Hooray for Portland!

Portland, OR has maintained its #1 spot on the list of greenest cities.

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/23/most-eco-friendly-big-US-cities

This is probably the one thing I REALLY miss about my home town.  I still make the same efforts to stay green, but Boston makes it just slightly harder to do it.  Like...I'm used to people picking up ALL my recycling.  Except my soda cans.  I'm used to taking those in myself - or, if I'm feeling lazy, leaving them in a strategic place where I know someone will come by and take them.  Never too close to trash day so that the cans don't accidentally end up in the garbage pick up.

But anyway.  My old apartment had no recycling pick up.  My new apartment has only paper recycling bins.  An improvement, certainly, but my concern is that regardless of the efforts I may make, others just won't drive all the way to the recycling center.  They will recycle if the bins are there next to the dumpsters.  Plus, until my car gets here in December (yes, it was supposed to be sooner, but it turns out that my apartment is only a 10 minute walk from the T station and it just works better if I wait until later) I have to not only inconvenience myself to take the recycling in, but Vanessa too.

There's a community meeting soon for our complex.  I think I'll go and see if I can argue for more recycling pick up.  I bet if I find and present the right information I can convince them that it's better for everyone.

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More thorough update =)

So...

Now that I've moved and settled and am into a pattern with classes, I am feeling much better than I was when I wrote the last post.

The whole LF thing was stressful at first, just generally trying to figure out how to lead the discussion and get them to think deeply about the various issues and such.  I ended up with a somewhat quiet group, which was tricky at first because we didn't really go through much training about how to get a quiet group to talk.  Most of our training was how to get an argumentative group to settle down and come to a consensus.  I didn't have that so I sort of had to feel my way through prompting the discussion.  But as they've been getting more comfortable with each other, and with me, it seems like things are taking off so I'm happy with that.  I'm feeling much more in the groove in regards to all that.

I am having some difficulties with getting my project going, mostly due to my "support network" not being very, well...supportive.  Basically the only support I have so far is from my faculty supervisor, who is also the head of the entire program so of course she's being helpful.  My next step is supposed to be going to my advising attorney, who is another faculty member that knows a lot about the particular subject for the project.  Well, my particular advising attorney is not being helpful at all.  I'm not supposed to try and have a meeting with my client until I talk to my advising attorney (according to my faculty supervisor) so...I'm kind of stuck.  I think I can go to the research librarians and get some information from them without speaking to the advising attorney but I don't know.  My faculty supervisor (hereinafter known as SMR - real initials, and also what we generally actually call her) has suggested some ways to get him more involved so I'm hoping those work.  The last suggestion did not work.  We'll see.  But anyway, that's a bit stressful since I only have so many weeks to put together my portion of the project.  But it looks like some other LFs are in the same boat so I'm sure it will turn out fine.  What I really want to make sure to do is really get this support network set up before I go so that they don't have to deal with what my group had to deal with last year in finding that most of our "supporters" weren't helpful in the least.  But first I have to get them to support me.  It's harder than it seems.  Sigh.  Oh well.

As for my other classes, I LOVE evidence.  I should have known.  It's all rules, just like civil procedure was, and I LOVED that class too.  On Tuesday I "litigated" in front of the class at the request of my professor.  I played the defense attorney, and the witness I was questioning was supposed to be talking about the defendant's good character (so it was my witness).  And I had to respond to the objections from the person playing prosecutor and then object to their questions when they were up.  Frequently the professor interrupted our role play to explain to the class what was going on and why it worked and why it didn't.  Anyway, I enjoyed it.  I had fun objecting.  =)

Professional Responsibility is a good class too.  He's actually prepping us for the MPRE (Multi-state Professional Responsibility Exam) instead of just teaching it theoretically.  The theoretical approach is what commonly happens in law schools, which is irritating when Prof. Responsibility is the only specific class (besides first year classes) that is actually required for graduation rather than just suggested if you actually would like to pass the bar.  So basically what usually happens is you have to take the class, then you have to pay for a prep class in order to actually take the exam.  Granted, everyone takes a bar prep course for the actual bar, but that's just good sense, especially since a lot of what's on there is stuff you took in first year and you're taking the exam after your third year.  You can take the MPRE at any time (I'm signed up to take it in November) so it would make more sense for more schools to use their prof. responsibility class as an MPRE prep class since you can just go take it and then be done with it.  So anyway, I'm glad that my professor has actually thought about all this and is actually discussing the ABA rules we'll be tested on and talking about how it will appear on the MPRE.  He's even made sure to schedule the exam a little early so that we take it before the November MPRE and then we're basically just studying for both tests at once.  Granted, early exam doesn't usually sound all that great, but in this case it does.  And then that class is over and I can focus on evidence and my project.

Aside from school, Nessa is finally moving in to the apartment tomorrow.  She had to wait for various reasons.  I'm very excited.  It's kind of a big apartment to be all alone in, for one thing, and while I do enjoy my alone time, I really do love having someone there when I need a bit of company.  I'm just particular about who that is, and I already know that Nessa fits the role of good company when I need it.  And, going by her schedule, she's probably going to be home about as much as Christen was home when I lived with her so it should be the perfect mix of time on my own and time with her.  Plus my bedroom is practically another apartment inside the apartment (I'll have to post pictures soon...it's insane) so if she is home and I need "me time", I can always just go in there.

