Respite Draws Nigh

Who would like to join in on a holiday revival of Still Thinking, the ever-popular virtual book club?!  We haven't chosen a book yet, so head on over and post your suggestions for a good book to read and discuss over break.  Kudos to Cindy for getting the ball rolling.

In other news, I have a final exam today (International Law of Labor and Employment), all of my papers are due tomorrow, and I fly home to California on Saturday!  In the meantime, Jess and I have had a few sanity-sustaining study breaks, including the National Symphony Orchestra Pops holiday concert, a screening of the delightful movie Tangled, and a game night featuring Scrabble and gin rummy with our friend Gabe.  (Yes, I won at Scrabble.)

Also, it has been very, very cold here as of late.  The wind chill is just awful, bringing temperatures down near zero!  On my walks from the law school to the Gallery Place - Chinatown Metro station, it's been so cold that breathing is painful (thank goodness for scarves).  I never thought I'd be hoping for the temperature to get up to freezing.  At least we might get a couple of inches of snow today--snow is pretty.

I'll Be Home for Christmas

I'm in the midst of finals, but all I can think about is coming home for Christmas.  Two papers, one exam, and ten days to go...

Martha Washington's Great Cake

If you don't already follow it, head on over to Erin's delicious food blog, Pacific Thyme, to read my guest post on Martha Washington's Great Cake!  I was inspired to make it after receiving the recipe during our candlelit tour of Mount Vernon.

Thanksgiving Roundup

So many fun things have happened recently!  My cousin Dana was in town for a conference the weekend before last, so we went on a long walk to see all of the monuments and memorials on the Mall at night.  The FDR Memorial continues to be my all-time favorite.  Also that weekend, Cal played Stanfurd in the Big Game.  Alas, we did not win, but Jess and I had a good time at Spider Kelly's in Arlington with Mike, who hosted a pre-game party since he lives right by the bar.

I only had class on Monday and Tuesday, but I was working hard because I had a draft of my Law of War paper due.  So, it was a welcome relief to have the remainder of the week off for Thanksgiving!  I wish I had time to fly home to California, but it takes so long, costs a lot, and I'll be home in three weeks anyhow. I cannot wait to be in the Bay Area next year; maybe I'll host Thanksgiving for my family!

My dear friend Alissa (whom I've known since middle school) made the day before Thanksgiving memorable by inviting me to join her family vacation to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!  This is, of course, the Harry Potter theme park that is a part of the Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure.  Her family had managed to get free tickets, and included me!  I had just enough frequent flyer miles to make it to Orlando and back, so I flew down on Wednesday morning and made it back just in time for Thanksgiving the following morning.  It was a whirlwind day, to say the least!  We saw the Hogwarts Express, strolled the streets of Hogsmeade, drank butterbeer, ate lunch at the Three Broomsticks, shopped at Dervish and Banges, flew on a hippogriff and even went inside the Hogwarts castle!  It was incredible.  Photos are here.  I would very much like to live there.  If only...

Thanksgiving day was lovely, because Sister Dorinda always hosts a big Thanksgiving dinner for all of the law students who cannot go home for the holiday.  I was most excited about Thanksgiving because it means it's almost time to go home for Christmas!  I'll be back in three weeks.  In the meantime, Jess and I decorated our apartment for the season.

Last night, Jess and I took advantage of the holiday season by going on a nighttime candlelit tour of Mount Vernon, George Washington's home!  I had been there many times, but never at night.  It started off in the lobby with twelve Christmas trees decorated to represent different aspects of George Washington and Mount Vernon.  We then went outside and enjoyed hot apple cider and ginger cookies served to us by costumed actors.  There were large fires in cauldrons, a choir singing carols from the 18th century, and even a Christmas camel!  Then, we went on our tour of Mount Vernon, where we met a guest's female servant, Martha Washington, a female house slave, the Washingtons' granddaughter Nelly, one of the male guests, and a servant in the kitchen.  The actors were all incredible!  There was also 18th century dancing in the greenhouse.  We were very impressed with everything that the tour included, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a study break!  It's only an hour long.  More photos here.

I'm so glad that the weekend isn't over yet, because I have a lot of work to do!  There are many papers to write, but I will try to not let that get in the way of enjoying the season.  Peace, friends.

SCOTUS

Today, I saw an oral argument at the Supreme Court!  My Public Interest Advocacy professor, Deepak Gupta, was arguing for the respondents in AT&T Mobility v. Conception.  The case raises the question of the enforceability of class action bans in employment and consumer contracts.  SCOTUSblog gives a plain English summary of the issue:

Parties may sometimes settle disputes through arbitration, rather than litigation. When the dispute involves numerous similarly situated individuals, a few individuals may conduct the arbitration on behalf of the larger groups (similar to a class action lawsuit). Does the Federal Arbitration Act prohibit states from mandating that class arbitration be available as a part of every arbitration agreement?

It was very exciting to actually see a full oral argument.  I attempted to attend an oral argument during my 1L year, but I did not arrive early enough to be seated for the full argument.  They only let in the first 50 or so people, whilst the rest are relegated to a line that cycles through the back-most seats in three-minute intervals.  Thus, for this oral argument, I was determined to get in line early enough to get a seat!  My classmate and fellow journal member Amy and I met at the Supreme Court shortly before 6:00 am, and were the first two people in line.  (Full disclosure: I was actually the fifth person, but persons two through four let me cut in line to be with Amy, who was legitimately first in line.)  We got there waaaaay earlier than was necessary, but made some friends in line while waiting for the sun to rise and warm us up.  Amy went on a coffee run at one point, thank goodness.  Around 7:20 am, they handed out little cards with numbers on them so that we wouldn't have to stay in line:

Sadly, they didn't let us keep the cards, but at least I got a photo.  At 7:30 am, the Supreme Court cafeteria opened, and most people in line (around 65 people at that point) went inside because it was so chilly.  (Marble is cold to stand upon--go figure!)  Around 8:15 am, we went back outside, because the security guards warned us that the line sometimes moves as early as 8:30 am.  However, the line didn't move until 9:00 am, at which point we went through security, put all of our belongings in lockers, and then went through some more security.  Finally, at 9:25 am, we entered the courtroom!  I have been in the courtroom several times before, but I always appreciate the grandeur of the room.  The sense of justice is nearly palpable!

The justices entered the courtroom promptly at 10:00 am.  It was very exciting to see the newest additions to the court, Justices Sotomayor and Kagan.  Before the proceedings began, they swore in a bunch of lawyers to the Supreme Court bar--so jealous!  Members of the bar don't have to wait in line, and get to sit closer.  I truly enjoyed watching my professor argue before the Supreme Court; I think he did a great job, and handled tough questions from Chief Justice Roberts exceedingly well, especially given that it was his first time arguing before the Supreme Court.  I would have been so nervous!  Later this afternoon, I attended a panel discussion with my professor and a couple of authors of amicus briefs, which was very interesting.  I have no idea which way the court will come out on the issue.  It seems that Justices Breyer, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan were on the respondents' side, but it's difficult to tell whether they can get a fifth vote--perhaps the mysterious Justice Thomas?

