My Evening of SPIG.
Yeah, I had to ask too. It's 'Small Practice Interest Group', and it's my new club. Tonight's seminar was on 'technology'. District Law Society, Waring Taylor St, CBD Wellington. Accidentally networking while I attempted to get closer to the food table (food and alcohol provided!), I found myself using my stock response to the question that inevitably follows my statement that I’ve only been in the job six months: “Are you enjoying it?”
The natural reaction is, of course, “Are you mental? How could anyone enjoy this shite?”
But my careful reply has evolved to a wry, “I’m enduring it,” accompanied by a brave and appropriately teasing smile.
I counted eight females in a room of 32 small practice lawyers. I spoke to one, requiring her to awkwardly juggle samosa and wine glass in order to shake my hand. She specialises in medical law and is based in the suburbs. After asking me my impression, she graciously turned the question on herself, and I was surprised by her hesitation. “Sometimes I enjoy it,” she said slowly. “When I achieve something for a client, it feels great. But a lot of the time it's just hard work. I work for some of these people for months, over a period of years… on and off, you know.”
Suits, suits, suits. I’m glad I wore my not-quite-lawyer boots and subtly accessorised with hot swiss mistress and Illicit buttons.
There was a demonstration of voice recognition software - very clever. Belligerently, I thought, “But I like typing. I’m good at it.” [In actual fact it’s not so much fun, my ganglion is hurting.] I was nearing beer number three, and a talk on the many uses for Excel. Ooh, settlement statements made easy. But I like trying to remember how to do the calculations! It’s one of the few things that are actually cut and dried and guaranteed to give a black and white answer at the end of the day. Much of the practice of law resides in the grey area (I hear my jurisprudence lecturer, “The penumbra of doubt,”) the it-could-go-either-way type arguments, when the truth most closely fits Protagorean subjectivity.
What a way to kick off the weekend.
A lot of people (including myself) have been complaining of employers pulling a hard line on internet use at work. The indignance of the general reaction is the amusing part.
Would you believe that after boasting about scoring a copy last night I got the Green Room 003: (Ear)th in the mail today to review? And Re-Inventing Sheep: A Collection of New Zealand Alternatives. Both looking rather promising and take quite divergent directions. Stand by.
The natural reaction is, of course, “Are you mental? How could anyone enjoy this shite?”
But my careful reply has evolved to a wry, “I’m enduring it,” accompanied by a brave and appropriately teasing smile.
I counted eight females in a room of 32 small practice lawyers. I spoke to one, requiring her to awkwardly juggle samosa and wine glass in order to shake my hand. She specialises in medical law and is based in the suburbs. After asking me my impression, she graciously turned the question on herself, and I was surprised by her hesitation. “Sometimes I enjoy it,” she said slowly. “When I achieve something for a client, it feels great. But a lot of the time it's just hard work. I work for some of these people for months, over a period of years… on and off, you know.”
Suits, suits, suits. I’m glad I wore my not-quite-lawyer boots and subtly accessorised with hot swiss mistress and Illicit buttons.
There was a demonstration of voice recognition software - very clever. Belligerently, I thought, “But I like typing. I’m good at it.” [In actual fact it’s not so much fun, my ganglion is hurting.] I was nearing beer number three, and a talk on the many uses for Excel. Ooh, settlement statements made easy. But I like trying to remember how to do the calculations! It’s one of the few things that are actually cut and dried and guaranteed to give a black and white answer at the end of the day. Much of the practice of law resides in the grey area (I hear my jurisprudence lecturer, “The penumbra of doubt,”) the it-could-go-either-way type arguments, when the truth most closely fits Protagorean subjectivity.
What a way to kick off the weekend.
A lot of people (including myself) have been complaining of employers pulling a hard line on internet use at work. The indignance of the general reaction is the amusing part.
Would you believe that after boasting about scoring a copy last night I got the Green Room 003: (Ear)th in the mail today to review? And Re-Inventing Sheep: A Collection of New Zealand Alternatives. Both looking rather promising and take quite divergent directions. Stand by.
posted by Jessie at 09:38
6 comments
6 Comments:
SPIG... SPIG..? SPIG??
sounds like some king of chronic disease of the upper respiratory tract. I can't go to work today, I have spig.
Hope your ganglion gets better ;)
and lurgy, don't forget the lurgy!
Sounds....okay nevermind. I'm just fascinated by the fact that you live in New Zealand. Thanks for visiting my blog!
Cece.
Pythagoras was also cool.
// Accidentally networking
Which would suggest I ought remember even a single name :|
Jessie,
Thanks for the interest in my story. It really happened. As you can see, reality can be crucial.
I knew a man from New Zealand who became the best friend I ever had. Now i lost track of him, although he lives right here in Brazil.
I´ll be reading your blogs from now on, cause I like them. I love reading The Saturnyne, too, and the guy who said your Spig story sounded like a disease made me laugh so much ...
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