Resolute Reflection

Throughout law school, my list of New Year's Resolutions has been short and sweet:

• Keep in touch with friends
• Get to know D.C. like a local
• Read for pleasure
• Use my time wisely
• Pray without ceasing
• Make healthy choices

Overall, I have done pretty well with the list this year.  2011 has been a year of reconnecting with old friends, especially since moving back to California.  And, I am very pleased to be staying in touch with my D.C. friends, all of whom I miss so much.  Indeed, writing Christmas cards each year is always an exercise in counting my blessings.

I definitely got to know D.C. like a local these past three years, and this year wrapped up my D.C. to-do list.  Much was accomplished during Chris' visit on Presidents' Day Weekend.  We went to the top of the Old Post Office Tower, saw the Ghost Clock at the Renwick Gallery, watched money being made at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and went to the National Building Museum.  I also checked off some big to-do's during my family's visit for my graduation: a tour of the White House, and a visit to the Franciscan Monastery.  And, that's to say nothing of the recurring D.C. adventures I went on, including Mount Vernon, walking the monuments at night with Jess, many trips to the various Smithsonians, and quiet afternoons at the Basilica of the National Shrine.  I miss D.C., and hope that I'll have the opportunity to visit this spring.

I am happy to report that reading for pleasure has picked up this year.  Still Thinking, the virtual book club, has been a great source of accountability for reading.  This year, we read Machine of Death, Shakespeare's Kitchen, A Time to Kill, Across the Universe, Devil in the White City, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Hunger Games trilogy, and are currently reading The House of God.  I think my favorite was Machine of Death, which is an anthology of short stories inspired by this comic.  It was at once macabre, hilarious, and thought-provoking.  Plus, you can read the book online for free!  My reading also experienced a sharp uptick after I received a Kindle as a graduation present from my parents.  I was a bit hesitant about using an e-reader at first, but now I love it.  In addition to my book club books, I also read Bossypants by Tina Fey, Packing for Mars, The Pun also Rises, and am in the middle of the second book of A Song of Ice and Fire (the Game of Thrones series).  Still not nearly as many books as I used to read pre-law school, but a step in the right direction.

Using my time wisely is always a difficult resolution.  There are so many distractions in this world, and the Internet is the biggest temptation for me.  I can easily whittle away hours reading online.  However, especially in light of my upcoming bar exam at the end of February, maintaining this resolution will be of the utmost importance.

I would not go so far as to characterize my prayer life as "praying without ceasing," but there has been progress in this area of my life, most significantly this autumn as I began to meet up regularly with Monica, Ariana, and Shauna for conversations about The Holy Longing, by Ronald Rolheiser.  I am so blessed to have people in my life who challenge me to grow, and support me when I am struggling.

Making healthy choices waxes and wanes.  To be honest, it's been more difficult since I've moved home, because there is less walking in the suburbs, I don't have access to a gym, and I don't have as much control over food selection (and, keeping temptations out of reach).  However, I have been doing more cooking using healthy recipes, and my bicycle has gotten a lot of use.  Still, some room for improvement.

Accordingly, these are my resolutions for 2012:

• Keep in touch with friends
• Read for pleasure
• Use my time wisely
• Pray without ceasing
• Make healthy choices
• Try new recipes
• Do more photography
• Study Spanish

2011 was a momentous year for me in so many ways (a retrospective is forthcoming), and I cannot wait to see what 2012 will bring.  In the meantime, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Overcoming the Sniffles

I've been battling a terrible cold for nearly a week, bleh.  Nonetheless, I forced myself to get a lot of work done from my bed, and even managed to drag myself out of the apartment for a bit of fun.  (Oh, the wonders of Dayquil!)  I'm feeling somewhat better today, thank goodness.

The human rights fact-finding report is coming along nicely.  After a major restructuring, our second draft is nearly complete.  I love the work that we are doing, and am so excited for our report launch on March 25!  There's a lot of work to be done between now and then, but I'm feeling good about it.

