How I got the job

First of all, A great big thank you to everyone for the comments. I'd have gotten into blogging much sooner if I'd have known how much fun it could be. Keep 'em coming!

And on a more serious note, here's a little account I typed up a few days ago regarding how I ended up relocating 3000 miles away:

One of the main reasons I hiked the AT was to get direction for the future, specifically in regards to career. Despite countless miles spent alone with the Lord in prayer, I arrived home from Maine with nothing specific in that regard, but with a nagging sense that it would be a shame for all the resources I invested in getting a law degree to simply go to waste.
I was home for only about a week when I got a message from a lawyer friend in CA (Mark Bigger) that there was a law job opportunity in CA: Christopher Martens, an OBCL grad with a solo practice, was getting too busy to keep up. Mark encouraged me to contact Martens and I promised to think about it.
The next day, my phone rang and it was Christopher. Our conversation was brief but exciting. After a couple more days of prayer and discussion, I told him I’d be in CA by the end of September (AFTER our annual family vacation =).
Breaking into the legal market is challenging under the best of circumstances, and this difficulty is compounded exponentially when you’re trying to job-hunt from 3000 miles away, more than two years after graduating law school, and when you don’t have a traditional high school diploma, undergrad degree, or juris doctor degree. I feel strongly that this move and job offer is God’s direction for my life. The timing couldn’t have been better, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m humbled and amazed by the blessings God has showered upon me. They certainly aren’t a result of any efforts on my part, but as the proverb says, “God makes the sun to shine on the just as well as the unjust.”

Yosemite National Park

For Columbus Day my friend Mark and I took a day trip up to Yosemite. The natural beauty in that park was absolutely stunning. My measly little camera does it a great injustice. But since I have no better way of showing what we experienced, here are a few pics:




(L) Half dome (I think), and Nevada Falls

Half Dome

The final 1/4 mile or so up Half Dome is straight up a granite slab which is at probably around a 60 degree angle or so. pretty intense! I was definitely a little nervous at first, but then grew accustomed to it.

One of the views from the top. I think they call this the Devil's Pulpit.

Me =)

Vernal Falls

Mark has a rather poor tolerance for altitude, so he took a nap while I scompered up the final 2+ miles on my own. This was a challenging hike, with significant elevation gain. I think it's around 17 miles roundtrip.

On the way home I napped in Mark's Camero while he drove it like a crazy man. Let's just say I can now report that I've gone 100 mph in a 35 mph zone. =) He's a good driver though.

On the way home we stopped in Fresno and met two other OBCL alumnus, Jon and Sally Freeman, for dinner at The Brewhouse or something such. When we finally crashed back at my apartment, sleep came swift and sweet.

The apartment

Here's my pad- 78A, the top corner unit. My door's right at the top of these stairs, just a couple of feet out of the picture.




And here's the landscaping, all twisty and stuff. The pool and mailboxes are dead ahead.

The kitchen and entryway, including my new microwave (black) and toaster (white). I don't discriminate on account of color. (obviously, or I wouldn't be in a place with olive green cabinets and mustard countertops/floors =)

The bike shop- complete with overhead light, fan, and easy-clean floor. aka dining room
Lots of storage space in the spare room (yeah, a spare room in a 1 bdr apt! I sleep on the futon in the living room so this room's mostly empty)

The living room, looking towards the balcony




And looking the other way, towards the bathroom and bed/spare room.

The Drive Out

Not much to say here. I left Harrisburg around 1 pm on Wednesday, 9/20/06, with my car loaded to the gills. My car actually doesn't have gills, but if it did, it would have been loaded right to 'em. Here's a picture showing me and Fiona with all her loadedness and gill-lessness. As you can see, there was very little in the way of tire/fender clearance.

Seven or eight hundred miles later I had a surprisingly good night's sleep at a rest stop- somewhere in Missouri, I think. The truckers and I woke up to a crisp clear day, perfect for driving.

And then there were like two more days of this.

I did get to overnight with the fam in OK, which of course was the highlight of the trip and a welcome break. Thanks guys!

I crossed the border into CA Saturday morning, which means I made the cross-country trip in roughly three full days. The cheapest gas I found was $2.07 in Ohio, and the most expensive was somewhere around $3.40, right after I got into CA. I think I spent between 250 and 300 bucks in gas and tolls on the 2800 mile trip.

announcing FlibbyDibby

Ladies and Gentleman, I have an important and late-breaking news announcement:

Cannonbomb!!

Ok, so maybe it's not important, but it is late-breaking: I've decided to cave to peer pressure and become cool by starting a blog. Last night I was trying to put together some e-mails updating friends and family on my life in general, and realized how much easier it would be (both on myself and on your inboxes) if I just put my latest news on the web. So here's my very latest news:

My stomach just rumbled.

And now I'm going to go home and think of more blog content. Perhaps even something that someone somewhere might actually have a flicker of interest in reading. Oh, and in the meantime, here are some pics of my new office: