Shit Happened

Posted on by lindsay
At my aunt's house on Christmas Eve, a cousin that I had not seen since the previous Christmas and with whom I have no personal relationship looked over at me while I was stuffing truffles into my face and snidely asked, "What happened?" I knew she was asking about my marriage, but I couldn't believe she had the audacity to be so rude, and what was that about people living in glass houses not throwing stones anyway? I stammered out a response that clearly was not to her satisfaction, as she actually asked AGAIN, prompting me to snap something about minding her own business, grab my purse, and flee.But although rude, her question was fairly valid, not just in terms of my marriage but also in relation to the entire year. I can say with confidence that 2006 sucked. I was charged with reckless driving, I was arrested for trespassing, ...continue reading.

Another Birthday

Posted on by lindsay
Dear Aisha, It’s your first birthday, and I’m not even there to share it with you. If I could be, I’d shower you with hamburgers and let you rip a hole in my sock with your teeth. I’d take you to the park and let you be your hyperactive, galumphing self all over the place. I’d even let you try to climb out the window of the car while we’re flying down the highway at an exceptionally reasonable 75 mph. But I’m not there and I can’t be and I’m sorry. I remember when I first saw your picture on the Internet (you hussy!). Your breeder lived in Florida, but I fell in love with your fluffy goodness immediately and agreed to drive down and pick you up myself. When I drove away from your old house, you started crying and howling and I couldn’t comfort you – I guess ...continue reading.

Raise Your Hand If You Also Think I’m Nuts

Posted on by lindsay
When I took my leave of absence from law school, I did so long after the tuition refund period had elapsed, meaning that my choice had the potential of being a $7600 decision. I say potential because the Director of Student Academic Affairs informed me that I could petition the university to refund my tuition based on my circumstances, meaning that I could theoretically reverse the significant financial impact of my choice to take a year off.In the past four weeks, I've been preparing to submit my request. Okay, that's a bit of a lie. I've been thinking about it for the past four weeks - I really only took action in the past week, because for the previous three weeks I have been very busy doing nothing. Anyway, I had two letters from medical professionals indicating that I have serious issues, and I took the time to draft a ...continue reading.

Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk

Posted on by lindsay
As my three week hiatus from life draws to a painful and wholly undesirable close, I feel the need to reflect back on a few bad habits and addictions that I've acquired in this time.1. Recycling Outfits: Did you know that if you fall asleep in your clothes, wake up the next morning, and keep wearing the same outfit all day, you totally economize on your laundry? Because I do.2. Caramel Apples: In the past six days, I have consumed eleven of these delicious little beauties. That in and of itself may not seem too shocking, until I admit that seven of them were consumed in one day. I couldn't help it. The nutrition facts indicate that they're not that bad, they were in the pantry literally screaming my name, and everything is so much easier to handle with a caramel apple in your hand.3. Sleeping On The Floor: In ...continue reading.

The Sun Also Rises

Posted on by lindsay
This will not be easy to read.Two weeks ago, I left law school and my home all in the same day. It hurt and the tears and snot kept dripping as I packed up my textbooks and my belongings, but I was mostly numb and just going through the motions. It was hard to keep moving forward and remembering to breathe, but I just stopped thinking and feeling and kept pushing myself onward. Since that day, I've had moments of feeling sad and lost, moments when I'm confused about where I am and what I'm doing, but otherwise I've just kept going through each day with detached disinterest.In the past five days or so however, things have started to go downhill. It's no secret that I deal with depression, that my ability to smile on a regular basis is regulated by a little bottle in my medicine cabinet. But I ...continue reading.

Hard Times Cafe

Posted on by lindsay
I made a difficult decision yesterday. Since I started law school, I've been filled with trepidation and doubts, and it has made getting motivated to succeed rather difficult. Truthfully, it has made getting motivated to get out of bed rather difficult. I've also been dealing with a lot of personal issues that have made focusing on school tremendously challenging, and by yesterday morning, I'd lost complete control over everything. It wasn't a particularly pretty sight, so I figured it was time to make some big changes. I called the Director of Student Affairs to discuss my options, and she granted me a meeting at 11:00am yesterday.Within a moment of stepping into her office, I burst into ridiculous tears. I swore to myself that I'd at least get through the whole introduction part, but my facade of bravery crumbled instantly. I already have a terrible cold, so whole crying/sniffling/coughing made for ...continue reading.