Chicago = no go

B and I were supposed to go to Chicago this weekend to visit her family and to see Wicked, as B bought me tickets for my birthday. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the trip because B's ex gf Mandi's mom passed away on Thursday and the funeral is today, Sunday. B and Mandi were together for four plus years and are still friends, so of course B had to go to the funeral. I completely understood, and I actually suggested we cancel the trip so we wouldn't be rushing around like crazy fools. I was bummed to not go because of the show and because we were supposed to ride with K and P, as they were also going to Chicago, but these things happen. Instead, I've had a very nice, relaxing weekend at home, and K and P got to use the Wicked tix, so they didn't go to waste.

B and I went out to dinner last night and we also saw "W." The movie is so-so - I think it could have done even more, but it wasn't bad either. Today, I'm watching football and doing laundry. Good stuff. I like chill weekends.

My condolences go out to Mandi and her family - I'm truly sorry for your loss.

April Fools Day Catch Up Blog

Long time no write! Life has been crazy. Here are a few of the things I've been doing:

1. MS Walk Fundraising. I finally sent out my annual plea for donations for the MS Walk. Come on peeps, I need your help! I want to hit $2,000 this year, and I totally think it's doable. Every little bit helps. If you want to donate, I've set up a link on my blog (top right corner). Thanks for anything you can give!

2. Watching two episodes of the Tudors with Beth and Samantha. To put it simply, I hate that show. Not only is it about one of my least favorite time periods in history (well, let's face it, I pretty much only like history from 1600 on anyway), but the show is incredibly graphic. In the two episodes I watched, I saw and heard a man burned to death, saw people boiled to death (Beth muted for me), and watched a man slit his own throat. WTF?!? Obviously, this stuff happened, but I certainly do not need to watch/hear it on TV. I seriously can't get the images out of my head. Disgusting. Needless to say, I don't plan to watch much of that show in the future.

3. ER visits. Poor Beth is sick. Something is wrong with her stomach/abdomen area, and after three trips to the ER and one night in observation, the docs still don't know what is wrong. They kept saying virus, virus, virus, but I'm sorry, viruses don't last this long. Currently, she is at Methodist hospital undergoing more tests. Her regular doctor sent her there to see a surgeon. Best guess: appendicitis. She had all the symptoms, but the cat scan was clear before. Who knows? I'm headed over to the hospital later today.

4. Jersey Boys. My family and I went to see Jersey Boys on Saturday night. I enjoyed the show, but my sisters and I and our respective dates were by far the youngest people in the crowd. The show must appeal more to my parents' generation, which is too bad because it's a good story with good music. Perhaps it's just the high price that keeps my folks away. If you have the time and the cash, go check out the show. Good stuff!

5. Visiting various Twin Cities Minute Clinics. I've been a bit sick myself, and after getting meds at one Minute Clinic and then not getting better, I had to jet to another Minute Clinic between classes yesterday. Good times! Hopefully this set of antibiotics will do the trick!

6. School stuff. I had a midterm exercise due on Monday, so I finished that over the weekend. I'm also trying to stay on task, as finals are in less than a month. I'm trying to remind myself that I only need to pass...

In other school news, one of my Sexual Orientation and the Law professors really irked me last Wednesday. We were discussing a case and she mentioned that HLNJ, my firm, argued on one side. After class, I asked her which case they had argued, and she told me the name. I then proceeded to tell both profs that I would be working there upon graduation. One of the profs said that was great and that she had a close friend there, and the other prof just said, why would you work there. She wouldn't even look at me. So, there I was, left feeling a bit crushed, as I'm proud and happy to be working for HLNJ, and I tried to respond by saying that I think it's a good firm, etc. She then proceeded to say that she had argued against them too many times to say anything, and then stopped talking. She basically left it at that.

I left class feeling dirty, like I had done something wrong...I can't figure out if she has a personal problem with some folks at the firm (likely guess), or if she just really can't stand people who do defense work (which my firm does a lot of). I also got the vibe that she thought I was selling my soul (she does plaintiff's work for people, many GLBTers, bringing employment discrimination cases, and HLNJ does a lot of employment defense work). I'm really not sure what her problem was, but I found her response quite jarring and completely inappropriate. If she has an opinion, she should state it, but she should also recognize that I'm a student and that what she says will impact me. Anyway, after stewing about it, I decided to visit with Career Services to discuss the firm and its reputation...I highly doubt I will make any horrible discoveries (I've already worked there for 3 months), but I thought it would make me feel better regardless. Stay tuned for more on that, if I remember anyway.

7. Volleyball. I played my last volleyball game of the season (I missed this last week because of another event which will be described below). Overall, the season went well, but we never played up to our full potential. Regardless, I'm so glad I played and I can't wait until next fall to start again!

In other sports news, I think I'm going to play softball this summer! I haven't worn cleats since I demolished my knee, but I thought, why not give it a try. I will try to take it easy and focus on fun...we'll see how that goes. I'm going to hit the batting cages soon, so that should be fun as well. :)

8. Bowling. Beth and I went bowling when I returned home from DC. It turns out there is a bowling alley in the midway - who knew (well, besides Beth of course)? We bowled four games, and I bowled fine. I'm just never going to be a good bowler, and that's okay. My tendonitis certainly remembered to act up though, as I could hardly use my right hand the next day!

