Justice is Blonde

One more thing done

2006-05-24T22:28:00.000-05:00

We decided on a rehearsal dinner place! I'm excited to have one more of the big things out of way. Now I just have to finish asking my bridal party, flowers, cake, menus, my dress, bridesmaid dresses, hair, makeup, guest list, invitations, transportation, hotels, save the dates, organist, vocalist, dj...the list only continues to grow! Who knew so many details where involved in planning a wedding?

My problem with the whole planning thing is I like to have everything done and accomplished ahead of time but most of this wedding stuff I can't do until a few months beforehand. Which will only make the few months before the wedding seriously hectic. I have a visions of myself turning into some crazed bride and screaming/crying over tulips. Thus far I've warded off any tendency of my inner-bridezilla but I fear a year from now I may not be able to say the same thing!

Dumb Blonde

2006-05-23T21:08:00.000-05:00

I saw this sign on my way to the beach last week:

"The weakest part of the car is the nut behind the wheel."

Sadly, it took me a minute to get what it meant :(

Jerks

2006-05-15T21:31:00.000-05:00

Frat Boy Flip drove me insane today. He literally spent 10 minutes yelling at me because he's a moron. Weeks ago one of my clients was offered a stet with a few conditions that were finalized today. NONE of these conditions involved anything to do with my client testifying in any of the co-defendants cases. My client testifying was not even brought up until Flip suspected one of the co-defendants was going to be doing a suppression motion.

However, what Flip failed to grasp was the fact we had already negotiated the plea agreement and it had been finalized. So my client testifying wasn't going to happen. Even though, in a squirrelly manner, Flip tried to pretend that when stets are offered it is "implied" that they will testify in co-defendants cases. Um...no it's not Flip but nice try. Or the "negotiations are a fluid thing". Um...not once we agree then they become binding but valiant effort yet again.

He was so unprofessional in the way he was interacting with me. He was yelling at me about the fact my client wasn't going to testify. He was so loud and he so angry his actually shaking. While I really wanted to tell him to go to hell, I remained calm which I was proud of myself for being able to do. I did get a slightly bitchy tone after repeatedly saying "sorry not my clients' problem, if you call him he'll be taking the 5th."

Then even though my blood was boiling, it became like an out of body experience. Where it was shocking this jerk was actually yelling at me and how long it had been since someone had actually yelled at me. It was just sorta funny to me how unprofessional he was being but the whole thing had the pissed off boyfriend feel to it because he kept using my name like I had personally wronged him. He'd say "Blonde bitch bitch bitch....Blonde gripe gripe gripe." It even ended with his pissy storm off. Followed by the immature calling my case last in the docket to the point where he left the courtroom and the Judge asked me if I had a trial since everything else including lengthy motions had gone.

Flip just doesn't get the big picture.

I mean really. My client isn't a rat and is good friends with the co-defendant. So he had no interest in testifying against him. Testifying wasn't part of the deal and I would never advise my client to take a stet with the condition to testify against someone else anyway. The state can bring back the stet for any reason w/in a year. So if my client was to testify the state could use it against him later. And if you aren't offering my guy anything better than what he already was getting why would he do more than he needs to and do something that could hurt him?

Pooped

2006-05-14T16:06:00.000-05:00

This weekend has been insane. Very fun but I'm currently exhausted.

Friday night, I went from work out for a friends birthday. I love this girl to death but I'm an ancient on Fridays. I'm usually so tired from working all week that all I want to do is relax and go to bed early (I know I'm seriously 90!). So we all went out drinking and dancing. It was fun we went a bar where a friend from college works the door so we didn't have to pay much which is always nice! I ended up getting home at 3:30.

Saturday, I get up at 9 am to go to a music festival with some friends and my fiance. We get to the concert around 1 pm. 1/2 bottle of champagne and 5 beers later we actually go in to see some of the performers. I think we made it home around 11ish?

Then today, I got up at 9 feeling like I have 10 pounds of alcohol currently sitting in my intestines. My eyes today are seriously red. I'm not currently sure if the are red b/c I'm tired since I didn't get any good sleep this weekend, if they are red b/c of allergies or if they are red due to a reemergence of pink eye. Either way it's not too cute! But my dad and I went out to brunch with my mom for mother's day which she seemed to enjoy.

Now I'm seriously full. I ate far too much at the buffet! I'm also exhausted so I will be going to bed early tonight!

Crappy immune system

2006-05-07T17:42:00.000-05:00

I've been operating for years under the misguided perception that I have a good immune system. In law school, there was only 1 time I got sick. The 4 years before that in college, I was only sick twice. Sure in there may have been a small sniffle or a cough for a day or 2 but nothing I would actually call sick.

I have worked a little over 2 months at the public defender's office. I had an illness and now I currently have pink eye! I honestly don't remember ever having pink eye before in my life. It is possible that I may have had it as a really young kid but none in the last I'd say 20 years. It is seriously gross!

On Friday night, I had gone for a late dinner and margaritas at a Mexican restaurant for Cinco de Mayo. When I came home, I noticed my eyes were red and kinda itchy but thought it was due to being sleepy. I woke up on Saturday morning and my eyes were still itchy and red. It got worse as the day went on so I went to the doctors.

I had a "classic case of bacterial pink eye." Sweet! Good to know. I haven't been around anyone I know had pink eye or anything. I also compulsively wash my hands and always use hand sanitizer after leaving jails and stuff.

So I now have eyedrops I put in every 6 hours and should by now no longer be contagious. Last night, my left eye ended up getting puffy and swelling shut. Which was quite attractive. My fiance actually was wondering if I wanted to play tennis today!! Um..no dude...my left eye while open today is open very narrowly.

While I will be going to work tomorrow, I'm sure clients and coworkers alike will have to really try to restrain themselves from hitting on me. I'm sure it will be hard because I will definitely be looking like a hotty!

Court Attire

2006-04-24T17:30:00.000-05:00

It seriously amazing me at what people wear to court. I often wonder what is going through their heads when they wake-up, know they are going to court and choose their outfits. A prime example of "what in the world were you thinking" was last week:

I see this girl in court wearing jeans, one of those cropped jeans jackets, and a t-shirt. The t-shirt has a big yellow smiley face with a bushy tail sticking out of the smiles' mouth. Underneath the shirt reads "I eat pussy." I'm sure the judge loved this ladies' attire.

On the note of court attire. Today I was sitting in court waiting for a case to be called. A woman sitting behind me taps my shoulder. I turn around and she whispers in my ear "I just wanted to let you know that suit looks good on you. It makes you look very attractive." I turned a tomato shade of red. While it was nice, it embarassed me and due to my pale coloring I turned seriously red! But at least red went with my black suit :)

"No Comment"

2006-04-19T19:11:00.000-05:00

The other day, I have this client who pleads guilty to 1 count of malicious destruction of property above $500 (which can carry a max 3 years and a fine with restitution). The remaining 13 counts are nolle prossed. This client is a young guy barely legal and him and some friends went around shooting cars, businesses, and house windows with a slingshot. They did a far about of property damage totaling nearly $20,000.

