I Could So Use A Vacation Now.

Your Travel Type is Adventurous

Your ideal trip is thrilling, heart pounding, and downright exhilarating. When you travel, you're looking to break out of life's day to day monotony. You're down for dabbling in exotic cuisine, being around a whole different culture, and sampling some adventure sports. You want an experience to remember, and you want to push yourself outside your comfort zone.

What's Your Travel Type?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

So It Has Been Awhile I See.

Once upon a time I was a very prolific blogger. Seems that time passed long ago. Part of the reason is I'm so damned busy these days, at least when it comes to work. Small Town is still my daily life even though I can't stand the job and the commute. Another reason I don't want to blog is I don't want ALL of my writing to be of the "this just plain sucks" variety. I like to think I'm not a completely negative person.

Yet quite a bit has occurred since I last posted here. I was dating someone for a bit. Sounds good, right? It was, until she dumped me. Turns out you can't work a busy job, take classes for an MBA, be at everyone's beck and call, and date me at the same time! Hell, we've gone through an entire NFL post season since I've last posted here.

I should post here more often. Sure FaceBook offers some quick relief to share my thoughts, but a blog has so many advantages if you're willing to invest the time. I need to write to sort out some of my thoughts. So many things confuse me now and I hate being confused.

I have a weird thing coming up soon. I'll need to write about that just so I can use my posts as a script idea as it'll be that weird! Until the next time folks.

They Liked Me, They Really Liked Me!

This might be a first. At a minimum it is the first time in a long time I've seen this. In today's mail I received a letter from an employer acknowledging they received my resume. Okay it isn't a letter asking for more information, but at least I know they got the damn thing!

One small step at a time, one small step to finally get rid of Small Town and the insanity of this job.

I need to find more want ads. If I send more resumes out will I get more letters back?

Does Anyone Ever Read What Is On The Page?

A copy of an order was on my desk. It had a sticky note on it from Pushy Clerk.

Pushy Clerk: "Wolfrham, why is blah, blah, blah?"

Okay the blah blah blah is just a shortcut.

I look at the order quickly and put another sticky note underneath Pushy Clerk's.

Wolfrham Hart: "If you want a useful answer you'll need to ask the attorney who actually attended the hearing and wrote this order."

I suspect Pushy Clerk rolled her eyes and thought nasty thoughts about me when she read my reply. I know Pushy Clerk doesn't respect me and my abilities as an attorney, but Pushy Clerk needs to double check some of her own stuff before shooting from the hip at me.

Good Bye Little Buddy.

The DogHound has passed. Through a weird twist of karma I was there when he passed. My parents were surrounding him too when it happened. I know DogHound knew his time was coming. I know DogHound knew he was at home surrounded by those who loved him.

Eventually I'll remember the good times with him. I'll focus on all the wrestling sessions, the tug of war sessions, the chasing of cats sessions, and all the little things that make life with DogHound wonderful. I'll remember all the times I would talk to him about the crappy classes, the bad dates, the stupid bosses, the angry mobs, and all the nasties I dealt with. I'll remember how DogHound would give doggie kisses after all those stories. I'm still convinced a good dog is better than 90% of people.

It will get better eventually, but for now there's a doggie-shaped hole in my heart.

Everyone Just STOP!!!!

The problem with my staff is they're used to traveling at warp speed. Problems pop up and they have to solve them on the fly. Often, this is a good trait to have. Sometimes they forget not all problems are a 10 minute problem.

A case got screwed up a lot on Thursday or so we thought. It couldn't be fixed Thursday because the boss and I were in hearings the entire day. Little bits of the story came out on Friday, but I couldn't answer any of their questions yet. I told them I needed to review the file to see what documents were in it and what those documents said. I also wanted to review some of the trial rules the judge mentioned and certain aspects of the statute we were operating under. Once I knew exactly what we had I could try to figure out what we needed to do. It didn't help that it was really 3 issues that were slightly comingled.

Unfortunately, Friday had many fires that needed to be put out and my hearing had two 30 minute continuances to allow other attorneys to attend other hearings and let the court have other hearings. I never had a chance to review anything on Friday. Fine, let the boss and I figure out something on Monday.

Yesterday I come in and on my to-do list is resolves this damn file from last Thursday. However, between my various hearings it seems the staff was talking to the boss and the boss was sometimes talking to the judge. No one ever got everyone together, including me, to just figure out all the issues. So staff is trying to figure out if documents are missing or are our procedures wrong, how to get a motion reconsidered, and other problems. So they got worked up in a frenzy because they thought they were being blamed for the problems. Sometimes I'm diplomatic and sometimes I'm blunt.

