The Life of Sarah PB&J

The Cardinal Rule of Public Transportation

2009-09-13T17:03:00.003-04:00

Well. There have been some changes recently. I'm no longer a grad student. I no longer live in Virginia. I no longer live by myself.

Let me explain: After three years of grad school, I have a framed diploma and am awaiting Bar exam results. As the result of said graduation, I left Virginia and moved to Pennsylvania to start a job (yippee for being employed!!!) Finally, as a graduation present, the Guy gave me Zeke: a very sweet Maltese-ish mix who had previously been abandoned outside a vet's office in northern New Jersey. Zeke and I have spend the last week or so settling into (both of our) new apartment and getting to know each other (and our trainer, Matt!).

Although I've been horrible about posting in the last two years, my new situation has led to many thoughts along the line of "I should blog about that..." And so, here I am.

Let me tell you how I broke the cardinal rule of Taking Public Transportation today.

The story: As a newbie in this city, I have come to realize that making some new friends would be good. Don't get me wrong, I've got a friend or two from Undergrad still here, but, it'd certainly be nice to meet a few more people... So, over the past three or four days, I've been on a quest.

This quest has taken me high and low: to the synagogue for services, to the dog park with Zeke (Matt the Trainer come help!), and most recently -- to Craigslist. I can see you, shaking your head in despair: "Sarah PB&J," you say, "You're too cool to be browsing the Craigslist ads looking for friends." But let me respond. See, there's this section called "Strictly Platonic." On it, I found my former running partner turned friend M. Plus, I figured, there must be other newly-graduated-and-relocated-people-like-myself on there. And low and behold, I found a post. A 25yo self proclaimed geek. Sounded similar. So we e-mail back and forth a bit and discover that we both just moved to this city from the same Virginian city - and even had a friend in common. Score! So we decided to rendez-vous for lunch.

Oh right - back to the story of how I broke that cardinal Rule.

She (let's call her E), lives in a suburb that has a really cool urban feel to it. I offered to take public transportation out to meet her there. Wearing my easily recognizable orange pants, I set out. Only I forgot one thing: to bring reading material. The train ride itself is only 15 minutes, so I didn't think twice about leaving the house with only my wallet, keys and cellphone. Oh, did I learn my lesson.

I took my seat and settled in for the ride. I didn't see an older man sit across the isle from me. "Hello" he says to me. I responded to this with a curt, "Hi." - as I really had no desire to engage in any sort of conversation on my peaceful mid-Sunday ride.

"I saw [the name of my graduate school] on the back of your t-shirt."

"Yep." (Still trying to avoid conversation)

"Did you go there?"

"Yep." (Thinking my curt responses, and the fact that I never looked directly at him, and turned to look out the window after each response would give an appropriate hint.)

"When did you graduate?"

"In May." (He clearly didn't get the message)

"Do you have a job up here? Or are you going to open your own place?"

"I have a job" (As I pray he doesn't as where. This guy could totally be a stalker... )

....

Anyway, as you can imagine, this went on and on. I never once asked him a question, or looked him in the eye. Thankfully, after 15 painful minutes, I arrived at my destination, met E, and proceeded to have a very lovely afternoon. On the return trip, I made sure to pick up a train schedule, so that at a minimum, I could focus on something should a creepy person decide to sit next to me...

Recap: always, always bring something to read if using public transportation.

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to be continued...

Going Under

2008-11-21T09:25:00.002-05:00

Sarah PB&J just learned that it is very possible that she will be getting surgery on her hamstring.

Sarah PB&J won't know for sure until December 9th.

Sarah PB&J thinks this could well ruin her trip to Rome.

Sarah PB&J is feeling a little light-headed and is going to try to sleep.

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to be continued...

VOTE

2008-11-04T07:36:00.001-05:00

Hello all friends!

Go, VOTE. And then tell your neighbors and your friends and your coworkers and your families and people you pass on the street!

It's all about the cool sticker...

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to be continued...

Out Vacuum Goddess

2008-10-28T15:28:00.002-04:00

There's a mysterious Vacuum Goddess in SPB&J's apartment.

My little apartment-sized vacuum has seen better days. At this point, I never even bother to take it out of the closet. Instead I typically borrow the Guy's.

In the past week or so, I had commented a few times about how much I really wanted to vacuum the apartment. But, ultimately, I was too lazy to do it.

Both the roommate and I were away this weekend. Although I haven't been back to the apartment to confirm this, apparently, a Vacuum Goddess visited while we were away. The place has been vacuumed!

There are are only a few people (other than the roommate and me) with keys to the apartment. As far as I know, none of them vacuumed my place...

I could be a little creeped out by this whole thing, but in fact, I'm quite excited.

Thank you Vacuum Goddess! You are well loved by Sarah PB&J and her roommate
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to be continued....

Laptops in Class?

2008-10-22T00:16:00.002-04:00

What follows is my 150 word tirade on laptops in class. Warning, it's didactic and smug.

In lecture classes: If you want to waste your time and tuition buying clothes off of Amazon or reading ESPN, be my guest.

In seminars: The whole point of these classes is to converse with one another and share ideas. If you're surfing, and not making meaningful contributions to the discussion, then all of your other classmates are loosing out.

BUT WHAT BOTHERS ME MOST:

If you are g-chatting/IMing, remember that other people can read your screen. Today, in class, the person next to me was chatting with someone else who was also in the same class. After anyone spoke, they commented about what they think about that person. Some of the things they said were quite nasty. I doubt they would want those words broadcast throughout the school. But, when you are sitting in class, it's very likely someone is reading over your shoulder. Your conversations are not private. Remember this, and don't badmouth others in public. Keep your criticisms of others to yourself. It's not nice, and it only reflects poorly on you.

My 2 cents. Pshew.

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to be continued...

Marathons for All!? and A List

2008-10-19T19:44:00.003-04:00

Two friends of mine completed marathons today! Sonja did a 26.6 miler in San Francisco. Chris did a 26.6-er in Columbus. You guys rock.

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After the failed attempt of 2006, I keep contemplating trying again. (In fact, Sonja and I discussed briefly doing today's Women's marathon together.) But anytime I start running any distance over 2 miles, my femurs yell at me.

At this point, nearly 2.5 years after the fractures, I start wondering if I'll ever be able to check that item off my "list to do before I die."

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But, I'm getting quite close to one goal: filling a passport (completely) with stamps and visas. I recently learned that my ABA gig will be sending me to Madrid and Lisbon in May. It means I'll miss graduation, but, I'll be 3 stamps closer to a full passport. Who could turn down that opportunity?

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I need to put some new items on my list. Any suggestions?

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to be continued...

Let's try this again

2008-10-15T10:47:00.002-04:00

Yeah, yeah. So I've been a bad blogger. The Life of Sarah PB&J has continued despite her notable absence from this blog.

Notable updates:

I'm down to a semester and a half of school.
I've got a job (in Philly) when I graduate.
I've been to Israel and back.
Green is my new favorite color.
I have a roommate, kind of

So, all in all, it's been a fairly good few months.

Now if I weren't perpetually upset with Chase and SunTrust. I hate banks...

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to be continued...

Sarah's Brain

2008-04-09T17:54:00.004-04:00

Sarah PB&J had her brain scanned today. See below.

The scan showed tons of healthy gray matter, but I'm still not on Law Review. This puzzles me.

(Don't worry, every thing's fine.)

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to be continued...

Inspiration for your bridesmaids

2008-04-06T18:07:00.006-04:00

I know a number of you are planning weddings (*cough*Katie, Becca, Jen, Kristen *cough*). But, even if you're not, you still might find this worthwhile. I can't decide which picture is the most hideous. There are probably only a handful of circumstances in which I would decline the honor of being a bridesmaid. Most of them are probably captured in that site.
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In other news, I'm back from California, and psyching myself up for one more month of this law school stuff.

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to be continued...

A Better Day

2008-02-19T12:46:00.003-05:00

I'm not usually a participant of "shop therapy." But when I was already having a bad day at 7:30am, I decided to go ahead and splurge on the new yoga mat that I have had my eye on for the past 6 months. There are no oil-based products in the mat and it's completely free of toxic materials, foaming agents and plasticizers. Not to mention they're really supportive and incredibly durable. Plus, it's super comfy. (I got to play around on a yoga friend's a few weeks ago.) I went for the green.

The moment I clicked "confirm order," my spirits lifted. They might sink again when I see my credit card bill this month (it wasn't particularly cheap - but my old one was almost worn into nonexistence), but I'll worry about that later. In the meantime, I can't wait for the mail to come!

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to be continued...

T-shirts and a Pint

2008-02-18T14:27:00.002-05:00

In the past 1.5 hours, I've accumulated a fantastic stash of free stuff: 2 t-shirts, lunch, and a pint of ice cream.

Go give blood at Ben & Jerry's until 6pm today. In exchange, they'll give you a free pint of ice cream, a t-shirt, and lunch.

Go sign the diversity pledge at the law school and snag yourself another free t-shirt.

Yippee!

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to be continued...

Sarah PB & J's Birthday 2008!

2008-01-08T12:34:00.000-05:00

Dear all Loved Ones:

What follows is a shameless plug.

My birthday is today, Jan 8th. I would like to enlist each of you (who are local) to help me celebrate.

Please join me tonight 8:30pm at my apartment for games (scrabble, rummikub, SET and any others that you bring), dessert and drinks (of both the alcoholic and non alcoholic type).

Who: you and any SOs/roommates/friends
What: celebration and merriment
When: Tuesday 8:30
Where: my place (cal or e-mail if you need directions)
Why: getting older is scary and Sarah doesn't want to do it by herself.

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to be continued...

Modern? Russia

2007-12-19T11:28:00.000-05:00

This blog does have a prohibition on political topics. But I'm going to classify this tidbit under the "Russia" category. And since Russia makes an appearance in the subject line of the blog. I deem this post acceptable.

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Courtesy of TIME.

Stalin's ghost appears to Putin in a dream, and Putin asks for him help running the country. Stalin says, "Round up and shoot all the democrats, and then paint the inside of the Kremlin blue." "Why blue?" Putin asks. "Ha!" says Stalin. "I knew you wouldn't ask me about the first part."

That's Putin for you.

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to be continued...

It really does happen!

2007-12-17T22:24:00.000-05:00

So all semester, TJ and his pals have been talking about how people get rejection/offer letters from firms they never applied to.

Today. I got one of my own.

Apparently PaulHastings got it into their head (or database) that I had sent them my resume. Nope. Nada. Didn't happen. Oops on their part. Guess they don't have the greatest infrastructure in the world.

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Anyway. I'm trying to learn how to be an ethical lawyer. All in one night. Professional Responsibility Exam tomorrow. 8:30am.

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to be continued...

Sarah PB&J's Semester Countdown*:

2007-12-12T08:25:00.000-05:00

Evidence Exam (done 12/8)
Employment Discrim Exam (done. date forgotten)
Prof. Responsibility Exam (done. 12/18)
Med Malpractice Paper

*hopefully this will explain my recent absence from this blog. But, look forward to a few ridiculous stories from Paris!

