Endings Are Often Beginnings

If I had time I would give you some predictions for 2006. Some would be funny and some would be serious. I don't want to waste the time on that. I don't want to do a year in review. Hell look through my archives if you're that interested.

Instead you'll get some of my final thoughts a'la Jerry Springer.

2005 didn't turn out to be the super fantastic year I hoped for, but it sure kicked 2004's ass.
Highlights include:

• Finishing the Mini-Marathon. To say I "ran" the Mini is a serious misnomer. I endured one bad foot for 10 miles and almost crawled across the finish line, but I did finish 13.1 miles of fun.
• Graduating law school. It isn't as cool as being a Navy SEAL, but not everyone graduates law school so I feel some pride in that accomplishment. I survived the most screwed up 3 years of my life.
• Took and passed the Bar Exam. After enduring a crappy summer of studying I'm extremely pleased I don't have to do it again.
• Being a substitute teacher. I bet this one shocked you. I don't like many things about being a substitute teacher, but I've learned so many things. The education of our children is one of the most important things our society does. We do it very poorly and it explains for many things. Instead of dumbing things down and accepting mediocrity we should raise our expectations of children. Instead of giving nearly unlimited freedom and having them waste it, we should be more controlling and give them freedom they've earned. When you earn something you understand and appreciate it better. Everyone is a teacher and has a chance to teach others. The question becomes are you teaching good lessons or bad lessons?

For 2006 I would like the following:

• A real legal job with decent, preferably somewhat above average, pay. I'm only slightly greedy. It would be nice to make use of the education I've obtained and see if I'm any good at it.
• A real vacation. I have plenty of free time, but few means to make use of such free time. I want to travel and relax somewhere. While studying in Europe for a summer was fun, it was more a working vacation. I haven't had a vacation since 2001. I still want to kayak the San Juan islands, hike in the Olympic peninsula, see Crater Lake, explore Puerto Rico or Ireland, or even see what those Canadians are doing. The world is a big place and I have limited time on it. I need to see as much as possible.
• Work on a personal relationship with a woman. Can I avoid the "psychowomen with past issues so damaging they destroy me out of reflex" this time? I'll admit this one is iffy on so many levels. On the other hand if I get back into salsa dancing perhaps my odds will improve.
• Purchase and renovate an old house. I'll admit this one is iffy as well so perhaps I'll pencil this one into 2007.
• Get into a community band. I miss playing music.
• Purchase a replacement for the Mighty Green Ranger. This is iffy as well for numerous reasons so it might be shoved into 2007 as well. As long as I can say I'm working on the down payment I'll say it is progress.
• See a few movies at the local art house.
• Meet another blogger or two. Place some faces and names to the online personas.
• Remember to write some meaningful posts this year. My writing quality as gone downhill the last 6 months or so and I resolve to stop writing so much rubbish. I am a good writer and I want you, my audience, to think sometimes after reading my words.
• Attend a few more public meetings on topics of note. I WILL educate the change-adverse public on why a elevated rail system is so vital to our region.
• Attend a motorcycle rider education class and hopefully purchase a good cruiser. I'm willing to endure the MGR another year if I can get a Yamaha VStar 650 to look cool on. Besides, chicks dig bikes.

Wow, that is quite a list. I hope I can accomplish most of them. Some goals shouldn't be very difficult. Others might be near impossible to achieve. Yet nothing worth doing is ever easy.

At Least We're All In The Same Boat Slowly Sinking.

I ran into a classmate I graduated with yesterday. I don't know him very well, but we were in a few classes together. We chatted a bit and the topic that naturally come up was "Do you have a job yet?" Nope, we are both underemployed. He was a waiter at a downtown restaurant (Hey lawgeekgurl I can't spell the blasted word too.). He kept in better contact with numerous classmates than I have and told me, "A lot of us are having problems finding a job." I'm oddly comforted by the fact that so many of us are struggling to find legal employment. At least I know it isn't just me having problems.

Professional Development keeps saying jobs will open up after the new year. The beginning of the year is when budgets are known, needs are known, other personnel are back from holiday breaks, and people simply desire to start fresh. I certainly hope so.

Annual Board Meeting Bliss...Almost.

Three weeks ago was the association annual board meeting. I think I attended one when I was in school, the rest I skipped because of finals. The board meetings have gone downhill since I started going to them. 40-50 people used to show up in the clubhouse. This year was around 10 people.

The meeting went smoothly for the most part. The good news was were stopped the financial bleeding and were not in more debt! The association decided to foreclose on some properties to get some backdues. How wonderfully mean and astute of the board to do that. The only bad news was the fact our monthly dues are going up $20, but most people expected that. The only reason for the extra $20 was to build up the fund used for emergencies and capital improvements. Trust me a few things need improving around here.

