Almost here....

As I've mentioned what feels like 875 times on the blog and twitter over the last couple of weeks, my birthday is this weekend!

I feel like now is a good time to mention that I am SO not one of those people who makes a big deal out of their birthday. And I get really annoyed with girls that do. Ummm hello, it's just a birthday. EVERYONE has one. And it's annoying when people expect a whole

But this year, even I am making a big deal about it, and that's for a couple reasons. First of all I feel like for my entire life I knew that 25 would be it. It would be the year that I would FINALLY be done with school. While everyone was so excited to graduate college, I knew it was just moving past something that I had to do so I could get to law school so I could finally be a lawyer. And now? Uhhh.... I'm like really close to being a lawyer. 

So I guess my birthday isn't so much about my birthday as much as it's about everything else that's coming up. The last 3 years have generally been a blur/bore, and I'm so excited for what's to come! (don't get me wrong, I've had some great times over the last couple of years, but law school in general? snooze). Also, my birthday is May 1st, which pretty much always means finals. 1L year I spent my birthday in my library and came home to a 90 pound 10 month old puppy who had pooped in her crate and rolled in it. I'd say that 22 probably tops the list as my worst birthday ever. Last year I actually had a great birthday, despite the fact that it was right before my Con Law final. SO many friends came out to celebrate and it was so much fun. 

THIS YEAR, in addition to being 25, I am not studying for finals, I'm about to graduate, my birthday is on a Saturday, and I finally get to meet 2 friends from twitter/blogging - Natalie and Jenn! I am SO SO Excited for them to get here tomorrow morning! We are going to have SO much fun this weekend! And I sent out an e-mail for a hopefully fun get together at a bar/lounge place on Saturday night and am hoping lots of friends are able to make out!

So my mom has been asking every day this week if I had gotten anything in the mail yet. Apparently she mailed three packages. The first one came yesterday but she told me I COULD NOT open it because it was not my birthday.

 I actually wasn't too bothered by that, but then she changed her mind and said I could go ahead and open it because the gifts were individually wrapped. Then a couple minutes later she texted again and said if I wanted to open one yesterday, one Friday, and then the rest on Saturday that was okay. Ha. 

My mom doesn't really do "big" gifts for birthdays anyway, so it's not like I'm chomping at the bit knowing a new Chanel bag or fur coat is in the box. Ha (She actually texted me "don't get excited. it's not a fur." and I laughed. Woman knows me well).

So first I checked out this one and laughed to death:

If you can't read it: "Elle asked me to pick these up for the pee rocks in the wee hours." So yes, "Elle" got me a gift. If you follow me on twitter you know that Elle is infamous for waking up at 3AM and demanding to go outside to potty. And when you live on the 52nd floor of a high rise, you don't just open the door to let the dog out. You get up, get dressed, put the leash on, wait for the elevator, walk through the hallway to the garage, through the garage, out the door, and around the corner to the "pee rocks" - a little gravel patch where the dogs go potty. And then you do go back up again. Pain in the ass. So I can only imagine what THIS present is. I will report back on Saturday.


And I HAVE to share the card with you because it totally cracked me up.
The Front:

"A lady of taste and elegance celebrates her birthday in a refined, yet carefree manner"

And the inside - 

"And if she must vomit, she's careful to mind the new shoes."

And if you can't read my dad's handwriting - 

"Report back on the above." HA! 

Do my parents know me well or what?!?!

Oh, and the one present I chose to open?

via g-chat:

me: ha i opened my first present

an umbrella with pansies on it

N: um. thanks?

me: pansy = theta flower

duhhh

N: sorry i did not know that, most thetas had been deflowered years ago 

so i never got to see the theta flower

HA!

Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend! I know I will! :)

XOXO,

Legally Fabulous

Weigh-In Wednesday

This week: -.5 pounds
Total: -14.5 pounds

It's hard not to be frustrated with only half a pound lost, but I suppose I should be glad it wasn't a gain, since that's all that's been happening over the last couple of weeks.

I only worked out three days over the last week also (Wed, Mon, Tues) so that certainly didn't help.

I blogged last week about wanting to do a better of job of planning out what I was going to eat during the week, and I did a pretty good job of that. I definitely need to be spending less money eating out, and eating more fruits and veggies. Of course I totally blew it all this weekend when I ate out with reckless abandon (which probably has something to do with the fact that I only lost half a pound this week). And I'll be doing that again this weekend, but I'm not going to let myself care about since this weekend I have friends in from out of town AND it's my birthday weekend!

So there ya have it... another 'meh' post in my seemingly neverfreakingending weight loss journey.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Say NO to the Dress

So I tweeted about this earlier this morning, but I have nothing else to blog about and feel like it's worth repeating...

