For good or for bad, I'm official.

First and foremost, a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes out to my fabulous kid sister. Have a great one, Netty!!!

I know that I’ve been a bad, bad blogger recently—not only have my postings been sporadic at best, but I missed last Thursday’s happy hour, which seems to have been a huge success. In my defense, I’ve been pretty busy—I saw the oncologist on Thursday (if you’re interested in the details, you can contact me offline), which was a less-than-pleasant physical and emotional experience. Friday I worked like crazy, and Saturday I did a 9-mile training walk. I also enjoyed sushi with an old boss and drinks with a long-lost friend. Sunday was, quite possibly, the worst shift ever at the restaurant, and I rewarded myself with a long nap and some Iron Chef.

Which brings me to yesterday—the day that I was sworn in as a member of the DC bar. That’s right, kiddies, I am now dually licensed—if you fuck up in either Maryland or the District, I can represent you in court! Not that you’d want me to, that is, since I’m a public sector slave and don’t actually know anything about litigation (as is evidenced by the fact that the only two times I’ve been in court have been for swearing-in ceremonies).

The most important thing about yesterday’s ceremony was that I got to share it with someone (unlike my Maryland swearing-in, which I had to attend alone). Jason accompanied me to the courtroom, sat next to me as I took the oath, and drank heavily with me when it was all over (hey, we were celebrating enough for both jurisdictions, thankyouverymuch). Even though I don’t actively practice law, having a loved one present for the official proceeding made me pleased and proud. It also made me realize what a long journey it has been—between law school and bar exams and paperwork, it took me almost five years to get to this point.

That’s an awfully long time—but I wouldn’t trade it for a thing.

Drawn to...the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. According to its mission statement, "SLDN is a national, non-profit legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and related forms of intolerance." Right now, the organization is spending significant time supporting the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (which was reintroduced on February 28, 2007), and the website provides information about writing to Congress and/or participating in scheduled lobby days.