NEW SEASONS

I couldn't even tally the number of hours I've spent in coffee shops over the duration of my educational career. Once that ended, and I landed my first law gig, I would sometimes head to a coffee shop to work on a brief. Most recently, I'd head to a coffee shop to hammer out some job applications. I sent M to the lake with the boys this weekend and headed downtown to the trendy "North Loop" part of Minneapolis to a new coffee shop for some pure, unadulterated ME time. 

No homework.

No work. 

No job applications. 

And here I find myself in this space again. The space being, this blog. I find that when I'm off kilter in certain areas of my life, I have the tendency to stall out in others. Two weeks ago, I started a new job. Without getting into the details- not because I'm a vague blogger, but because I'm a professional- it was both an easy and incredibly hard decision. I knew it needed to happen, but once the wheels were in motion, I was looking for the brakes. I recall a moment on my 2nd day of work at the new job having at total panic attack that I'd made the wrong decision. It's more unsettling for me to have unsettled feelings because usually when I make a decision, I commit to it- paint color, furniture. I'm not a waffler. 

The moment passed, and at the end of my second week, I feel confident that I can say I will really love this job. It's a 180 from what I was doing: practicing in state and federal courts across the country; to primarily Minnesota based, administrative law. Plaintiff's work; to defense. 6 attorneys; to 14 attorneys. It turns out, the things I thought I would like and would value fresh out of law school, are not the things I found myself loving. Maybe I'm not cut out for the stress and anticipation of 2+ week jury trials in federal court. Maybe I can't handle Plaintiff's work..not because I don't want to help people, but because I would carry their stress, their case, home with me. 

I have no idea if I'll find myself missing some of those things. I still have components of that type of civil litigation in what I'll be doing now- just on a smaller scale. 90 minute depositions instead of 7 hour marathons. 1-2 day trials instead of 1-2 weeks. But I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. Right here, right now, I'm feeling at peace and happy and excited about my decision. I miss my old coworkers terribly.. but the wonderful thing about the small legal community in MN is that everything circles back around, and I'm confident in the friendships we made. 

Totally unrelated thought, and I feel no shame in saying this either because it's so much more than cliche blog fodder for me, but I can't wait for fall. Summers in MN can run you ragged because everybody wants to do ALL THE THINGS ALL THE TIME. It's fun, but my late August illness told me my body is so sleepy. I've always loved school, and I played tennis in the fall, so for me- fall always symbolized the start of a new year. 

So, chalk that up the most I'll probably ever write about work ever again on the blog.. but it needed to be said. With billable hours come less free time during the week to poke around on blogs or start a draft of my own.. but I'm hoping this season of "new" - new job, new season- will help me find balance and come back here more. 

THE MCDONALD'S CASE.

Guys. 

We need to talk. 

I have a lot of feelings about this subject that have boiled over (pun intended?) the last week because for whatever reason, I've had several people reference it. 

It's the bane of every personal injury attorney lawyer's existence. 

It's the motherfucking "McDonald's Coffee Case." 

So, before you go spewing your ignorance on the world and cite this case as indicative of everything that's wrong with America, let me edumacate you. (This information is all also widely available from The Google, but.. here's my PSA). 

1. THE FACTS: It's 1992. A 79 year old woman spills coffee in her lap trying to remove the lid to add cream and sugar while PARKED as a passenger in a car. The coffee is SO hot, that within 3-7 seconds, she receives 3rd degree burns over 6% of her body (lesser burns on 16%) that required many extensive and painful surgeries, including 2 skin grafts. 

2. SETTLEMENT TALKS: (In looking up this portion of the case to get the numbers right, I typed in "McDonald's Coffee Case" to The Google, which was still set on 'images' after retrieving the above image, and now I CAN NEVER UN-SEE WHAT I SAW. BE WARNED). The Plaintiff tried to get McDonald's to settle this case for TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS for her past and future medical and loss of income. that's it. $20,000. They said "what about $800 instead?" No dice. 

3. TRIAL: Evidence at trial shows several damning things: First, McDonald's knew damn well, and had been told many times, their coffee was too. effing. hot. and that it did not need to be kept at that temperature. By 1992 they had received 700 complaints and settled several cases for $500,000. There is evidence that lowering it from 190 degrees [which is what it was the day of the accident] to 160 degrees meant burns wouldn't set in until about 12-15 seconds of contact with skin instead of 3-7. The extra time would've allowed more time to remove clothing/coffee from contact with skin. 

4. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART FOR YOUR NEW COCKTAIL PARTY INFORMATION: The Plaintiff only received $200,000 in compensatory damages for her injuries, which was reduced to $160,000 by comparative fault. They found her 20% at fault. Compensatory means the money compensated her for her actual loss- time off work, medical, pain and suffering. 

The jury then awarded $2.7 MILLION in PUNITIVE DAMAGES. Stop here. Let's discuss. The bulk of this money was awarded to PUNISH McDonald's for failing to heed complaints and warnings about the dangerous nature of their product. (Keep in mind, this lil' ol' lady would've settled for $20,000.) This number was based on a suggestion from Plaintiff's attorney to award damages in the amount of McDonald's coffee sales for a DAY OR TWO. That's right- they make $1.3 MILLION a DAY in coffee sales alone. Still want to throw the woman with a BURNED CROTCH under the bus?

5. THE THING THAT NOBODY KNOWS: the judge reduced the jury's punitive damages verdict to $480,000. This decision was appealed by both parties and then settled out for court for an undisclosed amount LESS THAN $600,000. 

This case was still touted as the poster child for the need for tort reform and certainly resulted in a lot of commentary.. but nothing drives me battier than when people flippantly cite to this case as evidence of one thing or another without a solid understanding of what happened. 

The more you know, folks. 

THE OTHER SIDE

Exactly two years ago I was sitting in the afternoon session of Day 1 of the Minnesota Bar Exam. I distinctly remember wanting to kill the guy sitting next to me (he was twitchy, a heavy breather, and just all around a spaz) and simultaneously vomit as I prayed to sweet baby Jesus my computer wouldn't die.

As the next few months dragged on, I put the bar exam out of mind and applied for jobs.. feeling like nobody would EVER hire me, and that I'd wasted a significant chunk of change on a useless degree and tortured myself with that test for nothing.

As I see the posts on Facebook from the few 3Ls I still know, expressing their fear and nerves about walking into Day 1 of the bar exam today.. I can't help but feel really, really grateful to have made it out on the other side: happy, healthy, and with a job I truly enjoy (most days). As I sit here hammering out motions in anticipation of our motion deadline for a trial I'm second chairing in October... I'm really grateful for how the last few years have played out- above all else that I'm employed in my field and in an area of law I find incredibly interesting.

It hasn't always felt like this here.. of course I don't write about it all because- duh. In fact, I'm sure if my husband is reading this post (I think he's abandoned the blog, but if not- Hi honey!) he's probably wondering if this is an invasion-of-the-body-snatchers moment and what I've done with his wife.. because there were several days of tear filled car rides home, and (embarrassing) histrionics about my job, life, future, and self-worth.  Hi, my name is Kelly, I can be a spaz. In what I may call a turning point though I can gladly say the good outweighs the bad usually and I'm feeling very content.

So this is my  message to you bar exam takers: there's hope at the end of the tunnel.

Just wanted to pop in and get this out. Apologies for the delay in Seattle recapping but M and I spent this past weekend at a friend's cabin with approximately 25 other people and it was a BLAST, from which, I am still recovering. :)

UF-DA

Is there anything more Minnesotan to convey exhaustion ....

OMG brief pause in this blog post because I have to share: M is DEAD asleep on the couch, as in, catching flies dead asleep. He pop straight up, looks me in the eye, and with a wag of his finger says,
"they'll never know before you will." and then passes the F back out. I'm dying. He's notorious for being very out of it when he wakes up, and his outbursts are the best..

anyway, back to being sleepy. While M is out cold I figured I'd write a random update. I haven't really had time, or energy (mostly) to upload pictures from this past weekend..which wasn't many. M and I went back to Moorhead to visit his dad before wedding madness ensues. His dad's gf Cindy confessed she thought we'd call Thursday and cancel because we'd be too busy. I've been pretty calm mostly because everything has been done, for so long, I'm ready to get on with it. I did finish writing thank you notes for the shower, put meal choices on escort cards, and then somehow talked Cindy into chopping up a log for us to use for table numbers. Long story short my first plan wasn't practical and the numbers weren't..well..standing. They kept flopping over. SO now I have real log pucks with slits in them. Pretty neat.

Hmm, what else. Met with M's friend's wife last week who is helping us with our minimal flowers. She's doing small arrangements for half the tables, and our bouquets. Our final numbers are in to the caterers, and I knocked out the seating arrangement in 40 minutes. In the spirit of honesty, I will say, I had a few tables already set up ahead of time (as we got our RSVPs in) in a spreadsheet, so the rest fell into place easily.

