I don't normally do this, but....

... today has been kind of shitty and I need to vent.

I share my office with another law clerk. This is fine because we have a lot of "bosses" and a lot of assignments. Sharing is good. I really try to make it work. Unfortunately my officemate hates me. Well, I don't know if she hates me, but she really doesn't want to be my friend. She doesn't even want to be friendly. This is making my life kind of miserable. For weeks now I've been lucky to get a friendly "hello" out her. At some occassions, when she actually speaks to me, it is borderline hostle. I tend to pretend she isn't there when this happens, as irrational people cannot be reasoned with. Then last week, after carefully outlining the order in which I would attack the pile of files on my desk, I return from court to find a bunch of my work taken off my desk, my name crossed off the assignment list for those files, and the files transferred out to their respective destinations. This may seem like a friendly gesture, but my officemate had her own work to do, yet still decided to not only do MY work but also to take credit for it as though I'd pushed my duties off on her.

This was upsetting and confusing. Following the advice of a supervisor I simply said to my officemate, "Hey, I noticed you finished those files for me. That was really nice of you, but next time could you please leave a note or something? I couldn't find them and was searching frantically!" Her response was grunting: "Oh, OK. Sorry." No explanation was offered for the weird behavoir, but I was satisfied that we didn't argue about it.

Then today I come into work to the typical lack of "hello, how was your weekend?" etc. When I decided to get myself coffee, I [as usual] offered to bring something back for her. She declined [as usual]. Then around 11:30 two other clerks come down to our office in their coats and hats. They hang out and talk loudly for about 5 minutes. My officemate puts on her coat and they depart together. During the time they were in my office nobody spoke to me, nor did anyone tell me where they were going or ask if I'd like to come along, etc. Now it's not just my officemate who seems to lack manners and professionalism, but two other clerks who [not so ironically] were in her graduating class at law school.

All of this begs the following questions (which I will briefly address):

• Did I do something wrong? Leigh assures me that some people just suck. I really do go out of my way to be friendly. I don't step on my officemate's toes. We're not even competing for jobs because I'm clerking again next year. Leigh says I probably make her feel inferior because I have a big personality and have done a lot of things, while my officemate, quite frankly, doesn't have a lot going on in her life right now and probably subconsciously hates me for being happy. Leigh also says that most people dont' give others a chance to win them over, but I do, which is a rare quality. I'm not trying to brag, just repeating what Leigh said to make me feel better. What's most important is that, upon some reflection, I know I could work just fine with the other law clerks if paired together for future projects. It's just a personality clash at this point. Even if my future coworkers don't care for me either, most likely they will at least be able to behave themselves.
• Do parents not teach manners anymore? The answer to this might be obvious, but my officemate is 4 years older than me. However, I was raised in the South, in southern schools. "Ma'am" and "sir" are standard words in my world. Offering a guest a drink or snack is a given. Not offering to bring someone a cup of coffee or invite them to lunch with friends is unthinkable where I was raised. In spite of cultural differences, I find it impossible to believe that at least SOME manners aren't still taught in other parts of the US. Ignoring someone you spend 8 hours per day with is rude by any standards.
• Do law schools sometimes fail to teach professionalism and/or networking? In law, professionalism is a key part of our education. We argue for a living, so one must learn to argue civilly, no matter how much your opponent pisses you off. Also, Alaska is a small legal community. This will not be the last time I see my officemate, yet she has no problem slighting me and leaving me with a bad impression of her. Perhaps she wasn't taught that lesson. This is very possible considering that her classmates were equally rude today. Of course, they did attend a mostly caucasion, over-priced school, so maybe arrogance and self-centeredness is in the syllabi? Meanwhile, I attended a state school. We were taught on the first day that one attracts more flies/jobs/positive contacts with honey/not being a self-centered asshole.

All I can do now is ignore/avoid the situation. In the end this is not my problem, but it could become my problem if I allow the issue to escalate. I can't become known for having a big blow-out argument with my officemate. However, I think I wont' try so hard to be overly polite, since it's not getting me anywhere. This doesn't mean I'll be rude, but I doubt I'll continue to offer to grab coffee for her when I go for myself.

