A Primal Scream Moment

Personally, I think we could all use these from time to time. As I've told people many times over the years, I feel it's better to call that slow driver a bitch in the privacy of your car than to pull out a gun and shoot innocent people in a bank one day b/c you've always repressed yourself.

When I'd say this to my mom, it actually had a reference point. Back in 2003, not long before I moved to Atlanta for college (the "big, bad city" in my mother's mind) there was a guy who did just that. If I remember correctly, he was a finance guy who just snapped one day.

Nice thing for your mother to hear before you move to a major city, right?

I believe that if you don't vent from time to time or have those cathartic moments, you do yourself and society a disservice.

This 24/7 existence of the working world and other things doesn't seem to account for that need for cathartic release. You see employees getting fired for ranting on places like Facebook, right? I seriously wonder why more employers haven't used technology to deal with employee issues; it's not like all of them have a conscience or care too much about public opinion. Look at Wal-Mart.

And speaking of those clueless idiots, they're trying to plant stakes into NYC yet AGAIN. Do these people ever get a clue that maybe a city known for powerful unions isn't going to be keen on an anti-union big box retailer being there? Personally, I say "Hell no!" to Wal-Mart. Good reasons for it.

1. Almost every Wal-Mart I've been to is filthy, has long lines & is filled with employees who are unhelpful as well as incompetent.

2. The utter violence & depravity of Wal-Mart. Who has forgotten about the guy who got trampled on Black Friday at the one in the scuzzier area of town? Great investigating there, Wal-Mart.

3. The shitty employee treatment. I actually have some personal knowledge of this one as I've known 2 different people who worked there & from what I heard, you'd get more compassion from Osama Bin Laden than the management at Wal-Mart. I call document review the lawyer equivalent of working for Wal-Mart w/good reason. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I'd rather be a prostitute than work at a Wal-Mart since at least I'd make more money doing that & face just as much degrading, abusive and scummy treatment. If I wanted no respect for schedule availabilities, I could work in health care & still make more money.

4. Finally, anything Bloomberg supports automatically makes me suspicious of the good it will do me. Considering he's tried to screw over the unions (including the one dealing w/my husband's job) & his attempts to turn NYC into a rich person's enclave, I just can't trust the guy.

But, getting back to that primal scream thing. I'm getting anxious and frustrated that I've had interest in my abilities to do a job that sounds interesting & like something I really want to do. Unfortunately, I've yet to hear the offer. I keep playing phone tag & never get the information out there.

This sort of thing irks me with my history of people acting like they were interested in hiring me for jobs & then being MIA, only to never have anything on the table. I've had many job success celebrations that were later false. After my personal experiences, I have a far harder time trusting anyone with a job offer. Talk is cheap, I need to see action.

The waiting bothers me because of this but it also bothers me if I get pinned into terms that I don't want. What if the offer is for something horrid and utterly ridiculous? Lawyers don't operate in the same realm as your average person but in particular, ones with my skill set are a rare breed. I know what is unfair to me & I've seen some people who do operate on planet Earth but plenty of others who do not.

For instance, telling me to go flip burgers would prove that you are stupid. I was overqualified for that after graduating high school so no chance in Hell any sane individual would have me doing that with a law license. They'd be too scared of me organizing the employees or encouraging people to assert themselves. This would have been a valid fear back when I was in high school considering I never tolerated that shit in my job at JcPenney; forget today, when I'm in an occupation known for enforcing people's rights in the face of adversity.

Telling me to go back to retail would also prove that you're stupid considering no sane person would hire someone w/7 years of experience & is a lawyer. I couldn't do it today since I would be way too blunt and tell off idiots. Leave your child? I'd immediately point out that you don't know who might be a predator or kidnapper & probably consider contacting child protective services on you for being a deadbeat parent. I think I could be a manager but most places demand you to have eons of experience for that & remember, my resume doesn't fit into a neat little box. I also refuse to work weekends for middling pay since I did more than enough of that in my retail career.

Now maybe these fears are unjustified but I've had too many disappointments & I haven't been called the real life Daria for no reason. Sometimes, it's still hard for me to believe I have a man in my life who loves me & would stand by me through any adversity I didn't inflict on myself. I still have vivid memories of being single & feeling like one guy would never make me happy. I also remember feeling like no one ever really understood me & how shocked I was to meet someone who did.

To make my day even better, I found out my cousin who's not too much older than me probably has cancer. She just learned that she's got a tumor in her abdomen that's been there for at least a year, is sizable & doctors are pretty certain is cancer. The odds aren't looking good for her & her sister who lives near by apparently hasn't even inquired about or visited her. If it was my sister, I'd be on the first flight to NC & making sure she got the best care possible. If anyone dared to skimp on her due to finances, I'd vow to make their life a living hell & get as pushy as possible to make sure she got fairness. Doctors also tend to be a little more deferential to lawyers in my experience. After all, who could locate a medical malpractice lawyer quicker? Not to mention we know legal talk & I did initially want to be a doctor, then a pharmacist before studying law.

My sister also pointed out to me that out of any kids in our family, we're the only ones with both parents still alive. I considered this & realized she's right. Not sure how I'd feel if either of my parents died. My mom is probably the heart & soul of my family, the glue holding it together, so that would be a huge loss for all concerned.

