Sunday, December 6, 2009

Christmas Break Plans

Now that I know Stanford Football is playing in the Sun Bowl, I can finalize my Christmas Break plans. Here's the schedule:

December 18: last final
(I have some additional assignments to finish in the days after that final)

December 21: Lady Gaga Concert with Curtis, Tracy, and Nancy
- Yes, we're going to see Lady Gaga. And yes, even Curtis is super excited about it.

December 30: Depart for El Paso, TX for Sun Bowl! I'm flying out w/ Tracy in the afternoon and meeting up with Juls and other Stanford buddies.
December 31: SUN BOWL - STANFORD VS. OKLAHOMA at 12 PM local time. (11am PST on CBS). I'm flying back after the game, will celebrate New Years w/ Curtis and finish packing.
- I'm kinda excited to be going to Texas for the first time, even if it's for less than 24 hours.

January 1 - Depart for Maui, flight leaves at approx. 8:30 AM. Watch the Rose Bowl from our hotel, with a beautiful view of the ocean.
- plans include swimming in the ocean, tanning, and spending a day at the spa
- I already ordered a new bathing suit for the trip!
January 11 - Return to LAX, sometime in the evening

January 12 - first day at the 9th Circuit Courthouse!

The next few weeks are going to be very exciting!!!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Pictures & Christmas Stuff

Every year that I've had my own place, I've wanted to get into the holiday spirit and get decorations, but have never felt like it was worth it. I'm not often home, and I spend the actual holidays at my parents'. I do have a few things, and hope to acquire more over the years, especially when I have more funds/more time to make stuff.

This year, I operated under the assumption that since I'm married, I would probably try to get a tree (a real, living tree, not the skinny one in the picture). And it would be fine if I had a fake tree, b/c you just put those up and take them down at your convenience, no water needed. The problem is that I don't believe in fake trees. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is going to the lot and picking out the perfect tree. Year to year the tree is different, which makes it special. Well, last night we talked and decided that it probably wasn't worth getting our own tree this year, since we're going to be at my parents' for the holiday, and then on vacation on the first. I can't say I'm not disappointed, as I was looking forward to picking our first tree out, but I am happy that I got my lights out a few days ago and hung them. I haven't seen them from the outside yet but I hope to tonight when we go to dinner.

The other major household project was putting our wedding pictures up. We finally got the CD's of our pictures, and I ordered a ton of prints from Shutterfly (one of my favorite websites). I had purchased a bunch of frames from Ikea back in August to put up in our room with the pictures, and so I was finally able to do it this week.




I realize the lighting is awful on these pictures and I should have waited until tomorrow to take them, but I guess you'll just have to come see our apartment to get the full experience. And yes, that is my desk that now has 5 Christines, staring at me. We have one more large frame to put up, once we decide what picture we want to use. Of course, this will all be done, and pretty, and we'll be moving (no plans to move yet, I'm just sayin').

This weekend I am studying for finals (eek!) and finding out which bowl Stanford is playing in so I can plan accordingly. Good bowls to hope for: Holiday (San Diego), Emerald (San Francisco), Las Vegas (duh.). Bad bowl: Sun (El Paso on NYE...). And I'll also be reading more coverage about Toby Gerhart's Heisman chances.

Have a good weekend, I'm off to dinner w/ my partner-in-crime, who will hopefully perk me up in the face of what's to come in the next two weeks.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Monday Updates 11/16/09

Good morning!

Weekend: this weekend was so much fun -

Juls & Andy flew down on Saturday morning to go to the USC-Stanford game with us!



After the game (where our team beat SC by 34 points!), we hung out until they left on Sunday morning to drive up the coast back to San Francisco. Curtis and I decided to do a short trip to the beach, where the weather was perfect.

Law School: As of today I am done with moot court for the semester, and I'm relieved. I find out on Wednesday whether my performances during the preliminary rounds qualified me for the quarterfinals. I really don't know what to think, but only 16 move on from 40, so there's no reason to be disappointed if I don't make it.

Update 11/18: I found out this morning that I did make the quarterfinals. My next round is in late-January :-)

The other news is that I will be a full-time judicial extern next semester! I will be working for Judge Reinhardt on the Ninth Circuit. I'm very excited about working full-time, the cabin fever has started to get to me. I'll have to take an extra class in the evening two days a week, but I'm really excited about next semester!

