The Life and Times of One T. Andre
Another frustrated attorney written blog.Archive for Uncategorized
New Amsterdam?
Nah this post is really about the old Amsterdam. So I have been planning this trip to Europe for a while and I had been vascillating on the idea of cutting out Amsterdam from my itinerary.
I figured, that this being my first trip abroad, that I’d rather just see two places for the 10 days I’m over there to try to get a better feel for those two places.
I ended up voicing this concern to my friends who had been and they all pretty much said I should make time for Amsterdam. So I did, as you guys know, and I booked that funky hotel in Amsterdam
Now however I’m trying to find some cool shit to do in Amsterdam. I don’t have that much time there. Basically two days. The only things I’m sure I will go to are the Anne Frank House and perhaps the Van Gogh Museum.
I’ve gotten Rick Steve’s Amsterdam/Brussells/Bruge book and I’m trying to customize my trip. Any suggestions on spots I should see?
T
Recurring themes
Last night I was having a talk with an internet dating prospect who is an attorney that left their high six figure salary at a prestigious NY law firm to do public interest law in Florida. It was interesting to talk about the recurring themes among so many folks who practice law.
“I despise the hours”
“The work is unfulfilling”
“My bosses are cunts”
“It’s mind-numbingly dull”
“I wish I’d become a dentist”
Etcetera, etcetera right? It really is an interesting profession, not in its subject matter, but it’s just such a mind fuck. This is my theory on it. Back when the first lawyers emerged and got together to start fucking folks over, there was just one guy who bossed the others and was a giant prick. He realized the way to make all this money was to be a douche to all his subordinates and profit from their toil.
This was thus handed down generation to generation (Baron and White, was begat by James, Wilshire, and Kennedy, which was begat from Henderson, Mercer and Johnson, etc.) and now it has just gotten to the point where half the lawyers in the profession don’t know how to treat the other half. Or anyone else for that matter.
It breeds a lot of contempt. I’m convinced that many lawyers just hate themselves. They must.
The reason for the season
College football. To quote my great friend Matt: “Life sucks just a bit less today.” So apt. As much as this week has been utter shit (mostly professionally though a bit personally), college football makes me feel so much better. It just invokes the greatest feelings. Youth, excitement, comraderie. Also college footbally helps you feel like you belong. It engenders an espirit de corps, that just makes you feel comfortable. Being a Sooner just makes it that much more fun, because we have the best team and the best fans.
To celebrate the college football season I’m sitting in my house, smoking barbecue (we are in hour 6), and drinking beer. It’s terrific, blissful even. The fact that I do not have to go to work on Monday makes this whole thing feel even more sublime.
On the marathon front, poor weather and a hectic work schedule has made running a tough one. I had one run this week, a 5 miler which felt great. I’m going to run a five tomorrow and and do my long run Monday morning (hopefully 7 or 8 miles), and that should get the week started off nicely.
Ok back to bliss.
Power Ball Prayer
Come on Lord… Come on Lord… Come on Lord…
Yeah, I know it’s pretty sad. I have a 1:146,000,000 chance to win this thing, and I’m turning to a heathen’s last resort… Prayer.
It’s first resort for the pious, but the for heathen that has forsaken everything? “Shit I might well give it a shot.”
$245,000,000.00 though, would get a lot of heathens hopeful for a pay day. I promise if I win I’ll blog every day this year and talk about how rich I am.
T
6 good hours
No repeat insomnia performance. I had a fairly fitful night’s sleep. It’s so funny how the sleep cycle works for me. I went to bed around 12:30 (I stayed up to watch Meryl Streep on Conan) and I woke up at 4:50 wide awake and seemingly rested. I told myself it would be unwise to get up (though I could’ve exercised) and I shut my eyes for what seemed like 1 second and when I opened them it was 6:00. I got up and have been meandering about. I guess I should go to work, but I’m not in any particular rush…
I know that stuff in my last post was heavy for this blog, but I’m just in a heavy frame of mind right now. I think it’s got a lot less to do with turning 30 and more of me being a total pussy in matters of the heart. I’m seriously thinking I’m going to be one of those 35+ year old guys going on dates with 24 year olds in typical Miami fashion. Souless empty bitches. The thought makes me sick to my stomach.
