A Brief Refresher on the Freedom of Speech

I keep coming across people who have said something idiotic, offensive, or both. Understandably, some people have responded by pointing out the idiocy or offensiveness of said statement, perhaps in a critical manner. To which the first person responds back to by screaming about how their right to freedom of speech is being violated.

I don't think that freedom of speech means what they seem to think that it means.

Freedom of speech is the right to speak or otherwise express yourself without censorship or limitation by the government. Plain and simple.*

Free speech does not mean that no one can ever criticize your speech. It does not even mean that other people can't suggest that you shouldn't have said what you said. It certainly does not mean that others have to gave you a platform to speak.

Look, as uncomfortable as it can often be (how people can find it acceptable to say some of the things they do, I'll never understand) I support the freedom of speech. Horrible as it can be, it's important, and I get that. I support the right of all people to say whatever horrible things they want. I just happen to think that maybe they shouldn't, and at times I might use my freedom of speech to say so.


*Ok, it's not that plain and simple. There are all sorts of controversial exceptions and dilemmas. They just don't really matter for the sake of this overly simple post. Feel free to use your freedom of speech to criticize my oversights and shortcomings.

My Elderly Mojo

Is it creepy for a random old lady, who you have never met nor do you have any possible connection to, to pull up and offer you a ride? So here's the scene: About 10 pm, me happily listening to Lady Gaga at a well lit bus stop, with a few very non threatening khaki clad male students standing around nearby. And then this old lady pulled over, rolled her window down and frantically gestured me over. Like any good and normal person, I pulled out my headphones and wander on over, assuming she was lost, and hoping I actually had something helpful to say. Apparently she thought I was the one in need of assistance, as she proceeded to offer me a ride... a ride down to Ward circle, aka only about 2/3 of a mile away from where I was, and about 1 mile short of where the bus would take me. Not that the where really matters, I was still surprised by the what and tried to decline and back away as gracefully as possible.

Several days latter, and I'm still confused. I don't think that offering a stranger a ride is really a normal thing that nice people just do. I'm not saying that she had someone waiting in the back seat to cover my mouth with a chloroform soaked rag, culminating in me awaking in a tub of ice sans kidney. I just don't have a good explanation as to why an elderly woman would offer a strange girl, in a safe neighborhood, a short ride?

My only theory is that I possess some sort of magical power that draws in the elderly. I'm slightly serious. It seems that wherever I am, if an elderly person is within 50 ft, they will find me and talk with me. Going to the lobby to get some mail? The old Jamaican man in my building will be there to discuss his knee troubles. On the bus? The 1950's glamor queen who just boarded will set next to me and tell me how I have such a lovely smile, and recommend a Thrift store where I can find fur coats at great deals. At least once a week, with my consent or without, I will be conversed with by one of our fine senior citizens.

I know that generally the elderly can be a talkative lot. But I still think it's something about me. We live in the same building and do most of the same things, but this never happens to Zach. I can be in the lobby at the same time as another girl of about my same age and level of cuteness, even within the same distance of an elderly person, and they will always approach me. It's not the most exciting super power, but it is surprisingly consistent.

Anyways, I'm going to go study for my Wills final. If I really do have some sort of old people mojo, this field and I could result in a lovely future. I could just sit there, office doors open and wait for my clientele to flock in. 

Goodbye Class, I'll miss you

It feels so amazingly good to have that paper finished. Now there are just 2 papers and 3 finals between me and whatever it is that I'll be doing this summer. Hooray.

I also had my last class of the semester tonight. The last class is always a little bitter sweet. I mean, I'm normalish, I look forward to the end of the semester just like students everywhere. It's just that it always happens right when I'm hitting my stride. I've got my routine down. I'm just starting to really get comfy with my class, just starting to make friends with the people in them. And then just like that, its all gone. Clean slates are nice, so long as you didn't like what you were working on previously. And dang it, I liked this semester. I felt like I fit well in every one of my classes, for the first time in law school. I liked, or at least understood, my professors. I liked my classmates. I even liked my classes. I don't like seeing it all float away.

At least my last class, and favorite class of the semester, Adoption law, ended on a good note. Being the last class, and the professors Birthday, we went to the Thai restaurant next door for "class". Ok, we did discuss our papers, but it was a much more casual feel (and that class already had a great casual, discussion vibe). I think I'll miss that class most of all, even if it did make me incredibly cynical about adoption. Oh, the horror stories I can tell. Law school really does destroy so much of the seemingly simple, beautiful things in life.

Aside from horror stories, the only hitch was when it came time to pay for the food. I'll never understand why some restaurants will refuse to give separate checks for large groups. I don't see how it is different from each of us going in separately, ordering and then moving to sit together. I understand that large groups can be a pain. I don't mind an automatic 18% gratuity. I wouldn't even care about a small fee to do separate checks. Regardless, it has to be easier than everyone going around the table, writing their card number on the back with the amount to put on it, coming back and telling us that they will only do 6 cards and watching a group of 16 try to figure out how to make it work. I tried to avoid the madness by bringing my checkbook, but apparently they don't accept checks. Oh well. They let us leave, so we must have figured it out somehow.