Anyhow, Amy and I had a wonderful time, and I highly recommend the experience to anyone in D.C. who doesn't mind getting up early.  Now, if I could only find a way to get a White House tour (I've been on a waiting list with Eshoo's office for two years), my government branches experience would be complete!

October

I completely neglected to post last month, which is a testament to the busyness of this semester.  Here are some highlights.

I saw the National Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, which was incredible.

I went to Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA, with Brad and Marie, and enjoyed a gorgeous, lazy afternoon in which we were only slightly harassed by bees.

I was an usher at the Red Mass.  I escorted important people (e.g., diplomats from other countries) to their seats, and even got to shake hands with Justice Scalia!

I met some awesome Dominican brothers at an event the CSA held for the Feast of the Holy Rosary.

For Columbus Day weekend, I went to Boston for the first time, and saw Matthew and Tiffany!  Highlights included Harvard Square, the JFK Presidential Library, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Boston Public Library, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (performing Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Resurrection), MIT, the Freedom Trail, Old Ironsides (a.k.a., the U.S.S. Constitution), the Museum of Science, and apple picking with Theresa. See all of my photos, with lovely captions, here.

I went for a hike with Jess and Gabe at Great Falls Park.  Photos here.

I had a job interview through DOJ Honors to be a judicial law clerk with the San Francisco Immigration Court.  Keep your fingers crossed!

My Fact-Finding Mission officially decided that we'll be going to Jamaica in January to do research related to the repatriation of persons with mental disabilities.

Jess and I saw All's Well that Ends Well at the Shakespeare Theatre Company (and thus, I get to check that off of my D.C. to-do list, yay).

I began to study for the MPRE, the lawyer's ethics exam, which I will be taking on Saturday.

I rallied to restore Sanity!

I went as Brian Wilson for Halloween, and the Giants WON THE WORLD SERIES! Coincidence? I think not.

That's all for now, folks.  November shows no signs of slowing down.  Four weeks until finals?  Madness!

Thinking About What I Saw

Today, I decided to spend some time at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). The permanent exhibition is divided up into three floors: the Holocaust (1933-1939),  the "Final Solution" (1940-1945) and the Last Chapter. The Nazi propaganda about the so-called "science" of race was disturbing, as was the scale model of the gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The exhibition allows you to walk through a musty rail car, inviting you to imagine what it would be like to be crammed in and shipped off to a ghetto, concentration camp, or killing center. The USHMM has a much different feel from other museums in DC; while crowded, it was very quiet, and there were very few children. There seemed to be a collective understanding amongst the museum-goers that we had come to be ongoing witnesses to the atrocities that had occurred, and I was impressed by the respect and introspection that ensued.

Beyond educating the public about the horrific events of the Holocaust, what impresses me the most about the museum is how it connects those events to the contemporary considerations of international human rights, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and protection for refugees. In particular, I think it is important to explore the Holocaust in terms of the world's failure to provide asylum to the Jewish refugees attempting to escape from Germany. The United States' immigration policy, for example, was exceedingly slow to change to accommodate the significant number of refugees, leading to tragedy, as with the voyage of the St. Louis. As the USHMM Holocaust Encyclopedia explains:

In a highly publicized event in May-June 1939, the United States refused to admit over 900 Jewish refugees who had sailed from Hamburg, Germany, on the St. Louis. The St. Louis appeared off the coast of Florida shortly after Cuban authorities cancelled the refugees' transit visas and denied entry to most of the passengers, who were still waiting to receive visas to enter the United States. Denied permission to land in the United States, the ship was forced to return to Europe. The governments of Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium each agreed to accept some of the passengers as refugees. Of the 908 St. Louis passengers who returned to Europe, 254 (nearly 28 percent) are known to have died in the Holocaust. 288 passengers found refuge in Britain. Of the 620 who returned to the continent, 366 (just over 59 percent) are known to have survived the war.

I cannot imagine a world without the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, which prohibits the refoulement (return) of refugees to places where their life or freedom would be threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Visiting the USHMM today was an affirmation for me of the importance of refugee law issues to which I hope to devote my legal career.

When I stepped out of the USHMM, I was momentarily stunned by the relative brightness of the sunny day. I went for a walk to mull over what I had seen, and took some photographs along the Mall.  I'll conclude this post with a couple of classic shots.

Koi Oh Koi

In the right-hand column of my blog, as you can see, I have added many new items to my DC to-do list.  Having covered most of the more obvious DC adventures to be had, my list grows ever more obscure.  Actually, I've already checked off a few of the new items on my list!

For instance, Jess and I had lunch at the Mitsitam Café of the National Museum of the American Indian a couple of weeks ago.  The Native American food is organized by region, and is so delicious!  I opted for the Indian Taco, a dish from the Great Plains region that consisted of buffalo chili on fry bread with pickled chiles and pinto beans, lettuce, tomato and shredded cheese.  Wow, just wow.  First off, fry bread is incredible; it's kind of like naan, but much thicker and softer.  Also, I very much enjoyed the buffalo meat.  It seemed leaner than beef, and the flavor was great in the chili.  After lunch, I explored the museum itself.  I loved the art, and was particularly amazed by the bead work on display.  I bought myself a little owl made from a gourd in the gift shop, which has made a happy little home out of my school locker.

Jess and I had a great time at the National Arboretum yesterday.  Though there were trees aplenty, I was blown away by the koi pond and the bonsai trees.  Here are a few of my favorite photos:

The Arboretum sells koi food from a gum-ball machine dispenser.  For only 25 cents, you can entice dozens of koi to swim right up to you!

Their colors were gorgeous, and some of the koi were huge!

These bonsai trees are incredible.  Some of them are over 350 years old!

My favorites were the bonsai trees that looked like small forests.  This one has its own little path!  As Jess aptly put it, they look like dioramas.

After the Arboretum, we checked off another item on my to-do list by eating French fries with ranch dressing at The Tombs, a popular haunt for Georgetown undergrads.  The fries were just as delicious as they rumors had made them out to be.  The atmosphere of the place is... well, an undergrad bar/restaurant with sticky floors and no windows (because it's in a basement).  Some people tout the place as a great study spot, but I could not see myself getting work done there, even with free wifi.

We rounded out our Saturday afternoon with a spontaneous trip to the National Cathedral.  I had last visited in the spring of my 1L year, so it was nice to visit again.  The stained glass is so beautiful.  The Bishop's Garden seemed a bit small after the Arboretum--right down to its tiny koi pond--but it smelled wonderful, and we loved the little boy who shrieked with unadulterated delight when he got to pet two lovely chocolate brown labrador retrievers.  All in all, Jess and I had a fantastic, relaxing Saturday that renewed our spirits for the inevitable busyness of the week to come.

