Happy Tinker Day!!!

It's Tinker Day! Yay!! I won't go into a lengthy explanation, but let's just say it's fun, involves costumes, hiking, fried chicken, skits and chocolate cake! I'm celebrating tonight with another Hollins Alum here in Anchorage. So exciting!

In other news, the Alaska Bar Exam results came out and I'm happy to report that all of the law clerks who took the exam in July have passed! Congrats all around! You can actually feel the sense of relief around the courthouse. I had a very strange experience when I found out I passed last year because I was checking my email at an internet cafe in Rome. I was happy to pass not only because it was a huge relief but also because failing probably would have ruined my vacation! Anyway, so happy for all the passers and chin up to those who will take it again in February. The test isn't an indication of your intelligence or how good an attorney you are, it's just a necessary measure used to regulate the profession.

OK, off to lunch with some clerks then fried chicken tonight with new friends!

JetBlue in ANC?!

Just found out today (via a friend's post on Facebook) that JetBlue will have a new route from Long Beach, CA to Anchorage starting this summer! The airline will have daily flights between May and September for what appears to be a pretty reasonable price. Promotional fares are selling for $238 roundtrip during October, I'd imagine regular fares will be similar.

This is so awesome. Leigh and I are going to Hawaii in April for about $600 for both (using our $99 companion fare), which is pretty darn affordable if you ask me. We have also said we'd like to visit California, but airline prices tend to be closer to $600 round-trip per person for San Francisco and Los Angeles. We've also talked about visiting Leigh's sister in Las Vegas, but those tickets aren't cheap either! So this is a great option for us for a late spring/early autumn getaway to someplace warm with good shopping and lots of stuff to do.

I have a law school friend living in Long Beach who has already invited us to visit sometime. It would be nice to see her again. Plus Long Beach is only 20 minutes from LA (a place I have little to no desire to visit, though West Hollywood might be interesting...), about 4 hours from Las Vegas and only 2 hours from the Mexican border. Another cool idea would be to fly directly to Long Beach then take a quick $50 flight to San Francisco. Neither Leigh nor I have been to San Fran, which makes us bad lesbians, so this is something to consider also. This new non-stop route definitely provides some excellent vacation options for the next few years!

I want to ride my bicycle

This is Day 2 of driving to work because my bicycle needs repairs. I'm getting really depressed about it because I'm not getting enough excericse which means I feel guilty about food and my brain isn't creating enough seratonin. I really need to get my bike fixed.

I found a place here in town that will fix just the brakes for about $15. That's more reasonable than the $75 base fee for a tune-up I was quoted elsewhere. Considering the bike is only worth about $80 and I'd like a new one in about 6 months, I prefer to keep repair costs to a minimum. So my plan is to take my bike to this other shop tomorrow to have the brakes repaired and start riding again on Friday.

However, the pavement has been crazy slippery in the mornings lately, causing me some concern over my safety. For example: this morning I parked on the upper deck of the courthouse parking garage and was climbing out of my car only to completely lose my footing and wind up on the pavement! Go ahead, laugh, whatever. It hurt like hell. This was partly due to my shoes sans traction and partly due to the completely invisible nature of the ice that had built up overnight. Either way it was embarassing and hurt like hell AND made me wonder if I'll suffer a similar fate while riding my bike to work one morning, resulting in a broken arm or collar bone. That would suck.

So I'll go ahead and get my bike fixed on Thursday and get back to riding soon enough, but if I find myself sliding around too much on the thing I might have to start driving to work and making time in the evenings for fitness rides (as opposed to commuting rides). We'll see. I am told that lots of people ride their bikes to work throughout the winter here so I know it's possible, I just need to develop certain skills and possibly invest in winter equipment (i.e. snow tires, body armor, etc).

After Christmas I'm hoping some mid-range bikes will be on sale because I would love a new one. Right now my bike is about 10 years old, has had at least 2 or 3 owners, has 18 gears and no front shocks. It's a cool bike and I love riding it. I really like that the frame is a good 3 or 4 inches too big for me (according to experts) because it allows me to really stretch out when I ride. Other bikes I've owned before always made me feel hunched over and cramped, but my dear bike Lola makes me feel like I'm getting cardio while actively stretching my muscles. Pretty awesome. Unfortunately Lola is showing her age, especially in crappy weather, and I'm putting a lot of miles on her (about 75 per week), so I think she'll go into retirement soon.

Anyway, I'm going to take my lunch now then back to the grindstone.

