2009: A Comparison Piece

Exhibit A

Happy holidays and happy (almost) 2010!

This has been a year of many changes. The short version: I graduated law school, celebrated my fifth year college reunion, and moved to Washington DC to clerk for Douglas Ginsburg, a judge on the Federal Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. I'm having a great year, but I'm also looking forward to coming back to NY next fall. The long version is below if you're interested.

Big change #1: No more school. The biggest change for me is that I will never go back to school (unless it's as a professor). I graduated from HLS in June (my graduation speech is just a bit less than halfway through this recording: http://www.law.harvard.edu/media/2009/06/03/dos.mov), and I miss it already. I'm one of those (very few?) people who genuinely loved law school. What I do not miss (and will not miss) is taking tests, and I likely took my last test, in the form of the bar exam, in July. At this point I also associate Cambridge with school, and I miss many things about Cambridge (including the chips at the Border Cafe). I feel no nostalgia, however, for the days when it seemed both to rain and reach ten degrees below zero. Sorry, Cambridge, you're not perfect.

Big change #2: New job. As I mentioned, I'm now working as a law clerk on the DC Circuit. Clerking is somewhat like being a research assistant for a professor. I read briefs filed by various parties and research the legal issues involved. Judge Ginsburg is an active academic writer and lecturer as well, so it's nice to be able to help out with those projects also. I'm not learning that much content while clerking -- the subject matter of the cases is varied and random -- but I'm slowly learning how to be a better legal writer and a better crafter of legal arguments. I'm itching to start crafting arguments of my own. In the end, it's nice to get paid to sit around and think about thorny problems all day.

Big change #3: New city. Life in DC outside of work is also going well. On the other hand, DC lacks NY's energy, there are fewer different kinds of things going on, and my family and most of my closest friends are back in NY. But I'm having a lot of fun. At a more abstract level, I'm also starting to adjust to the idea that I am neither a student nor a semi-student any longer. When I worked at McKinsey after college I never felt quite out of the world of the student because I knew I was going back for law school. Now the rhythms and routines I develop could (should?) be those that stick with me far into the future -- there will be no more disruptions in the form of a return to school. That's a bit scary, but it's also exciting.

Well that's it. Three big changes in one year, one long email chronicling them.
I look forward to hearing what you're up to, and if you're in DC (or passing through), then I'd love to catch up in person.

Best,
XXXXX

Exhibit B

Happy Holidays and 2010

This has been a year of many changes for me as well, XXXXX. The XXXXX’s Penis version: I went to jail, regressed intellectually, and spent half of my Net Pay on Booze and cigarettes. I’m having a necessary year that resembles and parallels, if my worn down memory serves, being a pubescent and petulant teenager. The long version is below if you’re a masochist.

No real change #1: “Holy shit, I’m the mixture of a stereotypical coned dunce and Ronald Reagan!”. That is what I think when I struggle to remember random shit as I jab 2 dirty fingers to my unshorn throat muff and anxiously search for a pulse, to verify that I am, in fact, still alive. I'm one of those (very few?) people who genuinely live like a true fatalist. What I do miss is evolving as a person and the greediness that used to drive me to hoard new knowledge and skill sets. At this point I associate the drive to progress with the weak excuses, as I am want to have, of a drunken hobo and with an apocalyptic perception of the reality I have created. (Fortunately, at least, this does include the tacos of Fuel City). Sorry, Jonathan, you're self awareness is finally perfect.

Big change #2: Madea goes to Jail. As I mentioned, I recently spent some time with Irving’s finest via a State imposed vacation. Oh, how we love our impromptu “Destination Unknowns”. Jail is very cold and bright. It is so bright that everything is amplified and colors are magnified to a loud, audible din. I laid on my wooden bench defiled by various parties and watched the Cowboys lose through a small window with a black man. Judge Assholeburg, who must be an abject failure in his chosen profession, to find himself in front of a deadbeats on a Sunday morning, is a county magistrate who made me pay $25,000 to get out of jail, so it's nice to be able to help out with his project also. I'm itching to not be a felon.

Big Change, My Ass #3: Spending most of my money on Booze, night life, travels, and traveling while boozed. On one hand, it’s my most favorite thing to do. On the other hand, being consistently hungover has really started to limit my ability to live in a world that every year seems to demand a bit more from me. But I'm having a lot of fun. I think. At a more abstract level, I'm also starting to adjust to the idea that I need to grow up and not black out every weekend. The rumor is that at some point, a 24 year old cute crazy drunk guy turns into a 27 year old bearded alcoholic.

Well that's it. Three big changes in one year, one long email chronicling them. I look forward to hearing what you're up to, and if you find yourself going through hell, keep walking!

Best,

JG