However, there is a very specific reason I hate going to meetings and dealing with the public all the time sometimes: The Bitcher. You know who I'm talking about. People who want to complain and gripe about things, but have nothing constructive to add to the debate. The conversation goes something like this.

B: This sucks!
The Board: How does it suck?
B: I hate this. This sucks!
The Board: I can tell you don't like something about this plan. Can you please tell me what you specifically don't like.
B: This is going to cost so much money. It sucks!
The Board: We went over the reasons this is viewed as a necessary cost. By doing nothing we just go further into debt.
B: Why the hell weren't my gutters cleaned?
The Board: We discussed that the fall lasted 3 weeks longer than normal. The trees held onto their leaves longer and you can't clean out the gutters until all the leaves have fallen. Sadly once that occured it rained and then we had the snow. You can't clean leaves that are wet and covered in ice.
B: That sucks! When I was here in 1981 our association dues were only $52 a month.
Me (under my breath): That was 25 years ago. Accounting for inflation alone it should be double that now.
The Board: It isn't 1981 now...
B: How can you raise our dues without us voting on it? Do we even have a quorum here?
The Board: The bylaws say the dues can be raised 10% without any vote by the association. As for the quorum only 15% need to show up.
B: You tellin' me the 10 people here are a quorum?
The Board: If you count the proxies the carry sure they're a quorum. But the board doesn't need a quorum since the dues aren't going up more than 10%.
B: Proxies??? All them papers that you sent out??? Hell you get to vote with them to raise our dues! That sucks!
The Board: The people present at the meeting get to vote any proxies given to them.
B: Suppose I don't want them to vote for a raise. Whoever I give my proxy to can vote however they want to.
The Board: That is why you need to talk with the voter so you pick someone who has the same views as you.
B: Well this just sucks!
Me (under my breath): Remind me again why I'm not allowed to shoot stupid people.

On the plus side I discovered the association will pay for fixing my fence and shed. About half the sill has rotted away and parts of the fence are leaning at a 20 degree angle. After reading the by-laws I'm pretty sure it says I am responsible fence and shed repairs, but if the board things they are responsible and have a custom of fixing those items who am I to say otherwise.

I can't wait to get out of this hell-hole. The neighborhood truly has declined over the years. Too many people have a renter mentality, not a home ownership mentality. Legal job -> Saved Money -> Down Payment On A Real House = Happy Me. That is the equation now.

Stupid Criminal Tricks

I LOVE this one. In Billings, Montana a burglar stole some coins and other household goods from a house. To cover his tracks the burglar decided to commit arson as well. While setting fire to the house he died of smoke inhalation. Firefighters pulled his body out of the raging inferno when they arrived. I would like to thank this idiot for taking himself out of the criminal justice system.

Courtesy of Lawgeekgurl, 2 years ago as a college freshman a student decided to fill three condoms with flour. She proceeded to go through airport security. Stratch that, she attempted to go through airport security before heading home for Christmas break. The field test showed the material was drugs. Despite her protests, she was arrested and charged with drug trafficking. She was released from jail 3 weeks later when the lab test showed the "drugs" was actually flour. CSI to the rescue!

Thanks to a 2 year statute of limitations the now college junior "filed a federal lawsuit last week against city police, seeking damages for pain and suffering, financial loss, and emotional distress." Financial loss??? You're a college student. How much money could you really earn in 3 weeks of Christmas break? As for emotional distress you were incredibly stupid and brought it on yourself. After terrorists and bombs the worse thing you can joke about in an airport is drugs! "I'm amazed at how naive I was."

Here's your free legal advise: you're going to lose your lawsuit.

I Told You It Was A Charlie Brown Tree.

I told you this poor tree tilted, or at least the top part of it does. It is the best I have, but Santa was good to me this year so the tree did the trick. We know I was on Santa's naughty list for numerous reasons.

I Hate It When My Humans Mistreat Me!

MacGyver hates being a reindeer. You have no idea how hard it is to get him to wear the antlers for more than 5 seconds.

Indy Cultural Tidbits: The Just Before New Years Edition

For those folks who complain there is NOTHING to do in Indy I present you the following.

International Arts & Crafts Exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I took my mom to it yesterday. She likes to get out of the house, but won't go anywhere by herself. $14 to get into the exhibit itself, but it also covers the rest of the museum. You can get a free audio guide. I liked most of the informative commentary, but a few of the items were far too long as if Peter Jackson decided to produce the commentary. It was interesting to see the differences in the style as it went from a handbuilt craft in England to a mechanized creation in American and Germany to an odd fusion of Eastern/Western styles in Japan.