So it's the normal courtroom dance: state says the deal and my client's pleading guilty, I say "Blonde Law on behalf of Client. That's correct your honor," read statement of charges, "No additions or corrections", and then in this case we had agreed to defer sentencing and get a presentence investigation done (the compiling of background information about my client that comes with a recommended sentence).

I tell my client to wait for his paperwork and then meet me in the hallway. So I go stand in the hallway. Some guy makes small talk with me (which isn't that odd since many people chat with me around the courthouse). Then this other guy comes over to me:

Guy: "so that guy plead guilty to 1 count of malicious destruction of property and the rest was nolle prossed."

Me: "yup"

Guy: "so he got 3 years"

Me: "no he didn't get Sentenced today, they ordered a PSI"

Guy: writes this down on a crumpled piece of paper

Me: "who are you?"

Guy: "oh i'm Jack Ass from the Harold"

Me: (internally- WTF!! He's not the guy who usually covers court, that guy wears his Harold badge around his neck, this guy looks like a client-with broken shoes and nothing to denote he's with any sort of paper) "what? You know I'm not allowed to speak to the newspaper, it's office policy. Are you going to be quoting me?"

Jack Ass: "not directly quoting you but just saying you said this."

Me: "No. I didn't know I was talking to a reporter, so that was off the record. You can write I said no comment. But you can't quote me. You can ask the state's atty to tell you that or you can write you heard it in court but not that I said it. You can write I represent Client."

Jack Ass: "what's your name?"

Me: (this guys clearly a money reporter as I said it in court) "Blonde Law"

Jack Ass: writes Blond Law

Me: "It's Blonde with an "e"" (ok not really but he did omit a letter from my 1st name)

Jack Ass: " thanks. can I speak to your client."

Me: "No. I'll be telling him not to talk to you."

I couldn't believe how squirrelly that guy was! In the future, I'll be asking everyone before I talk to them who they are.

Luckily though, I don't believe the case made it into the paper b/c there were other bigger news stories that day. So it all worked out but I guess I just need to be on my toes at all times.

Sickness :(

2006-04-11T12:37:00.000-05:00

Last week, I came down with some sort of virus. It had the beauty of 103 degree fever, coughing, running nose, congestion in chest and exhaustion. I missed work on both Monday and Tuesday. I think I slept for literally 24 straight hours. The problem is that I currently don't have any leave built up. I had 5 personal leave days for the year and I believe I'm in the process of accuring annual and sick leave. Unfortunately, I think I have to take some of my personal leave for those days.

I'm feeling a lot better now. I still have a cough and am still very tired. It's crazy though b/c I usually don't get sick. I guess it just must be either a serious shutdown of my immune system or that fact I'm constantly meeting new people.

2006-04-01T10:51:00.000-05:00

This morning, I saw a car with "X Driving School" written on the side. It was parked next to the driving school. The entire front end of the vehicle was completely smashed. Maybe not the best advertisement for their driving school if students are getting in accidents while learning how to drive. Wonder why the teacher didn't see that coming and use his own brake?

Nightmare

2006-03-30T17:51:00.000-05:00

A few nights ago I had this dream about Frat Boy Flip (the male states' attorney in County A...his name says it all. He has the wet hair look b/c of all the gel and flips the front up a little bit). It was a sexual dream! Which completely freaked me out, I remembered about it when I was driving to work the following day. Ick!!

So then when I have been seeing him, I've felt kinda awkward. Even though nothing actually happened or would EVER happen, I've been feeling odd around him.

I seem to have dreams like this about guys I work with occasionally. When in law school, I dreamed about a clinic partner often. And I've had one about a boss before too. I wonder what that means? I certainly hope the dream about Frat Boy Flip don't keep recurring though. I'd have to become an insomniac!

Justice?

2006-03-22T17:49:00.000-05:00

So today was my first guilty pleas. It didn't go too well. My one client plead guilty to a theft under $500 and unfortunately for him it was a visiting judge. My client is this little grandpa who's never been in trouble before in his life. He got caught stealing from work but the victim in the case didn't want to press any charges. But the state decided to go through with them anyway. The victim and my client had already worked out the restitution. Both the victim and the state wanted no jail time.

I stood up and argued for a PBJ for my guy thinking I probably won't get that but maybe just a small fine or something. NOPE!!

The judge decided to sentence him to 120 days jail and suspend all but 20 to "teach him a lesson." Plus a period of time on probation. This was ridiculous, my guy has already learned his lesson and feels horribly for what he did. And the victim and the state's attorney aren't asking for any jail time at all!!

So we will be appealing it. I felt really horrible and think I could have done better. I was nervous since this was really the first time I've ever spoken in court. My boss told me other things I should have said and what not. The feedback was helpful but at the same time I have no experience or training (law school and internships and stuff don't count since it's not actually me doing anything) so it would have been helpful to have known before standing up there. So now I'm kinda feeling like had I done a better job or said some of the things my boss said I should have maybe my guy wouldn't be facing a possible 20 day sentence.

:(

Court

2006-03-21T17:16:00.000-05:00

I have so far appeared in court twice. Once was on a motion for continuance, which was unopposed, I said "that's correct....May X.....Thank you." The second time was a stet (MD has this thing called the stet docket where they put cases with certain conditions for a year and then they go away without the client having to decide how to plea). In the stet I said "my client understands he's waving his right to a speedy trial."

This constitutes the amount of real court experience I've ever had. Which is why I'm sorta freaking out that it appears I have a trial on Thursday! I feel unready. There is another girl in my office who started working back in December and she just had her first trial last Friday. I on the other hand have been there 2 weeks and have received NO training. I've actually never even seen a trial in County A at all. I won't actually get trained for court stuff until June and was kinda hoping someone higher up than me would sit with me during the trial. It appears however that it'll just be me!

There is also pressure b/c it is a case that my client should win. It's a case regarding an identity and it appears there is nobody able to make an identity. So I was hoping the state would just dismiss it or N/P. But the state's attorney seems to not really want to make any decisions (read: is too busy trying to hit on me or befriend me--can't really tell which is going on either way he's going about it creepy)---so he doesn't make decisions but makes me come to his office to talk about cases. Once I get to his office, I'm kinda trapped there and don't really want to get in the habit of negotiating things on his turf all the time.

I feel kinda bad for the state's attorney actually. He seems like a nice guy but I think he might be lonely. His office is all women who don't appear to really socialize or like him too much. I've seen everyone else from the office going out to lunch except for him. He also is getting a really bad reputation because he angered some people. He use to be a member of the defense bar and then switched but burned bridges in doing that. So I'm not really sure if his bad reputation is deserved. He's also a young guy, only a few years older than me, and I would hate if I got a bad reputation so early in my career. So I think he may just be trying to be my friend since he doesn't really have too many around the courthouse. I'm not really sure if being his friend would be a good idea or not. But I should probably spend my time figuring out how to try a case!!

A Twig

2006-03-11T18:10:00.000-05:00

A deputy said to a young female PD in County B that her and I were like "2 twigs on a tree." What does that even mean? I'm not sure how to react to that statement.

How far I've come

2006-03-11T17:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to lunch at Subway and while the pimply teenager made my sandwich, I thought about my first job. I got my 1st job when I was 15 and still needed a work permit. My bestfriend and I worked at a Bagel Shop.

