Minnesota: Hear It From the Horse's Mouth!

Someone actually sat a bunch of Deans down to talk to them about their students' grim futures.

Here is what U.S. News and World Report has to say about these schools:

core	Tier	2008-2009 Tuition	Total full-time enrollment	Distance
Rank20	University of Minnesota--Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
66	1	In-state, full-time: $24,686 per year, Out-of-state, full-time: $35,089 per year	780	Enter your zip
University of St. Thomas Minneapolis, MN
N/A	3	Full-time: $32,794 per year	451	Enter your zip
William Mitchell College of Law St. Paul, MN
N/A	3	Full-time: $30,650 per year	644	Enter your zip
Hamline University St. Paul, MN
N/A	4	Full-time: $30,096 per year	509	Enter your zip

So, putting it in perspective, University of Minnesota is the only decent law school on the list and the other ones should be ashamed at charging what they do for a lousy education and (by their own admissions) dismal job prospects. Over 30K a year for a 3rd and 4th tier school is criminal. Bernie Madoff has nothing on these schools. They rob poor students of millions of dollars every year.

Some notable quotes include:

"We really think that our students are well-situated to be flexible in this economy."--William Mitchell Dean

"Students who have initiative, who are accustomed to being self-starters...gritty.. can hang out their own shingle... are the ones who will ... succeed."--William Mitchell Dean

"Second Year Students ... are working in some capacity and may not be law-related jobs."--St. Thomas Dean

"Our graduation statistics are usually a little under 50% employed at graduation and we're down about 8 to 9 points from that."--St. Thomas Dean

"We're being aggressive ... bringing in programing on alternative [non-legal] forms of employment."--William Mitchell Dean

"This is about a career that will extend over the next 30 to 50 years... and you're going to have to be more creative."--St. Thomas Dean

"Networking"--Hamline Dean

As you can tell, I find what the 3rd and 4th Tier Deans say particularly offensive.

Let me cut through the bullshit for you...

The Deans of ALL 4 schools are admitting that their graduates will not get hired through traditional means if at all. Rather, the students will have to rely on nepotism (aka networking) or will have to volunteer for a little over a thousand dollars for the experience. Fyi, volunteering under the Dean of Hamline's proposal does not lead to permanent employment. Prospective lawyers may even go to law school to find out that their school's great solution to the shortage of legal jobs is to put you into a position that is not legal (i.e. a job you could have had without going to law school). The one thing that all schools could offer to help their graduates, they are not mentioning--forgiving student loans.

I realize this is just one state, but all of the Law School Deans in that state are admitting to the same failures. The only difference between these Deans and those of the other 49 states is that no one has interviewed the other ones yet. Trust me, things are not drastically different in the state wherein my alma mater lies.

Knowing all this, from the horses' mouthes, why would anyone with half a peanut of a brain go to law school? The only good that can result, is the experience of a nonsensical intellectual exercise and working for a few peanuts.

Update: My Job Scavenger Hunt

Back in September, in  my tribute to Gmail, I told the world that I applied to 233 jobs and I received about 5 rejection letters.  Since then, things have been looking up. I've been inundated by rejection letters.  Every day, I get one or two and sometimes three. I get them by email mostly, but I have received a few via snail mail.  The rejection letters via snail mail are so kind to... it makes me think I'm almost human and worth the amount of postage spent on the letter.  So, things are changing. I feel it!  

I can only speculate why this is happening.  I have been applying for jobs for nearly 6 months because I saw that my head might be on the chopping block (and I was right).  Is it possible that the positions were open to accepting applications for that long?  Or did it take them that long to sift through the applications because there were so many.  Whatever it is, I'm sure that it's a good thing because things are moving.  And I, unlike recent grads, have experience as an attorney.  So my chances of getting something are small, but not infinitesimal.  

Now, I've applied to about 300 places at least.  I've had 4 interviews and I'm waiting to hear back from only one of them.  

Being unemployed is the worst because you have lots of free time and tremendous fear of spending money... so you end up sleeping most of the day and catching up on TV.  Bus fare is hardly worth the risk.

My friend, Sarah, called me today and told me about this great deal on trips to the Caribbean.  "I'm unemployed, Sarah.  Did you forget?"  

"Well, it's so little though!"

"What if I'm unemployed in 6 months.  Will I look back on my Caribbean vacation fondly? I don't think so.  I  think I'll be pissed at you for suggesting I spend money on a effing vacation."

