long, but exchanged pleasantries and thanked him for his books. I then went to corps with Prof. H, then came home quickly before setting off to visit DPP and to play scrabble with him - the first time I've done so this semester, in fact. I lost both games, the second one rather narrowly. DPP remains unbeatable, but I won't give up.
Then went to ABS's apartment, hung out with his cat Pandora for a bit, who was obviously starved for attention after being left alone all day. Fed her and stroked her, and then spent a long time trying to get all the cat hair off my black skirt. Finally decided the enterprise was hopeless.
Came home around 9 - got on the phone with parents while I cooked, and chatted with a bit with my mom. Then sat down and enjoyed my turkey meatloaf and steamed kale. [Burp]
Well, back to reading admin law. Sigh.
And of course there is the intriguing conflicting message in the song, which i have been devoting a lot of thought to while not thinking about my mountain of work. :) Fergie says in the beginning that she "won't be changed by the glamorous," and then proceeds to catalogue all the ways in which she's still a down to earth girl, who goes to Taco Bell, etc. (Also, since when is a fastfood drive-through a "raw-as-hell" experience? Well anyway.) But then the background chant is "if you ain't got no money take your broke ass home," a chant that she apparently joins in from time to time. Also, the rap interlude is basically an extollation of money, so... is Fergie perhaps of two minds about this? Or rather, is the main part of her song a struggle against the overpowering message about wealth and fame that the "industry" sends?
And finally, what on earth is "flossy" anyway? I must be getting old...
Today the song finally became downloadable on iTunes, and guess who has been putting it on repeat while I work through my raw-as-hell admin law reading assignments? (I'm sure my neighbor is ready to kill me.)
In other news, today I am in an irrationally good mood. Nothing substantial's changed between yesterday and today. It's not like I suddenly got my work done, but almost from the moment I got up (7:45 am, in case you're interested... yes, I'm still sticking with my healthy lifestyle), I have been in a good mood, and even the rain was not enough to dampen it. I went to the gym and ran/walked for 5 miles, came home, showered, then ran out for lunch with J, which was nice and gossipy. Also ran into AG, who is indeed getting his divorce and has stopped wearing his ring. Didn't really have time to speak to him long, but exchanged pleasantries and thanked him for his books. I then went to corps with Prof. H, then came home quickly before setting off to visit DPP and to play scrabble with him - the first time I've done so this semester, in fact. I lost both games, the second one rather narrowly. DPP remains unbeatable, but I won't give up.
Then went to ABS's apartment, hung out with his cat Pandora for a bit, who was obviously starved for attention after being left alone all day. Fed her and stroked her, and then spent a long time trying to get all the cat hair off my black skirt. Finally decided the enterprise was hopeless.
Came home around 9 - got on the phone with parents while I cooked, and chatted with a bit with my mom. Then sat down and enjoyed my turkey meatloaf and steamed kale. [Burp]
Well, back to reading admin law. Sigh.
3/01/2007
Busyness
As with all the times when I have dropped off posting for a while, I have been busy. Insanely busy. :(
At the beginning of this week, I was vastly behind on almost all my classes (and mountains of study aids to read for classes I don't understand), have a number of urgent tasks to do for my various professors, and really being weighed down by my impending Comparative Local Government Law paper...
Well, now it's near the end of the week, and March 1 to boot! And my situation has not changed that much. I'm *less* behind on classes, but still need to read for all three. I understand admin law better, I think, but I also missed class on Tuesday so who knows whether I really understand? I have fewer tasks for professors, but now I have 3 brand-new articles for my journal that I need to look through and comment on by the end of this weekend. And I still haven't started my paper.
Argh! How on earth did I get myself into this mess?
At the beginning of this week, I was vastly behind on almost all my classes (and mountains of study aids to read for classes I don't understand), have a number of urgent tasks to do for my various professors, and really being weighed down by my impending Comparative Local Government Law paper...
Well, now it's near the end of the week, and March 1 to boot! And my situation has not changed that much. I'm *less* behind on classes, but still need to read for all three. I understand admin law better, I think, but I also missed class on Tuesday so who knows whether I really understand? I have fewer tasks for professors, but now I have 3 brand-new articles for my journal that I need to look through and comment on by the end of this weekend. And I still haven't started my paper.
Argh! How on earth did I get myself into this mess?
2/25/2007
The Downside of Healthy Living
The downside of healthy living is that it takes up so much damn time! I am trying to eat healthy, by cooking myself using only fresh ingredients, and cutting for the moment most processed foods like refined grains from my diet. The food tastes great, and I am experimenting with quite a few vegetables that I have never cooked with before, like kale, collards, and fennel bulbs. My fridge is literally stuffed with various dark green leafy vegetables, and I spend much time every day researching recipe and planning meals.
BUT, this means I don't get to hang out with my friends as much, since much of the bonding was over eating out. Plus, I spend at least an hour every day chopping, cooking, and washing dishes. Most of the time during the week, I just make salads and smoothies, which is not bad. But if I want to cook anything more complicated, then it takes up a substantial amount of time.
Come to think of it, the time it takes is probably not significantly longer than the time it takes to walk to a restaurant, order, wait for the food to arrive, and eat. So perhaps the real complaint is that I miss out on that socializing time. Perhaps I should just invite my friends to dinner more often...
I'm determined to go to the gym at least 3 times a week, for about 1.5 hours each. This too takes up what seems like an inordinate amount of time. Including the time of getting ready, going there, and walking back, the whole enterprise takes about 2.5 hours each time. That's 2.5 hours I'm not using to work. Sigh...
Trying to go to sleep every day at a regular time has also been hard. There is just so much to do and the temptation is to stay past my bedtime to do them.
In the midst of all this drive to take responsibility for myself, I am also trying to do my errands like laundary and housecleaning more regularly as well.
Speaking of which, my sheets needs its weekly wash, so I should run to the laundary room now!
BUT, this means I don't get to hang out with my friends as much, since much of the bonding was over eating out. Plus, I spend at least an hour every day chopping, cooking, and washing dishes. Most of the time during the week, I just make salads and smoothies, which is not bad. But if I want to cook anything more complicated, then it takes up a substantial amount of time.
Come to think of it, the time it takes is probably not significantly longer than the time it takes to walk to a restaurant, order, wait for the food to arrive, and eat. So perhaps the real complaint is that I miss out on that socializing time. Perhaps I should just invite my friends to dinner more often...
I'm determined to go to the gym at least 3 times a week, for about 1.5 hours each. This too takes up what seems like an inordinate amount of time. Including the time of getting ready, going there, and walking back, the whole enterprise takes about 2.5 hours each time. That's 2.5 hours I'm not using to work. Sigh...
Trying to go to sleep every day at a regular time has also been hard. There is just so much to do and the temptation is to stay past my bedtime to do them.
In the midst of all this drive to take responsibility for myself, I am also trying to do my errands like laundary and housecleaning more regularly as well.
Speaking of which, my sheets needs its weekly wash, so I should run to the laundary room now!
2/24/2007
Good and Bad
Good:
- Did a lot of work today, including finishing all my corporations reading.
- Slowly losing the poundage I gained from stuffing myself like a "pig" last weekend. ;)
- Got a shiny new pedicure.
- Went grocery shopping with AB and ABS in the evening and bought more yummy veggies. (I'm seriously worried that I won't be able to eat them all though.)
Bad:
- Have sooo much more work to do tomorrow, and in the next week!
- Did a lot of work today, including finishing all my corporations reading.
- Slowly losing the poundage I gained from stuffing myself like a "pig" last weekend. ;)
- Got a shiny new pedicure.
- Went grocery shopping with AB and ABS in the evening and bought more yummy veggies. (I'm seriously worried that I won't be able to eat them all though.)
Bad:
- Have sooo much more work to do tomorrow, and in the next week!
2/21/2007
Admin Law
I just want to take a moment to gripe about my admin law class, which is... not going well. (And boy is that a huge understatement.)
I'm not sure whether it's purely Prof S's fault, although his meandering style and monotone certainly do not help. The subject matter is kind of inherently dry and boring, and so far I haven't spoken to anyone who say that they like the subject. On the other hand, I enjoyed civ pro (at least in retrospect, or at least I could see how it may be an interesting topic), and that's procedural law too, right? So why, oh why, is admin law so unbearable?
I am leagues behind in my reading because I just could not muster enough motivation to sit down and actually work through the cases. I dread going to class because not only is Prof S boring but he's also socratic, so it's like long periods of tedium (while he's grilling some other poor guy or girl) punctuated by moments of sheer terror (as he finishes his grilling and looks over the seating chart.) Not a good combination.
I am trying to be proactive about this problem. Yesterday, while in admin law, I fired off an email to my three friends in class, RH, JM, and JJ, with the title "Help me stop hating admin law!" and proposed that we form a study group, read together, and talk about admin law. This will at least make doing the work more fun. Never mind about efficiency. Right now getting ANY work done in admin law, even at a slow pace, beats... well, not getting ANY work done when I'm sitting home by myself.
Ran into AG on Monday and he suggested that I get the Example & Explanation hornbook, which I did yesterday and have been perusing today, and so far it's been clear and helpful. Here's to hoping it will reignite my interest in supposedly the most important subject in modern law.
I'm not sure whether it's purely Prof S's fault, although his meandering style and monotone certainly do not help. The subject matter is kind of inherently dry and boring, and so far I haven't spoken to anyone who say that they like the subject. On the other hand, I enjoyed civ pro (at least in retrospect, or at least I could see how it may be an interesting topic), and that's procedural law too, right? So why, oh why, is admin law so unbearable?
I am leagues behind in my reading because I just could not muster enough motivation to sit down and actually work through the cases. I dread going to class because not only is Prof S boring but he's also socratic, so it's like long periods of tedium (while he's grilling some other poor guy or girl) punctuated by moments of sheer terror (as he finishes his grilling and looks over the seating chart.) Not a good combination.
I am trying to be proactive about this problem. Yesterday, while in admin law, I fired off an email to my three friends in class, RH, JM, and JJ, with the title "Help me stop hating admin law!" and proposed that we form a study group, read together, and talk about admin law. This will at least make doing the work more fun. Never mind about efficiency. Right now getting ANY work done in admin law, even at a slow pace, beats... well, not getting ANY work done when I'm sitting home by myself.
Ran into AG on Monday and he suggested that I get the Example & Explanation hornbook, which I did yesterday and have been perusing today, and so far it's been clear and helpful. Here's to hoping it will reignite my interest in supposedly the most important subject in modern law.
2/18/2007
Eight-Treasure Rice Cake
Here's my cake. All the dry fruits are on top, and underneath the fruits are sweet sticky rice and then a red bean paste filling. The "eight treasures" in the cake are: red bean paste, dried apricot, dried golden plum, dried cranberries, candied winter melon slices, walnuts, candied dates, and raisins. There are of course lots of possible variations for this recipe.
Year of the Pig!
Readers, happy Chinese New Year! May you have peace, prosperity, and a lot of good "fat" in the year of the pig!
I had a fun weekend. Parents were here yesterday to spend New Year's Eve with me. We went to Costco in the afternoon and bought a year worth of paper towels, toilet paper, ziplock bags, light bulbs, and everything else that I was always running out of and then had to get at outrageous prices at the local drug store. Also bought A TON of lettuce and other veggies, since after the weekend filled with carbs, sugar, butter, and fat I'm ready to eat lean and healthy and mostly vegetarian again.