Thinking back on the job, 3 things came to mind...

First, my friend and I always had to work closings on the weekends both nights. So we couldn't really have too much fun. We would complain to the boss (he was probably like 22 at the time) about not scheduling us for both closing nights (it closed at 10 so we wouldn't get out of there until close to 11). Since one of our parents would pick us up, it wasn't like we did anything afterwards. When the boss didn't stop scheduling us to work both nights, we would purposefully do a bad job cleaning hoping they wouldn't want us to close. When that didn't work either, we started taking food and drinks, since we were suppose to pay for everything we ate or drank, we would hide it by the door behind a gumball machine and take it when we left. We worked up to stealing bottled drinks, mugs and other gear. We got caught but stealing didn't work either so we were stuck. I guess they figured since we were getting minimum wage they were getting what they paid for (I actually got a raise when minimum wage went up). Luckily though, a few years after we stopped working there the boss would buy us beer.

Second, we weren't advanced enough to have a bagel slicer so we would have to cut the bagels with knives by hand. I would ALWAYS cut myself but I wouldn't stop working because I didn't want to make the sandwich again. So I would keep on making things as though I wasn't bleeding. This one time, I sliced the crap out of my thumb, it cut the glove and was bleeding everywhere. I left the counter and went the back to the get a bandaid. The boss told me to "get back to work." So I did and I still served the sandwich I was making when the initial bleeding began. I bleed this time for hours, probably need stitches, and have a scar on my hand still today. It's pretty gross to think back and wonder how many hemoglobin flavored bagels I served. It also makes me question what I'm eating when ordering out. Gross!

Lastly, I remember there was apparently a mouse problem. So I was working one night and was the only girl (somehow my bestfriend didn't have to work). I was working with the boss, some high school senior who was huge like 6'2" and probably 200+ mostly muscle, and another guy. They found a mouse in the trap and tried to make me sweep it up. I remember arguing as the only girl I shouldn't have to be the one to sweep up this mouse. The boss wouldn't do it b/c "he was the boss" (yeah right pal admit the fear). The big senior wouldn't do it and was actually shrieking in a high pitched voice. I realized that night I wasn't getting paid enough, gave my 2 weeks notice, and thus ended my career in food industry.

Google

2006-03-08T22:43:00.000-05:00

Last 4 things people typed in that found my blog:

"she thinks my tractor's sexy"

"budoir photos"

"bridal drawing and scam"

"don't have a plunger"

Photographer

2006-03-08T22:27:00.000-05:00

I booked a wedding photographer today! WOHOO! I'm very exited about it.

I know my wedding is like 14 months away or something but I had my pick of photographers. Plus, all the good ones go early around here like a year in advance for the wedding season which is apparently from april-october.

I definitely didn't want to be stuck with someone crappy or insanely expensive. I emailed some lady who would do it for $15,000. Unless those pictures were made of gold there is NO way I can afford that. $15,000 she's out of her mind! Scary part about that is people are probably actually paying that otherwise she'd be out of business.

Slightly Overwhelmed

2006-03-06T20:16:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed at my job. I have NO clue what I'm suppose to be doing on the cases I have assigned. I'm not really sure a good order for doing things yet. Thus, far I've gotten files, read files, and set up some meetings for clients to talk to me.

At County B (the county I'm in 1 day a week) it was very organized as to which people I should be shadowing. This was really nice because I was able to go with different people to different things. It also helped because I knew who to ask what they had going on and they knew to let me know. So the 3 days I worked last week, I was able to sit in on client interviews, court cases, detention center visits, etc. It was just nice because I felt comfortable asking them questions and asking for advice.

So today I went to County A and it was chaos. The head guy just got back for 3 days out of the office so he was swamped and everyone else just did their own thing. So it made it difficult to really feel connected with anyone. My office is also located at the end of the hall away from all the action so nobody walks past it. So I just went and sat in different courtrooms trying to observe happenings.

Also kinda odd is Meds (a female attorney in my office who everyone I met told me needs medication or is a "different breed of high maintenance"). Meds hasn't said really ever spoken to me. When I was first introduced to her, she replied with a "hi" and then immediately turned to district head and talked to her. I mean I've literally passed Meds in our office hallway and she looks down at her file or paper in her hand instead of acknowledging me. This doesn't really help the fact that I'm feeling overwhelmed b/c it makes her not approachable at all and makes me wonder what's the deal. On top of just worrying that I'm messing up a clients future (though luckily since I work in district court they aren't looking at too serious of jailtime).

I really want to do a good job but am currently at a loss for a good system or order of doing things. Oh well, maybe I'll figure it out tomorrow.

First Day

2006-03-02T21:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my 1st day as a public defender. It was kinda a whirlwind meeting a bunch of different people. It especially was frazzled because my position is a floating one. I'm in one county 4 days a week and another county for 1 day. So yesterday I went to both counties and met everyone in both offices, the state's attorneys, judges, clerks, bailiffs, people in the clerks offices, probation, juvenile services, etc.

Today, I remember like 2 people's names :)

But the people in both of the offices seem very nice and easy to work with. I had been worried that I would feel intimated by the people I was working with but I didn't at all. The head boss who runs the entire district (3 counties total including the 2 I work in) completely put me at ease.

So I'm very excited so far. I have heard some horror stories about different state's attorneys and some odd things about one of the ladies in my 4 day a week office. But we shall see. I figure I'll let myself be the judge of other people and not be influenced by other's opinions.

In my 1 day a week county, there is some serious male eye candy in the state's attorneys office!! I'm talking HOT!! Though I'm sure after I talk to them their hotness will quickly dissipate :)

That's just my baby's mama!

2006-02-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

The lady checking out in front of me at the grocery store today was probably around my age. She had a 4 month old baby in her cart and was apparently 2 months pregnant again. That lady's been busy! She is seriously going to have her hands full.

EeK!

2006-02-28T11:09:00.000-05:00

I start my work at the PD's office tomorrow. I wasn't really nervous or anything until yesterday. I called my boss to see what time I should arrive and about parking, etc.

He informed me that I've already gotten ASSIGNED SOME CASES!!! AHHH! That seriously freaks me out as I have NO clue what I'm doing. The amount of information I knew about criminal law after my clinics and internships has long dissipated. All that knowledge needed to be removed from my brain and replaced with corporations, commercial paper and other scary subjects for the Bar.

So now it's been almost 10 months since I graduated law school, well over a year since I've done anything criminal law related and I don't remember much. Man how I would not want to be one of my clients right now!

I'm sure a lot of stuff will come back to me but having cases assigned to me before I've even shown up is quite scary. Also, my boss won't be back into the office until next Monday so my 1st 3 days I'm not 100% sure what I'll be doing. I guess I'll try to latch onto one of the other lawyers in the office :)

Hm....maybe I'll try to learn some law today. Eek!

EWW!

2006-02-26T19:05:00.000-05:00

Last night when I was out I got puked on! YUCK!! It was a semi-friend of mine who with no warning at all (no statement like "I'm going to get sick" or "My tummy is hurting"- not a word) puts her hand up to her mouth and vomits sprays out of her mouth sadly hitting my jeans :(

I've never actually been puked on before. I've had my feet hit with puke and have thrown up myself many a time but last night was definitely a first. Hopefully a last also!

