Number 13--...And We're Back!

...after two and a half years! What a trip it has been since these posts! Got married, graduated from law school, passed the Bar. I've been in practice for almost a year! I started my own practice before getting hired by a firm, Harward & Associates. Finally, Mary and I are expecting our first baby, a little girl. Now that the blogosphere is sufficiently caught up, I feel comfortable logging off. I hope it isn't another 2 1/2 years before I get back, but we'll see.

Number 12--Resolutions

Ah, the new year. It's a little refreshing. Sadly, it's not a lot refreshing. I usually get so into resolutions, starting fresh, and making themes. This year, not so much. I'm just not feeling it. I'm not sure exactly why, but I have a hypothesis.

Where in other years things may have been tough or busy, this year, I actually have some problems--big decisions looming, important things to work out. It feels like to make for a successful year, it would be enough just to figure those things out.

This creates some problems for my resolutions. I just don't have the desire to resolve to do some little task that pales in comparison to the daunting tasks already at hand. [INSERT ANALOGY HERE]

Also, the resolutions that I would likely make are probably things that I am going to do anyway. Visit a new country. Something climbing-related. Something cycling-related. Do a triathlon. Blah blah blah. If I could get a job, get through another year of law school, and figure out a girlfriend situation to my satisfaction, it will be a great year, and the rest is just details.

As for the theme of 2010, I have not yet decided on that either. Nate has proposed "Be A Damn Man". Hmm. Well, I like the idea, but still I'm not crazy about it. I don't feel a personal connection to it, and I think that is something that should be essential when picking a theme.

2009's theme was coined by Clayton: "When In Doubt, Always Drop In". I liked that theme a lot, but I didn't have many moments where I was "in doubt". Still, I think I dropped in when I had the opportunity to do so.

This year, I'm not sure what kind of theme I need. Something about getting what you want. Or maybe figuring out what it is that you want, and then going and getting it. "Warrior Stage", maybe. Or perhaps I could resurrect "Go Big or Go Home". I am going to need to think on this.

Number 11--More Christmas

It's been a wonderful holiday, filled with much merry-making and festivities with the family. Aside from the standard holiday flicks, I am privy to some new gems. We also watched plenty of soccer, a staple of any meaningful time off for me. Amid all of the television and laziness, I have also managed to do a spot of reading. Mostly, I continued my informal research into coral husbandry, which, by the way, is only growing more interesting to me. I also made fair progress in the novel I'm reading, "Harlot's Ghost" by Norman Mailer.

It's funny. I consider myself a reader, and even by objective measurements, I likely read a greater than average amount. Still, in a family of readers, it's tough for me, the ultimate competitor, to keep from feeling inadequate. Some of my family members read SO MUCH! My sister Val reads more than anyone I know. It's just not possible to keep up with her. I'm not trying, of course, but still, I can't help but compare myself to her.

I think that should be enough for now. Being still new to the blogosphere, I am still trying to figure out where the line of appropriateness is. I know that not many people read this, but still, I am uncomfortable putting into the public domain descriptions of my feelings which are of a sensitive nature. On one hand, I like the relative anonymity of the internet. I enjoy the feeling of releasing my thoughts out into the void. It's cathartic. On the other hand, in some cases, it's just not worth the risk. Thoughts on certain topics, especially those which are not fully formed, should be kept to oneself.

Number 10--Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I've had a migraine all day, and it's only started to mellow out in the last few hours. Oh, well. Better today than tomorrow (I hope it's gone tomorrow--and doesn't come back). I'm hanging out in the kitchen my Shannon and my mom. They're making cookies for Santa and I'm looking at cool corals for sale online. Wonderful!

I'm excited for tomorrow--not for the presents really (they certainly don't hurt, though), but mostly to spend the whole day with the family. They're the best and I love the crap out of them! With many of my friends having family that doesn't live close, I feel really lucky to have mine in the valley.

Enough for now. Happy holidays!

Number 9--Felt Like Writing...

...which is a bit funny by itself, considering that I've been writing my tail off for the last few weeks on a combined nearly fifty pages of legal papers. The blog feels awfully comfortable after that--a deep, cushy armchair of writing freedom. I can say whatever I want, leave out citations, mispell werds if I feel like.

It's been quite a semester, and I am very proud of myself for making it through. I love school, I really do. I'm sort of addicted to that "light bulb" feeling of learning something new. That said, this semester was horrible. Of five classes, I had one that I really liked, one I didn't mind, one I disliked, and two that I Hated. That's right. Capital H Hated. Oh, well. It's all over now.

In other news, the new frag tank is just about up and running. Well, it's up and running, but not properly. Maybe I will try and figure out how to post a picture of it. Never mind, posting a picture of the other tank instead. It looks way better. The frag doesn't even have anything in it yet.

There's a party tonight with my choir peeps, but it's all the way down in Draper. That's pretty far, plus there is a bunch of snow on the ground, plus I'm pretty burned out from the papers.

1. Natives, Plants, and Patents: Whether Bioprospecting Is Imperialism and Whether It Is A Problem
2. A Case for Coral: International Law and Coral's Own Austin Street Murder

Can you guess which of the two I enjoyed writing more?

Okay, enough of that. I'm done! Just have to clean up one more class, but I don't have to do that right away. It can wait until after Christmas. All right, enough rule-less writing for now. I am going to read something fun! Then I am going to go look at some coral!

Number 8--Church, Fantasy Football, Schoolwork

Had a very busy Sunday this week and failed to try out anything new. However, I did attend the ward of my choir director (we sang for his ward's Christmas program) and it was quite nice. Of course, the reason I liked it so much may have been because it was the Christmas program, meaning that there were no annoying speakers and there was a bunch of music. Oh, well.

In other news, I beat Nate in the last round of Fantasy Football. Here's a quick snapshot of the season.
1. Nate's team scored the most points over the course of the season. He finished in last place.
2. My team scored the second most points over the course of the season. I finished second to last.
3. Allie had the second most points scored against her. She finished first.

Long story short, Fantasy Football is a crapshoot.

In school news, I have very slowly been working on my final papers and I think they will be passable by next Tuesday, the due date. That's really all I want to say about them, except maybe to say, "Don't buy wild-caught corals! Really, pretty much every species can be aquacultured. There's no reason to be depleting the reefs!"

Number 7--General Update

Successful choir concert this evening. One down, one to go. I got a nice letter in the mail today from the First Presbyterian Church, thanking me for visiting last Sunday. They also included some pamphlets and information which was mildly helpful. I would recommend the church to others. Still, for me, it is not the answer.

Plans for this Sunday are still up in the air, but I would like to check out the Methodist church on Second South (on the corner of either Second or Third east), and I also want to learn more about the Universalist church. I will post more as I learn more.

In other news, the semester is winding down, and I still haven't made a proper start to my International Law paper. I have a bunch of material which I think will be good background reading, but I am still not sure what my thesis is going to be. It will be a stressful week or two figuring it all out.

It is snowing again tonight and the view over the valley is quite nice. I am hoping that it stays warm over the weekend and that we continue to get snow. I'm really starting to fell the holiday spirit, though that may only be due to the fact that someone in my building had started burning some holiday-scented candle. Still, Happy Holidays, World!