And how much would I enjoy a vacation anyhow?  Knowing I'm going back to nothing but my couch and remote control

So, I'm home, hoarding my pennies and praying that the job comes before the savings go.  I am eating nasty food because it's in my cupboard and I can't justify a trip to Whole foods, because that is a luxury.  A tv dinner is practical and cheap.

I have yet to get my first unemployment check. I'm not even sure what's happening with that. I'm so annoyed at this point, I can't even bear calling them up to ask.

I am painting again.  It's a hobby that I have. I'm horrible at it, but I like my work product. Most of my apartment is filled with my own creations. I didn't paint for the last 6 months of my employment because I was so stressed out. I couldn't find inspiration.  

I have yet to forebear my student loans.  Might be a dumb move. I know I can forebear for 3 years without questions.  But I'm still holding onto the hope that I'll pop out a baby one day and want to stay home with him for the first 3 years of his life... and at that point, I could cash out that option.

Is the dream still alive?  The dream being "gainful employment"?  Yes. It's alive.  But it's on life support and there is a chance of recovery, but the doctor hasn't determined whether or not the brain stem shows signs of life.

Let's pray it doesn't meet the same fate as Terri.

Wow... I May Hire Him as a House Servant Who Does Legal Favors for Friends.

Entry Level Attorney Willing to Work 4 Peanuts (Anywhere)

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Date: 2009-10-27, 1:29AM EDT
Reply to: job-9kts3-1439406110@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

---

I graduated from law school in 2003, but have barely practiced law aside from representing parties to real estate transactions. I would like to work for a small firm or solo practitioner and get some hands on training. Preferably in a firm that concentrates on at least a couple of the following areas of law: personal injury, bankruptcy, immigration, litigation, landlord/tenant and commercial transactions. I did very well in law school, am a quick learner and an excellent writer. I also work well with other people and can put in long hours. Additionally, I may even be able to bring in some business as well. I would not expect much salary, just enough to cover my basic living expenses. If interested, please email me and I will return my Resume. Thank you.

• Location: Anywhere
• Compensation: $24,000/yr
• Telecommuting is ok.
• This is a part-time job.
• This is a contract job.
• OK for recruiters to contact this job poster.
• Please, no phone calls about this job!
• Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

It is so sad that a person who did well in law school, has no practical legal skills nearly a decade out of school. This person, unlike many lawyers who hang a shingle out and risk legal malpractice, is willing to admit that he does not know enough to practice. So, in addition to the money he paid for law school, he is willing to give up even more to have "skills that pay da bills." I am not a Socialist, but I often think of the European System of Education when I think about how to remedy the failings of our system. In Europe, the bachelor's degree is unnecessary. It is here too, but since it makes colleges tons of money, we haven't done away with it. Instead, you go directly to law school. Then you spend many years (while under the guise of being a student) focusing on training. So, by the time you are finished, you are ready to hit the ground running. For the life of me, I can't find anything on the web about this, but I have friends that studied over there and this is how it was explained to me. Instead of learning about laws written by men that died long ago, we should have more classes that focus on the practice of the law. IPOS, Real Estate Closings, Criminal Trials, Motion Practice, Will Drafting, Family Court Practice, etc. Then you could graduate with more than an instinct about the law. THEN you can hang a shingle.

I Speak Loudly, on Purpose.

Today, I took the train to meet a few friends for dinner.  On the way, a young kid was asking me directions and he was obviously not from around here.  He said he was in college and visiting his sister.  He asked me what I did.  I said, "laid off lawyer."

He was taken aback.  Just like everyone I tell my situation to, he was shocked to hear the three words in one sentence.  Lawyers are all doing great, right?  He asked me what I majored in, and I had this sick feeling he was sizing up his ability to become a laid off lawyer one day. I told him I was a poli-sci major.  He asked if that was a good major to go to law school with?  I said, "You're not considering going, are you? It's the biggest mistake of my life."

"Really?" he said.

"Mmmm.. yah. I'm nearly ten years out and I'm out of work.  What do you think?"

At this point, the train was really crowded.  So, I upped my volume so that I can spread the message far and wide.  

"You have to go to a top 15 law school and you have to be in the top 10% of your class to score one of those amazing jobs you hear about."

"Oh, so I have to study my ass off."

"NO.  Don't you get it?  Everyone who goes to law school at the top 15 schools and maybe even the top 100 schools were straight-A students in college or very near that.  Your entire class will be brilliant.  Even if you study your ass off, you may not be among the smartest of your smart class.  And even if you fully grasp the material, you are graded on a curve.  So if you get everything right, but it's less right then the rest of your class, you will get an 'F' and you will fail the class."

