ANIMATION ANNIVERSARY

Happy 40th anniversary to Charles Schultz's holiday classic A Charlie Brown Christmas.

do do do do do do do, do do do do ......

What is your favorite holiday cartoon and/or movie?

A PIERCING WHERE?!

The weirdest thing about this article isn't the location of the piercing, it's the fact that his kids even saw it in the first place!

Yea, I'm on a posting kick today..... remember this day when I am suffering in retail hell and don't have time to post anything new.

ANOTHER HELPING

Yes, yes, late again for Friday's Feast, but after my crazy week I think I get a pass on this one.


Appetizer
What did you look like when you were a teenager?
Braces, glasses, acne. Basically I was a walking Garbage Pail Kid.

Salad
Whose advice do you listen to?
My law school roomate's, she has her stuff together and always has a level head about things.

Soup
Name a book you would like to memorize.
NJ Court Rules

Main Course
How often are you sick?
Not too often, but when I am I get whiney. I am currently fighting a cold courtesy of my darling niece.

Dessert
Do you like or dislike change?

Depends. I am looking forward to changing jobs and moving back out in the "real world", however if you told me we were suddenly having lasagna instead of turkey for Thanksgiving I might be inclined to pitch a fit.

WHICH GOLDEN GIRL ARE YOU?


You're Sophia!



"Picture it. Sardinia, 1932. I was on a tour of the great caper factories. I was a cookie kid going through my piccata period -- a wedge of lemon and a smart answer for everything. Anyway, I was slicing an onion when, suddenly, a big basil tree fell. I don't have a story about taking advantage of a dead guy. I have a story about a Moroccan and a monkey. But that falls under the heading of lust." You're Sophia, the wisecracking know-it-all with a past as zesty as your famous marinara and a penchant for dating the famous (Picasso, Julio Iglesias and all three members of the Yalta Conference, to name a few).


Which Golden Girl are you? Find out now!

Via Peekaboo

TUESDAY NIGHT JUBILATION

It has been crazy between work and Thanksgiving. This past week not only did I spend two entire days cooking but I worked 62 hours!!! Anyway, I wanted to post about the night I found out I passed the bar. It was, to date, the best moment of my life. Melodramatic, but true.

Tuesday, November 15 was a quiet day at work and I was ansy all day. I dreaded going home just to stare at the clock knowing that the bar results would be posted the next day, knowing that I would not be able to sleep. My coworkers commented on my anxiousness and my increased level of sarcasm [ahh and you thought I could not get more sarcastic, but NOOOO I managed it]. My boss allowed me to stay two hours later and help out the sales people since I really didn't want to leave. ND offered to go to the movies with me after she got off work so that I could keep my mind occupied so I left work at 7 and we agreed she would call me at 9 when she left work.

I went home, ate dinner, checked my mail and chatted with my mom. Finally at about 8:30 I booted up my laptop and read some email and a few blogs. I was resisting the urge to check the NJ Bar site because I knew it would only be frustrating to see the same message I had seen for the last week and still not have a solid time to check results the following day. I finally gave in a clicked on the link in my favorites list.

First I saw the new message that results had been mailed. "OK, good, they mailed them a day early, now the results should be up early tomorrow instead of mid-afternoon." Then I saw the link for results. Immediately my heart started pounding. "Early?! WTF?! EARLY!!!! This is it! This is it! OMG" This is when I stopped breathing.

I scrolled down the list of thousands of ID numbers. "Fuck! I went past it" Scrolled back up. "Fuck again! too much" Finally I got to my number. I checked the number - PASSED. I double checked, triple checked and quadruple checked. Then I highlighted that line to make sure that the word "PASSED" went with MY number. In hindsight I don't know why I did this since the numbers immediately above and below mine also passed, but keep in mind I was getting no oxygen to my brain at this point since I was still holding my breath. I also realized that the results were posted at 6:30 and I was dilly dallying around for TWO HOURS before I checked. Then it hits me like a ton of bricks - I passed the bar exam! "Oh shit I have to tell someone - I have to tell EVERYONE!" I opened my mouth, but couldn't make a sound because I forgot to start breathing again!

