Helluva Week

I totally intended on doing this post Friday as part of Friday Fragments, however... its been one heck of a week. I've been busy, sidetracked at every turn, and distracted. Here goes:

- My dad called on Thursday and has been laid off his job. He lives in IN and the economy there is worse than it is here, and chances are slim he will find something. He is thinking of moving closer to me, so close in fact that he may very well be living in my spare bedroom. The good news about that is, as former military he is super duper clean. And he would probably clean my house because it would drive him crazy.

- My last final exam was supposed to be on Wednesday. I got Child #5 dropped off with my husband, and got over to the school for a few hours of study and down time before the exam began. And about that time, they canceled the exam. Actually, postponed it- to this coming Wednesday. I appreciate the extra study time, but I was ready for the hell to be over.

- Friday night I was supposed to go celebrate the end of exams with some friends. Since exams weren't over I was torn. I ended up going anyway, but it was hard to really have a good time
when I felt guilty for being there instead of home studying. However, watching really bad karaoke is always good to take your mind off whats bothering you.

- Some good news- my kids actually let me sleep in until 9am on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. I haven't slept in that late in a very very long time. I usually am up at 5:30 to start getting the kids ready for school, and I didn't even realize I could sleep so late.

- A friend of mine from school saw one of our professors on Thursday at a CLE class and was told he turned in our grades. He said the spread was 8 A's, 1 D, and the rest in between. The grades should be posted tomorrow. Please, sweet baby Jesus, let me have an A.

-Child #2 has been sick all day today. My twins (#2 & #3) had a friend spend the night Saturday night. Then Sunday morning #2 woke up not feeling well. Her stomach has been hurting all day, a slight fever, we've had the bowl nearby. One nice thing did come out of it- I was getting ready to leave and run errands this morning and she asked me "but who will take care of me while you are gone?" I told her Daddy was staying with her. Her lip quivered and she said, "but what if he doesn't know what to do?" I reassured her I told Daddy exactly what to do. At least I know I am needed.

There is probably more that has happened, but I have purged it from my mind already. Making room for exam materials up there. Tonight, after the kids get in bed, I am getting in the hot tub for a well deserved relaxing soak. Maybe my husband will quiz me with my notecards for the exam while we're at it...

Wednesday: Wordless, Wordful, but not Wonderful

I have a lot of really insightful thoughts I planned to share with you after our country elected Barack Obama as our new President. Unfortunately, that will have to wait until tomorrow. My final exam last night went pretty well, but that was the easy one. Tonight- the dreaded evidence. Rules within rules and hearsay within hearsay... the whole exam is 4 hours long. In honor of that, I leave you with this

No Rest for the Weary

Well, its down to the line now. McCain, Palin, Obama, Biden, and ME are all in that mode to make the most out of what little time we have left. My exams begin in less than 48 hours. I vary between moments of panic and moments of confidence. Last night at the Halloween party while everyone else was enjoying karaoke, I was pretending to listen while reciting the rules of evidence in my head. I spent the morning reviewing, took a little nap, and will be up into the wee hours of the morning hoping to solidify some morsel of knowledge that will make the difference between a B and an A. At times like this I begin to resent the people who make those lawyer jokes. You have no idea how hard this is. Sure, make fun of lawyers all you want, but when you need one dammit you will be grateful someone is willing to help bail your ass out of whatever you got yourself into. I've never been to med school, obviously, but I betcha this is just as hard and I don't hear people making jokes about doctors at the bottom of rivers. Its all fun and games until you need a will or estate plan, wreck your car because you didn't notice that stop sign, have you kid get picked up with a bag of weed, find out your spouse is cheating, or have a boss who sexually harasses you. I'm spending hours, weeks, years, of my time that could be well spent with my kids to figure out how to make sure your constitutional rights are protected and vindicated in a court of law. Bite me people who want to crack jokes. Then call another lawyer.

DISCLAIMER: the following paragraph is political in nature and probably not very nice... if you are sick of politics feel free to skip it....

Maybe I'm just tired and cranky, a little snappy. Or maybe I've been watching too much Fox news. Or driving through affluent neighborhoods where people jogged and rode their bikes to coffee shops scowling at my Suburban and lamenting the fact that I still use plastic grocery bags and don't recycle and compost my coffee grounds. I mean, after all, if Obama wins I may not even have time for being a lawyer. I'll be too busy growing my own food and tending to my solar panels so my kids and I can survive. After his plan bankrupts the coal industry and electric prices skyrocket, I don't get a tax cut under his plan, and he takes even more than the 50% I already pay in taxes so we can redistribute the wealth to those who can't or won't work, I may be better off staying home and living like the Amish. I especially hope that Obama can appoint some Supreme Court judges with empathy rather than ones that are willing to uphold the constitution and seperation of powers. Really, that would just round out the worthlessness of my future degree. On the other hand, if it won't be worth being a lawyer, maybe I can look into politics... that seems to be the way of the future- at least when we become socialist I can keep my stuff.

I guess, on Tuesday, when I begin taking finals and our country begins to elect a new leader, we will only begin to know what fate awaits us....

Random Thoughts

I've been really hitting the books hard for the last few days. Exams begin in less than 2 weeks. I did really well on midterms and thought that would alleviate some pressure during finals, but alas, it has only made more pressure to maintain the ground I made.

So, today I am making a list of some of the random things I thought of over the last couple days. If any of you have any answers or insight, I'd love to hear it. And now, I will leave you with these thoughts....

1. How is it possible to shed so much hair every time I shower, yet still have so much hair left?

2. Why does the doctors office always tell you to come early to fill out paperwork, but they are never ready when you get there?

3. If I am on the Do Not Call list, why can my phone company still call me every other day to sell me something?

4. Why aren't there more osteopathic doctors in middle Tennessee?

5. Why are gay guys more fun to hang out with?

6. Why don't our schools teach foreign languages in younger grades?

7. When does being eccentric turn into having a mental issue?

8. Why is no one complaining about welfare, when it costs the country about the same amount per month as the war- we have war protestors, where are the welfare protestors?

9. Are safety measures defeating the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest?

10. Why does baking seem like so much more fun than cooking?