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to be continued...

Apartment Searching

2007-11-09T19:43:00.000-05:00

SarahPB&J and MT are walking through Philly and are haphazardly scoping out places to live.

SarahPB&J: See I couldn't live on this street. I wouldn't feel safe.
MT: Sarah, look, there's a Porsche. (points to brand new blue Porsche parked in front of row house)

*both break out in laughter*

I think I've settled on a high-rise. Damn that burglar.

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to be continued...

Want a pet bug? Buy Cornmeal.

2007-11-05T16:39:00.000-05:00

So I recently bought cornmeal with the hopes of making some cornbread-Preston-style. When I open the package, I find it swarming with little black bugs. Charming.

I called the manufacture, who apologizes profusely and promises to send me coupons (I've yet to decide if I've got the guts to try this company again...)

The letter arrived today. It reads, "The problem with bugs or worms can and does often occur after leaving our facility..." Key word: often. I think those coupons might end up in the recycle bin - unless any of you want them.

Holler and they're yours.

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to be continued...

Obama-rama (and Some Tim Kaine for Good Measure)

2007-10-30T23:25:00.001-04:00

I recognize this blog's prohibition on politics. So I'm just going to show you some photographs.

The stage is set...

The Governor of the Commonwealth, Tim Kaine got the crowd warmed up. His performance last night was significantly better than his last visit to Charlottesville.

The Main Event - Obama. Look how close we were!

Obama working the crowds and shaking my hand....

GO VOTE NEXT TUESDAY!

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to be continued...

Textbook Typos

2007-10-28T22:50:00.000-04:00

I feel slightly obligated to point this error out to my professor, since he, after all, is one of the authors of the casebook. But I thought I'd bring it to your attention first.

pg. 206, fn. 9:

"Nine [former Enron execs] pled guilty, including Enron's former Chief Financial Officer, Andrew Fastow, who faces up to 10 ears in prison."

That's gotta suck. Especially if you don't like corn on the cob.

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to be continued...

not the best product description

2007-10-27T13:28:00.000-04:00

I spent a lot of nights in hotel rooms this past semester. One of the perks of hotels are those little travel sized toiletries that you can scarf.

I went to open a new bar of soap, courtesy of the Four Seasons, Philadelphia. But, before doing so, I read the product description on the back:

"French Milled Pure Palm Oil Soap. Product of Thailand where skilled Craftsmen have painstakingly molded and milled this Soap...."

Reactions:

1. A French product. Made in Thailand? I'm not sure this is particularly consistent. Technically, Thailand was the only Southeast Asian country not to be colonized by Europe. I think we may need to broaden our definition of colonization.

2. 'Painstakingly molded" Brings to mind a sweatshop. And, unfortuantly, I bet those skilled Craftsmen weren't allowed to use this French Milled Pure Palm Oil Soap to clean the sweat off their brows either.

Maybe the soap company should reconsider its branding?
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to be continued...

ZZZZ Best Blog

2007-10-23T15:39:00.000-04:00

Usually the cases we read in Professional Responsibility are mergers gone sour, or crazy situations where the defendant's attorney hides the murder weapon in his desk drawer. But tomorrow's case is about a carpet cleaning firm called "ZZZZ Best."

They should definitely get points for creativity. And ho'w'd they decide on four Zs versus one or five?

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to be continued...

The Newest Addition to SPB&J's Apartment

2007-10-14T08:46:00.001-04:00

Interviewing season is over for me. Yippee!
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No more work will be getting done this semester. See below.

*by the way, this was not the piano mentioned in a previous post... $1800 I did not have, but isn't it lovely?
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to be continued...

Daily Question

2007-10-02T15:02:00.000-04:00

1. Am I nuts to spend $1800 on a piano?

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That is all.

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to be continued...

It's a Small World

2007-09-21T10:57:00.000-04:00

Interviewer: So I see you went to Swarthmore. A great place.
Sarah PB&J: Yep. It was a fantastic place to spend four years.
Interviewer: I have a family friend who went to Swarthmore. Come to think about it, he's probably about your age. He's now at [top law school].
Sarah PB&J: What's his name?
Interviewer: Smith. John Smith.*
Sarah PB&J: Fancy that. I know him.... We dated.
Interviewer: Wait. We've met before. You came with John to my son's wedding.

***awkward silence***

*name changed to protect the innocent.
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to be continued....

Round Two

2007-09-20T09:59:00.000-04:00

Round Two of On Grounds (Campus) Interviews started today. It brings with it a new set of conversations like the following:

Sarah PB&J speaking to fellow 2L in suit: "Who ya interviewing with today?"
2L in suit: "Osbourn and Something.... I should probably figure that out, shouldn't I?"

Ah the joys of interview season.

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to be continued...

Top 8 Unexpected Downsides...

2007-09-15T17:47:00.001-04:00

...from call back interviews

8. not having time to post to the blog/go to yoga

7. blisters on 20% of my feet

6. large dry-cleaning bill

5. being stuck in the Pittsburgh airport for 6 hours (see Unexpected Benefits #2)

4. always behind on schoolwork

3. spending 50% of my mental capacity remembering what city I'm in and what firm I'm interviewing with at the moment

2. figuring out what to order during a lunch interview that's vegetarian and doesn't involve cherry tomatoes or pasta *think spillage

1. wearing the same black suit for days on end

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to be continued...

Top 8 Unexpected Benefits...

2007-09-15T17:35:00.001-04:00

.... from call back interviews.

8. free miniature toiletries

7. loads of frequent flier miles on US Airways

6. visiting family/friends in Pittsburgh/Philly on someone else's dime

5. getting class notes from friends that are significantly better than I ever could have done (thanks Cathy, Meredith, Becky, and Kristin!)

4. hanging out (aka interviewing) with Swarthmore grads *these seriously are the best people to interview with. We spend all of our time talking about the profs/courses we took, Al Bloom's "ethical intelligence," and what's changed/stayed the same.

3. depressed grocery bills

2. a free round trip plane ticket good anywhere in the 48. *ah delayed/canceled/over booked flights...

1. job offers

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to be continued...

No, I'm not dead.

2007-08-31T17:30:00.000-04:00

Jessica came to C'ville yesterday for a 24hr. visit while she's on vacation from her new job in Russia. It was great to see her. We shared sat simultaneously entranced and befuddled Russia, Russians, and all things Russian. Oh for some good reminiscing...

Week 1/2 of classes are over (we only started Wednesday, so I can't quite say week 1). Classes are fun, but I don't think I'll ever go to them (a sign that interviews went well). I can't wait for next Tuesday - a round trip plane flight, two firms, 8 interviews, a lunch, and one skipped class between the hours of 6am and 10pm. It should be a fun day.

And finally, I heard from Henry's forever home. He's doing much better. He gives kisses and even whines and barks when their son's hamster is around. Jealous of a younger sibling, eh?

Other than that, not much going on - back to the daily grind.

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to be continued...

Interview Season

2007-08-20T16:35:00.000-04:00

1 3-piece Ann Taylor black suit (on incredible sale): $125
2 pairs nylons: $10
1 hair clip: $3
30 copies of resume and references: $6

my salary if I land a law firm job: $125,000

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to be continued...

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

2007-08-20T13:18:00.000-04:00

I have an announcement to make!

Brace yourselves - your world is about to shatter. My parents are voting for a Democrat in November! And, what's more - they're hosting a cocktail party at the house to woo more votes. They've never done that for a Republican before. I think they must be quite smitten.

For more information about this ground breaking candidate, (whose name happens to be Ralph Northam) click here.

Combine this with my father's recent purchase of a Prius and I'm in heaven. But for the record, I almost don't recognize my family!

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to be continued...

Mr. Potter Just Saved Me $10

2007-08-13T17:18:00.000-04:00

I have a t-shirt that makes reference to the Harry Potter series. The story of how I got the shirt is slightly long and convoluted and not particularly relevant to the story at hand so I will not dwell on it.

I also have a watch. The story of how i got the watch is similarly slightly long and convoluted and not particularly relevant to the story at hand, so I will not dwell on it either.

It is the interaction of the t-shirt and the watch that is the subject of this post. My watch had gotten a little too big for my wrist (or maybe my wrist had gotten a little too small for my watch?). I decided to take it down to the jewelry store in Barracks' Road to have a link taken out of it. I walk in the store and a woman greets me. "I need to have a link taken out of my watch," I say simply. "OK, I can do that for you. The charge is $10," she replies mechanically. The woman takes my watch and begins working on it. She quickly takes a link out, replaces the clasp and hands me back my watch to try on. She blatantly stares at my shirt (this is where the HP shirt comes in), reads it, and smiles. I ask her to make one further adjustment, she agrees. As she walks back to her repair station, she turns to me, "You know - I'm not going to charge you for this. It's on the house." A bit stunned, I reply, "well, thanks..."

As I take my finished watch from her, I look behind the counter again - and there it is: Harry Potter #7. Thank you Mr. Potter.

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On Grounds Interviews start up next week. I doubt that any employer will be able to find this blog. But if you are a firm doing some due diligence, welcome (and congrats for coming up with some effective search terms!).

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to be continued...

2007-07-22T18:43:00.000-04:00

4100 pages of Harry Potter.

Enough for one summer, I think.

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to be continued...

My Summer Job

2007-07-11T14:08:00.000-04:00

You know you're reading up on a dull topic when the author tries to spruce it up with

"Long ago, in a legal galaxy far away...."

Charles L. Knapp, Opting Out of Copping Out? An Argument for Strict Scrutiny of Individual Contracts

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sorry for the sparse posting recently. I'm having some motivational problems this summer.

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to be continued...

Coffee anyone?

2007-06-29T13:38:00.001-04:00

I'm flabbergasted. In Gloucester?

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Two Sara(h)s

2007-06-09T15:00:00.001-04:00

My brown pants have a competitor.

On my way back from yoga this morning, I saw a sign for a yard sale. As I was in no rush, I pulled over, chained my bike to a post and wander through the front yard of this house.

The five people manning the sale greet me enthusiastically and proudly show off what they've got for sale: a printer, some luggage, dinning room table and chairs, some clothes. I do a double take. There, on top of the pile of clothes, is a pair of worn grey-blue drawstring pants. I hold them up. they look like a perfect fit. Sitting in an adarondak chair behind the clothes is a woman, Sara, who says, "I loved those pants, but now, (pointing to her very pregenant stomach), they don't fit anymore... You should take them."

A fifty cent price tag. Sold I said. only - I didn't have my wallet. So I dig through the bottom of my bookbag looking for change. I come up with two dimes, five pennies, and 2 five-cent pieces from Grenada that Geoff had given me. I make my offer. All five of the chuckle, accept my offer, and I walk off with the pants. Sweet.

A good day indeed.

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Wedding 3 was last night. Sarah (www.soimarriedapriest.com) looked beautiful. What a happy bride. I'll post as soon as I get a chance.

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to be continued...

