July 28, 2011

I have been waiting for this moment the entire summer.  Suddenly, at the end of the semester, a large chunk of my social circle seemingly fell off the face of the planet.  No happy hours, Sunday brunches, or the like, all because of the bar exam.  Not only did the bar exam suck the life out of my friends, but it threatened to suck the life out of my life.  The madness came to an end today, as they all finished the three-day test of legal knowledge, skills, and endurance.  While I am beyond excited to have them all back to reality, I am more proud of their incredible accomplishment and their coming to the end of a powerful and exhausting journey.  Tonight, we celebrated their achievement over Mexican martinis, mojitos, and margaritas.  Without a hint of coincidence, we ran into no less than half a dozen other freshly-bar examined friends who were also out celebrating.  Expect to see all of us out again in about three months, celebrating some very fantastic news!

July 27, 2011

Besides its drawing to a close, the end of the summer break is my least favorite part of the summer months.  It seems as if all of my deadlines fall around the same time, coupled with trying to get everything organized for the start of the fall semester, while trying to keep ongoing projects on track.  As someone who gets anxious when things are in limbo, this is not a stress-free time of the year.  It usually finds me making to-do list after to-do list and maybe a bit of talking to myself as I remind me what I need to take care of on any given day.  After work and a rather interesting run, I found myself juggling emails, article revisions and research, final read scheduling, and a peppering of questions from journal staffers.  With everything needing attention at once, I'm still not sure how much work I actually accomplished, but I'm sure there was some productivity in the fervor nonetheless.  Never a dull moment.

July 26, 2011

I have a tried-and-true system to finishing first drafts.  First, I create the shell: type out headings and subheadings, insert page numbers and create a table of contents, and pull together a fancy cover page.  If this is all I do on the draft on any given day, at least I have something a few pages long to hang my hat on. After this first step, starting the substance of a first draft seems a bit easier.  Today I finished drafting a petition for review to the Texas Supreme Court, which entails a scosh of stress and just a button's worth of pressure, to say the least.  This first draft is most certainly a working one and will see a dozen pens' worth of red ink before it is all said and done.  One of the best parts about finishing a first draft, regardless of what it is a draft, is having a tangible finished product at the end of the day.  It may be an absolutely laughable finished product, but it is finished nonetheless.  I'll give this one a few days before I enduring the cringe-inducing editing. 

July 25, 2011

Although I can't claim to have partaken in this tonight, there is nothing quite like a cold beer after a good, challenging run.  This is especially true during the summer months when the sun and heat drains me of every ounce of energy I may have.  After a Zilker out-and-back run, our "night crew" sometimes stumbles over to Uncle Billy's Brew and Que, looking like the epitome of dishevelment, for sustenance in the form of beer and fried foodstuffs.  As part of the learning experience, I made some sort of hydration or some other mistake I haven't quite figured out and wasn't feeling up for imbibing of any sort this evening.  The company alone, however, was well worth the trip.  After rehashing the run, the conversation tends to devolve into silly banter and relentless teasing, intermixed with random bouts of serious conversation.  Nothing quite like my night running crew to keep me on my toes (rather than heel striking?  Sorry, a perhaps witty running pun I couldn't quite resist.).

July 24, 2011

Only Gene can turn his own birthday celebration into a celebration of everyone else at the table instead.  We got together for a brunch at Chez Zee this morning for an early birthday celebration, but it soon turned into a handing out of "little red bags."  In my family, a "little red bag" means you've done good, whether this entails graduating, turning another year older, or some other sort of success.  A "little red bag" also means something sparkly is about to appear and gasps are soon to be heard.  In celebration of my publication offer, Gene gave me a pair of gorgeous oval ruby earrings, which I happen to be wearing at this very moment.  His generosity makes me embarrassed I didn't get him a "little red bag" of his own for his birthday, but Gene isn't really a "sparkly" kind of guy.  Something tells me Gene's favorite birthday gifts are seeing his family happy, healthy, and doing wonderfully.  Happiest of birthdays to Gene!

July 23, 2011

As everyone well knows, Texas is in the midst of a drought and extreme heat, the daily average of which continues to inch higher and higher as the summer wears on.  Despite the heat, staying inside is simply not an option.  There are only so many things to do inside, which can quickly become less than thrilling. To combat the onset of cabin fever, we went to South Congress to peruse the shops for fun home accents, people watching, and a delicious lunch at Hop Doddy.  The heat was absolutely sweltering and, interestingly enough, in our attempt to get out of the indoors, we tended to linger in shops longer than necessary, just to take advantage of the air conditioning.  During the weather reports every morning, I cross my fingers, hoping there is news of a reprieve in this heat.  Unfortunately, it looks as if the heat will persist and only continue to increase over the next few months.  Soon enough, staying indoors maybe the only option we'll have.

