I'm not sure how I overlooked this, but my beloved Cubs will be just a few hundred miles away--in Houston, Texas--to play a July 4th series against the Astros. There are amazing tickets still available for July 3rd and 4th. HOW FUN WOULD THAT BE??!?@?@
Argh.
30 June 2006
Oh, no!
29 June 2006
Weird week.
Hey, all,
I don't know about you, but it has been a weird week for me. Work was weird, personal stuff weird. Not in a bad way--just strange.
Tonight I found myself thinking about what little trip I could take for my birthday this year. Was pondering flying into Charleston, SC, spending the weekend there, driving up the coast to the Outer Banks for a few days, then going to Charlotte, NC, to see my friend and her little boy (whom I have not yet met) before flying home. If you have made this drive and have thoughts on its enjoyability factor, please let me know. Thoughts, please.
Tomorrow is "jeans day" at my office. Ah, the small joys.
Need a laugh? Check out Kate's blog, with her link to and commentary about an amazing Bjork video. Yes, you heard me right: a Bjork video.
27 June 2006
The least beautiful photo I have ever taken.
I needed to think for a while about one of the photos I took this weekend before posting it.
I needed to think about what it means to me, and what it could mean to you, and whether it could possibly make a difference to post it. My hesitation was borne of worry that I would be invading someone's privacy by posting it.
This is ironic, given that the man in the photo has no privacy. He is homeless. I photographed him sleeping outside, in midday, with his head propped on his shoes and his dirty socks hanging out there for all the world to see. What I assume are all of his worldly possessions were at his side in a stroller (in a truly illogical effort to battle homelessness, Dallas outlawed possession of shopping carts by those who do not own said carts, resulting in homeless folks pushing their belongings around in anything with wheels that is not a shopping cart).
I was moved by him and I hope you are, too:
There is no excuse for a country with our means to have citizens living under these conditions. No. Excuse. Whatsoever.
Please read here about some of the many ways in which you can help the homeless, both generally and in New York. The Doe Fund is a program to which I have donated for years, because I like their creativity, dedication and effectiveness. If you want to point your time and/or money in a local direction, I'm sure there are organizations in your hometown--please look them up!
Bless you, Derrek Lee
The Cubs' beloved but injured First Baseman/All Star has returned. Prematurely returned, due to the Cubs' utter suckage, I mean, bad luck with so many player injuries. And Lee is telling it like it is, in a way that even Cubs manager Dusty Baker, who is paid to be angry and kick things when they suck, has not.
Lee says, regarding the Cubs' 8-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday:
It was surprising . . . [t]o me, [the attitude is to] come to the yard every day ready to play. I don't think we showed up [Sunday]. That's not excusable. I think we have to understand we have to do a better job than that.You have been missed, D Lee. Welcome back!
. . . . .
We need to win games and make [an] effort to be respectable again.
26 June 2006
25 June 2006
Lisa and the Boys
I will guiltily admit to you that I read this column, because it is what reminded me of a phenomenon I truly regret: the "married guys can't hang out with girls anymore" rule. I thought of this earlier today, while sipping a Sangria swirl with a view of a patio on which my buddies and I whiled away many a weekend afternoon after I moved to Dallas:
Weekends and even many week nights in my late 20's/early 30's were filled with outings with my dear guy friends. We helped each other move (okay, so they helped me move), took ski trips together and downed pitchers of margaritas on any number of patios on warm-weather days. We threw parties together. Retrieved towed cars together. Sat together on the hard metal bleachers at the old Arlington Stadium where the Rangers played before they got a pretty park. Took day trips to see the Cubs play in Houston. There was the time I tried to reward them for helping me move by cooking a lasagne feast for them--only to find that the oven in the house where I had lived for the past 6 months was not functional. Lots of stories.
In short, we had lots of fun adventures together, all while being platonic friends.
Then, about three years ago or so, it all began to change. I think J was the first . . . although (or perhaps because) he had been married and divorced young, he was a ringleader of our group, the guy who got his first tattoo while his car was being towed away, leading to yet another adventure we would reminisce about for years. But then J met K, a perky and resolute almost-divorced mother of young twins, and before we knew it, J was married and the father of two.
Not long thereafter, M married a woman who was also freshly divorced and mother of two young children. And M became an instant father, marrying a woman who thinks Dr. Phil is the best thing since sliced bread and that anyone who doesn't understand that must just feel that way "because you've never been married." (Yes, this is something she said to me while seated next to me at dinner one night).