Frustration

2007-06-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

Never ever Ever EVER buy (or if you've already bought, expect anything) from Sprint. Their "customer service" is a joke. But I will get my $10 back, even if it requires 100 hours of work. Just on principle.

I'll spare you the details. But I'm fuming.

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In other news, I started work yesterday.

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to be continued... (hopefully the next post will be slightly more engaging.)

News from the Adventure

2007-05-20T08:04:00.001-04:00

I'm approaching the half way point of my East Coast Adventure and wanted to give my loyal readers an update.

1. In Orlando, I met Yoko. And now, I'm a little bit closer to dying.

2. In Melbourne I turned in my Federalism paper and officially completed my 1L year. I also learned that washcloths aren't really all that bad. Especially if you're trying to removed thick layers of sunscreen. Additionally, I spent some quality time with my Aunt and Uncle - cousins too.... (Picture also illustrative of sunscreen difficulties)

4. In West Palm Beach, Gwen and I met up on the street with all the hookers and drug dealers. Jeremy and Vanessa also got married.

6. At the West Palm Airport, I learned that departure times can change and that Orbitz has no obligation to inform you if it does.

7. In Newark Gwen and I arrived sleepily in the greatest state in the country (with props to Dave and Prof. Schragger) and drove to Morristown where we crashed in our hotel room.

8. At the Summerfield Suites, I learned that hotel rooms in NJ have conference tables and Aeron Chairs.

Expect additional updates as the adventure goes on.

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to be continued...

What a sad life

2007-05-11T12:12:00.000-04:00

After finishing my exam, I had that it's-been-too-long-since-you've-eaten-headache. I set out to get some food. Realizing I didn't have my wallet on me, I counted the change at the bottom of my bag. 12 cents. That wasn't going to get me very far.

I made a quick tour around the law school looking for free food, and surprisingly, found none. I didn't run into anyone I knew either. But I did see the Book-buy-back-man. I raced to my locker, pulled out the legal research and writing books (which haven't been cracked since Week 1 of law school) and handed them over. He said they were worth $3. Enough to buy a granola bar. Sold.

Ah, selling books to feed yourself. Better than selling you body, though. But still sad.

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to be continued...

bad timing

2007-05-10T18:56:00.000-04:00

My ipod arrived. I had just run home to grab some more tea (caffinee, yum) - and there it was, sitting - waiting for me. I opened it, admired it, and promply ran out of my house and back to the law school. If I were left to my devices at home, I would never finish preparing for my exam tomorrow morning.

But it'll be so tempting to play with tomorrow afternoon - when I should be working on my paper. Couldn't it have come Sunday, after all my work is finished? But I'm excited nonetheless.

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Going back to Kindergarten

2007-05-08T12:12:00.000-04:00

I've been struggling all morning with the "Dormant" Commerce Clause in preparation for my Con Law exam Friday. I was staring at the page for what seemed like an eternity. My inner voice was screaming (I'm in a no-talking study room, so I couldn't actually scream), "Why cant I make sense of this?" Then I realized my book was upside down.

It's been a long week.

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to be continued...

Best Typos

2007-05-07T11:19:00.001-04:00

...from my notes:

"Any affirmative action program stamps blacks as interior" [inferior]

"Employee not allowed to solicit business or participation so long as there is this agency relationship between him and Jew Courier." [Jet Courier]

"If [the covenant is] recorded on prior declaration or plat, most states hold that meets writing requirement – notice and food faith" [good faith]

"The judge says the finding doesn’t batter b/c they have to do with production not with commerce." [matter]

...from casebooks:*

*this really isn't a typo, I just am humored by it.

"[Upon being fired as a migrant worker], Unable to speak English and without funds to return to Puerto Rico, Vasquez sought the assistance of the Farmworkers Corporation, a federally funded non-proft corporation dedicated to the needs of farmworkers." Vasquez v. Glassboro Service Assocation.

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to be continued...

Sarkozy

2007-05-06T16:14:00.000-04:00

If we held our elections on a Sunday or declared election day a holiday (on par with July 4th or Thanksgiving where nearly everyone has off work), we might get 85% of registered voters to turn out.

Or maybe if we had a little less gerrymandering, some competitive elections, and a few decent candidates to vote for.

Just a thought.

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to be continued...

Sarah's Semester Countdown - Updated

2007-04-30T09:44:00.000-04:00

(I really did try to come up with a synonym for 'countdown' that began with an s. I'm all about alliteration.)

To Do:
Employment Law Exam (check 4/30)
Property Exam (check 5/4)
Constitutional Law Exam (check 5/11)
Federalism Paper

beginning the paper writing process

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to be continued...

Caring for the Environment

2007-04-28T15:33:00.000-04:00

From the Washington Post:

"[The Queen's] journey to the United States will be her fifth in 50 years - but it will be first in which the carbon dioxide released by the trip will be offset by a donation to an environmental organization, the palace said."

I wonder if the President's administration is carbon-neutral. Nevermind. I know the answer to that question.
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to be continued...

My List

2007-04-28T00:15:00.000-04:00

I got home from school today and noticed my cell phone blinking on the kitchen counter (I normally have it with me, but accidently left it at home today...) I listen to the message. It's Aunt Mary B.

"When you're in Flordia, do you want to swim with dolphins?"

Now. This may sound like an odd question to have on your voicemail on a random Friday afternoon. But oh how it made my day. You see. I have a list of things to do before I die.

I wrote it out at some point in middle or early high school. Keep a garden. Have a child. Write a thesis (check). Run a marathon (so close!). Fill a passport with stamps (close here too). Learn Greek. and - Swim with dolphins. (For the record, there are other things on the list too. This is just a sampling :))

So, if things go as planned, I'll be swimming with dolphins** in 2 weeks' time - it'll be my reward for finishing exams. Which brings me to my next point:

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Exams start Monday. It might be awhile until I post again. But keep checking back, I'll probably be making a strong attempt at effective procrastination.
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**I'm preempting my fellow Swattie's/other animal-friendly friends' comments that swimming with captive dolphins is usually bad for the dolphins and not often a good experience for humans and that I'd be contributing to an industry that some should say shouldn't exist at all. I'm not really going to defend this irrational desire of mine - or tell you that it's good. But just that I realize the debate exists and that I've decided to ignore it for the 15 minutes I'm in the water with the animal(s) and the probably-quite-large-sum-I'll-be-handing-over-for-the-privlege-of-doing-so.
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to be continued...

Mr. Henry Higgins

2007-04-22T17:12:00.001-04:00

Adopt Henry!

Henry, a 4 year old, formally abused hound mix has been staying with me for the past two months as a foster dog from the SPCA. But now it's time to find him a "forever home"! Because he doesn't live in the shelter, he doesn't get much visibility - so Henry asked me to post to the blog and advertise for him.

Henry loves curling up on the couch and on his dog bed. He's a very peaceful dog. He is house-trained (and can go nearly 24 hours w/o needing to be taken out - so he won't keep your from partying/staying out late, etc.), doesn't chew, bark (at all!), or beg for food.... Henry's very comfortable living in a small apartment, but he loves going to the dog park and playing with other dogs. In short, Henry''s an all around great guy.

He was abused, and, as it typical of abused dogs, is quite shy, especially when meeting new people. But over the past two months, he has really warmed up to me - and to my friends that he sees often. He's still rather scared of men - but this is improving too. But if you have small children or cats, it wouldn't be an ideal situation for him.

If you, or someone you know is interested, come stop by and meet him and take him home with you! My e-mail is spbryan at gmail dot com.
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to be continued...

Good Reads

2007-04-21T15:51:00.000-04:00

Even though exams are only one week away, I've been spending my afternoon creating my summer reading list. Productivity at its finest.
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to be continued...

Quaker Matchbox?

2007-04-18T16:45:00.000-04:00

Swarthmore's Alumni Council elections are now open. I logged on to the website to vote, but then got distracted by minutes of past Alumni Council meetings. I stumbeled across this paragraph from last Fall's meeting:

"Proposal for a Swarthmore Internet Dating Service
Bill Belanger ’66 and Nate Stazewski of the Alumni Office gave detailed presentations on this proposal. Bill showed how one area of the College’s Web site could be adapted for this purpose, while Nate explained the difficulties of using the Swarthmore Web site, both in its present state and in its next format. Discussion ensued, and the sense of the group was that the College Web site should be used to foster all types of contacts/relationships among alumni, not simply romantic ones. Nate’s presentation of “Facebook.com” made that service seem highly promising as a vehicle for a Swarthmore-based dating service and worth exploring in greater detail at our next meeting, along with other issues raised by this proposal."

People are quite attached to this Quaker Matchbox thing. If four years wasn't enough time to find a spouse, go to www.marryaswattie.com and find a partner there.

(The Spring '06 minutes report that the AC decided not to adovocate a Swarthmore Dating Serivce...)
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on that note, I've got this ceramic Christmas-tree-ornament-like doll hanging from my closet door. Across the skirt (pink, of course), it reads, "I think therefore I'm single." Do I need to take that down now that I'm dating someone? Does the Alumni Council care that he's not a Swattie?

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to be continued...

Don't Procrastinate

2007-04-16T07:28:00.000-04:00

Don't Procrastinate. The Gods will Spite You.
I spent most of the weekend not doing work. Though I had set out to write my Federalism paper and actually learn something about covenants - by Sunday night I hadn't even cracked a book. Yes I had somewhat decent excuses, but the fact remained - no work had been done. No problem I say to myself. I'll just make some tea, and stay up for the majority of the night. So I crack my laptop and get working. Then the power goes out. Great. (For those of you not in the Charlottesville/east coast area - there was a whopping storm here yesterday. Trees are down everywhere... Inches of rain. Flooding. Disaster. you get the idea.) I decide to use my battery until it runs out and then figure I'll walk up to school. The doors to school are locked (I've tried six or seven times to get my ID card cleared to open the doors after hours - but can't seem to get it to work. ah technology). Back home I go. To bed I go. Work? Still not done. Boo. Serves me right.

Don't Procrastinate. The Landlord will Spite You.
April 1st. Al's Birthday. April Fool's Day. Day My Rent Check is Due. I remembered the first. For the second, I laughed at Google's Spoof. I forgot the third. Flat out forgot. It was the 4th before I remembered. Ironically, I also spoke with my landlord on the telephone that day - apologized and promised that my check would be in the mail that day. But then I procrastinated. It was the 7th before it left my apartment. This past Saturday, I get a little notice in the mail: late fee. due. pay up. Boo. Serves me right.

Don't Procrastinate. The Bike will Spite You.
My bike (a beautiful Trek 7100 :)) has needed a spring tune up. The gears are a bit dry and hard to shift, the seat loose (even before we tried to lower it, Dave), and the tires low. I procrastinated. Saturday morning, after I carried the bike down the stairs, and had put my helmet on, I noticed my rear tire was flat. Yuck. Gotta take it to the bike shop. Should have done that earlier. You got it: Boo. Serves me right.

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to be continued...

suicide

2007-04-13T17:47:00.000-04:00

Lawyer Jumps to Death From Empire State Building. 30 years old.