July 22, 2011

Elvis was really on to something: banana and peanut butter is a perfect combination.  As one of my favorite and most frequent snacks is a banana with peanut butter, I was jazzed to find out Austin is home to its very own banana stand, Bananarchy.  I've been meaning to go for almost a year, now.  To some extent, the anxiety of choosing between the dip (chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter?) and the toppings (oreos, M&Ms, granola, et cetera?) has kept me from visiting Bananarchy.  Thankfully they have some combinations others have already deemed delicious, such as the Hippy Dippie.  Vanilla chocolate, granola, craisins, and cinnamon.  It sounds much healthier than I'm sure it is in reality; it's also much too delicious to be legal.  I'll have to plan another trip to the banana stand to create a banana and peanut butter concoction in the all too near future!  

July 21, 2011

For the past few months, I've been challenging myself to eat all of the food in my apartment before going to the grocery store.  I realized I had three jars of pasta sauce, mounting cans of soup, and plenty of pickles to survive on for at least, well, maybe three days; why would I need to spend money on groceries with all of this delicious-ness?  As it turns out, the food left in my apartment was able to take me a few months, although pasta and soup quickly got old, especially in the summer.  I finally caved and stocked up on groceries today.  I learned a nice lesson about getting creative with what's in my pantry, though, which I suppose is the silver lining to weeks of granola, pasta, and rice 'n soup meals.

July 20, 2011

Of all the time I spend at the Greenbelt, there is still so much of it I have yet to see.  We tend to traipse the same six or seven miles out, and back, our heads focused on water, form, and breathing, while our eyes are focused on not missing the stump, low-hanging branch, or jutting rock.  On top of this, it has been weeks since I've seen much of the Greenbelt with the sun overhead.  Taking a different route this evening, we came across a look-out point.  As I got closer to the edge, I cursed myself for forgetting my camera, as only a panoramic would even begin to do this view justice.  The treetops seem to stretch for miles, with homes peeking out here and there, hiding the reality that Austin lives within this beautiful landscape.  I hope I never cease to be jaded by any of this and I hope I never take it for granted.

July 20, 2011

I usually go back and forth as to which of Texas's two seasons is my favorite: summer or fall.  On the one hand, summer brings so much warm (read: blistering) sun, afternoons on the lake, and a general air of relaxation dressed up in shorts, a tee, and flip flops.  On the other hand, the melodramatic side of me adores the fall season: overcast skies with comfortingly depressing winds, a perpetual drizzle of rain, and late nights with red wine and a warm blanket.  It seems fall is stealing my affections this year, as this summer hasn't been quite as endearing as summers usually are, due to the persistent and oppressive heat, breaking records every other day, and the stark lack of rain.  It has had me craving the comfort of a chilly breeze, a warm scarf, and even a reason to stay inside.  Today came as close to this as I can expect for a while: a few drops of rain fell from a wonderfully gray sky as I left work and made my way home.  Alas, the reprieve was over by the time I pulled into the driveway, but it was just enough to remind me that fall is only a few months away.

July 18, 2011

Ashley and I met our freshman year of college, soon becoming close friends.  We knew more about each other's trials and tribulations than I think each of us would like to remember, although we both seem to have learned well from those experiences.  Sophomore year, however, our lives took us on separate paths and we lost touch with one another.  Five years later, within the span of three days, we ran into each other twice.  First, we thought we saw each other at Thundercloud Subs, but didn't have an opportunity to be sure.  Three days later, we literally ran into each other while out on the Greenbelt.  Tonight, rather than chancing it a third time, we met for dinner at Magnolia Cafe.  We quickly caught each other up on our lives, laughed over our college selves, and, of course, gossiped.  Losing touch with old friends is, unfortunately, much too easy, and reconnecting, equally unfortunately, can sometimes be too difficult.  While the former seems to have been the case here, I'm grateful the latter was not a problem.

July 17, 2011

Throughout this weekend I've been repeating to myself: "Remember this moment.  Remember what it feels like when giving one hundred and ten percent pays off."  For the first six months of this year, I worked on researching, writing, and editing an article for submission for publication in the Texas International Law Journal.  There were many late nights and research dead ends, much frustration and irritation, and unending helpless anticipation after submission.  As the weeks wore on, the seed of doubt began to grow: why would any publication find this article relevant, interesting, or even decently written?  Regardless of the outcome, at this point I was just waiting for an end to the agony.  This agony ended tonight and gave way to shrieks of pure happiness and a rare showing of tears.  I wish I could have captured that very moment to continually remind myself of the power of dedicated hard work.  Regardless, it has been an incredible weekend full of blessings and hard-earned achievements I will not soon forget.