It wasn't long after that before our buddy S took a transfer with his company out of state, ultimately ending up in California. There, he met the woman who is now his wife, and they were on the road to being parents even before their wedding, to which none of us were invited. I still haven't met his wife. I don't know much about her other than that she is liberal and is the kind of person who doesn't send a thank you note after receiving a really nice baby gift from an old friend of her husband's. I know that when I was recently practically in their neighborhood during a visit to San Diego, S wasn't allowed to come visit me, nor was I invited to visit them. I know that when S finally won our long-held Cubs/Red Sox/World Series bet (such a serious bet that it had been reduced to a contract) when his beloved Red Sox became the World Champions, he wasn't allowed to collect his prize--tickets to Opening Day the next season--even when I said that his wife was welcome to attend also.
I don't mean to sound bitter and I don't think I am bitter. The truth is, I am sad that our old gang has been broken up. I stay in touch with the guys sporadically and I know the guys stay in touch with each other a little bit, too . . . now more difficult with J having moved with his family to Virginia recently. But even for them, it isn't the same. And when they do get together, they have to label it a "guy's weekend" in order to buy the time. Because by virture of me being a girl, if I'm included, the wives argue that they should be included, too. The guys don't come out and say this, but I know that is how it is.
It makes me sad that we old friends--our gang--cannot relive the old days in a way which would not do any harm to any of their relationships. It is very hard for me to understand why we are not permitted to do that. I hope that if the day comes when I marry, I will remember this feeling and give my husband the space he needs to spend time with those who "knew him when," regardless of their gender.
Best American cities for me
(stolen from Jay):
| American Cities That Best Fit You:: |
| 70% Boston |
| 70% Chicago |
| 65% New York City |
| 65% Philadelphia |
| 60% Los Angeles |
Also stolen from Jay, the European City to which I am supposedly best suited:
| You Belong in Amsterdam |
 A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam. Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city). |
Another old Dallas theatre lost.
While I was in a 12-hour mediation this week, Dallas lost one of its oldest theatres to a six-alarm fire:
(Picture credit to DEM Deep Ellum Music)
In the middle portion of the photo, the Arcadia Theatre is marked by its bright orange painted trim. To its right was Nuevo Leon, which is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in town. I was just there a few months ago to pick up dinner for my friend and me--I sat at the cool, dark brown bar and drank a nice frozen margarita while waiting for my order to be ready.
It's a sad day for the Lower Greenville area of Dallas, and for those of us who love that area.
24 June 2006
This is how lazy I am.
Last night, I planned to make two stops on the way home: one to pick up dinner for myself, and one to pick up dog food, as we were totally out. Instead, I made the first stop to purchase my own dinner and while there purchased nice, warm cheesesteaks for my dogs to eat for dinner.
23 June 2006
Peanuts dancing to Outkast
Don't miss it!
On another note, I'm starting to wonder if my ability to write on this blog is tied to the fortunes of the Chicago Cubs. They are floundering, and so is my writing ability.
22 June 2006
This is how tired I am.
I had a hearing today and upon beginning the drive back to Dallas, realized I could not bear to wear my suit for the rest of the day. So I dropped into a nearby mall and bought comfortable clothes to wear for the rest of the day.
I left work early (8:00 pm) to go home and get more than 5 hours' sleep for the first time this week.
Upon arriving home, after stopping at a favorite restaurant to pick up dinner, I realized I had spent time both at work and at the restaurant with my zipper totally unzipped and my new casual pants gaping wildly in the front.
Off to bed now . . .
19 June 2006
Bits and pieces.
Hey, all! My voice is back and so am I! There is so much to share . . .
So, Friday night, I did something I rarely do, which is gamble. My friends were kind enough to invite me along to an outing with the husband's colleagues at a local horse racing track. They made me engage in a game of "spot the lawyer," which was hatched when I said I would only attend if there would be no lawyers, and they said, "there is one, but you won't be able to guess who," so I was roped in and they were right, I couldn't guess which one was the lawyer and had to be told. And I was only required to talk to her for a little while and because we didn't figure out each other were lawyers, there was no lawyer talk, so that was all good.
In between playing that game, we drank and ate from a buffet that included a "choose your own pasta ingredients" and watched races and bet on those races. I won $41 and it only cost me $50 to do it! The strangest win was when my friend's husband and I each, without knowing it, bet the same exacta box (picking 2 horses to finish first and second, in either order) and won. Sadly, I missed seeing that actual race and having the pleasure of watching my horses win, because I ran into a former colleague who wanted nothing more than to regale me with the sad tale of her experiences at my former firm, when I would like nothing more than to forget about the very existence of that firm, forever. She is not a person who senses these things, however.
