10.13 pm

I started work yesterday. It seems like it's going to be a good semester. Everyone in the office is really friendly and helpful - I must have gotten half a dozen "and if you have any questions or need anything, come by anytime"'s from people I met. I'll be working mostly with the international courts - I get to go to the Lubanga trial next week, and report on the first day of trial. When I mentioned that I'll be doing my writing requirement this semester, on UNCITRAL and ICSID, my boss mentioned that they might have some UNCITRAL work I could do. So that would be great.

10.20 pm

I am getting used to the cold. It's the worst right after I go outside. Like being slapped across the face, repeatedly. And it hurts to breathe. Then after I've been walking for about five minutes I can pull my face up from where it's been hunched over my scarf. After about ten to fifteen minutes I'm usually warm enough to undo a button or two. Mornings tend to not be so bad, but for some reason the walk home from work is killer. Maybe it's that it's close to dark, or that there aren't that many people out, or maybe it's just colder. Everyone keeps telling me that this week is much, much warmer. Apparently it was about 6-8F, and all the canals froze over enough for ice-skating. In a way, I'm sorry I missed it. Ice skating is about the one winter sport that I really enjoy, and I don't get a chance to do it near often enough.