BECOMING A JACKAL

This is where you will find me

2007-12-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

This is the last post at this website.

Introducing Being a Jackal.

See you on the other side.

I may be moving...again

2007-12-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

I've been eyeing Wordpress and I'm pretty sure it's time to make the move. It has more functionality than blogger, but doesn't appear to have the pain in the ass elements of Movable Type.

The biggest selling point is that it appears I can import my old Movable Type entries and my Blogger entries into Wordpress without having to cut and paste individually. This is a huge deal to me because I still have a gazillion entries to move over from Movable Type.

So there you have it. My excuses and justifications. Keep your eye out for directions to my new home.

Busy Work

2007-12-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hassle of the Day: The weather today sucks. It's rainy and windy - windy is the part that sucks. I don't mind rain and I don't mind snow, but add wind into the mix and I begin minding.

This morning I had an interview for a job I'd really like to get. I felt good about the interview overall. As always, there are other candidates for the position so time will tell.

After the interview I headed for my home office and took care of some junk that's been piling up. The pile is mostly nit-picky quick items that I've been putting off with my usual flare for procrastination. I still have a massive backlog of personal paperwork to sort through, trash, and file. I pretty much stopped trying to control my mess during the third year of law school and there is an abandoned desk in the spare bedroom piled high with what I assume will mostly be trash (as in it sat for so long it is now moot).

Christmas shopping conundrums are beginning to bother me. I'm stumped for gifts for quite a few people. I may have to take a day and just wander around a mall looking for inspiration.

Led Zeppelin Groupie

2007-12-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

While doing some Christmas decorating today, I threw in my newly purchased DVD of The Song Remains the Same. I'm going to date myself by confessing that I viewed this film at numerous midnight movies in my teenage years. The soundtrack album was also my first Led Zeppelin purchase.

I remember when the eagerly anticipated album In Through The Out Door was finally released. (Yes, I'm ancient.) I was busily rehearsing my pitch to my parents for permission to see them live at their first U.S. Tour in years. I was beyond crushed to hear the tragic news that John Bonham died. Not only was this a huge hit for a lunatic Led Zeppelin fan, but it forever squashed my chances of ever seeing Led Zeppelin in concert.

As a teenager I had a massive crush on Jimmy Page. While watching the film again, I realized I still do as in day-um Jimmy Page. I once got into a prolonged argument with some twit over whether or not Jimmy Page is the greatest guitar player of all time. I still want to throttle the guy. Imbecile.

Just to underscore my point:

Overnight Mash-Update

2007-11-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

The past 24 hours are very newsy:

The state bar has finally assigned my bar number. I'm officially an attorney. Watch out world.

I assembled our brand new fully lit, hinged Christmas tree all by myself.

We had our first snow.

Sallie Mae sent me my first loan statement. I sent Sallie Mae my first deferment request.

All four dogs had a bath.

Proof of first snow:

In a Holiday Mood

2007-11-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

I'm going to break my very brief tradition and post the Random Dog Photo right here up front. This is Smudge.

Smudge is a 3-month old Papillon puppy who has taken over my parent's household. Smudge also took over J and I during Thanksgiving - that's J's arm in the photo. We fought over who got to play with puppy on an ongoing basis.

I've redecorated for the holidays. The template comes from Pyzam.com. The post area is a little skinny for my taste, but hey, moochers can't be choosers! The chances of my sitting down to code a new template are pretty much nil.

On the way out of town I got a call scheduling an interview for a position I really want. I'm keeping the contract/sole practice on the down low for a couple of weeks to see if the interview results in a job. Job with benefits definitely trumps self-employed, broke sole practitioner!

My newly consolidated federal loans come due soon and they will promptly be placed in deferment. Sound familiar to any new J.D. graduates?

My Purse Has A Warranty

2007-11-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

My very last gift to myself for passing the bar was a Dooney & Burke handbag. I'm not kidding about the warranty. Can I afford a purse that has a warranty? Not particularly.

Which brings me to the real subject of this post. Job hunting is not going well which isn't a surprise in the Northwest market (especially since I want to stay put where I live). While I continue job hunting, I'm going solo. To make this enterprise possible, I'm going to start up at home. Future contract work with a small firm has been lined up. As soon as I get my mythical bar number in the mail, I can start marketing myself for both contract work and private clients. My background is in civil litigation with a focus on family law. Since family law is what I know best, that is what I'm going to practice.

