ravengrrrl

**Cross-posted to myspace**

Welcome to my fucked up family reunion where our local matriach decides which branches of her family tree make the cut and the most selfless act seen to date has come from the crackhead.

I've heard it said so many times in the last two years that I simply have to believe its true. There is only so much information a person can hold before the addition of new information overwrites the old. Also known as the absentminded professor syndrome.


I noticed its onset early in my second year of law school, but I may have been suffering from its effects for much longer. I noticed first that I had lost phone numbers. Three years ago I probably could have rattled off nearly every phone number I've ever had. I didn't much notice the departure of outdated numbers but I soon found regularly used numbers absent or incomplete.


And then came conversations. M, most prominently when are arguing, will ask me to recall prior conversations. It's not that I simply can't remember what was said, but at times I can't even remember them occurring.


And names. I've just never had a mind to remember many in the first place. But the problem is much, much worse.


Finally, I've spiraled into the point and grunt stage. In the middle of a sentence I will forget what something is called. For example, I'll want to say "Please hand me those shoes" but I'll forget the word "shoes," so I'm left standing there pointing and staring at the shoes but unable to recall what the word for them is. During finals, this gets remarkedly worse and not only will I have lost the word for "shoes" (or whatever) but every word I try to pull up to describe the shoes has been replaced with a legal term like "res ipsa loquitur" or "promissory estoppel."


I'm assuming things will only get worse before they get better. By the time I'm ready to take the bar I may need to start tattooing critical information on my body like the guy in Memento.

18 Members of 'Granny Brigade' in Court
By SAMUEL MAULL


NEW YORK (AP) - Eighteen anti-war activists who call themselves the ``Granny Peace Brigade'' appeared in court Thursday for trial on charges of disorderly conduct stemming from a protest outside a military recruiting station.

The defendants, some supporting themselves with canes and walkers, are being tried as a group before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Neil Ross. If convicted, each could face up to 15 days in prison.

``This case is simple and straightforward,'' Assistant District Attorney Amy Miller said in her opening statement. ``It's not about the war; it's about disorderly conduct.''

She said the defendants sat in front of the Times Square recruiting station on Oct. 17, obstructed pedestrian traffic and refused to disperse as ordered. Miller said this prevented others from going in or out of the center.

Defense attorney Norman Siegel said the women went to the recruiting station to try to enlist but the door was locked, so they sat and started chanting, ``We insist! We want to enlist!''

Siegel said the defendants had a right to protest the war in Iraq and to sit in front of the recruiting center.

``They did not break any laws,'' he said. ``They were respectful, orderly, justified and patriotic.''

Earlier Thursday, the women rejected a plea deal that would have dismissed the charges in six months if the women had no further violations of law. The women vowed to keep up the protests.

The small courtroom was packed with about 75 supporters. The women - several in their 80s and 90s and most of them grandmothers, with three boasting to be great grandmothers - wore buttons that read: ``Granny Peace Brigade'' and ``Love the Troops, Hate the War.'' Some wore T-shirts emblazoned with the words: ``We will not be silent.''

Aries (March 21-April 19)You are enthusiastic, alert, outspoken, ambitious, strong-willed and creative. A career in television or radio, advertising or architecture would suit your ambitious and creative nature. Because you are a strong, natural leader, the military or law enforcement would also serve you well.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)A Taurus is practical, methodical, determined, patient, honest, dependable and a good team player. Look to the fields of banking, accounting and scientific research for your perfect job.

Gemini (May 21-June 21)You are very optimistic, inquisitive, intelligent and full of energy. You need a vocation that keeps your interest piqued and keeps you going, such as a travel guide, nature explorer or a sales position where travel is required.