I stood up so violently that I knocked my chair over. Then I screamed so loud it would make a banshee jealous. My mother heard the commotion down the hall and thought that something must be wrong, she started to move in my general direction. Before she made it to the doorway I tore down the hallway like a MACK truck through the Lincoln Tunnel. "I passed!! I Passed!!!" Mom immediately screamed and commenced crying, which of course set me off with a waterfall. We're cryers in my family. Happy, sad, excited or frustrated, it's buckets for both of us.

Now my father was downstairs playing online poker working in his home office and he heard the commotion and flew up the stairs thinking we most surely were being murdered. My mom and I stood in the hallway crying and we just stared at him. Finally she goes "Tell him!" So I said "I passed!" and he grabbed me in a bear hug and muttered "Thank God". Now some of you might be thinking he was happy for me and proud - and I think that's true, but my family will tell you the real reason he was so relieved was because this means I will move out soon!

Then the calls began. Now a lot of people care about you and want to know this great news, as a retaker you get almost a cult following. Friends of relatives and friends of friends and friends of friends of friends are all suddenly interested in your bar exam status. I dove to my cell, which I suddenly could not operate. After I remembered how to dial I called people, my mom called people. I called my Aunt, who works in the legal field, who then began to call other people.

So I was still on the list of people I had to call [and Oh yea I have to call NM because there is NO WAY I am going to the movies now] and then the people my mom and Aunt called originally called back to speak to me personally. It was joyful mayhem. Then I IMed a bunch of folks and posted here.

My brother and his family showed up with champagne. We gave my 3 year old niece a champagne flute with apple juice and taught her how to gently clink the glasses together for a toast. She was enthralled. She immediately decided she needed to toast everyone again and again. Each successive toast became harder and harder until finally she was ramming glasses into each other and we had to distract her with tinker toys so we could wisk them all to the sink.

I was so happy and so relieved all at the same time. Recently, I have been so busy working I have yet to celebrate with my law school pals!! December 7 I get sworn in!! I cannot wait!
Now the resume marathon begins ....

WHAT PART OF THANKSGIVING ARE YOU??

You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together. People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Via Peekaboo

I SAW IT IN BLACK AND WHITE

Today I received my first official copy of the New Jersey Law Journal and it had my name in it! I knew the pass list would be published and I asked not one but two people in two different firms I used to work in to send me a copy. However I was pleasantly surprised to find one sent directly to my house! With my name on it and everything! All for ME!

Yea, I'm being really giddy about the whole thing, but I have had to beg, borrow and steal copies of the NJLJ ever since I started reading it in 1998. This one was for me because I am a member of the NJ bar. DAMN just DAMN. I'm all goofy about it and that's. just. plain. fine.

As a bonus, apparently I get a free 6 month subscription just for passing the bar exam. NICE.

FRIDAY'S SUNDAY'S FEAST

I'm a little late on the Friday's Feast thing this week. Last week was insane [in a good way] next week is going to be even moreso as I am cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner for 15 people and scheduled to work 14 hours each on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Let's hope I'm still breathing for next week's Friday's Feast. Anyway:


Appetizer
When do you feel impatient?
When I am driving mostly, although I am by nature very impatient.

Salad
How many times in your life have you had a broken heart?
Truly, really badly broken, once. Once was enough.

Soup
Name a book you would like to see made into a movie.
"To Kill a Mockingbird" as a remake. I love Gregory Peck and all, but we need something more modern.

Main Course
If you could thank one teacher for what they taught you, who would it be and what would you thank them for?
Ohh man, Mrs. Glassman for a myriad of things.

Dessert
What is your favorite kind of pie?

Peach

CELEBRATING

Well I have not posted in a few days, I am still trying to catch my breath. I really want to tell the story of how the whole thing went down Tuesday night, but I'll have to get to that later. Today I got my official letter that I passed. I made my mother drive it over to "Ye Old Cell Phone Store" because I could not wait another moment to see my name. Somehow my ID number on the website was not enough.

Mom: "You'll be home in four hours, can't you wait? I can see in the window it even says 'I am pleased to inform you' so it's not like there was a mistake or anything. You really did pass."
Me: Bring it over NOW please.
She brought it over, thanks Mom!
One thing that shocked me though, my MBE score was the lowest it has ever been! Not only did I score lower than my previous attempts, but the MBE is worth more than it used to be. I must have rocked the essays. My dad just said "Shut up and don't ask questions." Sounds good to me.

