March 31, 2011

Every once in a while, I start jonesing for a change of appearance, the focus of which generally lands on my hair. Everyone I know would be furious if I dyed my hair another color, which means the only option I have is to cut off all of my hair.  About a month or so ago I started to feel the urge to shake things up, which came to a head this evening.  This is the result!  I'm still not sure how I feel about it, though.  It always takes a few days to figure out the logistics of a new hairstyle, so I'm sure it will grow on me.  Get it?

March 30, 2011

This is my war room, when it's not functioning as a bedroom, that is.  Whenever I need or want to be extremely productive, I bring my work to my bed, where I can sit comfortably and spread out my things without the distraction of a TV or my propensity for people watching.  With the Federal Clerkship Workshop tomorrow night and all day Friday, I employed the "war room" to get started on the next section of my article.  Considering how productive I've been tonight, I may forgo the library and coffee shops for the rest of the semester.

March 29, 2011

For me, a lack of sleep is more of a threat to my immune system than if I were to inject five different live viruses directly into my bloodstream. Over the past week or so I haven't slept for more than five or six hours per night, which has been coupled with social gatherings, dinners, and travel. I should have known this bout of illness was coming when I almost brushed my teeth with face wash the other day, but life must continue, tasks must be completed, and deadlines must be met. The apex of my cold timed itself well, however, as I didn't have any meetings to attend or readings to do by the close of my last class of the day. Thus, I ignored my phone, ate some comfort food, and relaxed for the afternoon.

March 28, 2011

I was reminded today of how much I am a creature of habit. I order the same thing every time I go to a restaurant, I always run the same route, and I wake up at the same time every day. If anything in my routine changes, my whole day can be thrown off kilter and I have to play catch up in an attempt to restore the balance and harmony. I decided to change my routine today by not taking my whole set of keys to school. I don't drive, so all I need is my house key, or so my mind reasoned at 6:30 a.m. After my first class, I started walking to my locker to get my Evidence casebook only to realize I'd left my locker key at home in spite of my genius idea. I was thankfully able to make it through the day without any of my course materials, although it was a long night spent catching up on readings I normally do in between classes.

March 27, 2011

To cap off a very busy and hectic weekend, we went to the park for a bit of natural silence and beauty.  I have said it before, and I will say it again in the future, I feel so blessed to live in a city with such amazing open spaces.  The Commons Ford Ranch Park is near Kyle and Brittany's house, sits along Lake Austin, and is absolutely gorgeous.  We looked for turtles, let Tex meet some new friends, and watched the boats and skiers go by the docks.  I think Campbell really needed the open space to run around freely after being corralled all weekend.  It was a wonderfully relaxing way to end a weekend.

March 26, 2011

To make up for a missed first birthday party last year, Campbell threw herself an absolute birthday bash this year.  She served fajitas and margaritas, had an amazing cupcake and candy station, an arts and crafts table, and a Dora the Explorer bounce house.  She invited all of her closest friends (and her Meek, of course) and celebrated her special day in true Campbell Style.  By the end of the day, she was running on pure sugar fumes.  Reviewers of the party insist "it was the best birthday party, ever!"  I sure hope Campbell agrees, because she deserves only the best on her second birthday.  Everyone is simply abuzz wondering what her third birthday party holds in store.

March 25, 2011

I distinctly remember the moment I found out Campbell was born two years ago today. My phone went off in the middle of the night, and there was a picture of the little girl who has become the absolute center of my universe. Unfortunately, Baby Belle was born in California (although there was a jar of Texas dirt under the bed so she was born over Texas soil) and I was only able to see her not even a handful of times before her first birthday. My prayers were answered last October and Campbell moved back to Texas. I cherish the relationship she and I have more than I can describe. She is my Chicken, my Belle, my Princess, my Angel, my Baby GIrl, and I am her Meek. Campbell, I wish you the happiest of birthdays and am so grateful to have your beautiful brightness in my life. Love, your Auntie Meek.

