Summer Wrap-Up

Summertime in Colorado was, for the most part, amazing. Weather-wise, we had one or two 100 degree-plus days, several in the mid to upper 90s, and many more in the 80s. The nice thing about Denver's dry heat is that the only thing needed to beat it is a tree with some shade which makes it instantly tolorable. Dry Denver heat > humid (read: Philly) heat anytime. Work-wise, I've been plugging away at my three-credit, "Independent Study" summer paper to make up for some of last semester's credit loss, I worked on several legal briefs and research projects for the AG's office, and am still readying my applications for various post-graduation legal clerkships. Basically, and in addition to many other perks, legal clerkships are an excellent education in researching and distilling the law to its essence. They don't pay too much, are usually (but definitely not always) a law student's first job out of the gates, and in addition to amazing educational experiences they can be potent career-boosters.

Also, because I am certain that I want to litigate as opposed to write up contracts (an overly general description, but very basically lawyers are divided up into "litigators" and "transactional (contract writer-uppers) lawyers"), clerking after law school would be invaluable as litigation involves lots and lots and lots of researching and writing based upon statutes and past legal precedent (generally, cases). In addition to the wonderful skills I learned while working at the AG's Appellate Division, I sort of formulated my ideal career plan for the near future: clerkship, DA's office (preferably in Colorado, but Philly would be great too), and then either private practice or, ideally, into the U.S. Attorney's Office. So overall, and even accounting for my early June seizure, this summer's Colorado internship was very satisfying, just like last year's. I dramatically improved the quality of my researching and writing, I met wonderfully smart and interesting people, I was able to reconnect with some of my mentors from last summer, and I made it into the mountains several times. Though the economy has been rough for the legal field generally, and especially for the public sector, this summer experience has definitely solidified my desire to prosecute.


Health-wise, I've finished up three of my five-day rounds of chemo already, and my fourth will begin sometime in the next two weeks. I've had absolutely no problems so far, something that my doctor out in Colorado said is not uncommon at all for younger patients like myself. I've been exercising a lot, maybe four-five days per week, and biked about 30 minutes to/from work, as well as around Denver, pretty much every day. Amanda came out to Colorado to visit for two weeks, and our friends from California for one. Unfortunately the weather didn't really cooperate, but we did have a great time together and we were able to spend a few days up in the mountains. We even stayed at Estes Park's (unfortunately somewhat shoddy) Stanley Hotel of "The Shining" fame.

Also, I recently realized that one of the most important aspects of a doctor-patient relationship is based around active and open communication, especially when standardized methods of care are involved. Some of my Philadelphia doctors are disorganized, difficult to reach, and curt/impatient/borderline offensive when answering my questions. However, my neuro-oncologist out in Denver, though at times somewhat distracting to talk with due to his Tourette's, has been the most patient, informative, and caring of them all. Sure, it's nice to have doctors that are considered "the best in the business" due to their research prowess and high-level intellectual expertise. But when the standard of care for a specific cancer basically dictates the same therapeutic methods across the board, the best patient care is provided by the doctor who comes across as both accessible and compassionate.

Finally, now I'm back in Philly enjoying time with Amanda and our nephew who's come out from CA for a visit. Early tomorrow morning I have my first MRI scheduled to monitor the tumor and to "catch it" if it grows back and before it gets too large. This does tend to happen with brain tumors. The boyfriend of my summer internship supervisor had a brain tumor removed 4 years ago but it recently recurred, underscoring the importance of regular MRI's for early detection. Anyway I'll update again soon after tomorrow's MRI results come back...and hopefully with good news.