North Maple Rag

Tomorrow's March and that means spring is very nearly here. Today, however, it’s snowing in New York. I appreciate snow more than your average New Yorker, but I’m getting a little sick of it. I’m also sick of the cold and the wind. I’m ready for spring. So ready, I spent about an embarrassingly long time this morning shopping online for my favorite annual spring purchase: Reefs.

Reef sandals were first brought to my attention in college and in recent years, I've basically lived in them from April well into October. I currently own two pairs and both have held up admirably well. I probably don't need a new pair, but at approximately $20 a pair, I don't feel too extravagent adding a third to my collection.

Also, the new 2005 models are pretty snazzy. There are several bright and fun women's styles that I'm considering. There's also a new men's line designed by a surfer that include a bottle opener in the sole (I've referred those to friends who I think might utilize such a feature).

My elementary school used to have strict rules about wearing shorts in the spring. Usually, the principal would make an announcement once it was determined that the weather justified shorts (not unreasonable considering the number of times it's snowed on my late-April birthday parties). The day that we finally got to wear shorts to school was always a milestone. It meant that winter was officially over and that the fun of summer was just around the corner. That's how I feel about sandals now. Slipping on my Reefs means that the weather's nice enough to support truly spontaneous fun (the kind that doesn't require the forethought of socks and tennis shoes). Also, my last job had fairly strict rules about wearing open-toed shoes during the workday, so sandals now have carry with them a feeling of rebellion, as well.

Maybe it's silly to place big expectations on a pair of flip-flops, but Reefs have never let me down and I'm confident my new pair will only bring about good things.

I think I've done some serious damage to my knee. I fell a few weeks ago and then I ran a 9 mile race. My knee hurt a lot during the race and even more during the few days after it. Since then, I haven't been running as much, opting instead to do other cardio at the gym. Today, I got on the treadmill and the knee pain started after about five minutes of slow running. It doesn't hurt when I'm on the elliptical machine, the erg, or even the stair climber. It's only when I'm actually running. So here's my question: Do I need to stop running altogether (but keep working out) for a couple of weeks to let it heal?

I suspect the answer's yes and I'm kind of sad. I miss the running. Running's not fun, per se, but there does come a point during long runs when my brain shuts off and my legs, arms and lungs start make adjustments on their own and that's a nice feeling. It's relaxing and satisfying and I miss it. Unfortunately, because of the knee I haven't had that feeling in a while. Instead, I'm constantly thinking about ways to change my stride in order to minimize the pain. Anyway, some of you are far more experienced runners than me. Any advice?

This is unrelated, but you know what else I miss? Sex and the City. I watched most of the last half of the final season with a friend yesterday. I cried. Twice. I laughed. A lot. I screamed during that scene when the mouse crawls into Carrie's hair while she's sleeping. Most of all, I remembered how much I used to look forward to watching it in my DC apartment on Sunday nights with a couple friends and sandwiches from Jetties or take out from the Slovakian diner on the corner. I hear Desperate Housewives is a good Sunday night show, but I just haven't gotten into it. Probably better that way.

This week was, by far, the easiest week of law school. We had Monday off for President's Day, an abbreviated Tuesday schedule, no classes on Wednesday, a last-minute Torts cancellation on Thursday and today our Property professor generously decided not to assign any new reading for Tuesday's class. All this means that I only have one reading assignment that needs to get finished this weekend.

Don't worry, I've got some stuff that should be reread and some charts to make, but I still feel like I'm going to end up with more free time than I deserve. Already today, I made time to go to Central Park with a friend to see The Gates (I saw them when I ran the race two weeks ago, but didn't get a chance to take any pictures). We then had dinner at Whole Foods salad bar, which I love. Our conversation was fun, too; the friend is one of the few people I know at NYU who's from the Upper Midwest, so despite growing up several hundred miles away from each other and in different states, we've got a lot in common. For instance, we share a mutual appreciation of crock pots.