My dress was supposed to be ready on the 20th. I called to tell them I wouldn't be able to come then, which worked out, because they asked me for "one more day".. which would've been Saturday. I swung in TUESDAY morning before work and she was working on it when I walked in. O_O. so, clearly not done. The tricky part is they're only open 8:30-5, and my new hours are 8:30-5:30. I had meetings early, and most the day today, M and I are picking up our marriage license tomorrow at 8 before work, which just leaves Friday. So rather than trying to squeeze it in, I'm going to go Saturday. On one hand, I want to rage that they're taking so effing long when they've had it for almost a MONTH, and told me it'd be ready Saturday. On the other hand, I figure they can't possibly F it up too bad.. I'm just having the length taken up, and a bustle added. Absolute worst case scenario the dress is too short, and I ditch my heels and wear flats so it doesn't look stupid.. and if the bustle sucks or breaks, I'll just use my wrist-strap and hoist my train around all night. I'd be probably more spazzy if I was taking in the waist at all.

I had 5 and a half hours of meetings on cases today because my main boss is going to Europe for 2 and a half weeks, so all the associates taking his cases during that time had status meetings today. Myself, and the other newbie, sat in on all of them so we'd have some background on all the cases. There was an issue with an upcoming trial, and who can go, and some schedule conflicts with another attorney and his wife.. so, long story short, I may be second chairing a trial in Illinois in a few weeks. O_O ----> that's all I'll say there.

Time to drag the slug up to bed. He has now woken up a second time, and nodded when I asked "time for bed" before falling back asleep on the couch.

Oh, and I'm getting married in 10 days. (!!!!!!)

I'm not even sure what I'd blog about before then, and I have no guest posters lined up. woops. So, may just be some stream of conscious crap again.. BUT I will be a good blogger and recap dutifully afterwards. Never you fear. :)

A GOOD FIT

We'll get to the weekend recap tomorrow (hint: it involves a bridal shower and more OMG THIS IS ALL FOR ME moments- may have to wait to get my mother-in-law's photos since I forgot my camera [SO angry about that..]).

I have much, much more exciting things to share today.
I got a phone call with the words I've been waiting 11 months and my whole life to hear,

"We talked it over, and we think you'd be a good fit here. We'd like to offer you the job."

Yep, you read that right, a JOB.

After 11+ odd months of job hunting, somewhat lazily and dejectedly (is that a word?), on Wednesday of last week I was offer a full time position as an associate at a private firm. I don't want to get into too many details, for privacy sake and professional liability sake, but I will tell you this: it's in a sense, a dream job. I hesitate to use that phrase because I could be happy in a few areas, but I always said in terms of civil litigation (which is what this is) this practice area would be one of my most ideal. It's a slightly more "niched" part of said practice area (I'm sure I lost most of you) but the great part is: I've already been doing this at my current firm. We practice in the defense area, my new firm will be plaintiff oriented. I'm even somewhat familiar with the firm since we've had cases with them. Obviously, I'll be screened from the client in common, but I think it'll help the transition to be somewhat familiar with the law and the underlying "jargon" of the industry. :)

All that blabber to say, I have  JOB, FINALLY!

I'm SO terrified excited.

It's a smaller office, so that'll be a transition, too. I'm going to miss being in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, and I'm REALLY going to miss my current co-workers. Even on days that haven't been my favorite here, I've always loved the people I work with.

I'm due for a change, and excited to start practicing, so this all just comes with the territory.

So that's my news!

and can I get a freaking AMEN for no more cover letters for the forseeable future? woof.

On why I will never tell someone NOT to go to law school

Well, at least one of you expressed some interest in my passing mention of a post titled,

"why I would never tell someone not to go to law school." 

So, here it is. If you have no interest in the law and are not considering law school, I apologize in advance. (editor's note: I'm feeling sassy today, for whatever reason, so if this comes off in such a tone, well, there's your warning.)

All it takes is a quick google search using the key phrases "don't go to law school" to turn up dozens of articles riddled with reasons why law school is a bad idea.