Updates from Recent Days (Twitter Style)

• Last week was crazy. I had a pile of files on my desk all week and am still knee-deep in a trial that won't die. We're in the post-sentencing stage, but are not dealing with "miscellaneous hearings." Learning a lot, but ready to move on!
• This week looks less crazy so far. Just two rather annoying complicated pieces of research. Is it stupid for me to work at these projects with the idea that one day my desk will be clear? I mean, there's ALWAYS another file...
• I'm really enjoying the longer days. It's just before 10:00 now and truly light outside. Also, after work the sun doesn't finish setting until around 17:00 or a tad later. Can't wait for long summer days!
• Had fun last night with knew friends. Leigh and I saw "Clue" on stage with the Tuckers and ate food that was bad for us. The alfredo I regret, but I'd eat the chocolate cake again and again and again....
• Speaking of food and related things, I've been super lazy about exercise lately. What is wrong with me? I enjoy it! It's good for me! I sleep better and feel better when I workout! Yet my lazy ass was chose to skip the gym all but twice last week. Lesson: Must. Change. Attitude. Go. To. Gym. Daily.
• Last week I spoke French on two separate occassions. It was lovely! On Saturday I met up with an online group and this past Friday I had lunch with the judge I'll work for next year. I think I am really going to enjoy working for him. With just those two chances to practice I started noticing a difference in my ability to put sentences together and recall vocabulary. Lesson: Must. Practice. More.
• Leigh and I oggled cross-country ski packages at REI on Saturday. That was fun. Once we get our initial lesson I think we'll go ahead and invest in this new sport. If we're going to live in a place where winter lasts 6 months per year, we'd better find a hobby that fits the weather, eh? We will probably only get about 3 or 4 good weeks of skiing this year since we are late getting started, but then it'll be spring which means hikes and cycling! Yeah!

Alas, I cannot procrastinate any longer. My memo awaits...

Post-Clerkship Job Thoughts

Unlike many young attorneys and recent law school grads, I am currently employed. I am very lucky to be employed. In fact, I am incredibly lucky that I am employed as a law clerk because this is the kind of gig that gets a young lawyer noticed later on. It's prestigious, a great learning environment and sort of akin to a doctor's time in residency. Clerkships typically last one to two years. I am doing two, one year clerkships (first for the District Court and then for Superior Court). In this sense I am doubly lucky because not only am I doing two clerkships, but I'm employed for two years. After Summer of 2012, however, I have to enter the real world in a very real way and I have to figure out in what capacity I wish to do this. Of course, a lot of that decision is based on others' preferences (i.e. the hiring attorneys at prospects places of employment). For now all I can do is give some thought to my situation and figure out what to aim for.

Of course, I have to keep a few things in mind including mobility and reputation. Mobility because Leigh and I have agreed to a 5 year plan here in Alaska. It's long enough for my bar admission to become reciprocal elsewhere and for both of us to establish career tracks without getting stuck here. As for reputation, I have to be careful to not take a job with a company, firm or organization that assumes I will stay forever. I would hate to ruin my reputation by taking a "lifer" job and then leaving to go to grad school in France or take a position in Seattle (where we really want to spend the bulk of our careers). With all of this in mind, my options appear to be as follows:

Public Interest (working for the State or a Non-profit):
Initially I was certain that I wanted to work for the State after my clerkship. The benefits are fantastic (they MATCH your retirement savings 100%!), you get flexible time off, the chance to travel around the state and work on a variety of cases. The pay is pretty fair, too. My only concern is that I'll get stuck prosecuting. I have no interest in criminal law and I really, REALLY don't want to get stuck in that cycle. It's such a downer and I studied finance and international trade for a reason. This remains a good option, assuming I tread carefully.

