Please Check In

Can I ask you a favor?  If you read this weblog with any regularity -- if this is not the first time you've visited -- will you please leave a comment and tell me a tiny bit about yourself?  I'm thinking: name or codename (nobody will stalk you, but it's ok to be shy), age, approximate location, profession or favorite thing, and the reason you read?

I'm just curious about who you are.  Someone was asking me who reads this blog.  I know some of you, from comments and emails, but I have very little sense of who you are, where you come from, what brings you here, etc.  It would be really neat to know.  Thanks much. 

Comments

[Scheherazade H.]

Scheherazde, 21, female, training to be a barrister.

I started reading when you sent me an email because we have the same first name (trying to think - maybe about 2 years ago now?) and have read ever since because you write well.

[S]

S, 26, female, lawyer. Started reading 2 years ago when I discovered the world of law school/law-related blogs.

[Carol Anne]

I'm Carol Anne. I'm in my mid-40s -- I haven't bothered to calculate my exact age lately.

I'm a community-college English instructor in New Mexico. I first came to your blog through a link on Proper Course. I've been sailing for about six years, but racing only since January. I have continued to visit your blog because a whole lot of what you say resonates with my own experience.

Something that appeals to me but that many of my friends and relatives don't understand -- you had a prestigious, high-powered career in hand, but you realized that wasn't what you wanted, and you chose instead to coach a college sailing team. I was supposed to be the next Bill Gates; I was a highly talented computer programmer, and I had the SAT scores to prove it. But instead, I ended up chucking all of that and teaching English composition at a community college. And I have derived great satisfaction, when I see my students' portfolios at the end of the term, and I see what they have accomplished.

I imagine that for you, it's similar -- that you can see how well your athletes do, and that you can take joy in their successes, andd that more than makes up for the career you gave up.

However, the big thing that keeps me coming back is the human side. I continue to ache over the loss of Belle. And even if I'm not a particularly feminine person, occasionally, I do like the girl-talk that you have on this blog.

Sure, I've seen computers blamed for taking the human out of relationships, but at least as far as this blog is concerned, computers actually encourage human warmth and caring.

::Group Hug!!!::

[jyl]

jleebean, 29, beantown, lawyer. i think i found your blog through jeremy's. i visit b/c your blog is smart and self-aware. sometimes your blog reminds me of essays by anna quindlen -- hopefully you like her stuff b/c this is meant as a compliment (and as a sort-of response to your other post about writing fiction or other stuff). :)

[M]

24, law student, VA. Started reading when I was questioning whether this was the life for me. Kept reading because you give me hope that there's room to make mistakes, and recovery is an experience.

[Shara]

Shara, 31, Philly, graduating 3L

I think I first found the blog through JCA's and was curious about bankruptcy law and thrilled that you were from Maine. But I keep on reading b/c you have a truly interesting way of living your life and looking at your world.

[Michael J.]

Michael J., 43, Hanover NH, consultant.

I read because Hannah said you're a really clear thinker, I like your voice, and I'm inspired by your honesty in writing.

I hadn't actually seen '43' in writing before; that was an eye-opener. Thanks for the opportunity. ;)

[mj]

31, law student, just a bit up the coast from you...

I think you already know this, but I came looking specifically for you (that's kind of embarrassing - I feel a bit like a stalker) a year or two ago after someone passed along your famous LLDP-opoly charts. I was pleased to find you were living in Maine and I've checked in regularly since because the writing is strong.

[Nicole]

31, Michigan, business owner, outdoor enthusiast, dog lover, wife (wanna-be mother). I found your site through a link last year from jdz's site, and I found her site from a triathlete message board. I've kept reading because I enjoy your writing and I think you express insight on many subjects. I appreciate your blog for many reasons, the most pronounced is this..as opposed to some of the others that I read, you don't seem self-absorbed or self-righteous, yet you are open and I love reading your all requests, though I'm yet to ask a question. Thanks for letting all of us get to know you :)

[terrilynn]

I'm 47 and live on the coast of Carolina. I'm a legal transcriptionist.

I'm pretty sure I found you through a link on the late and much lamented Ever So Humble; "Stay of Execution" caught my eye. I really love reading about lives that are so different from mine, and your voice is very clear and true.

[jb]

27, Austin, currently a SysAdmin, which is a departure from the history and English background to which I will someday return. I don't recall the string of events that led me to your writing, but I have been hooked by your sincerity and the depth you demand of life. Exposure to your perspective is enlightening.

[B.]

B, 40, female, rising 3L at a law school in the midwest.

I started reading your blog my first year in law school because of your law focus. I have kept reading as you have shifted away from the law because you are an interesting, strong, smart woman. Who writes well.

