hmmm
It's been an impossibly long time since I've posted. So long, in fact, that I considered taking down the blog altogether. I'm hoping to motivate sufficiently this weekend to finish my Spain posts. Really, it's kind of absurd - we've traveled to Mexico since returning, so I guess it's time to wrap up Spain.
Life has been ... really mixed. Much as I love fall in the abstract, it is a dark time of the year, which affects my mood and motivation. J's family situation has been really weird since midsummer, and got outright intense in October, so we've been coping with the fallout from that, too. I didn't get the job that I've long considered my dream job, and it happened in a pretty crappy way, so now I'm reassessing what is important to me, where I want to go, career-wise. Chances are that if I persist, I'll get the job. Folks are retiring, etc. But with the not-getting being quite political, I'm trying to sort through some bitterness and genuine career-path questioning.
Today it's sunny and chilly, just a perfect crisp winter day, so though I'm indoors, I actually feel more up and able to get a few nagging tasks completed. Maybe I'll even get off the couch and exercise (I was getting fairly toned before we left for Spain, then returned to autumn, a 2.5-hour/day commute, and complete indolence...so long, biceps). It's funny. When I was younger, I really thought one went into auto-pilot after a certain point in life. You get the job, then you go to work, live your life, then you retire. It's so much more complicated than I ever expected it to be. I'm reassessing all the time, still figuring out what I want to do, what kind of life I want to live. I suppose it's normal, but it'd be lovely to just coast for awhile.
Labels: rumination
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Madrid to Sevilla
After posting the below, I wandered all around Malasana looking for a tile shop (to get my "Aqui Vive Una Abogada" tile, something I'd promised myself when we were in Spain the winter before I began law school). I found the shop, but not the tile, so then I scrambled back to grab the bus to the Reina Sofia, wandering through the exhibitions there until my feet could take it no longer. I limped back home and nursed my sore dogs till we went out to grab dinner. A word about Guernica: it could be that I thought I
should have felt some reaction, therefore I did, or it could've been genuine. Either way, the work is like a gut punch, just the imagery of brutality. In adjoining rooms, the center shows Picasso's draft sketches, as well as a number of other Spanish Civil War art. I just kept thinking, "wow, this wasn't all that long ago..."
That evening, we went for pizza down the street at a place we'd seen before that was consistently packed to the gills with what appeared to be locals. It was a great choice. We got an absurdly cheap bottle of great wine with our simple, fantastic pizza. Since they had a bit of a wait, we shuffled over to a neighborhood bar and had ice cold beer and complimentary tapas till our table was read. I write this just over three weeks later - and is it absurd? - I just spent some time looking online at language courses in Madrid. Everyone talks about the rest of Spain, and I do love the rest of Spain, too, but I don't know if I'll ever get my fill of Madrid, restoration, construction cranes, and all.
Early the next morning, we hopped on the high-speed AVE to reach Sevilla. We dumped our bags at the hotel and I made a beeline for the churro stand about 20 metres away from the front door.
Once sated with churros and chocolate, we walked to the tourist bus stop. We weren't going to do it, but we realized we'd made a mistake after lots of being lost in Toledo by not using a tourist bus to just get the lay of the land, see what we would want to come back to (and, most importantly, how to get there!). It turned out to be a pretty good strategy, since we didn't kill our feet visiting stuff that maybe wasn't worth a foot-killin. The bus let us off at the Torre de Oro, a tower that was sort of a defensive thing (for lookouts) and sort of a show-off power thing in its day. Then we stumbled across the royal shipyards - open for anyone to walk into and currently being restored - before dropping into a little bar for a glass of manzanilla, the really dry sherry wine that comes from Sanlucar de Barrameda. Then I dragged J through medieval streets looking for the Arabic baths I'd read about. I was ready for a massage, dammit! We found 'em and booked baths w/ 15-minute massage for late that evening. Then we had a nice tapa lunch before returning to the hotel to rest. By this time, we had really gotten this siesta thing down. Not so much for napping, but just having a leisurely lunch, followed by putting our feet up back in whatever room we had.
