Solar Powered

I have realized that I do not mind rain; I just cannot do consecutive days of gloom.

This week has not been particularly bad, I just do not have the usual level of energy that I am used to having. I attribute this solely to the fact that I have not seen the sun for days. Getting out of bed when it has been dark, cold, and rainy has been particularly difficult. I had to hit the snooze; I never hit snooze.

Fortunately the sun came back this morning and I zipped through 30 pages of criminal law reading, vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom, and am on my way to Six Flags with Alex.

Growing up in Southern California, I did not understand how grateful I am for sunlight because it was omnipresent. If I ever moved to somewhere like Seattle, I think I would have to buy this solar powered jacket.

Legal Lenses

They say that when you start law school, you start seeing legal issues everywhere. I wonder if that ever goes away, or if the rest of my life will be seen through the eyes of laws.

When I read about Stephen Colbert running for President in South Carolina, I think about the first amendment and campaign finance implications of his tv show. (Slate actually has a great article on this issue).

And yesterday, when Alex and I were walking through the dormitory he works in, I got really excited when a police officer said that he saw students' alcohol in plain view. We had just gone over plain view in criminal procedure, and the privacy rights of students in higher education law. It took all my self control to not blurt out to the officer that he could go in and bust the students.

And there is tax (the fourth class I am taking this semester). Maybe I like tax so much because it is everywhere; seemingly more pervasive than any other subject I have studied. My friends and I actually once had a conversation about the tax consequences about Britney Spears' divorce.

I am really glad I am not dating a lawyer or law student. Alex can slap sense into me when I "issue spot" everything.

Jedis and Band Geeks

There is no cure better for a rainy day than a sushi happy hour and Kennedy Center concert date night.

When I found out that the National Symphony Orchestra was doing a tribute to John Williams there this month, I was ecstatic. In my own self interest, I told my friend on the board of the DC Bruins group that this concert should be an event because John Williams went to UCLA. In the end it all worked out great and the 26 Bruins got orchestra seats for half price.

The concert was great- it felt like I was at Universal Studios with the symphony playing scores from Jaws, Jurrasic Park, and ET.

In addition to the nerdiness of Star Wars characters coming out and battling each other with light sabers while the symphony played John Williams' Star Wars scores, I found myself surrounded by band geeks, myself included. Alex was 4th chair tuba, my friend David was 2nd chair trumpet, friend Mitch was a flute player (he got a lot of grief for that), and I was 1st chair glockenspielist.

Perhaps this is an indication why we rank so low on the stylish scale, but high on the worldliness and intellectual rankings. DC is just full of nerds turned into political junkies.

Mitt's Slip

As though I could not stand Mitt Romney enough, he gives me more reason to hate him.

“Actually, just look at what Osama — Barack Obama said just yesterday," Romney said, according to the Associated Press. "Barack Obama calling on radicals, jihadists of all different types, to come together in Iraq. That is the battlefield."

I am so amused by the fact that he had the right name first and then said Obama. The Romney camp said that it was a "brief mix-up" but that excuse is as unbelievable as his sudden decision to become anti abortion. Speaking of which, I love the Obama Campaign response to Mitt's 'slip'

Bill Burton, a spokesman for Obama, said, "Apparently, Mitt Romney can switch names just as casually as he switches positions . . . ."

In other important news, DC just got voted the 2nd least attractive city (meaning the people, not the actually city itself). I know we are known as the Hollywood for ugly people, but I can objectively say that there are cities with people far less attractive than DC.

California Fires

Thank you to everyone who has checked in with me about my family and our home. From what I have read, there are multiple around my home city and the schools have all closed down. Fortunately our area looks like it will be out of harms way- there is just a lot of smoke as you can tell from the picture that my dad took.


Every time I look at newspapers and see the images of homes burning down, it reminds me of October 2003. That was another big brush fire year, and the fires came so close to my home that my parents were packed up and ready to evacuate. That made brush fires, which come nearly every year, so much more real to me. (See Oct. 28 blog entry)

My thoughts and prayers go out to the thousands of people who have lost their homes or had to evacuate, and of course to all the firefighters. For the rest of us, here is a good article that I copy and pasted into my blog four years ago. Just as applicable as ever.

Fires remind us of life’s true priorities, by the Daily Bruin Editorial Board

As fires sweep across Southern California, members of the UCLA community should take the time to put their lives – and this tragedy – into perspective.

So far, the fires have killed at least 17 people and destroyed well over 1,500 homes, making these among the worst fires the state has ever seen. By the time the flames are extinguished, the disaster may be the most expensive in state history.