This evening I went to a jazz club in the West Village. The music was good -- mellow and relaxing. So relaxing, that I'm now fighting to stay awake. How tired am I? Well, a group was headed to Kenka, one of my favorite places and I passed on joining them. I'm looking forward to a nice long sleep.

I'm also looking forward to the rest of the weekend. Having had such a low-key week, I'm actually kind of excited to attack some of review homework I've planned for Sunday. Also, a friend/co-worker from the Senate is in town for the weekend and I'm sure she'll have good stories to tell. The Middle Eastern Law Students Association's hosting a dinner tomorrow and the Black Allied Law Students Association's hosting a Soul Food Dinner on Sunday. To top it all off, there's the Oscars. I really wouldn't mind if I kept having super-relaxed weekdays and busy weekends; it's a good way to live.

I've got a summer job! In California! Yay!

So yeah, I accepted a summer job in Oakland yesterday. I think I'm going to live in Berkeley. I'm pretty excited right now. I've been jazzed about this job since I first read the description and everyone that I interviewed with was friendly and funny. Plus, one my good friends from college works there. It's shaping up to be a fun summer.

I also get to explore California (and, I promise I won't start calling it "Cali" -- I find that inexplicably obnoxious). I drove through much of northern California last summer and saw lots of places where I wished then that I could spend more time. I have no experience with the southern part of the state, but I'm hoping that I can drive down there at the end of the summer before heading back to SoDak.

In unrelated news, yesterday was also the day of my mediation for my Lawyering class. For the past couple of weeks, we've been working with a client (who's really an actress) on a housing discrimination complaint. The mediation went really well. The weirdest part was at the end when the clients/actresses snapped out of character and became real people. Also, our mediator was not only a lawyer, but also an actress and football player. It turns out she had taken an acting class with one of the clients. I love 'it's a small world" coincidences.

The mediator also offered to go out to lunch and have "career talks" with me and my teammates. I might take her up on it if only because I've always wanted to have multiple careers and her lawyer/actress/athlete experience makes me think she might have some helpful advice.

Oh, I also, against my better judgment, tried the new Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. Guh-ross.

Me: I think there's a package for me.
Him: They'll deliver it to your apartment.
Me: [Pointing at the pile of packages behind him] But, it's right there.
Him: But, they'll deliver it to you.
Me: [Walking to said pile and placing my hand on the box bearing my name]. But, it right here.
Him: But, they're willing to bring it to your apartment (Keep in mind the box weighed at most two pounds).
Me: But, I want it right now.
Him: *Pause* But, they'll bring it to your apartment.
Me: No, I'd like to take it right now.
Him: Okay, sign here.

Grrr.

A dangerous combination. I'd like to say that I spent the weekend alone in the corner of the library reviewing estates and negligence formulas, but I didn't. I managed to get the necessary homework done, but that's it. Luckily, the rest of the week should be pretty low-key, so I think I'll be able to slip in some reviewing. For now, I'm happy to have had a relaxed weekend. I'm lazy, so the recap's going to be in list form.

• I finally found a good used book store. Housing Works Used Book Cafe in SoHo has all the essential characteristics. It's big, but not so big it's overwhelming. It's well-organized. It has a cafe. Most importantly, the fiction section had a nice variety of new books, classics, and fun books. It's also only short walk from my apartment, so I'll definitely be going back -- probably more than I should.
• I found out New Jersey's not so bad, but I think I already have a post on that.
• I had fun drinking Friday night, but I've posted on that, too.
• I've already mentioned that I saw Million Dollar Baby, but I should also admit to watching The Notebook on the NYU movie channel. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I enjoyed it. I even got a little teary-eyed at the end.
• I also rekindled a little of my West Wing love during today's marathon on Bravo.
  
• I ordered a bunch of food from Fresh Direct and have been cooking up a storm.
  
• I found out that dried vinaigrette is hard to clean up. I'm a messy cook.
• I did some serious cleaning in my apartment and am now much happier with my space (mainly because there's now more of it).
• I made a new playlist on itunes. I think my summer job offer in Austin has been on the brain because it features a lot of alt-country (or whatever the appropriate classification is). I've noticed that I'm a little obsessed with songs from Kathleen Edwards, Slaid Cleaves, Robert Earl Keen, The Be Good Tanyas and Old Crow Medicine Show.
  
