Final Interviews

I just got done with 17 interviews in 9 hours. I'm exhausted.

There is absolutely no way this would have gotten accomplished without Wife. I was literally the talking head. Before each interview, Wife would hand me a folder with all the paperwork and quickly remind me of the basics, "We're going to room 1234 for XYZ firm in Los Angeles. The firm has 1200 attorneys, 300 in the LA office, and 21 tax attorneys. Partner X is the interviewer. He specializes in international corporate M&A work, went to X university, Y law school, and your LL.M. program at LAW SCHOOL." Then I would walk in and start talking.

Wife found it incredibly humorous to listen to other candidates complain about how four or five interviews completely drained them. They would be in better shape if they had Wife keeping them organized as well. Too bad for them I'm not giving her up.

The funniest part of this excruciating day: all of these interviews are for nothing. Before any of these firms have a chance to get back to me, I will have chosen which firm and city will be my permanent home.

This Could be My New Workplace

I received a telephone call from Famous Partner at Big NYC firm telling me that "I was their unanimous first choice" with an invitation to join their firm. If I choose to accept the offer, this will be my new workplace (the big glass building).

I'm an Interview Machine and Wife is an Organizing Genius

It will be a very busy couple of days for us. In a few minutes, I will go to class, and then the moment it gets out, Wife and I will rush to the airport to fly to Washington, D.C. Tomorrow, I will have a day of “serious” interviews with a major firm in their DC office. Then, Friday, I have a FULL day of screening interviews.

On Friday, there is essentially a meat market for tax attorneys (basically speed dating for lawyers and firms to hook-up). Firms from around the country will be at a posh hotel to meet with us (actually, there will be firms from around the world). The way the system basically works is that is that we submitted our credentials to the firms, and then they invited the attorneys they like to have a screening interview with them. To make a long story short, I am blessed to have a good number of interviews – more than I could humanly accept. These are just screening interviews, so the odds of any of these turning into employment is rather small, but it is a great start.

Why is Wife attending? Well, she is taking time off work to act as my personal assistant, and more importantly, my brain. Besides being gorgeous, brilliant, kind-hearted, and hilarious, she is also possibly the most organized person in the world. She has the uncanny ability to turn absolutely anything into a spreadsheet. Not only can she turn anything into a spreadsheet – she actually does turn everything into a spreadsheet (and a “pretty spreadsheet” at that). While I concentrate on interviewing more times than you would believe in about eight hours, Wife is in charge of the folder of research and paperwork I must submit to each firm. While I will play the dumb bobble-head talking and schmoozing with partners, Wife will be the one ensuring I’m where I need to be, when I need to be there, with the information I need when I get there. Undoubtedly, if it were not for her organization, I would only have been able to accept about half as many interviews as I did. While most other candidates will have approximately an hour between interviews, I will have less than 15 seconds (seriously, that’s not an exaggeration). Hopefully, we will be a model of teamwork running like a well-oiled machine.

It's a Sad Day

It's a very sad day: Bagel prices went up at our bakery. The price went from $.70 to $.90. That means the Monday night special for bagels went from $.35 to $.45.

Fortunately, Wife's boyfriend works there. Tonight, he gave her a dozen bagels for $2.00. That's two bucks more than he usually charges her.

SWADG: Stuff We All Don't Get

When I arrived home tonight, Wife had a bunch of “goodies” to show me. Wife, as our four regular readers know, works at a major advertising company. One of the company’s clients is a shoe/athletic wear company that Wife said I am not permitted to identify (it is an expensive, trendy brand of athletic shoe– I’m sorry but I just won’t tell the name of the client…I just won’t do it…Wife will probably be deleting that line when she sees it).

Wife oversees the finances for this large client’s account. Anyway, the point of this story: when wife came to work today, she was greeted with a gift bag: a pair of athletic shoes (that are not released yet) and also a pair of “fancy” athletic shoes (I don’t know how to describe these shoes – Wife loves them; they look like a combination of tennis shoes and ballerina shoes to me). They also sent over plenty of socks to go with the shoes. This whole package came in a nice athletic bag for storage. Because Wife loves me she made sure to make sure they know what size shoe her husband wears.

