Hey guys, remember... my last post? Well amazingly soon after that, I was offered a job. Excuse me, not, a job but a job doing exactly what I want to do. Like, I was in the interview and they asked what I wanted to do as my career and I stopped for a moment because I couldn't figure out how to say it without sounding like a total kissass. "This job, I want to do this." And I think it worked because it's totally true. I am so excited to start. Like... soooo excited. One reason I'm excited is because I feel like I don't really have to hide certain substantial aspects of my personality like I have for the past year. My dad referred to it as me "coming out." Except I'm still not gay. Just a lefty.
I feel incredibly fortunate. Because I am. Because I got this job by making myself completely qualified (oh yes, I worked very hard for 4 years now to do that) but also by hustling like hell and being really nice and reasonable to everyone for the past year. PS- once I heard all of the secretaries in the office liked me, I knew that was VERY good. Job seekers-- NEVER underestimate the administrative staff.
Anyway, the future starts on Monday, for a day. Then I go to New Orleans to hang out with friends and radical lawyers (there is much overlap between these categories to be sure) and then I start for real for real the following Monday. I have purchased things FOR MY OFFICE, like a lamp and ipod speakers. I got some new clothes, too. And I'll get a new day planner and pens before I really start, too. You know, back to school and all.
I'm kind of over the moon and have been for 2 weeks now. It's funny because a number of people have pointed out how additionally lucky it is that I hadn't gotten another job before this-- I wouldn't have been available or hustling like I was. Of course, this is impossible to really believe when you're in the thick of it, but they're right. Things worked out really well and really in the right way. The relief of working for/with people who a) guessed I was going to New Orleans for this convention and b) knew all about my dad's case (compared to perhaps where no one knows what a) is and about a month ago I was asked how my dad was doing in Rwanda...) is huge.
This is a lot of jumbled thoughts. Another jumbled thought is that I've been thinking about what to do with this blog. It's finding that comfortable middle where I am not just talking about the dogs, but am also not divulging private information and am also not compromising clients or my professional reputation by expressing opinions about more substantive things. Then again, I can no longer even find this blog when I google myself there are 6,670 hits. Wowza. So much for privacy.
Oh and one more time- YAY!
Showing posts with label nola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nola. Show all posts
Friday, February 05, 2010
That's so Raven
Tiredness and stress, I wish you were to blame. But, alas, I am able to transition the conversation with someone capable of hiring me from my career ambitions to the penalties for offering oral sex in Louisiana all by myself.
That's awkward.
No, wait-- that's so Raven!
Especially if Raven is a super-awkward weirdo.
That's awkward.
No, wait-- that's so Raven!
Especially if Raven is a super-awkward weirdo.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Late August
My friend Josie has a wonderful post about this, we're entering the 4th anniversary of Katrina. Like she says, it's funny (um, not ha-ha funny, come on now...) how much my life has changed because of Katrina, in these four years and for the better.
Four years ago I had been reading all I could read and watching all I could watch about what was happening while at work. I met Jota and David for Happy Hour, we spent every Tuesday that summer at some weird and mostly lame bar in Tribeca that had outdoor seating and strong $2 margaritas on Tuesdays (and neither of those things are weird or lame at all.) That was when information was minimal, I remember David saying 10,000 people were dead. Of course it ended up being both more and less severe than this. I remember so clearly trying to comprehend that through a couple of strong $2 margaritas.
Since then we've all three become lawyers. I spent 2.5 of those years working for and with students and people of the Gulf Coast. I found a passion, my passion, and I found out how hard I could work. I found new skills. I did good work. I met great people. As one of the SHN friends said, "my closest friends in law school don't go to my school." That friend, he is down there. So many of those people are working in the region, continuing the work we did together. The anniversary has made me think about how I am not. Earlier this summer, before Flagstaff was 100% for sure and when there was possibility I would be in New Orleans, another wonderful friends I know through this work sent me a text message, reassuring me, "you will do good and important work wherever you are." And so I am not disappointed, or even wrestling with it, although on this anniversary is feels strange to have gotten so close and come so far from that place. To have become part of a community and then gone somewhere else to start over.