Cancer (June 22-July 22)Cancers are imaginative, dramatic, philosophical, nurturing and protective. You're best at dispensing advice, so consider law, psychology, teaching, nursing or social work for your life's vocation.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)You are spontaneous, gregarious, independent and born to lead, with a true lust for power. These magnetic qualities make Leos good CEOs, managers, editors and perfect for government positions.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)Precise, witty, cheerful, perfectionist, detail-oriented, hard-working and neat, with a knack for languages -- all describe you. Technician, statistician, medical researcher, investigator or translator are perfect career options for Virgos.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)Libras are very diplomatic, charming, sociable, easy-going and cooperative. Your sense of cooperation and ability to engineer a compromise mean you would do well in the United Nations or as a lawyer, mediator, negotiator or administrator.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)You are penetratingly intuitive, intelligent, analytical, hard working, motivated and resourceful. Because you like to solve mysteries, consider espionage, police investigation, law, physics, research and writing.

Sagittarius (Nov. 11-Dec. 21)Sagittarians have a positive attitude, boundless energy, love of travel and a strong spiritual side. A sales position would be ideal, as would public relations, social administration or theology.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)You are rock-solid, dependable, responsible, highly organized, goal-oriented, logical and clever. You thrive in positions of power or any vocation where math or money is involved. Consider an IT position because you love software and computers. You are also well-suited for being a doctor, accountant or lawyer.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)Intelligent, original, progressive, humanitarian and visionary are all qualities that describe Aquarians. Choose a job in astronomy, natural history, aviation, photography, poetry, character acting or music.

Pisces ( Feb. 19-March 20)Pisces are generous, friendly, sensitive, popular, artistic, versatile, compassionate and spiritual. You will do well in any of the arts: drama, literature, painting, music, but your compassion also makes you well-suited for philanthropy and judicial positions.

I find it pretty pointless when people decorate their office for Christmas. I'm not talking about having a tree in the lobby but those people who decorate their desks or cubicles for the holidays.

For those of you who don't know, I'm working downtown for a law firm now and I get free parking in a garage close to the courthouse. At the beginning of November I noticed the sudden appearance of wooden turkey hanging from the ticket machine. I thought it was odd, maybe a joke. But day by day more holiday-themed trinkets appearing around the entrance and exit gates. Stuffed animals, tinsel, a petit tree complete with lights, a figurine that sang a Christmas carol and lit up whenever a car drove by. The week before Christmas there was so much crap piled that it looked like a roadside memorial except for the big-haired, blue-eye shadowed woman watching tv in the booth.

Just as suddenly as it appeared it was gone. Returning to work after New Year's, there was nothing left. It's as if it was all some kind of ongoing halucination.

I'm taking a break from my normally scheduled activities to comment on some recent events.

Harriet Miers? Harriet Miers!?! Where the fuck did he get the audacity to nominate someone who's never even been a judge to the HIGHEST court in the U.S.??? Ummm, who's next someone who's never even been to college? "Billy Jack here used to, uh, clean out mah stalls back on the ranch. 'N he's done such a, uh, bang-up job that I just KNOW he'll be one hell of a, uh, Supreme Court Justice." I luuuv his reason for nominating her: "She's the best person I could find." I suppose when you don't look any further than the confines of your circular office your choices might be limited. Hmm, Harriet Miers or the cleaning lady? decisions decisions.


Hurricane Katrina. I'm not going to say anything about the abysimal failure of the federal government and the Red Cross to do anything in a reasonable amount of time -- contrast that with Hurricane Rita where Bush was all up their asses looking concerned .... I'm sure that people will forget all about Bush's lack of concern with Louisianna and Mississippi especially when they see your over abundance of concern with Texas YOUR HOME STATE. Yes, it's such a stretch for Bush to care about Texas and leave everyone else to thier own devices.

Ok, I'm going to class now.

I am an official nerd. Someone should throw me a lame party so I can have an official coming out.

Anyway ... I took a break from studying on Friday night so I could go buy the new Harry Potter book at midnight. When Book 5 had been released I went to Meijer and waited with like 10 other people for them to uncerimoniously bring out a pallet of books at midnight. This time however Meijer decided to throw a Harry Potter party. lame pathetic and pointless. So they had free cake and some stupid scratchoff tickets where about 15 people chainwide would win a complete series of HP. big woop.

