Gyms recently opened back up in the District for the first time since the lockdown began, but I am not sure when I’ll be back.
Gyms recently opened back up in the District for the first time since the lockdown began, but I am not sure when I’ll be back.
One of the most interesting things about the first days of the COVID-19 lock down was the effort people put into outlandish costumes.
We had a somewhat subdued Capital Pride this year.
Sure, there was drag brunch and meet-ups with fair-weather friends who only come out during holidays. But I refused to make any substantive plans for the weekend and declined a few invitations. Although this was anti-social, I have no regrets because I gained the flexibility to skip the parade (due to heat) and most of the festival (due to rain.) What privilege.
Thank god I brushed my teeth before the morning dog walk.
After doing a loop around the National Mall, I direct the dogs back toward my apartment building.
I can see the fire trucks from down the street and think, “Please, please let those be for another apartment building. Maybe the place next door had a kitchen fire?”
But the fire trucks are totally for my building. And it isn’t just a normal false alarm — the fire hoses are actually plugged in and spewing water all over the street.
While walking the dogs through Chinatown and Judiciary Square this morning, I notice that someone trashed the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. A large binder containing officer names is ripped apart and the pages blanket the southern part of the memorial.
I reflexively take out my phone to Instagram the petty vandalism, but I immediately realize that I should take some responsibility over my new neighborhood and just clean up the damn mess. The wind hasn’t picked up most of the pages yet, so it’s better for me to handle this rather than waiting for the Park Service to show up.
I tie up the dogs and get to work.
It’s LL.M. orientation week. Last year, I was in the audience listening to alumni give study and job search advice. This year, I am on the same stage talking to a new crop of students.
I don’t get through all of my rehearsed talking-points, but I do manage to avoid saying anything stupid or outrageous. I repeatedly cautioned the students that securing a job offer from an externship is completely dumb luck on my part. But I probably sound like a lottery winner explaining that buying Powerball tickets is foolish.
My best piece of advice is: “Remember that massive book of information that the career office gave you? Actually read that and follow the instructions.”
If just one student uses that advice, then the panel was worth it.
Having a balcony was one of the main wish-list items for my District apartment, and I was so thrilled to find an apartment with some outdoor space again (summer heat, be-damned!)
Apparently I am not the only one who enjoys balconies — a week after moving in, I wake up one morning to find pigeon crap everywhere.
We are finally settled into our apartment in Washington D.C. — the hoard of boxes is gone and all of the furniture is put together. Blessed be.
Moving is always an irritating experience for me because I have to confront all of my past bad purchases. However, this move was easier than most.
We were adults and hired movers. Getting out of the Virginia apartment did take a while however because of the sheer size of the building (long hallways, etc.) and the perpetual weekend traffic jam on the bridges connecting Virginia to Washington D.C.
I enter the lobby to wait for my Uber and realize that the street in front of the office is completely blocked off by police. The blockade extends down the block, which is pretty odd for a random weekday. Did someone get run over?
Turns out that the street closures are because the local hockey team is in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
We went to some hockey games in Dallas, but I obviously don’t follow the sport. I can’t even properly feign interest — this weekend, I politely asked someone if they were at a Stanley Cup watch party and Michael whispered in my ear, “He’s wearing a BASEBALL t-shirt!”
My job search in Washington D.C. was marked by mornings at a coffee shop in Chinatown.
I am barely in town a week when I first visit Compass Coffee on F Street. It’s August, muggy, and I am already sweating in the suit that I bought the day before.
Orientation hasn’t even started for the Georgetown LL.M. program, but I am already interviewing for externships. The law firm is in Chinatown, so I decide to metro to the area early and camp-out at a coffee shop. That way, I’ll be on-time and avoid the crush of rush-hour metro traffic.
Washington D.C.’s Chinatown is a place that I will get to know well this semester — in addition to being the site of the closest subway stations to school, I am also externing at a law firm in the heart of Chinatown.