Oh my f***ing gawd

I just received a summons for jury duty -- a minor disruption of the ordinary routine usually, but not in this case. This is a summons for grand jury. That means that I am required to report every day to the court for a period of 25 work days, starting in October and running through early December.

Omigawd. So much for my final semester of law school.

Okay, breathe, breathe. It says that one can defer duty once... BUT if one defers, then one is required to provide a date during which one is available to serve. Okay, that's no problem.

The problem is that the postponement date must be within 90 days of the original date of service.

I'm supposed to take the February bar. February 21 and 22 are more than 90 days after the October start date.

Omigawd, omigawd.

If they don't let me push jury duty back until March, I can't take the February bar. My law career -- and my employment prospects -- will be pushed back until July.

Holy shit. I am trying not to panic, but this makes me want to cry. Plus, I can't call the court until Monday to beg my case of really, really, extreme mitigating circumstances. And honestly, I'm not expecting sympathy.

Realistically speaking, this will not only defer my law career, but it could have set me back thousands of $$ (had I signed up for the bar review courses already).

I'm quietly (or perhaps not so quietly) freaking out here. It's enough to make me want to move temporarily so they can't get a hold of me. Hmmm... maybe I will. Seriously, maybe I will.

Hmmm, sound familiar?

There are a few folks I know who need to take this test.

And, we need one for law students too cuz, as my Property professor said, "Every class has a Kevin." (which is kinda shorthand for the student who incessantly asks questions -- but then again, Kevin excelled in law school and is now doing a federal clerkship).

A first for me

I've never done this before... but all the cool kids seem to play along! Actually, I thought this week's questions were really interesting, so... (drum roll please), here are my Friday Spies© : Fifth Friday of the Month Edition

1. What five things should you never buy used?
#1 and foremost, underwear. Eeuw, yuck.
#2: cosmetics (ditto above ickiness)
#3: a mattress
#4: hair implements and accessories (brush, comb, barrettes, clips, etc.)
#5: shoes, although I admit that I have (they were "gently worn" and I did clean them out with disinfectant -- but don't tell my mother because she'd have a fit)

2. Sony BMG just ended a payola investigation by settling with New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer. So let's engage in some reverse payola: What song or artist would you pay to never have to hear again, and how much would it be worth to you?
Hmmm, I don't listen to the radio much, so this is kinda hard for me... at the risk of pissing off some folks, I might venture to say "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell but I don't think I'd pay anything to get it off the air because I iPod and thus avoid the radio.

3. In honor of the new Bad News Bears: Did you ever play little league, or other organized youth sports?
Yup, soccer throughout my youth. Some swimming. Softball, soccer and track in junior high. I even lettered in all three!

4. What was your biggest fashion faux pas?
The entirety of the 1980s.

5. In honor of all our readers who took the Bar Exam this week: What was the hardest test you ever took?
My evidence exam in law school involved serious brain hemorrhage, although it wasn't too long. But my head hurt after that one. Ugh.

Two pieces of happy news...

I think...I think... I think I'm going to Chile for two weeks in two weeks.

I say "I think" because with the new electronic tickets, I am not entirely certainly that I actually bought the darn thing. My friend is currently there on a government exchange program as a "visiting expert", so I figured I'd take advantage of her local expertise, her apartment and her interest in seeing the region too and venture out on my yearly international trip. It's gonna be crazy expensive, especially for such a short period of time, but she's only there for six months -- might as well. She also wants to head to Easter Island. Ooooh... That's the kind of place that seems to exist only in 5th grade social studies books and PBS documentaries. Two weeks is kinda short, but it's all I have time for before classes start.

That's happy news one. Happy news two is that it's official that I made Deans' list this past year. Wahoo!

A new tort

Malicious disgorgement? His parents must be so proud.

Weekend? What weekend?

Hmmm, my weekend was comprised of sleeping until double digits on Saturday (yay! and good thing I didn't pull it around to single digits again, which is well within my abilities); working; getting my hair cut; blogging; working and doing my laundry Saturday night.

Sunday? Work. 12+ hours straight in the office. Ugh.

And now we're back to Monday. Boo. I don't even know if I'll be able to escape to the ACS convention this coming weekend. How I hate standing up John Edwards and Laurence Tribe...!

::sigh::

Okay, time to get over the whiny and just get on with it...

Done, done, done and gone

Chop. Twin ponytails, each about a foot long, are in a ziplock baggie to be shipped off to Locks of Love. I took off about 15-20 inches (after the styling, that is), and my head is much, much lighter. I can actually feel my hair move in a way that I haven't in a quite a while.

