Oh goodness! Where have I been?

Pardon my absence.  How long has it been, two months?  I think I was busy...now I'm not sure what kept me so busy, I just know my weekends were full for a long time, and weekdays were full with work.

I think I'll give all relevant updates in backwards order...it's easier to remember that way.

Today, I went to the BU Dental School to have my first dentist appointment in...well, years.  I didn't know until THIS year that I could sign up for a student dental plan and get cheap dental work...so I could have been going since 1L year, but, oh well, I'm going now.  For students in the Boston area, it's $250 to sign up for a year, and then all x-rays, exams, cleanings, and fillings are free.  So I got my x-rays last week, and then went in for the exam today.  The cleaning comes later.  So today, he told me that apparently the reason one tooth has been bothering me is because there's a broken filling.  He said he should be able to just fix that without a root canal, hooray!  He also assured me that root canals are no big deal if I do need one on that tooth, and it should be really cheap at the dental school (wait till you hear the cost for a crown).  Then there are a few teeth that look like they have some small cavities forming so we're going to fix those since that's all free too.  And then there's one tooth in the back that has a big filling, it doesn't desperately need a crown but since it's only $200 to do it at the school as opposed to roughly $1000 in the real world, we're going to just take care of it.  So, first I'll be going back for the cleaning, then they'll fix that broken filling, then they'll fix the other tiny cavities, then probably at the end of the summer I'll get that crown.

Yesterday was the first day back to class...for my last quarter of law school.  I'm taking:  Law and Literature, Welfare Law, Employment Law, and Human Rights in the Global Economy.  I'm in class from 10:15 to 5, with 15 minute breaks to run to my next class...but then I have NOTHING Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday.  Tuesdays and/or Thursdays I'll be doing my cushy work-study job, and Fridays I'll just hang around at home unless a professor uses one of the reschedule periods.  Anyway, so I'm actually pretty excited about all my classes.  Law and Literature is exactly what it sounds like...reading actual BOOKS and then talking about them.  We'll be looking at them from a legal perspective, but still...reading books!!!  Hooray!  And one of our assigned books is Pride and Prejudice!  Hooray again!  Welfare Law is with my favorite professor, which is the main reason I signed up for it, but it looks like it's going to be really interesting.  Employment Law is going to be good, people seem to often have the question "If I get fired, can I sue?"  I already know that usually the answer is no (in the US, at least), but now I'll know when the answer is yes.  And Human Rights in the Global Economy is going to be really fascinating, we'll be talking a lot about what human rights actually are (food? shelter? physical/personal security?), and who, in the global sense, has the responsibility to ensure that these rights are honored.  As law classes go, it's a pretty "fluffy" quarter...which is exactly what I want for my final quarter.

Speaking of it being my final quarter...well, I still don't have a job after graduation.  BUT, the law firm I just finished working at sorta-kinda offered me a job.  I say sorta-kinda because it's a small firm, they're not really certain what their hiring needs will be when I'm out of school and done with the bar and everything, so they couldn't make a firm offer.  But, they loved me there (my evaluation for school said something about "the suberb lawyer [I] will become"), and both the managing partner (aka, guy with his name on the door) and the office manager encouraged me to check in with them during my job search and apply if there's an opening...so, if the stars align and they have an opening, I should be able to work there.  So, it's a half-relief.  Oh, and the managing partner said he'll write letters of recommendation for me, so that will give me an edge for anywhere else I apply.  Now I need to go to career services and figure out where to look for job openings.  I'm still applying for a tax LLM, too, so hopefully I'll get into that and I can do that next year if I end up jobless.  If I'm REALLY jobless...I've talked to a lot of people who graduated last year when the legal job market was basically dead (it's currently on life support, but I would no longer call it completely dead) who started their own firm or are considering doing so as new lawyers...it's not the optimal way to do things, but it can work.  I want my own firm someday anyway, so if I have to resort to it now, then, okay.  So, I'm not in a total panic about still being jobless.

