"In vacant or in pensive mood..." I am: Bekah; 24; Law Student / Favorite Things: Carbs (so there!), Johnny Damon, Smiling at babies, Grilled cheese, Comfortable silence / Favorite Supreme Court Justice: Brennan / Favorite Wilson: Owen by an inch / Today's Special: Song: Elliott Smith, "Bled White"; Quote: "You know, there's like a butt-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I'm pretty good with a bowstaff." Please love me: mmbekah@yahoo.com

 
Library Angst, Part II

It's Friday, and I've been at school since 10a.m. Getting up this morning, I was really excited to be going to the library when all of my friends were still at home sleeping off last night. But when I got here I had a special treat that made me even happier to be away from the comfort of my glorious futon. All of the millions of reporters and journals that I pulled from the shelves yesterday were gone. Gone despite my extra effort in getting a "Do Not Reshelve" sign from the tree stump at the circulation desk. Gone despite the fact that I sacrificed my hatred of all things redundant and wrote "Please Don't Move!" underneath the words "Do Not Reshelve." Just gone. And did I mention that this is the second (2nd) time that this has happened in a two (2) day period?

After staring at the empty table in disbelief, I walked over to the reference librarian's desk. I appeared calm. Unfortunately, it was the kind of calm that psychotic people have. Kind of crazed. Kind of demented. Kind of about to explode at any moment. The conversation went like this:

Me: (with a psychotic smile) Hi.
Ref Librarian: Hello.
Me: Yes. There seems to be a problem. Even though I put a sign on the table, someone reshelved all of my books. Again.
Ref Librarian: Oh no.
Me: Oh, yes. I just don't understand.
Ref Librarian: It must be one of the students...
Me: But why? Why would someone go out of their way to put 5,000 books back on the shelves when someone has politely asked them not to?
Ref Librarian: I just don't know. This is a problem.
Me: This may not be the most tactful question, but do the students who work in the library speak English?
Ref Librarian: That could be an issue. I'm going to try to deal with this. I'm very sorry.
Me: Thank you. Now I'm going to go buy some caution tape with which to mummify my books tonight.

I told someone in the office about this, and they thought the solution might be to make a multilingual "Do Not Reshelve" sign. Personally, I don't think that would help unless we're planning on including English-to-Moron translations. This is the most monumentally unacceptable thing I've had to deal with in a while. And you know that's bad, because saying things are unacceptable is just about my favorite pastime.

posted by Bekah at 12:48 PM :: |

 
Clearly the great and wise writer of horoscopes has never had to do a Sub & Cite:

Working late, dear Aquarius? Today? What can possibly be so important that it keeps you from paying attention to your family or your partner? Probably nothing!

Uh, right. Nothing. I guess I'll just blow off the Sub & Cite, call it a day, and go home to my nonexistent "partner." Thank you, oh wise one. You make me feel good about myself. Oh, and seriously. Don't call me "dear." I don't even know you.

posted by Bekah at 10:26 AM :: |

 
Have you ever attempted to obtain assistance from a student worker in a law library? If you have done so and have been successful, please email me your magical secrets immediately. Because frankly, in all of my dealings with student workers, no student has proved to be any more helpful, knowledgeable, or aware of his surroundings than a tree stump. What is the function of having a body at the circulation desk if that person is unable to perform even the most mundane tasks? Here are two recent conversations that come to mind:

Me: Excuse me, can I please get a "Do Not Reshelve" sign for my table?
Worker: (Removes headphones playing scary euro-techno) What?
Me: A "Do Not Reshelve" sign? Can I get one?
Worker: What is this?
Me: A sign. That you put on your table. To make people not put away your books.
Worker: Oh, wait one moment. (disappears to the back office).
Me: (waits patiently)
Worker: (returns, walking at a leisurely pace) We don't have.
Me: Yes, you do. I've seen them before.
Worker: (looks on the table behind him) Oh, here. (replaces headphones with an indifferent sigh).
Me: Yeah. Thanks.

