Poor Little Piggies.....

Today was confusing for cops in Georgia...it was raining, but it was a holiday. Holiday means pull lots of people over. But pulling people over in the rain means I will get wet! What to do? Must stay dry... Must ruin holiday weekend for many people... Brain in overload!

And all this after the stunning triumph of Atlanta police over an unarmed crazy dude from Florida climbed a crane in Buckhead and threatened to kill himself! Yes, the police were amazing. It only took them 3 days to shoot him with a taser. That was after he refused their many offers of food & water! Apparently, the goal of the Atlanta PD was to ruin as many rush hours as possible, bringing the danger caused by the crane guy (affectionately known as "sugarfoot") to its absolute maximum capacity. That is why they tactfully taser-ed him down at 4:30am on Saturday. Ya know, after about 6 extraordinarily chaotic rush hours! The worst part being that, the reason there was a crane to begin with is that there is construction, which was already impeading traffic, so the crane guy was just added fun.

I think that the GA criminal justice system may be trying to break some kind of record. In the past two years we have had multiple instances of the wrong person being released from custody by the DOC, the whole Brian Nichols fiasco (shooting up the courthouse), at least 4 people threatening to jump to their deaths on the downtown connector during rush hour, and now the crane guy. Maybe they are trying to compile a blooper reel that they can sell to raise money & buy the Lithonia cop cars out of hock. Sounds like a plan to me!

Crawling In The Dark...

Wow! What a week! Well, so far I love my job, but I don't want to get too attached. I do have good news tho...I got an interview with a Federal Judge! His clerk called me the day they got my resume! That is very exciting. But, don't want to get too attached to that either.

Right now I'm waiting for my mom & sis to get into town. So, I'm kind of just wasting time. I was supposed to go to a comedy club with my firm tonight, but I got stuck in traffic then LOST AS FUCK!!!!!!! Yeah, like I was trapped in some kind of black whole, space-time warp thing! I really need a compass in my car so I at least know which direction hell is! LOL But, by the time I got unlost it was way too late to show up, so I then went on the hunt for food. I found a Roly Poly...which closed 30 secs before I got there. So I wound up with a sub from Publix, not bad but not great either. I called Tiffany so she could share in my oddessy as I drove aimlessly through never ending chaos, I think she really enjoyed that! LOL Well, she'll live, I mean if you can't annoy & abuse your friends, what the hell good are they?? LOL It's okay, I'm sure she'll find a "trail" somewhere in this state to pay me back with!!

Anyhoo, in other news I just visited the online journal of one of my best friends from high school. We haven't talked in a LONG time, she won't return my emails, so I gave up about 5 months ago. But I had to read this. It made me really sad. She just seems so lost, she has absolutely no love for herself. She never really did, but in high school neither did I. I was hoping she learned, but it's even worse. Either the things she writes are true and she is basically selling her mind body & soul, or she's making things up to make herself sound more interesting to people who think that behavior is cool...either way it is very sad. I wish she would talk to me, because I feel like I could tell her everything I have learned in the last 7 years and help her rise up. And I want to do that. She is an actress, singer, & dancer...really she has talent. I always expected to go to the movies and see her name in the credits...I really thought she would succeed. I didn't necessarily expect her to become a huge star, but I did think she would be one to end up "in the business" in some form...even if as a make-up artist or something. I dunno, I just feel bad now. I feel like I wish I could hug her and look in her eyes and see what is really going on, because if anyone could see it I could, and I know that.

Well, at least I can do this: Nicole, Missy, Tiffany, Michelle, Megan, Rita, Jessi, Emily, Amy, & Jessica(If you are reading this & feel left out it's because I don't know that you read my blog! So tell me dammit!): I love you all more than you will ever know, you have all changed me in ways so fundamental I wouldn't be me without you. I have done terrible things to some of you, and you have all forgiven me, and for that reason I am luckier than anyone I know. We spend so much time in our lives looking for a certain kind of love, and so often we fail to notice the simplest loves in our lives, like the person you know you could call if your Nemo breaks down, or the one who picks up the phone and listens to crap nobody cares about, or even the person who just lets you sit quietly next to them so you don't have to be alone, and particularly those who are there for you during law school breakdowns numbers 1 thru 1 million! You are all spectacular women and you will continue to do spectacular things, and no matter where you go, who you marry, or what you do, I will always be here to remind you that you are beautiful and smart and strong, whenever you need reminding. I think its important to say that while I have the chance, given all the times I have neglected to in the past. Goodnight.

