Hail Salem

It’s been over two months since my big move.  There’s been quite a few headaches, and I still have things to finish, but I can now say that I’ve officially settled in!

The main headache for me these past few weeks has been unpacking everything at my new residence.  There was a lot of things to move from my old place, and there’s only so many places in a room you can put things.  Thankfully, my new bed has a lot of space under it for keeping short boxes, so I’ve been able to store a fair amount there.  My new closet also has a lot of space, so anything I can’t find a place for can be put there for now.  My new desk is still cluttered, and my chairs are less than ideal for sitting (as they frequently are used as makeshift short-term placement of random s***), but I have a feeling that I’ll find opportunities to declutter as I go.  As things are needed, I’ll find the best place to keep them.  It’ll take a while to make things optimal, but I’ve at least unpacked everything.  Now, I can focus less on making myself at home and more on enjoying home.

On a similar note, unpacking the office is going well.  Assembling the necessary furnishings and finding spots for everything has not been easy, but I’ve found a place for everything, and my business partner is satisfied with our current progress.  After weeks of delays, we finally managed to get internet connection to the office and get the printer/scanner up and running.  While there are still some technical snafus here and there, and there’s a lot of case files and financial paperwork to finish reviewing, the office is effectively operational.  Once we’ve finished tying up loose ends, we’ll be able start taking up new cases.

Speaking of loose ends, I still have business in Tillamook over the next few months.  This means that my days of wearing a suit are still not behind me; instead, I now must put on a suit about once a week after waking up at 4am and going on the customary 1.5-hour drive.  Still, it’s not all doom and gloom; living in Salem, Oregon means I have access to various quirky vintage and thrift shops.  On one such shopping trip, I recently picked up a dapper fedora to complement my suits (and to keep the sun out of my eyes).  Between this fedora and my new prescription glasses, I feel like a new man who’s all about business anytime I go to Tillamook.

Given my relative free time in the wake of settling in, I’ve also been looking around for ways to do some good in the community.  One such way is gradual involvement in political activism.  Recently, I attended a meeting of the Marion County Board of Commissioners to lend my support to something important to my work and values.  For those not attuned to 2025 American politics, there has been a lot of controversy regarding the heavy-handed enforcement of immigration laws.  Across the country, there have been disturbing trends of masked immigration enforcement officers apprehending, incarcerating, and deporting unauthorized immigrants and those suspected of being unauthorized immigrants.  As someone who is descended from refugees and economic migrants alike, and as someone who deals with immigration law on an occasional basis (part of providing competent defense involves going over immigration consequences with non-citizen clients), this situation is extremely troubling.  One bright spot is that things are slightly better in Oregon than in many other states thanks to Oregon’s sanctuary laws, which restrict when and how local or state law enforcement can enforce federal immigration laws.  I’ve seen the benefits of this in my line of work; one positive aspect of police work I’ve noticed through hours of body cam footage is that police investigators almost never ask suspects or witnesses of their immigration status, even if the person clearly doesn’t speak English.  Recently, the Marion County Board of Commissioners sued the State of Oregon to partially challenge Oregon sanctuary law regarding communicating with federal authorities about record subpoenas (that’s admittedly a big simplification; here is an article from the Statesman Journal (my main Salem-based newspaper) with more details: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/2025/08/19/marion-county-lawsuit-kotek-bondi-sanctuary-law/85725460007/).  I believe that this lawsuit is an inappropriate use of resources, as any ambiguity could be resolved by consulting with Oregon’s Attorney General or similar such authority.  This thereby comes off as political posturing at the expense of Oregon’s vulnerable immigrant population.  I, along with several dozen others, attended a public Commission meeting to protest the Commission’s action (here’s an article from the Statesman Journal with more details: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/2025/09/04/marion-county-commissioners-get-earful-over-lawsuit-about-illegal-immigration/85960426007/).  While I didn’t get a chance to testify myself, I wore my suit (though not with a fedora) to lend an air of professional community to the assembled protesters (I also had to stand behind a pillar due to a lack of seats, so you won’t see me in the photos/videos in the Statesman Journal article).  The Commissioners tried to keep dissent silenced (we were forbidden from loudly applauding, despite applause being allowed earlier in the hearing on separate matters), but I hope we made our voices loud and clear through testimony and presence.  I don’t know if I’ll get more opportunities to socially contribute in this matter, but I plan to try; Oregon’s sanctuary laws make the state a haven for economic refugees and their families, and this is a cause I am willing to continue championing when not in court.