March 24, 2011

The page is blank.  The cursor is blinking.  The number of pages you're hoping to write is looming.  The first paragraph is always the most difficult to write.  They tend to seem so canned, so generic, and without much personality or purpose.  The easiest way for me to start writing is to type out my headings and subheadings according to my outline, which gives me a bit of direction as to how to focus my writing.  I forgot to do this tonight, so it took me four hours to write six pages, which includes an introduction and a section on the concept of semi-presidentialism.  Thank goodness for the concept of editing.  Next week I will be writing on the Russian model of semi-presidentialism and analyzing whether it adequately safeguards democracy.  I've already typed out my headings for this section, so the writing should go much more smoothly!

March 23, 2011

What a lovely reminder of reality as I walk up to the ultimate bank drain: law school. Every once in a while, I miss my connecting bus and have to walk from West Campus up to the law school. Every time this unfortunate coincidence happens, I walk by this pole as I reach the law school, which endearingly reminds me of one of the staggering collateral consequences of my decision to go to law school. My favorite part is the dripping effect on the letters; it really captures the messy nature of the situation. My only question for the artist is whether this was an intentional placement of his or her art? Or mere coincidence? 

March 22, 2011

A difficult day, to say the very least.  Nicole and I's friendship began freshman year of college over the Spanish language.  Over the past six years, I have watched Nicole constantly achieve her goals and realize her dreams.  She wanted to work for the Mexican government after graduating from college, so she did.  She wanted to start an exciting and challenging new life in Chicago, so she is.  I suppose I have tried not to think about this Chicago dream of hers becoming reality because I simply don't know what I am going to do without her in this little city of mine.  Tonight we toasted to Nicole and wished her much luck in her wonderful new adventure.

March 21, 2011

Randy Blair and I have been friends since high school, or as he describes it, "since the Transonic days."  He played guitar in a band, Transonic, with mutual friends and thus cemented his place in our lasting group of friends.  Although he spent some time with us in Austin after high school, Randy eventually went off to bigger and better things, namely studying music at Berklee School of Music.  Randy has always been such a good friend to me, so it was a nice surprise he was in town today, although he'll never believe the truth of this sentiment.  Although I was only able to "come on down" for an hour before having to get back to work, it was just enough to remember why I'm looking forward to his move back to Texas.  

March 20, 2011

Sundays are good for a few things: naps, football, and brunch.  Since football season has yet to begin this year and because I seem physically incapable of napping, brunch is the newest object of my affection on Sundays.  With this goal in mind, a few of us found ourselves at Taverna today.  We sat at a corner table on the patio, enjoying the cool breeze from Town Lake while talking about Southern manners, the Houston driving experience, and New Orleans' World War II Museum.  With $1 mimosas and bellinis, amazing eggs benedict with crab, and unique beignets, Taverna may have the brunch concept perfected.  The only way to know is more brunch, right? 

March 19, 2011

This receipt is so deceptive.  You see, it says I received a tire rotation.  Elsewhere, the receipt also indicates my tires were inflated to the proper pressure.  The deceptive nature of the receipt is my tires were not so inflated, nor were they rotated.  Jiffy Lube must take me for a fool.  I left having decided to give them the benefit of the doubt: my tire pressure indicator would turn off eventually, for Jiffy Lube had inflated all of the tires after rotating them.  One week later, the indicator remained.  When I inspected the tires to figure out which one might be low, I realized it was the front, left tire, the same one which had caused the indicator to turn on in the first place.  This meant two things to me: (1) the tires were not inflated and (2) the tires were not rotated.  I do not take kindly to these sorts of deceptions.  By the look on the face of the mechanic who "serviced" my car, he did not expect me to catch on to his game.