Big Day!

Well, tomorrow I start my big job in the city! I am more than a bit nervous and anxious, because essentially it will be a 10 week interview, but I am also excited...this is what my entire academic career has been leading up to and I can't wait to really sink my teeth in. But before I get too consumed by the future, let's talk about the past! The past 4 days to be exact.

Tiffany and I ventured to Raliegh, North Carolina for a National Lawyers Guild conference. We went a day early to see Missy, which was just fabulous. We got to explore Raleigh and Chapel Hill while we were there. Chapel Hill is by far the most confusing town I have ever been in! At 1st we thought the NLG people were smoking crack because they gave us terrible directions, but we decided that it's probably just because nothing in that town makes any sense at all! We went to a fabulous art museum in Chapel Hill and a great festival in downtown Raleigh called "Artsplosure." If I was rich I would have bought a truckload of pottery! We ended our trip with a fabulous dinner at a gorgeous Italian cafe in Raleigh. Our ride home was quick and painless and Nemo is doing quite well indeed.

Now that I am home I am trying my best to relax and get ready for the coming week by watching everything I taped while we were gone! No, I don't have Tivo! Remember, I am still poor! I just watched the finale of the Apprentice and I am so glad that Kendra won! To be honest, she wasn't my favorite overall, but I could not stand Tana. But the biggest shocker of the finale was Tana's new face! There was some definite plastic surgery there, I barely recognized her until she spoke! What is up with that? I guess the Mary Kay just wasn't doin' enough for her these days! I am so jealous of Kendra's assignment...the Palm Beach Mansion?!?! That is awesome! I would take that job at no salary, just pay my living expenses Mr. Trump!

Anyhoo, back to reality, well not just yet, as I continue to catch up on missed TV! But, tomorrow morning at 6am there will be more than enough reality for me as I begin my 2 hour commute to work! Good grief! Well, wish me luck!

Slacking Off

So, as you already know, classes have been over for about a week now, and I have been totally unproductive! The worst part is that I have been constantly busy, but nothing is done! I try to clean, but it gets messy again. I go shopping but I forget stuff that I need...you know the drill. So now I am down to 1 day off and I have a TON to do!!! So much that I really don't know where to begin, but I think laundry is at the top of the list...that and get an oil change.

Thursday, Tiffany & I are going to Raleigh to see Missy! Also to attend a conference for the National Lawyers Guild, but Missy is the most important part. We should get back Sunday afternoon and then Monday I start my new job! I can't believe it. I am so nervous and anxious, so I will go thru more than a few Xanax between now and then. The important this is that I have a lot of new clothes to wear so I will be too cute! Plus I got hi-lites and a manicure today, so I look extra good...and we all know it's the looks that make the lawyer!

Anyway, I will try to right about something more substantive soon, but I just wanted to write something because now that I know how many people actually read this I don't want to let it go too long! Wish Tiffany, Nemo, and I good luck on our adventure to Missy's!!

Holy Mc-Hiking Batman!!!

So, Tiffany tried to kill me today...but I will not be so easily defeated! No! I have made it thru the process of natural selection for a reason! I am quite durable.

Anyhoo, the day began with an adventure in windshield wiper maintenance in the Walmart parking lot. After we achieved success in that realm, we drove about an hour to the North of here where we were to go hiking. Tiffany had found a park with a 3.5 mile trail leading to a waterfall. So there & back would be 7 miles, no problem for us! We are crazy walkers! (By the way, donate to my 60 walk: www.tinyurl.com/5gaks don't 4get!) Okay, so after that shameless plug I will continue with my story...

