Friday the 13th Sucks

The whole day has been crappy. DH and I are fighting because he hurt my feelings and then got mad at me for being upset.

The dress I ordered for graduation came in and it is gorgeous. But it doesn't fit--not even close. It's exactly the same size as the suit I ordered along with it and the suit fits perfectly. It is out of stock online, and according to the website, the nearest store that has it is 300 miles away.

I got my first rejection letter. Big City DA's office let me know that they are "impressed with my qualifications" but they don't have any openings right now. They will file my application in case something comes up. I won't be holding my breath.

Still haven't heard anything from Not My Big City DA's office. Or anyone else. I have a ton of resumes out and I am getting absolutely no feedback. I have good grades from a top tier university. I have a ton of experience. Everybody that I have worked for has loved me and offered to give me excellent references without me even having to ask. So why aren't I employable?

So I have spent the day wallowing in self-pity and doing absolutely nothing productive. Oh yeah, except that I applied for one more job. That I found on Craigslist. Yes, folks, that is what it's come to.

Tonight's entertainment provided by the LC

Thump, thump, thump...oh shit! That was me falling down the marble stairs at school yesterday. My flip-flopped feet slid out from under me and my ass hit every step on the way down. Fortunately there were only about 4 steps. Of course, my biggest concern was who saw my little episode. Luckily there were only about 3 people around--who informed me that it was hilarious to watch. Later I realized that I hurt all over. Think I can sue the school?

You know its time to do laundry...

...when the only thing left in your underwear drawer is a see-through fuchsia thong. Especially when you don't have time to send that kind of message to your honey.

Family Stuff

OK, is it strange that my MIL, FIL, 2 SIL's and their hubbies are planning to attend my graduation--but I don't think anyone from my own family will be there? I think it is, a little. Still not speaking to my mom, and I don't want her there taking credit for my success. My relationship with my dad is rocky, but I still thought he might come. Then again, he didn't make it to my undergrad graduation. I am closest to my grandparents, but they haven't mentioned coming either. My grandmother doesn't care to travel much these days, but I guess I was hoping she would make an exception. They visit my cousin who lives 120 miles away, but the 400 miles to see me (45 minutes on a plane!) is like the other end of the planet. Of course, my brother isn't even talking to me, and he couldn't afford the trip anyway. My other grandparents already told me that they can't come because two cousins have high school graduations the two weekends after mine, and it is just too much travelling. I have had both an aunt and uncle try to reach me in the last week--seems like they might be thinking about coming. But I don't really expect the relatives I see once a year to put out more effort than my parents and grandparents. Or maybe they are just being nice because they know how my parents are. I don't expect my in-laws there either, but as my DH put it, they have adopted me and would no less show up that if I were one of their own children. I heart my in-laws.

The Job Hunt Continues

It’s been an interesting day. I went to school early today to hear a presentation from the DA’s office from Big City. I left feeling pretty bummed. They are no longer hiring anyone without bar results. And she talked extensively about how competitive it is to get on there.

Five minutes after I got back I got an email from my supervisor at the small DA’s office where I worked last summer. Not My Big City DA’s office is checking my references. They also revealed to him that they have a lot of positions open and that they are trying to move quickly.

So, this is good news, sort of. I am becoming more and more interested in the possibility of working for NMBC DA’s office, but the thought of moving and all the change that would be required is overwhelming. I guess I’ll just keep waiting and see what happens, but it kinda seems like they’re serious if they are checking references.

Thank God I have girls.

Today was the kindergarten field trip to the zoo that I volunteered to help chaperon. Another mom and I were to keep up with our 3 girls plus 2 boys. OK, 5 kids, no biggie. But somehow a dad, who was charged only with chaperoning his own twin boys, tagged along with our group. It was a disaster. This father had absolutely no control over his own children. They kept running through the zoo, screaming at the top of their lungs, climbing everything they could find, stomping through the flower beds, pulling up plants, throwing things at animals--you name it, they tried it. The dad occasionally tried to intervene, but his kids paid him no attention. And since those two boys were running wild, it made the boys that we were watching think they could do the same. We tried to ditch the dad and the Terror Twins, but no luck. I spent the entire day yelling at kids who don't belong to me. I am now completely exhausted and am skipping class tonight. Meanwhile, my girls, plus their friend who was in our zoo group have been playing here since we got home. I have not had to correct them a single time. I love having girls--on their very worst day they have never behaved as badly as the boys I was with today.

My apologies if you have me on your RSS Feeder

I did a little housekeeping today, and apparently it makes the old posts that I changed look like they were just published (on the feeder, not on my blog page.) I just made some minor changes--deleting some things that I thought could cause problems if my secret identity were ever uncovered, and removing the title of a song that more than half my hits come from.

My City Sucks

I was dutifully paying my monthly bills on Friday when I noticed that my water bill was $92. My bill is usually about $35. The bill showed a balance forward of $52, but no explanation of where this balance came from. When I checked online, the statement showed that I had paid the bill in full, on time.

A quick call to the City (which runs the water utility) informed me that my last payment (e-pay)was returned NSF. I knew that couldn't be right, but the CS rep on the phone had no further information and I had to wait for a supervisor to call me back. Meanwhile, I checked my bank account, and in fact, there were more than adequate funds to cover last month's bill at all times, but there was no record that the payment had ever been processed.

The supervisor told me that the problem was not NSF, but because the bank account had been entered incorrectly and it was merely billed as NSF. I said, ok, I'll pay the past due balance, please remove the fee. And they said NO. WTF??? The fee is $15--almost 40% of my bill. By contrast, if I had merely been late, the fee would have been 10%--$3.50. The City's excuse is that it is charged the fee by its contractor who processes payments, and if I don't pay it , then the expense if borne by all the citizens of [Sucky City].

I have gone up the line and spoken with 3 people. The last person is the director of finance and informed me that her supervisor is the City Manager. I haven't contacted the City Manager yet--for now I am continuing to argue with the Finance Director. Basically, I'm fighting a losing battle. The city is the only gig in town if I want running water. On the other hand, this was a non-disclosed fee, and I don't think that they can legally and legitimately charge random fees w/o disclosure.

Frankly, it would be easier to pay the stinkin' $15. This is truly a matter of principle. I refuse to pay a 40% penalty for a clerical error that the city has not even shown to be mine. I thought about letting it drop--this is a small town and I really don't need to be making enemies as I am kick-starting my career. On the other hand, I have been training for the last three years to stand up for other people's rights. How can I ever be an effective lawyer, when I let the city stomp all over my rights?

Mom's bed is always best when you're sick

My youngest (by 2 minutes) DD is sick--again. She is the sickliest of my kiddos, although you'd never know it by her spunky personality. She has asthma, and the mildest of colds can knock her on her butt. Yesterday was one of those days. Took her to the doc and she has an ear infection, some kind of stomach thing, and possible a kidney/UT infection. Poor baby. She laid down in my bed at 7 last night and didn't get up until after 9 this morning. I was worried about her dehydrating since she didn't eat at all yesterday, and hardly drank, but the sleep seemed to help, and she is perkier this morning.

So, I didn't get much sleep with DD in my bed. And I got even less b/c Bob was being a total PITA. For some reason Bob has decided that he doesn't like to be alone at night and will bark until someone pays attention to him. This just started two nights ago. If it doesn't end soon, Bob will be homeless. I need my sleep or I turn into the Wicked Bitch of the West.

Oh yeah, and I told oldest DD that she could have a sleepover tonight because she got a perfect score on her state standardized test for reading. Guess we'll be looking at one more sleepless night. Arghh.

Bob is still a punk

We've cut off the booze, but Bob is still managing to find trouble.

Fortunately, for him, this is the remains of an arrangement that was given to me by my mother-in-law* that was truly hideous. It originally looked like a dead bird hidden in a bunch of leaves and cattails. No wonder Bob went for it--he is a bird dog. But now somebody's got some 'splainin to do to MIL.

*For the record, my MIL is on the awesome end of the MIL spectrum. And she usually has great taste--I'm not sure how she got off track with the dead-bird arrangement.

New Graduation Stress

So in addition to all the graduation, job-hunting, bar-taking stress, I have reasoned out that there is a decent chance that we will need to move in the somewhat near future. And that means selling our house.

Pulling numbers out of thin air, I think that there is about a 75% chance that I will find a job in Big City. Which of course means about a 25% chance that I will find a job somewhere that will require a move. But, even if I find a job in Big City, there is a good chance we will want to move. We are in the far east part of our metro area. If I find a position that is North or West of downtown, we will probably want to move closer. Even a downtown job will mean an hour commute--and I'm not sure that is something I can deal with.

