Content, content, content! Tonight I went to a Harvard Law School Alumni Association event here in DC -- a speech by the new law school dean, a chance to see some classmates in the area, and what they called "substantial hors d'oeurves." I figured that if I took a substantial amount of the substantial hors d'oeuvres, I'd be in good shape to save a substantial amount of money on dinner. And two chicken skewers, five mini crab cakes, two mini mushroom things, a piece of mini bread, two mini cubes of cheese, a tiny little piece of smoked salmon, a cracker, a mini egg roll, and, inadvertently, three toothpicks, I'm pretty full. Mission accomplished.

The event was pretty crowded -- perhaps 300 people, ranging in age from "in their 20s" to "born in the '20s." There were a bunch of incoming 1Ls there -- I'm guessing the admissions people notified the people who got accepted of these events, and urged them to show up. I feel a little bad for the one '06er who I ended up talking to for a little bit, just because I clearly wasn't the law school representative he was looking for.

HIM: "So, I see from your nametag you were just a 1L. Did you like it?"
ME: "Yeah, yeah, I really did."
HIM: "So what are you doing for the summer?"
ME: "[brief explanation of my summer split between two really non-legal jobs, relying for the tenth time this evening on the soundbite I practiced beforehand about my current job]"
HIM: "It's that hard to get a law firm job for the summer?"

[If I'd tried to get a firm job this summer, I think that would have been mildly offensive. But, no, at that point I simply started to realize what I have to say is of no interest to this guy. Nevertheless...]

ME: "I didn't actually try. I'm happy with what I got."
HIM: "And they have to do with law school -- how?"
ME: "They don't."
HIM: "Why not?"
ME: "Because I thought I'd try some stuff I'm really interested in."
HIM: "Did most people find it as hard as you did to get a law firm job this summer?"
ME: "Uh -- I didn't try. But a lot of people did, and some got jobs."
HIM: "At bad firms?"
ME: "Excuse me?"
HIM: "At bad firms."
ME: "I don't know what the difference is. Some got jobs with firms they really want to work at after graduation. And some went to second-tier cities."
HIM: "Like?"
ME: "I don't know. Columbus, St. Louis, Juneau."
HIM: "Juneau?"
ME: "No, I'm kidding."
HIM: "I don't want to be a Supreme Court Clerk."
ME: "Okay..."
HIM: So I can probably just squeak by and still get a law firm job?
ME: That's what I hear.
HIM: Great.
ME: Great.
HIM: Is there anyone here you know who's working at firm this summer?"
ME: Yes.

And then he kind of drifted away. I feel bad I failed him in his quest to get some dirt on firms.

I had a small bout of uncontrollable laughter at one point during the Q&A session with the Dean. Someone asked a question, which us young folks in the back couldn't hear, and she repeated what he'd asked: "The question -- the questioner said he's a trans---" And at this point my brain filled in the rest of the word, and I thought it was really funny. Obviously, the rest of the word wasn't "vestite." It was "actional attorney." And that's much less funny.

Tomorrow I'm going to a recruiting reception for a fairly high-profile law firm, hoping for more free food and perhaps a pen or t-shirt. I'll keep you posted... :)