Personally the stained glass pieces and several writing desks were the most interesting to me. A full sized c.1905 living room looks very comfy. One wall had Frank Lloyd Wright pieces and designs demonstrating his brilliance. IMA is only one of two American cities getting this exhibition so unless you want to fly to San Francisco see it here.

Thursdays are a free general admission day in case you want to see the rest of the museum, but not the exhibition. Why would you want to do that? $7 get you into the exhibition today. Oh you also get a free key chain and if you save the ticket stubs you can get free admission for a future visit. Heck they're almost paying you to visit the exhibition. Oh, no cameras allowed. Bummer.

Lord Of The Rings Exhibition at the Indiana State Museum until Jan. 3, 2006. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm told it is fantastic. Props and costumes are all over this exhibit. Models of the characters are incredibly realistic. If you liked the movies you'll like the exhibit. It also gets into the technology of modern movie making so some should find the exhibit interesting from that perspective.

Downside it ends Jan. 3 so let's go see it now. NOW!

Indianapolis Auto Show in the Convention Center. $6 to see over 400 cars. It was nice. I'll post about it soon hopefully. A few interesting concept cars, but you can see such real world juggernauts as the Ford GT, Chevy Corvette, Dodge Viper, two Bentleys that are roped off to prevent commoners like me from drooling on them, Chrysler 300 SRT8 (I want to hear 6.1 liters of Hemi V8 rumble with 425 horsepower please), Jaguars, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus,....oh I am drooling now sorry.

If you're thinking about purchasing a new car in the next year the Auto Show has them all in one spot. You can't take them for a test drive naturally, but you can get in and out of them to see if you like the roominess, materials, and functionality.

Sometimes you do get locked in the back seat due to child safety locks. That happens to me at least once every year at the show. Just ask a passing 6 year old to pull on the outside handle to let you out.

The Forgotten Meaning Of Christmas.

I see it all from above, like a Zeus from Mt. Olympus. I read the blogs, listen to the radio, read the magazines, and see the thoughts of others. Now, like Zeus from Olympus, I loudly make a decree: QUIT YOUR PETTY BICKERING AND GROW UP!

Christmas isn't about getting the biggest and best toys. Christmas isn't about displays built two weeks before Halloween. Christmas isn't about millions of people behaving like Pavlov's dogs in the mall the day after Thanksgiving. Christmas isn't about attempting to marginalize non-Christians in our society. Christmas isn't about fighting a war on the holiday itself where Christians feel threatened by ghostly enemies of the holiday.

Once you get all the materialistic, political, and religious threads out of the great debate it boils down to this: Christmas is a time to be better to others. Christmas is a time to remember the truly important things: your family, your friends, the fact that others likely have it for worse than you. No matter how much you wish to argue with your spouse or significant other, others have no one to even think of them. Your job may stink, yet so many have no jobs to pay their bills. Your selfish kids are pissed because you didn't get the XBox 360 for their gift, yet some children don't have parents of any kind.

Christmas should be a time to pause and reflect upon life. A time to be thankful for the good things in your life. A time to see if you can make the world a better place than it is now. You can't invent world peace or cure hunger, but can you give a few quarters to the Salvation Army? Can you give an old friend a phone call to see how he is doing? Can you give a back rub to your lover as he ponders how to pay all the bills? Will you read to your child on the weekends instead of watching the next football game?

We're not perfect as human beings. Yet I feel Christmas is a time to remind us to be better than what we are now. That is what the Christmas spirit should be. To those who are afraid or offended by someone saying, "Merry Christmas," to you what are you so afraid of? Is a message of peace and improvement so offensive?

Unlike Zeus I can't will the world to function properly. I can wish everyone a Merry Christmas. With that wish I hope we ponder the things we are thankful for. With that wish I hope we look within ourselves to make the world a slightly better place tomorrow than it is today. Merry Christmas indeed.

Wasn't This In A Chevy Chase Movie?

A 16 year old girl studying for school found herself face to face with a opposum hidden in her family's live Christmas tree.

"I'm looking at the tree and the angel just pops off," she said. "And a
second later, this head just popped up. The eyes were, like, glowing. I was
thinking, 'Oh my God!' And I screamed."

The father, a lawyer no less, resisted the natural urge to sue the critter for invasion of privacy and called local police and game authorities. Critter cops pulled the 18 inch long stowaway out of the tree and relased it 5 miles away.

The tree, meanwhile, was still in the front yard where Patricia [the
daughter] had hurled it. "The lights are still on it," [the
father] said. "So is the stand."