So I am looking at my house with a new eye. It is a 4-year-old cookie-cutter spec home. We usually do a project or two a year to upgrade it. Now we will be looking specifically at projects that will increase the value or appeal, and delaying the ones that would really only benefit us. Still there is a lot to be done before we can think about putting it on the market.

The whole downstairs needs to be painted. (The builder used flat while. Flat white + three small kids = gross walls. I hate the white anyway.) It is an open floor plan, so there is a lot of wall to be covered and it will all have to be done at once. I have painted every other room in the house, but have avoided the downstairs open area because it is so overwhelming.

We need to replace the posts on the fence around the back yard. The builder used wooden posts which have warped, and many have started coming out of the ground because of the drought. Our yard is huge, so this is not a small task, but the neighbors offered to split the cost and work on the side fence.

We need to put a raised flower bed in the front yard to hide a sewer cleanout in the middle of the front yard. Again, due to to the drought the ground has sunk, making it very visible. I was actually planning on doing this project soon anyway, so I'm ok with it.

Oh, and he very best part of trying to sell a cookie-cutter spec home? An MLS search revealed 7 other homes exactly like ours that are currently on the market in our town. There is a $25K price difference in some of these, but I think the higher prices are deluded. We'll be lucky if we break even on our home.

Friggin' Hilarious

By the judge’s reasoning, any guy who gets aroused while wearing leather pants has – in the strictest legal terms – his wiener in a cow.

Actually, run-ins with law enforcement while getting it on with animals are more common than that one might think. There were a couple of such cases that had come through the DA's office I worked in. And rumor has it that one of my classmates in the criminal clinic had one of these, too. Of course, I don't think any of these involved dead animals--or leather pants.

Bite Me

I am fully recovered from my gum surgery, so I finally had a consult with the orthodontist today. What I had once naively believed would be a simple procedure to close the gap between my bottom teeth is going to be a much bigger ordeal. Part of the problem is that I have TMJ. I have known this for years, but every dentist I have ever mentioned the jaw clicking, locking and tensing to has blown me off. Anyway, the ortho. is taking me seriously, and its an issue because orthodontics can make TMJ either better or worse.

The other problem is that I am a clencher when I get tense and when I sleep. Clenching changes the bite. The ortho anticipates that I will be clenching a lot until the bar exam. So, I might just be going into a night guard to preserve my bite until after the bar, and then get into the serious orthodontics.

Oh yeah--and I will need jaw surgery. Because when the gap developed, my teeth also moved forward. When they are pushed back and the space is closed, I will have a massive overbite. And it can only be fixed with a surgery to move my jaw forward.

I would have been horrified by that part, but while I was in the waiting room, a monitor ran a slide show of before and after shots. It showed a guy who had had the jaw surgery and the impact on his profile was amazing. I hate my profile because my chin almost blends into my neck. This would make my chin more prominent, and the ortho said that his preferred surgeon could also take care of my hereditary double chin while he did it. (Even when I am really thin I have a double chin.)

I knew that my face had changed since I was younger--I though that it was just because I am a 20 pounds heavier. No, apparently it is all because of my bite changing. Who knew?

Hmmm, very interesting

I just got a (sort-of) unsolicited email asking me to forward my updated resume. It is from a DA's office in a big city. Not my big city, but one not too far away that I would consider moving to. The interesting part is that I applied for this position early last fall. I even had an interview with them. It did not go well. So I am surprised to be hearing from them again.

I will forward my resume, but I'm not sure that I really want that job. I like my city much better than that one. It would require uprooting the kids. DH would have to find employment there (but he is looking for new employment anyway). It is a DA's office, so there is not a lot of $$ on the table to make all the trouble worthwhile.

On the other hand, I really want to get in with a DA's office. This is a big one--there will definitely be room for growth and big cases. I have had several clerkships, and I loved working in the DA's office more than anything else I have done. And I need a job. Unemployment is stressful.

I guess we'll see what happens. In the meantime, I guess I better get my resume in the mail to the local DA's office.

Meet Bob

Bob likes beer.*

*Please note that no puppies were harmed by the taking of these pictures. The bottle was empty before Bob found it, and was removed as soon as the the pics were taken.

I'm Ba-aack

The beach was great and very relaxing. It was nice to take a few days and not even think about school or the bar or finding a job. Our house was 500 feet from the beach. It was on the smallest part of the island that was only accessible to residents, so we had the beach mostly to ourselves. The very best part was watching the kids enjoy the beach for the first time. It was really too cool to swim, but that didn't keep my little wharf rats out of the water. 5 y.o. DD kept running into the surf screaming, "This is the life!" Even sulky, moody 8 y.o. was genuinely happy on the beach, which is something we don't see often these days.

And because I know that you want to see someone else's vacation pictures, here is the island that we stayed on taken from the ferry that we took from the mainland.

And the kiddos playing on the beach.

This is the roots of a tree that was pulled up by a hurricane.

And the other side...

Happy Spring Break

Yea! Spring Break has finally started--at least for me, DH and the kiddos have work and school today. I am doing laundry and packing because we leave first thing in the morning.

Packing for 5 people for 5 days is a lot of work. Last spring break, we anticipated warm weather and were met with very cool nights and mornings. I had not packed at all for cool weather--we had to go out and buy the kids warmer clothes. And in the nearest town to our cabin our choices were Dollar General and Wal-Mart. They ended up with boys football sweatsuits that had been discounted to $3/pair.

I have learned from my mistakes and am packing for all weather (and closely monitoring weather.com), but that takes a lot of space. Also, since we have rented a beach house, we need all those little daily things, like dishwashing detergent and paper towels. And beach toys. And fishing tackle. And entertainment for the car. At some point we will need to stop and buy groceries. The Behemoth is going to be bursting at the seams.

Happy Spring Break to everybody--and don't expect to see anything from me over the next few days--the beach house doesn't have internet access.

Spring Fever

I am having so much trouble settling down and getting my work done this week. I am so psyched about Spring Break. One week from today I will be sitting on the beach with a frosty beverage. I think the spring fever is compounded by senioritis. Feels a lot like high school. I just want to get done and get out. But of course, its not nearly as exciting as high school because I have the whole bar/bri-is-ruining-my -summer-plus-if-I-don't-pass-the-bar-and-get-a-job-my-life-is-over thing going on.

But right at this moment, I am managing to push that all aside and focus on my upcoming vacation. Hopefully this much-needed break will let me settle in and focus for the rest of the semester. Now, if I can just make it through the next two classes without making it painfully obvious that I spent my day making my packing list instead of reading.

I'm so disappointed

I found out today that my grades are high enough to graduate with honors. But I can't, because I'm a transfer student. It just sucks. I totally blew off school in undergrad (which is why I got stuck in a T4 to begin with), and I am proud of the way that I have worked my ass of in law school. I guess jumping from a T4 to a T1 school should be reward enough, but it would have been really sweet to graduate with honors.

No Matter Where You Go, You Just Can't Escape Scrotums

A legislator in Maryland is trying to ban plastic balls that rednecks are hanging from the trailer hitches of their trucks. The seller of these delightful wares doesn't see the problem, responding to the Washington Post, "Did all the little donkeys and sheep walk around with their panties on so children wouldn't see their bodies?" Cause, ya know, donkey balls are totally the same as truck balls.

Boy, am I glad that I've already had the scrotum discussion with my girls. (Although I don't think we ever covered truck balls.)

P.S.

I hope that Washington Post link doesn't require you to register, because I hate having to register to read one article. If registration is required, you might want to look at BugMeNot , to get around that pesky registration process.

Little Brothers are Buttheads (even when they are grown)

Apparently my brother is now screening my calls. We had a little tiff about a month ago, but I really thought he would be over it by now. Apparently not.

I had off-handedly mentioned that we were considering taking the kids to Disney for spring break if we could manage the finances. BB (Brother Butthead) said that he really wanted to take his kids too since they should be getting a good tax refund this year, and hey, wouldn't it be great if we could go together. I said, sure that might be fun, we'll talk more later.

The next day he sends DH this long detailed email about how we will rent a 12 passenger van, and take turns driving so we can make it in one day, and oh yeah, we can also make a stop along the way to visit his wife's family.