The first time someone told me "don't do it" (that sufficiently traumatized me), I was a 21 year old college junior preparing to take the LSAT (law school admissions test), and drafting personal statements to accompany my applications. They told me the job market sucks, the debt isn't worth it, and you'll hate your life. This coming from a new associate at the firm I was working at who did, in fact, hate his life. This meme continued throughout law school itself- my first year often coming from "upperclassmen" (2Ls and 3Ls). I'll be brutally honest, it down right pissed me off. Here I am, only a YEAR behind these people, and they're basically saying,
a) I'm more seasoned than you are, I understand the way this works, you don't, and
b) I know I'm going to graduate law school and look for a job in a career I will enjoy, but I'm quite smugly telling you NOT to.

Right.

Here are my own thoughts on the common refrains heard regarding this topic and some advice of my own:

1) It costs a lot of money. Um, duh? I'm not really sure who goes to law school and applies for financial aid that doesn't understand this. My advice/if I could do it differently? Well, for starters do better in undergrad and try to score some scholarships! (I will say, a lot of schools make it REALLY hard/downright impossible to maintain these, but even a year break would've been nice!) I was lucky enough to work/live at home for a while during school, so I took out very minimal living expenses. If you can- try to keep those low. Also? If you are in a position to make payments during school: DO IT. It's nice to stick your head in the sand for 3-4 years (which is what I did) but when you see your first payments and realize how much is interest you die a little inside. Just make sure you research it thoroughly and structure it wisely and be braced for that first repayment bill. There's income based repayment, in addition, if you find yourself strapped for cash or without a job after graduating.

2) The job market is over saturated/crappy/impossible (whatever). Again, duh? This is the case for many professions and law is no exception. Here are my thoughts:

• This partially depends on what jobs you're willing to accept when you graduate. If you're dead set on being a criminal defense attorney, yeah, you're going to have a harder time finding a job. If you're willing to accept a variety of practice areas, there is naturally going to be more opportunity. Even still, there are plenty of ways to better your chances at such a specialized field of practice while in law school: volunteer, participate in clinics, network in the field, etc. AND, although it's an expensive graduate degree and an MBA may have been more affordable, JD's serve people well in the business world as well if you're willing to not limit yourself to just practicing law. Being educated is never a bad thing.  
• If you keep at it, and keep involved in the legal community, you will eventually find a job. I graduated in May of 2012, took the bar July 2012, and was sworn in October 2012. I have been lucky enough to get to stay at the firm have been clerking at since Summer 2011 while I look for something else (since they've indicated they likely won't be able to hire me on as an associate. I am ETERNALLY grateful for this). If it means taking a non-legal job to pay the bills, so be it. If you're scared it means you'll get out of practice, there are TONS of volunteer legal services in the twin cities (and I'm sure in your area as well, if you're not from MN) that will keep your resume current and keep you in practice while you support yourself. Taking a non-legal job is not admitting defeat. It's just buying yourself some time.
• I fully intend on practicing law and having a career for the next 35-40 years. So what, I should forgo a 40 year career doing something I enjoy because it might be hard to break into it for a year or two? As this NYT article that M's step-dad sent me SO brilliantly put into words everything I feel, the focus on the stress of a "first job" is misplaced, since law school sets you up for a 40+ year CAREER.
• The more work you put into networking, your schoolwork, extracurriculars.. the less harsh this reality will be. I'm blessed to have a LOT of family friends and family in the legal profession. These connections have not outright handed me jobs by any means, but, at times it can feel like a lifeline when you still want to be involved in the community and have feelers out there. Plus, it never hurts for you to be on peoples' minds.

3) You'll work long hours in an exhausting career and hate your life. This also depends on what type of law you get into, but as a first year associate? Likely. This is something you should prepare yourself for if you're going to law school. If you want a very structured 9-5, no weekends ever, routine job.. then maybe the law isn't for you. Also, I think there's this myth that all attorneys work 50+ hours a week. Wrong. It depends on your case load and field of practice. We go through "slow" times just like anyone else.

All of these issues boil down to one common theme, and the only time you'll ever hear me utter these words: Do not go to law school, unless you've done the research and understand and appreciate the financial burden, the job market, and what practicing the law means in the real world. (i.e. NOT Law & Order).

That seems like a no brainer, but I often find the people who complain the loudest were the ones who were the least prepared: The people who were wicked smart in undergrad, argumentative, and figured law school and a nice salary sounded like a good tradeoff for 3 years more schooling. The people who said "meh, why not, seems interesting" and applied to law school and got in effortlessly- and yes, these people exist. (And as someone who struggled a bit to get into law school but desperately wanted to practice law, I sort of hated them). The people who hate reading and writing and apply to law school not realizing 95% of practicing law, civil or criminal is reading and writing.

