Finally Doing My Civic Duty

I'm writing from the Manhattan Court House today. That's right - after months (years?) of attempting to evade first the Delaware and then the Manhattan judicial systems, I am finally here. It actually feels like a vacation, in a way. I can access all the websites (personal email, facebook, job search websites, this blog) that are blocked at work, get an hour for lunch, and wear jeans. However, it feels particularly serendipitous that I'm here, since I recently decided to take the plunge and sign up for an LSAT course. It sounds dumb, but when the judge came into the selection room this morning and spoke about the responsibilities of being on a jury and the implications of serving, I got a little excited about it. Yes, excited about jury duty. Either I really hate my day job, or maybe I'm more suited to study the law than I originally thought. I think I want to take the GREs as well, but I'm not sure what I'd go to grad school for other than a Writing MFA, which I'd want to do a little later on in life, or a law degree. Plus, the GREs have math, which is enough to make me a little wary about them.
Then again, Law School is a huge decision and investment, and I have had, no exaggerating, three people interrupt cell phone conversations in which I am discussing the LSAT and tell me not to go to law school. So, I'm deciding to take the test and let that experience (and my score, obviously) dictate whether or not I take the plunge. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, etc.
Now that my wine store inquiries and volunteer pursuits are starting to take root, I have to look at my job (or maybe grad school) prospects, frightening as it is. I'm going back to the Barnard Office of Career Development (it does not escape me that the office has the same acronym as obsessive compulsive disorder, it's actually quite apt) at the end of this week, and I've been brainstorming all the possible career paths that I could pursue for the next couple of weeks that wouldn't involve me being a receptionist and worrying that we're low on French Roast coffee in the break room. This is a harrowing task, but a necessary one.
Also, I'm using this hour and a half (!) lunch break at the court house to look up writing contests for various journals, magazines, online and off. The best inspiration is the deadline.
When that gets old, I have the latest issue of the Paris Review and Ian McEwan's latest. I could get used to jury duty.

'Til tomorrow.