Urs's Surprise 30th Bday and Logan!!

OK so Urs's husband and sister decided to throw her a Surprise party for her birthday and let me just tell you it was AWESOME!! She was totally surprised and I am so glad that I was able to be there to help her celebrate. She is amazing and I really wish that she lived closer then Albany but I also need to try to get out there more often because really it isn't that far and I feel like I am missing so much of watching Logan grow up. He is ADORABLE by the way but first let's talk about the party.

It was great to see Urs and Dan, I have to say that watching them together makes me realize that I really do want to marry my best friend and soul mate because they totally are. Sandy and Dom made it the party and it was great to see them and catch up on what's new with them and reconnect. The party was in the top area of this restaurant called the Pump Station in Albany. It was a very interesting place it looks like they have kept a lot of the original structure in place from when it used to be used in to draw water from the Hudson River and pumped it under Clinton Ave to Bleecker Reservior. The restaurant was also walking distance from the hotel were I was staying and it turned out so was Dom and Sandy.

Now Urs had told Dan that the one thing she has always wanted is for her to be at a restaurant and have everyone she is with bust out in "I Say A Little Prayer for you" from My Best Friends Wedding. So of course Dan made sure that this happened. She was so excited when everyone started signing and seriously you know you are pretty special when you can get a room full of people willing to sing to you including solos where appropriate. She LOVED it and it was totally worth it to watch her reaction.



Here are some photos from the party:







Now once the party was over it was around 11:00 and Serena (Urs's sister) and her boyfriend Julien wanted to go out dancing and Dom was up for it so I figured why not. We went back to the hotel because Serena and Julien hadn't checked into their room yet and then we asked the security guard where a good place to go was and he told us Ballinger's. So the four us went there and Serena and Julien left around 12:30 and Dom and I stayed out dancing until 2:30. Man what a night. I have a couple pictures of us dancing our hearts out but not going to put them up here sorry.

Of course I couldn't go to Albany and not see Logan so Sandy, Dom, and I went by this morning and we spent a couple hours at the Merkt residence and got to play with Logan. Man is he big now and has such a great personality and disposition. While we were playing with Logan Syl called to see how the party went so I figured it made the most sense to just put it on speaker phone. Watching Logan's face when he heard her voice and saw that none of us were talking. Eventually Logan was holding the phone and Syl was talking to all of us and also trying to get Logan to talk and it was so priceless I had to take a video of it on my camera. So here are some pics of Logan and I am still trying to figure out a way to upload the 2 minute video I have. He is PRECIOUS and I feel the need to share this with all of you so you can see how cute he is. LOVE HIM. I can't believe he is already 9 months old.

I had a great weekend because I got to spend time with Urs, Dan and Logan who are some of my favorite people in the world and I also got to reconnect with Sandy and Dom which was also really good. Well that was my weekend.

Wedding Dress Sigh

Ok so most of you know that Erin is getting married. Yes Erin the girl I have been friends with since 1st grade(I don't know how she has put up with me for this long either). I am a bridesmaid in her wedding so last week I went to look at wedding dresses with her, Adri, and Erin's Mom. WOW. OK I have been in seven weddings and this will be number 8 for me so all of this should be no big deal to me now or so I thought. Then she came out in a wedding dress and let me just say that the dress didn't do anything for me. I didn't think it was the right dress for her but I saw Erin in a wedding dress and immediately without me even realizing it I let out a sigh. OK some of the girls will know what I am talking about here the sigh that when you see someone in the right dress or you see a bride walking down the aisle it just slips out. Well when I saw Erin in a wedding dress it slipped out. She looked at me and goes "Jack are you serious?" Because usually this reaction is saved until you see them in THE dress not a dress but THE dress. I look at her and I was like. Look it's my first time seeing you in a wedding dress give me a break. She laughed. Then I realized that since Erin and I have done everything together for as long as I can remember and that she has always been there for me through everything. Now she is getting married and I am going to be able to be there for her for this next big step in her life. This wedding is going to be very emotional for me. Now she isn't getting married until next October so don't worry about it yet but wow this is going to be strange.

After our appointment to try on dresses we went across the street had some appetizers and chatted about other wedding planning stuff. It made me realize how happy I am that I am done with school now. That if she got engaged before this that I wouldn't really have been able to help out. I love being able to be involved in the wedding planning and helping her figure out what she wants to do. I still can't believe that Erin is getting married but I do have to say that I love Ryan for her. I know that they will be happy together and that makes me even more excited that I get to be a part of this.

It seems like my life is settling back to the chaos it was before law school where I think I have a low key week planned and not much going on and things always seem to be added last minute or changed. I wouldn't want it any other way because I love having the friends and family that I do. I know I am spoiled. I'm trying to think about what else is going on with me right now and there isn't much to tell. My friend Andrew's band has a concert tomorrow night which I am sure will be awesome. I will tell you all about that next time. Otherwise just another day in the life. Hope you are all doing well.

Life after Law School

OK so we all know I have been running on empty for a while now. I went straight from graduating law school to taking the bar to buying a condo. I am happy to report that things are finally starting to settle down for me. My sister Jen and my Mom came by last Friday with the last of the things that I needed for my place. Now I look around and it's a weird feeling to see what you envisioned now real. That I actually live there now and not only that I own it. It's my own little oasis that is all mine. Right now I am trying to figure out how to make some extra money and what costs are necessary and what I can do without but I think that would happen no matter what. It is all part of the process of growing up and getting older. Man I really hate to admit that. I actually spent time trying to think of a different way to say it. Why? I mean it's natural to grow up and I don't want to be seen as some immature person that is out of touch with reality but somehow I don't want to admit that I am growing up.