Right now I'm open to either getting a permanent job with someone else being responsible for keeping the lights on or settling into a solo practice. Beginning after Thanskgiving I'm going to start doing all the stuff I really don't like much such as attending organization lunches, going to events and networking, networking. Blech! As severely uncomfortable as self-promotion may be, it won't be nearly as painful as bar preparation.

For now I'm using a mail center for an address and I just hooked up VOIP for my fax and home office line. Who knows, maybe I'll decide I love being a solo. If so, I'll be in the market for an office share arrangement in the future.

And finally a big Shout Out to Shelley of The Menagerie who kindly responded to my frantic email seeking advice. Go check out her blog and her cute Peaches.

Interior Decorating

2007-11-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

I love people who design xml blog templates and then post them on the web for me to use for free. Although I have a link credit in my sidebar, I should call attention to the designer of this lovely new template located here.

I gotta go reserve my spot in bed before a wiener dog is given my space. Bulleted info dump:

I have a new desk for my future home office. woot!
If you like different hip-hop/rap with great lyrics and produced by the always-wonderful Trent Reznor check out Saul Williams' latest release. You can download a low quality version for free or get it in the format of your choice for only five bucks! Trust me it's awesome and it is here.
I have a new pre-lit fake Christmas tree. I love it. No needles on the floor and no lights to hang. I just unhinge the perfect tree and hang my pretties.
I have a hair appointment to get my "natural blonde" touched up and to plot either a brief grow-out or a new cut.
I have a manicure/pedicure schedule just a couple of days before my swearing-in. I'm going to be glam in a suit.

That's it for now. This creature may be invading my personal bed space right now. Must go defend territory.

I'm Boring

2007-10-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

I made my big announcement that I passed the bar, and then I dropped off the blogosphere. Typical.

Since passing I've been on a whirlwind of family visits and enjoying my fifteen minutes of fame.

I'm still looking for a job. There isn't much happening in my city job-wise which is worrisome. I'm researching the possibility of going solo as Plan B.

In a few weeks I should be able answer "an attorney" when someone asks what I do for a living. It's sorta silly but passing the bar doesn't make one a lawyer automatically. I'm not technically a lawyer until I swear the oath and the Supreme Court of my state gives me the nod. Right now it's a bit weird when I meet someone new and they ask the usual "what do you do" question. The answer is "almost an attorney" which results in some weird looks until I explain.

Today's random dog photo is Wakonda when we adopted him in July 2001.

I Passed!

2007-10-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

I passed the bar exam!!!

A Lotta Mucus

2007-10-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

I know, that post title is oversharing, but seriously, how else do you describe a head cold? Please forgive me for the following gloat, but once again, I have a reason to wallow in my non-schoolness. Now that I'm not trying to pull off school and work simultaneously, having a head cold is pretty underwhelming. During school any sign of sickness was treated like impending doom and my mood followed accordingly. Ironically, stressing out over being sick just made me sicker most of the time. However, now I can just deal. I have the sniffles, I'm slinging snot to and fro and sleeping like hell. Whatever, it'll go away.

I do have one concern today related to this cold. I'm supposed to handle a docket in court today and I'm not sure my voice will hold out. My supervisor can cover me, but I hope it doesn't come to that. I don't like to miss any opportunity to handle cases in court. Besides, there's the whole wimp factor if I don't pull it off.

Weekend plans are shaping up (wow, I have weekend plans!). My mom is supposed to drive over and we are going to go traipse through apple orchards and pumpkin patches. We're doing the autumn thing. I'm also hoping to lure her into a mall. For some reason dad didn't feel like coming along to follow the girls through pumpkin fields and department stores. Go figure.

Today's Random Dog Photo is Lucy, the most bossiest dog in the house. She's constantly attached to J and acts as his bodyguard, personal assistant and general all-around sycophant. They are inseparable and I'm a third wheel.

If

2007-10-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

My life has been ruled by the word "if" for quite some time.

It started with "if I get into law school". Since I went into my undergrad program with the intention of applying to law school, that "if" lasted for 4 years.

Then it was "if I survive the first year of law school." Thankfully, that only lasted 1 year.

Then it was "if I graduate from law school" which took me through the next 2 years..

Now it's "if I passed the bar." Everything, is in limbo hinging on that "if."

Today's Random Dog Photo is Cricket, the biggest bed hog in the house but with the sweetest disposition.

Law School...Really Any School...I Don't Miss It

2007-09-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went on a Martha Stewart frenzy. I cooked hearty food and decorated for autumn. It was pretty out of control. I have lots of space above my kitchen cabinets that I've wanted to do something with for years (literally, years). We had a mish-mosh of things up there that didn't match and didn't scream "theme".

