CONTINUING ON THE BOOK THEME

I took another silly internet quiz, I can't help it. I like them. "What will you become famous for"

You will be famous for writing a national bestseller You are very observant and tend to be the wallflower at parties. You are intuitive and know just how to communicate everything that you are feeling to those around you. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Sounds pretty accurate to me.

I hope I don't get banned though!

BANNED BOOKS

As seen at Angry Pregnant Lawyer, below is the list of the 100 books that received the most challenges at libraries and schools from 1990-2000. Some of the best books EVER written are on this list! What the hell?!

Anyway, bold the ones you've read, then go pick a few more to read. Banned books *grumble, mumble* Morons.

1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
8. Forever by Judy Blume
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker Amazing, even better than the movie if you can imagine
19. Sex by Madonna
20. Earth's Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine Lâ Engle
23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
27. The Witches by Roald Dahl
28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
30. The Goats by Brock Cole
31. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
32. Blubber by Judy Blume
33. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
34. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
35. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
37. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
38. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George Blech. Hated it.
39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
40. What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee My favorite book of ALL time, and I agree w/ APL, you want to BAN this?! Fuck you.
42. Beloved by Toni Morrison
43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
44. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
46. Deenie by Judy Blume
47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
48. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
49. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
50. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley A close 2nd to #41
53. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
54. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
55. Cujo by Stephen King
56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
58. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
61. What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
62. Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume Forget banned, this is a MUST read for every adolescent girl
63. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
64. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
68. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
71. Native Son by Richard Wright
72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies by Nancy Friday
73. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
74. Jack by A.M. Homes
75. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
77. Carrie by Stephen King
78. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
79. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
80. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
81. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
82. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
83. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
85. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
86. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
87. Private Parts by Howard Stern
88. Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford You're kidding me, they banned this??
89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
94. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
95. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
97. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
98. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
99. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

HANDY HARDWARE

Via Finished Law School I was alerted to this little gem of a keyboard. The keys on the keyboard are backlit in blue allowing for easier typing in the dark, and it got some decent reviews!

Anyway, this might be old news to some people, but I was impressed. I'll have to add it to my "When I get a law job" list. Backlit in blue, hmmm, it's kinda like the Knight Rider keyboard!

SURPRISING SENTIMENTS FROM SAUDI WOMEN

I must say I was quite surprised by the sentiments of Saudi women expressed in this article.

An example:

When Ms. Hughes expressed the hope here that Saudi women would be able to drive and "fully participate in society" much as they do in her country, many challenged her. "The general image of the Arab woman is that she isn't happy," one audience member said. "Well, we're all pretty happy." The room, full of students, faculty members and some professionals, resounded with applause.

Then I read this:

The group of women, picked by the university, represented the privileged elite of this Red Sea coastal city, known as one of the more liberal areas in the country.

So, were they chosen for their views? Or instructed to express particular sentiments for the visiting American? I am a cynic and yes I have a hard time believing that women would chose to live under the conditions imposed upon them by the Saudi governement. But then again I was not born there. I don't consider their way of life "normal". Perhaps, just as in the US, many women are happy with their lives and only the vocal few are downtrodden and oppressed.

There was also this:

Like some of her friends, Ms. Sabbagh said Westerners failed to appreciate the advantages of wearing the traditional black head-to-foot covering known as an abaya. "I love my abaya," she explained. "It's convenient and it can be
very fashionable."

A head to toe black, shapeless cloak worn in the scorching hot desert is convenient and fashionable?! I don't buy that for a second. Again, I need to open my mind. My only point of comparison here are the swimsuits in Europe. Many countries in the EU consider being topless on a beach the norm, and yet having grown up in the US I would never even consider going topless if I were in Europe. Why? It stretches way beyond my comfort level. Perhaps the abaya is the same thing. It provides a familiar comfort level to the women who have worn them out on the streets their entire lives. Afghani women, on the other hand, discarded their burqas as quickly as possible, many of them old enough to remember life before the Taliban.

I cannot imagine never feeling the sun on my face or rushing for cover under a black veil in the presence of male non-relatives. And now, I don't know what to believe. I do think there should be choices. If women don't want to drive cars or show their faces on the street then so be it, but what about the women (even if they be a small few) who do want to espouse more liberal American ideals? Is it our place to facilitate this? Are we helping women to gain freedom or are we just imposing our beliefs on them instead of their own government's?

In a Star Trek "prime directive" sort of way I think we should leave these women alone if they are clearly telling us that they are happy with things as they are. However, my gnawing sense of liberalism says they don't know what they are missing. At the moment I guess we will just have to take them at face value and let the diplomatic process lead the way. Change doesn't happen overnight, if at all. And if it is forced they will surely resent us for it.

LINKS AND STUFF

Just for some superfluous fun:

Halloween is coming and these pumpkins are amazing!! A couple of examples:

There are many more - go check it out!

Then there is this bizarre link via Georgia Hammer about a special blade for shaving your head! Who knew such a thing existed, but it's an excellent idea, there is certainly a market for it. Luckily most guys realize a shaved head and perhaps a nice goatee is greatly preferable to a comb-over. [Who thought up that ridiculousness anyway?]

Oh yea, and today was my last day serving over-priced coffee. *sniff* Perhaps I will go back during the holidays. I won't miss the low pay or standing on my feet for umpteen hours at a time, but I really do like the people I was working for and with. I'll miss that part of it for sure. [And damn will I miss that employee discount.] Even a crappy job is made a million times better if you enjoy the company of the people you are working with.

Monday I start hawking cell phones. [Provided certain seemingly inept parties find the results of my drug test which are apparently lost somewhere in the Garden State.] All this on my journey to [hopefully] practicing law.

Happy Tuesday.

In my CD player right now: A compilation of French love songs - I don't understand a word, but they are beautiful nonetheless.

LIBERALS WILL LIKE THIS

For all of you who remember falling girl, let me introduce you to falling Dubya. Yes, procrastination reigns ....

In my CD Player right now: Russian pop/techno courtesy of TATU.

FUTURE 1L

This kid is SO headed for law school! LOL

MBA OR MOTHERHOOD?

This article from The New York Times really bothers me. In theory it shouldn't, but it does. It's all about the trend of high achieving women at elite colleges making long terms goals to either end or indefinetely postpone their career goals in favor of being stay at home moms.

There is the whole stay at home versus go to work and let a child care provider raise your child debate lurking here, but that's not what concerns me. I have no problem with other people's choices in that regard. Who am I to tell you how to raise your child or run your family? I constantly debate this in my own head all the time. If and when I ever have a family which will I chose? Since I cannot make a clear choice for myself [and luckily don't have to at the moment] I would be a complete hypocrite if I extolled one option as being superior over another. But I digress ...

What bothers me is that the competition to get into elite schools and superior porograms is fierce and expensive. If you know 100% when you are 20 that you never plan to use your degree then why not free up the space for someone else? I am all for education and broadening your mind, but do you really need a degree from Wharton or Yale Law to arrange car pools or attend PTA meetings? Do not misunderstand, I am not downplaying the role of full time moms. It is an awesome responsibility that requires patience and managing skills and the temperment of a saint. I have a ton of respect for people who make that choice. However, pragmatically degrees from elite schools are pieces of paper that open doors to job opportunities. The real skills are usually learned after you get hired. If you don't intend to open those doors then why horde the keys so that no one else can either?

There are a lot of those keys sitting in drawers at home, unused while those women attend to other, more domestic, goals. I have pondered this for quite some time in my own course of study. If roughly half of all law school graduating classes are women, then shouldn't half of all new lawyers also be women? They are not though. Step into a firm, large or small. The majority of attorneys, especially partners, are men. Women have had a serious presence in law schools nationwide for quite some time now, certainly enough time for many of those women to have ascended the career ladder into a large corner office. And yet ... they are conspicuously absent. Is it true that Rosie the Riveter really just wanted to go back home all this time and no one noticed?

