Archive for the ‘meme time’ Category
Breaking Up Isn’t Hard to Do: My Decision to Leave the Law
OK, continuing in my answers to the questions you asked to help me fill out JennieBoo‘s eight things meme, (see parts one and two of my answers if you need to catch up), today I’m taking on NYC/Caribbean ragazza’s million-dollar domanda regarding my move to Italy:
“How did you decide to leave the law? Were you afraid about making money?”
This question required much more than a few sentence answer, so I’m devoting a whole blog post to it—but I’ll start with the quick answers:
Quite easily, and of course.
Now to expand a bit. Beware for a roundabout, but we’ll get there.
I never actually wanted to be a lawyer. Well, maybe when I was in high school, but what do you really know about anything then anyway? Have you seen photos of yourself from those years?
*shudder*
And yet it was always set in my head to go to law school once I finished college. I think, quite honestly, that it was just so ingrained in me (by myself) by the time my senior year came around, that I just did it without much thinking. That’s what smart, overachieving (working class) people do, right? They do things like become doctors and lawyers. Writers? Too risky!
Sure, I considered grad school for English or history, but never really seriously—and only as an additional part to law school.
Truth be told, I always knew I’d end up writing for a living. I could’ve done an Master of Fine Arts or gone to work for a publishing company right out of college (and perhaps I should have), but I figured the law would give me something solid, respectable if you will, as a back-up. Not a back-up career, mind you, but a back-up skill set.
I promise to post another time on the wisdom of this thinking, but I’ll get too off-track if I do that right now.
So, suffice it to say, that my decision to leave the law wasn’t very difficult; when the itch to move to Italy struck, I was in the middle of a 2-year appellate clerkship, which for those who don’t know, is fancy schmancy way of saying you work for a judge, researching and writing memorandums on the cases s/he hears.
I was going to have to do something different when the clerkship was up in August of 2003, and after I got stuck on Italy, I thought, well, here’s your chance.
Was I worried about making money? Sure, but I had some savings to tide me over for a while. I had done a bit of freelancing/contract work throughout law school, so I carried those contacts with me; since then I’ve gained many more of course.
Now to be clear, I’m still actually a lawyer (paying dues and whatnot) and I still do legal work–I just don’t do it the traditional way in a firm or, you know, the United States. The Internet is a lovely thing (now with broadband!).
Changing careers is always difficult—doing it while changing countries/continents/languages/cultures too, well, perhaps that’s kind of insane.
And if I had the chance, I’d do it all over again–exactly as I did the first time.
Sometimes you just need to be brave enough to take that first step,
and the rest seems to happen on its own.
interactive thursday
Trying to catch up on a few projects so not much time to talk about me. So I’m hoping *you’ll* talk about me instead.
I saw this meme over at Snackie’s Pudge-Free World, and it looks like fun. Here are twenty fill-in-the-blanks about me for all of you to complete–some of them I don’t even know the answer to, so don’t feel pressured to be right.
Creativity counts, so feel free to go in unexpected directions. Aren’t those the most fun anyway?
THE TWENTY “QUESTIONS” MEME
Sognatrice is…..
Sognatrice needs…..
Sognatrice’s best friend is…..
Sognatrice’s dog is named…..
Sognatrice smells like…..
Sognatrice drives like…..
Sognatrice craves……
Sognatrice’s favorite TV Show is…..
Sognatrice hates the actor whose name is…..
Sognatrice’s alcoholic drink of choice is…..
Sognatrice’s NON alcoholic drink of choice is…..
Sognatrice’s favorite musical artist is…..
Sognatrice’s favorite cupcake flavor is…..
Sognatrice’s hair is…..
Sognatrice’s celebrity crush is…..
Sognatrice’s occupation is…..
Sognatrice’s favorite book is…..
Sognatrice’s favorite color is…..
Sognatrice hates…..
Sognatrice wishes…..
I’ll post my answers next week to give everyone a whole weekend to come up with great stuff.
Come on, make me smile!
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[tags]memes[/tags]
let the answering begin: the sequel
Sequel you ask? Why yes!
The original “let the answering begin!” can be found here, and that explains what this is all about, but for those who missed it and don’t feel like clicking:
A while back, I asked you what you would like to know about me so I could fill out the 8 things meme that JennieBoo tagged me with, and you responded. I’ve already answered 6 questions, which you can find here, and now here are five more.
Today’s topics are two very unrelated ones: my Calabrian fiancé P and the United States. They don’t even share a language, but in my world, they get to share a post! Whee!
(1) One of my most favoritist bloggers in France, Meredith of Poppy Fields, asked me whether I’ve married my “beau” or if it’s something I’m planning on doing.
No need to start out small, eh?
Well the first part is easy. We’re not married.
The second part is a little more complicated, but I’d say we’re 85-90% “for” getting married. It’s not really a big deal for either of us religiously or even emotionally (sorry for those who don’t like to see “the just a piece a paper” thing but . . . I do imagine that at some point we will make it official.
I talked briefly about some possible wedding plans here, but there’s nothing officially planned. Next summer is a possibility though.