But yesterday, oh what bad (but good) food we ate! Mom made her famous wonton soup with super spicy sauces. I baked a loaf of honey whole wheat sesame bread and ate it smeared with butter, fromage affinoise cheese, and quince paste; We had cookies and cheeses and also made a traditional Chinese New Year's dessert - eight-treasure rice cake.
After we stuffed ourselves so full that we were unable to move, dad and I talked about law and philosophy until 5 am in the morning, while mom slept in the next room and grumbling every few hours about how loud we were.
Then I slept for 3-4 hours, got up feeling exhausted but happy. Ate leftovers from last night and talked some more, but in general kept it low-key. Mom helped me to make another, bigger eight-treasure rice cake to take to AC's Chinese New Year's party this afternoon.
The cake turned out to be quite a success. Perhaps I'll post a photo here soon since it's very pretty to look at.
I had a fun weekend. Parents were here yesterday to spend New Year's Eve with me. We went to Costco in the afternoon and bought a year worth of paper towels, toilet paper, ziplock bags, light bulbs, and everything else that I was always running out of and then had to get at outrageous prices at the local drug store. Also bought A TON of lettuce and other veggies, since after the weekend filled with carbs, sugar, butter, and fat I'm ready to eat lean and healthy and mostly vegetarian again.
But yesterday, oh what bad (but good) food we ate! Mom made her famous wonton soup with super spicy sauces. I baked a loaf of honey whole wheat sesame bread and ate it smeared with butter, fromage affinoise cheese, and quince paste; We had cookies and cheeses and also made a traditional Chinese New Year's dessert - eight-treasure rice cake.
After we stuffed ourselves so full that we were unable to move, dad and I talked about law and philosophy until 5 am in the morning, while mom slept in the next room and grumbling every few hours about how loud we were.
Then I slept for 3-4 hours, got up feeling exhausted but happy. Ate leftovers from last night and talked some more, but in general kept it low-key. Mom helped me to make another, bigger eight-treasure rice cake to take to AC's Chinese New Year's party this afternoon.
The cake turned out to be quite a success. Perhaps I'll post a photo here soon since it's very pretty to look at.
2/16/2007
Good Day
Had an incredibly good day today. Had lunch with AP, a new friend that I made, at the little deli near my apartment, and then went to Prof H's corps. Then hung out in the student center where I ran into JJ and RH, two of my favorite people at the law school that I'm always happy to see. I was going to read admin law, but happily abandoned that miserable project and just talked with them about ethics for about an hour. This almost reminds me of my undergrad days, where my friends and I would sit in the dining hall until 2 or three am talking about whether an objective morality exists. (In case you are wondering, our consensus is that it does not. :))
I then went to Prof H's office hours (well, it was really after office hours - he added me in so that we could discuss possible research plans) and proceeded to have a REALLY good conversation. I was actually feeling a bit down about my research plans lately. I missed the deadline for the academic fellowship, and was feeling more lukewarm about the whole law and narrative project, and it seemed like the whole academia thing was just NOT happening. But this evening the conversation really cheered me up, and I came away with several new topics that I really really want to write about and more importantly, really BELIEVE in.
This is the weird thing: I don't think Professor H's approach is perfect. I think it has a lot of flaws, and he has the tendency to go all out abstract and also not particularly legal. But perhaps this is the important part: even in spite of all this, I am still really excited about the basic premise of his research. He didn't need to hand everything over to me on a plate. I feel that his theory by itself is powerful enough to sustain my interest and make me want to work on it. Perhaps this is the sign of "true love." Perhaps this is what Professor JH meant when she asked me: "What would you fight for? What gets you turned on?"
Law and narrative intrigues me as an intellectual exercise, but social psychology really turns me on. I half-wish I had a psychology degree. Well... maybe it's not too late yet...
In any event, I left Professor H's office thinking a million thoughts. Then went to dinner at my favorite pizza restaurant in C-Town with JJ and RH (whom I invited to dinner wtih me on a whim. ABS was also supposed to show up, but decided not to because of the bitter cold and iciness). We proceeded to have a lovely evening filled with good food, good desserts, and good conversation. Every time I see these people, I resolve to hang out with them more. I should really stick to that resolution.
Tomorrow is Chinese New Years, and parents are driving up here to celebrate! I won't get any work done, but I will sure have a lot of fun.
I then went to Prof H's office hours (well, it was really after office hours - he added me in so that we could discuss possible research plans) and proceeded to have a REALLY good conversation. I was actually feeling a bit down about my research plans lately. I missed the deadline for the academic fellowship, and was feeling more lukewarm about the whole law and narrative project, and it seemed like the whole academia thing was just NOT happening. But this evening the conversation really cheered me up, and I came away with several new topics that I really really want to write about and more importantly, really BELIEVE in.
This is the weird thing: I don't think Professor H's approach is perfect. I think it has a lot of flaws, and he has the tendency to go all out abstract and also not particularly legal. But perhaps this is the important part: even in spite of all this, I am still really excited about the basic premise of his research. He didn't need to hand everything over to me on a plate. I feel that his theory by itself is powerful enough to sustain my interest and make me want to work on it. Perhaps this is the sign of "true love." Perhaps this is what Professor JH meant when she asked me: "What would you fight for? What gets you turned on?"
Law and narrative intrigues me as an intellectual exercise, but social psychology really turns me on. I half-wish I had a psychology degree. Well... maybe it's not too late yet...
In any event, I left Professor H's office thinking a million thoughts. Then went to dinner at my favorite pizza restaurant in C-Town with JJ and RH (whom I invited to dinner wtih me on a whim. ABS was also supposed to show up, but decided not to because of the bitter cold and iciness). We proceeded to have a lovely evening filled with good food, good desserts, and good conversation. Every time I see these people, I resolve to hang out with them more. I should really stick to that resolution.
Tomorrow is Chinese New Years, and parents are driving up here to celebrate! I won't get any work done, but I will sure have a lot of fun.
2/15/2007
Omg Conflict!
Wow. Today I had my first real argument with a non-parent and non-boyfriend in my adult life. I'm glad I did it, but it left a bad taste in my mouth and I am still thinking about it.
The argument was with a faculty assistant who was very rude to me. I have never had much interaction with this person, but her desk was in the same general area as another faculty assistant with whom I do interact a lot, so I see her a fair amount. She has never been friendly to me. Once she "ordered" me to wait outside when I visited Professor M (I was in the room to look at the clock). And of course, like the nice submissive Asian girl that I am, I left without a word and waited outside.
Anyway.
It started out small, as these things always do (I guess, it's not from experience or anything). I went to look for that other assistant, who was not there. So I went up to her and said "excuse me, sorry to interrupt," then asked her a question as she was standing by the desk of another assistant, talking in a low voice. She gave me a cold look, said "NO, and we are IN THE MIDDLE of something" in an extremely nasty tone. I followed my first instinct, my Asian girl instinct, which was to go away without saying a word, feeling terrible.
As I was riding down in the elevator, I thought more about this and got more angry. Why did she speak to me this way? What right does she have to respond extremely rudely to a polite question? And how could she get away with this? And the answer to that last question was, of course, it's because people like me just walk away silently, and she never gets to suffer the consequences - I don't mean professional consequences of course - I know she was probably in a union and therefore cannot get fired or even reprimanded easily -- but social consequences, which is what usually deters even secretly nasty people from acting out their nastiness in public.
So then, I did something that I still can't believe I did. I mean, if you know me, you probably wouldn't believe that I did this either, sinece I am just about the most non-confrontational person I know. If anything, my problem is that I'm too nice and have a hard time saying no. Well, not today, apparently.
I turned around and walked BACK to her office. She was just walking away from the co-worker's desk, and saw me, and looked a little surprised. I went up to her, and I said: "I just wanted to let you know that you were really rude to me just now, and that was really wrong. I asked you a question nicely and you could have been more civil." I think that's what I said, anyway.
So, if I were more experienced at this (after all, it was the FIRST TIME. Hopefully there will be no next time), I would have turned around at that point and marched out. But alas, I did not, so I got an earful from her. If she was nasty before, she got 10X nastier. "Well, I'M SORRY, but we were in the middle of a VERY IMPORTANT conversation [she waved some papers in her hands around], and you were really rude for INTERRUPTING."
I said: "I asked you something politely, and I apologized for interrupting, and you could have answered more politely." "NO, you were rude. You interrupted us." "I asked you POLITELY, and it was unacceptible for you to speak to me in that tone." "Well, REPORT ME." As you can imagine, this went on for a while.
As I was standing there, arguing with her, I was kind of uncomfortably aware of the fact that we were standing in a room surrounded by professor's offices. Indeed, Prof FM closed his door when voices became more raised. I could see Prof. S. in her office, probably listening to every word. Prof. M's office was right behind me. Yikes. The thought did cross my mind: I can't believe I'm doing this. But then, I think I'm doing the right thing.
Of course, after I left her office and thought more about this, I was as usual wrecked by doubt. I mean, what if the woman's MOTHER was dying or something? Or she was just having a really bad day? Did I really handle this correctly? I thought back to the incident, combing every detail. Was I rude too? (No, at least not at first). Should I have been more calm when I went back to her? (Probably.) Was she rude? (Yes.) What could I have done different? (Oh, let me count the ways...)
I am still not certain I did the right thing. I'm not sure I would have felt worse if I had not gone back to her and told her what I thought. If I had not gone back, the incident would not have been an important incident, and I probably would have forgotten all about it by now.
But sometimes "not feeling worse" did not equal a better solution. Perhaps it was more important to speak my mind and to confront her than to just let go and forget about it. In the end, I guess I am more sure that I did the right thing than I will ever be in a situation like this, which is by its very nature ambiguous and hard to parse. Who was in the right? Who had a better claim? Who should win? Who knows what the answer is? But isn't this just like law? :)
Well, here's my spin on it: I got a little braver. I learned how to deal with, and survive, an extremely unpleasant situation, and that learning experience was entirely by choice. Maybe next time I will be a little defter too, if I ever have to do this again. Maybe next time she will hesitate a bit she is nasty to someone else.
And there, I lost my "adult argument virginity." First time for everything.
The argument was with a faculty assistant who was very rude to me. I have never had much interaction with this person, but her desk was in the same general area as another faculty assistant with whom I do interact a lot, so I see her a fair amount. She has never been friendly to me. Once she "ordered" me to wait outside when I visited Professor M (I was in the room to look at the clock). And of course, like the nice submissive Asian girl that I am, I left without a word and waited outside.
Anyway.
It started out small, as these things always do (I guess, it's not from experience or anything). I went to look for that other assistant, who was not there. So I went up to her and said "excuse me, sorry to interrupt," then asked her a question as she was standing by the desk of another assistant, talking in a low voice. She gave me a cold look, said "NO, and we are IN THE MIDDLE of something" in an extremely nasty tone. I followed my first instinct, my Asian girl instinct, which was to go away without saying a word, feeling terrible.
As I was riding down in the elevator, I thought more about this and got more angry. Why did she speak to me this way? What right does she have to respond extremely rudely to a polite question? And how could she get away with this? And the answer to that last question was, of course, it's because people like me just walk away silently, and she never gets to suffer the consequences - I don't mean professional consequences of course - I know she was probably in a union and therefore cannot get fired or even reprimanded easily -- but social consequences, which is what usually deters even secretly nasty people from acting out their nastiness in public.
So then, I did something that I still can't believe I did. I mean, if you know me, you probably wouldn't believe that I did this either, sinece I am just about the most non-confrontational person I know. If anything, my problem is that I'm too nice and have a hard time saying no. Well, not today, apparently.
I turned around and walked BACK to her office. She was just walking away from the co-worker's desk, and saw me, and looked a little surprised. I went up to her, and I said: "I just wanted to let you know that you were really rude to me just now, and that was really wrong. I asked you a question nicely and you could have been more civil." I think that's what I said, anyway.
So, if I were more experienced at this (after all, it was the FIRST TIME. Hopefully there will be no next time), I would have turned around at that point and marched out. But alas, I did not, so I got an earful from her. If she was nasty before, she got 10X nastier. "Well, I'M SORRY, but we were in the middle of a VERY IMPORTANT conversation [she waved some papers in her hands around], and you were really rude for INTERRUPTING."
I said: "I asked you something politely, and I apologized for interrupting, and you could have answered more politely." "NO, you were rude. You interrupted us." "I asked you POLITELY, and it was unacceptible for you to speak to me in that tone." "Well, REPORT ME." As you can imagine, this went on for a while.
As I was standing there, arguing with her, I was kind of uncomfortably aware of the fact that we were standing in a room surrounded by professor's offices. Indeed, Prof FM closed his door when voices became more raised. I could see Prof. S. in her office, probably listening to every word. Prof. M's office was right behind me. Yikes. The thought did cross my mind: I can't believe I'm doing this. But then, I think I'm doing the right thing.
Of course, after I left her office and thought more about this, I was as usual wrecked by doubt. I mean, what if the woman's MOTHER was dying or something? Or she was just having a really bad day? Did I really handle this correctly? I thought back to the incident, combing every detail. Was I rude too? (No, at least not at first). Should I have been more calm when I went back to her? (Probably.) Was she rude? (Yes.) What could I have done different? (Oh, let me count the ways...)
I am still not certain I did the right thing. I'm not sure I would have felt worse if I had not gone back to her and told her what I thought. If I had not gone back, the incident would not have been an important incident, and I probably would have forgotten all about it by now.
But sometimes "not feeling worse" did not equal a better solution. Perhaps it was more important to speak my mind and to confront her than to just let go and forget about it. In the end, I guess I am more sure that I did the right thing than I will ever be in a situation like this, which is by its very nature ambiguous and hard to parse. Who was in the right? Who had a better claim? Who should win? Who knows what the answer is? But isn't this just like law? :)
Well, here's my spin on it: I got a little braver. I learned how to deal with, and survive, an extremely unpleasant situation, and that learning experience was entirely by choice. Maybe next time I will be a little defter too, if I ever have to do this again. Maybe next time she will hesitate a bit she is nasty to someone else.
And there, I lost my "adult argument virginity." First time for everything.
2/14/2007
V-Day Thoughts
1. The most terrifying part about being in love for me has always been, and still is, not being in control. Making someone else love you is one thing that you cannot work at. It's not something that you can just exert more effort and results will follow. And this is terrifying for a semi-OCD, control-freak, over-achiever like me.
There is only one other thing that I can think of before which we are similarly helpless, and that is death.
2. The best part of love, for me, is developing rituals and private traditions with a loved one. Rituals are such wonderful things. There is the sweetness of anticipation, then the joy and intimacy of the actual experience. A ritual transforms ordinary, everyday events and makes them richer, more complex, more lovely; it imputes meaning into normally meaningless acts.
V-Day itself is a ritual -- a public, kitschy one, to be sure. It was just an ordinary day, until we decided to make it a day about love. Nothing it TOO kitschy for this self-proclaimed closet romantic.
3. My favorite book on love remains the Little Prince.
Comes April (the cruelest month), I hope I will remember the color of the wheat field.
4. I am acutely aware of my own imperfections. This is why I always find it surprising, and moving, and slightly miraculous, when I am loved. :)
The challenge for me has always been to continue to love, when I realize the imperfections of those I love. For me, growing up has been a process of understanding that what is important is not being completely flawless, but being lovable in spite of our flaws.
5. No matter what, love will always be a leap of faith.
Over Christmas break, I bought two copies of The Art of Travel, a book that suited my mood very much at the time. I kept one copy for myself (it is sitting on my night table at the moment, savored a few pages at a time). The other copy I wrapped up, as a gift, hoping that I would be able to give to someone one day, someone who loves slow, solitary traveling, and who would like and understand the artists and writers in the book as much as I do.
The wrapped book is still sitting on my shelf, waiting to be given. But it's only been two months, and I am patient.
Happy V-Day, all.
There is only one other thing that I can think of before which we are similarly helpless, and that is death.
2. The best part of love, for me, is developing rituals and private traditions with a loved one. Rituals are such wonderful things. There is the sweetness of anticipation, then the joy and intimacy of the actual experience. A ritual transforms ordinary, everyday events and makes them richer, more complex, more lovely; it imputes meaning into normally meaningless acts.
V-Day itself is a ritual -- a public, kitschy one, to be sure. It was just an ordinary day, until we decided to make it a day about love. Nothing it TOO kitschy for this self-proclaimed closet romantic.
3. My favorite book on love remains the Little Prince.
Comes April (the cruelest month), I hope I will remember the color of the wheat field.
4. I am acutely aware of my own imperfections. This is why I always find it surprising, and moving, and slightly miraculous, when I am loved. :)
The challenge for me has always been to continue to love, when I realize the imperfections of those I love. For me, growing up has been a process of understanding that what is important is not being completely flawless, but being lovable in spite of our flaws.
5. No matter what, love will always be a leap of faith.
Over Christmas break, I bought two copies of The Art of Travel, a book that suited my mood very much at the time. I kept one copy for myself (it is sitting on my night table at the moment, savored a few pages at a time). The other copy I wrapped up, as a gift, hoping that I would be able to give to someone one day, someone who loves slow, solitary traveling, and who would like and understand the artists and writers in the book as much as I do.
The wrapped book is still sitting on my shelf, waiting to be given. But it's only been two months, and I am patient.
Happy V-Day, all.
2/13/2007
My Crazy Life
Well, kind of ironic that right after I discover the super-easy way to post, I don't post for three days, isn't it? Well, I have been insanely busy. The weekend was fun (with lots of friends, including one from far, far away, and a healthy dose of E thrown in) but work just PILED up. On Sunday night I found myself with readings for corps and local gov law, memo to edit for my journal, and RA work for Professor H. Argh.
But then, I forged ahead into Monday fearlessly, venturing into classes without having read (It turned out that it didn't matter that I HAD read for admin law. Prof. S was incomprehensible anyway), and braced myself for nice but inquisitive email from Prof H. about why I haven't emailed him. But then, just as I was about to have normalcy on Monday afternoon, ABS reminded me that we have our political economy workshop this Wednesday, which means that we had to write a reaction paper by... this Tuesday. WHAT?!? Why on earth hasn't Professor G's assistant emailed to remind us? She usually does about a week before the seminar, so this time I completely forgot... Can't I just claim justifiable reliance here?
Well, um, perhaps not. So it was scrambling to the copy center, picking up the 38-page treatise on constitutional norms (yawn... been there, done that in my comp con law class... this is SO last semester!), skimming through it, coming up with semi-sensible topic, and using the hour I have free today in between my THREE classes to write a truly trashy reaction paper.
No, I really mean truly trashy, and am not trying to be modest here. I really am a bit ashamed, but I figured, out of the TWELVE reaction papers I write for the year, I am allowed at least one trashy paper. :)
Ah, the craziness of law school. In other news, today I gorged myself on cake at our dean's party, to celebrate the fact that she was NOT picked for the presidency of the university. Then to the gym to watch Sex and the City, and to burn off the calories I ate this afternoon. Now I am back in my home, and it's time to work on Professor H's project. Yoohoo!
But then, I forged ahead into Monday fearlessly, venturing into classes without having read (It turned out that it didn't matter that I HAD read for admin law. Prof. S was incomprehensible anyway), and braced myself for nice but inquisitive email from Prof H. about why I haven't emailed him. But then, just as I was about to have normalcy on Monday afternoon, ABS reminded me that we have our political economy workshop this Wednesday, which means that we had to write a reaction paper by... this Tuesday. WHAT?!? Why on earth hasn't Professor G's assistant emailed to remind us? She usually does about a week before the seminar, so this time I completely forgot... Can't I just claim justifiable reliance here?
Well, um, perhaps not. So it was scrambling to the copy center, picking up the 38-page treatise on constitutional norms (yawn... been there, done that in my comp con law class... this is SO last semester!), skimming through it, coming up with semi-sensible topic, and using the hour I have free today in between my THREE classes to write a truly trashy reaction paper.
No, I really mean truly trashy, and am not trying to be modest here. I really am a bit ashamed, but I figured, out of the TWELVE reaction papers I write for the year, I am allowed at least one trashy paper. :)
Ah, the craziness of law school. In other news, today I gorged myself on cake at our dean's party, to celebrate the fact that she was NOT picked for the presidency of the university. Then to the gym to watch Sex and the City, and to burn off the calories I ate this afternoon. Now I am back in my home, and it's time to work on Professor H's project. Yoohoo!
2/10/2007
This Is Too Cool
I only just now discovered that I can update my blog by writing to an
email address! This is too cool! Perhaps you will see me blogging a
lot more from now on. :) No promises, though!
email address! This is too cool! Perhaps you will see me blogging a
lot more from now on. :) No promises, though!
Nothing New Under the Sun...
I went to a constitutional law conference yesterday held at my law school. Since con law is often seen as the most prestigious area of law, con law professors are often seen as the most prestigious professors among other law professors. This conference included some of the most famous professors in con law, and so it was a room where the prestigeometer hit pretty high.
There were only a few students in attendance, probably because it was not advertised to students. I only discovered it by accident, as I was walking through the building in which it was held to go into the Dean of Students office to steal candy (one of my daily activities from which I derive great pleasure. :)). In any case, I was curious, so I followed the signs and stopped by. The room was filled with luminiaries from my law school, and all the faces I didn't recognize turned out to be ridiculously big names (well, in con law at least) whose work I have read in con law or other law classes. All the students sat against one wall, looking awed and taking notes. The dean was there, seated among three newly hired assistant professors who never spoke a word during the discussion. The president of the law review was there. My con law prof and comparative con law prof from last semester, my admin law prof from this semester, my local gov law prof, my two workshop professors, Professor M, with whom I'm doing an independent writing this semester, were all there.
I stayed for about two hours, long enough to eat THREE pieces of pastries. (As I stood up for the third time to go out of the room to get food, I thought vaguely to myself how weird it is that I felt no shame... hehe). The discussion was about a paper that two of the professors (whose name I actually DIDN'T recognize) in attendance wrote. Since I missed the presentation of the paper itself, I was only able to glean the gist of it from the presentation it ensued, and I guess it was a discussioin of whether Congress should be more activist in asserting wartime powers against the president. (Boy wouldn't it have been funny if I got that completely wrong?) But the discussion was meandering and also touched upon various methods of interpreting the constitution (of course summarized by Prof S, who loves this sort of taxonomy), a vigorous defense of originalism by one of the resident conservatives Prof. M., an exhortation to consider the constitution from an internationalist perspective (not surprisingly from Prof J who co-wrote the casebook on comparative con law), and a very healthy dose of legal realism from Prof F, who along with Prof M co-organized the conference.