The entire article reminded me of the movie Mona Lisa Smile, where the free thinking art professor, played by Julia Roberts, goes to teach at Wellesley College to open minds of the best and the brightest female, college students in the 1950's only to find that they are all being encouraged to abandon academia and any career plans upon graduation in favor of marriage and children. She describes the institution as a finishiing school disguised as a ladies college. Certainly the Wellesley of today has changed, but what of the notion? Does a stay at home mom who makes the decision to make her children and her home her sole focus need a high priced degree from a top school? Is it "just" that her place in the graduating class means that someone else who would have utilized her education and is as deserving and qualified is stripped of the opportunity to attend that specific school or program?

Many students say staying home is not a shocking idea among their friends. Shannon Flynn, an 18-year-old from Guilford, Conn., who is a freshman at Harvard, says many of her girlfriends do not want to work full time.

I wonder if Ms. Flynn has considered all the disappointed people who received rejection letters from Harvard who could have gone in her place or in place of one of her girlfriends. She got in, she is deserving and she may change her mind, after all eighteen years old is a time of uncertainty.

The other reason all this bothers me is the age old notion that women have to chose at all. Men don't have to chose. Men never seek advice on how to manage a career and a family. Yes, there are rare exceptions, but in the vast majority of households the child rearing and household management falls on the female, regardless of how many hours she works outside of the home.

Then there is also the idea that women who are choosing in this new millenium to go back into the kitchen, so to speak, are somehow betraying their gender. Just because we have additional opportunities in today's day and age are we obligated to take them? Isn't being a "soccer mom" just as imporant to some people as being a CEO? It brings me back to the movie. If the goal of the free thinking professor was to make her students understand that they had choices then wouldn't that mean that they could chose to maintain traditional roles?

Like I said, the article bothers me and it shouldn't. People are free to do what they want, as they should be. I cannot tell Ms. Flynn that if she plans to stay at home that she is not allowed to go to Harvard, nor should I. Someday she may use her degree, and if not it is still quite an achievement to have it. I just look at where we are, where we've been and wonder what comes next. I wonder about my own future choices. Will I consider my time at law school a "waste" if I decide to make raising a family my sole objective? Doubtful. Will I feel like I am squandering an opportunity to have a career? Perhaps. Are we all returning to a time of 1950's values and perspectives? I don't know. I do know this, no matter what happens, I am NEVER going to wear a full skirt, heels and pearls to vacuum!

Note: See the companion article which details how the research was obtained for the original article.

FICTION RECOMMENDATION

Now that I have time to read fiction again I am awash in books and magazines, and loving every minute of it. Currently I am reading The Color of Law by Mark Gimenez. It is fantastic. If you like law you will enjoy it, if you are a fan of John Grisham [which I am] this guy is definitely worth a read. The setting is Texas, and the main plot is a rich, white, corporate lawyer who finds himself assigned to defend a black, heroin-addicted prostitute accused of murdering the son of a prominent local senator who also happens to be a presidential hopeful. How much more salacious can you get?! There are recurring race themes and echoes from the prologue and throughout of To Kill a Mockingbird [which happens to be my favorite novel of all time in case you were wondering]. All in all an auspicious start for a rookie author.

It's not released yet, I am reading an advance copy from the publisher, but seriously go check it out next month! The official publication date is October 18 and I highly recommend you pick up a copy.

MORE ATTORNEY BASHING FROM SCOTT ADAMS

And yet ... it's kinda funny.

I love Dogbert. I think he and Marvin the Martian should get together and run for Congress. OR better yet! They should be the newest nominees for SCOTUS!!

Comic borrowed from Dilbert.com.

I'M APPARENTLY "RED"

For whatever it is worth, I got this quiz from A Rose That Fades. Yea, I can see how that would sound like me. However, since she got the exact same result I am skeptical. But what can you expect from an online quiz.

You are the color red. You are the most controversial of all the colors. You are often easily angered, but as easily as you got excited, you come down. When angered, do you have the tendency to be malicious? Afterwards, do you end up begging for forgiveness? Maybe. But you're incredibly generous, and, odd enough, needy. You love to hate, and sometimes, you hate to love. This color describes you as generally edgy. When in a bad situation, you're pessimistic, and when you're in a good situation, you're extremely optimistic. You're painfully tempermental, and sometimes it hurts the ones you love. But with an exciting and stimulating attitude, you enjoy talking to people and being social. But aside from your bold and outgoing attitude, you're attention-needing and attention-getting. This color is associated with lust and desire--and you are both lust and desirous. You're a protective person when it comes to the people you love. You're incredibly sharp-witted and powerful (not to mention intelligent!).
What color are you? (Amazingly detailed & accurate--with pics!)
Brought to you by Quizilla

Anyway, Happy Wednesday ...

