Law v. Life

Oahuuuuuuuu!!!!!!

So, has anyone ever been to Hawaii?  In three weeks I'm going to Honolulu, and I'm looking for advice.

I cannot put into words how much I need this vacation.  Last weekend I visited a friend from law school in California, and it was one of the first trips I've taken in a long time that was purely for fun, and I realized it was the first time I had felt relaxed in months.  If Hawaii doesn't relax and rejuvenate me, nothing will. 

And I'm going with Jack, which I am very excited about...

Still a little giddy

I have to leave for the airport in five hours, so I guess that means I ought to go to sleep soon...  My body and mind are both exhausted from the intensity of the last couple of weeks, so hopefully this trip will offer me a little of the rest I desperately need.  I'm already looking forward to flying first class tomorrow (which totally justifies my obsession with getting enough segments before the end of the year to maintain my status).

This so called "dating" thing is pretty fun.  Tonight was date #5.  Because, obviously, we had to see each other before I went out of town.  After dinner we sat outside eating ice cream (because I had been talking for days about how I wanted ice cream), while I put substantial energy into trying to hide the fact that I was shivering uncontrollably.  So between me risking frost bite, or whatever you risk by eating ice cream when it is 60 degrees outside, and both of us being exhausted and me having to get up extremely early, it was our shortest date yet, but still wonderful.  I'm starting to get nervous that he will forget about me while I'm gone, but that is an illogical thing to expend too much thought on.  I'll just try to remember his very tender kiss goodnight.

It is going to be quite a different conference focusing only on law and networking...

Best. Week. Ever.

The past week has been the most perfect confluence of law and life joy.  How often does that happen?  I feel so alive.

The high has not worn off yet from the new guy.  Let's call him Jack.  I am breathing more easily, but barely, and I still feel off balance when I think about how it feels to be with him.  I can't believe it can feel so good and safe to feel completely out of control and unlike myself.  Fortunately he appears to be as completely awestruck as I am.  We'll see where we stand after I go out of town for 5 days this week.  I'm guessing it will only serve to encourage our ridiculous "I'm going to miss you" conversations since we will actually be thousands of miles apart rather than simply ending a date with another one already planned.

To add to the adrenaline pumping through my system the last week has been a very exciting new case.  We actually met with our clients the day of my first date with Jack and the evolution of the case has continued at the same breakneck speed.  I won't go into more detail about the case, but it is exactly what I needed to remind me how much I love being a lawyer...writing impassioned pleadings late at night, scheduling emergency court conferences, strategizing with the other litigators...using my mind analytically and creatively to advocate for a client is close to the most fun I can have fully clothed.

Aside from not wanting to miss a single day that I could be getting to know Jack better, I am also really looking forward to going to San Diego this week.  The programming looks good, I'm wearing a gold dress to the dinner dance, I will get to see lots of friends, and I think my cousin is going to come down for a day.  Looks like it should be another great conference..  If you happen to live in San Diego, I would welcome restaurant suggestions or other ideas of things to do there. 

Columbus is a hub in my world

US Airways has been "my" airline for at least the last 7 years, and I just discovered today that it only flies direct from Columbus to 7 cities.  And one of those cities is Indianapolis, so really that is only 6 cities that would ever be my destination.  Nevertheless, it's still my airline.  It has become very competitive price-wise, its on-time record continues to improve, and now that I have status I don't have to deal with the new fees, plus I get great service when there is a delay or cancellation.  I think I will be flying United next month, with which I have never had good experiences, but at least my status counts with them.  My only complaint about US Air is that since they merged with America West I have to be careful about which planes I reserve seats on, because some of the America West planes suck.  For example, I paid to fly first class back from California on a red-eye, but because it was an America West plane, they basically had coach seats covered in fake leather that had been stuck in the first class cabin, and it was one of the most uncomfortable flights I have ever taken.  And in coach, the America West planes don't leave enough room for my knees, and I may be tall for a girl, but I'm not that tall.  Anyway, I have been researching flights lately, which is one of my very favorite activities, and I just wanted to share the joy.