Lemme get this straight, a 16 year old girl hurled a tree outside with a live opposum in it??? I'm shocked she didn't run upstairs away from those nasty critters.

Where Is The Christmas Spirit?

The perils of online shopping are numerous. The one I'm concerned about now is timing. Will my dad's gift arrive before Christmas or before his birthday? I AM NOT doing a last minute replacement gift run on Saturday night.

They Think They're Stressed.

Today begins 3 days of final exams for my children, all 3,000 plus of them. I tried to help them understand their material, but most didn't care enough to listen.

In the English class I taught yesterday, the one final exam counts for 20% of their grade. They have 80 minutes to get through 25 pages.

Amateurs.

Good News But Not Accomplished.

The good news: I've spotted a few want ads of interest.

The bad news: I didn't respond to them last night. A side trip to shop for battery operated Christmas lights and the invitation to drink with a friend who just finished a final exam precluded the time and sobriety required to write cover letters. (I believe everyone felt the need to drink a bit after a final exam.)

At least I have an assignment for when I get home.

Where Should We Go Caroling?

*BUMP*

We're doing Bone-Bass caroling again next week. No upper brass or woodwinds need apply. We're still debating where we wish to perform. Who wants us to visit their neighborhood or do you have other ideas? Send your ideas in email or comments.

Time to get the lips back in shape and jury-rig a strap to the horn. Oh do I still have those battery operated Christmas lights? I'm sure I have some tinsel somewhere I can tape to the horn.

EDIT:
We'll vote when everyone arrives, but I'm thinking of Broad Ripple and Downtown. I'm also thinking of a few historic neighborhoods near downtown. Normally a trip to a college campus is required, but Butler is closed so no hot chocolate from sororities for us. Bummer. I'm all about the hot chocolate when playing.

Would you like us to play for you on Wednesday?

My Reindeer Nose Knows

You Are Rudolph

Sweet and shy, you tend to be happiest when you're making someone else happy. Why You're Naughty: You sometimes stick that nose where it doesn't belong Why You're Nice: Christmas would be a sad affair without you!

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

An Updated Charlie Brown Christmas.

The 40 year old classic has been updated for the modern realities of our world thanks to Dennis Leary.

Oh good grief!

A Matter Of Small Importance.

I finished my Christmas shopping on Saturday. I even survived the hell that is the Hassleton Square Mall. A nice lady even let me get in line ahead of her because her "man" was still getting a few things.

Mom's presents are wrapped under my TV tray tree. Dad's presents are being shipped via UPS. I'm finished with over a week to spare for once. For those still needing to shop: suckers!

Now I need to come up with a Christmas card list and mail some out. Life is good this holiday season for once. The only thing that would make it better is an intelligent, attractive female companion, a good cigar and some scotch with ice. Okay a job interview could would make my day too.

So What Are Small Firms Like?

I'll be emailing various friends I know are working in smaller firms, but I'm all about getting as much info as I can. I need your stories and observations. I'm not a BIGLAW type of person. I knew that before I went into law school so my job hunt has never included the BIGLAW firms. More power to my classmates that wanted it and got it though.

Sadly, with ridiculous deficits, budges freezes, changeovers in administration, and other assorted problems the public sector jobs I want aren't there or they do exist but want 5 to 7 years legal experience that I lack. For those who don't know me yes I'm a government wonk. Though I despise politics I love government and public policy. As one classmate noted, "he [meaning me] has a freakish amount of knowledge about how government works." Besides, the fringe benefits in a public sector job are very good and it is almost a regular 8 to 5 job (barring a major project/case of course). When I worked on the production line I realized my free time was valuable. Working 6 and 7 days weeks for months on end was exhausting and extremely frustrating. The overtime money was sweet, but I never had any time to enjoy it. Hence my disdain for the billable hour as that is BIGLAW's foundation. I've heard, am hearing, and seen far too many stories about lawyers working 60 or 70 hours a week just to make billables. Nope, not for me because I wanted a work/life balance.

Given my disdain of billable hours, a desire for free time, and my natural love of governmental functions I knew I wanted to be some type of government lawyer when I enrolled in law school. Prosecutor, JAG, deputy attorney general, Legislative Services, clerk, something where the taxpayers paid for my services. I actually wasn't in the law to make a boatload of money. I wanted to serve my people. (Not to say I wanted to be poor. A dighyload of coin is fine.) Yet once again I graduated from a school in the middle of a bad job market. When I received my B.A. it was the worst job market in 20 years. When I received my J.D. I was in Indiana, one of the most struggling economies in the country. As my MBA friends will note, jobs are a trailing indicator of an economy during a recovery. What a double whammy eh? My second year I made the decision to fight the brain drain and stay here (much to my current detriment).