SEPTEMBER 19 IS "TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY" - SERIOUSLY


Check out these links; merchandise, How it All started, common phrases to get you started, Pirate Names so you can get into it [personally I like Spunk Bubble] and the Official Site where you can buy a book on "Pirattitude", find games for would-be Pirates and see photos of Pirate Day happenings from others.

Have fun!

FOR THE JDs

If you are seeking, or already have a JD this blog post, by a recent Harvard grad named Jeremy, will appeal to you. The subject is about how you don't have to practice law in order to feel you are "using" your law degree to its fullest potential. However, I was most amused by the meanderings about how going to law school changes your perspectiive on just about everything. An example:

1. As I write this column, I’m sitting in my apartment. Yesterday, my landlord began to renovate the apartment directly above this one. At seven in the morning, my roommate and I started hearing the sounds of construction. The were stripping wood from the walls, dropping heavy things on the floor, etc. Dust and debris started coming through the vents. My roommate, who did not go to law school, and will serve well as the straw man throughout the rest of this column, had the following reaction: “Oh, it’s noisy and dirty. That sucks. Oh well. Nothing we can do.” My reaction, on the other hand, was: “Oh, it’s noisy and dirty. I wonder what the New York warranty of habitability says, and whether we can get a rent abatement.” See, profoundly irritating.

There's more, go read.
If you have the perspective of the "pre and post legal education brain" you'll be amused. Also, you don't need to graduate from law school to experience this phenom. Basically if you went through a few weeks of a torts class your brain is forever altered. This profound change comes somewhere around the time your torts professor tells you that, hypothetically speaking, if you hit someone with your car you should back over them to make sure they are dead because "a dead body is worth less in a civil trial than a severely injured living person". Grreeaaaat, so all those horrendous jokes about scum sucking lawyers are true. But I digress ...

I can absolutely identify with this line of thinking - and not just because I did a housing rights clinic in NY. Aside from all the lawyer jokes out there I really do think law school changes how people view the world. Your way of thinking is supposed to change - that's the entire point of law school. But it's more than that. It's almost like a warped thing. Your sense of cynicism goes up and your sense of entitlement goes way up and you enter a lifelong game of Devil's Advocate.

I remember at one point somewhere in my third year of law school I was walking out of a convenience store. Apparently there had been some sort of weed wacking/landscaping going on outside recently because there was an extension cord snaking out the front door of the store and down the sidewalk. Most people would have thought "oh I need to not trip on that" and continued on their way. I immediately ran through possible injuries in my head such as slip and fall, electrocution, etc and the accompanying causes of action. Then I ran through a list of possible defendants; the corporation that owns the chain of stores, any possible franchise owners, the landlord, the landscaping company that left the extension cord there, and all this within a few seconds as I walked back to my car ..... yes Jeremy I agree, profoundly irritating!

QUOTEABLES

Me: [looking at male co-worker]: Oh I could see you in tights running around the ren-faire.
Male Co-Worker: Oh, I have not worn tights in years.
Me: I was kidding! You mean you really wore tights?!
MCW: Yea, but it was for a play, I don't wear them now!
Female Co-Worker: Not even when you're out fighting crime?

Maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was hysterical.

MEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY REJOICE

The Center for Diesease Control (CDC) has published a news report on the sexual habits and proclivities of Americans.

It appears that more women than ever are experimenting (or willing to admit they experiment) with bisexuality. The survey, released Thursday by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, found that 11.5 percent of women, ages 18 to 44, said they've had at least one sexual experience with another woman in their lifetimes, compared with about 4 percent of women, ages 18 to 59, who said the same in a comparable survey a decade earlier.

The findings on bisexuality and other aspects of Americans' sexual habits were taken from the National Survey of Family Growth, which included 12,571 in-person interviews, done from March 2002 to March 2003.