I was screaming at this point.  Partially because the train was packed and loud. I also peered around hoping that I got someone else's ear.  

"What firm were you with?" I could tell he thought I may have been a loser attorney.

"I was with one of the top 10 firms in the country.  Pull out your apple phone and look it up."  

Then I got to my stop.

I left him by saying... 

"Please listen to what I say and remember that I told you it's a horrible profession to spend money on.  Go for free or don't go.  And if you ignore what I'm telling you, you will remember me the rest of your life because you will be unhappy with your decision and you will wish you listened to my advice."

I hope I haunt that kid.  

Happy Halloween.

Go to Law School to become a Paralegal or a Secretary! (My comments in Green)

Out-of-work lawyers try to be paralegals, secretaries
by Michael H. Samuels
Published: August 6th, 2009
Jessica Sparacino was a student at Touro Law School when she got a job as a paralegal for Jackson Lewis in Melville, a position she held a year after graduation before landing a job as a lawyer.

With the legal job market being hit hard by the recession, Sparacino is one of the lucky ones.

Yah, She's really lucky. Probably 200K in debt and working a job she worked before accumulating the debt.


With the recession spurring legal layoffs across the country - 5,190 lawyers at major law firms have been laid off since Jan. 1, 2008, according to Lawshucks.com, a Web site that tracks legal layoffs - out-of-work attorneys are willing to work in the legal industry as paralegals, law librarians and legal secretaries.

However, they’re not getting hired.

“It is totally inappropriate to have an attorney in a library,” because most attorneys do not have the necessary library science skills and degree to work in a law library, said Marjorie Jassin, vice president of Law Library Management, in Huntington, which helps firms manage their own law libraries. “But they are applying for anything law-related. They are looking for work. They have student loans to pay.”

Even though we take a whole year of intensive Legal Research and Writing and spend 3 years on the Law Library, we don't qualify to be Law Librarians.  Fail again!

David Gabor of Gabor & Gabor in Garden City said his firm was inundated with resumes from attorneys for an administrative assistant position. The firm didn’t hire one of the attorneys because of concerns that they would feel that the job was beneath them and would leave as soon as a better job opened up.

Now Employers can decide that they shouldn't hire you because you may leave for a better opportunity one day.  Because everyone you hire stays with your company for life, right?

“We ended up going with a person who has a college education and who seems very amenable to being trained and working hard,” Gabor said.

Because a college graduate is only worth 30K and will stay in a job earning 30K forever.

He suggests instead that out of work lawyers focus on networking, write articles in their practice areas and volunteer their time and expertise by working with charities.

What does he expect lawyers to do for money????

“I deal with people in transition all the time,” said Gabor, an employment lawyer. “If you’re looking for a job, the worst thing you can do is sit around waiting by the phone.”

He also suggested that attorneys should, if they have the means, start up their own one-person practice.

That's the answer!  Because every town has a shortage of solos and clients are so easy to find.

That’s what Denise Doty did.

Doty, an attorney in Farmingdale, was laid off in October, and spent six months networking and volunteering with the Nassau County Bar Association before opening a private practice out of her home in May.

She said she made the decision after applying for legal and nonlegal positions at banks and mortgage companies, and finding she was overqualified.

“I sent out 50 or 60 resumes,” Doty said. “The majority of them I did not get any responses to. It’s a blind ad. I got a response maybe 10 percent of the time acknowledging that my resume was received.”

She added that she never even thought about applying for a secretary-type position.

“I’ve been practicing for 15 years,” she said. “Years ago when I got out of law school and couldn’t find a job, I did take a position as a secretary, but nobody is going to hire somebody as a secretary with 15 years of experience [as an attorney].”

Instead, she’s on her own and growing her client base with the help of word of mouth from friends, social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn and attending networking events to meet potential clients and gather business cards. She’s in the process of putting together written announcements of her one-person firm to send out to groups who do not have computer access.

“Some of what I’m aiming to do is wills, estates, elder law aimed at an older population,” Doty said. “Most don’t have computer or Internet access.”

What are you going to do when you're client base dies off?  And the people remaining figure out about Legalzoom.com?

Marc Wegner, a partner at Jackson Lewis, said attorneys - whether they’re recent law school graduates or experience-rich associates - should do whatever they can to work at a law firm.