• My brother called. It was good to hear from him; we haven't talked in a month or so. He started the conversation by inviting me over to drink cheap beer with his friends. It's too bad that he lives a time zone away. Otherwise, I totally would've gone.
  

Changing the colors of this blog, that is. This morning, after deciding to completely abandon blue, I switched to a very, very red color scheme. The Head Kid jumped into the game once I asked him to help me with some image editing (for example, the maple leaf in the corner is entirely his work). He then set up a color scheme that while attractive, was just too tan for me. So, I tried to keep the best of the red and the tan and this is the result. Comments and suggestions regarding the changes are, of course, welcome.

Sidenote: The color of the title bar is "blood orange." Fresh Direct is currently advising produce shoppers that blood oranges are in season until early spring. I ordered a couple this weekend and they were delicious. Keep an eye out for 'em at your local market.

I went to Jersey City last night to visit a friend. She has a real apartment, complete with a living room and a bedroom big enough for a bed larger than a twin-size. I'm intensely jealous of her. I've been fighting persistent claustrophobia in Manhattan. Jersey City's a pretty urban place, but the building's are shorter, the streets are wider, and I appreciated the short time I spent there. I'm ready to go home for a while.

There's a good article about George McGovern in the Washington Post. He and his wife still spend about half of each year in South Dakota and my favorite part of the article was his brief explanation:

"It's a good life," McGovern says. "I met my wife in South Dakota. I discovered my love of politics and public service here. It all started here. You get reminded how far you've journeyed from your beginnings. There's some satisfaction in that, even with the disappointments."

I've actually had a few conversations recently about the hold that South Dakota has on many politically-minded people my age who either grew up there or worked there on campaigns. I've heard from many people my parents age that the 1972 election was a galvanizing experience in what became lives dedicated public service. I expect that for those of us who love South Dakota, 2004 did the same thing. But, that's neither here nor there. The McGoverns' relationship with the state is far more complex than my own and there's something kind of hopeful about the fact that they've chosen to stay.

I can also tell that it's time for me to get out of New York because I no longer have the patience necessary to deal with Manhattan's crowds or with people doing anything I think of as inconsiderate. I walked to K-Mart this evening to buy a new lamp and felt a kind of rage I've only felt during rush hour traffic jams in DC.

I went to see Million Dollar Baby this evening hoping that it would help me forget for a little while how much I don't want to be here right now. It did; it wasn't what I expected, but it was really, really good.

Walking back from theater I realized that New York right now is as like South Dakota as it's going to get; there's a cold wind, it's lightly snowing, and the streets are pretty quiet. It's nice, but it's not enough.

Last night was one of those unexpected nights of drinking-related absurdity. The kind that result in me having to replay around 2am the events and decisions that led up to me sitting in a karoke room in the East Village and participating in a group-sing of I Don't Want to Miss a Thing while drinking cans of Budweiser. Luckily, the much-deserved hangover that greeted me this morning is all but gone thanks to a strong bloody mary and a delightfully substantial brunch.

This morning I also solidified plans to go home for spring break. I think I'll have to postpone my half-marathon run because of the plane ticket's dates and times, but I shouldn't have much trouble finding a different one to run. I'm so excited to get out of the city for a week. Despite the fact that it doesn't seem like we've been back or all that long, I'm ready for a break from the noise and the people and the buildings. Only three weeks to go!

I've kind of been taking a break from the law school recruiting events recently, but tonight I went to one because it was held at a restaurant I like and they offered a chance to win an ipod. The drinks were great, the food was plentiful and they gave me a gift bag on my way out. I'm unreasonably excited about the huge block of post-its that was in the bag, but I feel kind of dirty regarding the whole event.