I thought about writing how big firms suck. But that would be racing to conclusions about this guy's life.

I thought about writing how lawyers are more prone to commit suicide/become alcoholics. But that just seems so obvious.

I thought about writing how I hope not to be in a position like that and how I would try to be smarter/more composed/resourceful. But that screams superiority.

But it sucks. I'll leave intelligent commentary to Fletcher Reede or TJ.

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to be continued...

my brown pants

2007-04-10T22:29:00.000-04:00

I have this pair of brown pants. They are ankle length with a small drawstring around the waist. The pants are soft-well worn cotton with small white diamonds.

They are the perfect pants. For lying around the house. For sleeping. For dance (I actually acquired them as part of a costume for a piece I was in senior spring). For yoga. For studying.

I probably wear them about 50 hours a week - if not more. They've been with me to Bermuda. To Russia. To DC, VA, PA, DE, and CT.

But they're beginning to become a bit holey. (they were already holy... sorry - that pun was too tempting.) The fabric is just wearing too thin. The first hole came about six months ago, when I was wearing them on my bike. A bit around the hem got caught on the chain and a small hole was created. I was slightly sad, but no biggie. Then, over winter break, a bit of the inseam started wearing thin and turned into a hole. I could go on a bit more. As of this morning, there were several holes here and there - some larger than others, some that liked to spread in I used just the right amount of tension in just the right place. I avoided doing that.

Then I wore them this evening to yoga. We were doing Karandavasana (ok, some of the more advanced students were doing it.... I was working my way into the asana) and I heard a rip. Right across my right knee. A huge slit. So sad.

I think the pants need to be go into retirement. Maybe I can still wear them around the house now and then, but if I don't preserve them, one of these days, there will be more holes than fabric. And that would be sad.

How I loved those pants. It's the end of an era.

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to be continued...

my favorite women in the world

2007-04-09T08:13:00.000-04:00

Ms. Parker: Hugh IV brought Ms. Parker's white-chocolate peanut butter eggs back to C'ville today. They are safely tucked away - but on Tuesday - yum. I can't wait.

Mommy: an Aunt Jemimia Puddle Duck bowl? Sweet. Yes, even as a twenty-something, I have a weakness for Peter Rabbit. Oh yeah - and a tea strainier, which I had been secretely wanting for ages. Mind-reader.

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Also, God: See supra, paragraph 2.

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to be continued...

Google Reader

2007-04-08T19:30:00.000-04:00

I just discovered Google Reader. There went an hour of my life.

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Has anyone ever studied/read/written about how early trails/roads were formed? After Lewis and Clark. And "slave labor" isn't the answer I'm looking for. seriously - How did people, riding horses get from Richmond to Charlottesville in TJ's time? Who "took charge" of clearing the space for a flimsy trail. Were the sign posts? How did people know the way over such distance? If you know - tell me. If you have extra time on your hands --- find out - and I'll give you a special prize.

I think I'm procrastinating.

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Happy Easter to all celebrating.

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to be continued...

my future ipod

2007-04-06T08:55:00.000-04:00

I am 800 Westlaw points away from that free ipod. So close. So close.

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I just read a professor's paper for a student-faculty roundtable. The author kept italicizing all these random words. I found this very annoying.

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to be continued...

Softball & Daffodils

2007-04-05T15:24:00.000-04:00

This has been a softball filled week. And it has been splendid.

A game with the women yesterday. VELF today. Section D and Tax Journal tomorrow. A total of five games in three days. Doing my reading for class isn't actually that important, right?

Plus I'm racking up the battle wounds. Got a line drive to my quad today. A spectacularly black bruise now marks my left leg. The pitching mound isn't far enough away for my slow reflexes. But, it's character building.

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The Daffodil Festival is this Saturday - I'll miss it again - for the umpteenth consecutive year. But it's always fabulous. County fairs at their finest. I hope that Gloucester still has some flowers in bloom. Most of the blooms here have passed their peak. But I did see a tulip this morning.....

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to be continued...

Oh Christmas Tree....

2007-04-03T10:22:00.000-04:00

At 7:45 this morning the dump truck came and emptied the garbage container outside the back of my apartment. In addition to taking my trash from the past week, it took a Christmas tree.

Yes. A Christmas tree.

When I took my trash out yesterday afternoon - there it was, in the dumpster. brown and dried - a frasier fur. 4 months old.

Granted I was doing some spring cleaning. But a Christmas tree? Wow. Talk about procrastination. Or maybe they just really love Christmas. A lot.

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to be continued...

Silly Texas

2007-03-30T09:53:00.000-04:00

Justice Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States, speaking to the Texas Legislature: your law is "uncommonly silly."

Ouch. That's gotta be incredibly embarrasing.

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Rejections of the week: 3.

By the end of the day: 4.

I'm getting used to this feeling. It even becoming humourous.

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to be continued...

Admitted Students' Weekend - year 2

2007-03-30T08:32:00.000-04:00

Last year, I skipped work to come down to UVA's admitted students' weekend. Because I hated my job and hadn't come up with anything else better to do, I had already decided (albeit half-heartily) to enroll at Virginia in the fall. (In fact, I signed the lease for my apartment that weekend...) The program was full of mock classes, student panels, welcomes from this person and that, and to get a true taste of UVA, beer and softball. The one notably absent thing: vegetarian food.

The school catered all of our meals. The welcome dinner was a BBQ - pulled pork, chicken, baked beans (with bacon), cole slaw and chocolate chip cookies. Cole slaw for dinner. yum. Lunch the next day: boxed lunches with no vegetarian option. At this point, I approached who I think was the dean of students and politely asked, "is there a vegetarian option?" His face fell. Whoops. The final dinner wasn't any better - there was a section potluck. On the menu: fried chicken and hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill. There might have been some Tostitos lying around. But you get the picture. (Lucky for me, another admit vegetarian student, Bryn, had brought veggie burgers - not my favorite of foods, but at this point I was HUNGRY. Thank you Bryn.)

The feedback form? - "Vegetarian food please"

Which brings me to this year. I'm not hosting a student or otherwise involved with the program. However, when they had breakfast all layed out in Scott Commons this morning, I did feel free to help myself to a bowl of granola with strawberries. I figure they didn't feed me last year. Virginia owes me some food.

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to be continued...

Happy Birthday! (not to me)

2007-03-29T07:20:00.000-04:00

First, before I forget (I'm horrible with date-related things): Happy Birthday to my little bro! Well he's not quite so little, towering over me - and now 19 years old. Gasp. I had this "great" idea to get a group of my friends together, dress up as clowns and go wake him up at 7 am with balloon animals and squeeking horns. But someone wiser than me convinced me that might not be the best birthday present. I tried suggesting that the clowns bring a cake, but that didn't seem to redeem the idea either.

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Last night, instead of doing the huge property assignment, I went to bed. Since spring break, this has been all too frequent of an occurrence. I'm not quite at the stage where I'm not doing the work; I did wake up to read it this morning. But, any motivation to read my casebooks closely has flown out the window.

I don't think I'm alone here. To get my property done, I had to get school this morning around 6am. Earlier in the semester, there would already be at least 3 or 4 other people in the reading room at that time. But today - I was the first. The next guy didn't show up for another hour and ten minutes. Though I recognize the flaws in my logic, I'm going to attribute that to the fact that the entire school has lost interest in doing anything law related.

I'm hoping to get myself out of this rut before I need to start studying/preparing for exams (read: this weekend).

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to be continued...

the joys of terry cloth bath robes

2007-03-24T17:57:00.000-04:00

After I got out of the shower this morning (more accurately: midday), there was a lot I wanted to do. Sit with the Post and a cup tea, unload the dishwasher, call Christine and Jeremy about getting together this afternoon, and just generally relax. What I didn't want to do: get dressed. I think this desire to abstain from clothing was my way of easing into the day. In putting clothes on, I would be committing to what I was doing for the day. Shorts and a t-shirt to lounge around in. A spring skirt to go to Ash Lawn, or jeans to sit in Barnes & Noble. (I have this irrational thing about not changing clothes in the middle of the day...) That all said, I really didn't want to prance around my apartment naked. It might scare Henry (and my neighbors :)).

What I needed: a terry cloth bath robe to wrap myself in. Soft and plushy. Clean and white. It would have been the perfect garmet to spend the early afternoon in.

I eventually threw on a cotton dress (versital choice - good for hanging out at Christine's, board games at Clare's, and Jason's party tonight) and went about my day.

At the dog park this evening though, this huge St. Benard named Hogan decided it would be a good idea to drool all over my legs. So back in the shower I went. Upon exiting,for the second time today, my mind immediatly turned to that terry cloth bath robe and how fabulously comfortbale it would be.

My mom has two "guest" bathrobes in the spare room of the new house. She might want to keep close tabs on them when I go home next time...

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to be continued...

Kitchen Woes

2007-03-22T20:52:00.000-04:00

My kitchen almost always has the same types of food in it. There are those ever enduring staples that I keep around the house: 2-3 boxes of cereal on top of the fridge, applesauce, peanut putter, milk, jam, and honey inside (along with a random assortment of spices/sauces on the door). The cabinets are filled with tea, extra jars of peanut butter, lots of pasta and Lenny Labrioli's marinara sauce.

Notably absent: sweets, alcohol (aside from the wine on the rack), sodas and meat.

But at this very moment, my life has gone upside down.

I'm out of milk, applesauce, jam, and yes peanut butter. This last absence has been driving me crazy. It's been almost a week that I've been out of it. I went to make lunch today - I had no idea what to eat. No peanut butter? My body revolted. But, taking the PB's place in the fridge is a huge amount of beer, cider, soda and juices. I also just made a trip to the ABC store - to the 24 cans of beer (left over from the party two weekends ago), I can now add vodka, gin, and rum.

There are also more sugary foods in my house now that ever were in Willy Wonka's factory (though none of them are chocolate). Adopted apple pie, ice cream (that I bought for Geoff) and wedding cake cookies from Cathy's shower - just as starters. It's ridiculous. But oh so good :)

Plus, yes, there's "meat" in the house. It was only after Henry moved in that I realized that dogs really can't be vegetarian. Or if they could, I'm not willing to specially order the food, especially when the SPCA gives me free food. So I've got 10 lbs of dog food, plus some "marrow treats" --- I don't even want to hear how they make them.

Bottom line, it's been a fun experiment, but the proper balance of the kitchen must be restored. Plus I'm going insane without peanut butter. Chances are, there will be an emergency run to the store this evening....

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in other news, Henry's dog tag came in the mail today. He's been prancing around the living room all evening. I think he's proud of the brass disc hanging from his neck. Or else he's just relieved that all of the visitors have gone (over the past 48 hours he's met 4 of my friends -- and been frightened of each one of them...).

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to be continued...

The Mikes in my life

2007-03-20T12:40:00.000-04:00

I missed con law last Friday. (Dad: I had a decent excuse. really.) This means that I didn't get today's reading.

Last night, a section mate sends around an e-mail to a few of us with a request for the reading assignment. But, clearly, I'm of no help. I shoot her an email: Can you forward the assignment to me once someone sends it to you?