On Friday afternoon, after I got out of a make-up class, I spontaneously decided to go to the movies.  I had been dying to see The King's Speech, so I took the bus over to a somewhat run-down little theatre in Shirlington and watched it.  The theatre was almost empty, which could either be due to everyone on the planet having already seen it, the odd hour of the day (5:30 pm on a Friday is a bit early), or the dilapidated state of the theatre (especially the concessions--cold popcorn and warm soda, yum).  I really enjoyed the movie.  Colin Firth was brilliant, and I loved Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue.

I spent most of Saturday sleeping and working, but did manage to go out for a birthday party.  It's a funny story, actually...  For my birthday dinner last September, my dear friend Matthew decided to take an outrageously long bus ride all the way from Boston to attend, because, well, he had the time!  Matthew asked if his friend Camille could also attend, so that he could see her as well during his brief DC visit, and I was happy to have her come--the more, the merrier, as they say.  Well, things did not go exactly as planned, and Matthew's bus was delayed, such that he missed the dinner.  However, Camille made it, and we had a delightful time meeting for the first time at my birthday party!  It was a rather amusing way to meet someone, and we've run into one another since then at a Catholic young adult event in the city.  So, to reciprocate, Camille graciously invited me to her birthday party, which was Saturday night!  It was a costume cocktail party, with delicious hors d'oeuvres and fantastic outfits.  There was a 1920s theme, but I don't own a flapper dress or appropriate flair, so I decided to go as a reporter, which was a great hit!  I made a press pass to tuck into my fedora, and wore a vest and slacks, with a pencil and pad of paper as props.  It was nice to hang out with a bunch of people who weren't law students for an evening...  Sometimes, it's easy to forget that not everyone thinks and acts like a law student.

On Sunday, I pretended that I wasn't sick and went to school for a fact-finding meeting followed by Mass.  Then, I went home and slept and did work until heading over to Brad and Marie's for an Oscar viewing dinner party!  I made Bailey's Dark Chocolate Pudding for dessert, which is amazingly decadent.  Brad and Marie made a wonderful dinner (as always), including bruschetta, a fifteen bean soup, veal, and Brussels sprouts.  One couple who attended the party brought their adorable 10-week-old son, who was wearing a little raccoon onesie--so cute!  It was a lovely evening, and my first Oscar party.  It even made me want to watch more of the movies--especially Black Swan and The Social Network.

This week is going to fly by.  Speaking of flying: on Saturday night, I am flying home to California for Spring Break!  Bay Area kids, let's hang out...

Presidents' Day Caper

With my long weekend for Presidents' Day, and Chris in town, the past few days have felt like a vacation.  Chris has been to DC before, so we were able to do a lot of cool things slightly off the beaten path of tourists, including four things that were on my DC To Do list (at right).

We began our Saturday at the National Archives, and then walked a few blocks to the Old Post Office Tower.  The observation deck afforded us an excellent view of the Capitol from 270 feet:

However, it was extremely windy, with gusts of 50 mph, which was pretty intense:

After lunch, we walked past the White House to the Renwick Gallery.  On our way, we saw part of Saturday's Libyan protest.  At the Renwick Gallery, we perused an eclectic collection of paintings, and saw the Ghost Clock, which is truly incredible:

It looks like a grandfather clock with a sheet draped over it, right?  And yet, it's so much more.  Wendell Castle sculpted this entirely out of wood!  It was so difficult to tell that it wasn't cloth, even when examined closely in person.  Very cool.

We rounded out our Saturday evening at Co Co Sala, a "chocolate lounge and boutique," for a DC Cal Alumni event.  We chatted with older Cal alumni and sampled chocolate cocktails and desserts.  I had an "MMM Melted Milk Martini," which consisted of Svedka Vanilla vodka, Bailey's, and malted chocolate, while Chris tried the "Co Cojito," with chocolate infused vodka, fresh mint and limes, and dark chocolate flakes.  We also had three-course "dessert experiences," which were intense and delicious.  My favorite thing was the "Chocolate Onyx," which was a decadent brownie-like dessert with dark chocolate mousse, vanilla crème brulee, salted caramel, and crispy chocolate pearls.

