The Start of Chicago Summer!

Summer in Chicago is exciting with a lot of activities, concerts, festivals, movies, and the great outdoors. We've all been sequestered inside our homes all winter and we really need to get out and enjoy the time that we have to get outside.

On Sunday, two members of my church congregation were playing in a free outdoor concert at Millennium Park. The concert was Mahler's Resurrection and it was pretty fabulous. 

We grabbed our picnic blanket, some cookies, and some games to hit the grass and experience some amazing music at the same time. 

Happy to be outside and not freezing!

Working on our goofy faces

Prepping for Summer in Chicago

I kinda like that I'm able to find a lot of random events and activities to participate in. For example, I saw an advertisement on the street for Chicago Dance Month and looked up the website and went to a couple performances so far and hope to go to another this week. 

Aerial Modern Dance Performance (it was crazy in a good way)

Saw a preview of this performance in the front row of the studio. Definitely was in even more awe of the dancer's strength, control, and grace.

Other things I've found are local theater, music, documentaries, nature, museums, etc. I'm all about expanding my cultural experiences. Sometimes it's a hit, and sometimes it's a miss. But most of the activities I go to are $0-$10, so it's not a big loss if King Claudius forgot his lines (true story). 

Many people often ask me about where I find things to do. The simple answer is that I look for them. I Google "Free things to do in Chicago" and find a lot through that. There are compilations of calendars out there to help organize all the events that are happening with movies in the park, free concerts, free museum days, and festivals. I used this calendar to find a "Full Moon Fire Jam" last summer and ended up having a blast. (The calendar does not currently have a lot of stuff on it. I expect it to be updated as we get closer to summer.) I just want you to know that there is a lot out there, if you're willing to look for it. 

I definitely think that with a little research and planning, your social calendar can be a lot more than movies, mini golf, and deep dish pizza. And a lot cheaper! (Although I do love the summer movies in the park series!) 

Some free things that I've added to my summer calendar already:

• Chicago Shakespeare in the Park (A medley of Shakespeare plays set to modern music)
• Tales from Around the World (global folk tales, songs, and dances)
• Macbeth

Another thing that I've been wanting to do is take some sort of class or learn a new skill. I found a ten week drawing and painting class for $21 + canvas through the Chicago Park District. I'm not a drawer or painter, but I'm excited about this adventure. And if it ends up not being what I want to do with my Thursday evenings this summer, it was only $21. 

If you ever want a buddy to check out something random, chances are, I'm your girl!

Full Moon Fire Jam

I like to find random things to do in the cities that I live in. Many people always ask me how I find the things that I find. I scour the internet and search for things to do. So when I saw the "Full Moon Fire Jam" on a Chicago summer calendar, I jumped at the opportunity to check it out. 

Many gave me weird looks when I invited them to join me. Others asked me what it was. I mean with a description like fire and dancing under the full moon, I don't see how anyone can go wrong... So although many people that I invited didn't attend, I had a great time watching these fire dancers do their thing for an hour.

I've been AWOL

Nothing too exciting has been going on in my life. I work, I play sports, and I go to random things in the city.

On the 4th of July, I decided that I didn't want to venture to the National Mall since it was going to be crazy crowded. So I went to the Air Force Memorial. It was definitely way less crowded and I was home pretty early.

I didn't actually take photos of the fireworks because:

a. fireworks have to be the most difficult things to photograph (especially with a phone camera) and 

b. I was busy enjoying the fireworks.

So here are a couple of "pre-fireworks" photos

Air Force Memorial

 I saw this van vacationing in style. Unfortunately I was not up with popular culture to get in on the jokes and tweets of "Sharknado" using this bad boy. I did however post it on Instagram and got the most "hearts" that I'd ever gotten. So clearly Steven Spielberg, Anthony Ferrante, and this family understand that Americans like sharks.

