Stuff Jewish Girls Like

Friday Funday: The Most Ridiculous Leggings Ever Made

2015-04-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

Okay, let's walk through a thought experiment:

Picture the most ridiculous leggings you can possibly imagine. Now make them a million times more ridiculous.

Got it? Got that mental picture, friends?

I'm about to blow away your wildest imagination.

Ready?

Okay:

Available here (affiliate link). They were $18 the other week (when I bought them, because I do ridiculous things sometimes and have a huge weakness when it comes to the ugliest items imaginable, see e.g. here), so keep an eye on that price as hopefully they will drop again. I also found them here for $20 (not an affiliate link).

Let me break this down for you: There is a bucking unicorn on one side. There is a robot T-rex on the other side, and he is shooting laser beams from his head. All of this is happening on a backdrop of rainbows and galaxies.

If this is not the height of "IDGAF" then I don't know what is. I saw some girl wearing these at a dance party the other week and she was crushing the whole scene.

So, I just thought you all needed to know that this exists.

(Out of curiousity, when I asked you to picture the most insane leggings you could imagine, what did you picture?)

Have a great weekend!

Intro to Sous Vide

2015-04-07T11:15:00.000-04:00

About a year ago, I saw an article about an interesting Kickstarter project for a sous vide circulator by Sansaire. At that point, I had never heard of sous vide and it's possible I had not heard of Kickstarter, either. The only thing I understood is that cooking sous vide would allow me to cook a steak that was perfectly medium rare from end to end. This was the sales image that made me want to explore sous vide circulators:

So, sure, this isn't exactly a fair comparison, since we can all agree the steak on the right wasn't cooked by a particularly masterful chef, but the point remains that it's hard for me to get a totally even texture and temperature in my steaks. They're often more well-done on the outside or on the ends. The more reviews I read about how easy sous vide circulators were to use and how amazing meat tastes when cooked sous vide, the more I wanted to give this thing a shot.

(Plus, if you know me at all by now, you know I'm a sucker for interesting kitchen gadgets. My pressure cooker is still the MVP of my kitchen, years later.)

The other week, I decided to take the plunge. I had decided on the Anova sous vide circulator (it seems like the choice is either Anova or Sansaire) and was about to use my Amazon.com points to buy this one, when I did a bit more googling and realized that Anova has a new sous vide circulator model with bluetooth connectivity, and it's about $25 less than Amazon if you purchase directly from Anova's page. I found a coupon for another $25 off at Anova so that sealed the deal.

(I liked the idea of getting a circulator instead of a fixed sous vide oven, since a circulator allows you to turn any basin into a sous vide oven. So if you have thirty pounds of beef to cook, stick it in a huge rubbermaid bin, stick the sous vide circulator in there, and you're all set. When will I ever cook that much beef? Probably never. But I COULD.)

My initial experience with the Anova was mixed. I was excited to try the bluetooth connectivity features, which allow you to control the temperature of the water from your phone, make your circulator follow recipes from Anova's app, and alerts you when the water is ready:

But, what I learned the hard way while trying to cook a corned beef brisket for ten hours: if you walk away from your Anova such that the bluetooth is disconnected, the device TURNS OFF. And STOPS COOKING your food. (As in, you arrive home after being gone five hours only to realize that your corned beef has been NOT cooking for all that time and you're having people over for dinner in two hours. Luckily, I dumped it in the pressure cooker with some sauteed onions and water for an hour and a half and it came out GREAT. Best corned beef I've ever had, in fact. Not sure if the pressure cooker or the sous vide is to thank for that one.)

So, basically, the bluetooth feature is useless as far as I can tell.

(No pictures of the corned beef because it was immediately devoured.)

Last night, I gave the sous vide a try with steak. I had a big win at work and decided to treat myself to a fancy ribeye (my favorite cut of steak). I had a community meeting to attend around dinnertime, so I rubbed the steak with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, and a little butter.

Then I sealed it in a ziploc bag, dropped it in a 130 degree water bath, and went on my way.

It's only supposed to cook for an hour at that temperature, but I didn't get back to my house for almost three hours. I'd read that keeping a steak in the water bath for longer than an hour wouldn't hurt it, since it would not exceed the 130 degree temperature of the water...so I figured I'd test that feature?