The associates were suprisingly cheery; I'm not sure if that was because they truly love the firm or they were just happy to get away from it for an evening (most likely the latter). Anyway, I don't like myself at these events; I become the fakest version of me. I laughed heartily at a bankrupcy joke tonight. Granted, that was partly because the associate telling it was one of the more attractive associates I've met, but still. Ew.

NYU Cable provides way too many viewing options. I discovered this morning that on any given weekday I can watch first season episodes of The West Wing (today was the one where Danny gives C.J. the goldfish and the Christmas episode) and Gilmore Girls (today was the series premiere, which I'd never seen). Right before that, there's early episodes of Dawson's Creek. I knew before that these series had found re-run homes on Bravo, ABC Family, and TBS, I just didn't know they were all plaing old-school episodes. Of course, this kind of tv schedule demands pretty advanced channel-flipping skills. Unfortunately, depsite nearly six months of almost no tv, my skills haven't faded.

It's only lunchtime and I've managed to watch more tv today than I usually watch in a couple weeks. So, I'm making a new rule: No tv during the day except on Wednesdays when I don't have classes. Scheduling like this is dangerous, but it can't be completely ignored.

Oh, and a special note to Emily -- there's a new ABC Family Movie airing this weekend and promising cheesy plotlines and B-list celebrities!

There was a fencing competition at the gym tonight and I watched for a little while. After the final match, the NYU and Columbia teams huddled up to conference with their coaches. Suddenly, the Columbia team burst out with a loud "Thank you NYU! Mazel Tov!" The NYU Team immediately responded with "Thank you Columbia!" The whole thing was kind of goofy and dorky, and it made me really miss being part of a team.

I've been talking a lot in my interviews about how much I enjoyed and now miss the collaborative nature of my last job. I think it's tough to really know what other people are made of until you've worked together toward a common goal, even if that goal is something relatively insignificant like winning a high school debate tournament or putting on a great college concert. There've been a lot small group projects for my Lawyering class, but somehow, dividing up legal research just hasn't been that satisfying.

Anyway, today I was specifically missing the camaraderie and silliness that I more commonly associate with sports and other competitive teams. A few weeks ago I told some people that I'd play softball this spring. I hope that works out; softball's a great excuse for silliness. And beer. Lots and lots of beer.

Apart from some tortuous reading for Torts, my Valentine's Day was very enjoyable. I'd made plans yesterday to watch a movie tonight with a few friends. A few hours ago we impulsively decided to start watching the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice. The movie was originally a mini-series and it's broken into six forty-minute segments, so we just finished it a few minutes ago. It might've been a typical "we don't have boyfriends so we're going to stay up late watching a girly movie" way of spending Valentine's Day, but it was also very fun. P&P viewings, which are rare because of its length, are almost always a good time. They're especially enjoyable with people who properly appreciate the intricacies of the book, the film, and of course, Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy.

I also had another fun job interview this afternoon. I've lost any ability I ever had to actually gauge my chances of actually getting the job, but I had a great conversation with my interviewer. It turned out that we have very similar views on law and public policy. Even if I don't get the job, it was a productive half-hour.

This Jeff Gannon thing is, on the whole, pretty disturbing. Actually, I've always found Mr. Gannon disturbing, I just don't like that I now know way, way, way too much about him. The fact that his escort service websites are still available through internet archives is also kind of scary. The internet's kind of forever, isn't it?

Well, despite not really enjoying the uh, information I now have on Mr. Gannon, I do love knowing random information about famous people. In fact, the "Gawker Stalker" portion of Gawker is my new favorite thing. Part of it is that most of the celebrity sightings are in or near my neighborhood (my own celebrity sightings have been pretty ho-hum, but thanks to Gawker I have new hope). Also, I just really love knowing who has bad fake tans.

So, for those of you who send me links to websites you think are fun and interesting, here's the lesson you should've learned: If it's a link to a story about a celebrity's bright orange skin tone, send it. If 's a link to their nude escort service photo, don't send it. Wait . . . I take that back, you can send 'em all.

As part of my training for the upcoming Brooklyn Half-Marathon, I ran the Al Gordon 15K in Central Park today. The first four miles flew by, the next three weren't too bad and the last 2.3 were the longest 25 minutes of my life.