International Read a Book Day

In response to Burn a Qur'an Day, two of my friends from high school, Nathan and Isaiah Sage, put together International Read a Book Day. It's a great idea: instead of burning books, let's read them! Check out their video:



I love this idea, and decided to participate by reading an excerpt from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis:



I hope that you, too, will reject Burn a Qur'an Day by reading a book on Saturday. Also, check out the Facebook group and YouTube channel for International Read a Book Day!

Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils

The start of a new school year always makes me think of Tom Hanks' quote from You've Got Mail about wanting to give Meg Ryan a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils.  Last week was my first week of school, so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my classes...

Public Interest Advocacy is a seminar about the public interest law movement.  As a future public interest attorney (I hope), I'm excited to learn more about the history of the movement, and to discuss possible answers to tough questions, including what is in the public interest, and who gets to decide.  My professor is arguing before the Supreme Court this semester, and invited us all to come watch!

I am both intimidated and invigorated by my Law of War seminar.  My professor used to run West Point's law of war program, and almost everyone in my class is active military (with an especially high number of Navy JAG officers).  Meanwhile, I am taking the class because of my interest in how the law of armed conflict (a.k.a., international humanitarian law) interacts with international human rights.  I think this class will challenge me to articulate my viewpoints, and will broaden my perspective on some arduous issues facing us in the context of 21st century terrorism.

My International Law of Labor and Employment class is more along the lines of international law classes that I have taken in the past.  Actually, it feels a bit like a throwback to my International Political Economy courses at Cal.  However, I am new to labor law issues, and thus am looking forward to learning more about the ILO, sweatshops, migrant workers, child labor, and the plethora of multilateral treaties attempting to address these human rights concerns.

As I mentioned back in April, I was accepted into the Human Rights Institute/Georgetown Human Rights Action 2010-2011 fact-finding mission on the safe repatriation of persons with mental disabilities.  This includes a year-long Human Rights Fact-Finding Seminar with two professors and a fellow for only nine of us students.  It is going to be a lot of work, but well worth the effort.  We'll be researching all fall, traveling somewhere (TBA, possibly Mexico or Guatemala?) for a week in January to do on-the-ground interviews with persons who have experiences these issues, and then writing our report in the spring, followed by advocacy efforts related to our findings.  It's basically like running our own project within an NGO for a year, but getting course credit. I'm very excited!

I am also getting credit this semester for an awesome externship, but my employers have asked us to refrain from publicizing our positions online.  I will say that I am getting excellent experience in immigration law, and am thrilled to finally have broken into this field, as I am so interested in refugee and asylum issues.  If you're curious, I'd be happy to discuss offline.

Lastly, I am taking a one-unit seminar on The Practicing Lawyer and the Poor, which looks at the Catholic social teaching on the preferential option for the poor.  We'll be discussing the moral obligations of lawyers in the context of domestic and global poverty, which are issues very close to my heart.  We only meet four times during the semester--including once at our professor's house!--so I cannot yet comment on the class itself.  However, in preparation for our first class, I am currently reading Tracy Kidder's book Mountains Beyond Mountains, which details the incredible biography of Dr. Paul Farmer, a doctor-anthropologist who founded a health center and hospital in the small derelict village of Cange, Haiti.  I'm only ten chapters in, but am already captivated by the questions that Dr. Farmer's actions raise for me--especially whether it is possible to give enough, or indeed, too much of oneself.

So, that does it for classes.  My other major responsibilities for the year are Managing Editor for the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, and Co-Chair of the Catholic Student Association.  We had a wonderful time orienting our new staff editors for the Poverty Law Journal last week, including a rousing game of Bluebook Bingo!  (To my law school/lawyer readers: who else is excited about the Rule 18 revisions in the new 19th edition of the Bluebook, by the way?!)  The CSA is off to a good start as well; we had a well-attended pancake brunch after last Sunday's Mass of the Holy Spirit.

I also had time for fun non-academic things last week, but ironically my academics prevent me from delving into them at this juncture.  To be continued, with exciting tales of two birthdays, one symphony, and zero boredom!

Three-El

Yesterday, at a happy hour for public interest students, my friend introduced me to someone as a 3L. All summer long, I've been referring to myself as a "rising 3L," which made yesterday a bit of a shock as I realized that 3L year is officially beginning. I'll be done with law school in nine months... Ridiculous.

I flew in to DC on Sunday. Fortunately, Susan (subletter, archivist, and Cal fan extraordinaire) was able to stay in town for a few days so we could spend some time together! On Sunday, we took advantage of Restaurant Week by dining at 701 Restaurant. Our first course was rabbit rillettes with red wine candied hazelnuts, cherries, pea shoots, and grilled baguette. This was my first time trying rabbit; it was pretty tasty, with a subtle taste that wasn't gamey at all.

For our main course, we had bourbon braised lamb shoulder with cornbread crust, sweet onion puree, and green beans. The lamb was so tender that it fell apart on the plate, and melted in my mouth. I wasn't in love with the sweet onion puree, but it worked. The green beans were lightly battered and fried like tempura, which was delicious.

For dessert, I ordered chocolate raspberry tart with vanilla bean sherbert. The tart was the decadent consistency of mousse, which was exactly what I wanted. They had a lovely presentation, with little dots of raspberry sauce all over the place, which I immediately proceeded to destroy in my attempt to give some of my tart to Susan. Amazing though my dessert was, I think Susan's was even better: cornmeal churros with corn ice cream and berry compote. The churros were little fried balls of doughy goodness, wow! If I had a deep fryer, I would definitely figure out how to make them.

On Monday, Susan and I took a trip to Mount Vernon. I love Washington's home so much; to wit, as I have a membership, my ticket called me a "friend of Mount Vernon." We toured the house and surrounding buildings, the tomb, the slave memorial, and then took a stroll to the pioneer farm site. There were a bunch of sheep, displays of different types of fences, crops, and even a 16-sided barn with costumed actors toiling away in what I can only assume was an historically accurate fashion.

When we got back to Arlington, I invested in a Scrabble board--can you believe I didn't have one out here?!--and we drank wine and played Scrabble. We also watched (500) Days of Summer, which is one of my favorite movies (and soundtracks).

On Tuesday, Susan and I went on an adventure to find the post office at L'Enfant Plaza (apparently the Bermuda Triangle of DC), and then went to the West Building of the National Gallery, which houses the classical art. I really enjoyed the Beat Memories gallery, which featured the photographs of Allen Ginsberg. I always think of him as a poet, but he also had a great eye for photography. The bottom of each black-and-white print featured Ginsberg's scrawled notes about the subject of the photo, which were fantastic to read. The photos were all portraits of people he knew from the Beat generation, including Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. Incredible.

Although there were many more things to see in the Gallery, Susan and I decided over lunch that we had art-ed ourselves out, so we changed gears and saw a movie. We saw The Switch, in which a man who is in love with his best friend clandestinely (and drunkenly) switches her artificial insemination donation so that he is the father of her child. It was very interesting to see Jason Bateman's character interacting with his son (played by the delightful 10-year-old Bryce Robinson). Both father and son are similarly neurotic, to great effect.

