Random Travel Update 98

Last Locations:

Houston, TX: August 23 – August 26, 2013

Nashville, TN: September 6 – September 8, 2013

Chicago, IL: September 20 – September 22, 2013

Washington, DC: October 10  – October 12, 2013

Present Location: New York, NY

Arrival Date: April 24, 2012

Departure Date: I never want to leave.

Next Locations:
San Francisco, CA: November 14 – November 24, 2013
Phoenix, AZ: November 24, 2013
Tucson, AZ: November 24 – November 28, 2013

I have become weary of writing about myself. Weary, or self-conscious. Or both. I was in a presentation this evening "Economics of a Venture Workshop"--part of the NYU Stern Venture Competition. The lecturer ended with a quote from Isaac Babel:

"A well-thought-out story doesn't need to resemble real life. Life itself tries with all its might to resemble a well-crafted story."

I would only counter that a well-crafted story requires effort. Life provides content, but it is up to the liver to present it meaningfully. 

I want to offer more content. I want to write things that are me without being merely about me. Stuff that you can use to craft your own stories. And, in return, I want you to consider someday sharing your stories with me. 

When I arrived in New York, I read a lot about how to get a job. Not just a job, but the perfect job. I discovered this. If you want a job, or a new job, or if you want to switch careers, or really do anything to change anything, this is how you do it: 

Meet with everyone you can who does anything that you think you might want to do—or who might know people who do what you want to do. Write a 2-sentence email offering to take them out for a 20-minute coffee, and make sure to give them an opportunity to leave after 15-20 minutes. Keep the subject the same for all so that you can search them easily when you go to write thank you emails and follow-ups. Always write thank yous and always follow-up. Start with professors, alum, friends, past co-workers. Ask each to connect you with one to three more people. By the time you are meeting with 6 to 10 people a week, you will start to get a good idea of the positions for which you are a really good fit and how to go about getting them. Be kind, genuine, engaging, and interested. If you want to do what someone else does, know why and be able to articulate it. If you aren't sure, ask them what they like and don't like about it. Questions impress more than answers. The more you learn, the more you will have to ask about. Use the answers to update your model--is this job really as good a fit as you thought it was? Be gracious, make sure that your resume is relevant, and be ready to send it if asked. Volunteer. Get out. Go to events frequented by like-minded people. Treat everyone you ever meet anywhere well. Pay attention to disguised opportunities. And if someone wants to take you out for a 20-minute coffee someday months from now to ask about your successes, go. 

Love, 

Melissa

Random Travel Update 97

Last Locations:
Albany, NY: June 18 – June 20, 2013
Washington, DC: June 25 – June 29, 2013
Long Beach, NY: August 5, 2013

Present Location: New York, NY
Arrival Date: April 24, 2012
Departure Date: Indefinite

Next Locations:
Houston, TX: August 23 – August 26, 2013
Nashville, TN: September 6 – September 8, 2013
Chicago, IL: September 20 – September 22, 2013

This update is long overdue. Its main purpose is to thank my parents, who not only flew 2,000 miles across the country to attend my bar induction ceremony, but also spent five days in the city to help me move furniture into my new apartment and carry on everyday tasks while my lower back pain was at its worse. It was like having a tiny army of motivation and capability constructing, destructing, carrying, and moving things up and down five floors of stairs. As it turns out, having parents only gets better with age.

I head to Houston in a week. I have been modeling to pay rent while I look for work and one of my clients is flying me out for a hair show. (Hence my lately ever-changing hair color.) Basically, I get paid money to have my hair done and to hang out with attractive women all day. Best gig ever? Maybe not, but it's got to be close. I am booked for Houston this month, then Nashville, Chicago, and New Jersey. If you live in one of those places, make sure to let me know just in case I have time to grab a tea.

Love,

Melissa, (Esq.)