I'd likely mourn my dad less but not living in the same house w/him has helped mend that relationship a bit. He is at least a liberal voice in the conservative South & is just as assertive as anyone else in my family. Health wise, you'd expect him to go first but I think he'd just be the sort to defy medical science & live even longer than you think.

I'm sure reading this, you'd think "Wow, her family is messed up. No wonder she is the way she is." Probably true but you don't even know just how spot on you'd be in that determination, especially if you look at my dad's side. I suppose it certainly forms a basis for my creative abilities & how I draw influence. You can't live some normal, happy childhood & expect to be a great artist.

I remember my Art & Culture professor from college telling us that to be a great artist, you have to live life. He said you have to have some experiences, some hard times, so you'll have things to draw upon in your work. One of my high school teachers said something similar but not in the context of art. She said it in the context of not living with regrets later on.

Too many family members of mine seem to be dying lately. First my uncle, then my aunt & now my cousin's probably not well. Enough is enough! If more of my family's going to be dead, why not a distant relative who has some money that would go to me??? Not like I've been anyone's favorite or none of the relatives I know have money. I just wouldn't feel as bad about a distant relative I've never met or had a connection to. I'd feel like I do when some celebrity I never spoke to dies: I never knew the person so they could have been a total jerk in real life. I can't get people who mourn celebrities that probably would have been arrogant to them in a real life setting. If I were famous, I certainly wouldn't expect strangers to mourn me when they had no way of knowing if I was a good person or a total shithead.

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! The whole job situation is making me slide into depression & family stuff is exacerbating it. I'd probably spend days in bed if I didn't have a cat that makes me get up.

General Musings Part 13

More stories, more stuff to comment on. Let's see if I can logically link these up.

First off, some hilarious articles on Cracked. Both relate to courtroom or police procedure. Damn movies!! (sarcasm)

I also agree that these are laughable lawsuits, though I'm completely shocked that neither the infamous hot coffee nor the "McDonalds made me fat" lawsuit made the list (why do all these famous cases of stupid involve McDonalds?).

I don't really think the judge suing the dry cleaner was so much laughable as proving a point. The thong one was just disturbing & one example of the many cringe inducing injuries people suffer in personal injury cases. Study this stuff in law school & you'll just be grossed out as well as terrified of doing ANYTHING since you'll end up with one of these creepy injuries.

You definitely shouldn't read medical malpractice cases or you'll be too terrified to ever have surgery.

I read this one on Yahoo & apparently one of these dealers wants to go to law school. I'll tell you this: if the character & fitness committee lets this jerk become a lawyer in NY or CT, they'd better hope I'm doing well enough to not notice or I'll be leading a charge to raise holy hell. You'll hassle poor people about finances but you're going to let drug dealers who was likely born to money in without a second look at the record (and were these kids even hurting for cash)??? That's a sign of hypocrisy & makes the whole "character & fitness exam" a joke.

Oh, and if indebted attorneys wanted sympathy for their cause to the general public, it might behoove them to act more like this guy. I'm completely shocked to see an attorney perform an altruistic act since that almost never happens, even among fellow attorneys. Honestly, I think the key to getting reform is getting a loudmouth figurehead who's media friendly as well as someone your average person can get behind such as the underdog or the (wo)man of the people who doesn't think (s)he is better than the rest b/c of being a lawyer & stands tough no matter what. Not some critical, bitchy type who dictates to people or whines about their lot in life (male or female, I see a lot of this going on & I can't have sympathy for someone like that). Could you respect someone who's worried more about what the other attorneys think of them than about doing what's right? If you're whining so much about the unfairness & then do nothing, I can't. You have to solve your own problems & make changes in your life. God helps those who help themselves, not whiners waiting for a sign from Heaven.

I highly agree that retailers shouldn't give stuff like this to celebrities. But bravo to you, Patton Oswalt for not being another greedy douchebag. Me, I wouldn't use this kind of thing so much since I have a sensitive stomach & care about my health; I'd rather share the wealth. Remember the Baskin Robbins discussion in "Supersize Me?" I do.

Oh, and this just irked me & made me grateful to work in my field. God forbid you have a personality, right? Suck all the fun out of a so-called "fun" event. No wonder people don't want to go to holiday parties at work. At least the one I went to before law school was black tie so I got to wear my white "Cinderella dress." Yes, I love dressing up. What of it? Any opportunity to do it & I will, especially if it makes me look different from the crowd. As I've said a hundred times before, I firmly believe one can dress tastefully without looking like a frumpy old hag or some robot in a business suit.

Going back to a work issue, I saw this topic on the Evil HR Lady blog. Religion at work: what a loaded issue.

I have to agree w/those who say that they don't mind talk of God + other spiritual entities or people's personal beliefs (you're also welcome to pray for me if you wish) but that when you try to convert, you are crossing the line.

I'm quite mindful of this kind of thing, especially because I lived in the South and some people are of the mind that if you aren't religious you just crawled up from Hell or need to be saved this instant. That can be the first question out of people's mouths & it's insensitive to my non-religious spouse.