Here's Johnny!

I am so totally excited about this weekend. I don't care about Halloween at all except for when it leads to other cool stuff happening. Perfect example: this Friday and Saturday a local independent movie theater/brewpub/pizza joint is showing The Shining in its dinner theater! Tickets are massively cheap, so Leigh and I reserved a booth for 2 people. Of course we've both seen the Shining about 22 times each, but Leigh has never seen the theater version. I saw it once before at a midnight showing of the film in Roanoke on Halloween night. It was so fun, so scary, and totally worth sitting wedged between two strangers because the place was so packed that my friends and I couldn't find seats together. At least we weren't standing in the back like about 30 late-comers had to!

We're also hoping to [finally] make our way to Seward this weekend. I've heard it's super fun and it would be great to get out of Anchorage for a day.

In other, sadder, news: my bike is broken! The front brakes aren't doing their job anymore and the thing needs a tune-up. I was quoted $75+ for a tune-up, but that's about what I paid for the thing so I'm reluctant to go through with it. My other option is to buy a new bike for about $300. Both options stink, to be honest. I really want a new bike but am willing to wait until after Christmas when prices might be lower. For now I just want a safe bike to ride to work every day. I drove to work today and I already feel out of shape and lazy!

*sigh*

Career Goals Adjusted

Leigh had her appointment with the RN program at UAA on Friday. The general presentation really made an impression on her and she got really excited about certain opportunities that an RN will provide for her (namely med-surg nursing and ortho nursing). But then she found out that the earliest she can plan to start classes is Fall 2012. The reason is complicated, but basically she needs to take two prerequisite courses and get As in them to be admitted and new students must start classes in the Fall semester, then they MUST take all courses in the order listed on the website over the course of 4 semesters. No doubling up credits, no skipping aroung. I understand the reasoning for this, because of the clinical nature of the program, but it was a tough pill for both of us to swallow. This puts us behind our "plans" for more than one year.

But after giving it some thought we both decided to just make the commitment to being in Anchorage for 4 or 5 years, commit to Leigh getting her RN, commit to me working full time as an attorney for these years and commit to my plans to move us to Europe for my MBA/MIB program after we're done with this "preporatory period" of our lives. While it's kind of difficult to feel stuck in a place for a period of time as long as 5 years, it's good in the way that it forces us (meaning, me) to be permanent someplace for a while. It forces me to only look for jobs in Anchorage after my clerkship is over, to focus on Leigh and her goals for a while, and to get our personal finances completely in order so that when we do have greater mobility in our careers nothing, absolutely nothing, will hold us back from taking any and every opportunity that comes our way.

So it's looking like this:

• 2010-2012: I'll work as a law clerk, Leigh will temp until she finds something permanent
• Summer/Fall 2012: We're trying to figure out a way to go to Europe for a nice trip without interfering with Leigh's Fall classes. Ideally we'd like to spend some time in Germany and a few days in Prague, then I'd like to spend a month or two at Taize before starting my new job (whatever that may be).
• 2012-2014: I'll work as an attorney here in Anchorage, Leigh will go to UAA for the RN program almost full time (about 10 credits per semester) and maybe work part-time.
• 2014: Leigh needs one year full-time experience as an RN before she can register as a travel nurse, I'll spend 2014 preparing for my MBA/MIB program by getting my application together, taking the GMAT, having my transcripts and CV translated into French, etc.
• 2015: I'll live in France full time for school, Leigh wants to work as a travel nurse in the US and visit me between contracts (every 6 weeks or so), especially when I am not in classes. By 2017 I will graduate and have worked for at least one European/multinational company and should have a lot of excited career prospects in the US, Europe, and maybe even Canada.

Ambitious? Yes.
A bit crazy? Perhaps.
Do-able? Definitely!
Is this really going to happen? Absolutely!

Weird Week

Last week I was so looking forward to this week: Monday was Alaska Day, so the courts were closed and I had the day off. Three day weekend, four day work week. The I waste the long weekend being lazy and getting stupid stuff done aroudn the apartment. Monday kind of sucked because Leigh had to work and she wasnt' happy about that so she made sure I knew it. I went to work Tuesday as normal, but Wednesday I had to call in sick, which turned out to be a blessing. By mid-afternoon I was feeling better so I could work on my bicycle (which wasn't functioning properly), finish the 800 page history book on Europe in the 20th century that I started in MAY, and start a new book that is a much easier read. So, health restored as well as sanity.

