MEMORANDUM

To: Fellow Bloggers
From: Legal Diva
Re: Evidence Memo, Kiddie Commutes, and Debate Drudgery

Introduction
Today while all the kids are at school, my mission is to research and complete an evidence memo regarding hearsay expert witness testimony and how Crawford v. Washington applies. The remainder of the week will be spent: 1) getting child #1 to orthodontic appointment, 2) delivering class snack on behalf of child #4, 3) packing clothes for children #1-5 for trip to florida, and 4) separating Studies Weekly on behalf of teacher for child #4. In the midst of all this, I will be deeply saddened about missing the debates this evening which will be occurring less than a few miles from where I will be sitting, listening no doubt to some dull commentary on American Legal Remedies.

Discussion
I've spent hours reading cases and law review articles in preparation for this evidence memo. I feel that because this assignment is for extra credit points only I am prepared to write the memo at this point. I dread writing the memo, even though it will likely only take me 45 minutes, because I think: 1) I will only get 1-2 extra points for this, 2) my grade in evidence is good going into the final exam, 3) I've probably wasted 5 hours on this that I could have used studying for said exam, and 4) had I used said 5 hours I wouldn't need the extra credit in the first place.
As far as kiddie commutes, I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to get this stuff out of the way before our trip. In hindsight, I should know better than to schedule any appointment or commitment for the week leading up to a big trip. Mental note: do not do this again.
Were this not the absolute last night of class, I would be willing to skip class and come home to watch the debates. Unfortunately, the class begins at 8:10 and no amount of abbreviated class will help me get home (or anywhere else with a TV) before they end. Our final for this class also happens to be on Election Day- not as big of a deal though, since I have a feeling we are going to have a repeat of Election Day 2000 and the returns are going to be coming in late in the evening. By a miracle of the Gods, our class that day will also be ending at 8pm, which leaves plenty of time to see the west coast returns at the very least.

Conclusion
Today, and this week on the whole, are filled with busy drudgery. When I was little, all I wanted to do was be a grown up. Now that I am a grown up (which is still subject to debate), I just want to have a simple easy childlike life. Is that too much to ask? Apparently not, according to Walt Disney... he is going to make me a kid again all next week.

Was it Really a Debate?

Well, I suppose so. But I think it was mostly a test of Sarah Palin. To see if she was everything that the Republican party said she was, and everything the Democratic Party said she wasn't.

So, because I really enjoy polictics, and I really enjoy bantering, I got myself a bowl of peanut butter fudge ice cream, a cup of tea, and sat down to enjoy the show.

Overall I think she did pretty well. She had intelligent answers, and the more comfortable she became the better her answers became. Some of the things I enjoyed:
1. At one point, she caught Biden in a misstatement. He answered a question, and she corrected him in a very Mom way- sort of the way I would when I know my kids are not giving me the whole story.
2. She gave a shout out to a bunch of 3rd graders- how many VP's have you ever known to give a "shout out"? Impressive.
3. She used plain language instead of senate-speak. I think this will go a long way with the average person. Technical answers in everyday words- something we all wish doctors could do more often. And sometimes attorneys.

And just to be fair to Biden, I really enjoyed an answer of his in which he said, "fun-damental". Go Biden- put the "fun" back in fundamental. I'm pretty sure he didn't mean it like that, but the emphasis he used made me laugh anyway.
One thing Biden said that didn't make sense- his party is against a troop surge. But then again, his party wants more troops in Iraq. Wait a minute.... isn't a surge the same thing as more troops? Is "more" less than "surge" like "a couple" is less than "a few"? Isn't it really the same difference? *sigh*..... politi-speak.

Next week is the big presidential debate here in Nashville. My mother in law lives about a mile down from the Curb Event Center. I wanted to go to her house and walk around and see the action- the news crews, the security, the demonstrators and protestors. Unfortunately I will be sitting in class that evening.