Update

I haven't written for months, partly because I've been really busy and partly because I haven't been in the mood to sit down and write posts.

In late July, I took the California Bar Exam. In August, I traveled to France for vacation. In September, I started my job. In early November I was DELIGHTED that people got out and voted for Barack Obama and for the first time in my life was proud of and hopeful for the United States. Most recently, on November 21st, I got my results from the bar exam: I PASSED!

I am still settling into my job, enjoying being able to finally call myself a lawyer after three years of law school, three days of the bar exam, and months of waiting. That's about it for now. I hope to get back into writing soon.

Gun Shots at 3:23am

It's 3:23 am and I hear it, four distinct gun shots, thoughtful, spaced evenly with two seconds between each crack. I picture what lies on the other side of that short barrel.

I picture a man running, because I hear no tires screech. There is no one there, to help the fallen one.

There are no sirens, no screams. The night is silent.

And so I lie there, for hours readjusting the pillow, staring up at the ceiling, and rustling my legs free from the sheets. It's cold, but I don't want to get up to turn off the fan, I don't want to leave the bed or approach the windows.

The air is still outside, and I wonder if the blood is on the sidewalk, or the street, or perhaps on someone's front lawn; is anyone there, is anyone watching, is anyone crying now.

Engaged!

This past weekend, on July 5th, 2008 I got engaged! It was the six year anniversary of our first "night out." We both designed the ring over several months, but I hadn't ever seen it all put together. It turned out perfectly!!

Many people commented that it took the romance out of the process by having me participate in the design process and know what the ring was going to look like. I still believe that the process of designing it, over several months, added meaning to the process instead of taking it away. The engagement ring is something you will hopefully wear the rest of your life, and these days it makes sense to give a woman the ability to have some say in that process.

The proposal was a complete surprise and I really enjoyed the traditional moment when it finally happened.

WALL-E: So worth the trip and the $10

Just got back from seeing WALL-E at the theatre. The movie was definitely worth the $10 movie ticket! I never knew that a robot could be so expressive, or that robots in love could actually bring a tear to my eye, but it's true. Once again Pixar has created an ingenious animated film, and this one even includes social commentary which I will let viewers pick up on themselves (pretty clear in the first 5 minutes of the film, then again about 30 minutes in).

Lovin' My CSA Box

I recently signed up to have organic produce delivered to my home from local farms. The "CSA" box as it is often called, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture, is really starting to catch on. I signed up for Planet Organics, which delivers farm fresh fruits and vegetables from five local farms in and around the Bay Area.

I scheduled my delivery for this past Tuesday. As I left the house at around 8:30am, the box was already at my door! The produce comes in a reusable green plastic container that you leave for them to pick up when they drop off your next delivery. I opened the box, and at first had a slight feeling of disappointment. The vegetables and fruit are simply sitting in the box, not grouped in bags or containers (except for the blueberries), just sitting there sort of helpless.

But then I thought, this is not the supermarket, this is not the heavily plastic-wrapped goods found at large chain stores (or even Trader Joes). No, this is my CSA box, and the whole reason I am ordering this delivery is because it is organic, travels a very short distance, and is not wrapped in excessive and unnecessary plastic. Therefore, I should not complain with it arrives in a box, not otherwise packaged or wrapped individually.

Last night we had the fresh zucchini and orange tomatoes in our Farfalle pasta dish--they were excellent! Today I had one of the plums, which was equally delicious.

Gradually, I am trying to re-connect with food in a way that strips it of everything that is corporate, industrial, and processed. I feel very lucky to have the option of a local CSA as well as a weekly and year-round farmer's market less than a mile from where I live.

Today, while picking up a few paper-related products at Safeway, I stood in line watching the people behind me unload the items from their cart. Their ENTIRE cart was filled with boxed, processed, frozen foods--many of which were part of the Weight Watchers brand of food products. There was not a single un-processed item in their entire cart, not one. I looked on in amazement --looking for signs that perhaps this was not their normal order. Everything they bought, they bought two or three of the item. There weren't even any frozen "whole" foods, such as frozen vegetables or frozen fruit. Everything was a heavily processed frozen "dinner" or "dessert." I was instantly reminded that the majority of the nation is not eating simple, unprocessed, fruits of the earth. Instead, people are eating foods that are injected with an overabundance of corn or soy products, few nutrients, and too much fat or in the alternative a whole lot of fake sugars.

All I can say is that I cherish real food, touched only by sun, water, earth, insects, animals, and of course the human hands that tended the crops. I choose to make political statements not only through my vote, but with what I choose to consume and not consume. If people start/continue to make political statements with their purchasing power, especially over food, more will change than in any single Congressional term. Where there is demand, there will be supply--help put a dent in the demand!!!

Phrase of the Month "Ugh"

Six weeks until the dreaded three-day California Bar Exam. Realizing this week that I need to pick up the pace and actually start studying 6 hours after class each day, instead of only 4. Can no longer easily take off an afternoon, and may have to cancel some plans in the near future.

Today, took first practice 3hr Performance Test and sort of liked the change from the MBE and Essay monotony of late. Also took a long MBE practice set this afternoon and found that I am already starting to forget the stuff I crammed in my head during the first four weeks and need to start re-reviewing again to make it stick.

Little more reading, then bed . . . ugh.

Been A While

It has been a while, a long while, since I have posted anything.

As a general update, I graduated from law school this past May and now I am studying for the California Bar Exam. In other words, my days are filled with watered-down, generally phrased legal rules and doctrines that I am doing my best to memorize.

Below are the books I have recently read; they were both excellent! I am looking forward to reading Hosseini's most recent book "A Thousand Splendid Suns."

More later . . .

UPCOMING EVENT

The University of California, Hastings College of the Law and
the Monterey Institute of International Studies
present:

SURVIVING CLIMATE CHANGE: ADAPTATION AND INNOVATION

The Conference will be held at:
U.C. Hastings in Mary Kay Kane Hall, 200 McAllister Street, San Francisco

The 2008 Hastings Climate Change Conference will address public and private strategies for adapting to the impact of climate change on economic development and human rights, fostering innovation and building resiliency.

The Keynote Speakers include:
Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board and
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

The Conference features speakers and panels on the following subjects:
• Strategic Complements: Adaptation and Reducing Greenhouse Gases
• The Impact of Climate Change on Development and Human Rights
• Financing Adaptation and Innovation
• Building Resiliency
• Acting Locally
• Urban Strategies for Coping with Climate Change
• Private Market Responses

Co-Sponsors of the Conference:
• Hastings West-Northwest Journal of Environmental Law & Policy
• Hastings International and Comparative Law Review

What's Left After

For a friend who recently ended a relationship. I think that the hardest part of break-ups, is getting through the identity crisis that is triggered afterwards. What was half of your life--or at least a large part of your life--is gone. You are no longer Mary & Joe anymore, you are just Mary or just Joe. While spending time alone can be liberating, it can be frightening at first. This poem is about dealing with these challenges.

What's Left After

Sitting on the floor, your
back against the door,
knees crouched in at your chest.

He left hours ago, but the fabric
of your clothes and sheets, is
still saturated with his scent.

Your heart begins to race
at the sound of footsteps in
the stairwell, but the sound fades--
and the room grows quiet.

Across the room, your dinner plate
sits on the kitchen counter,
the vegetables withered and cold,
the meat limp.

You just need a little more time,
to figure out what's left of you
now that he's gone.