That is when I knew that this wasn't gonna work. The idea of 14 hours in a van with 7 kids screams anything but vacation. (Can you imagine how many potty stops that would be?) I didn't want a van, I wanted my big comfy computer-climate controlled, HD-stereo having behemoth Suburban to drive. I did not want to do 14 hours in a stretch, I wanted to split it over 2 days and take the time to enjoy the little stops along the way. And I sure as hell didn't want to waste one day of my vacation visiting my brother's in-laws.

So I told him, as gently as possible, that his vision of a vacation did not mesh with our vision of a vacation. And he blew up. He said it was because we though they weren't good enough for us and we just didn't want to spend time with them. Eventually it came out that their own vehicle wasn't reliable enough to make the trip and they couldn't go without us to split the cost of the van and presumably a hotel room (did I forget the part about fudging occupancy numbers and bringing sleeping bags?). Seriously, could we get any more Griswold. We just need to tie my dead grandma to the roof of that van.

The real problem is that while my brother and I stem from the same white trash roots, I have managed to pull myself out and he never has. They never seem to be able to make ends meet--never find a way to get out of the crappy house in the bad part of town or keep their phone hooked up and their vehicles running. And it's their own fault. My brother put himself through school and got a teaching degree. He is half way through a master's, but has changed his degree plan three times. He should be able to live a better life than he does.

It's to the point that I don't want to share anything with him. My going to law school, or buying a house, or a new care are all insults to him. They are the things I have accomplished that he has not. And apparently my mention of Disney was salt in the wounds--and if I didn't want to go with him, it was because I was better than him. I guess he didn't consider that I would be spending my money and my precious time and should have some input into my vacation (not to mention DH, who immediately nixed this plan.)

Oh, and the real irony... we aren't going to Disney, either. We decided it was just to expensive, with all of my bar expenses coming up (mostly paying for full-time childcare when I'm not working). But of course I can't tell BB that, because he won't take my damn calls.

Just Nerds Breeding Nerds

I'll admit I'm just a big ol' nerd. I think that the majority of law students are. I'm ok with that. But I seem to be turning my children into nerds, too. (But I'm also ok with that--I think that nerds get into less trouble in the teenage years.) Not extreme nerdiness--they have the right clothes and shoes, they still love cartoons and video games, and you can't see the geekiness just by looking at them--but if you spend any amount of time with them, you will start to notice the nerdiness.

In preparation for our Spring Break Trip, I took the kids to the library. When I stayed home with the kids we went to the library every week from the time they were infants--these days the trips are less frequent, but there is never a shortage of books in our house. So anyway, we went in search of books about the state we are visiting, the ocean, fishing and Pompeii (since there is a travelling museum exhibit in the city near where we are staying.) DH points out that it is extremely nerdy to turn every vacation into a learning experience. My thoughts are the best way to learn is by experience, and I might as well teach the kids about something while they are interested in it.

Last night one 5 y.o. went to bed reading about Pompeii, and the other reading about an Ice-mummy (totally unrelated to anything else, but we found the book near the Pompeii books and the kids thought it looked cool.)

We are also reading up on fishing. (Yet another example of our extreme nerdiness.) We girls have never fished. DH used to go fly-fishing w/ his dad, but he has never salt-water fished. 8 y.o. has already read one of the fishing books, and made a list of everything we needed to buy when we went to Ginormous Sporting Goods Store.

So, yeah, we are nerds. But hopefully we will be nerds of the well-rounded, well-educated variety.

Why does finding out that a book is banned always make be want to go read it.

I was reading this article in Oil & Gas, which was making it awfully hard to keep a straight face. (And believe it or not, Oil & Gas is not funny.)

Anyway, the article is about the children's book The Higher Power of Lucky , and the fact that the book--OMG--contains the word "scrotum". And apparently there is a select group of librarians who think that scrotum is a bad word and that kids aren't allowed to knw the meaning of it.

I generally think that banning books is a bad idea. First, I think that parents should monitor what their children read--not the library, the school or the state. Second, I don't think I'm the only one who wants to read a book just because its been labeled "banned." Third, the reasons books get banned are usually for stupid reasons made up by short-sighted closed-minded people. This book appears to be just such a case (with the caveat that I haven't read it myself, only read a few articles.) WTH is wrong with "scrotum?" It's a body part--kids need to learn about body parts. Even the ones that might make us grown-ups a little uncomfortable.

Case in point, on our last vacation we took the kids to see BodyWorlds (which probably makes these book-banners think I'm a bad mom anyway, but that's for another day. It was educational, they wanted to go, we went.) Many of the exhibits were male, and about half and hour in, my five-year-old asked, "hey, what are those things hanging down that look like balls?" I managed to stifle my giggles and gave her an explanation just as I had the exhibits on hearts, lungs and gallbladders. My point it, you have to talk about scrotums sometime.

Spring Fever

I just realized that Spring Break is only three weeks away, so I have been spending a lot of my newly found free time researching someplace to get away. I pulled up a US map and looked at what was w/in a day's drive. I realized that there were decent beaches not as far away as I thought, so I have rented a beach cottage for Spring Break.

Woohoo, I am so excited--I have never had a beach cottage before. I have only had a couple of very short beach trips in my life. This place is supposed to be quiet and secluded, perfect for relaxing, which is what I need right now.

The only problem is that all my researching of our vacation spot has left me totally in vacation mode and unable to settle down and focus on school work.

Must. go. read.

P.S. Just got an updated Wills & Trusts assignment. We are to read Anna Nicole's will. At least that should hold my interest more than the creation of fee tails.

So I guess I won't be hunting after all.

I had the meeting with Big Boss. He informed me that he wasn't planning to expand any further at this time. I informed him (very politely) that since that was the case, I was going to have to go clerk somehwere that was looking to expand. He did not seem to really care--probably because he has seen me about two times the entire time I have worked there.

The attorney's I have been working with weren't happy. I don't think they were upset with me as much a Big Boss. They are buried, need help, and know I do a good job. Expletives were uttered, but both (without my even asking) assured me that they would give me excellent references.

Honestly, I am relieved that don't have to balance work and school anymore. It was almost more than I could handle and my stress level was increasing exponentially by the day. I have free time again. (And by free time, I mean that I can clean my house and do my laundry.) I was able to spend this weekend hanging out with the kids instead of trying to do all of my reading for the week because I didn't have time during the week. (Yes, even as a 3L I am still reading--probably only because I don't have a job.)

My only frustration is that I am back to square one on the job hunt. I am not overly stressed yet, but I would like to not have the stress of being unemployed when I take the bar.

The kind of lawyer you don't want to be

The Sexual Consent Attorney.

You eat what you kill

I met with the attorney who hired me yesterday to get a new batch of assignments. He asked if how I was doing and if I liked it there. Since I have been intending to sniff out whether I have a shot at a permanent position, I told him that I was in the middle of the great 3L job hunt and that the primary reason I was there was to secure permanent employment. Then I asked if hiring me was on Big Boss's radar.

I was told that I was definitely on the radar and that I needed to make an appt w/ Big Boss to discuss further. Then I was warned that Big Boss pays his employees differently than any other firm; hence, "you eat what you kill". It sounds like what you earn is essentially commission based.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. There is definitely the potential for big $$. But I will have some serious student loan obligations, and it could take years to get my first settlement/judgment. I would definitely have to get a decent base for such an arrangement to be feasible. It's all speculation at this point anyway--I guess I need to set up the meeting w/ Big Boss before I do too much worrying.

I love her, but do I have to like her?

My 8 y.o. DD has become increasingly unpleasant to be around. She is sulky and moody and treats her Dad and me like we are complete idiots. I thought we had at least 3-4 years before we had to contend with this kind of behavior. Even her 5 y.o. sister commented today, "C. just whines and complains all the time." I truly do not know what to do about it.

I have always felt a special bond with my oldest DD--she was an only child for almost three years and always seemed to need me in a way the twins never did (after all, they have had each other since before they were even born). Now I feel like all I do is yell at her for her bad attitude. Even when we try to do something nice for her, she turns around and acts like an ungrateful brat.

I'm afraid that I have given the kids a little too much slack in making up for mommy going to law school. I was pretty strict as a SAHM and not one to give into the material demands of my children. While I am still on the stricter end of the parenting scale, I give in more on the smaller battles. And now my 8 y.o. (who never threw a tantrum in store as a toddler) thinks that she can pout and sulk everytime she doesn't get her way. (e.g. When DD was told that we needed to go to the grocery store on Saturday, her reply was "What do I get out of it?" Ummm, lets see, you get food to eat, and you don't have to stay home and do chores.) Arrghhh. I just want my sweet little girl back.

