As I said, Mieke tagged me. I have to think of 7 things that people wouldn't know about me. Not an easy thing to do, since I say (and type) everything I think. Well, that's not true. There were at least two things which I considered for this list, but then passed on for something a bit less ... personal.

1) I tend to throw myself into temptations, rather than resisting them. Sometimes this is as minor as buying an album on iTunes when I know very little about the artist, and other times, it's as major as kissing someone I perhaps should not.

2) Right after E was born, I bled pretty heavy, and was a hair's breadth from being whisked away into surgery to make it stop so I didn't die. All the while, I was lying there, grinning, feeling fine, b/c the baby was out of me, and she was crying, and even though there were some scary things going on with HER before I pushed her out, she was okay. I was really on some other planet. X, my mom, my doctor, and the nurse were all frantic, and I was grinning at the little sparklies around the lights on the ceiling.

3) I had a C average all through high school. I shared this with a friend of mine last year [who I met through the kids], and she was stunned. She just could not believe that I hadn't been a good student. Well ... I was not. I was horrible. I didn't do my homework, I was completely disorganized, and I put forth zero effort on most of my assignments. If my kids do the same as me, I will be very ANGRY with them. I will likely be ANGRY with myself, too, for passing my genes on to them.

4) I have only had sex with 3 people in my life ... and since I've been married twice (well, one is current), it goes to show what a prude I am. I know very few people with such a low #. My kissing # is also quite low.

5) When I was 21, I was fired from a job. (Or rather, I "resigned in lieu of termination.") It was one the worst experiences of my life, because by that time, I'd already been in the work force for 8 years, and one thing I thought I was really good at was working. In my experience, it was the very beginning of shared document networks in law firms, and in the early days of interoffice e-mail. Another employee had been caught accessing private and confidential documents (that required passwords), and was fired. After that happened - the office administrator did a search of the system to find out who had accessed other people's documents. My name was on the list of people who accessed more than [some arbitrary number -- I think it was 25] documents, and so I was on the list of seven people who were given the boot. They did not care that I had legitimate reasons for being in other people's documents (i.e., I did a lot of overtime and overflow work, and worked for several people other than my boss -- far more than 25). All of the documents I accessed were "public" - not private. I had not hacked into anything, nor was there any allegation that I accessed information I should not have, and certainly no allegation that I misused information that I shouldn't have had. This was my third (or fourth?) rider to my bar application; along with the one about the divorce; the one about Liberty's disciplinary policies; and the one with my 100 jobs beyond the blank spaces provided. I've told a few friends this story in the context of me needing to write it up for the application, and at least one person looked horrified --- she said, "agh! at my summer job, I went into other people's documents all the time to see how certain documents were done there!" Yeah, no duh. We were also told to do that at Future Firm, and at the firm I was working with at my last co-op. Because that's the point: shared documents. I was told after I left this firm, though, that the sweep of people who were gotten rid with me all had some issue or another -- whether it was one woman with rheumatoid arthritis, or the other whose baby had health issues requiring her to miss a lot of days. Some suspected that it was a front to get rid of people who were no longer needed/wanted. [I had just asked for a leave of absence for the summer, b/c X had a clerkship in another city.]

6) All my life, my dad had a good bit of gas. Burps, farts, you name it. Turns out, I have his genes. I tend to fart a lot in the evening. It's perfectly controllable - I mean, if I go to a friend's house, I don't fart. If I'm at a restaurant, I don't fart. Actually, for the first 2 or 3 years of my live-in relationship with Beloved, I held onto the farts. Now, however, I let 'em rip (that's what he gets for taking the plunge into marriage). It's become a bit of a family joke. So much so that yesterday, when J and I were at Target, she laughed uproariously at the gift card with a picture of Flower (from Bambi) on it that said "I smell like Roses." Because that's my mantra .... It's okay that I farted, because it smells like roses. Also, when Beloved and I watched Volver, and Penelope Cruz knew that her mother was in the house because the house smelled like farts, we laughed a lot. I am curious as to WHY, and if something's wrong with me. When I eat bread, rice or pasta, there is more, and more PAINFUL gas. I already stay away from those things, for weight loss purposes. We tried a meat-free week a couple weeks ago, and that had no discernible effect. Perhaps some day, I'll go to the doctor.