It's 11am today. Class is in 2.5 hours. Still no word on the assignment. Low and behold, I notice that one of my section mates, Mike is on-line. G-mail chat becomes the savior of the day. "Hey Mike," I write, "what's the con law reading for today?" A few minutes go by. "uh Sarah," writes Mike, "I have no idea what your con law reading is for the day. Why would I know?"

I check the name. This was Mike-from-Swarthmore I was writing to, not Mike-my-section-mate. Great job Sarah. I let Mike-from-Swarthmore off the hook for not knowing my conlaw assignment. And take off in search of someone who might know.

I strike up a chat with the right Mike, Mike-my-section-mate. "Hey Mike, what's the con law reading for today?" "No idea" he replies. Instantly, I'm calmed by the fact that it's not 2 hours before class and there's someone else who has no idea what the reading is. But this serenity doesn't last too long. I really can't wait much longer for the assignment. So I decide to send an e-mail to the entire section.

"Hey section, what's the con law reading for today?" Thankfully three section mates respond with the reading. Being the good section mate, I forward the assignment on to the woman who had e-mailed me last night and Mike.

Not two minutes later I get an e-mail from another-law-student-Mike asking, "Sarah, why did you send me your con law reading for today?" I had sent the assignment to the wrong Mike.

Parents should come up with more unique names.

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to be continued...

Chilling with the Masters

2007-03-20T08:16:00.000-04:00

As I was listening to NPR yesterday on the way to buy Henry's new bed (I'm attempting to reclaim my couch from doggie world), I heard the host of the show advertise their annual fundraising drive. For a $65 gift, the station will give you a CD, "Chillin with Beethoven." Wow. Beethoven's probably laughing right now. Beethoven had serious social difficulties - cloistered himself, fought with his family. Though recognized as a genius, he was socially awkward and perceived as odd. To think that people are now choosing (in fact paying $65) to "chill" with him is kind of funny.

A quick google search also led me to this . Bach for Barbecue: Grillin' and Chillin' with Johann Sebastian. Marketing. oh marketing.

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Also, I REALLY want to write about this. But the prohibition against writing about politics in this blog prevents me. (See Day 1)(How's that for censorship?) Catch me in person, and we'll talk.

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to be continued...

Abstracts

2007-03-18T15:40:00.000-04:00

Over the past week, I'd started 3 different posts. But gave up on each of them. But here's a quick summary:

Post 1: I had the pleasure of writing 4 personal statements this weekend. Joy of joys. You'd think after writing upwards of 50 statements over the course of my life, I'd be able to reuse one once in awhile? Hasn't happened.

Post 2: Henry has taken over my couch. But he wooed the hearts of some people at the dog park today. Maybe he'll find a permanent home. He also got a bath today. Smells much better.

Post 3: My apartment was turned into Willy Wonka's Factory this weekend (minus the chocolate). Cathy's bridal shower was Saturday - There were lots of wedding cake shaped cookies and some cheesecake too.

______________________

I had my first visitor from Kuwait today :)

______________________

thoroughly cleaning my apartment this afternoon. Pulling out that Swiffer Hugh gave me for my b-day... It needs it, but I secretly know I'm also procrastinating on my seminar reading.

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to be continued...

Libel Show

2007-03-13T11:07:00.000-04:00

Tickets for the Libel Show (the annual mockery of the law school/professors in musical format) went on sale today. The line was ridiculously long, and tickets sell out, some shows on the first day of sales. Additionally, they assign seats, so you have to buy tickets with the people you want to go with so that you can sit together.

I can only go Wednesday, because I'll be out of town for the other shows. So I work my way through the line keeping my eye out for Wednesday people who I would enjoy sitting with. I find Emily, and we stand in line together. I don't have money on me, so we arrainge this scheme where she'll get my ticket for me, and I'll pay her back. (Not really a scheme, per se. But scheme's a much better word than plan.) We get closer to the top of the line.

The conversation turns to ushers - and how if the ushers were good there wouldn't need to be this seat assigning, and people wouldn't have to buy tickets together. The whole process would be simpler.

Then it hit me.

Last week, I had signed up to be an usher. for Wednesday.

I was standing in line for a ticket I already had.

Stupid Sarah.

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to be continued...

weekend entertainment

2007-03-12T07:59:00.000-04:00

So I haven't been so good at posting recently. I'll blame it on Geoff. He's been down here since Friday and will leave at some point this afternoon. He doesn't believe in blogging - so he hasn't really allowed me much time to post. But this also means that he'll never read this. Oh the things I could say.... But in his defense, we've been quite busy ski-boarding (I skied; he snowboarded --- this is the hybrid word we coined), visiting Transient Crafters (:)), partying, sightseeing (we even popped into the Bayly), and of course enjoying some fine food (from Mono Loco, to Bodo's (with dad, who was in town, and the bro) --- and cake. yum. lemon bundt cake. Though Geoff never tried it. I savored it :)) Good weekend.

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Have a fairly full week in front of me. All those things I said I was going to get done over break? Yeah. Didn't happen. No biggie.

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off to class...

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to be continued...

Journal Tryout: Day 3

2007-03-06T13:25:00.000-05:00

Done. Over. Complete. Ended. Finalized.

I can't decide if I want to read a trashy magazine, sleep in the sun, or take a bike ride.

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to be continued...

Journal Tryout: Day 2

2007-03-05T14:35:00.000-05:00

Add to yesterday's tally:

1 (maybe 2) - parking ticket(s)
4 - wasted hours on blogs
0 - trips to yoga or the gym (I'm going insane.... and will be heading there at 7pm today)
[censored] - pages of writing
12 - times I've wished this was all over
24 - hours to go.

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to be continued...

Journal Tryout: Day 1

2007-03-04T20:24:00.000-05:00

The confidentiality requirement for the journal tryout is fairly steep. "You should not even comment that the Tryout is "hard," "stupid," "time-consuming," "fun," etc." (p. 3). To avoid an honor code violation, I'll refrain from making any such statements.

Instead, here are some entirely unrelated statistics about the first 24 hours:

2 - times I've brushed my teeth
1 - bowl of cereal (with milk)
2 - liters of water (including 4 mugs of hot tea)
21 - Post-it flags (I can't tell you what they're marking)
1 - borrowed highlighter (I can't tell you want I highlighted)
1 - spot at a table in the Caplin Reading Room and
1 - ridiculous dream about Scalia, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and tri-cycles.

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to be continued....

The World is Doomed

2007-03-02T13:23:00.000-05:00

When the Swiss start invading other countries, you know the world's about to come to an end.

I wish the Daily Show was on tonight. They'd have a good time with this one.

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to be continued...

Phonathon

2007-03-01T20:29:00.000-05:00

I've spent six hours of the past two days calling alums on behalf of the law school for the annual giving campaign. They enticed me with $60 and some free food. All in all - it was good times. There were the cranky alums, the alums who wanted to know all of my 1L professors, the string of around ten alums all were on medical leave/just had a surgery/on maternity leave/in the hospital for a general ailment/just had a tooth pulled and can't speak on the telephone, and the alum who berated me about how the school isn't making lawyers who want to stay in the state and how it's absconding its responsibility as a state school. I wanted to remind him that the law school gets no funding from the state, and that in-state kids only get a courtesy discount - so shut up. But thought better of it.

The highlight of the phonathon came towards the end though. I was diligently making my calls when my own phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but I picked it up anyway. "Hello, my name is [____]. I'm calling on behalf of Sprint - together with Nextel, to offer you information about a new service we're providing." Because I myself was in the phonathon business, I decided to hear her out. She continued, "I wanted to let you know that this _________ will not count towards your ________ minutes. _______ free call." She continues on for a few seconds. I hear only every 3rd word.

As I sit there, I'm thinking that this isn't particularly good advertising for my blessed phone company. They are calling me on Sprint phones. And I had 3 bars. Yet I still couldn't make out what she was saying. Still slightly sympathetic, I thanked her for her time, told her I wasn't interested, and wished her a good day.

Sprint better offer me a good incentive to renew my contract this May.

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Spring Break. Now. Writing papers. Oh well.

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to be continued....

Employment Law Haiku

2007-02-28T09:09:00.000-05:00

an exam today
my brain is quite distracted
will blog tomorrow

A Quick Prayer

2007-02-25T08:41:00.000-05:00

Dear God,

Yesterday was a beautiful day. The sun was out; there wasn't a cloud in sight. CB and I walked around the lawn and the rotunda with out any coats on. We marveled at the opportunity to do so. Then I woke up today to see almond-sized snow flakes falling from the sky. They've covered everything in a soft layer of white. The snow is perfect for snowman making - and, I might, after I finish studying for my midterm --- (which if you've got any say in it, can you make it easy? :)), go outside to build a snowman in front of the law school.

But God, I kind of wanted to remind you that seasons generally change gradually. In the past, you've grouped all the snow together, then after that was over, spring time came. I mean changing it up a bit is fine - it must get really boring doing the same thing year after year. But, I just want to make sure that the flowers have enough time to adapt and the like. Plus, we humans are a little confused by all of this.

Everything else is going well though. Thanks :)

Love,
Sarah PB&J

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update - 10:08 PM: I think God reads my blog. About two hours after I posted this, the snow turned to rain. And it got a tad warmer. Fancy that.

to be continued....

Coupon Mania

2007-02-24T10:22:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl, I remember spreading out across the hallway, cutting coupons out of the newspaper with mom. We both had a pair of sissors and would flip through the glossy advertisements deciding what products we might use, and cutting out the coupons. We'd put them in an envelope, pick up the appropriate item (before the expiration date of course), and proudly put the stack of coupons on the conveyer belt at the grocery store. At some point this practice ended in my family (It either had something to do the fact that the local paper was hideously sensationalist and my father decided it was no longer worth paying for or my mom realizing that her time was more valuably spent seeing patient than cutting out 25 cent coupons from the paper.) I didn't really take note of this, and by no means was the end of my coupon cutting in my family a psychological hardship on me. I'm not sure I even noticed when we stopped.

In college, I had no newspaper - and I wasn't grocery shopping with any regularity (I think the only times I went down to the co-op was to buy seminar break food or Thanksgiving Dinner supplies...) Coupon cutting wasn't really on my radar.

In DC, I was all about Giant's weekly specials, and when given the choice, always got their deals. But again, no newspaper, no coupons, didn't even cross my mind.

But oh has my life changed. Three weeks ago, I got an e-mail from United Air (now, how you ask will this connect to this coupon tale I'm recounting? just be patient...) They told me that if I didn't accumulate or spend my 16,000 miles within the next month. I had no intention of flying in the near future, but also was dangerously close to getting a free flight (20K miles) - no way was I going to loose my miles. So, I needed to spend some. The cheapest item on the list of qualified purchases was a 10 week subscription to the Washington Post, delivered to my doorstep daily. Great - sounds good. (There's nothing like drinking a cup of tea and reading the Post in the morning before school.) So my subscription starts.