I think we also need to be respectful of ALL people regardless of beliefs since conversion attempts are just as annoying as pestering women to have kids or telling someone what to eat.

I'm glad this guy got what was coming to him. Threaten me & I'll dare you to show up. Then my spouse will have organized a posse & it will kill you (that is, if I haven't first). Not to mention me threatening you with a lawsuit, collection agency or attacking you myself. I'm not a fair fighter, either. This is why I never understood kids at my school who'd start their fights in the hallway during break time or in the courtyard at lunch. Some teacher would be there in a second to break it up.

If you got in a fight with me, you'd be doing it when kids are in class. When some teacher isn't going to see it in 5 seconds. In other words, I don't play around so you'd better be taking it seriously & ready to go toe to toe. Just you, not your little buddies. I still take that view so if you challenge me, you'd better be ready to throw down. Hell, if this guy had ever crossed my path & tried that w/me I'd have probably cut his dick off or done something just as bad. Redheads don't play, you know?

Finally, I saw this story today & I find it interesting. If I was a manager or publicist, I'd really be pissed about the celebrity I worked with screwing me up with Twitter antics. You know those people probably still get the blame over stuff like that, right?

I can see both sides of the issue. On the one hand, I think it can improve a famous person's image to be accessible to the people & be more human. Humanization isn't necessarily a bad thing; sometimes it can help. On the other hand, if you're some loose cannon idiot who doesn't have privacy blockers and makes it a point to trash your studio, producer, whomever for no good reason then maybe you deserve what you get. Sometimes you're probably better off not showing the world that you really aren't worthy of its idolization. Granted, no one's going to get my idolization so it's a non-issue w/me. If your fortunes depend on the person, though, I can see where you might not want the celeb to have a Twitter account.

What do my industry folk think? Should celebrities use Twitter or lose it? My feeling is it depends.

Maybe It's Not Smart to Burn Bridges

While searching on Craig's List for job ads, I happened to look up something that led to Ripoff Report. Since I happened to be looking in the same category to browse through actual scams, I came across some very unflattering & downright defamatory remarks about a company I have an employment opportunity at.

Some tips before you write something on Ripoff Report:

1. Be damn sure you know the facts. I happen to know for a fact this particular company has not been casting anyone, hence not working w/any actors. If anyone's been taking money from "actors", I'm not aware of it.

2. Check your facts. In lots of states, you can look up attorneys online to see who is or isn't licensed. Some idiot had the nerve to claim about me "now she's an attorney." Listen up, jerkwad! I've been an attorney for 3 years, long before ever dealing w/the scam artist company a year ago.

3. Better watch pulling that "the same people are involved" shit to prove your argument. For one thing, the CEO being out of a company is a huge change. Another funny fact: one of the PR reps at this company was also part of this contingent of actors.

4. Finally, as I've said before if you are concerned about being yelled at, get the hell out of the entertainment field. I've seen & heard about far worse things including the casting couch. This business is not for shrieking violets, delicate flowers or those with a special snowflake mentality. See how many friends you keep if you get oversensitive. I'm fine with the occasional "babe" or "sweetheart"; this is part of some people's interactions based on generation/region/what have you. Make a federal case of things like this & I promise you'll get blackballed sooner or later.

Arrested Development also proves that executives curse a LOT.

Better yet, maybe you should live in a bubble all by yourself since you're not going to be able to handle working anyplace w/that kind of attitude. Try mouthing off to a supervisor sometime & see what happens. Even the McDonald's night manager isn't going to stand for it.

As an aside, I actually warned certain actors involved who behaved professionally & who I felt had a future. Clearly, the authors are sad little wannabes who will not amount to anything; they can't call themselves "actors" since real actors would have facts and evidence to back up their tales. If I were involved in this little scam, why would I go telling investors & defrauded people anything? Why would my boss at this other company do it if he were involved?

If you didn't get the warning, maybe it means you don't belong to the creative community & no one wants to vouch for you in future projects.

Not that I feel some compelling need to defend myself or anything but I think my boss there could have a libel action w/some of these remarks.

This is how you burn bridges, kids. You'll also not find a thing on the BBB or in court records since that company has not done anything warranting legal action. If it has, that's news to me & you really should speak up while bringing in your evidence.

Furthermore, I have a very good memory & know precisely who I did or didn't interact with. The names of the troublemakers are permanently etched in my brain so they won't be crossing my desk or dealing with me.

God, this reminds me of something that happened to an industry friend of mine. My friend was the target of a very dedicated hater in a foreign country. This hater dislikes my friend so much that he created a hate site exclusively for that purpose. He probed details of my friend's life & went right for this friend's jugular.

My friend was upset at first but eventually took it with a grain of salt. Guess I should feel like I've arrived in a sense since I've got haters & those haters have zero credibility in this business. I certainly won't change who I am to impress some future (maybe present, for all I know) whore. Thoughts?

Doug Funnie is Crazy and Other Realizations

While looking for some images of Judy Funnie, I stumbled across this blog.  I'm seriously thinking of following it b/c not only is it hilarious but when you think about it, these logic fails are quite accurate.  That show did make me want to rip my hair out sometimes w/some of those logic fails. My husband describes Doug as emo & he hates people who are emo.