Once I got home, I seared the steak for a few seconds on each side:

And you guys, it came out perfectly:

I mean, LOOK AT THIS:

So, overall, I'm pretty pleased with the sous vide so far. The bluetooth technology is just for show, but the implement itself seems to do a GREAT job with meat. I'm going to try fish and eggs in the next week or so...I'll let you know how that goes.

Have any of you tried cooking sous vide before? What did you think?

Things I Love Buying in Thrift Stores, Part 1

2015-03-11T10:10:00.002-04:00

Quirky pins!

Focus on the pin, friends, and pay no attention to the fact that I wore this blazer (sans pin) a few days ago...it's toooootally different now...

On Shabbat

2015-02-21T18:38:00.001-05:00

Despite the name of this blog, I'm not much of an actual Jewish girl. I was born Jewish, I had a Bat Mitzvah, and I even had a "confirmation" when I was sixteen. I taught Sunday school for a couple of years when I was in college --- I was assigned to third grade, because any class above that would have exceeded my knowledge of Hebrew and Judaism.

I'm not sure when I first started feeling uncomfortable in religious settings. Maybe sometime after college? Religious services started feeling less meaningful and more cultish. The chanting, the conviction that improbable-sounding religious stories actually happened...it all felt strange. Add to that the fact that my basic religious knowledge meant I couldn't fully participate in most services, and you've got a recipe for discomfort.

So I dialed back my participation in actual Jewish ritual. I experienced a brief renewal in my spirituality and feelings towards Judaism after going on Birthright Israel in 2011, but my practices didn't change much.

(image)

After moving to Baltimore, I have found myself inching into the Jewish scene here. Seemingly every week, a different Jewish group hosts a young adults/professionals Shabbat that are either inexpensive, free, or potlucks. I've gone to a bunch of these dinners, mainly because they are something to do and a good way to meet people. I've met a handful of cool people through these Jewish events and I certainly can never have too many friends.

Plus, I think on some level I enjoy reconnecting a bit with my religion, even if I'm totally awkward at these events. A couple of weeks ago, I tried to strike up a conversation around the table about recreational activities during a period during the ritual when (unbeknownst to me) we were all supposed to remain quiet.

Anyway, I was inspired to write this post after my experience with last night's Shabbat. I have had an extremely stressful day at work, even though we only had a three-day week. There are a ton of exciting things going on and I've had a few huge professional successes in the last month, but the next few weeks are going to make me want to pull my hair out. As the workday wound to a close I started feeling that familiar tension in my chest --- that feeling of having too much to do and too many balls in the air.

(image)

Then an unfamiliar feeling came over me --- one of impending relaxation and calm. I think it came from the knowledge that I was taking a purposeful pause from work and life to go through the Shabbat ritual and have some kind of meal with other people. For one of the first times in my life, I found myself looking forward to Shabbat.

I'd imagine I'd get the same kind of benefit from setting a fixed time to meditate and disconnect, but it was nice to feel it come from part of my religious heritage, even if I still struggle with the ritual and the theology.

I'm curious to hear about other weekly rituals that provide that sense of calm and focus. What do you guys do for yourselves?

This is absolutely everything.

2015-01-14T07:32:00.001-05:00

ShipYourEnemiesGlitter.com.

First, that picture says everything.

Second, these quotes are more than everything:

"We fucking hate glitter. People call it the herpes of the craft world."

"Glitter as a Service: want to piss off someone you dislike for only $9.99? Let us send them some stupid fucking glitter that is guaranteed to go everywhere."

"You'll then be taken off this shitty website for payment processing via PayPal. Yes, we know PayPal is a shitty company, hell why not send those dicks some glitter?"

The internet can go home; we've hit the apex. I think we're done here.

Who wants to help me open the American distribution center?

Two corners

2015-01-11T08:49:00.000-05:00

I haven't been keeping up with any Anthro or clothing blogs lately. Since I took my new job and my shopping budget all but vanished, I've sort of steered clear of most of the blogs I used to love simply to avoid the temptation of seeing my stylish e-friends wear beautiful new clothes that I could not afford. If I don't look, I don't crave! (But I miss you, fellow blogger friends!)

Lately, the money I do have left in my shopping budget has been going towards items for my home. I made two relatively big improvements to the house (replaced a roof, walled in the master bedroom), but the rest of my budget has been going towards small changes to make the house feel more like home.

Here are two corners of the house I particularly like!