I love watching wedding shows. I read tons of wedding blogs. I get no greater pleasure than when I log on to facebook and someone has posted wedding pictures - from their own wedding, from a stranger's wedding, whatever. (True Story - December 2008 I had to de-activate facebook until finals were over after I realized that I had spent 3.5 hours going through the wedding pictures of complete strangers).

Why do I love looking at weddings so much? Because I'm wistfully planning my own? Nah, not really. As my friend and new reader L and I discussed recently, I don't really know what I want for my own wedding, whenever that may be. I just know what I DON'T want. I LOVE looking at tacky weddings.
And not tacky weddings like that website that shows brides in camo and grooms with mullets, that's just too obvious. I like the ones that just tried to hard and turn out awful.
I see SO MANY god awful weddings out there... Honestly the wedding of one of my pledge sisters is so awful I just wish I could post it for you guys to see. But I don't want to go STRAIGHT to hell, so I'm refraining.

Side note: Yes, I realize I am a huge bitch. This is not a new development.

Moving on..

So today I'm at the gym and Say Yes to the Dress comes on TLC. I freaking love that show. Again, not because I love the beautiful dresses, but because I love watching the seriously ugly ones that these chicks pick out. Today a girl on the show said "I'm the most beautiful bride I've ever seen!"and I was howling laughing so hard I almost fell off the treadmill.

One designer that seems to be featured on the show ALL.THE.TIME is Pnina Tornai. I'd never heard of her until the show. And now that I think about it, I've never heard of her outside of the show.

Some of her dresses are pretty. But some of them are SO AWFUL I would never let a Pnina Tornai frock (even the pretty ones) near my body for fear of catching something. This one dress in particular just keeps showing up on the show over and over again. DEAR GOD WHY!

image from Kleinfeld's website

thoughts going through my head whenever this dress appears:
WHEN IS SEE-THROUGH EVER APPROPRIATE IN ANY TYPE OF CLOTHING? WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S OKAY TO GET MARRIED LOOKING LIKE A HOOKER? DEAR GOD I HOPE YOU AREN'T GETTING MARRIED IN A CHURCH!!!

A couple more Pnina Tornai gems that make me wanna ralph:

images found via google image search.

So my final thoughts to you, readers:
For the love of all that is good PLEASE do not pick any of these dresses. or anything similar. But if you do, pretty pretty please send me a link to the pics from your wedding?
XOXO,
Legally Fabulous

Monday Monday Monday

I'm not gonna lie... I felt a little bit like Elle Woods this morning.

Total case of the Mondays.

Last week was the last week of classes, and I don't have anything due until May 11th/May 14th (paper and a final) so obviously I'm going to be procrastinating until then. I'm just going to be working as much as possible between now and when Bar/Bri starts on May 24th and I become unemployed for the summer/year/rest of my life.

so... anything exciting going on in your neck of the woods?

A recap of the week - 140 characters at a time

I realize that some of you aren't on twitter, so I've decided to do a little recap of all the funnies that you missed. Oh, and if you are on twitter and you're not following me? You're missing out. Follow me.

Without further ado:

-  If you're over the age of 5 and special order at McDonald's, you need your ass kicked.

- "there's something about the springtime that makes me want to choke bitches. And the CTA. And work. It's a perfect storm." -T

- "omg that guy is so creepy... I feel like he murdered someone in Texas and THAT'S why he moved to Chicago" ... PEEING MY PANTS

- I just tried to take a picture of Elle Woods with her nose in my wine glass and she got up and walked away. WHOSE DOG IS THIS?

- "I need an opinion, and I know you have lots" - subject of email i just got from college friend hahhahah

- "the median score on the last assignment was 8.5 out of 20" uhhhh what?

- I'm finishing law school just like I started it: totally unprepared

- In my gym clothes at court. Is this proper court room attire?

- Oh whatup last day of law school EVER tomorrow.

- "It's CHEESE, it's not LIFE OR DEATH!" - @kevin_neal to Elle lol

- officially completed my Junior league associate requirements - yay!
- The bitch at work that I hate just called me by the completely wrong name. I have worked here for 4 months. I want to cut her.
- I don't know who this bitch is but I bet I can sing a song about her"
- "oh my God, Justin Bieber's uglier, sluttier lesbian sister is here!"




Cracking up re-reading this stuff... what a week!

Last Day of School Funnies

A few tidbits from my last day of school EVER....

