If you really want to depress yourself, spend a few days reading comments on articles about a 15 year-old girl charged with murdering a 9 year-old girl.  The state alleges that the suspect dug two graves in anticipation of killing someone.  She allegedly didn't target her victim for anything in particular beyond opportunity.  According to the police, the girl just wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone.  A judge has now ruled she will be tried for 1st degree murder as an adult because the state of Missouri lacks any facilities to handle a juvenile defendant like her. 

Apparently I like to torture myself, because I have been unable to keep myself from finding articles about this story and reading the comments.  Reading how heartless, cold-blooded, and vengeful grown adults can be towards an obviously very troubled teenager makes me want to bury myself in my bed and hide in despair.  Numerous commenters are ready to "stick a needle" in her arm (or hang her or put a $.50 bullet in her, etc.) without hearing  or reading anything more than the information available in the first week after the murder.  These folks aren't deterred no matter how many point out that a 15 year-old can't be executed.

One kind-hearted commenter dared to write that it was unfortunate this girl would be placed in an adult facility because she would be used and abused by the adult inmates.  In response, another asked what the problem with that was, with a tone suggesting that the responder was somewhat eagerly anticipating this girl's hellish life at the hands of fellow inmates.  Most posters had no sympathy whatsoever for the suspect, no thought that it's at least a little tragic that someone so young could have her life so horribly, and probably permanently, interrupted.  And they had no interest in trying to get to the root of her problems or trying to fix her.  They're just ready to throw this girl away while calling her vicious names.  And they might not mind getting a good kick, or at least a solid spit, in at her on her way.

It makes me want to cry.  I don't ever want to get to the point of losing hope that any and every troubled child can be reached.  I don't ever want to get to the point of thinking it's not even worth trying.  I admit from the initial reports, if they are to be believed (and we all know we probably shouldn't believe the initial reports, don't we?), sound very troubling.  Maybe there truly are children who are just bad seeds and need to be locked away forever, but that thought is just too depressing to give in to.  I sincerely hope that the people actually handling this girl's case won't be quite so willing just to throw her away, though from the early actions of the prosecution and the judge's ruling on adult certification the signs aren't that good. 

My happy place is now open

11 years ago, I arrived in Madison for law school.  I only knew one other person in town, as luckily a good college friend was beginning grad school at the same time.  Law school itself wasn't particularly stressful for me (I actually really enjoyed it), but living in a town I didn't know and the whole working 3 jobs and still being broke while wracking up tens of thousands of dollars in debt thing was a bit overwhelming at times.  So I needed a happy place, and preferably one that didn't cost a lot.

And what did I find?  Noodles & Company.*  Noodles: good.  Pasta is my go-to food in pretty much all situations.  Big bowls of food for $5: good.  I could still go out to dinner with friends without breaking the bank.  Or after a long, stressful day of visiting clients in prison, I could just stop on the way home and pick up an order without feeling like I was wasting money because I could make that one bowl into two meals.

And it could suit any mood.  Tired, cold, or in some other way needing comfort food, there's Mac and Cheese.  Feeling nihilistic and hopeless, aka like a Russian, there's mushroom stroganoff.  Wanting something simple, light, and uncomplicated, there's buttered noodles and parmesan, always with bright, happy carrots and broccoli added in.  Or there was my old stand-by for good days, the sesame seared lo mein (sadly no longer on the Noodles & Co menu). 

Not to overstate matters, Noodles & Company got me through those law school years.

Then, I moved down to Kansas, to the land of no noodles.  Every visit up north, I worked in a trip to a Noodles when I could.  Until the happy day about 5 years ago when two Noodles finally hit the KC area.  Then I found myself somewhat frequently in need of a trip to that Olathe shopping area.  I developed the bad habit of ordering two bowls: one for now and one to go, because I couldn't waste a trip to Noodles. 

A year and a half ago,  I heard the first rumor that Noodles would finally hit Lawrence, but nothing came of it.  Until this spring, we once again heard that a downtown store would be closing and the most likely replacement would be Noodles & Company.  Most people around here were sad to see the store close, but I was just happy.  Noodles & Company just blocks from my house?  Could it really be?  I soon discovered another Noodle-holic, my friend J, who also went to law school in a Noodle zone.

For months now, we've been watching the development.  Official store closing signs.  Official confirmation that Noodles would be the new tenant.  Then the work inside the store.  New awnings.  A "coming soon" sign.  Then an actual sign.  Then booths and tables and big menu boards inside the store.  I stalked the website, waiting for a press release announcing the new store.  And two happy weeks ago, we finally saw the date: Opening 11/20.  J and I immediately made plans to meet for dinner on that Friday.  Then the press release informed us there would be a special event tonight, a fundraiser for the local high school.  Our date moved up one night.

And now in just one short hour, I will be entering my happy place, just blocks from my house.  The only question left is what my first order will be.  If I were a betting woman, I'd put my money on my ultimate comfort food: Wisconsin Mac & Cheese.

*Noodles & Company has paid me nothing for this post.  I don't think they even know I exist.  I really am just the biggest Noodles addict ever.  But I will happily take a free bowl of noodles if they want to offer it to me.

Reason #657 why it's good to be Kansas

When ESPN gets the crazy idea to show 24 straight hours of live basketball games, necessitating some games be played at 4 and 6 a.m., there is no danger of my team getting one of those awful start times.  Northern Colorado, Monmouth, and St. Peter's drew those awesome times.  (Hawaii did, too, but 4 a.m. e.t. is only 11 p.m. in Hawaii.) 