At 11:30 there was complete chaos when a half skid of books was brought out and everyone tried to line up in front of it. Ten minutes later after everyone was comfortably in line and patiently waiting out the remaining 20 minutes, the idiots in charge decided they didn't like where the line was and told everyone to line up behind this woman who wasn't even in line, shifting the line about 10 feet to the side. There was a rush reform a line, meanwhile everyone is pushing and trying to dodge the tables and chairs in the cafe so when the line reformed we were literally crushed together. I could not have gotten out of line if I had wanted to we were so tightly packed. And then, and then one of the two perverts behind me decided to pinch my ass. Had I been able to lift my arms in the crowd I might have decked them both. I thought about yelling 'rape' or bitching to the store manager but in the end I got my book and I went home, complaining would have just wasted minutes I could be reading (when I should have been sleeping).

I finished the book this morning, it was not the ending I had expected but intriguing nonetheless. It will be agonizing to wait for the next installment. But, if it takes her as long to write the last one, I will not be reading to the detriment of exam grades.

On Wednesday Monica and I had a hearing for custody of Josie -- I knew it wasn't going to be contested, but still it was a relief when it was over and we walked out with the baby. She 'talked' the whole time, just laughing and carrying on like she knew this was all about her.

Today, I got a call to set up a job interview for a local municipal judge. I'm very VERY excited about this. Great experience, full time, benefits, close to home, and the pay is comparable to what I'm making now. So Tuesday I'll be meeting with the judge. then Wednesday I have my big exam. and the following tuesday I have another interview but this one is just a formality to sit for the Ohio bar exam, what a pain in the ass.

There are some women in this world who should never, ever wear a tube top. One of those women is standing in front of me, all 250 glorious pounds of her. Which brings me to my next thought -- just becuase something is black does not make it slimming.

 

WACO, Texas (AP) - A convicted felon who went on profanity-laced tirades in court and told jurors he didn't care if they gave him life in prison was sentenced to 99 years for stealing a cell phone.

Jurors deliberated about 15 minutes before convicting Glenn Alvin Reed of robbery Thursday.

Reed, 31, was convicted as a habitual criminal because he had prior felony convictions for injury to an elderly person and robbery, which bumped the minimum sentence from five to 25 years. He also had 15 misdemeanor convictions dating to 1991.

Reed testified during both phases of the trial, swearing and telling jurors he didn't care if they sent him to prison for life.

I wouldn't mind learning a little fiscal responsibility too ...

http://www.southflorida.com/news/sfl-igwntreges8jun23,0,2069633.story?coll=sfe-guide-headlines

I wanted my first post-Josie-placement post to be all happy and giddy -- as anyone who's had a baby knows, things don't usually go as planned.

Don't get me wrong, I love her and I couldn't imagine not having her here (has it really only been two weeks?) However, this whole parenting thing has been a major drain on my resources -- once rent clears I'll have about $100 until my next paycheck a week from today. I'm seriously considering withdrawing from school for the semester so I can get a second job -- the only thing giving me pause on this matter is it would fuck up my financial aid. Speaking of financial aid, I called them today to see if it would be beneficial to update my FASFA now that I have a kid (so to speak); but because I'm not an undergrad it won't change anything since Pell Grants aren't available for graduate work. And then I called my insurance company to ask about that 'single with kid' discount they had told me about, if only I had a kid -- but that's only for people 24 and under.

I know these posts about people's financial affairs are tiresome so I won't bore anybody with any more details but if anyone has any suggestions or wants to trade favors for money (my favors for your money) I'm listening.