The only SWAG I get are pens, mugs, and an occasional stress ball. I’m in the wrong business.

The good news for me is that Wife’s firm just won a major candy manufacturer. Let’s hope they love her too.

This is the Song That Goes Like This

I have "This is the Song That Goes Like This" from the Broadway show Spamalot stuck in my mind. Because I find it hilarious, I thought I would post the lyrics. If you google the song title and "Jessica Harris" you will find a video of a very funny rendition by a couple performing this song at a talent show.


This Is The Song That Goes Like This

Once in every show
There comes a song like this
It starts off soft and low
And ends up with a kiss
Oh where is the song
That goes like this?
Where is it? Where? Where?

A sentimental song
That casts a magic spell
They all will hum along
We'll overact like heck
For this is the song that goes like this
Yes it is! Yes it is!

I'll sing it in your face
While we both embrace
And then
We change
The key

Now we're into E!
*hem* That's awfully high for me
But as everyone can see
We should have stayed in D
For this is our song that goes like this!

I'm feeling very proud
You're singing far too loud
That's the way that this song goes
You're standing on my toes
Singing our song that goes like this!

I can't believe there's more
It's far too long, I'm sure
That's the trouble with this song
It goes on and on and on
For this is our song that is too long!

We'll be singing this til dawn
You'll wish that you weren't born
Let's stop this darn refrain
Before we go insane
For this is our song that ends like this!

Interesting Email

I just received a rather interesting email:

Dear Mr. Husband (thus guy actually knew my name):

Would you consider a tax counsel position with any of the Congressional
tax-writing committees (i.e., the Senate Finance Committee or House Ways
& Means Committee) or Member offices?

Best Regards,

Mr. Bigshot

Hmmmm.....that's something to think about. Working for Congress. Hmmmm.


UPDATE:

I sent Mr. Bigshot an email telling him that I would consider such a position. I received an immediate email asking me to call him. Now, we are playing phone tag.

UPDATE #2
We just spoke on the phone. His purpose was simple: find out my political affiliations to see if I could be a match for the positions he was looking for. I tried to sound as moderate as possible, but that didn't work. If flat out asked, "Are you a Republican or Democrat." I told him. I then heard silence.

UPDATE #3
Wow. A top Senator with my political party affiliation is reviewing my credentials. I never would have dreamed of this turn of events two hours ago.

Keeping Busy

It has been a long, hectic day - and the day is not even close to being over yet. I spent the first part of the morning participating in an on campus interview with a big NYC firm (those are just introductory "get to know you interviews" - nothing exceptionally excited). Oh, the firm gave us all Starbucks gift cards as gifts; that was nice. Later, I had a pesky class to prepare for and go to (annoying how classes are getting in the way of my life).

This afternoon was then spent doing "serious interviews" at another one of the big, swanky New York City law firms. Though four hours of straight interviews does not sound too bad, it is rather draining.

Top tier law firms don't deviate in their pay for young lawyers. All "good" NYC firms pay exactly the same amount. What differentiates firms competing for top talent are the perks. A few of the perks that the firm I was at today offer their lawyers include:
* Starbucks drinks catered in for the attorneys twice a day.
* A freshly baked cookie tray brought to the attorneys on each floor every afternoon.
* A team of massouses to give each attorney a massage once a week.

I recently told a friend, I don't plan to make money the deciding factor in my choice. But hot, freshly baked cookies may be hard to to turn down. Yes, it is the important stuff that will persuade me.

I should add: I am not particularly optimistic about getting an offer at this NYC firm. I know that this NYC firm, just like most others, receives about 500 resumes for each open slot. The firm did screening interviews with 51 lawyers. I made it past that round. They are bringing back fifteen to twenty for serious interviews. I think of it something like American Idol. I made it past the "thousands auditioned" stage, to now where there is the "top twenty-four." While I have a shot, I'm smart enough to know that the odds are strongly stacked against me.