So basically I've only worked three days this week, which sucks because I actually have a lot to do at work right now. Today I'm hitting the books pretty hard to get some stuff done before the weekend so I can relax. One of these days I'm going to use my weekend for good and not for gluttony and errands. How dull! In Europe I used my weekends to take train trips to Italy and Paris. Now I go to Costco and watch Netflix movies. What gives? I even have a car now so I could go on fun driving trips, but I don't. This needs to change.

One thing I have been thinking about a lot lately is going back to school. I'm enjoying having a paycheck, but it feels like Leigh and I are eternally in a transitional state. We really thought we'd feel like grownups now. Sure, we both earn money and have jobs, but Leigh hates her temping gig and my job is temporary by nature. Today Leigh has an appointment to talk to the advisors for the RN program at UAA. Hopefully she can get into classes right away and be working in nursing within the next 2 or 2 1/2 years. It will be great for her to have a job with mobility and options instead of scrounging around for work like most Americans do these days.

I feel similar in my own profession: in law having two BAs and a JD is typical and standing out in a pile of applications is challenging. I fear that my young age is going to make it hard for me to advance quickly in the type of work I really want. Plus I've been feeling pretty homesick for Europe (stupid, I know, but I can't help it) and really missing the sensation of living in a country where the language isn't English.

So I've decided to work in Alaska for 2 or 3 years and then go back to Europe for an MBA or International Masters (MIB). There are a handful of affordable programs taught primarily in English with a strong emphasis on second and third language acquisition. Most programs are one year, some are two years. I really like the two year programs because they're intensive and include internships. Plus in most of the EU student visa holders can work part time, so that's even more opportunity for me to make international connections. Leigh is totally on board with the idea, and pretty sick of me talking about it. The plan is for us to stay here and live pretty cheaply for a few years, start a savings account, etc. When the time comes we'll give up our apartment and sell the car (which will be paid off soon). I'll start school abroad and get an apartment by myself. Leigh wants to get into travel nursing, so she'll work in the US for 6 or 9 weeks then hang out with me at school between contracts.

I'm really glad I got this idea because 1) it gives me something to aim for and 2) now we have more than enough time to reach our personal and financial goals to make this happen (assuming it's still what we want in 2 years). The end result will be a unique degree and work experience for me, so hopefully it will set me apart from other applicants at home and abroad.

But for now, I have a job to do....

Late Bloomer

I think I have an ear infection. Boo! It really, really hurts! From what I can tell, since I started showering at work, there has been a little bit of water in my ears for the past few days. Thinking nothing of it, I continued to ride my bicycle all over Anchorage is rather low temperatures and I've been listening to music via earbuds at work a lot lately. The end result is a very sore ear and an inflamed lymph node in my neck. Ouch!

Funny, because I have no recollection of getting ear infections as a child. This might even be my first one ever. So I guess you could say that, medically, I'm a late bloomer. This isn't too surprising since I didn't lose my first baby tooth until I was about 9 years old!

In other "late bloomer" news: I've always said that jealousy is a useless emotion. It's not one that I'm very familiar with. Then today Leigh and I went to Borders to look around and get out of the house a little bit. I left her alone for maybe 10 minutes and next thing I know a really cute "Borders Book Seller" (that's what her name tag said) was flirting with her, pretty shamelessly. This has happened in the past (with Target check out girls, baristas, etc) and it's always when we part ways in a store for a few minutes and then I come back to our designated meeting place.

Now, I know I have nothing to worry about, but the green-eyed monster reared its ugly head anyway. I couldn't help but feel jealous and asked Leigh about it about 12 different times on the way home. She found the whole thing to be flattering and my reaction to be extremely amusing... I'm glad someone enjoyed the situation.

*sigh* Such is life. I guess I should just be glad to be married to someone so cute that sales girls across the country can't help but act like idiots around her.

Bilingual Toddlers and What They Can Teach Us

This summer I was living in Seattle and learned there are several bilingual/immersion pre-schools and after school programs in the city. This got me thinking: if Leigh and I wind up living in the US permanently we should really pony up and pay the tuition for these programs (usually about $20,000 per year!). The students I taught in France were very impressive: they spoke two or three languages very well and were studying topics in high school that were never even available to me, such as philosophy, theater and music. All signs indicate that the European teenagers of today are going to take over the world in about 10 years. The US won't know what hit us and we will hardly be able to compete. So the least I can do is plan to give my kids a great education and see how it goes from there.