1. In the family/TV room:

99% of the time that I use my laptop, I use it downstairs on my comfy sofa in front of the TV. I'd been leaving the laptop on the sofa, plugged into the outlet near the sofa, and it was ugly.

I found this ^ cute firewood/magazine holder at a vintage shop near DC called Peg Leg Vintage (a little overpriced, but TONS of cute stuff), and it works perfectly for my laptop!

I ran the cord behind my TV stand (which is to the left of this photo), so the piece doubles as a laptop charger!

2. Dining Room Booze Area

All I wanted was just to store my wine glasses somewhere. Is that too much to ask? I wouldn't think so. But I didn't have enough cabinet space to store my wine glasses, and there wasn't a convenient spot anywhere for a wall-mounted or under-cabinet mounted rack. WHAT WAS I TO DO??

BAM!

It's a LAMP, but the lampshade is made up of wineglasses!!!

How cool is that?? I found it on Amazon. (Affiliate link.) Plus, it comes with a cool vintage bulb that looks really beautiful when lit. Here's a bad photo of the lamp on:

Pretty, right? The only problem is that if you have dirty glasses, you will DEFINITELY notice once the light is on.

Question: Do you guys think I should get rid of the lampshades on the dry bar next to the wine glass lamp? Now that I'm looking at the photo, those hanging lights seem like maybe too much light in one corner? (Note that the hanging lights on the bar don't work. Also one is missing; I need to reattach it.)

Happy Sunday! I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Two Irresistable Things

2015-01-07T11:29:00.004-05:00

1. Enormous glasses. Gigantic, Carl-from-Pixar's-"Up" spectacles. I lose all self control.
That's why I love those Asian glasses websites, which allow me to buy 5+ pairs a year for less than $100. The glasses below are from Warby Parker, though, and boy how I love them, too:

I'm wearing these, purchased almost a year ago. They are extremely well-made!

My inspiration, of course:

2. Jumpsuits. Creators/Highlighters of the FUPA. Why do I love thee so, when you are arguably one of the worst inventions in clothing history? Perhaps it's because you allow me to get away with putting on only one piece of clothing in the winter, when otherwise I would be forced to wear (shudder) TIGHTS. Tights are always my last resort! (I have hated since since I was a wee babe! One of my earliest memories is my mom struggling to put me in a pair of white tights for temple.)

Sorry about the messy room. I'm wearing this jumpsuit -- my first Anthro purchase in months!

* (affiliate links)

Here's a cool thing for your kitchen:

2015-01-05T14:40:00.000-05:00

Check it!

I found this thing on Amazon the other week, and it's so handy! It fits a ton of dishes...

...looks nice...

...and rolls up small when you are ready to put it away.

I love that I don't have to find storage for a clunky traditional metal drying rack! It's here on Amazon (affiliate link).

How was everyone's New Year's holidays? Any significant resolutions? I didn't resolve anything this year, although it is my goal to start getting a bit healthier this year. I have fallen out of the habit of exercising, and I definitely want to get back into that!

Look what I found!

2014-12-30T14:36:00.002-05:00

I found myself browsing a flea market in Dover, Delaware this past weekend when I stumbled upon this:

Remember the Anthropologie Stormy Seas necklace? I joined the Cult of Anthro about a year too late to buy this in stores, and I always coveted it on others. I found similar necklaces, but always sort of wanted the original.

Now, $5 (and quite a few years) later, here we are, together at last.

Serendipitous finds like this are a big part of the reason I love flea markets! (The other reason: totally bizarre and quirky treasures. See, e.g., here.) Have you ever had something like this happen, where you found a long-awaited object second-hand? Do tell!

My Biggest Sale Haul Yet!

2014-12-21T21:24:00.002-05:00

Have I told you all yet about how much I love the city of Baltimore?

Well, I absolutely adore it. Baltimore is homey, quirky, and completely lives up to its nickname of "Charm City." Baltimore has utterly charmed me thus far. In fact, I'm hoping to start blogging more about some of the fantastic activities this city has to offer. I believe this is a city on the rise, for sure.

I love Baltimore so much, that I bought this:

AHHHH!!! I'm a homeowner!!