7) I wish my hair were red. Preferably an auburn color - like Addison from Grey's Anatomy. Actually, I wish I looked like her - entirely. I think she rocks. Nicole Kidman used to be my "I wanna look like her" girl, but she's gotten emaciated and weird. I don't like her anymore. I liked her when she and Tom [freak] first got married ... when they did Far and Away together. And when she did Dead Calm. Like here. Not like here. Or here. [I mean, ewww??] Nope. Now it's Kate Walsh for me. If I could, I'd look like this.

Phew. That was hard. It took 3 days!!!

I'm really not a fan of tagging people - if you want to be tagged, let me know, and I'll link to you in this post. Otherwise, steal at will.

Labels: meme

posted by Zuska @ 8:08 PM 1 comments

Friday, April 27, 2007

The one thing I must do before my IP paper

A meme. I saw this at unblague. Like her, I'm not really sure where the list came from ... a strange mix of classics, fantasy and junk. I've bolded those I've read, italicized those I mean to read, and put in red those that I wouldn't read if someone paid me and that I'm super curious as to why they're even here.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) [I promise E we would read these]
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) [oh, what a hard book to read]
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25 . Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) [didn't finish, but loved the movie]
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens) [stupid high school]
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) [3 times: alone; outloud to E; outloud to J]
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) [a HUGE favorite when I was in 8th or 9th grade]
59. The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood) [an all-time favorite]
60. The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With A Vampire (Anne Rice) [in 3 versions - print; audio; movie]
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones' Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago) - An All Time Favorite! Read IT!!
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Well, I think I've read a good bit. I went through an English classics phase in college, and in a Russian phase soon after I was married to the ex. A lot of the classics listed here that I haven't read I am being honest -- I am not going to read them. Not sure I even really want to anymore. I'd love to read Homer, still, in its entirety, and there are other classic works that I would want to read. Not so much these.

Labels: meme

posted by Zuska @ 11:51 AM 1 comments

Friday, April 20, 2007

think think think

please read that title in Winnie the Pooh's voice.

Beloved was tagged as a thinking blogger on his professional blog (no link forthcoming - which is too bad, you're all missing out), and I laughed and said, "you can't tag me, my blog has no thinking whatsoever! it's just a bunch of blah blah blah!" And he can't tag me, b/c on that blog, he uses his real name.

But guess what? Someone does think I can think!! Pissed Off Housewife tagged me as a Thinking Blogger. I'm very grateful for the designation. I feel like I have a bit too much of "today, I woke up, and then I brushed my teeeeeth, and then, I rode my bike, and the sun is out, and the kids have a runny nose" to warrant the designation, but I suppose every now and then my gears start turning.

Now I get to designate 5 others as thinkers!

1. Lyco. She absolutely is the first to come to mind. Her thoughtful analyses on issues and cases that are important to her are lovely reads, as well as her overall attention to a healthy balance in life. I'm sad for her lack of a garden this year - here's to future gardens!

2. Frequent Citations. A fellow mom/law student. This post in particular is an excellent showing of this woman's abilities to think and reason. Her knowledge and intelligence often makes me think I don't belong in the same blogosphere.

3. Lucky, Lucky Star. For a creative sort of thinking - her play on words and honesty in thought is always a pleasure to read (not to mention, she has great boobs). I love when a new post shows up on bloglines - but I must say - the decreasing frequency as of late is sort of depressing. I just *hate* it when bloggers get a life!

4. Think Like Woman, Act Like a Man. One of my recent favorites. I try to block out the part on the left that says that Ana is just a persona for blog purposes. I think Ana is real, and I like her, and I love her introspective searchings, and her chats with WTG. How can she be talking with a friend if she's FAKE?

5. Kid Squared. I love Mieke. She is such an intelligent, thoughtful, accomplished woman (and has 2 of the most gorgeous boys under the sun). I "met" her before she started her law school endeavor, and I just knew she would be successful - look at her GO!! I am jealous of all of those who know her in real life.

I'm not usually one for insisting on those I tag follow the rules - if you're up for it, go ahead and tag 5 others as Thinking Bloggers. Otherwise, just know you are loved.

Labels: meme, Thinking Bloggers

posted by Zuska @ 10:30 AM 1 comments

Monday, February 05, 2007

6 weird things.

Lyco tagged us with this, and Beloved did his already (I agree with him that 5 would be better ... if I can think of a better 6th, I'll replace #2), and I'm feeling like a slacker. I could just say, "hey, there's nothing weird about me" and blow it off entirely, but that would be dishonest, and I have to pass the character and fitness part of the review of my bar app soon, so I should be sure to be an honest person.