Now I'm confronted with the idea of changing my job search strategy. What about the small firms? What is their culture like? Small firms have billable hours too. Do I get some type of regular salary and health insurance benefits? My knee demands health insurance. Suppose I don't make the billables, do I get shot? Will I have easy access to an experienced mentor? Law school provides an academic background on the law, but doesn't really prepare you to actually practice it. One Trial Advocacy class and two internships don't make a functional real world lawyer! The first day someone will say they need something written and I'll respond, "Sure I'll be glad to do that. Do we have a few copies laying around so I can see what one looks like?" Normally I've been the masterful mentor providing all the pragmatic advice, yet now I'll be the student. I know I can do the work. I'm a human Swiss Army knife that can do a little bit of everything. My concern is making as few rookie mistakes as possible. Will the other lawyers be too busy to provide a helping hand?

I feel like I'm 20-something again, but not in the good way. I'm too experienced now to be that unaware of how the real world works again. A sink or swim factor exists in the real world.

I see a few want ads here. I'll work on them tomorrow. I also see a few small firm ads. Should I apply to them as well or I'm a lying to both myself and them? Or do small firms realize the job market and personal tastes are fluid and just want to grab onto a worker bee for a few years? Perhaps I'll find I like bankruptcy law, family law, or personal injury law. Perhaps I should have paid more attention to small firms while I was in school. Then I wouldn't be so ignorant of them.

I'm not expecting a Christmas miracle of a job offer in the next two weeks. I do expect to be armed with as much information as possible. Thanks in advance.

The Big Game. So Much For Going Undefeated.

Down 13-0 at halftime! I can accept that San Diego might have a higher score at halftime, but why do the Colts look like crap the first half? Early in the game why go for a touchdown at the 1 yard line when it is 4th and 1? Just get the freebie field goal. This team looks confused for some reason.

EDIT:
Signs of life returned to the Colts offense thanks to Drew Brees turning over the ball a few times. I'm amazed that the offensive juggernaut couldn't sustain a few drives. Why is right tackle, Ryan Diem, looking like ass for the second game in a row? Great now he's hurt. This offensive line suddenly have more holes than swiss cheese and Payton keeps getting sacked.

Peyton's interception in the 4th quarter sealed the deal. Suddenly that don't take the gimme field goal play haunts them. Had they made that field goal, the Colts would be down only one score and Payton could have took his time. Instead he rushed things and threw an interception in the end zone. You always take the points unless you have to play risky.

Oh well at least some pressure is off the team for an undefeated season. Play them enough to keep in game shape, but rest them enough so the backups get some quality time. No need for any more injuries. Somebody figure out what needs to be done with the offensive line please.

Scars

From Papa Roach: Getting Away With Murder

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut

My weakness is that I care too much

And my scars remind me that the past is real

.

I tear my heart open just to feel

I'm drunk and I'm feeling down

And I just wanna be alone

I'm pissed cause you came around

Why don't you just go home

Cause you channel all your pain

And I can't help you fix yourself

You’re making me insane

All I can say is

.

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut

And my weakness is that I care too much

And the scars remind us that the past is real

I tear my heart open just to feel

.

I tried to help you once

A kiss will only vise

I saw you going down

But you never realized

That your drowning in the water

So I offered you my hand

Compassion is in my nature

Tonight is our last dance

.

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut

And my weakness is that I care too much

And the scars remind us that the past is real

I tear my heart open just to feel

.

I'm drunk and I'm feeling down

And I just wanna be alone

You shouldn't ever came around

Why don't you just go home?

Cause your drowning in the water

And I tried to grab your hand

And I left my heart open

But you didn't understand

But you didn't understand

You fix yourself

.

I can't help you fix yourself

But at least I can say I tried

I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life

I can't help you fix yourself

But at least I can say I tried

I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life

.

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut

And my weakness is that I care too much

And the scars remind us that the past is real

I tear my heart open just to feel

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut

And my weakness is that I care too much

And the scars remind us that the past is real

I tear my heart open just to feel

You Would Think The Germans Would Be Kinder To Santa.

I feel evil for enjoying this game, but as found at Senor Pez the Santa Slingshot: A Christmas Cannon is here. The elves yodeling...well I'm just not going to go into that.

I got 207.4 meters once, but I seem to average that 135-145 meters range.

High School Comedy

From the great book of my life: Tales Of An Overqualified Substitute Teacher.

