Problem solving, 3-year-old style

Background: Bullshark is gone doing Navy stuff this week. I'm back to single-Mommy-law student.

CF: Papa is allergic to dogs? And cats?
Me: Yes.
CF: But Papa is gone for a few days?
Me: Yes.
CF: So we can get a puppy! Or a kitten! Because Papa is not here to be allergic!
Me: What will we do when Papa comes home?
CF: We'll get the puppy or kitty a NEW home. But we can have one now, right?

I really do love the way he thinks.

MILS #39: Paging Dr. House

Welcome to the Weekly MILS (Moms In Law School) Roundup. It is hosted on a rotating basis between PT-LawMom and A Little Fish in Law School blogs. We aim for Sunday posts. Next week, it'll be back at PT-LawMom's place.

This week's theme revolves around some funny and some poignant takes on a variety of somewhat-tangentially-related-to-something-medical. Hope you enjoy.

The Paging Dr. House Edition:

The offending nipple. One New Duck.

Just one more thing to add to the medical file. Lag Liv.

Hands off. Law Student Hot Mama.

No, really, hands off. Starting to Melt.

Body fluids limit. Peanut Butter Burrito.

After-cancer. Merits of the Case.

__________________________
If you’d like to have your blog added to the MILS blogroll for weekly review or would like us to consider a specific post, drop the hostess(es) an email or leave a comment at our sites.

Expecting Moms in Law School are welcome! Hat tip as always to the “original” Roundup — Evan Schaeffer’s Legal Underground and Divine Angst.
And of course, to the founder of this round-up, Saramel (retired).

AI Update

I don't understand why people love the Archuletta kid. He's cute, he's got a beatiful voice, but he's kind of insipid. I was rooting for him for a while, but he keeps picking songs that bore me. If he keeps up like this, he won't make it past the top 5.

Was anyone surprised it was Chikeze? I was not surprised it was Chikeze. Chikeze even knew it was gonna be Chikeze. Too bad, I kind of like saying Chikeze.

I had never heard the rock version of Billy Jean that the other David did, but as he was singing it, I said he must be doing a version originated by some rock band I've never heard of, because no one on AI comes up with an arrangement that original on his own.

Well, except Blake Lewis.

Turns out I was right. Nice that Seacrest acknowledged the original last night.

Good news. I discovered I can listen to Blake Lewis sing whenever I want to on Youtube. Anyone else have an artist in this category? The "I won't pay 99 cents to download your song but I'm a big enough fan to listen to you sing on Youtube so long as its free" category?

Just me then . . . yeah, I get that a lot.

WWJSD?

My Administative Law class has an unspoken theme: What Would Justice Scalia Do?


I'm thinking of having rubber bracelets made up with WWJSD printed on them to distribute before the exam. Of course I won't do this because it requires more initiative than I have right now.


Also, I read a case today that could fairly be boiled down to "We're deferring to the agency cuz this stuff is too hard."


Scalia got cranky in the dissent.

So I am a law student sometimes

Overheard in law school:

Professor Awesome: It’s a narrow exception? Yeah, and nuclear weapons are a narrow category of weapons.

Random law school moment:

Professor was going on about a student he once taught who was very pregnant by semester's end and how he was petrified that she'd give birth in class.

He couldn't remember which class it was . . . but he teaches Family Law and Labor Law, so I can't help but think either would have been appropriate for a birth.

Classmate, regarding not having it all figured out as a 2L:

You know, in Battleship, its just as important to know where the ships aren't.

MILS #38

MILS #38, the Moms in Law School Round Up is at Pt-Lawmom's.

Here next Sunday.

Resurrection

On Friday morning we had a mini-life-and-death-crisis. As Clownfish and I descended the front steps, we saw two birdies on the ground on the driveway. One was on its back, its legs up, not moving. The other was right side up but unable to move other than feeble twitches. By their position and status, I could only assume they had flown into the driver side window of my car and . . . thud. They were small grey birds -- titmouse, I thought, and then incongruously titmice? -- when Clownfish started moving toward them.