And on the other hand. I am still in the place I am because, in some sense, of Katrina and that work. However one wants to portray it- I like: It took the spirit of New Orleans to open Charlie's eyes to how much he loved me. He probably prefers... no, this is my blog, we're going with my version. Everyone would agree, however, that our first trip to New Orleans changed our lives, we spent it interviewing workers on street corners together and having our minds blown. We got "together" a week later. So it is not at all disconnected from Katrina that we a) are a team now and b) came to Arizona so that one (and eventually both) of us can continue working for social justice-- working for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of the teeming shore. Continuing the work, in a way, in another place that America has broken its promise.
Unfortunately, the food can't compare.
Four years ago I had been reading all I could read and watching all I could watch about what was happening while at work. I met Jota and David for Happy Hour, we spent every Tuesday that summer at some weird and mostly lame bar in Tribeca that had outdoor seating and strong $2 margaritas on Tuesdays (and neither of those things are weird or lame at all.) That was when information was minimal, I remember David saying 10,000 people were dead. Of course it ended up being both more and less severe than this. I remember so clearly trying to comprehend that through a couple of strong $2 margaritas.
Since then we've all three become lawyers. I spent 2.5 of those years working for and with students and people of the Gulf Coast. I found a passion, my passion, and I found out how hard I could work. I found new skills. I did good work. I met great people. As one of the SHN friends said, "my closest friends in law school don't go to my school." That friend, he is down there. So many of those people are working in the region, continuing the work we did together. The anniversary has made me think about how I am not. Earlier this summer, before Flagstaff was 100% for sure and when there was possibility I would be in New Orleans, another wonderful friends I know through this work sent me a text message, reassuring me, "you will do good and important work wherever you are." And so I am not disappointed, or even wrestling with it, although on this anniversary is feels strange to have gotten so close and come so far from that place. To have become part of a community and then gone somewhere else to start over.
And on the other hand. I am still in the place I am because, in some sense, of Katrina and that work. However one wants to portray it- I like: It took the spirit of New Orleans to open Charlie's eyes to how much he loved me. He probably prefers... no, this is my blog, we're going with my version. Everyone would agree, however, that our first trip to New Orleans changed our lives, we spent it interviewing workers on street corners together and having our minds blown. We got "together" a week later. So it is not at all disconnected from Katrina that we a) are a team now and b) came to Arizona so that one (and eventually both) of us can continue working for social justice-- working for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of the teeming shore. Continuing the work, in a way, in another place that America has broken its promise.
Unfortunately, the food can't compare.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
FML
I've mentioned this fellowship job in New Orleans to many of you, many have said "that's perfect for you!" And, well, I learned earlier tonight via the facebook status update of the girl who apparently got it... that I didn't. I know her, we worked together last summer. Oh, technology! Naturally, my first reaction was to deactivate my facebook account. I'm a such a good woman scorned.
To be honest, I feel completely fucking worthless. I've been feeling worse and worse as the summer has gone on, with the sinking feeling punctuated by the fun of leisure and the occasional mini-break (like my first public defender client, who I met today, and the excitement of calling someone and saying, "Hi, I'm your lawyer" should be the subject of this blog post). It felt so good to get that appointment and the little encouragement of being paid to do what I want to do, albeit on a limited scale.
Side Note: Earlier this evening, we went to "Away We Go" and debated ahead of time whether watching a movie about 20/30 somethings trying to find their place in the world was the best or worst idea we could have. Turns out the movie is fabulous, very in line with Dave Eggers writing, it's thoroughly hilarious and enjoyable. It's one of my top movies now, I can't recommend it highly enough.
But back to bemoaning my situation. I feel truly terrible. Like the world lied to me, it told me I had to do A, B and C to get what I wanted, I did those and whoops! the rules have changed. I feel, honestly, like I finally applied myself and worked at full steam toward something (which of course I didn't do for personal payoff... but...) and it doesn't matter at all. All of the reasons I didn't work at full capacity all along, basically a fear of failure, have come true. This sounds dramatic, but I feel a little dramatic. And a little scorned. Like I did my best and have been told over and over it's not good enough. I have not gotten a lot of jobs, more than I can count.
