Happy New Year! What’s that? It’s already the middle of February? It’s still the first blog post of the year, so Happy New Year nonetheless!
The year 2022 ended comfortably enough, even if I wasn’t in Hawaii. Cthulhu and I rang in the new year in the company of friends, enjoying traditional yearly reminiscence and playing some traditional Star Wars: Republic Commando (a tradition that Cthulhu and I have developed over the years). And lo, 2022 faded into the ether with 2023 emerging like a phoenix from the ashes. I developed some resolutions (clean more, read more, save more, eat more healthy, play more video games, etc.) and I’ve already been working on them. Last year was a year that saw me finish several long-running cases and return to Hawaii for the first time in three years. I can only hope that 2023 will bring similar relief and enjoyment by the next time I sit down for resolutions and Republic Commando.
As is usual in January, my New Year’s celebrations were barely over when my newest cause for celebration rolled around: my birthday! However, this birthday carried a tinge of bittersweetness: it was my 30th birthday.
My 30th birthday.
Much like Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, I’ve seen my 20s slip by in an anticlimactic fashion, leaving me at an age where Zippies would automatically distrust me. Where I was once an idealistic twenty-something, I’m now a more mature (hopefully still idealistic) lawyer who can look back on my decades of youth while making obscure literary and historical references (see the first sentence of this paragraph). Like many folks who reach this age, I feel some melancholy when I think of my wild 20s being over. It can be a tad gloomy when I realize I spent most of my wild years working and being in school. While this makes my life seem boring compared to some, it has a flipside that makes me a little proud: I was able to go my entire 20s without getting arrested or hungover! My birthday celebration itself helped me realize that; as I sat around eating, drinking, and chatting with friends, I realized my youth so far has been fruitful: I’ve studied abroad, gone to conventions, worked odd jobs, maintained a long-term relationship, expanded my culinary aptitude, and achieved my longtime goal of becoming a lawyer (with a private office out of law school to boot). Most importantly, I still feel young; my worldly adventures have only just begun!
My 30s got off to a decent start: after several slow weeks of reschedules and resolutions, I held my first trial of the year! Furthermore, this was the 23rd trial overall of my career (not counting probation violation or contempt hearings, which have mostly been remote and are generally simpler)! Will I share the juicy details of this new trial? No, because I still try to have some professional standards! All I will say is that it ended with an acquittal, a happy client, and a need to decompress at Denny’s.
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| Pictured: decompression via pancakes |
And so, as 2023 rolls on, I venture further into the unknown. I expect 2023 will be a year filled with professional opportunities, room to grow, and (with COVID getting weaker than ever) time to party. As per usual, it’ll up to me to roll with the punches, continue growing, and proceed on my path to being a fine lawyer.
Also, I’m going to try some more cooking.
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| Fried gnocchi, my newest successful experiment. I look forward to seeing what I can do with it... |