There are a bunch of reasons I decided to plunge into homeownership in Baltimore. First, the real estate market here is pretty good for buyers. The city has hit its stride but it hasn't quite boomed yet, so real estate generally moves relatively slowly and there are decent deals to be had. (Plus, interest rates are still extremely low, and those low rates won't last forever.) Second, the rental market has far outpaced the buying market; you pay substantially more in rent than you would to buy the same house. Third, I signed a four-year commitment letter with my job, and I'm getting loan repayment assistance from my law school (given to people who take a public interest or government law job and earn below a certain threshold) that is 100% forgiven after five years...so I'm likely going to be in Baltimore for a while. Plus, I figured if I bought a place in a neighborhood with a strong rental market, I wouldn't be forced to sell whenever I moved; I could just keep the house as an investment property and rent it out to cover my mortgage and expenses.

I started looking at houses in May, before I moved here. I looked at about 25 houses and I actually put an offer in on this house (how freaking beautiful is that place???), but when the sellers countered for $1500 higher than my offer, I suddenly got cold feet and backed out. I can't explain why it didn't feel right to buy that house...my parents did not seem particularly enthusiastic about pitching in for a down payment, and there were multiple buyers for the relatively-new-on-the-market house, which made me feel nervous and pressured. And perhaps on some level I was concerned about buying before I even knew if I would like living in Baltimore.

In the end, I'm glad I didn't buy back in May. It helped a TON to live here for a few months, get to know the neighborhoods, and get a better sense for where I like to hang out. I realized in the time I lived in Fed Hill that I loved being close to the harbor, but wanted to be in a neighborhood with a population my own age. (Fed Hill is fantastic but the average age there is approximately 23.)

When my Fed Hill landlords informed me that they were selling the house I'd been renting a room in and that we'd all have to leave, it seemed like as good of a time as any to resume the housing search! I had two months before I needed to move out of my old house, so I figured I'd look at real estate for a month, and if I didn't find anything I loved I would just rent again. I decided to focus on houses with two to three bedrooms, and at a price point that would allow me to cover at least 75% of my mortgage with rental income. I figured a house of this size would lower my expenses and would give me room to grow if I started a family and we ended up staying in the city. (The middle schools in the city aren't great, but the elementary school in the neighborhood I ended up buying in is pretty decent and would probably be fine (and would delay the inevitable move out to the better school districts of the suburbs).)

I looked at more than thirty houses in October. I found a lot of very cool, great houses that seemed promising. But the moment I walked into the house I ended up buying, I immediately felt a warm, cozy, homey feeling. It wasn't perfect, and I wasn't blind to the things that weren't perfect about it (I would have loved an open kitchen with different finishes --- like that first house --- or a full bathroom for each bedroom (my house is a 3/2.5)), but I still loved it. The neighborhood is awesome, the neighbors are chill, and the rental market is strong due to the proximity to Hopkins. On the whole, it was perfect for me given my price point. PLUS, the house had been on the market for more than 100 days,* meaning no pressure to bid high to beat out competition! I was swooning.**

* I'm not sure why it was on the market for so long --- although in Baltimore 100+ days on the market is not that unusual --- but I think it was because the owners accepted an offer on it after a few weeks, and three days later (without any kind of home inspection) the buyers got cold feet and pulled out. The house was relisted and essentially became a "back on the market" house. Often BOM houses face a stigma from new buyers that hurts their market value.

** An indicator of how well my excellent real estate agent got to know me and my taste: We walked into my house, I immediately oozed, "Oooh, I love it..." and my agent said, "Wait until you hear how long it's been on the market and you'll love it even more." Srsly, he was great.

The period from contract to purchase was stressful, filled with multiple unnecessary dramas and last-minute crises. But with the help of a fantastic real estate agent and very supportive parents, we were able to get to closing on time! I also got the maximum seller cash contribution allowed, so not only did I get a pretty decent deal, but the purchase price on record is higher than the final price I paid (because of the seller contribution), which will hopefully be good for increasing property values in the neighborhood. Of course, the seller contribution is on record, too, but to the extent that the sale price is a more visible/accessible measure of property values than final sale price, that's gotta be good for property values.

I've already found roommates for the other two bedrooms, and my rental income will almost completely cover my mortgage payment, taxes, and insurance. This will help me put more money away for loans/savings/home repairs!

I'm still in the process of moving in and decorating, and I have one reasonably big redesign project on the immediate horizon (a contractor is coming in to add a wall and a door to the master suite --- right now, it's not closed off at all so it lacks privacy). I'll post photos once things get more settled! I couldn't be happier with the place. Sometimes I look around the house and feel so overwhelmed with love for my surroundings. It's my HOME.