It's not so bad, really

I have this gap between my bottom front teeth. It began during my pregnancy with the twins (that whole story is a nightmare which maybe I will blog about some day, but for background, I was hospitalized most of the first 5 months because I literally could not keep anything down. I lost 30 lbs., my hair started falling out and my teeth became loose. My docs told me to consider terminating before I starved to death). Anyway, the twins are 5 now,and I am really self-conscious about the gap. I wanted orthodontics, but I was told that my gums would have to be strengthened first.

So, yesterday I had gum surgery. They grafted tissue they scraped from the roof of my mouth to my bottom front gums, and on my back right pulled back the gums to remove bacteria and other yucky stuff back there. Now I have stitches in the front and back of my mouth and a plastic stint that covers the entire roof of my mouth.

It sounds awful, and believe me I was terrified, but one day out it's not so bad. I took Vicoden last night and kept an ice pack on my face and that managed the pain well. This morning I am going to see if I can make it w/o drugs--I need to get some reading done and I don't like taking unnecessary meds.

The worst is that I have to keep this stint in for two weeks. Oh, and I can't eat anything that I have to bite for two weeks. That will be fun, since I eat on the road more often than at home, but I am going to consider it my new diet plan. Maybe I'll get straight teeth and a slimmer figure from this whole ordeal.

Enough Already

Stinky Food Guy now has some competition for the most irritating non-gunner. We'll call her Noisy Sandwich Girl, and she is in both my T/Th and M/W 6:00 classes. Apparently, she gets this concoction with just the guts of the sandwich and no bread. Without bread, its kinda hard to hold the damn thing together, so it is all wrapped up in paper. And as she eats she just keeps ripping and crinkling paper. I honest to god do not know how she manages to make so much freaking noise. It's like letting a puppy loose in the Sunday paper. And she is apparently oblivious to the fact that no one within a 6 seat radius can hear a damn thing while she is chowing down. Good thing I'm a 3L and don't really care what happens in class anymore. And at least her sandwich isn't stinky.

Tip of the Day: Don't Chew Gum in Court

I attended a motion hearing yesterday. One of the attorneys on the other side was chomping on gum the entire time. This was not a young attorney--he was probably in his late 40's. It was very unprofessional and gave the impression that he just didn't care that much about the proceeding.

The hearing was in the court that I interned in during my 1L summer. I am probably more comfortable in that courtroom than any other I have ever been in, because I had the run of the place during that summer. There was no office space for interns, so we did our research from the computer at the bench and took over counsel tables to review files. (It was kinda fun when attorneys would walk in and wonder why "some kid" was sitting at the bench--especially if they did not know the judge.)

But my judge was not re-elected, so it was strange to see someone new sitting on the bench. The bailiffs were the same and gave me big hugs, but the rest of the staff replaced by the new judge. It was kind of sad.

They say it's your birthday...

...it's my birthday too, yeah.*

I turned 27 today. At least if you use my new style of math where you start going backward the year you are supposed to turn 30.

I worked from 8:30 until 2:00, picked the kids up at 3:00, read con law till 4:30, left to to the kid swap and have dinner w/ DH at 5:00, gulped down average BBQ from the joint across the street from school and was sitting in con law from 6:00-7:15. Back home by 8:00, where I vegged on the sofa and ate a yummy chocolate cake that DH baked. I would say the day kinda sucked, but after the last two years, it was a great.

The bad part is that the above schedule is pretty much my life now, except that most nights I don't get home till 10. Work has gotten better, but I think they want more than I can give. I don't even have time to get my reading done for classes, and I feel like I never see the kids. I feel like something needs to give, but I don't know what. I would quit my job, but right now it is my best prospect for a permanent position. I can't slack off at school because I don't have a guaranteed position, and I have to keep my grades up. My down time is the weekend, but I have to work in 30 hours of public service before I can graduate, and I need that time to catch up on reading, and oh yeah, work told me today that I am more than welcome to work from home (in addition to being in the office) to get all of my projects done. This semester is just gonna suck.

OK pity-party over. I'll try to post more frequently and less bitchily. (Bitchily! ha, I made a new word!)

*A family tradition around here is to blast the birthday song on everybody's b-day.

Funeral Songs

My family sang a certain song about a frog who's name starts with J. at the graveside rites for my grandmother.* There was sheet music and everything. It was a toss-up between "Jeremiah" and "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," but they decided the latter was inappropriate for a funeral. No, I am not kidding.

I flew in Wednesday for the funeral. My uncle's ex-wife was on the same flight. With what appeared to be her boyfriend. Because its always appropriate to take your new boyfriend to your ex-husband's mother's funeral.

I flew back home Friday morning because I had just about all of my insane family that I could take. And I was thankful that I live 400 miles away and can leave it all behind.

* This post has been edited because I was getting an insane amount of hits searching for the lyrics to the song. Who knew it was so popular?

The F Word

8 y.o. DD: "Somebody wrote the "F" word on inside the playground equipment."
5 y.o. DD: "Ya mean, Fart?"

Me: (after I quit laughing at 5 y.o. and apologized for embarrassing her) "What do you know about the "F" word?"
8 y.o. DD: "I know you say it a lot to the other drivers when we're in the car."

Oops, thought I was doing a better job of censoring myself when the kids are in the car. My potty mouth really is my biggest downfall as a parent.

Book Math

Bought books today. At about $250, it was the least I have ever spent on books for a semester. This is partly because I am able to re-use the book I had for Con Law I in Con Law II, and also because one of my profs is working on the final manuscript for the newest textbook, so we will be provided with the manuscript.

So what did I do with my savings? Went shopping, of course. I needed to have the charms that DD got for Christmas put on her bracelet, so I had to go to the mall. I got 2 suits and a sweater at Ann Taylor Loft for $250. I figure that pretty much put me even with what I should have spent on books, and I got a great deal on the suits, too. I got this suit (minus the hat) which is very different than anything else in my closet, but it was a great deal and gives me the appearance of having a waist (I'm built like a boy) and its fun to do something a little trendy every now and then. (I usually stick to very classic styles.)

But wait, it gets better. Once I got home I checked out my textbook prices online. (I can't do this until after a trip to the bookstore, because the bookstore is the only place to get textbook lists.) I found one of my books $40 cheaper at Amazon! Then, I found my Wills and Trusts book on half.com for $10, brand new--I paid $78 in the bookstore. So, I have now saved another $100 on books, which actually puts me below my semester book budget by $100 even if you add in my new duds. I think that means I can go shopping again--I really think I need tall black boots to go with the new suit.

Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now.

Oh yeah--I totally could not get in to the ladies room today. Don't know if I forgot the combination or just couldn't work the lock. It's really hard to figure out a lock when you really gotta go. For heaven's sake, I have had three children use my bladder for a trampoline (and two of them at the same time!), I can only take so much. Finally someone else came along, and I went in behind her.

Work seemed better today. I finally got to work on something not related to galvanized steel. God, I am sick of steel. I got all of my assignments turned in (two days early!), so it will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings. (Although with my luck it will probably be revisions of what I did today.)

I saw Big Boss and he was nice to me today. Also, I did not get pulled of of anything to help Grumpy Paralegal--ha!

So, I found the ladies room

For the first time at my new job I had to use the ladies room. And at that point it occurred to me that I had never seen the ladies room. Apparently because it is down the hall from our office, which takes up about half of one floor in a medium-sized office building.

The restroom had a lock on it. Not like a privacy lock for a single stall unit. A push button combination lock to keep everybody out of a multi-stall restroom. Fortunately, it was not an emergency and the receptionist provided me with this information before I traversed the building to heed nature's call.

Now why in the heck would someone put a combination lock on the restroom? My first though was perhaps to prevent crime--is the management afraid that women will be attacked in the restroom? I'm pretty sure the men's room doesn't have a lock (it's right across the hall from our office and I have seen guys come and go without fiddling with a lock). But we're not exactly in a high crime area. This firm is in the suburbs. Off a major highway--not a lot of potential walk-in traffic. And this restroom is on the 5th floor. Yeah--if I were gonna assault a woman in the restroom I would totally pick the 5th floor of a random office building all by itself in the suburbs.

Anyway, note to self--don't want til the last minute.

Not liking my new job

I am just not crazy about the place I am working. I am left all day in my little cubicle that I share with wayward computer parts, cut off from everybody else. There are only four attorneys (all men) who all run around and do their own thing. The support staff is all women who dote on the men and seem like they don't quite know what to make of me. Being an almost-lawyer, I'm not really one of them, but I am not another man for them to dote on, either. And I don't think they trust me--even though I have tried to be really nice.