I think one thing I've realized is that while having no obligations and a summer completely free sounds ideal; for those of us with aspirations beyond being the messy common-law housewife I am currently, it feels pretty shitty. And it's time to call a spade a spade and realize I'm unhappy and even depressed. This isn't a forever condition and I do think I'll look back at pictures of my sweet tan and think of all the free time... and think of it with humor and wistfulness. But then maybe I will read this blog post and remember how shitty it really feels to be applying for jobs I'm not even qualified for, because I'm overqualified, outside of my field ("law") and not even getting interviews in a place you've never been before. Is it shittier than not getting interviewed/hired in the place you've lived for 3 years or the place you've made a surrogate home for 3 years? Hard to say... probably the wallowing will be over tomorrow, but no promises.
To be honest, I feel completely fucking worthless. I've been feeling worse and worse as the summer has gone on, with the sinking feeling punctuated by the fun of leisure and the occasional mini-break (like my first public defender client, who I met today, and the excitement of calling someone and saying, "Hi, I'm your lawyer" should be the subject of this blog post). It felt so good to get that appointment and the little encouragement of being paid to do what I want to do, albeit on a limited scale.
Side Note: Earlier this evening, we went to "Away We Go" and debated ahead of time whether watching a movie about 20/30 somethings trying to find their place in the world was the best or worst idea we could have. Turns out the movie is fabulous, very in line with Dave Eggers writing, it's thoroughly hilarious and enjoyable. It's one of my top movies now, I can't recommend it highly enough.
But back to bemoaning my situation. I feel truly terrible. Like the world lied to me, it told me I had to do A, B and C to get what I wanted, I did those and whoops! the rules have changed. I feel, honestly, like I finally applied myself and worked at full steam toward something (which of course I didn't do for personal payoff... but...) and it doesn't matter at all. All of the reasons I didn't work at full capacity all along, basically a fear of failure, have come true. This sounds dramatic, but I feel a little dramatic. And a little scorned. Like I did my best and have been told over and over it's not good enough. I have not gotten a lot of jobs, more than I can count.
I think one thing I've realized is that while having no obligations and a summer completely free sounds ideal; for those of us with aspirations beyond being the messy common-law housewife I am currently, it feels pretty shitty. And it's time to call a spade a spade and realize I'm unhappy and even depressed. This isn't a forever condition and I do think I'll look back at pictures of my sweet tan and think of all the free time... and think of it with humor and wistfulness. But then maybe I will read this blog post and remember how shitty it really feels to be applying for jobs I'm not even qualified for, because I'm overqualified, outside of my field ("law") and not even getting interviews in a place you've never been before. Is it shittier than not getting interviewed/hired in the place you've lived for 3 years or the place you've made a surrogate home for 3 years? Hard to say... probably the wallowing will be over tomorrow, but no promises.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
New Orleans Recap
Got back from another week in New Orleans late last night. I recently figured out I've spent 17 weeks over the past 2 years there. That's a lot... Anyway, I thought I'd recap by recapping what but mostly where I ate. So if you know someone going there, you can tell them about the good places.
Friday:
Ribs at Interstate BBQ, Memphis. Apparently famous. They are not kidding when they say the $8 rib tips are for a "big appetite."
Saturday:
Beignets from Cafe Du Monde
World's Healthiest Pizza (Mediterranean...mmm...)
BBQ at Josie's
Sunday:
Ruby Slipper (crab cake brunch)
Pat O's (2 hurricanes, and they sell food?!?! My americana classic, wings and salad)
No dinner= still a mistake
Monday:
5 Happiness (funny name and a little expensive for dinner, but good lunch specials and really tasty high quality chinese food.)
Oki Nago dinner (Yes, it's a buffet in Metairie... but it has all you can eat sushi, oysters, mongolian grill for $15?!?! Yes!)