I'll Think about It

2006-02-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

Apparently last summer, while I was studying for the bar, a real estate agent who lives in my parents neighborhood asked my dad if I would be interested in cleaning some bathrooms as a job.

My dad was quite confused as to 1. why this lady would be asking me and 2. what bathrooms I would even have been cleaning.

Needless to say, I declined the offer but I figure if this whole law thing doesn't work out like I hope at least I'll have something to fall back on!

Driver's license

2006-02-23T10:34:00.000-05:00

Since I have a week off before I start my new job, I have been running a ton of errands. Yesterday, I went to the DMV to renew my license. I can't understand a word the guy is saying to me based on this thick Irish accent.

So I am apparently unaware when he's going to snap my picture. I'm not the most photogenic person in the world either so I already have that going against me. He snaps and I'm not really smiling. It's more of that scary smile fading look that could scare small children coupled with a lovely double chin. I don't actually have a double chin but the angle of the camera has apparently created a shadow which looks like I have 2 chins! Great! I'll have that picture to show everyone for the next 5 years!

Not a Singing Canary

2006-02-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

OK so LO picked out her bridesmaids dresses for everyone and thankfully didn't pick yellow. Thank God! The dress she picked is horrible, you can only buy it online and online has sold out of many sizes. Luckily Lisa had ordered 2 sizes and I could take one of them that "fit" me (which worked out since the size I needed had sold out online).

So I try on the dress at LO's since I wasn't sure what size I would be. I try on the dress and it's pretty ugly. But the weird part is that LO doesn't really like anything about the dress. So my question is why did you pick this dress?

The dress is "tea length" which means it should fall about midcalf (which was clear from the picture online). So I try it on and that's where it hits me. I am then informed that LO thought the dress would be shorter. She wants the dress to be kneelength so I will need to get it hemmed to be kneelength. OK fine...will do... though it could expensive since the dress has a sheer overlay.

The dress also has a "deep v-neck" which the picture online showed clearly. So the dress on me is very low cut. I was showing a massive amount a cleavage (and truthfully I don't have all that much to show anyway). The dress is just made and described as having a very deep plunging v. I was informed that I will also need to get the top altered. I'm not really sure what she meant b/c the top fit how it was suppose to and there isn't any excess material on the top to remove or lift the dress in anyway. So aside from completely remaking the dress it would be impossible to control the deep v. So....no I wouldn't be getting that altered and the girls will be on display (though Lisa has a DD so hers will seriously be on display).

The best part of the dress though I had the pleasure of discovering. After I paid Lisa $140+ for the dress I brought it home and was trying it on for my mom. I went into my mom's room and was standing in front of the full length mirror and there was a very small amount of light coming from the window like seriously only my feet were actually in the sun and it was 5pm. THE DRESS IS SEE THROUGH ON THE BOTTOM!! You could see everything my legs and my pink panties clear as day. Thankfully I noticed this before showing my fiance's family all my goods at the wedding. So i will be investing in a black slip!

My fiance while at LO's offered me to sing at her wedding. Issue: I don't want to sing at her wedding or any weddings. The way my fiance approached this made it appear like I really wanted to sing at her wedding and had been talking about it. When in fact this came out of the blue and was odd since my fiance has never actually heard me sing (besides just goofing around--i do a Pavarotti impression). Hopefully I won't be asked to sing since I would feel quite uncomfortable doing that in my see through dress!

I ain't werkin here no more

2006-02-17T09:28:00.000-05:00

This is my last day of document reviewing baby! Very exciting!

So now I will be singing "Take this Job and Shove It" from Office Space (which may be the best movie ever!).

Looking good?

2006-02-16T14:06:00.000-05:00

Many guys out there are doing this look that I just don't get. Everyday I see younger guys dressed in full suits, with the long overcoat and then a backpack. This backpack is usually old, stuffed to the brim and sticks out from their backs almost a foot. I don't get this. The bookbag always seems to pull at their overcoat and cause that to look odd too. It seems to negate the professional look and instead make them look like kids playing dress up.

I mean if I hired a lawyer or accountant and then saw him walking to the metro sporting this look, it would make me question my decision.

Maybe instead they could try a messenger bag this would still have a masculine look to it and still look professional.

Thank you landlord!

2006-02-15T10:29:00.000-05:00

The Landlord sent over a plumber and the bathroom is now functioning!

2 Days Left!

2006-02-15T09:10:00.000-05:00

2 Days left (not including today)!! Wohooo!!

Note: toilet still not working and nothing has really been done to remedy the situation with the except of this morning calling the Landlord. Yet Law Moron (girl) was shocked this morning the toilet didn't magically fix itself over night.

A solo cup? Really?

2006-02-14T15:39:00.000-05:00

So today in the one bedroom apartment I work in until Friday!! Wohoo! Anyway, someone clogged up the toilet and never told anyone. Left it for Law Dancer to find and accidentally overflow the toilet.

Guy Moron decides since we don't have a plunger (instead of going and buying a plunger) to attach a solo cup filled with paper towels to the end of a toilet brush to unclog it. Obviously, this fails.

So he finally decides to buy a plunger and now has the inability to get the toilet up and running.

Problem: I have to pee and we have no toilet!! Beautiful! Friday...just got to make it to Friday!

More from Moron

2006-02-14T14:47:00.000-05:00

Law Moron now says that we shouldn't be reading the documents or going through them page by page. It's apparently not cost effective.

Now, as a document coder this came as news to me. Silly me, for the last 6 months I've actually been reading the documents page by page! I was apparently under the mistaken impression that was my job. Silly Blonde Law!

UCWhat?

2006-02-14T13:40:00.000-05:00

Actually said in office today:

Law Moron (girl supervisor): Do you file a lien with the UCC?

PD's Office Here I Come!!

2006-02-13T22:07:00.000-05:00

Well it's nearly official that on March 1st I will begin a job as a public defender! All I have left to do next week is fill out the paperwork.

I am very excited not only to finally be able to begin my career but also to kiss the apartment goodbye. Friday is officially my last day! So only 4 days left of document coding...sweet!

Valentine's Day

2006-02-10T12:02:00.000-05:00

I have no clue what to get my fiance for Valentine's Day! I am not a big fan of the day in general so I don't want to go too overboard. The issue is I'm fresh out of good ideas. Plus, we will be celebrating being together for 6 years (damn that makes me feel old!) the following week and then his birthday is the 1st week in March. So I have to come up with a ton of ideas soon and I'm drawing a blank.

I need to come up with something soon! Hmm...

Eau de Urine

2006-02-07T10:26:00.000-05:00

This woman who sat by me on the metro today had this sickening smell of urine with a hint of BO. Any movement of the train or her resulted in near vomiting by me.

Do What?

2006-02-04T15:30:00.000-05:00

I'm a bridesmaid in my fiance's sister's (LO) wedding this coming summer. Her wedding is at the end of July and she is currently trying to narrow down her decision on bridesmaid dresses. Which is understandable since she probably needs to make a decision soon. She also is debating between yellow dresses or black dresses. Needless to say, I'm rooting for black. Since I have blonde hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion yellow looks quite horrible on me (read: slightly jaundice).

