I’ve Moved

Dear worldpress world -

I am moving to blogspot, I’ve tried them before and want to go back.  I’m sorry for this split, it’s been a good run

(You can all find me now at http://devildogandlitigationlove.blogspot.com/ ).

Much Love,

Heather

Summer Internship for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

I just got word I’ll be working a the STL in the office of the Prosecutor this summer in Den Haag, Netherlands!  The tribunal was created to try those accused (thought to be the heads of Syria) for the car bomb assassination of the former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafiq Hariri.

Rafiq Hariri

The attack that took Hariri's life

I’m really excited because I have been doing a lot of work for the office during labs/classes at school and to now apply my knowledge first hand is a dream come true.  It will also be awesome because from Sept – Dec. I’ll be working for the defense at the ICTY in Den Haag, Netherlands.  Seeing both sides of a tribunal will be a great comparison of how international justice functions.

This came on the same day that Radovan Karadzic (a major defendent at the ICTY) decided that he was NOT going to boycott his trial and would be his own defense counsel (no attorney), well not completely – this really brilliant lawyer Peter Robinson is helping him create his defense but he will be acting as his own counsel.

Radovan Karadzic

Below is a link about what’s going on at the trial:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8542297.stm

Later this week I will post about the issues surrounding someone acting as their own counsel (Saddam etc.) there are some really interesting legal and not legal tactics pulled into the issue.  I am not sure who I will be defending but will keep you updated as I know. I also don’t know how much I can post about my work (probably not a lot) but I’m sure we’ll be dealing with lots of interesting general legal/political issues this summer and fall and I’ll post discussions about those.

More about the STL this month – the tribunal is actually really interesting, and is an underdog fighting for legitimacy (I believe it is totally legitimate but others not so much).
It was a tough decision on if working abroad was the best thing for D and I right now (especially after a long deployment) but he was really excited and as a couple we think the experience will benefit us in the long run. Plus, this means he gets to visit his mecca (Munich) for Oktoberfest – and you know he couldn’t turn that down:) Just many more reasons I love that man so much.

Have a good Monday all!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Comfort

Today I was feeling a little nostalgic – I also was feeling the withdrawal pangs from giving up candy for lent.  Both of these occurrences sprung my cookie making eating skills into action!

My roommate and I have this mysterious jar of JIF chunky peanut butter floating around & I have this large bar of Ghiradelli chocolate that was staring at me from my pantry (why I have the chocolate – now that isn’t so mysterious).  So I thought “why of course!” I’ll make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies!

I threw on my pink slippers, lit a yummy cinnamon candle, preheated my oven to 375, my trusty crumb eating sidekick Wrigley joined me in the kitchen, and I was off!

Here is the recipe I used off of southern food from about.com (what can I say southerners know how to use butter right! This coming from a tried and true Yankee).

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chunky or smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light. Add the egg and mix until fluffy.

Blend the flour, baking powder, soda and salt together well. Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375°.

Viola! The finished product:)

Of course I upped the chocolate and peanut butter to all other ingredients ratio – because well, I felt it just wasn’t right not to!

I also threw in a teaspoon of vanilla extract because I have never tasted a baked good that had vanilla in it and didn’t taste amazing (also because I was using natural peanut butter).

Overall they are pretty dang tasty! Really moist which is my favorite texture for a cookie (is moist a texture?).  If I could drink milk I would definitely have a big ole’ glass with one – and soy just doesn’t cut it when you need a cookie companion.

I think I definitely successfully satisfied the nostalgia cravings today.  My apartment smells like peanut butter and cinnamon, it’s really warm in here from the oven being on, Wrigley is snoring because I let her finish off the peanut butter in the jar and my candy detox shakes are gone because I just consumed a super delicious cookie!  This will definitely help the creative process as I finish writing my memo for our Law Journal.

Wrigley finishing off the peanut butter pre-snoring

Maybe I’ll ship some of these delicious treats to D in Afghanistan.  I wonder how I could get them out there not hard as hockey pucks??  Well I guess they can always serve a second recreational equipment purpose if they are that hard when the reach the guys:)

Do any of you have any great cookie recipes to pass along? I’d love to hear them!