“I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “It’s better than looking for other jobs just to make ends meet. If you can manage to stay involved in the industry, it shows a commitment. If you continue to stay involved, that will make you more sellable eventually when the market for attorneys picks up.”

Sparacino, who started this week as a lobbying and criminal defense attorney for GerstmanSchwartz in Garden City, already has friends asking if Jackson Lewis is hiring to fill the paralegal job she’s leaving.

“A year out of law school, with no foot in the door at a law firm, it is heart wrenching and difficult,” Sparacino said. “In today’s economy, you’re competing against attorneys who were just laid off with five-plus years of experience and willing to take entry-level pay.”

We're so fucked, people.  

Things that make you go Hmmmmm....

My friend Ivy found this on-line and brought it to my attention.  How is this not the unauthorized practice of law?

Writer - Advocate (Long Island City)

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Date: 2009-10-21, 12:50PM EDT
Reply to: see below 

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National Social Security Disability Advocacy Company is hiring writer-advocates in our Long Island City, Queens office to represent claimants on disability claims. Candidates will be trained to assist in preparing cases for hearing and provide substantive writing support in the adjudication process. Duties include file review, case development, and writing case summaries for consideration by administrative law judges (ALJs). The candidates will be trained to appear independently before ALJs on disability claims. The ideal candidate must possess a bachelors degree with a demonstrated proficiency in writing, an ability to meet deadlines, and oral communication skills. Salary increase once candidate becomes an authorized advocate. Candidate must submit writing sample of 3-4 pages maximum that reflects his/her analytical ability. 

JDs and Attorneys need not apply. 

Salary 32K, health plan available at shared cost, union dental, and 401k plan. 

Email resumes and a writing sample to interview@binderandbinder.com. 

Careers Services Scrambling... Reminds me of my Alma Mater

I hope this post doesn't offend anyone.  If you're overly sensitive or PC, you should not read this post.  I am not sensitive, nor am I politically correct, and I cannot censor myself.

I ran across this article and it brought me back to my school, circa 2000.  Basically, some Colorado Law School is looking at an unemployment rate of 65% at graduation.  So, what are they doing?  Are they overhauling the system, not accepting a new 1L class?  Are they setting up loan forgiveness programs?  NOPE... they are "scrambling" to place students in temporary jobs.  Ha.  Is that so they can report 99% of students employed to US News?  If they get all grads on the same temporary project that lasts 1 week, for that week, they can say that all grads are employed. Hilarious....

Well, this is not really the point of my post, but a side note.  Back when things were good...  Oh yah... they haven't been good for lawyers since the dot.com bubble exploded--which is when I graduated.  But I digress.  In my class, there was a guy who I could not stand.  Although I'm friends with many gay men, I could not stand this one.  He was queeny and catty and annoying.  Imagine Christian Siriano, but a lawyer and not particularly nice.  He would regularly spread rumors that every straight/married/attached guy in our school made a pass at him when they were alone.  I just found his efforts to convert people, or claims that he did, a little obnoxious.  He wasn't even cute... a little pale, frail and skinny boy. If I were a straight man-- I would not turn for him.   Let's call him Lee.  

He was also a trust fund baby (one of the few people in my class that paid for his tuition in full) and VERY southern.  As such, when he graduated with very good grades, he insisted that he wanted to stay in the south.  In an ideal and non-bigot world, besides his obvious personality issues, he should have been a shoe-in with excellent grades and a commitment to staying in the area.  But Lee was inexplicably rejected by firms although he was the most qualified candidate.  In his own little trust fund world, he failed to see the merits of toning it down a  little bit for the sake of the stuffy old white guy in the suit.  And I admit that it's a sad state of affairs that "toning it down" is necessary.  But even straight people have to do it some extent.  As you may recall:

1.  If you are married and female, don't wear a wedding ring.  Employers will think you'll get knocked up soon.

2.  If you are not married and male, wear a wedding ring.  Employers like to think that you are shackled down with responsibility and a family. It makes you a harder worker.

3.  If you have curly hair, straighten it and tie it back.  I don't even know why this is. I guess old white stuff lawyers are scared by curly hair.

and so on...

So, Lee failed to tone it down a bit to land a job and he would prance into interviews in his queen-like way and not get the job offer.  

So graduation came around and Lee was still unemployed.  Well, my Alma Mater freaked out because they couldn't have one of their star students, who was from a rich and well known family, remain unemployed. 

So what did they do?

They scrambled.  The created a professor position at the school and gave him an offer.  And he happily accepted. I guess he thought he was just that good.  Maybe the dean was secretly lusting after him as well.  