That's all for now. Have a good week!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Congratulations from the Obamas

You may recall here that we sent a wedding invitation to the Obamas. Well, we received a response! Here's a scan of the card we received:

I think it's a neat keepsake from our wedding, a way to mark the occasion in the context of what's going on in our country. Here's the address (courtesy of the knot)

The President and Mrs. Obama
The White House
Greetings Office, Room 39
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20502

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Stanford Homecoming

Curtis and I got back today from Stanford Homecoming. We had such a good time but we're exhausted. We left yesterday at 9:30 to get to Palo Alto around 3 PM. We relaxed for about an hour and then headed over to campus for the young alumni tailgate - the Alumni Association really knows how to put on a tailgate.

The game started at 7:30 PM and we were able to find some good seats near the student section. The first half was pretty fun and exciting, our team was doing really well and went into halftime 23-0.


First Down!

The second half was not so interesting, but we still got win #5. One more win and we're headed to a bowl game! Today we went to Stacks with our friends who were also at the game, and left town at noon. That is our last Stanford home game planned for the season (although I haven't ruled out a trip to the Oregon, or even the Notre Dame game). But we will be at the Stanford game in the Coliseum on Nov. 14!

Have a good week :-)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Moot Court


There are times in which I realize that when you're in law school, you're learning a new language, and so when I describe something that I'm doing, people who are not crazy, sleep-deprived, stressed, addicted to sugar, caffeine, etc. might not know what I'm talking about.

Moot Court is basically appellate oral argument before a panel of judges. Last year all of the first years had to argue before the "California Court of Appeals" on a trade secret issue. That was for a grade, and also to qualify for the Moot Court Honors Program. I was one of the 40 that qualified, and now I am getting ready for the preliminary rounds.

This time I'm arguing before the US "Supreme Court", which in the preliminary round is 3 practicing attorneys (for the final round the school usually recruits 3 Federal court of appeals judges). There are two issues and two students on each side. I am arguing about the 4th and 5th Amendment of the Constitution. I get 15 minutes to speak, during which the judges frequently interrupt me with questions that I have to answer. You have to be knowledgeable, charming, and able to think on your feet. I'd like to say that I'm good at all three, but generally I get dinged on the "knowledgeable" part - especially this year.

The issue is interesting, but the answer is far from easy. The essence of it is: you can be stopped by a police officer and asked questions without being unlawfully "seized" - a Fourth Amendment violation. But, you can't be interrogated while under arrest without receiving your Miranda warning (you have the right to be silent, anything you say can and will be used in a court of law...you have a right to an attorney...etc.etc.). So the question is, can you be detained by an officer to the point at which it isn't an unlawful seizure but you should have received your Miranda warning? I spent most of my time this semester arguing for my paper that you don't have to be given the warning (that was my assignment, not my choice), BUT -- you have to argue both sides. On Tuesday I argued for the government, and tonight I'm arguing for the defendant. There is a ton of case law on this issue, but no clear answers, especially from the Supreme Court, which is why the issue was chosen.

The real rounds start in about a week, but this week we had practice rounds and it's been pretty difficult, especially to argue the side that I actually wrote about. We'll see how tonight goes when I do my off-brief. After the preliminary rounds, 16 students are chosen to compete next semester, and a winner is chosen in March. Perhaps if I get to the next round I'll be arguing the other issue: is a prohibition of sex toys a violation of the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause right to privacy? But for now, I'm focusing on the rights of a criminal defendant and trying to make sure I'm able to articulate a decent argument.

Unrelated note: this weekend I am up north for Homecoming! Hopefully I will remember my camera this time and will put some pictures up on the blog when I'm back.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Monday Updates 10/19/09

Not much to report, but I have a few pictures so I thought I'd post.

Family Weekend - we spent Saturday and Sunday in Mission Viejo. It was really nice to be there and had a good time. Some highlights included going to the driving range, playing basketball, eating great food, and hanging out with our families. We brought home our wedding album which was fun to look at with our parents. We'll probably be back in 2 weeks for Halloween, and we're looking forward to that.

