Day 1

I am now officially an SEC attorney. I have been sworn in, vowing to uphold the constitution (and, I assume, all the various securities regulations), and I have found the kitchen, supply closet (pens!), and shortest route to the bathroom. I have an office with my relocated orchid and a newly stocked snack drawer. I already miss the firm fridge full of diet cokes and the spigot of hot water for my tea (no tea! I haven't figured out how to cope with that yet- perhaps an in-office hot/cold water dispenser as a belated birthday gift to myself? a day without hot tea is not an option). I have exchanged handshakes with a large number of people and I have learned an even larger number of acronyms. I have been assigned four cases- cases that are MINE, that I get to run and own and act like a partner on (without the demanding client)- and I have already fallen completely in love with this job. It is going to be so incredibly awesome.

I woke up at 5:00 this morning and pulled out of my driveway at 6. I had to forcibly restrain myself from going upstairs and giving the kids a hug before I left- I didn't think JP would appreciate an early start to his morning, but it was hard and I miss them. I drove through extremely dense fog, stopped for a Starbucks at mile 100ish, and arrived at the office at precisely 9:02. I had some orientations, some ethics training (lots of ethics training, it's like the MPRE on steroids (except not, because that would be an ethics violation)), and exactly 3 minutes to "settle in" to my surprisingly large office. There was a group lunch where I impressed everyone by ordering (and finishing) the Woodshed Burger with three kinds of meat at Tim Love's new restaurant, some more orientating, and a case assignment meeting. My desk is already covered with paper. It feels good.

I left the office at 6:40, found my hotel (not bad for 2.5 stars), unpacked my now slightly wrinkled clothes from my suitcase, and set up my toiletries in the bathroom -- where I was confronted with my rumpled, faded, tired reflection in the giant mirror, and, obviously, felt the need to memorialize it all in a super special "first day" photograph:

I'm exhaling because I was tired and my makeup was sad looking, but I could also be impersonating a blowfish like I do for Claire every night at bathtime. I miss her pudgy little hands squishing my cheeks while she cackles with glee. Either way, it seemed an importantly terrible picture to record and show the entirety of the internet.

I was ready for dinner (or rather, the wine that I would order with dinner), so I went to put on jeans, finding that I'd accidentally packed the new pair I just ordered from gap and not my trusty comfy broken-in pair. I wasn't even sure I was going to keep these, but since I couldn't bear to wear my suit pants anymore, and going without wine was not an option, and there is no mini bar in a 2.5 star hotel, I pulled on the jeans, yanked off the tags, and out I went.

To an Italian restaurant located in the parking lot with a tasty house chianti. Some soup, a bunch of complimentary bread, and a dessert mint later, and it's time for bed. It has been a very long, moderately overwhelming, thoroughly wonderful day. I think I'm really, really going to love this job :).