On a more cheerful note, one thing I’ve been dealing with a lot more these days is the presence of cats in my residence.  My landlord and landlady took in three adorable kittens around the time I moved in, and I’ve been seeing the little kitties gradually start to grow.  Their names are Pete, Delmargaret, and Ulysses (named after the main convict characters from O Brother, Where Art Thou?), and I call them the Serotonin Squad (my landlady sometimes calls them “Ben’s Fan Club,” as they seem to get excited any time they hear my door open or me come down the stairs).  These cuddly little critters are always a treat to run into, though they have presented their share of nuisance.  Their insistence on attacking my feet and sneaking into my room at every opportunity have led to more than a few groans and have been hindering my plans to get back into cooking/mixology experiments, but it’s a worthy price to pay to see these furry purr machines on a regular basis.  I’ve gotten used to carrying a cat toy around with me anytime I move around the house in case the fuzzy little delinquents want to play.  I think I can only describe their cuteness so much in writing, so here are some photos of the wee beasties from the last few weeks.

My first photo of the Serotonin Squad (at least, of two of them).  Look how tiny they are!

All three of them, enjoying one of their favourite pastimes.

Ulysses here has discovered that he enjoys climbing onto me.

Awake and on the move.

Pete, here seen with his vanquished prey.

Sleepy Ulysses, taking a break from attacking/climbing me.

Not cat-related, but still cute: I got to hold a little opossum at a pride event recently!  For those wondering, his name is Luigi (note the green markings on his head).

Those are the most interesting things going on in my life for now.  I’m holding off on going to conventions or other major excursions until I’ve got work underway and a steady cash flow into my firm.  Nonetheless, I look for joy wherever I can find it, and I’ve been finding little victories here and there.  Aside from video games and the Serotonin Squad, I’ve been hitting up local markets with Cthulhu and finding my feet in setting up new routines.  I’ve gotten back in the habit of regularly working out, and I’ve been experimenting with a new point system to reward myself for enforcing good habits (like going to bed at a reasonable time and saving money).  Hopefully this will help mold me into a more successful person on a day-to-day basis.  Since I just finished an entire law office transplant and marked the sixth anniversary of my admittance to the bar (six years…wow), I think I’m doing alright on the lawyer front.  I just need to declutter, wrap up some loose ends, and keep fighting the good fight; Salem will improve me, and I hope to make my mark in Salem’s legal world.

Fischberg Flashback 49: Ben There, Done That

Original date of post: September 4, 2014 

Though the weather is hot and the sun is bright, my new load of schoolwork is all I need to prove that summer is finally over.  I’ve had a truly grand time working this summer and working on this blog (as infrequent as my updates were), but it’s time to bring it all to a close.

This summer was quite a trying time for me…and not only due to the trials I watched.  This summer, I held down the closest thing I’ve had to a full-time job, handled more loneliness than I’m used to, lived completely on my own for a time, tried to become decent at the culinary arts, and endeavored to enrich my cultural mind through a host of books and movies.  Did I succeed at all of these things and grow into a more mature adult?  Though I can’t come to any conclusions at this stage, I can certainly say that I tried my hardest and walked away with a wealth of valuable experience, most of which will definitely come in handy in my ever-continuing search for living right.

OK, that’s enough gloomy seriousness!  Here’s the wacky s*** I got mixed up in!:

I nearly got arrested (twice!), watched four trials, functioned as a good-luck charm, learned to bake a delicious cake, spent too much time playing Mario Kart 8, spent too little time studying for the LSAT (which isn’t a huge deal, as I’m planning to take a gap year before law school), almost got incinerated by fireworks, watched the Spider-Man trilogy about 9,000 times (according to my calculations), flirted with a thief, made exactly $0.00 in salary profits (Livin’ la Vida Pro Bono!), saw Guardians of the Galaxy three times (I AM GROOT!), visited the Oregon State Capitol, facepalmed at all manners of idiocy within the criminal justice system, swam in the Silverton Reservoir, had an excellent family reunion in Portland, bounced around houses, and had a blast in general.  This summer may have been tough in some regards, but these fond memories will stay with me alongside my valuable experience.