Things have changed since I went to school. The elementary, middle schools, and high school have televisions in the rooms now and the morning announcements are performed by the students/staff. No boring principal reading the announcements over the speaker anymore.

Yesterday I was the TV teacher so I saw the news set. They have a 3 person main desk, a sports area with scoreboard, and an extra area for visiting choirs, bands, speech teams (all the non-athletic stuff). The room with all the video production and editing equipment would make a small town station cry in envy.

Anyway during today's announcements when the camera panned to the Sports Reporter he wore a Ron Artest Pacers jersey with a "Trade Me" sign taped on. Now that was funny!

One day I'll have serious thoughts again, but I haven't had the time.

Online History Is So Fleeting

Well, You Know What a Blog Is...

You got 4/8 correct! But, truthfully, most blogs probably bore you.

How Much Do You Know About Blogging?

Ramble On Do I?

As seen at TSC Girl. Okay I fully admit it. This one does fit me. I'm always the sage counselor and older than most of the newbies. *sigh* Yet listen the impatient never do.

The Tilting Christmas Tree On A TV Tray.

I wanted to be happy and festive so I decided to put up the Christmas tree. Instead of putting it in the living room where I'm not at very often (or on the computer), I decided to place it in the family room where the TV and stereo are. If I'm not busy cleaning or goofing off on the computer I'll be on the futon reading, listening to music, or watching TV. Now I can see the Christmas tree.

My mom bought the tree for my bedroom when I was a kid. I've had it for around a quarter century if not longer. It is about 2 steps above the Charlie Brown Christmas tree in quality. Since the tree is 3' tall I put it on a TV tray so I can see it. I'm sure that just offended someone. A Charlie Brown Christmas was playing jazz in the background. I didn't put all of the ornaments on because the tree simply isn't that big, but ornaments, one strand of lights, and 6' of gold garland isn't too shabby I believe. The top of the tree is bent 40 degrees to the right so my tree topper is tipsy. I'm not worried about the topper because it is two pieces of gold spraypainted, orange colored construction paper taped together in the shape of a star. I remember making it as a kid and being so proud. I see no reason to replace the topper as the tree is only 3' tall and would tip over if I got a real topper.

It isn't the prettiest tree in the world, but it'll get the job done. Kinda like me. Santa can put plenty of gifts underneath the TV tray :-)

EDIT: Okay I'll be placing the first gifts under the Christmas tree. Via the miricle of online shopping I've found one of the gifts I need. Hopefully I can find the rest soon. I'm glad I don't have many people to shop for.

The Wisdom Of Lisa Simpson

"I like the 49ers because they're pure of heart, Seattle because they have something to prove, and the Raiders because they always cheat."

Write Your ENTIRE Job History.

I had an application for a part time job to supplement the current job. The students are on Winter Break in 2 weeks so I need the extra job. I swear that filling out applications for non-legal jobs is far more complicated than filling one out for a legal job (at least initially).

For jobs in the field they usually request a cover letter, resume, and possibly one other form or a writing sample. Luckily I have two or three want ads that I'll work on when I get home tonight.

For non-legal jobs I got to fill out the 5 page application. On page 2 was the section on previous employment with the command to write your entire job history. They provide space for three jobs and ask you put other job on a separate piece of paper. I didn't bother with pre-college graduation jobs (yes I ignored the instructions). Not counting contract assignments I've had SEVEN different employers at six different places since I graduated college. If you count job assignments that number goes up to ten. I don't think this form was meant for people like me. $10/hour is serious money though so I'm willing to go the extra mile.

Dykes On Bikes (TM)

I loved Intellectual Property. I love motorcycles. When this story appeared I had to post it. Lesbian motorcycles riders in San Francisco now have their own trademark. They won the use of "Dykes On Bikes" (TM). The court agreed with them and found the use of the word "dykes" was no longer derogatory.

Who thinks this case is going into the next edition of an IP textbook?

One More Resume Sent Out.

Yeah me! Say a prayer, keep your fingers crossed, whatever works for you for me please.

Bad Dates From Hell.

I've had some pretty bad dates before, but I'm not certain any of them are as good as these. Granted all these war stories are about dating someone with children, something I haven't done yet. The dating scene is wacky enough so once you add children to the mix you know some good stories are going to happen.

Of course once you add children to the mix it makes it nearly impossible to get some people to date in the first place.

My Body Thinks It Is Final Exam Time.

For the past week or so I haven't been tired until well after midnight. I've wondered why am I so full of energy this late at night. It was suggested that my body has gotten used to early/mid December final exams so the late nights are a matter of habit.

Oh great, can't I leave some part of the hellish experience known as law school behind? I want my sleep pattern back to normal soon please.