I took the 5th of July off and went with a bunch of people from church to Harper's Ferry, WV to "tube" down the Potomac River. Apparently sunscreen does need to be reapplied within a 3 hour period if you are on the water. I didn't get too badly sunburned, but my legs were noticeably pink.

I'll have to blog about my ventures into the city another time since this post is getting lengthy. Happy Summer!

Beginning of Summer

Nothing too exciting has really been happening over here. When I get an idea for a blogpost, I rethink it and decide it's lame/boring/nobody cares. So here are some photos of some recent happenings that you may or may not care about, but it's all I got right now:

Tigers vs. Nationals game with Lynn

 Lynn and I took in Nationals Park after a rain delay rescheduled our game. The Tigers ended up losing, but we got to see a lot of variety from the bullpen and some exciting hits, so all in all, a pretty great spring baseball game.

Virginia Beach

One of my roommates and I went to Virginia Beach on Memorial Day. It was a gorgeous day. I finished reading a novel, got some sun, saw some dolphins, jumped into the Atlantic, and got ice cream. No complaints. A great day off of work!

Virginia Beach

Protest outside my office

 Every few months we end up getting protesters outside of our office. The last protesters had nothing to do with our office and they played interesting (read: obnoxious) music all day. At least these protesters were directly related to some of our recent policies, so I felt like they had better reason to be there. Nothing too eventful happened. I feel like having a protest so close to me every few months reminds me about how people really care about a lot of things that go on rather than just going through the motions.

Kickball

 I joined a kickball league with a few of my colleagues. It's enjoyable, but I will never do it again because kickball is just not an involved enough sport for everyone (read: I'm really bad).

Teammate up to bat

I wish I had more profound or interesting things to say. I haven't been dating lately... so I have no good stories about that. If you know anyone in DC who would be a fun/interesting date... send them my way ;)

Hopefully I'll have more to report on as the summer progresses.

Cherry Blossoms!

Spring in Washington, DC means Cherry Blossoms! Although I think we missed the "spring" part since we went from cold to summer in 2 days, I'm enjoying the signs of spring.

I did my best to cover up the scaffolding. 

I love the reflection of the Jefferson Memorial

 I still am looking for cherry blossom postcards. I couldn't find one in any of the shops. Maybe that's a sign that people really don't send postcards anymore. If I find some, I will buy in bulk!

This side of July is so depressing

I cannot believe how quickly this summer has flown by. I seriously do not want to go back to school. I like my summer life. I like playing basically every day. I like my friends. I hate Provo. Ugh. My last few weeks in Chicago were a blast.

I saw the Windy City Rollers - Chicago's Women's Roller Derby Team.

Although "Bone Crusher" was on the other team, she was by far my favorite - mostly because her name is Bone Crusher and she looked like a bone crusher. (She is the woman in yellow falling down in this photo)

Some friends and I went to the Printer's Ball. This was to celebrate literature, but it was mostly so we could get our faces painted. I really think that the half-face zombie look was my best idea yet. It was fun to walk down Wabash and just get stares afterward.
The face paint a little closer. The guy who did it did a really amazing job. I had so much fun. We also got Chicago skyline prints that are pretty cool looking. I need to mat it and frame it. That will be my project in Provo.
I really wanted to Kayak the Chicago River, even though it's pretty disgusting. I convinced some friends to go with me, and we had a great time kayaking through downtown Chicago. So amazing!
I finally had some time to check out some museums. I went to the Adler Planetarium. Stars and space travel are pretty cool.

On my drive from Chicago to Detroit, my tire completely exploded on I-94. I pulled over and eventually changed my tire. I was hoping I could get AAA to do it, but I'm not a member, so they wouldn't come unless I signed up. Eventually, a couple of guys stopped to help me and tightened the bolts on the spare much better than I could have done. I made it home in one piece and promptly got a new tire the next day. All is well. Next week, I begin the journey to Provo. Luckily my mom will be with me, and she's a AAA member, so no worries there.

