Category Work
Rockin’ — I mean, Workin’ New Year’s Eve!
I’m in the middle of negotiations for two big deals that have a deadline of midnight tonight. I’d like to say more about them, but they’ve been super contentious and highly publicized in the affected regions, so I need to be careful about client confidences. Suffice to say that these negotiations have been knock-down, drag-out affairs — complete with […]
O, the generosity of clients
[Friday, 5:45pm] Client (email): I have some questions about the contract that may require some changes — how late are you going to be at the office? Me (email): I have to leave the office at 6:30pm, but I’ll probably be back online around 7:30pm or so. [Client calls at 6:00pm] Client: Please do NOT feel […]
Rainy Occupation
Wednesday was dreary and gray, and it rained steadily all day long — one of those rains that never quite qualifies as a downpour but is unquestionably not a sprinkle or a drizzle. We get days like those from time to time here in DC (most often during hurricane season) and I love them. For one thing, […]
Averages
Every year the firm’s management committee holds a meeting to update the associates on the financial position of the firm and answer any questions we might have. There weren’t any major surprises, but one thing stood out to me: The average associate billable hours for the past fiscal year were around 1,700. I don’t know what other people billed, but […]
Am I Crazy?
Here I am at the end of my second highest billable month ever, which itself comes at the end of a sustained period (since early August) of intense work. Just a few days ago I wrote about how frazzled I felt and how much I needed a break. Well, I’ve had a break: Since last Wednesday, I’ve only […]
Two Weeks
I can sustain a hard-driving pace for a long time and perform really well. I actually kind of thrive on it. In part, I think it’s because the push to get something done under pressure — and then getting it done well — is enormously satisfying to me (even more so if I happen to get praise from […]
Not Dead
Just working. A lot. (Topped 80 hours last week; am on track to do it again this week.) Which means I’m in survival mode, cutting out everything optional in the interest of sleep. But don’t worry, I’m taking notes on things to write about when my life goes back to normal and I have all […]
Hurricane Report: 9h00
The bulk of the storm passed me in the night (I’m the pink dot to the lower left). The eye is now is now sitting on top of New York (the pink dot to the upper right). Right now in DC we’re only getting a light rain. It feels very calm and ordinary after yesterday’s stormy energy. The […]
Hurricane Report: 23h55
The storm is still going strong. As you can see from the map below, we’re back in the yellow/orange zone. Torrential rain and strong wind. I’m getting really sleepy, and I need to go to bed. But how can I go to bed when there’s a hurricane? It’s like going to bed in the middle […]
Hurricane Report: 21h40
What does 12-16 inches of rain look like? It’s been raining hard for the past 10 hours where I live, and according to the weather guys we’ve only gotten somewhere between 2-4 inches. So if southern Virginia has gotten 12-16 inches, then I’m impressed and, frankly, have a hard time imagining what that must have […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 