I forgot to try that 7 Quick Takes thing again yesterday, and I have multiple short things on my my mind.  So welcome to my Saturday version of 7 or so random things on my mind.

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I have a very, very severe aversion to any form of traffic.   People traffic, car traffic, online website traffic.   Uggggg.   Seriously, I live in Los Angeles.  A severe aversion to traffic and living in L.A. could be a recipe for violence.  I’ve got to be careful.

So today, I have nothing I have to do.  Technically, I should probably go Christmas shopping.   But the thought of going out in the traffic today that is bound to exist given it is the Last Shopping Weekend Before Christmas makes me want to squeeze my body through the 6″ openings in my loft windows and jump out rather than get in my car for any reason.   So instead, I think I’m going to stay in and do lame things like clean.  (But my loft REALLY needs it so I guess that’s not so lame).

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I also might journey over to the sketchy art store and pick up some more supplies because I found out something exciting this week:  I’m finally getting my own office next week.  Merry Christmas to me.  So excited!  But that also means that I should paint something to put in my office because nothing is more depressing than the sterile wall color and flourescent lighting.   I plan to bring in a painting of my own, my degrees, some photos, and hopefully some warmer lighting.

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Switching gears a little bit, another great milestone occured this week: I got my bar number.  For a split second I thought about posting it here and then I remembered my whole not-wanting-to-be-stalked thing.   I am becoming more and more stalkable these days.  My bar number gives you access to my work address and phone number, and soon just my name will give you access to a fancy professional photo of me and work profile.  Oh, the pros and cons of the information superhighway…

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But the bar number makes me really, really official!  I’ve been filling out some forms for a client online and I had to put my bar number in so many times that I think I’m already sick of it.   On the bright side though, I already have it memorized.  Still don’t know my drivers license number or license plates, but had my bar number memorized within 10 minutes of finding out it is now available online.

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While we’re talking professionalism, I have two things I have a tendency to do that I am trying to minimize in professional situations.  (1) My tendency to snort when I laugh; and (2) is my tendency to air quote things when quotes are not appropriate.   I have been joking about it with a friend at work this week, and he mentioned how funny it would be if I went up in front of a judge for my case and I air quoted “your Honor.”   It’s kind of hard to communicate the hilariousness of this in writing rather than with a visual, but seeing the visual of it in my head made me laugh so hard.  So all day I yesterday I was sitting at my desk filling out forms and I would randomly think of it and start laughing out loud to myself.  Anyone who walked by probably thought I was C.R.A.Z.Y.   Who laughs out loud at guardianship forms?

Okay so I only have 5 for now.   Right now I really want to shower and get to cleaning, painting, etc. and whatever else today may hold

Yesterday at work I signed my first letter to a client as an attorney.  My secretary asked me these crazy questions when she gave me the letter to sign like “what color of ink do you prefer” and “what type of pen do you prefer.”   I just picked a regular blue pen, but I feel like I need to go into the supply room and sign my name with every pen in there and figure out which one looks the nicest.  I also think I need to get a cooler attorney-like signature.  Like my first initial and a squiggle.   Anyway, I felt like I should frame the thing, or at least take a picture of it, and I probably would have if not for client confidentiality issues.   It’s a very exciting opportunity because it is a pro bono case that I’m largely handling by myself.

Onto the other topic of this post (which is brought on solely because I saw something that reminded me of it right as I was pulling up this page): silly grudges.  Way back in high school (I can say “way back” if it has been 10+ years now, right?), my journalism class took a field trip to Channel 2 News.  Parts of it were really fun.  Steve Dunn was super nice.  Then, we a group of us were allowed to quietly stand on set (out of camera view) during the live evening news!  It was all going swell until it was time for the weather and the weatherman was nowhere to be found.  Then suddenly he came barrelling onto the set, shoving me out of the way without even saying “excuse me” or offering me an apology.   That man?  Rob Marciano.   Where is he today?  He’s the weather guy on CNN news now.