As for non-profit work, well those jobs are less than abundant. It would be pretty cool to work in a non-profit environment for a few years. The pay is OK, hours are extremely flexible and sometimes you get to work on a really interesting project. Plus nobody expects you to stay forever, so I could definitely go back to school after a few years without my co-workers batting an eye. But, like I said, these jobs aren't exactly growing on trees. I will certainly keep my eyes peeled, though.



Big Law (major, national or multi-national law firm):
The benefits of big law are obvious- a chance to gain lots of experience quickly, a big paycheck, partner track, prestige, etc. However, getting a job like this is a task in itself. After some quick research I have found that the Big Law firms in Anchorage tend to have associates and partners all from the same law school and/or from a T-14 school (always ranked in the top 14 or 15 of US law schools). I went to SUNY Buffalo, a good school but not a typical "feeder school" for west coast firms and certainly not a T-14. I've also noticed that these firms tend to only hire their own summer associates, so coming from a clerkship might be challenging. But let's pretend I leap over these hurdles with flying colors, then I have to be careful about firm politics and culture.

Like I said before, I want to go to grad school in France after a few years, so I'll be taking about 2 years off to study. Ideally I'd like a job that would allow me to take a sabbatical or at least come back to work after finishing my program. Unfortunately, Big Law can be cut-throat. Everyone wants these jobs, so why hold a spot for me while at school when they can just replace me with a new graduate who will probably work for less money (because there are too many law grads and not enough jobs, so starting salaries are becoming insulting)? There's always the option of quitting after 3 or 4 years on the job to go to school, but will this make me a pariah in the legal world? Is this a "lifer" firm? All of this requires consideration. On top of all of these unknowns, there's the workload (billable hours). A job in Big Law garauntees that I'll be working a minimum of 60 hours per week and I'll be lucky to get a vacation, even a long break at Christmas to visit family. I have to consider if I think I can handle that and, if so, for what number of years. In spite of all these "unknown" or seemingly "negatives," I'd still jump at a chance to work in Big Law if it was for a particular firm. I'd be willing to put the time in, play my cards right, try to get that "sabbatical" time, and hopefully get a desireable transfer. If the workload got to be too much for having a family, etc I could always work as "Of Counsel" or part-time to reduce my billable hours requirement. The options are there for a career that works for me.... if I can get a foot in the door...

Smaller/Regional Firm:
A friend of mine here in Anchorage works for a smallish firm with a Seattle office. The firm does a lot of business and she seems to really like it there. Her area of practice isn't something I'd normally enjoy, but definitely not an area I'd avoid like the plague. An option like this could work. The hours would be long, but probably pretty flexible (though not "non-profit flexibile") and the pay would be fine (but not "Big Law pay"). At the end of the day, if I don't see myself doing this forever or if things get stagnant, I can always go to grad school as a way to hit the "restart" button on my career and come out of that degree program planning to do something totally different. This could work, now I just have to figure out if these places hire very often.

In-House Counsel:
This option could be really fun. I'd have one client, I'd work on a series of projects and my goal would be to reduce my own workload by keeping my client out of trouble all the time. I love the idea of practicing preventative law. Plus this would use my business/finance skills (I'd imagine). The only problem I see with getting this kind of a job is that I don't know how to go about it. In-house counsel jobs can be strange animals and a lot of people just fall into them. I did apply for a student position with the in-house counsel of an insurance company once, but left the interview wanting to take a shower. I could never work in insurance. Gross! In Alaska, the Native Corporations advertise their in-house positions, but I've never seen an ad for a job with a major businesses (like telecom, etc). If I heard of such a position opening up I'd probably apply for it.

Anyway, after fleshing this out a bit I realize that my interests are definitely varied enough to be a benefit. Though I'm still not sure what route is best for me, so of course I'll take outside opinions on the matter. The real challenge might be finding the right opportunity/job opening. Alaska has a good job market overall, but that doesn't mean that there's always a job to apply for, especially in a profession like law. I guess I should start looking early, right? Wish me luck!

