Ya Ya Ya Ya in BookThree: Flight Log 2016

Today… another blah day. Another day of dark clouds (literally). People talk so much about “beautiful rural sky” and I’ll tell you, I haven’t seen it! Always so cloudy here. Either cloudy and humid or cloudy and rainy.
Quick Magistrate Court Day. Where literally every single defendant has received news from their medical professional that their liver is shutting down. Yup. Welcome to the town that alcohol built! “Jaundice, liver shutting down, repeated troubles involving BAC of .195 or higher”… that was every case this morning. It is almost enough to think that Carrie Nation had a point… but then it becomes violent crime since they can’t get their alcohol and it becomes an even bigger issue.
After court, I went home to grab a sandwich. And (apparently) a 40 minute nap.
Back to the office… phone calls and papers galore! And… significant proof that I’m not cut out for this job. THIS job, particularly. If you put me on a prosecution TEAM, then there’d be no worries. I’d be able to handle the intricate nuances of the mental health case I’m working on… because I’d know what to do about a Medical Hospital refusing treatment despite a court order, then shipping the individual to a half-way house, when the order specifically requires a Physician’s Report in order for the court to do anything. Then I’d be able to handle the intricate nuances of the juvenile case I’m working on… because I’d know what to do about an officer that is talking a LOT about Juvenile Sexual Assault charges, but I don’t have anything on my desk about it, and the School District’s Lawyer is calling me asking me how I want them to proceed.

And of course… growing up, I was told “I don’t know” is acceptable provided you find the answer eventually. In Law School, I was told “I don’t know” is acceptable provided you ask a mentor for the answer immediately afterwards. In this job, “I don’t know” is unacceptable. Because I can’t say “I don’t know, what do you think?” to the magistrate as she is typically the one asking me what to do. I can’t say “I don’t know, what do you think?” to my boss as she typically has no clue. And it is funny. While my friends who are lawyers also tell me they still feel like they don’t know what they are doing… most of them work for someone. Thus allowing them to get answers verified before relying on them. And we all know how that works for me.

So now I have to tackle the basic and the foolish. Though, that is a nice generic saying that applies to my every day life. I returned phone calls; suggested ways my Boss could make her Employment Advertisement sound like a professional request as opposed to a Child’s Plea (seriously… “the date should be BLANK and the individual will want to have an understanding of…” No, woman! Write it as “The date WILL BE… and the applicant must....” We’re attorneys, dammit.)

Here’s a funny story, though. Yesterday I was looking for jobs again. Because… as “Sorry folks!” as I feel; I do want to get out of here. Yesterday was the cut off day for Wayne County (15th Largest County); but I did a random search of all Iowa County Home Sites and discovered a position being advertised on Quaker County’s local page. Assistant County Attorney Position. BTW… Quaker County being second largest in the state. Now, it would be about the same distance to my parents, further away from my brother, but ridiculously close to MBFITWW (who visited this past weekend) and a lot closer to Wife’s parents. Plus… y’know… second biggest county in the state… home to the 2nd Largest City in the state. PLUS… the county is so large they actually have a functioning County Attorney’s Office! And instead of a County Attorney (doing some felonies) and an Assistant County Attorney (doing some felonies, all Misdemeanors, all Juvenile matters, etc… as we have here)… this place actually has multiple DIVISIONS within the County Attorney’s Office!! A civil division (which we don’t even tackle, we pay private firms to deal with that here); a Juvenile Division (a whole segment just for children in need); and a Criminal Division. Multiple Attorneys… the possibility of assistance and teaching.

Now… I’m not going crazy. There is just as much chance that Wayne County won’t call, there is just as much chance that Quaker County won’t call… but just like the first TWO YEARS of the “Please Hire Me” Game… having places to submit my application to are nice as they give hope. And… how’s this for fun… this round of the “Please Hire Me” Game gets audience involvement. Let me break down the metaphor. For the two years looking for work, Wife was mostly “Find a job. Get us back to Iowa. Megh.” But this time? The hope, the highs and lows, all of that… is as plain on her face as it is on mine. And I don’t read into it; I don’t let it affect me… hopefully that is the maturity of the last few years. But… yeah. The first two years of Job Hunting it felt like her interest in my getting a job was more the “You brought me to Nebraska, now you get me to Iowa!” and this time feels more “We are both drowning here, let’s swim to shore together.”