Sidenote about watching CNN:  I have never been a big fan of news in the morning.  (When 9/11 happened, I had no idea until I got to work because I never turned on the TV in the morning, which if I had would have told me the first plane had already hit the first tower).  I generally like complete quiet when I’m getting ready in the morning, or maybe music.  But I don’t really like being slapped with the abrasive reality of the world before I walk out the door when I already have to get out of bed sooner than I want to.   However, multiple mentors have told me that I need to watch the news to be aware of what is going on in the world.  I guess it is important as a professional now to be aware of things, and its good for networking purposes.  So for the last week or so I’ve been trying out watching CNN in the mornings.   So far it’s mostly “Tiger Woods this” and “look what someone tweeted on twitter here.”   You’re killing me CNN.

Anyway, every time I turn on CNN and I see his face (Rob Marciano’s face) and I instantly flash back to that push and how rude it was.  You still owe me an apology Rob Marciano!  I know you read my blog! Yeah right.  Rob Marciano does not read my blog, and really he doesn’t owe me an apology.   I was a high schooler in the way, and he was the weatherman who was kind of a big deal.   Kind of a big deal apparently because it wasn’t long before he blew that local news popstand and went national.   I just think it’s funny that I still, over 10 years later, remember what happened every time I see the guy.   Let it go, Michelle.

First, I would like to mention that I wrote a whole post last night about my weekend, and then for some reason I felt really weird about it and I went back and put it on private.  I’m having a bit of an internal struggle trying to figure out what is appropriate for me to post and what isn’t, given that I am a “professional” now and given that people from work might find my blog.  I feel like I have to be super mature now, and go to the Orchestra like I did on Sunday night and enjoy it solely for the music now, not also for the ugly sweater parties (if you’ve been to an orchestra, you know what I mean.  If you wear such attire to the orchestra, my apologies ).

I know I’m supposed to still Be Myself.  But it’s a complicated balance and I’m working on it.  Like Saturday night at my work Christmas party when I was discussing my tendency to snort when I laugh, but that I’m trying to get it under control in professional situations, and then proceeded to snort laugh right in front of one of our partners in charge.   It looked like his smile was endearing and not “omg why did we hire this girl???”    Let’s hope for my job security that it was the former.

Anyway,  I definitely plan to remain a genuine person, but at the same time I’m aware that people at work or clients could somehow discover this blog and somehow discover that it’s really me, and I just have to be aware of that possibility, but also not let it completely stifle me outside of work…. it’s a delicate balance, lol.   So we’ll see how this goes in the future.

For now, enough of that.   It’s time for another round of “Ten on Tuesday” questions from Roots and Rings.

1. If you could change anything about your physical appearance, what would it be?
I would probably make my feet a little smaller so I’d have more shoe options!  Wearing a women’s size 14 really cramps my shoe style.   Literally and figuratively.

2. Is there a habit in others that you find annoying?
People who are always late annoy me.  Even if they are not late just to meet me but if it is like a group event or meeting or something and they always walk in late.  Or like in law school there were certain people that would always come late every single day.    I feel a little hall monitor inside of me wanting to go be like “Hey, idiot, obviously if you have been late every day of the semester so far you are not leaving your house soon enough in the mornings.  You need to leave earlier and be on time and stop interrupting the rest of us because you suck at time management (and/or just don’t care about anyone but yourself.)”   See, it really annoys me.  Hahaha.   Another annoyance is people who have something negative to say about pretty much everything.  Such a downer.

3. What is your favorite recipe using ground beef?
Uh…. I don’t eat meat anymore so this doesn’t exactly apply… And I’ve also never been a big ground beef girl…. but I do/did love making manicotti with ground turkey!

4. What was your favorite book as a kid?
I’m not sure if I had one.  As far as I know, I was never one of those kids that wanted the same book read to me/to read the same book over and over.  Once I read one thing I wanted something new to read.  I was REALLY into Nancy Drew books for awhile though.  I’m pretty sure I’ve read every single one.  <3

5. Did you work as a teenager and if so, where?
I think I started babysitting in middle school to earn spending money for myself.  Then I continued babysitting a lot through high school, particularly in the summers.   But I didn’t have a “real job” outside of babysitting until I graduated high school.  But I graduated high school shortly after turning 16 so I was still super young.   My first “real job” was working in child care at a gym with my aunt.  Then I got a seasonal job at GAP Kids  to get more hours than the gym, and while I was at Gap Kids I landed a receptionist job at a place called Disabled American Veterans which is an organization that helps veterans with their claims for benefits to the Veterans Administration.   I worked there for a while, and then moved out of town for school and worked at Meier & Frank (now Macys) in the juniors department at the mall in the closest nearby town that had a mall.  Then I moved back to Portland and got a job at a law firm as an office clerk.  I’m pretty sure I still a teenager at that point (19?).   Oh, and somewhere in there I also worked as an orientation leader the first summer after college.   Wow, a lot of jobs as a teenager for me!