So, there you have it! Do any homeowners read my blog? What was your buying experience like? Are you glad you bought? Any tips or tricks for me? What websites do I need to know about?

On Lacking the Words

2014-12-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

All: I feel that I can't return to my regularly-scheduled programming without addressing the events of the "Black Lives Matter" movement, and I can't fully address the "Black Lives Matter" movement on social media. So I've been stuck for a few weeks here, since telling you about my latest sale haul seems ridiculous in light of the social issues that have developed over the last month or so.

I'm going to keep blogging, but I wanted to put at least something up here indicating that I realize fun events in Baltimore, shopping, and just going about my life sort of mean nothing compared to these more important issues.

I just want you to know that I know.

Firmoo Sale!

2014-11-26T12:22:00.003-05:00

Hi blogosphere! As we rev up for Black Friday, I owe Firmoo a post about their online glasses service. They sent me a pair of glasses last month and I promised them a post, so here it is! I'll put up a substantive post shortly; I have a BIG update for you.

In any case, onward with the quasi-shilling...("quasi" because I do actually use/like Firmoo even when they are not sending me free glasses)

A couple of years ago, Firmoo contacted me about trying their products, and I've been a loyal customer of Asian prescription glasses websites, including Firmoo, ever since. If you haven't tried these sites, check out my 2012 post about the process of ordering from Firmoo here. Ordering is easy, delivery is fairly speedy, and the selection of frames is pretty fantastic. I've never tried the returns process, but the last pair of lenses I received from Firmoo appeared to have some issue with the pupillary distance and Firmoo CS was all over the problem with offers to figure out where the Rx process went wrong. I also got my sister hooked on Firmoo and she has accessorized herself since then with tons of hipster pairs of glasses on a student budget.

Anyhoo, Firmoo is having a Black Friday sale (as my sister eagerly told me yesterday), so now might be a good time to experiment!

There appear to be a bunch of screaming deals, such as these for $10 after the discount:

Or these, $5 after the discount....

Incidentally, there seems to be a little turf war happening between the cheap online glasses retailers. I don't have a favorite --- whoever has my favorite style at the moment will get my business. Have you guys tried these websites? What do you think?

Is it just me...

2014-11-06T08:06:00.001-05:00

...or does Siri seem to be sucking up more lately now that other smartphones have caught up to the iPhone?

I need you to actually listen to what I'm saying more than 40% of the time. Thanks.

On Repeat: Cat Stevens by way of Sam Cooke

2014-11-05T09:47:00.001-05:00

I stumbled upon this Cat Stevens cover of "Another Satuday Night" on Sirius last night and I can't stop listening to it!

What a voice. How is it possible to sound so angry, sad, and joyful simultaneously? I think I like this song even better than the original! What do you think?

FYI

2014-10-05T17:46:00.001-04:00

Just so you know...

This product:

...is delicious. It tastes like a delightful piña colada.

However, the color is a little bit...how shall I say...off-putting.

If you can manage to drink this without thinking about urine samples, then I highly recommend it!

How was everyone's weekend?

Posted with Blogsy

Thank you + guest post!

2014-09-17T16:24:00.001-04:00

Aw, guys, thanks for helping me feel the blog-love in your comments to my last post. It was great to hear from you despite my long absence. Sometimes I feel guilty when I go for a long time without posting, even though I know you all have busy lives and that nobody is sitting in front of their computer refreshing their internet browser until a new post appears on SJGL. If you can be patient with the fact that I probably can't post as regularly as I used to (and that the content of my posts might be less work and outfits and more lifestyle, given some of the security concerns of my new job), then let's keep this party going.

I want to tell you all about a few of my recent weekend activities, but in the meantime, check out this post I wrote for Corporette a few weeks back about forgiving ourselves for our dietary failures.
My attitude towards my weight has always been that I prefer to be within a certain range, but sometimes there are just more pressing things than counting calories or maintaining my poundage.