"Stay back, honey."
"But I want to touch them."
"They're wild birds, not like Ben the Bird [my sister's parrot], we can't touch them."
"Why aren't they flying away?"
"I think they're hurt."
"I want to help them. Can we get bandages?"

(Walking him around to his side of the car and buckling him in, steeling myself for the death conversation. He had learned the word kill at pre-school, robots will kill you, so we had talked about it a little before. But in his short life so far he has not seen death, and I have yet to inflict Charlotte's Web or the like on him yet, so he didn't have the vocabulary.)

"No honey, I don't think bandages will work."

We talked a little about death and dying as I strapped him in. I remember thinking "I am doing this badly." He seemed to understand somewhat but was very sad that Mommy could not make the birds better. Meanwhile, I was thinking that I had to be careful when pulling out the car not to run the poor things over, and to tell Bullshark to get home ahead of us to remove the corpses from the driveway -- if the neighborhood cats didn't get them first -- before Clownfish and I got home. We'd talk more that night maybe. Maybe get a book?

I walked back around to my side of the car.

The bird on its back was now upright.

It was moving.

I ran back to unstrap Clownfish, to explain that Mommy was wrong, the birdies were just hurt not dead, and they were getting better on their own.

By the time he got out, he saw one bird fly away, and the other do a short-hop flight to the garage roof.

I hadn't planned on explaining Easter to him this year, but maybe he's got the vocabulary now.


___________________________
No I am not actually going to explain the Crucifixion and Resurrection to my child this year.

Not sure how I feel about this...

Remember that law review article that I was working on, the last 12 pages of which I thought were complete dreck?

Remember when I said I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be published? That's because our Law Review typically chooses only three or four to be certified for publication. I don't know how its done elsewhere, but am curious if anyone wants to comment.

Anyway, this year, three were chosen.

*Gulp*

I was picked.

This means "the Note that will not die" is back with a vengence -- I am going to have to do some serious work on this thing to feel remotely good about it being seen by anyone.

But until then, yippee? I guess?

Random story from the interview trenches

In an interivew, I was asked:

"Which modern Supreme Court decision would you change, and why?"

("Modern" means no fair picking something about segregation or slavery that has been since overruled.)

Apparently it was meant to be a trick question . . . they didn't expect an answer, just wanted to see how I'd react to a stress question. Some people stammer, others politely ask for a moment to think it over and as likely as not come up with a response, and others ramble on about the judiciary or stare decisis.

Wish you could have seen the look of shock when I actually flat-out answered.

(I never did understand why the Court granted cert. in the Bong Hits 4 Jesus case. Are there better answers? Definitely. But it made for a good discussion.)

Quick! Answer!! No fair actually thinking!!

Notice and Comment

When we first covered the section on challenges to sufficiency of notice in 'notice and comment' rule making in Administrative Law, this exchange from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (by Douglas Adams) popped into my head.

"But Mr. Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months."

"Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything."

"But the plans were on display ..."

"On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."

"That's the display department."

"With a flashlight."

"Ah, well the lights had probably gone."

"So had the stairs."

"But look, you found the notice didn't you?"

"Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard'."

-- Arthur Dent on plans for demolition of his house


Not quite an "obscure misplaced footnote" (see MCI v. FCC 57 F.3d 1136 D.C. Cir. 1995), but I'd say Arthur had a case. Too bad the Earth was blown up shortly thereafter.

I may not be 7 diamonds but I also didn't just wander off the bus from Jersey

Forgive the Spitzer reference, but I've just engaged in an email exchange I find hilarious:

Subj: Interested in a link on your website

Hi,

I was interested in placing a text ad onto your site for the site that I am working on -[website with legal sounding name redacted].

Please let me know if this is possible when you receive this.

Thanks!

Kristin

Reply, Butterflyfish, after I checked out the link:

Interesting... what's it pay?

Reply, Kristin:

I was hoping it was just a link? I have to pay?

Reply, Butterflyfish:

Well, unlike many bloggers, I currently don't have advertising on my site. Your email said "text ad" -- anyone who has ever solicited a "text ad" on my site has offerred some money. So I was curious what you were offering.


