Ten years ago I was in Miami, applying to the University of Minnesota Law School. I would have had a hard time believing that a decade later, I would be getting sworn in as a Texas attorney in Washington D.C.
Ten years ago I was in Miami, applying to the University of Minnesota Law School. I would have had a hard time believing that a decade later, I would be getting sworn in as a Texas attorney in Washington D.C.
I was fortunate enough to have a few “Friendsgiving” offers, but I spent the break tied to my computer so I could finish prepping for finals.
They warned us during orientation that the LL.M. program goes really quick — and they were right. My externship and classes have already ended and finals start Tuesday.
We live in a pretty tall high-rise, so the elevator rides can get rather long. No one talks around mixed company in the elevator — all conversations quickly end if anyone else enters.
Kids are the exception. They always talk, and it’s usually hilarious.
One of the most surreal parts of my move to Washington D.C. a few months ago was listening to an audiobook of John Grisham’s Gray Mountain while driving through the Appalachians, where the story takes place.
It felt strange to inhabit the same space as fictional characters – particularly because I was traveling through an unfamiliar place in the middle of the night.
Coffee cups couldn’t be big enough when I was in college. I would order my coffee in the largest cup possible, even if it meant ordering one of those unsightly gas station buckets designed for truckers.
Now I order my coffee in the smallest size available.
Sure, I’ve reduced my overall caffeine intake over the years, but the shrinkage of my cup sizes has little to do with caffeine or my budget. I simply realized one day that I was throwing out half-full coffee cups because I could never finish my beverage before it went cold.
We decided to walk the dogs along the National Mall this weekend. It was Veterans’ Day, so the monuments were packed with all sorts of tourists and servicemen.
As we made our way through the crowds of veterans and tour buses, we heard the thump thump of house music. It seemed like an unusual choice for a Veterans’ Day celebration, so we decided to drift towards the beat.
First we saw a kickball team associated with Cobalt, a local gay bar. But the music was actually coming from a massive dragon-shaped DJ stage behind the kickball game. The DJs were hosting a random women’s dance party in front of the Washington Monument.
A dance party at Decorated helmets at Catharsis on the Mall in Washington. D.C. (right in front of the Washington Monument.)
A school bus-turned dragon at Catharsis on the Mall in Washington. D.C.
Catharsis on the Mall is a burning-man-inspired festival that’s held every year on the National Mall. In addition to the dance party, there was yoga, a panel discussion, and several lounges throughout the area which looked like psychedelic Dothraki tents.
There are only three weeks left in the semester which means that finals are around the corner. The sense of dread that started last month has been replaced with a study plan and things just might be okay.
The clocktower at Georgetown Law School.
Finals may be around the corner, but I already took a major test last week — the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE).
Texas and most other states require a passing MPRE score in addition to the bar exam. Most people take the MPRE before the bar, but I’m doing things out of order apparently.
The MPRE wasn’t offered at Georgetown, so I took it at American University Law School. The school must have finished a major construction project recently — the buildings are brand new and look as if they were designed by Ikea.
Taking the MPRE at American University Law School.
I’ll find out my score in a couple of weeks (e.g. in the middle of finals.) If I pass, I’ll be officially licensed in Texas. I’ll probably wave into the D.C. bar (and perhaps Virginia) next semester.
Hopefully I won’t have to retake it. 🤞
Gunter – our Chiweenie who is not here for the Calmz Anxiety Relief System.
One of the most annoying things about finals in Minnesota was the cold and darkness. It gets dark pretty early in D.C. too, but we don’t have snow yet.
It’s also way colder than Dallas, but nothing approaching Minnesota-levels.
The Korean War Memorial in on the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Fall decorations at Washington D.C.’s CityCenter.
The World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.
Then again, it’s another three weeks until finals actually start, so there’s plenty of time for the snow and darkness to arrive just in time to ruin my test-taking mood. Hopefully everything will be fine.
I recently attended the 38th Annual Conference of the National Association of State Bar Tax Sections (NASBTS) at Alston & Bird LLP in downtown Washington D.C.
About 20-30 states were represented at this year’s NASBTS conference, and it was fascinating meeting tax practitioners from across the country, including Minnesota, Texas, and Florida.
This summer was rough. In addition to working full time, I was also prepping for the Texas bar exam.
I was scared to tell many people that I was even taking the exam — I had been out of law school for six years and taking the exam in a different state. I wasn’t confident that my bar review course would power me through Texas oil and gas law. I was also worried that working 50 hours a week was cutting too much into my prep time.
I did well on the practice tests — but were they like the exam? I heard so many horror stories of people failing the bar one, two, three times even while studying full time. Was I doing enough? Was starting bar prep in April too early? Too late?
In addition to brunch, we explored some of the neighborhoods and made it to the Baltimore Eagle.