As I was SCRAMBLING to get the pretrial memorandum finished for my last. class. ever. (SQUEEEE!!!!), this g-chat was taking place


(C = one of my law school friends who is gay (how do I always befriend gay men wherever I go?))

me: i am doing this pretrial memorandum

i've never written more BS

C: for what?

me: matrimonial drafting

this is my last f'ing law school class EVER

I DON'T CARE

C: why would you take that you arent getting married.

you are a gay man

me: true

people like you and me, C, we can't get married.

And yesterday morning I got an e-mail from a college friend: - 

subject: I need an opinion, and I know you have lots. 

and inside the e-mail?  

ooo . . . my new hobby is perusing the wedding websites that I am 

being dragged to with S's friends . . .

And I think these wedding websites are SO tacky. Do you agree? Or am I bitch?

 

Bahahahaha... there is nothing I love more than perusing pics of ugly weddings. So yes, I agree. And I guess we're both bitches?

(I would love to link you to these sites, but I am not THAT bitchy. sorry)

Weigh-In Wednesday

I know I've skipped the last couple of weigh-in Wednesday's... and even though I REALLY wanted to skip today, I am back at it.

This week: +1

Today: -14

Annoying.
I feel like I will NEVER get to 30 pounds.
I've had some great workouts over the last week. I KNOW that I just need to get my eating under control, but I am having SUCH a hard time with that.
On Sunday I spent a ton of money at the grocery store buying lots of veggies and things to take in my lunch this week. I'm making a conscious effort to eat out less, bring my lunch more, etc. I just really wish I wasn't starving ALL THE FREAKING TIME.

Frustrated.

What I've been up to lately

HIIIII EVERYONE!Elle Woods the Great Dane here! Mom says that everyone loves it when I post, so I thought I'd take the opportunity on this Monday morning to let you know what I'm up to.
I hate Mondays. They make me sad. Mom goes to work and Dad (mom's roommate) is usually really sleepy on Mondays because he works at a bar so he works all weekend. So even though I have a stay at home Dad he isn't much fun on Mondays!

The past week has been a lot of fun for me though! It is springtime here in Chicago (FINALLY!) so we have spent a lot of time at the dog beach. I've been going swimming and running and jumping and having SO MUCH FUN. I asked Mom to take some pictures so you can see, but she forgot her camera (sometimes Mom is dumb and I get frustrated), so these are just crappy iphone pictures.


First here is me runnningggg and playing. I can run really fast for a Great Dane. It's because I don't like to eat too much so I am so thin and glamorous (like a supermodel!).

 This is me and my friend Sampson ( he goes by Sam for short). My mom thinks his mom is very nice, and I think he is QUITE handsome! He looks just like my blog friend Honey, but he is even bigger than Honey! He weighs about 165 pounds. I am quite petite at only 110 pounds!

Mom made Sam's mom make us sit so she could get a picture of the two of us together. Sam is obviously a better sitter than me. I just wanted to make sure I was gonna get something out of it (TREATS!) before I sat down. I don't do somethin' for nothin', people!

 So then I finally sat like a good girl. See how much bigger Sam is than me?! And if you look close you can see a baby Great Dane in the background (just behind my left ear!). He is 3.5 months old and SOOO CUTE. His name is Desmond and he is what is called "blue", which is a beautiful gray color. He had his ears cropped so they will stand up, not like me and Sam's ears. He wanted to play with us a little bit but he got a bit scared when we started running around like wild Hooligans! So he mostly just stood by his daddy. I can't wait til he gets bigger and can play with me!

Here is another one of me and Sam with Baby Desmond in the background.

 See how much bigger Sam is than me?!

 Here is a close up of just me. Pretty, aren't I?!

After we go to the beach I am just plain WORN OUT! So I like to nuzzle into my pillows and make myself a little nest. I am so glad Mom puts these pillows up on the bed so I can be comfy! And I am so grateful that I leave my bed on the floor wide open for her, in case she wants somewhere to lay down while I'm resting.

 After lots of beach fun, Mom's favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks, were playing.

Ugh... this is boring mom. I don't wanna watch anymore.

Mom made me sit down and watch it with her. She told me I had to watch because she says Dirk Nowitzki is probably going to be my daddy sometime soon so I should get used to him.

Oh... a real dad? For me! Which one? The cute one? YES!

He looks tall... I wonder if he likes to wrestle!

K mom, when do I get to meet him?!

Mom says this is playoff season so we'll be watching lots of Mavs games and cheering for Dirk a lot. I guess that's alright with me, as long as the games don't interfere with my beach time. Priorities, people.

  Hope everyone else had a good weekend!
I am exhausted from typing this, so I'm going back to sleep! 

