For My Money

Being unemployed, it is a fun little form of escapism to think about how I want to spend money when I have some.  I'm not all that wrapped up in consumerism, but I do have some desires.  Here are a few big-ticket items on my wish list, in no particular order:

• A car.  As I was just discussing with Shauna, as long as I remain in suburbia, I think this has to be my next big purchase.  It doesn't have to be big, or fast, or even all that pretty.  Decent fuel efficiency would be nice.  It cannot be red.
• A DSLR.  I have a lot of fun with my little Canon PowerShot SD1300IS, and even with my iPhone in a pinch, but I know my photography will never reach its full potential until I have a better camera.
• A KitchenAid stand mixer.  My mom has one, and it makes baking magical.  Perhaps some day she'll upgrade to the larger model, and I will inherit her old cobalt blue one?  If not, majestic yellow and boysenberry are happy colors.
• A kitty condo.  The kittens quickly outgrew their 2-foot tall scratching post/hammock.  I cannot wait to have the room for a 6-foot tall tower for them to climb (hopefully in lieu of my bookcases).
• An iMac and an iPad.  These will be my next major technology purchases.  I think I'd like to transition from a laptop to a desktop computer, because the big screen is so fantastic, and I don't need to lug a laptop all over the place now that I'm done with school.  Plus, by supplementing it with an iPad, I would still have the option of mobility for basic computing needs.

Actually, now that I look at this list, I realize that I forgot to mention travel.  Perhaps I'll do a different post about the places I want to visit.  In addition, here are some smaller splurges that I would enjoy on occasion:

• Things I don't need from Etsy.  Oh, there are so many things.  Stationery, art, decorations, jewelry, cat collars, bags...
• Cultural enrichment.  I miss D.C.'s free museums and $10 tickets to the National Symphony Orchestra a lot.  Alas, the San Francisco Symphony is far more expensive.  I'd also like to attend more plays, musicals, and museums.
• Random ingredients.  I would love to have a fully stocked pantry of obscure spices.  There are dozens of new recipes that I want to try.
• Throwing dinner parties.  I really enjoy having friends over for a home-cooked meal, some good wine, and hilarious conversations.
• Books for my Kindle.  There is so much reading that I want to do.

I also like to think about where my charitable contributions will go when I have an income.  My heart always sinks when I am not able to give very much to:

• The Paulist Fathers.  Newman Hall at Berkeley was a place of profound formation for me as a Catholic.  I would love to do more to support their ministries.
• The Leadership Award.  I received this scholarship from the Cal Alumni Association three times, and it was a huge help.  I have donated time by grading application essays and interviewing applicants, but I want to help out financially as well.
• The Alzheimer's Association.  My grandmother passed away last year after suffering from Alzheimer's for years.  I intend to fight this disease by supporting the research and programs of the Alzheimer's Association.
• The Equal Justice Foundation.  EJF funded all of my summer internships while at Georgetown Law.  I want to support the next generation of public interest law students.
• All of the non-profits where I've worked/volunteered.  It will be great to give back to HomeBase, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, and the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies.

What is on your wish list?  Which charities do you like to support?

Gallimaufry of Gallivanting

Hey, gang!  It's been a while.  Here are the highlights from the past six weeks...

• It was nice to be home for Christmas with my family.  Christmas presents included a new iPhone 4G (soooo awesome) and a Brian Wilson jersey with a World Series patch.
• My brother Dan and I went to the UC Botanical Garden and roamed the streets of Berkeley.  I hadn't been on campus in ages; it was nice to be back.
• I saw some good friends from high school and Cal, which involved a lot of board games and restaurant outings.  For example, Alan and I played an outrageous game of Scrabble with FOUR bingos, fueled by bottomless cappuccinos at Denny's.
• I spent a week in Kingston, Jamaica, doing human rights research on the deportation of persons with mental disabilities.  It was an extremely productive trip, and I'm really excited to write up the report and do advocacy with my classmates!  Also, Jamaica is beautiful, and I would like to go back soon to actually see the island instead of spending 16 hours a day conducting interviews and typing up notes.
• Classes started.  I'll talk about my schedule in a separate post, but suffice it to say that school is a lot more manageable when one is not also doing an internship.
• I took advantage of DC Restaurant Week by hitting up two delicious restaurants: Acadiana and the Capital Grille.
• Jess and I went to the symphony at the Kennedy Center, and now I am in love with Beethoven's Triple Concerto.  Go listen to it!
• I went to the World of Pets Expo with Jess and her friend Ekat, which was entertaining.  The best animal there was definitely the sugar glider.  Sooo adorable, and completely willing to live in your pocket.  I want one!
• On our way to the expo, we stopped at Sonic, because neither Jess nor I had ever been.  It was delicious.  I am a huge fan of tater tots, and I cannot begin to express the awe-inspiring nature of the Red Velvet Cheesecake Blast.