Well, that's about it from me for now.  I'm more in the swing of things with classes and LFing and the new apartment so I should be writing a bit more regularly now.  As well as reading all the wonderful blogs I've been neglecting.

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Quick note

I'm in Evidence class right now, but real quick -

1. Portland was great, saw almost everyone, but I'm glad to be home.

2.  Started classes last week, also started my LF teaching thing, quite an insane week with trainings and orientations and such while trying to pack and read for my regular classes...but I survived.

3.  I got all moved, although I was up packing until 1 am on Sunday.  Severus loves the new place, he was running around meowing excitedly last night for quite a few hours.  I love the new place too, although Vanessa isn't there until the 21st so it was kind of weird to sleep in such a huge place all by myself.

And that's all we have time for.  I'm feeling insane and stretched and stressed but now that I'm all moved hopefully things will start to settle down.  I'm still at the point of "hmm...where did I pack my silverware?"

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We're losing you forever to Boston?

I made the announcement to my friends last night.  That I'm not moving back to Portland after school is done.  The title of this post was the response I got from my dear friend Clinton.

I was out with them and it was the same fun times, with laughter and hugs and sexual innuendos.  But as I laughed and hugged and made inappropriate references, I looked around and realized that these temporary reunions are all I get with them now.  I can keep generally up-to-date on the major life events, and many of the minor ones, through Facebook and Twitter.  Those sites have truly helped me keep in touch.  I know many people who don't necessarily agree that the social networking sites are really for keeping in touch and claim they're more for "stalking."  I think that's true in many situations.  But when you live on the other side of the country from the people who have been your best friends for over 10 years, and in some cases more, it turns back to what I think the idea was supposed to be - to keep in touch.

But keeping in touch doesn't make it the same.  We can have conversations through messages back and forth and we can still laugh and make our innuendos.  But it's all without their hugs, their voices, the actual sound of their laughter, which in some cases is funnier than the thing that was funny in the first place (like when I do my "squeaky laugh" or when Melly does her "orgasm laugh").

I'm going to try to not make the rest of this trip as bittersweet as I feel right now.  I know the many reasons I love Boston and I know that it's the right choice for me.  We will see each other, if not as frequently.  They will visit me.  I will visit them.  We'll talk about the good and the bad and the funny.  We'll reminisce about high school and college and the fact that we've managed to grow together even while growing up.  We made it through a lot in 10 years.  Many people wouldn't have made it this far.  High school friends are supposed to be the ones you grow away from.  Not the ones that become your family.  But because they are my family, I know we'll continue to make it.

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Butterflies?

I'm trying to decipher the meaning behind having butterflies on the mind.

I woke up with a vague memory of dreaming about butterflies.  I hit snooze and while I was drifting in and out the dream kind of continued, which led me to think about this post by Ginger, although my head kept trying to rename it "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (which I've never read, nor have I seen the movie).

The last song on the radio when I finally quit snoozing and got up was "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." Okay, so the song itself says nothing about butterflies but the title does.

The first song coming through my headphones when I got on the T to go to work was Mraz's "Butterfly."

So now I'm pondering various butterfly metaphors.

Butterflies in the stomach? I don't know, maybe...

Chaos theory? I'm going to hope chaos isn't brewing on the horizon...

I can't think of what else. Anyone know any other possible meanings?

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Quick overview

I'm strapped for time this week what with trying to pack for my trip back to Portland and do laundry and work on my applications for summer associate jobs since the first round is due on Friday...but I'll give you all an overview of my week after Monday...

Vanessa and I went to see free Shakespeare in Boston Common on Tuesday, and we discussed how she hates the floor plan of the apartment in her current complex that was going to be ours.  We made the decision to look for other places in Quincy after determining that yes, I'll need to move my car out here, but since it's primarily her complaint she's paying for half the moving costs.  I miss my car anyway.

Wednesday and Thursday were relatively uneventful, we found two other places to look at in Quincy and made appointments.

Friday we went to look at one place, it's a 3 floor condo for only $1900 a month (if you're outside of the Boston area, take a look at average rent around here before your jaw drops) and it's absolutely HUGE.  The living room, dining room, and kitchen take up one floor, then the second floor is just a bedroom and bathroom, and the third floor is, again, just a bedroom and bathroom.  Laundry facilities included in the apartment.  Also a working fireplace and a balcony off the third floor bedroom.  The second floor bedroom, which we had determined would be mine if we picked this one so that the entire third floor could be Vanessa's "cat free" space for her allergies (yes of course I still get to use the balcony), is so big that I can fit a queen sized bed, nightstand, desk, futon, chair, TV and stand, and probably a couple bookshelves...and not be cramped.  Vanessa's is a tiny bit smaller but still quite huge.  And lots of closet space everywhere.  Our only issue was this one had a broker's fee which was supposed to be equal to the rent, but we were told that was negotiable so we figured if we wanted this one we could utilize our lawyer skills and see what we could do.

