It's 8 am on a rainy Saturday. I've got to go do training for Student Org #1 in an hour. I'm sporting a huge bruise on my lower back from where I slipped and fell on the back stairs last night (an almost perfect repetition of last year's fall on the stairs from the laundry room, when I nearly cracked my head open).

Last weekend I felt like, "Whew, the tough part is nearing its end, I can concentrate on my studies and have weekends again soon."

Bwah hah hah! Foolish hk! You will never be able to read a full assignment for class before said class. Never! Ever!

Lots of shenanigans since last I wrote. By theme:

1. Summer Jobs.

After a respite of two days, I dove back into the on-campus interviews with three Mighty Big Firms on Thursday and two on Friday. Despite telling the interviewer from the NY branch of a CA firm that I was interested in NY "for the near future," he called with a callback offer yesterday.

On one of the other interviews on Thursday, I had a nightmarish moment when I said, "So tell me about your XYZ practice group" and the interviewer said, "You know we don't have an XYZ practice group, right?"

"Really?" I said, starting to sweat, "Uh, the American Lawyer says you have a 'small but high-level XYZ group..."

"Oh, right! Yes, but that's a very small group."

Okaaaaaay. Buh-bye, chances of working at that firm!

I did figure out that I am interested in about 3 firms based in NYC, with really global practices (meaning essentially that they don't mind sending lawyers to other offices and do so on a regular basis). That's my first tier preference.

My second tier preferences are 2 UK firms that are also very global -- maybe even more so than the domestic firms in the first tier, but because of the cultural differences (my interviewers for those were very formal and a bit stuffy), I think it would be easier to work for a domestic-based firm.

And third tier -- what need I of a third tier? Heh.

Actually, I am semi-serious. I was sitting with two classmates at the hotel where all these interviews take place, and one of them was saying, "I have a three-point system: (1) Why I'm great, (2) why your firm is great, and (3) any questions you have."

I thought about this for a second and said, "Huh. I automatically assume that they think I'm great." They both laughed at this, but I think I actually do assume that. I selected the firms I did for a reason -- they take people like me. My grades, which are the threshold for any consideration, are slightly above average. I have overseas experience. I'm personable (in short, 20-minute bursts, anyway). And I'm pretty much at ease with the whole process. What more could they want?

2. Fancy Firm Receptions and Dastardly Destroyers

On Thursday night, while talking with Lecturess, I noticed a message on my machine.

"Hey hk, it's Mr. Destroyer. I was just calling to say hi and see if you wanted to catch up over a drink sometime. My number is 555-DESTROYER. Hope to hear from you soon."

I called back and left a message that I was amenable to such plans. I subsequently checked my email to find one from Mr. Destroyer suggesting a drink at the Fancy Firm Reception that night. Since I was planning on going anyway, I headed on over.

The first thing I did was order a Mighty Large Martini at the bar. Whee!

Then I made my way to the far end of the room and sipped my drink. That's the trick at these things. The associates are there to chat up people. So they make a point of finding you. If you're like me, and you have maybe one question (that isn't really crucial) and you have zero interest in impressing anyone (who probably won't remember you the next day), you take your big ass martini, park yourself in a corner, and enjoy.

It wasn't long before 2 associates came over. I chatted with one for a while. He left. A friend came by to see if I wanted to go to Fancy Firm Reception #2. We headed toward the door but bumped into more people. 2 more associates came by. I actually enjoyed talking with one -- a level-headed and non-impressed 3rd year associate in mergers and acquisitions. A pretty French LLM came by to talk to said associate and I excused myself.

On the way to Fancy Firm Reception #2, I got a call from Mr. Destroyer, who said he'd come over to the FFR. I went inside another place I'd never go to otherwise (tres expensivo!) and had some sort of chambord-champagne drink they called a Ruby Red. I chatted with drunk boys.

Mr. Destroyer showed up when the reception was dying down, and chastised me for not letting him know it was a FFR. (He was wearing jeans and flip-flops.) "Why would I be at this place if it weren't for free?" I asked.

"I come here sometimes," he said.

Of course.

So me and Mr. Destroyer go out for another round of drinks, and it's friendly enough until we turn onto Weirdness Lane. I asked him after an hour or so, "So what else is going on in your life?"

He paused, and said, "Isn't it weird that we don't know each other better than we do? I feel like that's the kind of question that you ask someone you don't know well, and I think we're beyond that, but we don't really seem to get there. You're very hard to read."

And the conversation rapidly degenerated.

Well, not degenerated so much as became this ultra-conscious, hyper-aware exchange of meta-analysis that I have become used to with Mr. Destroyer, a philospher and academic if ever there was one.

He politely walked me almost to my home, and we had another long discussion on the street, him holding his bike, about why I'm closed (uh, because I don't fancy being destroyed?) and other things. I told him -- and mind you, this was after a martini, a Ruby Red, half a Sidecar, and a full Boo-Boo -- that I wasn't sure he would treat my confidences with the reverence I wanted them to be treated with (I know), and then that maybe it was partly because when you open yourself to other people, you give them power over you, and I wasn't sure I wanted to have that kind of relationship with him (yes, yes, I know).

To which he said he didn't consider it a power thing, and that he was just open with everyone.

Uh huh.

After bidding each other farewell, I went to Joiner's room and ate half a wheel of Brie, complaining about Destroyers and their ways.

3. Blind Dates

So I went on one last weekend with a nice Asian American doctor, and I could tell we were looking for different things, but I got a nice meal and a Bloody Mary out of it, so I was pretty content I'd done my duty to get out there.

I get an email yesterday which I'll reproduce in part here:

i debated with my best friend in [Crimson City] whether i should write etc. i had a great time last weekend. very stimulating conversation, fun etc. i don't want you thinking that i'm ignoring you or that i didn't have fun. my friend is of the school that if there's no romantic interest then i shouldn't write/keep in contact. i'm of the school that we should keep in touch as friends if it's mutual.

i had a great time talking with you. the first thing i thought after dropping you off was wow, she's amazingly smart... just the way you were able to ask questions and pick up on key things etc, it was pretty cool. anyways, hope we can keep in touch as friends. don't know if this makes sense at all but just wanted to explain my thinking....

Thoughts, anyone?