1) I hate the smell of 99% of dish soaps. "Hate" as in = they make me feel nauseous. Mostly it's the name brands, and I really think that it's the stuff that makes them be "antibacterial" because prior to 1996, I don't remember them smelling so bad. It's a residual smell-association with pregnancy induced 24-hour-a-day puking illness. It's especially bad on the citrus ones, but they're really all bad for me. Beloved and I, I think, have finally worked out the kinks on what I like and do not like for dish soap, since I (should) do most of the dishes, and he does all the grocery shopping. First he brought home lemon scented Joy, and I cried uncle when it was 1/2 gone. He next picked up some of the nice veggie-based Whole Foods brand lavender stuff. Then I said, "I like this brand's citrus better," and he glared daggers at me, because I already told him I couldn't STAND the citrus stuff. But when it's the right BRAND, I love it.

And this all happened BEFORE he married me.

2) I tend to talk about snots a lot.

3) When I was pregnant with e., I went to an overlook on the Pacific Ocean. It was really beautiful, but it was also a sheer drop that ended in jagged rocks being pounded by giant waves. I didn't have my baby yet, but I feared with all of my being that when I did, she would fall off that cliff. I pictured it perfectly. This overlook was a "tourist spot" and I ended up going back, after she was born, with my parents, and then with my in-laws. I refused to let anyone else hold e., and I stayed well back from the edge. The fear remained. It actually STILL remains. Edges bother me with the kids. I am not personally afraid of falling - I am afraid of the girls falling. We recently went hiking with friends in Western, MA, and we were near an edge -- it was a ROCK that we were on, and the edge was, again, pretty sheer. I was sort of freakish about j. getting up close. She looked at me like I was a freak. My friend looked at me like I was a freak. I acknowledged that I was being a freak. And I tried very hard to let go of it, and let j. get within 10 feet of the edge. Then I said, "okay, time to go! come on!" and made us all leave.

4) I dream about tidal waves and dangerous oceans a LOT. They started when I was pregnant with j. and at that point were primarily tidal waves. Huge, destructive tidal waves that destroyed the area from the immediate coast (of Northern California) at least for 5 miles inland. Sometimes I was on the beach itself, other times, I was well inland at an office complex while I knew the girls were in a hotel on the beach. Several times I was actually IN the water. I remember that the last pure tidal wave dream had me in the water with someone else (I don't remember who - but I think it was my ex), and the wave was coming, and I taught him how to survive -- which is obvious -- you wait until the wave is right on you, then dive under the water, and stay under for as long as you can, and hopefully until it passes. Then you're fine. (Yes, I know that's not true - but it is in my dreams.) While it appears that the mastering of survival in the midst of a giant tidal wave rid me of that specific type of wild ocean, others have remained. consistently. I'm usually in the water - either swimming or on a boat. I tend to like these dreams.

5) The reason I like these dreams is because I am a storm nut. I absolutely LOVE storms. Of pretty much every kind. Blizzards, thunderstorms, hurricanes. I have never been in a tornado (obviously, since I'm still alive), and I will say that that particular type of storm does scare me more than the others. I have been through 3 hurricanes (in the years that I can remember), and spent one of them on a screen porch watching with fascination (I was probably 13), at the first part of another, I went to the water's edge, and enjoyed the phenomena of the water being SUCKED out of the bay (I was in Mobile, AL). I am always excited when a storm is forecast, and disappointed when it does not deliver. If there is thunder in the summer, I open the windows. The louder the booms, the happier I am. When I was in California, I would drive to the ocean when there were high sea warnings to witness the waves. (I'm not really sure this is so weird, but a lot of people hate storms, and move away from places that do have storms, so I'm calling it weird.)

6) I have extremely limited memories of my childhood. There are snippets, and I can recall a scene here or there, but I do not have comprehensive memories. I have no idea what I spent my time doing as a child. This lack of recall is not associated with abuse or trauma. I think it is more related to the absolute mediocrity of my childhood and experiences. I grew up in a relatively rural area with no other children nearby. My parents were not very socially active and were perhaps slightly prone to the hermit lifestyle. We took a bus to and from school, and rarely had friends over.

