Goodbye, Hello

I'm cheating. It's not really May 24, 2008. It's not even close to that date. But... I wanted to wrap this up nice and neat, and the plan was to post my last post on that date.

So let's pretend it's May 24. So much to look forward to. Like summer... unfortunately it's going to rain until mid-July, but still. I'm resisting about three tangents right now. One involves good summer tv shows, another involves what I did last summer... but that's not the point of this post.

The point of this post is to say goodbye and hello, in that order. So we'll start with the goodbye. This blog was an outlet for me while I was in law school and then while I was articling. An outlet that I used sometimes more frequently and sometimes hardly ever (like the past year). Still, it served its purpose and I enjoyed it. That said, it's purpose was limited to chronicling my last years of pre-lawyerness. Those years are officially over today (but not really today), and with that, I say goodbye to this blog as well.

Thanks for reading, if you read.

Now to the hello part. I'm a lawyer who likes to write. Problem is, all the writing I do these days is at the office, and while it is creative in the sense that I'm using words to accomplish specific goals, it's not creative in a personally fulfilling sort of way. So, I'm thinking another blog is in order. Another outlet - but this time a little different. The office can be a stressful place, and there's so much law around all the time. To be a real outlet - and an escape from stress, work, law, etc. - there have to be some blog ground rules. They are:

1. No law talk. Ever.
2. No office talk.
3. Nothing deep.
4. No politics or religion.

So with that covered, check out my new blog

RUNNING FROM THE LAW

I'm not going to say I'll post more often. I think we all know how that one usually works out. But check it out, and maybe I'll surprise you.

I don't have a good sign off line. I tried to think of something good, but nothing came. How bout....

Later Players! No... that's stupid...

The End

That's it - It's over. After four years of undergrad, three years of law school and one year of articles, the word "student" is no longer part of my title, description, or related to me in any way. Maybe that's not forever, but for now it feels pretty good.

Becoming a lawyer - and I mean the exact moment that I transitioned from non-lawyer to lawyer - was anticlimactic. I stopped being an articled student when May 21 ended, but the courthouse ceremony where I would swear an oath before a judge wasn't until the 23rd, so when I went to the office on May 22, I was in a twilight zone type place. Happily, people finish articling on a date before the courthouse ceremony date all the time, so I had been sent an oath at the office that, when read, would activate the special lawyer making magic of the universe.

So, I went to the office on May 22nd and waited for the partner who was going to read me the oath to have a free minute. Eventually he came into my office, read the oath, I said yes, and the deal was done. I don't think I got out of my chair...

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Still, it was a pretty great feeling. And looking back at my first half year of being a lawyer (yeah I'm typing from the future - see the post above) I feel like the decision to become a lawyer was the best one I've made. I'm happy about the areas I've decided to practice in, and I'm happy with my firm. I've got a ten year plan, and right now things are falling into place.

I mentioned the courthouse ceremony - that was May 23rd, and that was where it all really sunk in. The ceremony was at the courthouse downtown, and I with about 150 other people (in two different ceremonies) stood in front of a judge and took the oath. The ceremony was great - it really felt like the end of a journey. And that, my friends, is it.

Me waiting to go down the stairs before the ceremony

Me signing the register

Almost Over

As I start this post, I've got 3 hours and 3 minutes before I finish my articling year. That might not be completely accurate - I technically finished articling when I left the office today. But I'm not eligible to take the oath to become a lawyer until midnight, so that's how I've set the countdown.

I started this blog in September 2005. So almost 3 years ago... I used to post pretty religiously, but lately not much at all. Actually, I'm a pretty crappy blogger lately. Weird, because this is the year I have to pay real money if I don't post enough. I was supposed to post 104 times this year and so far I'm at.... 8 posts? Maybe less.

Still, i have to make 104 or I owe my friend 150 bucks. I still say no problem. But enough about that...

The plan was to shut this blog down when I became a lawyer because this represented a certain time in my life: Law school and articling. I wanted a clean break with all that and I figured I could start a new blog while leaving this one.... dormant. Or something.

But now I don't know if I want to do that. So I'm going to take a poll... I'll go by the majority of votes I get by Sunday at noon, so just leave 'em in the comments section (I'll be surprised if I get even one....).

And about finishing articles, THANK GOD IT'S OVER. Now I can get on with life....

Finally!!!!

A few days ago Rogers finally announced they're bringing the iPhone to Canada. I don't like Rogers, but I want an iPhone. I'm going to ditch my old phone and get one right away, which means transferring my number from Bell and probably paying to get out of my old contract. But if Rogers has found a way to get the iPhone while still scamming their customers out of every last possible penny, I might be pissed off enough not to get it. So I'm waiting for the details... and if it's reasonable I'm all over it. I'll keep you posted.