Lawyering Through Life

The ICGC

I love being an Irish Catholic. I really do. I eat corned beef on days beside March 17th, I have known all the words to the Unicorn song since I was seven, I wear my Claddagh ring and Celtic Cross with pride and I can do a mean Irish brogue. I think to a great extent my religion and my heritage define who I am. Unfortunately, for us Irish Catholics, it is not all Riverdance and Guinness. The major downside to being Irish Catholic is the ICGC, a.k.a. the Irish Catholic Guilt Complex. Since the Irish are generally a happy (albeit often inebriated) crowd, not everyone is aware of the ICGC. I had to explain it to Belle one day in college when I found myself racked with guilt over something incredibly trivial (If I remember correctly, I took my suitemate's shower time, messing up the shower schedule and facing the wrath of the keeper of the schedule). Irish Catholics feel guilty about EVERYTHING. I can recall a conversation 10 years ago when I said something I regret and I STILL feel badly about it. Ridiculous! The judge I am clerking for in the spring teaches a class at my alma mater. I skipped last Thursday for the first time and felt riddled with guilt. Sometimes my judge makes dorky jokes and I need to be there to laugh at them, in case no one else is paying attention. I am not even in school any more and he has already hired me! I am 27, single and should be able to go out for $2 drafts when I feel like it. If I racked my brain, I could come up with additional examples of how the ICGC affects my daily life. Here is today's example:

I generally try and bring my lunch to work. It saves money and since I enjoy cooking, I usually have something I can throw together for lunch. Unfortunately, due to *the encounter* this past weekend, I have avoided my neighborhood grocery store. Plus, it snowed early this week, I still haven't cleaned off my car and it would take so much energy to clean it off, drive to the grocery store, and race through the aisles while praying I don't run into TH again. All this means is that I have very little food at home. So, I have been eating out every day this week. As I get up to leave today, my co-worker comments, "Going out for lunch *again* today?" I laugh,and say "Yes, still haven't been to the grocery store!", thinking that this will be the end of the discussion. She responds "Well, you need to go to the grocery store."

Ok, Judge McJudgerson, I realize that. And I will. Perhaps tonight if I have time before Lost. This is exactly the kind of statement that wouldn't bother most people. But, because of the ICGC, I find myself feeling incredibly guilty for indulging a little this week. If I want to splurge on an overpriced but delish salad from Cosi today, I shouldn't agonize over it. The ICGC is not the boss of me. I just confirmed plans to go to happy hour again tomorrow and skip class. Take that, ICGC.


**In the interest of full disclosure, my judge will not be attending class tomorrow night and is sending a guest lecturer as a substitute. But still! I am skipping! Jersey 1, ICGC 0.

posted by jersey @ 1:12 PM