I only read the first ten or so comments on the Corporette piece --- which I thought were spirited and represented all sides of the topic pretty well --- and then I stopped reading because I did not want to push my luck with unknown internet commenters...so if there's any serious negativity in there, don't tell me. :-D

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

2014-08-24T11:21:00.001-04:00

Hi everybody. Thanks for the kind emails and messages while I've been away. Here's a bit of an update for you:

Shortly after my last post, I was put on a trial team (my favorite type of assignment!!) for a case that was supposed to go to trial less than a month later. As you can imagine, life got extremely hectic very quickly. I don't like to post on the blog while on trial, because I have to assume: 1) opposing counsel is crazy and has researched everyone on our side; 2) they have found my blog; 3) every post I make during trial prep and trial is a window into how busy or not busy we are, which in turn is a window into our strategy.

The trial was grueling, but I did have a weekend or two during which I got to enjoy the city of Boston (where the trial was taking place). Neptune's Oyster? Holy geez, that place was incredible. Plus, we were staying at the Ritz, so it's hard to be too miserable (even when facing down your third 20+ hour day in a row) when you can go "home" to a fluffy bed, a whirlpool bath, and free room service.

Still "trying" to lose the trial weight, but it was totally worth it.

Our trial concluded at the end of April (we won!!). I made my way back home almost reluctantly. Over the course of the last year or so, my six-year relationship, which had typically been very loving/functional/rewarding, had become difficult, rocky, and downright painful. The relationship needed to end, which as you can imagine was an extremely hard and fraught decision to make after being with someone for so long and developing a shared future with that person. I still struggle with whether this was the correct decision, and I don't really know what to do or how to act going forward, or whether to give in to the desire to try again, hoping that things might be different after the self-improvement work we have both done in the months of separation.

The closest I've ever come to posting my ex's picture on this blog. (Incidentally, I TOTALLY recommend this bobblehead company if you are looking for an awesome gift for someone. They were incredible to work with.)

Those of you who have ended long relationships with the person you thought was "The One*", how did you know it was time? Did you ever try again with the same person? How did that work out? Was the other person able to change? Were you? Have you found new love since then? How is it different? Do you have some kind of clarity regarding whether you made the right or wrong decision in ending that previous relationship? Basically, what do I need to hear, being in the place I am now?

* I don't actually believe in the concept of "The One." I don't think there is only one person who is the perfect end-all-be-all fit for us. I think there are many people with whom any given person could have a happy and loving life. I use "The One" here really to mean "[One of] The One[s]."

Despite the whirlwind incredible trial experience at my firm, I'd been feeling a growing dissatisfaction with the work since last summer. See, I love trials. Trials are the driving force that pumps my lifeblood and gives my work-life meaning. And although my firm is notoriously awesome at giving attorneys trial experience (and indeed, I was on five trial teams, saw four jury selections, and three winning verdicts in my three years + one summer at the firm), the problem with a big firm is that you are never going to be the person giving the opening and closing argument in a big trial. And even more, the hierarchical structure of a big firm means that for your first five or six years, you don't really get close to talking in court on a paying matter. There's something about that process, in which the work you do is just pieces of a whole that were divided up and doled out by something else, that makes you start to atrophy in some ways. You learn a TON by watching more experienced attorneys run these trial teams, but you start to lose that ability to see the whole forest, to think ten steps ahead, and to look at the bigger picture, because your more immediate job is on the smaller scale.

I have always wanted to be an Assistant U.S. Attorney ("AUSA"). It has been my dream job since at least the ninth grade --- or whenever I learned that the job existed. AUSAs represent the United States, prosecuting federal criminals or defending U.S. agencies when they are sued. AUSAs get to run their own cases, try their own trials, and enjoy all of the perks of federal employment. These jobs are notoriously difficult to get, and for the past several years, a hiring freeze has been in place that made it nearly impossible to find an open position. In fact, many districts began hiring Special AUSAs to work FOR FREE, and PEOPLE ARE STILL TAKING THOSE JOBS.

The hiring freeze lifted in December, and around February I started throwing out a few applications to various districts in which I could see myself living. (Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Chicago, California...I almost threw my hat in the ring for the Virgin Islands but that just seemed way too extreme of a change.) I didn't expect to get anything, since I'm still relatively junior and I lack some of the credentials I'm told are important for a position like this.