I think I was following the discussion well, but as I was sitting there, I also realized that I was really, really, really bored. It was more interesting for me to see the whole thing from a sociological perspective - to note the silence of the younger profs, the awe of the students, the ease with which some of the older profs pontificated and interrupted each other at length (though the conversation was never heated - everyone was jovial and warm and friendly and there were frequent eruptions of laughter). Also how the conversation always seems to center around the comments of some professors (I'm thinking especially of Prof. S here - later I heard the dean ask him over to her house for dinner - I guess we are really in heavy recruitng mode), and also noting that my con law professor, although relatively young, was already treated by his older colleagues with a lot of respect (he DID speak quite a few times and in spite of his weird inflection seemed quite commanding). This was fascinating to me, much more than the subject matter itself.
If anything, as I left the room, I realized how the stale the whole conversation seemed to me. It was all the themes we actually read about in our con law casebooks; it seemed like those were the themes and issues that have been debated about for decades, if not centuries. Clearly certain questions (such as the extent of the war powers of the president) takes on special urgency in certain times (like now), but there simply doesn't seem to be new arguments advanced one way or another (Other than an internationailst approach, which from what I understand is kind of trendy these days). People talked about originalism, and instrumentalist approaches, the value of the precedent, the pros and cons of following established practices, the separation of powers and its good/bad/practical/impractical parts... blah blah blah. Professor F. probably made the most cogent and accurate (but no less boring) comment when he said that under our system, it's unlikely that these questions will ever only have one plausible answer. There will always be arguments "on the other side". Yes! I was thinking. But, wait... so what else is new? Why are we still all sitting here? haha!
Could it really be true that there is nothing new under the sun for con law? This was the question I was thinking about as I left the room (filled with cake). I suppose in the past few years, what has really been new and exciting in law was the introduction of the social sciences, but constitutional law seems peculiarly resistent to that, probably because it is all textual interpretation and not a lot of concern over empirical data. It reminds me a lot of philosophy, the bad parts of philosophy, and the precise reason why I got out of phiosophy - it's a lot of people sitting around a room with no outside information (or concern for outside information, for that matter) and who endlessly ruminate over age-old questions with no answers, at least no answers that you can prove were the correct ones. I can see how some people would enjoy that, and would find that stiumulating and even noble. Having experienced it, I am a bit frustrated by this and find it a bit wasteful.
Perhaps that's just me. Omg have I finally become an anti-intellectual?!?
There were only a few students in attendance, probably because it was not advertised to students. I only discovered it by accident, as I was walking through the building in which it was held to go into the Dean of Students office to steal candy (one of my daily activities from which I derive great pleasure. :)). In any case, I was curious, so I followed the signs and stopped by. The room was filled with luminiaries from my law school, and all the faces I didn't recognize turned out to be ridiculously big names (well, in con law at least) whose work I have read in con law or other law classes. All the students sat against one wall, looking awed and taking notes. The dean was there, seated among three newly hired assistant professors who never spoke a word during the discussion. The president of the law review was there. My con law prof and comparative con law prof from last semester, my admin law prof from this semester, my local gov law prof, my two workshop professors, Professor M, with whom I'm doing an independent writing this semester, were all there.
I stayed for about two hours, long enough to eat THREE pieces of pastries. (As I stood up for the third time to go out of the room to get food, I thought vaguely to myself how weird it is that I felt no shame... hehe). The discussion was about a paper that two of the professors (whose name I actually DIDN'T recognize) in attendance wrote. Since I missed the presentation of the paper itself, I was only able to glean the gist of it from the presentation it ensued, and I guess it was a discussioin of whether Congress should be more activist in asserting wartime powers against the president. (Boy wouldn't it have been funny if I got that completely wrong?) But the discussion was meandering and also touched upon various methods of interpreting the constitution (of course summarized by Prof S, who loves this sort of taxonomy), a vigorous defense of originalism by one of the resident conservatives Prof. M., an exhortation to consider the constitution from an internationalist perspective (not surprisingly from Prof J who co-wrote the casebook on comparative con law), and a very healthy dose of legal realism from Prof F, who along with Prof M co-organized the conference.
I think I was following the discussion well, but as I was sitting there, I also realized that I was really, really, really bored. It was more interesting for me to see the whole thing from a sociological perspective - to note the silence of the younger profs, the awe of the students, the ease with which some of the older profs pontificated and interrupted each other at length (though the conversation was never heated - everyone was jovial and warm and friendly and there were frequent eruptions of laughter). Also how the conversation always seems to center around the comments of some professors (I'm thinking especially of Prof. S here - later I heard the dean ask him over to her house for dinner - I guess we are really in heavy recruitng mode), and also noting that my con law professor, although relatively young, was already treated by his older colleagues with a lot of respect (he DID speak quite a few times and in spite of his weird inflection seemed quite commanding). This was fascinating to me, much more than the subject matter itself.
If anything, as I left the room, I realized how the stale the whole conversation seemed to me. It was all the themes we actually read about in our con law casebooks; it seemed like those were the themes and issues that have been debated about for decades, if not centuries. Clearly certain questions (such as the extent of the war powers of the president) takes on special urgency in certain times (like now), but there simply doesn't seem to be new arguments advanced one way or another (Other than an internationailst approach, which from what I understand is kind of trendy these days). People talked about originalism, and instrumentalist approaches, the value of the precedent, the pros and cons of following established practices, the separation of powers and its good/bad/practical/impractical parts... blah blah blah. Professor F. probably made the most cogent and accurate (but no less boring) comment when he said that under our system, it's unlikely that these questions will ever only have one plausible answer. There will always be arguments "on the other side". Yes! I was thinking. But, wait... so what else is new? Why are we still all sitting here? haha!
Could it really be true that there is nothing new under the sun for con law? This was the question I was thinking about as I left the room (filled with cake). I suppose in the past few years, what has really been new and exciting in law was the introduction of the social sciences, but constitutional law seems peculiarly resistent to that, probably because it is all textual interpretation and not a lot of concern over empirical data. It reminds me a lot of philosophy, the bad parts of philosophy, and the precise reason why I got out of phiosophy - it's a lot of people sitting around a room with no outside information (or concern for outside information, for that matter) and who endlessly ruminate over age-old questions with no answers, at least no answers that you can prove were the correct ones. I can see how some people would enjoy that, and would find that stiumulating and even noble. Having experienced it, I am a bit frustrated by this and find it a bit wasteful.
Perhaps that's just me. Omg have I finally become an anti-intellectual?!?
2/08/2007
Swamped Already
Well, Prof B basically ruined my week, as I spent Monday and Tuesday furiously working for him, and therefore got behind on all my classes. I now have mountains of reading to do, and of course, what do I do tonight? Spending 2.5 hours on the phone with E.
Oh well. My life is really rather boring these days, other than endless appointments, journal duties, RA work, and reading (or rather, NOT reading). I wish I had more interesting things to tell you, but I fear that typing these things out will put myself to sleep. Better just to use that time to actually go to sleep. :)
Oh well. My life is really rather boring these days, other than endless appointments, journal duties, RA work, and reading (or rather, NOT reading). I wish I had more interesting things to tell you, but I fear that typing these things out will put myself to sleep. Better just to use that time to actually go to sleep. :)
2/05/2007
What?!?
Out of sheer boredom, I just sat down and actually read through some items on the summer associate extranet that my summer firm has set up for us. And I just discovered that the "photograph" that they have been hounding us about, (which we had to submit like three days ago... oh well)... anyway, the photograph needed to be taken by a professional photographer at the firm's expense! And we needed to be dressed in professional attire!
Why? And who on earth has the time?
Argh. One more thing on my list.
Also, I have to fill out a background check release form. Why on earth would they want to do a background check??? ... Hmmm...
Why? And who on earth has the time?
Argh. One more thing on my list.
Also, I have to fill out a background check release form. Why on earth would they want to do a background check??? ... Hmmm...
Weekend of Fun; Week of Work
My weekend has been a ton of fun. Sadly, I'm paying for it now with having to stay up waaay past my bedtime, not having done my readings and RA work, and dead tired. I have 3 classes tomorrow, starting at 10:30. It's not going to be fun. :(
BUT, since the title of this post is first about the weekend, I'm going to talk about my weekend. On Saturday I attended more of the conference, which essentially consisted of a series of workshops where people talked about their working papers and then the audience asked questions or gave critique. I had an excellent lunch, and attended a few afternoon workshops, then went to Starbucks and read a bit of admin law.
In the evening, the professor who organized the conference threw a party at her house. LC drove me and a bunch of her friends to the house circa 9, and we proceeded to have a very yummy buffet dinner (roasted chicken with peanut sauce; crispy pita breads with basil pesto sauce, roasted vegetables, and lots and lots of very chocolatey dessert... mmm... I'm getting hungry now).
The wine was also excellent, and LC drank quite a lot of it. I also met a few very cool people whom I would like to run into again. Professor H's condo is very cool - modern, airy, woodfloors and high ceilings and skylights and fireplace and the works... sparsely though nicely decorated. What I like the most is the open plan, making it seem almost like a loft (except for the second floor bedroom that overlooks the first floor. Perfect for throwing parties... I think this is the kind of place I would like to live in.
Sunday, got up early, as usual, and began reading some more admin law. Went to undergrad dining hall for brunch, then came home and continued reading. I also realized that I forgot my ID card, which caused me a bit of distress, but that is all resolved now (my neighbor actually found it on the ground yesterday outside in the yard, picked it up, and returned it to me tonight. I'm very relieved.)
Then, the funnest part of today: shopping at Whole Foods with AB! We spent 2 hours at the place, browsing the fruits and the veggies and the cheese and the chocolates and the fish and the yogurts and the spices and the breads and the wines... and of course as usual I wanted to buy the whole store, but settled for only $150 worth of groceries. I now have a very nice tuna steak and some lovely Alaskan King salmon and some delicious parsnips and eggplants and lamb stew meats sleeping in my refrigerator... okay enough! I think it's this cold weather and the late night that are conspiring to make me hungry.
Came back aound 5:15, put groceries away, went to brief meeting at school, then came home, ate a quick bite while I stewed some chicken with vegetables, and began reading for corps. Of course, just when I go down to business (no pun intended), who would write but Professor B, who is still in California at the moment, but who writes with an urgent missive: "Are you available tonight or tomorrow for some editing?" It sounded urgent. I sighed. "Tonight, only for an hour or two. Tomorrow, I might have more time." Then his reply: "Okay, I'll send you the document now. Can you try to get it back to me by tomorrow at 10 AM PST?" The document turned out to be this article that's 35 pages long. I have to edit it, proofread it, AND create table of content? WTF? Does this guy think I don't sleep?
Then, around 10, E called, which always makes me happy, so I put work off, and talked to him for an hour. Then went back to corps reading, and then began my RA work. This is just my attempt to take a break. Now I must go back to the drudgery. Sigh. The week begins again.
BUT, since the title of this post is first about the weekend, I'm going to talk about my weekend. On Saturday I attended more of the conference, which essentially consisted of a series of workshops where people talked about their working papers and then the audience asked questions or gave critique. I had an excellent lunch, and attended a few afternoon workshops, then went to Starbucks and read a bit of admin law.
