I'm baaaack.

Quick rundown:
1. on a plane while the Sox were winning the World Series
2. got off plane during the 7th inning to discover that my luggage, with my suits necessary for the next day's interviews, was missing
3. incredibly fortunate enough to borrow a suit from a friend in the same hotel, same size as me, with a complete extra suit, pantyhose, and shoes
4. saw and fell in love with all over again, all of my friends from the summer
5. remembered why I loved being in that city
6. remembered why I didn't like being in that city
7. remembered how well Mr. Maybe and I got along, and wondered how it is that we are no longer capable of speaking to each other
8. got drunk. deleted Mr. Maybe's phone number
9. was proposed to by a panhandler
10. left it all behind for what may be the last time. It felt good though. I had a great summer there, a fantastic 13 weeks. I came, I saw, I conquered. It's the past. going back won't resurrect it. My job is over, my friends have scattered. A chapter closed.

Tired.

Today's articles

Who Slate is voting for and comments:

There is a vitally important conversation to be had in this country, about
balancing security against freedom. That conversation has happened in the
courts, in the media, and in the academy. But it has never interested this
president at all, who seems to be increasingly of the view that any
freedoms—of speech, protest, or due process, make everyone less safe.

On Kerry: He's a long way from being the Messiah, but at least he's not the
anti-Christ.

Dahlia's very good analysis of why the Supreme Court won't touch another presidential election

Cards have Sox in dangerous position

NY Times article on court decision that limits child welfare agency's ability to remove children who live in households with domestic violence.

And let's not forget that the Sox are playing the potentially World-Series-winning game tonight, during a full moon lunar eclipse, after having made a comeback in the ALCS, down 0-3, which no other team has ever done. Forecast tonight: Hell freezes over.

I, unfortunately, will be on a plane during the game and will have no idea what's going on.

See y'all on Monday.

Gasp. What if...

... the Sox take the first three from the Cards and then the rest of the series occurs a la the 2004 ALCS? Shudder.

I found this cute note in a Massachusetts state case today.
"The Commonwealth has informed is not only that it disagrees with the trial judge's "ultimate determinations" but also that it "takes umbrage with" them. The appellate process, of course, benefits from the sound legal analysis the parties tender to the court and to each other. Bulletins about a ruling's impact on a party's mental tranquility, however, play no useful role in that process."
Commonwealth v. LeClair, 55 Mass. App. Ct. 238, 242 n.8

Links that I just HAD to read and pass along, from How Appealing
Texas Judge Has Party, Sentences Fugitive
Transcript of Roper v. Simmons oral arguments
DC Circuit court opinion admonishing a district court judge for not applying the sentencing guidelines. I heart you, sentencing judge. Excellent decisions and concerns.
Twelve year old searched, arrested, cuffed, thrown into custody for eating A french fry in the Metro station.

Today's articles

Oak Hill Detention Center's future is uncertain
Faced with a Nov. 15 deadline to submit a plan to save Oak Hill Youth Center in Laurel, District of Columbia officials say they are working feverishly to improve conditions at the troubled juvenile detention facility and avert its shutdown.

Red Sox Star Keeps Bit of His Past in Present

Judges who kill and judges who don't. From How Appealing

Articles

Coalition to target drug policies

Those ladies wearing purple with red hats

A Prince George's County judge yesterday signed a death warrant for a convicted murderer from Capitol Heights, making him the second man scheduled to be executed in Maryland this year.

Verbal judo as a technique for law enforcement

Yesterday.

My interview was wretched. I'm still collecting my limbs.

