Mele Kalikimaka

The year 2022 is winding down.  As with every year in my legal career, it’s been a busy year filled with ups, downs, and relative social isolation.  Having endured some of my gnarliest cases yet and with temperatures getting colder and colder, I knew there was only one way to properly end this year: returning to the sunny shores of Hawaii.

And so, Cthulhu and I made the flight to Oahu where we stayed with my parents.  There, we enjoyed all 8 nights of Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, the occasional rendezvous with old friends, walks on the beach, a fun day at the water park, many video games old and new, and, most importantly, a trip to the Honolulu Cat Café for a meeting with SO MANY KITTIES!

Kitty!

Kitties!

More kitties!

Meow

Not cat-related: I also saw Hamilton on break.

In short, this trip out of state was just what I needed to finish off this whale of a year.  As the holidays and the year come to a close, I’ll bring this positive energy with me as I get ready to tackle whatever professional issues that may arise.

Falling Down

 Ah, fall: that season that falls between the sun-soaked fun of summer and the snow-frosted holiday season of winter.  I’ve usually associated autumn with returning to school and getting to work (at least before I wrapped up my formal education in law school).  It has also provided unique adventures from time to time, be it traveling to London or moving to Tillamook.  Ultimately, the autumn of 2022 was less eventful than usual.  Nonetheless, there were some fun holidays that kept things festive and cases that kept me on my toes.

All Hallows Eve was one such holiday that provided some (pumpkin) spice to the season.  In the past, this holiday has meant 2 things above all else: costumes and candy.  Unfortunately, a combination of work (a lot of it; I had a whopping 9 court hearings scheduled for Halloween) and continuing COVID restrictions conspired to keep me from indulging too much in the spooky season.  Still, I made do with what I could: I stocked up on cheap candy the day after Halloween, and I did dress up, albeit a bit lazily:

 

Boo!

 

(For those not in the know: the Bluebook is a compilation of rules used in citing sources for legal documents and law review journals.  It is the bane of law students all over America.  I included an Unus Annus (look it up) pin because life is fleeting and skulls are cool)

Thanksgiving was another holiday that was scaled back a bit thanks to COVID (as it has been for the past 2 years).  Thankfully, the week around Thanksgiving usually has light work in the legal field, so it was nowhere near as busy as Halloween was.  I managed to wrap up most of my obligations to incarcerated and other high-priority clients by mid-week, so I managed to make it down to see Cthulhu just as the sun was setting on Thanksgiving.  Work may be long and celebrations may be simple, but I was very grateful to end Thanksgiving surrounded by the love of Cthulhu and their cats.

The last holiday of note this fall (I haven’t forgotten Discoverer’s Day, Veteran’s Day, Labor Day, etc.; I just didn’t have any special plans or events for them) was Black Friday, that day when market forces are unleashed and its every shopper for itself.  While writing this, I am still taking advantage of online deals that result and trail from Black Friday.  For the day itself, I spent it as I usually do: hunkered down inside and avoiding highly populated areas as much as possible!

 

Hiding from hyper-capitalism-caused chaos is always best while cuddling a kitty. :)

As you can see, fall has been a quiet season on my end.  There have been brief trials, various court hearings, and client-based complications on my professional end but nothing high-stakes lately (*knock on wood*).  The usual hardships and heartbreaks of modern existence follow my personal life but nothing worthy of mentioning here.  As November and fall begin to fade away, I can expect things to pick up in the winter as more holidays, further plans, and a whole new year come into focus.  And with COVID seeming to simmer down to the point that the pandemic might finally end, the sky is the limit for what adventures the future may hold.

For now, I’ve got some shopping and resting to do.

Pin-Up Model

 

Those who have known me for a long time know that I have an eccentric taste in fashion.  I don’t follow current trends, but I tend to march to the beat of my own drum and gravitate towards vivid colors.  Since middle school, tie-dye t-shirts have been a staple of my wardrobe; whether I buy them from online sources, farmers’ markets, or random hobos/hippies on college campuses, tie-dye makes up most of the shirts in my closet.  Since moving out to Oregon, I’ve adapted by also embracing flannel shirts, be they plain or adorned with plaid.  Jeans and cargo shorts tend to round out my casual looks.  My outfits may not be anything special, but they work for me and require little fuss.