Let the drooling begin ...

In my CD player right now: Sugarland - Twice the Speed of Life

WAITING FOR MY REAL LIFE TO BEGIN

I found the perfect song to describe how I feel at this time in my life waiting for the bar results and working in random places. The lyrics are below and you can hear a sample of the song here (bottom of the page).




WAITING FOR MY REAL LIFE TO BEGIN
Album : "Going Somewhere" ALSO "Topanga"
(written by: Colin Hay / Thom Mooney)
Colin Hay


Any minute now, my ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
I'll stand on the bow, feel the waves come crashing
Come crashing down down down, on me

And you say, be still my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in
But don't you understand
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

When I awoke today, suddenly nothing happened
But in my dreams, I slew the dragon
And down this beaten path, and up this cobbled lane
I'm walking in my old footsteps, once again
And you say, just be here now
Forget about the past, your mask is wearing thin
Let me throw one more dice
I know that I can win
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

Any minute now, my ship is coming in
I’ll keep checking the horizon
And I'll check my machine, there's sure to be that call
It's gonna happen soon, soon, soon
It's just that times are lean

And you say, be still my love
Open up your heart, let the light shine in
Don't you understand
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

UPDATE AND RANDOMNESS

Well, I have not updated in quite awhile. I have been exhausted by my new temporary career as a barista , and as I stated previously, my internet access has been sketchy.

I guess it might be best to start with today and work my way backwards. I was very lucky this morning. I woke up and was not going to look at my clock but considered just rolling over and going back to sleep, but I am a glutton for punishment so I glanced over to see how much longer I had to sleep. The red glow of the alarm clock said 6:16. I set the alarm for 6:00, what the .... Ohhh yea, you can't just set the time you want it to go off, you actually have to flick the little plastic thing and turn. it. on. I'm a rocket scientist. Luckily I woke up.

Anyway, I worked today, although it was only four hours. Four hours on your feet can kill you, so I still had to come home and take a short nap. This has been my M.O. since I started. Some days I work nine hours, those days are killer, especially since that means I am opening and have to leave my house no later than 6am. I was supposed to be off the next two days, but a desperate plea from my boss today over the phone caused me to relent and agree to work Monday. Someone up and quit with no notice and now she is stuck. She is also on vacation at the moment because she is visiting with her daughter and family who are moving to Japan next week and she wants to get in as much time with them as possible. My initial instinct was to say not a chance in hell when I saw the note on the bulletin board asking me to cover a shift. My sneaker issue is under control [more on that later] but I don’t relish going all the way to work [45 minutes] on a day I had planned to spend glued to TNT’s “Primetime in the Daytime”. However, when my boss called while I was at work and gave me the I just don’t know what I am going to do routine I caved. She’s been really nice to me and I’d rather not put her in a bind. I also know how her family moving to the other side of the planet has her in a tizzy. I remember when my brother went to Japan [for only one year] and how much I missed him. Granted, sometimes these days I wish I could ship him back there, but that is another issue entirely.

So anyway, I am finally adjusting to the retail thing again. After spending months studying for the bar exam, sitting on my a$$ I was not prepared for being on my feet for hours at a time. Compounding the situation were my shoes. I was wearing black sneakers I bought for a previous retail job and they were cheap at the time and that was circa 1995, therefore my feet were killing me. I borrowed money from “Bank O’ Dad” and got some decent black sneakers, so that situation has improved, although I still come home and rub my feet and wish I could somehow speed up time to mid-November when the bar results come out and [hopefully] my time in this retail purgatory ends. I understand that someone has the work in retail, I just wish it wasn’t me. I spent considerable time, energy and MONEY to avoid this exact fate, so yes there will be kvetching and whining. I know it’s only temporary, I know it could certainly be worse and everything will be fine, I just need to complain about it. It makes me feel better. :)

I also find I complain when I get my paycheck. I feel like I am killing myself and then I get my paycheck which amounts to less than I used to make in a single day! Am I spoiled? Probably, but I’m just also anxious to get on with my chosen career, for monetary reasons, but for quite a few others as well.