General Updates, Twitter Style

None of the below has actually been taken from my recent Tweets, but I really am this lazy that I'll update my blog in snippets of similar length:

• Good weekend, relaxed a lot, ate well, ran errands, had a little fun too!
• Spoke French with nice new people on Saturday. I'm getting rusty, but it's good to put myself out there like that. Hopefully I'll keep what I have and even learn a bit more.
• Got an awesome haircut on Sunday night. I'm never seeing another hairdresser in Anchorage, ever. I finally found someone who understand "short and sassy hair."
• Returned to the office to find a literal pile of files waiting for me. All due within the next 3 weeks! So of course I'm spending the morning updating my blog ;-)
• Getting really excited about Hawaii. All reservations made, now just the waiting game. 69 days to go!
• Yesterday my iPhone committed suicide. It was safely resting in my jacket pocket and then went black. Last night I revived and charged it. This morning it decided it truly did not want to live and has since restored itself to factory settings. I hope that an online update will do the trick, if not I might be shopping for a new one with my tax return.
• Been daydreaming about going to grad school in France a lot lately. Driving Leigh crazy about it, but glad she's on board. I've had to promise that in return for two years in France I'll do my best to get permanent, awesome job in Seattle and maybe even carry a baby for her. Spending 2 years working and living in France is awesome even if your first choice would normally be a US city. In exchange for this "hardship" she gets a permanent home in her favorite city and a green-eyed baby. In the end I think she's getting the better end of this deal, but at least I get what I want :-)

Well, this pile of files is staring me down, I should get back to work.

Long Weekend, or Just "Long"?

Working for the government definitely has its perks. For one thing, basica health insurance is covered by tax payers, well for me anyway (to insure Leigh on my plan we have to pay 25% tax on the monthly cost of the benefit, so about $150/month out of my check). Another perk is that it looks good on your resume and the pace of work is generally agreeable. But the best part has to be getting bank holidays off from work. In the private sector a salaried professional might officially get these same holidays off (or not, it depends) but still find themselves having to work just to keep up with the workload or to make profits at the end of the year. When you work for the government there is no profit to be made and your offices are closed on these holidays. Sure, the odd civil servant (i.e. supervisors, judges, legislators, etc) might work from home or travel on these days, but the vast majority of us spend it sleeping in, hanging out with family, or running errands. We might even take a long weekend vacation *gasp* assuming we have the means to fly Down South for a few days or zip down to the Kenai Penninsula or up to Fairbanks. I've yet to do either, but my long weekend was still put to good use, I think.

On Saturday we enjoyed a matinee of Tru Grit (definitely worth seeing) and lunch and then chilled out at home for the afternoon. On Sunday the weather was ridiculously cold (-8F) but sunny and beautiful so we hopped in the car and drove 45 minutes south of Anchorage to Girdwood, home of the Alyeska Ski Resort. We are not skiers at all, so we had no plans to hit the mountains. Insead we just enjoyed the views along the highway and took a little driving tour through Girdwood (this took 5 minutes) before heading back toward home, stopping off for a bowl of soup in Indian along the way. On Monday Leigh had to work and I had errands, so I spent the day in grocery stores and in the kitchen, not fun, but it's nice to start the work week with plenty of healthy food around the house.

My long weekend was useful, for sure, but made me realize how much I need a break. I've been working since September without a real break from routine. During that time I haven't even left Anchorage! This is a completely foreign concept to me. Aside from my well-spent time in Europe, when I lived in Buffalo I used my weekends for day trips to Niagara Falls, Rochester, weekends in Toronto and NYC and sometimes even long weekends in Virginia (in spite of the 8 hour drive). It's amazing I ever got my school work done! Even as far back as my first days of college I spent my weekends enjoying my surroundings with trip to DC and the like, but now that I'm in a very remote place I just haven't become accustomed to hunkering down for the winter. Part of this is because a flight is required to really go anywhere, which costs money and takes time. So maybe I just need to get used to spending more money on these things for my sanity or I need to find more things to enjoy locally to get me through the long winter months.