Random Travel Update 96

Last Locations:
Washington, DC: April 8 - April 24, 2013
Washington, DC: May 4 - May 7, 2013
Washington, DC: May 28 - June 1, 2013

Present Location: New York, NY
Arrival Date: April 24, 2012
Departure Date: Indefinite

Next Location: Albany, NY
Arrival Date: June 18, 2012
Departure Date: June 20, 2013

I adore New York. I have spent several weeks trying to articulate the experience of living here, but it has proven difficult to capture in words without sounding like my head is completely in the clouds.

I want to say: The city fits me. It feels more like home than anywhere I have ever been. I am happy. But in saying it I want to convey more: The sensation of perfect clarity. The feeling that everything I put my efforts towards here is within my reach. The feeling that every conversation I have is a meaningful stone in a wall that I will eventually come to identify as success. And not just success in a financial sense, but success as in fulfillment. I feel here that a feeling of contentedness is possible. A feeling I had previously chased around the world to encounter.  

The city has been good to me. I have had a jacket and my beloved mountain hardware hoodie (from Jon, years ago) stolen. One apartment fall through at the, near literally, last minute. I have had seven weeks of severe allergies, and two weeks with a bad--presently excruciatingly bad--back. My laptop crashed before my time capsule arrived to back up the data. I really good relationship was terminated and a really good job has yet to be secured. My budget is minuscule relative to the size of this city. And I generally feel as though things could not be going better.

Oh, and by the way, I passed the New York bar. My parents are meeting me in Albany this evening for the induction ceremony tomorrow. As of Wednesday, June 19th, 2013 I will officially be an attorney!

Love,

Melissa, almost-Esq.

P.S. I would like to extend a special thank you to my good friend and fellow animal advocate from law school, Jon Mirsky, for generously putting me up in his gorgeous Upper West Side apartment for my first six weeks in the city. Your hospitality has meant a lot to me.

P.P.S. I am reverting back the RTUs (Random Travel Updates) and figured that it would be confusing to start from where those left off at RTU 50 when the RLSUs (Random Law School Updates) left off at 45. So I have equally-confusingly  combined the two such that the numbering will here forth reflect the total number of random updates, making this update number 96. (Do let me know if you can think of a fitting way to celebrate my hundredth update!)

P.P.P.S. To those new (and old) adds, I remind you that you are free to evacuate these updates from your inbox at any point. Just send me a note saying, at minimum, "unsubscribe." You can always check out new and archived updates at http://randomtravelupdates.blogspot.com.

Random Law School Update 45: Call for Questions

Last Locations:
Pagosa Springs, Colorado: January 7 – January 12, 2012
Washington, DC: January 12, 2012 – February 25, 2013
Albany, NY: February 25 – February 28, 2013
New York, NY: February 28 – March 6, 2013
Washington, DC: March 6 – March 13, 2013
New York, NY: March 13 – March 14, 2013
Wilmington, DE: March 14 – March 17, 2013

Washington, DC: March 17 – March 19, 2013
Tucson, AZ: March 19 – March 28, 2013
Salt Lake City, UT & Burley, ID: March 28 – April 1, 2013
Boulder, Denver, Shelf Road, CO: April 1 – April 8, 2013

Present Location: Washington, DC
Arrival Date: April 8, 2012
Departure Date: Undetermined

Next Location: New York, NY
Arrival Date: Undetermined
Departure Date: Undetermined

Law school is over. I finished my coursework in December and sat for the New York Bar in February.

I occasionally decline to mention that I have taken the bar–I figure that in the event I fail, I will have done my ego a favor by not having advertised the fact that my second time taking it isn’t actually my first.

But I feel pretty good about it and if I do fail I will be in good company. The only two first ladies to have ever gone to law school each failed the bar their first time around. If future first lady turns out to be the only respectable career path left open to me, then so be it.

After leaving the examination–which consisted of four three-hour segments over two days preceded by two months of bar study and three and a half years of law school–I had expected to be overcome by sentimentality. That severe, gut wrenching nostalgia that tends to follow large accomplishments. I imagined that I would sit right down after the exam and write an update to reminisce on the intensity of circumstances that had culminated in that moment.