Tuesday:
5 Happiness leftovers
Liuzza's By the Track (get the gumbo)
Jacques Imo's (alligator sausage cheesecake, fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade) + Maple Leaf (Rebirth Brass Band)
Wednesday:
Juan's Flying Burrito (everything is good. My fave over the summer was the jerk shrimp salad-- with mango and goat cheese? Delish! This time I got the luau quesadilla. Mostly for the bacon.)
Liuzza's (unrelated to the other Liuzza's-- fried pickles, shrimp po' boy)
Thursday:
Red Beans & Rice at Lauren's House.
Friday:
Slices (andouille & shrimp pizza? ok!)
Harbor Seafood & Oyster Bar (if you're the airport, go here. It's awesome and a dozen really good oysters on the half shell are $6)
And so I am back... and feeling I need a full body cleanse.
Friday:
Ribs at Interstate BBQ, Memphis. Apparently famous. They are not kidding when they say the $8 rib tips are for a "big appetite."
Saturday:
Beignets from Cafe Du Monde
World's Healthiest Pizza (Mediterranean...mmm...)
BBQ at Josie's
Sunday:
Ruby Slipper (crab cake brunch)
Pat O's (2 hurricanes, and they sell food?!?! My americana classic, wings and salad)
No dinner= still a mistake
Monday:
5 Happiness (funny name and a little expensive for dinner, but good lunch specials and really tasty high quality chinese food.)
Oki Nago dinner (Yes, it's a buffet in Metairie... but it has all you can eat sushi, oysters, mongolian grill for $15?!?! Yes!)
Tuesday:
5 Happiness leftovers
Liuzza's By the Track (get the gumbo)
Jacques Imo's (alligator sausage cheesecake, fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade) + Maple Leaf (Rebirth Brass Band)
Wednesday:
Juan's Flying Burrito (everything is good. My fave over the summer was the jerk shrimp salad-- with mango and goat cheese? Delish! This time I got the luau quesadilla. Mostly for the bacon.)
Liuzza's (unrelated to the other Liuzza's-- fried pickles, shrimp po' boy)
Thursday:
Red Beans & Rice at Lauren's House.
Friday:
Slices (andouille & shrimp pizza? ok!)
Harbor Seafood & Oyster Bar (if you're the airport, go here. It's awesome and a dozen really good oysters on the half shell are $6)
And so I am back... and feeling I need a full body cleanse.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Baddest Ass
Friday morning I flew from Milwaukee to New Orleans at 6am. (Thursday night I had dinner with my step dad and this guy and this other guy who represents Guantanamo guys and Padilla and other cool stuff.)
The weekend was wonderful. I was there for a wedding and got to spend great time with new and old friends. It was a beautiful ceremony (including a reading from the law nerdily appropriate Goodrich v. Dept. of Health.) I discovered I still had "it" when I caught the shuttle to the airport at 3:50 a.m. on Sunday, still wearing my dress. I had actually decided to leave the rest of my stuff in New Orleans and fly back as-is... but made a last-minute good call.
And so, I am still recovering. I arrived home without my cell phone charger but with some kind of upper respiratory infection. Nevertheless, internet, please know, I am badass.
)
The weekend was wonderful. I was there for a wedding and got to spend great time with new and old friends. It was a beautiful ceremony (including a reading from the law nerdily appropriate Goodrich v. Dept. of Health.) I discovered I still had "it" when I caught the shuttle to the airport at 3:50 a.m. on Sunday, still wearing my dress. I had actually decided to leave the rest of my stuff in New Orleans and fly back as-is... but made a last-minute good call.
And so, I am still recovering. I arrived home without my cell phone charger but with some kind of upper respiratory infection. Nevertheless, internet, please know, I am badass.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Show and Blow Sounds Funny
I am back in Madison after more than 3 months and 3600 miles:
View Larger Map
And so there will be more on the end of New Orleans, the road trip, the wedding, the new apartment. But for now, enjoy this:
View Larger Map
And so there will be more on the end of New Orleans, the road trip, the wedding, the new apartment. But for now, enjoy this:
Dear Student Badger Fan,
Congratulations on receiving your season tickets for football. The Dean of Students Office wants you to have a great experience supporting our team this season. We also would like to make you aware of a program and also ask for your assistance in making game days great.