Hope you all have a warm and cozy Saturday night:)

Concerto of Deployment

The Cleveland Orchestra

Deployments are a strange creature.

I am a very rational person – however, I am also a very passionate person.  I’m a strong believer that everyone is able to live a life full of passionate moments and make sure my life is full of them.  This passion extends to my work, my family, my extracurriculars, and most importantly D.  While this  “motto”( if you will), is great for a lot of areas in life – it is really destroying me in the coping with the deployment area.

If you read my earlier blog about Bad Timing, you’ll know I was completely crushed when I missed D’s phone call last week.  It’s only fueled my desire to be the ideal spouse for him as he’s deployed – making sure I send him a package every two weeks,  a letter every day and taking care of every wrinkle and detail his life in the states presents.  I do this for him now – and I would do it for him if he were home (in a different capacity). However, missing the phone call not only fueled that desire – it also was a crazy experience that brought up all sorts of suppressed emotions.

The problem is during D’s deployment, all of this “doing” really helps the pain of him being gone, but there are always those quiet moments – or random moments (like the missed call) – where what has welled in your chest all day creeps up to the surface.  It’s dealing with those moments that I find the most difficult.

For example tonight, we were at one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever been in my life, Severance Hall  -

Severance Hall

and were listening to the incredible Cleveland Orchestra play the music of Wagner (you probably know him from the “The Ride of the Valkyries” See Below )

The music was incredible, flawless – and you would think I would be super happy (I was to be there – most definitely). However, it’s crazy how music, notes with no words, can evoke deep emotion in your heart – no matter your language, origin, life experiences.  It’s one of those beautiful life mysteries.

Well I was listening to a piece earlier in the concert set  – the Prelude of Tristan and Isolde – and the music invoked emotions in me alright, big passionate emotions.  In fact it tore right into my chest and lifted up all those suppressed deployment emotions I had been carrying around the past few months.

Maybe it was because being at a concert reminds me so much of D -  being around the instruments brought back incredible memories like: Us cracking corney jokes about how we both used to play to flute (threatening each other to a flute off),  him playing the guitar for me,  the pride I felt when he told me on a road trip about how he once played the saxophone with Winston Marsala, or the picture that popped into my head of him and my mom sitting on the piano bench at Thanksgiving – him listening to her play with his incredible love of music undeniably radiating off of him…. that I got so emotional.

The fact that this salty Marine is so rich, deep, beautiful, and complex  in other areas of his life.

No, I don’t think it was even all these things – I think it was just at that moment, I was quiet… and the music – it was powerful.  Tears began to well up in my eyes, I felt like the notes ringing off the musicians instruments were telling the story of him leaving, of my heart breaking, of carrying the worry of his happiness, comfort and safety every day, and of the emptiness that is ever-present while he is not near.

It’s these moments, that you can’t really explain to anyone, that are only understood by those who have been through a deployment.  Moments where you feel shaken – where the tough, together, non-stop persona you have all day finally rests -  while you just give in and feel.

Has this ever happened to any of you?  It’s sometimes a difficult for me a strong independent woman to realize this is just part of the passion – that sometimes out of great grief, strife, and sacrifice a greater, stronger and more beautiful love grows.

Sometimes these moments just take me by surprise, and I guess as the deployment continues on they will become something that I learn to find comfort and solace in.

Divinely Faithful

I went home last weekend to take care of some wedding things, and went to the church I grew up in with my dad and sister on Sunday.  I haven’t started going to another church because my pastor is so incredible and I find that any other service I go to I am not as charged (I know not an excuse).

This is my church Aboite Lutheran - and my pastor Rich Pagan is this amazing guy who grew up in the Bronx and gives these messages that just hit home and are really relevant to real life.

This weekend he gave a sermon about Faithfulness, in all areas of your life – what it means to be faithful, how to remain faithful and how to overcome issues that may challenge your faithfulness.

He said that faithfulness is  – Commitment, Courage and Integrity. That it’s not a thing you can get with hardfast determination but is instead a fruit of the spirit (the holy spirit).

He quoted Lamations 3.23 – 24 that states, “his compassion fails not – they are new every morning – great is his faithfulness”

Then he hit on three areas that people practice faithfulness in their lives.