Today, after our dance lessons, my fiance had to run to coach his basketball team so I was getting a rid home with LO and her fiance (AW). We decided to meet LO's parents to grab a pizza.

While we were there, LO has apparently decided against going with bridesmaids dresses at bridal boutiques and was thinking more of getting something at J-Crew, Nordstrom or Lord and Taylor. The problem with this idea is LO's never seen the dresses since they are only carried online. So she's talking about these dresses and says Lisa (her maid of honor) was going to order one of the dresses in a few sizes to see what they looked like.

She says to me "maybe you could go ahead and order one or 2 of the dresses in different sizes so I can see what they look like."

Me Externally: silent and take drink of water and continuing drinking water until she starts talking again.
Me Internally: WTF!!!

LO: "We wouldn't have to pay shipping or handling since if you order in the store its free and then you can just return it for a full refund. I really like the Nordstrom one in yellow so we should order them in multiple colors too."

Me Externally: take massive mouthful of pizza and act like I'm chewing until someone else starts talking.
Me Internally: You are seriously smoking some crack if you think I'm going to be doing that.

OK. Maybe I'm overreacting and being a heinous bridesmaid. It's quite possible. But I just can't imagine asking someone to do that. It's quite rude.

First off, it's not my wedding and I'm not a rich person. Secondly, the lowest priced dress $140 but most are closer to $200. So really, if I did that (which I'm not going to) I'd be putting close to $400 on my credit card minimum. What the hell?? And that's assuming I have the available credit, since currently I still have a lot of credit card debt from school and what not. I probably do have the available credit to be able to put a few dresses on my credit card, but I don't have the money (since I'm not sure how likely it is I could be able to order the dress, get it, return it and have the money credited back to me w/in 1 billing cycle) to cover the expenses of these dresses.

I have already gone to try on dresses at bridal boutiques and would be more than willing to try them on when they got shipped here. I just feel like this is her wedding so if she wants to see them then she should put them on her credit card.

It also kinda sucked because she asked me in front of her parents so I didn't really want to say no or discuss my finances with them.

I think I will just be avoiding the situation and if she brings it up again I will say I can't for financial reasons. But hopefully if I avoid the situation, it will go away!

Tic Tacs

2006-02-03T10:29:00.000-05:00

I have an obsession with Tic Tacs. It might be bordering on a problem. I love them and eat them all day like they are candy.

Due to the addictive nature of my personality, if I open a box I have to finish the entire thing. If there is a box near me, I must open it and begin eating it. If I don't open the box, all I can think about is opening the box and how badly I want them until I finally give in and eat them. Recently I even bought them in bulk.

I might have go cold turkey as Tic Tacs consuming daily thoughts is just a little too weird for me.

Too Good to be True?

2006-02-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

I get a phone call tonight, telling me that my name has been selected in a drawing I entered at this bridal show I went to a few weeks back. I vaguely recall entering this particular contest as I was signing up for a million things and trying to win tons of door prizes. I in fact won $100 towards the purchase of flowers from this one vendor (though the vendor has never actually gotten in contact with me about that).

So the lady on the phone said I'm guaranteed 1 of 3 top prizes.

1. $30,000 towards the purchase of a car or $25,000 cash or
2. A family vacation valued at $600 something or
3. $500 in cash

She also told me there is no obligation to buy anything. My prize is free. Um....what? I don't even know what company this was and the lady was unable to tell me when I would know which prize I'd won since she was only in the validation department. Validation department?

But anyway, they are sending me an orange envelope with the information in it and a 1-800 number to call to redeem my prize.

It sounds way too good to be true, right? It seems like some weirdo scam or something. I would be really shocked if I won a car or $25,000!

I'll probably win the "vacation" and it'll turn out to be some sales pitch for a timeshare or something.

It sounds very shady but I'll see what the orange envelope beholds.

Moron on Metro

2006-01-31T09:34:00.000-05:00

To the Man who hit me in the shin with the 2 inch long metal portion of your golf umbrella and then apologized to someone else, it's cool. The pain has since subsided and I'm sure the bruise will go away in a few weeks.

Interview Embarrassment Continues

2006-01-30T10:23:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I was running errands after going to the gym. I usually don't wear spandex to the gym but I had decided to on Saturday.

So I run into Sam's Club still sweaty from my workout to pick up a few things. My fiance had asked me to pick up some toilet paper for him. So the only thing in my cart is 36 double rolls of Charmin.

I round a corner and I run into my reference who was suppose to be at the interview but wasn't. So we chatted for a few minutes and everything but damn was that embarrassing. I'm in a weird outfit, sweating, and looking like I may have IBS!!

Sweetness! Gotta love that.

Operation No Freeze Out

2006-01-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

Today to combat the coldness that is the apartment, I decided to wear long underwear to work. It is working for the most part. Though my hands are still quite cold maybe I'll put on gloves.

Interview Debacle

2006-01-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

So my interview yesterday was scheduled for 1:30. I printed off my mapquest directions the night before and they said it would take 50 minutes. So I leave at 12:15 and get the number for the office I'm interviewing at off the website (since I had the lady's number but she worked in a different office than where the interview was taking place).

So I'm driving and this county is incredibly rural. Like there is literally nothing along side of the road but farms. I have gotten on the main road I'm suppose to get on and am only looking for what mapquest calls a "slight left." There are not that many places to turn left anyway, so each time I'm making sure it's not the road I need. I'm starting to think I've been driving longer than the directions said and there seems to be no left in sight.

So I decide to call the office to see if they could give me a landmark or something. I call the number I got off of the internet. The number has been changed and the message is the "this number is no longer in service." Not the "number has been changed the new number is xyz."

I then hit the next "big" town and at this point I'm very close to the state line. It's now 1:15. Crap! I don't know what to do because I really saw no lefts and none with the street I was looking for. I was also keeping my eyes peeled for a fork in the road or something with the directions stating "take a slight left."

I call my fiance hoping he's in an off period. Nope. Call my dad at work. Nope. Call my friend who is unemployed hoping she's home. YES!! Thank god. 1:30.

She looks up things online and tells me the road looks close to 765. I have just passed 765. So I turn around. Now, no rights in sight. Then I'm like maybe it was just slightly further up if I gone only a little bit more in my original direction. I turn around again. Nothing. I have her call information to get the new number. At this point it's 1:40. This is really making a good 1st impression!

I get through to the receptionist and I apologize for running late and ask for clarification on the directions. So I get a landmark and she says she's not sure if its marked with a street name or not. Sweet.

I'm now heading back up and looking for the road on the right. I pass 3 more signs for roads marked 765!! What the hell?

Finally, because of the landmarks I know I need to be turning. I see a "street sign." Calling it a street sign is very generous. It is the smallest green sign I have ever seen. I know I need to turn there and still can't really see the that it is the correct road. I never would have found this because it looked liked the road was turning into the one supermarket I passed and was not a through street. It also was not marked on the side of the road I was initially driving on.