July 16, 2011

Tonight was the first night race in a series of three for the summer.  Tonight's race was at Inks Lake State Park in Burnet, Texas, an incredibly gorgeous park I had no idea existed.  I will absolutely be visiting again in the future, but perhaps without the running obligations.  Three loops of 6.2 miles each had me finishing the first 30K of the summer as an introduction to the series and as a training run for the 60K in late August.  The course beat me over the head with grueling climbs, rocky descents, and hidden heat and humidity, all the while running in the dead of night only with the aid a headlamp and the full moon.  In contrast to my past races, this race felt incredible:  I was mentally sharp, ate and hydrated nearly perfectly, and only had run-of-the-mill muscle cramps to run through.  My training paid off tonight, and I am beyond proud to say I finished as the 14th female and 74th overall in four and a half hours even.  Next Up: The Falls 30K at Pedernales State Park in Johnson City.

July 15, 2011

Headlamp?  Check.  Batteries?  Check.  Running clothes?  Check.  Two Camelbaks and a handheld, just in case?  Check.  Peanut butter snack packs?  Check.  Shoes?  Check.  Full night's rest?  Working on it.  This time tomorrow night I will be running around Inks Lake State Park in Burnet, Texas.  There's a chance of rain and the forecast calls for strong winds, on top of the triple digit heat, so it's going to be a fun and challenging saunter through the woods.  Outside of work, today I have been focused on making sure everything is ready for tomorrow evening.  I've done an hour of yoga to stay limber; I have constantly hydrated to stay fresh; and I have been a friend of protein and carbohydrates all day to be sure I have enough gas in the tank.  In contrast to the last two races, however, tomorrow's starts in the evening, which means I will not be getting up for a 2 a.m. pre-race breakfast.  Rather, I'll be able to get plenty of sleep and, who knows, maybe even sleep in tomorrow morning.  Now, with everything packed and ready, it is time for a glass of wine and a movie to relax the evening away.

July 14, 2011

Having to curtail my running entirely in anticipation of the race this weekend has made me one anxious person.  Add on mounting projects and tasks and the tension runs even higher.  Instead of allowing my mind to get away from me with all of the stress, I decided to take in an hour of yoga.  Our instructor asked us to focus on one goal for the evening.  Since I usually over-think yoga and leave more frustrated than when I arrived, I decided to focus on enjoying the movements rather than actively loathing their difficulty.  As it turns out, this actually made the hour much more enjoyable and I left Black Swan more relaxed than I have been in months.  I guess yoga isn't so bad after all.

July 13, 2011

To celebrate a much-too-late reunion between roommates, Cynthia and I decided to have a wine and cheese night.  Of course, by wine and cheese we mean Mexican martinis, Texas tea, and queso at Trudy's.  Cynthia had the burden of living with me during my first year of law school.  She only saw me during the summer before school started and after finals, save for a few evenings out every couple of weeks.  Since moving to Austin, she and I haven't had an opportunity to see each other, which is a shame because I have no other outlet for my nostalgia about our trip to Russia or for my sassy sarcasm specially crafted for our conversations.  Tonight felt as if nothing had changed: Mexican food, drinks, and harassing the cats from the couch after dinner.  I hope it doesn't take another full year to see my lovely Cynthia again, although I'm sure I can finagle her into coming to graduation.  She wouldn't miss the opportunity to wipe a phantom tear from her eye and say, "My little ginger is all grown up!"

July 12, 2011

As part of orientation at the Office of the Attorney General, we are taught what to do should there be a bomb threat.  The questions we are supposed to ask the person calling in the bomb threat are slightly ridiculous (What is your name?,  Where are you?, et cetera) and I didn't put much thought into the necessity of the procedure.  As I'm walking from the parking garage to the William P. Clements Building this morning, however, I noticed news vans, police cars, and people gathered around the corner of 16th and Guadalupe.  Mustering the patience to de-ear bud and pause NPR for the sake of information proved to be a good choice.  Otherwise, I may have waltzed into the building, which was closed and being swept for bombs.  Apparently, a suspicious car, seemingly full of weapons, was found on the roof of the adjacent parking garage.  Although the car was ultimately deemed harmless, the incident gave me a half day at work and a half day spent catching up on the rest of my life from my porch alongside my slowly dying cacti.