Here's my reality: I have known since 4th grade I wanted to practice law. I didn't know at that age what it meant. In undergrad I got a legal assistant job at a civil insurance defense firm. Not what most people think of when they think of glamorous law jobs and yet it simply affirmed my desire to go to law school. Applying to law school I KNEW what the reality would be: lots of research and writing. No "AHA!" law and order courtroom moments. I like the atmosphere, I like the process, I like the creative problem solving. I like knowing more about current affairs because 75% of the stuff on the nightly news is law related --> that new bill in the legislature, that guy's murder trial, taxes.. all law related! If possible do some volunteer work or get involved in the legal community before applying to law school- make sure it's what you want to do!

The bar exam was hell, but I made it. I am making decent money at a not permanent job (a rare luxury whilst job hunting, I know) and have $130K in debt. No I'm not ashamed of that, and yes that's high. And still, I wouldn't go back and redo it or wish I hadn't gone to law school. Sure I have moments when I'm envious of friends who have had jobs for the last 4 years and minimal undergrad debt, but I know that EVENTUALLY I'll get a more permanent position and there's no price tag on loving what I do. A year or two of struggle is worth a lifelong career that I am passionate about.

So, when smug 2Ls or attorneys (who admittedly enjoyed what they do) had the cajones to look me in the eye and essentially tell me my career aspirations, which were essentially the same as THEIRS, were "too much work" and "not worth it" I'd smile and chuckle and then silently flip them the bird under the table.

The working title of this post was: justifying my outrageous debt and jobless existence.
Just kidding.

I look forward to a lifetime of whining about my job like everyone else.. I just have to figure out where that's going to be. :)

This Weekend I..

Holy cow guys.
Last post was Tuesday, huh? Woops.
I had posts sitting waiting to be published and then the end of the week just flew by...annnnddd here we are on Sunday night!
I didn't take many photos this weekend, and I guess I'd be lying if I said "sorry" for it, because I'm not. Sometimes not everything is photograph-worthy, and sometimes I'm just enjoying the moment too much.

Thursday and Friday I had a continuing legal education (CLE) seminar all day.
In order to remain in good standing as a lawyer, you have to attend 40 credits worth of CLE's during the "reporting period" (3 years, in this case). This particular 2-day seminar was free for newly admitted lawyers, and was 15 credits. 

 

The days were long, as any 8 hour day of something can be, but enjoyable (mostly). It's encouraging and a bit depressing to hear about lawyers with great jobs, and how to get there. 

With how terrible the job market is, things can be frustrating. But I would never tell someone NOT to go to law school. Maybe I'll write a post about that someday soon. 

The other benefit of the seminar was that a few of my friends who have moved out-state for clerkships or jobs were back in town, so we all got together Thursday night after Day 1 for dinner and drinks. My friend Dana (and bridesmaid) stayed with me Wednesday and Thursday night, and Thursday night our friend Kevin stayed with us too so he didn't have to drive all the way back to Stillwater and back in the morning. 

This weekend I..

fell asleep on the couch at 9:30 while trolling Pinterest Friday night

This weekend I..

went bridesmaid dress shopping and to lunch with Dana on Saturday. She just tweeted me to tell me she bought hers offline. Woop! 3 down. 

When I got home Saturday TJ was being extra snuggly and needy. At one point he curled up so close to my face his head was smooshed into mine.

I love that little guy so much. :)

M came home from a work meeting and we decided to see a matinee of Silver Lining's Playbook.
It was SO. GOOD. I really don't want to give too much away, but it's about how Bradley Cooper deals with some issues he has, as does Jennifer Lawrence, and their interaction with one another. (wow, vague much?) Just go see it. It was funny, and a bit awkward, and a sweet story. M absolutely loved it too, so it's definitely not a "chick flick" if that's what it looks like.  

Afterwards, we used the Applebee's gift card that M won from bowling at my work holiday party.

 

It was really nice. We had a lot of fun chatting, and split a blondie brownie with ice cream and cream cheese sauce for dessert (to this day, one of my most favorite desserts. My dad used to take me after dance when I was little and we'd always get one.) 

This weekend TJ...

got a little protective and aggressive Sunday morning. M went for a run with a co-worker, got home, and propped his feet up on the coffee table. TJ must've picked up on a scent he didn't like because he began "marking" M's shoes. (When cats wipe their cheeks on things, they're leaving their scent and "marking" their territory). BUT he was doing it SUPER hard, and just smashing his whole face onto M's shoes. It was equal parts hysterical and weird. 