(that's my dad, and my golf bag, which is pink :-)

School - is going well, much different than the first year. I'm doing a lot more writing than last year, which is good practice but not very fun. I'm still applying for externships for second semester, in lieu of taking classes.

Married Life - I always get asked "how's married life?!" Well, it's good, definitely different. I'm glad that we waited until we were married to live together, because it's a wonderful experience that would have already happened. At the same time, it can be a hard adjustment, figuring out how to divide up the chores, how much time to spend together, versus apart, etc. We're also in a unique situation with me in school, because it means that I'm home a lot, whereas Curtis works 40-45 hours a week and spends 10 hours a week in the car commuting. But, as time goes on I think we've adjusted, and it's a work in progress. And at the end of the day, we're still very much in love, and have a great deal of respect for one other, so we're good :-).

Future plans - next weekend is Stanford Homecoming! We're very excited about that. We're driving up on Saturday (the game is at night), will do the homecoming tailgate and game, stacks in the morning and then head back. We're also hoping to get to Disneyland for Halloween time before the end of the month. And then it will be November and time to buckle down for finals.

Have a good week!

Monday, September 14, 2009

New Art

I thought I'd take a moment to share the two new pieces of art on our walls.

The first was painted by Curtis' grandmother in 1985 (the year we were born!). She gave it to me when we went to visit her and Curtis' grandfather in August. We were excited to get it framed and add it to our collection. We have two other paintings by her that are just as impressive.



This drawing was made of us in December, 2002. We went to the Irvine Spectrum to see a movie (we were not together yet) and decided to have this done for fun at one of the little stands there. I remember that it took a really long time, but we were happy with how it turned out. Little did we know that it would be hanging in our first home together.

Have a good week :-)

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

I got a job!

I will be spending the summer of 2010 back in the Bay Area!

I got an offer today to work at my old firm, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, as a summer associate next year! I immediately accepted, and will be working primarily in the Employment Group! I am so excited about being back at Orrick - the people are wonderful and the work is exciting. And I love Silicon Valley, it's a great place to live. Plus it means I get to hang out with people I have truly missed during law school.

I don't have any other details yet - but I'm thrilled to have this opportunity. It is one giant step in the direction of graduating and becoming a practicing lawyer in the Bay Area!

Have a good week :-)

Monday, August 24, 2009

Monday Updates - 8/24/09

Today is the first day of my second year! It's amazing how time flies. I thought I'd do a quick update while I'm waiting for my first class to begin (Business Organizations). 

Law School - 
It's funny how much less prepared I am for the second year. I don't have any books, I don't have a locker, and I don't have parking. But at least I'm here. I'm hoping to spend the next few days getting all of that straightened out. I'm taking four classes: Biz Orgs, Criminal Procedure, California Civil Procedure, and Evidence. I'm also doing Moot Court so I will be sufficiently busy. 

Job Search - 
OCI (On-Campus Interviewing) went as well as expected. I knew that I would be lucky to get any callbacks because of how selective the employers are this year, and I got one. It was with a firm in San Francisco, which is an exciting prospect. I interviewed last Wednesday. I doubt I got an offer, since I haven't heard anything yet, but you never know. I also have an interview this Friday with my old firm, and I am very excited about that. It's a great job opportunity, and I will be happy to see everyone again. On top of that, I need to start applying for externships with the local judges for next semester.

Life - 
I have been very busy the last few weeks. Marjorie's wedding was a week ago and this past Saturday we had an open house at her local church. It was fun spending time with the bride and groom since we didn't see as much of them last weekend when we were in Utah. I am looking forward to a quiet weekend though after my trip to the bay area this Friday. 

Have a good week! 

Monday, July 27, 2009

The next couple of weeks

I can't believe August is almost here! I was really looking forward to it in June, but now looking at the calendar I wouldn't mind having another week of normalcy. Here's the rundown of my schedule from now until the start of school on August 24:

This week is fairly normal, but this weekend I'm spending most of it in Mission Viejo, and Sunday night in San Diego. We have our first in-person meeting of the WRBLSA (Western Region Black Law Students Association) Board, which should be fun. Monday morning I'll travel back to LA for my last 3 days of work.

Thursday August 6 may involve a trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain - we'll see how ambitious I am. August 7-8 I will be in the bay area/San Francisco! I'm doing a quick trip so visit with my Orrick friends and do an interview with another firm in the city (although it's for a position in LA - figures). I will be back on the night of the 8th, which is also my birthday.