I'm still looking for a job anywhere (preferably not in Utah), so if you know anyone who would be excited to hire an entry level attorney, please contact me! I would love a job.

Curse of the Billy Goat

I went to a Chicago Cubs game on Tuesday. I thought I should learn about the Cubs' curse because it seemed like a good Chicago thing to do.

It all started in 1945 when they played the Detroit Tigers for the pennant. I naturally turned to wikipedia. "In Game 4 of the Series, the Curse of the Billy Goat was allegedly laid upon the Cubs when P.K. Wrigley ejected Billy Sianis, who had come to Game 4 with two box seat tickets, one for him and one for his goat. They paraded around for a few innings, but Wrigley demanded the goat leave the park due to its unpleasant odor. Upon his ejection, Mr. Sianis uttered, "The Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more." The Cubs lost Game 4, lost the Series, and have not been back since."

So this now explains the Curse, and why there are goats all around Chicago. I'm pretty satisfied with the story.

Now you can enjoy some photos from the evening.

Aaron, me and Monica. We are glowing because it was like 90 degrees and the most muggy humidity you have ever felt. Poor Aaron came from work in his shirt and tie...

Brian, Doug, Nolan, and Emily enjoying their first Cubs experience.

Wrigley Field

Me in front of Wrigley field after the 4-2 loss to the Phillies.

That was FAST!

I finished my internship in Chicago on Friday. Crazy! I cannot believe how fast it went by! I really did enjoy the work that I did. So much so, that I am in the process of applying for a two-year fellowship to work with the same organization when I graduate. It's a tough process, and I'll find out if I make it through the first round of interviews next week hopefully.

For the fellowship, I have a rudimentary project proposal. It's not really developed extensively yet, but it would be working on community outreach to the Hispanic Community in special education law. I think I have a good shot because it is definitely needed. But there are plenty of other needs out there.

I don't know if I'm 100% committed to public interest at this point. I think it's great work and necessary work. But I'd also like to pay off my student loans in a few years, and a corporate law job would help me do that. I know about the loan forgiveness program and that after 10 years of public interest or government work, my loans can be forgiven. I've definitely thought about it. But having the loans hang over my head for 10 years is scary. Especially since the fellowship would only be 2 years. What is the economy going to be like in 2 years? Am I going to be able to find another public interest job. Am I going to want to dedicate my career to this? Where am I going to be in the next 5-10 years in my life?

My 5 year plan that I made in college is 1 year away from being completed. And that is 100% freaking me out. I don't have my next 5 years planned out. I guess life is just going to happen and it will all work out.

I am doing everything that I can to put myself in a good position to get a corporate job even though I didn't achieve that through the normal avenues. I recently found out that I will be interning with one of the Justices on the Utah Supreme Court. (This is like 3 steps below US Supreme Court). It is going to be an amazing opportunity, and I'm so incredibly excited about it!

Although there are a lot of unknowns in my life right now, I'm feeling pretty good about everything.

As for the rest of my summer plans, I will be in Chicago until July 31, sight-seeing, hopefully meeting with other attorneys, applying for jobs, etc. Then from Aug 1-10 I will be in Michigan. I will be taking the MPRE on August 5, so I'll probably do some studying too... and then on Aug 10, my mom and I will be driving out to Provo by way of Yellowstone for a few days. 1L Orientation starts on August 16.

I cannot believe I'm 1 year from completing law school and taking the bar. Life is going by so incredibly fast.

Not a Hostess

I've recently been thinking that I should plan more activities/get togethers because I like doing stuff and I'm pretty invested in experiencing what Chicago has to offer this summer. I now realize that I'm just not cut out for it. When I organize an event, I stress about it. Even when my organization includes meet here for this purpose.

For example, on Thursday, I planned a little meet-at-Grant-Park-for-a-Movie-in-the-Park. Not a super complicated thing. But I obsessively checked the weather all day because it was supposed to thunderstorm. (by 3 pm the thunderstorms were postponed until the next day). Then I planned on people from my area of Chicago driving together. Well, I didn't want to drive because I hate driving. Especially with 4 other people in my car and having to search for parking and then actually parallel parking.