Our office operates a program called “Show and Blow” that affects students who are ejected from Camp Randall for alcohol related reasons. This program requires students ejected from a game to come to all subsequent games completely sober if they are underage, or legally sober if they are of-age. We implemented this program last year in an effort to address serious alcohol related behavioral issues at football games. There are important changes this season related to student season ticket holders who are required to participate in this program.
Vouchers for any student season ticket holder ejected for alcohol related reasons will be electronically tagged. This means that if a student season ticket holder is in the Show and Blow program and their voucher is used at any of the remaining games, the user of that voucher will be directed to the Show and Blow area to complete a preliminary breath test (PBT) to verify compliance with the program.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Kismet
My friend Liv (pronounced "leave") studied abroad with us in Chile and coined a new email address for the move-- liv2chile. It was cute and clever and of course she changed it when we got back and graduated from college...
So this guy is a UW grad, I've met him through one of my professors. And this is his run for Congress:
http://www.kenya2congress.com/
Funny.
So this guy is a UW grad, I've met him through one of my professors. And this is his run for Congress:
http://www.kenya2congress.com/
Funny.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Saturday: Abita Springs, LA
This is a place where the beer is free and flows like water. Water you pour yourself.
Then things got silly...
And mini...
And clever (Lindsey bought one... I tried to get one for Charlie...)
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Last Weekend
And two very New Orleans Events:
1. Friday Night: Chicken Drop at Outer Banks Bar. You can ask me questions about what this means, but the pictures and video should pretty much explain it all. Yes, this is a bar game here. And yes, if you're poor in New Orleans, these are your lawyers...
And then, Saturday, White Linen Night... where bourgeois New Orleanians dress all in white and walk around looking at art.
Next weekend? Abita Brewery Tour and tubing on the Bogachitta river, in Bogachitta, MS. Stay tuned.
Next weekend? Abita Brewery Tour and tubing on the Bogachitta river, in Bogachitta, MS. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Press
This has been a great series of articles about some of the issues the office runs up against.
Take your pick:
Stings Targeting the Homeless
Silly Pot Busts
Crime Against Nature
Take your pick:
Stings Targeting the Homeless
Silly Pot Busts
Crime Against Nature
Friday, July 25, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Updates
Some are nerdy, some are not...
A writ I wrote last week for a 15 year old accused of armed robbery was granted, so that's like, we won. At least enough to get him sent back to juvenile court. Where, really, any 15 year old belongs.
Friday night I went out with office folks, a long happy hour and a bar and Soul Rebels, which is always fun. Lots of funny, drunkish conversations with lawyers and clerk and staff. Mostly worth waking up on Saturday, nearly afternoon, and feeling like warmed over spit. And it was raining, so I went to Batman. And, since the whole country saw it this weekend, you probably already know that it's awesome. My two-year relationship with a comic artist, and pressure from some of his super-obsessed friends to see and do everything DC/Marvel makes me a little hesitant about seeing super hero movies. But, I'll be damned, this is not the Hellboy II they would have made me see (let's be honest, I never would have seen it, but they would have given me a hard time).
Saturday night we basically ate all night, first sushi and beer, then tried to eat cajun food but were too full. So I went home with everyone's leftovers, which meant I was eating Alligator Cheesecake for breakfast (amazingly delicious) and eggplant bouillabaisse for lunch. I tried to go on a run Sunday morning, but it was already about 95 degrees at 10am... so it quickly turned into a long walk with iced coffee. That segued into some time reading the Jonathan Franzen book, The Discomfort Zone by the pool. And a sunburn that I wore to an evening in jail for First Appearances.
A writ I wrote last week for a 15 year old accused of armed robbery was granted, so that's like, we won. At least enough to get him sent back to juvenile court. Where, really, any 15 year old belongs.
