From what I gather, Dead Man’s Bones started as a fun and gimmicky experiment in self-indulgence for Ryan Gosling and the guy who dated Rachel McAdam’s little sister. What came out is the best album I’ve heard in a really long time; I’ve been transporting the skinny cardboard sleeve in my purse so I can listen to it in the car, in the office, and back in the car again. I really haven’t been listening to anything else since I bought it. Not even pandora. I first heard “My Body’s a Zombie for You” on my Paste sampler, and found myself skipping directly to it every time I put the CD in. It wasn’t until I finally did a google search for the song lyrics that I discovered Ryan Gosling was the guy with the deep voice. Hotness.
It’s not just the fact that he’s a movie star, or even a movie star slash musician, but some intangible third quality that is inherent in both. It’s the passion that gets to me. He seems genuinely committed to artistic endeavors and it’s incredibly sexy. For whatever reason, no matter the obsession, I’ve always been attracted to men who are unabashedly dedicated to something. Granted, I might not rank guitar players with Trekkies, but nothing turns my crank like being with a confident man when he’s talking about something he’s passionate about. There’s a simplicity and an honesty in talking about the things you love that you don’t often find in other topics of conversation. People lose themselves in the flow of it all and it’s magical to watch.
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I’ve started to think more seriously about plans lately. I recently finished a two day workshop in grant-writing, and it kind of opened my eyes to the potential opportunities available to me when I finish with AmeriCorps. Grant writing is a ridiculously marketable skill and I think I could be really good at it. Detail-oriented, good researcher, good writer, ability to see nuances and different perspectives. After sitting in on an evening of CASA training with a family court judge, a parents’ attorney, GAL, and county prosecutor, it’s also occurred to me that these are a lot of the same qualities that make a good lawyer. I gave up a long time ago the notion that I have to pick a career that’ll last me my entire life, but it seems that I might finally have stumbled upon something I could enjoy, be good at, and actually make money doing.
Today I shadowed the directors of advocacy in family court. A lot of the cases are sad and draining, but it’s fascinating to be in the courtroom and watch the attorneys and judges at work. There are concurrent degrees in Public Administration and Law, and it’s definitely something I’m considering. Applications are due in January.
I need to start making some decisions.