Mocking my time management skills

I think the 10pg paper that I have had all semester to work on, not to mention all weekend, but only have 6 mediocre pages written for (most of which were done in the last couple of hours), and is due tomorrow, is mocking my time management skills. I think it has a point.

Twittering

It's still weird for me how amazingly popular twitter has become. I first heard of it in the fall of 2007 while I was interning at a political advertising firm in DC. The intern in the cubicle adjacent to mine and I were talking about her upcoming trip to visit a friend in California. I was doing just fine at keeping up with the small talk until she mentioned that he was one of the founders of something called Twitter, that apparently I was supposed to be familiar with. The look on my face made it obvious that I wasn't. After a 5 minute spiel on the wonderfulness of twitter, I still wasn't sold. After 5 minutes poking around the website I was even more confused and less sure as to what the value was. I assumed that everyone else would think like me, it would die off in a year or two, so there was no reason for me to get involved.

Obviously, I was wrong. I'm still a little flummoxed by twitter, but I increasingly find myself in the minority. I increasingly find myself drawn into the twitter widgets on the side of others blogs, getting a little mini-blogging fix from their 140 character posts. I've even braved the main page once or twice, trying to understand how @ and # work after being drawn in by a very interesting, but one sided conversation on someones twitter page. After a few months of slowly wadding in, I think I might be willing to finally give this crazy thing a try, even if I am more than three years late. Please help a girl discover the joy of twitter by following me here or letting me know how I can follow you.

Shopping Bug

I don't know if it is the changing of the seasons, procrastinating for finals, or a general lack of willpower, but for whatever reason I have had such a huge shopping bug lately. A huge shopping bug that I've been letting win more often than not, and am now desperately trying to restrain to just window shopping and providing me with blog fodder. 

Bicycle Built for Two by BC Footwear $24.99 at Endless were the first shoes that came home in a fit of weakness. I've never been a big fan of ballet flats. I like support and shoes that don't flop off of my feet. But these have such a lovely satin sheen and oh that ruffle! Combine that with being about half off, and it was almost too good to be true. For ballet flats they're actually fairly comfortable. Not the ideal amount of arch support, but all in all not bad. Plus, they received several compliments on their first outing, so, they're probably here to stay.

ECCO Bouillon $75.92 at Endless. Have you even stalked shoes? I came across these about a month ago when they were listed for about $120. And then when I came across them again for almost $50 less... well I let myself be lulled in with the rationalization that I can ship them back for free. I sweat, that if they are not absolute perfection, I'm sending them back. But with the shiny red leather, cute little button and promises of comfort, these might just become my birthday gift to me (my Birthday isn't until the end of June, but still...)

BP 3/4 sleeve cardigan 24.90 at Nordstrom. Cardigans are part of my uniform, especially in the spring. This little cardigan is perfection. Bright colors, good price, light weight without being chintzy. Order a size up, as they are technically juniors. But they are oh so worth it for spring layering that my vanity didn't care a whit about the bigger size.

Maxi Dress $24.99 at Kmart. Kmart isn't my usual haunt, so I was surprised when this little number showed up during my internet browsing/procrastinating. But maxi dresses look so comfy and fun on others, and I'm a sucker for anything purple, so I might be giving this number a try. Especially as it actually seems to offer some decent cleavage coverage.

Söfft 'Carma' Mary Jane Pump $69.90 at Nordstrom. More than I can justify, even in my weakened state. But if the red shoes go back, these might make an appearance. I love the button and the slightly vintage feel. Can't you just picture it with a sweet little dress and tights? Plus they actually look fairly comfy.

Grocery Warning

I generally am not the biggest fan of grocery shopping. Something about spending all that money on something that will be gone in a week seems wrong to me. It doesn't hep that being car-less city dwellers, we have to walk a decent distance to the store and back, hauling our loot over our shoulders like barbarians bringing a deer back from a hunt. Uphill (both ways, of course).

However, today, for once, I was in a lovely mood. It was one of those perfect days where the sky is bright blue, with the just the right amount of big, fluffy clouds floating on by. Warm, but not too warm, with a happy breeze singing on by. So nice that we detoured through some of the lovely old neighborhoods near by and oohed and awwed at all the gorgeous homes. Everything was wonderful.

You know how they warn against grocery shopping when you're hungry? They should also warn against shopping when you're happy. Everything was wonderful, sure. That also meant that everything in the store looked wonderful. And while my common sense can occasionally restrain me from throwing a wonderful pain of shoes into my bag, apparently food doesn't trigger my waste warning system. After all, food is a necessity of life, right? Well, food might be, but jars of fancy mustard that were on sale or a giant flat of strawberries that two people can not possibly get through aren't exactly necessities. And that's how we spent almost twice the normal amount at the grocery store this week. I'll be the girl living on strawberries and mustard for the next week or so (hopefully not at the same time).