In the evening, the professor who organized the conference threw a party at her house. LC drove me and a bunch of her friends to the house circa 9, and we proceeded to have a very yummy buffet dinner (roasted chicken with peanut sauce; crispy pita breads with basil pesto sauce, roasted vegetables, and lots and lots of very chocolatey dessert... mmm... I'm getting hungry now).
The wine was also excellent, and LC drank quite a lot of it. I also met a few very cool people whom I would like to run into again. Professor H's condo is very cool - modern, airy, woodfloors and high ceilings and skylights and fireplace and the works... sparsely though nicely decorated. What I like the most is the open plan, making it seem almost like a loft (except for the second floor bedroom that overlooks the first floor. Perfect for throwing parties... I think this is the kind of place I would like to live in.
Sunday, got up early, as usual, and began reading some more admin law. Went to undergrad dining hall for brunch, then came home and continued reading. I also realized that I forgot my ID card, which caused me a bit of distress, but that is all resolved now (my neighbor actually found it on the ground yesterday outside in the yard, picked it up, and returned it to me tonight. I'm very relieved.)
Then, the funnest part of today: shopping at Whole Foods with AB! We spent 2 hours at the place, browsing the fruits and the veggies and the cheese and the chocolates and the fish and the yogurts and the spices and the breads and the wines... and of course as usual I wanted to buy the whole store, but settled for only $150 worth of groceries. I now have a very nice tuna steak and some lovely Alaskan King salmon and some delicious parsnips and eggplants and lamb stew meats sleeping in my refrigerator... okay enough! I think it's this cold weather and the late night that are conspiring to make me hungry.
Came back aound 5:15, put groceries away, went to brief meeting at school, then came home, ate a quick bite while I stewed some chicken with vegetables, and began reading for corps. Of course, just when I go down to business (no pun intended), who would write but Professor B, who is still in California at the moment, but who writes with an urgent missive: "Are you available tonight or tomorrow for some editing?" It sounded urgent. I sighed. "Tonight, only for an hour or two. Tomorrow, I might have more time." Then his reply: "Okay, I'll send you the document now. Can you try to get it back to me by tomorrow at 10 AM PST?" The document turned out to be this article that's 35 pages long. I have to edit it, proofread it, AND create table of content? WTF? Does this guy think I don't sleep?
Then, around 10, E called, which always makes me happy, so I put work off, and talked to him for an hour. Then went back to corps reading, and then began my RA work. This is just my attempt to take a break. Now I must go back to the drudgery. Sigh. The week begins again.
2/02/2007
End of LONG Week
This week is finally over, and I'm very relieved. I have been so tired and really not used to this schedule yet.
I have finalized my schedule. Strangely, after a week of agonizing, my schedule remains largely unchanged, other than dropping that one seminar and adding Local Government Law instead. I'm taking: admin law (with the same prof), corps (the serious one, though I'm auditing the other one b/c I'm quite a groupie :)), local gov law, an independent writing project with beloved Prof M., and finally, my 2 year-long semiinars.
I tried to find a course that could fit into my schedule at the college, but since the law school operates on a strangely different schedule from the university, this made it EXTREMELY hard to cross-register. In the end (after much agonizing), I gave up.
On Wednesday night I had a long conversation (3 hours) with friend E that left me agitated and insomnic for much of the night, so only slept 3 hours. (Really the first time it's happened since the end of the exam season last year when I started using sleeping pills heavily).
On Thursday night, I went to a symphony in the city (free tix from friend DA!) with JJ and listened to a lot of Beethoven and a little bit of nonsense Schoenberg thrown in for contrast, or something. The Beethoven was lovely. The Schoenberg was... less so, but interesting. Though I usually could only take those about 5 minutes at a time, and after the 5 minutes I was quite ready for it to be over, but had to endure 15 more minutes of it. :)
And tonight, I went to a conference, then to a screening of Babel sponsored by the conference. I liked Babel until the very end, but the ending felt too neat and not as emotionally powerful as it could have been (or as the rest of the film was geared up to be). I still highly recommend it though. Reallyl interesting, intertwined plotlines, excellent acting, superb cinematography, etc. Then had an excellent dinner sponsored by the same conference, where I sat with LC. I had to restrain myself very hard to not eat the tri-colored mousse, but restraining myself I did.
Right now I am debating very hard wtih myself whether or not to attend the conference tomorrow. On the one hand, it was so enjoyable, and I bet the luncheon would be excellent again. On the other hand, I have so much work and errands to do!!
I have finalized my schedule. Strangely, after a week of agonizing, my schedule remains largely unchanged, other than dropping that one seminar and adding Local Government Law instead. I'm taking: admin law (with the same prof), corps (the serious one, though I'm auditing the other one b/c I'm quite a groupie :)), local gov law, an independent writing project with beloved Prof M., and finally, my 2 year-long semiinars.
I tried to find a course that could fit into my schedule at the college, but since the law school operates on a strangely different schedule from the university, this made it EXTREMELY hard to cross-register. In the end (after much agonizing), I gave up.
On Wednesday night I had a long conversation (3 hours) with friend E that left me agitated and insomnic for much of the night, so only slept 3 hours. (Really the first time it's happened since the end of the exam season last year when I started using sleeping pills heavily).
On Thursday night, I went to a symphony in the city (free tix from friend DA!) with JJ and listened to a lot of Beethoven and a little bit of nonsense Schoenberg thrown in for contrast, or something. The Beethoven was lovely. The Schoenberg was... less so, but interesting. Though I usually could only take those about 5 minutes at a time, and after the 5 minutes I was quite ready for it to be over, but had to endure 15 more minutes of it. :)
And tonight, I went to a conference, then to a screening of Babel sponsored by the conference. I liked Babel until the very end, but the ending felt too neat and not as emotionally powerful as it could have been (or as the rest of the film was geared up to be). I still highly recommend it though. Reallyl interesting, intertwined plotlines, excellent acting, superb cinematography, etc. Then had an excellent dinner sponsored by the same conference, where I sat with LC. I had to restrain myself very hard to not eat the tri-colored mousse, but restraining myself I did.
Right now I am debating very hard wtih myself whether or not to attend the conference tomorrow. On the one hand, it was so enjoyable, and I bet the luncheon would be excellent again. On the other hand, I have so much work and errands to do!!
1/30/2007
Tired
I'm still getting used to the being-away-all-day and the getting-up-early routine, and today I was feeling very fatigued at 7 p.m., so I think it will be an early night for this girl.
In the course of frantically combing the registrat's website for possibly desirable courses that have not yet been registered, I came across a seminar that is strangely still half-empty, taught by a prof that we snatched this year from Columbia. Weird. I wonder if it's because he's a horrible teacher, or what? Well in any case, I enrolled myself in it. Now I just have to find out what the class is about. :)
Also, I'm now 6th on the waitlist for local government law! Crossing my fingers...
In the course of frantically combing the registrat's website for possibly desirable courses that have not yet been registered, I came across a seminar that is strangely still half-empty, taught by a prof that we snatched this year from Columbia. Weird. I wonder if it's because he's a horrible teacher, or what? Well in any case, I enrolled myself in it. Now I just have to find out what the class is about. :)
Also, I'm now 6th on the waitlist for local government law! Crossing my fingers...
1/29/2007
Class Decision Drama
I had high hopes for the one seminar I signed up for this semester with Prof R. Sadly, it disappointed me, and I am ... disappointed.
Take t from me: It's never a good sign when a prof prefaces the class by saying that it was the first time he is teaching the class, that it is an "experiment," and that he doesn't exactly know what he wants to do yet. Then, we proceeded to have meandering discussions for TWO HOURS with people awkwardly contributing freshman-year, first-political-philosophy-class-EVER type comments and critiques to our reading assignments. I mean, the reading itself should have tipped me off: some Jeremy Bentham, some critique on Bentham, some basic "omg should we have utilitarianism but it's so PROBLEMATIC!" type essays. Yawn. By the second hour I was really ready to kill self. Or fall asleep. I wanted to leave but I didn't want to be rude.
I just dropped the class this evening. But now what should I take?! Argh.
I'm fastening all my hope on local gov law. Currently, I'm #11 on the waitlist. It does not look good.
Take t from me: It's never a good sign when a prof prefaces the class by saying that it was the first time he is teaching the class, that it is an "experiment," and that he doesn't exactly know what he wants to do yet. Then, we proceeded to have meandering discussions for TWO HOURS with people awkwardly contributing freshman-year, first-political-philosophy-class-EVER type comments and critiques to our reading assignments. I mean, the reading itself should have tipped me off: some Jeremy Bentham, some critique on Bentham, some basic "omg should we have utilitarianism but it's so PROBLEMATIC!" type essays. Yawn. By the second hour I was really ready to kill self. Or fall asleep. I wanted to leave but I didn't want to be rude.
I just dropped the class this evening. But now what should I take?! Argh.
I'm fastening all my hope on local gov law. Currently, I'm #11 on the waitlist. It does not look good.
1/28/2007
School Starts Anew
I'm SO not ready for the spring semester... I don't have all my classes picked out yet, and haven't done most of my readings. Argh! That damned memo ate up all my intersession!
1/27/2007
Nostalgia
Was going through my photo album today and saw this photo, which made me miss Jerusalem very much.
It's funny how your love for a city can foment while you're absent from it, growing stronger, more complex, more layered. It was like that with Germany, with Berlin in particular. I saw it first in 2000, and then was absent from it for a year. But during that year, it was continually on my mind, the grayness, the cold wetness, the stately marble buildilngs of Ku'damm, those walls with bullet holes... the fog that curled around the Fersehturm, the bored-looking urbanites on Alexanderplatz, the leather-clad hipsters walking around the Frier Uni. I think it was in being away from Berlin that I really fell in love with it.
And here, it is the being away from Jerusalem that makes me want to go back, that hilly city, white city, the city where, from an aerial view, it is as if all the houses and streets were built haphazardly and in danger of falling down any minute (see photo above); the city where every rock, every stick could be (and probably is) an artifact; that utterly chaotic, self-contradicotry city with five-thousand-year-old walls and ramshackle buildings and noisy Arabic markets and that hot, dry smell of the desert. And yet in the evening, when the sun sets, the city suddenly settles into a softness and almost sorrowful silence.
And the people! I had never seen so many people walking around with vehement, determined expressions. The language you overhear always sounded urgent, and everyone smoked as if there was no tomorrow. And then the women have such lovely olive skins...
Imagine spending August in Jerusalem! Even the hotness and driness sound appealing right now.
I wrote to a few professors whom I thought might have connections in the Middle East. Some have written back. Some have not. We'll see.
Off to grocery shopping!
It's funny how your love for a city can foment while you're absent from it, growing stronger, more complex, more layered. It was like that with Germany, with Berlin in particular. I saw it first in 2000, and then was absent from it for a year. But during that year, it was continually on my mind, the grayness, the cold wetness, the stately marble buildilngs of Ku'damm, those walls with bullet holes... the fog that curled around the Fersehturm, the bored-looking urbanites on Alexanderplatz, the leather-clad hipsters walking around the Frier Uni. I think it was in being away from Berlin that I really fell in love with it.