To recap: this summer, I tried new things, succeeded on various fronts, worked hard at an excellent job, and had plenty of fun.  If that’s not a great summer at the core, I don’t know what is!

This has ben (er, been) Ben Around The Block! Special thanks to those who followed this blog this summer (or at least who are reading this now)--I couldn’t have done this without you all!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some new memories to make and an independent life to continue!

Reflections:

Looking back, this summer really was packed with action.  It was certainly challenging at times, but I'm glad I sucked on life's marrow and recorded it for further review.

As mentioned here, I played a lot of Mario Kart 8 over the summer.  All this practice came in handy when I participated in a Mario Kart 8 tournament at Willamette, where I won 1st place by a very close margin.  All throughout my senior year of college, I held an unofficial title as the champion of Mario Kart 8 among my friends.  To this day, Cthulhu is the only person since the tournament to have defeated me in a four-race grand prix (though to be fair, I don't play as much as I used to).  I'm probably not that excellent on the global scale, but it's nice to be known for being great at something.

As predicted here, I did take a year off between college and law school.  I definitely needed it; the LSAT was a beast that absolutely needed more attention than I could afford with other academic commitments.  The life experience I got as a museum docent and budget analyst in the public sector certainly didn't hurt, either.

Well, that does it for Fischberg Flashbacks!  I hope you've enjoyed these looks into yesteryear and my pithy reflections.  Time to return to the present and head for the future!

Fischberg Flashback 48: Moving Out

Original date of post: August 27, 2014 

So it finally ends…my summer of independence.

On Sunday, August 24, I finally made the move.  My father and roommate had helped me transfer everything from my storage locker to my current dorm room, so the move wasn’t quite as arduous as it could have been (Before my parents left for good, I made sure to see Guardians of the Galaxy with my father.  Second time’s the charm!).  It required a lot of lifting, and unpacking, but thanks to an old friend, it all got done in a matter of three mere hours.  As for how successful it was, behold my current room (at least, the part I felt like photographing)!

 

So, I am currently in the process of settling down.  I’ve had my first day of classes, I’ve met of with a few of my college friends (I saw Guardians of the Galaxy with some of them.  Third time’s the charm!), and thanks to the Wii U in my room, I’m becoming a most popular neighbor.  However, I get the feeling that work will intensify soon, and the cycle will repeat…

Goodbye, Alpha House.  Hello, Willamette!

Reflections: 

I don't have much to add here, other than observing that I've had to do a lot of packing, unpacking, and solving storage issues in Salem over the past fourteen years.

Fischberg Flashback 47: Portlandia

Note: this was originally posted to Ben Around the Block on August 19, 2014.  I have made minor edits. 

 

If the title and surreal photographs didn’t make it clear, I’ve just come back from a relaxing weekend vacation in that center of institutionalized weird: Portland, Oregon!

Last Thursday, the first work-free weekday I had had in a while, was smooth yet busy.  Between quickly packing up for my trip and the continuing trickle of housemates, life at Alpha House is no longer the marathon of peace and splendid isolation it was in June and most of July.  That’s fine by me--I like the company and I won’t be around for long anyway.  Packing went well and the trip went perfectly smoothly (aside from a late bus).  Wandering the streets of Portland and snapping up dinner, I found the rendezvous hotel and finally got to see my loving parents for the first time in three months!  After this beast of a summer, it was nice to see such friendly and familiar faces, a pattern that was kept up all across the weekend.  This meeting in Portland was actually a family reunion, so I got to see plenty of my aunts, uncles, and cousins over the next few days.