So this weekend I'm hoping to learn to cross-country ski. That's a good start!

Lonely Planet Travel Tweets

I recently joined Twitter, though I'm not sure why or what it's really for. Since joining Twitter I have, of course, started following some people and groups. One of my favorites is Lonely Planet. The publisher of these essential books (I say this, though I'm more of a Let's Go or Rick Steves kind of girl) tweets several times per day highlighting various articles available through their preferred websites or bloggers. Needless to say, I'm hooked. Here are a few of my favorites from yesterday and today:

5 Ways to Beat the Post-Travel Blues:
This article is a quick lesson on how to avoid that all too common post-travel depression. Yes, I've been home longer than I was even away (I was in Europe for 7 months and I've been home for about 9 months), but there's something about long-term stays abroad that leave a mark. I became accustomed to a certain way of life, certain sights, sounds, smells, types of people, daily routines and foods (I'm really missing YOP these days). Now that I'm home I can't help but feel down when I think of something I enjoy or crave that simply isn't available here. This article makes 5 suggestions-
Dream Big- this suggests that you allow your imagination to run wild whilst planning your next adventure. I have already chosen a few graduate programs to apply to in France (this will happen in roughly 4 years after I've saved the tuition and am ready to take a career break) and have weighed the pros and cons of each program based on many factors, not the least of which is location. I have also planned a trip for Leigh and myself to visit Southeast Asia in Fall of 2012 (see below). This has been really fun in spite of the fact that all my plans are years away. For the short term, I've enjoyed planning our Hawai'i vacation in April. I am starting to think I've missed my calling by a mile: I should have been a travel planner or travel writer, not a lawyer!

Start a Piggy Bank- CHECK! Last month I opened a savings account with my credit union. This isn't necessarily a travel savings account, but more a generally "we will soon want things that cost real money" account. We plan to put $500 or 10% of our incomes in each month, plus our permanent fund dividends (when we qualify to receive them in 2012 and beyond) each year, plus our tax returns IF we dont' need that for other things. Hopefully this will build up quickly so we can weigh our options: a long trip somewhere? a house? new car? grad school tuition?

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town- I must admit I've failed miserably here. By the time we got settled in here in Anchorage the weather turned to absolute shit and we've been laying low ever since. The roads have been clearer lately, so maybe it's time to plan a driving trip somewhere. There are several interesting towns and cities within 5 hours drive of Anchorage and there are activities in Anchorage itself we haven't done yet (e.g. cross-country skiing, dog sledding, ice skating, and oodles of hikes!).

Share the Love- this refers to hanging out with other travel loonies. I haven't really met anyone to share my experiences with yet (except for Leigh, who humors me a great deal). But I am in touch with some friends who are living abroad, which is helpful.

Make Art- Aside from some photos and postcard collages, I have again failed here. I really should take more time to allow myself to be inspired. Not only from my memories, but also from this beautiful place where I currently live. In the meantime, I'm reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in French to challenge my brain. It's proving very difficult at times but also really fun, like a puzzle. Not exactly creative, but a step in the right direction.

5 Countries to Visit for Under $500:
This article highlights Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai and some of the islands), Vietnam (Hanoi and Saigon), Laos, Colombia, and Argentina. While I have no plans to visit South America anytime soon, the bits about Thailand and Vietnam have only caused my excitement about Leigh's and my upcoming 2012 trip to Southeast Asia. We have all but decided to take one month off from work to visit Thailand and Vietnam in late September/early October. After some number crunching it looks like we can do this trip for 2 people in a great deal of comfort for about $4,000, INCLUDING roughly $2,800 in airfare. How many places are there where young people like us can live well for one month for relatively so little? I have more or less planned our trip out to the very last detail, including lists of places to stay and how many days we'd like to visit each city. In the name of spontanaeity, however, I've left some things up for last minute decisions so we don't feel overplanned. But, as you can tell, I'm really psyched about this trip and can't wait for the time to come to start buying tickets and securing time off!