Unfortunately, this is not a singular incident--isolated to my school.  It has happened at other schools subsequently.  There is just so much pressure to lie for the U.S. News & World Report.

Law School Career Counseling

I love this. It's hilarious.

Networking 101

My brother is wonderfully insightful sometimes.  He said to me the other day, "Why don't you go to networking events? Maybe you can find a job that way."  Yah right.  Here is my concern, isn't everyone at a networking event attempting to network to find a job?  

That may seem skeptical, but unless I was single and on the prowl or in search of a job, I didn't usually go to networking events.   When I was in my former dream job, I never would consider going to a networking event.  I can't imagine gainfully employed people feel the need to go and be charitable to less fortunate souls such as myself.

I can imagine the scene now.  Imagine with me....

Some swanky bar that is dark with elevator music (as to encourage beer goggles and conversations), and there are people milling around aimlessly.  I look around the room and notice an authoritative looking man in a suit. I think to myself that he has "management" written all over him.  I casually stand next to him at the bar and say, "looks like you're in need of a refill.  Should I get the bartender's attention for you?"  He says, "ha ha. I'm fine thanks."  

"So have I seen you before?  At the state bar function they had last month?  On Real Estate Law?" he says.

"No.  Not me.  ha ha."

"Where do you work?" he says.  

"Well, I was at G&D  and now I'm looking for a job outside of the legal field," I say (with lots of hope that he's my savior and can get me a JD preferred position in his company where he serves as in-house counsel).

"Oh.  I'm between jobs as well.  Too bad. I thought you may have some leads."  

"I was hoping you would too."

Yah.. so my little day dream is just that. But, like I said, I'm not hopeful.

By the way, the first thing I did when I lost my job was email "Every Joe Schmo I Know" [hereinafter, "EJSIK"] to tell them my situation.  I'm your long time [or] long lost [or] dearest and/or nearest friend... whatever.  I need help.  I am looking at imminent homelessness (when my savings evaporates) and if ever I needed a favor--it's now.  EJSIK were obviously sympathetic. I can tell that they wanted to help.   They all gave me the standard, "We're not hiring here, but I will circulate your resume to everyone I know."  And I appreciate EJSIK so much for the effort.  But people can only help you if their company/law firm is hiring.  And if they aren't hiring--they can't help you.  That's life.  

So, what's the benefit of networking again? I've gotten a few calls from places I've cold applied too.  I think I'm going to go with indeed.com and monster.com and see how I do.

JD Preferred: The Holy Grail.

Remember when we decided to go to law school and we were told that a person with a JD can do anything ? Kind of like, when I was a child and my teachers said I could become anything I wanted when I grow up... president, an astronaut, or Miss USA!  Yah right.  I'm a woman--so I can't be president. I don't think I'm physically fit or rich enough to get to space.  And I'm not hot enough to become Miss USA.  Oh well... 

And what of the theory that JDs can do anything?  That also proved false.  After all, as an attorney, I'm often considered overqualified for most positions.  What does that mean anyways?  A JD is really a glorified BA.  Can I do anything at all that involves having intellect?  I've decided that means that Employers expect that you, as an attorney, would want to be paid more than they're willing to give. Little do people outside the legal field know, we're willing to take peanuts and tastykakes for a job in this economy.  

I think that those wise sages from career counseling meant, "If you can't find a decent job in the law, you may be able to get a job in another field if you sufficiently mask those three years you spent in law school."

There is one elusive job that escapes me... the JD preferred job... Where you can actually use your legal expertise without being a lawyer.  Oh, how I yearn for that sort of job.  Where I can straddle two industries and get the hell out of this one eventually.  What sort of jobs are these?  I don't know. I'm still looking for one.  But if I manage to get one, I will be so happy.

Awesome Update on Massachusetts!

Someone in the State Government of Massachusetts has a brain!  The Treasurer, Cahill, says that UMass can't afford another law school!  YIPPY SKIPPY PUDDING AND PIE!  I love him!  Among other notable quotes, Timothy P. Cahill says:

“From an economic point of view, it’s an investment in a profession that we may not need more of...”

“It’s not like training medical technicians or nurses, which we need more of."

and from John Nucci, the Suffolk VP of External Affairs:

“Taking over a law school that has failed to meet accreditation standards is not a donation if it will wind up costing the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars to build the academic standards and facility improvements necessary to meet the accreditation standards...It will only produce graduates who will enter an already oversaturated job market.”