I don't know I guess part of it is I feel like the past four years I had to put my life on hold. You all know that I am horrible when it comes to boys and relationships and the first two years of law school showed me that trying to work on that while I was working full-time and going to law school just wasn't a good idea. My life kept blowing up at the worst possible times and there really wasn't much that I could do about it. So I decided I need to follow the law school thing to the end and then worry about it. I give a lot of credit to my classmates that were married and had kids while going through law school at night. I don't know how they did it. The whole relationship thing is a mystery to me. I just can't seem to get it right. I just hold out hope that there is a guy out there that is going to be able to deal with all my idiosyncrasies.


OK enough about that and back to why I started this post in the first place. I have been jumping from one big thing to the next for so long and scheduling in dinners and drinks and Red Sox as much as possible to see everyone that I have been neglecting while I was finishing up with school and the Bar Exam that I have still been running around like an idiot. Last week I realized I didn't have a lot going on that weekend and I decided I was going to keep it that way. The only thing that I had going on this week was Karaoke on Wednesday but that doesn't even seem like plans to me anymore. I have to say that going home every night this week and just being able to relax and put around the condo and do some small stuff it feels really good. I am going to try to not overbook myself. I need some me time and I need some time to unwind and just relax. So I will apologize now to the people that are going to ask me to do things and I am going to turn you down to sit on my couch but I promise I am not going to become a total homebody. All of you know me too well that could never happen. I have to admit that I am really enjoying life after law school and looking forward to seeing where it takes me.

I'll Never Forget

Today is a very bittersweet day for me. I got great news last night. One of my good friends that was over in Iraq on his second tour of duty is home and safe. When I saw his name on my phone I nearly jumped out of my skin. So last night was a really good day. He is going to take some time to come home in the next few weeks and I am going to get to see him. So that makes me very happy and grateful that he made it home safe again.

Today is September 11th. It is the day the world changed for me. I can still vividly walk you through that day if you ask me too. I can still remember the feeling of relief when I found out that the last of my college friends living in NYC was OK. Then getting the phone call from a friend I used to work with to tell me that my manager from there was on that second flight. I can still remember that I was silent and felt like my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. All the sudden it wasn't just a tragedy it was a personal tragedy. My manager and the closest thing I had to a mentor at my first job was dead? How is that possible? How is that fair? What is going on in the world?

I know that it affected all of us and touched all of us in our own way. There is something about this day that always get me reflective and always gets me thinking about Shawn. I wear my red, white, and blue ribbon with an American flag and I want people to ask me about it so I can tell them about Shawn. What a great guy he was, how much he was full of life, that he had one of those smiles that was infectious and you just couldn't help but smile back.

I can't believe that six years have passed and that we as a country have gotten to the place that we are in now. I don't want to turn this into a place I talk about my politics because one of the things I love is that I know a lot of my friends have different views then I do when it comes to that stuff. I value the fact that we respect each other's right to have a different view point. I do want to say this. I just wish we had seen the good that came from the aftermath actually stick around in society. More of people giving of time and working together and that some of the stereotypes and walls could have been broken down for good. Wouldn't it be great if instead of Paris Hilton going to jail being a story on CNN if instead they used that time to talk about some community service initiative that is underway or the rebuilding of New Orleans after Katrina. Why do we only hear about the bad on the news? Can't we use some of the time to tell us about the good in mankind as well? OK I am going to get off my soap box now and get back to work. Just wanted to give you a little insight into my feelings.

I will never forget September 11th. It showed me the best and worst of mankind from one event.

I'm a Home Owner!!

Well it's official on Friday I signed the dotted line and now I am officially a home owner. I got the keys to my new place, then went to get some supplies so that I would be able to paint up a storm this weekend. My Mom stayed with me at the condo all weekend and we were very productive I have to admit I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to get it all done. Every time I finished a room this weekend I would look around and get a big smile on my face. We worked long hours this weekend but man was it worth it. My Dad helped out every day this weekend and my sisters Laina and Jen came by yesterday and without them I don't think we would have gotten it all done. It was just a matter of needing a couple more hands. Over the course of the weekend we got all the rooms painted. A first coat of the trim done in the two rooms that were being sanded and polyurethane today.

I don't want to bore you with a bunch of before and after shots but let me know if you want them I can definitely forward those to you but here is what the finished rooms looked like in the order that we tackled them:

First we did the Living room since this is the biggest room and one of the rooms with hardwood floors since those are being done today.


Next we did my bedroom and I absolutely love the way this color came out and I can't wait to get my stuff in there and figure it out.

After that we decided to tackle the kitchen because the office is the only room without any pipes so we figured we would leave that until the end.
Here is the office/guest room. It is the most neutral of the colors since all the rooms lead into this one.
Finally this is my new bathroom. Once I have it decorated I know that this is going to look phenomenal. I still can't believe that I bought my own place.

I know that money is going to be tight for a bit until I figure things out and I am sorry if my social calendar winds down for a bit while I figure this out. Not to worry if you need a place to stay in Boston that is right off the T look no further. Once I am all moved in and settled not to worry I will send out another update. Just wanted to let you know it all seems to be working out.

Rafting Trip

Ok so Andrew was nice enough to organize a rafting trip and we thought it was going to be white water rafting it was more like a nice 10 mile rafting excersion on mostly calm waters. Did that stop us from having fun. Hell no. We had water fights with other boats and we were able to get out and swim a few times. We stopped halfway and had lunch provided for us and here is our group photo:

You all know how not graceful I am so here I am trying to get back into the boat. I am trying to pull myself up and I see Deb snap a picture. I called her a not so nice name after it was taken. Oh well now I can laugh at it.

There was two boats and Gabe, Becca, Deb and I were in a raft with another Gabe. Little did we know that we ended up with the bitter, Racist rafting guide. I didn't know that this was possible but here is a picture of Racist Gabe falling into the water. We were all cheering when this happened we just were able to do it too much out loud.