I am sure you understand the concept as your website is basically an attorney advertising site that promises its customers increased exposure and web traffic, charges a hefty premium for such exposure, and is operated by a "search engine marketing company."

I am pretty sure I won't be hearing from Kristin again, though if I do, I'll keep you posted.

The whole thing just makes me feel . . . dirty, like I'll never be clean again.

MILS 37: In Her Own Words II: Electric Bugaloo

Welcome to the Weekly MILS (Moms In Law School) Roundup. It is hosted on a rotating basis between PT-LawMom and A Little Fish in Law School blogs. We aim for Sunday posts, though I am posting a bit early this week. Next week, it'll be back at PT-LawMom's place.

The theme this week: In Her Own Words II: Electric Bugaloo*

2L Wannabe I think this is how law school kills the soul, this lack of positive feedback.
One New Duck Is it just me or does she look like a very angry banana?
Dakota also got our new addition to the family -- a furry family member!
Law School Mom I choose my own path, which also means I do law school my way. Not the way "they" say I ought to.
Lag Liv Each quarter I sink to a new level of finals unpreparedness.
Law Student Hot Mama There's never enough room for houseguests. Even if I live at the Biltmore.
Magic Cookie My measure of a really close friend is when you can invite yourself over and then poke through their fridge without asking.
Merits of the Case I was nervous, however, about trying to explain why I didn’t have any legal employment last summer and I was nervous about disclosing my blog and my Google presence.
Googiebaba Really, I should have accomplished a lot, but I haven’t.
Peanut Butter Burrito I wonder who I'll be seeing on the news first, and I hope it's something good.
Pt-Lawmom. Addressing the issue of attending law school part-time with young children.
Cee, Starting to Melt. I decided that I could not afford to let people like her become bruises in my life.


* Wherein I pull quotes from MILS blogs, hopefully out of context in a way that makes you want to click, and call that a theme. Yep, shamefully lazy. Told you this theme would repeat.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!
___________________________
If you’d like to have your blog added to the MILS blogroll for weekly review or would like us to consider a specific post, drop the hostess(es) an email or leave a comment at our sites. Expecting Moms in Law School are welcome! Hat tip as always to the “original” Roundup — Evan Schaeffer’s Legal Underground and Divine Angst. And of course, to the founder of this round-up, Saramel (retired).

"Mommy I want a baby"

CF: "Can you get me one?"

Excerpts from the first "where babies come from" conversation we've ever had with our son:

BS: Do you think we can get one at WalMart?
CF: No Papa! They don't have babies there. We have to go to the baby store.

* Bullshark was summarily banished from the conversation for bringing up storks. *

* After an explanation involving how Mommies grow babies in their tummies and Papas help put the baby there, and finally understanding it takes a long time to grow a baby and that Mommy doesn't have a baby yet but when she does, she'll let you know. *

CF: I will dream about babies tonight and I want a girl like baby [female cousin] or like my friend Jeremy who has a girl baby. I will call her.... I will call her.... you will tell me her name and I will call her that.

CF: I want you to have a baby. I want all the teachers at my pre-school to carry babies. I want everyone to have babies. I will be so nice to the babies.

CF: So girls carry babies and boys don't?
BFF: Right
CF: So I can't grow up and carry a baby? I want to carry a baby.
BFF: No honey, but you will help when you're big.
CF: So can I help the girls in my pre-school class have babies?

Bullshark's response to the whole thing: This is more pressure than from four grandparents combined.

As for me:

I am trying to decide whether or not to give the pre-school teacher a heads-up, or just wait to see how this conversation gets translated tomorrow . . .

MILS #36

The Weekly MILS (Moms In Law School) Roundup is hosted on a rotating basis between PT-LawMom and A Little Fish in Law School blogs. We aim for Sunday posts.

This week, its up at Pt-Lawmom.

Back here next week.

____________________________

If you’d like to have your blog added to the MILS blogroll for weekly review or would like us to consider a specific post, drop the hostess(es) an email or leave a comment at our sites. Expecting Moms in Law School are welcome! Hat tip as always to the “original” Roundup — Evan Schaeffer’s Legal Underground and Divine Angst. And of course, to the founder of this round-up, Saramel (retired).