Ok, I’m dwelling on things that there are no way I can be certain of. One thing I CAN be certain of is that “Tonypalooza,” (my 30th birthday celebration) in Austin is going to be kick ass. Like my great friend Melissa’s (“Petes”) 30th, this is going to be a celebration to large in scope to celebrate on just one day.
Tonypalooza begins Thursday, August 13, 2009 (my actual birthday). The shit part about that is that I’m going to have to go to work in the morning. At 5p though I will embark to Austin and around 7p CDT I’ll get into town and spend time with Petes, her beau, my great friends Doug, Sara, and their baby Mac for a chill late supper and drinks at a great South Austin establishment such as the Shady Grove or Chewy’s.
Friday will involve Petes and I preparing for the Tony Andre celebratory bbq on Saturday (with lots of fun on the way of course). Plus good friends Tara (and her husband Robert), Matt, and Kris (new emancipated from her 2 year indentured servitude like clerkship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) trickling into town on Friday. I’ve spent days like this with Petes before, it’s going to be great. Petes is really in her element when she’s knocking down items from a to-do list, as am I. We will do some shopping, have a nice lunch, I can be a pussy an confide my feelings, it’s going to be great.
Friday night when everybody is all settled, we’ll go out for a night on the town for dinner and drinks. Have to research the restaurant, but it should satisfy all, as all of our friends love food, perhaps too much. I think I will research Friday night’s restaurant and drink options today.
Saturday will involved a daytime activity. Perhaps a trip to Lake Travis or Barton Springs pool. There is a farmer’s market in downtown that I’m very interested in seeing. We’ll probably pick up some last minute fresh items for the Saturday evening bbq.
The main event will occur saturday evening. At first it was going to be a cook out where I would cook most of the food and stuff, but then I thought:
1) It’s my fucking birthday, I’m not slaving away in a kitchen all day (as much as I love doing it)
2) I don’t want to mess up our gracious host’s (petes again) house.
So I found DT. Yes David Terrell, who claims his bbq is the best in Texas. That’s a tall order, but I am convinced enough from my speaking with him that he knows his shit! I’m very excited about the carnivore type menu we’ve got planned.
whole smoked pig (10-12lb), brisket, spare ribs, and chicken.
Sides TBA.
Saturday night will be a bacchanal type eating and drinking fest that’s likely to end with someone saying “I love you man!” It’s going to be sweet. Sunday will probably involve some brunch and stuff and then we all part ways. Sunday is going to suck…
Ok I really have to go into work now…
T
30 looms closer
Well it’s Monday night, and Tuesday stands minutes away. I’m not really that keen on going to sleep. I didn’t sleep very well last night and I’m afraid of a repeat performance tonight. I had been in a kind of funk for the last couple of weeks and have been a little less physically active than normal. I had been neglecting a boxing class I enjoy going to, and tonight I paid for it.
I finally got back to it and it was kind of brutal. While I wouldn’t say I’ve done nothing physically active lately (I have been swimming and running), but those activities don’t quite live up to what I’m used to dealing with in boxing. This blog isn’t about my boxing class, but I never sleep well after the first boxing class after a no boxing hiatus.
I am just incredibly bored right now. I need a big change up (good) and I need it to last. I do turn 30 soon though. I wonder if this shake up will just be that? I mean 30 is a milestone birthday and I am not having a third life crisis or anything, but it’s in these kind of funky times you wonder if you’re life is heading in the right direction.
Work is pretty unfulfilling and while I have several great friends whom I love dearly, something is missing in my life. The thing I’m missing however, I think I want too badly. I don’t think I’ve ever succeeded in having what I wanted very badly. Violin career? I wanted that badly, and we can see where that got me. Legal career? Of course I wanted that, but any dip shit can be a lawyer.