That's all for now.  I left out the part about me working a lot and staying on campus really late almost every night, but, hey, I'm in law school, so that's implied.

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.

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!

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!

Rachmaninoff

Last night, I went to the Kennedy Center for a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra with some friends. We heard Auerbach's Requiem for Icarus, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18+, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36+.

I know very little about classical music, but I do know that I like it. Last night's performance was dramatic, passionate, surprising, touching, haunting, and, at times, a little bit crazy. The Auerbach piece was delightfully jarring. It is a contemporary piece (composed in 2006), which provided an interesting juxtaposition against the Rachmaninoff (1901) and Tchaikovsky (1878). There was a considerable amount of plucking of the string instruments, and the first chair violinist played the most ethereal, chilling high notes.

My favorite performance of the evening was definitely Denis Matsuev as the pianist in the Rachmaninoff. I had listened to the concerto several times this past week to get a feel for it, but an audio recording simply cannot convey how incredibly difficult that piece is to play. I was blown away! We had wonderful seats through the Kennedy Center's Attend program (best seats in the house for only $10 if you're under 26), so we were close enough to appreciate the impassioned expressions that Matsuev kept making during the performance.

I was also delighted by the little encore that Matsuev did after multiple standing ovations--an incredible In the Hall of the Mountain King! I am so excited that there is a video of him playing it on Youtube:

Equally entertaining was the conductor, James Gaffigan. I love it when the conductor is extremely expressive through his movements, and Gaffigan did not disappoint. I think it helps that he is so young--only 30! During the scherzo of the Tchaikovsky, he actually put down his baton and went all-out gesturing with his hands.

Events like these remind me how fortunate I am to be living in Washington, D.C., surrounded by so much culture and history. Seeing a world-class orchestra for the price of a movie ticket makes me so happy.

Advent(ures)

Happy first Sunday of Advent! I love liturgical seasons, because they present opportunities to start anew. Advent, in particular, appeals to me because of the wonderful sense of anticipation. Everyone is looking forward to Christmas! Moving away from home has intensified this expectant feeling, as I am excited not only for Christmas, but also for the chance to go home. And, of course, all students eagerly await the conclusion of final exams. I pray that this season will be prayerful, productive, and joyful for all of us.

In the spirit of welcoming Christ into our lives and homes, Jess and I decorated our apartment! An impromptu visit to Target yielded wonderful results--stockings, lights, and even a little Christmas tree!

My favorite part is that we spelled out our names on the stockings using pipe cleaners. And, the lights look so gorgeous. Jess and I keep finding excuses to wander into the living room when we should be in our rooms, studying. The little tree is just right for us, too. (The tree skirt is one of Jess's scarves!) We are very pleased with the resulting atmosphere of our apartment.

The past couple of weeks, while fraught with another brand of anticipation in the form of final exams, have nonetheless been full of good moments. The weekend before last, of course, Cal kept the Axe! Jess and I had a good time watching the game at the Cal-Stanfurd D.C. alumni viewing party at Bar Louie in Chinatown. Go Bears!

I'm currently looking for a spring internship, to take advantage of all of the amazing opportunities for law students here in D.C., and last week was exciting because I had an interview with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless! We'll see what happens... I've applied to other places as well, and have an interview coming up with the Department of Health and Human Services Departmental Appeals Board this week. I am looking for an internship to complete my Pro Bono Pledge hours, which I think is a great idea. So, keep your fingers crossed that I find an internship that allows me to grow through service.