Human Relationships

Marriage – keeping promises to your spouse, remaining faithful to your marriage – working hard at it everyday and talking when things get tough instead of giving into temptation.

Parent/Child – being a promise word keeper to your children, following through when you make promises.

Friendships – being there for your friends, when they need you being reciprocal when you need a shoulder to lean on.

Career

Don’t say things to people unless they are true – don’t inflate things, having a radical honesty with your bosses and coworkers, and exercising integrity in the things you do.

God

Time: Ensuring there is  simplicity in your life at least once a day – scaling it back so you have time to reflect on what happened during the day – turning over the things that are challenging, that are out of your control.

Talent: Using the abilities you were given by god – developing them and using them in this world.

Treasure: Remembering that where your treasure is your heart is, keeping your treasure where it needs to be.

It was just a really awesome sermon that reminded me that even things like faithfulness you have to work at every day.  That  you get out of things what you put into them, and when you want something to be great you have to work for it – you must have undying passion for it (all things family, career, relationships).  I think the ideas are applicable to all areas of your life, regardless of  your religion.

Wrigley Saying I love you

D & I’s baby saying I love you – only I think she really loves the peanut butter more than me.

She says it better when she isn’t as excited about the treat -  and Ill work on getting a good copy of her saying it this weekend but until then here she is in all her peanut butta lovin’ glory.

http://www.youtube.com/user/hludwigiu#p/a/u/0/OJ8PJJUlc8I

(Don’t know why it’s not uploading as a video! Darn technology!)

Justifying my Feelings about Mrs.Palin

Keith Olberman is amazing.  I love his show.  I don’t even think words are needed for this post. Sarah Palin, thank you for once again reinforcing my feelings about you.

Amazing Video Clips of Sarah Smarty Pants Palin

Ok maybe a few words – my favorite part: “To win that war we need a commander in chief not a law professor – this tea party movment bigger than a guy reading from a TelePrompTer”  so how does the cheats on your hand fit into that whole analysis Mrs.Palin?

Or maybe the R word issue, how she addressed that may be my favorite part of her weekly debacle.  How insane she went when Rom Emanuel said the R word (which was completely not ok of Emanuel, and I was actually behind her on criticizing him) – but SHE DEFENDED Rush Limbaugh when he went on a rant about the word.  Geesh.

And Obama plays the war card? Are you kidding? Do you really think he wants our brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives overseas for the political gain of the democrats? Sorry hunnie, I don’t think so – try again.

I do love Gibbs response though, very witty.

Oh Sarah, Sarah, Sarah – what are we going to do with you?

Bad Timing

Today I braved a near blizzard to get a package out to D.  We have been really good about writing each other letters –  but I think the packages really cheer him up.  I went to the gym after my trade law class, and after a good run got to my locker, pulled out my phone…. my heart sank – 3 missed calls, all D.

I always have my phone on me, and I’m not kidding always, I’m talking about bringing that bad boy in the bathroom when I take a shower always.  I was just so exhausted today that I accidentally left it in my locker. When I saw the missed calls – emotions started consuming me: sadness – destitute – anger at myself – disappointment in myself – and some joy mixed in there that I could hear his voice and know that he’s ok after 2 weeks of not hearing anything.

He sounded tired, really tired – and super sad that I didn’t answer which just added to the emotion pool.  But he said my Aunt & Uncle sent him this really awesome letter about how they can’t wait to have him in our family and sent him a picture of me when I was 4 in a vampire outfit (oh lord – have never seen it but he said he laughed out loud when he did).  He also said he was thinking about this song called I love your love the most, and he got mail today and I had written the lyrics in one of my letters and that it made him feel incredible.

I cried, tears just started flowing out – do you ever have those moments?  When its just a natural thing for the tears to drop?  Then I pulled it together, went on a walk with Wrigley and called my dad.  It helped – I feel like I can express this stuff to him and he understands because he is a Vietnam vet, and has been in D’s shoes.  Its a strange blessing thats let us get even closer.  Empathy is a incredible bonding mechanism.

