Rory Stewart

Boyd Tonkin thinks Rory Stewart ought to have won the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction. Listen to what he said about my long-term celebrity crush:

"Rory Stewart's Occupational Hazards - his tragically farcical record of a year spent trying to govern two provinces of southern Iraq - ought to survive as literature, not solely as an eye-witness chronicle. For it also tells a story about inner turmoil and bewilderment, as a romantic neo-colonial ruler finds himself knocked sideways in the blinding sandstorms of post-Saddam reality."

Read the rest of the article here: http://arts.independent.co.uk/books/features/article2690130.ece

There's also a profile on him in National Geographic, for those who are interested:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/photography/afghanistan/rory-stewart.html

Ok, I'm getting back to work now. I promise I'll do something interesting this weekend that I can write about instead of just posting things I read on the internet.

SCOTUS

Just one quick anecdote: I was explaining to some of the girls at work about the ideological split on the U.S. Supreme Court. I lamented the fact that two of the oldest members are liberal and the two newest conservative members are only in their 50's, and Grainne said gravely, "Oh, you never know. People in high pressure jobs sometimes have massive heart attacks." Fiona and I burst out laughing and Fiona said, "Is that the hope you have for the future of American justice, Grainne?" Very reassuring.

Jane Austen

This will give you some idea of my working environment: it is lunch time and Katie just put on "All That Jazz" to get us in the mood to stop working. I spent all morning reading statutes and doing just a little bit of net-surfing. I have been coming in early to check my email, etc, since I don't have internet access at home. I read the excellent debate about the Supreme Court on slate.com and Jeffrey Toobin's article in the New Yorker. But there was one article in particular I thought I would share with you all. It's a discussion about the new Jane Austen mania on salon.com. Now, I confess to being a bit of an Austen maniac myself. I've read all her books at least twice; am the proud owner of Jane Austen's Guide to Dating by Lauren Henderson (last year's Christmas present from Kyla - very helpful, although I resent that I came up as Mary Crawford on the Which Austen Heroine are You? quiz); love Bridget Jones, both the books and the first movie (don't get me started on the second - how could Helen Fielding have agreed to such a misogynistic interpretation of her work?); and am the co-author of a drinking game to be played while watching the 1995 BBC miniseries of Pride & Prejudice (Rule 1: Every time Colin Firth is wet, take a shot). But this description of the new publishing-and-adapting frenzy was a little bit disturbing. Here, check it out: http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2007/06/27/jane_austen/index.html

My favorite quote: "One of the great pleasures of female life in the 21st century, especially if you're of the class to which Austen belonged and into which she sunk her sharp teeth, is the possibility of earning your own living, of not having to land a man to survive financially, of no longer having to wear your need for a husband on your sleeve ... or tote bag or bumper."

Ok, I'm off on an "adventure" with the other interns for lunch.

Working Girl

I am at the end of my lunch break, so I thought I would write a little bit about what I have been doing.

First, my roommates, Aoife, Katie, and Olivia. They're "grand." Aoife is a pharmacist at the local hospital, Katie's a pediatric nurse, and Olivia is a software engineer. Anne, the girl whose room I'm in, is a teacher. So, they weren't lying when they said they were "young professional women!" They are really sweet and have all been so helpful showing me the ropes, and Aoife and I spent a lot of time hanging out this weekend (she is teaching me about Gaelic football and hurling). I know I've said this about 10 times, but I feel so lucky to have found this place to live - the girls all seem like people I would have been friends with, the house is really comfortable (we even have cable TV and a dishwasher - the lap of luxury!), and the location is perfect. I am going to try to walk home from work tonight to see how long it takes.

Then, my work. I have finally been assigned my first project. I am working on a campaign for immigrant children - perfect! Here in Ireland, they have what they call a "Universal Child Benefit" - completely unthinkable in our country - which means that they give a payout (I think about €160 a month) to every child, regardless of means or status. Any parent can register for it when they give birth. Anyway, it used to be applied to all children in Ireland, but because of tougher immigration measures, they are now denying it to many immigrants. This is silly because the whole point of the benefit in the first place is to prevent child poverty, and while wealthy Irish people are still eligible, many of the most needy children are going without! So, my job is to look at European Union law and see if this is legal. I have a big box full of files to start on, and it's a little bit scary, but it's very exciting. The people here are great and really laid back; I think I've had about 4 cups of tea so far today. I had lunch with the other American intern, Brian, who is starting law school in Michigan next year if he's not accepted to the Peace Corps. He lives with some other American students kind of near where I live, and he's been here for about a month, so he's given me lots of tips on places to go around town. So, I am settling in very well and really happy to be busy!

All right, my lunch break is over, so back to the grind!

(There's a picture of me having lunch with some of the other interns. From left: me, Catherine, Gillian, Christina, Grainne, and Katie.)

Dublin

Well, I am back in Dublin and all settled in. My roommates are great, my house is perfect, it feels so good to have had some hot showers and some good nights of rest in a comfortable bed in a room by myself! I started work today and everyone seems really nice - I had lunch with five other interns, and read lots of materials. Tomorrow I meet with my boss to determine what my first project will be.

I have spent a long time uploading photos, so check out my earlier posts! I will write more later.