Jess and I both stayed in D.C. for the Thanksgiving holiday so that we could get work done, but that didn't stop us from having fun! We attended not one, but two Thanksgiving dinners. The first was on Wednesday, hosted by the President of Georgetown University in one of the dining halls on campus, and it was fantastic. We ate a ridiculous amount of food, including multiple desserts, and made some lovely new friends at our table. Oh, and there was live music! Very classy, Georgetown. There were lovely flowers as centerpieces that [Jess and I decided] were up for grabs, so now I even have some gorgeous chrysanthemums living in my room!

The second dinner was on the law school campus on Thanksgiving day, sponsored by our dean and organized by Sr. Dorinda, who led us in an interesting Native American prayer before the meal. This meal was even better than the one on main campus, in my opinion. I'm not usually a stuffing fan, but something about this stuffing made it delicious. And, the gravy was fantastic. The best part was that they provided plates and plastic wrap so that we could take home leftovers! Mm, still have a bit of turkey in the fridge.

Thanksgiving morning, Jess and I did some volunteer work with Food and Friends, an organization in D.C. that delivers food to home-bound cancer and AIDS patients. After a training session at their very organized facility, we were off, armed with three gigantic bags stuffed with full Thanksgiving dinners to feed families of four, including entire turkeys, multiple pies, and all of the fixings. We drove around Northwest D.C., dropping off the meals at our assigned locations. One old lady cracked us up by asking where our "menfolk" were, and seemed disappointed to learn that it was just us. Oh, goodness...

On Friday afternoon, Jess and I went to the Kennedy Center to see the National Symphony Orchestra perform The Music Man, conducted by Marvin Hamlisch! We weren't sure exactly how they were going to do it, and were very surprised and delighted to see it performed on stage, right in front of the orchestra, featuring Shirley Jones, her son Patrick Cassidy, and Rebecca Luker. It was very entertaining, and a great way to take a break from our studies. (Though, admittedly, this break was not as productive as I had planned.) The best part was that we had fantastic seats in the orchestra for only $15, thanks to the Kennedy Center's Attend program for 17- to 25-year-olds. For goodness sake, parking cost more!

Other than that, I've been focusing on my studies, what with my Tax Law exam only ten days away, yikes! Well, actually, I did do one other little fun thing over the Thanksgiving break--I read Dan Brown's new novel, The Lost Symbol. Jess bought it last week (and raced through the 500 pages in a day), so I couldn't help but do the same. Obviously, as an English major, I could critique the writing--I mean, no one needs to use the word "esoteric" that many times in one book--but I don't think that Brown is trying to write a meaningful masterpiece. No, he's trying to entertain, and he succeeded in that regard. I was especially interested in reading the book because it takes place in D.C., which made it a lot of fun to read his descriptions of the city and think, I know what he's talking about! He made a few minor errors (e.g., the seats on the Metro are not hard plastic), but I'll forgive him. I enjoyed the story, even if Jess and I both saw the big twist coming from a mile off. At any rate, I recommend it if you're looking for a quick, light read, and, if not, it'll make a for fun movie in a few years.

Summery Summary

My internship, exacerbated by my commute, has not afforded me much time for my usual hobbies. Dozens of episodes of The Daily Show have gone unwatched, I haven't baked a single thing from scratch in ages, and, worst of all, I haven't written a blog post since the beginning of June. Well, dear reader, my internship ends Friday, and, along with it, my hiatus from the blogosphere.

That isn't to say that I haven't been up to things--just that I've failed to chronicle them. Here are some highlights from the past two months, furnished mainly by tweets, for posterity's sake:

• Watched the A's cream the Orioles
• Ate the best meal ever at the Daily Grill during SF's Dine About Town
  
• Played pool for the second time, ever, and wasn't half bad at it
  
• Ate tamales while sitting on the Civic Center grass
• Perfected the art of inconspicuous people-watching via Bart window reflections
  
• Sang tribute to Michael Jackson at a karaoke bar in El Cerrito
• Was on a train that hit a car (no one was hurt)
• Visited a purple sweater at the Gap for 5 weeks until it was marked down 50%
  
• Adopted some walking stick bugs for the summer
  
• Made crab cakes for Father's Day
  
• Became a regular customer at the Bean Scene in Sunnyvale
• Learned about the federal grant process for homeless service providers
  