As for Colombia and Argentina, we've been watching a lot of Anthony Bourdain recently and have been really impressed with these two countries. In fact, South America generally looks amazing. There's the topographical diversity, the Indigenous and European fusion in art and architecture, and did I mention the food? I'm imagining that any trip to SA would include several meals consisting 90% of red meat. YUM! But that will have to wait some years because my imagination is all booked up at the moment.

Much Better Monday

As you may have guessed, last week wasn't one of my best. Everything came to a head on Friday: feeling bored, frustrated, lost, and alone in these feelings. Of course this didn't sit well with my other half, most likely because I wasn't expressing these feelings in a productive way. This, of course, led to a meltdown on Friday evening. These things happen periodically and sometimes I even think of them as necessary to a healthy life. It's like your brain/body is a computer in desperate need of a restart, so it locks up or totally spazzes out until an external factor steps in to press the power button, wait 5 minutes, then reboot. That's exactly what happened on Friday evening.

Realizing that sometimes we all just need to melt down, be listened to, pointed in a new direction and given some fresh goals, the two of us started anew. The weekend was spent cleaning (thank God, our place was a disaster) and running errands. I know, I know, this is hardly what I would normally call a satisfying weekend, but the errands we ran were part of the process. After much gentle pushing by a local friend, I bought the Eat-Clean book. Rather than trying to do a crash diet (which I'm sure was a catalyst to my own emotional "crash" on Friday) to regain some self-confidence and keep my clothes fitting, Leigh and I are going to give this new lifestyle a shot. The whole idea is to pair healthy carbs with healthy proteins in several small meals every day, plus some exercise, to make your body function at its peak.

Leigh and I already enjoy eating whole foods and tend to make healthy choices, but we also riddle our healthy diets with unhealthy choices more often than we should. We also didn't know how to pair our healthy foods together to keep our metabolisms are their peaks or about eating more often to keep the calories burning and avoiding a crash. I was especially excited to learn about natural substitutes for our cooking. My first big discoveries: rolled oats (instead of cereal or instant oats) and agave nectar (instead of sweeteners for baking, etc).

We all hate fads, especially giving into them, and the fact that a book is associated with this idea is pretty challenging for me on that level. However, the range of recipes and ideas associated with this lifestyle is very promising. It basically tells me that one hardly needs to give up anything to stick with it (not even desserts or baked goods), but might have to make some substitutions to stay on track. Portion sizes will require some adjustment, of course, but this is America and we typically eat 150% or more of what we need in a meal anyway, so no loss there.

So anyway, we spent the weekend making some adjustments and pillaging the bulk foods section of Fred Meyer. I also discovered some great finds at Costco, which always makes me happy, and did a lot of cooking (baked snacks and soup for the week plus a yummy fish and veggie dinner for Sunday night). This morning I had a good breakfast and I already feel better and more hopeful about the week. I know I'll have energy to get my work done today and to hit the gym this evening. Hopefully this feeling will last all week so that I can enjoy my weekend to the fullest instead of sitting around feeling depressed about the weather and lack of good programs on TV.

So now it's Monday (again) and time to get to work. I have a small stack of files on my desk, which is awesome so I'll be busy for at least 2 days, and a full day planned. This coming weekend is a 3 day weekend (yay!) so hopefully I'll get creative and come up with something fun for Leigh and I so we don't feel like we're wasting our personal time. These long winters can be so challenging in that way, so hopefully we can pull ourselves out of this funk altogether and make the most of these next few months.... then, it's SPRING and HAWAII!

A Truly Foul Mood

Yesterday I was so happy that it was nearly the weekend. Now it's Friday and I just don't give a shit. This weekend I will do what I do every weekend: sleep in, watch movies, read, and wish the weather was better for the things I really enjoy. To top it all off, Leigh and I have been arguing all morning via text messages. Not fun. Arguing in texts is really not fun because it never ends and you can say anything without repercussion, so sometimes you say really mean things.