Grumpy Paralegal keeps trying to give me assignments, and I keep dodging them (because I have a full plate of stuff from the attorneys). Today he informed me that after he met with Big Boss, I would probably be pulled off my current assignment because he needed soooo much help. Bite me. The he told me that the reason he needs soooo much help is because he is leaving mid-month and needs to get stuff wrapped up. Yea! At least I won't have to deal with Grumpy Paralegal anymore.

That's actually doubly good news. (Well, it would be good news if I ever start to like it there, anyway. ) I was told when I was hired that there was a chance this position could become permanent. They had one lawyer leave recently and really need another lawyer in the firm. I thought my chances were slim since they already had a paralegal who was in law school and would presumably be up for the job, but it looks like I am back in the running.

Anyway, despite how I feel, the attorneys at least seem to like my work. I was told my first motion was fantastic and was then gifted with a brief plus the two MSJ responses I have been working on all due by next Wed. Yea me.

The door to her heart doesn't close all the way.

The girls and I spent a good part of the day in doctor's offices today. The pneumonia twins had a recheck. Apparently Twin 1 still has pneumonia and is now up for a second round of antibiotics. She has been acting fine and I thought she was all better. Good thing I went for law school instead of med school.

The same child had her annual visit with a pediatric cardiologist. There is something inherently terrifying about visiting a pediatric cardiologist. They shouldn't even exist. Kids should have perfectly functioning little hearts. But one of mine doesn't. Twin 1 has pulmonary valve stenosis. It just means that one of the valves to her heart doesn't close all the way when her heart pumps. Fortunately, this is very mild with DD and it doesn't affect her daily life in any way. She just has to get antibiotics before going to the dentist and have her heart looked at every couple of years to make sure there are no changes.

Even though I know that DD's problem is very mild and she has been showing no signs of any problems whatsoever, there is still that moment of terror when the doctor is performing the ultrasound and doing measurements. Why is he taking so long? Didn't he already do that? Why is he leaving to do his calculations instead of just telling me everything is ok?

But it was all ok. DD's heart hasn't changed since last year, and her condition is still mild. And I am a relieved mommy.

So, I know I haven't posted in a few days. We have been visiting family. A lot happened and there was much drama, but I just haven't felt like sorting it all out yet. Maybe soon.

Just in case you don't get enough of the law at work...

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for Nintendo DS

I stumbled across this when DD and I were in Circuit City searching for Nintendogs. I couldn't talk her in to getting Pheonix Wright instead (Moooommm, lawyers are booooriiing--Yeah, and yelling "sit" at a cyberdog isn't boring?), but it is the funniest thing I have seen all day.

Jedi's need shoes, not bare feet...

...that bit of wisdom is from 5 y.o. DD after she dropped her light saber on her foot and minutes later her twin did the same. The girls got gift cards for Christmas, and the little ones spent theirs on light sabers. Yes, we are a bunch of nerds around here.

Today we took the kids to the amusement park. On the way, traffic was at a standstill because a truck full of (previously) live chickens overturned in the middle of the highway. There were little chicken carcasses everywhere, although some were still kicking. I swear, I will not be able to eat chicken for a month. Stuff like this totally skives me out. I pass the chicken truck almost everyday on the way to school, and when I see dead chickens, with their stiff little feet poking through the cage I can't eat chicken for days afterward. (I also can't ever eat turkey or Cornish game hens after preparing it--dealing with whole carcasses just puts me too close to the origin of my food. I would totally become a vegetarian if I actually ate veggies.)

Thinking that we had our fun with the dead chicken obstacle course this morning, we weren't prepared for the flat tire on the way home. I hit something and whoosh went the tire. It was dark and cold, but not too dark or too cold. The worst was that we were on a busy highway, and I was afraid someone would veer over and hit us.

I am embarrassed to say this, but there is no way I could have changed the tire w/o DH. First, the tire is mounted underneath the vehicle, and there is a lock which hides a secret keyhole which you stick the jack handle into to lower the spare. Yeah--like I even knew the secret wench-thingie to get to the spare even existed. Oh yeah, and I think the tires weigh as much as me. And then there's the teeny little jack to lift this behemoth vehicle (Suburban). And some kind of fancy cover hiding the lug nuts. That I probably wasn't strong enough to turn, either.
I've always believed that I can do anything the boys can do, but dang it, I'm leaving the tire changing to the guys.

Anyway, DH got the tire changed in great time, considering the circumstances, we did not get smashed on the side of the road, and overall (minus the dead chickens, and the $500 we will be shelling out for new tires tomorrow) it was a good day.

Christmas at LC's Place

So it is 5:00 on Christmas Day and we are all still lounging around in our PJ's, enjoying the peace of hanging out at home, playing with all of our new stuff. All of our family lives 400 miles away in the same smallish city. We have not lived there in the 11 years (on the 30th) we have been married. We used to make the trek back home every year for the holiday. But on the twins' first Christmas, when we were required to be 4 different places in one day with 5 month old infants, I put my foot down and we have been spending the holidays at home ever since. I love it. We get to hang out together and do what we want on our own schedule.

Yesterday, we went to church in the morning and a movie in the afternoon before coming home to open our family gifts. (BTW, Night At the Museum is hilarious--it was nice to see a real movie that was appropriate for the kids. I can't remember the last time I saw something not animated at the movies.) This morning, we did the Santa thing, made a big breakfast, a bigger lunch/dinner, and have spent the day playing with al of out stuff. It is soooo much better than being shuttled from relative to relative and never having a chance to play with any of your new toys.

Oldest DD got a Nintendo DS, and a Mario game. I think her dad and I like the game better than she does--it is reminiscent of our own childhoods. The twins got portable DVD players--to make that 400 mile trek to see the grandparents a little more tolerable. They call them their laptops. And they got a ton of other toys, games, books and craft stuff. I always do too much for Christmas (but I never buy during the rest of the year--if they want it, they have to earn the $ for it. )

Of course, we're not off the hook for the trip back home. We'll go next weekend, but at least we can spread out our visits with the relatives and get to actually spend some quality time with them.

And just so that I don't leave you with the misaprehension that my day was entirely blissful, Twin 2 just walked up to Twin 1 and shoved her backward as hard as she could because Twin 1 took Twin 2's Princess Paddle-ball. (Yes, they both got paddle-balls). Back to reality.

Christmas Eve Eve

Spent the day hanging out with the kids. We made cookies for Santa and then picked out songs to download. DD's list includes James Taylor, Elvis, the Beatles, the Chili Peppers, Green Day, All-American Rejects, Pink and a bunch more. Can't say we aren't eclectic around here, but over all, I'd say she has pretty good taste for an 8 year old.

After the kids were in bed I found some amusing you-tube Christmas videos. If you're really bored and in the (twisted) Christmas spirit, here is my gift to you...

Ozzy & Jessica Simpson do Winter Wonderland

Twisted Sister does O Come All Ye Faithful

David Bowie and Bing Crosby do Little Drummer Boy

Mom, please don't call Dad all those bad words you call everybody else, ok?

That's from 8 y.o. DD when we were following DH home after he met me for shopping after work today. I tend to get extremely frustrated when driving in big city traffic, and DD didn't want any of it directed at her Dad. I have to admit that my road rage potty mouth is probably my biggest downfall as a parent. I try to keep it to, "get the Hades out of my way you stupid poopy head" when the kids are in the car,(Mommy, its not nice to call people stupid. Yeah, mom, or poopy head), but sometimes the real words just pop out. DD and I then had a lovely discussion about how damn the curse word is spelled compared to dam the beaver home, and the size of her own dirty word vocabulary (which is surprisingly small given the many opportunities she has had to learn new words from her own mother).

On the work front, today was better. I finally met Big Boss. I think I earned brownie points with him because I found a case that he didn't know about that was directly on point for his appellate argument today. It wasn't favorable to him, but he needed to be prepared to distinguish it. Then he asked me to critique his oral argument. That was interesting, but I laid it out straight and he seemed to appreciate it. Then he mentioned that he thought that his oral argument was stronger than his brief. I agreed. He asked if I thought the brief was poorly written. I told the truth--it was. (The thing was loaded with block quotes, some of them going on for an entire page). He said that it was written by a "young law student." Then we chatted for a bit.

I was also told today that there will be a party on Friday, which includes a gift exchange. Great--I hate this kind of thing with people I know--I have know idea what to buy for a bunch of people I don't know at all. Anybody with a suggestion for a $15 generic gift for a law firm Christmas party, please let me know.