The baths were so relaxing, but it was difficult applying my Spanish (which doesn't really include "spa" terms) to that outing. Still, all's well that ends well, and I felt good and relaxed at the end. Another tapa dinner and chatting with a bartender about a drink she was mixing - basically red wine plus pop, a widely-enjoyed beverage in Andalucia called "tinto de verano" (summer red wine, basically). That would become my signature drink for the rest of our stay in southern Spain, because dang, it's hot there!
The following day, we wandered through the Alcazar and cathedral before catching our afternoon train to Jerez. Both are justly famous. The Alcazar is like a newer, smaller Alhambra (unsurprising since the craftsmen were sent from Granada) and the cathedral was, imo, easily as jaw-dropping as the one in Toledo. I have pictures up on our
Picassa that I meant to insert here, but my desktop is being absurdly slow so I'm not gonna get myself worked up about it.
Labels: Spain, travel
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Spain trip diary, Madrid
It´s about 4 p.m. on our last day in Madrid. The city has been nuts - seems like they´re restoring the whole works, so everything is covered with a fine layer of dust or tarp. The sidewalk just outside our hostal is partly gated off due to big holes they´re filling. But it´s been nice being here. It´s such a beautiful, historic city with plenty to see, do, eat, and drink.
We´ve had some disappointments. Part of the subway (Metro) is also being refurbished, so we were delayed about 2 hours figuring out the bus situation on Sunday to get to a museum; by the time we arrived, they weren´t letting folks in anymore. That´s kind of been a theme this trip - lots of places closed for refurbishing, or holiday, or we keep just missing stuff. On the bright side, the city isn´t overrun with other tourists, at least not other American tourists. Everywhere we go, we hear Spanish spoken. Very few people start out addressing us in English, which was always such a bummer last time. I know they were trying to be accommodating, but I always felt like it meant I really stuck out as a tourist. Our first night, we went for tapas at a little bar down the street. It was 1 a.m. and the street was packed with people going to and fro. We basically dumped our bags in the hostal and went out. We got to chatting with the waiter, and he was really excited about the Spanish basketball players who were now playing for NBA teams. He was particularly excited about some guy who plays for LA, but he had a notion of where Portland was just because of the guy we just got for the Blazers.
Early tomorrow we head to Sevilla, just for about 30 hours. Then we take a train to Jerez, just south of Sevilla toward the coast, for 5 days. Madrid has been hectic, with plenty of side trips - Toledo and Segovia - Toledo is a world heritage site, but it too was under lots of restoration. The castle was partly closed off, and several museums were also shut. We got to go inside the breathtaking cathedral, known as one of the most ornate in the world, but they stopped J taking photos after the first couple, so once we´d walked around it, not a lot to do but walk the cobblestoned city. Segovia was also under restoration (Sense a theme? Many of our photos will have tarp and even construction cranes in them.) but we were able to get in to see the major sites we wanted to view, including one of the oldest standing Roman structures in the world, the viaduct that used to provide the walled town´s water. Also, there´s a pretty cool castle we spent a ton of time going through.
J is back at the hostal napping right now. His Achilles tendon is perhaps not as healed as he thought, or at least, lots of walking on cobblestone streets has caused some inflamation. I seriously don´t know how the Spanish do it. We get back to the hostal and soak our feet in bath salts nightly, yet they walk EVERYWHERE and do it in nice-looking shoes. Maybe the bath salts help them, too. The lady at the pharmacy knew exactly what I meant when I said "sal para los pies," literally, "salt for the feet."
I just uploaded photos into Picasa as well. Until I can figure out how to link them from the sidebar, you can find them
here. The ones from J´s camera (many, many more and much better quality) will have to wait till later.
Labels: travel
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I knew it!
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Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!!
created with QuizFarm.com |
| You scored as Elizabeth Bennet As one of Austen's most beloved characters, Elizabeth Bennet represents what most women would like to become: strong, independent, and loyal. Of course, she has her faults including a stubborn will of iron and a clinging to first impressions. Overall, Lizzie is bright and lovable...something to admire and aspire to.