Friday night I went out with office folks, a long happy hour and a bar and Soul Rebels, which is always fun. Lots of funny, drunkish conversations with lawyers and clerk and staff. Mostly worth waking up on Saturday, nearly afternoon, and feeling like warmed over spit. And it was raining, so I went to Batman. And, since the whole country saw it this weekend, you probably already know that it's awesome. My two-year relationship with a comic artist, and pressure from some of his super-obsessed friends to see and do everything DC/Marvel makes me a little hesitant about seeing super hero movies. But, I'll be damned, this is not the Hellboy II they would have made me see (let's be honest, I never would have seen it, but they would have given me a hard time).
Saturday night we basically ate all night, first sushi and beer, then tried to eat cajun food but were too full. So I went home with everyone's leftovers, which meant I was eating Alligator Cheesecake for breakfast (amazingly delicious) and eggplant bouillabaisse for lunch. I tried to go on a run Sunday morning, but it was already about 95 degrees at 10am... so it quickly turned into a long walk with iced coffee. That segued into some time reading the Jonathan Franzen book, The Discomfort Zone by the pool. And a sunburn that I wore to an evening in jail for First Appearances.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Strange Day
Some time in jail, a hostile client, one with the most amazing name which for confidentiality sake I can't divulge... and one of the other law clerks here died this morning. Which makes for a strange feeling day. I am going to sleep a lot tonight.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Vacay!
I am in the airport, about to take a mini-break. A long weekend away from the Orleans Parish Sheriffs and crazy judges and miserable clients and all of that hotness and absurdity and inhumanity. My boyfriend and I are meeting my wife and her husband and our communal son (godson, kindnessson, real son, potayto, potahto) and family and friends for a weekend at the lake. I am excited and ready to be very happy.
Some thing else that recently made me very happy is this:
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
Some thing else that recently made me very happy is this:
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
What the Eff?
I was at work for 13 hours yesterday, about 8 of those in magistrate court. One of the PD lawyers was held in contempt after she was appointed to someone on the spot and ordered to hold the trial right then. I left at 9pm, went directly to drink an enormous fruity fishbowl called a "mambo," went home and discovered I have On Demand. You win some, you lose some.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Levee Ride
I went for my first bike ride in New Orleans today. It was 91 degrees, I was out for about an hour and came back wondering if I was dead. BUT, it was very nice. There is a bike path that runs along the top of the levee along the river. The New Orleans streets are so shitty and pot-holes and full of clinically insane drivers... that riding on the street is stressful and rather slow. So it was great to get up there and just ride, and not even have to stop. This city also doesn't really maintain public anything-- parks are threadbare and scary and obviously we know about silly things like schools and hospitals. But it was great to be on a rather nice road, ride along the river and explore. I passed countless bullhorns, elevated houses along the river, ports, families out riding.
On my first trip here, a speaker referred to the need to return to ones roots, especially those who "grew up drinking the water of the Mississippi." Well, I was also raised drinking Mississippi water... although long before it made its way all the way through the country. And I've been to the mouth of the Mississippi and grew up riding my bike along the very same river, 1200 miles north. So I had a very nice time, riding along, sweating profusely and thinking about all this and more.
On my first trip here, a speaker referred to the need to return to ones roots, especially those who "grew up drinking the water of the Mississippi." Well, I was also raised drinking Mississippi water... although long before it made its way all the way through the country. And I've been to the mouth of the Mississippi and grew up riding my bike along the very same river, 1200 miles north. So I had a very nice time, riding along, sweating profusely and thinking about all this and more.
This Evening
In a great cultural experience, I went to the movies. I saw Get Smart in Harahan, LA. And I bought a daquiri at the snack bar and drank it during the movie-- the greatest movie innovation since sour cream & onion pringles instead of sugared popcorn of the Chilean cinematic experience. The movie was "eh." But the first half sure was funnier than the second half when the sugar and booze wore off.
Speaking of cultural experiences, watching the movie tonight was a lot like watching movies in another country. At certain points, I wasn't sure Lindsey and I were watching the same one everyone else was (and no, I don't think it was all the daquiris.) Like they laughed at puke and people falling down and the few genuinely funny lines, we cracked up and they were silent.
It was all in all a very nice night. I was supposed to do this, but it started raining like crazy at 4pm. So instead I went to an Obama party at a bar, then Thai food and then this weird movie experience. Very enjoyable. Just like last night, actually, but hold the upsetting ignorance.