It's amazing to me how (seemingly) easily you share your personal life/inner reality with the world. I admire that. Also, as someone earlier said, without being (or coming off as!) self-absorbed or self-congratulatory.

[misspixie]

I'm 27, a 3L at the law school where you did your undergrad, and recently married. I love to cook, I love to read, and I love music.

I started reading you for the law and kept reading you for the voice. I love how often you update and how much that makes reading your blog sometimes feel like a novel. I want to know how things work out! And like Matt and others above, I struggle with sorting out how to be authentic and happy and grown-up, and this blog deals with those things in ways that are incredibly direct, never cloying or navel-gazing.

I used to comment under my real name, but it felt a bit too exposed, so I adopted a pseudonym.

[kmsqrd]

kmsqrd, 30, female structural engineer

I don't know why I read, I just cannot stop.

I am a 26 year old lawyer who was recently turned on to your blog by a friend. I am hooked on the honesty and perspective with you write. I can relate SO much. I too feel like this is a book I cant put down because I want to see how the next thing turns out! Thank you.

[Madame Sosostris]

I'm 37 and work as a civil rights lawyer in DC. I found your blog a couple of years ago (or was it more?) by linking from some law-related blog. I love to read, and the main reasons I read your blog are that you are an excellent writer with a versatile range of subjects. Your writing is honest, your voice is strong, and your content is thoughtful and thought-provoking, as well as sometimes very moving. I always look forward to checking in and seeing what you're writing about.

[MWS]

MWS, 35, DC area, on the cusp of graduating from law school--damn that final paper that just won't write itself.

I started reading a few years back immediately prior to your decision to stop practicing law. IInitially I was interested in your observations about law school, lawyers and practicing law. I kept reading because I was curious to see how things worked out for you. I've remained a reader because you are a skilled and insightful writer.

[b]

b, 24, rising 2L (after taking a year off from law school to work in DC), dog owner. I read because I indentify with much of what you write (so well) about, and because I learn from what I don't identify with. I also went to yale, and I share some of your love for the new england outdoors and frustration with focus on prestige and "success" (though I remain very much in that world). I really respect the choices you have made and your ability to write articulately and compellingly about your experiences, both personally and professionally.

[Krista]

30, Rhetoric Ph.D. student, married, Twin Cities, Dog Person. Found you about a year ago-ish when Ogged linked you over on Unfogged. I read because I like the way your mind works (totally similar and totally different from my own) and because of the frankness of your tone. Plus, I enjoy hearing about a part of the country I’ve not yet visited...

[Chipmunk]

29, public defender, Western New York. Started reading when you were discussing the legal profession. Always appreciated the stories and pics about your beloved Belle. It's become part of my routine to see what's being discussed. Sometimes it's of interest, sometimes not.

[Tillerman]

I'm mid 50s, retired IT executive, British born and living in New Jersey. My passion is sailing and I like to read about your own sailing and coaching.

[a]

A, 26, NYC (which is finally starting to sound like home, and not a silly fated accident). I sent you an email a little while back, as discussion and some introduction. I've since found a job that I'm loving (which isn't quite employing my law degree) and the other pieces are feeling like they fit. I continue to enjoy your way of tackling problems and your openness in talking about it. While the details differ, there is an underlying familiarity in what you write about that comes through, whether we're looking out at the ocean or the mountains or even just a man-made skyline.

[hilllady]

Hi--34 (!), and I answer to Hannah or Hilllady or almost anything if you're nice. I was in Silliman a year or so ahead of you and have three vivid memories of you: 1) the fiction seminar we took together, which puts lie to your fiction-writing doubts; 2) an excursion into the steam tunnels (you've posted about those tunnels!); and 3) knitting. Oh, and you taught me how to walk with a full cup of coffee and not spill. I was jealous of your geology major, as I discovered rocks my senior year when it was too late. After fall of my junior year I took a term off and then lived off-campus, and so we lost touch for several years until I googled you one day in a bored-at-work frenzy. You have a very google-able name. Remember that, everyone, when you name your children.

[Frank B]

Age 36, lawyer, East Coast. I stumbled across your blog through Howard Bashman's blogroll a few years ago. I've kept reading just because I like your writing style, especially when you're being reflective.

[ADL]

30 year-old lawyer in a medium-sized city in the Dirty South. I've been reading your blog for a long time, and this is the first time I've delurked. I got hooked on your blog when you were thinking about leaving your old firm, because I was going through some similar issues at the time, and I've kept coming back because the writing is great. Still desperately hoping to become an ex-lawyer one of these days, but not there yet.