I know you all were waiting for a list

It's over. My roommates are all gone and the apartment seems so empty. I said goodbye to my coworkers yesterday. It seems so strange, knowing that my parents are coming to move me back, knowing that I'm not going back to work on Monday, and that my time in DC is at an end. For my final entry, I decided to compose a list of the things I've learned since I came to our nation's capital.

(1) Everyone's always selling something. There were vendors outside metros selling flowers, fake Gucci handbags. There were musicians, jugglers, singers trying to sell their talents, homeless people trying to sell themselves, hoping for a few bucks from some passersby. Inside the buildings, lawyers selling their versions of the facts, politicians selling their versions of the facts. In this town, there's always something for sale, and always someone willing to sell it to you.

(2) The original plan doesn't usually work out, so have a back-up. Either the metro is running late, or you miss the bus, or you get lost, something's bound to happen that makes your flawless plan collapse.

(3) There's a difference between an opossum and a possum. I know, I know. It's the same thing, right? you ask. But no, in fact. The possum is a native animal to Oceana and is much cuter than America's opossum. Of course, many use "possum" as a shortened form of opossum. But they are two different animals.

(4) Things are never what they seem. We go through life assuming that the people in whom we place our trust will not betray that trust. It doesn't always turn out the be the case, though. Sometimes, we have the rug pulled out from underneath us. And the existence we lived before seems like a sham, like a smoke screen, like when you found out Rock Hudson was actually gay, or that Jodie Sweetin from "Full House" was addicted to crank.

(5) On the whole, people are really ignorant about the justice system. It's amazing how many people bring legal actions against others without understanding the process they're using. I've seen cases where the petitioner didn't understand that proof was needed to bring criminal contempt against the respondent, cases where people don't understand fifth amendment rights. It actually saddens me, the amount of people who don't understand how the backbone of America functions.

(6) There is no limit to the amount of "Sex and the City" I can watch. Living with two big fans of Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda was a recipe for trouble. And let me clear something up: Aidan was too good for Carrie. She belongs with Big.

(7) There is no way I cannot be involved with law in my future. I love it too much. Working for the OAG just strengthened my desire to be a lawyer. While I doubt I'll go into public interest law, it was an incredible experience, even just the observing open court part.

(8) Some people who think they should teach really shouldn't. I understand the limitations of finding professors for the LCWS program. But on the whole, the present professors seem to lack a cohesive teaching ability, rendering the classes they teach... well, you've read my posts.

(9) Life is better in the penthouse. I know that sounds terribly snobby, but that doesn't make it less true. It's more enjoyable when you've got the finer things in life. Arlington looks prettier from the top floor. I felt cool being able to walk into the elevator and push "10," even though I'm a poor college student surviving on student loans this semester.

(10) I fell in love with DC and I might have to come back here to live. It's a fantastic place to live. There's so much going on, so much to see. Yesterday morning on the metro, there was a guy singing Christmas carols. Chicago is a fantastic city, and it's home right now. But DC is also an incredible place to live. And I think it'll call me back someday. Besides, where else would I live if I became the Solicitor General for the United States?

a day that will live in infamy

Today is the 65th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. Some people like to compare Pearl Harbor to 9/11. An estimated 1177 people died at Pearl, all but 75 of those died inside the USS Arizona. President Roosevelt implored Congress to declare war against Japan, and they did. The country entered WWII two years late, but made a spectacular effort nonetheless and both theatres were at peace by September of 1945. Of course, that was also after Truman gave the go-ahead to dropping two nuclear bombs on Japan. Comparatively, 2973 people died in the 9/11 attacks, and 24 are still missing. No official war was declared, unless one counts the ideological "war on terror." The country has certainly not rallied behind the government to stomp out the enemy. We don't act as though we're in a wartime. We don't ration anything or practice air raid drills. What happened? I suppose newer technology and today's economy has done a lot to change how we react. Was Pearl worse than 9/11? I don't think so, but they're also two separate events, two separate tragedies, and I don't know that they can, or should, be compared. I definitely do not think that Pearl should be overshadowed by 9/11, no matter how horrific the latter was. Over a thousand men drowned to death inside the Arizona. That's a hard thing for me to fathom.