Oh and mom asked me to share some good news with you guys - she found out on Friday that her ex's mom (I blogged about how she found out she had cancer here) had a successful surgery. They removed the cancer and found it has not spread to the lymph nodes. HOORAY! I am so so happy to hear it. She won't have to do chemo or radiation since it hadn't spread, so wonderful news there.

XOXO,
Elle Woods
ElleWoodstheGreatDane@gmail.com

Gearing up for the week ahead...

Which happens to be my last week of law school classes EVER!!!! I wish I could explain how happy this makes me, but you're just gonna have to take my word for it.

Those of you who have followed the blog for a while have read about my ongoing battle with my weight... For those of you who are new - I set out to lose 30 pounds in January of 2009. I lost as much as 20 at one point, gained about 10 of it back, and have been hovering at around 15 pounds lost for the last 4 months or so. I am a workout machine... I do 60 minutes of cardio at least 5 days a week and try to lift weights 2 or 3 times a week (although I'm not always so good about lifting). My problem is eating... I eat like every meal is my last. I eat out all the time. I love cheeseburgers. I love to drink. So - the fact that I've had a hard time losing

In addition to all these calories I'm consuming eating out all the time, I'm also spending a shit ton of money. Money that I don't really have to be spending out (uhhh yeah, I should be using my paychecks to pay my credit card bill, not eat cheeseburgers and guzzle pitchers of beer).

SO - this week I'm going to try something new. Something that a lot of you do all the time, but I don't. I'm gonna menu plan, then I'm going to go to the grocery store and buy the things I need for the week. And I'm going to pack my lunch. And the only spending I'm gonna do this week is Starbuck's if I feel like I need a little pick me up.

So those of you who are regular menu planners - give me your tips. What do you always keep around the house?. What is your go-to easy meal for after a busy day? And I ESPECIALLY want to hear from you single girl menu planners - What is your best recipe to cook for one person?! (I have no shame and will go to the meat counter at Whole Foods and purchase 1 steak, so this is not an issue, ha).
Obviously I can make a regular meal and feed my roommate or take the leftovers for my lunch, but I want suggestions for 1 person meals that are something other than a chicken breast or a can of soup. Ha.

Help a sister out!

Spring has Sprung!

Well it appears as if spring has officially sprung here in Chicago! The high today is 82 degrees and it is absolutely gorgeous.

So since this has somehow turned into "Fashion Week" here at Legally Fabulous - I figured some of you might be wondering what someone like myself might be wearing to spend the day in clinic, class, and the library when it's 82 and sunny outside. SO - 

I bring you my highly fashionable springtime outfit of the day:

Nike workout pants

New Balance kicks

Tshirt

Helmet

Ha. No really, I'm wearing this today. It is just TOOOO beautiful to be on mass transit, so I rode my bike for the first time in 2010 today! 

Apologies for anyone in the library who has to smell me. (I brought deodorant and a fresh shirt to change into!)

I live about 6 miles from school, so I hopped on the lakefront bike path to avoid the misery that is mass transit. It takes about 45 minutes to bike to school, which is not much longer than it takes on the bus or the train. I plan on riding my bike a lot to bar review classes this summer... The little boost of endorphins to start my day has put me in a lovely mood!

And I stopped along the way to snap a couple iPhone pics. 

Much better than the view of the inside of the bus, don't ya think?

Random Tidbits

Just gonna use this post today to spout off about a couple of random things:

This week I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. THANK GOODNESS there is only one more week of classes after this week. I am so glad to have several weeks off at the end of April and in May to just work (and take 1 pesky little final) before bar/bri starts May 24th (let's not talk about that, k?).

Clinic will be pretty much done after Friday. We are filing the appellate brief for one of our cases. This is not the BIG trial case but the post-conviction case I just started working on this semester - innocent guy who is currently serving year 17 of a 40 year sentence for being a "lookout" in a murder he had nothing to do with. Don't even get me started or I will become filled with rage again, as I do every time I read or write about the police who said he "wasn't under arrest" despite being handcuffed in the back of a police car and taken to the police station where he had the shit beaten out of him for OVER THIRTY HOURS by some Chicago police officers in its infamous Area 2.  OVER THIRTY HOURS.  RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
So anyway, that's in the process of final edits, then we will file the copy with the appellate court and the special prosecutor and send the copy to the client, waiting in jail and hoping that some clueless law students and an incredible professor can fix something terrible that happened to him almost two decades ago. Seriously yall, I cannot go through the statement of facts of the brief without having to take deep breaths because I get SO. FREAKING. MAD.

Up next:
When I was in Dallas for Easter, my roommate was driving my car when a guy hit him.  :( Super sads. The damage to Tighty Whitey:

I took her in to get an estimate yesterday and picked up a rental car.  Glad no one was hurt and the car is drivable, but still... Such a pain in the ass.

