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It’s been so long since I posted that I’m going to have to resort to bullet points.
- Spring finally arrived in the Northwest.
- J has launched into yard work. I have not. Weeds abound.
- My weight loss is now 24 point something. Hell, we’ll call it 25.
- Koba gained 3 pounds on prescription diet food.
- Turns out Koba is hypothyroid.
- Koba is a high maintenance little dog. He now takes 4 pills a day for his epilepsy and thyroid.
- I had my first raging case of lawyer burn out.
- Simultaneously with my first case of lawyer burn out, I caught a head cold. I’m such an overachiever.
- Lawyer burn out passed.
- We actually left our house to watch a movie. Iron Man. Awesome.
- Battlestar Galactica and The Tudors are on hiatus. Not awesome.
- I’m sick of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen.
I’ve been resisting this topic, but it will no longer be ignored. I’m speaking of Britney and K-Fed.
I’m not going to comment on the “affidavit” excerpts making it into the press. There is probably a grain of truth in those statements. However, all of the witnesses in this case probably have huge credibility problems. I’m just guessing at this based on their association with Britney in the first place! I have my own reason to suspect Britney isn’t going to win Mom of the Year award and it has nothing to do with the fact she allegedly tried to whiten her toddler’s teeth.
Her kids look exhausted and unhappy. In every single photo of those children they look flushed, sweaty, tired, and incredibly cranky. Team Brit could argue that any child confronted with paparazzi 24/7 isn’t going to look so hot. But there are toddlers under the same, if not more, scrutiny that look just fine (think Suri Cruise, Violet Affleck, and the gazillion Jolie-Pitt children).
Those kids need a routine, lots of naps, and some time out of the spotlight. They aren’t getting that with Ms. Spears.
I’m taking my soapbox and leaving the room on that note.
I figured Saddam’s hanging would be all over the Internet and this morning we were all bludgeoned with videos and images of the noose stage of the execution.
And yes, a shaky video of the full execution has already been leaked.
Okay, so Saddam and The Noose and Saddam and the Shroud were quickly getting old. Then I was informed by the reliable Internet that James Brown had three “costume” changes while laid out for public ogling.
And then in the background, we have Gerald Ford’s funeral going on – at least that one seems dignified with the closed casket, flag and all.
2006 is coming to a strange and freaky end.
This semester actually hasn’t been so bad for finals. But yesterday was not one of my “Best in Show” exams. First, it was scheduled for the evening which sucks. My brain unexpectedly shifts to neutral from time to time after 5:00 p.m. Plus I had a bout of insomnia the night before. All of this created one grumpy 3L heading to an exam she could care less about.
My brain was not a fine tuned instrument and definitely did not pay me back for all the money I am sinking into it. But I sluggishly gave it my best shot and am crossing my fingers for average. Yes, I would be quite pleased with average.
One more exam to go and then onwards to the next (and last!!!!) semester of my law school career.
Thanksgiving holiday is no longer about outlines.
I did not outline at all. In fact, I ignored law school from Wednesday to Sunday. Last night I finally sat down and did my reading for today.
Instead of law school, I got life back in order. J and I cleaned house. The house is such a wreck, it still isn’t done. But, we really weren’t pushing too hard. For example, Friday I came home with a bag full of movies and we just took the day off watching back-to-back creepy movies. I loved it.
Around that time I began to wonder about my lack of outlining. I kept putting it off until “tomorrow.” Finally, I had a revelation. I needed a break! Time to REcharge and RElax. My worst finals are in the second week of finals. I’ve got plenty of time to prepare for those open-book monsters. The easier (if there is such a thing) exams are in the first week.
Last night it also occurred to me that my pre-exam panic was simply gone. At one point in the past few months, I was fretting about whether or not to work this coming Friday (my last day of work before finals). Suddenly, that angst seems ridiculous. Of course I can work Friday. For crying out loud, it’s just one day.
Yep, I needed the break.
In other news, I wrecked my lower back during the housecleaning spree. I forget that I’m woefully out of shape and then I act as if I am in shape. I bent and pulled and pushed and tugged without thinking. Now I’m permanently hooked to ibuprofen and a heating pad. Putting on my backpack today is laughable. Wheelie bag is going to be back in fashion for a couple of days.
My favorite band, NIN, visited NOLA last week to play Voodoo Fest – a free concert for the relief workers. The mayor’s office gave them access to parts of the city not yet opened to the public. You can see pictures of the devastation here. These photos were taken on October 28.
Although we are all seeing news stories about the bars opening in the quarter and NOLA getting back to normal, it’s far from the truth. I cannot even comprehend the work that needs done.
I don’t usually get all political on this blog. But, the realization that FEMA apparently needs its own emergency management plan is chilling. Just yesterday someone who practiced Admin Law in D.C. for years mentioned that certain agencies are notorious dumping grounds for political cronies – and FEMA was specifically mentioned as one of those dumping grounds.
Then today this story shows up on MSNBC. This little snippet is telling:
FEMA’s top three leaders — Director Michael D. Brown, Chief of Staff Patrick J. Rhode and Deputy Chief of Staff Brooks D. Altshuler — arrived with ties to President Bush’s 2000 campaign or to the White House advance operation, according to the agency. Two other senior operational jobs are filled by a former Republican lieutenant governor of Nebraska and a U.S. Chamber of Commerce official who was once a political operative.
It’s too bad these people actually had to work. I’m sure that was not part of the overall inept plan. Plunk your buddies in a nice office, give them a parking pass, an important sounding title, and a nice salary. It’s all good. Right?
The beginning of my second year of law school has been riddled with obstacles.
Last Friday at 2:00 a.m. I lost my beloved senegal parrot, Mango. I found Mango sitting on the bottom of his cage with obvious signs of being very ill. After a series of phone calls, I managed to track down an emergency clinic with an avian vet. The vet determined Mango was likely in liver failure and his prognosis was not good. However, he had hopes that hospitalization in an oxygen tank, antiobiotics and milk thistle could jump start Mango’s liver. Unfortunately, Mango was just too far gone and when I called the vet at 5 the next morning, I learned that Mango crossed the Rainbow Bridge just three hours before.
I was devastated. So devastated in fact that my boss instructed me to stay home from work (I was off class that day). I stayed home and focused my energies at cleaning the bird room (we have a flock of parrots).
Somewhere in the basement is a birdie photo album. I’ll scan in a photo of Mango and feature him on the blog when I get a chance.
Then, over the weekend one of my dogs (Cricket the dashchund) quit eating. By Monday it was apparent that she needed checked out. I took her to the vet after class and went through the joy of holding down a stressed out weenie dog while the vet scraped fecal cultures. Fun. It turns out she didn’t have giardia as suspected and the antiobiotics and prescription food seem to have her back on track.
I have had two days without a tragedy or crisis and I’m hoping this is a new trend. Of course, the people on our southern shores are not enjoying my calm state of affairs. I’m am beyond shocked with the destruction from Hurricane Katrina.
Meanwhile, school is going well in spite of my disasters. I’m enjoying “sexy” ConLaw with all the interesting, contemporary cases on personal liberties such as abortion, marriage, and (gasp) sex. Currently I’m thumbing through the Lawrence decision that recently struck down the sodomy laws in Texas. Fascinating stuff.
My Evidence class is at the boring stage, but I’m sure the action will pick up. I must start flashcarding that one this weekend. My two family law classes, a survey of family law and community property, are both easy for me at this juncture considering my 20 years of experience in those fields. Administrative law is fitting in nicely with ConLaw and the professor that enjoyed in Contracts is just as engaging with this class.