That night, Susan and I took a three-hour Segway tour of the Mall! I had my reservations about going on the tour, mainly because I always silently ridicule tour groups. (We locals are such snobs about tourists.) In spite of myself, however, I had a blast! Riding a Segway is fantastic. We practiced in an alleyway for a few minutes, and then we were on our way. You control speed by leaning on your toes or heels, and turn by guiding the handles to the left or right (more of a side-to-side motion than a turn, per se). We rode in bike lanes, sidewalks, and even the gravely path of the Mall. It was an evening tour, and I never tire of seeing the sites lit up at night. The tour is very expensive ($70), but I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a quick abridged version of a city.

Susan flew out yesterday, and since then I've been doing actual work for my journal, the Catholic Student Association, and classes (which start on Monday). Also beginning on Monday is my externship with the Arlington Immigration Court! I'm excited to start the new year.

A Smattering of July

Hello, gang.  It's been a while.  July was a pretty awesome month!

Robert and I took a spontaneous trip up to San Francisco to see Wicked a few weeks ago.  It was great!  I had never seen (or heard) the musical before, so every plot twist was a surprise for me.  I've got to say, Glinda was my favorite character.  Alli Mauzey was so wonderful!  Especially in Popular, she was a delightfully high-energy mix of Valley Girl and Elle Woods.  It was also interesting to think about Wicked in the context of the war in Iraq, with anti-animalism as a metaphor for Bush's desire for an enemy; as the Wizard puts it, "Where I'm from, the best way to bring people together [. . .] is to give them a common enemy."  That line gave me chills.

My uncle was kind enough to treat my dad, brother and me to tickets to Paul McCartney's Up and Coming tour!  He--Sir Paul, not my uncle--played to a sold-out AT&T Park.  We were in the nosebleed section, but that was fine with the big screens on stage.  The Chronicle wrote a great review of the concert, observing that Paul hadn't played in San Francisco since 1966, so the whole concert had a "welcome back" vibe.

Paul impressed me with how adorable and down-to-earth he was, which especially came out during his little stories, like the one he told about Hendrix playing a tribute to him and getting his guitar out of tune.  Some of my favorite songs of the night were Paperback Writer, Eleanor Rigby, Jet, Day Tripper, and Helter Skelter.  I also loved seeing Paul at the piano; everyone sang along when he played Hey Jude.  My absolute favorite song of the night was Blackbird.  Paul talked about writing it in response to the civil rights tensions of the late 1960s in America.  When he came back out for his first of two encores, Paul ran out waving a huge California State flag.  (Go Bears!)

I took a weekend trip to Portland, Oregon, with my dear friend Alissa to see our dear friend Morgan get married.  Portland is a great city; it reminds me of Berkeley, but bigger and more urban.  Morgan's wedding was awesome: a five-minute ceremony, followed by three hours of samba dancing, complete with backup dancers!  It was lovely to see friends from middle and high school whom I had not seen in a while.

The last day of my internship was Friday.  I absolutely loved working at the Law Foundation this summer, and was sad to see it end.  I actually did substantive work, including memos, mediation statements, and motion practice.  I attended a lot of interesting proceedings, such as depositions, mediations, and a settlement conference.  I now know a ton about housing discrimination and predatory lending.  And, my colleagues were friendly and fun-loving, leading to many coffee outings and urban food adventures, not to mention an afternoon in Santa Cruz and a San Jose Giants game.

It was great to know San Jose this summer.  If you're in the area, you have to check out Broken Door Espresso (try their Vietnamese iced coffee), Falafel's Drive In (try their baba ganoush), and Día de Pesca (try their breaded halibut burrito).  Also, I have fallen in love with the Farmers' Market in downtown San Jose at San Pedro Square.  They have the sweetest strawberries and nectarines I have ever tasted, along with fresh hummus, samosas, kettle corn, and spring rolls!  Simply delightful.

Yesterday, my dad, brother and I went to the Brit for the premier of At the Beach, an awesome skateboarding video featuring my very own brother!  Dan is an avid skateboarder, and it was great to see him in action in the film.  Watching the premier at the Brit in a huge crowd was especially meaningful, because everyone cheered when Dan landed tricks.  It's cool how there is a skateboarding community, and everyone supports one another.  The photo (at left) is from the Thrasher (skateboarding magazine) website.  Dan got their Stoke of the Day a couple of months ago, which is ridiculously cool.

Up next: the removal of all four of my wisdom teeth, to take place Tuesday morning.  What a joy!  I have stocked up on soft foods such as pudding, applesauce, and rainbow sherbet, and my mommy is going to take care of me.  I'm a little nervous about the procedure, as I have never done anything like this, but it'll be fine.  Besides, I'll be sedated.  Hopefully the recovery will be easy... Keep me in your prayers, please!

Mid-Summer Evaluation

I am already over halfway through my summer internship. Madness! I have learned so much these past five weeks. My legal research and writing has improved, I know a ton more about litigation, and I am familiar with two whole new areas of law--housing discrimination and predatory lending! I've interacted with some clients, sat in on court, mediations, and depositions, and gotten a ton of training. FHLP was the perfect choice for this summer, and I feel very blessed.

I thought that this would be a good time to check in on how my summer goals are going.

Read for pleasure. I am pleased to say that I have indeed been reading, and not just court cases. I am currently reading several books on my own: Reading the OED by Ammon Shea, Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor, and The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by Fr. James Martin. I am also participating in Still Thinking, the legendary virtual book club founded by CC this summer. We recently finished Machiavelli's The Prince, and are now starting Zadie Smith's On Beauty. (There is still time to join us for On Beauty!)

Begin to learn Spanish. I haven't been following the pace that I set for myself at the beginning of the summer, but I have completed six lessons, including greetings, restaurant basics, going places, and phone conversations. I want to go faster, but the lessons are several hours long each, and I am often not inclined to start one at the end of the day. I am also concerned about retention, so I don't want to go too fast. I will try harder to sit down and do lessons regularly.

Research and apply for fellowships and clerkships for after graduation. Working on it! There have been a few interesting opportunities so far... We'll see what happens.

Write On journal competition grading. I just finished judging my 20 case comments this evening, as the grades are due tomorrow. It was more work than I anticipated, but an interesting (and confidential) topic. Reading things written by 1Ls reminds me of how far I've come in my own legal writing this past year.

Spend quality time with friends, preferably on short Bay Area adventures. My most recent adventure was to Lovejoy's Tea Room in San Francisco for Alissa's birthday tea party! I'm not a big tea drinker--coffee is my love--but this was delicious and delightful. I drank an entire pot of Earl Grey tea with cream and sugar, which I enjoyed with a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, an asparagus hummus sandwich, coleslaw, organic spring greens, a scone with preserves and double Devon cream, and a shortbread cookie. Also this weekend, I went with my family to see the SF Orchestra play at the Shoreline with fireworks for the Fourth of July, which was lovely. There have been other adventures already chronicled in this blog this summer, and there are more to come, including seeing Paul McCartney play at AT&T park this coming weekend, and flying to Portland to see my dearest Morgan get married!