In general I like the people I work with, and the customers I wait on. It’s not a bad gig at all. I get tips a lot, which is nice. We don’t have a tip jar so I really need to give 110% in order to get someone to notice. It’s not the one or two dollars I want as much as acknowledgement that people appreciate the fact that I give everyone a smile coupled with quick and efficient service. I decided when I started that I could not let my dissatisfaction with my current situation rule my customer service. It’s not their fault I am where I am, so I channeled all the pain from my feet into positive energy towards the customers. It makes the shifts seem a tad shorter, and so far it helps. [Randomly: I found this barista action figure online. I SO want one!]

Speaking of tips, I gave the guy at the gas station a $2 tip yesterday. It wasn't much, but I wanted to give him something. For those that may not know, we are not allowed to pump our own gas in NJ. You have to wait for an attendant. It was hot yesterday and the guy was all flushed. He was busting his butt because the lines were insane because that particular station was fifteen cents less per gallon than anywhere else in the area and everyone was taking full advantage. I have always enjoyed overtipping at restaurants, but given my recent experience I now realize how nice it feels to get a tip from someone when you are in a postion of not expecting said tip. He was really grateful, he told me I was an "awesome lady". That alone was worth more than $2! I'll take compliments where I can get them.

So now that you are all updated about my life as a barista I might be changing jobs. I had an interview at a certain cellular phone company. It’s still retail and heavy on the nights and weekends, but it has several advantages. It’s a higher pay rate, more hours, I can wear regular clothes and it is a scant few miles from home! I chose to serve over-priced coffee 45 minutes from my house, the reasons seemed valid at the time, and I really enjoy the particular location I am in [as opposed to a similar position closer to home where I don’t care for the store, even as a customer] but with the price of gas it has become silly. Another advantage is that if I get the job [which it looks like I will as soon as I pass the drug test – no problem there] when I am not actively waiting on customers I get to SIT! It seems silly, maybe even lazy but really I truly loathe having to stand for hours on a hard tile floor even when there is nothing else to do and my feet are throbbing and threatening to call the union and start picketing. I will miss the awesome employee discount I get from serving coffee though. [Not on the coffee mind you, on the other merchandise.]

As a sidenote, I am helping out a friend at a title insurance convention later this month. I get to schmooze for two days and discuss title insurance and real estate transactions. If nothing else it will be a fun change of pace. Who knows, maybe it will lead to yet another job as I continue my journey to eventual bar passage.

As I said, I do enjoy the people I work with and the customers I wait on – for the most part. However, I noticed a trend right away. Certain people see me, guesstimate my age, see where I work and immediately pass judgment in their minds. I tend to work days so it’s not like they could assume I am a student during the day or working a second job for extra cash. Therefore, serving coffee in the middle of the day and too old to be a teenager or college student, people assume I am an idiot. I don’t make a habit of telling people at work that I went to law school. I think that mainly no one would care, they want their coffee etc. not my curriculum vitae. However, on the rare occasion when I get treated as slightly more intelligent than a sea sponge I make a point of bringing it up in conversation. I have even had some people who thought I was lying! No way! Why would you be HERE if you went to law school?! Even the assistant manager of the store, who apparently had not seen my resume when I was first hired expressed shock at finding me reading a book on elderlaw during my break one day.

Asst. Mgr: Why are you reading THAT? It’s so boring. I can’t think of anyone who would find that interesting, except maybe a lawyer.

Me: [with a smile] Exactly.

A.M.: Oh, you want to go to law school?

Me: No, I already went.

A.M. Really?! What the hell are you doing here?!

Yea thanks, I feel SO much better about my situation now. That was almost as fun as when 17 year-old coworker exclaimed "WOW, I thought you were like 20, I didn't know you were that old!" when I told him my age. Great. Wonderful. The humiliation is complete now. Stick a fork in me, I am DONE!

Anyway, that’s it for the update front. Everything is pretty status quo for me. I cringe to think of my income tax return next year after working for umpteen employers in 2005.

