suiting

First thing this morning I had an on-campus interview, which meant (1) that I was frigid during the outdoors portion of my morning commute, and (2) that I was stuck wearing a business suit all the day long. Lounging in the student center reading for class, walking around on campus, eating lunch, and going to class all had to be done in a damned business suit, none of which felt right.

Now, I realize that I’m going to have to become more accustomed to wearing suits. But this realization has two caveats. One, if all goes according to plan, I won’t actually have to wear suits all too often, and certainly not all day, every day. Two, the wearing of suits that I will be doing will be better suited for suits than the things I’ve been doing today. That is, ideally, I’ll wear suits for court, depositions, and an occasional super-important meeting, but for doing everyday legal work I can simply wear put-together, professional-looking attire that isn’t necessarily a suit. And when I am in a suit I (hopefully) won't be in an environment where I stick out like a sore thumb as the only one wearing a suit amongst a bunch of 1st year law students and undergrads.

There’s just something about wearing a suit that makes me feel stuffy and uptight. Hopefully that will pass as I wear suits more often, but for now I’m happy to be home in yoga pants and a flannel shirt...

the party's over

The crowds have dispersed. The streets have been cleaned. But port-a-potties still line the streets. And although the neutral ground is cleared of tents, grills, chairs, and ladders, remnants of cheap Chinese trinkets remain. Crushed, deformed doubloons lie on the streetcar tracks. Beads hang from the trees, fences, and power-lines.

The streetcar is running again, but it carries more tourists than locals. They're easy enough to identify, clutching parcels from Cafe Du Monde and speaking in a variety of accents and tongues. The schoolchildren with whom I usually ride the early am trolley are nowhere to be seen. I suspect they've been given the entire week off to recover from the festivities.

No such luck for us law students. Today we return to the drudgery and toil that is the study of law. And while I'm ready and willing to embrace sobriety and quiet after a long weekend of hearty partying, it required a Herculean effort to get out of bed this morning in time for class. Unfortunately, it seems returning to the tedium and monotony of law school is no easy task after four days of fun and festivity.

celebratory

Festivities! Enthusiasm!

Such has been my life as of late. It started last Friday evening, with the Krewe of Oshun parading down The Avenue. Since then, 16 more parades have passed by mere yards from my home. And on Tues (Dat Tuesday!) we walked down to Lee Circle to see yet another parade: the Saints’ triumphant march through the old, faithful, tired streets of New Orleans. It was quite a sight:

With quite the crowd...

And fighter jets, too!

So it goes that my first Mardi Gras has almost come to an end. Tonight marks Lundi Gras, with two more parades and partying all night into the morrow: Mardi Gras, the day for which the entire carnival season has been culminating. After Zulu, Rex, Elks, and Crescent City roll tomorrow, the 9 days of parades will come to and end. As of Wednesday, Lent - the lean season of sacrifice and fasting - will then be upon this city. It couldn't end sooner, in my humble opinion. It was fun, at first, watching the spectacle. There is something truly special and unique about this city during this time. But there's only so much spectacle one need experience in the span of two weeks. For my part, I’ll be ready and willing to embrace the sombre spirit of Lent, thanks to the knowledge that another round of law school final exams lies just around the corner...

And, of course, secure in the knowledge that next year will bring another round of spectacle with another Mardi Gras.

Tonight, however, ‘tis bacchanal revelry or bust!