Well, the person I conned into driving conveniently needs a new battery in his car. So I ended up driving anyway. And I nearly caused an accident because I saw a parking spot and just turned without signalling or checking any of my mirrors. Yeah, there were screeching tires and honking. Oops! What can I say, I'm not the greatest driver. I can drive in the suburbs just fine. But the city is a whole different story.

The actual movie was fun. But of course I'm constantly looking for people that were planning on meeting us there. I just need to be more relaxed... about everything in my life probably.

Then I ended up getting a parking ticket because I thought that the meters were free after 9pm so I only paid until then rather until 10:30 when we got back to the car. That was definitely an expensive parking space! Ugh...

Maybe all of the events I should plan can only include walking... I'll have to think about it. I was thinking about planning something fun for my 25th birthday, but I may need to reevaluate...

Life.Is.Good

I am loving my life in Chicago. It's not perfect, but I am definitely making the most of it. Yesterday, I went to Chinatown and ate some great Mango Chicken Fried Rice and Honeydew Bubble Tea. Now, I don't know, but I just can't like the tapioca in my smoothie. I'm not cut out for it.

Then we ended our Chinese night with Kung Fu Panda 2, which was just as funny and entertaining as the first one. All in all, a successful Friday Night.

On Saturday, I planned lots of things, so I had to organize my time. Luckily, I'm pretty good at organization. In the morning I graded Law Review Write on Papers, and then around 1pm, I went to the 57th Street Art Fair in Hyde Park. It was pretty impressive. If it weren't for the sweltering temperatures, we would have lasted a lot longer!

Then friends from the western suburbs came with me to North Beach. Can I just say that I love Lake Michigan. It is probably the best body of water there is. I can't ask for anything better. We played beach volleyball and then were promptly kicked off the beach due to the severe electrical storm moving quickly. We ended up getting seriously caught in the rain. But it was fun. We dried off in a Starbucks.

I have become one of those people that just talks to everyone. I thoroughly enjoy it. And something kind of crazy happened today. As we were trying to get out of the rain, I ran into a guy that I met randomly 2 weeks ago at the "Walk for Autism Speaks" at Soldier Field. We ended up meeting because we got there early and it wasn't clear where the entrance was and we asked the other if we knew where we should go. Then we ended up running into each other 2 other times that morning and doing the 3 mile walk together.

Well, today, I randomly ran into him outside the Starbucks we were taking shelter in. In a city of 2.7 MILLION people, I ran into him in a place that I had never been before. I had actually sent him a text message earlier this week to ask him if he wanted to come to the beach with us this afternoon. He informed me that he didn't receive text messages. He called me about 10 minutes later to confirm that I understood that he didn't receive text messages and that we should do something next weekend. It was just definitely a crazy coincidence!

After our little run in with the thunderstorm and down pour, we drove out to US Cellular Field to watch the Detroit Tigers take on the Chicago White Sox. There were a surprising number of Tigers fans in the stadium and we had a blast. I also enjoyed talking to random strangers and learning about there lives. We chatted with a couple from St. Clair Shores, and a guy from New Jersey that loves Barcelona. In my true form, I just chatted it up. :)

It was a pretty intense game, but the Tigers ended up winning 4-2 (2 run homer by Miguel Cabrera in the top of the 9th).

We stayed for the fireworks show afterward. It was "Motown" night, so we sang Motown songs and were awestruck by the beautiful fireworks.

I can't complain - Life.Is.Good.

Hodge Podge

Not the greatest quality photo (and I won't tell you I took it with my phone while driving) but here is part of the Chicago skyline. I have been in the windy city for about two weeks. And I understand exactly why it is called the windy city. I decided to drive to church on Sunday (20 minute walk/5 minute drive) because as I started walking I could not control my umbrella and thought I was going to pull a Mary Poppins. And I'm typically a pretty tough cookie... So just imagine that wind.

