awesomeness

I'm gonna be a recapper!!

...granted, an alternate recapper, and at only $20 per recap. but still. Look for me at fandomtalk, recapping everything under the sun.

WOOHOO!!

goodness.

Yesterday i went to a free CLE on sexual and domestic violence. It so happens that one of the presenters was the woman who hired me at Legal Aid, way back in the day. I verry briefly got to catch up with her before her session, and she seemed genuinely psyched to help a sister out. Woohoo!! She's not only insanely smart and knowledgeable but also hella connected in the VA Legal Aid world. So, comes now once again Dissident1L with a proposed career change. I have been kicking this around in my brain for a little bit now but am opening the floor for comment: Caroline as Legal Aid DV/family law attorney?

Also, the chick that arranged the training works for the VA Poverty Law Center and happened to mention that her office is looking to get someone to do VAWA self-petitions full-time. I would be a happy, happy girl spending my days helping battered immigrants get government permission to stay in this country safely.

The down side is that it would mean leaving DC, for i just can't afford taking a pay cut, and even if the DC legal aid folks wanted to hire me, i'm sure they couldn't even pay me what i'm making now. But i'm sort of okay with that. Especially if it would mean relocating to Richmond. I sort of think Richmond's awesome.

Thoughts?

Happy Mother's Day!!

I realize my mom doesn't read this, but I wanted to take a minute anyway to say how very much I i love her and how incredibly awesome she is. I mean, she's a little nuts, but who's not, some days? THANKS MAMA! I LOVE YOU!!

the trifecta.

Now, i love my mother. She's a wonderful woman and has accomplished amazing things in her career, often in environments i can't imagine having a coherent thought in, much less actually being productive.

BUT.

Last night, in the course of a twenty-minute phone conversation, we hit the following three topics:

1) Why i don't call her more often. Her co-worker's daughters call her every day.

2) Why i don't have a better job that pays me lots and lots and lots of money. Or, as she put it, "you have to stop sitting around and start your career!" Apparently i'm wasting time, because looking for a new job is a full-time job in and of itself. (Because i didn't JUST do that eight months ago.) And also apparently, my continuing at my current job is causing her physical pain, as she watches me squander my talent and waste my life while the new crop of law grads slurps up all the good jobs over the summer. Oh, and "We need to have this discussion, Caroline."

3) Why i'm not married, and what's wrong with my current relationship. Apparently i'm "not myself" when i'm around Will. Or, more specifically, "he doesn't let you be yourself."

All of this, mind you, during a call the purpose of which was to inform me that my stepbrother was at that very moment undergoing emergency surgery.

I kid you not. These were my responses:

1) Let's not go the guilt route, Mama. Ty's in surgery and may need to call. Besides, i just saw you on Sunday.

2) First, i HAVE a career. Second, it's not like i'm resorting to prostitution to pay the bills. If my car breaks down, i'll deal with it -- i'm not in such dire financial straits that i'm asking you for money. [What i did NOT say, but wished i had, and will say next time it comes up, is: Your vision of my happy life is not the same as my happy life. I am working on it. But you are blind to the fact that what i want to do in my career is not the same as what you want me to do. I will find a job when i am ready, doing what i want to do. The end.] [And another thing: WE do NOT need to have this discussion. It's MY JOB AND MY LIFE AND BACK THE FUCK UP OFF, CRAZY LADY!!]

3) My relationship is just fine. And not only is it fine, but EVERY SINGLE TIME WE TALK, ALL we talk about is my relationship. And we have the EXACT SAME CONVERSATION EVERY SINGLE TIME. There is nothing new under the sun. If there is, i will tell you. But for the moment, i am content. So let's not discuss my relationship anymore, because there's NOTHING TO DISCUSS.

So i got, let's see, guilted AND insulted (twice: once for me, once for Will), on top of learning about my stepbrother's health emergency. Awesome!