And here, it is the being away from Jerusalem that makes me want to go back, that hilly city, white city, the city where, from an aerial view, it is as if all the houses and streets were built haphazardly and in danger of falling down any minute (see photo above); the city where every rock, every stick could be (and probably is) an artifact; that utterly chaotic, self-contradicotry city with five-thousand-year-old walls and ramshackle buildings and noisy Arabic markets and that hot, dry smell of the desert. And yet in the evening, when the sun sets, the city suddenly settles into a softness and almost sorrowful silence.
And the people! I had never seen so many people walking around with vehement, determined expressions. The language you overhear always sounded urgent, and everyone smoked as if there was no tomorrow. And then the women have such lovely olive skins...
Imagine spending August in Jerusalem! Even the hotness and driness sound appealing right now.
I wrote to a few professors whom I thought might have connections in the Middle East. Some have written back. Some have not. We'll see.
Off to grocery shopping!
1/26/2007
Brrrrrrrrr
My face hurt from walking outside today. In about 45 minutes I will have to go out again to meet J and her husband for dinner. We picked a restaurant that's relatively close by, but I'm still dreading the prospect of having to walk there, and then back. Tonight it will be 3 degrees. THREE! And with windchills it will be -13. NEGATIVE THIRTEEN!!
Have been working all day today, and plan to work most of the day tomorrow. Tomorrow evening, AB is driving me to Whole Foods. We are going to load up on yummy organic veggies and meats, and then cook a delicious meal together. You can bet I'm very much looking forward to this. ;)
Have been working all day today, and plan to work most of the day tomorrow. Tomorrow evening, AB is driving me to Whole Foods. We are going to load up on yummy organic veggies and meats, and then cook a delicious meal together. You can bet I'm very much looking forward to this. ;)
1/25/2007
RAing, Procrastinating, Friends
I would be lying if I said that I have been crazy busy with RA work. I have certainly been doing a lot of that, but I have frankly been doing more procrastinating. :)
I did finish editing Professor B's urgent stuff, so now I'm left with the less urgent and a lot more boring stuff like editing down cases so his future family law class could get the benefit of not having to read a gazillion pages of useless analysis (kind of like what we did with this case Wendt v. Wendt... The original case opinion was over 300 pages. Prof B. -- or some poor assistant -- edited it down to 50, and it was still way too long. ABS never bothered reading it because of the length.) So I have about 20 cases for which to do this, including Wendt (hee hee).
Then I am editing this essay by Prof. S, which is in a rough shape (the essay, not the prof), and I think some aspects of the argument needs work. But overall it's interesting to see how people work, and reassuring too b/c it seems totally doable.
I had excellent sushi with RH, LC, AC, and AC's boyfriend J last night. Afterwards, RH and LC came by my apartment for some wine (my favorite: carmenere) and chocolate (truffles from Whole Foods), and we talked about everything from gossip re professors to our dating lives to legal history to critiques of law and literature. I don't hang out with RH and LC much, but last night I was reminded of how much I like them, and especially RH, because he is always so witty and funny and smart.
LC had a funny story about two of the professors at the law school. They are married now, but apparently before they were married, the male professor was married to someone else. Then the male professor and the female professor began having an affair. At a faculty meeting, the male professor's then-wife walked up to the female professor and said to her: "Stop fucking my husband." The female professor very calmly replied: "I can't."
I have no idea whether this story is true, but we certainly had a good laugh over it.
LC is brave and NOT doing a firm this summer. She worked for a firm last summer and absolutely hated it, so she is looking for non-profit opportunities and thinking more specifically about West Africa. She is also thinking about getting a PhD in anthropology after law school. RH already has a PhD in literature, and is therefore in no hurry to return to endless grad student life. I think after long years of poverty he is finally to make some money, though of course academia is such a prize that I doubt anyone would turn it down if given the option.
We also talked for quite a bit about my pessimism re law and literature, but strangely, from the conversation, I actually got some idea for a paper that I am quite excited about, and I began thinking that I perhaps would write it next semester under Professor M. Today I thought about this some more, and talked it over with my dad, who knows nothing about law, and not that much about literary theory (I mean beyond what a reasonably well-educated person usually knows), but who understood what I was talking about and seemed to like my approach.
So I have been thinking about THIS all day (in lieu of working, hehe), and keep on turning the idea over in my head and trying to make sure that it still is a viable and appropriately interesting and original idea, which is also substantial enough to turn into a solid paper. I probably need to do some secondary literature research before I start, just to make sure I am not writing on some obvious and cliched points that people have already written about. But from the way Professor M talked about it last semester, it sounds like no one is writing on this stuff anymore. Perhaps it's time to... um, revive the field. :)
In a bout of virtuousness this morning, I went to the gym for 1.5 hours, did quite a few situps, and then ran/walked for 5.5 miles. I still am not close to reaching my new year's resolution of running for 5 miles nonstop. The maximum I have done ever is 3 miles. I think my problem is that I get bored before I get tired, so next time I go to the gym, perhaps I should make sure to go at night when prime time TV is on, with a good show that I like, such as Lost. Then I bet I could run throughout the whole episode.
Hmmm... that actually is not a bad idea... Of course the weather needs to cooperate and not drop down to single digits at night so I can actually not be deterred to walk to the gym in the first place. :)
I did finish editing Professor B's urgent stuff, so now I'm left with the less urgent and a lot more boring stuff like editing down cases so his future family law class could get the benefit of not having to read a gazillion pages of useless analysis (kind of like what we did with this case Wendt v. Wendt... The original case opinion was over 300 pages. Prof B. -- or some poor assistant -- edited it down to 50, and it was still way too long. ABS never bothered reading it because of the length.) So I have about 20 cases for which to do this, including Wendt (hee hee).
Then I am editing this essay by Prof. S, which is in a rough shape (the essay, not the prof), and I think some aspects of the argument needs work. But overall it's interesting to see how people work, and reassuring too b/c it seems totally doable.
I had excellent sushi with RH, LC, AC, and AC's boyfriend J last night. Afterwards, RH and LC came by my apartment for some wine (my favorite: carmenere) and chocolate (truffles from Whole Foods), and we talked about everything from gossip re professors to our dating lives to legal history to critiques of law and literature. I don't hang out with RH and LC much, but last night I was reminded of how much I like them, and especially RH, because he is always so witty and funny and smart.
LC had a funny story about two of the professors at the law school. They are married now, but apparently before they were married, the male professor was married to someone else. Then the male professor and the female professor began having an affair. At a faculty meeting, the male professor's then-wife walked up to the female professor and said to her: "Stop fucking my husband." The female professor very calmly replied: "I can't."
I have no idea whether this story is true, but we certainly had a good laugh over it.
LC is brave and NOT doing a firm this summer. She worked for a firm last summer and absolutely hated it, so she is looking for non-profit opportunities and thinking more specifically about West Africa. She is also thinking about getting a PhD in anthropology after law school. RH already has a PhD in literature, and is therefore in no hurry to return to endless grad student life. I think after long years of poverty he is finally to make some money, though of course academia is such a prize that I doubt anyone would turn it down if given the option.
We also talked for quite a bit about my pessimism re law and literature, but strangely, from the conversation, I actually got some idea for a paper that I am quite excited about, and I began thinking that I perhaps would write it next semester under Professor M. Today I thought about this some more, and talked it over with my dad, who knows nothing about law, and not that much about literary theory (I mean beyond what a reasonably well-educated person usually knows), but who understood what I was talking about and seemed to like my approach.
So I have been thinking about THIS all day (in lieu of working, hehe), and keep on turning the idea over in my head and trying to make sure that it still is a viable and appropriately interesting and original idea, which is also substantial enough to turn into a solid paper. I probably need to do some secondary literature research before I start, just to make sure I am not writing on some obvious and cliched points that people have already written about. But from the way Professor M talked about it last semester, it sounds like no one is writing on this stuff anymore. Perhaps it's time to... um, revive the field. :)
In a bout of virtuousness this morning, I went to the gym for 1.5 hours, did quite a few situps, and then ran/walked for 5.5 miles. I still am not close to reaching my new year's resolution of running for 5 miles nonstop. The maximum I have done ever is 3 miles. I think my problem is that I get bored before I get tired, so next time I go to the gym, perhaps I should make sure to go at night when prime time TV is on, with a good show that I like, such as Lost. Then I bet I could run throughout the whole episode.
Hmmm... that actually is not a bad idea... Of course the weather needs to cooperate and not drop down to single digits at night so I can actually not be deterred to walk to the gym in the first place. :)
1/22/2007
Done with Winter Semester
Family law final exam was okay... very conventional and long hypos, but interesting. Though the prof promised that there was no time pressure, I still wrote until 10 minutes before the deadline, and handed the exam in right before 4:30. ABS was already in the exam room, waiting for me, as expected.
After the exam, we hung out for a bit at the LR building, chatting about the exam that neither of us stressed too much about, stealing their bagels and potato chips, and watching TV listlessly. Also ran into AG there and chatted.
Then walked home in the light snow - it was beautiful and made me nostalgic. My apartment is very warm these days because of the wonderful space heater purchase. Oh and I forgot to mention last night: on the way back to the apartment after getting the heater, I discovered I left my keys in the apartment, and had wait in the cold for nearly an hour for security to come and unlock the door for me... don't tell my parents... :)
ABS and I sat in the absolutely toasty apartment, talking, reading (ABS) and cooking (me). I have been feeling very domestic lately, and bought a ton of cookbooks and groceries. Made soup noodles and romaine salad for dinner, and had some mochi ice cream for dessert.
Hmmm, speaking of which... Have been having way too much dessert in general lately... Should hit the gym soon.
After the exam, we hung out for a bit at the LR building, chatting about the exam that neither of us stressed too much about, stealing their bagels and potato chips, and watching TV listlessly. Also ran into AG there and chatted.
Then walked home in the light snow - it was beautiful and made me nostalgic. My apartment is very warm these days because of the wonderful space heater purchase. Oh and I forgot to mention last night: on the way back to the apartment after getting the heater, I discovered I left my keys in the apartment, and had wait in the cold for nearly an hour for security to come and unlock the door for me... don't tell my parents... :)
ABS and I sat in the absolutely toasty apartment, talking, reading (ABS) and cooking (me). I have been feeling very domestic lately, and bought a ton of cookbooks and groceries. Made soup noodles and romaine salad for dinner, and had some mochi ice cream for dessert.
Hmmm, speaking of which... Have been having way too much dessert in general lately... Should hit the gym soon.
1/21/2007
Can't Wait for 2008
A woman, an African-American, and a Hispanic vying for the presidency!
Just thinking about it gives me the goosebumps!
Just thinking about it gives me the goosebumps!
NOT Stressed
My TOTAL lack of stress about tomorrow's exam worries me a little, but just a little. I wonder vaguely whether I should be studying a bit more, but then the other, unstressed part of my brain dismisses that thought quickly. :)
I did finish outlining, mostly from my notes, but it's a very crappy outline. What do you expect from a class where I only took 30 (29.5, to be exact) pages of class notes? To be fair, it's a hard class to outline for. Much of the class was spent on discussions and debates and group projects and video clips and moot courts. It's the reason why I like the class so much. Also, much of the course material involves policy arguments for or against a position ("is polygamy desirable?" "Are incest laws justifiable on the bases of arguments that also justify same-sex marriage?" etc.) and that kind of stuf is really hard to outline for. Let's just hope Prof B. doesn't do an aboutface and give a really doctrinal exam!