Me: Excuse me, can I please get a copy card?
Worker: (surprised to be spoken to, or to have any sort of task he's expected to perform. It's not like this is his job or anything) What?
Me: A copy card?
Worker: I don't understand.
Me: When you're on a journal, you get access to copy cards. The library gives them to you. You get them from the circulation desk.
Worker: (opens mysterious drawer) There are no cards.
Me: No cards?
Worker: Come back tomorrow. The librarian will be back tomorrow.
Me: No, I don't think you understand. This is an assignment I have to do now. I have about 50 reporters to copy, and I don't have time to do that tomorrow. Is there anyone you can call who might know what to do about this?
Worker: Call?
Me: A reference librarian? Anyone?
Worker: (digs around for a number, finds it, dials) Yes, hello? There is student who needs copy card. Yes. Yes. Mmmhmm. Yes. I see. (To me) There's nothing she can do.
Me: Um. I don't believe that.
(Reference librarian appears, and hands me a copy card.)
Worker: Ok, there it is.
Me: Yes. Thank you.

posted by Bekah at 9:08 AM :: |

 
Law Suits vs. What Suits Me

I look around during this time of year, and all I see are suits. In class, suits put away their books and slink out 15 minutes early. In the halls, suits brush past me urgently in all directions. In the law review office, suits come close to suffocating me. My response to this phenomenon varies on a daily basis. Sometimes I think, “Wow, that person has a lot of interviews. Neat.” Sometimes I think, “Those shoes look really uncomfortable, and that shirt is completely inappropriate.” But most of the time I think, “I’m so glad that’s not me.”

I know that, for some people, on-campus interviewing can be a valuable experience. It’s important to become familiar with the interview process and to learn how to handle yourself in such situations. But I have decided (based on my own reasoning and on a recent validating conversation with my Crim Law prof and law school mentor) that on-campus interviews would be a complete waste of my time. I do not want to work at these firms. I do not want to work in the areas in which these firms are located. And most importantly, I don’t want to do the work that these firms do.

I know that if you are in law school, there are some things that are expected, and there are things that “look good.” But despite this seemingly universal stamp of approval, I know that on-campus interviews will not help me achieve my goals. I am going to find a job on my own steam, and I’m going to make sure that I want to spend my life (or my summer, let’s start small) doing that particular job. This reminds me of a conversation I was having with some girlfriends a few days ago. So many women (and probably men) think of “husband” and “wife” as positions to be filled. They think that because they have an obligation to fill the position at any cost, it doesn’t necessarily matter how it gets filled. When in reality (or in my reality), a “husband” is not an abstract entity, but is instead a particular person for whom I have certain requisite feelings. If I don’t find that person, I won’t get married. If I don’t want that job, I won’t apply for it.

Now, I realize that this rationale doesn’t work perfectly with jobs: I have to get a job, and I have to make money. But the fact is, I am going to get a job. Everyone in law school is going to get a job. I am not going to throw my hat in the ring at some law firm just because it’s what I’m “supposed to do” according to the law school gods. I want to do public defense. I want to live somewhere beautiful. I want to make enough money to live comfortably and pursue activities that make me happy. I do not want to do activities that make me feel alienated (in the Marxian sense or otherwise), and I don’t want to compromise my happiness for the opportunity to make more money than I would know what to do with. I did the “right” and “expected” thing in deciding going to law school; I think I can stand to be a little bit rebellious about what I choose to do now that I’m here.

posted by Bekah at 2:18 PM :: |

 
I Will Literally Strangle You

Ok. I stopped correcting people's grammar in daily life back in middle school because I realized that doing such things made you socially awkward and made everyone hate you. But I must, must address a problem that, figuratively, has me up in arms. Notice the use of "figuratively" there. That's because I am not actually getting any guns ready. But pease note the following excerpt from today's horoscope:

You cannot ask for a much better day, dear Aquarius. A great deal of positive energy is coming your way, and you should look out for the opportunities that are literally hiding out on your front porch.

If there is not a cute little bunny hiding on my front porch when I get home tonight I am going to be seriously pissed. And I will literally have a freak out.

posted by Bekah at 8:22 AM :: |