Today was unremarkable in almost all respects. I got myself into lots of random small-talk involving geography, past lives, future plans, and all of those other things that we probably don't even know about each other. It's always so interesting to try and pick apart what makes a relationship work...or what makes a relationship at all. Personally, I feel like a relationship truly begins the moment some event, some comment, or some topic pushes at the edge of civility and enters a risk zone of sorts. Usually that involves a person making a self-deprecating racist comment (preferably about chinese people or jews), or when a heated political debate begins, or someone makes fun of the other person and notices that the other person doesn't take it badly. So far my interactions on that count have been pretty bad.
Today was the same old bullshit we do everywhere. Introduction by the Dean, a speech by the Dean of Admissions who lists off the accomplishments of all of the people who are here (notably "Singer/Songwriter" of a college rock band was the first on his list). Strangely, the list of things these people had done was unremarkable. Usually at those little intros I'm struck with a "Holy shit I do NOT belong here" feeling...but this time I was just kinda like "alright, well that's cool." Then we had the speech about jobs, IT help, registrar class bullshit, a panel of 3L transfers, and all the normal administrative B.S. that goes on at these things. Nothing remarkable at all.
It's always amazing how the mythical places of the world turn out to be so mundane (Duke, Harvard, the Jama Masjid etc.) while the normal things in life that everyone experiences are so radical and shocking (falling in love, facing death etc). Harvard is just another school. The buildings are nice, and the classrooms are intimidating (symbolized by the fact that there are microphones next to every single student's seat in the lecture halls), and all that jazz...but there is no feeling of legend, of oldness, of tradition. The buildings look pretty much as if they have all been built in the last 20 years. Duke looks older than Harvard Law (although clearly Duke is trying to look old). The people generally appear to be nice and amiable and don't appear to be huge assholes yet...so that's a plus too. I do love the administrators, who seem to be humble, down to earth people who truly care about progress and wiping out the potentially festering whorishness of the legal profession, and I'm glad they're at the rudders.
As for my social life...I made a pretty big mistake. Tonight was the first, and possibly only, transfer happy hour where everyone was supposed to get together at a bar, have a drink, meet, mingle, and build relationships. When I arrived 30 minutes late, I went to an empty part of the bar to get a drink and got sucked into a conversation with a new incoming 1L student and his wife/girlfriend/fiancee/common law spouse/living in sin partner...and it was a great conversation...except that all of the transfer students were about 15 feet away getting to know each other. 2 hours later, I left that conversation and tried to mingle with the transfers but noticed that they had securely crammed themselves into packs into booths and were engaged in lively conversations. Instead of standing around like the douchebag I am...I decided not to push it and take any risks or make any effort and I left the bar. So...instead of meeting all my future compadres who presumably will be my social group...I left the bar and came home to write on my blog instead. (Turns out i like blogging. I doubt you like reading...but boy do I enjoy some illusion that people care about my life.)
All in all though, I'd say things are going ok so far. I'm not desperate for friends and I don't think that I will be totally alone in this place...but I certainly haven't made any friends yet.
Oh...and for Roger:
Attractive Women: 1 (who is actually a 3L with a boyfriend who was on the panel telling us what it is like to be a transfer)
Less Attractive: Everyone else.
And for the curious...I got a taste of where kids came from today...here's a list of what I can recall:
Villanova
Florida State
Penn (at least 2)
Georgetown
Boston College
Boston University
Columbia (why!?)
Iowa
Illinois
Michigan
Texas
Duke
Cornell
George Washington
UConn
So our hypothesis that I would be the student from the lowest ranked school was wrong.
Anyway....now for the good news. My woman is coming to visit! I can't tell you how thrilled I am that she is going to come up and see me! It's so exciting because I have a new apartment to set up, arrange, decorate, and turn into a home...and I get to have her come up and help me with it! Fanfuckingtastic! That's all. It's lonely sometimes, but how can you be lonely with a woman like that in your life? I highly recommend it. Find yourself a nice little white girl who happens to be amazing, and run with it.
'Tis all for today. I shall go rearrange things in my apartment.
And if you don't post comments, at least keep in touch through other means.
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