For those who are clueless, Judy Funnie:

I think I could pull off that look if I somehow figure out what to do with my hair.  Recently, I found it was getting pretty close to my waist.  When I was little I wanted my hair to be waist length like my best friend's but it never happened.

So, going back to earlier discussed topics I found this charming story a few days ago.  If I were Josh Duhamel, I'd have been more pissed about the TSA body scans or the enhanced pat down of my junk than at having to turn off my Blackberry.  He's lucky none of those delayed passengers formed a posse and beat his ass; do that if I have to travel & you won't get to the "taunting" me stage.  I'll just take your Blackberry & smash it into pieces or drop it into a toilet.  Whatever's handy at the time. 

Life lesson: never, EVER mess with a natural redhead.  Least of all, a natural redhead who's an attorney + has rage issues.  Actually, all natural redheads have rage issues so be mindful of that.

Oh, and this just horrifies me on many levels.  I actually agree w/Sarah Palin on this one, if you can believe it.

First off, if you want to deal with obesity issues how about improving the school food?  Didn't anyone see the film Supersize Me?  Remember when Morgan Spurlock went to the school for troubled kids where they had healthy cuisine at the same prices & the kids actually focused in classes?  Did any other schools actually do that or is this just some more nonsense to detract from the government corruption that continues to exist?

Second, how about more physical activity?  Better and more gym classes would certainly tackle the obesity issue, right?  Kids would be motivated to participate if they weren't tormented for being bad at some sport or had playgrounds to use at recess.  How about a daily recess like I had as a kid where you didn't have to do class sports activities?

A regulation like this is just a distraction from real solutions and an attempt to make things harder on the organizations trying to raise money.  What's next? Barring Girl Scout cookies from being sold on the premises?  An actual food police? 

What about the skinny people?  I was also skinny as a child & a no-fat diet would have caused me to lose weight, meaning forced confinement in an eating disorder clinic b/c everyone would claim I was anorexic.  Some of us do have that gene naturally; helps if you want to work in entertainment, doesn't it?

So, speaking of the police The Consumerist has some wild stories about ordinary people being confronted by the police or having to use the police to safeguard against the retail Gestapo.

A few words about these stories:

First off, why is any police officer working to enforce nonsensical store policies that are not legally enforceable under the law?  What cop is dumb enough to do Best Buy's bidding by following some shopper out into the parking lot and threatening arrest for not showing the non-existent door checker his receipt?  Do you not have any real criminals to catch?  There aren't ANY murders, robbers, child molesters, deadbeat parents, illegal aliens or even errant speeders to investigate in your entire town?  Why are we playing Best Buy's rent-a-cop & why wouldn't an officer of the law be insulted about doing such a shady task?  You can bet these company executives don't respect them or the law.

This was a sheriff's deputy, for God's sake.  I know sheriff's deputies have better things to do than this.

Had you done this to me, I would have asked you to escort me into the Best Buy so I could instantly return the items & not maim anyone in the process since I'd be sorely tempted to do it if you weren't present.  I figure if I end up in certain life situations, it will be best for all involved if a cop is around to escort me so I don't murder people with my bare hands.  This goes back to what I said before about not messing w/natural redheads.

Second, no one being around me would motivate me to not stand up for my rights.  I'd tell my spouse to go get bail money b/c I'd just tell the officer point blank to go right ahead and arrest me since I'm not ceding to some corporation's false authority over my person, property or rights.

Third, why is it that only men seem to be involved in these stories?  You never hear about these things happening to women.  You certainly don't hear about this happening to attorneys. 

I'd love to see the look on some of these people's faces if they ever dared to try that w/me & I pointed out my being an attorney in my home state + started quoting the correct law at them. 

I happen to know the law when it comes to false imprisonment, paying tips (not required in NY state), assault and battery considering I have a law degree.  Love when non-attorneys try to fancy themselves as constitutional law experts, especially when it's simpletons who use that logic to try to encourage their fellow citizens to behave like sheep, let the cop perform an illegal strip search and not object to the demands to perform sexual favors.  Don't fall for it.

Better yet, let's make those "citizens" leave the US and trade them for illegals from elsewhere who are acting more like proper American citizens (knowing English, not breaking any laws, performing honest work, etc.).

One time being from the South helps: I can be matter of fact but very polite about it.  I do dare any Wal-Mart employee to try a thing with me.  I've heard numerous stories about things & you bet I'd say "armed robbery" plus inform any police officers that I wanted to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.

I once had a hassle over trying to return pantyhose in my local Wal-Mart as a law student.  This guy tried to argue w/me about opening a package when I had to try them on to assess whether they fit me or not.  I went Angry White Girl & guess what?  Got my return taken care of.  Having worked in retail, I know for a fact that being a squeaky wheel will usually get you the desired results.  I simply don't employ that tactic unless someone is just being stupid or trying to be unfair to me; that doesn't fly with me.

So if you as a non-lawyer get in such situations?  Know a good attorney & make a big stink. 

More Reasons for Me to Abhor Bar Associations

Here's a great example of why the general advice of "go to bar association events" is a shitty thing to say.

