January 16, 2006
It is the end of the school semester and I am fighting for screen time with my two kids. We all have deadlines. We all need the computer to complete our work.
And we all want to play games on the thing to relax afterward.
I got a proposal out to my editor last night, so I’m momentarily in the clear.
Judging by his grades, the middle schooler is on the fast track to Hamburger U. But he typed up his two major assignments and got them proofed and printed. He’s in the clear for a minute.
The Freshman was still doing extra credit work at 6:00 am, to meet today’s deadline. And asking me for help before the first Diet Coke of the morning.
#1 Son: “Hey, librarian! I need to know about the Supreme Court Justices.”
So I bring up their website and he begins printing pictures and pertinent facts for a poster. I watch as he glues justices to a tri-fold board.
#1 Son: “!$%!#$%#$%#%. I missed a page. They’re spaced wrong.”
Now he’s peeling two justices off the board and trying to re-glue them to fit.
Mom: “You know there are nine…”
#1 Son: “NINE?”
Mom: “Yeah. Looks like you skipped a key fact, there, Skippy. But eight right now. Why are you sticking Sandra Day O’Connor on there?”
#1 Son: “Legally, she’s still a justice until they appoint Alito.”
Mom: “Interesting.”
He holds up a picture.
#1 Son: “And this guy’s the bitch of the supreme court.”
He shows me one of his bullet points. It says that the “junior associate justice” is in charge of closing the doors to the session.
And getting coffee.
If this is true, it sucks to be Stephen Breyer. He’s been low man for 11 years. A slot finally comes up, and it looks like he might get to say something more interesting than “Decaf?”
And then Bush makes John Roberts the Chief Justice.
I bet Breyer is watching the Alito hearings with an empty mug in his hand and fingers crossed.
Leave a Reply