For anyone not familiar with the odd engagement procedure (at least to me) in Italy, basically you’re fidanzati or “engaged” when the relationship is serious. There’s often no real proposal or ring, so with P and me, we’ve pretty much been engaged since about Day 2 following the whole fateful wind-blown jean jacket thing.
But let’s just call the engagement procedure a cross-cultural difference and move along.
(2) While we’re on the subject of P, One Smart Cookie asked me what he’s like and to name my favorite thing about him.
P gets short-changed a bit on the blog–mostly by his choice, of course–so I thank Ms Cookie for the opportunity to brag a bit.
P is probably someone you wouldn’t notice in a crowd because he’s a keen observer and quiet in groups (except with his closest friends of course). In line with that is that he’s quite pensive and sensitive even though most people who know him wouldn’t think that. And, despite being quiet and a bit shy, he’s actually quite demonstrative of his feelings for me, both verbally and physically.
He’s thoughtful to a fault, always worrying about whether I’m taken care of before he thinks of taking care of himself. One day after we met but before either of us had expressed any kind of feelings, I was walking to the grocery store when I saw him up ahead run toward an older woman struggling to carry her groceries. He didn’t know I was watching as his back was to me and he couldn’t have seen me coming, but that innocent scene? I won’t say it’s the moment I fell in love with him, but I was definitely on the way.
And he’s just sweet–if he goes somewhere without me, he always brings me something back, and I don’t mean he buys something. We’re not exactly rolling in cash and I’m not one for expensive shows of affection anyway (good combo, eh?), so I’m always so touched when he comes home with a perfect shell from the beach after he’s been fishing or the first almond blossom of the season from our tree.
He’s also smart and handsome, makes me laugh *a lot*, can fix just about anything, is an excellent cook, and knows that he should remain calm when I’m freaking out.
The best thing I like about him? He makes me feel so very, truly loved each and every day.
(3) Shifting gears but not questioners, One Smart Cookie also asked how frequently I visit the United States and when I visit, what I can’t wait to see/eat/visit/do.
I haven’t been back to the US since February-June 2004. I want to go back to visit, it just hasn’t happened yet for various reasons, not the least of which being the expense.
The thing I enjoy doing most when I go home is spending time with my family and friends, doing all the stuff that I used to do everyday with them: yard sales on Saturday mornings, trying all different restaurants with my mom, hanging out in Dunkin’ Donuts, Italian restaurants, or friends’ houses to talk and talk and talk. Catching up, generally.
Ah, and I also look forward to eating everything that my mom cooks and bakes. I’ve posted a list of what I miss about the States, but the longer I’m here, the less important those “things” are, and it’s really only the people I miss terribly.
(4) Related to “home” questions, Anno asked “When you think of home, where is it?” and whether I think I’ll return to the States.
Cheesy answers acceptable? Good.
My home is truly where my heart is. I’ve learned over the years that I can make a home anywhere that my heart is committed to, and a lot of my heart is here. P is a big part of that, of course, so I’m comfortable with saying this is my home. Indeed, if I were in the US visiting, I’d know I’d refer to here as home.
That said, the house and town where I grew up in America will always be my home too–a lot of my heart is there as well. And I refer to it as “home” when I’m here. No one ever said you couldn’t have two (or more) homes, right? Life is too short for arbitrary decisions, I say!
Do I think I’ll return to the States? To live permanently? Probably not. Even though it’s not all cappuccino and afternoon naps on this side of the pond, I am really, genuinely happy here. Plus I can’t imagine moving my whole life again, but I suppose never say never.
(5) And last but certainly not least for today, the always lovely and inspiring SomePinkFlowers wants to know:
what did you do/ with all your childhood STUFF/ when you moved to italy?/all those bits of memory things…/ i guess what i’m asking is this,/ are there bits of your life still stored/ in the states somewhere/or/ did you majorly purge/ and then move everything left completely…/ i am thinking christmas ornaments,/ high school annuals, dental charts,/ those typoes of things…/ whatwhowhenhow?/[one question, really.].
I think you can see why I didn’t paraphrase. Isn’t that just a beautiful question?
Anyway, I have a lot of stuff in a storage unit back in America–formerly my mom’s basement until she moved into an apartment. Now we are renting something out until I get back, clean it out, keep and ship (or pack) what I want, and purge the rest.
What’s in there? Well, I have *so* many books, including old textbooks from college and law school that I’d love to have here, but I don’t know if they’ll ever all make it. My Kennedy research collection, yearbooks, photo albums, loose photos, my grandmother’s things, items from church rituals (Baptism, Communion, Confirmation), old report cards, ceramics I made in high school, paintings, drawings, journals, newspaper clippings, memory boxes, holiday decorations, many cards and notes and letters, a collection of baseball memorabilia (old catcher’s masks, shoes, balls, posters). . . .
Not a whole lot from actual childhood, although there are still some random toys and whatnot in my father’s attic. Maybe. My children’s books were damaged in a roof leak, unfortunately, and that’s all that was really important to me of that stuff.
My master plan, to link all of today’s questions together in fact, is that someday P and I will travel to America and spend a few days going through this stuff so I can decide what to do with it once and for all.
He’ll have *so* much fun!