Visit my grandmother as often as possible. I've seen my Nana at least once a week this summer, which is great. She is always so encouraging and sweet to me.

So, overall, I'm doing pretty well on my summer goals, though I could pick up the pace on a couple of my endeavors. I'm already getting excited about the fall, because we got back our results from course registration for next year! I'm still sorting out what to add and drop, but here are some of the classes in my probable future for the fall: International Labor & Employment, the Law of War, the Practicing Lawyer & the Poor, and Public Interest Advocacy. I will also be receiving credit for my externship with the Arlington Immigration Court, and for the Georgetown Law Human Rights Institute Fact-Finding Mission. Actually, I'm already doing work for the fact-finding mission this summer, soliciting information from knowledgeable folks about the safe repatriation of persons with mental disabilities. Busy busy busy, but that's how I like it. I'm very excited about being done with law school in a year, but I'm also trying to slow down and enjoy this final year of school before I take the bar and enter the "real world" on a full-time basis.

Book Club

For those of you interested in participating in the book club that Cindy and I are orchestrating, please head on over to CC's blog post for more information! In short, part one of the book club will be an online discussion through the comments section of the blog post, and part two will be a Skype conference call, date and time to be determined based on availability. I hope you can join us for a lively conversation about Machiavelli's The Prince, and other books to follow!

Two Rules

1. Avoid food poisoning.
2. If you get food poisoning, let your mommy take care of you.

I managed to follow Rule No. 1 for the first 23 years, 9 months, and 20 days of my life (i.e., until very early Monday morning).  Since then, I've been following Rule No. 2, which has made the violation of Rule No. 1 far more bearable.  I have had to miss three days of my internship--and, life in general, for that matter--but now I am feeling well enough to return to work, and to the active practice of Rule No. 1, tomorrow.

Machiavelli

"The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous." 

As Cindy recently mentioned,* we are starting up a summer book club! (When I say we, I mean Cindy had a brilliant idea, and I jumped on the bandwagon.) We're going to facilitate a lovely discussion via the interwebs somehow. I really think you should join our book club. I mean, you're always wishing you read more now that you're out of undergrad, right? And, it's more stimulating when you can discuss the book with others. And, it provides some accountability. And, you have something smart to say when people ask what you did last weekend. Heck, maybe some attractive stranger on the train will see you reading this month's book, and strike up a conversation with you! So, yeah, you should join our book club.

Our first book on the docket is Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince. Now, I know what you're thinking--that sounds boring, difficult, and/or just plain old. But, just because it's not some fluffy recent work of fiction endorsed by Oprah, it does not mean that we can't have some fun with it!

In his day (i.e., the early 16th century), Machiavelli "shocked Europe" with the publication of The Prince. The book advocates for "ruthless tactics for gaining absolute power" and for the "abandonment of conventional morality." Oh, I have your attention, now do I? Well, consider this: haven't you always wondered about the etymology of the word Machiavellian? It means cunning, scheming and unscrupulous, especially in politics or advancing one's career. Wouldn't it be interesting to debate the merits of realpolitik, in a world that, daily, seems to reaffirm the tragic maxim, "nice guys always finish last"? At what point do we sacrifice compassion in the pursuit of pragmatism? For Machiavelli, living in a politically turbulent Florence, the answer was clear: the greatest morality is a stable state.

If you're interested in participating in our discussion, please let me or Cindy know! We've set a tentative deadline to read The Prince by June 23rd. It's not very long: my copy of the Penguin edition is 84 pages. And, it's only $6 at the bookstore, and readily available at your neighborhood library. So, join us!

*N.B. - I really do love "Amanda Esq." as a moniker. Way to bring that back into the lexicon, Cindy.

Where's the Soup?

My internship with the Fair Housing Law Project (hereinafter FHLP, pronounced "flip") is going very well. There are 13 of us law clerks, so they have a formal training program for us, which is awesome. So far, I've learned about housing discrimination, predatory mortgage lending, reasonable accommodations of persons with disabilities, legal ethics, interviewing clients, landlord-tenant law, and working with clients with mental disabilities. Also, I have had opportunities to sit in on a client interview, a deposition, a mediation, staff meetings, conference calls, and a meeting of the Northern California Fair Housing Coalition (NCFHC). As much as I've loved my past internships, it's nice to be at a much larger organization (~50 attorneys) with more resources. I am very impressed with the work that the Law Foundation does, and am so glad to be a part of it this summer.

The nice thing about the summertime is that I don't have homework, so there is more free time for reading, studying Spanish, and--wait, that sounds a lot like homework. Whoops. Well, I've also done a ton of fun things in the past couple of weeks, including attending the Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival, battling Alan in Scrabble, seeing Alissa before the NCFHC meeting in SF, checking out the San Jose Music in the Park with Robert, and enjoying happy hour with my fellow law clerks at a pizza place across the street from San Jose City Hall.

On Saturday, Robert, Tiffany and I took a trip to San Francisco. We had planned this out ages in advance, to take advantage of San Francisco's Dine About Town, by making reservations at Campton Place. Before dinner, we went to the Legion of Honor. We didn't spent too much time there, because we were trapped in traffic on 19th for ages, but I enjoyed the exhibition on Impressionist Paris. I also liked that we were there during an organ concert, which could be heard throughout the museum. I always enjoy the architecture of the building, a three-quarters scale imitation of the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur in Paris. (Photo courtesy of Tiffany.)

After the museum, we walked around Lincoln Park for a little while, and then made our way downtown. We were early for our reservation, so we had a drink in the bar area of the restaurant. I had a lovely riesling, Kabinett Von Hovel Oberemmeler Hutte Mosel 2002, which tasted like green apples. The restaurant itself has a lovely ambiance, with low lighting, high ceilings, and a beautiful modern chandelier. They had delightful, warm bread to start the meal, followed by a foam palate cleanser that tasted of peas and limes.

For my first course, I had roasted carrot soup with fine herbs and hazelnuts. Robert and I were rather bewildered when the waiters brought out very large bowls containing only a small pile of peas and nuts. We eyed each other nervously, silently asking, "Where's the soup?!" Then, more waiters bustled out, carrying little pitchers, with which they proceeded to pour the soup around our little piles of peas. I suppose it was so as to prevent our peas from getting soggy?

All three of us ordered the same main course: slow cooked flat iron steak with truffled Yukon, savoy spinach and veal jus. I ordered my steak medium well, while Robert and Tiffany went with the chef-recommended medium rare. They may have made the better choice; while my steak was delicious (especially the seasonings in the rub), it could have been juicier. The potatoes and spinach complemented the flavors of the steak nicely.