Sadly, when you’re a lawyer, you are expected to dress like a lawyer every day and not like a hippie on vacation or hipster drug dealer.  As such, the tie-dye, flannel, and casual pants are reserved for the weekend; suits and ties are now my bread and butter.  While this does sometimes feel like a crimp on my style, I’ve found one way to express myself: lapel pins!  As such, while autumn chugs on and I do my best to find new adventures/stay sane, allow me to show you my current lapel pin collection.  Enjoy!

The first pin in my collection, which I received upon being sworn in as a lawyer.  I don't wear it too much these days, but it has a special place in my pin box. :)

A four-leaf clover pin I specifically got for St. Patrick's Day but sometimes stick on when I want to feel lucky.

A breast cancer awareness pin I wear all throughout October.  I've gotten some words of approval while wearing it. :)

A classic American flag lapel pin: perfect for patriotic holidays or LARPing as a politician.

A pin of the Oregon State flag.  This one would honestly make more sense if I was a prosecutor, but I like the occasional variety.

A recycling symbol I mostly wear on Earth Day.

A peace sign pin (with tie-dye tie), in case the recycling pin wasn't hippie-ish enough.

A Salem (aka Cherry City) pin for when I'm thinking of my old town of residence, the farmers' market there (where I bought it), or visiting Cthulhu. :)

Some cheeky pins I mostly wear around the office on lighter workload days.

Some scales of justice, both in pin and tie form.  Between these two, I can understand why people keep asking if I'm a Libra.

Some other scales of justice I wear, featuring guest appearances from Lady Justice, Daredevil, and my pro bono award clock.

A pop art pin for when a long week is almost at its end.

A new poppy pin that I plan to wear on days of remembrance going forward.

Coming from my last conference, its a pin honoring the American Bar Association (of which I am a card-carrying, pin-wearing member)!

A turkey pin; perfect for when Turkey Day approaches.

A pin that will see a lot of action this December.

Finally, here's a pin I borrowed from Cthulhu that I'll be breaking out for Halloween tomorrow.  What exactly is it?  Find out next time, dear readers; same Ben-time, same Ben-blog!

 

Thirty Days Hath September...

 

…and nothing blogworthy happened in any of them *rimshot*

Kidding!  The life of an attorney is constantly busy, even when it comes to the little things.  Still, this was a slow month compared the previous two (which featured trials so intense it turned my blog into a cat appreciation blog).  It’s not much I can talk about (as I still have professional standards, no matter how many stupid jokes I make), but this month’s work filled my calendar and paid the bills; sometimes, that’s all you need to wind down summer.

One thing that kept this month fun (aside from working out and playing Pokémon endlessly) was that I made sure to spend some quality time with Cthulhu.  We attended a late-summer Pride event in Salem and are currently attending a networking event for lawyers in Portland.  No matter how many cases drive me crazy, Cthulhu is there to keep me stable. :)

As fall continues with a whole new batch of imminent trials coming up, I’m going to need that stability.

Random Photo #1: The Portland skyline from the conference hotel

Random Photo #2: Some food porn in the form of a pretzel from Deschutes brewpub

 

Cats

 [Editor's note: the author of this blog is physically and emotionally drained from the aftermath of some major cases.  As such, this blog will be taking a break from typical attorney shenanigans and Tillamook observations; instead, here are a bunch of cute cat pictures, because the Internet could always use more of those.  Enjoy.]

Some people go to church or watch sports on Sundays.  I spent most of my Sundays this month being drooled on by a rambunctious kitten named Goose.  Good times. :)

Another cat I got to meet this month, named Sean.

I know I posted this photo of Christmas Cat last time, but I really think it's a great photo! :D

What's better than petting a cat?

Petting TWO cats! :)

I can't quite tell if that look means "I trust you, hooman" or "you are very weird for blogging these pictures, you know that?"

I've been playing a fair amount of Pokémon to relax lately.  Here is a kitty from Brilliant Diamond.

