Happy New Year!

2006 has been full of exciting developments, and, similarly, 2007 should be a very busy year. In particular, a lot has happened over the course of the last few months.

First, Matt proposed to my sister Chrissie in late October. They are planning to get married on December 8th, and have already picked out a lovely wedding site. They have been dating for over four years and have a great relationship, so it will be wonderful to see them get married.

In addition, I did pass the New York and New Jersey bar exams. This January, I will need to go to Albany in order to get sworn in to the New York State Bar, but I am otherwise in good shape.

I have also been doing some contract work while I have been searching for a more permanent position. Once I do find a permanent job, I will be able to search for an apartment of my own; I haven't been able to commit to an apartment before, as I wanted to tailor the apartment search to the area where I would be working.

Anyway, I hope that everyone has a great 2007!

Hello Again

I was able to get my business cards fixed in time for the conference, although I didn't end up handing them out to any of the attendees. However, I did give a few cards to friends later. The conference itself was interesting, although I was pretty tired by the end of the day.

After the conference, I attended Chrissie's birthday party, which consisted of mini golf and a meal.

Things have otherwise been relatively slow, although I am planning a trip to Disneyland this weekend.

SNAFUs are No Fun

 My business cards arrived today. Unfortunately, Staples messed the cards up; they currently include the false statement that I am a "memner" of the California Bar. I didn't notice the mistake until I was in the car. When I saw the typo, I rushed back to the store, and, because I was frustrated, I locked my keys in the car.

Fortunately, my mom was able to find a spare set of keys, and Staples agreed to reorder the cards for me. I am disappointed that the cards won't arrive in time for Friday's conference. Luckily, it is easy enough to change an "n" into a "b" without it being too obvious, so I can take the old cards without worrying about making a bad impression because of the typo.

Can't Believe It's September

Given the heat and the lack of a school structure, it doesn't feel like it's already September.

A few things have happened since I last wrote. I took the New York and New Jersey Bar Exams between July 25th and July 27th. The first two days of the exams took place in Albany, while the third day of the exam took place in Secaucus, a New Jersey suburb which is across the river from New York. The first day's exam consisted of five New York essays, 50 New York multiple choice questions, and a Multistate performance test. The second day consisted of 200 multiple choice questions dealing with general legal principles; this portion of the exam is graded in both states. The final day was comprised of seven New Jersey essays. I'm glad that I made the effort to take the exams, although I'm also glad that I won't have to worry as much about the outcome of these exams as I did for the California one; my career won't be "on hold" if I don't pass.

7/11

Today, I am turning 26; this is very unfair. My sister is arranging a birthday dinner, and I might do a few other birthday-related things over the course of the week. Hopefully, year #26 will be eventful and rewarding, especially since I spent some of the past year "in limbo" and am hoping to make some personal progress.

I spent much of the evening filing out job applications, so hopefully I'll get some interest from one of the employers on my list. I've also spent some time preparing for the New York and New Jersey exams. There's a decent amount of material that is either entirely different or easy to confuse with more familiar California law principles, I will have to be careful.

I've also made my travel plans for the exams. I am leaving for Albany on the 20th, am finishing the exam on the 27th, and am spending the subsequent weekend in New York City.

There are more things that I could add, but I ought to get to sleep, so I will cut this entry short. Good night!

Just Dropping In

I have been relatively busy lately, although I haven't really had any major responsibilities in the past few weeks.

I finished A Tale of Two Cities a while ago, and am thinking of following up with The Sound and the Fury if I have the time.

On Saturday, May 6, my parents and I went up to the small town of Lincoln, CA, where we visited members of my dad's family and saw the local "Feats of Clay" exhibit. The exhibit centered on the town's clay factory, which is the economic heart of the area, and was more interesting than I thought it might be. The factory produces, among other things, terra cotta figures for public buildings, and it was fascinating to walk through rooms which were filled with a random assortment of classical-style statues and architectural details; in an odd way, it reminded me of the final scene in Citizen Kane.

On May 7 and May 14, I went with my family to matinee performances of The Rover, in which Chrissie played the courtesan Angellica Bianca. She did a very good job in both performances, but I'm glad we saw the earlier performance, as the final performance contained interruptions by a renegade pigeon and the world's most clueless cell phone user. I was also able to get Chrissie flowers that matched her costume, a gesture which was greatly appreciated.

In other news, I am beginning preparations to take the New York and New Jersey bar exams in July. Although I may want to stay in California, I would still like to keep my options open, and applying for another state bar will become increasingly difficult as I begin to specialize. Fortunately, I can take both states' exams concurrently, and I wouldn't have to study any new material for the New Jersey exam. However, New Jersey's application process is annoyingly byzantine and full of red tape; I half-suspect that the state is trying to weed out potential applicants through the application process itself rather than its examination. I would also like to get admitted to the Washington DC bar, but that is comparatively simple, as I would only need to send my California scores to join.

My Whirlwind Life

First, I should mention that Chrissie is playing the part of Angellica Bianca in a production of Aphra Behn's Restoration-era play The Rover, and that the play will be performed at the John Raitt theater on Hollywood Boulevard this May (with performances on the 5th, 6th, 12th, and 13th, and matinees on the 7th and 14th).

Easter was fairly pleasant. Chrissie, Matt, my grandparents, my aunt, my uncle, and my four young cousins came to my parents' house for a low-key celebration.

Greatest Hits: Hermione Granger Don't Be A Stranger & Sirius Black, Leader of the Pack

I haven't been up to much lately; mostly, I've been catching up on movies, DVDs, and books. I saw some of the major Oscar contenders before and after the ceremony, although I have yet to see Crash, Pride & Prejudice or Memoirs of a Geisha, and should at least attempt to see Crash. In terms of books, I just finished Madame Bovary and have moved on to In Cold Blood. It's easy to get too preoccupied for novels or long-form fiction sometimes, so I'm hoping that I can find the time to finish some of the books that I've been meaning to read.

I've been to a few events as well. Last night, some law school friends and I went to a concert of Gary Sinise's band, which was fun in spite of the fact that the woman in front of me stepped on my foot twice. Tonight, I am going with my sister, Matt, and my sister's friend Emily to a concert by one of Emily's friends, who is in a Harry Potter tribute band; I'm slightly surprised and amused that a Harry Potter band subculture exists in the first place, so I'll be curious to see how the concert is.