I mentioned last week that TJ freaks out when asked if he wants his dinner ("deeeeeeeeeeeenur?!") or treats ("twwweeeeaattttsssss!?"). Well, I got it on film on Saturday before the movie:

He cracks me up.
That's about it for the weekend.
Sunday involved a trip to the grocery store, a nap, an SVU marathon and an itunes movie, "Hello I Must Be Going."
Hope you all had a good weekend!

I linked up with Sar and Syndal for Volume 18 of "This Weekend I"
Head on over and link up your weekend posts!

Kelly 

Weekend Wrap Up, yo.

Another weekend gone, and here we are again... Mr. Monday. 

Is it just me, or was last week especially brutal? 5 full days? no looming holidays? oof. 

This weekend was pretty low key on the whole, but a lot of fun. 

Friday we just hung out at home.

Saturday morning I lounged and played with the kitty. 

I posted this photo on IG (kellybea14)

 

This is what TJ looks like mid-tweak. 

All it takes is a finger wiggle and he's ready to pounce.

Saturday night was my firm's holiday party. I was a bit nervous, since I'm still pretty awkward around a lot of these people, but I was excited to meet my coworkers significant others. 

We went bowling at Pinz in Oakdale, and had our own private room and private set of lanes.

 

One reason I wasn't as nervous as I may have otherwise been, is M has met a few of my coworkers.
One is my uncle, so, obviously he and Matt have met on multiple occasions.
Another is my neighbor! We figured this out after a few months of working there. We've seen him around the neighborhood and chatted a lot. He also hosted a summer party a in 2011 and M met a few of the other paralegals as well. SO, it was nice to go into it with a bit of familiarity.
That familiarity quickly turned into my neighbor buying M a white russian because, well, apparently it has something to do with the Big Lebowski (a movie I haven't seen).

A plan was quickly formed to make me watch the Big Lebowski in the near future with he and his fiance and drink more white russians.

 
 Things not pictured:

• one of the partners climbing on a chair and saying "I'm doing it! I am doing it." for no apparent reason
• shots, bought by a paralegal, taken by some of the attorneys and secretaries, OH and M
• one of one of the oldest partners leading some Gangnam Style

They had some prizes for highest single game, highest total, most strikes, etc.  Well, one guy happened to win highest game, highest total AND most strikes, but since he couldn't win all 3... they gave highest game to the runner up -- M!

 

Ta Da! M and I have a fancy date to the Bee in our future.  

Mushy side note: there's something about Saturday that just warmed my heart. Those of you who have met me (and based on the way I write) may not believe, but I can be painfully shy in social situations. I've gotten a lot better in recent years, and I attribute a large part of that to M. I know it's super cliche but he makes me a better version of me. A more confident, outgoing version of me. The fact that I can bring him to work functions and not for a SECOND be nervous about how he'll do, and be 90% LESS nervous about MYSELF because I know how charismatic he is, how well he blends with any group of people,... it's really, really nice. Mostly I am always eager to introduce him to new people because I'm SO proud of him. I kind of enjoy leaving functions thinking that others may be all "she snagged HIM? who woulda thunk it."  It's a mystery to me too sometimes. Not because I don't think I'm cute, or have good things going for me, but because I can be so. awkward. that I'm glad he saw past that. :) 

Moving on...

Sunday morning included more lounging, and then Molly came over for a bit before work to chat. 

Sunday night M and I met Leah at the movie theater to see Zero Dark Thirty.

MAN you guys, it was good.
In case you don't know, this is based on the events leading up to the murder of Osama bin Laden. 
I will add these disclaimers: it was long, and it wasn't high action most the time (it had its moments) but I find the "back story" regarding things we all know the ending of (i.e. Miracle, Argo, etc.) to be fascinating. What THEY were doing while we were living our lives all unassumingly. M told me they pulled the girl who was the "Osama expert," so to speak, out of HIGH SCHOOL to join the CIA. She'd been an operative for 12 years by the time they got bin laden.
Yeah.
I was crying over getting asked to the prom in high school. So, there's that.

Anyway, solid weekend. Sad about another 5 day week ahead of me. Wah.
Hope you all had a good weekend as well!

(This Weekend I)...My weekend with the plague.