I don't think I did HORRIBLY, but I didn't do well, and they weren't impressed. When they (all 8 of them) were asking me questions about what I did with the capital trial clinic, I was explaining the motions etc that I wrote for the clinic, and I got questions like, "Which rule is it that..." What? I have to know the NUMBERS of the Rules now? And then I mentioned that the Federal Rules of Evidence are flexible in the sentencing phase, and then I was asked, "under what principle?" Dunno, dude. Profs told me to do it. I did it. I just know they're flexible. Sorry. I was too busy trying to keep the evidence out. I was trying to explain the series of events that led to the charges, but the case is INCREDIBLY complex - it took an entire semester of poring over discovery materials and sitting through a week of the trial before I really understood the theory of how this all unfolded. So trying to explain it in a sentence was really hard. And one woman impatiently asked, "Did he COMMIT any CRIMES then?" Well, he entered a guilty plea on guilt/innocence. Sure he did. But no one really knows what happened, and we pointed the finger at the co-defendant. So.

Then, after I gave my opening statement (which, P.S. I had to give myself a crash course in, because I haven't taken trial ad and don't know how to do them) I had one guy ask me to just state one paragraph of the facts as though I were speaking to him over a beer. Then I did. And he said, No, I mean, if you were an all-knowing being and you saw what happened between the defendant and the complainant, how would you describe it? So I described it. And he said thank you. Shit. At least they were polite.

And of course, I was asked a series of questions about "How would you feel about standing next to a child rapist?" "Why do you want to represent THESE people?" And I guess I didn't answer it right. Because they kept asking me in different ways. What do you mean, how do I feel? I'm glad that I get to stand next to someone who has been victimized their entire life and be a good resource and advocate for them. These people are not the worst things they've ever done. They deserve not to be overwhelmed by all the resources stacked up against them. STOP ASKING ME THAT QUESTION OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Dude, I have $150k in debt, I'm begging you to hire me for something to the tune of $30k a year even though you threatened to send me back to that rural town that I was sent to work in against my will as a social worker, I'm not applying anywhere except public defenders, I've committed my life to working for indigent people, this is not just a fad. Why? Damned if I know. It's just RIGHT. I love it. I love my clients, I love the work, I love feeling like I can make something WORK for them for once. I can't explain any better than that. Sorry.

And then I didn't answer correctly about how to keep out a statement in the fact pattern. I really had no idea. I'm not stupid, but I was just not spotting the issue they were getting at. Then I cobbled together a 5th Amendment argument. But that was clearly not what the guy was hinting at. And there was silence in the room.

Sigh. Well, we can count that one out. It felt really yucky when I left. Especially since I had been sitting in one isolation room for an hour that was almost 100 degrees. Then the room in which I faced 8 people was just as hot and I was interrogated for an hour. Duress! Coercion! Sheeee-it.

I guess it's good that I had such a difficult one first. There's no way to go but up.

Oh yeah- GO SOX! WOOHOO!

And I said no.

A friend called me today. She has an extra ticket to the game tonight. Offered it to me.

And I said no. If it weren't for this goddamn interview I have tomorrow, I'd be there in a heartbeat. I just couldn't justify the traveling. Even my boss suggested that I go.

I am so devastated. Of all the things to be offered, and rejected - a ticket to Game 6 of the ALCS. I'm ashamed.

Today's articles

A Free Man With Friends in High Places

City Adapts Police Strategy to Violent Schools

''I don't think they know the mess they're creating in our state," said Edward Naile, head of the Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers, which plans to challenge students' residency claims. ''They think 'Oh, my vote's not going to mean anything for . . . Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts; I'll go spend my vote in New Hampshire.' Then I'm stuck with a bunch of left-wing whack jobs from the colleges." On students' eligibility to vote

Jury convicts man in slaying of teen and unborn baby

Wakefield rocks my world.

5 hours of baseball...

Womanofthelaw's Vital Stats for October 18, 2004:
Resumes sent: 13
Interviews scheduled: 6
Glasses of wine: 2
Number of times my computer at work has been taken away from my office, just leaving a monitor, keyboard, and mouse behind and leaving me with no workstation: 2
CDs purchased to diffuse anger at stupid internship: 2 (Come now. Huey Lewis and the News cures everything when purchased in conjunction with the Allman Brothers Greatest Hits and a venti cafe mocha).