My frustration over the past week has really come to a head. I'm pissed because I didnt' get a real holiday break, at all! Irritated at the weight I gained over the past 3 weeks of holiday parties and heavy dinners. Feeling hopeless that I'll ever be content with myself in that regard. And now I'm feeling a mix of anger with Leigh and guilt for being so blunt about my feelings. I wonder if it actually makes a difference to bluntly express your anger with someone or to take the more diplomatic route? If she doesn't acknowledge my frustrations as valid either way, and has no intentions of making any changes in spite of my pleas, then I've just hurt her feelings without actually getting anywhere.

Anyway, I now have 4 hours of work left followed by 2 hours at the gym followed by 2 days of hanging around a tiny apartment with someone with whom I am not getting along very well at the moment. Hardly something to celebrate.

To add to my irritation, I am in such desperate need of a break from my routine that I could scream. To keep myself from having such an outburst I spend a lot of time researching various travel opportunities, international volunteer organizations, possible career opportunities after my clerkship, etc. My research only makes me more frustrated, thinking of the time that must pass for this to come about and how difficult it will be to be accepted to various programs or chosen for a job position. For the travels I just worry about money and asking for time off, things like that. But for all of it I hardly dare breathe a word of my interest in these things to Leigh because she either ignores me, sighs in frustration at my list of interests, or says she isnt' interested. So do I go about making my plans on my own? Put it on the back burner until another time? Try to force her into being more willing to embark on these adventures?

So basically my foul mood is the result of a lack of power, lack of options, and lack of another soul who understands what I want and is willing to make the effort to get it. Looks like these are all things that only I want and, while I might have a companion along the way, the planning and opportunity-making will be all up to me.

Post New Year Post

After Christmas I had about 4 days to myself while Leigh was visiting her family in Virginia. Now one might think I'd use this opportunity to party like a rock star, complete with loud music, drugs and wild, wild women. But no, I went to work, went to the gym (sometimes), came home and ate leftovers and indulged in my favorite TV shows that drive Leigh crazy (most especially, House Hunters International). I also watched some favorite old movies and generally kept to myself. Juneau the Cat and I started to miss Leigh almost immediately after she left, and by day 3 Juneau the Cat had decided she missed Leigh so much that I was no longer sufficient. It was a tough few days, but we got through it.

Due to weather and flight issues, Leigh made it home on time by the skin of her teeth. She landed in Houston for her layover a mere 15 minutes before her flight to Anchorage left. By some miracle she managed to get halfway across the airport and in her seat in time for takeoff! I was thrilled, not only because I missed her, but also because we had concert tickets for New Year's Eve and if she'd been stuck in Houston it's likely she wouldn't have gotten home until New Year's Day or later. But she DID make it, so all was right in the world.

New Year's Eve was a great day. We were both exhausted from our weeks (Leigh from visiting family and traveling 13 hours by air, me from work and such), so we took it easy most of the day and ran some errands. ARound 6pm we headed to the Bear Tooth Theater Pub for our dinner and concert. The opening act, Mel and Michelle, were really terrible. I like folk music, but this was just absurd. However, the Indigo Girls were a delight as always. I've seen them play live 4 times now in various venues and they never disappoint, but this was the best one yet! The evening was complete with yummy locally brewed beer, a nice atmosphere, party hats and noisemakers at midnight. Of all the places to be on New Year's in Anchorage, I think we made the best choice.

Now we're back to the daily grind: 5 day weeks, evenings at the gym (because we both ate waaaayyy too much during the holidays), errands, etc. The next thing we have to look forward to is our trip to Hawai'i in April, but even that is uncertain. We've purchased our flights and made reservations for a room and a car, but that was before Leigh started working as a tax processor. Now our trip is the week before April 15, tax season, and she hasn't cleared it with her new supervisor yet. We're crossing our fingers that everything turns out OK, but also preparing ourselves to have to shell out about $300 extra to change the dates of our reservations and flights. That would suck, but at least we'd still get to go and Leigh still has a job she enjoys.

In the end it's only money, I just wish I had a little bit more of it!