Bad Habits by Sign
by Stephanie Dempsey

Nobody's perfect - all signs have their vices. Fortunately, astrology provides valuable clues for breaking bad habits. Ending these patterns will userve.com/atplay/sagittarius.jsp" target=_new>Archers</behaviors>

 

Aries Out in Front

Rams have a habit of pushing to the front of the line, both literally and figuratively. And while this quality has helped Aries get ahead, it can also compromise their relationships. Putting an animal, child or plant in their care can correct the problem. As soon as this sign's nurturing qualities are cultivated, their selfishness will diminish.

 

Taurean Trash

Bulls love clutter. Being surrounded by all their possessions gives them a sense of security. It also creates headaches, confusion, and chaos. Storage systems that keep their stuff on display will prevent this sign from strewing their stuff all over the house. Stacking baskets, glass jars, and open shelving can promote organization.

 

Nerve-Wracking Twins

Geminis are the nail-biters of the zodiac. Twins are self-conscious about their hands, and need to keep them busy at all times. Activities like knitting, carving, or bead work provide welcome distractions. Weekly manicures will also keep temptation at bay. Twins are less likely to gnaw their cuticles when they've just paid for their upkeep!

 

Cancers and the Candyman

If you've ever wondered how Cancers stay so sweet, take a look at their sugar intake. This sign loves cookies, candy, and ice cream. An occasional indulgence is fine, but too much dessert can take a toll on waist lines and energy levels. What Crabs are really seeking is oral gratification. Sugar-free gum or dried fruit provides a healthy dbehaviors that get in the way of your ultimate happiness.

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Lavish Leos

The guy who's sitting next to you in the elegant restaurant, shouting to his personal assistant on his cell phone? Probably a Leo . It's only natural that a sign that is blessed with creativity, charm and wit feels tempted to show off. Actually, this desire to brag is rooted in insecurity. The sooner Lions learn to compliment others, the quicker they'll receive the praise they crave.

 

Virgos Fear Filth

These nit-pickers sometimes compromise their own pleasure for the sake of perfection. Deep down inside, these folks are really sensualists at heart. They need to learn that it is better to feel good than to look good. Allocating a few minutes each day for fun but messy activities like baking, painting, or sculpting can cure Virgos of their fear of filth.

 

Libras Love to Shop

Librans gave birth to the term "shopaholic". These folks have every credit card known to man. And while their taste is undeniably impeccable, it can get them in trouble at bankruptcy court. What's really at stake here is a quest for beauty. Enjoying simple but inexpensive pleasures like nature walks and museums can quell the urge to splurge.

 

Strictly Scorpios

Nobody carries a grudge better than this sign. Unfortunately, hanging on to resentments has a way of crowding out love, happiness, and trust. In order for a Scorpio to let go of anger, they must first practice self-care. Getting a massage every month or writing in a journal each day will soften this sign's heart and enable forgiveness.

 

Brutally Honest Sagittarius

Archers have a bad habit of telling the truth. And while these folks have the best intentions, that doesn't take the sting out of comments like, "Gee, those pants make you look fat!" or "Were you drunk when you wrote this report?" The best way for Archers to cultivate tact is through prodigious study. Etiquette books will definitely help!

 

Capricorns Can't Quit

This sign is the original workaholic. Many Capricorns fear that poverty will set in the moment they stop toiling. Keeping a gratitude journal can break this terrible habit. The more Capricorn becomes aware of their non-material blessings, the healthier their behavior will become. No more cutting vacations short for the sake of work!

 

Antisocial Aquarius

Water-bearers get into the habit of creating completely self-sufficient lives. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult for them to achieve intimacy. Basically, Aquarians are afraid that relationships will compromise their independence. Fortunately, these folks love to experiment. By treating intimacy as an exercise, this sign can relinquish control for the sake of loving relationships.

 

Pickled Pisces

As a water sign, it's only natural that Pisceans find comfort in liquids. When those liquids have a high alcohol content, problems can ensue. Naturally, a twelve-step program can be of enormous benefit here. Meditation and yoga can help, too, as they allow Pisces to achieve a healthy sense of nirvana. That's all these Fish are really seeking.

