Tear Down the Wall

In case you missed Obama's speech in Berlin:


No commentary today. I will just say that I could listen to these speeches all day. So good.

No Fun Allowed

I have officially become one of those old people who complain about the young'uns playing their music too loud and drinking too much. I even programmed the police's phone number into my phone after the people upstairs woke me up at 4am by pounding their music and shaking my ceiling (I swear- they had to be either dancing, wrestling, or bowling). I vowed that I would get them next time. *shakes fist*

In the never ending saga of living in IV, I got this email But then I got this email today:

NOTICE TO RESIDENTS:

Please know that we have hired a night patrol team that will be monitoring Breakpointe. Due to the increased activity in the area, we will be strictly enforcing:

1) Quiet Hours from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. – If you have friends visiting, you will be asked to close your door and keep noise levels to a minimum. We do not allow kegs or other large parties and this will be strictly enforced.

2) Pool Closure – The pool will remained closed during this time.

Emergency Line – Should anyone have an emergency, please call the night patrol team at (805) 728-xxxx.

First the Irish Consulate cracked down on their exchange students causing a ruckus, and now my building. Knowing IV's reputation, I thought it was like this all the time, but it must be especially bad this year if my building is actually paying for nighttime patrol. Fortunately I am a pretty sound sleeper and this has only bothered me a few times. It just gives me good stories to tell.

ABBA Addicts

There are only two things that John McCain and I have in common.
1. We both agree that USC stands for the University of Spoiled Children
2. We both share a love of ABBA- though I do not plan to "take a chance" on him (he made the joke first)

I went to go see Mamma Mia yesterday with Alex's mom and sister. At first I was going to opt out because I felt overwhelmed with clerkship apps and journal assignments, and I was exhausted after being woken up at 4am from the party kids upstairs. But I am glad I went because it was the perfect pick me up. ABBA songs + Meryl Streep, Colin First, and Pierce Brosnan in bell bottoms = happiness.

Sure it was super cheesy and Pierce Brosnan does not have the best voice but I can't carry a tune for the life of me. Plus, I like the fact that to practice, he went up and down the coast singing karoke even though he hates hearing his voice.

Now I have ABBA songs stuck in my head. Mamma Mia, SOS, Super Trouper, oh the list of classics goes on. We always used to play the ABBA Gold CD on long car rides because it was the only music that my parents, brother, and I could all agree on. If my "happy place" had a soundtrack, it would be this CD.

Since I know this post will prompt people telling me that I should go see Batman, I will say that I probably will. But sometime you just need those mindless, cheesy, bright and shiny summer movies.

(and before I get concerned messages about me being stressed-- I am a lot better now after talking to some professors and discovering I have a lot less work than I thought. don't worry about me worrying)

What Law School Didn't Teach Me...

Today I heard a senior partner in the office next to me say the name of my friend in high school. At first I thought I was just imagining it, but the partner was talking about golf and my friend was a really good golfer. I asked him about it, and sure enough: the partner was at a golf tournament my friend was competing in. Of course, golf.

Having worked in a few different legal environments over the past two years and after talking some friends in the field, here are a few things that you should know for the legal practice but are not taught in law school:

• How to Play Golf: Now on my to-learn list. Almost all of the lawyers in my office play regularly and I had to pass up on a Vietnamese lawyers networking golf night. At least I can keep up with their conversations thanks to having family members who watched golf.
• How to Follow College Sports: I am glad that I actually like UCLA sports because over half of my job interviews have started with college sports talk. In fact, the first question I got for my current job was whether UCLA basketball beat Michigan in the season opener (of course).
  
• How to Play Fantasy Sports: Because your office will probably have a pool for football and March Madness.
  
• How to Not Feel Guilty About Billing Clients: I have discovered that the more I want to fight for a client, the more I feel bad about billing them. You just want to shake some people and ask them why they want to blow their limited income on a silly fight. But I am sure people get over this when they realize that they actually want to get paid for what they do.
  
• How to Eat Sushi: Luckily I started eating sushi. Otherwise, I would be eating a lot of chicken teriyaki because lawyers always love going out to eat sushi.
• How to Be Conversant in Politics: Most lawyers are pretty politically aware and the latest news often becomes a topic for conversation. You always want to be up to speed on what is happening in the world. This summer I have had a lot of discussions and wagers over the 2008 election.
  
• How to Identify a Fellow Lawyer's Political Affiliation: Related to the last point, you need to know who agrees with you and who does not. Unless you are ready for a fight, because lawyers love to debate, tread lightly with lawyers on the other side of the aisle.
  
• How to Drink without Turning Red: Ok, this is not a problem for the vast majority of law students, but I am just happy that I am not at one of those firms that drinks at the office.
• How to Play Poker: Despite the reputation that lawyers have of being control-freaks and are risk adverse (something about how we picked a law degree because it is the most stable), lawyers love to gamble. Many professional poker players are/were lawyers. Rounders anyone?
  

Ok, the law field is not as much of a "boys club" as this list makes it sound, and I have certainly felt comfortable everywhere I worked. But there are some indications of how this is still a male-dominated field.

Judging Judges

While looking for judges to potentially clerk for, I have come across some interesting information. Among my favorite discoveries:

• Two judges born in 1919. One was appointed by JFK, the other by LBJ.
• A judge who was appointed and confirmed even though an American Bar Association committee found that he was not suited based on his temperament. Yeah, definitely not working at someone like that.
• A judge who requires "sociability." Either he has low standards or has had some bad experiences.
• A judge still practicing even though he was sanctioned for overstepping his duties by seizing a defendant's bank accounts.

This might make you wonder who's sitting behind the bench. But then you remember that it could be a 20'something recent law school grad who is deciding your fate.

Heroes of the Week

Kudos to the people who have done the "little things" this week to make me happy.

• Joey and his crew, A.S.I.I.D,. on America's Best Dance Crew for showing people that having a disability does not have to slow you down. Joey is deaf but never let that slow him down; and he had a great crew from the streets of Detroit to support him. I almost teared up when they got kicked off (bad voting America!)
  
• The sassy train conductor who sternly but politely put the loud drunk guy in his place, threatening to kick him off if he did not quiet down. Greatly appreciated on my very long train ride.
• My McGuyvor-like parents who knew that mixing a little salt and water, and then microwaving it, is an adequate substitute for the saline solution I forgot for my contacts.
• My uncle and friends for trying to help me solve my computer woes.
• My friend Alex who is also applying to clerkships and has shared a lot of advice with me.
  
• The Irish Consulate for posting notice on our doors telling the Irish kids to stop being an embarrassment to the country. It has been so quiet lately.
• My friend Caitlin who is going to Tanzania to help orphans. (ok, doing more than a "little thing")
  

I Hate Technology

I pretty much only ask my computer to do two things:
1. Provide me internet access
2. Have word processing

Right now the second is failing on me, as Word freezes up when I try to open up half the documents on my computer. It says "Not Responding." If anyone has any idea how to fix it, please let me know. Otherwise, you'll find me crying in a corner, trying to look for a solution.