Day 2 on the job

So today was a little better than Friday--but not much. When I arrived, the attorney I am supposed to be working with was out of town on a deposition--surely he knew about this when he told me that he would brief me Monday am about my newest project? So, his legal assistant has to call he cell so that I would have something to do.

I was asked to draft a motion. No biggie, except that I have never drafted this kind of motion before. But what the heck--I'm smart, I can wing it. Once I finished that up, I was free to draft a couple of responses to MSJ's.

So I was moving along on my motion (not terribly exciting, but its better than printing cases and organizing a notebook), when Big Boss calls. He wants to know if I have reviewed both briefs for his appellate argument on Wed. Ummm, no. Didn't I tell you to do that? I don't believe so. Well, then what have you been working on? A motion for another case. Well, you need to be working on this and only this and don't work on anything else unless you clear it with me first! Okey dokey, then. I have still not met this man, but he is just such a little ball of sunshine.

On the bright side, today I learned more than anyone ever should have to know about galvanized steel. Seriously, the cool thing about civil litigation is that you kind of get to be a mini-expert on all sorts of strange things.

Just a peek into what to expect from Big Law at Christmas

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/humor/grinch.asp

Yes, it makes me wanna barf, too

Please stand by while I figure out how to get rid of this revolting pink. And damn you Blogger for telling me I could make new and easy drag and drop changes to my blog. You forgot to mention that life could only be so easy if I stuck with your icky templates.

So, I need to feed the rugrats, and then I will dig into the html to try to make my blog look a little different from the hundred million other blogs that blogger tricked into their default templates.

Today...not so great.

So I started my new job today. It wasn't great. The day started with a list of cites that I was to pull up and print in Westlaw. Menial, but easy right? But since they called me in a day early, the office manager hadn't had a chance to set me up with an office or a computer. So I got put on one of the attorney's computers, and given his Westlaw password. But no username. I couldn't get in to his account, and nobody could tell me how, because apparently none of the legal assistants get Westlaw access. I eventually resorted to my school account (yeah, yeah, I know I'm not supposed to do that, but I didn't want to look like a loser my first day). Not much luck there, either. They use Firefox, which was blocking all the Westlaw pop-ups (and I have never used Firefox and did not know how to fix this). So, against the instructions from the legal assistant, I resorted to Explorer, and finally got a doc to print. Then the attorney showed up. Told me how to get in on his password, then kicked me to someone else's office.

I was finally on a roll, when the owner of the next office showed up. He was not happy to see a stranger taking over his space. I think he was a paralegal because he was not an attorney. He kicked me to another attorney's office, and told me I only had an hour before that guy got back from his hearing. Then he said he would find out how to log onto the network from office #3. He never came back, but I figured it out for myself.

About the time I was done, the office manager set me up with my very own (shared only with wayward computer parts) cubicle and computer. At least it was big, so I don't mind the computer parts so much. It was so nice to finally have a place to stash my giant handbag that I had to tote around with me all day.

I was able to pull up all of the cites but two--one was a book not in the Westlaw database, and the other was a USC cite that must have been written down wrong. I was told to call the big boss and find out what he wanted me to do about this (because this was his little project and the reason I was called in to start early). He sounded cranky. Then he said he would go over it with me when he got in. But it was 1:30, and I leave at 2:00 (to pick up the rugrats--they don't pay enough to employ my nanny). So, he sounded more cranky. Hopefully my beautifully printed, tabbed and indexed notebook will make a good impression. If I have learned nothing else in lawschool, at least I can organize a freakin' notebook.

They wanted the job done by 12:00. I got it done at 1:30, but I totally blame the delay on all of my office hopping. Supposedly on Monday I will start working on a new case. Hopefully it will be a little more exciting. It's got to get better, right?

Saving the best for last

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all that I've put on my plate for next semester--my last semester. I have now committed to working M, W, F 8-2. At 2 I will leave to get the kiddos. Then I will have maybe an hour or so at home before having to drive in to the Big City to do kid swap w/ DH and go to my 6:00 class. After class, I will have mock trial practice from 8:30-10:30 (yes, at night. I'm old--put a 45 minute drive home on top of that and it is seriously encroaching on my beauty sleep.) T, Th, no work, but class from 2-3:30, then from 6-9:00. Plus, I am coming back as "chief counsel" for the clinic that I have been working in, so I need to put in at least 10 hours a week in the clinic somewhere.

Oh yeah, and I haven't done any of the req'd 30 hours of public service that I need to graduate. I was planning to try to work in family violence in the DA's office, but with my crazy schedule I can't imagine how that will work. So it looks like I will be stuck doing income tax assistance. No, I have not taken any kind of tax class ever. On the plus side, maybe it will help me with the bar, since I have never taken any kind of tax class ever. And there are plenty of Friday night and Saturday morning opportunities to work. (And who doesn't love to spend their weekends helping people with taxes?)

To top things off, I have basically given away my holiday break by taking my new job. And they called today to ask me to start tomorrow instead of Monday. I think they have a research project that needs to be turned around quickly. I don't mind, but it means I will miss the twins' class parties at school, and that is kind of sad. Hopefully it won't scar them for life when I'm the only mommy not there (because everyone's mom is there in kindergarten--by second grade most of the moms have lost interest and there are only a handful. I'll be interesting to see what third grade means, b/c I have not heard a word about oldest DD's party.)

Now for a quick mommy brag. Both of my twins have been nominated for the gifted program at school. They will still have to be tested to get in, and less than 5% of students make it. But oldest DD is already in, and her G/T teacher said last year that she wouldn't be surprised to see her sisters make the cut. Also, all three of my kiddos got the top scores in their class on their standardized reading tests, and topped the tests out so we aren't even sure what their actual abilities or reading levels are (although I have complained about this to the principal.) OK, mommy brag over. Yeah, I know it's not nice to brag about how brilliant your kids are, but it's my blog and I can do what I want to.

My apologies to my commentors

So, I just upgraded Blogger. And when I did, I suddenly had a bunch of comments to moderate. I originally set Blogger up to notify me when I got a comment, but apparently at some point that feature was turned off. And Blogger never in any way let me know that I had comments waiting--maybe there was something I was supposed to click?

So now I feel like a big dork for not realizing this, and I feel terrible for not responding to the comments. I promise from now on I will find out if comments are waiting for approval and I will respond. Please leave comments--I love comments!

Good Day, Bad Day, Crazy Day

So my party last night went well. I managed to get my house clean an decorated. We had a good turnout and lots of great food and I think everyone had a good time.

But, halfway through DH came downstairs to tell me DD had a fever. This was not good. She just got over bout with bronchitis where she missed almost a week of school. Also, this kid never gets just a cold. When she gets sick it quickly turns to something major. She had pneumonia four times my 1L year.

Aside from a potentially major illness, her being sick and out of school shouldn't have been a big deal since I am done with school. But, I had my job interview today. And it was too late to call the nanny to sit with DD. So that left DH having to drag her to work, when he already had a busy day lined up.

So, I took the other two to school and went to my 9:00 interview. It's with a plaintiff's firm. Not sure how I feel about that, but this firm does not seem to be of the sleazy variety. Actually, it seemed like a great place to work, they have a wide variety of cases and are somewhat overloaded, meaning I would get a decent amount of responsibility. Also, there is a full office staff, so I wouldn't be relegated to answering phones and other scut work that I hated as the single support person in the solo firm I worked in over the summer.

Anyway, my interviewer starts telling me that several cases involve a certain common drug given to children that sometimes cause devastating effects and how horrible it is for these kids to endure. The very same drug that I gave my sick kid this morning! I am trying not to let the internal freak-out show on my face.

So, I got the job!!! I guess my interviewing skills have improved (or I was the only one who applied for the job.) I tried to be more outgoing (my supervisor in the DA's office told me that I came off as too nice to be a litigator in an interview, even though I am not in the courtroom). It may have also helped that the interviewer knew the judge that I interned for fairly well. Yea me--I am excited. They have the kind of work that I wanted to do going in to law school, but was told it was virtually impossible to break into the field now because I am in a tort reform state.

So, after my interview I meet DH for lunch and retrieve DD. I take her to the doctor where I am told that she has pneumonia. I get a handful of prescriptions and an order to go across the street for a chest x-ray.