Does anyone have any tips for finding good fares?  I usually do pretty well, but that is as a result of obsessively checking for months at a time on multiple sites.  I think I have only paid over $400 for a flight once, and that was cross-country with only a few weeks notice.

Anyway, I promise I will write about something more interesting soon!

Checking out

I figure my friends who couldn't make it to New York deserve an update.

The Annual Meeting has been pretty good overall.  A great dinner dance venue, hanging out with some of my favorite YLD people, Assembly that finished slightly early each day, a very productive meeting, and the best designed CLE I've ever been to.

Not all was good though.  The after party location on Friday left much to be desired so I ended up walking around the East Village with a friend for at least an hour and a half in 3-inch heels looking for somewhere else to go.  My feet still hurt.  Other than the great CLE, I didn't go to any other programming because everything of interest conflicted with Assembly, or was something I had attended previously.  I will be spending time this week with several very good friends in the city, but it was disappointing that several YLD friends couldn't make it this time.  And how do you say no to a judge?

Still, it was a good conference, and although I'll be checking out momentarily, tomorrow I'm going to the pro bono publico luncheon because they're honoring a young lawyer for the first time, so there's still more ABA fun to be had.  Plus a week of traveling and celebrating my friend's wedding still ahead

Size helps

Guess what will really cheer a girl up?  And no the answer is not x-rated, as OLS assumed.  A really giant hotel room, that's what.  This is the second largest hotel room I've ever stayed in (and the largest was this awesome Hilton suite in Chicago that I got upgraded to when I had diamond VIP status).  They upgraded me to a king deluxe room and it may not be the nicest hotel room ever, but it is just so big!  It is probably close to the same size as the downstairs of my house.  It has a nice view, too.

Right now I'm watching Made of Honor.  I love watching movies in hotels.  I never have time to see movies at home, and it is a nice way to slow down and really feel like I'm on vacation.  As soon as the movie is over, it's off to register, get the requisite blue and black bag of propaganda, and then back to my hotel again to get ready for the evening's social events.  I also need to check and see if I was ever certified as a delegate for the YLD assembly.  If not, I'm not going to beg again... I enjoy assembly, but it isn't worth the stress if it's a hassle to even be a delegate.

I am so glad to be in New York.

Can you believe it?

I am about to leave for vacation!  I always seem to be going somewhere, but it's always for a conference or a case or something work related.  Not this time!  (Well, kind of, a little bit, but not intentionally, and kind of as a separate add-on trip).  Like 5 months ago, feeling suffocated by winter and work, I started fantasizing about when it would someday be warm again and I signed up for a rowing camp.  So I will be spending four days next week rowing.  Yes, that is my vacation.

Everyone who I told that I was going to a rowing camp thought I was nuts.  I probably am.  And when I tell them it's at the Naval Academy, they always get this look.  This look that says, "wow, that's hardcore."  And also conveys at least a hint of, "can you handle that?"  I think it is going to be very intense, but less hardcore than it sounds because rowers of all skill levels participate.  I say that, but I am also terrified.

Although the camp doesn't start until Monday morning, I am leaving today to spend the weekend with a friend in Baltimore.  The weekend o' fun will include a James Taylor concert at the pier and an Orioles-Red Sox game.  My friend left repeated facebook messages tempting me with the game before I committed to flying in a couple days early.  That girl knows me.  I think it should be a fun weekend, followed by an interesting week.  The weekend in Baltimore has to be better than my last trip there (the after the bar exam debacle).

During the rowing camp, to offset the pain I'm sure I will be feeling during the day (and probably for several days afterwards), I will be staying at a fancy hotel at night.  I figure I will deserve a little luxury by the end of the day, and if I have to check in with work eventually, it will be much nicer to do so from a heavenly bed.