Finally arrive at 2:00. So now I'm a 1/2 hour late. Classy and making a wonderful impression. The only thing I've been thinking this whole time is I know one of the interviewers. He's one of my references so at least he'll be putting in a good word for me and saying how atypical this is, etc. Turns out he's not there. He has a trial in another county that day.

I get to the office (which is in the courthouse. I wasn't aware of that b/c when I was intern all the offices in the county I was in weren't located in the courthouse.). I have to go through the security stuff and am heading to Room 2000. I'm walking and this woman flags me down saying they are in their other office space. Which is labeled as the Comp Troller's office.

Clearly at this point, I'm very frazzled and just really off my game!

I go into the interview and apologize profusely for being late. They asked how I liked the other city and didn't I notice it got so rural. Um...no considering the whole drive was farms!

Then they ask me questions I'm not really prepared for. Like my views on the death penalty which was fine just wasn't really prepared for that one.

They asked me if I know any of the state prosecutor's in the county. No, I don't. Um...if I knew someone in the county I'd probably have known where the office was located. Then, they asked me since I don't know any of the prosecutors how would I treat them? I wasn't really sure what to say to this. I said I would treat them with respect and as a colleague. I had no clue what they were going do at all! I mean it would depend on the situation and the person I was dealing with.

Next, they asked me the same questions about judges. No I don't know any and I would treat them with respect.

They asked me what grade I got in the Trial Advocacy class. I had NO CLUE! I took the class my last semester of law school. So I checked my grades to make sure I did indeed graduate and then went back to studying for the bar. I really don't know any of my grades. I mean they weren't really anything too exciting and they were all around the same. Some had a plus and some had a minus. I mean the only grades I remember were really bad ones and really good ones. This class did not fall into that category. So I had to say I wasn't 100% sure but I thought it was a B+. I think it was, I still don't know.

Then there was a hypothetical I think I got right. The guy asking me the was questions was like "are you ready?" Spoken like Hank Williams Jr. I excitedly reply "sure." Not sure what I was expecting. Apparently a long lenghty hypo.

Then the interview was closing and they say the whole "are there any questions we didn't ask that you thought we should, or any questions you'd like to ask us, or anything more you think we should know about you?" I always ask a few questions then give a spiel about how great I am and how I make a good choice. I do it in this order so there is some closure when I'm done my spiel they know it's over. I found if you do the questions last, there's no clear end and then I feel pressure to continue to come up with tons of questions.

So I ask what is the average caseload and then what types of training do they provide? After they answer, I'm about to say "well that is all the questions I have right now but I think there is a little bit more I'd like to tell you about myself." I get to the "but" and the guy interviewer interrupts me and says "isn't there anything else you'd like to tell us about yourself." So I say "I was just about to do that" and then go into my spiel. I didn't want them to think the only reason I was saying more was because of the prompting.

The whole interview was just heinous. So I will chalk it up to a "good learning experience."

The annoying thing is I have to provide them with an additional reference letter. Apparently the form has changed since I applied and now needs 3 references instead of 2. The issue here is I really only have 2 references! The guy who would be my 3rd reference I can't locate so I'm not really sure what I'm going to do about that. But I know I didn't get the job. I mean I looked like a freak show who showed up 30 minutes late and then answered questions strangely. But now I have to track down a 3rd reference before I can get rejected from this job!

On a positive note, I had gotten a call from another county the night before my interview about scheduling an interview. I was going to wait to see how the interview went so see if I should call them. Thinking if the interview went well and they offered me a job, I wouldn't need to go on more interviews. Luckily, that wasn't an issue here. So I called up as soon as I got home and scheduled that bad boy! Making the 2nd times a charm. At least I know where the office is already.

The Freeze Out

2006-01-25T12:10:00.000-05:00

I am so cold at work it is making typing challenging. Currently, wearing a scarf and jacket inside the apartment. I tried making tea but that made no significant improvement.

Now pondering: is it possible to get frostbite inside?

PD Interview # 2

2006-01-24T13:41:00.000-05:00

I have my second interview for a PD position later in the week. I'm hoping it goes ok but I have my concerns. This interview is for a district that is hiring for 2 positions in 2 different counties (1 county I'd love to work in, the other I'm not sure b/c it would an 1 1/2 commute each way).

I have no clue what to expect from this interview at all. I've already gone through the why do you want to be a PD, how will working for the PD help you achieve your long term goals, etc.

In the 1st interview they asked hypothetical questions so I'm wondering if this time it will be the same.

I also have concerns b/c I had scheduled my interview over the phone with one lady for a time and place (a place different from where I was originally told the interview would be held). Then last week, I receive a blank email from the lady. The email has no body and no subject. So I wait seeing if she's going to resent it, she doesn't. So later that day I sent her an email informing her of this blank emailing and blaming it on problems with my email.

Then I get home from work and I have 2 messages from this lady on my answering machine. The first is asking me if I'm interested in coming to interview and the second is saying she confused me for someone else and she has me on the schedule.

The next day she responds to my email saying she had emailed me b/c she lost the interview schedule and was trying to remake it. So I email her back confirming the time and place of the interview. She never responded so hopefully I show up at the right time and place.

I really hope the interview goes well!

Reason # 1,232,469

2006-01-23T10:04:00.000-05:00

I hate my job. This morning was potentially the most maddening of all.

So I arrive to the apartment at 8:10 and find one fellow coder standing outside. I felt really bad that I had come 10 minutes late until I tried to open the door. The apartment has both a main door and a iron screen door. The iron screen door was shut and both the top and bottom locks were locked.

Problem. I only have a key to the bottom lock. So we are locked out. It's cold out today maybe in the 40s and has been raining off and on. Another coder walks up during all of this.

So the 3 of us (since Law Dancer is out with the flu) are standing outside waiting for either supervisor to arrive.

The whole problem is caused by the fact that we are perpetually locked in. The male supervisor is a door locking Nazi. He locks us in with doors that need a key to be unlocked from the inside. On Friday when a coder was trying to leave to take a phone call and couldn't get out because the door was locked, I told the Nazi that if it had been a fire we all would have burned. Since it took him awhile to locate his keys and then go to the door and let the coder out. He replied he had a key. I replied yes but it took you awhile to unlock the door. Another coder told him it was an OSHA violation. Where upon the Nazi informed us that we have an exit, we can throw a monitor through a window to break it and then crawl out. Problem, most windows have iron bars on them.

Anyway, so we are waiting outside until the girl supervisor arrives at 9. She also doesn't have a key to the top lock and after trying to pull the door open is able to slide her hand threw a hole in the screen and unlock the door from the back.

When we get in, she says so were you guys standing out there since about 8. Yes.

No mention of whether we are suppose to say we got here around 8 or if we can't bill until 9.

Currently, cold, damp and bitter.

She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

2006-01-21T00:16:00.000-05:00

Ok it wasn't a tractor but it was close. Tonight after dark, I passed a guy riding a lawn mower as though it was his car. He had a pickup truck following him closely from behind and was driving in the middle of one lane on a two lane road.

Since then Kenny Chesney has been stick in my head.

New Years Resolutions

2006-01-19T22:29:00.000-05:00

I think it is great when people make a New Years Resolution to get in shape. I think making a change for a healthier lifestyle is a great thing and I hope people are successful. However, the gym this time of year is insane. It is constantly packed and hard to find machines.