I get e-mails for holiday parties at 2 bar associations I belong to. Nice holiday party; sounds like fun, right? They also typically have annual dinners & so forth. In fact, one person w/the membership at one of them tried to talk me & one my attorney friends into going.

Here's the problem: these events cost a fortune to attend. These annual dinners are over $100 a ticket and even the one for Queens County was about $50 a ticket. Just going to these holiday parties? They're $25 per ticket. Per fucking ticket!!!

Now it may not be the fault of the committee heads. Apparently, one of these associations does charge money to them to have food there. Not sure if anyone's ever considered the option of buying your own food with the organization's funds or getting reimbursement from the association so you're not paying the food serving staff. That's how everyone I knew did things. My sorority used dues in the treasury to pay for events & had a budget. We didn't have a sub-category of the membership who was excluded due to poverty.

Do these associations charge you for the venue?? If they do, I'd be the type of committee head to go find my own venue elsewhere & not get dicked around by the greedy associations who clearly don't live in the real world where countless new attorneys are unemployed. As in, no money to pay student loans & basic expenses.

They've apparently not even read recent issues of the ABA magazine which featured how unemployed new attorneys are dealing with the recession. Some of them are living at home & working unpaid or for anemic wages.

The cost of these so-called "yearly" bar events that are supposed to be open pisses me off. To me, it feels like I'm excluded from an association where I'm paying dues & allegedly someone who matters there. Being charged $25 & certainly being charged $100 to go to things makes me feel like I don't count. There's no option for a reduced rate or even a younger attorney discount.

The same thing happened when I was in law school. They had a yearly Barrister's Ball, which I'd have liked to go to. One year, they did at least come to their senses & charge a reasonable price for law student tickets. The problem was they didn't consider that law students might have a date that is going to school elsewhere they might want to bring. The regular ticket price was absurd for my husband, at the time a library school student. Sorry, you're not motivating me to go anywhere when my boyfriend's ticket is over $100 & he's paying the same price as some old BigFirm law partner.

Things like that make me feel completely unwelcome & say to me "I'm an elitist asshole."

I have to wonder how many younger attorneys even show up to these things. If you do, you're obviously a dupe with more money than common sense. I went to a nice holiday party at the law firm I worked at before law school. No one charged me admission or made my date pay a fortune for tickets. I even got compliments on this awesome evening gown I have; officially, it's my "Cinderella dress."

I may just say something to the person with that event as that association is supposed to be a bit more grounded in the real world that the other one, which isn't. Thank God that at least the Entertainment Committee president does understand the real world & told me not to let finances stop me from coming to events. Bless her heart; if people like that were handling policy in these groups, you might get more of the anti types in there.

* And of course, don't forget about the "Your Turn to Rant" contest. The deadline is January 3rd. *

An Ad Telling it Like it Is

If you read my post a few days ago on ghostwriters & plagiarists, you already know my stance on this issue. Whoever posted this is my hero:

To all the students who want someone to write their papers
Date: 2010-12-02, 5:53PM EST
Reply to: see below

When did the writing/editing section become a place for lazy students to find other people to do their homework? If you don't want to learn anything, stop taking up space that could go to people who actually value an education. We already attended school. We finished our homework. We're professionals who are looking for real jobs. Get off your lazy asses and do your assignments. I sometimes have the urge to respond to your ads -- just to collect enough information to pass along to your professors and school administration. Then you can flunk out, relax and be as stupid and lazy as you want to be, indefinitely.

* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: no pay

PostingID: 2091818624

I've responded to some of these culprits & threatened to report them to their school administrators & deans. Not to mention saying that they'd better not be trying to join the legal field since this kind of thing is a HUGE ethics violation that no state Character & Fitness committee would let you get away with. Oh, and do these schools not have allow you to get extensions on time???

Doing it also proves you're a moron who doesn't have the necessary skills to represent a client. It'd be like getting a driver's license when someone else did the driving part; you'd be a danger to everyone on the road.

I sure don't want a surgeon operating on me who cheated his way through med school, do you?

A Lawyer After My Own Heart & Why No Mentoring for Entertainment Lawyers?

Gary Fielder, a lawyer in Colorado, is awesome. Here's why.

This is precisely why lawyers are useful & exactly what I'd do if I were forced to travel for business. I don't care if this guy's seeking money or not, I stand 100% behind the principle of the lawsuit & feel that being demanded to pay an $11,000 fine for not submitting to this invasive bullshit instead of simply getting to leave the airport is unconscionable. Try the shit I've read about with me; you'll be dragging my butt to prison in a very noisy scene & will never see a dime from me since like most people w/six figure loan debt, I'd likely be declared judgment proof.

Let's hope the judge has some common sense & shuts down the government's attempt through the TSA to take away people's freedom. You're never going to be 100% safe & if you're willing to submit to this, I suggest you move to another country where you don't have constitutional rights. You know strip & cavity searches won't be far behind.

Until you politicians, celebrities, flight crews & others currently exempt are going through this, I suggest you put up or shut up. Statements from the likes of you confirm why I hate politics & people who don't have a clue trying to tell others who do how to live.

