The end ...

Memo
To: Capital C Readers (both of you)
From: Capital C
Re: The demise of the blog

I did not want to write this post. The one where I admit that I am not Capital Callie anymore. Because I did not want to leave D.C. And writing about leaving D.C. made it real. (I am still not sure how it becomes more real than packing up my car and driving the 2,500 miles back to Utah, and then living here for a month already, but it does, OK.) But here I am anyway. Here in Utah, with my parents, in my old bedroom.

For the record, I have had a good summer. A really good summer, minus the whole studying for the bar business. I went to Boston. I went to New York. I finished my list. I drove across the country, again, even driving part of the way myself, and I finally stopped in Chicago. I survived the bar. I went to Bear Lake. I went to Cafe Rio. I went on drives in a convertible. I looked at the stars. I held hands. I read stories to the neighbors. I went shopping. In a week I will go to California. I am a lucky girl.

But I will admit this: I am a bit lost. Yesterday I forgot my Virginia address. The one I lived at until six weeks ago. I had to look it up. Then today, twice, I instinctively entered 22202 in the box for my zip code. Then I remembered, and deleted. I miss my old life. And my people.

But, I am home. I am going to start a new life, one of these days. I just need to decide what my new life will be. I am not sure yet how to do that. But I do know this: I am going to work at a law firm in Salt Lake. I start on September 13. I am going to try my best to be a good attorney. And I am going to like it. And I will worry about the rest later.

P.S. This is my last post. Thanks for reading.

Runaway girls ...

I had a week between finishing finals and going to Boston with my family (more on that to come). So Meradyth and I had some quality time together. And one day Mer had the brilliant idea to go to Berlin, Maryland, the town Runaway Bride was based on and filmed in. We had such a fabulous time ... one of my favorite D.C. adventures for sure ...

I really like bridges.

Recognize this hotel from the movie?!

Proof.

"I'm going to go focus on your eggs, Bob." Yes. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts sat right here, in the same restaurant where we had lunch. And by "had lunch" I mean ordered half the menu. The waiters did not even attempt to mask their awe at our eating abilities ...

Officially an esquire ...

... Or maybe not. Perhaps I need to pass the bar before I can actually use that delightful title. But here is the proof that I did in fact graduate from law school yesterday, in two ceremonies that seemed longer than the last three years combined. Although I should not complain. The First Lady spoke. At my graduation. On the National Mall. Awesome ...

The requisite photo (and I mean that literally ... my sister commanded that I take a picture here, since I took one before law school. And I always do what my sister tells me to do.)

Another one in front of the school. All the people who a) sat through five hours of ceremonies, and b) encouraged the aforementioned photo-taking, deserve blog recognition.

Carly got married a week ago. But luckily she made it to graduation, so that I could get this photo of my favorite law school pal.

And that would be Michelle Obama. And yes, she did use the phrase, "Yes, we can." And yes, she gave a good speech.

At graduation. On the Mall. Being bored while we waited.

The only shot I have that actually shows the Mall. Well, sort of ...

Done.

I have more to say (I always do, right) on this subject, but after typing for three hours this morning I am rather tired of my keyboard. So I will just report that provided that I pass my classes, I am officially finished with law school ...

A letter about my lotion ...

Dear Bath & Body Works:

I am not a member of PETA. I am (generally) a (relatively) sane person. And I want to know why you include the following sentence on your labels:

This finished product is not tested on animals.

If a product is finished, as I assume the products for sale in your stores are, the testing process must be finished, too. So when you tell me that you do not test your finished product on animals, I assume you do test your unfinished product on animals. That seems more likely to make PETA mad. And frankly, I would not want PETA to be mad at me. Just saying.

Sincerely,

Callie

P.S. Perhaps the law requires you to insert this exact sentence. I suppose I could discover that for myself. But I still have two finals. And as neither of them involve animal rights (although you better believe we do have such a class at my school, where the priority list places animal rights near the top and the rights of unborn children near the bottom) I think I should save my legal research for classes I am actually taking.

Finals, hula hoops, etc. ...

Carly and I like to make each bout of finals delightful in its own special way. One time we decided to spend the week coughing, sneezing, blowing our noses and hearing buzzing noises. Another time we watched an entire season of the Office during finals week. Then, being me, that one time I thought it would be a good idea to simultaneously experience finals and a break-up during the same week. Another semester I attempted the opposite. Yet another time we decided to have double car trouble, when Carly got in a car accident (totally not her fault) and I got a flat tire (totally my fault) on the same day, three days before the end of finals. This semester, though, we have outdone ourselves and adopted the hula-hoop-dance-party strategy ...

Done. Almost ...

Today I attended my last law school class. Which makes today my last day of school EVER. Unless I go back to school. Which I will not, I promise, and this time I mean it. Seriously. When I was little and being tickled, if I just said stop, well, that gave the tickler permission to continue. But if I said "stop it and I mean it," well, I meant it. And I mean it when I say I will never go to school again. I also mean it when I say I will miss law school. (Although I will not miss law school ruining regular stories, like this one, because now when I hear that someone does not stop when another someone says stop, I think of my criminal law class, and how "no" really does mean no. Thank you, criminal law, for ruining this childhood memory for me.) I also mean it when I say I am rather anxious about the next few months of post-law school life: taking finals, studying for the bar and moving. Yikes. But, for today, I give you what I will miss most about law school (not D.C. in general, that will be another post, currently scheduled for sometime mid-July). In no particular order, well except for number 1, which really is number 1. But for the rest, no particular order ...

1. Carly. I have loved having someone to study with, someone to share the law school gossip with, someone to commiserate with, someone to go to lunch with after class and dinner with after finals, and someone who can explain to me exactly what the professor meant.

2. Potbelly's. I go there on Mondays. I like the walk there, where I look one direction and see the Watergate Hotel a few blocks away and look another direction and see the Lincoln Memorial a few blocks away. I also like the sandwich I always get -- turkey with provolone on white -- and the free Washington Post I read while I eat.

3. Professors. We have some characters. And they have some interesting ideas. They say interesting things. Like this: "So we have established that Boy Scouts do not do a lot of talking about sex," and, about the preschoolers playing on the quad, "So adorable and so happy, just like they're naturally stoned." And other tidbits that make me stop shopping online. (Note to future clients: Of course I never shopped online during class.) I am glad I got to listen to them.

4. Free stuff. I am pretty sure no one will be giving me iPods just for doing research after law school. Well I guess technically my future clients will be doing this, but it seems different. (Note to future clients: I will use the money you pay me for rent and food and appropriate business clothing, not for iPods and vacations and movies.) And yes, I am trying to slip it in by just putting it on this list, but I will confess, I will soon join the iPod age. I am a sellout. But it remains to be seen whether I can stand having things in my ears ...