Today's the last day of classes, effectively. I suppose that means I should study for that final I have tonight. I'm not really concerned about it. Of course, I don't really care about it either. I'm afraid I'm getting senioritis. (Although I really shouldn't, because I do have three more years of school left to go.) Last night dinner at Whitlow's was good. I sat at a table with Scott and my roommates. You know, as I'm realizing that after this weekend, there's a slim to no possibility of my ever seeing these four people again, I sort of don't want to go home. As much as we all annoy each other, I've gotten comfortable with them. I've picked up a lot of their habits. I think I've changed a lot because of living with them, and I doubt I'll ever be cognizant of how much. Everyone will be gone by Saturday night. I am really really excited to go home. But I also cannot believe that this semester has gone by so quickly.

countdown

Can I just say that I wrote the 5-9 page paper that was due yesterday yesterday? I finished the 12-25 page paper the day before. Now I've only got my Thursday night final (tomorrow) to study for. Unforturnately, beyond cleaning my bathroom, doing a load of wash and reading The Half-Blood Prince, I'm not very motivated.

Yesterday was good. My section took me out for lunch at the Austin Grill. I had enchiladas, very tasty. They asked me what I liked best and least about working with them. I couldn't really think of anything bad about my job. Well, maybe sitting on the phone for a long time, on hold, trying to get information for a subpoena. That wasn't all that fun. And the two "field trips" I took to get police reports were frustrating at times. But I haven't had any terrible experiences. On the whole, I've loved it all. I thought, when I found out I had the internship at OAG, that this semester would do two things for me. Either I'd realize I hated law in practice, or I loved it. It's definitely done the latter for me. I sort of wish I could jump over the whole law school thing and go straight to work as an attorney. I don't think I'd do public interest law, though. It's very noble, but I have that terrible superiority complex (that's my mother's fault; she accepts full blame for it). I love the law. L-O-V-E it.

Last night, instead of class, my Tuesday night group met at our professor's house for dinner. She lives in Maryland, just over the state line. She has a beautiful home. For those in Ohio, think upper-end Avon Lake, Bay Village. For those in Chicago, think Evanston, Winnetka. It was very lovely. She set out a huge table of hors d'oeuvres and pop and white wine. The meal was ham, chicken with rice and apricots, vegetable lasagna (which was suprisingly tasty), cinnamon carrots and apples, and green bean casserole. It was really a nice affair. Then we had to talk for about an hour about our papers and what we thought of the books we read in class, etc. That part wasn't so fun. But it was nice to know that I'll never have to go to another political communication class ever again. Unless I lose my mind and decide to take one in law school.

Tonight, everyone is going out to a restaurant called Whitlow's; LCWS is paying. I remember looking at the semester schedule at the beginning, thinking how far away December 6 was. And now it's today. Besides my final tomorrow, my only real concern right now is how I'm going to get everything into my parents' car for the drive home.

reveal to them everything there is to know about you and let the chips fall where they may

I can see that the sun is just starting to rise as I quietly walk into my bathroom a few minutes after my alarm goes off at 6:30. I try not to wake anyone as I brush my teeth, dress, put on my makeup. I finish in good time, grab my purse and leave the apartment only a few minutes after 7. It's cold outside, and I wish I'd had room to bring my winter coat with me from Ohio. I walk quickly to the metro stop and only have to wait a few minutes for the train, just as I'd planned. I get off at Farragut West, and take the 18th St and I St exit. The bus stop is right on the corner, a block away from Farragut Square. Not many people are out, though the sun is in the sky, blocked from the street by the tall buildings. I wait five minutes for the bus. Ten minutes. I start to get nervous, thinking of all the things that could go wrong, all the ways I might not make it to 4801 Massachusetts Ave NW on time. I've just gone through several possible alternative plans when the bus pulls up in front of me. I get on and start to defrost. The bus barrels along on its route, picking up and dropping off passengers. It turns onto Massachusetts Ave and continues on its way. It goes around a traffic circle and suddenly, I realize that it's hitting stops we've already been. I start to panic and pull the cord, signaling a stop requested. I get off and get my bearings. I'm at the 4100 block of Mass. I need to be at the 4800 block. It's 8:05. I have 25 minutes to get there, find rooms 401 and 402 and check in. I start walking very quickly, my lungs burning in the frozen morning air. Somehow I make it by 8:20 and find my way to the fourth floor of the American University Law School building. A few different lines snake around the floor, and I get into the one labeled "H-P." Eventually I wend my way to the table. I sign my admission ticket, stamp a light thumbprint in the small box. I'm given directions to go to room 602. When I get to the sixth floor, 602 is full already. There are a few people only a few years older than me, perhaps law students helping out for community service, trying to figure out what to do with the overflow. They decide finally to put us in room 601, but we have to move again to 603 a few minutes later when there's still not enough room. The next trial for the staff to overcome is figuring out how the lighting system works. After several administrative tasks, the test begins around 9:30. It's a long, grueling process, six sections timed at 35 minutes each. There are two analytical reasoning sections in my test, so I know that one of them will be unscored. I hope it's the one I did poorer on. When the test is over, I lead the exodus out of the building, to the bus stop across the street. I have to stand for almost 15 minutes in the biting wind, waiting for the bus. But when it comes, I get on and forget about the cold outside. It's an uneventful ride to Farragut West. I get on the metro to come home. The second-most important test of my legal career is over. The results will be out in three weeks. It'll turn out to be either a good New Years, or a bad one.

