Katie Doyle, Girl About Town

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006 - 5:37 p.m.

Yay, jury duty is over!!! They settled out of court today. Like, directly after voir dire...which, btw, the plaintiff's attorney and the judge both pronounced "voyeur dyer," which would drive me insane even if I *hadn't* just come from France. It's "vwah deer," people, try to get that straight. I suppose you say nucular weapons, too. Sheesh.

So literally, we finished voir dire, the judge gave us a 10 minute break, and both attorneys and the plaintiff stepped into an elevator and settled. Nice way to spend 2 days, ay, being a part of the judicial process. The plaintiff's attorney didn't like me all that much for the jury, though I'm not sure whether it was my use of the phrase "suck it up" (3X!) or that he thought I said "liar" instead of "lawyer." Can I help it that I say the word lawyer as one who practices law, rather than one who practices loy? No, I can not. And people in Texas can understand me say "lawyer" just fine. These damn Californians always think I'm saying liar. Lah-yer. Lawyer. Seriously.

Not long after he thought I said liar, he asked him any of us were particularly disposed toward the dislike of attorneys, and before anyone could answer, he tacked on "besides you, Miss Doyle" to the end. Like, *what*? I mean, I do dislike attorneys. I hate them, matter of fact. But I was very respectful to him, so get over your insecure, ambulance-chasing self. Besides, it's mostly divorce attorneys I hate. Um...and personal injury. But mostly divorce.

When the guy in the row behind me echoed my suck it up sentiment, I think Mr. Plaintiff's Lawyer got the idea his client just might not win the $20K he was looking for. I knew the plaintiff from somewhere, too, and he's an arrogant asshole, so I'm glad they settled. I could have stayed impartial, but it would have been hard.

So, what with all the time to read that I had yesterday, I read all the way through Pamela Ribon's "Why Moms Are Weird," and you guys, that is one awesome book. It's the best chick lit I've ever read. I don't even think it *is* chick lit, except it's got the obligatory single girl with single girl problems in it. It's way more about a girl's relationship with herself than it is anything else, and Ribon just hit that baby out of the park. It's like therapy, that book. I could see so much of myself and my own relationship with my mother and my family (as well as the whole dating thing) in it that it was scary. I really felt like I was right there in the trenches with Ribon's character Benny. It's so real, so genuine, it's amazing. I read very few books that I can feel any kind of connection to, and I was totally hardwired into WMAW. I laughed, cried, cringed, clicked, and just generally felt like damn, Ribon knew my life. And not just the personal aspect of the book, but little things, like the mention of Hellmann's mayonnaise and other references personal to my past that made me really feel like Benny and I could have grown up together, lived on the same block or in the same small town, and like she was a girl who could just *get* me, the same way I felt like I got her. It's obviously a very personal novel, and Ribon has invested a lot of herself into it. You can't read it without feeling you know Pam. And that maybe you aren't so alone in your dysfunction, and that damn, other people have families that don't call when shit hits the fan, either. I cried when it was over, not only for the excellent ending Ribon crafted, but also because the book was done. There was nothing left to read, no more time to spend with Benny, no more to learn about the craziness of life and families and relationships, and to know that you are not the only one with some serious insecurities. I truly think Why Moms Are Weird is my favorite book now, it's just that good. I wanted to like it when I got it, because I worked with Pamela Ribon once, and she's a pretty hip chick, and I liked her first novel, Why Girls Are Weird well enough. But where I found Anna K. an interesting character, Benny is a real girl I'd like to know, and Ribon went way beyond anything I expected and turned out a work of fiction that is so deeply personal, so well-written, that it feels like she's sitting across from you at the 'Bucks and just rappin' with you about life over a couple of mochaccinos and marble cakes, and every so often, you are interjecting with a "uh-huh...YEAH!" or a "what is UP with that?" as she talks, and it's a really funny, smart, insightful, and interesting story she's telling, and even though it isn't your story, part of it is, and you feel like she just totally GETS your life. Seriously, check it out. Especially if you're a girl and have any kind of oddness with your mom or another family member. I swear, you'll find out it isn't just you.

Peace out,
Katie

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