Well, now we have an autumn theme going on up there complete with maple leaf garland. I had to start my attack armed with a dust mask and hand-held vacuum. It was ugly. In hindsight, a large shovel would've been the better tool.

That night I was feeling incredibly self-satisfied when it hit me that my level of self-satisfaction was at an all time high because I had no guilt. For the first time in seven years was able to do a big project around the house without silently freaking because I wasn't working on a paper, reading 100s of pages of textbooks or casebooks or working on an outline. I worked all the way through my undergrad and law school so weekends and evenings were pretty much swallowed up by study. If I wasn't studying, I was worried about studying.

Just icky.

Enough whining about the stress of law school. I'm going to start a new thing with this blog where I post a random dog photo, just because. I have four dogs and I they are usually the subjects of my photos. In fact, even if I'm taking a photo of something else, a dog usually wanders by and I cannot resist.

Today's Random Dog Photo is Koba playing dress-up with a shower curtain.

A Parrot With Better Speaking Abilities Than Me

2007-09-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Alex the amazing African Grey Parrot who helped Dr. Irene Pepperburg with her research died unexpectedly. Click here for the news article if you're interested.

Because of Alex we now know that the incredibly simple brain of a bird is more agile than previously assumed. Merlyn, the African Grey Parrot who lives in a room in my house, has used the correct words in connection with events on more than one occasion. Based on my own experiences, I've never doubted Dr. Pepperburg's results with Alex, although there were those who expressed doubts about Alex's cognitive abilities.

In fact, I'm pretty sure most parrots express themselves better than me. Witness two text messages sent to J this afternoon by moi:

Upon discovering that the automatic sprinkling system was turned off:

"When you get home plz turn on outside water. My pretty shit is dying."

And then when Wakonda wouldn't finish his dinner:

"ur malamute eats like a girlie-girl."

He didn't reply to either message. Go figure.

Today Sucks From The Get Go

2007-09-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

J didn't get home until 11 last night. So I was up late. Crabbiness begins.
My hair. Flat. Matronly. Ugly.
My makeup. Pasty. I look better wearing sunglasses.
A new sleeveless blouse from Target which is an exact duplicate of one I bought last year in the exact same size is snug as hell. I had no choice but to wear it since it was all that I ironed. Why isn't the same blouse, well, the same?
My jacket is tight enough that buttoning is unwise. Snug jacket plus snug blouse. Yay for me.
As I walked into the building a fluff of latte blurped out of the hole in the lid and landed right on the sleeve of my SILK too-snug jacket. Sh*tsh*tsh*t!

I should skip the lunch I packed and go get some spaghetti in marinara sauce so I can splatter it all over my front. Just because.

Eleven Dollar Salad

2007-09-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today I headed to Nordstrom's over lunch to grab some basic items at the cosmetics counter. Of course, once I got to the cosmetics counter I strayed from "basic items" into supplemental items I just had to possess.

During her very successful upsell session, the woman who was assisting me raved about the cilantro-lime chicken salad at the Nordstrom's Cafe. When she offered to call in an order to go, I just had to have the salad too.

After paying for my preplanned and impulse buys, I picked up my salad and diet coke which cost me ... brace yourselves ... eleven freakin' dollars. The salad was very good, but no salad is eleven dollars good.

This concludes today's Act of Stupidity.

Feminist Rant

2007-08-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

There is a newish dry cleaner downtown. I was tempted to try them, until I saw a sign that proudly proclaims that they launder and press "men's shirts".

What the hell? What about my damn shirts??!! Excuse me dry cleaner person, but I am a female and I wear suits that require shirts under them that usually require laundering and pressing. Does dry cleaner person think females enjoy laundry and ironing, or is it just that females are better at laundry and ironing? (Well, we are usually better at it, but that's beside the point.)

Want. December. Now.

2007-08-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

OhMyGod, OhMyGod, OhMyGod

Johnny Depp+Sweeney Todd=Christmas Present

(Actually Johnny Depp+Anything=Christmas Present)

Dammit My Feet Hurt

2007-08-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

I have one major problem with being in costume as an almost lawyer -- the freakin' shoes. I religiously try to buy shoes that feel comfortable in the store, but my feet simply do not get along with dress shoes. My feet will happily coexist with flip-flops and tennis shoes, in that order.

Today I was in black heels (seriously cute shoes BTW) from 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and my feet absolutely rebelled in the grocery store on the way home. My feet came so unglued by being trapped in uncomfortable, hot shoes that I lost control and had to stuff them into my briefcase once I reached the seclusion of my car.