Now, I need to go pack because first thing in the morning, I am flying down South.

My U.S. Tour Begins

In the next few weeks, I will be touring around the country to interview with various law firms in every corner of America. With the economy appearing to cause the legal market to tank, I am a little concerned about actually getting an offer, but right now I will enjoy the VIP treatment that the law firms are using to try to woo candidates. Although I have been asked to interview with firms in London, Paris, and Beijing, we will focus on the States right now (Wife says Paris "could be fun," and London is "something to think about," but all I got was a funny look with "we'll talk about it" when I mentioned Beijing). With the international firms contacting me, Wife and I recently realized that we need to get passports.

Later this week, I will be traveling down South to spend a day and a half with a firm. This is the “smallest” firm that I am talking to thus far (by “small” I mean that it is is not international in scope – they are a regional firm). This firm reminds me of the law firm in the first quarter of John Grisham’s novel “The Firm.” No, this firm does not have any mafia connections (that I am aware of). It reminds me of Grisham’s fiction because this firm is a mid-sized Southern firm that wants to play with the big boys (it is significantly larger than the firm was in the movie). As I reviewed some of their recent work, this firm appears to handle much larger cases and transactions than a firm of their size typically does. Their lawyers are exceptionally well qualified, and they also put a strong focus on family and loyalty. It should be interesting to see what the firm has to offer when I get there. Wife and I independently found the similarity to this firm and "The Firm." Because of the similarity, we simply refer to it as "The Firm."

I’m going through the travel information that the firm sent me. When reviewing it, I suddenly feel so low-class. When I travel, I basically look for the cheapest flight possible that will fit with my schedule. I’m generally satisfied with pretty cheap hotels. The firm is trying to entice me with fancy flights and a five star hotel. On my flight, I am promised plenty of leg room, my own television, and all the snacks and drinks I want. The hotel I will be staying at appears to be nicer than what Wife and I stayed in on our honeymoon (and we stayed in some really nice places). Personally, I don't understand what the point of spending this much money on a hotel is. I am going to spend very little time in the room. All I will be doing in it is sleeping, last minute firm research, and maybe some studying (ok, I probably won't do any studying). Needless to say, Wife is a little jealous of the upcoming trips. I'm going to need to find a way to make this up to her.

Valentine's Day Post

Here is a song in honor of Valentine's Day. When I played if for Wife, she found it rather emotional. I'll warn you that the artist (Mark Schultz) did not make the video. A fan put together a montage of photographs that go by while the song plays: if you like the photos, great; if not, don't blame the artist.

Enjoy my official Valentine's Day song for 2008: He Was Walking Her Home, by Mark Schultz (lyrics are posted below).

Mark Schultz - Walking Her Home

Looking back
He sees it all
It was her first date the night he came to call

Her dad said son
Have her home on time
And promise me you'll never leave her side
He took her to a show in town
And he was ten feet off the ground

(Chorus)
He was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled it stole the breath right out of him
Down that old road
With the stars up above
He remembers where he was the night he fell in love
He was walking her home

Ten more years and a waiting room
At half past one
And the doctor said come in and meet your son

His knees went weak
When he saw his wife
She was smiling as she said he's got your eyes

And as she slept he held her tight
His mind went back to that first night

(Chorus)
He was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled it stole the breath right out of him
Down that old road
With the stars up above
He remembers where he was the night he fell in love
He was walking her home

He walked her through the best days of her life
Sixty years together and he never left her side

A nursing home
At eighty-five
And the doctor said it could be her last night
And the nurse said "Oh
Should we tell him now
Or should he wait until the morning to find out?"

But when they checked her room that night
He was laying by her side

Oh he was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled when he said this is not the end
And just for a while they were eighteen
And she was still more beautiful to him than anything
He was walking her home
He was walking her home

Looking back
He sees it all
It was her first date the night he came to call

Wife’s Birthday Celebration: Meeting Clay and Eating at Mario Batali’s

If I do say so myself, Wife had a pretty good birthday celbration. Over the last 36 hours, we saw a Broadway musical, met Clay Aiken, and ate at one of Mario Batali’s restaurants.

