We now interrupt this broadcast....

Hayley’s news in brief:

The job is still great. I had almost forgotten what it was like to ENJOY my work, and not just feel bound to it by duty, money, need for survival, etc. We’re going to be switching dockets soon, so, I’ll get to gain experience with more state cases. Almost all of my work has been federal docket, so state might be a little different…. Texas laws are strange about some things. The perks are great, the hours nice and flexible, and the people I work with respect me and know I do a good job. Awesome.

Volunteering is going slow, though. I signed up to volunteer (again) with Planned Parenthood’s main surgical campus in Houston. I passed the background check and security clearance to be a “scout”, meaning I escort people to and from their cars, shielding them from the wacko protestors. I was supposed to being in January, but they had a protestor incident, and I think the security is doing some switching up as well. Hopefully, though, I can being again in late February or beginning of March. It’s a bit of a sticky situation… every now and then, one of the teachers from Jack’s school takes a bunch of KIDS down there to protest on the weekends. I don’t have a problem with it… and he respects my decision (he wants to get involved too, but doesn’t want to run into any teachers, so he comes to the speakers and mixers with me). I might have to answer a few questions at the school’s Christmas party, or something though.

I’m still waiting to hear back from law schools. U of Maine, U of Denver and LSU are out, and I’m waiting on all the rest… though I have “you’ve advanced to the last round of application review” letters from most of my schools now. I called the U of Houston law center, and they said that at this point, “no news is good news”, and if you haven’t been rejected… you’ve probably made it to the final round. Well, you all know how serene and patient I am…. I want to know NOW, DAMMIT.

Jack asked me to move in with him. I said yes… with the provision that I get into law school in Houston. If I end up somewhere else, he’ll wait a year and keep teaching, promoting the band, etc., then move to where I am. His band (Archer Avenue) is the second-highest selling ITunes band in Germany for the past three weeks. Just under Night Rider himself… David Hasselhoff. But they DO love the Hoffmeister there… The band is in talks for a summer tour, and if the European charts keep up… an eventual Euro-tour, as well as playing (hopefully) at Whitney’s wedding in October.

Regardless of the band’s tours, the “Jack and Hayley 2006- The Living in Sin Tour” will commence in late July. I’m a little nervous and apprehensive, but we’ve been doing trial runs with living @ each other’s places, switching each week. It’s been working, though I am still getting used to him leaving things on the floor (are men genetically predisposed to throwing their clothes on the FLOOR?!?!), leaving dishes on the counter NEXT to the sink, instead of putting them IN the sink, and the “who’s making dinner” tiffs. I think it’ll work though… we had a little sit down and made plans for grocery shopping, meals, etc. Budgeting with another person makes things a little cheaper for both of us… if I can keep Jack away from buying $3 designer sodas… he loves them. We’ll get a big loft or townhouse and settle in, I suppose. Cramming the two of us with the cat and dog into a 700sq ft place is a bit of a stretch. Ah well, it’s still fun and fresh… hopefully the household drudgery won’t set in for a while.

I’m posing a scenario/thought to you all that might be a little controversial, but it’s an issue here in Houston now… here goes:

Suppose you go to a private institution, and this private school’s theology dept. offers extra credit based on kids (13-15 yr. olds) participating and picketing an abortion clinic. Now, the kids that do not go for whatever reason get NO extra credit, and the teacher is advocating, supporting and leading the group to the clinic. Is this ok?

Talk amongst yourselves… I’m a bit verklempt.