I'm a big fan of brunch. I've been experimenting with other Sunday brunch places recently, figuring I could become an expert on brunch in this city. Today, however, I returned to the very popular diner that's just a few blocks away from me, a place that I've been to many times over the past few years. It is the best goddamn brunch ever (large servings, very good food) and it's cheap, and the diner's theme is just awesome. Not cheesy like Denny's or anything. It's just not worth going anywhere else, really. Perfection was right there all along.

I babysat last night and tonight. Tonight went less smoothly. I'm downing more cheap shiraz, watching the Sox with one hand over my eyes, telling myself that I should be in bed to be alive tomorrow. Oh well. It's only Oct playoffs for the Sox once, right? Oh no, it's not. They falter here EVERY YEAR.

Go Pats.

Womanofthelaw's Vital Stats for Oct 17, 2004:
Glass of wine: One (ok, one REALLY full one)
Book: "One Hundred Years of Solitude" - I had given it up, but since I only have a few chapters left, I should really finish it... and it's totally sucked me back in
Things Eaten That Will Kill Me, or At Least My Dreams of Being a Supermodel: Brunch this morning - two scrambled eggs, two piece of french toast, one piece of ham, homefries, and a bottomless cup of coffee. I'm still full.
Karma Points: 5. Yesterday I went grocery shopping and a charming young man was selling candy bars outside the grocery store. People kept walking by, ignoring him as though he were begging for change. I decided, as I approached, that I'd buy the $1 candybars. He was adorable - looked about ten years old, and was wearing a jacket except with the jacket over his head - so his arms were sticking straight out of his sides. Heh. As I walked up, he said quickly, "Wouldyouliketobuycandytohelppreventteensfromsmokinganddrinking?" I said sure, what are you selling? And it wasn't even candy bars - it was boxes of crappy candy. "Turtles" - peanuts and caramel covered in chocolate. Ugh. I hate them. But I said sure, I'll support your fundraiser. How much will they be? To which he responded with a grin, "$5 but the smile is free." I wanted to choke when he said $5, but come now. The smile was free. ADORABLE. So I bought them. And of course have eaten half of them. Which leaves about 3 left. But at least I can know that teens are NOT smoking and drinking because I'm eating candy that I hate and paid my week's worth of groceries for.

How in the world can anyone believe that we should be executing people under these circumstances?

That is the question asked in a letter sent to the NC State Bar regarding prosecutorial misconduct that resulted in a death sentence, which was later overturned, and the defendant was later found not guilty on retrial. From I Respectfully Dissent.

Um. Go Pats.

Belichick for Red Sox Manager. He'd whip 'em into shape real fast.

It hurts my soul.

Dear Red Sox:

There are no words to explain.

I know I've said over and over that I believed last year was a better year than this year for an ALCS title, but I didn't expect that you'd roll over and play dead so soon.

You didn't really believe that you were going to be able to do it. So you didn't.

I don't even know why I still have the game on.

Shiraz and New You's Resolutions.

On the CD player: Soundtrack to "Duets" crooning from my loft bedroom of the apartment. On deck: Soundtrack to "Sliding Doors." Couple that with the shiraz and the sweatpants that feel like home while making my ass look cute, and there's no doubt that tonight, we're having A Night. One of those Nights that require some introspection, maybe a laugh and a cry, painting toenails, reading a book, re-evaluating where I am and where I am going, and who and what is important.