Home Field Advantage Throughout The Playoffs...FINALLY!

As a coworker noted last week, "The Colts are 12-0 and haven't even won the division yet? Geez!" Such is the way of professional football sometimes. However with one extra victory over a very touchy Jacksonville team the Colts go from assured a playoff spot to winning the AFC South, a first round bye, and having home field advantage throughout the playoffs. EXCELLENT!

I'm trying hard to NOT think of an undefeated season. The starters need to play enough to win games and stay in football shape. However if the Colts get a big lead on San Diego and Seattle (I think those games will be close) bench Peyton, Edge, and Marvin immediately! As for the Arizona game, they're so bad send out the waterboy to play.

I need to figure out a way to get playoff tickets! Go Colts!

Officially The Start Of Christmas Around Here.

I'm still debating if I want to put up my 3' tree, but I have finally put the "A Charlie Brown Christmas" CD into ye olde player.

Ho ho ho!

Let It Snow!

Given the road crippling snowfall of the day and the fact that teachers all over would love to have a snow day I thought this was appropriate.

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It doesn't show signs of Pauseping,
And I've bought some corn for popping,
The lights are turned way down low,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

When we finally kiss goodnight,
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight,
All the way home I'll be warm.

The fire is slowly dying,
And, my dear, we're still good-bying,
But as long as you love me so,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Questions For The Real World Attorneys

Aside from this woefully underpaying substitute teaching gig, I'm jobless. I'm licensed to practice law, but at this point I think I've forgotten what a complaint is. The Supreme Court is that really high court that dislikes settling cases right? My point is I need to be in the field I've worked nearly 5 years to get into.

Very few want ads exist in the area I wish to practice in. While want ads in general are rare I'm at the point now that I wonder if I should start answering any ad I think I'm qualified for. I was hoping to be in a field I liked. One reason I quit computers was I hated doing the job I was doing. I was bored beyond belief by continuously doing helpdesk. I may have to suck it up yet again to just finally have a job that will pay the bills.

Yet I'm keep hearing lawgeekgurl's words, "Your first job kinda defines you." Perhaps I shouldn't care about that. I tend to redefine myself every few years anyway. When you look at ye olde resume you see I had job growth all over the map. I should expect to transfer into a different area of law in a few years anyway. No job lasts forever. At least at that point I'll have some legal experience to work with.

Should I start looking into paralegal jobs? I hope I'm at least qualified for those, though I'm not certain what a paralegal actually does. Research legal issues, write things for attorneys, and general clerical duties? Sounds like law school, but I get paid instead of the other way around. Would an employer even interview me? Would they think I want to bail at the first sign of a job more appropriate for my degree? Don't translate the above as me saying I'm better than others. I'm not. When something needs to be done I'm a firm believer in the all hands on deck model. You do plenty of things on the job that might not be on the job description. Yet I went to law school to practice law or be in a job where a legal mindset is appreciated. I certainly believe I could do paralegal work, but would anyone give me a chance?

I need to see the day to day real world of lawyers. I need to see it soon.

Anonymous Christmas Cards

The envelope lacks a return address. This post office zip code is downtown. The inside of the card has a handwritten note. It has a congratulations on my accomplishments this year and a hope for a happy holiday and prosperous new year.

No one signed it. I have an anonymous Christmas card. I don't detect any fine white mystery powder on it.

Thank you. I just wish I knew who to thank.

The World We Live In.

I got to man the Visitor Check In Desk. That's the formal name. The real name is the Columbine Desk.

Instead of giving me some blank badges and a walkie-talkie why don't they give me a gun to defend against the bad guys? I can knock over the desk and use it as cover.

Of Course We Can Get This With Only 3 Questions.

Those psychologists are so much more efficient than in Sigmund Freud's day. We have computers now that can analyze this stuff. Don't forget those psychologist can also write software code for web pages. Geniuses I say!!!

Your Personality Is

Guardian (SJ) You are sensible, down to earth, and goal oriented. Bottom line, you are good at playing by the rules. You tend to be dominant - and you are a natural leader. You are interested in rules and order. Morals are important to you. A hard worker, you give your all at whatever you do. You're very serious, and people often tell you to lighten up. In love, you tend to take things carefully and slowly. At work, you are suited to almost any career - but you excel in leadership positions. With others, you tend to be polite and formal. As far as looks go, you are traditionally attractive. You take good care of yourself. On weekends, you tend to like to do organized activities. In fact, you often organize them!

The Three Question Personality Test

Helpful Driving Tip.

If you drive a stick shift this is a good tip to know. If your car doesn't start you just pop the clutch. What does that mean though?

