Checking In

I know, I know: it's been a while. But in my defense, you all have done very little blogging in the interim, so I don't feel terribly guilty about it. However, a recent posting by one of my brothers who hadn't blogged in a year or so compels me to give you all a quick update.

Things here are good. Really good, in fact. Finals are rapidly approaching, but I'm still able to maintain my cheerfulness, which has been a huge blessing. I'm still getting plenty of rest and time for relaxation. I'm busy, but not oppressively so. The only reason I haven't done much blogging is that although I have some free time, my brain tends to be quite fatigued after a long day of studying, and the last thing I want to do is read or write, so you all get left behind. Sorry. Here's a quick update:

The weather here is fantastic. It was 60 yesterday. Jealous? It was also 100% humidity, so don't be too jealous. All of the city trash cans along the sidewalks were filled with umbrellas, as they were all breaking in the wind. I spent the day a bit soggy, but not cold. Today it was somewhere in the 40-45 range, so quite pleasant. No snow in the forecast for the next 10 days, nor any weather that would make it cold enough to snow. I keep thinking that winter is around the corner, but it doesn't seem to be.

I'm still loving living in the city. I love to ride the subway, walk in Central Park, shop at the little stores, etc. Living here is like living in a giant metropolis and a small town all at the same time. It's really great.

I had company! My parents came out for a quick weekend to see a show, attend an event at my school, and to buy me some wonderful meals at some restaurants here. I generally don't get to eat at the fancy places in my neighborhood because of the cost, but my parents spoiled me rotten for the 72 hours they were here, and it was fabulous. Then, right after they left, one of my uncles came into town for a couple of days to do some deal-closing for work, and he took me out for ANOTHER fabulous meal. Between the two visits, I got lots of catching up on all of the people at home, good food, great company, and lots of hugs and encouragement. It was wonderful.

Preparing for finals is pretty intense. I like to do most of my work from home, because the people at school are all really stressed out. The tension is just palpable, so I like to return home right after classes end for the day, turn on some instrumental Christmas music, and hunker down to get some work done. My first final is in twelve days. Finals in law school are a tricky thing--each one will be a three to five hour exam, depending on the course, and will be made up of short answer and essay questions. The exams are all graded blindly, meaning the professors won't know that I'm the one who wrote the exam they're reading. This can be good or bad, depending on the class. My entire grade for the course is based on the final. No pressure, right? The school uses a mandatory curve for all of the classes, so most people will get Bs of one form or another. It is extraordinarily challenging to distinguish yourself from the pack.

Truly, I'm pretty excited to just take them and then have them done. I'm looking forward to a holiday break!

It's Hanukkah around here. Go out and have yourself some latkes (potato pancakes) or some jelly donuts - both traditional Hanukkah foods. No particular religious significance, but traditional significance for the Jewish culture to eat lots of oily foods for the Festival of Lights as it has some oily nature to its origins.

So get out there and eat some fried food, even if you're not Jewish! I'm not Jewish, but really, who can pass up an excuse for some delicious fried treats?