I guess this blog is little more than a thinly veiled depiction about how I don’t think I’ve achieved what I really want out of this life. Maybe 30 will be my year?
T
Worst intuition ever
Ummm, you know the girl I spoke about the last post? Broke up with me the day after I wrote that. I’m fairly certain she doesn’t read the blog, but I can’t say that I’m not incredibly disappointed by the whole thing. She is an uncommonly good one.
T
Not cool enough for school
Maybe this is being brought on by my recent reintroduction to internet dating (and the inherent rejection that comes from internet dating).
I don’t think I’m really slick enough to live in this town.
What do I mean? I don’t think Miami may be my scene. Lots of it just does not seem for me. Let me try to organize my thoughts clearly here. I’m not a clubber. I despise going to South beach because I hate the traffic and the crowds of douchebags.
It really seems that this town is geared towards the club/sobe chic crowd. The $20 dollar cover, can’t get in unless you buy a bottle, $17 cocktail crowd? It’s just real tiresome.
Let’s look at the facts here. I’m a young professional, just a two years out from school, about to hit the big 30, with a decent job I guess. I don’t drive a particularly tight car. I don’t live in a particularly cool part of town (I live where a lot of families and older folks live). I’m not particularly image conscious either.
I feel very much like a fish out of water down here quite a bit. I’m feeling much more self-conscious about it lately, which I’m not sure is good…
T
Taste of my own medicine
So I’m getting home from the gym the other day and on my door I see a golden rod piece of paper on my door.
This property is listed in foreclosure in the public records of Miami-Dade County.
Well shit. Isn’t that a bitch? I freaked out at first. I was thinking damn I have to move. I really had planned on staying until February 2010, where I am going to consider moving away from here on a permanent basis, so the thought of moving in town before then is just daunting to me. However, the Complaint was just filed, and ironically enough I was just served by the process server (I’m named in the Complaint as “John Doe”) just last night on the way home.
I guess all the havoc I’m wreaking foreclosing on small business owners is coming back to me! I spoke to my landlords about the whole thing and I’m much more at ease about the whole thing. If I have to go I have go I guess, I doubt there will be any real resolution by the end of my lease.
Well to more pleasant things, I’m trying to get back out there and do some dating. And by dating I mean “internet dating.” The results have been mixed, but I guess I have a couple of irons in the fire.
Ok time for coffee and work.
T
Back in business
Ahhh, another guilt laden post about how bad I feel about not writing in this thing. Don’t get me wrong I do. This is one of the few creative outlets I have these days.
The last month has been so crazy though. Work has been a constant thorn in my side and obstacle to general happiness. A new junior partner at my firm makes my life a living hell daily. He’s a meddler, and you can’t do anything without having it meddled in. It slows down productivity, which creates anxiety.
I am also newly single. I don’t like getting into details of that kind of stuff here (not that there are any details of note, my life still remains fairly mundane…) However, there has been some good news lately.
Miraculously I passed the NY bar exam.
Wow. I honestly didn’t think I was going to do it this time. It was a difficult exam as I discussed in a previous post and my study time prior the exam wasn’t nearly as much as I would’ve liked in a perfect world. However it was enough, and I am grateful.
What a shot in the arm that was for me. I think I actually needed it. I had been in a funk for weeks and while passing the bar in itself means nothing ultimately, the redeeming value of it for me was that I was able to do it in the face of adversity. I was working very hard, the partner was particularly on my ass that month, and I was involved with someone and that took study time. It was a really really hard thing for me to do, and I managed to succeed.
My experience with music showed me that I always needed to put in more effort and study more just to break even. Law school exams were kind of similar. This experience has definitely made me feel better about myself. In fact I think I feel better about this exam than I did when I passed the Florida bar (which in comparision, I took under IDEAL conditions).
Funny thing how something as dreadful as a bar exam can make you feel better.