Job update

I got one.

Mid-sized firm that does exactly the kind of law I hope to practice. I anticipate a really good summer. And on the off chance I'm miserable, I have learned something else about what I don't want to do, which is important in itself. So either way, I win.

I got my resume read by reaching out to a recent-ish alum, who it turned out was on the hiring committee. The alum did some checking up on me -- calling friends of his who are friends of mine and my externship. I guess it helped.

And because I don't talk about Work Club, you probably won't hear more details than that.

But I am happy.

Way law school has ruined me #212

#212. Causes me to make distinctions, even in lawyer jokes.

My sister sent me one of those emails filled with quotes of things people actually said in court, taken down and now published by court reporters. Its supposed to be funny as examples of the stupidity or arrogance of lawyers. However, I find that the comments can be fairly categorized in three ways, two of which cause me to feel a degree of sympathy for the lawyer, rather than scorn.

Category 1: dumb (or to be charitable, confused) witnesses.

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.

ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.

Sometimes, no matter how much pre-trial prep you do with someone, they just cannot answer appropriately on the stand. I have a good deal of sympathy for the lawyer here.

Category 2: poorly worded question the answer to which is necessary to lay an evidentiary foundation or for similar such reasons:

ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people. Would you like to rephrase that?

ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh.... I was getting laid!

ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Are you shittin' me? Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?

ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-one-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!

I have some sympathy for lapses like these, if lapses they are. Were there better ways to handle these questions? Absolutely. But I can imagine spacing out for a second, going into auto-pilot and asking an asinine question. Probably why I don't want to be a trial attorney.

Category 3: idiot lawyer trying to make a point and gets comeuppance

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.

No sympathy. Attorney was being a jerk and possibly trying to make some point about either the doctor's competance or the time of death, not really sure and it doesn't matter.


It's official. Law school has ruined me.

E-Board

I'm on.

I got my first choice position, a title that may be unique to my journal so I am not including it. It involves a lot of "BigPictureIdeas" and then executing details. I am really good at that. I work that way. It combines jobs such as research, running the write-on competition, and putting together the law review symposium and the subsequent issue.

And less Bluebooking than other jobs. *Yay!*

I am excited about this. Like journal itself, it is going to involve quite a bit of work, some drudgery, a few weekends of sheer chaos, and perhaps even a few tears.

But it also poses some really terrific challenges and already the little hamster wheel in my brain is turning turning turning.

MILS #35: Ouch

Welcome to the Weekly MILS (Moms In Law School) Roundup. It is hosted on a rotating basis between PT-LawMom and A Little Fish in Law School blogs. We aim for Sunday posts. Next week, it'll be back at PT-LawMom's place.

The theme this week: Ouch.

(It's been a rough week for the MILS).

2L Wannabe. What a bad, horrible, awful, terrible, long week this has been
One New Duck. Passing the equivalent of a 32-ounce bag of flour through my hoo-haa
Dakota. Awakened from a good dream by a little one going potty
Law School Mom. Having a baby the uninsured way
Proto Attorney. Steep grading curves, lying b--tards, and the weather
Lag Liv. Text message desparation
Law Student Hot Mama. Not a career alternative *shudder* podiatry *shudder*
Magic Cookie. Home hair cutting
Googiebaba. "Mentors" who make you feel like you've done everything wrong
Peanutbutter Burrito. Battle for affordable decent childcare
Pt-Lawmom. Making changes, taking control
Starting to Melt. Pregnancy nose and something in the fridge grows

Oh, and here. I've been sick. Fever, chills, unstoppable cough that precludes sleep. I missed some classes. I missed an assignment deadline. I missed some hours at my Externship. It may continue to be quiet here while I recover from trying to recover.

___________________________
If you’d like to have your blog added to the MILS blogroll for weekly review or would like us to consider a specific post, drop the hostess(es) an email or leave a comment at our sites. Expecting Moms in Law School are welcome! Hat tip as always to the “original” Roundup — Evan Schaeffer’s Legal Underground and Divine Angst. And of course, to the founder of this round-up, Saramel (retired).