Last fall, we heard the news that Clay Aiken was joining the cast of Spamalot. Wife, being the energetic teeny-bopper that she is desperately wanted to go see him. In her defense, we watched Season Two of American Idol together years ago, she became a fan then. The past few months, she has been watching for a special to come around for tickets to go see Clay in Spamalot, but there were absolutely no deals to be had. Lo and behold, tickets did show up on our list – for the performance the day before her birthday. It took right about two seconds to decide what to get her for her birthday.

Spamalot was a better show than I expected it to be. We have become quite the Broadway experts in the last two months (we have seen the Farnsworth Invention, Phantom of the Opera, Is He Dead?, Pirates of Penzance, and a Tribute to Eugene O’Niel). Shockingly, wife says that Spamalot was her favorite. Spamalot was definitely the funniest. The humor, while not exactly doctoral level humor, was actually rather sophisticated (well, most of it was).

Clay Aiken did a decent job in his role as Sir Lancelot. Frankly, I am sure that the former actor, David Hyde Pierce, undoubtedly did a “better job.” However, the roll is designed for a goofy, nerdy, wimpy knight that loves to sing. Really, this is a role that is perfect for Aiken. I mean absolutely no disrespect to Clay – this is simply a role that he plays very well.

For the most part, the cast was exceptional. Personally, my favorite part was looking at the cast members and trying to remember which Law & Order episodes they appeared in. However, there was one notably weak cast member. For our showing, the understudy for the Lady of the Lake performed. She seemed like a fine actress, but could absolutely not sing. Her lack of singing talent was the talk of the theater during intermission. For a woman staring in the performance of a musical, I would think that a prerequisite would be the ability to sing – clearly, I am completely mistaken.

After the play, I suggested to Wife that we ought to go the cast exit and wait to meet Clay. Wife rolled her eyes at me and responded, “I’m not a twelve year old girl.” I take full blame, insisting that waiting outside in the cold to meet Clay would make her birthday very special. And it did, Clay came out, introduced himself to us, signed autographs for us, wished Wife a happy birthday, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Ok, I’m making a lot of that up. We did meet Clay and we did get his autograph. Wife said to him, “Good job tonight,.” After about a ten-second pause, Clay responded, “Thank you very much.” He was clearly completely out of it. As Wife commented, “He’s still performing.” In all fairness to Clay, he was the first star that came out. Though he was rather aloof, he was extremely polite and was willing to stay out and sign autographs for anyone that wanted one.

To finish off our celebration for Wife’s birthday, we went to dinner at Mario Batali’s restaurant, “Otto.” Without a doubt, this is the “trendiest” activity that Wife and I have done since we have been in the city. Otto is incredibly crowded with a young, very hip New York crowd. In a way this is the perfect restaurant for Wife and I: all of the entrees are extremely reasonably priced at just about ten dollars each. The restaurant makes it’s money on the wine, which goes for up to about $350 a bottle. Since Wife and I don’t drink, this is a very cheap priced dinner at a trendy hotspot.

During dinner, we had some great entertainment at the table next to us. This fellow and his date, who clearly enjoyed the wine WAY too much, decided to pull a stunt to get a discount on their meal. Together, they split one of the unique pizzas. They devoured the pizza, except for one tiny morsel of crust (seriously, above the last half-inch of crust on just once piece). The fellow decided to proclaim that the pizza was “burnt” and “practically inedible” to everyone that would listen. It worked – they received an apology and their bottle of wine was on the house. I can’t figure out why the restaurant gave them the bottle of wine for free instead of just giving them the $12 pizza, but I’m just a simple minded fellow.

All in all, I would say that Wife had a rather good birthday.

Happy Birthday!!!!!

Happy Birthday to the smartest, sweetest, and sexiest wife on earth!!!!!

What Were the Suns Thinking?

Good new! I can now like the Miami Heat.