Then Sunday rolls around. You guess it: coupons. I was like, "woah! Coupons! They still print these?" And proceeded to flip through and cut some out. $1 off of Tazo tea, $.40 off of 2 cans of Campbell's soup, $1 off of toilet paper. I was in heaven. I've redeemed a fair number of them. But the best game is holding on to the coupon until the grocery store has a sale on the item. That way, you get the store's discount, and the coupon. I got a bottle of Garnier Fructis shampoo (large size) with a free conditioner for $1.25. Sweet. But you gotta watch the expiration dates :)

As I was mulling over writing this post over dinner last night (at Revolutionary Soup before ice skating with friends), in walks BK and Liz. And what do they have in their hands? A coupon for buy one get one free ice skating. I was in nirvana. It is true. (The two of them had coupons for Soup too.... fancy that...)

So in sum, coupons rock. And I can't wait to get tomorrow's paper....

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to be continued....

Trivial Frustrations

2007-02-21T21:39:00.000-05:00

Today a group of semi-Russian speakers gathered in the courtyard (with no coats on!) for a 45 minute damn-our-russian-is-getting-rusty conversation group. I tried to say simple things like, "What is your favorite class?" but it came out like "blobedy gook?" Cases all mixed up, the vocabulary of a five month old (do five month olds talk?). It was depressing. What happened to my "beautiful" Russian I had only six months ago? When I could communicate with relative ease?

I've also concluded that my brain only has room for two languages at a time. When I went to Russia, I entirely forgot my French. (I tried to translate between French and Russian for a Quebecois women in Moscow - I could put the French into Russian, but couldn't make a sentence in French to save my life...). Now that I'm back, my French has picked up. I could speak all day long. But my Russian. That's another story. Do I ever have the pleasure of being (semi-)trilingual?

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my landlord's asking if I want to renew my lease again for next year. It's February! The lease doesn't end until July. What's up with that? I'd protest, except then she'd kick me out. Still haven't heard from back from her about permission to adopt a dog... Recently, I've been taking way to many study breaks to look at the dogs on the local SPCA website.

And my rent's going up $20. Boo.

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to be continued....

Sarah PB&J's Tips for Life #245 & #246

2007-02-19T13:38:00.000-05:00

245. Don't pour boiling water on your hand.

246. Don't get sick.

welcome to my day.

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to be continued...

Oh Barristers'

2007-02-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

So I tried to come up with a Barristers' themed "Oh Christmas Tree" in honor of last evening (Just imagine, "Oh Barristers', oh Barristers''...") But I couldn't get any further than that. So I abandoned my poetic pursuits and decided to go for prose instead.

In brief:

Who: law school peeps
What: Law School Prom (aka Barristers' Ball)
When: last night
Where: Omni Hotel (no surprise there... looked kind of like PILA)
Why: reasons varied from "open bar" to "the chance to rewear my hs prom dress/bridesmaid dress/go shopping for a new dress" to "my wife's making me" to "the need to see and be seen"

Photos:

Pretty women in pretty dresses...

SPB&J and CN. Note lighted snowflakes.

AEK and SWC...

SW and John

Oratory 101

2007-02-17T19:31:00.000-05:00

The Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Tim Kaine, gave the keynote address today at the Conference for Public Service and the Law. This is my first encounter with him. I was up in DC when he was elected, and honestly didn't follow the campaign too closely (although I did vote --- I guess that made me a semi-uninformed voter?). So I was kind of curious what he was going to say.

I was surprised at how uninspiring the speech was. Not only did he proceed to state the obvious ("pick a community that you want to work for," "you can have a 'serial' career" (do more than one type of work in your lifetime), and "be prepared to make less money") but the speech was saturated with mistakes. Subjects that didn't agree with verbs, odd constructions (which aren't grammatical mistakes per se - but make the speech tough to listen to), and a fair number of malapropisms to boot. How did he get people to listen to him on the campaign trail?

But, I am reminded of the promise I made in the beginning, and will end this nonsense political speak right now.

The rest of the conference was engaging. A panel on criminal defense and prosecution, race and immigration law, and retirement benefits. All in all it was a good afternoon.
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to be continued...

Money Speaks

2007-02-15T11:57:00.000-05:00

From the Dean for Student Affairs:

"[Law School Prom is this weekend. She is reminding us how to behave ourselves in public] Also remember that a taxi is the prudent choice if you have had too much to drink-- and is ultimately far less costly than a DUI, which can have professional as well as safety and financial implications."

Her reasoning for a preference towards cabs in order: prudence, it's cheaper, the Bar will let you in, it's safer, it's cheaper.

Not only did money make in on the list twice, but safety (the most widely recognized reason for not driving drunk), is fourth on the list. I guess when you're addressing future lawyers, it's all about the money.

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to be continued...

Lawyers do good? work

2007-02-13T20:52:00.000-05:00

So Uncle David sent me a Mardi Gras tattoo. It's shiny and sparkely. I smiled. It also made me think of my tattoo wearing friend (Bryn - we'll have to coordinate Mardi Gras tattoos ....).

I turn the package over to read the back side. They offer three warnings, one of which is:

"It is recommended [that you] do not apply jeweled tattoo onto the eyeball."

SERIOUSLY? The eyeball? Only if there were no brain behind the eyeball would someone ever attempt that. Crazy warnings like this one have to be the work of a lawyer.

I can't wait until I'm qualified to write such insightful things...

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to be continued.....

No More Snow Days

2007-02-13T08:21:00.000-05:00

The era of snow days is ending. And I don't just mean for post-secondary school students.

In class yesterday, my professor announced, "if there's too much snow on the ground Wednesday, and I can't get to school, I will post the lecture, on-line. So be prepared to log into the course website and listen in." No day off for us. At least he won't be able to cold call. Ah technology.

But, it's only a matter of years (when every household has a computer and reliable internet access) before second-grade students are inside learning how to multiply instead of outside building snowmen. What a sad world that will be.

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to be continued....

Loaves and Fishes

2007-02-11T14:29:00.000-05:00

So. I've witnessed the Divine.

Last Saturday, I set out to make corn chowder. I had wanted to make a big pot because I knew I'd be feeding a good number of people - and I wanted a little bit left over to eat on throughout the week. By 6pm Saturday I had 3 huge pots of soup. I have no idea how that happened - but I thanked God - and everyone ate a lot of soup. A lot. For days.

This Saturday, I set out to make vegetable soup. I didn't really want to make that much - remembering what happened to me last week. I started with some onion, a parsnip, a few carrots, and a potato. I threw in some black eyed peas, and a pepper, some celery too. And a bit of pasta and a few tomatoes. But small amounts of things - or so I thought. But the first pot started getting really full, so I got out another one and transferred some soup into that one too. But soon the pots were overflowing again, and so I had to get out a third pot. And what do you know, in the end I had 3 big pots full of vegetable soup. Something fishy's going on, I tell you. (although there's no fish in the soup. Fish soup has always creeped me out..).

From these experiences, I draw the following conclusions:
1. I should go cook soup in developing countries/counties.
2. I'm beginning to think that the few loaves and fishes Jesus blessed might actually have fed 5000. I wonder how much soup I'd end up with if I blessed the ingredients, too.
3. There's no way that I can eat three pots of soup this week. I need help. ("If one falls down, his friends can help him up." Ecclesiastes 4:10 - also translated as "If one makes a lot of soup, his (or her) friends can eat it up.") I'm bringing a big container of it to school tomorrow. Please bring a bowl and a spoon (and you might want some bread to go with it too). The soup will be in a large white "sour cream" container in the fridge on the right. I'll leave a ladle with it too. Please help yourself. Lunch or dinner. (and if you get there and the soup's gone, e-mail me, I'll refill the container). Make sure to use salt and pepper.
4. I should try making soup on a day that's not Saturday. That might have something to do with it.

Meanwhile, if you have suggestions for next week's soup, please feel free to e-mail me....

to be continued....

Reviving the Blog

2007-02-11T14:25:00.000-05:00

So ---- After a six month hiatus, I'm going to resuscitate this thing. Since the semester started back up again, I've been inspired to write several times. I have no idea what I wanted to write about, only that I thought, "If I was still keeping my blog, I'd write about this..."

And last night, I wrote an e-mail, in classic Sarah blog style - that more appropriately would have been posted here. (see infra)

so here goes.

to be continued....

Going off-line

2006-08-10T19:59:00.000-04:00

I've moved in to the new apartment in Charlottesville and am getting excited about starting school (though the thought of the next week and a half with nothing to do is pretty appealing too :)).

I've also decided to put a hold on this blog - send it into retirement. It's served it's purpose...

To all my loyal readers (and to those of you who just drop by now and then --)

Thank you, and goodnight.

Tip of the Day

2006-08-07T14:23:00.000-04:00

For moving: The 2-3rd of the month is optimal moving time. During this window, heaps of packing material and boxes will be at your disposal - no money required. Just hop down to your local apartment building's recycling room.

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In other news: I'm State-side. Enjoying the reverse culture shock.

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to be continued...

From the Motherland

2006-08-04T06:25:00.000-04:00

So I've neglected the blog for a little bit. A quick update:

1. I'm down to my last day and a half in Russia. And I actually think I'm going to miss this place. Only in the last 24 hours have I realized how much I've grown attached. Hoping I can come back at some point.

2. Blinchick came into town. We've been hanging out a bit. (I've been taking advantage of her fluency... She's edited a letter to Sveta, asked for tables in cafes etc.) Tried to take a trollybus around the Garden Ring, but stupidly went during rush hour (chas-peek in Russian :)). So we got off 2/3 of the way walked down Starie Arbat (Think Hippie Street) and ate icecream. Good times.

3. "Graduated" for a second time this summer. Got my self a fancy-smancy diploma. Managed to recite a poem about a family and their samovar while everything in front of my was blurry (sick there for a bit.) I'm beginning to like these quick graduations and the stack of diplomas I'm acquiring.

4. Since my vision was better today (and headache disappeared), I made a trip to the Sandunoy Banya today - the most famous in all of Moscow - or so I'm told. For an hour and forty five minutes (I could have stayed for 2), I striped down (no bathing suits allowed), plunged into the bassain (cold - frigid - pool) and headed into the steam room. It was blasted hot! I was there for maybe 5 minutes. Every ounce of water that was in my body now was on the towel. I couldn't take it any longer. Left the room. Took a shower (without soap) to remove the salt from my skin. Made a trip to the bassain then back to the steam room. This psychotic cycle was repeated approximately 8 times. I opted not to thrash my back with branches (from a tree). It's supposed to feel wonderful, but the older women cringed each time they were hit. So I declined. When I put my clothes back on, I could tell just how much water I had lost in the room. (would be ideal for wrestlers, I'd imagine). I promptly drank 1.5 liters of water. And am still slightly dehydrated. But refreshed...

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I've come to the conclusion that my generation thinks that life stops at 30. (or when we get married/become professionals/settle down.