Speaking of Prof B, I'm doing a bit of RA work for him, which is perhaps not the wisest decision given all my other work, but it sure will be fun. Met with him this morning and he already gave me a ton of work. But really looking forward to actually doing this because this stuff is just so INTERESTING. In fact, we started talking in his office about some of the issues and before we knew it, began arguing about them again. Since family law is so close to everyone's lives, it's just not possible to hear about one of these cases without having an opinion, and in most cases, a strong opinion. I love it!
Well, I suppose I should go and read the half a dozen cases that I didn't get around to reading today. It will be an early night for me, and hopefully tomorrow night I will still feel calm and relaxed (and not kicking myself for not studying more.)
In other news, I'm so fed up with the cold weather, and it looks like it's going to continue for the foreseeable future. So... I finally broke down and purchased a space heater this afternoon, because my bedroom is just too cold at night and I'm tired of bundling up in bed. So my room should be warm and toasty tonight, though fraught with fire hazard... If I don't post in the next few days... :-)
I did finish outlining, mostly from my notes, but it's a very crappy outline. What do you expect from a class where I only took 30 (29.5, to be exact) pages of class notes? To be fair, it's a hard class to outline for. Much of the class was spent on discussions and debates and group projects and video clips and moot courts. It's the reason why I like the class so much. Also, much of the course material involves policy arguments for or against a position ("is polygamy desirable?" "Are incest laws justifiable on the bases of arguments that also justify same-sex marriage?" etc.) and that kind of stuf is really hard to outline for. Let's just hope Prof B. doesn't do an aboutface and give a really doctrinal exam!
Speaking of Prof B, I'm doing a bit of RA work for him, which is perhaps not the wisest decision given all my other work, but it sure will be fun. Met with him this morning and he already gave me a ton of work. But really looking forward to actually doing this because this stuff is just so INTERESTING. In fact, we started talking in his office about some of the issues and before we knew it, began arguing about them again. Since family law is so close to everyone's lives, it's just not possible to hear about one of these cases without having an opinion, and in most cases, a strong opinion. I love it!
Well, I suppose I should go and read the half a dozen cases that I didn't get around to reading today. It will be an early night for me, and hopefully tomorrow night I will still feel calm and relaxed (and not kicking myself for not studying more.)
In other news, I'm so fed up with the cold weather, and it looks like it's going to continue for the foreseeable future. So... I finally broke down and purchased a space heater this afternoon, because my bedroom is just too cold at night and I'm tired of bundling up in bed. So my room should be warm and toasty tonight, though fraught with fire hazard... If I don't post in the next few days... :-)
1/19/2007
Last Class
Professor B said some moving things in his last speech in class today, before he left amidst our applause.
One of the point he made is "don't just go where the money is. They may be using the money to pay you for the opportunity cost of not pursuing something else that could also be of great value to you, but the value of which is more diffuse and difficult to measure. Money is easily quantifiable and concrete, which is why many people tend to overvalue money and undervalue those 'other things' that are harder to quantify. You should make sure that when you go for the money, the extra money really does adequately pay for all those other values that you may be giving up."
This is of course common sense, but very nicely put. It got me thinking about this all day.
Wow now law school is REALLY half over. I am a little sad.
One of the point he made is "don't just go where the money is. They may be using the money to pay you for the opportunity cost of not pursuing something else that could also be of great value to you, but the value of which is more diffuse and difficult to measure. Money is easily quantifiable and concrete, which is why many people tend to overvalue money and undervalue those 'other things' that are harder to quantify. You should make sure that when you go for the money, the extra money really does adequately pay for all those other values that you may be giving up."
This is of course common sense, but very nicely put. It got me thinking about this all day.
Wow now law school is REALLY half over. I am a little sad.
1/18/2007
Frozen
I can't believe how cold it's been. For both last night and the previous night the temperature dropped down to the single digits. Ah the good old days of global warming seem to be gone forever.
My bedroom has really bad insulation and is especially cold at night. Wednesday night I woke up several times at night, shivering and curling myself into a little ball. Last night, I wore long pajamas and added an extra blanket to my bed, which made it slightly cozier. Really looking forward to double-digit days (and nights) again.
In other news, tomorrow is the last class on family law! How time flies. (And on Monday it's the final exam already! I wonder how much I'm actually going to study for that. :) ) I'm going to miss Prof B.
My bedroom has really bad insulation and is especially cold at night. Wednesday night I woke up several times at night, shivering and curling myself into a little ball. Last night, I wore long pajamas and added an extra blanket to my bed, which made it slightly cozier. Really looking forward to double-digit days (and nights) again.
In other news, tomorrow is the last class on family law! How time flies. (And on Monday it's the final exam already! I wonder how much I'm actually going to study for that. :) ) I'm going to miss Prof B.
1/16/2007
Maiden Voyage
So I decided to try out my new bread machine tonight. So, while ABS took a nap chez moi (he didn't sleep well last night and was delirious the whole day today, then came to my apartment and just crashed), I mixed the ingredients according to the recipe in my manual for "whole wheat bread", put everything in the bread pan, selected the cycles (whole wheat), color of the crust (dark), and weight (1.5 lbs), and pressed start.
3.5 hours later, I returned from dinner with ABS to an apartment smelling wonderfully of bread and a golden loaf sitting in my bread machine.
A picture of my baby, with the bread machine in the back.
A close-up view.
First taste test. The texture is very satisfatory. The crust is crispy and perfect. The inside is soft, moist but "structured", and well-mixed. Taste-wise, it has the characteristic dense and rich flavor of whole wheat, though it seems a bit saltier and not as sweet as I would have liked. I think a bit more molasses would make it tastier, and possibly using whole milk rather than non-fat milk.
Eaten with butter and jam, it was very delicious. Overall, this seems to be a success.
Now the only probelm is, how am I going to eat 1.5 lbs of bread all by myself?
3.5 hours later, I returned from dinner with ABS to an apartment smelling wonderfully of bread and a golden loaf sitting in my bread machine.
A picture of my baby, with the bread machine in the back.
A close-up view.
First taste test. The texture is very satisfatory. The crust is crispy and perfect. The inside is soft, moist but "structured", and well-mixed. Taste-wise, it has the characteristic dense and rich flavor of whole wheat, though it seems a bit saltier and not as sweet as I would have liked. I think a bit more molasses would make it tastier, and possibly using whole milk rather than non-fat milk.
Eaten with butter and jam, it was very delicious. Overall, this seems to be a success.
Now the only probelm is, how am I going to eat 1.5 lbs of bread all by myself?
1/13/2007
Bookworms
Just came back from AB's apartment where I played this fun computer game called Bookworms with AB and ABS for over 4 hours!
Before that, we had excellent sushi in the Square, then to my apartment for chocolate truffles, then to a nearby bar to have a drink with LC for her birthday (I had a glass of the most awful cabernet I have ever drunk), then went to AB's apartment, had good wine this time, and played said game.
I am in a good mood tonight, but should go to sleep now because must get up at 11:00am for that dim sum trip that I organized. Good thing we have a 3-day long weekend so I have a whole extra day to procrastinate!
Before that, we had excellent sushi in the Square, then to my apartment for chocolate truffles, then to a nearby bar to have a drink with LC for her birthday (I had a glass of the most awful cabernet I have ever drunk), then went to AB's apartment, had good wine this time, and played said game.
I am in a good mood tonight, but should go to sleep now because must get up at 11:00am for that dim sum trip that I organized. Good thing we have a 3-day long weekend so I have a whole extra day to procrastinate!
1/12/2007
Weekend Agenda
- Dim sum trip into B-Town tomorrow! I felt like hanging out with my friends who are in town for winter semester, and can you believe some of them have lived for OVER TEN YEARS in this city without having ever had dim sum at the wildly popular place downtown? Clearly time to rectify this situation.
- Watch Pan's Labyrinth, finally. I have wanted to see this movie since I first saw the preview over a month ago. It looks amazing, and I will let you what I think. Sometimes I find overhyped movies disappointing, but then again, my taste usually gibes very well with Roger Ebert's, who loved this movie. However, if you are thinking about watching Curse of the Golden Flower, don't. I found it kind of stupid.
- The long-overdue memo for Prof H about political conservatism. Let's hope he's not mad at me (or have secretly fired me by now for being so delinquent).
- Outlining for family law?!? I can't believe I have another final exam a little over a week from now. Ick.
- Watch Pan's Labyrinth, finally. I have wanted to see this movie since I first saw the preview over a month ago. It looks amazing, and I will let you what I think. Sometimes I find overhyped movies disappointing, but then again, my taste usually gibes very well with Roger Ebert's, who loved this movie. However, if you are thinking about watching Curse of the Golden Flower, don't. I found it kind of stupid.
- The long-overdue memo for Prof H about political conservatism. Let's hope he's not mad at me (or have secretly fired me by now for being so delinquent).
- Outlining for family law?!? I can't believe I have another final exam a little over a week from now. Ick.
1/11/2007
Too Late
Hmmm... just saw the advice about the bread machine (see comment for the post 2 days ago). Damn, because I already bought it, and being an Amazon Prime member, it's arriving tomorrow.
Here it is:
Well, um, I will keep you posted on how the bread is, and how many times I actually end up using it. :) (ABS predicted, quite pessmistically today, that it will not exceed the number of fingers on one hand. We'll see!)
Here it is:
Well, um, I will keep you posted on how the bread is, and how many times I actually end up using it. :) (ABS predicted, quite pessmistically today, that it will not exceed the number of fingers on one hand. We'll see!)
Happy Family
I really really like my family law class. It may very well be my favorite class in law school so far.
Part of it has to do with family law itself. The law itself is not very doctrinal, and much more goal-oriented, so we spend a lot of time talking about intuitions and policies rather than cases. We do read some cases, but most of the time we debate about the consequences of one rule or one policy over another, and you really feel like the law is designed to further some societal good rather than just being dead text on a page that turn a blind eye to reality.
Part of it is the prof, who is really affable and nice and caring. He took some of us to dinner last night (at my favorite pizza place! Although I wonder whether he liked it) and asked a lot of questions and seemed genuinely interested in us. Sometimes he stays after class for an hour or more talking with us about the issues we raised in class, and really seemed to enjoy the conversations.
Today we had moot court in class about polygamy. More specifically, about whether it makes sense to not sanction polygamous marriages when we approve of same sex marriage. I am on the team that says yes, and we first watched a movie about polygamous relationships, then debated. My intuition is pretty strong that polygamous relationships in practice tend to disadvantage women, but the opposite side disputed whether this is the effect of the polygamous relationships themselves or whether it is a result of the legal rules that stigmatize such relationships. The discussion was fascinating and really brought out our implicit attitude and assumptions about relationships and marriage (at least mine - I also had a very visceral and emotional reaction to the movie about polygamy - as in, I would rather kill self than to be in one of those relationships! He he).
Anyway, after class, the prof talked to my team for a long time about polygamy, and then we started talking about divorce, which we are going to talk about tomorrow. As a child of divorce, I can't wait. :)
Anyway, I wonder if Prof B is thinking about coming to my law school. I hope he is, because he is great.
Part of it has to do with family law itself. The law itself is not very doctrinal, and much more goal-oriented, so we spend a lot of time talking about intuitions and policies rather than cases. We do read some cases, but most of the time we debate about the consequences of one rule or one policy over another, and you really feel like the law is designed to further some societal good rather than just being dead text on a page that turn a blind eye to reality.