(it was ROUGH tracking down all that information when I had to apply for the bar!)

6.  Did you work while in college and if so, where?
See above for part of it (I took a year off after high school and then started college at 17 so for my first three years of college I was still technically a teenager).  I stayed at that office clerk job at the law firm (20-30 hours per week all through college) until I quit in July 2006 to move down to Malibu, California  to start law school

7. When you go to sleep do you like  total darkness or semi? When you go to sleep do you need quiet or is some noise ok?
I used to prefer complete darkness and complete silence.  But I’ve had this weird problem for a few years now that sometimes I half-wake up in the middle of the night and I will think someone is hovering over me and I scream out, and the scream wakes me up completely and I realize nobody is there and I feel like an idiot and it takes me forever to fall back asleep and my heart is pounding.  So now, I just leave my blinds open while I’m sleeping to let in enough light so that if I wake up in the middle of the night I can tell that nobody is hovering over me and I won’t freak out.  I’m not afraid of the dark,  I’m just afraid of my half asleep hallucinations that sometimes occur in the dark

8. When doing laundry, fabric softener or not?
For some reason fabric softeners tend to make me break out and get all itchy so I don’t use them.  It’s weird.

9. Open toed or closed toed shoes?
Closed if I’m wearing shoes, but I wore flipflops almost every day through lawschool.  Yay Malibu California yearround 70s and sunshine!

10. Would you rather be blind or deaf?
I am already missing one of my senses (smell) so I don’t think it’s fair to ask me to give up another one!   But if I had to, I’d give up hearing because sight brings me way more enjoyment in life than hearing.   I would hate to lose being able to travel and see all the beautiful new sights around me, being able to take pictures, being able to do artsy things… etc.

11. Dangle or stud earrings?
My ears aren’t pierced.  Weird, huh?

12. Bottled water or tap?
I’m generally a tap water girl.  Although taking it directly from the faucet myself seems weird.  So I’ll just drink it from a brita filter or drink it from water bottles if people have them available before I’ll take a glass and put it under the faucet myself.  But if someone else goes into a kitchen and gets me water from the faucet, apparently it doesn’t bother me.  But ALWAYS with ice if it’s tap water.  I like it cold, cold, cold.

13. What do you put on pancakes?
Never butter.  I know I’m weird, but I’m not a fan of clumps of butter on top of things (although of course I am a fan of butter cooked in things because it tastes soooo gooood even though its sooooo baaaad).   I usually just have syrup.   I also don’t like butter on toast.   I like jam or peanut butter.  Something about the reality of a big clump of fatty lard just resting on top of my food just doesn’t work for me.   But if it’s all cooked in the food and I can’t tell, I don’t seem to mind

14. On a long trip would you rather drive or fly?
It depends.  I’m a fan of roadtrips (I’ve driven OR-MN, OR-CA, CA-TX, OR-CO, OR-CANADA, NM-CO-TX, TN-KY, you get the idea).   But there is also something to be said for flying which gets you far away places in a short amount of time!   When the flying trip is easy (ie no major hassles at security, no turbulence on the plane, no screaming kids), I prefer flying hands down for long distances.  But it’s so rare to get that perfect flying experience.  And, there are really pretty things to see on the road.  (If you are my facebook friend, check out some of my 120+ photo albums for some roadtripping pictures from recent years!)

15. Do you prefer classic old movies or new?
I like both.  I watch a lot of movies from the 50s and 60s on a regular basis, maybe even some 40s thrown in there? (those count as classic old movies right?).  But I also like a lot of new movies too.  It depends on my mood

Since I’m already trying out Ten on Tuesday, I figured I would also try out “7 Quick Takes” on Fridays.   Let’s see how this goes.   For the last week I’ve felt like I really had nothing to talk about, and today I have several little things so this is perfect!