Well, this was the HARDEST 7 miles of our lives! Well, my life at least. I think Tiffany pretended it was hard for her so I wouldn't feel so fat & lazy! The trail was rated "easy to moderate" by a SADISTIC PSYCHOPATH! It was WAY moderate! We scaled rocks and almost fell into ravines thanks to railings that weren't actually attached to anything, and we were almost attacked by 4 dogs!! But, the important thing is we survived. The waterfall actually was very beautiful and there were a lot of pretty sights along the way, the best part is that you cannot drive to any of it so only people brave (or stupid) enuff to hike the trail have seen these things and that makes me feel cool. We took lots of pictures too, which was good but not really necessary since we will NEVER forget it!

I felt bad at the end because I got very tired and weak and whiny and I knew I was annoying Tiffany & holding her back, but I just couldn't help it because I started to get scared that if one of us fell or something we wouldn't be able to get back...if you are barely able to walk on sturdy feet, walking on a twisted ankle will be impossible! But, like I said, we made it back to the car, reasonably unharmed (although Tiffany had been attacked by a few twigs and we both felt the rath of MANY spiderwebs). It took us over 4 hours! At the end I was GROSS. Sunscreen, covered withh bugspray, covered with mud, covered with buckets of sweat! So, I of course stripped naked and changed (and rung out!!) my clothes in the parking lot, which made Tiffany laugh because we were not alone! There was a couple in a BMW who had just pulled up & they were lacing up their hiking boots as I was changing my clothes! Little does Tiffany know that my boobs are on so many videotapes it hardly matters! I'm sure the BMW couple has seen them before! Tee hee.

But the best part of the day was that, when we got home, Tiffany's husband took us out to dinner (I think because he was grateful that it was me & not him on this crazy venture! LOL). Food is always my greatest motivator, so it was a great present.

But regardless, I am glad we went. It's not something I EVER would have done on my own, I would have turned back when we had to climb that 1st rock! Plus, we did survive and it does feel good to survive something that was so hard for me. And of course, I love bonding with my monkey! She thinks I will not love her anymore for taking me on crazy adventures, but she will not get rid of me that easily! I will stalk her for eternity, even if she moves to New Zealand!

Changin' The World

Okay, so I got GREAT news today! Two people (my sister and one of my bestest friends) told me that things I wrote on my blog inspired them to do pretty important things in their lives. It really made me so happy because honestly I didn't even know they were reading what I wrote, much less pondering what I say. So I just thought that I should make a note of that.

Along the lines of "Changing the World", I watched "Pay It Forward" this weekend (while simultaneously studying for my Family Law exam). It's one of those movies that I say I don't like but I can't avoid watching it while it's on, ya know? I really think the end of that movie is unnecessarily upsetting, and that the idea is more than implausible, but I think the premise and message are good. I think the messages about domestic violence are the most important. The idea that not all wounds are physical and saying "he doesn't hit the kids" doesn't mean a damn thing. I also think it brings up the important issues of victimization, guilt, and responsibility.

For the most part, our society is very concerned with blame. We tell rape victims and victims of domestic violence that it's not their fault because it isn't, and we don't want them to be embarrassed. And that's good and true. But it can also cause problems. When we tell people that something is not their fault we also tell them they have no power, and that is bad. They do have power and we should encourage them to exercise it. I think there needs to be a better message delivered. That it may not be the woman that causes the violence, but that she CAN do something about it. We need to be more clear in explaining that the violence isn't envoked by anything they have done, because it's not a rational act, but that they can keep themselves from being the target. And even though domestic violence is just the sub-plot of "Pay It Forward" I think it does a good job of conveying that message by showing the consequences of the choices made. It does seem strange to me that the same feminists who advocate female power then push the "it's not your fault" mantra as well. I don't know why they can't make the connection between fault and power that is critical in these situations.

World Wide Web

In the past 2 days, as I have been recovering from an Income Tax exam that could be accurately compared to impermissible torture, I taught myself how to use iTunes, and I have made my 1st 2 CDs!! It was very exciting indeed.