Outcome? Some good hair for kids. Less conditioner usage for me. As for the haircut, I'm not sure how much I love it, but I do like it well enough. Kinda looks like "The Rachel", circa early Friends. Not so thrilled about that. I wanted that haircut ten years ago; ironic that I'd get it now. I think it has too many layers and is a bit shorter than I wanted, but no worries. It will grow out very quickly. It always does. Props to the salon for supporting me and LOL. The folks there were really friendly and fun.

More interesting than my hair, however, was what I learned to, from and at the salon.

At the salon, during regular "The weather sure is hot" chitchat, the girl who washed my hair and I were discussing this really violent and loud storm that crashed through here last night. I asked her if it woke her up ('cuz it did me), but she said she was out at that time. The storm hit around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, but contrary to what one might immediately assume (that she was out clubbing), she was in fact out working on her internship doing outreach activities for sex workers. She's doing a MA in public policy and women's studies at George Washington University (one of my alma maters) with a special focus on LGBT issues. Her internship involves working with a local non-profit to counsel sex workers, do health testing and generally hand out condoms and whatnot, between midnight and 5:00 am. She told me where in town the sex workers plied their trade, and that each area was known for a specific type of prostitute -- hetero women, boys and trannies -- and that the profession was highly segregated. She also told me that most of the sex workers are black women. Not many Latinas or Asians or white women, for that matter. Even the trans- sex workers are black. The conversation was really interesting, and I can't tell you how impressed I was with her dedication AND the university for offering tht kind of program.

On the other side of the conversational spectrum -- the guy who cut my hair, well his interests were different, but they also made for an engaging discussion. He is a self-described 24-year old gay man who is obsessed (his words, not mine) with Hello Kitty. This is a fad that I saw come and go when I was about 7, but I do understand that there are many adults who just worship her. Mr. haircut man said he owned it all -- steeringwheel cover, cell phone holder, you name it -- and also told me that it had gotten to the point where his boyfriend had banned the shower curtain and some of the other paraphrenalia because he just couldn't stand all the stuff. Too funny. I told him that Mademoiselle Kitty was older than he was and where there were a few stores specializing in the sales of that brand. Not news to him. I couldn't tell him anything Hello Kitty that he didn't already know.

In addition to the salon chat, I found myself entertained by some of my observations on my walk back and forth from my office (yup, I'm at work on a Saturday):
* There seems to be a new trend in clear, plastic backpacks like this one. I saw more than a few of them in a short time period, and I have to admit that I won't be participating in this fad. I just don't get it.
* Most amusing bumpersticker -- this may be old, but it's the first time for me to see it.
* Gorgeous, gorgeous stargazer lilies. That made me smile for a least a block.
* A woman with her pooch in a pouch - ya' know, like a baby sling but with beast instead? I thought that was a New York city thing.
* Other stuff which I made a mental note to describe, but I lost the note.

And now I'm in my office, pooped. But I gotta get some work done or I'm in it deep.

Ugh.

Ooohhh! A happy thing...

I completely forgot that today was payday. Very, very happy!

The Plame name blame game

Okay, so I admit that I just wanted to write a post with that headline.

But seriously folks, why is it that this issue just isn't getting the same screaming headlines as when, say, the closest advisors of a Democratic president does something unethical -- which, no matter how you look at it doesn't compare to the national security threat of a top presidential advisor leaking information about covert operatives. Hmmm, illegal anyone? Felony perhaps? Can we say treasonous? I'm not saying that the leak isn't getting attention, but it is definitely lower voltage than when the other party occupied 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Who says the media is completely liberal? The Republican media machinery and spin docs are masters. It's all a perception thing, and the Rs can out-talk and out-strategize the Dems hands down. And the media just follows the rhetoric rather than leads.

Confession

I'm a pretty big TV watcher. It's a habit that I picked up growing up which was reinforced while living in Japan. Even though my mom watched almost NO television when I was a kid, my dad used (and continues to use) it to veg out and relax. He was and is the kind of father that instantly wakes up from dozing off and says, "Hey, I was watching that!" when you turn off the TV two hours after he fell asleep in front of a golf game (hmmm, now that TVs don't "click" they way they used to, I wonder if he still has his "TV antenna"?)

Now that my mom is retired, she not only has a hugantic widescreen TV -- something I never would have guessed she'd ever want -- but she also has cable and a DVD player, and my dad has both cable and satellite (for when the cable goes out, which isn't infrequent) and all sorts of other electronic devices hooked through his stereo into his jumbo, bigger-than-my-car television set. Even though I'm pretty good at figuring things out, I am completely baffled by his family of remote controls and how they all work together. The fact that I only have a normal sized TV and no cable means I'm about three generations of technology behind everyone else in my family.