But I didn’t feel any of that. I just felt...good. Really good.

This is the second to last Random Law School Update. As I am no longer in law school, and as it seems that I am not necessarily destined to stop traveling anytime soon, I am reverting back to writing Random Travel Updates and will be picking up where I left off nearly four years ago.

At that time, I sent out an email soliciting questions. I extend the same solicitation now. I suspect that your curiosity about all things law school might be duller than that for travel so I am opening the field up to all things law school, health, loss, and any travel questions not already answered here. If there is enough interest, I will answer a handful of them in the next message.

Love,

Melissa

Random Law School Update 44: An Era in Review

Last Locations:
Barcelona, Spain: August 26 – December 19, 2012
Geneva, Switzerland: December 19 – December 20, 2012
Chamonix & Les Houches, France: December 20 – December 22, 2012

Present Location: Washington, DC
Arrival Date: December 22, 2012
Departure Date: Undetermined

Next Location: Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Arrival Date: January 7, 2012
Departure Date: January 12, 2012

Happy New Years! 2012 has been, over all a fantastic year. I am presently in DC studying for the New York Bar. Last night, I watched the ball drop quietly on TV. Two days ago, I was watching the Redskins make it to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. A week before that, I was in the French Alps skiing for the first time since I was diagnosed. And three days before that, I was sitting for my final law school exam.

Then, going in reverse, I was exploring the Muslim fortress of Alhambra in awe and gorging myself on vegan tapas in the magical mountain town of Granada. Standing in Puerta del Sol, Madrid among 400 activists each holding the carcass of a small animal. I was caught in the crossfire between austerity-measure protesters and the police while riding my bike home from class in Barcelona. Getting news that my health has stabilized. Watching election results roll in from the official Democratic committee party in Washington, DC. Making calls on behalf of Obama. And before that, snapping pictures in Venice, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Castricum, Tossa de Mar, and Frankfurt.

Then it was summer. I was backpacking the Colorado wilderness in the rain. Waiting for my strength to return after removing my spleen. Laying in a hospital bed for days reflecting on what it means to take time off. Taking Spanish lessons. Visiting friends in New York and the Eastern Shore. Law journal work. Detoxing in the Caribbean. Watching my class graduate without me. Finishing up the Spring semester.

Studying, studying, studying. On a beach in Thailand, fasting, wondering why I couldn’t just cure myself with my mind. Competing in an Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong. Studying. Working. Learning how to meditate. Starting my semester internship at the SEC. Visiting the family in Tucson. Finding out, for the first time, that my pet tortoise since childhood had died…two years prior. And writing a note for my law journal in Tampa, Florida. That brings us to one year ago today.

But today doesn't just mark the beginning of a new year. It marks the end of an incredible period of time known as law school. The last three and a half years have been a rush of fear, excitement, profound sadness, and also complete happiness. 2013 feels, so far, like the moments after you get off of a really intense roller coaster and feel like you are floating suspended above the ground.

In 2009 I started law school, trading in an era of near complete freedom and global exploration for an era of self-discipline and intellectual exploration. Several months later, in 2010, I was diagnosed with a life-threatening blood condition. My good friend Meghan died of breast cancer a week later. I become a regular at the Georgetown Hospital.

I made it through my 1L year and took a summer internship in Mexico City. I went macrobiotic. And then quit gluten. I overcame my phobia of needles and developed a penchant for acupuncture. I returned to school, met two significant people, lost another, and took a role in the winter play. My good friend Bethany died of blood cancer in February 2011. I helped to organize a celebration of her life.

I accepted an internship at the Delaware Chancery Court and a Summer Associate position at Jones Day. I moved to Delaware and worked during the day while participating in the write-on competition for law journal at night. There were medical problems, but no time to see the doctor. I moved back to DC and learned all about law firm life and luxury. I donated half of my summer earnings to Compassion Over Killing.