On Sunday, we attended Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and walked through the dozens of beautiful side chapels.  We then had an amazing brunch at the historic Old Ebbitt Grill, which is across the street from the White House and has been frequented by a number of presidents and other important DC figures since 1856.  I was blown away by the Grand Marnier French Toast, which was absolutely perfect and delighted me with its hazelnut butter.  Although the wait was half an hour to get in, we were able to sit at the oyster bar and order from the full menu with no wait.

We spent Sunday afternoon at the National Museum of American History, and then attended a free concert at the National Gallery by the Vivaldi Project.  The line to get in was incredible, and I think we were some of the last people allowed in to the limited seating area before they cut off the line.  The theme of the performance was "Venice: Vivaldi and His Rivals."  I have to admit, the Baroque period is not my favorite era of classical music, but I nonetheless enjoyed the opportunity to compare so many composers in one sitting.  My favorite piece was definitely Handel's Trio Sonata no. 7 in F Major.

Monday was Presidents' Day, so we went to Mount Vernon to celebrate George Washington's birthday! I have been to Mount Vernon at least half a dozen times, but every visit brings me additional joy--I am even a card-carrying Friend of Mount Vernon!  For Presidents' Day, Mount Vernon was free to the public, which made for a very crowded plantation.  The opening festivities included Miss America singing the National Anthem, and awesome presentations by the Old Guard Fife & Drum, including military demonstrations:

After we toured the house and the grounds, we returned to the Bowling Green for a "surprise" birthday party for George Washington, organized by Martha Washington and Dr. James Craik (Washington's good friend and personal physician, as well as the Surgeon General of the Army):

The birthday party involved more from the Old Guard Fife & Drum, as well as the presentation of several birthday gifts, such as coral, new spurs, and a cane (which Washington tried, and failed, to insist was merely a walking stick).  Washington and Dr. Craik also taught us the correct lyrics to Yankee Doodle, explaining that the lyrics that we all know are very insulting.

On Tuesday, Chris and I began the day with tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  It was worthwhile, and we got a preview of the new $100 bill being printed.  Here's Chris with a million dollars in $10 bills:

After the Bureau, we checked out the U.S. Botanic Garden, and had some buffalo for lunch at the Mitsitam Cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian.  We rounded out our exploration with a visit to the National Building Museum, which has a lot of cool exhibits.  Alas, we didn't have much time to see everything, but we did see an exhibit on the design of the World Fairs, and a great little exhibit on LEGO architecture!  There were some great buildings on display, including San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid:

We also had an opportunity to play with LEGOs at the end of the exhibit.  Chris made an abstract structure, and I was inspired by the Campanile:

All told, I am confident that Chris and I saw more in a weekend than many of my classmates have seen in three years  (see more photos here).  It was a welcome change of pace to take a few days off from work.  There's a lot of work to be done between now and Spring Break in a week and a half, but I'm feeling recharged!

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.

Spring Has Sprung

As a certain friend somewhere west of the 405 has mentioned (or at least alluded to) repeatedly, I've been rather absent from the blogosphere since late February. What can I say? Life, especially post-Spring Break, has been hurtling along at breakneck speed.

Academic rigors aside, a ton of fun and interesting things have happened in the past few weeks. However, you don't want to read an absurdly long post, and, to be frank, I don't have time to write it! So, here's my compromise: for each of the major fun things that have happened, I'll write a tweet-length commentary. An experiment in brevity could do me some good.

I went chocolate tasting with the DC Cal Alumni Association at the U.S. Botanic Gardens, and discovered that I like quality dark chocolate.

I did Phase II of the Prayer in Daily Life Retreat, focused on major life events. I learned that 2004 - 2005 were especially formative.

Spring Break to California was a relaxing visit with my family, and I helped Robert pick out a ukulele. Wish I had visited Berkeley, though.

I attended a daylong Refugee Act Conference at school, which greatly complemented the Refugee Law and Policy class I'm taking this semester.

