Monday, July 9, 2007

Weird bruise

I've had this weird dark splotch (two, actually) on my hand since, well, I don't know when--I first noticed last Thursday night. I don't know what it is, and it's starting to freak me out.

(n.b.: photo adjusted slightly to compensate for weird lighting that didn't show the "bruise" in its full glory.)

At first I assumed it was a bruise, but (1) it doesn't hurt, at all; (2) it hasn't changed color since I first noticed it--no yellowing or greening or purpling or anything, just liver-spot brown; and (3) it's been a full four days! Wouldn't you think that a 4-day old painless bruise would have disappeared by now, or at least changed color a little bit? Do I have a huge liver spot? Some weird disease? The hiv?

Ah!

Cleanliness

My new favorite blog, www.passiveagressivenotes.com, recently posted a series of notes about the ever-present roommate dishes issue. I commented a couple times about how I think sponges are disgusting* and the steps my family taught me in order to combat that disgustingness**. And then, my friends, I took a look around me and started laughing. For all my *yeesh* about the way dishes should be washed, I sure let them pile up. And take a look at my super-sanitary workspace:


Please note that there are more beer bottles than Diet Coke bottles. Yes, this is how my bar study has been going.


* See http://www.cnn.com/TECH/tomorrow_today/9603/sponges/index.html and http://www.webmd.com/news/20070625/top-spots-for-bacteria-at-home

** Use a clean dish cloth for each batch of dishes. Wash all kitchen linens separately from other laundry (oh my GOD washing dish cloths with socks and underwear is just GROSS). Use hot water and bleach, always.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Waiting tables

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Saturday, July 7, 2007

Making up for my deficiencies...

I'm still slogging through the simulated MBE answers, going topic by topic, marking the ones I got wrong, and highlighting the reasons why. After I finish doing that for each topic, I add up the total number of questions and then count how many I got wrong.

For the first few topics, the ratios were, erm, BAD. Definitely worse than the overall average of where people who are "on track" should be. The strange thing, though, is that my overall score was higher than that "on track" average. So I wondered, what the hell is going on?

Oh, I see. Apparently I kick crim law's ASS. (I wish Bradley had thought so...)

Dude, I tested at 75% right. That's effing crazy. I don't know JACK about crim law!

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Bird Flu

As some of you may know, I am terrified of the bird flu. I feel about the bird flu the way some freakshows felt about Y2K. In other words, I have thought, in depth, about how much water I should keep on hand, how much food, where would I run to, should I buy a gun, how will I get my medicine, how will I communicate with my family, etc. Granted, I haven't made any decisions about any of these questions, but the point is, I've thought about them. Extensively. One might say I've "worried" about them. (Who, me, worry? Nooo...)

I read every major "bird flu found in crazy 3rd world village; some poor teenage girl who played with chickens dies" kind of article. I haven't seen any in a while, but here's one!

http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8Q6AOG00.html

IT'S COMING!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

I'm the best narrower-downer EVER

I'm embarrassed for myself as I sit here going over these MBE questions. For so many of the questions that I got wrong, I crossed off one answer--just one--as definitely an incorrect answer. That's what you're supposed to do, play the odds, beat the game, etc. Except it doesn't work if you keep crossing out the correct answer.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Friends

Every once in a while, I'm struck anew by what wonderful friends I have. Lately I've been burdening anyone with two ears with all my job- and apartment-searching tales, woes, insecurities, and concerns, and I know that I often repeat myself and obsess over some particular worry and just generally bore the pants off whomever I talk to*. But my friends have been so patient and so helpful and so wonderful, and I sometimes can't even believe that I'm surrounded by such amazing, giving, loving people, people who love me in spite--or perhaps even because of--my lengthy not-so-internal debates about everything from "what kind of law should I practice?" to "OMG can I stand to put shoes on every time I need to let Puck out OMG?" I had one of the best evenings tonight talking to my bestest friend, B, who I don't often get to chat with any more; and to another of my bestest friends, J, who's always delightful and the perfect commiserator and a super idea-bouncer; and to yet another one of my bestest friends, C, who is just one of the loveliest people I know and who is always looking out for me; and I almost got to talk to another of my bestest friends, JWD, whose messages are always hilarious and perfectly *her*. And last night I almost got to talk to bestest friend A, who is amazing and full of light and who always makes me feel like a better person just for knowing her!

And the fact that I have at least 5 bestest friends--and actually quite a few more, I just didn't get to talk to them tonight--whose advice and conversation I really cherish... I just feel so incredibly blessed. I don't use that word often, because I'm, for whatever reason, a little uncomfortable with the God implications (and that's another post for another day), but it's nights like tonight and friends like these that make me thankful and joyful to be alive. I certainly have had many hours, days, weeks, this year when I wasn't so thrilled to be vibrantly, painfully alive, and remembering how all of these friends have rallied behind me in my darkest, smallest moments as well as in the most shining, glorious moments literally brings tears to my eyes.

Thank you, guys. I love you so, so much. I am thrilled to have you all in my life, and to be part of yours, and to be facing this new chapter of our lives all together.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX



* This reminds me of about the only joke I can ever fully remember. One woman (in the spirit of the horrific MBE simulation (hahaha) we took today, let's call her A) is talking to another woman (call her B) she's just met, and she says, "So, where are you from?" And B says, looking down her nose, "I'm from a place where they don't end sentences with prepositions." A pauses, and then she says, "Oh, yes. Please excuse me. I meant to say, where are you from... BITCH?"

And that in turn prompts me to tell you of the latest bar review Shusher drama.... today, a few of us in the troublemaking row came back early from our scheduled hour lunch so that we could get a headstart on the second section of the test, so that we could leave early. We were diligently working away (after an extended session of silliness as we started) when the rest of the class started to stream in, about 15 minutes before class was to start again. People realized that we were trying to work but continued to talk, as they certainly had the right to do. That didn't upset me. But, that they seemed to get louder as they realized we were already working... that upset me. So, I kept a diligent eye on the countdown clock on the video screen, expecting that that woman with the awful Minnesotan accent would pop back up and tell us to get started again, but desperately hoping that the lunch countdown would just switch over to the test countdown so that I could turn the shushing tables. And, praise be, it DID. And I DID.

And it was fabulous.