Despite this techie handicap, I still watch more TV than I should, especially with school. I can't imagine how bad it would be if I did have cable... But there is one type of programming which I have always eschewed and avoided: reality TV. I never did see a full episode of Survivor or Big Brother or The Bachelor or any of that genre (which was harder to do than you might imagine). But here's the guilty confession, I am totally getting into Average Joe.

Now, I'm the first to admit that it's not quality programming, but it is fun. Maybe it's something about rooting for the underdog... maybe it's something about seeing what inane lengths the producers will make the participants go to... maybe it's the voyeuristic value of following the participants' stories (kinda like reading personal blogs?)... I dunno. The reality of these shows is less believable than the dramas and sitcoms on TV, but somehow they hook you.

Watch out... America's Next Top Model, here I come (as a viewer, of course)!

Not what I expected

I think a lot of folks were surprised to hear that Bush nominated John G. Roberts Jr. to wear the ultimate black robe.

I have to read more about him, but the fact that he played a key role in the 2000 selection worries me, as well as his work to destroy a woman's right to choose... No chance of a Souter here.

I'm trying not to be too cynical, but I am really disappointed that it wasn't a woman or anyone who would provide more than age diversity (of course he'd be young).

::sigh::

The kind of justice I'd like to see

I would love to see our next Supreme Court justice with interpretations of the law such as this one. Unfortunately, that ain't gonna happen, not even in my fairytale land of progressives holding the institutions at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

I'd settle for a woman (yes, a woman) with an understanding of the law which is based in contemporary reality -- and who is smart as a whip.

Horse race

This is it. Tonight, Bush will announce his nominee to the big bench. Two women seem to be leading the race. He couldn't very well not nominate a woman to replace Sandra Day, right? The religious right is all aflutter. I'm sure the civil rights community is gearing up too...

Here's hoping for another Souter.

Trendwatch

So the new chic is being a geek? Or is all an exercise in relativity... that is, self-aggrandizement by comparison?

Reality check

According to the Law School Admission Council website, which has a function to compare undergraduate GPA and LSAT score against acceptance trends at various schools, I would have something like a 8-15% chance of getting into My Law School.

Wow. Good thing I applied 4 years ago. I wouldn't stand a chance now!

UPDATE: And it looks like I would have had a zero to nothing percent chance at Harvard, Yale or Stanford. Luckily for me, I already knew that and didn't apply!

My green thumb

I have one lusciously green and vibrant plant in my apartment. It has almost a foot of new growth and seems to be thriving -- and is so colorful and gorgeous to look at. One might think this is an object of admiration until noticing that this fabulously healthy plant is a red onion. That I bought about a month ago. To cook with. Sitting in a bowl. On top of my microwave.

But it sure is pretty!

A tale of two sittings

This weekend was spent feting my good friend's marriage to the man of her dreams -- and I have to admit, they are perfect together. It's almost too much. But I am so very excited and happy for her. I have never seen someone glow the way she did this past weekend. What fun.

What wasn't fun was my plane trips there. My journey started in disaster... a 4:00 wake-up; torrents of rain resulting in one very wet me and my luggage; a shrieking escalator; a cab driver who tried to overcharge me and then proceeded to insult me (but I won't go into that here)... Despite that stress, I did make my flight just fine and had a good time.

Peer pressure
On the first leg of the trip out to Colorado, I tried to read. I had brought a magazine and a few books with me, knowing I had several hours en route and in transit. Looking around me however, I noticed that everyone else had some erudite-looking "quality softback" book for their in-flight entertainment... stuff with elaborate art on the front; shiny metallic badges signallng the medals and awards the authors had won; glowing reviews by people at real newspapers. Me? I had a cheap and cheesy mass market paperback. And it looked it. Cutesy sketches of women with punny reviews. Hmmm...

Can you believe it but I actually felt compelled to pull out my more sophisticated-looking novel to put on my lap to indicate a brain upstairs? It wasn't like anyone else was peering at me or judging this book by its cover, but I was definitely the only one within the scope of my gaze who had "light summer reading" on her lap. And I felt the pressure of their collective sophisticated taste in reading material (purely, self-induced, of course). So much so that that more erudite reading sat on my lap, but not so much so that that other trashy one stayed in my hands and I read on. Ah peer pressure... That'll teach me to spy on others' reading!

