Renoir said that his goal was, "to capture the simple pleasures of a single moment" in each of his paintings... my goal is to make at least one moment of every day worthy of a Renoir painting. Maybe that sounds pretentious, but that can be easier said than done in the trenches as a second year law student, or living in the underbelly of Washington, DC -- a city I've warmly claimed as home my whole life, but that is sometimes guilty of allowing its sense of community to get eaten by its champions of civil discourse.

The point is, work-life balance is important to me... bring passion and color to everything and anything you choose, but Renoir sought his masterpieces in the commonest moments of sunlight and easy laughter. What am I doing with my life? One day at a time, I'm following the old man's advice.

Most likely my sense of style or my willingness to talk to anyone.

However, I have an eclectic set of interests and I'm a bit of a contradiction: this usually reveals itself fairly quickly. Half of my family is from Paris (France) and the other half is from rural Texas; meanwhile, I was raised inside DC proper. I've been blessed with a wide spectrum of cultural influences and the person I've grown into is the product of it all mixed together.

The world is my teacher and so are you...

Food... If I'm going out then sushi is a favorite, but I LOVE to cook, and I love having folks gathered around my kitchen table... whether it's an authentic 5-course French meal or Southern-Style Soul Food... my grandmama was southern, her kitchen always sang with laughter, and I strive to create the same thing.

Books... (1) Gone With the Wind... the book, *not* the movie... my first born will be named Scarlett, I don't care if it's a boy or a girl. (2) Moneyball. (3) If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. (4) A Midsummer Night's Dream. (5) The Great Gatsby. (6) Howard Zinn's A People's History.

Music... Springsteen. Sam Cooke. Springsteen. Pat Green. Springsteen. Anything Motown... Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Lady Gaga, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Wilson, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, Last Train Home, Zach Brown Band, R.E.M., WHAM! ... the list goes on. But, I've literally followed Springsteen around the world and consider him a member of my extended family... the day a man (in real life) makes me smile the way I do singing along with Bruce is the day I'm signed, sealed, and delivered...

Movies... Almost Famous. The Big Chill. 61. Legally Blond.

TV... Boston Legal, The West Wing, Arrested Development, Dallas, Ally McBeal, The Wire...

1. Live music.
2. Dancing (like, real dancing, with steps and turns and twists and dips and a lead.)
3. Family.... including my friends and my puppies.
4. My Education.
5. Quality Red Wine.
6. Baseball.... "The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again."

Life isn't typical and neither are Fridays, but if you want a glimpse into my sense of humor, someone sent me this article today (February 10th) and it's maybe the funniest thing I've read in months.
Enjoy: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/low_concept/2012/05/the_all_kale_diet_how_i_stopped_eating_anything_else_.html

1. Bringing crossword puzzles to bed is a huge pet peeve... save them for coffee.
2. I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.

If....
1. someone other than you and your mom think that you're a good person.
2. you can make me laugh.
3. it's your personality to play hookie from work (once in a while) because it's a gorgeous day that ought to be spent on The Mall tossing around a football.