Then after a day of rafting we all set up our tents and had a bit of a girl mishap. The mishap being it would never really heat up and the burgers that we enjoyed were slow cooked over a flame for two and a half hours. After we enjoyed our dinner and many drinks that were consumed it was also a weekend of meteor showers. So we all headed down to the parking lot where there was a good opening to be able to check it out and enjoy the show. We all had an absolute BLAST! I can't wait to go and do it again. Of course the next time I go I want some actual rapids. Oh well. You can't have it all.

Whirlwind that I call my Life

Ok so I finished the bar on Thursday July 26th and my life still hasn't slowed down yet. I don't think that is going to happen until around Labor Day. Before I get into that I want to tackle the questions about the bar that I keep getting. I really don't know how I did. I am not trying to modest. I am not trying to not sound cocky in case it doesn't happen. That is just how the test is designed. You take 200 multiple choice questions where you don't have to tell them the right answer you need to tell them the best answer so I was able to narrow it down to two and take my best educated guess from there (which is how most people I talked to felt). The other day for Massachusetts is 10 essay questions. 5 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon. I was able to write an answer for all for all of them and had the appropriate buzz words memorized, spotted as many issues as I could. That is all I can do. You might be saying but you were able to answer everything you have to feel good about that. Here is the thing. We are judged by what everyone else writes. It is on a kind of scale. So first they read all the answers and then they decide on the 1-7 scale where I fall and give me the corresponding points that is then scaled into my total bar score.

So you can see there is a lot left to chance and subjective measure which means as much I would like to say I think I passed. I just can't. I don't know. It kills me that I am not going to know until some point at the beginning of November but it doesn't change the fact that it's true. Yes that is right I said I won't know if I passed until November sometime. Not pulling your leg on that one either so right now I just need to forget that I took the exam and move on with my life and hope that I get good news when everything is said and done.

Now why is my life hectic until at least Labor Day you ask. Well on top of trying to get my social life back on track and to a normal pace I bought a condo in Brookline. It is right on Beacon St not too far from Coolidge Corner and walking distance to Fenway and my favorite karaoke bar. So how could I possibly pass that up. This means I am moving the end of this month. I have to go through everything I have accumulated living at 22 Knoll St. and decide what gets to come and what doesn't. There is a lot of things that aren't going to be coming that I need to decide if I am going to throw it out or if someone else wants or needs it. I am going to paint my new place before I move in and need to figure out what colors I want to paint it and I want to clean it thoroughly before I move in too. Once I close and the place is empty I will definitely take pictures to show you guys and hopefully be able to show you some after photos as well.

Other then that just the usual overbooking of my life. I am going on a white water rafting trip this weekend with some friends and next weekend my cousin Steve and my friend Anna are getting married. The weekend after that I close on my place wow that is going to be here before we know it. Well that is the update from me. Hope you are all doing well.

If I hear "X" One More Time...

OK we are in serious count down mode now. The test is this Wednesday and Thursday and I am pretty much accepting that I am going to live in the Suffolk Law Library except for when I am a sleep until 11:00 Tuesday night when they drag me out of here because I just want one more hour to go over ____. My friend Melissa who is also taking the bar just sent me a link to a law students blog and from the sounds of it he is taking the NY bar and Damn do I give him credit for that but anyway he had this as a posting and I have to admit it made me laugh at out loud. I feel like it sums up very well how I feel right now and I hope you guys can also get a kick out of it.


Weak statement of encouragement to bar examinee: "You'll do fine."
Why bad: I'll do fine? There's absolutely no guarantee of that. Even the indicators that I have at my disposal (practice MBE questions, amount of time studied, practice essays), which I have spent hours trying to interpret, don't tell me whether I'm going to pass. What does "do fine" mean anyway? Live through it? Pass? Not shit my pants? Besides, how the fuck would you know?

Weak statement of encouragement to bar examinee: "It'll be over soon."
Why bad: Yes. Yes it will. Is that supposed to be a good thing? At least with it looming in the future my fate is not yet sealed. Once it's over there'll be nothing I can do about it except to hope that the equipercentile method of scoring somehow works in my favor.

Weak statement of encouragement to bar examinee: "You can do it."
Why bad: What is this, a fucking Adam Sandler movie? Sure, I CAN do it. But the real question is WILL I do it?

Weak statement of encouragement to bar examinee: "I'm praying for you to pass."
Why bad: Well shit! Why did I even bother to study at all? In fact, fuck it - I'm going to St. Anne's and lighting some fucking votive candles right now so that I don't have to look at any MPT shit.

I know you people mean well and I appreciate the thought. And honestly, what else are you supposed to say? I guess it's better than, "Hey man, don't fuck this up or you just, like, wasted a hundred grand on law school."
Here's a link to his page http://cursedwithambition.blogs.com/cursed_with_ambition/2006/07/index.html

The Finish Line is Near

OK the bar is a week from today and tomorrow and how I feel about that changes very frequently. I am very close to where I need to be for the multiple choice part of the exam and I start to tell myself that I can do this and then I take a practice test and I am just right where I need to be and as most of you know I have never felt that writing is one of my strengths. Since that is the other half of the exam I was hoping that I would do better on the multiple choice questions and would have a bit of a cushion when it came to the essays. Of course I will never have any idea how I did if I pass except that I pass and really that is all that I care about. Now that I have a week left I am just not sure what is the best way to focus my time. I don't want to spend a ton of time on something that I am not going to need but how do I know what I am not going to need.