After I get home with the scrips and the other kids, DH calls to tell me he had been given hockey tickets. For tonight. I love hockey and would love to go, but it's tough to get a sitter on two hours notice and besides, I don't really want to leave the kid with pneumonia (who is not acting sick at all, btw).

So Dh starts trying to round up someone to go, but again--two hours notice. I tell him that if he can't find anyone else, he could take oldest DD. As it turns out, oldest DD has no interest in hockey, but her little sisters are begging to go. Of course pneumonia kid can't go, but the other one really wants to.

Eventually, DH finds someone to take the other ticket. I tell the kids it will be a girls night in. DD is devastated. She starts bawling because she can't go to the hockey game with Daddy. (Of course, she has never been to a hockey game before, and doesn't even know what she's missing, and DH thinks its rather wasteful to spend an $85 ticket on a five year old).

I finally calm her down by telling her Daddy will do something special with just her later in the week. She wants to go to the mall and ride the train. Ok, done. (Better him than me, I think I'd rather be drawn and quartered than set foot in the mall this time of year.)

I am now exhausted and counting the minutes until the kid's bedtime.

I think my heart is two sizes too small

I am such a Grinch. I just can't get into the Christmas spirit this year. Part of it is just getting through school, but now I am done with school for the semester and I am still not feeling the spirit of the season. We are supposed to go get a tree today, and all I can think about is how much trouble it is to decorate. And I have to decorate because I volunteered to host a party for my mom's of twins club on Monday (what the heck was I thinking?).

I hate leaving the house anymore because there are Christmas shoppers everywhere. Thank God for the internet. If I had to do my Christmas shopping out in the crowds, I think everyone I know would be getting gift certificates.

Christmas used to be my favorite time of the year, and I always loved shopping. Hopefully getting the tree today will jumpstart the Christmas cheer. We are going to a farm where we can chop our own tree--it's always a fun family activity, and the drive into the country is usually peaceful and calming.

Need. To. Study.

My one and only exam is today. (In case you haven't been following along, I took 2 paper classes and a clinic, which is performance based, plus I am getting the pass/fail credits for the externship I did over the summer.) I cannot make myself study.

On the bright side, this class is only two credits, and it is crim pro, so my little stint at the DA's office really helped with this class. On the other hand, I don't want to be over confident and blow it off. The questions that the prof gave during the review session were hard--and not really the kinds of questions he was asking in class the rest of the semester.

So far this morning I have read every blog in my favorites--even the ones I only visit about once every three months when I'm really, really bored; spent entirely too much time reading a snarky little message board I visit when I need a little entertainment; checked my bank balance (not pretty); checked the status of my two online orders (why haven't they shipped yet?); and checked the TIVO to see if there was a Gilmore Girls taped (there wasn't). Oh yeah, and blogged about how I need to get off my ass and actually look at the crim pro outline I prepared yesterday. I don't think there is anything else I can do to avoid studying for this exam.

OK, going to study now....really.

Good Day in Court

My hearing went well today. I was expecting an uphill battle, because when I originally filed my motion the judge told me I didn't have standing (but he didn't tell me why). I amended the motion, but I still expected to have to argue standing. I spent several hours yesterday preparing responses to every possible objection the judge could throw my way. I guess the judge was in a good mood because I didn't have to argue at all, and I got more than I actually asked for.

It didn't hurt that the DA agreed to my motion. That was a real shocker, because the DA refused to agree when I originally filed. Don't know what changed in the last month, but at least I got what I wanted, and it was an important step for my clients.

Now, if I can just make it through my exam Friday night, life will be good.

Also, I have a job interview. It is with a small litigation firm. Hopefully, my poor interview track record will improve. It would be nice to bring in a little money, and the work they do sounds interesting.

Wagons, Wainbows, and Wubber Duckies

DH was going over the twins' homework with them (they are in kindergarten). He said, "I am going to give you a word and you give me another word that starts with the same sound."

DH-"Wagon"
DD -"Wainbow"
DH -"No, rainbow starts with R"
DD - "Wubber duckie"

And earlier this evening,

"Mommy, do my sunglasses make me look like a movie star?"
Me, absently, "Yes, sweetie, now go get in the tub."
"Cause, movie stars have to be clean to be in their shows, right?"

And last week,

Twin 1 "We have to be good cause Santa's watching on his magic snowball."
Twin 2 "Mom, does Santa really have a magic snowball?"
Me, "Well, Santa is magic..."
Twin 2, "Yeah, but maybe its a magic mirror instead"

Also last week,

8 y.o. who has Santa all figured out, upon hearing "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" on the radio, "Santa's not really coming to town...cause he's already here."

And finally, overheard from the kids' table at Thanksgiving,
Twin 1 "Thank you God for making me beautiful."

Ok, I know that nobody else finds my kids half as hilarious as I do, but the point of this darn blog is so that I might have some memory of mylife during law school, and if I don't write it down I will never remember all of my kids' funnies.

Windows to the World

Oldest DD had to get glasses yesterday. I took her in for an eye exam because she has been squinting a bit, but I didn't really think it would be severe enough to require glasses. Good thing I didn't rely on my own optometric expertise.

The great thing is that she was really excited to get glasses. (Yeah, my kids are nerds--she also thought it was cool when she got her asthma inhaler.) She was amazed all evening at the things she could suddenly see, and she started calling her new glasses her windows to the world. I guess that's true. I remember when I got my first pair of glasses--I could suddenly see individual leaves on trees instead of big green blobs.

The best part is that she looks adorable. We got sort of a traditional wire-rimmed pair and a pair of semi-funky pink tortiseshell.

Anyway, I will apolgize for the sporadic posting of late. I have been feeling generally crummy since Thanksgiving, and I have been busy tying up all of the end-of-semester loose ends. I turned in my last paper yesterday. I have a hearing tomorrow, and then my only exam on Friday and I am done--woohoo! I'm a little bit stressed that I have not studied at all for my exam, and won't get to until after my hearing, but I think it will be ok. Surely half of Wednesday all of Thursday and Friday will be enough. It was an easy class and I (mostly) kept up with the reading.

Calgon, take me away!**

*Note, this post was written on Friday at the height of my pissiness, but withheld until my company left because DH has me on his RSS feeder and I didn't want anyone "accidently" clicking on it and reading my vent.*

I am so ready to be done with company. I woke up feeling not so great yesterday, which was not good with a houseful of people and a feast to prepare. I took some aspirin and managed to shake it off until yesterday evening when I started feeling crappy again.

So, DH was offered a ticket to attend the big game w/ FIL. Since half my diners were splitting for the afternooon, I had to bump Thanksgiving dinner up an hour. DH's ticket was compliments of SIL, who came over with her own three rugrats. Yea--6 kids and no dads around to control them. It was not fun.

When SIL went out to the car the bring in her stuff, all the kids follwed her and saw that the neighbors had light-up reindeer in their front yard. I told the kids they could run down the block to look at them while I watched from the porch. Well, apparently Nephew (almost 4) was tragically injured (he fell and scraped his knee), and was unable to make the trek back home. I went to rescue him, but he only wanted Momma. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, and continued to scream as I carried him back down the block to my house and his mom. I can't believe none of the neighbors came out to find out why I was kidnapping this kid.

SIL and her crew spent the night, and I woke up with a true houseful and feeling like crap. I have spent the morning hiding out, feeling like I have been run over by a bus, and using my death penalty paper as my excuse for not being sociable (well, its really not an excuse, I have a lot to do by Wednesday.)

Meanwhile, despite the fact that I have a refrigerator full of food, MIL has decided to remake Thanksgiving. Yeah--because we need more food in the house. She is making greenbean casserole and Stovetop stuffing (yes I did make stuffing from scratch yesterday, and it was good), and God knows what else.

I had intended to serve turkey sandwiches for lunch, because I figured everybody would be doing their own thing today, and then I was going to make a pot pie with the leftovers tonight. But who cares what I planned--guess that's what I get for hiding out (those kids are driving me nuts!)

Finally, FIL and the boys are upstairs watching the game they saw live yesterday--yeah, cause its different on tv.

I want my house back, I want my kitchen back, I want my tv back, and it would be nice to be able to breathe and talk again.

**Does anybody else remember that commercial, or am I giving my age away?

Prepping for Turkey Day

It has been a busy week. The kids have the entire week off. I forgot about this when I planned to pick up the data I have been waiting on from the DA's office. I had to drop them off with DH over lunch while I headed to the court house. Dragging my kids through the criminal courts sounded neither appealing nor professional.

On the bright side, I finally have the data I have been trying to get for about a month now. So I have spent the last two days reading about the most heinous murders in the county. Fun!