Beloved and I recently got together with another couple where the wife said she had excellent memories of her childhood, and the husband said he didn't. It seemed like his lack of recall was similar to mine. I thought perhaps I'm not so weird, I'm just another kind of person of which there are others. I recently, however, had another conversation with his wife who informed me that there are several reasons for his lack of memories -- his memories are blocked due to several negative circumstances all piled up on top of each other. I don't have that reason.

Which means I'm just weird. And that's why I was able to write this post.

I prefer not to tag people ... if you like memes, take this one. If not, well, duh.

Labels: meme

posted by Zuska @ 11:08 AM 2 comments

Monday, January 15, 2007

Yummy Meme

I have been tagged! She Says found this delightful food-based meme, and tagged me with specific instructions to pass it along to my Beloved. Done.

1. If you were stuck on an island and could only eat one cuisine (e.g., French, Italian, etc.) for the rest of your life, what would it be? Why?
Wow. That's hard. I hate to say this, really, but I think I'd choose classic American foods. I think it would be hardest for me to give up things like juicy steak, burgers and fries and Mac & cheese (contradicts my answer to #4) -- FOREVER. Saying this makes me feel very middle-america.

2. What is the most unusual food you've eaten?
I had a brain of some sort. I don't remember what sort ... but it was when I was visiting a family friend in Spain. It's actually a horrible memory, b/c our friend had always talked about eating (I believe it was brain of Lamb) when visiting us in Connecticut, and I always made it clear that I was NOT interested. When I went to Spain to spend time with her and her family, she "tricked" me and served me a breaded dish and told me it was "fish." I ate it, and I didn't like it. It was mushy, and distinctly NOT fish-like. When she told me it was brain, I was quite upset. Funny -- my parents just went to Spain this past fall to attend this friend's wedding, and they met her parents for the first time, and they told her that they were SOOO upset when I was there, b/c after that "trick" - I stopped eating. I wouldn't eat anything. I didn't remember that, and felt kind of bad that they remembered it that way. I was a jerk, really.

3. What is the most unusual food you've eaten and liked?
For me, back in 1999, it was very unusual for me to eat raw fish. Sushi is now an absolute favorite of mine and my daughters'. I'm really having a mental block on other unusual foods right now.

4. What foods will you avoid eating (either because of a dietary choice or allergies or just plain don't like)?

I try to stay away from pure starches. Pasta, white breads, white potatos, rice. I can't always (and don't always want to) avoid them -- but if I am able to make a choice as to what to eat, I will choose things that are not heavy on the white flour/white starch. The reason? In 1999/2000, I lost my baby-weight by cutting out these white flour starches, and I felt healthier than I ever had before. I looked good, I had less stomach-aches and gas, and was generally happier with my body.

5. Do you cook (and by that, I mean prepare a meal that you'd serve to friends)?
I am capable. I cooked for my family (extended) on Christmas Eve, and did a good job. Otherwise, we don't do much entertaining, mostly b/c of law school, kids, and a small apartment. When we are ready to do entertaining, I would be willing to cook for friends. Despite the fact that Beloved is the primary cook in our house for day-to-day, I think I would be the one who is more likely to cook for company.

6. If yes, what is your favorite dish to prepare to impress someone?
I used to always make stuffed mushrooms when I was going to people's houses and asked to bring a dish, and that is one of the things I made this past Christmas, and I still have the knack for them, apparently. I have also just picked recipes that look good from magazines and cook books, and had success.

7. When you go to a restaurant, what's your ordering strategy/preference?
I am so mood-driven. If I'm in a red meat mood, that's all that I even look at. I tend NOT to order fish at restaurants, b/c I fear it will be too dry or too fishy or too something, and I won't like it. I do tend to have favorites at a restaurant, and order that every time. I fear trying something new and hating it ... I don't go out often enough to waste the opportunity!

8. Have you ever returned a dish or wine to the kitchen at a restaurant? Why?
Once, at Applebys (I know, I know, what do I expect?) I returned a dish b/c mixed in with the spinach artichoke dip was a healthy-sized peice of plastic wrap. That was the last time I set foot in one of those restaurants. I wouldn't have been there then, if it weren't for the fact that it was my parents' choice, and going to one of their "safe places" is sometimes easier than forcing something different (for them). Another time, at another chain restaurant, my food was cold in the center. I complained, but didn't have time to send it back.