I am of course sleeping less and less and not really sure how I am getting up in the morning except for the fact that I feel like I need to get to the library and cram as much information as possible into my head right now. I know that some of you have been wondering where I am and others have been dropping me words of encouragement or listening to me completely freak out and I want to say THANK YOU! Thank you for understanding that right now I am not a fun person to talk to and it is nothing personal if I am not picking up the phone. Thank you for the E-mails and the texts that I am going to make it through this.

There are a few of you that I am going to owe drinks to when this is all over because you have been amazing. I am truly blessed by a good group of friends and lately I keep getting reminded of that fact. I am going to stop procrastinating now and go back and finish reading my Commercial Paper outline so I can get through Secured Transactions tonight too. I know doesn't that sound like some nice fun, light reading.

Mock Bar Exam

OK so yesterday was the first day of my official let's hunker down and really get serious about this bar thing that I have at the end of July. So yesterday we could take an all day mock exam and we were in the World Trade Center a little too close for comfort really but I decided despite the fact that I don't feel like I have really motivated and started studying for this thing that this would be a good exercise so I went and I took it and I am mixed on my results. I wasn't expecting to get the average that they tell you that you should be able to get since I haven't spent a lot of time outside of the BarBri classes studying. I was good for the first week and a half and since then I have slacked off but I was a little disappointed with how I did. I am trying to use the results as a motivator that if I live in this building like I have done so many times in the past when cramming for finals that I will be able to learn what I need to know and that I will pass this.

Now for the real reason for the post. Up until now I have had people telling me how impressed they are that I am still out and being social well the time has come when that is going to have to stop. I am sorry if I don't see you for a month or don't really get to talk to you too much I promise it's nothing personal. I am just trying to get over this one last hurdle that is standing between me and what I really want to do for the rest of my life. I hope you understand and you know that once this is behind me I am going to come out like gangbusters and I can't wait to see what life is like without work and school. So for the next month you are probably all going to be wondering what happened to Jackie. Is she still alive. The answer is a whole hearted yes I am just not going to be a very fun person to talk to and just pushing towards the finish line of this whole process. Not to worry once August is here you are going to see a whole new me and I hope that you like her because she is going to have a lot of free time on her hands. ;-)

Bar Studying has Begun

Ok so I started my Bar classes last week and they are Monday thru Friday from 6-10 and they tell you that you need to do all kinds of work and that you are going to have to be studying for 5-6 hours a day when you are not in class. Well for the month of June that is pretty tough for me since I am going to be working all day still. I am taking the entire month of July off to study for the bar. I get to use all my vacation time to sit in a library and take practice questions and cram as much knowledge as possible into my head.

This past weekend was my first fill day of studying and I got up early and got to the library and all set up by 10:00 feeling good and ready to settle in and stay until around 9 and get everything done I need to. Funny thing happened I did everything that BarBri told me I was supposed to do after class last week and over the weekend and it was only 7:30 when I was done. I know I am just starting the process and that the more we cover the more overwhelmed I am going to feel but right now all I can think is. OK it's annoying but it's doable.

Last night I was not going to go to karaoke. Syl is in town for her brother Peter's graduation from Harvard and we are going out to dinner tonight and then she is staying at my place. I am very excited to see her. I figured that going out two nights in a row might be too much and I do need to remember that I am in study mode right now. My friend Julie who is a Suffolk Law Alum and passed the bar on her first try yelled at me that I should totally go to karaoke last night. I realize that part of this is she is amazed that I can go out and not get home until 2:30 in the morning and wake up the next day and go to work and function as though I got the usual 8 hours that everyone else enjoys. I got out of class at 9:30 last night and I have to drive right by the bar on my way to my apartment so I decide I am going to pop in but I am not going to stay until close. Famous last words for me. I walk in and Deb and Andrew where there and we were all catching up and having fun and around 10:30 when I was like I am going to sing one more song and then head out. Lynlee walks in the door and shortly there after Canadian Andrew shows up. Now I know I am totally here until close and you know what I am OK with that. I got to blow off some steam last night and I had a really good time with my friends. I think Julie is right I need to try to keep things in perspective. This test is just a test and if I put the time in I should be able to pass it and that is all I need to do is pass it.

Can you all do me a favor in a month when the test is two weeks away and I am FLIPPING OUT can you remind everything I just said. I'm sure that I will need to hear it then and I can only imagine what kind of shape I am going to be when it's crunch time and this keeps getting closer. Well that is the latest on my life.

Law School Graduation and THANK YOU

It's been a while and I don't even know where to begin. Let's see the week before finals I decided to put an offer on a condo that I had found in West Roxbury/Brookline area. It was small but a good size for just me. After some negotiations the seller accepted and I was starting the process of buying a house. Now the crazy part was he wanted an end of May closing. I had finals for law school, graduation and starting Bar prep classes. I was starting to wonder if I was biting off more then I can chew since the next couple months were going to be crazy anyway. Well once the offer was accepted I set up a home inspection for a few days later and let me tell you those things are well worth the money spent. The home inspector was GREAT he spent over an hour and a half going through the condo with me and pointing out a lot of things that I am going to pay closer attention to in the future. The end result of my home inspection is I decided not to buy the condo. There was a lot of problems with the foundation and structure that were too much for my comfort level. I am glad I went through the start of the process since I have a better idea now of what is in store for me once I get done with the bar and have time to really look and figure out what I want to do.

So then I was able to focus on my exams and getting finished with law school which is hectic enough for me. I turned in my last final on Wednesday May 9th and then had a couple weeks off until the bar studying began and had my Graduation party on May 19th. As I have explained to most of you I decided not to walk at my actual commencement and there was a few different reasons behind this but the main one was that this was the Centennial Commencement for Suffolk (well really just the law school but details) so they decided to do a joint commencement of the undergraduates, MBA, and Law school all together at the T.D. BankNorth Garden (formerly known as the FleetCenter) where all of us would walk across the stage and be recognized. Now before I found this out I wasn't sure if I wanted to walk but this was going to be three and a half hours long (or so they thought since they have never done this) and I thought back to my high school and college graduations and I couldn't tell you much about it besides Thank God it was over. So I decided I didn't want to put my family through that and I wasn't going to walk.