Consumed:
One piece of banana-chocolate bread
Two hot dogs, complemented with a glass of Yellow Tail shiraz
Half a piece of light white American cheese

I shared the other half of that piece of cheese with Fernando. Fernando is the downstairs' neighbor's cat, a beautiful and very friendly cat that has taken quite a liking to me. He was dubbed "Fernando" by my dear friend who helped me move in. He doesn't have tags, so we had to make up a name. Fernando's given name is "Thug's Life" and is actually a female. I could call her "Fern" for short. But that's a stupid name for a cat. As is Thug's Life. So she remains Fernando. She sneaks in behind me when I come in the house. She's snuck in my third story window before as well. I would love to let her come hang out inside with me, and would totally take her as my own, if 1. I didn't have roommates and 2. she didn't belong to the landlord's son. So, Fernando and I continue to conduct our illicit affair, and today when I kicked her back outside in the rain, I wooed her with cheese. Hope she isn't lactose intolerant.

this Night is brought to you courtesy of Mr. Maybe.
Dear Mr. Maybe:
Thank you for finally responding to my emails, particularly my question as to whether you still wanted me to stay with you. I'm sorry to hear that since we last discussed the issue, you believe you will be out of town for my visit at the end of the month. I appreciate your suggestion that we meet for a drink if you do, however, find yourself in town. To that, I say: Not likely, asshole. Thank you for not revealing your shallow, self-centered, social-climbing aims earlier. I will be sure to call you the next time I need you to further my own aims, as you have so kindly done for me.
Sincerely, (not a word you recognize? Ok, then we'll try)
Fuck off,
Womanofthelaw

Resolutions aren't just for New Year's anymore. Every once in a while, we find ourselves in the position to re-evaluate. These positions generally arise from an event that changes the cadence of one's day, when one finds oneself lacking the desire to drown one's sorrows in the company and wine of others, and has some down time to sit in The Sweatpants nursing a bottle of cheap shiraz while mowing down some hot dogs. One of the great things about New You's is that they are things that have needed some work for a while - sanding down some rough spots, patching up some chipped off parts - but suddenly, the energy to fully commit oneself to these changes comes around via some catalyst, and so after a frenzied mental, spiritual, social, physical, and frequently literal housecleaning, the piece that just chipped off or the rough edge that seemed to develop are resolved, or accepted, or covered with a doily.

With one distraction down, I'm left with just a few very time-consuming distractions. First, the Red Sox. The agony of playoffs is here. Additionally, I have no idea what to do with my time apres c'est finit (finis?). Secondly, (this will probably edge to first after the Red Sox are finished, which could be any day now) I need to get myself employed.** Thirdly, I need to continue working on my health. Healthy eating, re-structuring my workout, drinking more water, flossing, getting regular haircuts and manicures. Fourth, I will read more books. Fifth, I will take better care of my car and my debt.

** I got another interview today!

Womanofthelaw's Vital Stats for October 15, 2004:
13 Resumes sent total
4 interviews scheduled
0 books read

Oh no. This Night may have just been derailed. I'm being told that friends are going out. But they do not like the Red Sox, and the game is on in 45 minutes. I will shuffle over with my wine and sweatpants. if the plans suit me, I will go. If they don't, then I don't.

Update: went out. regretted it. walked back home in the rain.

So angry.

I don't even know how to express it all in words. And it's probably best that I don't. So I'll leave it at this - I've made my last phone call, text message, email to Mr. Maybe. There's nothing worse than feeling duped.

Juvenile Executions

See this post - Juvenile executions - not ruled out? - for some feedback on today's arguments in Roper v. Simmons, in which the Supreme Court is reconsidering executing people for crimes they committed before they were adults. I think it's interesting that Justice Kennedy (a crucial vote) seemed to be really concerned with the brief by 6 states that permit such executions, in which gory murders were recounted.