9. How many cookbooks do you own?
We probably have 10-15? We use them rarely, except for the [Better Homes & Gardens?] I like magazines (Cooking Light remains my favorite for at least 10 years now), and the internet.

10. What is one food that you wouldn't want to live without?
Cheese. Either as a snack or as a compliment to my food. I love cheese. On everything. I am so grateful that I am not Jewish.

I already tagged Beloved, and I'd like to see also what Lyco has to say on the topic of food. All are welcome to tease me for my answer to #1. I must say, I surprised myself.

Labels: food, meme

posted by Zuska @ 1:50 PM 0 comments

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Stolen Meme

No one (that I know of) tagged me with this, and I want to do it. So there. The world is welcome to take it from me.

1. What was your first job (not including babysitting, etc...Job = taxes being deducted)?

When I was 13, I started to work for my dad's company on Saturdays. My mother got sick of me not ever wanting to do anything yet always complaining that I was bored. I believe also that one summer, I had to work there 3 or 4 days a week as a punishment of some sort. Probably for getting Cs on my report card. I don't know.

But you know what? They paid me under the table. So ...

When I was 15, I worked or a pharmacy in my small town. I had to get special working papers, since I was under 16, and worked a few days a week. I had fun there. I got to know some seniors (I was a sophomore), one of which I went from a scary situation where she HATED me, and talked about beating me up at school. One day, I got to school early, and was walking down the hall and heard her talking about me. Over the next year, however, we ended up friends, and I liked her.

I also had a paper route when I was 11 or 12, but they made me RUN all over this old person condo complex and I couldn't do it.

2. How old were you?

Like I said, 12, 13, 15.

3. What is the worst job you have ever had? Why?

My first job after the ex and i split up. I worked for a real FUCKER. There's no other word for him. he was an ASS. he was a lawyer. He was an ammoral, lying, stealing, cheating FUCKER.

4. What is the best job you've ever had? Why?

I could say the summer job, b/c they paid me tons to do nothing and then took me out to fancy lunches, dinners and shows and stuff ... but I like the work I'm doing right now a LOT (which I'll probably do there, too, in the future). I also LOVED my job at the book store. I loved it.

5. What is the oddest job you've ever had?

When I worked for myself, I did both paralegal and transcription work. While "transcription" tends to sound dry - I did it for sociology students and professors. One of the students did a research project on "sex workers" and interviewed them. To find out about their work. To call that job "odd" is quite the understatement.

6. What is your dream job? And it has to actually exist somewhere.

I always think it would be working for myself, crafting my own schedule, and doing appeals work on constitutional issues. But I don't really like working for myself. It's lonely. I think my ideal job has most to do with diversity and independence. If I could do appellate work 1/2 time, and child welfare 1/2 time. That would be fun. I also think it would be fun to have my own store. And to be an author.

7. How long is the longest you've worked for an organization?

2 years. Unless you count my dad's company, b/c I did that on and off from the time I was 13 until I was in my early 20s. But it was just on and off.

8. What is the shortest period you've held a job?

Not counting temp work, which I did many summers in college? I think around 6 months. It has happened many times. At least three. Once when I graduated from college and moved home for 6 months before getting married (as an Administrative Assistant for a utility company - and I lied to them so I'd get the job - I didn't tell them I was getting married and moving to Alabama); once when the ex was in London and I lived with my parents (I was a proofreader and eventually writer for an on-line publication); and then when I worked for the FUCKER (see above) My choice there was to either quit or get arrested for throwing dangerous objects at my employer. God, I hated that man.

9. Have you worked in food service, retail, telemarketing or any other job that required that either you be nice to people and/or stand on your feet most of the time (for notsomuch money)?

More than once. I worked in the pharmacy (see above), and I worked at a Barnes & Noble. The pharmacy was not as fun - probably b/c when I had to shelve stuff, it was post-it notes and soap. When I had to shelve at the bookstore, it was interesting things that I would keep track of in my head so I could buy it with my discount. Unless I was stuck in computers. But usually, I whined my way out of that (yeah, I was 28 when I worked there, and still whining).

10. How many states have you worked in? Have you worked in any other countries?

I worked in Connecticut, Virginia, Alabama, California, Massachusetts. While in Connecticut (the last time) and in California, I did work for people all over the country, including Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida and Michigan. They would send me stuff fed ex, I would do it, and e-mail the product to them (mostly summarizing arbitration hearing transcripts, sometimes other stuff, too).