I've been thinking about upcoming travels. I want to visit AC in NZ and DT in Chile during their Fulbright stays. I've budgeted the time and am now finding the money. But I've also got it in my head that I'd like to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. From what I can gather, depending on where I start, it takes ~ 6 weeks to the end point in Spain. And I've been thinking, "when am I going to have time to do it?" During summers, I'll need to work (with the exception of the week I'm going go visit DT...) and the I've got winter break? But when can I have 6 weeks off? There's this mentality that if I want to do anything I need to do it now. Travel. Learn a language. run a marathon. play tennis (this is another new dream....). Bus really -

Even in talking to other people here, I often here things like, "well this was the last chance I was going to have to travel - so I thought I'd come to Russia..." "I'd love to do _____, but I just don't know when I'm going to be able to - with ________ and all (insert some activity in the first blank and some "obligation/distraction" in the second).

I'd love to believe that all time for travel/learning/studying doesn't end when I turn 30 - and that though difficult, there are opportunities to peruse random interests after getting a law degree. I think of my host family in Toronto who both got leave from work for a year, "home"schooled their 2 kids for the year and drove around the boarder of the United States for 12 months. It's possible, right?

Anyway - just a thought....

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to be continued... (most likely from the States)

The largest city in Europe

2006-07-29T09:13:00.000-04:00

So Moscow is the largest (and by some recent index, the most expensive) city in Europe. And I've been here for less than 6 weeks. Yet somehow I managed to run into Matt, a friend I had no idea was in Moscow. Fancy that.

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going to a football (that'd be soccer) game this evening.

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to be continued...

Listmania - Part II

2006-07-28T01:44:00.000-04:00

Things I wish I'd brought:

1. A few small gifts from the States for the random people I've met (This was suggested in the packing list - but I didn't really "understand" and thought, "that's weird... I'm not going to do that... Though I did want to give the people I met on my overnight train a magnet - or something similar - and didn't have anything.)
2. Hairbrush (when I left, my hair was karotinki-karotinki (short-short) and now it's not quite short. Had to buy one)
3. Purse with zipper. (nothing's been taken from my bag on the METRO, but I've wasted a lot of energy making sure.)
4. Blank CDs for burning pictures
5. A Russian grammar book (I thought we'd be given one here. and Didn't want to lug one I wasn't going to use)

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Went to the circus last night. I know what Russia does with all of their gymnasts post Olympics...

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to be continued...

The Man-Bag

2006-07-26T07:24:00.000-04:00

Ok - So a quick internet search reveals that these Man - Bags are all the rage, but I just started noticing them in Moscow - and just about keeled over in laughter.

Trying to pass itself off as a briefcase, it's about 8 inches long, 6 high and 4 wide - leather - usually brown and a shaped like a mini-law school graduation present. Good for holding wallets, metro passes, and you lunch, maybe.

I'm trying to discretely take a picture of these man bags. But in the mean time, I'm enjoying Russian men's self-confidence. It'll be a long time, I feel, before these bags are as popular in the States as they are here...

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In other news, I've mentally checked out, met with R. Marc, and hung out with kids from GWU doing the trans-Siberian railroad (they didn't know you, MB) at a vegetarian cafe (Troistky Most trumped it though...)
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to be continued...

Listmania

2006-07-25T02:22:00.000-04:00

Things I'll miss:

1. a piano in the apartment
2. METRO that runs every 45 seconds
3. Long escalator rides good for people watching
4. having a laid back attitude towards class
5. my proximity to Svetlana
6. finding creative ways to work around words you don't know in conversation ("The fruit with the small black dots.")
7. Getting news 3 days before the States (you know Condi's "Secret" trip to Beirut? we know she was going Friday...)
8. Seeing New Kids on the Block paraphinalia
9. Kasha and Nina's pirogies
10. My quiet walk to the institute each morning
11. CDs for 90 RR

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Things I'm looking forward to:
1. English
2. my own place
3. cooking for myself/fresh fruits and veggies
4. cars that yield to pedestrians
5. Toilet seats and toilet paper in all bathrooms
6. spicy food
7. ease of keeping in touch with friends/family
8. the relative lack of mullets
9. my bike
10. "real" showers
11. easy access to a computer
12. quick trips to the post office (it took 20 minutes for the woman to put stamps on 4 postcards today - I thought I was going to die....)

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To do:
1. Museum of the great patriotic war
2. Banya
3. Economic convention
4. lunch with R. Marc
5. meeting Blinchik
6. White house
7. buy a few more gifts...

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to be continued...

Presidents Like Peas and Paintings

2006-07-22T08:12:00.000-04:00

So I've been meaning to post for awhile - so there's lots of little topics to cover - hopefully this won't be too scattered...

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While I was in Minsk, not only did I buy Georgian wine (which is prohibited in Russia at the moment --- thank you politics!) but I saw the Belarussian president, Lukashenko. I happened to be meandering by the Presidential Residence (note: security almost non-existent - and the "Residence" looks more like an office building on K Street). A man, of appropriate age, walked out of the building, and immediately was saluted by the guard. As I watched the car move down the street, every policeman on the corner saluted as well. Yep - it was 7 am (overnight trains arrive early) and the President was off to work. I'll add him to my current list of Presidents seen or otherwise encountered. We now stand at Bush I and II, Clinton (go State Department Internships :)), Lukashenko. I should work on Putin.

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Svetlana called last night to make sure that I had arrived safely back in Moscow. I've gotten a lot better with telephone conversations in Russian. Understanding a foreign language without gestures or moving lips in front of you is quite difficult. She's doing well - back to the daily grind of work. I spend a lot of time thinking about her - and plotting ways to get back to Belarus/get her to the States. But it probably won't happen for awhile. Trying to get photos developed to send to her - but not having much luck finding a place that can do it here. But you guys can all see photos online. Here are the new ones.

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Pedagogy in Moscow is just short of ridiculous. The book we're using is insane - no instructions - no continuity of vocabulary - exercises that don't require you to think... for example: They give you (the answer)

I like peas (She also likes peas)
I like tomatoes (She also likes tomatoes)
I like potatoes (She also likes potatoes)

and so forth.

And what's worse, the teacher follows the book to a tee. By the end of the class, I'm about ready to shoot myself. I've never see a good Russian text book - either geared to English speakers or only in Russian. You Education people out there - can you write one? I'd be very grateful - (and so will all future students of Russian)

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Just spent a solid afternoon in the Tretykov Gallery (sorry for the lack of accuracy in my Russian transliteration...). I opted for the "new" half since our excursion went to the "old" half two weeks ago. I could wander through galleries of modern art for ever. I love the textures, the simpliticy, the lines. With art in the "old" gallery - I could appreciate skill and beauty. I like the ideas behind more modern art. I wish I knew more...

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Heading out to see Swan Lake. Yeah ballet :)

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to be continued...

When a Rooster Wakes You Up

2006-07-18T08:16:00.000-04:00

When a rooster's cock-a-doodle-doos wake you up at 6am you know you're in the country.

The entire point of my trip to Russia was for the side trip to Belarus. And it was so worth it.

I got to the train station in Pinsk (after a way to long train ride), and held up my little sign, "C.C. Босщук" No one responded. I wasn't terribly surprised not to find her there. Though I had sent a letter, she never called me in Moscow, so I figured she had no idea what time I was arriving. I wouldn't spend the day in the train station either... I had her family's address in Parache - and knew that I'd never find her in Pinsk (even though it's not that big of city - ok, barely a city - the only thing I knew was Sveta "lived in a dorm." That wouldn't get me very far. So it was off to Parache. I exchanged money (Russian rubles to Belarussian ones - that was fun!), and made my way to the bus station next store - figuring I could ask my way to Parache. Sure enough, a bus was going there in an hour. So I wait. The bus ride itself was about an hour. Every fifteen minutes or so, we'd pass through a small village. And by small village, I mean small. A post office, a church, about 15 wooden houses and a dirt road. But beautiful. I asked the person next to me to let me know when we got to Parache - and quickly the entire bus figured out that I was a non-Bela/Russian speaker. I think I was probably the first non-Russian speaker on that bus. The bus (as a whole) told me when to get off, and a man on the street pointed me to Sveta's house. Knock on the door. There she is. Ten years older.

I met her sister, Luda, her mother (also Luda), and her "second father" Pavel. I'll let picutres do the talking about appearences (and I will get these posted quickly, promise).

The house is bigger than I thought it'd be. A winter and summer kitchen, a largeish pantry (used for storing food through winter), a bedroom for the girls, a living room, and a room for mom and dad. It's well appointend, somwhere between my St. Pete house and my Moscow one. That said, there's no running water (there's a well outside), and the toilet is in the barn - summer and winter. Showers are in the kitchen with a bucket in the winter and in the river in the summer. Out back is Dasha the cow (from whom comes milk (butter, sour cream, and other uniquely Russian milk products are made), two pigs (one to be eaten this winter, one the next), roosters (alarm clocks?), egg laying chickens, a beautiful garden (1% flowers, 99% food: corn, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, blueberry like plants, raspberries, cherry-like plants (2 types) - and probably others that weren't in season yet. Most of the morning is spent working in the garden.

Sunday night we went out to the discotheque, which is more like a block party. Dancing in the street with a boombox - but is was fun. Svet's a fabulous dancer (we also discovered that we're still much alike in many many ways - our attitudes towards men and marriage (she's got massive pressure from parents to get married. she's 20 and will soon be an "old maid"), hobbies (she, according to her sister always has her nose stuck in a book - or is dancing), sense of humor, just all around we still click - It's amazing how much we've changed, but how it also seemed like it was just yesterday we were at Shrine Mont.

We spent a lot of time just reminising - "Do you remember this? Do you ever think of that?" And looking at photographs. She's got all the photos I sent her in an album and I feel slightly guilty for often being lazy and not sending more.

In other quick observations, because I'm running out of time, traces of her time in the States is all over the house. The Barbie dolls and other toys are in places of honor around the living room. There's an English puzzle and tape cassettes (I translated a whole slew of songs for them... :)), she's still wearing the socks, underwear and pajamas we gave her 10 years ago. Pants that no longer fit have been turned into pillows (I recognized the fabric...). Was really glad to be there.

Here's a picture of the other Luda - Bakhur

Time's up--- ahhh

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congrats HMB4 on the APs!

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To be continued...

A packed bag

2006-07-14T02:20:00.000-04:00

For those of you keeping track, I'm heading to the political tumultuous state of Belarus momentarily. I've got the visas, the train tickets, and the phone number and address of Sveta, a backpack filled 1/4 with clothes, 1/4 with various sundry products, and 1/2 with food that my host mother cooked for me. (I'm like a walking street vendor, "pirogies, butorbrodi, pizza, anyone?" If nothing else, my clothes for the next several days will smell like Russian cuisine.) I've registered with the US Embassy in Belarus and sprung for a locking train cabin. But off I go.

I'll arrive in Pinsk noon on Saturday the 15th and leave the evening of the 17th. I'll spend the 18th in Minsk and hop on a night train to Moscow arriving early the morning of the 19th. Looking forward to some long quiet train rides through the Bela/russian countryside. Now if I only had a map of Belarus/Minsk/Pinsk...

