30 Things I have learned in 30 years

Oh, it's true- I'm thirty. Three decades. Older and wiser? Who knows! Here's a random list of things I have learned:

On style:
1. Blow drying my hair in the morning makes my hair look way better.
2. Fashion that did not work for me: baggy clothes, midriff hugging or midriff baring shirts, too much pattern, too trendy, long skirts, open button downs with a shirt underneath.
3. How to apply make-up to my Asian eyes. (At least, I think I can)
4. Burt's Bees chapstick is the best chapstick ever.
5. I love A-line skirts and sheath dresses.
6. You can't go wrong with a pretty string of pearls.

On self:
7. I am a very hands-on person.
8. I must study in silence and in a cubicle so I can't people-watch.
9. I'm an extroverted introvert: I need my alone time.
10. I prefer small groups of people, or being alone in a crowd.
11. I am at my best when I feel I am being useful to someone.
12. I have a need for what I do to be taken seriously.

On relationships:
13. I'd rather invest in a small number of life-long friendships rather than many surface level friends.
14. In love, I need and have found a true partner who respects me and lets me be who I am, and is my best friend.
15. There might be no sweeter feeling than laying in bed laughing about something stupid with my husband.
16. You can't change someone who doesn't want to change.
17. You have to be able to take care of yourself to take care of others. Learn to set boundaries.
18. I like bonding with people by doing activities together. Or eating.

On career:
19. The bar exam is really as miserable as everyone says it is.
20. Going above and beyond what is required in a job will always be appreciated.
21. Too many adult professionals don't actually know how to be adult and professional.
22. I'm a pretty good networker.
23. I love being a lawyer.
24. I have to work for a cause I believe in.

On life:
25. You have to accept and let go of what you cannot control, or you will make yourself crazy.
26. Whatever it is, I can survive it.
27. Being 30 is pretty awesome. I know myself and can love myself better than I ever have before.
28. A nice raincoat is a really great investment.
29. Remembering to stop and be grateful is good for your health.
30. Try to take yourself less seriously.

Readers' Review: "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" By Junot Diaz

I had the luck to be driving to a meeting this afternoon and caught a segment of Readers' Review: "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" By Junot Diaz on the Diane Rehm show. It makes me miss college English classes where you could sit and discuss a book at great length. This was almost as good!

Good Deed of the Month: Support Second Chances

One of the big influences on my career path is David Singleton, executive director of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center. Read a recent article about their work. OJPC does remarkable work for one of the most marginalized populations in our country- those who have been involved in the criminal justice system. Work like this is so important to stop the cycle of incarceration and create more sustainable rehabilitation and reform in a system that just locks away people who we then pay for with our tax dollars. If you are looking for a great local organization to support or be involved in, here's one to consider.

How We Put Ourselves Back Together

1. Start doing laundry that is starting to overflow from the hamper.
2. Finally put away the clean dishes so you can put all the dirty ones away.
3. Clean up part of the kitchen.
4. Tidy the living room.
5. Pay a bill.
6. Put all the piles of junk mail in recycling.
7. Make a new pile of papers and mail to go through.
8. Finally donate some of the clothes that have been sitting in a trash bag in the closet.
9. Intend to tidy the bedroom and bathroom, but then decide to put it off another week.

NPR Discoveries

When I was a college student I liked to post or journal about fun things I learned on NPR. I don't know why I stopped! My favorite latest discoveries:

1) This interview with the head of the Red Baraat. Get this: bhangra meets New Orleans Brass band! What's not to love!

NPR Interview

2) Freakonmic's episode on weird recycling. I love recycling. Fun fact: the U.S. exports 300,000 metric tons of chicken paws a year, mostly to Asia. Incidentally, chicken paws is one of the few Asian foods I don't care for. Just doesn't seem like there's much there to make eating them worth it.