Friday was very relaxing and mostly consisted of various shopping trips, restaurant hopping, and drinking.  Saturday consisted of shopping trips at various markets, eating at delicious restaurants, and more drinking.  Finally, Sunday brought us various degrees of shopping, some great restaurants, and yet more drinking.  Are you noticing a pattern here?  I jest--every day wasn’t exactly the same.  Friday was one of my aunts’ birthday and was spent properly in a quirky wine bar, following trips to Deschutes and Powell’s City of Books, the two mandatory Portland stops for my family every time we visit.  Saturday had several market trips and was finished with a touching memorial service to my Grandpa Bruce, a wonderful man who passed away last year (this service was the first time since his death that the entire family was gathered together).  On Sunday, we visited a tranquil Chinese-style garden (pictured above) and finished it all up with a wonderful final dinner all together.  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen most of my family, let alone spent time with them.  I owe a lot in my life to them, ranging from support in my childhood to always being there in my adulthood.  The fact that I got to see them all together in Portland, a city that features prominently in my recent life, felt like a perfect milestone in my young adult life.

(I know that this all seemed kind of concise, even for me, but to be fair, I’m still in relaxation mode, meaning that my writing mind is kind of on an informal hiatus.)

After a weekend with extended family, I was privileged enough to spend Monday with my immediate family in the sleepy little town of Hood River.  Here, we did the natural thing for three adults in an area full of breweries would do: more drinking (responsibly)!  On Tuesday, we finally headed back to Salem, passing by the Western Antique Aeroplanes & Automobile Museum (WAAAM, a fun acronym, if I say so myself).  All in all, it was an outstanding outing and a great reward for finishing the summer!

…Well, the time will soon be upon me.  Whether it’s tomorrow or in a week, I’ll be moving into Baxter Hall, away from Alpha House, thereby terminating my summer and this blog with it.  I’ve got some stressful planning and packing to do (sound familiar?).  May Fortune favor me!…as long as I don’t get too distracted by computer games.

Reflections:

Portland's always a fun city to visit, so I'm glad I was able to work it into this hectic summer.  It's a good thing my family likes visiting Portland as much as I do, as it was awesome to see them again.

I originally posted photos of my trip to WAAAM, but (stop me if you've heard this one) I no longer have those pictures.

At the tail end of this trip, I fell back into the thrall of Star Wars: Empire at War, which is why I refer to computer games at the end of this entry.  Eleven years later, I'm still hooked on that game, though I've also gotten more knowledgeable to the point of developing my own mod for it.

Fischberg Flashback 46: Toils, Trials, and Tribulations

Original date of post: August 13, 2014. 

The day has finally come: as of seven hours ago, my internship at the Marion County Public Defender’s Office has come to an end.  It’s been a long and wild ride, complete with sweat, stress, thrill, and experience, but it now has come to a close.  On the bright side, this means no more scanning, mail sorting, or wandering through dungeonlike basements for a while.  On the other hand, this means no more court appointments for a while.  Glum Ben is glum.

Fortunately, in the waning weeks leading up to my resignation, I took the time to go to court as frequently as possible.  Two such opportunities presented themselves last week, much to my delight.  On Monday, I headed down to the courthouse to watch a driving while suspended (DWS) case.  The case was interesting enough and was refreshing change of pace from the usual assault or DUII.  All the testimony and examinations had the usual cerebral thrills that I’ve come to expect from my days in court.  Personally, the crowning moment of awesome was when the prosecutor tried to malign the testimony of a witness by claiming that he was a convicted felon.  The witness responded awesomely by candidly admitting it and correcting the prosecutor regarding the exact nature of his crimes.  Because of instances like this, the prosecution was unable to build a strong case, resulting in the expected verdict of:

NOT GUILTY

I guess I got my lucky mojo back!