SCOTUSBlog quotes : "“There is no principled basis,” the brief says, “for concluding that 16 and 17-year-old murderers, as a class, are categorically incapable of acting with a degree of moral culpability deserving of society’s severest punishment….A teenager who plots like an adult, kills like an adult, and covers up like an adult should be held responsible for his choices like an adult.”
Kennedy offered the brief as a counterpoint to a scientific argument relied upon heavily by Washington attorney Seth P. Waxman, who represents a juvenile, Christopher Simmons, who was sentenced to die in Missouri for a murder he committed at age 17 years and five months. Relying upon scientific findings, Waxman told the Court that “it is impossible to know whether a crime committed by a 16 or 17-year-old was a reflection of a true, enduring character, or a manifestation of the traits of a juvenile….No psychiatrist and no jury can say with confidence that a crime [committed by a juvenile] was due to an enduring quality or a transitory trait.”"

The Justices have to consider the constitutionality of executing for juvenile crimes. Luckily, the standard is based on the evolving standards of society, so they can pretty much find any outcome they want. I think that Kennedy is wrong to focus on the victims, however. If the focus of Constitutional law was on victims, the Bill of Rights would have been repealed long ago. The concern is that it is cruel and unusual to kill people who are not fully formed individuals. And of course, why is it that the age for being tried as an adult can be as low as 12, or 14 - but to be able to vote, or drive, or drink are all pegged at different ages? Presumably, the age at which these 'privileges' are pegged correlate to a presumed level of maturity in the individual. We're more than happy to let a child go to jail, charged as an adult at the age of 14 because, for some reason, if the crime is more serious, then he is more responsible - not less.

Gina Holland from the AP reports on Roper v. Simmons.

Also from the Baltimore Sun: Should a teenage killer have to pay with his life?
Three juveniles involved - one got a death sentence, one got life with parole, and one got 9 months in a juvenile facility.

Dahlia Lithwick, my very very favorite! The Young and the Reckless: The Supreme Court Contemplates Executing Juveniles

Christopher Columbus Hates Me.

I went downtown to do some "unshopping" as This Fish Needs a Bicycle calls it. I had to return some items and decided that I should be looking at Columbus Day sales, as Columbus would have wanted it.

When I arrived at the store to return my purchases, I noticed a nice lavender sweater that I wanted to try on. The line for the registers was about 20 min. After that wait, I grabbed the sweater to try it on, having unloaded my returns. There were 10-15 people waiting in line for the dressing room. This store is ridiculous. So, I put down my bag and my jacket, take the sweater off the hanger, and try it on in front of a mirror. It's ok. Not great. As I am taking it off and putting it back on the hanger, a scrawny white girl with braces who doesn't look a day over 15, who I've seen working there before, says not very nicely to me, "You have to try that on in the dressing room. We can't let customers try clothing on in the store." As she is speaking to me, I continue to put the sweater on the hanger, I look up at her, smiled an icy smile, and said, "Thank you." Bitch did NOT just call me out like that. It's not like I was bustin' out a pair of jeans or a thong. It's a sweater. It's SUPPOSED to be layered over other clothing. And, if we're going to be all "rules of customer service" about this joint, then a) open another goddamn dressing room, or four b) open another 6 registers and c) do not ever speak to me like that in public, especially if I don't know you. Got it?

Then at lunch, I spilled an entire soda. All over the floor.

*sigh* I wanted to cry right then. I didn't. I shook it off, took a deep breath, face to the sun, all that crap. On my way out, I paid the man in the wheelchair $1. I gave $1 to the guy who held the door open for me, too. It would have been rude not to, and frankly, he's about the only man who has been polite to me in this city. The least I can do is hand him a dollar. Besides, when I get in funks like that, it's a selfish endeavor for me to give change to people who are asking for it. Every single thing I purchase or eat is borrowed at this point, either federal loans or a credit card - but sometimes, when I give other people money, it just makes me feel like I've shed some of my burden. I feel less stressed about money when I'm handing it to someone who is homeless. I figured, this will make me feel better. I'll have a good vibe, good karma. Deciding I needed to not be so much in public, I retreated to the bookstore, selected a pile of books, and hid in a corner. I wedged myself in between the end of a bookshelf and the floor-to-ceiling window. My second grade teacher had a little reading nook like that next to one of the classroom closets, with a special, large, smiley face pillow. Our names got picked out of the hat to determine who received the honor of settling there during reading time. The next time I am in a position to be discriminatory in my housing arrangements, I want to create a reading nook. Ahhhhh. How relaxing.