practice makes perfect

I took an LSAT practice test last night. It went all right. I wasn't really that nervous. Unfortunately, most of the sections I'd seen before in another practice test I took. But I'm less nervous. I just have to remember to read carefully and take my time. And not freak out. As I was coming home on the metro last night (the test was in Maryland, near Bethesda), I had to ride the orange line home with a large group of high school-age kids. It must have been a class trip. There were so many of them. They were so obnoxious. I don't ever remember acting that way. I'm sure I never did.

It's sad for me to think that I have only five more work days left. I've got plenty to do in that time, lots of stats to catch up on. I can't wait to go home to my own room and my own bed. And a much quieter atmosphere. Kellie sent out the final email regarding end-of-semester things. I think I might be the last one to check out on Sunday. That's ok with me; I can make sure the apartment's clean.

I can't wait until Saturday is over. After that, I won't have to think about or study for the LSAT ever again.

it was a zero-fatality holiday

Our Thanksgiving meal went off very well. Everything was tasty. It was... educational... to cook the turkey all by myself. (ps- why do they have to stick the neck inside the body cavity? It just seems wrong.) My parents and I have been decorating for Christmas and trying to make the house look presentable so we can sell it. This entails something my mother calls "staging." Today they moved the computer desk and filing cabinets from the family room to my dad's old train room, so it looks like an office. They brought my bedroom furniture back to make it look like a bedroom (or else I would have had to sleep on an air mattress).

Yesterday, my dad and I went to Ashtabula for his birthday present from me. I got him tickets on a holiday train. For those unfamiliar with Ohio geography, Ashtabula County is home to nothing. I've realized since being back here how country Ohio is. It's primarily agriculture. I never noticed until I'd been submerged in urbania for a few months. Anyway, the train ride was... interesting. I felt a little out of place, since most of the patrons were kids under 8 and their parents. The train rode out to a small field where Santa and Mrs. Clause were waiting. They got on the train and handed out little gifts to all the kids. Well, my dad enjoyed it, and that's all that matters.

My super-secret mission went off without a hitch. Last night, after my dad and I got back, I drove home to surprise Lisa. She had no idea. It was fabulous. I got to spend a day with her doing nothing spectacular, just being home with her, like any normal day. It was fantastic.

My mother is currently making rice crispie treats. I don't remember the last time she did that. In fact, I don't remember her ever doing that. Everything's weird on this trip. When did I get so old?

sometimes I just sit and watch my rabbit. for a while.

My father's attempting to figure out what's wrong with my computer. Poor thing. I think it's dead. It's already four years old. It won't even turn on anymore. We'll have to take it to Circuit City for techno-tinkering. I'd just like to be able to extract all of my files from it. I can go without a computer for awhile, but I have stuff on there from my entire high school and college career.

I'm in Ohio again. This time I get to sleep in my own bed, in my room. It's going to be the last Thanksgiving here. My mother took me to see the hole where the foundation's been poured for our (well, their) new house. Friday will be the last time I help decorate the house for Christmas.

I think this holiday is going to be good. I'm working on a little bit of a plan that I can't divulge yet, but I think it's going to be really really good. (Really good.) To be honest, I'm just tickled that I'm out of that apartment. They're nice most times, but I needed a break from my roommates, and a week in the country, I mean Ohio, is sure to do the trick. When I get back I'll only have 12 days until my parents come pick me up.

I'll miss going to work. Yesterday, I went in for a few hours to work on a few days' worth of stats so I don't have so much piled up when I go back to work next week. It'll feel strange at first, going to classes instead of walking to the metro, being crushed to death while listening to my iPod. I'll miss the city. It's really a fantastic place. Ugh. Now I'm making myself sad.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope everything goes smoothly on Thursday. I'm cooking this year, to give my mother a break. I'm sure it'll turn out all right. But if it doesn't, the Cleveland Clinic is good, right?