Kid Squared

Judicial Clerkship

I am officially a judicial clerk. I started work on the habeas case today. Wow. Just wow.

Chincoteague 2010, part one

We had an easy flight, an easy drive. When we hit the causeway, opened the windows letting the sea air fill the car and screamed,and I mean screamed, and yelled with joy the whole way until we hit the island. I think the three of us all had the same joy surging through our bodies. It was so so good to be back at our Southern Yellow House of Joy. We had ten fun filled days on our favorite island.

As usual, we hit Emmett's farm as soon as we could. The boys are older and explored more on their own. They each got their turn driving the car down the long long driveway. Emmett turned 88 during our visit. We got to see him on the farm and then on his '57 boat. What a treat! I was struck, during this visit, about the gift these visits are for the boys. If we never went to Chincoteague, if we didn't leave our world in California or venture from our visits to New York, they would never know, really know a farmer. A man who works the land, a man with the character and kindness of Emmett. He is a man from a different world. He moves through the world with a grace and groundedness that is from another era. We have no one else in our lives to teach us the things he does. Our visits to his land, the stories he tells, the experiences the boys have with him trigger the boys' imagination and fascinating conversations.

The trip on the boat. This was magic for everyone.

View of South Main from the boat

Each boy got to drive the boat. There was something about this particular moment that took my breath away. I became very emotional watching these two relate to each other.

Mom and I had a great time.

Chincoteague 2010, part two

Scenes from around town.

We were lucky to have one weekend of the carnival left when we got there. Part of the joy of Chincoteague for the boys is how independent they can be. They walk into town by themselves, walking around and browsing the shops for as long as they like. This year, I gave them money and let them go to the carnival for thirty minutes ahead of me. They bought their ride tickets, chose which ride they wanted to go on and took a few all before I met them. They were thrilled and a tiny bit nervous to be given so much freedom.

Drive to the beach

Anthony and his wife joined us when we went crabbing. It was a timeless scene on the water. It could have been 1930. We had a great time. We didn't catch very much, but what we did catch Anthony made into a delicious stew from his native country Trinidad.

Gabo lost interest rather quickly and decided that the better thing to do was to lie on his back, staring at the trees, and float down the waterway. I am not sure who had the better time.

Chincoteague 2010, part three

Absolute joy. It was like this during the whole trip. Lots and lots of smiles.

We, of course, went the beach every day. Some days we'd spend the whole day there, other days we just hung out for an hour or two in the late afternoon after relaxing at home and around town all day. This was a true vacation. We played cards (Jonas learned to play gin), we read, we napped, we did absolutely nothing.

After the bar exam, I was desperately tired. It took me two days to relax, but when I did, I slept for ten hours and napped later in the day for two. Then, repeated that for two more days.

Joyous boy

Coco and Hans relaxing while the boys play in the background.

Back at the Southern Yellow House of Joy

Waking from a nap

After a long day at the beach and relaxing in the warmth of the outdoor shower.

Dinner every single night

clam lips

Lost a tooth

Chincoteague 2010, part four

We were so lucky this year to be able to share Chincoteague with some of our California friends and to reconnect with other friends.

ROD

Rod, whom I have known since I was thirteen, has also had a family home on Chincoteague forever. He is a lawyer in DC now. He drove down to spend a few hours with us. It was great. As usual, the boys totally got that he was family and were immediately comfortable with him. I hadn't really spent any time with Rod since I as 21, so there was a lot to catch up on, but it also felt like we'd never been apart.

BRANDY
Then, we were THRILLED to have Brandy and her familia join us. They are on their two-month cross-country trek. They stayed with us for 24 hours. They LOVED Chincoteague and totally got how special it is (of course, they would!).

The gang in the attic

The boys were excited to take Jessica and Alexander into town by themselves. They bought donuts and brought them back for us. We spent the day at the beach, had a huge feast, and then lit a ton of fireworks. It was an incredible visit.

Running to the bay

Crabbing after a day at the beach

Taking Alexander on a ride down the street

Ice cream eating gang

Dinner time on the porch

The van that Brandy and Peter have been driving around the country for two months. What a life!

MARK

Mark was visiting his family in Georgia while we were in Chincoteague. He decided it was too close not to share in our Chincoteague joy and hopped a plane to Salisbury. His visit overlapped with Brandy and Peter's for a few hours. We had a great time. After Brandy y familia headed down to Georgia themselves, we shared the last three days with Mark, Coco and Hans. It was relaxed and easy. There were more seafood feasts, a wild summer storm, and lots of laughs. What more can you ask for?

Early morning jaunt for coffee with Pony. Gabo stayed home to kill Coco in Go Fish.

Gabo wanted to get Mark a shirt, then he decided that he wanted the same shirt. When they returned home, Jonas said he wanted to get one just like theirs. So they all wore the same shirts for the day (Mark is such a good sport). We had a great day. We raced go carts (my favorite) then played miniture golf (ugh!), then we went to the beach. Mark and Pony boogie boarded forever. They were talking smack to each other the whole time - cracking each other up.

The dudes went for a run. Jonas made it to the end of the block. Mark went on for five more miles.

Our last morning.

Breakfast with Coco

As is our tradition, we drove out to the beach to say good bye and thank you for the wonderful time.

And that, my friends, was the fantastic trip to Chincoteague in the summer of 2010.

Random

Got a hair cut, cleared background check for the clerkship - I start next week, trying to figure out what the hell love is, missing working out, wondering how I am going to pay all my bills in November, still trying to bang out the dents from failed marriage, snuggling a lot with my boys, waiting for the other shoe to drop, preparing for the return of the Macedonian princess, wishing I could melt two people into one, cooking up a storm these days and generally loving life despite all the uncertainty.

What's next

I am in that strange place where I am a law school graduate, but not a licensed attorney so I cannot get a job as a lawyer. In the meantime, I MUST find a way to support my family. My business is virtually non-existent. The pressure is on. I have been setting up as many informational interviews as possible, to try to figure out what kind of law I want to practice - and with the hope I will be offered some sort of paid law clerk job. I am also working on my consulting business.

In the meantime, GREAT NEWS, is that I was offered a judicial clerkship last week. I will be clerking for a Superior Court Judge until I find paying work (because this type of clerkship doesn't pay). It's an honor. I am very grateful for the opportunity. I had interviewed the judge in the spring, for my big paper. I kept in touch. We met for lunch last week and she offered me the clerkship. I am, of course, thrilled. She's wonderful and smart, so there is a lot to learn.

More later...