But sure enough, in March, I got an interview in Baltimore. Everything about the position was perfect. The position was in the civil division --- so I would get to practice the type of civil defense law I'd come to love at my firm (for example, civil division attorneys do a lot of medical malpractice defense and employment discrimination defense) --- but civil division attorneys are permitted to take small criminal cases in addition to their civil caseload, so I would have a taste of both types of law. (Plus, criminal cases typically involve more court time than civil cases.) The division was small, like my old firm, and filled with incredibly friendly and non-competitive people who loved that I bake pies and play poker. It is close to D.C., so even though I would get the fresh start I craved in a new city with a lot going on within its borders, I would be close enough to my old town (~30 miles, or 50 minutes by car) that I would not have to say goodbye to any of my friends.

After three rounds of interviews, I was offered the job after a particularly brutal day during our trial. My tears of frustration with the case turned into tears of gratitude and happiness that I'd had such an amazing experience at my firm, without which I surely could not have made this next step so soon, and that I would soon be starting a new adventure in my dream job.

I cleared my security check at the end of July, moved to Baltimore at the beginning of August, and now I'm starting a new chapter here. Not only am I in a new city, making new friends and exploring a new life, but I've also said goodbye to my lavish law firm salary (this job was a 60% pay cut) and all of the associated luxuries. I'm living in a house with two other girls now. I have a huge living space to myself (I have my own floor of the house, along with my own bedroom, living room, and bathroom), but I'm sharing a kitchen and facing the fact that I have two mid-twenty-somethings roommates at a point in my life when I figured I would be married or engaged. Ahhh, life, how funny you can be. Luckily, my roommates (random craigslist people) are lovely and my house is comfortable, and it's only a fifteen-minute walk to work. It is also only a fifteen minute walk from the new casino opening up in downtown Baltimore, which makes me sad to have my lush salary no longer.

But my new job has been incredible --- pretty much everything I hoped it could be --- which at the very least makes me feel validated in the choices I have made to get me to this point.

Anyway, there's a lot to share and a lot to write about. I haven't figured out whether I want to continue writing or not, though; again, I must assume all of my opposing counsel have found this blog now that I'm the lead counsel (!!!) opposite them. While I have not posted anything on here that is personally embarrassing or that I would not be happy to talk about in person, I have to rethink my online presence a bit. Out of curiosity, are there any AUSAs or trial attorneys out there amongst my readers? Do you have any thoughts on this subject? Are any of you my opposing counsel? :-D

I'm sorry to have left without a word so many months back. There were so many changes in my life all at once, and some of them I'm sure you can understand I do not want to talk about in great detail on the internet. My domain name comes up for renewal in a few months, so I guess I will make a decision about whether to continue by then, but in the meantime: Hello, and I hope you are all doing well!

Did you know this was a thing?

2014-02-20T14:50:00.001-05:00

I took a mini-mini road trip to Annapolis this past weekend and learned: people give crazy names to hot sauces, apparently?

Did you know that "Cooter" is another word for turtle? Me neither.

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Snow Day

2014-02-13T11:38:00.001-05:00

If you were thinking that today would be a good day to have matzo ball soup for lunch and experiment with a pork and lentil stew for dinner while working from home, you would be right.

What Jewish Girl doesn't like pork and matzo balls in the same day? What's this "kosher" thing of which you speak?

Do you guys have a snow day today? We've got what looks like six to eight inches here.

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The Zone of All Probability

2014-02-12T11:01:00.003-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days that is so horrible --- just one bad thing after another --- that you arrive at a point when you think that nothing worse could possibly happen? And then something worse happens?

Have you ever felt your tether to your own tragic reality break at that point, not in the sense of having a nervous breakdown or anything, but such that you no longer feel any sadness, fear, anxiety, or any other negative emotion, neither at the wreckage of the day already laid waste in front of you nor the possibility of yet another bad thing improbably finding its way into your universe? You go from panicked and depressed to completely calm in a blink.

I have days like that periodically, and I had one of them yesterday. I felt that little "snip" in my brain when my thoughts go from "ACK THIS IS A TERRIBLE DAY" to "Of course this other terrible thing has happened, how entertaining."

Every time that happens to me, I think about this passage from A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, which just so perfectly captures that feeling:

I pull up to a light, next to a bunch of young black kids.* Maybe they’ll shoot me. I’m in the zone of all probability. I cannot be surprised. Earthquakes, locusts, poison rain would not impress me. Visits from God, unicorns, bat-people with torches and scepters–it’s all plausible. If these kids happen to be bad kids, and have guns, and want to shoot people like me, it will be me, the glass will break and the bullet will come through and I will not be surprised. With the bullet in my head, I will drive my car into a tree, and as I am waiting to be pulled from the wreck, nearly dead, I will not panic or yell. I will think only: Weird, this is exactly what I expected.