Kansas fans won't be asked to get up before the sun or miss any of the work day.  No, we get the prime time slot. 

Being the cradle of college basketball has its privileges.

Zack's the Man

We may be one of the worst baseball franchises ever (well, over the last 20 years), but we have the best pitcher in baseball!  Zack Greinke has finished his sweep of all the major pitching awards by winning the Cy Young.  It was a landslide, too, with Zack receiving 25 of 28 first place votes.  Such a well-deserved honor for a guy who for most of the season was as dominant as any pitcher I can recall.  He may have only won 16 games, but come on, as a team, the Royals didn't have that many more wins.

Congratulations, Zack.  And thank you for signing a long-term contract with the Royals! 

A young man show's fidelity to the ideals of the Pledge by refusing to say it

Meet my new hero: a 10 year-old boy from Arkansas.  He has made headlines, earning himself an interview on CNN, for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school each morning.  In his own words, he spent some time one weekend thinking about the actual words of the Pledge.  Like most school children across the country, he is asked (expected) to recite those words every morning.  But as a wannabe future lawyer, he felt he needed to think about the words and decide if he really could swear to them every morning.  (So cute!)  After considering the line "with liberty and justice for all," he concluded that he could not swear that his nation truly upheld those values.  He first cited a lack of equality for gays and lesbians, specifically marriage equality, but also mentioned what he views as still fairly wide-spread racism and sexism (and I won't pretend I disagree with him).  His teacher and his classmates did not let his stand (in the form of a refusal to stand) go unnoticed.  Other kids in his class called him names, suggesting that he must be gay.  I'm not sure exactly what the teacher said, but I get the gist that the teacher thought the boy was just trying to cause trouble.  After a few days, the boy had gotten a little fed up with his teacher and told her, "With all due respect, you can go jump off a bridge."  This landed him in the principal's office and, ultimately, in the headlines.

There are so many ways to run with this story. 

I have always had a problem with the Pledge of Allegiance.  I have never, ever uttered the part "Under God."  My mother taught it to me without those words because that's the way it was originally written.  Those two words were only added by Congress in the 1950s in response to McCarthyism and the red scare.  That alone would be reason enough for me not to say those words because it would be in some small way condoning the efforts of the Committee on un-American Activities.  And, of course, as an atheist, I'm not going to pledge allegiance to some fictional character I don't believe exists. 

But far beyond those objections, I have always been troubled by the way we thoughtlessly expect children to recite this pledge every day by rote.  Pictures of rows of little kids standing at attention, hands over heart, pledging allegiance because their teacher told them to kinda give me the creeps.  As an adult, I'm always uncomfortable when I find myself in a place where someone suggests we should all recite the Pledge.  I usually stand because it's easier than refusing, which always results in nasty looks and mumbled comments, but I don't recite it.  It just feels too wrong to be expected to recite the pledge to an audience.  My oath of loyalty to my country is private.  But if I feel so much public pressure to conform as a strong-willed adult, just think how kids feel. 

Pledging allegiance to a nation should never be something done so automatically, without any thought or meaning behind it, or done to avoid being called names on the playground.  It should only be a freely-made choice, like entering a marriage or choosing a faith.  It's like baptizing babies: the babies don't know what's going on, so how can the baptism itself mean anything?  We should encourage children to learn the pledge, think about it, and claim it only if and when they really feel it.  We shouldn't use peer pressure or a teacher's authority to coerce kids into reciting the pledge.  We certainly shouldn't harass students who exercise their rights and choose not to say the pledge. 

The teacher's role in this story shouldn't be overlooked.  During the interview, the father seemed embarrassed by the fact that his son talked back to the teacher, but no one seemed eager to chastise the teacher for giving a student a hard time.  Sure, the kid probably shouldn't have told his teacher to jump off a bridge, but I'm not sure how a 10 year-old is supposed to respond to an adult who isn't respecting that kid's rights.  To me, the shame in that situation is on the adult in the position of authority who harassed the kid, putting him on the spot to defend himself.

So I applaud this young man for thinking about the pledge, deciding what it means for himself, and asserting his unwillingness to go along with the crowd.  If he were 11 years older, I would totally buy him a beer.

No, confessing to a reporter during an interview is not the same as pleading guilty in a court of law.  Even after the reporter writes a story reprinted in dozens of papers, the defendant still gets to insist on a trial.  Really.  I don't know why so many people in the general public have a hard time with that concept.  A confession like that may make the state's case pretty easy.  It may make a trial something with a foregone conclusion.  But it doesn't get the state off the hook for presenting evidence in court.  And, heck, even those guys who are "obviously" guilty still get to put the state through its paces at trial.  Sorry if that frustrates you all, but that's just how it goes.

How I spent my day off

I don't think there is any chore less satisfying than raking leaves.  My legs are sore.  My hands are cramping and I have blisters on my thumbs (despite wearing gloves).  We filled 3 bags with leaves and put a garbage-can's worth on the compost pile.  But we still had about 6 shovel-fulls of leaves left that had to be burned in my fire bowl.  So my hair smells like smoke, too.

And after all that, I could still probably rake up that many leaves again.  What's the point of putting myself through that much work if I don't see any result in the end?