This Craig's List ad has been posted for a second time & pisses me off:

█►Seeking lawyers from top firms to mentor JD grads - $40-$60 an hr (New York)
Date: 2010-12-01, 2:04PM EST
Reply to: advisors@bluechipcareer.com [Errors when replying to ads?]

Mentor young, ambitious law school graduates and help them make the most effective use of their law degrees.

Blue Chip Career has established a platform that will allow you to enjoyably and effectively help law school graduates with their careers. The career counseling sessions are done over the phone, according to your convenience.

There will be a modest hourly payment ($40-$60 an hour) provided to mentors.

Requirements:

-We are seeking professionals that have excelled in their respective field and are passionate about mentoring.
-Must have a JD and 8+ years of experience.
-We are looking for lawyers with experience at top law firms, as well as professionals that have pursued other careers (finance, government relations/public policy, business/general management, non-profit, and many more!)

If interested, please send your resume and a paragraph detailing your passion for mentoring to advisors@bluechipcareer.com

* Location: New York
* Compensation: $40-$60 an hour
* Telecommuting is ok.
* This is a part-time job.
* This is a contract job.
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 2089495488

Why does it piss me off? First off, what about the entertainment field? Tons of attorneys want to do that & true mentors in that category are few & far between. I can confirm both from personal experience. I really haven't found attorneys doing what I get to do; most would have told me to go work in BigLaw, where I'd have been miserable.

Second, you don't need 8+ years of experience in the entertainment field to be an effective mentor. My Entertainment Law professor, who worked in the industry, said that the industry promotes more quickly than your typical job. You learn more in a quicker time period & sure as hell don't need a BigLaw pedigree or Ivy League law school degree to get in. I & others I know are living proof of that. In fact, I think you're better off having a decent personality & being from that background tends to make you an irritating elitist asshole.

Sadly if you're the last T1 graduate + BigLaw refugee who hasn't lost his/her soul, then you're having to work against that stereotype to get anywhere. As a creative person, you'd have a long way to go to prove you had my best interests at heart.

I also think having that much experience makes you too distant from the realities of today's job market & economy. You got your start in the flush times & your tips aren't as useful as those from people who are living it firsthand. Now some people aren't clueless ideologues & do have better tips than "make good grades" but that seems to be the exception instead of the rule.

Do I think I'm an exception to this 8 year experience crap? You're damn skippy I do! There are people with more experience who wish they were doing what I get to & had the regard I've got in my area. Not to mention I've had life experiences that most people don't have for a very long time such as death of close family members, living in a lower income level & having to be self-reliant at a young age. That means I'm not regarded as some spoiled Millenial with helicopter parents & zero accountability for anything (those people piss me off too since I didn't live that).

Maybe I ought to do this in the future. I'm big on helping others avoid things I went through & I'll bet you many of these attorneys are clueless when it comes to scam artistry. Problem is, I don't like the attorney stereotype crowd since I behave like a grown up & not a 7th grader clique snob trying to impress the Queen Bee. Arrogance with me is asking for trouble.

The "Your Turn To Rant" Contest

Got a burning issue that you've just been dying to get off your chest? Maybe you disagree w/one of my views or feel you should cover something I haven't.

Well, now it's your turn to rant.

Send me your best rant on a current event you've personally experienced (as in you or a loved one). It can be on anything from politics to immigration to those pesky kids who won't stop playing on your lawn. Yes, you can disagree w/me!!

The winning rant will get published here & the lucky author will win 4 free tickets to Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage (a $300 value).

If the winner can't get to the show in NYC, then we'll see what we can do.

Contest Rules:

1. You only have to write one rant. If you start following the blog or link to this, you can submit a second entry. You'll have to prove you're doing this, though.

2. No more than 2 authors per rant.

3. Rants must be at least 100 words and no more than 5,000 words. Yes, I'll be counting the words.

4. You must present logical reasoning to support your rant. If it's all “the Bible/Koran/other holy book says this,” I'm not going to bother reading it. Nor do I care what your grandmother, Jesus or George W. Bush have to say; this is YOUR rant. Convince me that I should agree with your views.

5. Keeping w/the above, this isn't a law review article or research paper. Putting me to sleep will not increase your chances of winning.

6. No hate speech, religious sermons or content that would violate Blogger's “Terms and Conditions” or those of other websites. If there's going to be any cult recruitment efforts here, it's going to be from me damn it!

7. Proper English: spelling errors will be corrected but no “leek” or text message speak. If I can't understand it, you can't be considered.

8. Your rant can be posted anonymously but you can't be anonymous in submitting it. I have to be able to get in touch w/you if you want to win.

9. I reserve the right to edit your post for conciseness. If you don't like it, start your own blog & post your rant there.

10. No personal attacks. I will not publish your manifesto against Jenny Smith unless you agree to change the name.

11. No recounts & no whining if you aren't selected.

Rants will be judged by moi & her trusted team on originality, humor, persuasive ability and accessibility to the general public. You can disagree w/my views but you'll need a good argument to back it up & should prepare for me to debate you on it.

The contest ends on January 3, 2011. That should give you a nice post-holiday treat.

How to enter? Simply post a comment to this entry; I won't publish them & will review them for the contest. If you post a comment to a different entry, I may not see the entry so make it easier on yourself okay?

So, on with the rants!!

