Memory Court

So my body felt a feeling today that it hasn't in years: the power of volleyball knee-pads, warm with use, pushed down to my ankles after a hard-won victory.

I started a volleyball league today. The first time that I have played competitively since LVC, since my knee was so twisted and ripped that rolling over in bed would put me on crutches for a week.

And I loved every minute of it. The fact that we kicked ass didn't hurt either!

Playing tonight brought back memories that had been long repressed. The feeling of walking through deserted school hallways in gym clothes, sitting on the sidelines keeping score, and paying no attention to the clock, or when to be home.

I remember winning at St. Mary's - whatever championship it was, and our pictures got in the paper. I served half the game that day. With each ace, as if the sport itself wasn't enough activity, we would slam our hands down on the ground, jump excitedly and yell "ACE!" I remember playing in one gym where the roof was so low that almost every time we set we hit the roof and lost points. I remember taking the bus back to Taber with the boys, it was dark, cold and the subs we stopped to get were delicious.

I guess the longer I have been in Edmonton the more I have forgotten of a life in a very distant past. Today was a resurrection of a more athletic and competitive me. I miss that me.

Glad to have that part of me back, or at least talking loud enough I can hear.

More photos

As homage to the 34 degrees it hit today, I decided to post more pictures on this site!

First day of fall fiesta!

Life continues (how I know being a lawyer is for me)

For those of you who don't already know, I work a lot. It is par for the course when you are an articling student I guess. I would rather be doing personal stuff instead of work, just like anyone else. Yet despite the typical groan when I realize that my weekend will be full of CPLED or some other form of legal drafting I become mentally engaged with my work and find myself enjoying all that I do.

One surprising side effect of articling is how my transformation into a full lawyer is affecting other areas of my life.

Thus, a top 10 list:

1. I asked my wedding reception venue whether or not my deposit was going to be held in trust, and said I would give authority to co-mingle.

2. I get really excited when talking about the British reality series, "Heir Hunter" that follows companies trying to find the rightful heir to small intestate fortunes.

3. I talk of agreements in my sleep.

4. I am currently trying to enter negotiations to reduce the price of my wedding dress.

5. Three words: Free Juice Fridge!

6. I speak of CPLED as if it is a disease I caught, and that with treatment it should go away in a few more months.

7. I am more excited to remain on "competency demonstrated" island, than I am about a clean house (the more competent I am, the more likely I can hire a cleaner).

8. I have lunch dates every day for the next two weeks.

9. I only log on to Facebook 3 times per day.

and finally, how you know I am continuing this legal transition...

10. I laughed my ass of at Matt and Angela's wedding, when Matt's lawyer parents gave the following speech:

"When Ingrid and I were in law school, we decided to open a file together. His name was Matt. Hopefully in a few years Matt and Angela will open up a few sub-folders."

Exhaustion

This past week has been a gauntlet of activity! From turning 26, to Angela's wedding, to getting swamped at work, I found myself walking through a dreadful haze, angry at the world, exhausted and bitter over the lack of control I had over my own scheduling.



Thank God that is over.



It is really easy to lose perspective as an articling student. Every file is a crisis, every conversation a potential career ender. Love for the law gets lost among the paperwork and very late nights.



Most importantly, friends, family and loved ones become a duty, not a simply joy in a heavy world.



Last week I walked around in a grumble, much like pig pen in Charlie brown walks around with a dust cloud. If there is one thing I know about myself, it is that I can sure be a vile creature when the urge over takes me.

My epiphany of the week, or perhaps month, was at Matt and Angela's wedding on Saturday. Actually, I think I had an epiphany per drink, but that is aside the point.



I was angry, so very angry during the course of the week leading up to the wedding that my judgment was clouded. But something happened at the wedding. I relaxed, I forgave those people who I shouldn't judge so harshly, and apparently winged a speech that brought a tear to most eyes in the room (Angela's especially, which I will forever wear as a badge of honour).



My main epiphany was sitting outside of the country club, on the patio, enjoying the music wafting from inside. I sat on a metal chair, enjoying the company of the first moment of space/silence that I had had in a very long time. I watched my friends on the dance through the window... Chris was doing some funky arm thing (though he swore he got better as the night progressed), Lorne was pelvic thrusting like it was going out of style, Jaymie was bouncing around like she always does, MANgela was visiting relatives, and Anton did what Anton does best. T.J. was in the thick of it, though not for long, as he had my drunken ass to take care of.



At that point I didn't want to be anywhere else in the world. Not Cairo, London, Paris. Not Budapest, or Monaco, or even Amsterdam.



I am a very lucky individual. I have been blessed to be surrounded by some very amazing people. I don't deserve to be surrounded by them. Perhaps they know this, making them even more amazing. But this year, this career, will not succeed without them.