Moving...

Just across town.

Lazarus Rising

So I've spoken to each of you about bringing this blog back to life, but now that I've actually come back to it I think a new start might be in order. My previous post, being about Irene, has kind of soured me on the idea.

Or, it could be that the U6 Vikings when down in ignominious defeat this morning. Or that Cardiff City (the team in the English Championship League that I follow) lost to Ipswich. Or that, as I watch, Maryland is getting absolutely pummeled by West Virginia. 28-7. Good Grief.

We're going out tonight for a friend's birthday (his 45th!) so hopefully happier times are ahead. We're going to the 21st Amendment, a bar that has a historical appeal, so at least that's something...

Irene's First First

Irene and I ran an incredibly hot, hilly 8K tonight. And Irene won.

The Silver Bullet

She's done it. She's gone and gotten a new car.

Yesterday morning Irene purchased a 2005 Silver Prius with ~50,000 miles for $13,000 (which is quite a deal). The sticker price was more than $15,000 and Irene got all the taxes and fees included in the price, plus a free Sirius radio set.

Now that's negotiating.



And she paid for it in cash, so there won't be any monthly payments. And, at around 45 miles per gallon combined, the baby seals can be happy as well. Now all we need is a name...

The Gold Cup

I don't know if you've been following it, but I've gotten quite a bit of enjoyment out of watching the US play in the Gold Cup. I would imagine that after our stunning victory over Spain and our close loss to Brazil, quite a few people are giving US National Soccer another try.

And for good reason. Just check out the excitement of last night's match against Panama.



That Beckerman goal was incredible. And, sorry Panama, but there are no jump kicks in soccer.

Multimedia Bonanza

Fun with Photobooth

Normal Chris



Cro-Magnon Chris



Roman Chris

Calling All Cars

So, following Irene and my trip up to Binghamton, New York for her grandmother's funeral, Irene and I are without wheels. Her parents car broke down on the way to Binghamton, so we lent them Irene's car and took the bus back (which was another adventure entirely).

I don't mention this to show you how selfless Irene is, but it does limit the amount of trips Irene and I can make up to Westminster or to Lexington Park for visits. It's really a shame, of course, because we hadn't even had the chance to see Amy and the boys.

What is required is some trip ingenuity. For example, Irene and I can publicly transport ourselves up to Owings Mills, and maybe we could arrange for a pick up from there?

Ongoing DC Adventures

Just to update you about the car...Irene and I just took it to a nearby mechanic. When we started it, it shut off, which probably isn't a good sign. Still, we dutifully took it over to the mechanic, who seemed nice enough, and promised to call us back later today with an estimate.

We need to up to New York for Irene's grandmother's funeral this weekend, so hopefully things won't be too expensive.

The View from DC

Well, Irene and I have spent a couple of days in DC now, and, I've got to say, things are going pretty well. Yesterday I went for a run and went by both the Watergate Hotel and the Lincoln Memorial. Sure I was sucking up exhaust the whole way, but at least I had some sights!

We've also been slowly learning about our neighborhood and where the best places are to go. Although things are generally pretty expensive, there are some great low cost items like the Amsterdam Falafel Shop and Julia's Emapanadas in Adams Morgan. Both delicious and reasonable priced.

And I'm about to leave for a local farmer's market for some fresh vegetables.

But, before I go, I wanted to check in and let you know that I'm excited about coming home for Father's Day tomorrow. Being in DC certainly has its advantages.

20009

I'm happy to say that Irene and I have moved into our new place on 16th & U in NW Washington, DC. It's nice. A bit small, especially around the kitchen, but nice.

We had a relatively uneventful 8.5 hour drive down from Somerville, found the place fairly easily, and moved everything in. After unpacking we headed out for dinner at the Amsterdam Falafel Shop, which was just spectacular, and then we picked up some groceries for tomorrow. Oh, and we got a temporary permit for the car.

I'll definitely be ready to relax tomorrow.

Olympia, Washington

Irene and I are currently on the first leg of our Northwest/Pacific journey, visiting her brother Quinn and his girlfriend in Olympia, Washington. We flew into Sea-Tac (Seattle-Tacoma) Airport on Wednesday after a *long* flight from Philadelphia. We're going to be hanging out until this afternoon, when we'll head down South to Eugene, Oregon to see her older brother Eliot and his girlfriend Kate.

