Options

Yesterday, in the interests of falsely pinning some certainty to my approaching future, I repeatedly pressed E about where we could live and where we couldn't, whether we could handle each location for one year or two, and what E would do (quit job, telecommute, find a new job, go back to school) in each location.

Long term, we know we want to be here. But for the short term, there's absolutely no reason we can't go live anywhere. Which is awesome and disconcerting at the same time.

Last week, E tossed out the idea of getting a Masters in Leiden, Netherlands. I'd love to live in Europe for a couple of years. But a decision like that takes planning. When? How? What will I do while E's in school? How long would it take to get bar equivalence? I like the idea, but given my current set of plans, it won't work 'til around 2009 at the earliest, and that's assuming equivalence is less than 3 years.

Yesterday, I added to the pile of infinite options with a discussion of whether I would apply for clerkships, and where. I think that I, like much of the law school herd, will let the decision be made for me. I'll throw together a ton of packets for clerkships targeted at a large number of judges all over the country. And, if, for some reason, I'm blessed with a clerkship, we'll go wherever the hell it takes us. And we'll call it a little mini-adventure. The issue to be decided upfront is where would we be willing to go on the mini-adventure and what is not an adventure and more like torture.

Ideally, while we're hanging out on a mini-adventure, E will apply to schools and assuming admittance somewhere, we'll leave the clerkship just in time for E to start school (ideally back here, but you never know...). This makes practicing law for me contingent upon where E gets into school. E's start date for school is contingent upon whether and where I get a clerkship. The bar trip is contingent upon all of these things and more.

And of course, all this preliminary decision-making is before I've even worked in chambers or done litigation. I may hate chambers or litigation in general.

Cart before the horse a little bit? Almost Always.

But hey, it's better than studying for finals. In fact, it's kind of reminiscent of the LSAT logic games. Which is comforting, since as far as I can tell, those games have nothing else to do with law school.