I got 20 free songs with the points I've earned through Lexis Nexis, so I had to be careful in choosing my music. I tried to recall music that I have been looking for and couldn't find, or songs that I like but wouldn't be willing to buy a whole album for, etc.

So, I began with the old stand-by: Vanilla Ice (which is out of print). Yes, I love him and I always will, so just accept it and move on. I chose a Maroon 5 song, a couple Hoobastanks, and a few songs from Tarantino soundtracks. Then I decided to go on a hunt.

I've been looking for 2 songs that I have heard on West Wing episodes: the one playing when Simon, CJ's secret service agent, is killed and the one playing when Zoey is kidnapped. I had NO idea who sang them or what they were called. I had looked everywhere I could think to find them with no success (the credits of the show, the DVDs, record stores for the soundtrack, the NBC website, etc.)

Well, yesterday I Googled "West Wing Songs" and I found a website that lists all the songs played on all the episodes of the West Wing, along with synopsis of the episodes, quotes, pictures, and lots more! I was shocked. So I downloaded the 2 I wanted and while doing so discovered 2 iMixes on iTunes that were compilations of songs from the West Wing!

So, what this all made me realize is that no matter what I want to know, ever about anything, there is at least one person out there completely obsessed with that exact topic! They have researched and compiled and created a website that they diligently maintain so that one day, when someone like me needs a random tidbit of info, it's out there to be found. It's just so amazing to me. I mean, I know I keep this site, but it requires minimal effort and its basically because its an easy way to keep in touch with my long distance friends. But these people are amazing! They seek out crazy tidbits and dedicate themselves to something really obscure, and I'm glad they do because there are all kinds of times when I need that crazy info! But truly, I'm glad none of them live next door to me!

By far, the wackiest site I've seen so far, my sister told me about today. It is: www.wwujd.com
Yes, you guessed it "What Would Uncle Jesse Do" How great is that? You must go visit it and be careful because I almost wet myself! LOL (Reed should check out Uncle Jesse's family tree, it will explain once & for all how & where life began!)

By the way, the 2 songs are "Hallelujiah" by Jeff Buckley and "Angel" by Mezzanine. You should give them a listen too. They give me chills!

And, randomly, you should all rent & watch some stand up by Eddie Izzard. It'll just make you a happier person.

In The Spotlight

Okay, so I've had a hard time deciding what to write about, so I have settled on a few detached comments.

1. A piece of advice: Even if you are caught in the middle of a huge embarrassing public scandal and you have a bad haircut and you haven't showered in 4 days, even then, when walking through an airport, do NOT wear a brightly colored, striped towel draped over your head!!! You will always look like more of a wack-job with the towel than without! That is the picture they will blow up and put behind you when you are on Oprah some day! (Besides, if we have learned anything in the past 3 years it's that it is easier to get thru an airport in this country WITHOUT a towel on your head. Yeah, that was probably offensive, but trust me when I say I intend to offend the federal government (old white men with lots of money and very little hair), not the various groups of brown people that they have chosen to hate this decade.)

2. Don't you find it a bit ironic that the one American Idol contestant Paula Abdul is accused of sleeping with is also the one that was kicked off the show and exposed for being a liar who assaults his little sister and passes bad checks? Hmm, interesting. But she did say he had "star quality" so she MUST have been sleeping with him, it's not like she says that to EVERY SINGLE CONTESTANT EVER ON THE SHOW!!!!! No, not at all. What I want to know is when will Corey Clarke be testifying in the Michael Jackson trial? I'd like to watch the re-enactment on E!

3. Have you heard of a new movie coming out called "Crash"? Am I the only one who remembers that there was another movie by that name about people who had sex at the sites of car accidents because the carnage turned them on? I believe that was a huge scandal in the mid 90s. Are there so few words in the English language that they couldn't come up with a less tainted title? Or maybe they are hoping that the new generation of teens who missed out on the 1st one will think this is a remake and they will sell more tickets.

4. You can now buy "After School Specials" on DVD at Walmart. How awesome is that?