Brunch was at a place called Little Havana, which is right on the harbor. They had a bottomless mimosa special and even brought the mimosas out with ice (which is amazing.)
The food was good, although the amount of dogs on the patio was a little distracting. In particular, there was this dog that completely flipped out anytime it would see another animal. I’m surprised that its owner wasn’t kicked out.
Tuesday is a very busy bar night in Dallas’ gayborhood, but that is not the case in D.C. — apparently people are more into happy hour here.
We had a rare Tuesday night out yesterday with our first drag queen High Heel Race. I started hearing about this event almost immediately after arriving in town, and hated that it was on a random school night. However, I felt obligated to go because the race was billed as the equivalent of Dallas’ Halloween Block Party.
The good news is that the event did not disappoint.
The crowd gathering at a restaurant waiting for the Washington D.C. High Heel Race.
Drag queens at the Washington D.C. High Heel Race.
My knowledge of wine is limited, so when people say that they are going to “wine country,” I assume that they are headed to Napa or Europe. Apparently Virginia has a wine country as well, which we explored on a recent day trip to Middleburg, VA.
Our first stop was Quattro Goomba’s — a winery about 40 miles away from Washington D.C.
Quattro Goomba’s also has a brewery. That is where we spent most of our time because: beer > wine (particularly on muggy weekends.)
A sampler flight at Quattro Goombas Brewery in Middleburg, Virginia
The outdoor areas of Quattro Goombas Winery in Middleburg, Virginia
The main hall of Quattro Goombas Brewery in Middleburg, Virginia
Kids playing in the outdoor areas of Quattro Goombas Winery in Middleburg, Virginia
Quattro Goomba’s is a very family-friendly place that bans tour buses. There are large open spaces with dogs and children running around.
One of the many local celebrities in Dallas’ gayborhood is a homeless woman named LaCheryl Wilson (who also known as “Crazy Mary.”)
“Crazy Mary” is mostly an affectionate nickname, but Wilson does appear to suffer some mental health issues. I remember seeing Wilson screaming at people and cars every few weeks when I lived in Oak Lawn.
The tantrums were sporadic however – I usually saw Wilson calmly smoking cigarettes in bus stops or shuffling along Cedar Springs Road.
Crazy Mary of Dallas’ Oak Lawn neighborhood.
My friends spotted Wilson as far as Carrollton and Fort Worth, but she mostly stayed around Oak Lawn, where she was a longtime fixture. There is even a Facebook group dedicated to keeping the neighborhood updated on Wilson’s whereabouts and swapping stories. This is where news of her death was posted last week.
It is July and I am in still in Dallas. I dial my insurance company’s nurse hotline on the way home from work and regret my decision within a few minutes —
“Sir, you need to pull over right now and call 911,” the nurse says.
“What?” I ask. (I can’t believe what I’m hearing.)
“You need to pull over your car and call an ambulance,” she repeats. “Based on the information you have given me, my professional medical opinion is that you are having a stroke.”
It starts in my neck – immediately under my right jaw. It then spreads to the right side of my face – lower lip, then upper lip. Then to my cheek – and sometimes to the back of my head.
These rusty sculptures are one of the strangest examples of public art that I have encountered recently.
Ingrid in a piece of sculpture art.
The sculptures are in a park near my apartment and the dogs seem to like them. The huge pieces change shape depending on your vantage point and often look like oversized rolls of pennies.
I was at the library last week when I had the horrifying realization that finals are only two months away.
This was the scene playing in my head:
I haven’t been good about going to monuments or museums, but festivals are another story.
Michael and I recently went to the H Street Festival, which is Washington’s version of Grand Old Day. The festival spanned about a dozen blocks and had plenty of food, crafts, dancing and dogs.
A dog and festival goers at the H-Street Festival.
A recycling-themed car at the H Street Festival.
Dancing at the H Street Festival in Washington D.C.
The crowd at the H Street Festival in Washington D.C.
Professor B. recently discussed what to expect on the final exam, and how we can improve our grades:
Professor B: “It’s important to follow the instructions of the exam. When faced with 100 exams, I lose all humanity. So I terrorize you.”
Hurricane Irma is crawling toward Miami and all of the flights are sold out.
There’s one seat left for an American Airlines flight. I quickly enter my payment information and hit purchase.
The system then tells me that the flight is sold out.
This situation repeats five times before I realize that American falsely claims to have a seat left for all of its sold-out flights. I move on to several other websites.
After a few more failed attempts, a purchase finally goes through and I call my mother.
The semester is off to quite the start – my days are filled with Westlaw searches, Tax Notes, and Bloomberg Portfolios.
A few things have changed since my J.D. days in Minnesota – TWEN has been ditched for something called Canvas and I am expected to find all of my assigned readings online, which means that I did not have to purchase any books. (Which is amazing!)
…and there is definitely something different about the younger students.