I'm looking forward to some hilarious stories, missed connections, and struggling with my completely inadequate Russian. And some photos too.

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Tried to go see Pirates II last evening. It shows in English (I was up for the dubbed Russian, but others disagreed...) at one theater downtown. We turn up to find that the movie doesn't play on Thursdays. Oh well. A bit more planning next time...

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oh and about those pictures.... (Did you actually expect me to post them when I said I would?)

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to be continued...

241 USD and a Blackened Hand

2006-07-08T03:26:00.000-04:00

What can you do with $241?

1. A cruise to nowhere
2. 100+ hours at an internet cafe (didn't bother to actually calculate this one)
3. A new pair of designer jeans (or maybe 2 or just 1/2)
4. 5 star/4 course dinner for 2 in NYC
5. a Visa to Belarus

I got number 5. Rush service, invitation, the visa itself, and a "fake hotel" room for 3 nights (had to get the invitation). I should be able to pick up the visa Monday afternoon or Tuesday. Here I go.

I'll be leaving Moscow the evening of the 14th and see Svetlana the afternoon of the 15th! I'll head out of Belarus the 18th. Don't know if I'll spend time in Minsk too - depends on Sveta's schedule, I guess. Too bad my hotel room is fake. There's always a hostel.

Gotta start keeping better track of my finances though...
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Metro doors are not like elevator doors. They do not sense objects. They just smoosh. I was getting on the subway (after a great birthday party for Stephanie!) and it was quite crowded. Kyle was behind me and I was trying to keep him with the group. I reached my hand back so he could grab it, but the doors had different ideas. They closed quite suddenly and with great force. My hand was trapped. Kyle was left in the station. Thankfully, I was able to pull my hand free, but the entire metro car laughed at me. At the moment, my hand's quite black. But all fingers are moving appropriately and everything in intact. Ah Russia.

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I realized I hadn't posted pictures recently. I'll try to do that Monday or Tuesday.

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Heading off to the Treatikov Gallery now :) Group excursion.

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to be continued...

Typical Russia

2006-07-07T01:49:00.000-04:00

= random closings. See below for explanation.
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It was Thursday, after class. A group of us (Stephanie, David (new guy who knows Taki and AK-L!), Kyle and me) decide to hit up the museum of unique dolls (thinking of Mims there.), a organic/veggie cafe (must support "alternative" cuisine) and meet our program leader along the way... Not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Or so we thought.

We meander ourselves to the Doll Museum to find it closed for remont (just like the Bread museum---still sad about that one). It had moved across town in the meantime. But the address was too far away to walk and we had planned to meet Dasha (our program coordinator) for dinner.

So we decided to head to the metro station at which we were meeting her. We set off for Mayakovskaya. All of our maps put the entrance to the metro at the corner of Bolshaya Sadovaya and Tverskaya. We easily found our way to that address - but, you guessed it, the entrance was closed for remont. Dasha is nowhere in sight. We look down the street in each direction hoping to see another entrance to the metro. No luck. Eventually Dasha finds us (because she's smart, and Russian, and all that....) and we head off to the Organic Cafe.

Again, with no problem, we find the cafe. But, on the door, "Sorry, closed for remont" Three strikes in 2 hours. And a "wasted" afternoon. But my host mom, Nina sure did enjoy the story.

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Today's Stephanie's birthday. Making a trip to the Hark Rock Cafe and a Russian film. Tomorrow it's off to the Tretyakov Gallery.

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Still reveling in the abundance of peanut butter in my life.
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to be continued...

Oh Happy Day!

2006-07-06T02:02:00.000-04:00

I'm am now in possession of 3 large jars of peanut butter (2 creamy, 1 crunchy), a note from HMB4 and some stickers...

I'm a happy woman.

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to be continued...

Speechless

2006-07-05T01:35:00.000-04:00

So I'm now entirely settled in in Moscow. I'm getting used to another grandmother - but some of her quirks just crack me up. She insists on removing my plate from the table immediately after I take the last bite and decides how much sugar I should have in my tea (I prefer to take it black....) Some days she'll let me drink it with no sugar - at other times I get one teaspoon - other days 3, even if I asked for it black. Ah Nina.

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I'm playing a lot of piano, which is making me happy. I'm (finally) getting back again to a decent level after hours of Hannon exercises. Thankfully Nina's daughter went to conservatory, so she's used to hearing a pianist practice. My goal, before leaving Moscow, is to get Bach's French Suite 6 to a state where I can at least enjoy it :) We'll see.

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But, should you be worried that I'm spending all of my time here in front of the piano - fear not! Recently, I visited the Храм Христа Спасителя. In case you don't click the link the crazy thing about this cathedral - It's massive (duh) costs over $350 million, and was finished only in 1997. The history of the land is quite interesting too. The site was originally a cathedral that was destroyed to make room for the Palace of Soviets. During Khruschev's period, the foundation of the never-built-Palace was turned into a public swimming pool (Nina recounted to me many stories of her swimming in the pool during winter... Crazy Russians.) And now, it's a church again. Ah the irony.

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We got hot water back. No more sponge baths. (At least for the time being)

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But (drum roll please) - the biggest news in my life: My Local Grocery Store Carries the Food of the Gods! Creamy and Crunchy! I just about rolled over dead. No sign of the box mom and Mims sent of PB, but guess what I'm having for lunch today!

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Lecture soon on "Russia Today" Might be interesting, but it 3 hours long: from 11-2. Could they have made it in the morning or in the afternoon? Kind of ruins hopes of getting any significant sightseeing done. But it is allowing for a lazy morning...

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to be continued...

Moscow Tales

2006-07-02T04:35:00.000-04:00

I arrived in Moscow Friday morning, and was quickly whisked away to my host mother's house, Nina. The organization here in Moscow seems significantly better than in St. Pete. Instead of being dropped off at the curb, I was walked into the apartment and introduced to my host mom. Sweet. So about her:

Nina Michalovna - a babushka if there ever was any. A retired professor of Russian Literature. On every wall of the apartment are Russian books. Two daughters - grown. One went to the conservatory. (There's a piano in one of the bedrooms. I've already played quite a bit. This makes me happy.) There's a grandson too - about 4 years old. But he's at the dacha for the summer. But I've seen pictures. Nina has significantly more money than my host family in Pete. You can tell by the size of the house, and by how it's appointed. Whereas my St. Pete family has a tiny kitchen with 2 pots and a frying pan, Nina has more than I can count - and cooking utensils too! The piano. The books. The wall hangings. I spent the first 24 hours in awe of her possessions. Kind of crazy, when compared to American standards, she's still barely middle class... But for me, now, it's palatal.

She lives out about 7 metro stops from the center of Moscow - which is ok, because she's only a 10 minute busride from the Institute, which is also outside the city... A 30 minute walk to the metro or a 2 minute bus ride... Not bad.

She's also an amazing cook. I've had 3 meals with her so far. And she doesn't mind cooking veggie for me. I had a spicy Russian (imagine that) - potato/mushroom/other unknown vegetable curry last night. and this toasted bread covered with cheese and dill this morning for breakfast. Yum.

She's very concerned about helping - and very attentive. Sometimes too much so... But I'm quickly getting used to her correcting every grammatical mistake (think every other word...) And finally, she's quite religious. Where the walls aren't covered by books, there are icons. And, one of the first things she did was take me to her local church. So that's Nina.

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Yesterday, we had an excursion to the Seat of Russian Orthodoxy. It was quite a cool trip - a working monastery. There were lots of monks. Lots of icons. Lots of pilgrims. And lots of holy water. Glad for the visit. It was also the first chance to socialize with the portion of the Arizona group that is spending the entire summer in Moscow. So that's Sergiev Posad.

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And today, I'm wandering around the Kitai-Gorod and the Red Square. I saw St. Basil's and Lenin (in his pink poka-dotted tie), the crazy underground mall (where I am now), a whole string of convents (located on one street, side by side... I wonder if they have convent rilveries...)

Moscow's a hilly city - and not nearly as picturesque as St. Pete. The buildings are taller. The city's less European. But it's growing on me. So that's Moscow (for now.)

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Finally, I heard from Svetlana. We spoke on the phone my last night in St. Pete. I'll be going to Belarus the 15th of July (assuming all of my visas are in order (I need an additional entry and exit visa for Russia and a visa to Bealurs. Fillin' up that passport!)) Dahsa, the program leader, suggested that since Sveta lives so close to the Ukrainian border, that I visit the Ukraine too --- no visa required. So I might skip an entire week of classes and see Kiev too. Why not?

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Thanks to every one who's been writing! I love to hear from you guys. Internet access in Moscow will probably be more spotty - there isn't a cafe around the house, and though there is free internet access at school, there's only one computer for ~ 60 students... So I probably won't be able to get on but every 3 or 4 days I'd imagine. Just don't think I'm dead :)

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to be continued...

Farewell to St. Pete

2006-06-28T10:03:00.000-04:00

You will all be pleased to know that I passed my Russian grammer and conversation classes. No big surprise there, but I was pleased at how well I did given how little I studied. Though maybe the breakfast and dinner conversations with my host mom count as "studying." Going to try not to let this get to my head, and remember to study a bit at Virginia next fall...

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Today's my last day in St. Petersburg. Tomorrow night, I take a train to Moscow. I'll arrive somwhere around 9am and be dropped off at my new host family. I'm a bit sad to leave my current family - they've been great. It's going to be hard for the next family to beat 'em (not like it's a competition or anything :))... The second set of classes start on Monday - yeah for a 4 day weekend!

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Gender in Russia: two quite observations. I just visited the Museum of Russian Political History - quite an awesome place - recently restored; lots of great exhibits. (Only "Russian Political History" as this museum defins it includes Stalin to Peristroika. Nothing before; nothing after) But, they offered author's names, in typical russian format: С.Ф. Федовон Fist inital. Middle Initial. Last name. But it entirley hids the gender of the author. And though I feel it might provide a bit of annomitiy. I was kind of interested in knowing the gender of the authors - who was doing to research, who was doing the writing? Because:

In Russia, I've noticed that most jobs are incredibly gendered. All the people who work in museums (except security guards) are women. All people who work at cash registers are women (with the exception of music and book stores, where there are some men). All bus/marshrutki drivers are men (Saw an employment advertisement once for a bus driver "Russian Male between the 25-50y.o.) This has been humoring me for awhile. No deeper thoughts than the (clearly not so deep ones, by definition) that you've already thought of... Just an observation.

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To Moscow!

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C Днем Рожденйя Мама! (and you thought'd I'd forget...)

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to be continued...

Cowboys and Russians

2006-06-27T08:33:00.000-04:00

So in class today (the final class of St. Pete...), we learned the word for 'cowboy' - кобои. Which I find really hilarious because I've been reading Annie Proux. Though the gods might punish me for reading about Wyoming while riding past the Hermitage, I'm getting a kick out of it.

The short stories are a great study break (not intending to give the impression that I do much of that here :)) and I've been captivated by her writing. Highly recommended.

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to be continued...