Of course a lot of the law students were upset and as a way to pacify us they beefed up the Dean's Reception the day before and everyone that wanted to walk then could and would be recognized. So I talked to my parents and that was the afternoon of my party and my parents thought it sounded nice and we decided to go to that. The Deans Reception was really nice there was an hour of speeches and us walking across the stage and that was followed by a two hour reception of food and drinks. I got to introduce my parents to some of my law school friends which was a lot of fun. We left there and headed back to my apartment for a little down time before it was time to go to the hall and set up for the party. Holly came down from Maine and she got to my apartment around 5 and of course was a huge help with the set up because she is a planner by nature and thinks through the details. Which of course I am NOT but hey at least I can admit this right. Now everyone that was able to come to my party I just want to say THANK YOU! It meant a lot to me that so many of you were able to come and help me celebrate and those that tried to make it but it just wasn't in the cards that is OK I appreciate the effort and the thought.

I was talking to a friend that I made from karaoke about the party and how many friends I was expecting to be able to come. She kind of looked at me and I told her I know it's wierd but I have to tell you that I am spoiled. Most of my close friends don't live near me anymore and I don't get to see them or talk to them as much as I would like but hey that's life. I know that when it matters that you are all there for me in case I don't say it enough THANK YOU. Thank you for spoiling me with such a great safety net that I will take things like going to law school at night and working full time on becuase I know with all of you behind me there is no way for me not to succeed. You are the best and my latest achievement is a testament that no person can do it alone but when you have the knowledge that someone will be there to help pick you up when you fall nothing seems too big.

Sorry I've been MIA heres the latest

I realize I have been slacking off and not posting what is going on with me. I have to admit there are a few reasons for this. I have made a couple realizations the past couple weeks that I have been going to Tua's. I have been saying for a while now that it is the equivalent of my Cheers but in the past couple of weeks I have realized how true that is. This past Wednesday sums everything up pretty nicely. Here is how the night went. After my negotiations class one of my classmates asked me what I was doing for the next 15-20 minutes in between classes and if I wanted to go to Side bar to watch Dice-K pitch. Yeah you know exactly what happened. I go to Side Bar intending to go back for class and after I had a beer and it would have been time to leave. I stayed. I ended up watching the rest of the game there and then headed over to karaoke. I didn't get to Tua's until 11 and yes I am usually there by 10 the latest. So I walk in and I see Chris and he looks at me and says "your late". I was like yeah thanks sorry about that. So I just get in the door and I see my friend Andrew who also asks me where I have been.

After I said hi to Andrew I turn around and there is a girl that I was chatting with last week and she was like. Hey we were wondering when you were going to get here. The BU Law kids are there so I say hi to Jacob and Tracey and another girl they know comes up and gives me a hug and was asking where I was. Basically I had people that I recognized but didn't really know coming up and giving me hugs and asking why I was late. Now I don't want to give the wrong idea here. I Love Tua's on a Wednesday and I enjoy the fact that I don't need to find a friend to come there with me and I can just go. It is a weird feeling to have people know who I am and I don't know them. I had three beers while I was at Sidebar and decided that I should not drink anymore so I just had a water at Tua's that night.

I have two weeks left of classes for law school. Then I am going to be working on my take home finals but come May 7th I will be done. Not officially since I won't have my grades but pretty much I will be done. The end of May I am going to have to start my Bar prep classes and I don't know that I will be able to be at Tua's every Wednesday in June and July. I mean I know that its a big stress relief for me and I am sure that I am going to pop in when I can but man it's going to be weird to not be there.

Oh one other thing that is kind of funny to realize that I think I have too much of an attachment to karaoke at Tua's. I have started looking at buying a place. I just don't want to do the roommate thing anymore and I figure with the real estate market the way that it is. I should be able to find something that I can afford. My sister Jen lives in Natick and there are some good condos out there that would be walking distance to the commuter rail and it would be a great commute. I would be living in the same town as one of my sisters and about 15 minutes from the rest of my family. What is holding me back. You guessed it. I wouldn't be able to go to karaoke because it's about 45 minutes I would have to get on the highway and I just don't know that getting home at 2AM on Wednesday is something that I would be able to handle. Now that isn't the only consideration but my point is I thought about it. I look at condos and check out the neighborhood, public transportation, can I have pets, and could I still go to karaoke from here.

Oh the other reason I have been slacking on posting is that with school winding down I have been I decided I need to go back to the gym. I have been very bad about taking care of myself the past four years, with my schedule I ate a lot of crap and didn't exercise and I figure that I needed to make that change and if I can start my last semester then I will be able to keep it up once this is all over. Wow I wish I went back to the gym before now. I has been helping me with my stress levels and I am feeling better about myself, yeah I have also started to lose some of the weight I put on but I know that is going to be a bit of a process. Now with work, school, and gym I have been very mellow about the social aspect. I figure that I just need to get through the next few weeks and finish school and then I can worry about that.

Other then that not too much else to report. I had a good Easter with the family last weekend and next weekend I am off to Maine for Holly Cucinotta's Wedding which I am sure will be a lot of fun.

Oh song list for Wednesday:

Son of a Preacherman
Pour Some Sugar on Me

Concert, Vet and train to Albany Anyone?