For dessert, we all had chocolate parfait with vanilla cream and almond praline. The rectangular chocolate parfait was in the center of the plate, while the cream was presented in little, cloud-like dollops placed asymmetrically around the plate. The almond praline was crushed up and sprinkled throughout. The heaviness of the chocolate parfait was offset by the lightness of the cream. While I appreciated the presentation, I will confess that I was a bit concerned about my ability to maintain a proper parfait-to-cream ratio as I ate it; indeed, my fears were confirmed when there was not quite enough cream for the concluding bites of my parfait.

Overall, I rather enjoyed the dinner. What most appealed to me about it was the idea of dinner as an event, carefully choreographed by a large waitstaff with an eye for finesse. There were little touches throughout, such as providing me and Tiffany with little cushions upon which to place our purses (in lieu of the floor or back of our chairs). The waiters were all attentive and courteous.

One thing I can say with confidence: I'm pretty sure, among all of the middle-aged patrons at the restaurant, we were the only diners who went out clubbing afterward. I had never officially been to a dance club, so Robert and Tiffany took me to Bootie (as in pirate booty). I wasn't sure that I'd enjoy clubbing, as I don't like "clubbing music," but Bootie plays music to which I would actually be willing to listen. Specifically, they are known for their mashup bootlegs, which is where "the vocal track of one song is mixed over the instrumentation of another." (E.g., Come See About Down - Jay Sean vs. The Supremes.)

In addition to a DJ playing mashups, they also had a fantastic house band, Smash-Up Derby. The band was my favorite part of the night, and I want to go back and see them play again. The other thing I liked about Bootie was the unassuming nature of the crowd; as Robert observed, our fellow dancers just wanted to have fun. I was glad they weren't really "cool" people taking themselves too seriously, because that's no fun, and kind of intimidating. All told, it was a lovely afternoon and evening in the company of good friends.

P.S. - How are we already halfway through June? I'm completely flummoxed.

The Good Eleven

I've been back in the Bay Area for eleven days, and all is well. Here are the good eleven things that happened, in chronological order:

1. I hugged my mommy.
2. I purchased a new desk and chair from IKEA to create a productive space for the summer.
3. I began to learn Spanish.
4. I ate Thai in downtown Sunnyvale with a bunch of good friends from middle school.
5. I was impressed by Phillip's mad mountain dulcimer skills at Barefoot's open mic night.
6. I learned about Genghis Khan with my brother at the Tech Museum.
7. I enjoyed the most amazing café au lait I've ever tasted with Robert at the Nile Cafe.
8. I visited Fresno for the first time to attend a beautiful wedding (read: ADX reunion).
9. I attended the 10 pm Mass at Newman, with Fr. Charlie presiding.
10. I helped my dad pick out a new grill, and we had delicious ribeye steaks.
11. I started my internship with the Law Foundation, working on housing discrimination and predatory mortgage lending.

I'll share more on my internship as the week progresses, but suffice it to say that I am very excited about this summer.

Monticello

A view of Monticello from the flower walk along the west lawn.

This morning, Jess and I hopped in her car and took a 111-mile drive to Charlottesville, VA, to visit Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's plantation. The weather was perfect for us, in the high seventies with a light breeze and wispy little clouds in the blue sky, and the plantation gardens were in full bloom. Even the drive was a delight; the single-lane highways through Civil War battlefields and farmland were tranquil and pastoral.

Monticello is absolutely beautiful. I can understand why Jefferson chose to build his home there, and why it is a World Heritage Site. What impressed me the most during our tour was the ingenuity with which Jefferson designed the house.  From the dumbwaiters connecting the dining room to the wine cellar, to the pond stocked with fresh fish, Jefferson thought things through to optimize convenience and efficiency.

It was interesting to learn more about Jefferson. He was our third President, and the drafter of the Declaration of Independence, of course, but he was also the founder of the University of Virginia, a doting grandfather, a gardener, a diplomat, a violinist, and a bibliophile. He was also a slave owner, and most likely the father of one, if not all, of Sally Hemings' children. He commissioned the Lewis and Clark expedition, and made the Louisiana Purchase. He was inspired by his "trinity of the three greatest men the world has ever produced," Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, and John Locke.

After our tours of the house and the grounds (more photos here), Jess and I drove into downtown Charlottesville to see the University of Virginia, including the Rotunda. We were amazed by how nice the campus looked--even the frat houses were in the style of American Neo-Classicism! After cruising through Charlottesville, we began our long drive home, with brief stops along the way at some considerably less noteworthy locales, including Chick-fil-A and IKEA.

Yesterday was also lovely, by the way! I visited the National Zoo with Brad and Jess--see Brad's blog for the details of our encounter with some amorous turtles. My favorite moment was in the outdoor flight cage, where one can walk along a path to view birds flying freely. As it so happened, one of the peacocks had fanned out his tail feathers rather aggressively, blocking the path near the entrance. Jess decided to walk past the peacock when his feathers were down, but then he displayed them again, forcing Jess to sneak behind him to escape. After the zoo, we headed back to Brad's apartment, watched Iron Man (the first one), and had an amazing steak and Guinness pie prepared by Brad's girlfriend, Marie. Apparently, the pie is a Jamie Oliver recipe, which I will have to try out myself, because it was so delicious!

What's News?

So done. So very done. Just turned in my last paper of 2L year. Huzzah! Now, I get to spend a few days hanging out in D.C., and then I fly home to CA on Saturday! Beautiful.

My last final exam was on Saturday, for Refugee Law and Policy. It was a very fair exam, the sort where the professor presents opportunities for you to demonstrate your knowledge, without any tricks. That's how all exams should be.

After my exam, I went to the Newseum, which is a very modern and interactive museum devoted to the history of news. The exhibits appealed to me both as the former editor-in-chief of my high school's newspaper, and as a hardcore news junkie.

You start on the 6th floor (after taking a ride on one of the world's largest glass hydraulic elevators), where you can walk along the outdoor terrace for an excellent view of Pennsylvania Avenue and the Capitol.  I went to the Newseum on a whim (and left my cellphone in my checked backpack), so I apologize for the lack of photographs. Inside, there is a long hallway with the day's front pages from around the country and the world. It reminded me of the newspapers on display in front of the Free Speech Cafe at Berkeley.

The 5th floor was devoted to the history of news. I spent a lot of time reading about the various phases of news, including the origin of eyewitness reports, the beginnings of female and minority reporters, and even satirical news sources like The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and The Onion! There was also a timeline featuring actual newspapers, so that you could get a feel for the major events of each year. They even had a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle from 1989 about the Loma Prieta earthquake.

The museum emphasizes the freedoms of the First Amendment throughout the exhibits, but the 4th floor had a gallery specifically devoted to each of the five freedoms (religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition). There are computers all over the place with games for children, and, I don't mind telling you, I rocked the First Amendment game. I knew two semesters of Constitutional Law would be good for something. The 4th floor also had a gallery devoted to 9/11, which included front pages from around the world about the event, and a large, mangled piece of the broadcasting antenna that had been at the top of the North Tower.

