Thursday, January 22, 2009
We went down to the inauguration happenings on Tuesday to try and get a glimpse of our new president or maybe someone else famous. We didn't see anyone famous, but we sure saw a lot of people. Getting on the train at our stop at Stadium-Armory was easy, although our normally bare streets were lined with cars and tour buses. Getting off the Metro at
L'Enfant Plaza took some time. We had to wait in line to walk up the two sets of escalators.
Once we got out of the Metro, it was people, people, people basically the whole time. There were all kinds of people, everywhere.
We tried to get into the Mall, but it was full of people and they weren't letting anyone else in. I guess some people who had tickets still couldn't get in. Eventually, we ended up at 15th and Independence, near the Washington Monument, which is basically all we could see besides people, people, people.
So we couldn't see, but we could hear most of the time, except when motorcycle policeman kept rode by with their sirens on or during the invocation (which I appreciated) when a young woman started screaming expletives via cell phone at her friend about whose fault it was that they got separated. Otherwise, it was a wonderful experience. The swearing in was great, even if there was a hiccup, and the inaugural address was great to hear live. I really liked many of the things he said, especially this:
Our challenges may be new. "The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."
After the speech we decided it would best to start heading home. We decided it would take to long to wait for a train so we walked the 4 miles back home. It was quite fun because we got to see a lot on the way and we were bundled up in many layers, so we didn't get too cold.
Everyone else had similar ideas, because there were people around us the whole time. It was cool to see everyone out and about. Some even decided to take the freeway.
By the time we got home, we were ready to be there. All in all, it was an awesome experience. There was so much energy and excitement and hope in the air. It was exciting to get a new president, but what really impressed me was the throngs and throngs of people. If there's one thing that Obama has done he's brought people together. It was wonderful to see people from many different races, religions, ethnicities, countries, beliefs, etc, all enjoying a cold morning together. I hope it stays that way. It was a wonderful, unifying feeling. Some might call it brotherly love or goodwill towards all men (and women). It was nice.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Natascha: Don't Read This
When we flew out for the holidays we left some laundry behind, including a rug that had gotten a little wet. On Monday I decided to do some laundry and I enveloped the no longer damp rug in the warm embrace of a woman feeling like she was getting something done. As I bent over the washing machine, ready to shove the rug in for its washing I noticed a shiny, bugly thing creepity crawling up the rug toward my face. It was a cockroach. The big kind. Or at least, a big kind. Bigger than we'd seen in our apartment before. I imagined it lying in wait inside the rug until we got home. I dropped said rug and the roach creepity rushed under the washing machine.
The washing machine and our kitchen cabinets share the same wall, and later that night the roach crawled out of the cabinet beneath our sink and started across our floor. Jordan bravely accosted the roach with a paper towel and some bug spray while I helpfully shouted, "There it is! There it is!" (Although I WAS the one that got the spray out in the first place so that Jordan could use it. I'm not completely useless.)
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Sunday night I made Rose watch 4 episodes of 30 Rock and What's Up Doc in an attempt to prevent the first day of school from coming. It did not work, but 30 Rock and What's Up Doc are all very funny.
I attended 4/5 classes yesterday starting at 11a.m. and ending at 6p.m. I thought it would be terrible, but the day went by pretty fast. I think being busy makes a difference. I had a three hour break between classes today and it felt more like six. Schedule-wise, my week is a dramatic decrescendo, 4 classes Monday, 2 Tues. & Wed., 1 Thurs., and none on Friday. I start every day around 11 and end about 6. Not too shabby.
I decided to apply to for a job teaching for Kaplan because they pay fairly well and the schedule is usually pretty flexible. A little extra cash won't hurt either. If it looks like it'll interfere with school, then I won't do it, but hey, people have done it before me I guess. I feel a bit spoiled because everything always seems to work out for me with little effort on my part. At least that's how I remember things being, even if it's not true.
For example, I remember applying to law school and studying for the LSAT and all that jazz. I wasn't sure it was what I wanted to do (and if I'm honest, I'm still not) but it seemed like a good idea at the time (it still does) and so I did it. It took a lot of time and work, and so far it's paid off beautifully. Had I not, I wouldn't have married Rose, and then where would I be? The thought is as bone-chilling as our floor, which is tiled with ice.
It's a little like looking for a summer associateship. Right now, it's terrifying because I don't have one yet. Some of my classmates do and some don't, so I'm not the only one, but I mostly care about me. Once I find one (and I'm sure I will), it'll seem like I didn't do much besides apply and show up to the interview, and I'll be glad to be where I'll be. But the process reminds me of something J. Rueben Clark said about interest: "Interest never sleeps nor sickens nor dies; it never goes to the hospital; it works on Sundays and holidays; it never takes a vacation; it never visits nor travels; it takes no pleasure; it is never laid off work nor discharged from employment; it never works on reduced hours; it never has short crops nor droughts, etc..." Until I find a summer post, the need to find one is always there looming, and it is scary and stressful and sometimes sends me into existential crises asking myself why I'm doing this or that and why didn't I become an engineer or an artist or an eccentric scientist and why don't we quit using paper money and go back to a barter system and what ever happened to Jefferson's idea of a country of agriculturalists, and that living in a cabin in Montana's Bitterroot Valley probably isn't as romantic as James Galvin makes it sound in The Meadow and what if 20 years from now I really want to join the circus?
That's how I felt waiting to hear back from law schools. I knew I'd get in somewhere, I just didn't know where. Some places accepted me and that felt good. Others rejected my application (not me of course, just my application) and that made me sad. Except for Columbia who laid me down gently explaining that, though they would like nothing more, they were unable to grant me admission. This was probably due to the actions of some third party outside of my or their control. Personally, I blame el nino and Y2K. I'm sure it'll be similar with employers.
My classes all seem interesting and my professors all seem eager to help and get to know students. So I hope to make this the semester I take advantage of that. Shouldn't be too hard since my Jurisprudence class only has 6 students and my Supreme Court seminar on the certiorari process only has 4. That last class is from a Patent powerhouse professor and he told us the goal is to get our papers published, and that sounds exactly like what I need to do.
Rose is busy looking for a new job since Home Made Simple moved to Austin, TX. Hopefully there will be something at Discovery Studios, but if that doesn't pan out, then I'm sure we'll find something else. One good thing is that she's singlehandedly nearly finished our wedding thank you cards, which is momentous and takes a lot longer than you'd think. Now I'm going to find a picture, post this, and go to bed. My teeth are already brushed.
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