My feet are now in their favorite state (bare) but continue to protest today's vicious abuse.

I'm so thinking pedicure this weekend.

Shout Out to Evan Schaeffer

2007-08-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

Evan Schaeffer over at Legal Underground has linked this blog a number of times and my thanks for the referrals is woefully overdue. Legal Underground is a must-add to your RSS feeder if you follow law blogs.

Tonight is actually a real Sunday night for me. Since leaving my previous internship in April, I've lived the life of leisure - well, except for that whole bar exam thing. Anyway, tomorrow I'm starting another internship while I wait for bar results. With reluctance I've dusted off my suits and inserted insoles and heel guards into my dress shoes. Back to the real world.

If I'd realized how much I would enjoy this break, I probably would have put off this internship until September. I worked full time while getting my bachelors at night, then I continued to work the maximum amount allowed during law school and full time in the summers. It's been seven years of work and school for me and had I paused to reflect on what I was doing, I would have imploded! Now that I can look back I marvel at my own insanity. Good thing I was too busy to dwell on what I was doing, if that makes sense.

Well, I'm going to enjoy the rest of this evening while I can. Back to Anna Karenina (which I am thoroughly enjoying).

I Can't Help It

2007-08-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

I've been resisting this topic, but it will no longer be ignored. I'm speaking of Britney and K-Fed.

I'm not going to comment on the "affidavit" excerpts making it into the press. There is probably a grain of truth in those statements. However, all of the witnesses in this case probably have huge credibility problems. I'm just guessing at this based on their association with Britney in the first place! I have my own reason to suspect Britney isn't going to win Mom of the Year award and it has nothing to do with the fact she allegedly tried to whiten her toddler's teeth.

Her kids look exhausted and unhappy. In every single photo of those children they look flushed, sweaty, tired, and incredibly cranky. Team Brit could argue that any child confronted with paparazzi 24/7 isn't going to look so hot. But there are toddlers under the same, if not more, scrutiny that look just fine (think Suri Cruise, Violet Affleck, and the gazillion Jolie-Pitt children).

Those kids need a routine, lots of naps, and some time out of the spotlight. They aren't getting that with Ms. Spears.

I'm taking my soapbox and leaving the room on that note.

Sudden Solar Eclipse

2007-08-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I lost a best buddy. Ranger was a 10-year old Golden Retriever who owned my parents. I also fell under his jurisdiction whenever I visited. Ranger burst onto the Western Montana scene at about the age of nine weeks. Mom and dad planned on a puppy. They did not plan on Ranger. To their delight Ranger was the epitome of “Happy Happy Joy Joy.” On the other hand, Ranger was also an exuberant BRAT. He had many tools in his BRAT arsenal, i.e. sharp milk teeth, sharp baby claws, and the ability to hurtle himself mindlessly at any object at warp speed. For the first time ever my parents found themselves putting their puppy down for a nap in his crate. They also used the crate for time out … it was either that or they were going to have to leave their home and let Ranger take over the mortgage. Based on his short attention span, a foreclosure was likely in that scenario. During Ranger's puppyhood, my parents took crate time (and their mental health) seriously.

The puppy rapidly collected more toys than any of his predecessors as my parents desperately searched for distractions to save their slipping grip on sanity. He even had his own wading pool. I'm not sure whether my brothers and I had our own wading pool as children, but Ranger had a wading pool. Of course, my brothers and I also didn't have to do time out in a crate. I guess we're even.

Luckily for Ranger, his BRAT abilities were offset by his unbearable cuteness. Have you ever seen a puppy that looked more like a chocolate chip cookie?

Errr...maybe a chocolate chip cookie who has been digging in the yard.

He could also be the sweetest puppy in the world when he ran out of steam.

Ranger continued this showy yoga position throughout his life, spawning copycats like Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, and Britney Spears who adopted the "Ranger Look" while exiting limousines.

Finally, at about age 5, Ranger grew up (mostly). About 85% of the time he was the lovely companion dog one sees plastered on Golden Retriever calendars. However he retained enough puppy traits to be a challenge, and endlessly entertaining. He snatched napkins off of laps. He snatched shoes. He snatched socks. Whenever he burgled one of these items, he would proudly parade around the room in circles with his gorgeous tail flagging behind him until someone bargained with him by swapping a treat for the contraband.

Even as a dignified adult, Ranger devoted himself to stealing ribbons and bows each and every Christmas. Since he was one of the family barring his access to the gift unwrapping was unthinkable. Of course, we mere humans would take away his ribbons, bows and gift boxes, but he always managed to wear us down to the point where he would end up in a corner of the living room with his very own box to shred.