I had the second (and final) full weekend of my negotiations seminar. Possibly the best class I've taken at Georgetown Law.

Fr. Orsy gave an interesting lecture on the historical origins of international human rights, examining the works of Francisco de Vitoria.

I saw the Hoya Lawyas (Georgetown law professors) beat the Hills Angels (U.S. Representatives) at the Home Court charity basketball game.

David spontaneously visited me in DC! We saw, well, everything. We also attended a great play at the Kennedy Center called Master Class.

Amanda J. was in town to visit grad schools! I finally saw Arlington Cemetery, which is gorgeous this time of year with the cherry blossoms.

I went with some friends to Bach's Mass in B Minor at the Kennedy Center. It was incredible, especially the credo. The tenors were spirited.

I attended Easter Vigil on main campus, and was deeply moved by the baptisms. Incredibly, the two-and-a-half hours flew by. So joyous!

I organized the CSA's second-annual Easter Brunch, which was delicious and well-attended. We surprised the security guards with leftovers.

Weekend Adventures

The past two weekends, I've been playing the role of a D.C. tour guide. One of my new year's resolutions was to "get to know D.C. like a local," so hosting guests is a great opportunity to test out how far I've come along in that goal.

Carla's Visit

The weekend before last, Carla was in town. She got in fairly late on Friday night, as she and her friend were driving down from Buffalo after an exam, so we stayed in, sipping wine and catching up with one another, which was quite lovely.

On Saturday, after a leisurely breakfast of cinnamon rolls and coffee, Jess, Carla and I started the day by visiting the Pentagon Memorial. Although I live two miles away from the Pentagon, I had yet to visit the site of the 9/11 attacks. It is a very mysterious memorial filled with symbolism representing each victim.

We then headed into D.C. to visit the Capitol. We took the Capitol Visitor Center tour, and, although it was my third time taking it, I nonetheless enjoyed seeing the rotunda. One of my favorite things to see are the statues from each state in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Each state has two statues in the Capitol, and they are allowed to replace the statues with different ones periodically. One of California's statues is Junipero Serra. Until recently, the other statue was Thomas Star King--yeah, I didn't know who he was, either--but, he was replaced this year by Ronald Reagan.

The most exciting part of our visit to the Capitol was that the House of Representatives happened to be in session all day to pass the health care bill! We were able to get tickets to go into the Visitor's Gallery of the House, which required waiting in line for an hour and going through multiple metal detectors. It was so worth it! When we sat down, a Democrat was giving a speech in support of the bill. Naturally, when he finished, the Democratic representatives applauded. However, when I joined in, I was swiftly reprimanded by the guard for clapping, which is expressly forbidden. I had read the back of the ticket, and knew this, but, but... I just got swept up in the moment! Oops.

We walked across the street to check out the Supreme Court (closed on the weekends, but still quite impressive from the outside) and the Library of Congress. I bragged without reserve about my Library of Congress researcher card, which gains me access to the Main Reading Room. My favorite part is Thomas Jefferson's Library, which is an exhibition of the books from Jefferson's personal collection, which he sold to the Library of Congress after the British burned down the Capitol. (Darn British!) The fascinating thing about the collection is that Jefferson had his own system of categorizing books--Memory, Reason, and Imagination. So intriguing.

After that, we strolled along the Mall, visiting the National Gallery Sculpture Garden (more on this below) and then regrouping at Starbucks. We decided to take the Metro back to Arlington to collect Jess's car, so that we could visit the Jefferson Memorial and F.D.R. Memorial, which are not easily accessible on foot. Jess and I agree that the F.D.R. Memorial is our favorite memorial in the city, and it is especially wonderful when lit up at night. We also checked out the White House, the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. Jess took a very creative photo of us by using her 10-second delay function:


On Sunday morning, the three of us went to Mass at my dear law school's chapel, and then walked over to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which had several fascinating exhibits. One featured American folk art, with art made from bottle caps, quilts, wood, and even tin foil. I also enjoyed the exhibition on 1934, which only had paintings from that year, capturing a wide variety of scenes from American life in that era. We concluded our time together by eating lunch outside at Busboys and Poets, taking in the beautiful sunshine. It was a joy to see Carla, not only because I missed her, but also because, with the three of us together, it felt like a little bit of ADX, which is a nice feeling.