My internship is pretty cool. Tomorrow I get to attend an IEP meeting at a Chicago Public School district elementary school. The case is super sad. I'm glad that I haven't had to live with learning disabilities or mental disorders or physical impairments. I just have to keep realizing that the work I'm doing is really going to change people's lives. It's a little scattered right now because there is so much work and only 5 people to do it. The other interns for my department come on Monday. So hopefully I'll have the ropes by then.

So by some people I've been told that I live in the good part of town, by others, I've been told that I live in the bad part of town. Honestly, I don't think that my particular street is super bad. However, I did feel a little uneasy driving into the neighborhood. But you have to remember that I came from Provo, where the diversity is someone from Boise rather than Pocatello, Idaho because it's so worldly there... However today, I saw a group of 5 white guys, college aged, walking down my street. I got scared all of a sudden. What are white people doing on my street? They must be investment bankers or something, so we've got to run very far in the opposite direction. But in all seriousness, don't worry about me. I feel very safe. I smile and wave at all the people. I haven't pet the dogs yet. (That's much easier with a toddler present). I'm enjoying my little area.

A completely unrelated thought. I received the BEST compliment last week. I was hanging out with my two friends from high school just walking around the Loop. My one friend, who has been my friend for 17 years said, "Mel, you're one of a kind." I hesitated for a minute, feigning offense. And she said very seriously, "No, I genuinely mean that. You are very unique. You are the most interesting person I have ever met. I love that we can have conversations from silly things to very deep and complex things and it doesn't matter because you always bring something to the conversation. I'm never bored with you." That definitely made my day. (week, month, year, etc) When you think you're pretty quirky and you try to shy away to minimize it (and it doesn't work), someone just turns around and gives you the greatest compliment. I truly appreciate the great people in my life. I have amazing friends.

I think that some people in my new branch are realizing my quirkiness. I've made a few friends, but the branch is pretty small and still going to dwindle because UChicago gets out in 2 or 3 weeks, so people will be going home or moving on after the quarter. It did make me smile when I told someone that I went to BYU and she asked me where that was. :) The little joys in life. However, I'm already known as a "brutal" dodgeball player. Just to let everyone know, I never even won.

I'm trying to decide if I should join the a league for ultimate frisbee for the summer. It's twice a week for 10 weeks. I'm going to have to miss the last two weeks and it's $70. Also, at this point I don't really have a "buddy" to sign up with so it would be me going solo, but maybe an opportunity to meet some people in my community. Thoughts?

The End of Summer

My life has been quite a whirlwind lately. I flew to New York City for interviews with law firms for a couple of days (I didn't get the jobs...) Then I went home to Michigan to celebrate my Grandmother's 90th Birthday and to see my family. While I was in Michigan, I went camping with my Mom on Silver Lake. It was B-E-A-U-tiful. Now, I'm back in Provo, gearing up for my 2L year...

Sunset over Lake Michigan

Little Sable Point

Taking in the hugeness that is NYC

This can be considered my "artsy" photo. This thing totally freaked me out, so I had to take a picture of it. (please ignore that logic) Brooklyn is in the background.

Me in front of the Brooklyn Bridge

Now, my life is somewhat depressing. I am on Law Review... which is really prestigious and pretty much a requirement to get a big law firm job, especially in NYC. Well, it started yesterday, and as one of my classmates said: "I just paid $35 to torture myself." We had 2 days of training which was a bit long for my liking, but all is well that ends.

Tomorrow, it is 1L orientation, and I'm a peer mentor. I'm pretty excited about it. It's a lot more fun to be the big kid on the block than to be the newbie. I am definitely feeling that confidence right now.