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Today, it looked like “the Nothing” took over Los Angeles.   It’s really weird to look outside and see a thick, grey cloud cover hovering over the city, people walking with umbrellas…. to look at the weather forecast and see multiple days of rain in a row.   What is this water falling from the sky Los Angeles?  On the upside, I have covered parking at work, home, and the grocery store… so technically I don’t have to go out in the rain unless I *really* want to do something extra curricular that requires me to.

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The downside of all of this rain is that a good friend of mine from Portland (Becky) is arriving tonight to spend the weekend with me.  Rain is NOT ideal weather for showing someone around L.A.!   Then again, we are from Portland where we are used to rain, so we will have fun regardless of the weather!

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The upside of the rain is that apparently when it is pouring down rain, they don’t have the obnoxious outdoor concerts that I can hear in my apartment.   Yesterday  it was supposed to rain but ended up being sunny all day and I actually found myself sitting at work, staring out at the sun and feeling a little disappointed.   (What is wrong with me??).   However, although the rain didn’t pick up until much later in the evening, the concert last night was actually pretty good.  What a nice change!

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I scored some great tickets to an orchestra this weekend from a coworker.   That whole “early bird gets the worm” thing is so true.   I knew there was a good reason to go into work so early even though I had absolutely no work to do!  Woohoo!  Despite the rain I now have a cool event to take Becky too, with great seats, and all for free!   I’ll be sure to post about how it goes.

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Today I finally billed my first hour after two weeks of working on non-billable stuff.  It’s pro bono, but pro bono counts 1 for 1 and I’m really excited about this project.   Plus, it’s a perfect time to get my pro bono hours in while regular billable work is so hard to come by during the holidays.

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I have been DYING to paint again (after my first attempt was such a success), but I can’t seem to get out of the office before it is dark out (it gets dark before 5.. boo!) and I don’t even like to go to the area where the art store is in the daytime let alone at night.  Maybe this weekend if there is a break in the rain I can get over there and buy some more supplies.  I would like to paint something for my office!

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Today when I was leaving work I spaced out and almost drove poor Bella (my car) into a pole.  Luckily, a parking lot attendant was watching and managed to get my attention.  She then offered to back my car out for me and said anytime I was in a tight spot to just ask her to do it because my car is “too beautiful” and I shouldn’t risk letting anything happen to it.   If I would have had any cash on me I would have tipped her.   That was so nice!

I saw a news story on LA Times today that said there is an influx of chihuahuas at shelters across California, and noted that the surge in chihuahua popularity began with Legally Blonde (and continued with Paris Hilton’s dog tinkerbell, and of course that Beverly Hills Chihuahua movie… and although the article didn’t mention it, might I point out TACO BELL?).

I kind of loved the article for the Legally Blonde reference, but it is sad that there is a swarm of homeless pooches in CA’s shelters.  I wish I could take one or two!  Whenever there is a movie with a cute dog in it, everyone rushes out and buys one of that breed thinking their puppy will act just like movie dog. Dogs are not always cute and sweet and perfect like movie dogs people!  They take work and need a lot of love and attention!  … Which is unfortunately why I most likely can’t rescue a chihuahua.   Rumor has it that come January I won’t have much time for anything.

(In 2001 (when Legally Blonde came out) I was a freshman in college, and now I’m finally a lawyer.   I can’t believe how much time has passed!)

That I’m actually a lawyer?  Weird, weird, WEIRD!

Technically I still don’t have any “real work” yet, but I’m sworn in.  My name and bar number will soon appear on the calbar website, and my name and bio will soon appear on my law firm’s website.

Today as I was sitting at my desk corresponding via email with a few people regarding possible pro bono opportunities, it really hit me that I really am a lawyer.  It’s so crazy!  And exciting

I don’t think I can remember all that has happened since I updated last.  For a super quick summary:

- finished week 1 of work
- attended second swearing in ceremony (I’m doubly sworn in now!)
- Alexander came to L.A. for the weekend for the swearing in
- tried a new thai place and a new indian place downtown (had it delivered to my loft… trying to work my way through my delivery options!)
- had brunch on Saturday with Alexander and some girl friends at Bottega Louie– a GREAT place in downtown L.A.!
- went to the Getty on Sunday to see Irving Penn’s Small Trades Exhibit.  Honestly, I had been looking forward to this exhibit for awhile and I heard several people at work recommended it, but I found it a little disappointing.   I expected it to be organized a little differently I guess.. I don’t know.  Maybe I just built it up too much in my head.  It was still cool, just not as amazing as I expected.
- yesterday I worked until about 9:30pm on something that isn’t billable.  Tonight I was home by 6 and I keep thinking I’m not doing something that I should be doing!