On to the randomness:

First off I was listening to this song, [I'll add the link to the song as soon as I figure out HOW] by none other than “The Count” from Sesame Street. [No, I was not jamming out to Children's Television Workshop songs, my niece was in the car!] and suddenly we come to a part in the song right at one minute where Count is really getting into it and he goes “counting … counting, hey yeee yeee yeee yee, HEY yeee yeee yeee” and I was left wondering since when is the count Jewish?! It was as if he suddenly morphed into a principle from Fiddler on the Roof and I am thinking Does the Count have a side job as a cantor now?? If he needs a side job, I know where he can go to serve overpriced coffee. I must be getting old because I don’t remember that part of the song, but hey my niece loved it so all is good!

Speaking of my niece, I love little kids. I love when I can get them sugared up and give them back to their parents. ;) Seriously, last night we were out to dinner and I had a piece of key lime pie in front of me. She looked at my plate and said, Aunt T, you having green for dinner? I love that little cherub sometimes, no ALL the time, but you know what I mean. Shortly before this she returned from a bathroom trip with my mom and proudly announced to everyone within earshot, I did poopy in the restaurant!! Lovely. Little cherub I tell ya.

I saw a caravan of special trucks from this company getting onto 95 this morning. I’d like to think they were heading to NOLA.

I have discovered those Suduko number puzzles . Love them!!

And finally, a huge shout out and THANK YOU to the early morning school bus driver that realized there were 30 something cars behind him/her on a two lane semi-rural road on my way to work and PULLED OVER in between stops to let us pass. That was much appreciated.

In my CD player right now:
Chumbawumba – Tubthumper

AWESOME OR AWEFUL?

Well, now I think I have seen it all. TOPPS has released a Chief Rehnquist trading card. In a way I think it's slightly odd, but really I just want one ....

This appears to be in line with their "Chronicles" series which features top news stories of 2005. I'd really like cards of the other eight justices personally, perhaps even past justices. Imagine the bar association meetings, "I'll trade you O'Connor and Stevens for Burger ..."

Hey, if they can have a fantasy Supreme Court League, then why would trading cards be out of the question?

UPDATE

Yea, I have not posted in awhile. Things have been hectic and internet access has been spotty. I promise to give a full update later. Right now I have to get ready for a job interview. It's only slightly more glamorous than serving over-priced coffee but it's a bit more money and a scant 4 miles from home, so we shall see ..... more later!

COMMENTS

As much as I ADORE comments, I'd rather not have my blog serve as a means for others to post advertisements for insurance schemes, make your dick harder and/or bigger or cheap drugs from other countries. This seems to be a recurring phenomenon. So, I have enabled the word verification feature for comments.

It only takes an extra 3 seconds to type in the little random characters and we can all sit back and enjoy each other's point of view. Anonymous comments are still allowed [at least for now].

Type away ...

SAD FOR THE COUNTRY, UNSETTLING FOR WOMEN

Chief Justice William Rehnquist died late Saturday evening. He was 80.

Hunker down ladies, I fear this will not bode well for us.

LAW SCHOOLS ACCOMODATE DISPLACED LOUISIANA STUDENTS

I was pleased to see that many of the nation's law schools are accepting students from areas affected by Katrina, most without additional cost to the student. Hopefully this will help alleviate the complete upheaval of the lives of those affected, particularly Tulane and Loyola students.

Now I want to know what, if anything, can be done for the people who sat for the bar exam in July and had their exams lost in the flood?

MUSICAL MEME

Borrowing from Pete's post, here's the musical fun for today:

1. Go to musicoutfitters.com

2. Enter the year you graduated from high school [or college or whatever] in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year

3. Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don't remember (or don't care about).

Here's my list from the year I graduated college - 1998:

