Study Treats

If there was ever an upside about studying for the bar exam, it is that the demanding hours makes you judicious in what you do with the time you carve out as "free-time" and it makes you really appreciate the breaks you take. You figure that if you have such limited personal time, you better do something you really want to do and enjoy it.

Since we have class 5 or 6 times a week (which is +2x as much class as we had in law school), and my roommate and I declared Fridays our food excursion days to get us through the long weeks. We are usually good about cooking all our meals at home, so this is a fun treat and a way to explore DC's emerging street food/mom&pop shop scene. Last week was the Greek Deli, this week was the Korean Bulgogi Cart (left), next week is Pedro & Vinny's vegetarian burritos. Both the Greek Deli and the Bulgogi cart were amazing--better than the food at most restaurants in DC at a fraction of the price.

After a painfully boring lecture on Friday, knowing that I would be too drained to work, I headed out with the DC Bruins to an outdoor movie screening. It was a beautiful night out, I got to see a lot of people I have not seen in a while, and as an added bonus- the movie they were showing was the Breakfast Club as part of their "I love the 80s" series. 80s music amakes me very happy. Also, I could relate to being locked in school on a Saturday morning.

Funny how I have lived in DC for 3 years + 1 intern summer and this was the first time that I have partaken in DC's famous outdoor movie nights or tried many of their famous lunch eateries. Who knew the only motivation I needed was the bar exam?

Food Fighters

Why am I studying dozens of hours a week this summer to join a profession that is the punchline of many jokes? Because everyone once in a while, lawyers and lawyers-in-training do some pretty cool things like fight for the street tacos.

The LA Times had a story about how a legal team, which included law students at UCLA in the clinical program, helped overturn a city ordinance that prohibited food carts. Although LA has power to pass regulations to protect health and safety, the court commissioner found that LA's regulations did not further either. That would have been a great clinic assignment.

In honor of law students, clinical programs, my alma mater, hardworking street vendors providing delicious food, and the recent lift of the DC food cart ban as well, my roommate and I are going to patron the Korean food cart tomorrow before class.

(photo courtesy of LAT as well)

Two Tales

Today I was going to blog about congressional candidate Anthony Woods, but I will have to start off on a more somber note.

While I was in BarBri classes this afternoon, many of the people in front of me in class were reading news stories and I could see the yellow or red ticker on top of the web pages, which indicates breaking news. None of them were sitting close enough for me to tell what they were looking at, and I do not bring a laptop to class.

When I came home, I discovered that at 12:40pm today, an eighty-eight year old "hardcore" white supremecist, James von Brumm, entered the Holocaust Museum today and killed security guard Stephen Johns with a rifle.

While any killing is sad, this incident seems overwhelmingly tragic. Such a violent and racially charged murder with anti-semintic overtones in a place that memorializes the victims of that same exact kind of hatred. And how scary it must be to have this kind of event happen in a crowded tourist attraction right at the beginning of summer.

Rest in peace Stephen Johns and many thanks to the officers who shot down Brumm before he could inflict any more violence.
------------------------------------

Shifting gears from grief, to maybe some hope, as I mentioned above, I was originally just going to post on Anthony Woods, a congressional candidate with a biography that Aaron Sorokin couldn't even dream up. I highly recommend you read about his story here.

To make a long story short, he is an African-American male who raised by a single-mother who worked six days a week as a maid. He graduated from high school with honors and attended West Point. After that, he was deployed to Iraq twice and earned a bronze star for his service. Then he attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, where he mentored low-income minorities applying to college and went to rebuild homes in New Orleans in his spare time. While at Harvard he came out as gay and was honorably discharged. Now he is running for Congress in California's 10th district to, among other things, repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell. He thinks that while we are fighting two wars, the army should not be turning down talented soldiers.

I think whatever happens in his race for Congress, he has a great deal of potential in politics or whatever else he pursues. He's already done more at 28 than many people do in their whole lives. In addition to having that great story that shatters so many stereotypes, he has that conviction and initiative to fight for what he believes in. He's a do'er, and I like that.

There are so many people in the world like Anthony Woods, and that is what restores my faith after reading tragic news like I did today.

The End of the World

Storm's a Comin', originally uploaded by Backwards Bill.
Taken on June 9, 2009, uploaded June 9, 2009

If DC was ever invaded by aliens, attacked by a foreign country, or witnessed Armageddon, I have a feeling it would look a little like today. Coming out of BarBri class, the weather was hot, humid, and generally sunny. However, some foreboding dark clouds loomed, and before we knew it, the sky turned black. It went to day to night in a minute and strong winds gusted out of nowhere, whipping around tree branches and kicking up leaves. Street vendors quickly started taking down their umbrellas and packing up their carts. And then people started running. Everyone wanted to make it to the metro before the clouds opened up and dumped rain, or even worse-hail, down on us.

DCist has noted how "words like 'soaking,' 'relentless rain,' 'flooding' and 'monsoon of Biblical proportions that will drown all but our souls' makes it into every weather forecast." I have done DC summers before, thunderstorms and all. However, I have never seen storms as bad as this year. Daily flood watch, trees knocked down, power lines going out, etc. Whereas in previous year a thunderstorm would last for an hour, now they go all night long. Early this morning the thunder was so strong and continuous that it almost felt like our building was shaking. Damage and getting wet aside, however, it is actually pretty cool to watch as long as you're inside.

Climate change? God punishing DC? Who knows. Just be sure to pack your umbrella if you are visiting DC. (Faith, I am looking at you)

Quarter-Century

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. Even with all the bar studying, I still had a fantastic and relaxing birthday weekend, and I think it made me appreciate everything more. Since I need to get back to reviewing my flashcards, I will just do a photo recap (those are more fun anyway).

Friday: Star Trek on Imax, Icecream Cake, and a great night with my law school posse.

Saturday: Study day so I could have my brithday off. Now you can see the desk I will be living at for the next two months.

Sunday: Delicious lunch at Ray's Hell Burger with my boys (ps. Alex and I have been fans before Obama & Biden made it cool)

All I wanted to do was lounge by the pool on my birthday. Thanks David for letting us hang out at yours so we didn't have to drive all the way back to the District.

Finished the day off with a fabulous dinner at Ray's the Steaks. Funnily, I didn't know Alex was surprising me for dinner here when I requested Ray's Hell Burger. Even if I got my red-meat intake for the month covered, I did not mind. Both were amazing. Alex was good company too.

And in case you were wondering, that's a 28 oz. piece of steak, which he didn't get half way through (don't tell him I told you that). My piece was much smaller but still delicious. I highly recommend it if you're in DC.

I did not even plan a single thing this weekend or stress out and it all worked out perfectly. Maybe I should take that as a life lesson? Anyway, a great start to 25.