As I walked through and looked at those photos from the attacks, I couldn't help but to think back to 2001. I was a freshman sophomore in high school, getting ready for the day. We didn't really know what was going on when the first plane crashed--I thought it must have been a terrible accident--but, when I watched the second plane hit on TV, it was clear that this was deliberate. My first class of the day was Journalism, and we rigged up a television in our computer lab so that we could watch the news coverage. We spent English class journaling about how we felt about the attack. It was amazing how, instantaneously, things had changed.

The 3rd floor had some great information about the freedom of the press internationally, and a memorial for journalists who died on the job, in the pursuit of truth. There was a wonderful exhibit devoted to radio, television, and the Internet. I was very impressed by how up-to-date the exhibit was, with information about Twitter and even the iPad. I was amused by an old editorial cartoon they had displayed, in which a bunch of people are standing on a subway, reading the newspaper, except for the guy at the end of the car, who is carrying a massive personal computer in order to read the newspaper online. I wonder what marvelous things the future will bring.

The 2nd floor had a ton of computers with games for children to grapple with journalistic ethics. I played a couple of the games out of curiosity, and thought they did a good job of covering a wide array of issues--manipulation of photographs for dramatic effect, taking a photo of a person who needs help, going undercover at an insane asylum to get the inside scoop, and others. There was also a bank of video cameras and green screens where you could try your hand at reporting. I kind of wanted to do it, but not alone. Oh, well, next time.

The 1st floor was basically just the lobby, though they did have a little gallery with Pulitzer Prize photographs, which were all incredible. I especially loved the photographs of Barack Obama's presidential campaign by Damon Winter. There was also an absurd "4-D" theatre with 3-D glasses and moving seats, which showed a 20-minute film about important reporters in history, including Edward R. Murrow and Nellie Bly. Don't get me wrong--the film was great, but I just don't think that a film about the history of news needs to be in 3-D with moving chairs. Then again, perhaps I overestimate the attention span of middle schoolers.

Finally, on the Concourse level, there were eight sections of the Berlin Wall and one of the East German guard towers on display. It was strange to see in a museum. Part of me was grappling with the historical significance, but another part of me was appreciating the graffiti as art. There were also a couple of temporary exhibits, one on sports photography, and one on "g-men" (the FBI). And, for what it's worth, they have a very nice food court, if a bit pricey. (Then again, I have yet to find a museum in D.C. that serves reasonably priced food.)

The building design is very aesthetically pleasing, both inside and out. I have always loved the text of the First Amendment on the outside of the building. All told, I spent over three hours at the Newseum. I highly recommend it, even though it's one of the few museums in D.C. where you have to pay to get in ($20, ouch).

Diversions

In no particular order, the following are topics about which I wish to know more:

• Classical music
• Wine
• Jazz
• Religions other than Christianity
• Plant names
• Geography
• Saints
• Sight reading
• Latin phrases
• Culinary techniques
• Visual art movements (esp. in painting)

Perhaps this list will serve as inspiration for some of my summer reading. With luck, perhaps it will prompt some summer adventures! Do you have any suggestions as to how I should educate myself about any of these topics? Do you have topics about which you wish you knew more?

Personal Day Off

I had my International Law II final exam on Monday, the third exam in the course of a grueling six days. As my next exam, Refugee Law and Policy, does not take place until Saturday, I decided that I would take yesterday as a "personal day." After having a lovely lunch at Five Guys (D.C.'s attempt at In-N-Out, minus milkshakes, plus peanuts) with my friend Brad, I decided to check off a couple of locations from my D.C. to-do list: the National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Castle.

The Natural History Museum is pretty cool. I really enjoyed walking through the Mammal Hall, which had a great number of wonderful specimens. I found the minimalism of the displays to be particularly striking; rather than surrounding the animals with recreated approximations of their natural environments, the animals are displayed in plain settings with only a branch or flower or prey, so you can focus on the specimen itself.

I also enjoyed the Insect Zoo, which had some living insects, including some awesome camouflaged stick bugs. Stick bugs hold a special place in my heart, as my mother has been raising them for ages for her classroom. Alas, there was a very long line to get into the butterfly pavilion (darn middle school tour groups), so I'll have to go back another time.

The Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals was, well, sparkly. Everyone was crowded around the Hope Diamond, but I found the other displays to be far more interesting. I amassed a fairly decent rock collection when I was younger, so seeing the various rocks and gems and minerals was delightfully reminiscent. I was surprised by the incredible collection of meteorites.

All of the children in the museum were obsessed with the dinosaurs exhibit, but I found it to be a bit overwhelming, and quickly escaped into the adjacent fossil plants exhibit. I cannot believe that we can dig up the preserved remains of plants from tens of thousands of years ago... Science is so cool.

After the Natural History Museum, I walked across the National Mall to the Smithsonian Castle. I have been intrigued by the building for a while, as its turrets are such a compelling addition to the skyline of the Mall. Unfortunately, there isn't really anything of interest inside the castle, other than information about the Smithsonian museums, a theatre that shows a video about the museums, and a cafe. I was not terribly impressed, and only spent about ten minutes wandering around. I imagine the castle is a wonderful resource for tourists, but it does not do much for an experienced local such as myself. Oh, well, at least it's pretty.

Today, I am back to my studies. In addition to Saturday's exam, I also have a paper due next Tuesday for my Negotiations seminar. I am hoping to finish it sooner than that, though, so I can spend my time having fun next week! If I get very ambitious, I believe I may have to add some more locations to my to-do list.

Summer Preview

Whilst I am in the middle of final exams, I cannot help but to daydream about this summer. My internship with the Fair Housing Law Project (a part of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley) begins on June 1st. I'm so glad it's only in San Jose, as opposed to my insane commute to San Francisco last summer.

Speaking of commuting, I'm still figuring out the best way to get from Sunnyvale to San Jose by public transit. I think the fastest method--I'm guessing 45 minutes or so--will be to bike to the Lawrence Caltrain Station, take Caltrain to the San Jose Station, and then bike to my office. I suppose I could attempt to take a combination of buses (probably the 32 to the 522) but VTA is so much less reliable than the train. Plus, biking is more fun and healthful.

I have some goals and projects lined up for this summer:

• Read for pleasure
• Begin to learn Spanish
• Research and apply for fellowships and clerkships for after graduation
• Write On journal competition grading (~25 10-page case comments)
• Spend quality time with friends, preferably on short Bay Area adventures
• Visit my grandmother as often as possible

I have some other ideas to which I have not yet committed... For instance, I am considering taking a martial arts class, maybe Judo or Taekwondo. I also am brainstorming some sort of spiritual devotion for the summer (ideas?). I really want to make the most of this summer. What with studying for the bar exam next summer, this is my last truly free summer as a student. Sheer madness.