9. Planning Trips. Alaska is booked now, which is excellent news. We have our plane tickets and everything. I can't wait to go on that trip! We will spend time in Anchorage, Denali National Park (location of Mt. McKinley), and Barrow, a town that is super far north and only accessible by plane. While in Barrow, I'll be near the Arctic Sea, which I think is quite neat.

I still need to plan my other summer adventures too...so many options, so little money! ;)

10. Setting a start date at the firm. As of right now, I will begin working at HLNJ on September 8, 2008! They let me choose between that date and the Tuesday after Labor Day. I figured I might as well take the extra time, as once I start working I won't have a whole lot of vacation time. Oh, in other news, Don Lewis, the "L" in HLNJ, is going to be the dean of Hamline's law school! This is great news for Hamline! Don will stay on at the firm in the Of Counsel position, which is great for the firm. All in all, good news!

11. Twins Season Opener. I went to the Twins opener last night with Beth and her parents. We battled the crazy snow and made it to the game with plenty of time to spare. Everyone kept talking about how nice it was to have the dome because of the weather. However, I disagree with them. Once the new stadium opens, the Twins will simply open the season on the road; there won't be home games in March. Plus, not that many games get rained/snowed out, period. I just don't think it will be a huge deal. I could eat these words in 2010, but oh well.

Anyway, the game was fun and the Twins won, so no complaints here. Oh, except that the hot dog that I ate made me quite sick. Other than that, it was all good! I can't wait to go to my next game...

12. Volunteering at Planned Parenthood. Not much new to report here, as I missed a shift for spring break and then another from being sick. I will be there tomorrow though, so perhaps I'll have a good story for the blog. Stay tuned. :)

13. Making plans to see you, my friends and family! I'm trying to hang out with folks before the mad rush of finals and so you all don't forget I exist! ;) Shout out if you want to get together some time soon.

Well, I think that's about it. I need to buckle down on school work, so life (and as a result, this blog) might be a bit boring for a while.

Adios mis amigos!

Check out Into the Wild

I saw Into the Wild on Saturday night, and I highly recommend the movie to everyone. It was one of the best I've seen in a while. Depressing, but good. Speaking of movies, I still want to see There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men. Once I see those, I will have seen all five of the best picture nominees before the Oscars. Anyone interested in either of those? Anyone hosting an Oscar party? I like Oscar parties.

I also saw Sweeney Todd at the State Theater on Sunday night (thanks for the tix, Samantha). I knew the show would be dark, but wow, it was dark! I guess when the full title is Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (or something like that), people shouldn't be surprised when there is lots of killing. Regardless of the killing, it was a good show. I miss going to the theatre; I should go more.

On a random note (as if the other stuff isn't random), I think I will be ordering my cap and gown today. Craziness! Now I just need to pass all of my classes...I better get busy!

Later skaters! :)

Labor Day Goings On - myspace blog post

So, long time no write again. Life has been keeping me pretty busy as usual. I'm currently in Omaha, NE visiting my college friend Jennifer aka Kropper and her partner Alice. It's been a really nice get away, exactly what I needed. School is in full swing again, and I just can't get motivated to study. It didn't help that I came down with a sinus infection, which meant all I wanted to do was sleep and drain my head. Fortunately, I'm feeling quite a bit better now. I only cough and feel bad for part of the day. Gotta love antibiotics. I know I do!

In other news, I saw 1776 at the Guthrie last weekend. I think it might be the best show I have ever seen at the Guthrie. I very much enjoyed it. I especially liked how it portrayed the founding fathers as actual people with real lives. It's easy to forget that great people were really just people, and not always great! It's also important to remember that American history often tells only one tiny bit of the story.

I also managed to go camping once this summer (thanks to M, J, K, and P!). Sorry if I already blogged about this, but I can't remember and I'm too lazy to go look. The trip was quite fun, even though brilliant me didn't think to bring a rain coat or even warm clothes. What I thought was going to be a warm day turned into a cold, rainy one. I was absolutely drenched at one point, and the tents had rivers of water running through them. It was all quite amusing, and I eventually dried out (for the most part at least). And, getting into the warm sleeping bag was awesome after that wet day. I also learned that you can eat hot dogs for EVERY meal and they are excellent. Good times were had by all.

I'm still waiting to hear from Halleland on a job offer. It might be a while yet, as they are one of the slower firms in the whole process. That's okay, as I've sort of adopted the que sera, sera approach.

It's been weird adjusting to life in Minnesota without Sarah. I'm not always sure what to do with myself, as she and I spent quite a bit of time together. However, I'm blessed to have many other amazing friends in my life, and I know everything will be okay. The timing is just a bit rough, with the start of class again. That typically kills my social life anyway. Again, I know it will all work out the way it's supposed to. Thanks to all my amazing friends; you're the best!

Well, I should probably go. My hosts have lunch ready for me; yum!

Adios mis amigos!