Yesterday I went to lunch with some people I used to work with in a firm last fall. It was a temp position, but they were there to hold my hand and let me cry when I failed last November so it was important for me to celebrate with them now that I finally passed. Last night I went to dinner with a co-worker/new friend and her husband. Sushi and gossip - good times! Tonight is wine and hot tubbing with a couple gals from work. Saturday night dinner at my favorite restaurant with the family. My father, who can usually be kindly described as "frugal" said to me "The bar is open and drinks are one me! I don't care if we have to carry you home!" Damn, just damn. My aunt likes to tease me that he is so happy I passed because I will finally move back out. She's prolly partly correct!

OK that's all for now. I'll be thinking of the west coast folks tomorrow.

I AM ECSTATIC TO REPORT THAT

I PASSED THE NEW JERSEY BAR EXAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TAGGED!

Well I've been tagged by the stupendous E. Spatula for a little bit o' meme, so here goes:

1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post
3. Post the fifth sentence (or closest to it).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same thing.

Here's my sentence, with the original post HERE:

Those of you in the legal field will find this especially amusing.

I was referring to this quiz which asks "What Intentional Tort are You?"
Ha! I still find it amusing even now. In case you're too lazy, tired, [insert excuse here] to go back and read the original post, for the record, I was "assault".


Damn, now I have to tag people, and either people have already done this one, or they'll flat out ignore me. OK, I'm picking 4 people from my newsreader at random. If you've already done this well then I'll just have to get over it.

Barely Legal Blog
The Attractive Nuisance
Glib Gurl
Open & Notorious [mainly cause I am just wondering what happened to you!]

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A CELEBRATION!

5PM Time for Happy Hour

Co-worker #1: Not only am I supposed to be meeting this hot guy at the bar tonight, but we're celebrating [Darren] passing his bar exam! It's going to be wild.

Co-worker #2: Well, if you're smiling tomorrow morning we'll know how it all went.Co-worker #1: Hell, if the night goes as expected, I won't even be walking straight tomorrow morning.

1218 Webster AvenueHouston, Texas
Overheard by: Office Slave

Via Overheard in the Office

SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT MATTEL

A coworker told me today that I smell like her childhood scented Barbie. Hmmm, don't know how I feel about that.

MARIJUANA MOTHERLOAD!

You would think that if these people were that organized and inventive that they would have found a legitimate way to make three million dollars. Just a thought.

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD TYRA

Tyra Banks dressed up in a fat suit for a day and was shocked and appalled to learn that people are rude to fat women and men don't want to date them. You don't say! Who woulda thunk it.

I'm so sure that being able to go home and peel off that suit and go back to her supermodel body at the end of the day really made her experience realistic - not.

Article Via Energy Spatula

DARWINISM v. INTELLIGENT DESIGN

You would think by the title of this post that I am going to discuss the current debate raging about the history of the world and how it is getting taught to the next generation. I'm not. Maybe you think that's a cop-out. And to that I say YEP. I have been following the news on this with some interest, however I am not nearly informed enough to go waxing and waning on the topic here. I'd have to do some serious research [which I normally enjoy], however I'm not waving my hand around like a teenager at a rock concert to volunteer for that just now.

However, I would like to point you to some well written words on the topic. What's most interesting about that, is who wrote it. Scott Adams, whom I frequently refer to for his cartoon brilliance in drawing Dilbert went and got himself a blog and it's pretty interesting on the whole.

Check it out.

FINALLY

Well, NJ BOBE has finally given us a date. We didn't get a time that results will be posted [by ID # only initially] but beggers cannot be choosers I suppose. Historically it has been at 10am, but I'm off that day, as it turns out, so I'll just be perched on my refresh button.

I am relieved to know when this waiting will end, but now things are all too real. Someone pass the Pepto please.

CRIM LAW HYPO BROUGHT TO LIFE

And you thought it was only a hypothetical, but apparently a woman has been convicted of "rape" by forcing a man to receive a blowjob.

I'm curious about the male perspective on this. Do you feel bad for this guy? Anyone ... anyone .... Bueller ....