Elizabeth Bennet |
| 69% | Elinor Dashwood |
| 56% | Emma Woodhouse |
| 47% | Lady Catherine |
| 38% | Jane Bennet |
| 38% | Charlotte Lucas |
| 38% | Marianne Dashwood |
| 38% |
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We leave in just over 2 weeks - I've been playing with itineraries etc trying to get things sorted out. The dollar is starting to climb again (thank goodness!) so we've pre-paid a bunch of our hotel as well. Some might say that this much planning takes too much spontaneity out of a trip, but last time we were abroad we went w/o booking anything but our first night, and found that we had a lot of missed opportunity cost to go along with that spontaneity. Spending hours in line at train stations trying to sort out tickets was only an enriching experience in that I picked up this attitude about planning what we can but leaving room for decisions once we arrive as well. We'll see how this different attitude works out very soon.
Work is good - I had a big, difficult trial in June that I won. I may actually be picking up a trial style. Things are winding down this month before vacation, then when I return I go to my next placement, which is the division in which I clerked during law school. I'm very happy to be going back, though a bit anxious as well. My writing skills aren't what they were before I was doing trials all the time. It'll take some time to get back in the swing... Next post will more than likely be from Spain - I'll try to check in weekly and post some pictures.
Labels: life in general, quizzes, travel
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Long time, no...
Thank goodness for airport wireless - waiting for planes used to be intolerable. I had a hearing today in a part of the state that is so remote that it made much more sense to fly than to drive the half day to get there. It's been really busy the past month in general. I've had a trial, countless hearings, and lots of other little stuff to keep me busy. I also feel like I'm hitting a trial/hearing style, and consequently comfort level. I thought I'd always be freaked out. Not just nervous/excited and having trouble sleeping or focusing on anything other than a trial when I'm in it, but really, really afraid (like beta blocker taking afraid) of standing up and speaking. Which is great in a lawyer, haha. Anyway, after four trials, the terror seems to have subsided. I get nervous, but no longer am I practically paralyzed by anxiety. I've gotten some pats on the back for my work in trial, and I feel like they're genuine. I was always afraid that school would be it for me - that I'd be one of those people who are good at law school but suck at being lawyers. Now I'm not as afraid of that being true.
Soon, my time in a place I'm starting to feel comfortable with the law will end, however. They haven't told me what my next placement will be, but I can't do the same rotation twice. Also, chances are they won't put me in doing appellate law since that is where I clerked, so it wouldn't fill the program objective of letting me try something new w/in the agency. If it means juries, I'm sure I'll go through this whole getting used to who I am in court thing again, but hopefully it'll be less painful this time. I mean, literally, when you have an anxiety attack, you know how your chest constricts and your mouth goes dry? That was me in my first trial, even though it wore off as the day wore on. I'm looking forward to trying something new, but I've really enjoyed what I've been doing, and really feel like I'm even becoming good at it.
Next time I post, I have to remember to put up some pictures of the yard. When I haven't been working on cases, I've been working in our yard, working like a dog to get it into summer shape. The weekend before my last trial, I "gave myself permission" to weed as a break from writing witness questions both days... It's amazing how many weeds you can pull when the alternative is reviewing exhibits and writing questions.
Labels: life in general, work
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can I blame the economy?
I went to the farmers market Saturday and bought salad shrimp & a tiny bit of dungeness crab. Then I got busy doing nothing this weekend and shoved it to the back of the fridge. Today, it smelled a little funky, but I was too cheap to toss it out (guilt over buying luxury food compounded by wasting it would be more than I could take). I don't recommend making a louis with funky smelling crab and shrimp. Even if you rinse it off. That is all.
Labels: life in general
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the player to be named later
This guy was apparently subject of a write-in campaign for Attorney General on the Republican side (spurred by
buzz on
Ron Paul message boards and via Ron Paul campaign emails). For those who don't know, Leuenberger ran an unsuccessful campaign to unseat Justice Rives Kistler, in part, I'm sure, because Justice Kistler is openly gay (Leuenberger certainly didn't complain about a
mailing sent out on his behalf by the Oregon Christian Coalition). Leuenberger will also be remembered as conservative nut case Lon Mabon's attorney in Mabon's fight to avoid paying damages against a lesbian his organization roughly ejected from a meeting. In 2004, Leuenberger lost by about 130,000 votes in the fairly low-profile race against Justice Kistler (who besides we lawyers pays attention to these races?). If he is the nominee (we find out when results are certified in June), John will still win, but it ought to be an entertaining fight.