Ok first I need to tell you about my friend Andrew's band the Max Klau Band. They got the opportunity to play the Paradise Lounge last Thursday (March 22) as the opening act for this group Moshav and I got a couple friends and we decided to check it out. I have seen them before and I really like their music. Some of my friends asked me what kind of music is it. They have a very unique sound and I realize how that probably sounds that they aren't really good but that REALLY isn't true in my opinion. It is definitely mellow music and if you are studying or in a long car ride it would be the perfect music to have playing. If you want to check it out for yourself here is a link to their MySpace page.

Andrew's band was supposed to go on at 8 and they went on more like 9ish and there was a pretty good crowd in the bar. They played for about an hour and people really liked them. When they were done everyone was cheering for them to do an encore. I don't know when I have been at a show that they wanted the opening band to do an encore. Especially when most of the people there were there to see the other band preform. It was I think the largest venue they have played to date and in my opinion it was a success. I of course took some pictures and I will post a couple of those at some point this weekend. The band that went on after was also good. I had a really good night and ended up staying out a lot later then I expected. Oh well it was all in support of a friend. The next time I go to one of their shows I will be better about updating you on it.

Then Friday I had to leave work early because I had to take my dog to the vet which all ended up really well. I feel better after finding out what is wrong with her and every time I have to take her I get really nervous now that she is going to be 13 next month. This time everything turned out OK and I am very grateful. Friday night I went out to dinner with Steph who I went to high school with and we got back in touch at the Reunion. It was great to see her and catch up and we also went back to her apartment so we saw her BF Roy and Vito. Wow did that night make me realize how removed I am from Medway now. They were talking about people that we all went to high school with and with every name I was like WOW I haven't thought of that person in YEARS! Oh well to each their own right.

The highlight of my weekend was the next day when I jumped on a train to Albany so that I could go see Urs and Dan and meet Logan. He is SOO CUTE. He was 7 weeks old and such a good baby, he was sleeping when I got there but he woke up later and I got to hold him and play with him. He is such a little person and I know that Urs and Dan are going to make great parents. I was only there over night I got in at 5 on Saturday evening and left at 1 on Sunday so it was a short visit but I feel better now. I don't know why but I was just really anxious to get out there and see them and find out how the whole family was doing. Since Logan is still so young I didn't want to put any other stress on Urs because I am sure that right now she is still trying to figure things out and adjusting to being a Mom. Wow. Urs is a Mom. Seeing Logan react to Urs and Dan's voice was PRECIOUS. I am so glad that I got to see them and I hope that I can take another trip out there in June when I am studying for the bar and catch up on them again. Yeah I took a few pics of Logan too and I will put a couple up so you can see the little guy.

First day of Spring on a Wednesday means Karaoke

Well last night was fun but definitely a smaller crowd. Lynlee was able to make it out and I haven't seen her since I ran into her at the derby in February (for the full story of that night see my first post). It was really good to catch up with her and see how she is doing. She liked the new look to the bar and I have to agree that it is growing on me. Of course Tom the bartender almost got me to laugh out loud last night as I was up there singing. I was just talking to him about how much he must LOVE the renovations and the fact that there isn't a wall anymore since it means that he will be able to see and hear us that much better. He of course smiled and said "oh yeah of course. I was actually the one with the idea to tear down the wall." So when I was up there singing I look back towards the bar and Tom sees that and he starts dancing behind the bar. I really almost LOST it. It was so funny! But I managed to keep myself in check.

The crowd overall last night was smaller but everyone was fun and I made some new friends with some of the people that were there so that is always a good time. I also know I should have gone home early and not stayed until the end since tonight I am going to Andrew's show but hopefully that won't keep me out too late.

Every week I get more and more excited about how much closer I am to graduating. Of course then there is the ever present looming bar exam that I have to study for.

In case you are wondering the official count down has begun.
34 days until Classes are over
46 days until Finals are over for me
58 days until my Graduation Party

Song list from last night:
Son of a Preacher Man
Cold Hearted Snake
Build me up Buttercup
Don't Stop Believin

SPRING BREAK YEAY!

OK so I just turned on Beacon St and I am heading to An Tua Nua a little on the early side because I didn't have class this week. I am excited because I was getting dinner there after a good workout at the gym. My cellphone rings and I see that it is Rita who I just got to spend some time with a couple weeks ago when she was in town. I talk to her and she tells me that she is calling to put in a request for karaoke. That I have to sing Cindy Lauper Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and follows it up with I am going to check your blog tomorrow so I will know if you don't do it. Now this makes me realize that the blog is going to have some advantages and some disadvantages. I will be able to post things up here and everyone can check and read up on the goings on of my life but there is also the. Wait you mean people are actually reading this. This week has been INSANE at work and I have been a bit stressed so I wasn't able to work on this until I got snowed in tonight from the bad weather. So sorry for the delay in my story telling.

Anyway Wednesday was a really good night out. My friend Kristen who I haven't seen since probably last summer at some point came out. It was GREAT to see her and some of the other regulars were out and it is always good to catch up with everyone. The new setup definitely makes it seem so much more roomy there and that you can spread out a bit more and still watch what is going on. I decided to start off with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun since I knew if I thought about that I would change my mind. I have done it before and it's one of those songs that you think you know until you try to get up and sing it and then I am like wow ummm don't know this as well as I thought and my voice is a little low for this. Oh well. Rita I want you to know I sang that just for you.

For my next song up I was trying to decide what do you follow up Cindy Lauper with. Since it was not one of my better songs I had a couple things in mind and wrote a couple songs down and I turned over the slips, looked at Andrew and asked him to pick one. He picks one and I go OK I will go put this in. He looks at me and goes is that for you or for me. I died laughing I was like "Ummm Me why would you let me pick a song for you totally blind like that." I thought that it was great that he picked the slip first before asking any questions. You might be asking what he picked my second song was Can't Fight this Feeling Anymore (yes I did a little REO Speedwagon) it just seemed appropriate somehow.