- Last week my mom made it through the halfway point of chemo, whooohooo! She went in for chemo a couple of weeks ago (she was having treatments weekly) and apparently her doctor said 3+ times "you look terrible. No, really, you look BAD." etc. And my mom was like "no shit, I have cancer and I'm going through chemo." And the doctor decided she needed to take some more time in between treatments so she could rest and such. So they switched her to once every 3 weeks (which is what she had when she first had cancer 6 years ago). The good news about that - more time to recover in between, which means more times of feeling good. The bad news about that - 1 chemo treatment every 3 weeks means that the one treatment is a real bitch. So last week it totally whipped her ass and she didn't get out of bed for a couple days. She had to go in on Friday and get some fluids because she was so dehydrated and lethargic, but she says she's feeling much better now.
She is having a PET scan next week to see if the chemo is working. So if you're the praying type, say a little one that her scans come back free and clear.

- Speaking of cancer. Dude, Fuck cancer. Seriously though. Cancer fucking sucks.
Last week I had an e-mail from one of my sorority sisters that her mom has colon cancer.
Fuck Cancer.

Then on Saturday night I get on facebook and see that my ex-boyfriend's little brother has a facebook status up that says "thanks everyone for saying prayers for my mom, we really appreciate it." So naturally I immediately send him a message to see what the deal is. Despite my feelings about/towards the ex, his mom (and whole family really) loves me and I keep in touch with her via e-mail, etc., so I was concerned. Turns out they just found out that she has cancer too. Ughhhhhhhh.

Let me just say it again - FUCK CANCER. 

She had surgery last night, which went well. They will get pathology reports back in the next couple of days to find out if the cancer has spread. If it has not - no chemo or radiation. But if it has, they will begin chemo and radiation ASAP.
Again - if you're the praying type, say a prayer for my mom, my friend's mom, and the ex-boyfriends mom. Too many moms with cancer. We are too young to have sick moms!!!


So there ya have it - an update of what's been going on in my life.
Man, this was a Debbie Downer of a post.

I can't leave you guys feeling sad or angry, so here is a little funny for you. I have a friend who is an ER doctor in Chicago, and he usually works night shifts. He always has the BEST stories. Last night/this morning, his facebook status gave me a good chuckle:

FYI, generally speaking, 

if you can clearly form the words, "I can't breathe," 

chances are, you can.

Last week he had this little gem at 8:15 on Sunday morning: "Happy Easter. More Stabbings." 

Someone commented: "for real?" and he replied: "Yeah apparently there was a real kickin' party in Rogers Park at 6am that was bumpin' until some bitch brought out a box cutter."

Cracks my shit up. 

XOXO,

LF

The Fashion Police

So yesterday I did a fashion show re-cap post on Above the Law and it created a little bit of controversy.... I totally expected that. What I didn't expect was that people would have such a hard time grasping such basic concepts. Mostly: don't dress like a slut.

Y'all... I am not even kidding when I tell you what I've seen girls wear for on campus interviews at my school.  We are talking MINIskirts, red patents pumps with matching red hoop earrings, cleavage, bare legs, etc.

The entire fashion show was about two things: 1) INTERVIEWING and 2) BEING IN COURT.
The times when one most be their MOST conservatively dressed. I stand behind all of the comments that I said in the Above the Law piece. A BigLaw interview or a courtroom is NO PLACE for your red patent pumps. Apparently the red patent pump thing really struck a nerve with a lot of ATL readers, and you all think I am some frumpy grandma with no sense of style who wears a burqa every day. Not the case, at all. However, I DO know, which many people fail to understand, when is the time and the place for the red patent pump (and it's rare, which I also understand). Also - apparently some of you are having a really hard time letting go of your giant hoop earrings.
Let them go ladies, just let them go.

I actually do own a great pair of red patent pumps, which I have worn to the office at my old Chicago law firm. However I wore them with a knee length black suit dress over a white button down shirt with black tights. They are a dark red patent with a round toe and a 2.5 inch heel, which is much lower than I usually wear. They're just a little pop of color in an otherwise boooooring outfit that was totally office appropriate - because I wasn't being interviewed, and I wasn't in court.

I don't know why people seemed to run off in the comments and think that I was saying that there is never a time for ruffles or pink or personality! Because honestly, if you knew me in real life, I'd bet "ruffles" "pink" and "personality" would be three of the first words you'd use to describe me.
I wear pink and ruffles to my law firm ALL THE TIME. But not when I have to go to court (either for my law school clinic or for work). And I never meet with clients at this stage in the game, so that's not an issue for me.