Labels: politics
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long weekend
Ah, the long-awaited long weekend. I've been needing this. It's not nice enough to go cycling (I should've definitely taken a chance and done my long ride yesterday afternoon when it was surprisingly clear out, but I focused on de-cluttering the garden shed instead), so I'm finally going through my closet (
this is worth blogging about?) and catching up on some reading. I also ordered Thomas Mauet's
Trial Techniques, which I'm hoping will arrive by next weekend so I'll have time to absorb some hints before my next trial.
It's funny - I've had three full trials so far, second-chaired part of another, and I know I've learned a lot. I'm embarrassed, though, at how little I came into my first trial knowing. Oh, I had read all the case law and statutes, but my understanding of my practice area was superficial at best. I can only tell now, looking back, how in over my head I was. I never took a trial practice seminar in law school. The only practical course I intended to take, but then didn't because I had too much else going on that fall, was appellate moot court, something that wouldn't have done me much good where I presently practice (appellate argument is its own art, but as a certified law student I argued two appeals so it wouldn't have been a new art). Within my first month, I was supposed to co-counsel two trials, but both settled at the last minute. So when I had my first trial - four hours across the state - I was truly on my own. Thankfully, it was an idiot-proof case, a slam dunk. But I'm still fairly clueless about many of the finer points of trial practice, despite having observed several trials last year as a clerk. Hopefully, understanding why certain practices are employed will help me more effectively employ them myself.
The funny thing about my practice area is that the defense doesn't usually fight tooth-and-nail over evidentiary issues - for example, in all of my trials so far, the defense has stipulated to the admission of all my exhibits - so I haven't had to become smooth at uttering the correct words to flag for the court that I am seeking to have an exhibit admitted. A good grade in evidence also does not ensure that I will be able to respond effectively to evidentiary objections if I am unaccustomed to having to analyze why a piece of evidence should be admitted. That is a shame, because, although I have had more trials than many lawyers see in the space of a year, I don't know that I'm all that much more experienced for it. Okay, that is a pessimistic view. In reality, I'm leagues ahead of where I was in September, and that is precisely because I have been fortunate enough to have had three trials (with one more 99% sure to go to trial in two weeks). I guess that is just nerves speaking. My next trial is not a slam dunk. It's triable, and I feel certain to win at the trial court level, but it will take all my concentration to create a record that can withstand appeal (a record I hopefully won't wince to think of my colleagues reading on appeal - please, not too many "ums"). Thus my book shopping.
On my next placement, that's still undetermined. I found out at the end of June last year, so I anticipate it'll be about that long this time as well. There are some openings right now where I'd currently like to end up, but I am prohibited from applying before I have been there a full year. Hopefully some openings will occur early in my next placement so I have some certainty about where I'll be. As I become less petrified of trials, I also think of going to a DAs office. I have one in mind that would allow me to share my commute with J. After speaking with colleagues, it sounds like it would be the best fit for me in terms of independence and correctness of office policy. We'll see.
June looks to be frighteningly busy for me. Only one trial and a day-long contested hearing that month, but then I have two trials set for July 1, and another the following week, plus an in-person appearance on the opposite side of the state in between those dates. I'm excited about it all, though. If it all goes, I'll come out at the other end tired, but hopefully much more adept at my calling. I can never turn down the opportunity to appear in a different county* - I mean, I'm allowed to, but since the point of this year is to learn, it seems wasteful to pass up the chance. This weekend is my chance to really kick back before several successive weekends grinding away on witness questions and other trial prep. Before I know it, the time will have flown and it'll be time to depart for Spain.
*with the exception of a dump that I wisely declined set for the beginning of the week we depart for Spain.
Labels: work
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