Part of it is the prof, who is really affable and nice and caring. He took some of us to dinner last night (at my favorite pizza place! Although I wonder whether he liked it) and asked a lot of questions and seemed genuinely interested in us. Sometimes he stays after class for an hour or more talking with us about the issues we raised in class, and really seemed to enjoy the conversations.
Today we had moot court in class about polygamy. More specifically, about whether it makes sense to not sanction polygamous marriages when we approve of same sex marriage. I am on the team that says yes, and we first watched a movie about polygamous relationships, then debated. My intuition is pretty strong that polygamous relationships in practice tend to disadvantage women, but the opposite side disputed whether this is the effect of the polygamous relationships themselves or whether it is a result of the legal rules that stigmatize such relationships. The discussion was fascinating and really brought out our implicit attitude and assumptions about relationships and marriage (at least mine - I also had a very visceral and emotional reaction to the movie about polygamy - as in, I would rather kill self than to be in one of those relationships! He he).
Anyway, after class, the prof talked to my team for a long time about polygamy, and then we started talking about divorce, which we are going to talk about tomorrow. As a child of divorce, I can't wait. :)
Anyway, I wonder if Prof B is thinking about coming to my law school. I hope he is, because he is great.
1/09/2007
What I'm Thinking About
- I went to a yoga class at the gym last night, after going to City Sports and getting a mint green mat and cute yoga pants. :) Yes having cute gym gear definitely motivates me. :) Anyway the class was great. I don't buy all the "may you find enlightenment" stuff, but the meditation was nice, and the differnet poses were straining but definitely felt like they were stretching my muscles. I like it so far and will probably go back.
- I love my clean, neat, unclutterd apartment now, and spend much more time at home reading. For the first time in months my desk is now useable.
- I joined Netflix two days ago, and have already built a queue of 132 movies, and rated 258 movies. I'm on the 2 DVDs at a time, unlimited monthly DVDs version. I got my first two movies today: Supersize Me, and Nowhere in Africa. I put a lot of documentaries and classics on my list, because that's what I feel like these days. I think it might be fun to systematically watch all Humprey Bogart movies, for instance, or Gregory Peck, or Cary Grant.
- I suddenly really want to go to the MIddle East this summer and work for a few weeks (after I finish my summer associateship at the NY firm). Exactly in what, I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure somewhere in Tel Aviv or the West Bank or Cairo they would need a law student's (free) services, no? Of course, my parents will probably freak out, and it will depend on what the political situation is. But it's just a thought. I miss Israel.
- I had cajun shrimp tonight. It was yummy.
- I am enjoying my family law class. The reading is super light, the prof nice and incisive, and the topics extremely provocative and relevant. Today we talked abotu same-sex marriage, and surprisingly I heard some arguments that I haven't heard before. Tomorrow we will talk about whether the prohibition on incest is rational. On Thursday, we go over the same questions with polygamy. The only problem with the class is that, after two room changes, the room we ended up with is way too small for 18 people. Today the dean walked by, came in, and said: "this room looks way too small for you." Mmm-hmmm.
- I am contemplating getting a bread machine. Just spent 25 minutes reading customer reviews of all the different kinds of Amazon. Ironic, since I rarely eat bread these days, but the idea of having one in my kitchen just appeals to me. And perhaps once I can make whole grain bread I would eat bread much more often, and I looooove the smell of bread in my apartment. I'm very tempted.
- I love my clean, neat, unclutterd apartment now, and spend much more time at home reading. For the first time in months my desk is now useable.
- I joined Netflix two days ago, and have already built a queue of 132 movies, and rated 258 movies. I'm on the 2 DVDs at a time, unlimited monthly DVDs version. I got my first two movies today: Supersize Me, and Nowhere in Africa. I put a lot of documentaries and classics on my list, because that's what I feel like these days. I think it might be fun to systematically watch all Humprey Bogart movies, for instance, or Gregory Peck, or Cary Grant.
- I suddenly really want to go to the MIddle East this summer and work for a few weeks (after I finish my summer associateship at the NY firm). Exactly in what, I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure somewhere in Tel Aviv or the West Bank or Cairo they would need a law student's (free) services, no? Of course, my parents will probably freak out, and it will depend on what the political situation is. But it's just a thought. I miss Israel.
- I had cajun shrimp tonight. It was yummy.
- I am enjoying my family law class. The reading is super light, the prof nice and incisive, and the topics extremely provocative and relevant. Today we talked abotu same-sex marriage, and surprisingly I heard some arguments that I haven't heard before. Tomorrow we will talk about whether the prohibition on incest is rational. On Thursday, we go over the same questions with polygamy. The only problem with the class is that, after two room changes, the room we ended up with is way too small for 18 people. Today the dean walked by, came in, and said: "this room looks way too small for you." Mmm-hmmm.
- I am contemplating getting a bread machine. Just spent 25 minutes reading customer reviews of all the different kinds of Amazon. Ironic, since I rarely eat bread these days, but the idea of having one in my kitchen just appeals to me. And perhaps once I can make whole grain bread I would eat bread much more often, and I looooove the smell of bread in my apartment. I'm very tempted.
1/07/2007
Decluttering
I am not sick anymore. Everything returned to normalcy, more or less, on Friday, and it's a joy to have real food and to be able to sleep on a normal schedule again. After all this, I am very, very, very thankful for my health, and the somewhat rocky start to 2007 has made me, strangely, calmer and happier.
And, riding on the wave of the positive energy, I have decided to start reorganizing other areas of my life, and to attempt to simplify things. After the very stressful exam period (and the vacation period spent sick and somewhat depressed), many areas of my life feel like they are growing out of control. For one thing, my apartment has been uber-messy and also increasingly dirty. The stuff that I retrieved from ex-boyfriend's condo is piled in boxes against my livingroom wall, making it cluttered and unpleasant to be in. There are papers and books and knickknacks covering every available surface, making my apartment an unpleasant place to study (which is probably why I was over at Starbucks so much).
In any event, starting Friday night, I spent many, many hours organizing everything, sorting through my papers, throwing things away, and putting away the boxes. Then I mopped, washed, wiped, dusted, and vacuumed my entire apartment. The whole thing probably took more than 10 hours to complete. I went to bed at 5:30 am on Friday night (well, Saturday morning really) and 3:00 am on Saturday night (Sunday morning). I threw away more than 4 large bags of trash, mostly paper. I sorted out 3 extremely large shopping bags of clothing that I will not need and plan to donate to Salvation Army or something. I moved my furniture around so my desk is now by the window where there is more natural light, and I have my painting equipment against one wall so that I can start painting again relatively easily.
I also found some nice old photos of Eastern Europe from 2002. Oh memories. I framed some of them and hung them on my wall. I miss Prague. I miss Slovenia. I miss the Mediterranean Sea.
There is still a lot more paper to go through, but at least they are all piled neatly and in a box rather than all over my desks, tables, chairs, and floors. I also need to get rid of some of my old furniture, replacing it with furniture more suited to my apartment. But for now, this is good. I'm now sitting in my leather recliner, eating tomato soup and reading family law, feeling at ease in my surroundings.
Even sleeping is a lot better now, because I feel like my environment is cleaner, neater, and more to my liking. Yay.
And, riding on the wave of the positive energy, I have decided to start reorganizing other areas of my life, and to attempt to simplify things. After the very stressful exam period (and the vacation period spent sick and somewhat depressed), many areas of my life feel like they are growing out of control. For one thing, my apartment has been uber-messy and also increasingly dirty. The stuff that I retrieved from ex-boyfriend's condo is piled in boxes against my livingroom wall, making it cluttered and unpleasant to be in. There are papers and books and knickknacks covering every available surface, making my apartment an unpleasant place to study (which is probably why I was over at Starbucks so much).
In any event, starting Friday night, I spent many, many hours organizing everything, sorting through my papers, throwing things away, and putting away the boxes. Then I mopped, washed, wiped, dusted, and vacuumed my entire apartment. The whole thing probably took more than 10 hours to complete. I went to bed at 5:30 am on Friday night (well, Saturday morning really) and 3:00 am on Saturday night (Sunday morning). I threw away more than 4 large bags of trash, mostly paper. I sorted out 3 extremely large shopping bags of clothing that I will not need and plan to donate to Salvation Army or something. I moved my furniture around so my desk is now by the window where there is more natural light, and I have my painting equipment against one wall so that I can start painting again relatively easily.
I also found some nice old photos of Eastern Europe from 2002. Oh memories. I framed some of them and hung them on my wall. I miss Prague. I miss Slovenia. I miss the Mediterranean Sea.
There is still a lot more paper to go through, but at least they are all piled neatly and in a box rather than all over my desks, tables, chairs, and floors. I also need to get rid of some of my old furniture, replacing it with furniture more suited to my apartment. But for now, this is good. I'm now sitting in my leather recliner, eating tomato soup and reading family law, feeling at ease in my surroundings.
Even sleeping is a lot better now, because I feel like my environment is cleaner, neater, and more to my liking. Yay.
1/04/2007
Sick
I have been deathly sick for the past few days. First there was a nasty cold and laryngitis, probably caught in Puerto Rico. Then, the day before yesterday, when I was barely better from that, a horrible stomach-virus hit. I will spare you the details. Suffice it to say that i got nearly no sleep on Tuesday night, skipped my class on Wednesday, ran a fever of 101, couldn't hold down any solid food for about 24 hours, and had to resort to drinking sugar/salt solutions.
Today I thought I was getting better, but after class I started feeling weak and queasy again. Looks like it's rice and water for another 2 days. :(
In another news, I've decided to ditch con law theory and go with family law instead. I really like the prof, and I thought that it was time to learn some substantive law. :)
Today I thought I was getting better, but after class I started feeling weak and queasy again. Looks like it's rice and water for another 2 days. :(
In another news, I've decided to ditch con law theory and go with family law instead. I really like the prof, and I thought that it was time to learn some substantive law. :)
1/01/2007
Hello, 2007
Here are my new year's resolutions:
- Sleep at least 7 hours a night; try to stop my reliance on sleeping pills.
- Healthy lifestyle: at least one large green salad per day; Go to the gym at least 3 times a week, or the equivalent; Have a day every week when I eat nothing but fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and no processed foods or meat.
- Lose 5 lbs by April
- Being able to run 5 miles without stopping
- Learn to play tennis
- Write my paper for the summer academic fellowship
- Be kinder to my parents
- Make 3 new, good friends.
- Attend more cultural events outside of the law school. I have really missed the arts in the past year.
- Meditate
- Start painting again.
- Try to be less anxious about my career, my life, and just enjoy things.
- Sleep at least 7 hours a night; try to stop my reliance on sleeping pills.
- Healthy lifestyle: at least one large green salad per day; Go to the gym at least 3 times a week, or the equivalent; Have a day every week when I eat nothing but fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and no processed foods or meat.
- Lose 5 lbs by April
- Being able to run 5 miles without stopping
- Learn to play tennis
- Write my paper for the summer academic fellowship
- Be kinder to my parents
- Make 3 new, good friends.
- Attend more cultural events outside of the law school. I have really missed the arts in the past year.
- Meditate
- Start painting again.
- Try to be less anxious about my career, my life, and just enjoy things.
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