Though the other day two of these Resolutions kept me entertained.

The first Resolution was a woman maybe in her 30s (who knows I'm horrible with judging age). She was riding a bike and doing some weight machines with a friend. This woman was wearing a scoop neck knit sweater with green and purple stripes. Capri gray yoga pants with a white stripe down the side. Panty hose and brown leather loafers. This was interesting attire and the loafers had to be uncomfortable to bike in.

The second Resolution was this younger girl in 20s who was running on a treadmill. Then all of a sudden she starts hitting the machine for no reason. She hit the big red stop button than started slapping the control part of the machine. She looked like at any minute she would start screaming at the machine which had done nothing wrong. Then she hoped on the elliptical next to me...I became fearful.

Tagged

2006-01-18T13:32:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Law Dancer. So...3 things that people don't know about me. Hmm...this is hard since I think most people know a lot about me.

Here goes (hold no high expectations):

1. I am terrified of a being attacked by a terrorist while on the metro. So when I'm riding, I am constantly scanning and trying to determine if anyone appears to be a suicide bomber. When I get off the metro, I breathe a sigh of relief that I have somehow miraculously survived. This is a strange fear because I only feel like I'm going to be the victim of an attack on the way into work. I never think about being a victim of a suicide bomber any time but on the ride to work.

2. I love eating brownie batter. When I was in lawschool (and I lived alone), I would make the brownie mix just to eat it (read: shovel it into my piehole)! The low point was when I considered saving the batter for later. This was when I realized I might have a problem.

3. In college I used to dream about being Snoop Dogg's bitch. I wanted to be decked out with the mink coat, bikini and stripper heels. When I realized this goal could be hard to attain, I decided to go with my fall back plan of a lawyer. Thus far, since I'm a temporary document coder, I think Snoop's bitch would have been a much more enjoyable choice.

I agree with Law Guru and will not tag anyone.

Personality?

2006-01-16T22:13:00.000-05:00

OK so I was reading the Forbes Best Paid Young Celebrities. Apparently Paris Hilton had a 6.5 million dollar paycheck last year. Under her profession is listed "Personality." ugh!!!

Personality?? Are they serious? Heiress I'm cool with but personality?

I feel like in order to be a "personality," a requirement would be that one indeed HAVE a personality. Besides the ability to make a sex tape, I have seen very little talent of Paris' except the ability to keep herself in the papers. In interviews she's a bumbling moron just simply uttering the phrase "that's hot" or the converse "that's not hot."

So I think the ability to make a complete and intelligent sentence should be a requirement to being a "personality."

I can only hope that Paris does not follow the new Hollywood Baby fad which seems to have replaced the miniture pet fad. Or if she feels she needs the new baby accessory at least I hope she picks the worlds best nanny!

Maid of Honor

2006-01-16T18:09:00.000-05:00

I now officially have a Maid of Honor (MH)! I've been waiting to ask her when I could do it in a nice way (read: saving up the money). So I took her out to a nice dinner and treated. The food was very yummy!

I decided it would be nice to ask those I want in my bridal party in a nice way. Since I've been asked to be weddings in somewhat odd ways, I thought I'd try to be different. The 1st wedding occurred this past October. The bride, me and MH were out at lunch one day when we didn't feel like dealing with law school. We were just eating and drinking jumbo margaritas. All of a sudden the bride turns to me and MH and says "so do I need to get down on a knee to ask you to be my bridesmaids." At this point I was thankful to be 1/2 way through the jumbo because this came out of nowhere and was quite terrifying. The girl and I were friends but in a going out drinking buddies sort of way. But we agreed and I am now blessed with stories much stranger than anything my imagination could create.

There have been others including getting asked by a girl I wasn't really friends with and hadn't seen in months. Then the ever popular shoulder hit "your a bridesmaid."

So I thought since I know my ladies will have over a year (currently 18 months) to deal with me and have the expense of being in a wedding that I would ask each of them in a nice way. Also, if I turn into some crazy bridezilla then maybe they will remember me pre-wedding hysterics!

Currently, the plan is NO bridezilla and NO more frumpy (though currently losing the battle to pizza and chocolate.). Now, I just have to ask 4 more ladies and step away from the cookie dough. :)

Sail into the Mystic

2006-01-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

The fog the last 2 mornings has been out of control. On my drive the metro, I can barely see a few feet ahead of me. The metro ride itself if eerie. It feels like I'm on a plane within the clouds. All you can see is whiteness and can barely read the station signs.

Then my ipod (on shuffle) played "Into the Mystic." Quite fitting. I think my ipod may be a genius.

Slightly Tipsy Coding

2006-01-12T14:15:00.000-05:00

So I went out to lunch today for restaurant week at Mark and Orlando's. It was very good and I ordered a glass of wine for my lunch. Well, because they mixed up our meals (though really not a big deal at all!) they gave us an additional free drink.

So now based on the fact my tolerance is quite low (the girl with her flask full of whiskey is a very distant memory), I'm slightly tipsy. And slightly tipsy document coding is not quite as fun or glamorous as one may think. It is in fact painful. Though maybe slightly more exciting than sober coding.

Bottom line: temping and document review stinks whether tipsy or sober.

The Dance

2006-01-08T17:50:00.001-05:00

For Christmas, my fiance gave me dance lessons. We had our first one. We have a semi private lesson with his sister and her fiance and his parents. The timing of these class is a little odd since him and I aren't getting married until June 2007. His sister (who got engaged on the same day we did--scary-huh?) is getting married this coming July. We all got engaged on Dec 3rd so she is having to plan her wedding seriously fast. But my fiance and I will probably need some refreshing closer to our wedding since he isn't the best dancer (read: potentially the worst ever and would make Kenny Mayne look like Baryshnikov).

So the class is literally 45 minutes of doing the box step. Since I used to be a dancer and went to college on a dance scholarship, this is a bit boring. After we "mastered" this box, we worked on turning it. So we are in the middle of turning this box step, when my fiance stops and says we are turning it too fast (we aren't and he's leading). Apparently he gets "dizzy when we turn too quickly."

So then he tries to start us up again but we are off beat. He says staying on beat is too advanced for him. So maybe we aren't starting this dance lessons too early! Maybe 18 months is just the right amount of time to get this dance looking well like some semblance of coordinated movement.

My fiance is trying though and it is a very funny gift. I was just surprised since he's an athletic guy. He plays and coaches basketball and tennis. Apparently athletic ability has nothing to do with ability to dance.

Kidnapped??

2006-01-08T17:50:00.000-05:00

So my fiance and I had a meeting with a priest this weekend about possibly performing our ceremony. We all chatted and talked for awhile just getting to know one another. We each talked about our jobs, my fiance a teacher and coach, me a lawyer, him a priest, etc.

Then there came a time where we each had to be alone with the priest and answer some questions. I went first. The priest asks questions and fills out a questionnaire based on my answers. Apparently the higher ups in the Catholic church created these questions circa 12 A.D. amd have never changed them.

So the first couple questions were normal: what is your full name, dad's name, mom's maiden name, address etc.