General Musings Part 12

More stories falling into various categories. Here goes.

Bravo to these flight attendants. They're doing what they have to in order to survive. Anyone finding fault in them doing a sexy calendar to raise $ is just some ugly woman who's insecure about her appearance or someone who's never faced hard times; neither group is one I feel particular sympathy towards.

Speaking of another group of people I have no sympathy for, check this out.

Doesn't this mother sound like a micromanaging harpy out to sue anyone she can? Her child is 17 years old & she wants to dictate policy on perfume scents. What will this child do in college or at a job? Going to sue the company because people aren't catering to your sensitivities??? Mommy going in & doing that will sure make things better! I'm not big on overpowering scents myself but why stop there? Let's get rid of people w/BO, the kids so fat they qualify as blobs, those with overly cheery dispositions early in the morning and perform strip searches complete with searches of lunch bags before anyone enters school.

In case you can't tell, I feel the same about peanut bans. Make the allergy suffers go elsewhere instead of demanding everyone else to accommodate to them since the real world doesn't have "peanut free" zones. If you want to get all bitchy about finding an alternative to peanut butter, I suggest you foot the bill for the extra food costs the parents who can't afford alternatives are being forced to pay because of YOUR child's problem. Until then, keep your big mouth shut. I'd like to ban cole slaw & mayonnaise since I don't care for the smells, but I don't think I'd have much success on that one.

If this kid doesn't want to be known as the henpecked offspring of "that controlling mega-bitch", he might want to talk Mommie Dearest out of this public spectacle. Even Vinton Harper had more of a backbone than this kid seems to have(Mama's Family reference; if you haven't seen the show, go look it up online since that crew makes most people's families look adorable by comparison)! Could you imagine dating someone like this? I couldn't & I was quite willful at that age; in fact, I was pretty saucy by about 6 or so.

Now for more stupid school administration policy.

Yes, because some child can successfully murder a group of school children with some Chapstick. Quick, let's put on the haz-mat suits & hide under our desks! Kids in the old days ate stuff that was in dirt, covered in snot, in fact I once saw a kid on the bus eat a live bee.

If you're that worried about school children sharing lip balm, then it's time for you to start a long vacation at your nearest mental facility. No one should release you without some sessions of shock treatment & perhaps a lobotomy if electric shock doesn't calm you down.

Apparently, text messaging is a new distraction in schools.

Well, where have you been for the past 5 years? This same argument comes up in law schools with the use of laptops. Students use the laptops to play computer games, chat on AIM, catch up on the sports game, anything but do school work. At least, this was the case at my law school. You'd think in college you'd just do that courtesy of the free WiFi instead of wasting your $ paying for text messaging service. Personally, I don't care for texting & while it may come in handy at times I just don't want to pay for it.

Putting your phone at the teacher's desk & getting it after class is over seems fair. It prevents cheating, theft by leaving the phone in a locker & you can call the police if some errant school shooter happens by. To me, leaving your life in the hands of others is stupid as a matter of general common sense. Instead of hoping someone does something for you, you're better off trying to make things happen for yourself like protecting your own safety. Too many stories about the MTA doing nothing while people were hurt in the subway stations & not being held liable under the law support my views on taking care of yourself since no one else will.

This MSN article is another dating advice one that annoyed me.

Ah, Glamour magazine. Basically encouraging women to be dishonest. Be a little helpless doormat & don't consider that maybe men shouldn't do this stuff either. I actually had a boyfriend tell me about wanting to date a friend of mine who was dating his frat brother, expressing regret that he didn't "get to her first." Gee, thanks for taking me as sloppy seconds!

If you can't be personal or honest with someone, then you certainly can't live with him/her. That house of cards falls apart the minute you are in close quarters. For the record, the cat is #1 over some asshole guy who'd just leave in 2 seconds. In a functional relationship, there's no competition b/t your significant other & the pet(s). They are equal. My husband & my kitty are equal: they have different roles & importance to the family. The cat kills vermin that intrude on our peace, warns us about bad people & snuggles up on us at night. Plus, my husband got our cat w/the animal abusing bitch. The cat simply claimed me later on.

Hey, Glamour magazine! Do you think I liked my ex telling me to shave my girly areas so I'd look like a 10 year girl? See, a lot of that goes both ways.

Finally, I was reading entries in this online childfree group I used to belong to but after seeing too many child-hating jerks decided to leave. One of them was discussing an initiative among some companies to allow babies in the workplace.

Not babies in a day care facility at the workplace but putting babies into the workplace of people trying to do jobs.

Could you imagine that in the entertainment field? In some agent's or lawyer's office, that baby would be exposed to so much swearing & vulgar language it would start talking like Tony Soprano when it got old enough. Putting them in some spaces is just downright torture for the baby & everyone within a 2 mile radius such as a CLE course.

I'm all for day care in a separate area in the workplace with qualified caregivers supervising the kids but actual babies in the workspace of others??? Hell, no!!! Who is that stupid? Who cares so little about productivity and the bottom line to approve that one?

I think a better solution would be more generous pregnancy leave for both genders such as in Canada, France & the like, day care in more workplaces (so kids can also socialize with peers & see their parents on lunch breaks) and some compromise on both sides of the table. I don't have all the answers there but I think those are better than just letting babies come into the office with you to rest in your cubicle.