March 18, 2011

While my heart and soul reside in Austin, Texas, my stomach calls Houston home. Houston has one of the best restaurant cultures I've ever had the pleasure of evaluating. I woke up this morning at about 8:30 a.m. craving the best of everything Houston has to offer: Buffalo Grille, Tony's, Escalantes, Niko Niko's, Mission Burrito, and more. Because my mom loves to feed me, I hopped a flight to Houston at 10 a.m. and soon found myself at Escalantes for lunch, Niko Niko's for dinner, with the promise of Buffalo Grille for breakfast tomorrow. Kyle, Brittany, and Campbell happened to be in town when this spontaneous craving struck, so we rounded out the weekend with a trip to the zoo and the photographic discovery of a lifetime.

March 17, 2011

I knew St. Patrick's Day was going to be a difficult day for me this year.  Although I'm just a fraction Irish, I inherited the Irish soul from my grammy, who passed away last fall.  I distinctly remember her St. Patrick's Day parties from when I was a little girl.  One of my fondest of these memories is her dancing the Irish sword dance, laughing as everyone looked on at her.  As I grew older and started attending my own St. Patrick's Day celebrations, it became tradition for me to call her on the actual day, or the day after, to tell her of my plans or what had transpired the day before.  She always found it all so entertaining, as any of my friends who know of her can attest to.  I wasn't able to do so this year, but I decided to have a token of her memory with me all day.  This was her four-leaf clover necklace.  She had a four-leaf clover with her at all times, so I'm grateful I was able to have this with me today.

March 16, 2011

St. Patrick's Day is always an interesting time for me.  On the one hand, everyone is celebrating an Irish holiday with incredible enthusiasm.  The holiday may have become a bit commercialized, but the cultural basis has remained.  On the other hand, everyone becomes Irish for a day.  Now, I'm not quite sure how this sudden transformation takes place, but it is certainly disconcerting for a number of reasons.  Mostly, I am just being a curmudgeon, unwilling to share the joy of being Irish with the unfortunate folk who find themselves something other than naturally Irish: being Irish is a blessing, not a one-day privilege.  Regardless of my grumbling, the Flying Saucer got a head start on the St. Patrick's Day celebrations with pint night and a specialty glass.  Don't forget to wear your green tomorrow!

March 15, 2011

South by Southwest is an annual film, music, and interactive conference and festival in Austin.  The festival brings tens of thousands of people from around the world to our buzzing little town, putting Austin in the spotlight for a week.  During the first half of the week, the festival is focused on film, transitioning to music midweek.  Director James Moll premiered his newest documentary at the Paramount theatre today, a "rockumentary" about the Foo Fighters.  The film was fantastic; by the time it ended, I felt as if I'd known the band members my entire life or otherwise felt as if I knew them from somewhere other than as members of the Foo Fighers.  In other words, the band was humanized, which I can imagine was no small feat.

March 14, 2011

"C & A:" celebration and appreciation.  The two have the capacity to be mutually exclusive but may often  be found within the same experience.  Despite the incredibly selfish nature of law school, I seem to have managed to avoid alienating the most important people in my life, a reality which manifested itself multiple times this evening.  An experience my first year of law school taught me the importance of recognizing the influence of these people in my life, for, without them, I would not be in the blessed position I find myself in now.  To everyone who found themselves within this experience today, thank you.  Please never doubt my appreciation of you and your support of my endeavors, despite how those goals may impinge on our relationship.  I truly appreciate you and celebrate your place in my life, continuously hoping to be able to return the favor one of these days.

March 13, 2011

I am truly a product of my environment.  I cannot study, work, or relax if I know something is out of place or if my apartment is in disarray.  What's worse, and strangely, the more I accumulate, the more stressed and anxious I feel.  To placate these idiosyncrasies of my mind, my apartment is subject to an intensive spring cleaning once a year.  Besides the usual cleaning routine, I go through each part of every room and create three piles: throw away, recycle, donate.  I then re-organize anything I am keeping so I am more likely to use it, thus justifying it not being chosen for one of the three piles soon to leave the apartment.  As the years have progressed, I have become more judicious in what I do and do not keep on a daily basis, so the annual spring cleanings are less and less of a production.  One large bag of junk, two stuffed bags of recyclables, and a few things to donate to Good Will rounded out this year's go-round.   