There was a guy who was in last week and he got up and had a lot of fun you can tell that he had practiced that song a lot. It was funny because Ryan was there and that is usually his thing. So he decided it was time to pull out an old reliable. When I first started going to karaoke. All of my friends referred to Ryan as Mr. Roboto since we didn't know him. I have gotten to know him over time but that is still definitely one of my favorite songs that he does. So when Kev Mac Daddy makes a comment about it being a while since he has done it. I was SOO EXCITED. I even told Ryan later that I was having a really shitty week and him singing that really helped me snap out of that. Ryan didn't really know what to say to that but I really wasn't expecting him to say anything. I finished the night with You Shook Me All Night Long which was fun.

I realize that as time goes on and my last semester of law school is coming to a close I am just not sure what is going to happen once I am done with school. Am I going to be able to keep this up when I am studying for the bar? What about once school and the bar are over and I just have to work. Am I going to start to go to bed early and not want to go out on Wednesday's. I am not sure what the future will hold in regards to be being able to go to karaoke but I can say that when the time comes that I don't go there as regularly it will be an adjustment because just walking into that bar I automatically feel better about what is going on. I also look at the friends that I have made, the fact that all of us have gotten to know each other and I realize how much it is those people that have made Wednesdays what they are for me. I am grateful that I have a place at least one night a week that no matter what I can go to and just relax and catch up with friends. It truly is a good feeling to have a bar where "everyone knows your name".

Here are the pictures as promised the place we knew and loved. Notice the wall and doorway.

So here is the new look:

Come on you think that these are two different bars don't you. Well NOPE it is the same place I have been going to every Wednesday for way too long to admit to. I Promise!

What happened to MY bar?!

Well over the past few months there has been talk that they were going to be doing some renovations at An Tua Nua. I have been told repeatedly that the wall that is in the middle that separates the bar from the seating area was coming down. Now since I know how much Tom the bartender LOVES karaoke (which is not at all) I would always tease him that he was the one that suggested that the wall come down so he would be able to hear us better and make sure he could actually see us preform. He always just laughs he won't come out and say that he doesn't like karaoke but really if you were a captive audience and having to feed people drinks and the more intoxicated people got the more BAD singing you are subjected to I mean it's really a double edge sword.

Anyway I digress... so I walked into An Tua Nua last night and not only did the wall come down and now there are two big bar tables with stools around them where the walls used to be. They also repainted and the walls are now black instead of red. I realize that to those of you that haven't been there before you will hear this and go big deal. They took down a fake wall that was just in the middle of a room and painted the walls a different color. When you walk into the bar it has a totally different feel to it and last night was the first night they have been opened since the renovations so the place smelled of fresh paint. Tom the bartender asked me what I thought and I told him to ask me later I have no idea right now I am still trying to get used it. Wow it looks soo different. He laughed as he always does. Oh I almost forgot to mention that they put up flat screen TVs on the walls. The way karaoke works now is there is a TV on one of the bar tables that you can use while you are singing but the flat screen behind you also is showing the words. Now there are advantages to this people can watch you and sing along at the same time and be very impressed with your skills but there is also the fact that EVERYONE in the bar will know if you make a little hiccup. OOPPS oh well again just something I have to get used to.

Last night was another one of those nights where there was a ton of people out to hang out. I need to remember how warm that bar can get and that if I am going to wear a sweater or sweatshirt that I have a T-shirt of some kind on underneath. Yesterday I wore this cute sweater that I have that has a scarf attached to the sweater and with the bitter tempatures yesterday I thought it was the perfect time to wear it well I was regretting that when I was at Tua's let me tell you. Oh well. I had a good time there was a really good turn out of people and some of my friends that I haven't seen in a while decided to pop in which is always good.

At the end of the night when I was closing my tab Tom the bartender asked me again what I thought. I said "I like it. It definitely opens things up it is just SO different that I don't feel like I am here. Once I get over that and get used it it will be good." He told me that he was having a similar reaction that he looked around a few times that night and was like "where am I". Next week I promise I will bring my camera to karaoke and I will post before and after shots hopefully that will help give you some perspective on why last night felt so weird.

List of songs I preformed last night:
Careless Whisper - Wham
I Touch Myself - The Divinyls

To end the night it was:
Blaze of Glory - Jon Bon Jovi (which I sang with Tracy "BU law student")

Past couple Wednesdays at my favorite bar

Well last week everyone wanted to be out at An Tua Nua for karaoke not that I can blame them because it is always a great night. The bar was so packed that even though I got there at like 10. I only got up there for two songs. There was a good turn out of some of the regulars I haven't seen in a while which I was happy to see them. I mentioned earlier that night in between classes that I go to An Tua Nua every Wednesday to a couple of my classmates and later that night at the bar I was surprised to see that one of them decided to come and check it out. It turns out his roommate is one of the BC chemists which was funny when I was about to introduce him to people and he was like yeah that's my roommate. Yeah I felt like an idiot but how am I supposed to know when there was a ton of people there that he was talking about the person that I knew. Go figure.