Saturday we went to look at a place that would have looked very big if we hadn't seen the other one first...but as it was it looked tiny in comparison.  It also cost more for less space because it's in a fancy-schmancy upscale community and everything is brand new.  We liked the pretty, shiny, newness of this one so this created an internal debate that both of us had trouble reconciling - be practical or be fancy?  We finally settled on practical and are going for the gigantic one we saw on Friday.  We discussed arguing points for what we wanted to do in regards to the brokers fee and settled on asking for half off as well as asking for a payment plan to pay it over 6 months or a year or something instead of all at once.

Also on Saturday the final book in the Twilight series came out so when I got home from apartment hunting and making our determination as to which one we would choose I pretty much read the rest of the weekend.  Finished the book.  It was fantastic.

Sunday Vanessa contacted me and told me she talked to the broker and that we can have the apartment as long as nothing is wrong on our applications (shouldn't be).  She also successfully negotiated the brokers fee to exactly the terms we wanted.  Half off, paying it off over the course of a year.  It will just be tacked on to the rent.  Works out that each of us just has to pay an extra $40 each month.  So basically Vanessa is going to be an awesome negotiator.

Now I just have to move.  And I have a two week trip back home in the middle of "packing month."  Why did I plan that again?  Oh, right, because I wanted to see my friends and family more than once a year.  Oh well...I usually delay packing until the last minute anyway, it's not like this will be any different.  If I had planned right I would have started weeks ago.  Only damn thing I'm not OCD about.  Probably because it's a pain in the ass so I just throw shit in boxes wherever it will fit...unless it's breakable.  Then I'm careful.

Oh well.  This is hopefully the LAST time I'm moving for at least the next three years.  I'm tired of being a nomad.

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Hell hath no fury...

You know it's bad when you have such a supremely awful day that even your happy song, on repeat, doesn't help. My current happy song is "I'm Yours," although most of Mraz's music usually helps. But yesterday, it didn't.

It was only coincidence that yesterday was Monday. I, like Ginger, don't let the fact that it's Monday mean that I'm going to have a bad day. But, regardless, I did have a bad day. A really bad day.

I thought it was pretty lame when I waited 20 minutes for a train. I was especially frustrated because chose not to walk the 7 minutes to a different train like I usually do because I left just late enough that I figured I should go to the closer one so I'd get to work at my normal time - not "on time" since on time is relative here, we set our own schedules, no one cares as long as we're here for our full 37.5 hours each week - but anyway, I don't like to be "late" because I like to leave at my normal time at the end of the day. So it was pretty irritating when I waited for 20 minutes and realized I would have made it to the other train and probably still gotten to work earlier than I did. I ended up being 15 minutes "late."

It was even lamer that when I walked into the library (the intern area) at 9:15, Mr. Obnoxious Intern looked at the clock and mouthed "wow." Like it mattered. Like I was actually late. Like he never comes in at 9:30 to 9:45, takes long lunch breaks, yet leaves at the same time as the rest of us. Our supervisor doesn't watch us like a hawk so the hours are kind of the honor system, and boy does he manipulate that. I fear he's going to be rather unethical as a lawyer. I mean, sure, I poke around online a bit, all of us do. But it's only when I have nothing to do because I finished my most recent project and I haven't gotten another one. Like now.

Anyway, so the being late outside my control and then the obnoxious intern's reaction set my teeth on edge already. But I was going to get over it. Until this boy, that I'd been...not dating yet but it certainly seemed things were on their way, suddenly was "in a relationship" on Facebook. And not with me. Now, mind you, enough had "happened" that this was, to me, a completely inappropriate thing to do. At least in the situation where that stuff "happened" because I actually liked this guy and thought I'd like to lead somewhere. Big step for me. But, as he was Amanda's friend, I decided okay, I need to just let this blow over, it's not like I was head over heels. I thought I could probably still at least be civil to him in mixed company. I'm pretty realistic with myself about what stage I'm at with a guy.

Then I talked to Amanda. Now, think back to my mentioning that things had "happened." Then think what it would mean that he told Amanda and then gave me a rating. Yes. A rating. A stupid, piggish, chauvinistic, mother f-ing douchebaggy thing to do. As we all know, it doesn't even matter if it was a good rating (Amanda didn't tell me and I didn't want to know), it's stupid and immature. Also stupid that he seemed to forget that GIRLS TALK. You don't tell a girl's close female friend anything like that. Ever.

He's now de-friended on Facebook by me and the only three people that are connected to me that he was friends with. Those three people being Amanda, Megan, and Vanessa. I knew Megan and Vanessa would since they really only knew him because we'd all hung out a couple times. And Amanda said that because of all this, he's dead to her. She didn't know he'd do a thing like that and once she learned that she decided that he's not worthy of her friendship.

So, in the end, I greatly appreciate my friends. I mean, I certainly hope that any normal woman wouldn't stand for that and wouldn't continue to be his friend. But that doesn't take away from the fact that I really appreciate them.

Today will be a better day.

Oh, and by the way, Mom, I'm so, so glad I can be open with you because there was no way I wasn't posting about this.

Edit: 7-29-08 11:32 pm, changed the title.

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