ME: Look if I were blaming you for this situation I would telling you outright you did this wrong and blame you! All I'm saying is the judge couldn't find this document in the court file, but that's not saying the document wasn't in there.
STAFF #1: But we send the court a copy of all those documents as part of the file.
ME: I know that's our procedure and I don't doubt you did send the court that packet of docs.
STAFF #3: Then how come they're missing from the file?
ME: I didn't say they were missing. I'm just saying the judge ruffled the pages for 15-20 seconds and didn't find that order.
STAFF #2: There's only the orders, the summons, the petitions, and referenced paperwork in the file. Should be easy to find.
ME: *Holds up the entire file in my hand* You're telling me you could find a specific piece of paper in this 50 page stapled together and papercliped pile in less than 20 seconds?
STAFF #3: But we send all that to the court so it's supposed to be in their file.
ME: *starting to raise voice in frustration* I'm not saying the order wasn't in there! The judge just couldn't find it before I did in a minute!

That went on for about 20 minutes. It didn't help that they wanted to comingle 3 different issues. I wanted to come up with a plan for Issue #1, but they wanted to bring in Issues #2 and #3. "Can we just solve one problem first BEFORE we try to figure out the other problems please?"

I only worked on four things Monday. Everything was interrupted by something else in that four item rotation. By the end of the day I was no closer to solving any of the four problems as I was at the beginning of the day. I damn near yelled at them to stop bothering me with the problems so I could actually solve one or two of them!

Today started out the same way The boss and I were looking at parts of the same statute to see if we had different opinions. We both found commentary concerning the statute and I managed to grab the file back from staff so I could review it. A complicated statute with a complicated fact pattern belongs on an exam, not in the 10 minute pile. It took both of us the entire morning to review the items we had. The boss and I wanted to compare notes after lunch but something came up. What little notes we did compare seemed to say the same things.

The judge was probably right to deny this one motion, but did it for the wrong reasons. The odds were high we didn't have the ability to do what was in our motion in the first place given the facts and procedural history of the case. In the future it would be a very good idea to have one of the attorneys review the file first before making such motions. Depending on the facts we can do it or maybe not. The way we treated cases like this before was probably incorrect under the statute.

The boss and I will fully compare notes for about 30 minutes tomorrow. We'll need to update staff on our findings and make suggestions on updating certain procedures I suspect. I just wish everyone would have shut up for a bit and slowed down. If they had just let the lawyers investigate things and discuss some observations with the judge we probably would have the problem resolved earlier. The fact everyone wanted an answer quickly actually slowed down the process of solving the problem! Drop out of warp speed people! Sometimes you need to take the slow route to get the problem fixed right.

How Do You Not Drink Or Do Drugs?

A friend of mine asked me that the other night. She simply looked at me in amazement as I described yet another insane story from my job in Small Town. My simple reply: I honestly don't know!

The insanity of last week seeped through the weekend to survive today. It was a Monday and it felt like one. I got home not too long ago. I think I'll go to bed and pray that with the judges at a seminar for the next 3 days I might get some things I want to work on accomplished.

I hope so, I'm tired of burning the candle on 3 ends.

If I Ever Get To Call In The Chips The Boss Is Screwed.

Me: pulled all of today's files last night, prepped them all and made photocopies of exhibits to hand out to lawyers and pro-se litigants. Left the office at 7 p.m., but was mostly, though not completely, ready for today. Arrived at work at 7:55 a.m. this morning.

Boss: Left work around 4:30ish. Walked in through the front door with me this morning. Scrambled to pull files this morning and prep them for the hearings after my initial round of hearings. Boss was highly agitated at having to wing some things. Worked through lunch and still hadn't prepped all the files for this afternoon. Asked me to handle 2 hearings of his that started after lunch.

I did his two files, then mine, and at that point he brought everything else down for the rest of the afternoon. If it wasn't for the judge wanting to move through all the hearings I wish I could have told the boss, "Not my fault you didn't get ready for this busy day!"

Where I got frantic was when I had to cover the Boss I suddenly didn't have time to do the last minute things that needed to be done. Suddenly the laziness of my boss was interfering with what I needed to do!

As the court bailiff noted, my part of the day went smoothly, other parts weren't as smooth.

Let's Do A 180.

Last night involved about 5 minutes of texting and a 30 minute phone call. She was interested in a second date and wanted it to be Friday night. I'm good with that. This afternoon I get an email stating she like me but didn't see this going anywhere serious.

WTF?

Normally you don't even plan the second date if you're not interested. I'm so confused by the female half of the species.

Not Dead, But I've Lost A Little Blood.