Olympia is a nice little town, but for a capital, it's pretty little (not unlike Concord). We went to a nice brewery (Fish Brewing) for dinner Wednesday night and yesterday we BBQ-ed at Quinn's house. They've been gracious hosts.

I am looking forward to Eugene, though, and doing some running. Of course, Eugene was the home base of running icon Steve Prefontaine. What's so great about Prefontaine? Well, for one thing, he held the American record for all seven distance track events between the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters. Youch.

Esme Sinclair

I think I mentioned earlier that Andy and Karen Sinclair's first child, Esme Sinclair, is out and exploring the world. I finally had a chance to go over and visit the other day, and the family seems to be doing well. In any event, the parents were happy to have an extra pair of hands around to hold the child while they ate dinner.

Esme was a bit ornery when I first started holding her, but she settled down after I applied my patented "bounce around while you're holding'em" move.

After she'd calmed down, the parents and I were discussing what kind of young lady she'd become. For no knowable reason I decided on a hippy--but I didn't share with Andy and Karen. Take a look and decide for yourself.

Esme - First Month from Andrew Sinclair on Vimeo.

Papers, papers.

Since various people have requested that I put up some of the papers I worked on this year, I've uploaded a few to google.docs. One issue I've grappled with repeatedly is the surge of violence overtaking Mexico. In a paper in Law & Development last semester I discussed the effect of drug cartel violence on economic development.

I tried to answer the question of what could be done about that violence in a paper this semester in my Foreign Relations and National Security Law class.

And here, unrelatedly, is an op-ed I wrote for my class in European Union Foreign Policy about Transatlantic Relations.

Enjoy!

Place in DC

So it looks like things may be coming together. And, of course, all my work trying to secure a place for us on Craigslist was for naught. The place we ended up with came from an email that went around on Fletcher's social list. An '08 grad is going to Africa and had to sublet her place quickly for the summer. It's on 16th & U, NW, Washington DC and we got it. Check it out:







And, of equal if not greater importance, I have a promising subletter for my place in Somerville--a young South Korean girl named Hye Young Kim. The dates are almost perfect and I doubt she's going to wreck the place.

So that's step one.

A Classic...

First 5K of the Summer

Irene and I ran our first 5K last night, and it was a hot one. Regardless, we ran the "Merrimack County Savings Bank Rock 'N' Race" together and finished in 21 minutes 52 seconds, with an average pace of 7 minutes and 3 seconds a mile.

And, best of all, that was good enough for Irene to finish third in her age group! She even got a prize! Unfortunately, to do the same thing I would have had to run almost 2 minutes faster ... which isn't happening.

But a good time was had by all.

Pics from Graduation and Birthday

It's an avalanche of photos this week.

Traveling Abroad

So, where to start. Talloires, the town where the LL.M. Capstone conference took place, is a very, very sleepy place. I'm sure it must pick up in the summer months, but while we were there it was *slow.* The whole town is only 1500 souls. It has a very quaint feel. Tufts lucked into some property there through an alumni bequest.

After Talloires, everyone split up. Some people headed back to the States, some people to Belgium job hunting, and a few of us went to Paris. TGV, the French train service, is the model of efficiency but is a bit expensive. I managed to book a ticket online, as well as a hostel near the Bastille in Paris. The hostel was actually a bit away from the action ... but had the benefit of being close to the train station (Gare de Lyon).

From my hostel, my first trip was down the Seine. Apparently it's quite the place to hang out because it was crammed with people. I walked past Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, which wasn't a bad way to start the day. The next morning I took the (very easy and efficient) subway system to the Arc de Triomphe and then the Louvre. And those were pretty much the big sights. The rest of the time I walked around and tried to get a feel for the city as it exists separate from tourists, which is no easy task.

Not speaking French was a bit of a hindrance, but most Parisians speak enough English to make transactions possible. If all else fails, there's always pointing.

Following Paris I took the train to Geneva and spent about a day there. Geneva, compared to Paris, is very, very small, but also has a more international feel. Hearing English on the street was common. It's also a very rich city--I don't think I've ever seen such a high ratio of suits and expensive cars.

More thoughts forthcoming.

Here you go...

I'll have some commentary on the trip to Paris soon. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures I took of Talloires, Paris, and Geneva.