July 11, 2011

Rather than being left with nothing to discuss except my complaint about the start of tapering this week, I was able to pick up on the humor inherent in the sets of shoes I routinely leave at the front door.  I've always found the idea of me leaving the apartment in a black dress, pearls, and heels, only to return in running gear and covered in dust and grime, extremely funny, but I don't think anyone has yet to see each facet in one day.  I suppose the next best thing is to see each side of my personality through my choice of shoes:  once-black, now-white trail running shoes for the spontaneous, cares-to-the-wind side of my personality; shiny black pumps for the serious, get-the-job-done side; and scuffed and worn-in boots for the kick-back-and-relax facet.

July 10, 2011

The first time I went to DK's Sushi with Danielle, I must admit, I was extremely skeptical of the safety of the endeavor.  It is tucked away in a run-down building on North Lamar and really does not exude any sense of crisp and clean as a sushi restaurant necessarily should.  Not wanting to make a big deal of my first impression of the place, I decided to stay mum and accept I just might have a less than relaxing evening after dinner.  My first impression was dead wrong.  DK's Sushi is half restaurant, half Japanese market and is completely serene, relaxing, and blew away any anxiety I originally had.  We had dinner here again tonight and the sushi was, again, fantastic.  My favorite part of the meal is the bonus sushi, the torched escolar; it is so light, but so rich, and is simply amazing.  Perfect Sunday dinner.

July 9, 2011

One of my favorite aspects of Austin is its unique mix of outdoor destinations and an urban setting.  Miles of trails tucked under Mopac and 360, acres of park space in the middle of the city, and an amazing hike and bike trail just south of downtown?  Sure, why not?  After spending a few hours on South Congress, the only reasonable thing to do is take a dip in the Barton Springs Pool, one of those conveniently placed outdoor spots in Zilker Park.  As the pool is fed from underground springs, the water is naturally icy cold.  Despite the heat, sliding into this water is no easy feat.  It took me a solid twenty minutes to inch my way into the water, taking up space on the stairs the entire time.  Once I got used to the water, however, it was so relaxing.  An hour or so drying out in the sun made for a perfectly relaxing Saturday afternoon.

July 8, 2011

I've been meaning to buy a tourist's guidebook for Austin for a while now; I want to know what it is that draws people to this city, what they do when the visit, and what else this city has to offer.  With a friend in town to check out Austin as part of his graduate program search, I'm taking this as an opportunity to experience Austin as a tourist might.  Although the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum is right across the street from the law school, I had never given it a second glance.  Further, I drive or run by the Capitol every single day, yet I haven't been inside since I was a lobbyist four years ago.  Today we went to both.  We didn't have much time for the LBJ museum, but what we were able to see was interesting and the exhibits are well put together.  We traipsed around the Capitol, letting ourselves into random rooms because, as I so eloquently put it, my tax dollars pay for the place.  My sass aside, it was interesting showing the Capitol to my non-Texan friend as he began to get a sense of what this state is all about.  Standing in this beautiful building that is the Texas Capitol, I don't think my Texas pride has been any stronger than it was today.

July 7, 2011

Since getting Brutus last week, I have been dying to get him through a car wash so he sparkles and shines.  With the help of a friend, I stumbled across a Groupon for three car washes for the price of one: jackpot!  I finally had a moment after work today so I stopped by Arbor Car Wash to have him roll through round one.  I, of course, was like a hawk, watching Brutus at every point in the process, as if they would use the wrong soap or something (and, for that matter, as if I would be able to tell!).  To my credit, some of the reviews online were fairly disconcerting, but those always have to be read with a grain of salt.  In spite of my somewhat unreasonable anxiety, Brutus made it through without a problem whatsoever.  It was a basic wash, though, so I'll have to take care of a few odds and ends over the weekend so he looks his best.

July 6, 2011

For five years, I shared this city with 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats, but had yet to meet these neighbors until this evening.  When you live in such a fantastic city, it is all too easy to take its unique aspects for granted or altogether fail to take advantage of them, which I suppose is my excuse for never meandering onto the South Congress Bridge around sundown to catch these nighttime creatures fly off in groups of hundreds of thousands.  Interestingly, I'm sure I've seen them flying across the beautiful evening sky on occasion, only to ask myself, "what is that strange moving, grey mass?"  There seems to be little reason to the timing of the beginning of flight and, in fact, not all of the bats leave at the same time.  On some evenings, you may be right on time to see all 1.5 million bats, while on other evenings, you may only catch the last few flying east.  The experience may be a matter of the luck of the draw, but the risk is worth the experience!