Then the Wall Street Journal posted an article today in their New York Section discussing whether bilingual preschools make kids smarter. The argument is that, by learning a second language at an early age (any language) the brain learns to solve problems from multiple angles. By knowing how to create sentences and express yourself in different ways, the brain is simply firing on more cylinders. A study at Penn State also indicates that being multilingual may even prevent dimentia later in life. Not to mention the more immediate benefits like being able to study and find work internationally, travel with greater ease, etc. Plus the video of the three year olds playing "head, shoulders, knees and toes" in French is downright adorable.

Sounds great, right?

This only gives me more encouragement to promote language learning for my kids in the future (when I have them!), and it encourages me to make more time for languages in my daily life. The more effort I put into learning languages and practicing speaking the more capable I will be with problem solving, the more hireable I will be in various firms, and hopefully the longer I will have my wits about me as an old lady.

That being said, I'm taking suggestions for good books written in French. Nothing too old fashioned, please, just something that is an easy read and a good story.

Rich Women

The Economist posted a chart of the richest self-made women in the world. This means no heiresses or Ivana Trumps, just smart and/or talented ladies who worked hard for what is now a big payoff. Obviously Oprah Winfrey and J.K. Rowling made the list, but they paved their roads to fortune on talent and one or two really great ideas. This is not to put down either Winfrey or Rowling, I think they're both awesome, but I also can't relate to them because I'm not talented and therefore would never make my way in the world by coupling talent with a great idea.

So I focused on those who started their own businesses or managed an existing business that is now ubelievably successful. For instance, I didn't know that GAP, Inc. was started by a woman, Doris Fisher. Also, Zara, a clothing store that is ubiquitous in Europe (and coincidentally fairly affordable so I have a few tops and a jacket from there) was started by Rosalia Mera of Spain. Also, from a management aspect, Meg Whitman is a former boss at eBay and is now the 16th richest woman IN THE WORLD.

What does this have to do with anything, you ask? Well, as a law clerk I don't earn a lot of money and for a while now (since starting law school) I've often felt incredibly unimportant in my jobs. As a student, an intern and a law clerk in various positions across the country I have essentially been support staff, earning very little and feeling oh-so-replaceable. Of course, I'm so lucky to have my clerkship. It's a great learning opportunity and hopefully a precursor for greater things, so what things are those?

Well, as you know I have an uncontrollable habit of surfing the net for travel opporunities and excuses to live in exciting places. Over the past few weeks I've done some research regarding Masters and PhD programs in Europe. It's true that European tuition is much cheaper than in the US, but I had no idea how cheap. The average cost in France is around 5,000 euros (about $7,000) per year (all inclusive). Even as an international student the tuition is lower abroad than as an in-state student at home! The most shocking tuition rate I have found s far was in Switzerland, which was about 1,200 CHF per year (about $1,100, all inclusive!)! Not to mention that the school has three programs I like, all taught in English and 2 years in duration, and practically free access to expert language-learning resources on campus. Of course cost of living in Switzerland is high, but taxes are low and the government has a special visa program allowing foreigners to work in traineeships for the market salary, so it all evens out in the end. It sounds like a dream....

In addition, with so much training (law school, internships, 2 years clerking, a master's from a highly regarded foreign university, multilingualism), I imagine my resume would stand out in any pile of job candidates. So, if I'm patient enough (I need to work in the US a bit longer to establish a work history for this program), determined enough (can you say beaurocratic nightmare?), and willing to make a bit more of an investment in my future, the pay off could be huge. Really huge. Now I've never really cared about being rich, but those jobs that pay well also tend to be really interesting, which is far more important to me than a huge paycheck... though the paycheck is nice when your student debt is 6 figures...

So here's to the future. In the meantime, I should get back to work so I can learn something useful today...

Feeling blah

This morning was kind of rough. Just about impossible to drag myself out of bed and onto my bike. Last Friday I heard a rumor that there was a shower in the basement women's bathroom at the courthouse. This rumor turned out to be true, so this morning I had the distinct pleasure of showering off my bike ride icky-ness and dressing at work. It was a nice change. My hair looked normal, my makeup went on smoother and I was generally more comfortable all day. I think this is going to be a habit that sticks.

The day went pretty well. I got some work done and received some nice emails from friends around the world. Then around 15:00 I started feeling icky. No reason, just not feeling my best. Plus it was cold and drizzly, so I asked my leading lady to come pick me and my bike (who I have named Lola) up and take us home in style. I'm feeling a little better after eating a light dinner, but I see myself going to bed very soon. Maybe I'm fighting off some virus or something, anyway, I hope to knock it out fast so it doesn't cramp my style...