Now that the prospects of caring for Josie appear to grow more certain with each passing day ... I've begun noticing parents and children in public. Not that I didn't notice them before but usually it was only when my attention was called to them because of the amount of noise or extremely bad behavior of their children and my focus on the parent would be narrow-eyed stares admonishing them to get control of their children.

However, today I'm studying at the Perrysburg Panera (for non-Toledoans, Perrysburg is a hoity-toity suburb of Toledo where residency requirements stipulate you must conform to the Rupublican agenda) -- needless to say Perrysburg is booming with privileged children of all ages. They scare me, not just the Republicans but the familial units in general. e.g.: there's a woman sitting at table very close to me with a 5 or 6 month old; the mother is wearing a pastelish green sweater, black (too short) pants, white socks and brown shoes. If I ever walked out of the house looking like that, I would hope some considerate person would place me under citizens' arrest and escort me to the nearest fashion retailer to find suitable attire.

I know having Josie with us will change things, possibly everything, and I'm not so much worried about life changes, but changes in myself such as attitudes towards my appearance. But that's not to say some personal changes wouldn't be bad, I don't want to be the stressed-out, frazzled kind of mother** and maybe Josie could teach me how to handle adversity better and to not be such an uptight anal bitch sometimes.

Last night I took my 4 year old nephew to McDonald's. We were supposed to go to the Mud Hens game but it was just too cold and wet for that. He was good for the most part. I know it's hard for little kids to sit still and eat when they want to go play in the play area. When he was done I let him go play. For my sister's sake I wanted to let him get out as much energy as possible. There was a group of parents sitting there watching thier kids play, all of them talking about their kids -- I was ignored as it was quite apparent I didn't belong to thier club (which, really, I didn't mind). Jared ran around all rough and tumble and as much as I wanted to, I didn't stop him from anything unless it his actions would inflict damage on property or other people -- practicing my role being a non-overly protective care provider. Though he didn't injure himself I did have to stop him from commiting acts that might have injured the other kids. There was a tube slide and he wanted to sit on top right where the kids shoot out the end, to me it looked like it had disaster written on it. I asked him once not to, he persisted and I told him if I had to ask him again not to that we would leave. He went and did something else for a few minutes then decided he wanted to try it again. I very calmly but firmly told him it was time to go. He protested putting on his shoes but did put them on (though telling me he didn't like me anymore). By the time we got to the door to go out he was holding my hand and telling me that he wanted to go home because he was tired and then pretended to sleepwalk to the car. I was proud of myself for being able to handle him alone without any screaming or tantrums by either of us.



**Caveat: I'm using this term very liberally, no I won't be Josie's mother but in a surrogate sense I, and Monica, would be.

I'm in an all-out panic. Everything is coming down to the wire and finding me unprepared. I don't know what to do first when everything is a priority. So I'm doing what any reasonable person would do, I'm not doing any of it.

I took some stupid quiz, "which l-word character are you?" I was fucking Tim. he's not even on the show and was totally lame when he was on. Is that what I am, the token male in a lesbo show? I changed some of my answers and came up with an even less desirable character, shane.

Anyway.

I left early today with a fake dentist appointment. stupid fornoff competition. My opponent didn't even show up. It was 80 some degrees outside and the law school didn't have any air conditioning. After giving my argument I was then subjected to a 20 minute lecture on Constitutional law all the while feeling sweat running down my body under my suit.

I'm feeling dissatisfied with the state of my affairs today. However, one happy bit of stressful news today: we got an appointment for our home study, next Tuesday morning. If all goes well, hopefully Josie will be coming to stay with us for a while and I will no longer be tortured by having to visit her every sunday in that fucking church. Anybody want to watch our foster cats, a momma cat and three adorable 7 week old kittens, on monday night? they are currently residing in the baby's room. we figure it wouldn't look good to have two litterboxes and four cats running around (and stinking up) the room we need to put the crib up in. Seriously, anybody who wants to help just call.