July 5, 2011

A wise sensei once said, "ultra runners are the bottom feeders of running.  They'll eat anything for the sake of calories."  I wouldn't describe myself as an "ultra runner" quite yet, but I did create a ridiculous dinner for the sake of calories tonight.  Paired with the sheer need for a utilitarian meal, I have, for whatever reason, taken on the challenge of eating everything in my pantry and fridge before I go grocery shopping again.  Needless to say, today's calorie bomb was especially interesting.  Originally, I was making otherwise ordinary tacos with standard fillings.  However, the taco staples I had seem to have gone bad over the course of the holiday weekend, so I was compelled to create this culinary masterpiece.  As counterintuitive as it may seem, it wasn't as awkwardly bad as I thought it might be.

July 4, 2011

The only way to celebrate the Fourth of July, in my opinion, is by grabbing a cold beer from a Coca-Cola vending machine fully stocked with the national beer of Texas, Shiner, and Blue Moon while spending time with good friends over some burgers, brats, and crab cakes in the back yard while the dogs jump in the pool and chase one another.  With the continuing Texas drought and burn ban, the City of Austin cancelled its fireworks display this year, requiring improvisation of how to celebrate America's birthday with sufficient gusto and enthusiasm to avoid having our patriotism called into question.  I'd call the attempt a success, although not too out of the ordinary for a relaxing evening in this crowd.  I suppose it just means we're the quintessential Americans?  At any rate, happy birthday America; I hope your current midlife crisis passes soon!  

July 3, 2011

Despite the oppressive heat of this extreme Texas summer, sometimes staying inside just isn't an option.  There are only so many movies, books, and topics of conversation to keep everyone entertained for any extended amount of time, especially a two year old bundle of energy like Campbell.  My sweet girl loves the water, so we were on a mission to find a Campbell-friendly pool or water park for her to enjoy.  While Houston has plenty of splash pads, not one of them was engaging enough to capture Campbell's attention.  We eventually found ourselves pool-side, catching some sun while Campbell made new friends in the wading pool.  There is nothing this little angel loves more than the water so, when it was time to leave, we had to reassure her there would be plenty more pool and beach trips in the future, especially this summer!

July 2, 2011

For a vegetarian, I have a strange bias against salads and I don't really eat many vegetables.  I just don't understand the point of a salad:  the lettuce is just crunchy water, the dressing is always too heavy, and none of it really satiates.  As for vegetables, I prefer mine in salsa or guacamole form.  Today, however, I couldn't not eat this salad for lunch.  Please know, this is my third salad-as-a-meal of the year and it was well worth the deviation from the norm.  I ordered the salad for the feta cheese, but the show was stolen by the rest of the ingredients.  It was incredible, just my kind of salad: no lettuce, little dressing, and definitely filling.  It was full of cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, purple onions, hearts of palm, cucumber, and oregano varosh with a roasted tomato sherry vinaigrette.  I'll have to recreate this salad sometime in the very near future.

July 1, 2011

Meek: Campbell, am I your aunt?
Campbell: No.
Meek: Then what am I, baby girl?
Campbell: My heart.

Isn't she just the sweetest?  I have been waiting all week to see this little girl's face.  It has been weeks since I have seen her and I have had some serious withdrawals.  The clock and I were best friends this afternoon as I was watching the minutes tick down until I could sweep this angel into my arms.  Every time I see her, she oozes more and more personality.  It is amazing watching her develop into her own person, with her own quirks, favorite songs, and funny phrases.  Today she regaled us with her enviable dance moves and mean mug face to Jermaine Dupri's "Welcome to Atlanta." When we turned on Zac Brown Band, she was immediately miffed, exclaiming: "This isn't my song!"  There is never a dull moment with Belle!

June 30, 2011

Miss Mack is one of the sweetest people I know and have the honor of calling a best friend.  On more than one occasion, out of the blue, I have been surprised with notes of encouragement, hilarious cards, cheery greetings, and thoughtful compliments, such as the note I found this evening when I got home.  While she was dropping off an extra key and picking up some pictures I had printed for her, she took the time to leave me a sparkling confidence boost in the span of seven words.  I wouldn't call myself a syntactic expert, per se, but I would call this some serious talent considering the beaming smile it brought to my face tonight.  It reminds me of the power a genuine compliment has in making someone's great day even better.  Many thanks, Kate "Charlie" Mack; another note of yours to have around the house for a spontaneous pick-me-up!