MORE BIZARRE APPLETS

In the spirit of Falling Girl and Falling Dubya I give you Valentine Skeleton. Some people have entirely too much time on their hands to create bizarre applets. These people should do something more useful. Let's get them all together and make them barzam graders!

I don't know why people keep sending me these things, and more importantly why do I keep posting them on my blog?!

STUFF & NONSENSE

Well it's been one of those days. Everyone had issues today, including me. I tried to help everyone, hope I helped at least someone, but may have helped no one. I am growing ever closer to a nervous breakdown over the bar results, mom made a trip to the emergency room this afternoon and everyone else had assorted man/family/employment/life in general crap going on. I won't disrespect my friends by airing their problems here, but I just want to say to KK, RK, ND and JU I love you guys and it's going to be OK. As for my life, Mom is on the mend and my barzam issue will either be resolved or explode exponentially within a week or so. Last year they mailed the results on the 8th and tomorrow is the 7th. Can you hear me hyperventilating?! I also had to cancel plans with some friends in NYC today due to all the mayhem. That was dissapointing, T and P I love you, soon I promise!

On a more positive note, I loved LOVED the live debate episode of The West Wing. I wish real presidential debates were like that. I am willing to bet more people watched and paid attention to that episode than a real debate. According to a CNN article on the episode it was done twice so that it was actually live for the west coast as well, AND some of it was actually improvised and not scripted. I would love to see both versions and compare. I wonder which one will become the de facto "rerun".

So, even though I was off today I am exhausted. Time to check the NJ BOBE site one more time unwind and try to get some sleep.

JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE PARANOID DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE NOT AFTER YOU

Just remember - "Big Brother" is Watching ... are you scared yet?

HOW MUCH VODKA IS TOO MUCH?

They did it for the academic accolaydes I'm sure.

Oh HELLLLLL NO

NY is cool and all, but. just. NO.

From Overheard in the Office:

5PM That's My Cue to Leave
IT person: "New Jersey"? New Jersey is a state? I thought it was part of New York.
~ Grand PavilionCayman Islands

AND THE BEAT GOES ON

Well a few more jurisdictions announced today, leaving just NJ, NY and CA left to announce, I believe. A hearty WOOOOT and Congrats to Glib Gurl and everyone else who just found out they passed. Kudos to you all ...

FRIDAY'S FEAST - SECOND HELPING

Well, since I had fun with this Friday's Feast thing last time I decided to do it again.

Appetizer
What was the last game you purchased?
Hmmm, I think it would have to be SATC for a friend.

Soup
Name something in which you don't believe.
I don't believe that being dishonest under the guise of "not hurting" the other person ever turns out well.

Salad
If you could choose a television personality to be your boss, who would you pick?
Ellen Degeneres, hands down.

Main Course
What was a lesson you had to learn the hard way?
Credit Cards are evil.

Dessert
Describe your idea of the perfect relaxation room.
Deep bluewalls, deep, cushey couches, lots of candles, a ceiling fan, thick furry carpeting, a window facing the beach.

Feel free to play along in the comments or on your own site. Everyone I tagged last time ignored me so I am not bothering this time.

LAWYER PARODY

Via A Girl Walks Into A bar ...

I must purchase these CDs ASAP. Songs making fun of lawyers, how much better could it get?!

I'M IN THE DISCOUNT BIN - HOW DISAPPOINTING

Via Frequent Citations

My blog is worth $3,387.24.
How much is your blog worth?

THANKS FOR NOTHING

Well, the NJ Board of Bar Examiners finally updated their site - however I don't know anymore than I did yesterday!

There is not have a firm date for release of the July 2005 results. They are expected to be released in mid-November. We will update the site with more specific information when it is available.

"There is not have"?!?!?! What kind of grammer is that? With all due respect, this does not inspire faith in the entity that is responsible for my ENTIRE FUTURE. I realize this message is probably a hybrid of "There is not" and "We do not have" but if you are putting a message out there into the public that you know 6,000 examinees are breathlessly awaiting, then perhaps some proofreading, maybe even a quick read-through, hmmmmm??

Also, they basically told me NOTHING. I already knew mid-November. They have had the exams for months, how can they have no idea when results might be posted?? CA has way more examinees than NJ and they have had a firm date from the beginning!

Arrghgh!

UPDATE: Well they fixed the typo, but still mum on the date. Double Arrghfhf.