So we’re basically caught up to now.

I haven’t been feeling incredibly chatty lately.  Getting settled in at work is a pretty strenuous process.   I feel like I say the same thing to 10 different people per day at work, and then family or friends call or text me and want to know how things are going and I’ve already said the same things over and over that day… by the time I get home I just don’t feel like talking anymore.   Once work picks up for me and I’m not saying, “yeah I’m all done with training and trying to get settled in” ten times per day,  I think my normal chattiness will return.

And lastly, not to be super dramatic, but today is the one year anniversary of Alexander’s dad’s unexpected passing.   In some ways it feels like it was only a few months ago, and in some ways it feels like it’s been years already.  So much has happened in the past year.  I’m grateful that I got to know him during my first two years of law school, and I’m saddened that he was taken from his family and from this world so prematurely.

Sorry for the lack of entries lately.  Busy, busy, busy!  But I think it will lighten up tonight after work and I will play catch up!

1. Cost aside, if you could go (back) to college for anything besides what you currently “do,” what would you study?

For me, it wouldn’t necessarily be a matter of “cost aside” but probably “time aside.”    I’ve already spent 7 years in college and law school… I’m a little burned out from school right now!   However, time aside (if I could get abducted by the Navigator so that when I come back to earth after school is done, no ACTUAL time has passed), I think I would take some more language classes… and I think I might get some training in being a (non-legal issues) counselor/mediator because I would like to do some of that at some point, most likely just on the side… not leaving the whole lawyer thing.

2. What do you do for a living? Do you love it/hate it?

Well, as of last Monday, I’m an associate attorney at a large law firm and I work in the litigation department.   I loved it during my internship, and I think I’ll still love it now!  (Haven’t done enough work yet to give an absolute yes!)
3. What is your favorite Christmas ornament? If you don’t celebrate Christmas, what is your favorite holiday tradition?

This one year at a women’s event at my mom’s church we painted wooden ornaments.  For some reason, my mom and I both couldn’t quite figure out the paint and the brush sizes and so our ornaments are AWFUL and so embarrassing.  All the other super crafty women turned out these beautiful ornaments and we hid ours.  Well, my aunt lives with my mom, and every year my aunt still puts those two ornaments on their tree.   This is not a story to tell you they are now my favorite.  It’s still really, really embarrassing (right mom?).   But in response, I would like to remind everyone of that painting I did a while back (scroll down in the entries for a picture).  My first painting experience after that ornament fiasco, and I think it turned out awesome!

As for a favorite, my current tree only has one ornament besides the colorful balls, and it is a silver one that is just letters and it spells peace.  I like it

4. Name something you could literally do without for the rest of your life.

Traffic.  Holy moley I could definitely do without ever experiencing traffic again.  Sadly, that’s not going to happen unless I move to North Dakota, and that is most likely not going to happen either, haha.
5. If you were going to have any kind of “cosmetic procedure,” what would it be?

I have bad teeth.  What Alec Baldwin’s character on 30 Rock would call “poor teeth.”  I’d probably have something done with that.
6. Do you have any “collections”? (comic books, shoes, etc.)

I have one of random giraffe stuff   I looove giraffes.
7. At what age did you get your first cell phone?

I think it was around 17 because once I started driving I wanted a phone in case anything happened.  Of course that quickly turned into phone-I-used-for-many-other-things-and-racked-up-HUGE-phone-bills.   Ooops
8. What is currently in your purse (or pocket or backpack if you’re a guy)?

My work ID, my blackberry, some chapstick… my wallet and keys… nothing exciting.
9. Are you a neat-freak or a slob ? *this applies to house, office, car, etc.

I am pretty much a neat freak.  If 3 things are out of place I describe it as a “mess.”  However, I do not judge other people for having messy spaces, I just personally can’t sleep well/work well in messy places.
10. What kind of parent do you think you will be? If you’re already a parent, what is your style?