Then comes the questions "have you been kidnapped and are being forced into this marriage?" Um...Ok...NO. Kinda odd questions because if I was being kidnapped and forced into marriage, I probably wouldn't be answering that questions honestly anyway. Next was "Are you getting married by your own free will?" Again...Yes.

After a few more strangely worded questions, the priest asks me more about where I work in DC. So I explain that I do temporary work in a one bedroom basement apartment but the head attorney works in a law office somewhere else.

The priest replies "Wow talk about kidnapping."

Jobhunt

2006-01-05T14:04:00.000-05:00

Working in the apartment sucks!! Everyday I wake up and the 1st thought I have when my alarm is blaring is that I could just quit. I could just never show up again. Then the reality of my loan payments sets in and I get up.

The interview with the public defender office I had a few weeks ago went well. I am among the candidates who will be moving on to the next round of interviews if there are needs. So I guess now I'm waiting to hear about going on interviews in different districts around the state.

I'm hoping that happens soon b/c I may very well go insane if I have to keep working in this apartment!

Letter to Editor

2006-01-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

Dear (insert name of any magazine geared toward 20 something girls)Magazine,

I just finished reading your January issue. I'd like to alert you to the fact that it is January. I feel like you may know this fact since it was your January issue. However, upon reading the magazine I have come to the conclusion you may have been informed that it is July. All of your spreads show woman in bathing suits, vacationing in St. Barts and how best to dress for the islands.

Since it is January, meaning it is quite cold outside and will continue to be for over 2 months, why do all the spreads feature girls wearing bikinis? Also since January is located right after all the holidays and holiday weight gains, many woman including myself do not enjoy the thought of getting into a bikini right now. Instead, maybe more timely articles should include "How Best to Hide the Holiday Buddha" or "Put Down the Cookies and Back Away from the Tin."

Regards,
Blonde Law

Accessory

2006-01-03T18:06:00.000-05:00

As I was getting into my car from getting off of the metro this evening, I placed the bag and purse I was carrying into the backseat. Something felt amiss. I looked down and noticed I'm wearing an umbrella! Somehow the umbrella in my bag looped itself around a button of my coat, had existed my bag and was now hanging from this button slightly open.

It was a sweet look. I may start a new trend.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

2006-01-02T13:35:00.000-05:00

So I'm in Atlantic City for New Years Day and am playing (read: losing) at craps. I look over to this craps table across from mine and see this woman all in pink. She is lumbering from side to side and her entire body is shaking. She looks as though at any moment her head could start spinning around.

So she starts stepping towards this man who is playing craps. He stiff arms her away. Then she comes back in and punches him on the top of the head. So he's pushes her away all while still placing bets. So then she starts clawing at him and he again just kinda pushes her away. She then starts cursing at him "something something bitch something something." At this point security starts to escort her out but I suppose they lose interest and stop. So she's just standing against a wall just staring at this guy down. Still shaking.

Meanwhile the guy is bleeding so some workers bring him a Kleenex box. So he's dabbing up blood all while still betting and playing craps. Finally security actually escorts the lady in pink out and give the guy a bandage for his face. The guy then goes to fill out an accident report.

I start feeling really bad for the guy and all the people at the table are talking about what a psycho the lady in pink is.

Later the pit boss informs us the guy had both his girlfriend and his wife in Atlantic City for the weekend. No longer feeling so bad for the guy! What an idiot!

Moral of the story: When taking a trip with your wife leave girlfriend at home and when taking a trip with your girlfriend leave wife at home.

Teenager

2005-12-27T15:08:00.000-05:00

My mom and I always hit the day after Christmas sales. So we were in CVS scrounging for wrapping paper. I see this older man who is singing Christmas carols in the store and give him a smile. He says to me "hello teenager. How are you doing today teenager?"

Teenager! It has been awhile since I've been called a teenager by anyone since I'm 25. It was probably just a case of bad eyesight but I'd like to believe it is that my anti-aging eye cream is working and I now have the skin of a teenager. :)

Christmas

2005-12-27T08:41:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful Christmas. Since I have a rather small family and most of the family I do have lives far away it was just my mom, dad, brother and I. My fiance spent some time with us but mostly spent the day with his family.

It was really nice just to be able to spend time with my family and I realized this was probably one of the last time it would just be the four of us at holidays or on vacations. So it was really nice.

My dad got us all a trip to NYC so I leave tomorrow! Which has the added bonus of my only day having to work in the apartment this week is today!!!

Interview

2005-12-22T17:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I had my interview for the public defender's office today. The 1st in a 3 step hiring process (who knew it had to be so serious!!).

I'm not sure how I think it went. When I left I had a really good feeling about it but now I'm not so sure. I was thinking over my answers to questions and I wish I had said other things or added something else. Plus the 2 women were giving me some smiles and headnods which I found encouraging but the guy did nothing at all. Oh well...it is over now.

I guess in about a week I'll find out if I scored high enough to move on the 2nd step. So I will be stalking the mail until that point!!

Feeling Good

2005-12-20T19:49:00.000-05:00

At work today someone made the comment "you could buy a 30 dollar Timex or a 3,000 dollar Rolex. But you just feel better about yourself wearing the Rolex."

This comment, made in absolute seriousness, got me thinking. I think that statement is a sad reflection on our society. Why should a material thing like a watch, a purse or even jeans make someone feel better about themselves? I think that is just wrong. I think people should feel good about themselves for being a good person. And feeling good about yourself shouldn't be derived from spending money on expensive things and status symbols. I'm not saying that people shouldn't spend money on themselves. On the contrary, I think everyone should do nice things for themselves. I just don't think that you should feel better about yourself if you are wearing a Rolex than if you were wearing a Timex.

I think as a society we have become so obsessed with material possession that some people have started to derive their self-esteem and self-worth by wearing Joes Jeans. I worry about these individuals because how would they feel about themselves if something happened and they wouldn't be able to afford the expensive name-brand items. Since I believe that these people look down on others who aren't wearing status symbols on their wrists, what would they do if they no longer had the status symbol?

I think people should feel good about themselves because of what they are doing with their lives and what kind of people they are. People should feel better about themselves for helping others not what they are wearing. People should find self-esteem in the positive and meaningful relationship they have.

I dunno...enough of my soapbox. I just found the comment a disturbing insight into how other people think. Maybe I'm alone on that one though.

Me in a nutshell

2005-12-19T13:45:00.000-05:00

2005 has been a big year for me. I graduated from law school in May, took the MD bar exam, passed and as of last Thursday am officially a lawyer. I also got engaged 2 weeks ago!

The only thing I need now is some permanent employment. I was lured to law school by propaganda of $2,000 a week summer jobs and $100,000 starting salary upon graduation. I'm completely ok with never being rich. Since I want more than anything to be a public defender and would kill myself if I sold my soul to a big firm. The part I have a problem with was they omitted the part of the story where I would be temping in an apartment. Yes an apartment and not at a lawyers rate!

I did get promoted (to be lowest paid person in the apartment). With this promotion came the prestige of moving from working in the bedroom to now working in the living room.

I do have an interview with the Maryland PD's office on Thursday. So I'm keeping my fingers-crossed that my document coding days are numbered.