Ranger had a huge heart and guests were always welcome at his house, even canine guests. I brought my own BRAT to the house when Koba was a very small puppy. Koba took one look at that big fluffy tail and he pounced. Ranger didn’t bat an eye and a friendship was formed. Koba visited a few more times when he grew up (mostly) and they had a grand time racing around the yard together. I have to admit being a tad smug when Ranger would cock one eyebrow at me at the end of an exhausting day with a Schipperke that all but begged me to please take the Schipperke away for awhile.

Ranger left us suddenly and unexpectedly. None of us were prepared for the gaping hole he left behind. But I think Ranger would prefer it this way. He was never big on good-byes.

Vaya con dios Big Fuzz. We miss you something awful.

Tolstoy

2007-08-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

I am a book addict. I must be engaged with a book at all times. I must read at night before I go to sleep every single night. Heaven for me is discovering a series I like because then buying books is a no-brainer for awhile. Although I gobble up books, only about one out of every twenty really hits the spot. The books that don’t hit the spot are just the filler in between each really great book. I am always on the hunt for the next really great book that completely takes over my imagination.

Now that the bar exam is over and law school is over (repeat ten times and down a jello shot after each section) I’ve decided to tackle an overdue project – reading Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. While browsing at Barnes and Noble recently, I remembered my goal and headed off to the literature aisle containing authors beginning with the letter “T”.

The first wrinkle in my adventure was spotting a banner across the book proudly proclaiming that it was Oprah’s summer pick. Shit. I’m sick of Oprah picking books because every book I pick is purchased by moi because I am interested the book for my own reasons, not because Oprah said so dammit. Luckily the Oprah banner was easily removable so I shook it off and decided to go ahead and buy the book spite of Oprah. (Explanation: Such a book is a library collection keeper, but not so much if it has an Oprah sticker marring the cover.)

I took my giant Tolstoy book up to the counter with a few other books I collected during my browsing. A young woman (girl) rang up my books and asked if Anna Karenina was the most recent Oprah pick. I told her I didn’t know, but I hoped the book would be good. Then I laughed and said that because it is so famous, it must be good to someone. She blinked and said, “Really, it’s famous?”

Stunned.

I clenched my teeth, stretched my grimace into a pretend smile and just nodded while I swiped my debit card.

Tolstoy….anything….famous. Anna Karenina….really….famous.

Okay, so this is probably a summer job for her and knowing her employer’s products probably won’t build her lifetime career track at this point. But she works in a book store and we’re talking about Tolstoy.

There’s really nothing more to say. Contemplate.

New Widget. Same Life.

2007-08-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

I try not to go widget crazy but sometimes I see one I can't pass up. I spotted the Petfinders widget and just had to add it to my sidebar. I've been a crazed adopter of shelter pets for eons and I can get all soapboxy on the subject real quick.

The days are sliding by and I'm determined to enjoy my freedom until my new internship starts. It's unnerving how quickly I adjusted to having nothing to do.

I had the new FX series Damages recorded and I finally got around to watching it last night. It's a pretty good show with an interesting storyline. The manipulative lead character played by Glenn Close has some eerie similarities to a former employer which makes it a little unsettling to watch. On the other hand, Glenn Close is incredibly good at playing sly, conniving women and I'd be uncomfortable watching her plotting even if I didn't have a point of reference.

I Am Inconsistent

2007-08-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

Just a few posts ago I was whining about being bored. Well, since that post I began to wallow in my open schedule. I started renewing my interest in CSS, digital photography and digital art. I picked up a few books and decided to dive into my inner geek while I had the chance.

Unfortunately, before the bar I talked with a public agency about volunteering after the bar to get a feel for the place and possibly apply when my name appears on the bar pass list. I was told to check back after I finished the bar. During my short boredom period I called to let them know I was ready to volunteer. I didn't hear back from them right away and to be honest, I wasn't all that eager to begin due to my sudden interest in devoting my time to self-indulgence.

Well damn, I got a call back. I have a meeting tomorrow. Before I could stop myself I said I could be available full time. Does my ambition know no bounds? Could I not be a little coy and perhaps volunteer part time?

So my play time is almost over because I wimped out on a little boredom.

In other news, I went back to moving posts from the old blog into this one. God, I did not know how to shut up during my 1L year. I posted every freakin' day, sometimes twice a day. While such exuberance is nice for journaling purposes, it really sucks when I have to copy and paste every single entry. But I'm determined to have everything nicely tucked into one fat blog.