I maintained the same pace that I ran during the 7-mile race last month. My knee hurt throughout the entire race, so I'm happy with that pace. Although, I'd like to cut a lot off it before the half-marathon.

The good news is that it was a beautiful day to be in Central Park. The weather's pretty warm and there was a nice cool breeze. My face even feels like it got some sun. During the last race, I only saw a handful of non-race people in the park. Today, despite an earlier start time, the park was full. I guess the 25 degree difference in temperature and the fact that a blizzard wasn't moving probably have something to do with it. Also, The Gates are up. I'm not really sure I understand The Gates, but here's what the artists have to say:

The 16 day duration work of art, free to all, will be a long-to-be-remembered joyous experience for every New Yorker, as a democratic expression that Olmsted invoked when he conceived a “central” park. The luminous moving fabric will underline the organic design of the park, while the rectangular poles will be a reminder fo the geometric grid pattern of the city blocks around the park. The Gates will harmonize with the beauty of Central Park.

That's not really what I was thinking while I was running. In fact, my main thought was, "Huh. They're big and they glow in the sunlight." Hey, 9.3 miles is far, and I had other concerns on my mind.

The rest of my weekend has been pretty low-key. It feels like everyone around here, myself included, decided to use these days to do catch-up work. At this point last semester, I was feeling kind of overwhelmed by Civil Procedure, so I spent an afternoon in Central Park re-reading the Erie line of cases. I'm not feeling overwhelmed this semester, but I don't feel like I have a solid grasp on much of the material right now. I understand what's going on while I'm in class, but the information isn't sticking with me. Much as I don't want this to be true, I just need to spend more time studying. Unfortunately, despite the nice weather, it's not really warm enough to sit outside. So, I'm going to drag my very sore legs over to the library.

It's about the South Dakota legislature, but I think it's generally true. Click here.

Despite a deep and career-influencing interest in politics and public policy, I haven't written much about either of them on this blog. Outside of a fairly limited circle of friends whose opinions I trust and value, I don't talk about them, either. I do that on purpose. I've found that a lot of conversations about politics end up not being conversations at all; instead they're just recitations of beliefs and opinion. I find that kind of thing dreadfully dull.

I don't write about politics and policy on this blog because the readers who know me already know my opinions and they're all capable of conversing intelligently, so I'd rather just talk to them in person about current events. As far as people I don't know who read this blog, I think I'm right in assuming that y'all aren't too interested in my thoughts on the newest Medicare prescription drug benefit cost estimates.

So, now that I've said all that, I have to note that something happened this week that I can't not comment on; the president's budget was released. I sort of love the budget and appropriations process. It's definitely flawed, but it's fantastically fascinating. It's also something that I think most former and current Hill staffers take inordinate pride in understanding. From fairly simple things like the difference between the budget resolution and the appropriations bills to complex things like the spending mechanisms that make it appear as though we're spending less money, most of it doesn't make much sense until you've seen the process in action (and even then, some of it's just crazy).

Anyway, I felt like a big geek at the beginning of the week -- as soon as I read about the budget in the Washington Post, I started poking around the Department of Education and Health and Human Services websites to find out which programs had been gutted. I then heard from two friends who both left the Hill to pursue graduate degrees about the same time I did. One of them had participated in a heated classroom argument with a student who didn't understand the function of omnibus appropriations bills and the other admitted that she's started a lot of conversations this week with, "Did you know the president's budget would cut . . . ?" So, it turns out I'm less of a geek than I thought. I'm really just intent on not losing what meager knowledge about the process I gained in the last couple years.

The thing that's disheartening to me is not that the general public doesn't understand the budget process (that's why we have a representative democracy, right?). It's that they don't know that they don't understand it and they're willing, in many cases, to base their votes on it anyway. Many people will lobby relentlessly this spring to save a beloved federal program without realizing that their vote last fall forecast its demise. Of course the President cut education funding. Of course he cut Medicaid. Of course he did. That's what happens every year, but instead of thinking about the value of those things the government funds, we choose to believe the rhetoric that the government is bad and doesn't deserve to spend out money.