Last week Deb was on February vacation so she decided to come out to karaoke since she probably won't be able to do it again until April vacation the earliest. It was really good to see her and I let her pick my first karaoke song and I forget how long she takes and that I really should have one in before I let her pick. Oh well what can you do right. Deb likes to pick the most ridiculous songs for me and last week was no exception she had me go up and sing Blame it on the Rain by Milli Vanilli and I in case you are wondering no I don't really know the song I only know the chorus but details and it's old enough nobody else did either it was fine. Not my best but fine. When I was standing there talking to everyone I saw a friend of one of my old roommates who now likes in Plymouth in the back of the bar. I went to say hi to her and see how my old roommate is doing since we haven't kept in touch all that well. When I get back there one of the girls with her turns and looks at me squells and gives me a huge hug. It was my old roommate she is a teacher and also had February vacation so she figured she would come out to karaoke and surprise everyone. It was good to see her and catch up and I told her that Deb was there and she went over to say hi. It was just overall such a random night of things happening. At the end of the night Noah and Suzy ended up coming in but there were too many people and Kevin wasn't able to put them in. They wanted to do Dirty Summer Nights which is always a crowd pleaser but unfortunately someone had already sang the normal version and Kevin doesn't like repeats close together I mean it is karaoke.

Now with such a huge turn out last week you might be wondering if this is going to keep up and all the sudden there are going to be a lot of people there every week or at least more people. I have been going long enough that I can say that after a Wednesday like we had last week I knew that this week it would be a lot less people. Wednesday is a hard night to go out and be out that late for and I know it took me a while to be able to stay out until 1 and still get up and go to work the next day and actually be functioning and productive. Last night was still a great night because Debbie decided to come out and I walked in and her and Noah were at the bar. I was so excited to see her since she has to be up and out of her apartment by 6:30 on Thursday mornings we don't get to see her that much anymore. :-( Since there wasn't a lot of people there last night it was pretty much the three of us and three or four other people singing it was ridiculous how many times we got up there. At the end of the night Noah and I just opened the book and pointed at something for the other to sing. He picked Blaze of Glory for me which is a lot of fun to sing and one of my better songs of the night. That is the highlights of my last two karaoke experiences in a nut shell.

One Random Saturday

I was supposed to be away in NY this weekend surprising Urs but little Logan decided he was comfortable and didn't actually arrive until this past Tuesday. Very excited that Mom and baby are both doing well but now I had a free weekend which very rarely happens to me. Saturday was a very full day of looking at a house in Natick (before you ask no not worth really talking about) then meeting up with my Mom because she wanted a new haircut and I had her come in and go to my hairdresser who is GREAT and then we went to lunch. Got home and had an hour to unwind until I had to leave and pick up Gretel to head to the to the Roller Derby in Winchester. Yes you read that correctly a Roller Derby and since someone asked me this when I told them. Yes it is two teams of girls on actual roller skates competing for points. Anyone that hasn't been to a Roller Derby you should really check it out sometime it was a lot of fun and surprisingly very easy to get caught up in. Before we even entered the Shriners Auditorium we somehow managed to get two free tickets. Well I had to pay for mine but a woman walks over to us while we are in line and gives us a free ticket, I told Gretel to take it. I get up to the window and ask for a single ticket and realize I paid for one but was given two. So I decide to go up to someone standing in line and hand them a free ticket. I figured I should pass along the good karma. Onto the Derby where it was Boston vs. Philadelphia (yes a team from Philadelphia traveled up to compete against the Boston team) and there were 1400 people there to watch the bout. Unfortunately Boston team did not win but if the refs didn't have their heads up their asses I think we would have done a lot better. I digress.

After the Roller Derby we decide to head to Charlie's Kitchen for some drinks and food. I find street parking in Harvard Square fairly easily and close to where we are going so I am happy. I am hanging out with everyone that was just at the bout and we have a round of drinks. I get a call from my sister Kathy that she is heading into Boston and going to go to Match so I call her back and tell her I will come meet up with her. Go back to the table and explain that I am going to go meet up with my sister. Everyone was very cool about it and I went back to my car to head in. I head over to the Mass Ave. Prudential area and find another street parking space man I am having good luck tonight except that I brought my scarf into the bout and it dropped on the floor so it was beer soaked and not really going to be able to wear that after. I forgot my gloves in my car. I call my sister and they are now at Sonsie. I get to the door and the person there tells me that I have to wait for some people to leave before I can get in Kathy tries to peak her head in to have the bouncer let me in. Finally I get in and Kathy and her friend Dawn are putting on their coats and we are going to Vox. I don't have any feeling in my hands so at this point why not go back outside and wait in another line. I ran into Danielle when I was walking to Sonsie so I know that she is meeting Bill and some other people at Vox.

Now I am with my sister and we are off to Vox and of course there is a line and of course it's full of young people. We do see Danielle and the boys appear and I introduce everyone to my sister and her friend Dawn. Kathy and Dawn decide to just go to Abe and Louie's and have a couple drinks and go home. She insists I stay with everyone else. While the rest of us are waiting outside Vox because the girl Bill is dating and Kevin are inside Vox for someones birthday. Since the rest of us don't know this person we convince Bill to not wait in the line anymore and let's go somewhere that there isn't a line. As we are walking away from Vox I tripped on my jeans which seems to be a habit when I have this pair of shoes on. It wasn't a little trip it was a legs come out from underneath me and BOOM. It was GREAT. So at this point Danielle tells Dane to take my arm to ensure that I don't fall again. We are heading to Newbury St.

Where did we end up but the grand opening party for the Acoute Salon on Newbury St. Bill and Travis get their hair done there and were invited so we were drinking free alcohol at a salon and enjoying the plentiful eye candy. At first we found a corner near the bar in the back with the beer and liquor and just planted ourselves there figuring that it would be a good place to stand for a lot of traffic and see the people who are there. Later in the night around midnight the crowd started thinning and it wasn't as elbow to elbow in the front and Dane and I were walking around checking everything out. We had a lot of fun hanging out and everyone else left around 12:30 but Dane and I were there until a little after 1. All in all a very fun night but if you told me that I would be spending my Saturday going to a Roller Derby and ending it drinking at the opening of a salon on Newbury St. I would tell you that you are crazy but I guess that is just another random night out. Never can tell what is going to happen next.