Live Your Life

I love the new T.I. feat. Rihanna song - "Live Your Life". Download now!

As for my life, you can see from the date of the last post that it's been quite busy. Work is off to a running start, and I'm happy to say that I've been quickly immersed into the world of client meetings, conference calls, billable hours, and lots and lots of documents. Things are particularly busy because the only other associate in my section is currently in Greece, on his two-week honeymoon. Good for him, bad for me as I am JUST STARTING OUT AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. Luckily my partner is incredibly kind, helpful and most importantly, understanding. So my panic/stress levels have definitely gone down.

So yes, work is good, but adjusting to this new schedule of actually having to wake up before the sun rises has been tres difficult. The first few days I was so exhausted upon arrival to my messy, messy apartment that I barely had enough energy to eat and crawl into bed. Slowly things seem to be improving, and I've definitely learned that if I plan to workout, it has to be in the early a.m. (b/c there's no way in HELL i'm gonna hop on a treadmill after a long day at work). Good news is that I've signed up for my first bootcamp that starts October 28. Woo hoo! 6 a.m. in the morning... woo hoo!! That'll be... new.

Aside from work and my attempts to work out, I've been busy shuttling Lola here and there and arranging her doggie schedule so that she's not stuck at home everyday. Between doggie daycare and her three (that's right - THREE) petsitters, I think she's acclimating just fine. Her growth still astounds me, in particular, her legs. Girl's got some model legs. Maybe one of her parents was a standard poodle??

Another thing of interest these days is The Austin Stone. The church is doing some EXCITING things, which include building projects (finally!) in the St. John neighborhood of East Austin (apparently, the poorest neighborhood in the city). The church's vision of using its influence, size and power to make an impact on the city, particularly the poorest communities in the city, is truly uplifting. It makes me proud to be a part of it. It's social justice in the best way possible. I love love LOVE it.

So much more to say, but not enough time to say it. Must get Lola out and then hit the sack... am attempting to make a 6 a.m. yoga class tomorrow morning. Much love, darlings.

xoxo,
C

Comfort in Solitude

My mother has taken to calling me almost daily, asking "Are you ok? Do you like work? Are you lonely??" My reponse: "Yes i'm fine, Mommy. Work is fine, too. And no, for the 100th time, i'm not lonely." In fact, the opposite is true - i am loving my "me" time, relishing every savory moment of it. I crave that time, especially after spending all day in the office. My evenings are full of quiet dinners, journal-writing, internet surfing, book-reading, music, and catching up on my HTC podcasts. I have no real desire to go out, party, or drink. I do enjoy going out for a nice dinner or movie with a friend, but i'm also perfectly content with spending my evenings in bed with Puffin, a good book, and a hot cup of tea.

That being said, there is one place that i rather dislike being alone, and that's at the office. What is it about being stuck in front of a computer and a big lonely desk that i just can't stand? My first few weeks have been so busy and new that i never really had that much time alone in my office. That and i had an office-mate for a little while, and that helped break the silence. But now that it's just me in that big ole office, at that big ole desk, sometimes i just want to scream. I officially entered the "I CANNOT HAVE A JOB WHERE I SIT AT A DESK FOR SEVERAL HOURS A DAY" zone this week. It was bound to happen sooner or later, no matter how much i enjoy the firm. Oi vey. I have made some serious effort into improving the state of my office. After my office-mate moved out, the firm had the extra furniture removed, and my furniture rearranged "per [my] preferences." Now i have ample space, my ginormous desk faces the door, i have two huge windows directly behind me, and it's nice. I've tried my best at making my office a happy place... Colorful pens and file folders, framed pictures of my family and my Puffin (don't hate!), lavender scent sticks, a bright green pen holder, my huge bottle of ALIVE! vitamins... Still the office is pretty boring. If i were to ever become a partner in a law firm, the very first thing i would do is paint the walls pink. That's a promise, my friends.

I'm going to Dallas this weekend to visit the parentals, and i'm tres excited! I have wild plans of sleeping with Mummy and Puffin in her big, comfy king-sized bed, reading into the wee hours of the night, eating delicious Korean food, SHOPPING at the oh-so-fabulous Dallas malls, and trying out yogasport, a flow studio on Lemmon Avenue. One of the teachers there visisted Breath & Body (my studio of choice here in Austin) and guest-taught a class, and she was amaaazing. So i'm going to try to take her class Saturday morning in Dallas. Yay!

I stopped by BookPeople tonight on the way to "First Wednesday Prayer" (to be discussed below) and picked up a book entitled, "WORLDCHANGING: A User's Guide for the 21st Century." It was a book that piqued my interest after having read a review of it in a magazine some months ago. Well, BookPeople is having a great sale, and certain items were 50% off, and surprise surprise, this book happened to be one of them! So i picked up this rather large and heavy book for half-off. Don't you just love sales?

So First Wednesday... Well this is my first, and i'm not sure what i was looking to get out of it, but it certainly didn't deliver. I guess i had hoped for a lot of what i discussed above - comfort, quiet, and solitude in a group of bodies all conversing with God. A little worship here and there, communion... you know. Instead i got a small room full of loud, annoyingly chatty people who couldn't even shut-up when the leader asked everyone to sit and prepare. Then we broke into small groups of 3-5 people and "prayed together" after each of the leader's 4 prayer prompts. It was awkward to say the least. I think i would've gotten more out of group prayer if i had actually known the people i was praying with/for and if the leader wouldn't have kept interrupting us. I hate to sound so negative about an experience that is probably very beautiful for most, but it just wasn't what i expected. I won't be rash enough to say that i'll never return, but i think it's safe to say that i won't be going back until i can bring a friend along with me.