Matthew's Visit

This past weekend, Matthew came down from MIT to visit. It was wonderful to catch up with him, as we hadn't seen one another since his semester in Berkeley. Matthew got in Friday afternoon; after we ate Chinese food in Chinatown, we walked to the Supreme Court to catch the last courtroom lecture of the day. There were a lot of high schoolers in the crowd asking obnoxious questions that demonstrated their complete misunderstanding of the judicial process. How is it possible for high school to offer only one semester of civics?! Not enough!

After that, we did a brief tour of the Library of Congress, and then walked around the city, stopping by the the National Gallery Sculpture Garden--well, until we got kicked out by a guard shortly after nightfall, when the garden closed. Boo. We saw most of the sculptures, though. My new favorite is a full-sized silver tree, which provides an interesting contrast to the surrounding real trees. We had dinner at La Tasca, a great tapas restaurant, which included very sweet duck, snow peas paired with Canadian bacon, delicious marinated beef, a green apple salad, and a bizarre deep-fried potato-and-chicken purée with a garlic dipping sauce (my least favorite dish).

On Saturday, Matthew and I strolled along the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial, and then took a tour to the top of the Washington Monument. It was overcast (Ida was still affecting us), so visibility wasn't spectacular, but at 500 feet it nonetheless afforded us a great view of the city. I noted that our tickets abbreviated the monument as "WaMo," which I really hope catches on as a new nickname. You know, like MoMA!

Next, we headed over to the National Archives. In my mind, the exciting documents to see are the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, but Matthew was amazed by the Magna Carta. In retrospect, I think he has a point... and, yet, the Magna Carta is treated as a mere side attraction. As Matthew put it, it seemed like it would be pretty easy to steal the Magna Carta without anyone noticing, whereas two guards flank the U.S. Constitution.

After a mediocre lunch at the Archives' cafe (which I do not recommend), we walked to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. We spent over three hours there, and only made it through about 70% of the exhibits. It's so huge! My favorite things there are Lincoln's hat, the original American flag, and the exhibit on American presidents. They had a new exhibit on The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington, which I loved. What fantastic photography, to tell such stories and capture such emotion.

We attempted to go to the Sign of the Whale (the official bar of the D.C. Cal Alumni Club) to watch the game against Arizona, but unfortunately Matthew couldn't get in without his passport to supplement his Australian ID. We were a bit bummed out at this, but then I took us over to Afterwords, one of my favorite restaurants, in DuPont. It's quirky... you have to walk through its bookshop to get to the restaurant, which really makes me happy for some reason. Anyhow, they often have amazing specials, and that night was no exception. Matthew and I both ordered the following:

Narragansett baked ½ lobster w/crabmeat
½ New England lobster
stuffed w/jumbo lump crabmeat
brushed w/sweet butter & fired under the broiler
w/puréed butternut squash & Café mac & cheese
corn & lima bean succotash; grilled fresh asparagus

It was amazing. Matthew and I were silent through most of the meal because we were too focused on the food to talk. Wow. The best part--it was only $20! Most of the entrées are around $15, so it wasn't much of a stretch. Neither one of us had ever ordered lobster before because it tends to be prohibitively expensive, so it was quite a treat. Lobster is good, but I still think I prefer crab because it has a more palatable texture. All of the sides were so good, too... They were all fairly buttery, which complemented the lobster perfectly. When I first read the description, I had assumed that those were our choices of sides--but, no, we got all of them! One of the best meals I've ever had, especially for the price.

After spending all day on our feet walking the Mall and shuffling through museums, we were pretty tired, so we headed back to my apartment and watched Rent. Such a great movie!