I love these men!  Someone give them the Nobel Peace Prize.  I think, given recent news, they deserve it.  

Oh yah, Cahill for Governor!

Now Massachusetts is Joining the Party.

I ran across this article and I am a little disturbed.  Massachusetts is one of a few states that has no public law school option.  And that will be changing next year, apparently.

In my opinion, it doesn't need a public school option.  After all, they have 8 private institutions.  

So, in her infinite wisdom, the chancellor of UMass-Dartmouth seeks to acquire the private Southern New England School of Law in North Dartmouth.  What is not clear from the article is whether that school is on its way to becoming defunct.   The lovely chancellor thinks that “Law is a missing piece of the UMass curriculum.’’  I'm sure many students that would otherwise love to go to UMass, decide against it because it doesn't have a law school.  Princeton, anyone?  

This is so funny to me.  First of all, if someone really wants to practice law in Massachusetts (or as I always say to myself "mass of chew shits") and not incur private school debt, he will simply establish residency in another state and go to that state's public law school.  In the end, they will just take Barbri to freshen up on Massachusetts law.  With Barbri being so efficient in teaching students everything they should have learned in law school (Go Socratic Method, Go!), why have law schools at all?  In short, it doesn't matter where they go.

What really needs to happen is that 5 of the 8 schools need to close.  Let's keep Harvard, Boston University and.... Northeastern.   The other ones can follow Southern New England School of Law, Princeton Law and Tarkio into oblivion.  

Oh How Things Have Changed!

I graduated from law school in the beginning of the millennium.   Although I am extremely resentful of my law school and every last penny that borrowed under the false assumption that it would be a cinch to pay back--I owe well under 100K.  Every check that I write to KHELC is written with my blood as ink and my heart is torn from my chest every time the check clears.  But, I realize I am lucky (relatively). I was cruising the blogs and I found one entitled "The Debt Chronicles."I nearly fell off my chair when I read this:

Student Loan Debt
Sallie Mae $141,891 -- Payments starting in Nov '10: $974.45/mo
Direct Loans $10,301 -- Payments starting in Nov '10: $63/mo
Student Loan Debt (to be added in the next 1.5 years)

Sallie Mae $25,566

I guess she wrote about it while she was incurring it.  So, that's $175K and bar loans and BARBRI and the debt one incurs while studying for the bar exam... whatever.  It's $185K and I'm trying to be conservative.

What really knocked me over was her subsequent comment:

It's a J.D... potentially very lucrative. :)

If by "potential," she means 1 in a 100 chance--then I may agree with her.  I'm happy I don't know this little kitten. If I did, I would shake her until I knocked her brain right.  The lottery is potentially lucrative, but you don't see me buying $185K worth of lottery tickets on the off chance that I'll win.

As it stands, being a lawyer is not lucrative.  Being a mechanic or an electrician is--but people that go to trade school aren't willing to pay $185K to learn their trade.

First Day of Unemployment: Epic Fail.

So, today, I was hoping to clean my apartment and rearrange furniture.  I was aspiring to do a spring cleaning.  Mom always says, "clean house, happy life."  I figured that the first step to organizing one's life is organizing one's closet, and mopping.  Mopping instead of moping. I gave no thought to my future as an unemployed attorney at law.

So, within an hour, I spilled a gallon of fruit punch on the floor.  I accidentally pressed a button on my vacuum causing the contents (post vacuum, mind you) to spill all over the carpet.  Then I dumped my penny jar on the floor and broke it and scratched my hardwood floor.  But I sat there for a half hour and picked my pennies from the glass shards because a penny is a lot of money to me right now.  So all of that set me behind about an hour and a half--at least.

So, to distract myself from cleaning, I went online to apply for unemployment.  I guess I didn't read the directions correctly or I was a little distracted because I was rejected.  Like I need more rejection in my life.

So, I have more stuff to do. I bought a printer because I may decide to become a solo if all else fails (but hasn't it already).

I was doing really well, until I realized that the freaking thing doesn't come with the USB cable needed to attach it to my computer.  Damn it.

So, I finish up cleaning and I decide to go to Target to buy a USB cable.  I don't have any dollars for the bus--so I count out $1.35 from my penny jar to take the bus.  I have a few twenties in my wallet and I can make change once I get to Target.  I get on the bus.  

I get off the bus. I'm standing in front of Target. I reach into my purse for some lip gloss and I realize....

I left my wallet at home.  I decided to walk home and call it a day.  What choice did I have anyways.