I'm linky shtinkyin up with Syndal and Sar:

I'm sure you guys get tired of reading blogger excuses. Like, "I didn't take any photos this weekend" and I really don't have a lot of new content other than what I posted on Instagram already.. but that's all I got for you today. I took a FEW photos with the fancy camera this weekend, mostly of the cat (who's surprised!?)... but I just feel weird about bringing out my camera. I feel like it has to be a legit/important event to haul out the "big" camera. It just feels different than carrying around a little point and shoot. I need to get over that, I bought the damn thing to take nice photos!

This weekend though, I think I have a decent excuse. M came down with the plague sometime late last week and this weekend involved a lot of couch and sweatpants. This doesn't differ from other weekends in many respects but I felt the need to mention that.

This Friday ... my friend Molly came over for a few hours and we chatted and I made dinner. After she left, M and I split some ice cream under the assumption that it'd help his throat. I instagrammed the following photo, with a caption indicating that M and I had created an ice cream wall between the healthy side of the pint and the plagued side:

 

You guys had a lot to say about that, and Syndal even suggested that germs could JUMP from side to side. PREPOSTEROUS! What, like she's a doctor or something. (;-)). 

This weekend (Saturday).. I cleaned the house and M laid in the man-cave.. alternating between blowing his nose, chewing on ice cubes, and sleeping. I went over to my dad's Saturday night to watch the Vikings game (which we won't discuss after this point) and M went to watch with some of his guy friends. I could've gone with M and the guys, but my dad loves when I come over for this kind of stuff (I think he misses having me around the house) so I went over there. He was also having some of his friends over, and I've known those guys my whole life too.. so it's always a good time. 

I tweeted the other day that my dad texted about beanie babies (he's trying to declutter before the wedding) and I howled that he better not throw out the Princess Di one. I'm a child of the 90s, what can I say? Mostly, I'm not crazy, but I got this beanie baby from a pen pal (from LONDON) so it seemed extra special. I'm also curious if it's worth any money, since I was smart and I kept its tag in a protective case.

Also, it's hard to not be a pack rat with some of my old things (not necessarily just the beanie babies), but when I see adorable nurseries pimped out with vintage toys it makes me want to save ALL THE THINGS.

This weekend (Sunday) we slept in waaayyyy late and I lost any ounce of energy I was going to use to go to Caribou to work on my brief. There's serious irony in the fact that I rejoiced in finally being done with school and not having to do homework on the weekends... only to enter a career that has me working, more often than I'd care to admit, on the weekends. Alas, a deadline is a deadline and motion practice is often like this. Our initial brief was due 4 weeks before the hearing, we filed replies to their briefs and briefs of our own and those were due 14 days before the hearing, another set of replies due 9 days before, and the last ones are due tomorrow. If you're confused, so am I. Hearing is on Wednesday.

I spent the morning Sunday chasing TJ around the house and blowing on his pooch. He HATED it and retreated to the highest point in the house.. the fridge:

Then he decided to help me with my brief...

And when he got tired of that, and decided the desk was not a suitable place to nap, he crawled his uncoordinated ass onto my lap. TJ isn't a HUGE cat, but it's a tight fit. 

Annnyway, that was pretty much our weekend. I started rounding up addresses for save the dates. I have my entire side of the list finalized (dad was easier than I imagined!) and have all but a handful of my side addressed. Just need M to wrangle his side and we'll be good to go! We don't plan on sending them out until March.. but, I'm a Type A. So, that's that.

Hope you all had a good weekend! M and I have some dinner plans this week, I have that hearing Wednesday, and then my work party this weekend, so hopefully I'll have some better blog fodder ;)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post.. the alternate title is: The Wedding Registry: WTF.

I'm no longer 21....a short story of juxtoposition

The fact that I couldn't even muster the energy to draft a blog post last night should tell you guys a little bit about my weekend. woof.

 

let's back up though, shall we?

 

I spent my Friday morning masquerading as an adult, (which was quickly undone by Saturday's festivities).

 

My uncle acted as my sponsor while I got sworn in to the Minnesota Bar. It was fancy, I wore a suit, he talked a LOT about his bathroom remodel... all in all, we trudged through the hour and a half ceremony (a speedy one, in the realm of "ceremonies") and headed off to lunch at Kincaid's, where I ate myself stupid with the best french dip I've ever had in my life.

 

It was only as I was waddling back to the car at 1:30 did I realize we had an early dinner reservation for Restaurant Week with some of my fellow recently-admitted-lawerly-friends.