1. Put the car in Neutral and get the car rolling. An incline helps with this.
2. Turn the ignition key as if you're trying to start the car. I hear it turning, but not catching.
3. Put the shift lever into either 1st or Reverse depending on which direction the car is rolling.
4. Take your foot off the clutch and pray the engine fires up.

I had to do that earlier. I know it is very cold, but I didn't have problems earlier in the day. Don't tell me I need to get a new battery.

Confessions Polls: How Cold Is It?

Raise your hand if you felt like calling into work saying it was just too damn cold to get out of bed.

Oh Veronica!!!!

I found the alternative ending to last weeks Veronica Mars episode. Dear AOL, you don't need to show me the last 9 minutes of the show. You could show a minute to get into the scene and be fine.

For friends who are interested you see VM go into Meg's hospital room and discover she's pregnant. The alternative ending goes beyond that. It was too shocking. I'm glad they didn't air that on TV. It would have been too much of a twist.

Lemme know if you want me to spill the beans in comments.

Those Geeks Just Don't Understand Football.

"So you're telling me the same people who came up with the screwball BCS formula likely came up with the quarterback ratings."

Any scale where the maximum rating is something like 158.3 (or is it 153.8?) is messed up. How hard would it be to fix that scale to 100? The perfect quarterback in a game would max out at 100. That makes sense to me.

At least USC and Texas will meet for the national championship in the Rose Bowl. That part of the BCS formula works. The 2 best teams play for the national championship. The rest of the system is screwed up. This hypo doesn't work this year since the big game is at the Rose Bowl itself, but in off years if the Rose Bowl wanted the Big 10 winning team (say Penn State this year) and couldn't match up with the PAC 10 winner (USC because they're going to the national championship game) then why can't the Rose Bowl select the next best PAC 10 team? Instead the sixth ranked 10-1 Oregon is going to the Holiday Bowl. No disrespect to the fine people who run the Holiday Bowl, but it isn't one of the premier bowls and everyone knows that. These At-Large bids need to go. Would it be so hard to have the other bowls stick to their traditional matchups and simply rotate the national championship among the 4 big bowls?

As a fan I believe most people would go for that. What do you think?

The Falling Snow

The snow was so pretty. The white flakes silently failing to the ground. Somehow the landscape seemed more muted and peaceful with a light blanket on the ground. I had nothing better to do so I stood by the large hallway window to watch. Even if I had something to do I still would have watched. The murmur of classes were behind me, yet for a few minutes I was peacefully alone and enjoying it.

I Feel So Crippled Now.

Back in the dark ages your computer mouse only had a left and a right button. Then somebody, likely a peon at Microsoft, put the scroll wheel on a mouse. I LOVE that scroll wheel. I can scroll up and down a screen with one finger. I've been using the scroll wheel since it first came out in the mid 90's.

My superduper ergonomic mouse died the other day. I went upstairs and scrounged another mouse to use. This is an old school two button mouse. It works fine except for the fact it doesn't have a scroll wheel. My middle finger has nothing to do now and it is driving me crazy!

I'll make do. Whenever anything breaks around here I simply make do.

Geez I'm Not Even A Cool Dictator!

Francois Duvalier You scored -1 Ego and -1 Ideology!

Trained as a doctor, Francois Duvalier (1907?-1971), a.k.a. "Papa Doc," became president of Haiti in 1957. Papa Doc claimed to be a powerful houngan who modeled himself on the mythical Baron Samedi, and many Haitians believed him: after all, anyone who spoke out against him died mysteriously. (More skeptical observers put the blame on the fearsome "Tonton Macoute" militia, who were paid only what they stole from victims.) What little money changed hands in his country tended to go into his. After his death in 1971, he was succeeded by his 19-year-old son Jean-Claude ("Baby Doc"), who rode Daddy's coattails until his overthrow in 1986. ("Baby Doc" proceeded to lose all his ill-gotten gains through gambling and divorce.) No one can do that voodoo that you and Duvalier do. You may not be the richest or the most charismatic person on the block, but when you speak, people listen. Is it your pragmatic nature that commands respect, or is it the fear of finding severed goat heads on their lawns? You know the dark side of human nature well, and you use it to your advantage. Just remember to keep an eye on your kids. You don't want some wastrel to dilute your legacy of terror.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 29% on Ego You scored higher than 24% on Ideology

Link: The Which Evil Dictator Are You? Test written by echopapa on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

December...Already!!!

Don't forget to reset your watch. I just moved from November 31st to December 1st. Where did this year go? Time flies no matter what I guess. At least I'm not panicking over finals again unlike some people ;-)