For a beautifully written recap of the article and my current thoughts and feelings about it - read this post that my friend Daisy wrote today. She is dead on.  Pay special attention to "The Rules of Being a Female Attorney, according to Daisy." Print it out. Tape it to your closet door. Remember it.

And now, I'd like to get back to the more fun stuff. While I personally hope to spend a lot of time in the court room, MOST attorneys don't spend a lot of time in court or in interviews. You spend your time doing attorney stuff. At a desk. Where you don't talk to clients. Some law firms are super casual, some are not. BigLaw is going to be more formal (I'm assuming - I honestly have no idea. I have never worked at a large firm and do not have any desire to do so anytime in the next 20 years).

I have worked at my current firm since January and have honest to God seen my supervising attorney wear something other than jeans ONE time. ONCE. She wears jeans and tennis shoes and a sweater every single day. No jewelry (not even a wedding ring, even though she's married). No makeup. She's been an attorney at the firm for 20 years, she does not go to court, she does not see clients, and she has earned the right to wear whatever the hell she feels like. More power to her.

So now you're saying "Hey, Legally Fabulous, I get it. But I'm fashionable! and pretty! and smart! and I don't want to have to dress frumpy just because I'm a lawyer!"

I give you my friend Kate as the perfect example. You don't have to dress like a frumpy grandma to be dressed appropriately. (You may be wondering why I didn't show examples of my own outfits. The answer to that is that quite frankly, Kate dresses way cuter than I do).

The rules still apply, and Kate follows them beautifully:
- No gaudy jewelry
- No cleavage
- No skirts or dresses above the knee
- No bare shoulders  (even in September! In Texas! when it's hot as hell!)
- Makeup is simple
- Outfits are well-tailored and fit appropriately.

Kate used to work at a mid-size firm in Dallas - if you go back to some of her old posts you can see what she wore back in the fall. Now Kate works for a non-profit. Non-profit = less formal, but NOT less appropriate.

Here are some of my favorites of Kate's work outfits:

From the firm days - A perfect "I have to go to Court today" outfit:

the polka dots are cute, and give her some personality without being too much:

Also from the firm days -  For a non-court day:

Kate says: "The weather in the Big D continues to be abysmal... luckily the blacks and grays in your closet are easily spiced up with flirty bow details and a pop of pink, ensuring that your business attire doesn't match the dreary view from outside!" 




This is one of my favorite Kate outfits from her firm days - mostly because I wear a black skirt, blouse, and cardigan pretty much every day and loooove this ensemble. And also because I freaking adore ruffles:

With fun, yet still appropriate shoes:

And here are a couple of her more recent outfits from the days of the non-profit:
I love this dress:

Wheeee more polka dots!

And I love this blouse/cardi combo - as soon as Land's End Canvas puts out another 20% off coupon, it's mine!

So there you have it - Some examples of how to be a fashionable lady lawyer. Thanks Kate, for being an example for me!
Here is Kate's picture blog, if you want to peruse all of her outfits: http://itakephotosinthebathroom.blogspot.com/
And here is the link to Kate's blog - because she's more than just a pretty face in great clothes! She's smart and funny and you'll love her (I've met her in real life - she's great!).  http://elefantitasalegres.blogspot.com/


So there you have it - how to dress like a lovely lady lawyer. As always feel free to spout off in the comments or to send me an email if you have a question/comment - legallyfabulous1@gmail.com

And muchas gracias to Daisy and Kate for letting me steal some of their material!

Fashion Do's and Don'ts

Last week I attended a "What Not To Wear" Fashion Show hosted by the Chicago Bar Association and some other people/organizations. I recapped it for Above The Law - check it out here!

My friend Tim's response:

 "that's a funny article.  didn't know there were so many rules in law offices.  

i would totally have been the slutty girl lawyer"

My mom is gonna kill me.

I just sent my mom the following e-mail:

Hello my favorite Mother that I looooove so much,

I was just doing some reminiscing tonight... and thinking about how 7 years ago, in May of 2003, I received an iPod just like this one from my amazing and awesome parents for my high school graduation.

Wouldn't it be SOOOO cool if in May of 2010 I received an iPad like this one from those same amazing parents for my law school graduation?!?!?!? 

XOXO,

Love,

Your favorite beautiful wonderful smart talented soon to be lawyer daughter. 

I have a feeling her response will be something along the lines of:

- Wow, you sure DO have some great and wonderful and amazing parents. You should thank them for all of that fancy education you've received!

or:

- HAHA! You're funny.

or:

- How many times do I have to tell you how broke we are right now? What is it going to take for you to understand this? What do you want more, for me to pay your mortgage, or an iPad?

Can't wait to see what she says...

