as so crazy busy. We saw Dorothy's shoes, Lincoln's top hat, a large George Washington statue and lots of other cool things. We'll have to go back again to finish seeing everything. 
ood ol' Oscar and next to him is 
Happy Halloween!! So last night Ronnie and I carved our first pumpkin together. Well he pretty much did most of it. Next year we'll have to get two pumpkins so we both can carve one. But, we are thankful we actually had a pumpkin to carve this year...thanks mom. Unfortunately, it was rotted on the inside so I let Ronnie clean it out. He dumped the insides in the ivy outside the house...our landlords might have a pumpkin patch next year....
o Halloween holds a special place in my heart. It’s not one of those holidays that can be blamed for being overly sentimental. It really can’t be overdone either. The bigger, scarier, and hokier the props; the wilder the costumes (within reason ;); and the more candy the better!
costume ourselves. The fanciful cast of the evening provides a break from convention, a relaxation of all things mundane and sober. Under such conditions even the most curmudgeonly or dour must breathe in a hint of the levity wafting along the crisp night air; they must walk a bit lighter in spite of themselves.
actually. Once a few weeks ago in Henrico County, Virginia, and the other time a week later in Richmond, Virginia. I was not offered a position for either of those first two tries; so we will see if my luck has changed. The judicial law clerk position sounds interesting to me. Insofar as I understand it, my duties would include assisting the trial judge in preparing for his or her cases, including doing legal research, drafting orders and opinions, and coordinating scheduling issues. Basically, you get to learn the ins and outs of courtroom practice while having direct access to a judge. Not a bad place to start out as an aspiring lawyer. Problem is, the positions are usually fairly highly sought after, notwithstanding relatively low pay. I don’t think I’m completely unqualified, but it is hard to know whether you are sufficiently setting yourself apart from the crowd. If you want to talk about my Virginia connections, for example, I’m limited. I mean, I’ve got one REALLY good contact: I married a native Virginian. (By the way, in case you were wondering, this is definitely not the only area I’m riding on Heather’s coattails. . . .Thanks Honey!) I am also obviously going to a Virginia law school. Problem there is that it’s a Northern Virginia school. Strangely enough, though it is all the same commonwealth, there is a cultural divide of sorts between so-called “Northern Virginia” and the rest of place. Since I’m not a true Virginian, I don’t try to parse too closely the exact content of that split. I have a vague sense after three and a half years here that i
t has to do with Northern Virginia being so close to Washington, with its Yankee ties and generally cosmopolitan leanings. On the other hand, much of the rest of the commonwealth is self-consciously ‘Southern,’ and somewhat more rural. There are still big cities in places, like the Virginia Beach area and also Richmond, but the populations seem to be more definitively “Virginian.” There are more “lifers,” whereas here in the DC area very few are actually from here. Perhaps I’m thinking too categorically, but it’s hard not to feel a little disconnected when all the judges interrogating you speak with such heavy drawls that you swear you were watching a Dukes of Hazard rerun (not that I ever actually watched that show…but you get the idea). You know, come to think of it, I hope none of these judges Google me online and find this blog. That could put me in a bit of an awkward position. At any rate, I wonder if my being an outsider (and living in Northern Virginia to boot) makes it harder for me to cozy up to these types? I guess I should point out that I am intentionally looking for jobs outside the Northern Virginia area. That is why I’m facing this (perceived) conflict. There are plenty of jobs in this area, but I don’t want to stay here. Neither does Heather. It is simply too expensive, too busy, too congested, and too impersonal for our taste. I could spend forever fleshing out the details of this dislike, but I will spare you. Most of them are somewhat irrational and maybe most folks would not feel the same. I will just sum up my sentiments by stating that I feel that living here has given me a chance to weigh the pros and cons of polar opposite geographic lifestyles: small, rural Midwestern living versus big, busy, metropolitan Northeastern living. In the balance I find the latter wanting. Now it's time to try less busy, smaller, Southern living. Maybe it will provide a tolerable medium??? Stay tuned.
What a beautiful day! We spent most of the day outside. The morning was started with a bike ride for me and a run for Ronnie (I'm not much of a runner). In the afternoon, we took a drive to Fauquier County (about 25 miles west). We visited a farm that had a corn maze, hay rides, pumpkins and all the other fall goodies. It was our first cor
n maze and we successfully completed it in about 30 minutes. They said some people took up to two hours and we were convinced that would be us...but we did just fine. After leaving the farm, we took a drive around Middleburg, VA. It's horse country and is well known for their fox hunts. I always love driving around this beautiful area. 
Things around here are going well tho. On Labor Day we visited Ted
dy Roosevelt island on the Potomac River. I had never been there so it was great to see new things in D.C. We may only be in this area for another 10 months or so, so we want to take advantage of living in a place with so much to see! We have a few things left on our list to do before we leave. This past week, Ronnie has been studying hard in law school and applying for different jobs in Virginia (out of Northern VA). He has also been involved in different church opportunities. I've just been working and cleaning this week. I can't wait until we have a bigger kitchen with a normal size fridge, a dishwasher and a table with chairs! That will be the day. We do have a nice place to live but when we do get a fully equipped kitchen I will be truly grateful!
The weather here has lately been flirting with us, foreshadowing the looming seasonal change. Rather than sweat us out and die a slow death, the tail end of summer has turned unseasonably cool, and most recently, overcast. I suppose it’s timely, considering I’ve been in school now for over a week and a half, and the start of school has always, at least for me, traditionally marked the ushering in of all things Autumn. 