This morning, Matthew and I went to Mass at the Georgetown Law chapel, and I gave him a little tour of campus. Then, we had lunch (at Busboys and Poets, ha ha), and caught the Circulator bus toward Georgetown to visit the Dumbarton Oaks gardens. I had never heard of the place, but a friend of Matthew's recommended it, so we decided to check it out. It is so beautiful! It is humongous, with lots of little stone walking paths to meander. We explored the garden for an hour-and-a-half, which gives you an idea of the size. One of my favorite parts was the rose garden, which smelled lovely. Oh, and there was a lawn in front of a fancy brick house that looked like something out of a Jane Austen novel! I cannot wait to visit this gorgeous garden again in the spring, when everything is in bloom.

We took the bus back to Chinatown, and spent the balance of our time at the National Portrait Gallery before Matthew had to catch his flight home. Matthew was sweet enough to give me a novel called Dirt Music by Australian author Tim Winton as thanks for letting him sleep on our couch. Actually, I was amazed that Matthew, who is rather tall, fit on our couch. Then again, one of the reasons Jess and I chose that couch was specifically because we could think of tall people who might come visit. (And, Jess is quite tall, for that matter.) All in all, it was a lovely visit that made me feel like I was on vacation, too. I feel recharged and ready to study for final exams!

Inauguration Weekend, Part II

Click photo to access more on Facebook from "Inauguration Weekend, Part II."

So, here is what Alissa and I have done since Sunday: attended the Lincoln Memorial "We Are One" concert, visited the National Museum of American History, explored the National Mall, waited in line for 5 hours for the Inauguration, checked out the National Gallery, visited the FDR and Jefferson memorials, and went to the top of the Washington Monument. In spite of attending classes on Wednesday and Thursday, it has felt like I've been taking a vacation this week, acting as a tourist (albeit, with Metro savvy).

The one disappointment was the Inauguration itself, I'm afraid. Alissa and I walked over to the line labeled "TO NATIONAL MALL" on 3rd Street, NW between D and C Street at 4 o'clock in the morning, and stood in line for five hours to get through security, only to have our hopes dashed--the checkpoint closed its Mall access, and was only open to the parade route. From the parade route, the ceremony could neither be seen nor heard, due to the lack of Jumbotrons and speakers. What a bummer! We stood on the parade route for a couple of hours, but decided to go home around 11 am because we were freezing and weren't really getting much out of standing there.

In fact, we were beginning to exhibit symptoms of hypothermia in our feet, which was really scary; as Wikipedia describes of Stage 1 hypothermia, "often, a person will experience a warm sensation, as if they have recovered, but they are in fact heading into Stage 2." Our feet had progressed from cold, to painfully cold, to numb, to feeling oddly warm. No good. Once we got back to my apartment, it took us nearly two hours before we felt normal... even with the heat blasting and while under multiple blankets. Yikes!

My roommate Betsy was similarly foiled by the disastrous management of the security checkpoints, and didn't make it onto the Mall, either. She baked cinnamon rolls for all of us, and we streamed the inauguration on my laptop. It felt pretty lame to watch it on my laptop when we were literally a half-mile away from the event, but it was the best we could do.

I loved the performance of "Air and Simple Gifts." (I also love Stephen Colbert's theory that Yo-Yo Ma is technically the President of the United States because he was on camera at 12 o'clock noon.) I'm really upset with Chief Justice Roberts for messing up the oath, though. What the heck, Roberts?! It just tainted the whole ceremony. Oh, well. I thought President Obama's speech was fine, though I still believe that his best speech was his keynote address at the 2004 DNC. The parade was fun to watch. I loved it when Barack and Michelle got out of the limo (apparently nicknamed "the Beast," which I find rather fitting), and walked along Pennsylvania Ave. They are so charismatic.

