I’m quickly realizing that exam season has crept up on me and I haven’t really been studying, so I’m going to put a hiatus on the long posts and stick to shorter weekly reflections! But I do promise to circle back in a few weeks and do a post on meritocracy!
Rose:
* I had a call with an old Pomona friend who I hadn’t talked with in about half a year — it was really nice to catch up with her! Here are some pictures I took when I was walking around on that call (and some other calls).
* Had a few calls about dissertation work, which were informative and helpful.
* My capital markets law professor did a class “social” Zoom call earlier in the week, basically to check in with folks. It was really nice! There was lots of talk about fintech and cryptocurrency regulation, which I know nothing about (I’m clearly in way over my head with this class). But it’s always nice, I think, to hear about people’s interests, especially when they’re very different from yours.
* Perhaps in a sign of my true nerdery, I really enjoyed listening to a conference about regulation earlier this week! One of my scholar-heros, Dan Carpenter, spoke on a panel, and it was great.
Bud:
* I decided to try to get out a bit more into the community and to meet random Londoners, beyond LSE/Marshall people. So I went earlier today to a local church! It’s part of the Church of England (it’s wild to me that they have an established church here), and I met some nice people.
Thorn:
* I’ve spent most of the last week and a half reading and writing about nuclear waste regulation for a school paper. It’s sometimes interesting, sometimes tedious, and sometimes just overwhelming. But the bigger problem is now I’m in a deep hole when it comes to studying for exams!!
Gratitude: London really seems to be glowing, and I am very thankful. It feels alive in a way that I haven’t felt since being here. The sun has been out, people are out and about (outside, of course!) as the lockdown eases. Kids are playing in parks as parents chat on picnic blankets. I’m reminded of a OneRepublic song I used to like in middle school: “Well this is life in color / Today feels like no other / And the darkest grays / The sun bursts, clouds break.” Or, because Taylor Swift: “And now I see daylight, I only see daylight.”