End of Week Recap:

FAILS:
- almost completely abandoned my French in Action pledge before it even started. I really should play catch-up next week
- failed to keep my apartment as clean as I would like
- failed to do laundry all week. let's just say my clothing choices are about to get interesting...

SUCCESSES:
- devised a new language learning routine that might actually fit into my day so I can keep it up. Now the question is whether I can do it with two different languages???
- booked tickets to Hawaii and planning lodging and activities (yes, I have a freakishly Type A personality)
- was sworn in to the Alaska Bar Association and paid my dues for the rest of 2010
- put valid AK license plates on my car, so no more driving illegally
- rode my bike to and from work 4/5 days

....but guess what? It's FRIDAY and not a moment too soon. I'm tired, I'm grumpy and I want a day to sleep in. Plus I need to have some fun and get out of my M-F routine! Can't wait for 5pm when I'll be home getting ready for a fun evening with my Leigh. Then tomorrow hopefully I'll drag my sorry butt out of bed in time to fit in a hike.... hopefully THAT won't turn into another FAIL.

Aloha Oahu

Sometime this summer Leigh made me promise we'd go to Hawaii within the next year or so. This might seem decadent, but one of the perks of living in Alaska is that vacationing in Hawaii is pretty normal and generally cheaper than flying to HI from other parts of the US. Anyway, I had completely forgotten that Alaska Airlines has a big sale every year that corresponds with the PFD dividends being released to eligible Alaskans (I'm not eligible yet but anyone can buy the PFD sale tickets). The only thing is you have to make your purchase before the end of October....

So this week we did some pricing and some math and found a great rate for Honolulu during the first week of April 2011. One round trip ticket was $436 and I used my annual $99 companion fare ticket for the second ticket. Grand total was $590!!! We're flying direct from Anchorage to Honolulu, which is awesome, and we'll be gone for 9 days.
We've decided to pull out all the stops including a car rental for the week so we can see as much of the island as possible. The first part of the week we'll camp near the North Shore in our awesome Hobitat tent. Then we're going to stay in Waikiki for three nights so we can enjoy the restaurants, nightlife and city culture.

Goals for this trip include sleeping in, getting a tan, renting a surfboard, kayaking to tiny islands off the coast of Oahu, eating great Pan-Asian foods, shave ice, and drinking lots of Hawaiian beer and tropical cocktails.
In the next few weeks I'll make our final reservations for the car and lodging, then I need to buckle down and focus on my job for the next 6 months...

Hump Day

Thank God it's Wednesday. Really, I'm just dragging this week. Yesterday when I was riding my bike home I thought I wasn't going to make it. For some reason my bike just didn't want to propel forward. By the time I got home I was dripping with sweat and by the time I carried my bike up to the third floor of our apartment building I was dizzy. I had to lay down for a few minutes and drink some orange juice before I felt better. The weirdest part was that, while I didn't eat much in terms of calories yesterday, I had tons of protein including a chicken breast sandwich for lunch. Anyway, as soon as the room stopped spinning my appetite went nuts and I snacked most of the night (healthy stuff and within the boundaries of my iPhone-induced "diet").

Today I'm feeling sluggish too. I'm sleeping and eating well and my week has been great so far, but for some reason I just really want some time at home or time to chill. Maybe I'm not unwinding very well because our apartment is so small. Maybe I never feel like I have that down time everyone needs sometimes. Hmm.. it's not that Leigh and Juneau are trying to crowd me (well, Leigh isnt' trying to), but I tend to hang out in the livingroom, so it's probably self-imposed. I might need to try locking myself in the bedroom for an hour every day just to decompress.

Anyway, today was super low-key at work. I dealt with some little administrative stuff during the morning and then enjoyed an awesome FREE lunch for young lawyers hosted by the Anchorage Bar Association. The afternoon was spent trying to dig myself out of the post-lunch slump, to no avail. However, I was not alone in this as my co-clerk actually had to go home a smidge early because she wasn't feeling very well.

Oh well, the wee is mostly over with and tomorrow is super low-key because we've cancelled our Thursday morning mediation session (which means NO SUITS!).

This weekend I'm determined to do something fun. The last two weekends I've been so relieved to have some down time that I spent the whole two days in my PJs relaxing or running errands to prepare for the week. Leigh and I are going on a date on Saturday, which will be super fun, and maybe we'll get motivated and hike Flat Top or something... I also really need to do some work on my bike. She's sounding pretty tired herself....