I'm not saying that sentiment doesn't sometimes have merit, but one of the most memorable aspects of my job was sorting through the correspondence my senator received describing the impact that federal programs have in the lives of individuals. It turns out that despite all its faults, the federal government frequently plays a positive role in our lives. Students are able to go to college, police departments are better able to respond to emergencies, life-saving and life-changing medical research is conducted, and so on. It's frustrating that we don't realize that until the funding's about to be cut off.

This spring we'll surely hear a lot about the financial strain that the No Child Left Behind Act has imposed on schools. We'll hear about the crises many states are experiencing in funding Medicaid. We'll also hear about issues I didn't work on. I think the important thing to remember during those fights is that the fact that individuals are willing to fight at all indicates that maybe the government's doing something good and powerful. And maybe, instead of looking for ways to scale back those efforts, we should try to find ways to do more and to do better.

Pure and simple, I like talking about myself -- not really a surprise considering the existence of this blog. That said, I also like talking to people who are excited about their work. I had two interviews today as a part of NYU's Public Interest Law Symposium. One was with a first-year lawyer who is working, through a fellowship, at a non-profit organzation. The other was with a lawyer for the federal government who has 20 years of experience under his belt. Both spoke with conviction and dedication about their work. Both showed seemingly sincere interest in my work experience and ideas. Both were people I'd willingly hang out with. The meetings weren't really interviews, they were conversations. They were fun. I've got another interview tomorrow and three next week, let's hope this fun streak continues.

I had my first admin review session with one of my class's TA's today. None of my classes had TA's last semester, so the concept of having a review session just a month after classes began is new to me. Despite a sort of lackluster discussion, the session was helpful. We went over a question that's similar to what will be on the exam and I feel like I now have a better idea of what I should be trying to get out of class discussions.

Some nice things happened today, as well. I was done with class by 11, so I went shopping for a new suit (always fun). The soup lady gave me free soup again. I also bought fixin's for what might become the world's best tuna sandwich including the most bad-ass whole wheat roll I've ever seen (it's from my favorite bakery in the West Village and it could feed a small family). There's really not too much else to report. I've got a hefty Torts assignment to attack this evening, but that's not unique; staying caught up in Torts seems to be an ongoing battle for me.

It was partly great because I kind of love estates. Brightline rules! Right and wrong answers! That kind of thing almost never happens in law school.

It was also awesome, because one of my friends introduced me to the Snoop Dogg Shizzolator and Gizoogle. If you have a blog, type in its address. If you don't have a blog, type in the address of my blog. Sad to say, my posts are much funnier once they've been shizzolated.

This afternoon's four-hour admin class was less painful than I'd expected. Granted, four hours of any law school class is tiring, but my professor let us go a little early and she was very funny today, so it was okay. Also, I genuinely appreciate the effort she makes to bring a little excitement to the class. Today, we discussed Nix v. Hedden, a case that determined whether a tomato should be classified as a fruit or a vegetable. My professor came prepared to make an argument about the blurry line between fruits and vegetables based on the recipes in a cookbook called "Vegetable Desserts: Beyond Carrot Cake and Pumpkin Pie." She also took a minute after the discussion ended to gleefully share with us her favorite recipes -- Celery Doodles and Sweet Pea Bars. Okay, so funnier things have happened in my law school classes, they've just usually been unplanned. I appreciate effort, that's all.

Lately, I've stopped using my desk when I do homework in my apartment. Instead, I've been sitting on my bed with my book balanced on my knee and my laptop in front of me. Partly, I'm just bored with sitting at my desk. My back-up lamp also burnt out, so I like sitting on my bed because it's closer to the overhead light. Anyway, working this way means that I'm often facing my window. Across the street from my apartment building is another apartment building. At night, when I glance out, I see lots of lights on over there, but I rarely see people. Tonight, however, I saw a person.