11. Have you ever dated or otherwise "gotten involved" with a co-worker?

Once. I'm slated to marry him some time next month. Although, we didn't really get involved until after I left the job. But, still. I'd say yeah.

12. Ever worked as a camp counselor in the summer?

No.

13. Any embarrasing on-the-job anectodes?

I cannot think of anything right now.

14. If you won the lottery for uber bucks, would you continue working?

I think I would. Traveling would be my biggest pull. Sitting at home all day? Not so much.

15. If no, what would you do?

Travel. Probably do more volunteer stuff around the kids' school. Hopefully find some other volunteer organization to donate my time to - something related to child welfare.

16. Ever had a job that requires you to wear a uniform?

No.

17. Ever worked for a boss that was younger than you?

Hell yeah. Since I'm in law school, and coming up, I have and will be working for many people younger than me. I did not before ... but now, I'm the age of most partners, if not older. I am older than both my supervisors were at Summer Firm. I am working closely with at least one associate right now who is definitely younger than me. I have never had a problem (thus far) and never feel like I'm being ordered around by little brats. First of all, I'm not ordered around -- everyone's always been respectful.

18. What's the longest commute you've had? The shortest?

When I lived at home between college and marriage I worked 45-60 minutes away. With traffic, it was longer.

The shortest was when I worked at home.

19. Any "worst job ever" anecdotes?

The fucker I worked for once asked me to go and pick up his dry cleaning, and said, "you know, the next time you go out for a cigarette break." I said, "I don't smoke." (I had worked for him for approx 4 months at that point.) His response? "You don't smoke? I thought all secretaries smoked."

Another time, he said something ... I do not know what ... and turned around to walk back to his office, and I almost .... seriously ALMOST .... threw my pen at the back of his head. He was such an ass!!

And, he did commit some serious misdeeds involving people's trusts. A grandmother and grandfather came in one day to amend their trust to pretty much exclude their fuck-up grandson. The grandmother died 6 days later. The grandfather was suffering from some unpredictible dimensia. The FATHER of the grandson came in to see my boss, and shortly thereafter, my boss handed me the amendment to the trust and told me to throw it away. I made a copy and hid it in my drawer. Later, another of the grandparents' childrens protested, saying that they KNEW this amendment had been signed, and the grandfather also stated that HE remembered signing it. I wonder if the situation ever exploded?

I don't know, b/c I quit shortly after I almost threw the pen at his head.

20. Ever work in an organization where one of your co-workers were caught in a scandal?

Yeah, but it wasn't too major. Oh, twice. Once, at the pharmacy, one of the pharmacists hadn't shown up for work. A coworker went to his house to see if he was okay - he had NEVER not shown up. He spoke to the landlord, and was let into the apartment to check on the pharmacist. The pharmacist had gone into diabetic shock, and was passed out. The scandal part? His apartment was BURSTING with stolen items from the pharmacy. BURSTING. Including cash.

At one of the law firms I'd worked at, a younger attorney was fired for reading confidential documents that were stored on teh computer system. The suspicion was that she was leaking information to the other side of the deal that was going on.

21. Have you ever been fired? What for? If not, have you ever been severely reprimanded?

I was once fired for a reason which was untrue - and admittedly so. I was working at a firm and had just been given a 3 week leave of absence, and then a week later, I was called into the office and fired for a stated reason. I was given a large severance package, and allowed to resign. Phone calls were then made to get me another job, and through phone calls between the firing and new employer, the following was said to be the reason:

They had a secretary with rheumatoid arthitis, and who would not quit. They could not fire her for some reason (ADA?) and were sick of accommodating her. Therefore, they fired 4 other people along with her for this other stated reason. I was chosen because 1) I was taking that leave of absence, and 2) they knew I was on short time, b/c my husband was in law school and I planned on going to school (I used to spend all my time there studying for the GRE ... no, that was NOT the stated reason). One was chosen because she was relatively new, and hadn't been working out so well. Another had been missing a lot of time because of an ill child. We were all given the same false reason.

The firm I next went to I was sort of reprimanded - I wasn't given a bonus. Neither I or the attorney I worked with got along well with the office manager. When it was bonus time, I was told that I wouldn't be getting a bonus, b/c "I hadn't created enough documents." The document system tracked how many each person created, and I had a very low number.

