Being home is a lot like being a soldier, methinks. There's a lot of hurry-up-and-waiting. There's the mandatory toeing of the party line when in the company of strangers. There's constant debriefing and interrogation about past activities. And let's not forget the web of incomprehensible scheduling that makes little sense to us on the ground, but is -- we are assured -- in our best interests by our generals. If you can't tell, I spent almost the entire day dining in expensive Chinese restaurants with family and/or making small talk with friends of the family in Richmond (the Asian enclave of Vancouver, for those from out of town). The upside: got to play with baby; grandparents were very happy to see far-flung grandchildren gathered together to eat abalone and shark-fin soup; and much family bonding in car, catalyzed by my motion sickness and debate over what Gravol-substitute would be most suitable for me.
The downside: lots and lots of cornstarch-coagulated MSG sauces coating every kind of edible meat leads to digestive difficulties. Not to mention my bum is sore from sitting in restaurants so much.
Need to get used to the sitting though, and not just because I've heard a leather bum is most useful when trying to make it as a first-year associate. I've finally got my "Vancouver rounds" scheduled in, and hopefully I'll manage to see most of the people I was meaning to make contact with again sometime in the next few days. If you are reading this and feel like you have been shafted, please alert me to your very worthwhile existence and I'll apologise profusely.
Yay, holidays! Now if only I had time to finish that moot court brief.