Now that Alissa has headed back to California, it is back to law school for me. Homework and job applications are my prevalent concerns at the moment. Also, applications to become a Resident Fellow for Gewirz open on Monday. Resident Fellows, or RFs, are the five students that live in Gewirz, Georgetown Law's dorm (where I currently live), and serve the dorm by fostering community, helping with security and emergencies, and providing counsel to the residents. I really, really want to be an RF, for several reasons: I would get to live in Gewirz for the next two years, I would get free rent, and I would be able to reach out to first-years. I've always loved working as a mentor to younger students, and I think being an RF would be a great experience. There are only three spots open for next year, so we'll see what happens!

Inauguration Weekend, Part I

The past couple of days, I have been touring D.C. frenetically with my friend Alissa, whom I've known since middle school. (Alissa is crashing with me this week for the Inauguration.) So far, we have managed to see the Capitol, Congressional office buildings, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, the parade route, and the National Archives... all in two days! Click on the photo of the Capitol below to be taken to a Facebook album of the photos I have taken along the way.


The tough thing about the past couple of days is how cold it has been! Seriously, it was 12 degrees on Friday, with wind chill bringing it down to 1 degree--the coldest it has been in five years! Not the best day to be walking all over the city, to say the least. The only good thing about it was that the weather scared off a lot of would-be tourists, such that we didn't wait in a line all day! That being said, I'm looking forward to the return of temperatures in the 30s. Never thought I'd say that.

Putting the "ick" in "sickness"

I've been sick all week. What started out as a terrible cold quickly progressed into a sinus infection. I have never experienced a sinus infection, so the fever, headache, nausea and difficulty sleeping bewildered me. I described my ailments to my mom, and she diagnosed me from 3,000 miles away, urging me to go to the doctor. Reluctantly, I made an appointment, and the doctor confirmed that I had a sinus infection. What is it about moms that gives them the ability to be right about stuff like this? Crazy.

Wednesday evening was when I could no longer stay in denial as to how sick I was. I came home from class around 3:30 pm, and had plans of taking care of a few things and baking some cookies for my Small Group Bible study, which was scheduled to meet at 7:30 pm. Well, I woke up at 7:50 pm, twenty minutes into my Bible study, as Mike tried to call me on my cell phone. Panicking, I grabbed my Bible and papers, attempted to sprint up two flights of stairs, and apologized profusely for my tardiness (and lack of cookies). Argh! Showing up late to things is one of my worst fears... I've seriously had nightmares about being late to important events. Regardless, the small group went very well. People came, we had a lively and honest conversation about several passages (Mark 2:1-12, Luke 19:1-10, and Luke 24:13-32), and I have hopes that even more people will be coming next week. I'm excited to see what this semester will bring for this group.

I've been living as an invalid for the past few days, albeit still attending class. In my Civil Procedure class, if you're unable to participate in class for an exceptional reason (such as illness), you are supposed to leave a note explaining your situation before class on the professor's desk at the front of the lecture hall. I did this on Thursday, and my professor had the greatest reaction. He arrived right as class is about to start, putting down his books and picking up my note. He read the note silently, and then a look of panic mixed with irritation fell across his face as he dropped the note quickly back onto the desk. He looked up at the class, announcing something to the effect of "If you think you are sick, do not leave a contaminated note for me to try to infect me, too! Write me an email before class!" He then proceeded to use the end of his pen to push the note as far away from himself as physically possible, a look of disgust on his face.

The class laughed, myself included, because it was pretty clear that he was just trying to lighten the atmosphere, as we had taken an intense practice exam last week. I spoke with the professor after class, assuring him that I had washed my hands before writing the note, and he confirmed that he was just kidding around. Actually, he was really nice to me, encouraging me to try to come to class even if I feel terrible, and wishing me a quick recovery. He also told me to sit in the back row the next day in class (as opposed to my assigned seat), so that my classmates would have a lessened chance of being infected. A bunch of my classmates were curious and concerned as to why I was sitting in the back, and a couple of people even walked to the back to "visit" me, which was really nice. (I also had some people thank me for trying to get the professor sick, somewhat to my chagrin.)