It isn't a real home improvement project until you've spilled some blood. The sharp metal edge of a tape measure nicked my figure and produced the requisite blood cells. That's the reason I've barely been on here in July, a home improvement project that just won't quit!

I honestly thought it would be a four day project. Instead it has taken 3 full weekends in July and most of the nights after work. A buddy of mine is helping me, but that means I have to go to his place since that is where all his tools are. He donated some lumber and also has an air conditioned garage so his place as the construction zone made sense.

Before my buddy left on vacation Friday night we had the job 95% finished. All I had to do was paint some things. I even went over there today as I have a key to the garage. Between my project and his project the garage is stuffed! I took the pieces outside so I could paint, but the clouds let loose with a light drizzle. Paint and drizzle don't mix well. This is why the project is approaching 4 weeks in length: little problems that just pop up!

Oh well I was hoping to enjoy the weekend a bit, but it looks like I'll spend a full day in someone else's garage working on my project.

ZZZZZZZZZ

This is getting to be a weekly occurrence. I get home from work and just lay on the bed for a few minutes to relax. The next thing I know I've been asleep for around 4 hours. Eh I didn't need dinner anyway.

I think I'll go back to bed now. I hope I can fall asleep for the rest of the night.

Respect My Authority!

The crazies were out today. A 3 day weekend allows the crazies to save up their craziness an extra day. My boss is on vacation so I'm in charge. What this really means is anything weird gets sent to me immediately.

Pushy Clerk left a file in my chair just before lunch. I got back from a hearing and looked at it for a minute. I read the note, then I started to go through the file to see if I could find a solution. It took a few minutes to find what I wanted, but it was there. Then I pondered a minute and decided what strategy I wanted to employ. Part One was the short term solution, Part Two was the long term solution. I came about my strategy because I knew what I could do without a judge getting involved and I knew what would require a hearing and a judicial blessing. I also pondered an Evil Strategy, but I knew I would need to review the file a bit and find a few more facts to see if Evil Strategy was an option.

I left a note on the file and put it into Pushy Clerk's box. Pushy Clerk decided my strategy wasn't what she wanted to do. Why did I want to do it that way? Couldn't I do it the way she suggested. Ummm...no, I needed something that was well outside the scope of her suggestion. Also I didn't write the prior order so I didn't have the power to correct it. I tried to explain that, but she didn't see it that way. How I didn't finally say, "Will you do it the way I requested because I'm your boss!" I'll never know.

While I value the input of my staff I'm getting tired of Pushy Clerk always thinking she knows better than I. I'm tired of fighting Pushy Clerk on so many things. I've almost blurted out she should just go to law school for 3 or 4 years, then pass the bar exam. Once Pushy Clerk is sworn in she can deal with the case any way she sees fit!

A Good Grill Will Do Wonders.

My patio has been a construction zone for the past few months. The patio itself now looks fabulous as I tore up the old concrete and laid down brick. The construction of everything else around the patio has taken much longer than I've anticipated. The weather has cooled down to tolerable temperatures and low humidity. I was still the last one out of the office, but I left nearly an hour earlier than I normally do. I decided it was time to fire up the grill for the first time!

Normally the grill would have been going for 2 months at this point. Destruction, construction, debris, and chaos have prevented that. I cleaned up a big spot over the weekend and decided to set up my grill there. It fired up on the first try and I let it burn off the grate. The marinaded steak sizzled so nicely as it hit the heated grate. 20 minutes later a nice steak was ready.

A good beer and a good steak are simple pleasures, but never underestimate the power of the simple pleasures.

Super Sheltie!!!!!

No this isn't DogHound, but it involves a playful sheltie like DogHound, a giggling toddler, and doggie kisses. In case it doesn't link directly to the video if you go to the search bar the title is "Get excited!" You could also search using sheltie.

Sadly DogHound is having real trouble moving around now. Someone has to lift him up to get over a step, his rear legs are so weak now he can't stand up very long. His legs also get criss-crossed far too easily, and sometimes he really can't get up. I love the video because it is fun to watch, it does remind me of how DogHound used to be, but it also fills me with great sadness. I know DogHound has been with us about 10 months longer than we expected, yet every new and unexpected day has to run out eventually. My parents long ago said if he can't move it would be time one last trip to the vet. They don't wan't DogHound to be in pain and have no quality of life. I can understand that, but if DogHound is to finally leave us I want it to be going to sleep on his favorite blanket, next to a fan instead of a cold examination room.