[Special thanks to Cthulhu for introducing me to so many cats/taking some of these pictures/putting up with my weirdness.  Also, special thanks to Salem Friends of Felines, an awesome charity organization (which is not formally associated with this blog) that you should totally check out: https://sfof.org/.  We will continue our usual blogramming next month.]

Try, Try Again

 Make no mistake, it is definitely summer here in Oregon!  Whether it’s the coastal fields of Tillamook or the suburbs of Salem, temperatures are high and cooling breezes are rare.  Every day is a challenge to remain as cool as possible, be it by sleeping in front of a fan or carefully regulating the local ventilation.  I for one cannot wait until autumn arrives and my office no longer feels like an oven all day.

Aside from the heat, I’ve been contending with professional challenges all summer.  As mentioned in the last entry, this summer has brought a host of trials to court, with varying subject matters and mixed results (none of which I’m going to discuss in detail; I’m a professional).  I’ve spent more time down at the courthouse than in my own office, and I’m usually pretty busy every waking moment.  It’s never a dull moment in the challenging life of a defense attorney, and that’s never been truer than during this summer.

As stressful as this summer of trials has been, there has been one major silver lining: I’ve now gotten much more used to conducting trials.  Where trials were once major events that would take a month of buildup, they’ve now become routine events (albeit ones that eat up the entire week).  From the overall ebb and flow of procedures to the emotional highs and lows that accompany trials, I’ve become an old hand with trial work.  Nonetheless, I have to find relief wherever I can find it, be it D&D every other Sunday, seeing Cthulhu and Christmas Cat every weekend, and enjoying a nice cold drink and scrumptious meal after a long day.

A big meal at Denny's: the only way to conclude a trial week, regardless of the outcome.

I think Christmas Cat still likes me. :)

 

Pride Along 2: Pride Harder

 

When it comes to Oregon, weather is never stable for long.  This year saw hail in April, some calm in May, and a whole lot of heat in June.  One day, you feel comfortable in flannel; the next day, you feel broiling in anything other than shorts and a t-shirt.  Summer is most definitely here, and I’ll be sure to (responsibly) enjoy the rays before the skies out here return to persistent grey.

As the weather heats up in Oregon, so does criminal defense work in Tillamook County.  To catch up on the backlogged court docket, the Circuit Court has opened a new courtroom to allow for more in-person hearings.  As such, in-court appearances are common as ever, and I’ve even tried a few cases in the past 2 months.  As summer continues, more trials are set to proceed, some of them bigger than ever.  After 2 slow summers in Tillamook County, it looks like the summer of 2022 will be quite a…trying time. *rimshot*

…Please drive home safely.

Since trials are their own brand of trauma (and one I don’t feel like addressing here), I’d rather write about the enjoyable experiences the last 2 months brought.  The highlight of May (aside from the conference mentioned in the last entry) was my parents coming to visit Tillamook.  Visiting Tillamook is something my parents have been wanting to do ever since I moved out here, and I was happy to give them the full Tillamook experience: local restaurants, the faint and ever-present smell of manure, and a peek at the legal juggernaut that is Benjamin D. Fischberg, Attorney at Law LLC.  They even got to see me in action during a routine court appearance!  It was weird being this professional and grown-up around my parents, but it was a pleasant feeling: I’m making my way through this world, and I’m (hopefully) making them proud.

While May saw my parents come and go, June offered a wide variety of social options that I took advantage of.  I spent plenty of time down in Salem with Cthulhu, and I got to see a few a few old friends here and there.  However, the arguable highlight of the month (and the summer so far) was Salem’s yearly Pride event, which took place on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.  Having enjoyed my Pride debut in Keizer last year, I attended with eager anticipation.  Overall, it was a great time in a welcoming and familiar setting.  Hopefully, this will set the tone for the rest of the summer; with all the work piling up on my plate, I’ll need to treasure my weekends extra hard this year!

Salem's most beloved celebrity, Cesar the No-Drama Llama, joined the festivities at Pride.

Ever a patron of the arts, I purchased this fascinating wire tree at Pride.

It's summer in Tillamook, so the cows are out grazing in full force. :)