Finally, I've not heard about whether people actually diverted the TSA enhanced search nonsense last week. I hope there was a TON of it. That whole thing bothers me & is just another good reason for me not to fly. I had enough bad experiences with missing luggage, bad landings & total incompetence leading to flight delays, long before the 2006 liquid ban that sounds like just another attempt to extort money from working people by making them buy overpriced beverages at airport shops. Until I know a competent pilot with a private plane & can fly first class, I'm not getting onto an airplane if I can help it.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the contest announcement.

Ghostwriters & Plagiarists

As a frequent checker of Craig's List job postings in various skills I have, I tend to see lots of stupid shit posted there. Aside from blatant labor law violations, I used to see a lot more posts from people seeking accomplices to academic dishonesty.

The people trying to get someone else to do their schoolwork, write their papers, etc. just piss me off. Why?

1. I earned my own damn way, motherfucker!!! I didn't have anyone to do my work for me & I had to rely on my own brain to get ahead. I also didn't have a lot of resources that your average person has & had to fight not being from money. If I managed to do my own work & got ahead, then (1) get off your ass, (2) stop being a baby & (3) do you own damn work!!!

2. I don't know about your college or law school but in my college, you could get time extensions if you needed them to get a paper done. If it was the end of the semester, the professor would just give you an incomplete until you turned in the work. Some were extremely flexible on this; I knew a few people who did this & didn't resort to cheating.

Why not do this if you're so "busy"? That ad I posted a while back on the law student trying to get some assistant b/c of being on law review really takes the cake here. Didn't hear back from that flake; probably b/c that moron knew I was right.

3. Ownership: it's not your product if some ghostwriter is doing the work. It belongs to the ghostwriter. I don't care to be abused in that way so that's why I won't do it. If it's your ideas and your views and the person is merely clarifying them in a way you can't, that's different. Lawyers do this all the time.

However, if the person is having to research & creating the work that you're using (as in, it wasn't your idea or views) then you've become a plagiarizing cheat. In particular, if you're doing that to get into a school or to give someone the pretense that you wrote whatever the product was you don't belong in the program.

Even courts won't let you pull one over on the judges if you're appearing pro se (without a lawyer). Some places require you to disclose if you got assistance from an attorney in your papers & in some cases, to name the attorney.

4. Earning your spot: This goes back to #1 a bit but why should you get to cheat your way in to keep or get a spot in a school when someone else who did their own work got turned down? Why does YOUR busy schedule and YOUR life trump everyone else's? There's delegation of duty and then there's outright cheating. Having someone take a test for you? Cheating. Write your paper? Cheating.

Researching your paper (without writing it)? Not so much but what makes you so special to get the extra help when you're a student? Maybe you should reevaluate your priorities b/c the real world is much harder & you'll be a lot busier once you're out of school, especially if you're going to be a lawyer. It's the same as athletes taking steroids; how fair is it to the ones who don't & actually earned their spots?

5. Having a Talent: If you're good at something, it's very hard to find someone just as good or better. If you're going to pay someone to do something, that person needs to be just as good at or better than you at the task. The only people who'd think to hire someone else are no-talents who can't hack it. If you can, then you wouldn't trust someone else's work over your own. You'd never take that risk, no matter how busy you were. You'd cut back on your social life & other tasks to focus on your education.

Lately, I've been seeing ads in this section from law school students trying to get people to do their homework for them. I wonder what a state ethics committee (the group that decides if you ever get to be a practicing lawyer) would have to say about it? I bet they'd be just as disgusted by that as I am. One of these days, I'll have to make these people think I'll agree to work with them so I can report their sorry asses to their school deans & the state ethics committees.

If they find that kosher, then that ethics committee has no business hassling me for college debt I had to incur in order to survive my lower middle class upbringing (particularly when there was nothing else at all in my record that was a "black mark"). Plagiarism/academic dishonesty is a blatant ethics violation & if you want to prove deceit, what's more deceptive than making your school think you did work you didn't bother with?

If someone reports these fuckers for their ads, then they deserve it. You don't get sympathy from me when you're trying to cheat & prove you weren't worthy of being accepted to your school.

These views are why I adamantly refuse to work as a ghostwriter or assist lazy school children. My posts are also written by me & only me. No one writes my work or transcribes it for me. I have the utmost respect for celebrities and well known people who write their own damn books. No ghostwriters, no "with" whomever in teeny tiny print while the famous person's name is bigger than life itself.

I think even if I became mega-busy, I would insist on keeping my integrity by writing my own damn blog & not having a PR team or someone do it for me without IDing him/her first.

I tend to flag those ads & if I had my way, they'd be banished from the site. How do you think your boss would like it if you paid someone else to do your work, show up to the office, etc. but still had to pay YOU for it? Who in their right mind would agree to that? You can't do that as an actor

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person in the world who still has some integrity. I saw an ABA story ages ago where a lot of lawyers talked about not writing their own law school admission essays. Gee law schools, if you don't consider these in admission decisions and/or refuse to punish people for having others do them, then why waste everyone's time asking for them?