Speaking of religion, one of my favorite partners at the firm took me out for a coffee break this afternoon, and we got into a deep conversation, that lasted well over an hour, about love, relationships, marriage, religion, and even the love of my life, Chris Tomlin. It reminded me that lawyers, even successful partners, are human and can often be very, very cool. Well... maybe that's just Austin lawyers. ;-)

Happy Birthday, Sista!!

Ok so it's not really her birthday yet, but definitely close enough! And since blogging at work is probably a bad idea, i thought i'd give my beautiful J.Y. a pre-birthday shoutout right here. J.Y. and i will be celebrating her big day with her annual birthday dinner @ Ruth's Chris, and then perhaps a viewing of Pan's Labyrinth. And dessert - of course! It wouldn't be a "Sista" date without something sweet. :-)

Today's been wonderful, as has the rest of this weekend. Attended the 10:45 a.m. service @ the Stone this morning, and WOW. Worship and Matt's message were both so powerful and uplifting and emotional that it caught me by surprise. I relished every moment of it. Afterwards i attended the church's Discovery Lunch where i met some of the elders/pastors and learned more about the church's vision. Somehow i ended up at a table FULL of former Aggies!! They were pretty nice though, mostly cause they were on my turf. Austin? HOLLA! I was able to make it 4:30 vinyasa although i really must remember not to eat at least 2.5 hours in advance of doing yoga. It makes for a very unpleasant experience. There's a new yoga studio downtown on seventh street that i think i'm going to try out this week. As much as i'm not minding my job, i can't wait until it's over so that i have more time and flexibility to go to yoga more than 2x a week. With how much i'm paying, i should be going 2x a day...




I really really REALLY want a bike, and i found this amazing site full of fun, colorful beach cruisers. This one's my top pick. Isn't it purty? I totally dig.

Ok... lids are getting heavy. Goodnight, my darlings. I hope you have a wonderful week.

Weekend

Is it really Saturday night? This weekend has flown by. Last night the firm indulged us in a boat cruise on Lake Austin, which was absurdly fun. Who knew lawyers could laugh like that? God i had so much fun that it almost scared me. Later that night i met up with my favorite graduates to celebrate big D's birthday. It was the first time i'd been out and drinking in such a long time. Loads of fun, but i cut the night short and proceeded to pass out cold by 1 a.m. Today i've been running errands, did some South Congress shopping and ice cream eating with my little Laoura... Btw, i am never stepping foot into Goodie Two Shoes again. The woman who runs the shop, and her employees, suck. They are rude, not helpful, and ugly inside and out. I didn't appreciate the treatment I received, especially since i was actually buying a pair of shoes. Where do they get off being rude to me? Not being able to stand in there any longer, i went next door to Therapy where i KNEW i couldn't afford a thing, and received the nicest treatment and customer service. It was there that i purchased a fabulous pair of black wedges made of 100% recycled plastic. They are also 100% recyclable so after i've worn them out, i can toss them in a bright blue bin along with my water bottles and milk cartons. Neato huh? I also got a great black wrap top on sale. I don't mind spending a bit more at places that don't discriminate against someone who may not be a typical-looking Austinite. Tattoo-free and carrying a Chloe bag is apparently a crime in some parts of this city, and that just ticks me off. That's not Austin. You're being just as discriminatory and snobby as those pathetic yuppie salespeople in uptown Dallas. Ugh.

ANYWAY... despite that petit incident, the rest of my day has been wonderful. I just finished watching, "Deliver Us From Evil," a documentary investigating the life of a 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady. It exposes the corruption inside the Catholic church, and it's just heartbreaking... I mean i've heard all the stories before, but wow, it's just incredible that something like this happens. The saddest part was when the father of one of the victims, a Japanese man married to an Irish woman, basically said he didn't believe there was a God. Once a devout Catholic, this man has lost all of his faith because of how the Catholic church has dealt with the entire situation regarding O'Grady, his daughter, and the thousands of other children who were raped. While he said this, his daughter sat beside him and burst into tears. She still has faith. She went all the way to Rome to seek some sort of help from the Pope (to no avail, of course), was plainly rejected, and still has faith. Even i have trouble understanding that one.

Beautiful

I just got home from watching a dear friend get baptized at the Quarries off mopac/Braker. It was the Austin Stone's semi-annual crawfish boil/family get-together, and about 50 people got baptized right there in the lake or whatever body of water it is (see pics above). It was amazing. I'm thrilled to have been able to be a part of that, and also that our friends were so supportive and took time out of their busy study schedules (i don't have a busy study schedule b/c.. well.. i don't study) to come. Yay! What a beautiful Saturday.

Just had a lovely dinner with Pony (i have been missing our dates dearly!), and now we're going to take some time to digest then head over to a coffeeshop, perhaps stopping en route to get something sweet. :-) I hope i'm more productive tonight than i was last night...