I'm in the interview process. Many people ask me about why I'm interviewing now, since I still have 2 years of Law School left. Well, Law School is pretty funky (in many respects) and the fall of your second year (lovingly referred to as "2L"), you interview for jobs for your 2L summer. And basically, the firm you work for your 2L summer will make you an "offer" to work there once you graduate and pass the bar exam. So right now, I'm pretty much interviewing for my 1st job out of law school. Thus far I've had about 3-4 interviews. Next week I have 4 On-Campus-Interviews (lovingly referred to as "OCI's") so far... I'm hoping to get a few more in the next few days. I also have a few phone interviews in the works. I am in the thick of it all, but I really need to do more leg work if I want to end up in a firm in DC, NY, Chicago, or anywhere outside of the Rocky Mountain/Western US region.

In a not so nutshell, that's my life right now.

World's Largest Water Balloon Fight

This past weekend, BYU attempted to break the world record for the largest water balloon fight. They attempted to get over 4,000 participants and 120,000 water balloons. I have no idea if they succeeded.

The reason for the attempt and sponsorship by the school is that they want more students to stay at BYU in the summer in order to get the most use out of the facilities and resources, and to encourage students to take summer classes and graduate sooner. This makes me think that BYU-Provo is going to be shifting to a similar "track system" that BYU-Idaho has where students enroll in a Fall/Winter, Winter/Summer, or Summer/Fall semester program. I mean it makes sense. They already have the buildings - kids might as well be in class so they can get in and out faster. However, I do enjoy not having to take classes or do homework in the summer.

I think a problem that BYU has is that it is very affordable as far as college education goes (Super cheap and great programs - for the most part) and kids aren't worried about getting it done quickly because the expense isn't that great. Now, I'm not complaining. I'm grateful for the education that I'm receiving at a 1/3 the price of other law schools. I went to the University of Michigan for my undergrad and graduated a semester early for numerous reasons - the main one being that it would save me at least $6,500 in tuition. I don't know how I would feel about the track system being implemented, but that's probably because it doesn't really affect me as I already have a bachelor's degree. I think there are always pros and cons, but I really think that the summer is a great opportunity for students to do internships and get work experiences that really set you apart from other applicants. I think if they stress graduating in 2-3 calendar years instead of the 4-5 typical school years, it is going to put some students at a disadvantage because they are not gaining any real work experience. That's my 2 cents.

Here are the photos from the event. Blogger put them in reverse order, and I'm not going to switch it around because it always gives me problems. So enjoy...

The after (my scalp got burned at my part!)

The ammo - they gave everyone a bag of 30 balloons, I think.

The before... cheesing it up

Let's get this party started

The pink and green team crowd. The other team wore orange and blue.

The First Bump in the Road

I woke up this morning, realized it was still too early to get ready, so I rolled over. Finally, it was time to head to the airport to start the summer of all summers. Unfortunately, Eyjafjallajokul (pronounced ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano had other plans for me. I mean, I can handle a storm that causes delays, but what am I supposed to do with a volcano that continues to emit ash into the air. I don't know when it's going to stop, or if I'll ever get to fly.

I spent an hour with the people at Delta trying to reroute my flight so I could get to Spain sooner. However, all of the options seemed to have me stuck somewhere in Europe far from Madrid for a long time. I mean, Amsterdam sounds great, but I really know nothing about the area. Well, life is full of bumps and bruises, and I will get over this delay. It's just a bit of a let down. Like realizing that Santa's handwriting sure looks a lot like your mom's handwriting.

A couple less days to spend with the people I served in Spain, but it will all work out. Come what may and Love it, you know? Even if I have to take a flight from Salt Lake City to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Paris, and Paris to Madrid, and then Madrid to Alicante. I will make it. I will.

Summer Lovin'

Well, it has been a nice week. Just hanging out running errands and getting everything ready for my trip to Spain. I leave tomorrow bright and early. I cannot believe that it is already here. I'm hoping that everything works out. I'm not used to not having a solid plan, but I'm just going to play it by ear and visit all of the people from my mission and then head to Madrid for my externship. We'll soon see how flexible I really am.

Here's to Summer 2010!