Outside of class, I have been spending all of my time confined to my room in pajamas. Being sick is so boring. I don't have enough energy or concentration to work, so I've been watching videos, reading articles, playing Tetris, and sleeping. I cannot believe how much I've been sleeping! I keep taking multiple lengthy naps during the day, and then sleeping for 10 hours at night. It is really strange, considering that I dislike taking naps, and usually subsist on 7 hours of sleep per night (if that).

Hopefully, my energy will come back soon, so that I can be productive. I want to get as much work done this weekend as possible, so that I have time to hang out with Erin while she's in D.C. this week!

Orientation Recap

This week has been great! I've met tons of people, started to get a feel for my neighborhood, and have a better understanding of what to expect in this coming year. If I went into the details of everything that happened, it would probably be a bit tedious to read, so I'll give you a highlight of the day instead...

Monday: My dorm had a luau-themed party on the Tower Green, which is our grassy quad in the middle of the law school. It was delightfully dorky, in a middle school dance sort of way, resplendent with plastic leis (and the obligatory jokes that follow), fruity drinks with absurd straws, kebabs, and a limbo competition. I got to check out the bar scene a bit with a bunch of people I had met, and was a particular fan of Rocket Bar, which reminded me somewhat of Albatross, albeit a little--no, a lot--less nerdy.

Tuesday: The 1L class is divided up into four sections to make class sizes more wieldy, and I am in §2. On Tuesday, students within each section had the opportunity to sign up to do community service projects together, which I thought was an awesome idea. I went to Food and Friends, an organization that prepares and delivers meals to more than 1,400 people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. It was a good way to get to know some of my peers while promoting the spirit of pro bono (lit., for good) work that is at the heart of Georgetown Law's mission as a Jesuit institution.

Wednesday: Our formal orientation sessions started on Wednesday, with information on registration, financial aid, legal ethics, professionalism, etc., but my favorite part of the day was the Dean's Reception, which was held in the 2nd floor atrium of our main building, McDonough Hall. It was a pretty standard reception, with buffets of finger foods, an open bar, and hoards of people getting to know one another while balancing plates and glasses in their hands precariously, but one table stood out from the rest. It featured humongous piles of jelly beans, sorted by flavor, with scoops available to serve oneself, and buckets of enormous lollypops, literally the size of my face (like the ones you see little kids eating at Disneyland). It was such a non sequitur! It set the mood for the entertainment we got to watch after the reception, the Capitol Steps, a comedy musical troupe with a penchant for political humor. My favorite song was Obama Mia, a parody of Mama Mia addressing the media's obsession with Obama.

Thursday: There was quite a bit going on, including some faculty talks and meetings with our peer advisors, but my favorite part of the day was the faculty-led moot court of Supreme Court case FCC v. Fox Television Stations, Inc., which is about the first amendment and federal obscenity law, and is on the docket for next month. The professors were eloquent, clever, humorous, and impressive, and really got me excited about my own upcoming opportunities to participate in moot court, which brings me back to my high school debating days.

Friday: We got our formal introduction to law school, by section, including myths about the first year, co-curricular activities, and library resources, and then hopped on charter buses over to the main Georgetown campus a few miles away to be welcomed by the President of the university. A reception followed, not unlike the Dean's Reception (minus the giant lollypops), and then buses were available to head back to the main campus around 8:30 pm. I would venture to say that about 75% of the entering class stayed in Georgetown, which is an awesome district filled with shopping, restaurants, and bars catering not only to the Georgetown undergrads, but also to the area's seeming aspiration to be the 5th Avenue of D.C. I really enjoyed bar-hopping with my roommates, because it was our first opportunity to all hang out together and socialize in a non-structured environment. Heather and Betsy are very cool; I'm so fortunate to be living with them!

This weekend will be pretty busy, between working on my assignments for the first day of class on Tuesday, and visiting with Dorcas, who happens to be in town this week. I'm looking forward to everything coming my way, even if I am a bit nervous about the Socratic method. I think the main task at hand is to keep things in perspective, and not lose sight of the reasons that I am here by getting caught up in the drama and obsession that seems likely to plague the 1L class. It shall be interesting...