March 12, 2011

If I could post a photo montage of all of the wonderful confections we were tempted with today, I would.  Thankfully, we lived vicariously through Campbell.  She was treated with Sprinkles cupcakes, ice cream cones, chocolate dipped marshmallows, and cookies of all kinds.  She enjoyed each and every bit of it, too!  By the end of the day, the only way she could be convinced to eat actual food was to promise her a trip to the pool, a round of blowing bubbles, or, of course, a sugary treat.

March 11, 2011

All of the essentials of a Texas vacation: my Canon DSLR; a trunk of blue jeans and bathing suits; a tote full of books befitting a poolside; and a pair of boots. My brother, sister-in-law, niece, and I met my Mom at the Lost Pines Resort outside of Bastrop for a mini-getaway. Each of us has been in dire need of a break from our respective day-to-days and decided even such a close destination was sufficient to do the trick. We're going to spend the weekend enjoying the seclusion, spotty cell phone service, Spa Django, and each other's company. I was looking forward to running at McKinney Roughs nearby, but I don't think such is in the cards for me this time around.

March 10, 2011

I continually question what I possibly could have done to deserve the many blessings I have received in the past year and a half. In the fall of 2009, I met the people with whom I shared one of the most challenging years of my life (and theirs, for that matter); I will cherish these friendships for many years to come. In the months following, I found my life taking a course I never could have imagined, but a course I worked towards nonetheless. This work seemed to culminate in my being able to move back to Austin and finish law school at the University of Texas. However, life has let me know it has more blessings to hand me. All I feel I can do is work harder in an attempt to make these blessings feel a bit more deserved. These moments have yet to fail in humbling me. (The names of fellow, newly-minted Editorial Board members have been removed for privacy reasons.) 

March 9, 2011

According Dr. Patrick List of the Sports Medicine division of University Health Services, there are two kinds of people in this world: "one gets a hangnail and wants to cry to [him] about it; the other will run until his or her leg falls off."  In his expert opinion, I fall into the latter category.  His diagnosis?  A severe sprain.  His treatment plan?  First, I have to admit I have a problem: namely, an addiction to running.  Second, I "just have to stop" (presumably, stop running though injuries).  And third, I must wear this mini-boot for three weeks and refrain from running.  Unfortunately, my next race happens to be scheduled for three weeks from this weekend.  However, it seems I have developed a peculiar pattern: (1) sign up for a race; (2) begin training; (3) get injured; (4) stop running; (5) run the race; and (6) repeat.  The efficacy of this approach will be tested, yet again, in the weeks to come.

March 8, 2011

Today is Mardi Gras, which is French for "Fat Tuesday."  The celebration has become an excuse for the religious and non-religious alike to imbibe all sorts of "evils" generally avoided during the Lenten Season, which begins tomorrow with Ash Wednesday.  Although popular during Christmas in some parts of the world, the King Cake is also associated with Mardi Gras celebrations.  In fact, some cultures enjoy a King Cake season from Epiphany through Mardi Gras.  The King Cake, which represents the biblical three kings who brought gifts to the newborn Jesus on Epiphany, is my favorite part of Mardi Gras.  I became determined to find myself a piece of said cake today.  However, because there was not a single piece to be found in the law school, I had to buy a whole cake.  I now have quite a bit of leftover cake in my fridge.

March 7, 2011

Olivia is my cuddly study partner.  The only problem?  She isn't concerned so much with studying as she is with cuddling.  In fact, Olivia is the reason I can't work or study from home these days.  She likes to lay across my arms or my laptop, lay on top of whatever I am reading, or rub her face on my hand until I pet her.  Tonight was no exception, until later in the evening.  It seems Olivia was inadvertently locked in the bathroom after my shower.  It took me about twenty minutes to realize what had happened after she didn't come running to the sound of a crinkling treat bag.  This is a photo of her irritation.

