Jury Doodie 2 - Anticlimatic Conclusion

After four years waiting for the defendants, 5-6 hours of jury selection, and another 6 hours of my waiting time, the two parties involved agreed to settle on what seemed to me and the other jurors like a petty sum of money (~$75k). What really irks me is that I don't get to even see the courtroom. I don't get to take an oath, I won't be listening to any opening arguments, and I most certainly won't get to decide on awarding anyone some petty sum of money...
Ah well. We did get to see the judge who came in to our jail cell (I mean waiting room) to tell us all we are being honorably discharged of our responsibility - thanks for waiting around for hours (I mean, doing your duty!). So, the system works, I guess? I won't know for sure for another 8 years, which is when they can start calling me to serve again...

Jury Doodie

I am sitting in the Brooklyn Supreme Court waiting for my day in court – as a juror. Last week I was selected for a case after failing to find anything that would render me partial or subjective in a seemingly petty civil suit involving a motor vehicle accident. I thought the actual court date would be more interesting than the selection day but so far it’s more waiting. When I have something more interesting to say other than that I am pleasantly surprised with the availability of WiFi I will report back about this development.

In other fronts, my team and I seemed to have survived the wave of cuts at Barclays after the swallowing up of the American portion of Lehman Brothers. I am still gainfully employed...

Change We Could Not Believe Happened...

Girl, oh girl, what crazy times!
Elizabeth is growing into a fine infant. She is gaining weight at around 1.5oz/day. She's over 8lb now and is starting to outgrow some of the smaller newborn outfits in the closet. Before we'll know it we'll need a whole new wardrobe. Connie is handling motherhood really well, much better than she is handling her mom who is living with us for the last few weeks to help with chores like cooking and taking care of Lizzy some nights when we are both ready to collapse into heaps of tired.
Weekends have so far been great! We have Lizzy all to ourselves and we get to leave the house (under house arrest otherwise). I can spend all day with her as opposed to the few hours I have on work days :(
But who knows, I may be laid off soon seeing how things are going. My bank has so far been spared and has even been picking off some of the roadkill from the past few weeks, but I may be made redundant during the whole streamlining process. One can dream, no?

Here is another load of pics:

Good Times For A Change...

For my newborn daughter, Elizabeth (Lizzy), any time is good for a change and change is most of what we do with her since the day she was born (September 12, 10:39pm). It's cliche but all she does is eat, sleep and poop. All we do is feed, rock, and change. Still, in-between diaper-arranging, burping, and singing twinkle-twinkle little star we get to enjoy a wholly original high and sigh with parental contentment:

Getting Over It

No, not me failing the Foreign Service Oral Assessment... That too, of course, but what I am talking about getting over here is that the Democratic party's presidential nominee is Barrack Obama. I have been delaying the inevitable in accepting this foregone conclusion. Clinton ran a losing campaign and has only herself, her staff and her husband to blame. No amount of Chelsea doing her best with young voters all over America's campuses could help. So now what do I do?
Hillary gave what I felt was a magnanimous speech and came across as a real champion on Tuesday night at the convention. Sure there are hard feelings and a cold, calculating, selfish reason for saving face in front of the party. But it was great to see and much appreciated. She convinced me I needed to do the right thing in November and vote for someone I still do not trust or respect - to help promote the party platform and avoid a worse fate than a lousy Obama presidency. And what exactly am I afraid of with Obama at the helm? Well, there are a few issues at stake:

1. Losing the Democratic Party's momentum. A bad presidency by any Democrat could reverse the gains made in Congress and in state governments everywhere around the country. Obama has a higher risk of disappointing because of his unrealistic promise to change Washington. How can you change Washington from the inside? Obama is a politician within the Democratic party of the two-party system. Why does he or anyone else think he can end partisanship? And, more importantly, do we want to end it? Are two parties too many for us? Do we want a single-party state like China instead? I never understood this campaign platform, I still don't understand it, and I doubt I will ever understand it. I hope he means to "change" things for the better, but I feel like uniting Democrats with Republicans is a no-starter. And I am also unsure about how American citizens will be heard once lobbyists are thrown out of DC. Will there be a national referendum on every bill? Isn't lobbying a way for active members of our society (in this case the monied part) to get their voices heard. I just wish everyone forgets about the "blueprints for change" and not blame him for this crazy campaign rhetoric.
   
2. Screwing up health care. Obama's campaign rejected universal health care. As someone leaning towards the European model of Social Democracy I see Obama's plan as a half-assed strategy. Failing to bring down costs of health care and rationalize the system is going to leave many people uninsured and sick, and without reducing or stabilizing the financial burden we cannot do anything of significance with the budget (forget about fixing any other welfare like the bankrupt social security, or doing something about the economy and our dependence on oil/global warming).
3. Screwing up foreign affairs. We have our hands in more honey jars around the world than ever. I am sure any administration will be better than the Bush Jr one with regards to foreign relations, but it is not obvious how well Obama understands the core issues. Picking Biden was a good start and I would rest easier about this one were it not for the scary potential of failing to secure our old alliances, to reassert our moral dominance (not the military or economic ones), and to insure global peace and cooperation.

Obama, I am planning to vote for you, because you won the right to carry the Democratic platform to the White House. I'm hoding you alone responsible for your success. Please, do not screw this up!

Foreign Service Application: Phase 4

Fail, get over it, and wait another year before trying again...
Alas, I am now another statistic (%90 of those who take the FSOA fail the first time). My quest to become a Foreign Service Officer must pause at this time and resume in March when I can restart the process by taking the written exam. The exam was just as I expected it, but despite preparation and anticipation I did not pull off a passing performance. While I passed the Structured Interview, I failed the Group Exercise (ran of out time during my presentation, among other sins) and the Case Management (ran out of time again) tests. I received a 5.0 score for the day and the passing score is 5.25.
The group of people I was testing with were all really interesting and highly qualified. I would not be surprised if everyone else passed (except that it would be a statistical anomaly). Their experiences ranged from working for NGOs in Baghdad to being spouses of active FSOs. Everyone was well-traveled and educated and the day passed quickly through many discussions and sharing with everyone. Meeting and speaking with them has convinced me further that I am on the right track and that the Foreign Service is a good choice for me, whether it happens or not.
I am glad I have a new job to look forward to next week, and a new baby daughter to pour my energies into!!! The idea of being an FSO and the road I've taken so far toward it have helped me to gain focus in my life and insights into my goals and wishes. I do not regret starting the whole process - I have had a great year and now a new, exciting future to experience...

Back to Work

After months of hunting, interviewing, and dealing with pushy head hunters I am finally in sight of an offer letter, a first day of work and most importantly, a paycheck...
I ended up with a programming job at a big bank in midtown - sigh - but I am very excited about the role, which is as close to quantitative analyst I might be able to get without a PhD. Incongruously, the team works on Mortgage-Backed Securities, so this may be a very short-lived position. I may start sometime next week after I get back from Washington DC and my Foreign Service Oral Assessment. And I will have to take a week off once my daughter arrives (scheduled for the week after). So, it's going to be a slow start to be sure.