Saturday brought a delightful breakfast out with newspaper, much-needed massage, much-needed shopping, then some work, but not an unbearable amount of work. Sunday brought more of the same, minus the work, and with the addition of watching the Mavericks' sad loss with friends. I treated myself to a long-wanted zoom lens for my camera and now will be a menace to all who cross my path. This is the same lens that I saw on a man's camera in San Diego, which inspired me to cry out, "that is a big lens that you have!", much to the amusement of my friends and to the gratification of the guy involved.
Received a call today that carries on my perfect track record of every man I have dated marrying the very next woman he sees after me. Seriously, mothers, if you have a son you want to marry off, have him date me, then you are guaranteed to find a daughter-in-law in the very next woman he sees. It is foolproof. I'm sure we can work out some sort of arrangement. No, I really did not want to marry this guy--it never would have worked--but I would rather not have such a perfect record in this regard and must admit that there is a bit of "good lord--if he has a match out there, how can I not?"
Slightly heavy heart . . .
16 June 2006
Brooks Brothers
I was reminded while reading the delightfully satirical (or is it?!?!) Anonymous Lawyer blog today of the role of Brooks Brothers in my legal career. I was a second year lawyer about to participate in my first mediation, meaning a meeting attended by both parties, their lawyers and a third party who tries to negotiate a settlement between them. I would be making a presentation at the beginning of mediation to tell the other side why they should pay my German clients some money, then would be spending the rest of the day in a room with my clients as we tried to reach a satisfactory resolution.
I wanted to look nice for the day, which would represent one of my first real responsibilities as a young lawyer. I thought, "What better place to purchase heavy-hitter clothes than Brooks Brothers?" and purchased a red wool coat dress with buttons down its front, which they tailored for me because it was too long. Picture this, only in red wool, with no belt:
On the big day, my partner (an unfailingly well-dressed Southern Woman) and I waited patiently in the lobby with our clients to be invited into the main meeting room. We stood up after being called into the room, and at that time, the bottom button on my dress fell off. I didn't mind, as it really was too close to the hem anyway post-tailoring, so I picked it up and joined the others in the conference room.
I arose when it was my turn to deliver the opening statement for my clients, and as I did so, the next button on my dress fell off, letting the front swing open almost all the way to my, well, my place where my legs meet each other. I spoke for about 10 minutes, all the time standing just so in the hopes that my dress would not swing open. I managed to procure a safety pin from a secretary on the way to the room where we would spend the rest of our day, just the German clients and I, and was satisfied that I would not expose anyone to anything unseemly after that.
So we spent several hours, the Germans and I, huddled in a room, occasionally meeting with the mediator, and trying to get their case settled. Later in the afternoon, the folks in the office had cleared out and only my clients and I remained, along with the other party and their lawyer in a room across the office, with the mediator shuttling in between. It was at this time that a third button dropped to the floor, something I realized only when I looked down and saw an expanse of my silk slip showing in the region of my chest. Mortified, I excused myself and searched the law office for another pin, but could not locate one and basically rigged the thing together with baling wire and tape and hoped desperately that my clients, two older and very serious men, had not noticed.
I quietly returned to my clients just before the mediator paid us another visit. He asked, "How much longer do you think you guys are willing to stay?" And then the client who was the short Hardy to his business partner's Laurel said in a thick German accent, "If ze buttons on Leesa's dress keep falling, vee vill stay here all night!"
I was not much comforted when, riding the elevator up to my building later that night to return my papers to the office, I was telling the story to a good friend/colleague, only to realize that he wasn't really listening because he was too busy oggling my chest, where my rigged solution had given way and my slip was once again in full view.
14 June 2006
All I wanted for Fitzmas . . .
was a Rove indictment. And apparently, that isn't meant to be. Sigh.
In a sign that the world may be turned completely on its head, I was so involved in trying to solve a client issue tonight that I completely forgot about the Cubs game until I arrived home after dinner.
Funniest voice mail I received so far this week: one from an old boyfriend/friend, in which he played "word poker" with my name and spent the length of an entire voicemail coming up with words that can be made from the letters of my first name. Hilarious.
13 June 2006
I fear that
Kip (my dog) is eating the decorative seashells off the pillows on my couch. I hear him crunching, but cannot catch him in the act so as to remove the offending object from his mouth.
