The Opposite of Sex

Possibly the most astute comment I ever read about the law is this: "The law is the opposite of sex. Even when it's good, it's lousy."

I read this in The New Yorker in a profile on Mort Zuckerman, real estate magnate and more, who has a law degree from Harvard, but never practiced a day in his life. I now get to read entire articles on my subway ride to the office. This is one positive aspect of being back at work after six months in mommyland. Another is that I get to wear jewelry and make-up (no high heels or jackets though, that would be too drastic of a change from Crocs shoes and sweat pants). I also have a new colleague in the office next to me I can talk to who has several appealling attributes: (1) he has a two-year-old daughter so I don't have to forgo the parent chatter for the work day and (2) he reads Thomas Mann and writes books so we have something other to talk about than how busy we were 2 weeks ago and how much we are looking forward to Friday (which does not mean that we are not looking forward to it). My view is still amazing.

On the negative side: I miss my little boy. The first week was the hardest, but I still wish I could lift him up and kiss his fat little thighs and face like 20 times a day. I still do not feel that I am about to discover the redeeming qualities of practicing finance law. To be fair, they have been very gentle with me so far. I get out by 6.15 the latest and they let me work from home in the evening or on the weekend if the need arises. This is unlikely to be sustainable on the long run and I feel like the others on my team might come to resent this setup, especially because many of them have to spend long nights at the office on the same deals that I am staffed on.

On the whole I can say: so far, so good. Or, rather: so far, better than expected.