1. Too Close, Next
2. The Boy Is Mine, Brandy and Monica
3. You're Still The One, Shania Twain
4. Truly Madly Deeply, Savage Garden
5. How Do I Live, LeAnn Rimes
6. Together Again, Janet
7. All My Life, K-Ci and JoJo
8. Candle In The Wind 1997, Elton John
9. Nice and Slow, Usher
10. I Don't Want To Wait, Paula Cole
11. How's It Going To Be, Third Eye Blind
12. No, No, No, Destiny's Child
13. My Heart Will Go On, Celine Dion
14. Gettin' Jiggy Wit, Will Smith
15. You Make Me Wanna..., Usher
16. My Way, Usher
17. My All, Mariah Carey
18. The First Night, Monica
19. Been Around The World, Puff Daddy and The Family
20. Adia, Sarah McLachlan
21. Crush, Jennifer Paige
22. Everybody (Backstreet's Back), Backstreet Boys
23. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, Aerosmith
24. Body Bumpin Yippie-Yi-Yo, Public Announcement
25. This Kiss, Faith Hill
26. I Don't Ever Want To See You Again, Uncle Sam
27. Let's Ride, Montell Jordan
28. Sex And Candy, Marcy Playground [I remember a few of us taking a survey about this one, something about if you could only have one or the other for the rest of your life ... the results were mixed!]
29. Show Me Love, Robyn
30. A Song For Mama, Boyz II Men
31. What You Want, Mase
32. Frozen, Madonna
33. Gone Till November, Wyclef Jean
34. My Body, Lsg
35. Tubthumping, Chumbawamba
36. Deja Vu (Uptown Baby), Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz
37. I Want You Back, 'N Sync
38. When The Lights Go Out, Five
39. They Don't Know, Jon B.
40. Make Em' Say Uhh!, Master P
41. Make It Hot, Nicole Featuring Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Mocha
42. Never Eve, All Saints
43. I Get Lonely, Janet
44. Feel So Good, Mase
45. Say It, Voices Of Theory
46. Kiss The Rain, Billie Myers
47. Come With Me, Puff Daddy
48. Romeo And Juliet, Sylk-E Fyne
49. It's All About Me, Mya and Sisqo
50. I Will Come To You, Hanson
51. One Week, Barenaked Ladies
52. Swing My Way, K.P. and Envyi
53. The Arms Of The One Who Loves You, Xscape
54. My Love Is The Shhh!, Somethin' For The People
55. Daydreamin', Tatyana Ali
56. We're Not Making Love No More, Dru Hill
57. Semi-Charmed Life, Third Eye Blind
58. I Do, Lisa Loeb
59. Lookin' At Me, Mase
60. Looking Through Your Eyes, LeAnn Rimes
61. Lately, Divine
62. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Backstreet Boys
63. I Still Love You, Next
64. Time After Time, Inoj
65. Are You Jimmy Ray?, Jimmy Ray
66. Cruel Summer, Ace Of Base
67. I Got The Hook Up!, Master P
68. Victory, Puff Daddy and The Family
69. Too Much, Spice Girls
70. Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are), Pras Feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard and Mya
71. How Deep Is Your Love, Dru Hill Featuring Redman
72. Friend Of Mine, Kelly Price
73. Turn It Up [Remix] / Fire It Up, Busta Rhymes
74. I'll Be, Edwin McCain
75. Ray Of Light, Madonna
76. All For You, Sister Hazel
77. Touch It, Monifah
78. Money, Power and Respect, Lox
79. Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Verve
80. Dangerous, Busta Rhymes
81. Spice Up Your Life, Spice Girls
82. Because Of You, 98 Degrees
83. The Mummers' Dance, Loreena McKennitt
84. All Cried Out, Allure Featuring 112
85. Still Not A Player, Big Punisher Featuring Joe
86. The One I Gave My Heart To, Aaliyah
87. Foolish Games / You Were Meant For Me, Jewel
88. Love You Down, Inoj
89. Do For Love, 2Pac
90. Raise The Roof, Luke
91. Heaven, Nu Flavor
92. The Party Continues, Jd
93. Sock It 2 Me, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott Featuring Da Brat
94. Butta Love, Next
95. A Rose Is Still A Rose, Aretha Franklin
96. 4 Seasons Of Loneliness, Boyz II Men
97. Father, LL Cool J
98. Thinkin' Bout It, Gerald Levert
99. Nobody's Supposed To Be Here, Deborah Cox
100. Westside, TQ

Wow, lots I don't even remember, or more likely I never knew the title and artist and would have to listen to the song to remember it. Also, a lot more hip-hop and rap than I recall, but then again it was 7 years ago. And yet, I still remember EVERY WORD to the theme from Fraggle Rock. What's THAT about?!

I feel so nostalgic now, maybe I'll go make a "mix tape" ....