Then I knocked over my coffee.

On my way home, my beautiful brown suede jacket got caught on a piece of metal, which tore a 5 inch gash from the pocket to the bottom of the jacket.

Came home. Ate some apple crisp. I've now shut myself in my room, which has no furniture or sharp objects, so it's not likely for me to do much harm here.

Let's try on some Introvert and see how that fits.

Finding this city to be a miserable failure as far as creating opportunity for establishing new social connections, I wash my hands of the matter. I made apple crisp for three houses on this street (including my own) yesterday, and that's about the extent of my social circle. Which is unfortunate, since I received an apple peeler / corer / slicer for my bday, and I can now mass-produce apple crisp.

Rejecting the outside and now retreating inward, this is my Half.com reading list:

Purchased this weekend:
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milans Kundera

Almost purchased, but left on the Wish List:
Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich
Running with Scissors, Augusten Burroughs

Adding to wish list right now:
The Motorcycle Diaries, Ernesto "Che" Guevara
True Notebooks, Mark Salzman
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Tom Robbins
Anything I can find cheap by Kurt Vonnegut, because I've never once in my life read a book by him. I think I read a short story by him once. It's downright tragic that I've never read any of his books.

What I REALLY wanted to do this weekend

... was crash a wedding.

I really wanted to get dressed up in the one swanky dress I own, slip on some black, rhinestone strappy shoes, put on red lipstick, dab some of my favorite scent behind my ears, stroll into a lovely hotel, and crash a reception. Actually, it wouldn't have to be just a wedding. A retirement party, a swanky birthday party, whatever. A special occasion for someone, where not everyone would necessarily know everyone else, and everyone was having a good time. Where I could dance with a nicely dressed gentleman to a Tony Bennett song, twirling around the dance floor.

I'm sure there's a way to pull it off. And hey, it's October - it's a virtual guarantee that every hotel and reception hall in town is hosting a wedding on a weekend. This can't be hard...

Examples of why you can't always trust the legal system - crazy judges.

Link from Not Guilty.

I can't believe this guy was once a public defender!!!!

I mean look at paragraph 14. Being held on $25,000 bail for riding your bike on the sidewalk without lights or a horn? I mean, aside from the fact that the judge has a blatant disregard for the Sixth Amendment - that's just crazy.

“Criminal Justice and Deportation: The Invisible Crisis”

More good fun.

DC cop convicted

A D.C. police officer was sentenced yesterday to six months in jail for helping to buy PCP for a woman who later was found dead... So far this year, 26 D.C. officers have been arrested, one of them twice, according to Gentile, who said privacy rules prevented him from providing the names of the officers and the charges against them.


Juvenile Worker Charged

A worker at Maryland's new juvenile detention center in Baltimore faces charges stemming from an alleged assault on a 15-year-old resident, court records show, underscoring growing concerns about the safety of children held at the pretrial facility.

Roslyn DeShields, 40, is to appear in Baltimore Circuit Court this month to answer charges of custodial child abuse and second-degree assault. A police affidavit alleges that she struck the boy "one time in the face with her hand" as he was being held against a window by another staff member, resulting in "a small welt and swelling under [the boy's] right eye."

Death Row Inmate No More, Texan Walks Free to a New Life

Hartford Boy, 12, Charged in Death of Friend

I had tears.

Today in court: Guy pled guilty to drug trafficking. He was wearing a nicely pressed white shirt, untucked, with black pants. Looks like Gregory Hines, older male; looked tall, stately, weary. Dominican, couldn't speak any English. Sentenced to 3 years with two years probation. Probably won't serve the probation because he will probably be deported, said the prosecutor. He walked from the witness stand to the bailiffs. He was cuffed and before he left through the prisoner door, he waved goodbye to his wife.

