Pride Along 3: Purrrrr-fect Summer

It’s been two months since my last blog post.  As is frequently the case, the most interesting things I’ve been involved with are confidential and/or unsuitable for blogging (or are related to video games and would likely be seen as uninteresting by the public).  Still, the last two months have had several things of note that I can write a fair bit about.  So, as we head into summer, here’s the roundup.

The most notable development career-wise is that my caseload has been getting considerably lighter.  A lot of cases (particularly gnarly ones with difficult fact patterns) have been getting dismissed or resolved.  Thanks to this un-troubling trend, my summer is looking relatively free this year.  Only time will tell if this continues to last.  One thing is clear: outside of a recent low career point (I burst out laughing in court and had to cover it up with some coughing), I’ve definitely got the hang of this lawyer business!...for now, at least.

One place I’ve found myself surprisingly busy is Salem, Oregon during my visits with Cthulhu.  Like many places in America, Salem has a population of stray cats.  Unlike many places in America, Salem has Cthulhu, who recently helped trap, and is helping to take care of, two litters of kittens (complete with their mothers).  There’s the Squash Litter (being hosted by a neighbor and fed by Cthulhu), all named after squashes, and the Spice Kittens (currently in Cthulhu’s house), all named after different spices.  Whenever I’m in town, I help Cthulhu with feeding, looking after, and occasionally administering medical treatment to both litters.  It can sometimes be a stressful handful, but taking care of kittens is something that makes me feel warm and fuzzy on weekends, making a good contrast to my usual work as a lawyer.  I don’t know for certain how long I’ll be helping to take care of the kittens, but I intend to be involved in helping them until both litters are properly spayed and adopted.  In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Cthulhu’s recent charges (though not all of them):

 

Acorn, of the Squash Litter, who loves climbing

Lumina, of the Squash Litter, who is very smol

Pumpkin of the Squash Litter

Zucchini, of the Squash Litter, who is a little purr machine

Buttercup, of the Squash Litter, who is very food-motivated

Little Zucchini on the prowl

Zucchini REALLY likes being held and petted

Cardamom, the mother of the Spice Kittens

Tumeric, of the Spice Kittens, who is constantly cuddling into a loaf

Paprika of the Spice Kittens

Cinnamon, of the Spice Kittens, who is in the process of being adopted

Ginger, of the Spice Kittens, who is being adopted along with Cinnamon

One thing that I feel deserves mentioning here is a little bit of history that passed me by.  On May 30, 2024, Donald Trump (who I’ve mentioned a few times) became the first former President of the United States to be convicted of a crime (thirty-four counts of felony falsification of business records, to be exact).  There’s honestly a lot I could write here about politics, the nature of this case, and the wider social context of the various reactions to it, but this blog isn’t really the right forum for that; I’ll leave the political and philosophical discourse to analysts and pundits.  What does bear writing here is that I’ll certainly remember how this historic moment got down: I was about to start remote in-custody video arraignments on a slow day when I got a news alert that a verdict had been reached in the case.  I knew that the trial was winding down, but I expected several more days of deliberations at that point.  In some ways, it felt familiar; I’ve been through enough trials (as a lawyer, thankfully) that I’m used to the energy in a room when a clerk says, “we have a verdict,” and the jury re-enters and delivers the verdict.  What wasn’t familiar to me was being an outsider constantly checking news sites for updates on each verdict, and then realizing that I just sat through something historic.  I was able to finish video arraignments with a blank face and no complications, but I’ll always remember where I was and what it was like when Donald Trump was convicted, and a normally slow day became very memorable.

The final thing of note (which helped provide today’s title) was that there was an annual Pride block party in Salem this month that I took the time to enjoy with Cthulhu.  It ended up being unusually intense (there were some bigoted @$$hole protesters surrounding the block, resulting in various counterprotests and a massive police presence—thankfully, there was no violence), but it was a nice day on the town featuring ice cream, colorful fashion, ridiculously sweet lemonade, cool musical performances, and an appearance from Salem’s most beloved celebrity, Cesar the No-Drama Llama!

 

So, to recap: light work, kittens, historic conviction, and Pride with a llama.  Not a bad way to start the summer!