After that blast of awesome, it was back to work in the office as usual, complete with scanning, mailing, and moving boxes.  Most of the week went by as usual (although it was MY LAST FULL WEEK), but I got a nice treat in the form of a four-day weekend, as my supervisor gave me Friday off.  It was on this Friday that I embarked on my last court appointment for the summer: a trip to veteran’s court!  For those unaware, veteran’s court is a court-sponsored program to help veterans convicted of crimes rehabilitate without going to jail or prison.  The whole affair looks like a therapy session, as the judge orders rounds of applause for successful participants and hugs are rather common.  Add in the fact that everyone says the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning, and you have a VERY unique court experience.  Still, it’s not all fun and games: if you don’t do what the judge says, you will be handcuffed and hauled off to jail (which I actually saw that day), followed by a written apology.  After two hours of status updates and occasional chewing out by the judge, veteran’s court came to a satisfying close, marking the end of my adventures in jurisprudence.

One last little note: while waiting for court to convene in both of last weeks, I played Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies (the latest installment of one of my favourite video games series-which stars a defense attorney, in case you’ve forgotten that I’m a civic-minded nerd).  So in a crazy twist of events, I found myself in court, both in the fictional world and in the real world!…Aren’t you going to miss these mind-blowing observations of mine when my blog finishes?

This brings us to our current day, after this four-day weekend and one other day of work, the day of my retirement.  I wasn’t sure what to expect on my last day, so I worked as usual, scanning and updating the database.  However, I was teased with cake by my supervisor during my break (which I spent playing more Dual Destinies, what a shock) and was a little excited for what the afternoon would hold.  Sure enough, at 2pm, there was a staff meeting in the conference room…specifically to see me off!  It was so touching!  I was presented with a card signed by everyone in the office, which made me feel incredibly proud about the work I had done for the office and grateful for everyone’s kindness.  To top it off, I was rewarded with two cakes, gift cards for GameStop and The Ram, and a box full of 3 Musketeers, my favourite candy bar.  I guess at the end of the day, I was working quid pro quo after all!

 

The rest of the day went by quite well (I was energetic from the cake, so I tackled my work with gusto) and when I finally left, saying my goodbyes, my heart was soaring and everything felt right.

And so, this exciting chapter in my life comes to an end, opening many others in the future.  What lies in store in my future?  A family reunion, of course!  It’s off to Portland with me tomorrow!  ¡Adios!

Reflections: 

Reading my original impressions of veteran's court is a little surreal now.  While I stand by everything positive I said about the experience, there's a bit of sordid follow-up: the primary judge in charge of veteran's court, Vance Day, went through a whirlwind of scandal starting the following year.  From 2015 on, Judge Day got in trouble for refusing to legally marry same-sex couples, allegedly threatening a kid's soccer league referee, hanging a picture of Adolph Hitler in veteran's court, refusing to take down aforementioned Hitler picture when employees complained, and allegedly giving a gun to a convicted felon whose case he oversaw (resulting in criminal charges that were dismissed at the last second due to the main witness disappearing).  The last alleged action led to his suspension from the bench and a failed run for the Oregon Court of Appeals.  As of 2025, he is a senior administrator for the federal Department of Justice, which says a lot about the current Department of Justice and federal government as a whole.

For those wondering about the box, "Candyman" was a nickname I had in college due to my habit of bringing candy every week to the Improv Club.  As soon as some PDMC staff found out about that, they couldn't help but use that nickname whenever suitable. Appropriately enough, I used this very box to transport candy to Improv throughout my last year of college.  Also on an appropriate note, I later used the GameStop gift card to buy Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Attorney (thereby completing the cycle of using rewards from a real law job to play as a fictional lawyer). 

It's a small detail, but reading about The Ram gift card (which I'm sure was used up within a month) gives me a little melancholy, as The Ram in Salem closed its doors for good last year.  I believe there are other locations in Oregon, but that particular bar/grill was there for me all throughout college and law school and has quite a few memories (mostly good) attached.  Nonetheless, life goes on, and new discoveries (which I'm seeking out due to being back in Salem) lead to new habits and memories.

Fischberg Flashback 45: The Cake Is a Lie

Note: this was originally posted to Ben Around the Block on August 9, 2014.  I have made minor edits since. 

(Gratuitous Portal meme reference is gratuitous.)

As I’ve made abundantly clear in the last few blog entries, my summer is winding down.  As such, it’s only natural that I would try to squeeze as much as possible into these final few weeks.  This week, I’ve taken up every possible opportunity to go to court…but I’m saving that for a later entry!  This is all about cake!