March 6, 2011

If you know me, you also know I love and value my sleep. I do my best to get my eight hours in every night.  While I used to be able to sleep until 3 p.m. with ease, 8 a.m. is generally the extent of my sleeping-in these days.  Thus, in order to capitalize on my time spent sleeping, I am very particular about my bedding:  bamboo sheets, a lightweight but cuddle-able quilt, and fluffy goose down pillows (also must be cuddle-able).  Also, all of the bedding is either white or a light color, as bright colors tend to inhibit or disrupt sleep.  Tonight is one of my favorite sleep nights, however, as it is all freshly laundered.  Climbing into fresh bedding is one of the most relaxing feelings I have ever known.

March 5, 2011

I don't like to leave things incomplete: if I say I'm going to do something, I will do it.  So when I started experiencing some serious ankle pain last week, I became nervous about today's 25K trail race.  I stretched, iced, compressed, elevated, and even restricted how much I walked, but nothing seemed to help.  As Thursday and Friday rolled around, I decided I would just walk (read: hobble) the whole course.  Once the race started, I decided to just trot through the start line with the other runners, then walk after about a quarter of a mile.  As it turns out, I have a very high tolerance for pain.  Although the course was incredibly technical and challenging, with parts literally impossible to run, and despite a swollen ankle, I ran the majority of the race, finishing only one hour beyond how I would have finished sans injury.  Next up: Hell's Hills 50K.

March 4, 2011

I spent a lot of time in the Texas Hill Country as a little girl. We'd most often be in the Johnson City area, on some ranch land or some other piece of property cutting cedar. I forgot how much I miss it. There is something so comfortable about being in the HIll Country: wide open skies, whipping winds, dirt roads, and a simple kind of innocence. My brother and I drove through the Hill County on the way to our race and it was nice to be back in the area. Most exciting for me was sleeping in the pitch black country under the gorgeous Texas sky, full of the most beautiful stars you have ever seen.

March 3, 2011

The student note writing process begins.  I've decided to write an article evaluating the president-prime minister relationship under the French and Russian constitutions.  In researching for the Russian aspect of my article I was pleasantly surprised to find a handful of the sources on my own bookshelf.  I've been waiting for the opportunity to bridge all three areas I've studied-political science, Russian studies, and law-so I'm looking forward to delving into the research and writing a solid and interesting article.  Hopefully the rest of academia will find it equally worthwhile!

March 2, 2011

On March 2, 1836, the Republic of Texas was formed upon adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Texas Independence Day, naturally and appropriately, is an official state holiday and, in most instances, becomes a running theme throughout the day. For example, Pub Trivia relied more heavily than usual on Texas-based questions. There was the stock George Strait song to identify, along with an entire round dedicated to Texas: what is the motto of Wurst Fest?; how many Texas counties are larger than Rhode Island?; what Texas ghost town hosts an annual chili festival? Although poorly executed, I particularly appreciated the cleverness of the Lone Star bottle cap puzzle round (shown).

March 1, 2011

I did not feel comfortable taking candid photos of those in attendance this evening, so this photo will have to suffice (the view from the Headliner's Club).  On the second Tuesday of every month I head to the Headliner's Club in downtown Austin to meet with the Robert W. Calvert Inn of Court, which is a legal-professional association borrowed from the English tradition.  The Inn of Court system intends to provide a forum for students, young attorneys, accomplished attorneys, and judges of all levels of the judiciary to discuss issues relevant and significant to the practice of law.  A different sub-group of the Inn presents on a different topic each month.  Today was my presentation on collateral consequences of criminal convictions at both the federal and state level.  From the feedback, it seems the presentation was successful!