Monday, May 30, 2011

Yeah, yeah, another month without a blog post. I know. Believe me, I know. Let's move on and just be happy that we're here together once again.

Happy May! Yes, there's only one more day left in this glorious month, but May was a happy month for me, so here's hoping yours was, too. (Alright, I think that's enough effusive cheer for one post.)

So I am currently on vacation (wahoo!). Unfortunately, I return to work tomorrow (antithesis of wahoo!). But it's actually cool because the summer associates have joined the ranks at work so now I have people who, though probably not younger than me, are lower on the food chain, whom I can order around and send out for my coffee. Seriously. Summer associates are the best thing to ever happen to law firms. (I wouldn't really treat them like that, don't worry. I don't even drink coffee. Chai, on the other hand...) But I'm actually excited to meet them. Even though our office manager thinks she has a sense of humor and sat a summer associate with the same name as me in the office next door to mine. (She will obviously have to change her name, as there's only room for one of us on the 20th floor. Don't even start.)

So, yes, I'm on vacation. I just returned from the west coast, and it was a total blast. I didn't make it out to LA this time (don't worry, UCLA folks, I'll be out there in late June); rather, I was up in those rainier lands known as Seattle and Portland. Sister had two weeks between sessions and met me out in Seattle after spending a week ice fishing in Alaska. She lived in an igloo all week, so I'm sure she welcomed our retro chic hotel in Seattle (and its four walls made of solid material - yes, I know ice is the solid form of water, but that's besides the point). We spent three days in Seattle, checking out all the sights (i.e., buying clothes we don't need at Nordstrom Rack), dining on the finest northwest delicacies (the best sushi roll ever - crab meat, fuji apples, and jalapenos - amazing!), and hanging with the dreaded (that's dreaded because they had dread-locks) locals at this hilariously eclectic (in terms of clientele) outdoor bar while mosquitoes ate my flesh. Good times all around. Then we swept down to Portland for a quick peak (where we conveniently also stayed one block away from a Nordstrom Rack- way to go, Sister- fine choices of hotels in both locations). I liked Seattle better, and Sister like Portland better, and those preferences suit us just fine. Perhaps one day I'll be a government lawyer in Seattle while she fights for clean waterways (or something like that) in Portland. And our kids will be friends. And we'll all pose for J. Crew-inspired photo shoots. And life will be perfect. Yes, I think that sounds highly feasible.

I need to backtrack for a moment to tell you about the hilarity that preceded my west coast adventure. This pre-adventure was my five year college reunion, and hilarity is a completely accurate description. Small Asian Friend and I drove up to Wes Friday night and met up with some now Townie Friends who showed us their newly purchased homestead (which was really nice, I might add) and dined with us. We made our way to campus, where we checked in and retrieved our keys to our dorm rooms. Yes, you read that correctly: we stayed in dorm rooms. Well, to be totally frank, we stayed in one dorm room. We had a child cot for Boston Brit, but she opted out of reunion weekend (don't worry, Boston Brit, I'm no longer upset about this- just sad that you missed out), so Small Asian Friend pushed it into my room and slept on it for the few hours of the wee morning she slept each night we were there. We did all the usual things Wes students do: played squash, went to Friendly's and Mortenson's (yes, we like our ice cream), hit up a house party or two, avoided attending graduation, and purchased Wes gear (as if we didn't buy enough during our four years there and the five years since) for our friends and families. But wow, what a great time. I saw my high school boyfriend (who happened to also be my year at Wes), my freshman year roomie, my only other friend from my freshman year dorm, and my backyard-sharing neighbors from senior year. Granted, I already knew what most of these people were doing from facebook (thanks again, Mark Zuckerberg), but it was nice to see them in person (so as to not feel like a crazy internet stalker).

In other news, this weekend was my Lady Friend's birthday. (Yes, I have a Lady Friend. She's wonderful. Thank you, Four Point Plan - success!) We did all the things one should do with one's Lady Friend in New York City during one's Lady Friend's birthday weekend: we strolled across the Brooklyn Bridge (despite the grossly hot sticky weather); we sat on a bench in Central Park and looked out at the water (while swatting away bugs and avoiding getting sick off the scent of horse poo); and we had a delicious dinner with her best friend in the 'Burg (after arriving at the original restaurant we had planned to meet at and finding it closed for renovations). But despite all that, it was actually a success and a great birthday (so said Lady Friend). So I will now pat myself on the back.

And now it's back to the usual Sunday night routine of catching up on my dvr and hoping to avoid the dreaded (this time not meaning dread-locked individuals) start to the work week.