There's one window over there that has a darkish shade and when the light's on, it has a slightly spooky glow. Tonight, I figured out that that window is in someone's bathroom. I was sitting on my bed, chatting with a friend, and I glanced out to see the magnified silouette of a man taking a shower. I yelped and then my friend was treated to me yelling this over and over, "Oh my God! He's washing his ass! He's washing his ass!" As far as I can tell, the window is in the shower. That seems like bad planning. Anywho, the next time I looked out, Mr. Shower had migrated to his bedroom and was getting dressed.

I really wish there was a way for me to contact him anonymously. Maybe he reads this blog. If so, dude, you really need to close your blinds when you're wandering around naked after you shower. Oh, and you might want to invest in a new shade for that shower window 'cuz all of New York can currently watch you wash your ass.

I've got just over an hour left in this weekend and I've yet to start my reading for tomorrow's 9am Lawyering class. Unfortunately, I've been told that it's going to take a while to get through the cases. Oh well, my procrastination was justified. I spent the morning and early afternoon reading for tomorrow's marathon four-hour admin class and then I went running. I've spent the last few hours watching the Super Bowl. I don't love football on tv, but I can tolerate it one night a year. Also, while I don't consider myself a true fan of the Patriots, I had to root for fellow South Dakotan Adam Vinatieri (for more on his SoDak credentials, click here).

The run this afternoon was kind of painful. I fell earlier this week and landed awkwardly on my left knee. It's been black and blue for a few days, but I didn't think I'd done any serious damage to it. Alas, about two miles into today's run, my slightly tattered knee put up a protest so mighty I walked most of the rest of my four-mile route.

It was okay, though; the weather was beautiful and I could see the towers of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world (it used to be the longest, but then some bridge in England came along and beat it). Did you know that the Verrazano's towers are so tall and so far apart that their tops are 1 5/8 inches farther apart than their bottoms to compensate for the curvature of the earth between them? It's amazing. I watched ten minutes of a PBS special on the bridge yesterday, so it was nice to see it from a distance this afternoon. I also have a weird fascination with bridges (all kinds -- suspension, covered, foot -- you name it, I like it). The part of my brain that likes math enjoys thinking about their design. Unfortunately, the larger part of my brain that quickly gets bored with anything involving numbers usually takes over.

The rest of my run/walk was stimulating as well. Battery Park on a warm Sunday afternoon is a fun cacophony of languages and accents. I also ran past the trapeze school featured in Sex & the City and returned home via the West Village. I'm still constantly surprised at how much I like living in New York. My interviewer earlier this week asked me if I was planning to stay in NYC like most NYU Law grads and I told him truthfully that I prefer DC. That said, there's really no place else I'd rather spend these three years.

Somehow, in this first month of second semester, I've managed to go out about twice as much as I did during all of last semester. While I'm happy to be having more fun and making new friends, it's gotten a bit out of control. I've gotten very little sleep this week (including one night of no sleep whatsoever) and the fatigue caught up with me this afternoon. The exhaustion set in about eight hours ago, yet I'm still awake (movies, parties, bars . . . my life is thrilling).

I need to take this weekend to get back on track. Tomorrow morning, I'll be cleaning and going for a long run. The afternoon will be dedicated to getting a good grasp on what's happening in torts. Sunday, I'll focus on property and admin. We just started our unit on estates in property and it appears that the language of estates is closely related to jibberish. That probably deserves a couple hours of my attention.

In unrelated news, I saw the movie, The Wedding Date, tonight. It was kind of cute, but also kind of awful (bad writing, predictible plot). I only recommend it if you're looking for a film that requires no thought or effort on your part (which is actually what I was looking for this evening). I also had my second "Restaurant Week" meal this afternoon. It was delicious, but entirely unhealthy. In fact, I've just decided that in addition to the cleaning and homework goals for the weekend, I'm also imposing health diet rules on myself for the next week in the hopes that it'll get me out of this junk food rut I'm in.

So, wish me luck with my clean-up weekend. I used to do this kind of take-back-my-life-in-48-hours thing pretty regularly and I'm now long overdue.

