Saturday, March 24, 2012

Now I Know That I Am A Real Lawyer: I Have Been Fired Twice (In One Week)

As my headline says, now I know I am a real lawyer. I have been fired. Twice. In One Week!

What the heck happened? Were both of the situation foreseeable? I think so.

One was a disability client, who was kind of problematic from the get-go. Every conversation was a headache. She was edgy all the time. Had a tone in her voice. I knew it was not a great relationship. I decided to grin and bear it. She is of course anxious about getting her money. I told her it would take a while. Not even a year into her case, and she was impatient. Can't blame her, but that is how these cases are. Also, the more I got into her case, the less I was sure she would win anyway. There was weak evidence, and she wasn't honest about what was wrong with her. She wanted to release me. I said OK. I felt a little bad for a while. My mentor said, don't worry. It happens all the time. She might even want to come back. Don't know how I would feel if that turns out to be the case.

Second situation involved a juvenile case. Custody and child support. The mother and father are young and unmarried and squabble all the time. Felt like I was herding cats. I made some progress, but the case got stuck. Could not move it forward, and my client was wanting unreasonable amounts of support. I tried to explain that more than likely, that would not  happen, but my client didn't want to hear that. I offered to withdraw, and they have taken me up on it. So maybe this was not a firing after all?? hmmmm. So I guess, I had one firing and I withdrew from one case this week. That sounds better.In the end, it is better I don't have these two cases. Now I can concentrate on my other clients.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Linked In

Author: Isiah Williams

After ten years with the same company, I recently found myself unemployed. The economic downturn had been very hard on my company, and part of me knew it was only a matter of time before cuts were made, but it still came as a surprise when I was actually notified that I was no longer needed. After the initial sting wore off though, I knew that it was probably for the best. I hadn’t been happy for quite awhile, and took this opportunity to find something that would make me happier. It turns out, though, that the job searching process had changed quite a bit since I was last looking for work! Everything now is so competitive, and a good friend told me that the only way to get my resume in the right hands was to network. So I use LinkedIn for all it’s worth! I connect to everyone I meet, and I’ve started posting compelling articles as I come across them, just to increase people’s awareness of me. The best thing I’ve found in my search is that I can actually do all of this from the park, or a coffee shop, or wherever! I didn’t know this was an option until I did a search one day for 4g Edison. I was really just trying to better understand this new 4G business…and I am so glad I did! I stumbled upon my new favorite internet company. It’s made the job search a lot more enjoyable, since I’m not chained to my home office!

Women And Backpacking

I have not done a lot of backpacking--hardly any actually--but I do have one funny story. I used to date a guy who really liked to hike and camp, and we went quite often. Most of the time, we did not need to use backpacks for hiking--we were just doing day hikes, or we were able to drive to the campsite and unload our gear.

But once, we were going to a campsite well into the woods, we were going to have to hike there. He outfitted me with a backpackm and I couldn't believe how heavy it was! He said it wasn't heavy at all, quite light actually. But to me it was really weighing me down. Somehow I trudged through and made it to the site. On the way back, it was much easier, since we had eaten a lot of the supplies that we had brought with us. Some people love doing this kind of thing, but I had to grin and bear it. I think if I had been a better sport about some of these things, we would still be together today!

Buying Coins As An Investment

I hear a lot on TV about buying and selling gold, and that now is a good time to buy silver coins. I have never done any of that. And I probably will not anytime soon. But I remember a neighbor of mine used to have a coin collection. I used to look at it as a kid and thought it was so neat. He spent so much time on it, and it was quite a complete collection. I am sure that those coins are worth a pretty penny today. It is probably not something I am going to do for a long time, or ever actually, but it is fun to think about. It would be neat to have a hobby like that that could actually grow in value.

Enjoying Live Music A Lot Now

I love my city--there are so many fun things to do, and one of them is to hear live music. As time goes on, I am getting to hear more and more live music. Not just big concerts. I love those, but also live music in more intimate settings. Coffee shops, stores, restaurants, ventues, and even street corners!

I went by one store last week that has started offereing live music. I got there a little early though to actually hear the music; the lead guitar player was using his guitar tuner, and they were not ready to play yet. I looked around the store for a while, but then had to leave. It is a great venue though, so I am planning to go back tonight. The music is good, and it is free to boot! Can't beat that.

Wanting To Keep Up My Exercise On The Road

I have been trying to get into an exercise routine without much luck. I need to workout at least 3 times a week, but I have been lucky to do it even twice a week. I think you need to do it at least 3 times a week to get hooked on it and to get into a routine. Also to see benefits from exercise.

 I am traveling to Virginia later this week and may go to Richmond. If so, I am hoping I can find a richmond gym that I can use. Seems like there are more options for working out now, so maybe I will be able to find someplace that I can use for a few days. Hope so! And my body hopes so too.

Book Club Getaways Are The Best

I am in a book club that meets about every 4-6 weeks, and we have a really good time. We each take turns hosting, cooking dinner and buying the wine. We, of course, discuss the book (at least a little) before we start talking about everything else. All in all, we have a very good time. One of our members invites us up to her country house in another nearby small town, which is an added treat! It is decorated with rustic bedroom furniture and many nice country accents. It is very large and very comfortable. That has made everything extra special for us and has helped us bond into a nice group. We usually do not make that a book club meeting, but just a little fun outing. I always look forward to it.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Remodeling Kitchens Can Help Resale Value

I listened to a radio show today where they were talking about improvements you can make to your house to help it sell better. Those on the show  mentioned that some improvements can increase the chance of a house selling, some can add a lot of value,  while other improvements may not make much difference in sale price or desirability.

For instance, they mentioned that while flooring is nice, it is one of the things that don't help a house sell. Kitchen improvements, on the other hand, help a house's resale value quite a bit.

That is lucky, as the next improvement I want to make is in my kitchen. I need a new sink and am looking as some undermount sinks, as well as other kinds. I have a small budget, so ca only do a little at a time. But a little at a time will end up with some good long term improvements.

RV And Boat Trekking

There is a man in my civic club who takes the most interesting trips. Of course, he is retired, so he has the time to be gone weeks at a time, multiple times a year. He takes two such trips a year: one is a long distance boat trip and the other a long distance RV trip. He comes back and gives a presentation to our club about the trips. Does great power point presentations and makes us all wish we could have gone with him.

Of course, there is a lot of prep that has to go into making such trips. Have to pick the dates, plot the course, save the money, buy the supplies, get everything caught up at home, get someone to watch the house and pets, and do other mundane things such as get an rv insurance quote, insurance on the boat, get repairs, etc.

There is a lot of work and expense that goes into such trips, but what memories and excitement they have going on them!

Want To Keep Electricity Costs Down

Now that I have a dependent living with me, I am working hard at finding out how to reduce costs. Costs of anything and everything. I need to be a better grocery shopper. I need to use coupons. I need to plan meals better. Save on gas, clothes, entertainment, etc., etc., etc. I would also like to get my electricity costs down. The first way would be to not keep the living room lights on all night like I do sometimes. That would be a great start. We are supposed to have low cost electricity in our area of the country, but I don't think we really do. Or at least not anymore. I think it was at one point though. Maybe at one point, someone will deregulate our electricity and that would make it cheaper. Right now, we don't have a choice in provider.