So, today was a better day

I didn’t pull a rabbit out of the hat today, but the odds were against me on that one anyway. I did, however, make friends with the rabbit warden and a few other folks at the farm, which is a fairly good trick in and of itself.

It was a long day. It started at 4:00 a.m. and involved over 350 miles of driving, followed by a couple of hours of intense office work. And you know what? I enjoyed the hell out of it. I realize that it has been far too long since I have been able to take such pleasure in my work. It was a little hard getting back in the saddle again, but a few more like this and I should be riding quite well.

Having 5+ hours in the car by myself wasn’t bad either. It was nice to have quiet time. It was also nice to have good cell phone reception so I didn’t feel isolated while I was doing it. I didn’t do much talking, but the silence feels more respectful when one is reachable.

The other upswing is that The Sick was apparently properly embarrassed by its public exposure. It backed way down today. It’s not gone completely, but I feel like a human being again.

The final bit of this day was a follow-up phone call from a friend. It was a real joy to talk with her two nights in a row. And I love the ringtone I’ve given her. Tickles me every time it goes off.

And so, to bed. That’s the very best part of a good day.

The Sick

We’ve been having “the sick” around here since the middle of December. First, it was something that bore a strong resemblance to walking pneumonia. About the time that lifted, husband had to go to Cleveland for yet another funeral and he brought back with him–wait for it–the cold from hell.

As best as I can recall, I haven’t had a continuous run of the cruds lasting this long since sometime in the early 1980s. Wise choice, that. Wish I’d kept with it.

Like all things, both good and bad, this too shall pass. Either that, or I will, but I don’t think that’s very likely. This is the type of thing which comes around every once in a great while to keep me from getting too big for my britches.

Okay, I’m already too big for my britches, but that’s a separate issue. Of course, two of the more annoying side effects of this mess are that I can’t eat and I can’t smoke. Well, I can do a little of each, but I’m enjoying withdrawal on both counts and it’s making me grumpy.

Eh, I think this is the end of the run I’ve been on. Three years of non-stop stress and grief leaves one rather vulnerable to these things. If this is, indeed, the station at the last stop of the drama-llama express, I’ll deal.

Answering Buffett’s Question

In my twenties, I was as likely to ask it as answer it, but it was usually something along the lines of “Yeah, why don’t we?”

In my thirties, it was “because it’s more fun sober.”

In my forties, it was “who has time for either one?”

Now I’m fifty.  “I think those have become mutually exclusive activities and I’d fall asleep before I got part way through the first one.”

At least I haven’t yet reached the point of “What’s the question again?”

And then the coffee pot flooded

It really is beginning to look like one of those days.

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I have no idea what the title means. Probably nothing. But that’s what showed up when our orange tabby cat, Dennis, walked across the keyboard.

For the record, I didn’t name him.

Now that I look at it again, it’s a fair rendition of the noises I have been making for the last few days with my nose and tissues. Maybe this cat is smarter than I want to think about right now.

This just sucks

Our friends had a female dog who was an australian shepherd mix. Had. Past tense.

Her daddy was moving the truck around on grass–a big diesel thing with double axels in back. She got away from her mama. She ran along the side of the truck until her daddy accelerated to go up a hill. The herding instinct kicked in and she tried to cut it off. Big trucks don’t herd. At least it was mercifully quick.

Paralegal licensing–what I think about it.

Licensing is done for the protection of the public. Since there are only a very few instances in which a paralegal may provide services directly to the public, I don’t believe there’s any need for us to be licensed. In this, there is a distinct difference between us and nurse practitioners. While some may feel that there is a need for an equivalent level of service in the law, I am not among them. I believe we can best contribute to cost effective legal services for the public by working under the supervision of licensed attorneys.

That having been said, I believe it helps us to pursue voluntary certification programs to give our prospective employing attorneys an indication that we have attained a defined level of competence. I’m in North Carolina where NALA’s designations are recognized by our Bar. In other regions of the country, the examinations and credentials offered by other organizations may be more familiar to attorneys. It is my opinion that what matters is our willingness to commit to doing whatever is necessary to attain those certifications and diligently pursue continuing legal education to stay at the top of our game.

As one of the old guard (28+ years) who came up through the law firm-trained system, I liken myself the lawyers of long ago who learned by “reading the law” and being trained by more experienced attorneys. As I understand the history, the next thing to come along for attorneys was licensing for those who provide direct legal services to the public. It is only during my time of working in the law that all states required prospective bar exam candidates to attend law schools.

It makes sense to me that we would follow that model. Our timeframe has been foreshortened from that the attorneys enjoyed by the incredible advances in technology which make everything happen faster. Because communications happen with far greater speed than they did even when I began, I believe our attorneys often do not have the time to educate their staff as they did in the past. Further, law has, in many instances, become more specialized and not all firms can give their staff members good general instruction in the law. Therefore, we have schools to ensure that upcoming paralegals have an opportunity to learn at least the bare basics of most areas of the law.

I recognize the old definition of the professional, which was extended only to those engaged in doctoring, lawyering, and preaching. Each requires advanced education, a commitment and dedication to the ideal of subject area, and an oath to uphold that ideal. To the best of my knowledge, it is only these professions which provide full confidentiality of communications. As much as I hold myself to the same standard as attorneys, I am not one. The “para” in my title begs the question.

Anniversary

Today is our 15th wedding anniversary.

Back when we met, as work colleagues, folks in the office gave it a maximum of three weeks before there was a major blow-up between us. In fact, they even had a betting pool on the subject.

I found out about that particular wager. Being the contrarian that I am, I decided the blow-up wasn’t going to happen. See where it got me?