Bummed
So, on the last leg of my last leg home last night, I was miserable. It was another packed flight, but this plane was a puddle-jumper (ya' know, a "regional flight") so we were 2x2 with NO room anywhere. I don't think the plane was more than 6 feet across. Anyone over 5' 5" and 140 lbs. was outta luck on this flight. My stomach wasn't too happy with me (too much good food at the wedding or too much bad food earlier? I dunno), and I couldn't focus too much on reading, even my trashy novel. One thing I did notice, however, was my seatmate. Ya' know how some flights show instructional videos on how to do exercises in flight? Well, this flight barely had an intercom, let alone the technology to show movies, but I swear that my neighbor was exercising her gluteus maximus. As she sat there reading her erudite book (looked like philosophy or a thick book of history), she kept bouncing ever so slightly up and down. It definitely wasn't turbulance, but it was quite amusing. She managed to multi-task by reading her book, listening to music and get in her workout. Leave it to me to notice something like that.

Flight arrived in DC, and I poured out of the plane. I was so glad to be home. Since I was lugging a present for a friend -- a twelve of beer which you can't buy in this area -- I decided to take a cab back to my apartment. And this time, no one tried to overcharge me, thank goodness.

O'Dark-hundred

That's what time I'll be getting up in the morning. I'm off to a friend's wedding in Colorado, and in order to make it in time for the rehearsal dinner, I have to catch a flight at an hour when no one should be awake, unless they have stayed up all night.

Major decisions for this weekend? What to read on the plane; if pink shoes and a pink purse are too cutesy ('cuz I ain't cutesy) with a summer dress; whether to carry-on or check.

Answers: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett; I hope not 'cuz I'm doing it; and check, definitely check (even though I usually don't).

I'll be on the metro earlier than I've ever ridden it before. Since I'm not the type to worry about potential muggers or raised security levels, my greatest fear is that I won't be able to stay awake -- and I'll miss the airport stop!

Women busting stereotypes

These kinds of stories are why I like the Post. Not hard news per se, but important nonetheless to think about diversity of interests and experience.

Firefighters Sue Fairfax; Claim Unfair Treatment
Divas of the Gridiron

And for my own diversity, here's one about a guy:
The Contraption That Can Really Tie One On

London on my mind

Living in DC with relatives and friends who work in and around the places that were targets on 9/11 and having lived in NYC, I still cannot look at any pictures of the World Trade Center or the Pentagon without feeling an intensely overwhelming sadness. I doubt there is anyone on the East coast who is more than two or three degrees of separation from the attacks. We all felt it very personally. It's the kind of thing that you never forget; you just move on because you have to.

Today's news about London brings it all back in a flood. Such hate demonstrated so violently... I just don't understand this world sometimes.

My heart goes out to those affected, in London and elsewhere.

First the pretzels...

Now this.

Definitely the only thing he has in common with President Bartlett. If only life would imitate art in his policy decisions, rather than just his gaffes.

My gaydar has always been really bad...

... so this surprised me: Prince Albert Acknowledges Fathering Son.

I thought he was gay. Not that I ever met him, but...

So what do I know? Just that my gaydar has never been very good.

Mine is pink for a reason

(...because I'm a pinko. Just kidding, sorta.)

But this is exactly the conversation I had with some folks at school during finals in May (when everyone breaks out their baseball caps). The U. of Wisconsin alum had their own take on it all...

Not honorable

This is shameful.

We allow language to mask so much -- our biases, our embarrassment, our ignorance -- but can we please call this what it is? Any culture which allows even the slimmest bit of gray area for men to brutally slay (not "honor kill") women in this manner values the male ego over female life. Pride and reputation are more important than family? I don't understand this. I'm glad I don't understand this.

I don't want to be accused of ethnocentricity, but how can anyone think that way?

It's been one year

Happy blog-iversary to me! It was a slow start, but I'm still here. Let's hope the demands on my time -- and my life in general -- allow for greater creativity in the coming year!

Happy Canada Day!

To my friends up North and those of the Maple leaf pursuasion who are here -- Happy Canuck Day!

Irked indeed

As you all know, I live and work in our nation's capital. One of the "benefits" of this city is that big white house down the road with its "most powerful man in world" resident.

However, whenever he goes anywhere, entire streets are cleared for an escort of 4 or 5 motorcycle cops, an entourage of several limos and four or so black SUVs, followed by another DC cop in a squad car.

Never mind the congested traffic and the snarl this parade produces. Never mind the shrieking of the sirens as they careen down the street. Never mind all of that. I'm really pissed off that my DC taxes have to pay for his security escort. That's completely bogus. There are something like 20 law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction in the district, but the residents (who already have an enormous tax burden) have the shoulder this extra for the cops on wheels? That's crap.

I know he's the president and he needs security... blah, blah, blah, but sheesh.

We knew one of them would...

... But with Justice O'Connor's retirement begins the ideological war for the Supreme Court. It shouldn't be that way, but it is.

I'm afraid who Georgie will name.

UPDATE: Same sentiment as Denise, albeit less emphatically stated.