Any suggestions for my summer reading list? So far, I know I want to read:

• Traveling with Pomegranates, by Sue Monk Kidd & Ann Kidd Taylor
• The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life, by Fr. James Martin
• Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages, by Ammon Shea

Lovely as this summer daydreaming is, I must come back to the present. Final exams tomorrow, Friday, Monday, then one more exam the following Saturday and paper due the following Tuesday, whew! I am not flying back to CA until May 22nd, so I'll have a few days to hang out as a tourist in DC and tidy up my apartment for my lovely sublessee. I hope I'll be able to check off a few more things from my DC To-Do List (see column, at right), as my pace has stagnated considerably this semester.

Journaling

Last night, the Poverty Journal had our end-of-the-year banquet. It was on the rooftop of Tabaq Bistro on U St., and the weather was perfectly gorgeous. I had a mesclun salad, salmon with lobster sauce and mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake. Quite delicious!

It was great to honor Hasa, our outgoing editor-in-chief, for all of the hard work he has put in this year. I hope that we can continue lead the journal in a good direction next year. I think my managing editor position will be a lot of work, but well worth it.

I was very surprised during the banquet when I was given a trophy for all of the community service I've done for the journal this year! Ha ha, I don't think I've received a trophy since high school. It has my name on it and everything:

A bunch of us went out after the banquet to the lounge downstairs at Saint-Ex. At first, it was a pretty empty bar, but it rapidly turned into a dance party, which was fun. It was nice to relax with friends for the evening, what with next week being the last week of school, and final exams starting up on the 5th. Madness! There is much work to be done over the next few weeks, but it'll be fine. It's just a matter of pacing myself.

My last final is a paper due on the 18th, but I'm not flying out to California until the 22nd--so, D.C. kids, let's hang out! It'll be fun to pretend to be a tourist for a few days, and maybe even check off a few more things from my to-do list...

Wonderful Wednesday

Two really cool things happened yesterday. First off, my journal made the front page of the Georgetown Law Weekly for our Relay for Life team! Click on the article to see a larger version (I'm the one kneeling with a baseball cap on):

Secondly, I was offered (and accepted) a spot on the Human Rights Institute/Georgetown Human Rights Action 2010-2011 fact-finding mission! In brief, it's a five credit, year-long course in which a team of students will research and produce a report on a human rights issue—next year's issue will be the repatriation of persons with mental disabilities. This is a huge opportunity for me, as it will be my first real foray into international human rights. And, we get to travel abroad to conduct interviews (it sounds like we'll be traveling to Mexico in January). Here's the full description:

This year-long experiential seminar is designed to support students participating in the Human Rights Institute/Georgetown Human Rights Action fact-finding project. These projects give students an opportunity to work as human rights investigators—researching a human rights problem in depth, conducting extensive interviews on the subject, drafting a comprehensive report on their findings, and engaging in related advocacy. Through this course, students will gain the substantive background and skills needed to carry out this work. Each year, Georgetown Human Rights Action and the Human Rights Institute identify a new topic on which to work. In 2010-2011, the selected topic is Safe Repatriation for Persons with Mental Disabilities. In the fall, the weekly seminar will cover relevant substantive law and policy on this subject, as well as fact-finding skills and methodology. In January 2011, we will travel as a group to conduct interviews on this subject. In the spring, students will draft a final report and engage in advocacy surrounding their findings; there will be seven 2-hour class sessions to guide students through these processes. Over the year, students will be expected to devote an additional 110 hours outside of class time to this project; all students must submit a record of this time. Grading for all credits will occur at the end of the spring semester. The letter grade will be based on individual memos and advocacy assignments, a joint pre-mission memo, co-teaching a class session, and a joint final report.

My heart is filled with joy about this opportunity. Thank you, Lord!

Celebrity

Relay for Life was a lot of fun last night! In sum, I raised $365, and my team raised close to $2,500--thanks to everyone for your support! The Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy was out in force, handing out pamphlets to educate students on the connections between cancer and poverty. We even met President DeGioia, and gave him a copy of the journal. Heh, we also "met" Scruff McGruff the Crime Dog. And, while wearing my Cal baseball cap, I discovered that there are a lot of people on main campus who are Bear fans for one reason or another. Go Bears!

Matt and Bryan (two of my GJPLP teammates) and I decided to attempt to walk a marathon while at Relay! The event was on the football field, so we didn't have the benefit of an actual track, but we figured that six laps around the field at 300 yards per lap is a mile (300 yds x 6 laps = 1,800 yds; 1 mile = 1,760 yds).

By the end of the event, we had to revise our goal to 20 miles, which we completed! There were several factors that contributed to our inability to finish the full marathon:

• Interruptions for ceremonies (the event was only 12 hours long)
• A narrow and crowded pseudo-track
• A thunderstorm with 25-mph winds
• Lack of energy from staying up all night
• Blisters on our feet and aching knees
• No actual preparation or training

I had a big blister on my right foot, so I ended up walking the last 10 miles barefoot, which was actually kind of nice on the AstroTurf. Unfortunately, it rained pretty much the entire time, but at least that kept us from getting too hot while speed-walking. 20 miles is definitely the farthest I've ever walked, and gives me a new appreciation for the sheer madness of people who run marathons.

The other neat thing about Relay was that I came home with a goldfish! Matt won the fish, but realized that it wouldn't be very compatible with his cat, so Jess and I have adopted it for now. The journal decided to name the fish Tracy Chapman (a reference to a song played at our journal's orientation). If it survives the summer, maybe we'll keep it in the journal office this fall?!

Anyhow, after Relay, I got home around 6 am, slept for some of the day, and spent the rest of the day hobbling around the apartment (my legs are so stiff!) and studying for finals (two weeks away, eek!). This evening, Jess and I headed to the law school to watch a Georgetown Gilbert and Sullivan Society production of H.M.S. Pinafore, which was excellent! I had a bunch of friends in the show, and laughed so much.

Before the show started, I happened to notice a man sitting four rows in front of me who looked somewhat familiar to me. "No way," I thought to myself. "Why would he even be here?" I looked up a photo of him on my iPhone, just to make sure, and then turned to Jess excitedly and said, "Look! It's the Chairman of the Fed! It's Bernanke!" And, indeed, it was:

Do you see the back of his head? Balding, blue shirt, center of the photograph. I'm sorry for the terrible quality, but it was very dark in the auditorium. It was definitely him, though! He did turn around at one point, and I caught sight of his distinctive beard. I have determined that people like Bernanke are my celebrities. I may know nothing about pop culture, but I absolutely freak out when I spot the people who run the government. D.C. is my Hollywood.

Speaking of D.C. "celebrity" sightings, I failed to mention that when David visited a couple of weeks ago, we saw Nancy Pelosi during our tour of--where else?--Congress. We were in Statutory Hall when, unannounced, Pelosi and a bunch of staffers walked right by us! David and I gawked at her, mere feet away, and she smiled at us. I was unable to respond, and just continued to stare at her, slack-jawed. Once she had exited the room, I was very frustrated by the rest of our tour group for not even noticing her, but I suppose most middle schoolers wouldn't recognize the Speaker of the House. Sadness.