Speaking of cultural experiences, watching the movie tonight was a lot like watching movies in another country. At certain points, I wasn't sure Lindsey and I were watching the same one everyone else was (and no, I don't think it was all the daquiris.) Like they laughed at puke and people falling down and the few genuinely funny lines, we cracked up and they were silent.
It was all in all a very nice night. I was supposed to do this, but it started raining like crazy at 4pm. So instead I went to an Obama party at a bar, then Thai food and then this weird movie experience. Very enjoyable. Just like last night, actually, but hold the upsetting ignorance.
Friday, June 27, 2008
The Rope
Today I went to magistrate court, like usual. I talked to some parents of two cousins, a boy and a girl, who are both in college. And were arrested yesterday on three counts of armed robbery each. The girl is 6 months pregnant. She got house arrest. The boy has $100,000 bond on each count. These kids fucked up big time... but I had a hard time not being able to make it better to their parents. Another client was about to be extradited on an out of state warrant, he didn't understand why or really what was happening to him. At one point, he mouthed to me, "help me." Maybe it's just that Fridays are tougher. Or maybe the days are equal, I am just out of steam by Friday. I left a little early, realizing I had already been there for 8 hours and would get more done by taking the work home and spending an hour on it over the weekend than continue to sit there and stare at it. A friend from work lives with 3 Tulane undergrads, I went with them to a restaurant here that has 7-cent mojitos until 7 on Fridays. We had 20. Well, 21 since the waitress spilled some on me and brought me a new one. The bill was $1.54. Then we went and ate the "best burgers in the city" at Port of Call. The work friend told me how much of a relief it is to hang out with these girls, because they are easy and fun and not in this crazy world we spend all day in. But they are also 21 and mostly affluent and sheltered and say thing like, "well, if we got arrested, they wouldn't bring us to that jail, would they?" And then she went on and on about how difficult the Katrina semester was for her, because she was at American and didn't even enjoy shopping. All she could think about was the clothes Tulane had boxed up from her dorm, waiting for her back in New Orleans. "Yeah," I said, "that's a real story of Katrina hardship." On the way home, we passed the tent city under the I-10 overpass downtown. One girl remarked how she had never seen it before... despite the years both it and she had been in the city. The one who Katrina took from the desire to shop said that some people choose to live that way. And all they do is sit there all day. And I snapped. No, noone prefers to live in a tent under the highway than in a home. And, actually, most of those people work. She is one of those people that don't seem to notice when you snap and when you are stewing in the front seat thinking they are at best ignorant and a waste of time and at worst a
bad person. Anyway, I don't find that relaxing or a relief at all. I find it frustrating and stressful.
I had been doing this weird immersion thing. Like I literally come home from work all day and watch Law & Order reruns on cable. I have started reading this book, Down in New Orleans by Billy Sothern. Sothern is a NYU law grad in his late 20s/early 30s now who moved down here a couple of years before the storm to do death penalty work. He is still here doing that, I know people who work for and with him. It's very readable, even if not really a break from real life. Some of the commenters on amazon.com talk about the book like it's unnecessary, like it's all been said before and like he lays it on too thick. If the New Orleans temporary residents I was with tonight are any indication, this isn't true at all. Plus, a local book by a death penalty lawyer my age has lots of good bar and restaurant ideas...
bad person. Anyway, I don't find that relaxing or a relief at all. I find it frustrating and stressful.
I had been doing this weird immersion thing. Like I literally come home from work all day and watch Law & Order reruns on cable. I have started reading this book, Down in New Orleans by Billy Sothern. Sothern is a NYU law grad in his late 20s/early 30s now who moved down here a couple of years before the storm to do death penalty work. He is still here doing that, I know people who work for and with him. It's very readable, even if not really a break from real life. Some of the commenters on amazon.com talk about the book like it's unnecessary, like it's all been said before and like he lays it on too thick. If the New Orleans temporary residents I was with tonight are any indication, this isn't true at all. Plus, a local book by a death penalty lawyer my age has lots of good bar and restaurant ideas...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