Fall semester 2011 began. I was accepted by my preferred journal. I won the Georgetown International Arbitration Competition. I made it  into the SEC’s Spring semester intern class. Relationships faltered, were picked back up, and faltered again. It was a gloriously difficult time. I joined my parents for a ski(less) trip in Colorado and flew from there to Tampa where I watched the ball drop quietly on TV. That brings us to one year ago today.

Thank you all for sharing this era with me. I look forward to keeping you with me through the next.

Love,

Melissa

Random Law School Update 43

Last Locations:
Barcelona, Spain: August 26 – December 19, 2012
Geneva, Switzerland: December 19 – December 20, 2012
Chamonix & Les Houches, France: December 20 – December 22, 2012

Present Location: Washington, DC
Arrival Date: December 22, 2012
Departure Date: Undetermined

Next Location: Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Arrival Date: January 6, 2012*
Departure Date: January 13, 2012*

I just arrived back in DC. There haven’t been sufficient spare seconds to write since I returned from my trip to Madrid and Granada ten days ago. Since then, I have taken my last law school exam ever and have skied the Alps. Some of these stories will have to be reserved for pictures and for conversations that we will have days or months from now when I see you in person and we catch up over good food and inspiration. For now, I want to comment on the International Animal Rights Day footage that I sent out in my last update.

If you watch the clip you can see that I was holding a small dead chick. There are 399 other activists around me, each holding the body of an individual whose experience with humanity lead to its premature death. Some, like mine, had been suffocated under the weight of hundreds of other baby chickens, discarded at the beginning of their lives for being born male; others had been abandoned, experimented upon, fished and tossed aside, died while awaiting death by anal electrocution before being skinned for their fur, or fed so much that their organs rupture—as is the case with foie gras. 

I didn’t think I was going to cry. I learned how to emotionally detach myself from depictions of animal suffering years ago when it became clear that allowing myself to give in to the full force of empathy that accompanied such profound suffering crippled me emotionally and rendered me incapable of being an effective advocate.

And this action didn’t even depict suffering. Only the quietly collected and respectfully cleaned remnants thereof. And death itself has never bothered me much.

But it was neither death nor the evidence of cruelty that caused my eyes to precipitate.

The first time I cried, it was for the advocates. Not for the small lifeless creature in my hands whose placement there represented the suffering of countless others just like him. But for the fact that my standing there along with 400 people like me represented the power to change the fate of countless more.

The second time I cried, it was for the people watching. The demonstration caught the eye of a small well-dressed elderly man and he approached us, as if out of an instinct to save the animals we were holding. Upon realizing the futility, his face broke into the saddest expression and he reached out to gently stroke the head of the dog that an activist in the first row was holding. He smiled with a melancholy sympathy as his eyes, like mine, began to glisten with moisture. And it occurred to me that our actions as advocates benefit not only the animals who we represent, but also the people whose lives are enhanced by coming to know what it means to feel compassion for others.

You can learn more about International Animal Rights Day and Igualdad Animal here: www.animalequality.net.

Love,

Melissa

Random Travel Update 42

Last Locations:
Madrid, Spain: December 7 – December 10, 2012
Granada, Spain: December 10 – December 11, 2012
Málaga, Spain: December 11, 2012

Present Location: Barcelona, Spain
Arrival Date: August 26, 2012
Departure Date: December 19, 2012

Next Location: Washington, DC
Arrival Date: December 19, 2012
Departure Date: Undetermined

I wrote this late last night on the plane ride home from one of the most profound weekends of my life. My head and heart were still buzzing. Both from the experiences, and from eating a few too many Triskys and Choco-Palomitas—corn-snacks which I had discovered in the bus station in Málaga. Triskys and Choco-Palomitas are vegan, gluten free, and delicious, but not in the least bit healthy.

My weekend started with a 400-person demonstration in the streets of Madrid for International Animal Rights Day: http://vimeo.com/55311006

And ended with a trip to see Alhambra in Granada: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

And the moments in between were even better.

Spain has officially captured my heart.

Photos and a description of International Animal Rights Day to come.

Love,

Melissa