I start on-campus interviews on August 10 and go through August 13. Right now I have 11 interviews scheduled but that may go up/down depending on how things play out. Curtis and I are going to Utah for his sister Marjorie's wedding Aug. 14-17th. The following week, which is right before school starts, should be quieter. Then the craziness of law school begins again on the 24th!

Have a good week!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Weekend in the Desert

My parents took us all to the desert last weekend. We stayed at the Westin in Rancho Mirage. Nice resort, very quiet, very low key. We really enjoyed ourselves and got some well-deserved R&R. One nice thing about the resort was that there was a small pool right outside our room that was always deserted, and so we were able to play in the pool for about an hour without anyone in it.

On Saturday night we got our fix of the Marriott (our favorite place to stay out there) and went to the Mikado restaurant. It's a Japanese restaurant where they grill everything in front of you, and do neat tricks, like throwing pieces of shrimp into your mouth. I was a proud wife, when Curtis caught shrimp in his mouth from about 40 feet away. The cook was pretty impressed. I got out the camera while we were there and took a couple of shots.







The trip was really fun - we even managed to see Harry Potter on Sunday as a family. We look forward to making the trip an annual tradition.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Saturday Morning


I have a bad habit - I'm always awake on Saturday morning well before I'd like to be. Often it's before I wake up on a weekday, which is really annoying. But, since I'm on vacation, I'll just take a nap this afternoon before dinner.

Curtis and I are spending the weekend w/ my parents & Jon at the Rancho Mirage Westin. Our room is so nice, and I'm out here on the patio with a view of the pool playing on my laptop. Because I'm not in the mood to work (it's hard to get motivated to read employment discrimination cases on a Saturday morning in the desert), I thought I'd post a quick blog update.

Nothing has really changed since my last post, but I only have about 2.5 weeks left of my job at the Disability Rights Legal Center. I think most of that time will be spent tying up loose ends. It's amazing how fast 10 weeks goes - I understand why people during their summers complain that they didn't get much done - there just isn't time. I was fortunate to be able to work on two briefs for the lead Litigation attorney, and I think I made a good impression with my work product - we will see.

Last year I did my summer movie list - movies I hoped to see, and then movies that I did, in fact, see. Well, didn't set that up this year, but I have seen some interesting movies. The Hangover was good, and My Sister's Keeper was good but Tracy and I cried the entire time. Harry Potter was okay - I want to see it again while fully awake. Transformers II was surprisingly good, if you ignore the plot, and Bruno was disappointing. It's nice living walking distance from a theater and having a roommate who likes movies - we've gotten out to see many of the big ones this year.

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying your weekend as much as I am enjoying mine. I'll try to do an update soon. August is a big month for job searching - so big changes ahead. School starts August 24, so I'll have a few weeks where my schedule is more flexible. I'm thinking a trip to the Bay Area might be in the works.

Reminder - I put a bunch of wedding photos on our family blog: christineandcurtis.blogspot.com. Most of the same photos are on facebook.

Happy Saturday!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Ashley & James' Wedding

This past weekend my parents, Curtis and I had the pleasure of attending Ashley and James' wedding in Dana Point. Our families have been friends for a really long time, so we really had a lot of fun.

And it didn't hurt that it was the first really nice day of the summer - perfect wedding weather!




We made a point of taking pictures outside since it was so nice!





Everything was so fun and beautiful, we felt honored to be a part of their big day. And it was special for us to be at our first wedding as a married couple. All in all, a great day!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

New Blog

Curtis and I started a blog. Don't worry - this blog will still be as active as ever. I just wanted a way to journal our marriage from the beginning and share Hart Family news with family and friends. It's likely that this new blog will not be updated very often after the wedding pictures go up, but it's there.


I'm posting wedding pictures there as an incentive to visit. The first set is up today: the bridesmaids.

In other news: I'm extremely busy - working 2 jobs, figuring out what marriage is like, and doing the whole "summer fun" thing. I will try to do an "update" this weekend.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

A few pictures from the batch

All of the pictures are now on the photographer's website. Here are a few that I happened to pull (not in any sensible order):