Scenes From Law School

J-Pop

endragua — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 21:57:09 +0000

There are few experiences that feel as good as receiving a new Do As Infinity cd and a new Ayumi Hamasaki cd on the same day =)

Evolution of a Cat in Front of a Window

endragua — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:43:49 +0000

You Can (Not) Advance

endragua — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:29:06 +0000

So it’s been a crazy week since I last posted. Mostly, non-working hours have been dominated by preparations for On-Campus Interviews (OCI), which will take place in two weeks. During that week, a bunch of private sector firms will converge on HLS (other law schools will have their OCI during and around the same time) to identify candidates for next year’s summer associate positions. It’s pretty crazy that we’re having to make plans for next year even though summer isn’t over yet, but there ya go.

I treated myself to a little bit of downtime this weekend, watching the two Rebuild of Evangelion movies back-to-back Saturday. They were really, really good. The first is basically a shot-for-shot remake of the TV show episodes . . . but the second goes off in a totally different direction. It’s awesome. I can’t wait for the third one to come out — hopefully Anno gets it done soon.

Also, I was thinking about getting tickets to the Legg Mason Tennis Classic for this week, but the only player I was really interested in seeing (Lleyton Hewitt) withdrew due to injury. Boo.

Finally, I’m thinking about disbanding this blog. With professional life (i.e. getting a job) approaching with alarming speed, this blog might be too much of a liability. I’ll think about it this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy the trailers for the two Evangelion movies: Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone and Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance.

Requiem For A LR

endragua — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:36:54 +0000

It would be an understatement to say that I was feeling a little down on Friday. No, it would be far more accurate to say that I was feeling despondent, dispirited, depressed, disconsolate and utterly dejected.

I will say, however, that it’s when you’re at the lowest of lows that you sometimes discover that you’ve got some really great people in your life. Thank you to CT for your incredibly warm and heartfelt messages. Thank you Sam and Russell for brightening my spirits Friday night with booze, desserts and independent book stores. Thank you Molly for your wonderful email. Thank you Nicole for recognizing a Hamlet reference when you saw one. Thank you Leo for helping me drink away my sorrows. Thank you Joshua for providing some unvarnished, unadulterated and much needed perspective.

And of course, thank you to my wonderful boyfriend Isidro, who after calling me Friday night and hearing how sad I was, woke up at 5:30 am on Saturday to hop on a 7:00 am bus to surprise me in DC at noon. We had a really, really great weekend together. Everything is better when he’s around.

So yes, I had a great weekend. Thank you to all the aforementioned people who helped make it so =)

Protected: July

endragua — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:25:02 +0000

This post is password protected. You must visit the website and enter the password to continue reading.

Happy 4th

endragua — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 18:07:33 +0000

So this weekend was Isidro’s last official weekend in DC as a pseudo-resident. His last day at the DOJ was Friday, and he was scheduled to start up at the ACLU on Tuesday. Thus, we went all out to have a great 4th of July and to celebrate his last weekend here.

We kicked things off at a WONDERFUL little cafe in Georgetown called Kafe Leopold. I’d found it on Yelp and it’d gotten great reviews . . . we figured that we’d give it a try. It was SO GOOD. If anyone’s looking for a great brunch or late-night cafe, I absolutely recommend this place. I totally want to go back.

The never-ending line of desserts at Kafe Leopold's

On Monday we headed to the Skyline Pool in southwest DC where Isidro and I relaxed in the sun. It was one of the first low-key, slow-paced days I’d had in a long, long time. The place was a little crowded, but it was a really nice relaxing afternoon.

Relaxing at the Skyline Pool

The pool scene

We didn’t have any invites for 4th of July BBQs, so we figured the next best thing would be to head over to Good Stuff Eatery — or better known as the burger joint run by Spike from Top Chef — for lunch/dinner. I had a burger, some rosemary fries and a big raspberry/blueberry milkshake. So good.

Four Top Chefs, all in the DC Metro area =)

4th of July lunch at Good Stuff Eatery

After that, we headed back home, washed up, and then hopped on a bus to Georgetown. We got a great table at a restaurant right on the Potomac River, where we drank margaritas and watched the fireworks. Really nice end to a really nice weekend.

The fireworks from the Georgetown area

Transferrrrrrrrrrrr

endragua — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:01:48 +0000

So the big news is that Isidro has completed and submitted his transfer application to HLS. I think the submission was very solid . . . now it just comes down to what needs HLS is looking to fill in the Class of 2013 and how they decide to weigh GPA/LSAT against professional background/personal statement/recommendations. Given the discussions on Top Law Schools Forum, the prospect of securing a transfer spot is somewhat of a longshot, but of course, stranger things have happened.

Random side note: Socrates enjoys sitting in drawers.

The past week has been a whirlwind ride. I went to two law firm receptions to start laying the groundwork for my 2L summer job search, I’ve sent out feelers to various DOJ sections that I’m targeting for a SLIP application, I have a lunch set up next week . . . I’m trying to keep things moving. I’ve also been busy doing work for my two law clinic clients, which have some important deadlines pending. Meanwhile, my work at my DOJ internship has been going really well — I’ve been working on two long briefs and I’m happy with both of them so far.

Isidro and I have also been going out a lot for last-minute hanging out with DC friends before he leaves for NYC on Tuesday. We ate at Ping Pong Dim Sum in Chinatown on Sunday with Isidro’s old boss and we have dinners and brunches lined up this weekend. We also managed to grab lunch at La Tasca yesterday, where we feasted on all-you-can-eat tapas. The food was fantastic!