I didn’t mention that he can be rather impatient up in Number 2, did I? Ah, selective descriptioning.
Until next time, then.
moaning meme monday
I’m sure that you, Dear Reader, get a certain impression of me from reading this here blog thingee. Perhaps because I tend to focus on the positive and keep it light, you, DR, think I’m like that in everyday, real life as well.
And to some extent, I am.
But truth be told, I’m not sure that “positive and light” is even the majority of my personality. I can be quite snarky, catty, and complainy, indeed–just ask P. But those aren’t traits I want to take over the other parts of my personality.
Why?
Because as fun as a smart ass remark is every now and again (*so* fun!), too many can add up a lot of negative energy that I don’t think will help me live a good, peaceful life–and I definitely want that–or help the world at large. There’s enough negativity out there without my adding to it.
And so I try to keep this little corner of these Internets mostly positive and light, hoping that maybe, just maybe that part will sink in, will become the norm inside of me, will bleed into my cynicism and negativity and at least counteract them a bit.
I wouldn’t want those baddies to disappear completely, though, because then I’m afraid I wouldn’t be me. In fact, I’d probably be more like the Dalai Lama (yes he has a website), and I’m just not up for that kind of responsibility.
Have you ever been told to act like you fit in and people will believe it, and eventually so will you? That’s kind of how I feel about this whole living and blogging process, within myself I mean. Over the past several months, I’ve been positive and looking on the bright side more than ever, sometimes even when I don’t *feel* it–and you know what?
I’m starting to believe it, to be it, and I’m really, truly happier.
But that doesn’t mean I have my moments.
So here (after the longest intro to a meme ever) is a great opportunity from The Freelance Cynic to share just one:
5 people who will be annoyed you tagged them.
- Paolo at World Citizen
- Nat at Marmite Breath Slept Here
- Ally at Crazy Dust in My Coffee
- Judith at Think on It!
- Sara at Moving Right Along
4 things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth.
- A certain administration of a certain “world power”
- Anyone who abuses other people or animals
- People who talk too loudly on public transportation
- People who troll the Internet looking to start trouble
3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently.
- Not re-evaluate their beliefs every once in a while, if not regularly
- Not simply appreciate being alive every day
- Get medically unnecessary plastic surgery
2 things you find yourself moaning about.
- How much I hate clothes shopping here
- How much I hate cleaning the house, especially as I’m packing
1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself.
- If I were omnipotent, I’d solve the problem of world overpopulation with those first four moans.
RULES
- Link to theoriginal meme at freelancecynic.com so people know what it’s all about!
- Be as honest as possible. This is about letting people get to know the real you!
- Try not to insult anyone – unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!
- Post these rules at the end of every meme!
Even if I haven’t tagged you, please feel free to play along. I see that my She Who Blogs buddy Jennie Boo has already played, and I hope you will too.
Misery loves company!
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[tags]memes, the moaning meme[/tags]
because you can never know too much
Here are 8 random facts about me, inspired by Sarala of Blogaway, where you’ll find an awesome collection of photos–I especially love those of one of my favorite cities in the world, Chicago.
OK, back to me. Random. Eight. Go.
1. When I was younger, probably from the ages of 8-13, I wanted to be an astronaut. In the middle of those, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, and I wanted to be an astronaut more than ever (I’m guessing my parents *really* hoped it was just a phase).
2. I got myself a small telescope by selling cards and stationery with a company called Olympia or something like that. Anyone remember this? You got so many points for each dollar sold? The telescope was red and black and oh how I loved it so. Summer nights were the best.
3. My favorite constellation was, and is, Cassiopeia. For a class assignment, we had to invent a constellation by poking holes through a piece of black construction paper and then connecting the “stars” with chalk. I modified Cassiopeia so that it had a face to go along with what I thought looked like ears and named it “Cattiopeia.”
4. Not surprisingly, it was my dream to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.
5. Also not surprisingly, there wasn’t enough stationery in the world that was going to make that happen. As compensation, my mother bought me sweatpants and a t-shirt from either the JC Penney or Sears “Space Camp” line. And I wore them. For far too long. In fact, I kind of wish they still fit me.
6. On a night that Jack Horkheimer told me there would be a shooting star show, I set up camp with a blanket and snacks in the back of my grandfather’s old red and white pick-up truck–and didn’t see a one.
7. In fact, I don’t remember seeing any shooting stars until I came to Italy, and now I see them quite frequently–and make a wish every time.
8. I have no vivid recollection as to why I scrapped the whole astronaut idea, but it probably had to do with all the math and science. Just a guess.
Still want to know more about me? There are 100 things, another 100 things, a photo meme, and a bunch of stuff in the “meme time” and “me me me” categories.
Now here are the rules for anyone who’d like to play (I’m not tagging anyone, but if you’d like to share some secrets, I’m all eyes):
* Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
* People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
* At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
As you can see I’ve broken the rules, so let’s go one further. Even if you only share your randomness in the comments here, you’ll make me happy.
You want me to be happy, right?
OK then. In the words of my favorite Star Gazer: Keep looking up!
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[tags]memes, 8 random facts about me[/tags]
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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