Paradise

An hour and a half ago I checked into the Beverly Hilton, and I never want to leave.  I have stayed at a lot of nice hotels before, and, at least based on the room itself, this is my favorite ever.  It is beautiful.  It is elegant, but modern.  It is relaxing, with every possible amenity.  If I ever build a dream home, it will have this bathroom.  Like, I'm going to take pictures so that I can remember how to recreate it.  The bed is just a nice, big, plush bed.  The dresser is classy, and not a typical hotel dresser, but really, it's just a dresser.  The desk is modern, with a comfortable and stylish chair, and it is set up so that it comes out from the wall at an angle from the tv.  The big, beautiful, flat screen tv.  Everything is glass and shiny, but with enough warm tones and dark wood that is feels so warm and inviting.  There is a giant balcony with chairs and a table and these fancy sliding doors.  The bathroom is definitely the best part though.  There is a giant bathtub, three separately functioning lights, and all sorts of extras...like a little flat screen tv.  The best part is the sliding door.  It feels like some kind of cabana or something.  I can't explain what makes it so awesome, but it is.  So awesome, that I took a bath.

When I got to the hotel, I was a little bit sweaty.  Because I felt the need to walk 4 miles pulling my suitcase and wearing my backpack with my laptop and all sorts of other stuff in it.  And I was wearing a jacket, because it felt cool when I left my cousin's apartment.  That is a really long way to pull a suitcase.  My hand started to get raw right around Rodeo Drive.  Yes, I know it was stupid to walk that far, but I thought I would just take a taxi.  However, it felt silly to call a taxi and just sit around and wait for it, so I figured I would walk over to Wilshire Boulevard and just hail a taxi heading towards the hotel.  Well, apparently since no one walks in LA, no one hails taxis either.  I've been taking the bus the last few days, so I knew which bus to take, but I didn't have the right change, plus I was being stubborn about either tracking down a taxi or walking.  So, an hour later, I showed up at the Beverly Hilton, sweaty and tired.  The guy at the registration desk laughed at me when I told him, but in a friendly way.  So, when I got to my room, I stripped out of my sweaty clothes, and decided to take a bath in the beautiful bathroom.  It has probably been at least a year since I took a bath, so this felt very indulgent.

I took the perfect bath.  I filled the giant bathtub with the hottest water I could stand (I'm a wuss about temperature), and poured in a little of the hotel bath gel, since that was the closest thing to bubble bath.  I turned Friends on, and it was the episode with Charlie Sheen and the chicken pox.  I checked out the minibar and decided I could pay the exorbitant prices for a can of Heineken and some gummi bears, and grabbed the Best New Restaurants edition of Los Angeles magazine.  Finally, I hung the hotel bathrobe (not as nice as the Westin robes) by the tub, slid the bathroom door shut, and and slid into my bath where I relaxed for a full hour.  I think this was the first bath of my life where I didn't get impatient to get out and was able to just enjoy it.

Next up, I am heading downstairs to check out one of the hotel restaurants.  The bar tonight is 7 miles from the hotel, so if I get stuck walking again, I'll need my energy!

No stress

You know what makes me happy?  Sun.  Today I rode the bus to the beach.  I love California.  I wonder what I will do tomorrow...

You know what makes me unhappy?  Worrying about my friends fighting.  Being in the middle of it and not knowing what to do.

You know what else makes me happy?  Looking forward to staying at the Beverly Hilton in a couple of days.  I so love fancy hotels.  Like on a not quite healthy level.

You know what else makes me unhappy?  People at work who can't do anything by themselves.  And trying to do work on vacation with the most annoying remote connection ever.

There will officially be no more stress until I return to Columbus.  Does everyone understand that?

The horizon

I just have to get through one more day of work and I am on vacation! Well, work/vacation. I leave for LA Sunday morning, and it can't come soon enough. If anyone has suggestions of fun things to do in LA, particularly during the day (when my cousin is at work) or for next Sunday, they will be greatly appreciated. I've been to LA a few times before, and it's not my favorite place, but I'm sure it will be a good time.