Now Wrigs is all cuddled up with me on the couch and making me feel better.  Sometimes I think D convinced me to get her and for us to raise her together for these moments exactly.  He’s such a smart cookie.  I’m also watching my U2 Joshua Tree DVD.  It’s amazing.  There is this song “In God’s Country” that reminds me of him being at war in Afghanistan.

In God’s Country

Yeah…
Desert sky
Dream beneath the desert sky
The rivers run but soon run dry
We need new dreams tonight

Desert rose
Dreamed I saw a desert rose
Dress torn in ribbons and in bows
Like a siren she calls to me

Sleep comes like a drug
In God’s Country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God’s Country

Yeah…yeah…

Set me alight
We’ll punch a hole right through the night
Everyday the dreamers die
See what’s on the other side

She is liberty
And she comes to rescue me
Hope, faith, her vanity
The greatest gift is gold

Sleep comes like a drug
In God’s Country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God’s Country

Yeah…

Naked flame
She stands with a naked flame
I stand with the sons of Cain
Burned by the fire of love
Burned by the fire of love

Then there’s my favorite song ever – Pride – it makes me want to go out and save the world, I’m going to do it someday… I’ve found it’s a slow process  :)  It really brightened me up, I think I’ll watch the whole thing a second time.  If you don’t have the DVD I highly recommend it, U2 are amazing and on top of their game for the concert.

PRIDE

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One come he to justify
One man to overthrow

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

(nobody like you…)

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love…

I guess it’s one of those days where you just have to chalk it up to bad timing, and keep on keeping on – what I wouldn’t have given to hear him live over the phone lines though.

Baby it’s Cold Outside!

Cleveland Snow

I’ve lived in Cleveland for almost two years now… it’s really not a bad city and a fun place to go for the weekend if you’re from the middle eastern parts of the US.  However, most of the time outside of summer its cold – and the winters – they are nasty.

Now I grew up in Indiana, so I am used the type of weather, but every time I go home I’m always telling my friends/family how bad it is here.  I don’t think they believe me, but I’m telling you probably 70% of the days there is some kind of “lake effect” precipitation coming out of the Cleveland skies.  I mean, I have seen stuff fall from clouds that I have never seen before.  For example, sleail (a cross between sleet and hail) is a regular occurrence or ralet (rain and sleet) and the weather guy calls everything “lake effect” because NO ONE around us is getting any of it, just Cleveland.

So I moan and complain, and am marveled by it but I was never justified in my qualms… until TODAY!  Thats right folks, Cleveland has offiically been named by forbes magazine as Americas worst winter weather city (in a ranking of the top 50 metropolitan areas by population).

Here’s a link to the link of the story

Forbes was right on when they said our “winters require endurance” because of the lake-effect snow that brings in almost 60 inches of snow a winter and an average balmy temperature 10 degrees below the 50-city average.

So now all my friends when they mock the coat I bought from Lands End that I lovingly refer to as “Big Blue”, and looks like a coat that converts into a sleeping bag, I will smile and know that I don’t have to say “I told you so” about how awful these winters are here – because Forbes did for me already.

Big Blue Minus the Fur

Spring Semester Begins Again!

ICTY in the Hauge

(This is an Old Blog I forgot to Publish)

Back in the blogging world after a quick hiatis.

Back into the swing of law school after not having a long enough semester break.

Did any of you see the Deep End?  One of the attorneys is from Case Western Law!  How wierd – usually when I tell people I go here they look at me blankly and say, “oh that’s nice” haha.  Case is actually a really incredible school, it has an incredible international law program and offers internships at international tribunals, no other law schools (that I know of) offer that kind of opportunity!

I have a huge draft for our Journal of International Law due tomorrow – its consuming my life!  I’m writing about the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s Office of the Prosecutor, and the time is worth it because the topic about overcoming head of state immunities is really interesting.

I got word over break that me and one of my best friends will be working for the Defense at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia during the fall.  I am so excited – and a little stressed to think that I will only have one semester left before I graduate!  Maybe its because D and I are planning a wedding during that semester (never a dull moment! ha!)

D deployed over winter break, it’s been really rough knowing every day your loved one is in serious danger.  If you want to give back to the men and women who give so much to our nation,  the USO has some really awesome volunteer opportunities.