america's got hasselhoff

Okay, so i'm kicking back post-workout, waiting for the LOST reruns to start, and i randomly turn on my tv, which is on NBC, and Oh. My. LORD. "America's Got Talent" is like a blessing from above. The judges, y'all, the judges. Poor Man's Simon Cowell. Brandy. And THE HASSELOFF, people! Who has twice, in two auditions, jumped up out of his chair and pumped his fist in sheer delight!!

Best. Reality show. EVER!

i've been cited!

Well, not technically. But in a fit of ego-surfing on Westlaw (...yeah, i'm a nerd. shut it), i found this:

Caroline B. Fleming, "Even In Dreams, They Are Coming": Islamic Fundamentalism and the Education of Women in Afghanistan, 11 Wm. & Mary J. Women & L. 597 (2005). This article traces the history of the treatment of women in Afghanistan. The article emphasizes the importance of education and highlights the fact that it is a right of all Afghan citizens. The author notes that given the country's dedication to the Islamic tradition, the more effective means of promoting educational access and equality for women is through the teachings of Islam. The author therefore concludes that educational reform needs to start with the teachings of Islam.

It appeared in a digest of recently published articles on law and education in the Journal of Law and Education (vol. 35, p. 117, Jan. 2006). Heeeeeeeee hee hee hee. I rock!!

let the little girl dance

Well, i didn't actually get to race the boat this weekend. Because Will was late getting off, and the skiffs were the first class on the water Saturday, i let Ty take the maiden voyage, with the agreement that he'd race all the heats Saturday, and i'd race all of Sunday.

Michael proceeded to hurt his back in really choppy water -- several racers said it was the roughest skiff ride they'd had -- so he wasn't up to the task of driving the boat on Sunday, so i remained pit crew for another week. Alas.


To be fair, the course was a little scary. There were pilings along the outside of the course, which means that if you veer even a little farther to the outside than you intend (especially for us rookies, who are required to race in the outside lane to begin with), you will be reduced to a pile of bones and fiberglass shards. Michael, i think, was afraid that his back would seize up mid-turn and he wouldn't be able to control the boat onto the straightaway, which would mean that even if i reacted quickly enough to kick the killswitch, the momentum from going 65-70 mph through the turn would send us straight into those pilings. And death. Woo!

All in all, i think he made the best choice. I'm super disappointed that i didn't get to actually ride in the boat, but there's next time. And i did meet some new people, and Will got to see the skiffs race, finally, and now Michael's had the chance to take the boat on an actual racecourse through an actual heat and get used to driving in wakes and with a second person on board.

Next time out: July 28-30, Cambridge, Maryland.

Go JS-3!!

the situation.

Walking home today, through air wet with humidity, i tried my best not to be cross. It is friday, and i do have a brand new bottle of wine waiting, and the Doctor to keep me company at 9pm. Plus the wine guy at the CW was unexpectedly cute, and friendly, and last night i caught the next-to-last train out of Farragut North because the sweet conductor took pity on cold, wet, running-down-the-escalator me.

I went to see Pericles at the Shakespeare Company Free-for-All at Carter Barron last night with Josh. Unfortunately there was a rain delay, which meant we missed the last fifteen-minute happy reunion, but still. Good times. There were PIRATES!! Pirates make everything better. Also making tonight better: the sky has been threatening to open all afternoon. It's so humid and close and grey out; i know there's a thunderstorm coming. I can't wait. I just wish Will was here to enjoy it with me.

***

AND. I just started playing around with the new W&M alum job database, and one of the first things i run across is an ad from CVLAS' Southside office. Looking for an attorney to represent domestic violence victims.

HOLY SHIT, y'all. This may be exactly the chance i've been looking for. The deadline for application is June 9, which is, what, a week away? I need to get my ass in gear. ...of course, it's scary as hell to think about completely upheaving my life like that, less than a year after i got settled down. But to be fair, i'm going nowhere in my job, much as i love the environment and my bosses and coworkers, and i really have started to feel like i'm missing out by not actually practicing law.

One of my main professional issues is the disconnect between what i want most to do and what i'm best at. I mean, i think -- i think -- that if i can look back at the end of my career and see that i have helped women escape dangerous, abusive relationships, then it will have been a career well served. But the fact remains that i'm just not nearly as good in the courtroom as i am on paper. If i could write up long, involved, detailed analyses all day and have that help women escape abusive relationships, then i'd just be in absolute employment nirvana. That ain't how it works, though. I just don't know.