The in-laws are coming in tomorrow for T-day. I love cooking for Thanksgiving, and I get along well with my in-laws, so I am ok with this, but there is a lot of cleaning involved. My mother-in-law has a higher standard of cleanliness than I do. I am slightly irritated, however. After informing us that they would be spending Thanksgiving here, FIL accepted tickets to a major sporting event on Thanksgiving day. SIL's in-laws live in this area and had an extra ticket. I know that it is his favorite team and that it is a rare opportunity, but did FIL come to see sports or his grandchildren? I don't know if I am actually irritated w/ FIL or with SIL for making the offer. She lives in the same town as him--her kids get to see their grandparents several times a week. My kids get to see their grandparents 3-4 times a year. I know it's silly--just mildly iritated. Besides, he is gong out of his way to bring down an antique secretary that my grandparents are sending me. Just too bad for him that he will only get leftovers for dinner!

So, my menu:

Maple Roast Turkey
Apple Pecan Stuffing
Broccoli & Rice Casserole
Hashbrown casserole
Cranberry jello sauce stuff
Homemade Rolls
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Frozen Cherry and Pumpkin pies

Yes, I realize all of my veggies are in casserole form, but this is the only time of year we have them like that, so it will be ok. I usually make all of my pies, but honestly, the frozen cherry is just as good as homemade (thank you, Marie Calender) and I don't eat the punpkin, so what do I care ;)

I have done the Maple Turkey twice and it is devine. It makes a rather sweet gravy, so I thought the Apple Pecan stuffing would compliment it nicely. The rolls will be by MIL. She makes the best rolls ever. I have the recipe and can do a decent job duplicating, but hers are still the best.

Also, one of my friends from law school whose family lives far, far away will be spending T-day with us. I think it will be fun, and my kiddos will like having somebody younger around.

I need to find happier things to write about

This has been a crazy week. I have been late every day and DH is complaining that he feels like a single dad.

I turned in my international law paper, so that is one huge weight lifted. Now I have two papers to write for death penalty in the next two weeks. I will spend my weekend reading up on the constitutionality of the death penalty for child rape. Fun reading. I started yelling out loud using very bad words when I read my first case this morning. Good thing I am working from home. Asshole raped 5, 7, and 9 year old girls knowing he was HIV positive, and argues that the death penalty is excessive. Personally, I hope they fry him up. I don't see a big problem with disproportionality when he essentially gave each of those children a death sentence.

As you can see, I am a little biased on this paper. I took this class because I am very pro-death penalty and I thought that I should at least be open-minded enough to look at the other side of the story. Well, I came in open minded, I have endured a full semester of two very liberal very anti-death instructors, and I am still very pro-death. And, yes, its all about retribution. I recognize the stats that say that the DP is no deterrent. I don't care. If you intentionally take someone else's life you get what you deserve. If you rape an innocent child--especially when you have a deadly disease--you deserve to die. (And I won't even get into the crime statistics of the victims of child sexual abuse--even if these assholes aren't murdering themselves, they are creating more abusers and murders.)

The only argument that has even begun to sway me the tiniest bit on my death penalty stance is the enormous cost. And by that I mean pure economics. It costs far more to litigate a death penalty case to the very end than lock 'em up for life.

I wasn't intending the post to be a vent about my death penalty stance, but there it is. Maybe now I can concentrate on my delightful reading without screaming at my notebook.

Oh, and in case anyone ws wondering, I made the mock trial team.

The Windy City

Grad pics were today. And the wind was blowing 40 mph and its raining. I'm sure my hair looked great. It was very strange putting on the gown and hood. Graduation will be here before I'm ready. And the Bar. And at an event last night no less than five people asked me if I had a job lined up yet. I'm beginning to get a bit nauseated from the pressure.

In even better news, the horrific winds blew our fence over. Two of our 4x4 posts actually snapped in two. DH had already started replacing the crappy wooden posts with steel--I guess he better speed up that plan. Unfortunately for him, we have a large yard, so it won't be an easy (or cheap) project.

I was home late tonight because I tried out for an off-campue mock trial team (again). I tried out both semesters last year and never made it. I'm not expecting any better luck this go 'round. It is sort of an old boys club. The teams are made up of the same people year after year, and its hard to break in. I'm not a huge fan of mock trial anyway--seems to emphasize acting more than practical lawyering. (But maybe that's just my cynical, haven't made a team, attitude.) I only bothered b/c I would get 1 hour credit which would save me from having to pick up an extra class next semester.

You 1L's Just Think Bluebooking Sucks

Just wait till you get to figure out international law citations. I am about ready to pull my hair out. I don't know how the hell to cite to an international treaty or a CPA order. I found it all on the internet. I can tell you where to find it on the dang internet, but if you want me to give you a cite to a treaty service you are SOL.

I finished the final substantive changes to my memo due Tuesday, and I thought I would let it sit a bit before I went back to proof. Bluebooking seemed mindless enough. Ha! I have been stopped dead in my tracks.

I will never take another international law class as long as I live (not saying much since I only have one semester left). The research is brutal, and once you found the stuff, citing back to it is even worse.

Very Interesting

For the last two weeks I have been pulling every string I can to get some statistics from the DA's office for a research paper. It should be public information, but they aren't making it very easy to acquire. Finally, they told me that if I paid $102 to program a query, they could generate the information I needed. I really think that they thought the price tag would scare me off. And honestly, I wasn't about to shell out that much cash just to get started on a paper. But I talked to my prof, and the school is going to pick up the tab. (Glad to know my $28K tuition comes with some perks!) So I called to the DA's office back. I believe that they were genuinely shocked that we called their bluff and agreed to pay up. Later, they called me back to say that the price had dropped to a mere $51.

I am really beginning to wonder what is going on over there. The funny thing is that I really wanted a job with that office. I loved working in the small town DA's office over the summer, but I thought that the big city would have more to offer. Now I'm not so sure I want anything to do with Big City DA's office, because they are coming off as a bit slimey.

Our Judges Have a Two-Year Old Mentality

Like a lot of other places, there were big changes in the political climate here. Nearly all of the judges up for re-election got the boot, due to decisions clearly based solely on party politics. We went from a primarily republican judiciary to a primarily democratic one. I don't align myself with either party, as my views swing wildly between the liberal and the conservative, and I can't say that it wasn't time for a shake-up. Unfortunately, some good judges lost their jobs based solely on their party affiliation.

Even more unfortunately, the losing judges are now being big fat babies. I heard stories all day yesterday of judges who simply didn't bother to show up or who refused to leave their chambers and run their dockets. WTF? So you lost--yeah it stinks, yeah you have to go find a new job now, yeah, your party screwed up big time and maybe you didn't even deserve to lose your job. But does that give you the right to clog up the justice system? Just because you got screwed over by the people your now going to screw the people over? The judiciary more than anybody should understand the importance of moving forward and clearing dockets. That in the criminal and family law systems especially, people have had to rearrange their lives to fit the hearing or trial that the judge scheduled--that a father trying to get custody of his children might lose his job when he has to ask to take another day off because the judge was throwing a temper-tantrum yesterday.

Maybe the people did make the right choice when they voted these guys out.

Law School is Killing Me

So I've known since 1L year that law school was making me fat. I have put on 12-15 pounds since I first started. I can no longer button my suit jackets, and when I was in Ann Taylor a few weeks ago, my standard size no longer fit. But, I have been ridiculously busy and my eating habits have reflected it. My primarily sedentary lifestyle isn't helping either. I keep saying I'll do better, but for the last few months I haven't been paying any attentioni to my body.

So, I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago for a minor issue. The doc, noting that I haven't been in in almost two years, decided I needed a complete physical, including bloodwork. I can't say that I was particularly surprised when they called to tell me that my cholestorol is way too high and that I needed to follow up with an internist.

Still, I am only 31, for goodness' sakes. I am not old enough to have high cholesterol. I'm not old enough to be carrying the extra pounds I have either. The biggest kick in the butt is the realization that my kids eat all the crap that I do. It may be one thing to destroy my own health in the name of being too busy, but I can't to that to my kids. So this time, I really have resolved to change. I went to the store and loaded up on fruits and veggies and whole grains. We are going to have to eat at home more (our biggest problem is eating out all the time), and when we do eat out, we are going to have to make better choices. I have quit french fries cold turkey (that is major for me--french fries may be my only addiction).

In the meantime, I am still waiting on the followup with the internist. Hopefully a lifestyle change will solve the problem.