I've been attending court for criminal law courses. Things I have noticed: people don't care how much thought and argument and deliberation goes into a sentence; deep down, they would just prefer to see these people dead; the people who told me not to go to this bar were clearly on the money; the barrister in this case was articulate, persuasive and beautifully spoken and I am only mentioning this because I was one of the legal students mentioned in the article (Look, Mum, I'm famous!). Finally, I understand this is a horrible thing, a travesty of justice and a gross indictment of our hypocritical and cowardly government and their mealy-mouthed beaureacratic henchmen in DIMIA. However, it will all come crashing down on them soon: they fucked with Mr. T. Hell, I almost pity the fools.

It has occurred to me that a lot of the people in the legal world come from different backgrounds to me. This was brought home by one lecturer mentioning he was being paid "a pittance" for his services. He's part time, works (at a generous estimate) only 16 hours per week, and based on his disclosure of salary, earns at least 70 thousand dollars a year. The average yearly income in Australia is below 30.
He has also said things like "You know you're at a birthday party when you go for a glass of red and there's only Grange". In my experience you know you're at a birthday party when you go for a glass of red and the sack has just run out and everybody is deciding whether they can afford to purchase that gallon flagon of Old Smuggler's Tawny Port.
No doubt one day I will look back on this and laugh, while pouring Dom Perignon over my caviar-spattered BMW, but I somehow suspect not.

So, I'm at law school. Clown school was full, this is my second choice. Points of interest so far:

1. We, the intake of 2006, are elite. According to the lecturers, we should all be proud and happy to be so goddamned intelligent. It's kind of like a cult, only with less smiling and none of the sexual weirdness. Worse luck.
2. We won't do as well as we used to, as everyone else was just as intelligent as us. I sneered at this point, and thought something along the lines of "Ha! I'm way smarter than these goons!". I then realised everyone else was thinking exactly the same thing. Everyone was certainly sneering. We looked like Elvis101.
3. I am expected to speak up in class. Finally, I get my chance for karmic revenge upon my previous students, who never said anything and would need me to run both sides of their discussions. The Buddha would be proud.
4. My only contribution so far consisted of a brief exchange with the ethics lecturer.

Ethics: What do the public think of lawyers?

Me: They're amoral, money-grubbing hucksters.

Ethics: Why do people think that?

Me: Because lawyers are amoral, money-grubbing hucksters.

Ethics: So, why are you doing this course?

Me: Ah. I'm an amoral, money-grubbing huckster.

Again, it's likely the Buddha is feeling proud. Speaking of the big guy, apparently he once went into a pizzeria and asked them to make him one with everything. True story.