Tuesday, November 28, 2006

I'm so excited by the discovery that people actually still read this that I'm inspired to post again. That, and the 7:30 a.m. meeting that I was supposed to attend this morning was pushed back to 8:00 and I didn't realize it until I woke up at an indecent hour and checked my Blackberry. So, may as well update while I can.

I think the most recent string of celebrity divorces is giving me some kind of subconscious angst. I'm so not a stressful wife in any way, but I had this awful, vivid dream last night that Josh had an affair and left me for a very young blonde girl who looked suspiciously like Carrie Underwood. This dream went on forever! I had a few hysterical fits and tried to beat the crap out of him more than once during it...and even when I woke up I was disoriented and sad. Totally strange to feel that kind of violence of emotion while dreaming and then still feel it once you've woken up.

I left work at the unheard of (well, in recent weeks) hour of 6:30 last night to hit Macy's. The festive decor at the department stores in New York City is truly something you have to see at least once in your lifetime. Every suburbanite in a 100 mile radius drags their kids here to look at the windows, which accounts for much of the insane foot traffic in those areas on the weekends. Still, it's not something you can bask in for too long because the frenzied pace follows you everywhere. I just went to find a reasonably priced (!) clutch for this black tie dinner I'm attended on Saturday that I had seen on their website, but no banana when I actually arrived - apparently not everything that they have on their website is available in the store. I did learn, however that there are some fugly purses out there selling for prices that you would. not. believe.

While we've on the topic of prices that you wouldn't believe...there's been something that's been bugging me lately and that is, who are these people browing the Michael Kors and Chloe bags at every department store I go into and how can they all have so much more money than I do? I'm genuinely curious. This entire city seems full of people with limitless disposable income and I don't know if it's just because billionaire hedge fund managers' wives casually shop at Barneys with the rest of us or I'm just doing something terribly wrong with my income management.
I make a decent salary and yet to me, a handbag from Banana Republic is a naughty indulgence. I used to feel fairly well dressed with most of my clothes from Banana or Ann Taylor but compared to the other lawyers at my firm I feel frumpy and poor - lost in a sea of Jimmy Choo, Prada and Coach on the cheap end. I have a mental block against feeling that $600 is a reasonable price to pay for a handbag, I think, even though this city has already completely warped my preconceived notions of what a "lot of money" is (happens when $3000 a month goes to rent alone!). I feel like I'm occupying a strange place right now, wanting to fit in and be stylish and not stand out as "that girl in the hideous polyester pants and faux croc shoes" but neither do I want to completely succumb to the pressures around me. Someone reccommended this book, The Overspent American, that I think I'm going to check out for some validation over Christmas.

Morgan - if you're reading this - best wishes for your wedding in ten days!! From what I hear about the weather in your city right now you'll have the perfect winter day that you were planning for. Can't wait to see pics :).

Sunday, November 26, 2006

As a result of the terse directive I received in my inbox from my brother recently ("Update!") I became sufficiently ashamed at my lameness to update this blog. Truth be told - it's hard to update a blog when you have nothing much to discuss besides work...and all aspects of your work are confidential...and any indiscretions are likely to end up posted on Gawker. I'm digging deep here to think up fabulous things.

To get work out of the way - it's definitely busy. Only one of my cases has been really active but it's been keeping me sufficiently busy. A normal day is fairly quiet until about 3 or so, when the partners call me in to give me work, and then I end up working until 9 or so. It's just the cycle we tend to work on at the firm. The partners are crazy busy with meetings all day and then they remember me and the work they want to give me in the afternoon. It's all interesting work, but the learning curve is steep, and I spend most of my time near-catatonic with fear that I'm screwing everything up massively. Still - not fired yet - and most of the more senior associates assure us that this is just how everyone feels when they first start.

In other fascinating news - I found out I passed the bar a couple of weeks ago. There aren't words to express what a relief that was. I was physically nauseous every time I thought of the results for at least a week before. So, I'm now "certified" to go for my Character & Fitness interview, where they figure out if I'm...fit, I guess. Apparently it's not too searching an inquiry. Thank god for small mercies, right?

It's not all work and no play, of course. Josh and I have managed to spend like drunken sailors - there always seems to be something fabulous to drop a lot of money on. Our social activities mostly consist of lazy brunches and swanky dinners with friends, most of whom I know through work. Josh is more proficient than ever in lawyerspeak. We just celebrated American Thanksgiving with an old friend who was in town with his girlfriend. And very cool news - Josh is starting his job tomorrow! It's the same type of work, in a totally new industry, and they are paying him more money than he made in Toronto! Which is great for me, because I can now rest assured that I totally didn't ruin his career by dragging him here.

I'm sure that's enough for now ;). I love your comments so pleeeease keep sending!