I got back late last night from my day trip to DC. On the whole, the trip was a lot of fun. I hadn't realized how ready I was to get out of New York for a while and going somewhere familiar was a nice treat. The interview went well, I think. It wasn't really what I expected, but I think I came across as reasonably intelligent anyway.

Here's a recap of a few of the interesting things that happened throughout the course of my day:

• I got asked out by the guy sitting next to me on the way to DC. Despite the fact that he was fairly good looking and didn't seem too crazy, I politely declined. Advice to future suitors? Don't use this line, "All I want to do is get married and have children . . . *thoughtful pause* . . . hey, are you single?"
• I made a quick stop at the Smithsonian's new National Museum of the American Indian. The building alone was worth the trip. I used to drive past the construction site on my way to work, so it was gratifying to see the finished product. Also, there's a very cool exhibit featuring the artwork of Allan Houser and George Morrison right now. Unfortunately, I only had a small window of time to be there, so I kind of rushed through the rest of the exhibits. I need to go back.
• The employees at the Starbucks on Pennsylvania, east of the Library of Congress, confirmed that they are still incapable of correctly filling an order. I was charged for a tall macchiato despite ordering a grande latte and was given a raspberry muffin instead of the slice of blueberry bread that I'd asked for. Thanks, Starbucks, for making it feel like old times!
• I glanced into the Trover Bookstore to see if they were selling Akiku the Sealpups or any other porcelain animals. No luck. I miss Civil Procedure.
• I had lunch with a couple friends from my office at one of our old lunchtime standards. I miss my job.
  
• I met a group of sorta skeezy lobbyists while I was chatting with one of my former bosses. A couple of the lobbyists were lawyers and when they found out that I'm a 1L and taking administrative law, one of them bragged to me that he had "the mother of all admin outlines." He then explained, in surprising detail, how he compiled the masterpiece. I guarantee that no one at his law school liked him.
• I tripped on my way out of one of the metro stations. It wasn't a little stumble; I ended up completely sprawled out on the sidewalk. As I clumsily stood up, I noticed a couple had stopped to see if I was okay. While the wife kindly asked if I was hurt, the husband pointed at the gaping hole from which I was removing myself and said, "hey, you tripped there." Gee thanks, that's sooo helpful.

So, I returned to New York last night a little bruised and bloodied, but pleased with the day nonetheless.

Thanks to Hope Jay for sending me this story that demonstrates yet another reason South Dakota's great: buffalo will show up when and where you least expect them.

Buffalo Roams Into Center's Dressing Room

RAPID CITY, S.D. - A buffalo that escaped from an auction ended up in a dressing room at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center where it spent a couple of hours staring into a mirror. Full Story.

Peace Like a River is officially one of my favorite books. Ever. It's so good I had a dream about it and I stayed up until 3:30am this morning finishing it. There are lots and lots of reasons I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but the only one I'm going to mention today is the vocabulary. I have a habit of marking up books that I love and this one's now filled with lots of circles around words that made me stop and think either "I should use this word more often," or "wow, I have no idea what that means." I've included a short list of some of Leif Enger's best words, along with their definitions, below.

scapegrace - "incorrigible rascal"
brigand - "one who lives by plunder"
meerschaum - "white, clayey material used in tobacco pipes"
plumbline - "a line that has at one end a weight and is used to determine verticality"
ruffian - "a brutal person"
scattershot - "broadly and often randomly inclusive"
flummox - "to confuse"
ratfink - no definition for this one at Merriam Webster, but I think you can guess its meaning.
candle - (v.) "to examine by holding between the eye and a light; especially : to test (eggs) in this way for staleness, blood clots, fertility, and growth"
apostate - "one who renunciates a religious faith"
grue - "shockingly repellent"
muzzy - "muddled or confused in the mind"
nubby - "knobby or lumpy"
vapid - "lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force"

I'm also going to start employing the phrases, "crawling heebies" when I'm scared and "king of pukes" for people I don't like.