I am not really sure.   But I do know a few things.  I’ll be the obnoxious mom that takes pics of EVERYTHING (because I already do that),  I will not tolerate whining (and I will likely turn whining into photo ops as well), I will try to be fun, and I will make my kids get good educations

So last night, I said two oaths and a judge signed my registration card, so I am really, really a lawyer!

Funny story:  when you say the oath, everyone stands and they do it “repeat after me (the judge)” style.   At the beginning of each oath, the judge says “I, state your name” and you are supposed to respond with “I” and then, well, state your name.   Well I, brilliant girl that I am, managed to mess it up both times. Yep, both times  I just said “I state your name.”   I could tell I wasn’t the only one confused though, I heard other people say their names after they messed it up.   I just let it go though and pretended I didn’t say anything wrong

After the swearing in we had the judge sign our cards (the picture above) and had a little reception with people from the firm.   My friend and coworker Lindsey’s parents came out for the event and graciously invited me, and two of our other friends to dinner afterward to celebrate.   It was really fun and I had a great time.   And after two days of trying to stay positive but feeling a bit frustrated, I went home with a warm feeling in my heart <3

On a related note, I’ve been feeling pretty frustrated the past two days and I couldn’t quite figure out why.   I’m a positive person, I generally have a good attitude about things, and I’m very, very grateful to not only have a job but a job at such a great place.   But for some reason certain things have been really getting me down.   And then last night a little lightbulb went off.  (Sorry for the upcoming TMI male readers).  At a certain time of the month I always get a little over emotional.   Things that would normally not bother me, bother me.   The thing though is that the instant I realize what is really going on, I can pull myself together and be normal Michelle.   When little emotional cues go off, now wiser Michelle can be like “No, you want to feel emotional about this, but it’s not real.  This is not a big deal.”   And all is well    I really need to start putting stars on my calendar or something to warn myself so I stop having this 2-3 day time span each month before I realize what is going on with me.

Well, it’s time for me to go get dressed and head into work for my first full day without any special training meetings.   I’m the real deal now

Today I’m getting sworn in so that I can officially practice in all state courts in California, and federal court through the central district of California!  Friends and family are invited, but I wasn’t really sure if me getting sworn in was a big enough deal to ask family members to buy a ticket to fly down here and possibly pay for hotels, etc.   We’ll see how it goes.  If everyone’s parents and/or significant others are there except for mine tonight, that might get a little depressing.

However, on a non-depressing note, one of my favorite people in my class (just for the record, “class” as in started work at the same time, not school ), and her parents have invited me out to dinner with them afterward so I’m excited about that!  I’m excited to meet her parents because they sound really great, and of course, Lindsey is really great!

Yesterday was an interesting day.  We had some computer training and benefits overviews and then had most of the afternoon to ourselves.  I jumped right on trying to stop by and reconnect with people I’d worked with before, and sending out emails.  Some of the emails were timing questions to my secretary, and paperwork questions to people in HR.   Some of them were also very important emails to people I would like to work for and I was hoping to get in touch with them before masses of other people did.   Well, as it turns out, whoever set up my office forgot to plug the cords in right so I didn’t actually have network access for my emails to actually send and didn’t realize it until after 5pm!   The nice thing is we have amazing tech support so it was fixed really fast, but all my emails didn’t go out until about 5:45.   So that was a bit of a bummer.

Oh, and as a random side note…  I’ve already mentioned here a few times that I’m really freaked out about earthquakes.   Well, supposedly our building is actually built to withstand an 8.6 or something like that.   Considering how scary a 5.2 that was 30 miles away felt from the 52nd floor during my 2L summer, I really hope I don’t have to feel what an 8.0 is like, especially one that is less than 30 miles away.   However, it made me feel a little safer about work.   I’ve been a bit paranoid and thinking “have I doomed myself by taking this job?  Am I going to go down in the big one while I’m working alone at 2am at the office??”   It’s morbid, I know.   But I’ve been really freaked out!  So this 8.6 business was comforting.   However, if there is a huge quake, we will be stuck in the building for awhile (possibly days) all survivor style, so I need to get a little kit together for my office in case anything super crazy like that happens.