"I Swear"

Well, I did it! Today I was sworn into the Alaska Bar. So cool!

I didn't think it would be a big deal because normally 50+ people are sworn in at a time following passing the Bar Exam. This time it was just me and one of the judges I work for. Then this morning when I went over to the judges' chambers to be sworn in it turns out that we would be using an empty courtroom AND a few people I work with (including my co-clerk, another judge, and a judicial assistant) wanted to be there to watch! Having people there to celebrate a little bit made it seem very special. Then my co-clerk said that she figured that, after getting married, being sworn in is one of the more important days of our lives. I'd never really thought of it that way before, so yeah, today was really fun.

On top of all the ceremony, I dressed a little nicer today by wearing a skirt suit and cute shoes. My efforts did NOT go unnoticed. It's always fun to get a compliment, especially on a big day. My co-clerk topped of my lovely morning by buying me lunch at a cute local art cafe. Now we're back at the office and getting back to work.

So I guess it's official... I'm a lawyer now.... :-D

Relaxing

I've been a law clerk in Alaska for one month as of today. During this time I've gotten a few crash courses in what my job will be in general and I've met a few people. Also, during this time I have made some serious changes to my routine and come to a few general conclusions.

As for the changes, the biggest one is my commute. For the past three weeks I have been biking to work and I'm really coming to enjoy it. Yesterday evening I realized how much I look forward to my morning commute, even though I ride my bike 7 miles before 8:30am, sometimes in the rain (and soon I suspect I will ride in the snow). This morning was particularly thrilling because I passed two other bikers on the trail who warned me of some moose ahead of me. The moose were supposedly on the left of the trail, but by the time I approached their trail location the two moose (one of them rather gigantic) crossed directly onto the trail. Not being an idiot, I came to a complete stop and just stared. My knees shook a little, my heart pounded, and I wondered what to do next. Luckily an older man on a bicycle approached from behind me and waited a moment with me. When the moose made their way across the path to graze on the right hand side he suggested we bike past them slowly and quietly. It was nice to have a more seasoned person there to take cues from.

As for relaxing, the first two weeks in my job I wore suits or suit-like combinations every day. I like dressing up for work sometimes, but generally speaking wearing a full suit five days per week is a bit much to ask. Don't get me wrong, I like wearing my cute heels, nice pants, skirts, and a scarf sometimes, but wearing nice clothes takes a tad more energy and thought than wearing casual clothes and sometimes I need a break. So now I've decided that, aside from Thursdays when I work directly with the public, as long as I'm not wearing jeans I'm doing just fine. Today is Friday, which is unofficially a casual day here at the courthouse so I'm wearing a pair of casual khakis from Anthropologie (love, love, love that store) and a Gap sweater that is slightly oversized (like everything else they're designing this year) and uber comfy. I'm wearing my kickass Steve Madden ankle cowboy boots. Loving this outfit today.

Another aspect of my job that is taking some getting used to is sharing my job and my office. My co-clerk and I share a large office. I have no problem sharing, in fact I generally enjoy it, but my co-clerk and I are very different. Aside from personality differences (don't get me wrong, she's really nice, we're just really different), we also work differently. I imagine that in law school she was a really intense student who dedicated a lot of time to studying. On the other hand, I've always been one to work fast, knock out assignments and then go live my life. My job is just my job. I want to be good at it, but more than that I want to be good at living my life. So she shows up to work super early and stays late sometimes. I am here 8 hours per day and I get my work done, but I have yet to have an assignment that creates a personal obsession or the desire to stay really late. Don't get me wrong, if I fall behind or have a lot of work to do one day I'm happy to put in more hours to get it done and do it well, but I have no plans to make this a habit.

On top of this I've spoken with some former clerks from courts throughout Alaska who have confessed to regularly coming to work at 10am or later, surfing the internet for entire days and then staying really late because they realize they've wasted the day, etc. Basically I'm finding that this is a research-based position. We receive a series of projects and have deadlines. If the deadlines are met and the work is of a high quality (and we dont' miss appointed times to be present in court) then we have fulfilled our duties. I don't think being here 30 minutes before the work day starts is necessary to "prove" myself because, quite frankly, nobody is keeping tabs on the hours I keep, just the work I turn in.

That being said, I should start making headway on my tasks today so I can really enjoy my weekend and not have anything looming for me on Monday.

Cheers.