Here's to a new day.

* ETA, in response comments expressing alarm at this passage: To be clear, this passage is a piece of literature. In the context of the book, the passage is discussing completely crazy and improbable things happening. As the author describes it, the likelihood of kids shooting him in the head just because they are black is crazy and improbable, and in the broader context of the book is not a statement on race (i.e., it is not a commentary that young black kids shoot white people), but is rather sort of a tongue-in-cheek jab at perceptions of race. I encourage you to read more about the book, the author (who does an impressive amount of work with youth in under-served communities), or to read the book itself (not an affiliate link). It is a fantastic piece of storytelling and one of my favorite books. If you're upset (or not upset) by the passage, I encourage you to discuss it in the comments. Hopefully folks who have actually read the book will chime in as well on either side of that spectrum.

A few nice things to start your Monday

2014-02-10T11:56:00.001-05:00

1. Check out this cute little fox cookie jar I found at Target!

2. I went on a hike this weekend! We went to Bull Run, which is about an hour outside of DC in a town called Haymarket, Virginia. The hike was about two hours total, so not too long, but long enough to work up a good appetite for brunch!

Hiking OOTD. I am such a newb. Also I was wearing Kate Spade earrings because see also, newb.

3. My second round of foster kittens were adopted this weekend! They were pretty much the perfect cats and I was so sad to see them go...

KITTY SPOON, PEOPLE.

4. A woman at BJ's Wholesale Club almost beaned me in the head with a 20-pack of ramen noodles! My crime? I nicely asked the lady behind me to allow me to put my purchases on the conveyer belt before she did, a request that seemed necessary since she bypassed me and started loading up her own stuff on all available space. Drama be following me around lately, apparently.

How was your weekend?

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Let's talk about fitness.

2014-01-28T12:34:00.002-05:00

Alright, guys. I have fallen off the fitness bandwagon. My pants are tight and I am at a weight where I refuse to buy new ones because I am not going to settle in here.

Source.

I have found that my fitness preferences tend to swing around pretty drastically every six months to a year, and the things that I used to love doing no longer motivate me the same way. I'm not going to Crossfit as regularly as I used to, and I am biking less since the weather became frigid (and since I bought a car). I still will sometimes go for a run, but the shorter days leave me less time to do this in the daylight, when I prefer to be out.

My firm recently announced that it would give all associates $195 towards a monthly gym membership. I could use this money for a 9 class per month Crossfit membership ($165 --- I KNOW), or I could use it to join an actual gym with a variety of (sadly, non-Crossfit) classes. I'm leaning towards the latter for now, since I'm feeling like a need some variety in my life. Plus, since I seem to enjoy driving around, I could drive to the gym to get my sweat on.

So help me out here:

What do you guys do for exercise in the winter?
Do you belong to a gym? If so, what do you think are the most important things I should be considering in deciding which gym to go to.
If you live in DC, are there any gyms/studios that I absolutely must check out before I sign paperwork somewhere? Where is the best place for me to spend my $195/mo?

Dawwwwwww

2014-01-27T10:25:00.001-05:00

Meet the new foster kittens!

Their names are Dust Bunny (gray female) and Caribou (orange male), but I call them Bunny and Boo.

Just waaaaay too much cuteness, am I right? These little ones are available for adoption through the Washington Humane Society! (My last two foster cats were adopted two weeks ago! The only thing that eased the pain of separation was immediately taking in two more cats :-D)

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Welp, this was a disaster.

2014-01-24T14:54:00.001-05:00

I have not checked into the blogs lately, but I can only assume that you have already heard about the enormous sale going on at Piperlime (affiliate link).

I came out of shopping retirement to buy this jacket (affiliate link), along with a bunch of other stuff, for basically $15:

Anyway, this sale was simultaneously awesome and a disaster, as all good things are. Go check it out while the getting is good. Plus, use eBates (referral link) to save another 2%.

And happy Friday! Any fun weekend plans? Mine involves lots of college friends, poker, and animals -- just not at the same time.

[Thanks @LolaNicole for the heads-up!]

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Snow Day

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Dawwwwwww

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Welp, this was a disaster.