Friday, September 28, 2007
Italicizing is the New Bold
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Abenteuer
Shopped for my interview... on my own for the first time since sixth grade... c'était un cauchemar... bought my first pair of heels... no wonder they are called stilettos... sheer murder... but so very, very desirable. Put your hands together for my first love... a pair of shoes. Typical.
Post-birthday treat on Monday... the four of us together for the first time since time began... we are a bunch of idiots to have not done this before... especially because it was not merely almost fun... it was fun... S divorced me and got hit on by a guy with a green matka, T made eyes at fellow passengers on a hot rainy day, while P thought of food and salivated. If music is the ultimate expression of the human soul, we might, for all we know, have been chanting Dilwalon ke dil ka at full volume, top speed, and no holds barred. Yes, no bars held either.
After appropriately stunning the Basanti that fell to our share with our multilinguality, we barged in at 3.20ish for the buffet ending 3.30. Good Samaritans, like ghosts, exist. For the rest... o-r-g-y is a good word... distinctive and indicative of the sense of abandonment it means to depict. Conversation would have flowed, but we were too engrossed in other matters to notice, even if one of us had spoken up, which I doubt.
That evening we won the Twenty20. Tuesday was a holiday. And today, after a particularly interesting Environment Law class, just a few minutes back S and P have promised to do something which it would be quite enjoyable to watch them accomplish. And hilarious. What dull lives moral people must lead.
It's been an eventful half-a-week. 'Nuff said.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Dial-an-Intrigue
Monday, September 17, 2007
Saturday Night Philosophy
Friday, September 14, 2007
The Insider Reports
"Justice while it winks at crimes
Stumbles on innocence sometimes."
"Justice must not only be seen to be done. It must be seen to be believed."
"The court will not deny equal protection of the law to the unwashed, unshod, unkempt and uninhibited."
(Herman Weinkrantz, ruling that disapproval of hippies should not interfere with their civil rights)
"This is a British murder inquiry and some degree of justice must be seen to be more or less done."
"How much justice can you afford?"
(Anonymous lawyer's answer to a client's demand for justice)
When a 10 year sentence was imposed on the accused:
Prisoner: My lord! Ten years! I'm seventy-six. I'll never do them.
Justice Stevenson: Ah well! Do as many as you can!
Scene from A Night At The Opera by the Marx Brothers where the artists are discussing the clauses of a contract:
"Groucho: Oh, that's nothing. That's the usual clause in every contract. It says that if any of the parties participating in the contract are shown to be not in their right mind, the contract is nullified.
Chico: What do you call it?
Groucho: That's what they call a sanity clause.
Chico: You can't fool me. There ain't no sanity clause!"
"The rain it raineth on the just
And also on the unjust fella,
But chiefly on the just, because
The unjust steals the just's umbrella."
"The law doth punish man or woman
That steals the goose from off the common,
But lets the greater felon loose,
That steals the common from the goose."
(Anonymous 18th century jibe at the Enclosure Acts)
"This is the grave of Mike O'Day
Who died maintaining his right of way.
His right was clear, his will was strong,
But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong."
(Anonymous epitaph)
"Reform? Reform? - Why, aren't things bad enough already?"
(Lord Justice Astbury)
"The law in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets or steal bread."
(Anatole France)
"We all know here that the law is the most powerful of schools for the imagination. No poet ever interpreted nature as freely as a lawyer interprets the truth."
"The Lord Chief Justice of England recently said that the greater part of his judicial time was spent investigating collisions between propelled vehicles, each on its own side of the road, each sounding its horn and each stationary."
"This contract is so one-sided that I am astonished to find it written on both sides of the paper."
(Lord Evershed discussing a standard form contract)
"The difference between divorce and legal separation is that legal separation gives a husband time to hide his money."
"She cried and the judge wiped away her tears with my cheque book."
(Tommy Manville after his thirteenth divorce)
Letter to Aetna Casualty Insurance Co.:
Gentlemen,
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Brownian Thoughts
It’s strange but from the purest of motives my friends don’t talk of D any more and hence, it was only today through the offices of two non-friends that I realized how very, very funny all of it was… maybe respecting sensibilities defeats its own purpose.
It was raining today and so hundreds of people were bartering shelter under awnings with willingness to buy tepid coffee. Inequity apart, most of them were either with friends or on phones. Sad. We can’t even watch the rain on our own anymore.
My niece finally called me bua. I’d be thrilled if only she signified some differentiation in pronunciation with respect to that and a dog’s bark. However, the enunciation was directed at me and she’s too young to be consciously abusive. Hence I hope for the best. Also she’s started walking… though she might still be asked to pull up for drunken tottering. At least it's a start.
One day I’d have earned enough to walk into a bookstore, browse authors, and buy the entire oeuvre of a likely candidate. I’m comfortable being shallow, thank you very much.
Mid sems are history today… which leaves me with a couple of projects, one and a half couples of presentations, preparing for interview. Etcetera. And some fries to go with it. Now is therefore the perfect time to watch Pulp Fiction. Exit, stage right... watch out for the third step.