Now, I worked my ASS off at that job. I worked late, I worked weekends, I did the work of two people (there were four people in our "team"--- two lawyers and two support people. The other support person was brand new, and had just finished getting her paralegal certificate. She had never worked in a law office in her life. I ended up doing a LOT of her work, as well as my own). I also did very good work. The partner I worked with was constantly asking me to hurry up and go to law school so we could leave that firm and start our own.

HOWEVER - most of the stuff I did involved taking a document that the partner I worked with "created" and then fixing it up, filling in blanks, and completing what had to be done. She would write a motion with just bullet points, and have me fill it all in. Therefore, I did not "create documents." Also, during that year, my boss ran for the president of the city's bar association, and I spent 80% of my time working on that ... which probably didn't include "creating documents."

When I told her what happened with the office manager, she wrote me a check out of her personal checkbook, and apologized and told me it was her fault, b/c of HER battle with the office manager (the only two women in a deep south law firm, both competing for power with the male partners .... only my boss wasn't SLEEPING with them).

It was these two experiences, back-to-back, that turned me off of law firms and the practice of law for a long time. I left the second one when I moved to CA, while 8 months pregnant. That was in 1996.

All should feel welcome to steal the meme!!

Labels: meme

posted by Zuska @ 1:41 PM 0 comments

Stolen Meme

Labels: meme

posted by Zuska @ 1:41 PM 0 comments

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Year in Review

The "first line of the first post of the last year" meme, as seen at Mommy Grows Up (and many other places):

Zuska's year in review (I did oldest first):

a great Eve, and a rather mellow, if not worse, Day.

Thing One's dr. appointment was this a.m. and her blinking is NOT just a habit/tic, she has occular allergies. the insides of her eyelids are all red and irritated.

I bought my books today; surprisingly, it only cost $350.

I called the soccer people for Thing Two, and they said yes, she can still be on the team, I just need to send my $55 ASAP, and all will be well.

today, i am a terrible person.

it is 7:20 a.m. i woke over an hour ago to go running.

Beloved and I are home again -- we had an Excellent time in Maine.

i just received news that a dear friend's 8 month old baby was seriously burned over the weekend.

also known as; wimping out.

yesterday was 2 soccer games, a nap, and a birthday party that i almost spaced out on.

Today I had my presentation, which went well; I handed in my draft of my paper, and I think it came out well; and I took my professional responsibility exam, which felt like crap.

Here is an illustration in the kind of crap I often get from my ex:

I think it is a pretty good snapshot of my last year: kids, school, beloved and our trips, and so on.

No tagging. Whoever wants to do it - go for it.

Labels: meme

posted by Zuska @ 9:37 AM 0 comments

Sunday, December 24, 2006

And because with Solstice over, gifts all bought, and work behind me for a little while - I can breathe again -- I will finally participate in the tagging from Lyco - the Christmas song meme.

My 5 faves:

1. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer -- I always loved this song.
2. The Grinch. The real one - from the soundtrack.
3. In Excelsis Gloria - I'm not religious, but I think this is a very pretty song.
4. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer - my kids love it, it becomes a fave of mine.
5. Bing Crosby's Jingle Bells - but I can't find mine :(

I'm not tagging anyone. I think everyone's already done this one.

Labels: holidays, meme

posted by Zuska @ 10:38 AM 0 comments

Movie Meme!!

I got tagged over at unblague. I am excited. I like memes.

I also think that She Says would like to know that one of j.'s Christmas presents this year? Sound of Music. It was on t.v. last night, and we wouldn't let her watch it, under the auspices of it "being too long" when in fact, it was b/c it was sitting under the tree, and we knew she'd want to watch it upon opening.

Movie meme

The holiday season is when the networks traditionally broadcast the tried and true favorite movies to draw in all of us who are overstuffed with cookies and candy and have no interest in moving off of the sofa (especially if it's cold out).

Well, that inspired this movie meme... here ya' go:

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
Neverending Story.

2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in the theater.
So I Married an Axe Murderer --- we had a dollar theater near school, and this movie CRACKED ME UP - so we went often.

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Javier Bardem. I first saw him in The Dancer Upstairs, where he played a relatively dumpy middle aged investigator of some sort. I next saw him playing some dashing young fella with long hair. I was so impressed. I love him.

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Nicolas Cage. I don't like him.

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
I used to quote the Juliette Lewis character from Cape Fear all the time. I loved impersonating her. Again, that was college.