Additional thoughts  - I totally don't expect anything for my parents. They've already told me that they're giving me some cash that I can use to support myself through the summer while studying for the bar until

And that is MORE THAN generous. and I am very appreciative.

- dude, how cool was I for having that original iPod? I only knew one other person who had one at the time (and she's a very new reader to Legally Fabulous. HEYYYY Linds! I was totes jealous of you in high school when you got an iPod. I'm glad we're friends). and it was FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS. How ridiculous is that? Oh, and also - my parents bought a FIVE YEAR extended warranty on the thing. I think that is so hilarious. In the 7 years since that iPod I've probably had 7 ipods (if you count the 2 iPhones). The fact that we actually thought I'd keep that one piece of equipment for 5 years is pretty hilarious. 

Once again, well played Steve Jobs. 

oh and seriously - iPad. I'm lusting. Hard. Need to get a big girl job ASAP so I can buy myself one, since I already begged and pleaded with Namby Pamby to buy me one and he said no, suggesting that I find myself a sugar daddy instead. As if I haven't been working on that already. 

Precious Little Devil Dog

This morning Elle Woods the Great Dane woke up before I did, so she did what any good dog or child would do... she entertained herself until Momma was ready to get up to play.
I'm laying in bed and she gets out (yes, she sleeps in the bed with me. I know, it's bad. I just don't have the energy to deal with listening to her cry all night when I won't let her on the bed), lays on the ground in between the bed/bathroom, and goes to town on one of her bones.

I was laying there thinking to myself "this is so nice. when she was a puppy I would have to jump up the second she woke up to hustle outside before she peed on the carpet. Now she can keep herself busy until I'm ready to wake up and take her out! I <3 my sweet dog!"

Then I peaked one eye open to look at her having fun with her bone, and this is what I see she's going to town on:

No, that's definitely not a bone. That's my freaking makeup brush.

I thought once your dog was almost 3 they were supposed to be over doing crap like this? (well, Great Danes at least. They are considered "adults" at 2 and "seniors" by 5 or 6 years old!)

Looks like a new foundation brush is on my list of things to purchase this week.
Thanks, Elle.

Sometimes being a grown up sucks...

I turn 25 in three weeks... it's exciting, I suppose.
I've never been one to make a huge deal over birthdays - (duh, everyone has them) but this year I'm more excited than usual. Mostly because for the first time in years I won't be studying for finals on my birthday, and 2 weeks after my birthday is law school graduation! YAY!

There is a very big not exciting thing that goes along with this birthday. As of May 1st, I get kicked off of my parents health insurance. Sads :(

So - help me out here peeps. I need to get some health insurance lined up, ASAP. Needs to be cheap and just cover the basics in case I get hit by a bus or my roommate decides he's sick of my shit and cuts my leg off. What's the best deal out there for a non-smoking quarter-lifer?

Rain Rain GO AWAY, I want to dress pretty again!

So remember that love/hate relationship I have with Chicago that I talked about last week? Yeah... well... we've swung back the other way.
I've blogged in the past about the beautiful view I have from my 52nd floor condo. I have a wonderful view of Lake Michigan and one of Chicago's many beautiful harbors. On a pretty day, I can sit on my couch and stare out the window for hours...

and then, on days like today... I cannot.

Yes - those would be snowflakes in the forecast for tomorrow. And I know it only shows cloudy, but it was definitely raining 2 hours ago. 
So what does someone as fabulous as myself wear to work on a day such as this? Keep in mind that this fabulous one is suffering from a nasty bout of hip bursitis (google it. hurts like a motherf'er) and takes public transportation to work and school. For those of you who don't know - taking public transit on days like this = getting soaked walking to/waiting for the bus and then being squished and smashed with other people ON the bus, which transforms into a sauna on wheels when it's wet out.
So here is my glamorous traveling to work outfit: (p.s. I'm channeling Kate of elefentitas alegres and I take photos in the bathroom with these pics snapped at work)

North Face rain jacket - zipped up tight over head (You can't see it in this picture but this jacket is covered in giant muddy paw prints - have I mentioned how fabulous and glamorous owning a dog is when it's raining?)
And Pucci rainboots, purchased from Neiman Marcus in 2004. This makes them 6 years old this year. If my mom knew about this blog I would totally send her the link to this and say "HA! I TOLD you these weren't a stupid purchase and that I'd wear them for years!" because she totally gave me SO much grief when I bought them. And they were a total investment purchase. <3

A little changearoo, and I'm ready for the day:

Outfit of the day - 

BCBGeneration black pumps via Nordstrom (a little too much of a heel for my hip, but I'll deal) (these are on sale for $89.90 and are about as comfortable of a 4 inch heel as you're ever going to find. seriously - go scoop them up now!)