Although I’ve already achieved my New Year’s resolution, my newfound love of cooking/baking has encouraged me to keep going and try new things for science.  As such, I felt like making one last proverbial score before moving out.  As an avid Portal fan, I developed an unusual ambition to bake a Black Forest cake (and therefore have an excuse to use the title of this post).  Therefore, I did some research and found a fairly simplistic recipe online (http://www.cooks.com/recipe/1x5oo681/easy-black-forest-cake.html).  There was no end of preparation involved (including a few last-minute shopping trips), but I finally got down to bake it all tonight!  Was it to be a success, or would I need grief counseling afterwards? 

This was a triumph!  Huge success!  The cake was delicious, and the icing that went with it was icing on the…you know.  Not only was it tasty, but it’s large enough to last me for days.  No more Safeway cakes for a while!  It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction with this experiment, but the cleanup was quite the hassle.

With that, my experiments in the kitchen will come to a close for now (so no, no combustible lemons this summer).  In a matter of days, so will my time at work.  By the end of the August, my independent summer will be over and I’ll have a whole new batch of tests to tackle.  I don’t know what the rest of the year has in store for me, but at least one thing’s for certain:

I’m still alive.

Reflections: 

I consider the grey grove cake to by my cooking magnum opus for the summer.  I made this recipe on multiple occasions during my senior year in college, though I haven't made it in a while (something to try in my new place?).  The URL is still good if you want to try it yourself.

How many Portal series references can you count in this blog entry?  I challenged myself to stick in as many as possible.

Convoy

Dear readers, it’s finally happened: I’ve moved to Salem, Oregon!  Technically, the main move took place on July 29, but it’s taken a while for me to catch my breath.  There’s still a lot of things to do, but the biggest steps have been taken.

I knew that it was going to be an ordeal to finish moving up to Salem, so I took a few precautions.  I reached out, pulled some strings, and got some friends to help me out.  Namely, Cthulhu (my perennial partner) and Carson (whom eagle-eyed readers might remember from last year’s Rose City Comic Con) agreed to make some time on July 29 so that they could volunteer their vehicles.  As such, I had the month of July to get everything prepared.  This meant moving everything.  Ev.  Er.  Ee.  Thing.  Clearing out my office was plenty difficult (especially with my computer and printer), but this was going to a massive undertaking.  Fortunately, I had some cardboard boxes and a whole lot of time (my office has stopped taking new cases, and my court hearings are far and few between).  July therefore became a month of travel for me: about 2 or 3 times a week, I transported a full carload of things to my new Salem house.  Clothes, cooking implements, electronics—everything got transported, piece by piece.  All the while, I had a clear goal I was working toward: getting everything I needed moved contained enough that it could fit in 3 cars.

Finally, the big day arrived.  I had one last court appearance the morning of July 29, and then it was moving time.  Cthulhu and Carson brought their cars to my Tillamook residence, we loaded everything up, we had a nice sushi lunch, and then we set out in a nice little convoy.  True to my wishes, I had just enough things to fit in our cars.  Closing the book on 6 years of cheese-filled, dung-scented residence, I finally left Tillamook.

 

The evening of July 29 and the following days were less intense but still very busy.  Unpacking everything is quite the enlightening chore (you never realize how much toothpaste, deodorant, salt, and tea you have until you have to pack, unpack, and store them all), and it’s one I’m still trying to finish.  My clothes are all put away, and I generally have a sense of where everything is going to fit.  I’ve started cooking at my new residence, and I’m figuring out how to plan and schedule day-to-day life.  Most importantly, I got myself a bed and bedside table to make sure I really feel at home.  When I fell asleep in that new bed after assembling it and waiting for the mattress to finish expanding, I woke up feeling like a full Salemander.

I may still be settling in and restructuring my business, but I’ve gone through the biggest change in years.  I’ve officially changed cities (see the updated subtitle of this blog), and there’s a lot that comes with that.  Be it personal or business-related, I expect that the rest of this year will be seeing more transitions, more ventures, and a whole lot of frustrations.  Thankfully, at least the big move is complete!