• Saw the San Francisco Symphony, George Takei (Sulu), and fireworks on 4th of July
• Ate lunch with adorable second cousins
• Availed self to be on a jury, but was never summoned
  
• Received fortune cookie: "It's amazing how much good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit."
• Saw the Mechanical Snails play at the Blue Bonnet
  
• Did memo research at the San Francisco Law Library
  
• Fell in love with the weedy sea dragons at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Bounced on trampolines with friends have known for a decade
• Visited six different housing projects in Solano County
  
• Said good-bye to Fr. Charlie
• Tried to rescue a lost cat named Persephone
  
• Took little brother out to practice driving
  
• Had a photo published on The New York Times website
• Went for a hike with law firm at Castle Rock State Park
• Watched, and enjoyed, Harry Potter VI
• Found a nice place to live in Arlington, with a nice roommate
  
• Placed bids for Early Interview Week
• Bought a new suit on sale for $99 (regularly $320)
• Traveled 3,698 miles by train over a nine-week period
  

It's been a good summer. I learned a lot, felt affirmation about my decision to go to law school, and enjoyed time at home with friends and family. As good as my internship has been, though, I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks off before I fly out for 2L year. I'll be around through the 18th--let's hang out!

Fantastic Quotes, Performances, and Trips

My professors have said some fantastically quotable things in the past couple of weeks:

“Remember Marbury v. Madison: sign, sealed, delivered?” - Contracts professor, jogging our memory about the landmark case establishing judicial review, in which Madison failed to deliver a commission by President Adams appointing Marbury as Justice of the Peace in D.C.

“Whether the barn is being used for intimate purposes…” - Criminal Justice professor, on the open fields doctrine of Oliver v. United States (this statement elicited many snickers from my classmates)

“The house is haunted as a matter of law." - Property professor, on Stambovsky v. Ackley, an incredible case involving an exception to caveat emptor (buyer beware), because the seller of a haunted house had taken advantage of the buyer's ignorance about the otherwise publicly-known fact of the house being haunted

Oh, good times.

Last night, I went to the Kennedy Center with Tracie to see the Hilliard Ensemble, which is a British male vocal quartet that is world-renowned for singing early music (e.g., Medieval and Renaissance). They performed a selection of Renaissance-era Requiem Mass songs in Latin; specifically, "Orlando de Lassus's four-part Requiem Mass, interspersed with motets and antiphons by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina." I wasn't sure what to expect, but the Catholic nerd in me figured that I would enjoy it--and, I did! The program provided translations of the songs from Latin, but I tried to focus on the musicality of the performance. I enjoyed picking up random phrases that I recognized, such as "Kyrie eleison" (Lord, have mercy), "Hosanna in excelsis" (Hosanna in the highest), "Miserere mei Deus" (Have mercy upon me, O God), and "Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi" (Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world).

The Kennedy Center has a great program for 17- to 25-year-olds called Attend, which offers steeply discounted tickets to students and young professionals. Fantastic seats to world-class performances for $10?! Brilliant. My friend Mike introduced me to the program a couple of weeks ago, when we went to hear the National Symphony Orchestra perform Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major and Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique. I vow to take advantage of this program as often as possible while I'm in D.C., seeing as it costs the same amount as a movie, but is so much cooler.

Not to bury the lead, but I'm going to California this weekend! We get Monday and Tuesday off for Presidents' Day, so my parents offered to fly me out on their dime last-minute! I'm catching a flight out from Reagan at 6:35 tomorrow morning, and I'll be back in D.C. Tuesday evening. I'm so excited to visit my family. I don't think I'll have time to make it up to Berkeley, but, never fear, I will be back in the Bay Area in a few weeks for Spring Break.

Apex

New experiences during my Thanksgiving break in Apex, North Carolina:

• Spent 12 hours on Amtrak, round-trip
• Watched Mork & Mindy--Robin Williams hasn't changed much
  
• Saw a fish ice sculpture
  
• Ate German bologna--es ist gut!
• Went inside a Walmart for the first time ever (seriously, I had never been)
• Attended the symphony (Holiday Pops by the NC Symphony)
• Tasted hummingbird cake
• Attentively watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from start to finish
  
• Bought boots
  
• Celebrated Thanksgiving with my grandparents and aunt :-)
  
• Realized that D.C. is starting to feel like home