It's ALWAYS Sunny in Las Vegas

I have been on leave for the past few days. As a result, I have been bumming around during the day and have had the cable news stations on. CNN has this very excitable weather guy who does nothing but wet his pants at the prospect of hurricanes. Even if it is a mere tropical depression with the slightest chance of becoming a hurricane, this guy is going to tell you, and then telestrate, all about it. Woe be to anyone who is actually hoping for weather conditions outside of the vicinity of Bermuda.

Mr. Hurricane Pee Pants reminded me that are actually variable weather conditions out in the world. Since moving to Las Vegas in April, I have been subjected to only unrelenting sunlight. Every single day is unbelievably and unrepentantly sunny. There are never more than a few scattered clouds. There is never rain. It is always over 100 degrees. It is always sunny in Las Vegas.

I understand this is stating the obvious in that I live in the desert. That said, to conceptually understand this climate it is one thing. To live it, another. I long for thunderstorms. I envy those with overcast days. I think I am experiencing some variation on Seasonal Affective Disorder. Life out here is like staring into the "light boxes" they use to treat SAD for every waking hour of your day.

This is like life in Las Vegas. Except that the lamp is actually the Earth's Sun, that lady is me, and it never stops.

I'm pretty sure this is why everyone is always pissed off in the Middle East. All sun. All the time. If we could somehow get that region of the world Seattle-like weather, the majority of our problems over there would be solved.

Climatic considerations aside, life is good. I continue to approach work with the Joe Dirt "keep on keeping on" mentality. Every day remains a challenge in one way or the other. With the high volume of work that my office handles, I simply do not have the time to determine if I am progressing/succeeding as a lawyer and officer. I go on the assumption that if I was screwing things up, someone would tell me. I happened to watch a few DVR-ed episodes of Scrubs that were from the first season. I despite my unmitigated hatred of everything Zack Braff, I have to concede that the show did an excellent job of capturing the insecurities/fears that come with being in a profession like medicine or law. There is nothing quite like spending years and years in school only to realize that on Day 1 that you truly do not know anything.

Even though I worry that the heat here may melt me like a Raiders of the Lost Ark Nazi, I have zero regrets about joining the JAG. It is weird to consider that this time last year I was back in Chicago waiting for my bar exam results and coaching high school rowing (Go ICC!). It is even weirder that at this time two years ago I was sitting in my storage closet of an office at Pre-Law at UIllinois when I learned I had been accepted for Direct Appointment into the JAG Corps. Time flies.

With that in mind, for those prospective JAG applicants out there, make sure to consider the Summer Internship for your 2L summer job. I was on the fence if I was willing to commit to four years of active duty in that I had zero military background. The internship answered all the questions I had about joining JAG and then some. I had an amazing time at Wright-Patterson. Additionally, it seems to give a considerable advantage when one is applying for Direct Appointment. There is no wine & dine or any of the other perks of a BigLaw summer associateship. That said, at the end of your 10 weeks, you will know if a uniform will be right for you.

I hope this finds everyone well. Enjoy that next cloudy/rainy day.