 

So, we napped off our lunch as a family

 

 

and then hopped in the car to head to Haute Dish, debating whether we'd split a meal.

 

Restaurant week, for those who aren't familiar, takes place all across the country. It's once a season, and is a magical week where super fancy pants restaurants with fabulous food offer a prix fixe menu (that's french, latin?, fancy talk for "fixed price" menu.)

 

The nicer thing about Haute Dish (which is on Washington in downtown Mpls, and I suggest you RUN THERE NOW, because OMG so good.) was that the courses were smaller portioned, and spread out, so I was able to actually eat a good portion of each course.

 

I am not usually the food-photo-snapping type, but this was too fancy NOT to.

 

 

Yeah, that's just a casual gormet iceberg lettuce salad, with candied red onions and cucumber towers. drool.

 

 

They specialize in deconstructed "American Classics"... so, my entree was the "tater tot Haute dish"..which had baby green beans, the most tender stack of short ribs I've ever had, and 2 large gourmet tots, filled with gruyere.

 

 

For dessert, apple cider sorbet, on a carmel sauce. nomnomnom.

 

Saturday, I power cleaned the entire house while M was tailgating at the Gopher's game. Dana had mentioned Friday night at dinner that she was going out Saturday. Dana also just landed a judicial clerkship in the exotic town of Morris, MN and will be moving there for a year Nov. 16th, SO, while I'm usually not a huge "goer-outer" I decided a girls hurrah would be fun.

 

I actually spent a solid 45 minutes Saturday crafting the most ghetto "runaway bride" costume ever (picture, bedazzled cutoff Target t-shirt, lace cap sleeves, and sheer curtains as the "skirt")...

imagine M's horror when he woke from his nap, and stumbled downstairs to find me in it.

 

He also didn't really see the irony or humor in the costome. Something about us actually getting married, and it not being funny.

 

In the end, I defaulted to a 1920's costume I had worn for our law school's winter dance (if I haven't said it before, law school is basically high school with double the drama...)

 

I of course, took zero photos, but this is what the costume looked like:

 

I also decided to grab a .75 of Bacardi Limon instead of my usual bottle of wine.

 

Bold, bold move. I'm pretty sure I had 3 drinks, and was absolutely out of control. I didn't get a SINGLE DRINK out at the bars. In fact, I slammed water at almost every bar we went to, and was still absolutely out of control.

 

To give you a flavor for what level I was on, I'm not an egotistical person generally speaking. In fact, sober-me is 90% insecure. Well, Saturday night I VIVIDLY recall when Blackeyed Peas "Good Night" came on at Bar Abeline, thinking that I was without a doubt the SWEETEST person in the building, and that everybody wanted to BE me.

 

yep.

 

So, after dancing myself sore, We went to another bar, which was lame, and had a cover, and apparently the bouncer wasn't impressed when Dana and I sprinted past him. Loser.

 

Next stop was McDonald's,.... Dana (and I, too, I suppose) have an embarrassing love of McDonald's. It's ridiculous. So, Uptown McDonald's at about midnight on Halloween weekend was quite the treat.

 

You guys may have seen me tweet this photo

 

 

With the accompanying text of "all the bitches be jealous."

 

there's that false confidence, rearing its ugly head again.. because I KNOW ya'll were jealous of my midnight munchies.

 

We swung by one last bar after that, and I decided I needed to sleep in my own bed. SO I called M, which he did say I should do, to see if he was awake. He was, so my friends hopped in a cab while I crossed the street to wait for him.

 

As I stumbled, strutted across Hennepin, I bit it. in the street. A stranger came to my aid to ask if I was ok. I hopped up, brushed it off, and assured him I was golden.

 

He insisted on waiting with me until my ride came (which he knew from the get go was my fiance, so, maybe there really are nice guys out there! M thinks otherwise, but whatevs).

 

He asked what I do, I told him I'm a lawyer, and this time we both laughed.

 

Clearly all lawyers spend their saturdays dressed as flappers drunk as a skunk, falling down in the street. SUPER mature, guys. I don't go out like this often, at all (as in, maybe once every 2-3 months) but when I do, I go for broke.

 

Sunday was spent in sweatpants. I woke up to a Bruegger's breakfast sandwich from M, a hangover, and chili in the crockpot. I clearly win the significant other game.

 

Hope all of your weekends were slightly more dignified. :P

 

-Kelly