Our opening dishes (the lemon attacked Isidro's glasses with lemon juice)

Second round of food

This afternoon, we’re both attending a DOJ event with Justice Kagan. Should be fun — after this, I’ll have seen/met three Supreme Court Justices. Three down, six to go!

1L Grade Wrap-Up

endragua — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 01:28:19 +0000

So, I know, I know, grades aren’t really supposed to matter at HLS. We’re there for the education, for the learning, for the journals/clinics/classes, for the professors, for our fellow students, etc. etc. The totality of our experience at HLS is supposed to far outstrip what appears on our transcript . . . and definitely, for me, it does. I had a great first year at HLS and I’m looking forward to this fall.

BUT. Grades matter to me. A lot.

Everyone has their own way of motivating themselves to work hard in law school. Thinking about grades is merely one (big) tactic that I use to motivate myself to work hard, do the reading, pay attention in class, absorb the material, etc. I care about grades and I want to get good grades. I’m not advocating this approach for everyone, I’m just saying that they’re one way that I make sure that I’m staying on top of everything.

On Thursday morning, I got my final grade of 1L year (Crim) and it was a huge relief. I was already happy with my spring grades, but I wouldn’t allow myself to celebrate too much lest I jinx myself into getting a bad grade for Crim. Thankfully, it was not a bad grade, and I was happy that I could finally do my long-overdue happy dance Thursday morning after the last grade came in.

Side note about my internship: it’s going very well. I’m working on an awesome case right now (not awesome for the victim, but awesome for me because it’s a pretty complicated situation legally) and having lots of fun writing a memo for my supervising attorney. The fact that I enjoy doing this type of research, analysis and writing is starting to make me think seriously about pursuing appellate work next summer. I still would like to get some trial experience after law school (and after a clerkship, fingers crossed), but I’m starting to wonder whether my longer-term goal will be appellate-oriented.

Pride and DOJ

endragua — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 02:25:05 +0000

This past weekend, Isidro and I volunteered with the It Gets Better Project at DC Capitol Pride. I’ve never been a huge fan of Pride events, so it was kind of nice to be able to attend DC Pride as a semi-participant, while still having time to enjoy the event somewhat. Side note: if anyone is looking for a great burger in the Dupont Circle / Adams Morgan area, check out L’Enfant Cafe. Isidro and I ate there after the parade and their burger was absolutely delicious.

Volunteering with the It Gets Better Project

Isidro and I have also gotten the chance to attend two intern-focused reception events at the DOJ: Wednesday we went to a breakfast reception with Tom Perez, the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, and then today we went to a lecture by the Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder. Both events were fun, and we got to mingle with a bunch of our friends in other divisions at the DOJ. I also screwed up the courage to ask Eric Holder a question during the Q&A following his lecture. Isidro and I joked that I should have began my question by saying “May it please the Department” (I settled instead on “good afternoon”).

The courtyard at the Main Justice building

My internship has been a pretty mixed bag so far. **EDITED UPON FURTHER REFLECTION. IF YOU WANT DETAILS, FEEL FREE TO GCHAT ME**

Meanwhile, Isidro has been spending a lot of hours working on homework for his summer class and his transfer application for HLS. Socrates helps out however she can.

Socrates playing with Isidro's highlighter

Socrates napping

DCing it up

endragua — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:28:50 +0000

So this past week has been crazy busy . . . mostly because Isidro and I are trying to do as much as possible (shopping, seeing friends, going out to eat, etc.) before he departs for NYC in four weeks. Thus, our calendars have been pretty packed.

Last week Thursday, Isidro and I got lunch with three of our friends from CA — two of which still live there, and one of which is a firm DC resident. We ate lunch at Ella’s Woodfire Pizza, which was great. Really good food, I definitely would recommend it for lunch if you’re in the Chinatown area.

Me and Isidro, waiting for food

Portrait of Lucy, taken by CT

Russell, hours before he left for NY

Self-portrait by photographer CT

Saturday was Isidro’s birthday, and so a bunch of his friends (and some of mine) came out to Perry’s Restaurant in Adams Morgan. We had never been there before, and the place was GORGEOUS. The sushi looked really good, too. We were all there for drinks, but I think that Isidro and I want to go back sometime soon.

Perry's roof-top dining area

Sunday we spent with Sam and Bryan in their apartment watching Rafa Nadal beat Roger Federer in the French Open. It was a CRAZY competitive match — at times, I was really worried about Nadal’s chances to put Federer away (when Federer’s first serve was clicking, there was little Nadal could do). Thankfully, Nadal finished him off 6-1 in the fourth set and all was right in the world.

That night, Isidro and I ate out at VOLT Restaurant in Frederick, Maryland to celebrate Isidro’s birthday with just the two of us; Top Chef fans will recognize this as Bryan Voltaggio’s restaurant. This was our second time dining at VOLT and it was AMAZING. Seriously, it’s the best food I’ve ever eaten. Bryan Voltaggio does so many little things to make the experience special. For example, we ordered a tuna tartar as our first starter, but the tuna tartar is encased in a tube clear rice paper, standing on its side, so that it looks like a little sushi roll. Then, there was a stream of pureed avocado going down the plate, made to look like a stalk of asparagus. On top, there was something that looked like green caviar to represent the flower-y top of the asparagus stalk. It was really pretty and absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to go back.

Isidro with our dessert of goat cheese cheesecake and dolce de leche ice cream

Two last notes: I did my first spin class EVER yesterday during lunch (yes, the DOJ building I work at has a gym downstairs) and it killed my legs. Second, spring semester grades come out at 5:00 pm today and I’m nervous. FINGERS CROSSED for some good news.