These fires rage as most students are worrying about studying for midterms and receiving good grades. But some students have much more to worry about – some have had their family homes burned to the ground, while many others are still waiting to see where the winds will turn. As nerve-wracking as midterms can seem, the thought of losing one's home and possessions is unimaginably worse.

Those who know their houses and families are secure should comfort their friends who may be facing numerous obstacles in the aftermath of the fires. And those who must worry about their homes while trying to study for tests should prioritize lending support to their families.

Thankfully, the federal government has recognized the significant impact these fires are having, and has declared a state of emergency in four Southern California counties. This allows federal relief agencies to help cover the enormous costs associated with fighting the fires and rebuilding after them. Lifting this burden off California taxpayers will not erase the emotional and personal losses, but it will help the state recover more quickly – so far, Gov. Gray Davis has estimated the fires will cost over $2 billion.

Natural disasters remind us how fragile and unpredictable life can be, and how weak our technology is compared to natural forces. In a region defined by towering skyscrapers and urban sprawl, we are still occasionally reminded of our true vulnerability. Here at UCLA, we are physically safe, but that cannot make us complacent or uncaring of what exists around us – especially when the events are so tragic.

For the past three days, we have all woken up to hazy, twilight skies. If nothing else, the soot-filled skies should make us think – we are lucky if all we have to worry about are midterms or parties or where to buy groceries. Here at UCLA, we are taught to be leaders, but sometimes it is hard to understand where we belong – especially now.

Sometimes, it is impossible to directly impact events, especially events as large and diffuse as the current fires. But that does not mean students should not care – caring is a crucial first step to making a difference.

While receiving horrible scores on tests for which students spent countless hours studying may seem like the end of the world, students should put their disappointment into perspective. The world beyond the protective brick walls of UCLA is literally burning down, and worrying about losing that high grade point average isn't as important as worrying about friends who are losing their homes.

'Wind Down and Dissolve'

One of the firms I interviewed with last month (not the firm I came back for this past weekend), sent me the oddest "rejection" letter.

Dear Kristina,

It was my pleasure to meet with you. I am sorry for the delay in writing to you. Since we met, my firm has decided to wind down and dissolve. I and seven other lawyers in my firm will be joining the law firm of Silver and Freedman here in Century City. Because of the big change we are obviously not in a position to undertake a summer program.

Good luck with your career.

Very truly yours,

WWH

Honestly, I am not really upset over this since I probably was not going to work there. It is actually pretty funny. Moreover, this is better than being denied on my merits, and as my friends point out, at least they dissolved before they offered and I accepted a position. You would just think that they would have seen this coming more than a month before they interviewed students.

After having a set of emails from one firm disappear into cyberspace, having Georgetown Law lose my rejection letter twice, being 'accidentally' and wrongly admitted into Berkeley Law,
and this odd rejection, I have decided that once I get a job, I am never leaving- just so I do not have to go through another application process ever again.

Traditional Family Values

My dad made my family banana pancakes today. They were delicious; crispy on the edges with sweet gooey bananas on the inside. The only way I really like pancakes.

This is how I grew up. My mom did the majority of the cooking for our family but my dad still did a substantial part of kitchen duty. He is a pretty good cook, having once headed the kitchen for a night in a Paris kitchen. However, the favorite thing that he made on weekends when my mom was working was fried rice with spam. Yes, I admit it, I like Spam. (I grew up in the Midwest, don't judge).

In addition to cooking, my dad also shared laundry, dish-washing, cleaning, and other household duties. He probably actually loves cleaning, so you know where in inherited that gene.

So when I used to hear about other families where the mothers take care of all of the household responsibilities, I used to be surprised. When you grow with a household run a certain way, you think everyone is like that.

I am not one to judge how other households are setup, but I just know that my household will be a joint-responsibility venture. As much as I love cooking and cleaning, this future-lawyer will expect the husband to be making banana pancakes.

Sibling Rivalry

He lives in the Bay Area, I live in DC. He is an engineering major, I am at law school. There is not much competition between my brother and anymore, except when it comes to football.

Cal came down to Pasadena today after an unexpected loss last week, hoping to end the 7 year streak of having the home team won. Unfortunately for them, the streak lives on and UCLA won at the Rosebowl. 30-21, it was a great back and forth game.

I tried not to gloat too much when we picked up my brother from the game for dinner. However I admit that I did enjoy wearing my sweatshirt with UCLA plastered across in big gold letters.

UCLA victory and family sushi dinner. I should go home more often.