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
Most definitely, like She Says, Grease.

7. Name a movie that have been known to sing along with.
Grease AND Grease II.

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
Wings of Desire. Which they have on stage right now, I read - I think just in Boston.

9. Name a movie that you own.
Wings of Desire.

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
Will Smith. Or Marky Mark.

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
I do not think so. I have a vague memory of being at a drive-in, but I think it's manufactured. If so, I do not remember the movie.

12. Ever made out in a movie?
No.

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven't yet gotten around to it.
Now THAT is a long list ..... The Departed; the New Bond Movie; Stranger than Fiction; Blood Diamond; and anything else released since summer (see below).

14. Ever walked out of a movie?
No.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
It's not hard for my emotions to be tugged at by what's on the screen. I cry almost at everything that's designed to make me cry. I therefore cannot right now think of a particular time.

Once, in 1st year Crim Law, my professor played Sophie's Choice to show true Duress --- the part where she is told to choose b/t her kids. And I found myself BAWLING. I mean .... I don't even know what happened. I just was spewing tears. I was so embarassed. I think b/c everyone knew I had kids, people tended to look at ME during the scene to see how I'd react, and boy did I give them a show.

16. Popcorn?
No. Milk Duds. And water.

17. How often do go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
Beloved and I used to go a lot when the girls left town - even double features. But the past few times they've traveled, we've rented moves - even though there's a lot out that I'd love to see. So, I would say 2-3 times a year. Which kinda sucks.

18. What's the last movie you saw in the theater?
Beloved and I are stunned to think that it was Pirates of the Carribean II. Either that or Talledega Nights. But it was in the summer.

19. What's your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
In the theater? The kind of movie that Beloved and I (well, Beloved started it) term "big dumb movies" -- lots of special effects, big noises, preferably (for me) giant tidal waves smashing into buildings. Bond; War of the Worlds; that kind of thing.

20. What's the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?

It was either E.T. or one of the Star Wars movies ... I think it was the second Star Wars that I remember seeing, but I'm not certain. I by FAR remember seeing E.T. I guess I was 10.

I (of course) tag my Beloved, and Lyco.

Labels: meme

posted by Zuska @ 10:14 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Another Meme

Apparently - I'm not allowed more than one word. this means no paragraph upon paragraph of explanation. I did cheat with hyphens. this is, therefore, an experiment in whether or not a one-word limit placed upon Zuska causes her to explode*:

Yourself: procrastinating
Your partner: smug
Your hair: pony-tail
Your Mother: cliches
Your Father: endearing
Your Favorite Item: macbook
Your dream last night: boat
Your Favorite Drink: tea
Your Dream Car: prius
Your Dream Home: huge
The Room You Are In: living-room
Your Ex: self-inflated
Your fear: tsunamis
Where you Want to be in Ten Years? healthy
Who you hung out with last night: myself
What You're Not: hypochondriac
Muffins: coffeecake
One of Your Wish List Items: house
Time: limiting
The Last Thing You Did: dishes
What You Are Wearing: jammies
Your favorite weather: snowing
Your Favorite Book: blindness
Last thing you ate: meat
Your Life: fine
Your mood: bitchy
Your Best Friends: grew-up
What are you thinking about right now: dogs
Your car: sold
What are you doing at the moment: typing
Your summer: bar-exam
Relationship status: planning
What is on your TV: blackness
What is the weather like: too-hot
When is the last time you laughed: kids

Found this at APL's house.

* this is also a nice diversion which I'm hoping will keep me from posting a catty little blurb aimed directly at this person, who seems slightly obsessed with this blog.

Labels: meme

posted by Zuska @ 10:42 PM 1 comments

Monday, November 13, 2006

Oooooh, it's been a while!!

I haven't done a Meme in some time, so when I saw this at She Says' place, i grabbed it faster than I could finish my tax outline even though I only have two sections left:

"What Have I Done?" (Mine are in bold --- things I'd like to do are in Italics)

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper (x 10,000)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity (yeah, that $25 to the DNC last week)
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero ("wonder twin powers, activate!!")
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

I think most of my italics are travel-related, and I'm sure that with Beloved as my soon-to-be-husband, it will happen :) Even though, perhaps, some of the places are ones I'll drag HIM to, instead of him convincing me to explore.

Labels: life, meme, travel

posted by Zuska @ 4:30 PM 0 comments

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