Let's see, so that gets us back to February 19th, which was my last day at my internship.  February 6th, my choir did a Cabaret night thing, which is a fun little dinner, and we provide our own entertainment by signing up to perform something.  I signed up, and did Defying Gravity from Wicked, and I totally kicked ASS.  People were complimenting me all night (I had to go first, some "newbie" rule), and even Monday at rehearsal I was still getting compliments.  It was a great feeling, I haven't rocked the house like that in a while.  Also on the subject of choir, I'm in a little group of about 10 singing...well, I want to surprise Jenn with the song when she comes, so I'm not telling what it is, let's just say it's going to be awesome.  We just did it for the whole choir last night, they said the 10 of us have a really nice blend, so that will be fun.  I'll tell you all what song it was (or Jenn can tell you) after the concert on the 14th.

Okay, so going back from February 6th takes me back to February Ist...or, well, actually January 31st...when I FINALLY got a new roommate!  He's awesome.  He's already picked up on most of my little OCD things (like the "leftover spot" in the fridge), he cooks, he puts dishes right in the dishwasher (I hate when people leave stuff in the sink when the dishwasher is RIGHT THERE...unless it's soaking), he handwashes anything that is too big or otherwise shoudn't go in the dishwasher, he cleans up after himself, he's not noisy, he's nice...it's fantastic.  His name is Marcelo, he's from Brazil, he was a physical therapist there, a few years ago he moved here.  He's now working on getting a PT license here; he has to take a few classes that they wouldn't transfer from his old school, and then he can take the licensing exam.  So, US licensing requirements aside, I basically have a resident physical therapist.  Good for me, with all my back problems and my stupid knee that hasn't been the same since I hurt it in 2001.  So, anyway, after all the trouble with finding a roommate...well, I guess the universe was just making me wait until the right person was ready to move.  Lucky for me my landlord is awesome...well, actually, his uncle was paying through December, January I still just paid my half, so really Kevin only lost out on half the rent in January.  With all the vacancies all over the place, I'm pretty sure getting half the rent for just one month was better than making me move out and getting no rent at all.  He would have let me stay had I not found someone for February (he told me) but still...better for both of us that I found someone.  Paying all the utilities on a rather big condo...in winter...with electric heat...yeah, that was a bitch.  Although my new energy-efficient furnace helped with that...but it still sucked.

Um, okay, so, January.  I don't think there was any significant news for that month.  Just working and stuff.  Oh, wait!  Work!  I went to a trial!  It was so cool to watch.  It had nothing to do with asbestos litigation (the primary focus of this firm...I think I told you guys that but just in case I didn't).  It was a dispute between insured and insurer, we represented the insured, we won, hooray!  I also made some good friends at work.  So, yeah, January was good.

So, now that I've covered that...here's what's coming up.  Tomorrow after class I get to go shopping with Vanessa for a new dress for Barrister's Ball (law school prom).  Friday there's another law firm cocktail hour and I still get to go even though I don't work there anymore (I told you they love me!).  Saturday Megan and I are going to a wedding.  Choir concert is March 14th.  In a few weeks, Megan has a birthday dinner.  Barrister's Ball is also in a few weeks.  And from April 9th-11th I'm going to DC for my own birthday celebration!  I'm going to have a local party too, either the weekend before or the weekend after (Jenn, I need your input on that, you tend to be the busiest), but I'm excited to be finally visiting DC!  Actually, I need to go reserve my plane tickets...I looked at all my options and it's (oddly) cheaper to fly than take Amtrak, I've already refused to take Greyhound any farther than NYC (after the "fun" of getting to Richmond to see Mraz), and I don't want to drive 10 hours for just a weekend (and I absolutely don't want to drive 10 hours ON my birthday to come back), so flying it is!  I'll be staying with my "twin" (the girl I met over the summer), her birthday is the 10th (mine is the 11th, if you forgot) so we thought it would be fun to celebrate together.

Alright, I think I've covered everything.  Everyone feel caught up now?  Good, because I'm hungry, and I need to study.  I should update again soon, now that I'm back in class I can get back into a good blogging rhythm.

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