I'll start this post off with the easy stuff.

I regretfully announce that I have (willingly) spent the last two Sundays at a Pentacostal church. For those of you unfamiliar with their services, these people not only bring their own Bibles to church, but their own tamborines. Strange, freaky church. The women must wear skirts and must grow their hair, the only proper way to pray or sing is to raise your hands above your head, healin's are necessary to rid parishoners of the devil, people talk in tongues (seriously), prayers start out as whispers and end in screams, people walk around whispering "Jesus" to themselves.

You may be asking yourself what I am doing there ... this is the only place where I am able to visit my three month old neice who is currently in foster care in a little hick town about an hour from here. I'm doing everything I can to get her out of there but until them I am resigned two hours a week of fire and brimstone.

Monica and I are starting foster classes to try and woo over the Williams County Children's Services so that they will place Josie with us. They don't even know yet that we're lesbians and they seem pretty against the idea. I'm trying to get help from an attorney that practices in the area becuase in my preliminary research of the law in this area there is a preference for placing a child with suitable family if they are available, and I am the only family offering to take her.

Needless to say this, on top of my ever looming exams, school in general, work, kitty poop everywhere (see Monica's journal for more detail on this), trying to prepare for the possibility of Josie living with us -- I feel like I haven't slept in days. I took a nap yesterday and tried to take one today that was less than successful, this is VERY unusual for me. In the last five years I've probably taken less than five naps (not counting when I have been sick).

Contrary to the tone of this post, most of today was great. I called off work as I had to give an oral argument at school at the oh so convenient time of noon. After that was finished I came home and wanted to spend time with Monica. We went out to lunch, did a little bit of shopping and came home. Even at lunch I was so tired I put my head down on the table and could have slept there. When I got home all I wanted to do was lay in bed until I had to go to school. I won't go into all the stupid details, but suffice it to say that had I done to her what she did to me she would not have come home tonight.

Advanced You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 64% Expert!

You have an extremely good understanding of beginner, intermediate, and advanced level commonly confused English words, getting at least 75% of each of these three levels' questions correct. This is an exceptional score. Remember, these are commonly confused English words, which means most people don't use them properly. You got an extremely respectable score. Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it! For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 62% on Beginner You scored higher than 71% on Intermediate You scored higher than 85% on Advanced You scored higher than 30% on Expert

Link: The Commonly Confused Words Test written by shortredhead78 on Ok Cupid

Most of you know that my kitty Sammy died at the end of February. It's been a pretty traumatic process for me, he wasn't that old and didn't really give any signs he was sick except for his weight loss. I've been meaning to write this post for him for some time but I wasn't ready, I still don't think I am.

A special thanks to Monica for being so incredibly supportive. She may not have been there from the beginning with Sam, but she was there when it mattered, at the end and she loved Sam as much as I did. She surprised me with the beautiful (and incredibly heavy) grave marker pictured above. Thanks Cupcake.

It's just occurred to me that being a lawyer has little to do with the practice of law. Au contrair, we are in the practice of dissection, instead of bodies we use words.

In my first semester of law school, I don't know what we were discussing but it was in Contracts, my professor was comparing one miniscule difference between two cases with different outcomes. I raised my hand and told the professor he was just splitting hairs, he looked a bit dumbstruck and said "yes, that's what we do." At the time I thought he meant in academia or in the classroom, but not so.

Were we scientists instead of lawyers we would study the matter that forms subatomic particles. Of this minute matter, we would not study the way the majority of it operates we would look only at the deformed, the extraordinary, and the ones that prove to be exceptions to the rule.

Words are looked at from every angle: connotation, denotation, tone, style, flow. They are used as precisely as a surgeon's scalpel. I like to think of litigating attorneys as surgeons in an operating theater having a sort of dueling-banjo competition where they are trying to out perform each other as they each work on different bodies.