I am so, so tired. If proof of this is required, it took three tries to type the word tired, with the first two attempts resulting in "sired" and "dired." And now, possibly, tipsy.
After I dropped my co-counsel off following the deposition today, I picked up dinner from my favorite Tex-Mex place and a bottle of my favorite California Chardonnay (Kendall Jackson--I'm a simple girl). I feel good (not just because of the wine) about how the depositions went this week.
If it is any sign of how well things went, both my co-counsel--who was in from out of state--and my opposing counsel invited me today to come work for them. I sprang my most powerful smoking gun during today's deposition and was gratified to find that my most detested opposing counsel had not taken the time to find it among the documents I had produced, and that it took both him and his client totally by surprise. Ah, joy.
I almost don't care that the Cubs are losing 9-1 at this very moment. Almost.
11 June 2006
Hi there!
I hope that you all had a fabulous weekend! Tell me: what wonderful things did you do?
I spent my weekend preparing for some big depositions I am taking tomorrow and Tuesday. I'm looking forward to them, but also looking forward to having them over with! So, probably no more posts until Tuesday or Wednesday night, depending on how much wine I drink Tuesday night to celebrate being finished. Happily, my voice seems to be returning, just in time to talk for 6+ hours straight, two days in a row. But it's better than squeaking or rasping (Demi Moore-style), as I did all week!
Until we meet again . . . think good thoughts!
09 June 2006
Okay, Jay--Meme Friday.
Here's what Jay is doing, and I thought I would do it, too, even though he (kindly) did not tag me . . .
Three important events occurring on my birthday, September 2:
1901 - Vice President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt utters the famous phrase, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" at the Minnesota State Fair.
1946 - Ayn Rand began writing Atlas Shrugged.
1972 - Chicago Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres (which would have been a perfect game if not for the idiocy of home plate umpire Bruce Froemming)
There are a number of important births on the same day as me and I couldn't limit the selection to two:
- 1948 - Terry Bradshaw, American football player
- 1948 - Christa McAuliffe, American schoolteacher and astronaut (d. 1986)
- 1951 - Mark Harmon, American actor
- 1952 - Jimmy Connors, American tennis player
- 1961 - Eric Dickerson, American football player
- 1964 - Keanu Reeves, American actor
- 1965 - Lennox Lewis, Canadian-British boxer
- 1966 - Salma Hayek, Mexican actress
- 421 - Constantius III, Roman Emperor
- 1910 - Henri Rousseau, French painter (b. 1844)
- 1969 - Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese president and prime minister (b. 1890)
- 1973 - J. R. R. Tolkien, British writer (b. 1892)
- 1997 - Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (b. 1905)
- 2001 - Troy Donahue, American actor (b. 1936)
- 2005 - Bob Denver, American actor (b. 1935)
Here's a September 2 holiday:
Vietnam - National Day (independence from France, 1945)
But my birthday often falls on Labor Day, which I have frequently used to have a nice 3-day weekend jaunt to celebrate my birthday.
08 June 2006
Tidbits.
Last weekend, I spent a good chunk of my Saturday at work. No one else was working in my office and no one ever seems to work weekends at the other business that occupies our floor, so it was a very solitary-feeling kind of day. The restrooms for our office are located outside the office in the common hallway and at one point, I bounded through the door nearest to my office to cut across the floor's elevator lobby en route to the restroom. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that I was not alone. A twenty-something girl was seated and leaning up against the wall next to the elevator. She wore a Starbucks apron and a Starbucks cup and little paper Starbucks paper sack (holding an unidentified snack) rested at her side; she was talking to someone on her cell phone. I was a little nervous because it is so odd to see someone who doesn't "belong" on my floor, but mostly it just seemed surreal--like a puzzle piece in the wrong box.
I received some really good news the other day over a lovely strawberry and walnut salad. I can't talk about it yet, but it gave me some wonderful peace of mind, something I don't remember feeling for quite a long time.
Yesterday, I accomplished something new: I conducted a conference call at a time when I practically had no voice. I made the call intending to reschedule it, but a person on the other end would not be deterred and I was forced to verbally hobble through the next hour and a half. Today I'll do the same during a court conference, which thankfully will be held in the close proximity of the judge's chambers, rather than in an open courtroom in which one must really speak up to be heard.
05 June 2006
Winning is so much more fun than losing.
 Chi Cubs (23-33) Won 1 | Chi Cubs 8, Houston 0 |  Houston (27-31) Lost 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Standings thru 6/5/06 | Wrap | Gameday |
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