Lazy, Hazy Days...

Okay, there was no blog entry for yesterday, because not a whole lot happened. Same with today. The main thing going on is that it is unbearably hot outside (we're talking 100+). We have been spending the last two days inside and downstairs, since it is about 10 degrees cooler.

Meg asked what we were planning to do these two days, and I said "Nothing." I actually like not doing anything, as long as its planned. In fact, call me a little neurotic, but if I have planned to do nothing, and something comes up, it bothers me. I almost wish I can say... "sorry, can't do that, I am busy doing nothing today!" Well, nothing ACTUALLY means something, as one of my favorite nothing activities is sitting in front of the comp working (right now on school and handbell stuff). I don't very easily do absolutely nothing. On to the last two days...

Yesterday, Wednesday, August 2, 2006
The original plan was to mow and edge the lawn, but the weather decided otherwise for me. I spent the morning and afternoon in my PJs, a wonderful experience. I spent the morning playing the piano for a while, brushing up on my keyboarding skills. Despite the fact that I never actually practice, I did pretty well. Now, I just need to motivation to get my trumpet out. I also read more of Conviction, (more on that later), and completed the scoring of an arrangement to the theme of Scooby Doo, that my band will play at its Halloween Parade.

Then, we figured we would give swimming in the pool a try. Well, actually, it was more like swimming in a large bathtub. The water was hardly refreshing, and we only stayed in for a little bit. We had Sloppy Joes for dinner, then stopped by my parents house to drop off water ice that my mom had left behind last Sunday.

When we got there, no one was home, but I have a key, and we let ourselves in. We returned the water ice, and then raided their fridge. Call it giving in to temptation, since Meg and I have been eating so healthy lately. My parents always have something good to eat at their house. Even if you can't find anything in the fridge, there is a candy machine that my dad stole from his work downstairs, filled with Mike-n-Ikes. You have to pay a quarter to get some, but my mom keeps a jar of quarters nearby. When the quarters run out, she opens the machine, takes out the quarters, and puts them back in the jar... or you can do it the super-easy way, and just pull the top off and grab a handful. Anyway, I was in the middle of writing a note to my parents to say that we dropped off the water ice and raided their fridge, when they got home. They had gone out to dinner and rented a movie. So, we sat and talked for a while, and eventually headed home.

Believe it or not, I was kinda sleepy, so we just went to bed for a while, where I read almost all of Conviction, but did not have time to finish it.

Thursday, August 3, 2006
Woke up with my back killing me for some reason; must've slept on it funny. Still just as hot today, so I have another NOTHING day planned. I almost finished Conviction the night before, and was dying to finish it, so after breakfast, I parked myself on my (I mean, Max's) recliner to finish it up.

STOP READING HERE IF YOU ARE READING, OR EVER PLAN ON READING, CONVICTION, BY RICHARD NORTH PATTERSON, AS I GIVE AWAY THE ENDING.

Now, I haven't much about the book, but here's the basic premise. Two brothers, Rennell and Payton Price allegedly sexually molest and murder a little girl. The guys were spotted grabbing the girl off the street by a neighbor, and a friend of theirs Eddie Fleet testified against them with his version of the story. The brothers end up getting a coke-addict of a lawyer who does nothing to help them. There is compelling evidence against both of the brothers, and they are sentenced to death. 15 years later, many lawyers have attempted a stay of execution for Rennell, as there was no actual evidence he was involved, he is mentally retarded, and he strongly claims his innocence. Terri Paget is the last lawyer to defend him. Right before the other brother Payton is executed, he finally confesses. It was him and Eddie Fleet that had murdered the girl, not Rennell. With this new evidence Terri tries to get him a stay of execution under a law called AEDPA, which bars the execution of a retarded person, and gives him a right to a new trial being that his lawyer was no good. Also, she tries to use this new-found evidence to set him free. The state court denies it rather quickly, so it heads to the 9th circuit court, where his execution may be overturned, pending a review by the US Supreme Court. This is where the drama really gets going. There are 9 judges in the Supreme Court, 3 are liberal-leaning (against the death penalty, for Rennell), 3 are conservation (for the death penalty, against Rennell), and 3 are moderates. So a lot of tension goes on, the conservative side gets 1, the liberal side gets 1, and that leaves one man, who finally decides to go to the conservative side...

...okay, at this point in the book, I as any reader, I would assume, is convinced that Rennell is innocent. The more his character develops, and the more you (through the eyes of Terri) learn, this must be true. Now, it looks like they are going to execute him, but there are still several chapters left, something must happen...

...new further evidence comes out. They find Eddie fleet, as well as 3 other people he has sexually molested. Not good enough for California, the 9th circuit, or the US Supreme court. They try the governer of California for a clemency pardon, well he's about to get recalled (this is a true story apparently), so he decides to play it safe...

...okay, 1 chapter left, the book's gotta have a happy ending, some miracle must happen...

...up to the minute of the execution, Terri, along with her husband, Chris, and step-son Carlo, who are both lawyers, are doing everything they can to save Rennell. Nothing works, Rennell is executed...

...okay, that really sucks (I'm in tears at this point), but there must be a good side to this story, something everyone must have learned, SOMETHING!!...

...nope the book is over, just like that. The last page describes his execution! So, for me, the book did two things: 1) caused me to become attached to a character that most thought of, resulting in his death, as a despicable monster, and 2) really made me question the constitionality and morality of the death penality. Never had much of an opinion about it, but reading this supposedly true story, and seeing a man who was perfectly innocent, was not present at the crime scene, and too retarded to realize what has even happened to him, to see him executed, where few would help him, really makes me against the death penalty now. I think criminals suffer more with life without parole anyway. I wonder how many other innocent people have been executed? I guess R.N. Patterson's point was made to me, and I give him credit for that. I haven't cried from a book since Dumbledore died in the last Harry Potter book (hey, I'm man enough to admit that).

So, being kinda bummed about that, I went on with my lazy day. I had lunch, then spent the rest of the day doing stuff on the computer. I extracted and printed the parts for my Scooby Doo arrangement, listened to and ordered music for the handbell choir to play, and created a monthly calendar for my band at school (4 months completed already!). We also moved our Peter's Diner ritual to tonight, since pork chops on the grill where planned, and I did not feel like standing by a grill in this weather, plus, I was STARVING for some reason.

After dinner, Meg and I played Scattergories, then I worked more on the band calendars. Okay, I really am wordy, so I'll stop.