Today's articles

Convicted killer accepts offer for life prison term.
In June of last year, the U.S. Supreme Court, while letting Wiggins' conviction stand, threw out the death sentence. In ordering a new sentencing hearing for Wiggins, the majority wrote that jurors probably would not have chosen to put the borderline mentally retarded painter to death had they been told that he was forced to beg for food by his alcoholic mother and that he was physically and sexually abused by his foster parents.

7 Dissenters on U.S. Court Cannot Stop an Execution
Unless the Supreme Court intervenes or Paul Gregory House dies first from the multiple sclerosis he has, he will be executed.

Prosecutors Won't Pursue Cases of 227 in Disputed Protest
Charges have been dropped against the 227 protesters who were arrested during one of the most disputed demonstrations of the Republican National Convention.

The Baltimore Sun and Washington Post have this AP article:
Maryland Public Defender Nancy S. Forster has asked a judge to close the state's new juvenile detention facility or order immediate improvements there, citing "systemic" violence, including allegations that workers have induced young residents to fight one another.

Supreme Court previews

The Legal Information Institute (LII) now has Supreme Court Previews, summarizing the cases scheduled to be argued before the Supreme Court.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

Nothing too wild, nothing too crazy. Update to follow.

So much, and yet nothing at all.

Tomorrow I am a quarter century dead. To celebrate, I've been cramming peanut butter cups down my throat for the past few days. No good.

Got in a bizarre email fight with Mr. Maybe (well, he didn't know we were in a fight, I had to tell him) over, of all things, Kevin Millar. I was absolutely fuming. I rarely get that angry at people that I care about, but then again, it's the people we care for most that hurt us most, right? What started with clever banter about baseball statistics ended with an email from him that not only insulted my intelligence (overtly) but was patronizing and insinuated that the only thing I could offer my clients is an ineffective assistance of counsel claim on appeal. I didn't answer his email for (gasp) an entire day and a half. Then he called today, so I returned his call. I told him it upset me, he apologized, we moved on. I couldn't chat with him because I was on the train but I just tried calling him to actually TALK to him, and he didn't pick up. Sigh. My brain would function so much more effectively if I were still ignoring him.

Sent in my resume to many agencies that are interviewing at a job fair, and have heard NOTHING. Not one has said, "Sure. Love to interview you." Now, the agencies that will be at the job fair are pretty much the only agencies on my wonderful spreadsheet of places to which I'm applying. So, they all have my info, and if they deny me an interview at the job fair, that's not just making the job fair a bust - it's making my entire job search a bust. What makes me even more nervous is that I've been so distracted by unimportant personal things that I don't really remember completing my job apps - it's just a vague and recent memory about being aggravated about it. But they all got sent out, and for the life of me, I can't remember to whom I sent what.

Saturday night, I went out with friends from SummerTown in FallTown. It was the best night I've had here yet. I got to meet new people, see an old friend, check out some new bars, and make it into bed by 2 am. Sunday morning brunch ended up being quite a treat as well. Brunch is the most important meal of the week, as far as I'm concerned. The diner down the street was packed, so we were going to head to a pub on the other side of town, but we were intercepted by other friends ditching the diner for IHOP. We all went to IHOP and I made more new friends (they were roommates of a friend - and they were really, really hot). It was an incredibly pleasant brunch experience, followed by the Patriots. Aaaaah. Wonderful Sunday. Ended up staying out late to see a former blind date perform at a nearby bar. Confirmed that I don't have much desire to see former blind date again.

Dahlia's Supreme Court Dispatches is back! This week, it's "Batman and the Penguin Eat Blakely." Sweet. Diligent bloggers post info on Blakely:
SCOTUSBlog 1 and SCOTUSBlog 2.
Observations from Sentencing Blog.

Go Sox.