Sod's Law

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Sod’s Law

“Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst.”
― Joyce Carol Oates

Sod’s law is defined as “if it can go wrong, it will”. Sometimes life seems to follow this aphorism, sometimes it follow’s the more annoying corollary “the simpler something is, the more people will ask for help with it.” Either way, this blog is musings and thoughts related to legal research, adulting, life, politics, nerdy things, and anything else it occurs to me to write about. Nothing on this blog is intended as legal advice and if you take it as such more the fool you. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

I don’t instagram

Or snapchat or anything purely visually oriented. I like text, and hopefully text likes me. Short post!

Hustling…

So I have a second job….

Not because I need one to survive. My main job pays well enough that if I had to I could live completely on my own. I have no major debt, have no student loans, still live with family, so no mortgage…

I have a second job because people expect a second job. Since I am not married, people assume that I have tons of time and should be socializing my brains out. I get tired of people assuming I should be hitting clubs, or meet-ups, or whatever. I get tired of getting hassled about it. The least time-consuming option for me that people will accept is that I have a second job…. for 4 hours, which buys me the freedom of the rest of the week to socialize as much or as little as I prefer.

So I have a second job because people are annoying.

Roadwork?

So I got a ride to work today (yay! no metro!). I’m working late shift today in the office, which means I don’t have to be there till noon. For reference purposes, I live 10.8 miles from my office. What time did I leave to make it to the office on time?

11:10

But wait, you say. That’s way too much time. You’ll be there half an hour early.

But no. Between the 4 different construction projects I passed, I was only at work ten minutes early.

Yes, that means it took 40 minutes to go ten miles. Hooray for DC.

Volunteering for work at work?

It sounds like an oxymoron.

Volunteering for extra work at work? What sane person does this? And no, I am not passionate about this task and dying to perform it. No, it is not a fun task. No, it is not a prestigious task (any task that includes going to the post office as this one does is by definition not prestigious). Do bear in mind that I have two post graduate degrees, so this task is “beneath” me if I cared about things like that.

So why on earth did I volunteer?

The person doing the task sucks at it
The person who should be doing the task is even more incompetent at it
I still get the complaints when it is done wrong/ late
I may get fresh air

This type of volunteering is what I not so fondly call “volunteering in self defense.” The task was either going to end up in my lap anyway, or was going to continue limping along with more and more complaints in my lap. If I volunteer proactively for the task, I look helpful. Finally, it means that I can do it the way that suits me instead of being told how to do it in a manner that will be annoying.

However, as per sod’s law, this means that something will go wrong with this….

An observation on commuting

I ride WMATA (DC area metro), which has become progressively less convenient every time I turn around. The bus stop, which used to be 1/4 mile away is now closer to 1.5 miles away. Not an impossible distance and yes I do walk that distance from time to time, but an annoying distance in a professional office dress, hauling a water jug (story for another time), a heavy backpack (another story for another time), and in the heat of the summer. So I frequently catch a lift from anyone heading that direction. Once I get to the stop, I then get the thrill playing “is that seat wet?” Because apparently that is a frequent issue with the favorite bus for the driver who is on my time slot.

Sigh…

So here I sit, slightly damp, possibly smelly as who knows what was soaked in that damp spot (it is definitely not a new bus). The entire office is small enough that there are no electric dryers. There are few women in this office, so I don’t think there is a hair dryer I can borrow to dry the spot. And finally, it is an open office with limited desk space, so no, I don’t have a spare entire outfit to change into. What a wonderful way to start the day.

Oh! By the way, the commute does not end with the bus. There is also a descent into the heat of the train system and a walk on the other end too. Because no commute is complete without a carpool, bus, train, and walk. Truly.

Introducing Ms Sod

My name for the moment is Ms. Sod. By profession currently I am a law librarian, but as with all things, this is subject to change. I’m a single thirty-mumble woman living in the DC area, so politics may happen on this blog (usually because I have literally stepped on the foot of a politician). This blog is not for profit, not legal advice, not intended for European audiences, not particularly useful, and any other disclaimers that should be applied to warn you that currently this is for my amusement. More details may happen as I go.