My little furbuddy has been a faithful companion for nearly 14 years. I'm not married. I don't have a girlfriend. I don't have any children. Most of my friends are married, have families, and involved with them on a daily basis so we don't see each other often. I work far too much in a job filled with miserable people and situations, and it permeates my entire life. DogHound has been the one soul who just brightens up when I enter a room, loves me, and listens to my problems with a sparkle in his brown eyes and wag of his tail. DogHound possess the one property I seem to have lost in myself: the ability to make me happy and feel better at any moment.

Hold onto the light little buddy for as long as you can. Without your light I don't know if there is any left around here.

Time Is A Luxury You Don't Have.

Second night in a row I've pulled off a 11-plus hour day. Why am I barely getting anything accomplished by staying late? If I got more done I would be okay with the price I'm paying in time and exhaustion. Yet, so far the deal isn't working.

It would be nice is something worked better during the day, but today had so much wasted time where I'm waiting on someone else. Or I'm called to put out a fire when I expected some downtime. I swear if we ever get laptops I'll be all over that. Use the laptop while I'm stuck in the hallway or waiting for my hearing to start.

Oh well. I better just put more effort into the job hunt. Greener pastures must be elsewhere.

Quit Blowing The Damn Horn!

A tornado siren is across the street from my home. When we get some pretty bad weather it goes off alerting those outside to get inside and seek shelter. It has been going off for a few minutes now. I'm not certain why. The rain isn't too bad and a quick look at the weather radar indicates there is a nasty storm quite a bit to the south of here but it is heading straight east.

I thought Big City had upgraded the sirens to be more locational, but perhaps if you fire one up you have to fire all of them up. The sky is lighting up pretty frequently with lightning that jumps from cloud to cloud. It is very pretty and the weather people on TV are saying the storms are strong, but no indications of tornadoes. I hope the people to the south are okay, but seriously can someone just turn off the siren across the street?

You Have The Right To STFU!

Today was a miserable day on so many levels. So much did not work. People lied, people didn't bring materials they were supposed to, people didn't provide documentation to me 2 months ago like they should have, people didn't bother to communicate with me months ago and now though I would solve the problem, etc. etc.

The idiot showed up an hour late. The judge already ordered a bench warrant for his failure to appear, but will usually hold off on that if someone shows up within 24 hours. I knew nothing could be accomplished without the other party who had left earlier. I figured a 10 minute talking to would make an impression on the idiot. I was so wrong.

The idiot just kept talking, interrupting the judge, offering weak answers, and was just plain rude. So the judge decided it was direct contempt and worth 10 days in jail. Normally idiots shut up at this point; however, this one was special. Since he wouldn't shut up and kept interrupting the judge it was decided 20 days was proper. As security walked the handcuffed idiot out of the courtroom he said something so incredibly stupid I couldn't believe it. I don't know if the microphones picked it up and put it on the record, but the judge heard the comment too. Sir, you've now graduated to 180 days as a guest to the taxpayer simply because you couldn't keep your big mouth shut.

At least I know where to find him now for the next 6 months.

A Useful Feature.

I haven't gotten into my job search as much as I've wanted to. Life has a tendency to get in the way. I've noticed a severe lack of help wanted signs as well. It seems to me the legal job market shuts down for the summer unless the application is for well seasoned attorneys. I'm not that well seasoned and I know I'll be competing for jobs with recent grads who've passed the bar exam. Since the exam isn't for a few more months I suspect there won't be many want ads until then.

I looked at the website for Big City. It had a very useful feature. If you check the boxes for the types of employment or areas you wished to know about it will email you any future jobs for the next year. Sweet! Someone finally had a bright idea. With luck in a few months a job I'll be interested in might just show up in my email.

With luck.

Pleasant Surprises.

Given all the rain Big City has received lately I was expecting yet another hot and humid day. Imagine my surprise when I reached for the Sunday paper and discovered a fairly cool and dry air. The air conditioning is off and I have every window open to let in any breeze I can catch!

If only my patio was finished so I could drink a morning cup of coffee and read the paper. Oh well you can't have it all.

A Case Of Mistaken Identity?

*Pushy Clerk comes into my office and shoves an order into my face.*

Pushy Clerk: Wolfrham, what's wrong with this case? *Stated in a tone that implies I've done something wrong again in Pushy Clerk's opinion.*

*I'm totally clueless, don't have a file in front of me, and simply read the order. It lists all the attorneys who attended the hearing and there were several. However, my name isn't listed as a participant.*

Me: I don't know Pushy Clerk, but why don't you ask someone who actually attended the hearing?


I admit I do thing incorrectly sometimes or later realize I should have done something in a different way. However I'm tired of Pushy Clerk's know-it-all attitude. I think it is time for Pushy Clerk to go to law school, pass the bar exam, and do my job better than I can. Only then will Pushy Clerk work with someone that meets her standards.