DKNY black tights via Nordstrom

Gray skirt via Ann Taylor (looks black here, but it's def. gray) - color is called "coal dust" - got on sale for less than $50 at Ann Taylor, hooray! It is super flattering and comfy - has a stretchy waistband, holla!

Black t-shirt weight turtleneck via Target (almost identical to J.Crew tissue tee turtleneck at a fraction of the price, hooray!)

J.Crew sweater purchased this weekend at the J.Crew outlet (it has crystal buttons! and the pink keeps me from looking like I'm going to a funeral, which I'm realizing I sort of look like anyway)

Soooo I thought the outfit was way more flattering than it is... Maybe the bathroom mirror sucks? (ehhh doubt it, but let's go with that). And for those of you who don't believe me when I say I mostly dress like a grandma - here's your proof. I pretty much wear black tights, dark skirts, and cardigans to work EVERY day until it gets warm. Then I just ditch the tights. Ha.

I'm making myself sound SO not fabulous right now - I'm gonna have to bust out my lime green linen blazer and do another outfit of the day post  ASAP as soon as the weather turns back around!

How's the weather where you live? Chicagoans, do you look slightly homeless on the bus/train on the way to work and change when you get there like I do? Ha. 

Have a wonderful rainy Wednesday!

XOXO

p.s. you may have noticed I skipped Weigh-In Wednesday. I don't wanna talk about it. Ha.

Omigod Omigod you guys!

It is now less than SIX weeks away!!!!
What? Graduation, obviously.

Going along with graduation I've had to make some BIG decisions.
Huge.

Where to take the bar?
How to pay for the bar?
How will I decide between my multiple job offers (HA!)

But none of these decisions comes close to the biggest decision I've had to make in my 25 (almost) short years thus far....
If you follow me on twitter, you already know the answer... WHAT SHOES SHOULD I WEAR FOR GRADUATION?!

I decided long ago that for graduation I would wear my very first ever pair of Christian Louboutin's. Then I had to decide WHICH PAIR?!

When I first laid eyes on these babies, I gasped audibly. And no, I'm not joking.
I want them SO SO BAD. They would be the perfect ever graduation shoe for this Legally Blonde wannabe (some of you are loving me right now. Most of you are probably rolling your eyes and wanting to stab me. It's fine).

If you've read this blog for any amount of time at all, or if you know me in real life, or if you follow me on twitter, you know that these shoes are just SO ME.

However - that's a LOT of money to spend on a pair of shoes. A LOT. And a pair of shoes that I'll only wear a couple of times at most. Granted, this is a CELEBRATION! But... still...

so that's why I started leaning towards these beauties:

Also SO beautiful... but black. Able to be worn to work. Could be worn to all sorts of places that pink glitter is not appropriate.

So I chose the black patent. I love love love them. And I know I will love them forevssss
My heart is still lusting for the pink glitter, don't get me wrong....

I ordered them online today because Neiman's was having a wonderful little free gift card with purchase dealio... but I still have 5.5 weeks to change my mind.
Did I make the right decision?!?!?!

Law School Grads and public interest...

Interesting article in the Chicago Tribune today....

Law school grads use deferred time to work at legal aid groups - 

Benefits flow both ways: New lawyers gain experience with people, courts; agencies help more poor clients

I have mixed feelings on this topic... on one hand, that's all fine and good... I'm all for new lawyers helping out, but on the other hand, what about those of us (me me me!) who actually went to law school to do public interest work? And aren't just biding our time until we get a chance to make six figures slaving away for the man?

I have a lot of friends who want to do public interest law (that's the nature of participating in a public interest clinic!), and we have the same loans as everyone else (fml), and not a single one of us has a job. 

Fabulous readers - what are your thoughts on this? Am I being bitchy (probably)? Do I need to get over the fact that the jobs I want are being taken by classmates with higher grades who are just waiting until their firm can pay them?

Do I have any readers out there who are deferred and looking to take jobs from me for a year? (jk... sort of). Any of you want to do public interest law but can't find jobs?

The city of Chicago and I have a love/hate relationship...

and today we're in looooooove!!!

One of my mother's favorite things to do is to send me e-mails or text messages in January that say "how's the weather in Chicago today?"
She thinks it's hysterical. I do not.

It is SO WONDERFUL out today... there are people out everywhere. Until you've suffered through a Chicago winter you will never REALLY appreciate the first 80 degree day of the year.

And in other good news - I am Dallas-bound tomorrow! So excited to spend a long weekend at home with the family!

Hope everyone is enjoying warm weather, wherever you are!