Animals

It was a sad, sad day...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/06/AR2007070600679.html

...until Sis forwarded this along. (Hi, Sis. Thanks!)

http://dogsagainstromney.blogspot.com/

God bless the Internet.

(And I passed my mid-summer review. Yay!)

Relativity

I consider myself to be in pretty good shape. I work out seven days a week, and I run, swim, and lift. Yesterday I mixed it up a little bit by running some trails near my house. The trails were fairly easy, so I was especially pleased with myself.

But then I went to Pilates. [FN1] And now I know: I'm not in good shape. I'm especially inept when it comes to on-my-side exercises. The teacher had to hold me up for that portion of the class. She thought I just didn't understand her directions. Wrong. I WAS PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE OF FOLLOWING HER DIRECTIONS. The pain was excruciating. It was so much more difficult than the classes I've taken before. Apparently, they're soft in Manhattan.

Ow, ow, ow.

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FN1. This is for the Abstract Concept. He is a strong supporter of my Pilates.

And while I'm at it, I should note that Mr. Jersey called. Just to chat. It was so amazing. (Hi, Mr. Jersey! Yes, I do footnote my blog posts.)

Asian

This summer, I've gotten back in touch with my Asian side. My two roommates are Asian, and so, predictably, are many of their friends. Why "predictably," you say? Well, do you have eyes?

Neither my sister nor I ever has run with the Asian crowd. There was a while back in high school when I thought I ran with them, but boy did they let me know I was mistaken. So ever since then, I've been happy with my friends of many races, not content to confine myself to a mono-ethnicity clique. Sometimes I question myself, and wonder if I've done myself a disservice by not having more Asian friends.

So that's why this summer I've been happy to get acquainted with APALSA-San Diego. They are a fun-loving bunch, inviting me whenever they go out, and trying to coax stodgy old me into going with them to parties in Hollywood. (Bless their hearts.)

But best of all, they cook. Friends, APALSA can cook. I was treated to a tropical feast on Independence Day, a veritable smorgasbord of Guamanian, Filipino, and other Polynesian food. I ate, and ate, and then I ate some more, and the best part - I didn't even feel guilty about it. APALSA must be magic.

At one point in the evening, though, I did notice something awry. My roommate's half-Mexican, half-white boyfriend was there, the only non-Asian. I felt awkward for him, wondering if he felt awkward, too. My old habits came flooding back, "Oh why can't the Asians be friends with other races?" I thought. But then I had another thought - I am often the only Asian in the room, and only rarely do I feel awkward about it. Not because I'm incredibly self-confident or self-aware, but because I've learned to deal. I've toughed it out. And maybe I shouldn't be the only person to have to do so.

Disoriented

Having a four day week is nice, but having the middle day off is disorienting. Tomorrow is Friday, which is usually my favorite day of the work week, and not because it's the weekend. No, Friday is my favorite day because it's Breakfast Club Friday on the 24th floor, where my office just happens to be. Every Friday morning, someone from the 24th floor brings in breakfast for the entire floor, and boy, do they get competitive. People have brought in their own toasters just so the rest of us can enjoy the maximum flavor of breakfast. This is the kind of competition even a Communist could love.

Thing is, half the reason why Breakfast Club Friday is so great is because by the time we've hit Friday, we've earned it. We break bread together but we also break pressure. We hold at bay the demands of work as we gather for a little bit and share a kind of communion. We chat. We enjoy ourselves. When breakfast comes only the second day after a holiday, though, the meal loses a little bit of its luster. There's something to be said for deserving what you get.

No? Some of you are shaking your heads.

Midsummer Day's Dream

Happy Independence Day.

Today not only marks the day, 231 years ago, that a bunch of renegades took government into their own hands, but it also marks the mid-point of my adventure as a pretend attorney. It ought to be all downhill from here.

I have a hunch it's not, though.

Mid-summer review's next week and I can see it now: "Everyone really likes your work, KHC, but you can be a little slow with the memos and, for the love of God, remember to attach your attachments!"

It's also to time to start thinking seriously about whether San Diego is the place for me. And I'm just as surprised as you are. Had you told me six months ago I would be seriously considering a move to San Diego, I would have changed the subject. "East Coast" is written all over me. I subscribe to The New York Times. I carry an L.L. Bean tote bag. I wear pearl studs on my days off. I am a snob. None of these traits is particularly Southern California, and yet I'm enjoying it here. It has its downsides (no fall or winter wardrobe!), but it has so many upsides. Beautiful produce. Delicious fish. Pandas.

Of course, I could be getting ahead of myself. I need to get an offer before I can think about moving, and after Attachment-Gate, who knows about that. In which case, it's time to go look at the resume.

Pooky gets a pass

Californians like their dogs.

Yesterday I read a case in which two homeowners got to keep their dog, Pooky, in spite of the by-laws of their homeowners' association. The homeowners, who suffered from depression, said that Pooky helped with their symptoms, and therefore should be admitted as a medical service animal. The association didn't buy it, saying that Pooky was just a dog and wasn't trained as a service animal, and so he should go.

The court said, "Bah! Who needs training? The dog makes the people happy, let it in!"

Okay, so the court didn't say those words exactly, but it did say this, "[I]t was the innate qualities of a dog, in particular a dog's friendliness and ability to interact with humans, that made it therapeutic here." (citation omitted)

Your tax dollars hard at work, folks.

Bring it on

Whatever the work week brings, I am rested and I am ready. I am ready to work and to bill. I am ready to Contribute Something Interesting to the Discussion for the three-billionth time this summer. Yahoo.

I can't say enough about getting a good night's sleep, several nights in a row. It's better than ice cream. I should do it more often.

It all began Friday night, when San Diego Gas & Electric turned off my power. Even though I knew it was coming, there was something very final about "lights out" at 10pm. There was nothing to do but go to bed. It rocked. San Diego Gas & Electric should shut off my lights at 10pm every night. But only my lights, because I wouldn't want the food in the fridge to go bad.

Then on Saturday, I declined a social invitation. To an event I actually would have enjoyed. Whenever have I done that before? And this morning, I went back to crazy leftist South Park for breakfast at the Big Kitchen. God bless crazy leftists. They feed my soul.

I think my serenity was catching. On Saturday, I had lunch at a French bistro where the owner gave me an enormous oatmeal chocolate cookie for free. Later on, I stopped by See's Candies [FN1] where they gave me not one, but two, free samples.

Calories don't count when they're gifted to you.

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FN1. For the uninitiated, See's Candies is one of the most delicious reasons to live in California. Ask the Captain, he knows.