Frozen

 

Having grown up in both New York and Hawaii, I’m used to a wide array of weather patterns depending on the season.  New York is too frigging hot during summer and too freaking cold during winter (with the snowy season stretching into April one time I can remember).  Hawaii usually has a late spring/early summer feeling year-round (albeit with five minutes of light rain a day), though it gets really hot in October and rains a lot in winter.  Still, even though I’ve pretty much spent my entire adult life in Oregon, I still find myself caught off guard by the intense weather that changes every instant.  This is the state where I’ve encountered snow, rain, sunshine, and snow again all in the span of 90 minutes.  Therefore, I shouldn’t be surprised that a freak snowstorm hit Tillamook County and most of the Portland area last week.  What got me this time was the chaos that resulted.

It all started innocently enough: it had been snowing for most of late February on and off at various levels.  Given that it had also hailed and rained in intense bursts, snow was the least of anyone’s concern.  Yet, as I drove home Wednesday night after a long day of work and at the movies, I noticed that the snow was a lot thicker than usual and was sticking to the ground.  I figured that there would be a nice coating of frost dust in the morning and thought little of it as I wound down for the night, playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons and reading about the Boston Massacre.  I went to bed blissfully…and then woke up to this:

As you can see, we got about a foot of snow.  Not thinking too much about it, I suited up for the day and hopped into my car…only to realize that my windshield was covered by multiple layers of snow and that my wheels couldn’t move at all.  What should have been a typical Thursday with a few court hearings was now a “work from home” day.  Fortunately, I didn’t miss too much; the court was closed for business, so the entire Tillamook legal world was working from home.  It’s been years, possibly a decade, since I last remember having a snow day from school/work.  While it’s always a little relief to be able to do my job without having to wear a suit, it gets a little aggravating when you realize that it’s keeping you from accomplishing vital goals for vulnerable clients.  Still, it could have been worse: some areas around Tillamook lost electricity or running water for hours or days.  Thankfully, my utilities stayed on even when my suit stayed off.

While the snow did let up a little that night, Tillamook remained frozen the following day.  My driveway was cleared by a passing good Samaritan, but the court remained closed all Friday.  While the streets were icy and the temperature made me want to hibernate, I completed an honest day of work as best I could by sending out emails and visiting clients at jail.  As luck would have it, the highways around this time had mostly been cleared, meaning I had a path out of here.  Knowing that Salem had been hit by far less snow, I got out of Dodge after clocking out for the week and spent the weekend in the tentacles of Cthulhu and cuddled up with Cthulhu’s cats.

When I came back to Tillamook, a lot of the snow had cleared up.  There were still some closures and delays around town, but work trickled back to normal.  Although there have still been some bursts of snow and rain, the weather has stabilized in time for March.  Since spring should be rolling around this month, I don’t expect any snowstorms soon.  Still, there’s nothing like a massive show of nature to show just how easily order can be torn asunder.  I’ll just need to be ready for the next disaster, be it a blizzard, hurricane, inferno, or anything else Oregon has up its sleeves!

How Tillamook looked for most of this week throughout recovery.

 

23, 30, and 23

 

Happy New Year!  What’s that?  It’s already the middle of February?  It’s still the first blog post of the year, so Happy New Year nonetheless!

The year 2022 ended comfortably enough, even if I wasn’t in Hawaii.  Cthulhu and I rang in the new year in the company of friends, enjoying traditional yearly reminiscence and playing some traditional Star Wars: Republic Commando (a tradition that Cthulhu and I have developed over the years).  And lo, 2022 faded into the ether with 2023 emerging like a phoenix from the ashes.  I developed some resolutions (clean more, read more, save more, eat more healthy, play more video games, etc.) and I’ve already been working on them.  Last year was a year that saw me finish several long-running cases and return to Hawaii for the first time in three years.  I can only hope that 2023 will bring similar relief and enjoyment by the next time I sit down for resolutions and Republic Commando.

As is usual in January, my New Year’s celebrations were barely over when my newest cause for celebration rolled around: my birthday!  However, this birthday carried a tinge of bittersweetness: it was my 30^th birthday.

My 30^th birthday.

Much like Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, I’ve seen my 20s slip by in an anticlimactic fashion, leaving me at an age where Zippies would automatically distrust me.  Where I was once an idealistic twenty-something, I’m now a more mature (hopefully still idealistic) lawyer who can look back on my decades of youth while making obscure literary and historical references (see the first sentence of this paragraph).  Like many folks who reach this age, I feel some melancholy when I think of my wild 20s being over.  It can be a tad gloomy when I realize I spent most of my wild years working and being in school.  While this makes my life seem boring compared to some, it has a flipside that makes me a little proud: I was able to go my entire 20s without getting arrested or hungover!  My birthday celebration itself helped me realize that; as I sat around eating, drinking, and chatting with friends, I realized my youth so far has been fruitful: I’ve studied abroad, gone to conventions, worked odd jobs, maintained a long-term relationship, expanded my culinary aptitude, and achieved my longtime goal of becoming a lawyer (with a private office out of law school to boot).  Most importantly, I still feel young; my worldly adventures have only just begun!

My 30s got off to a decent start: after several slow weeks of reschedules and resolutions, I held my first trial of the year!  Furthermore, this was the 23^rd trial overall of my career (not counting probation violation or contempt hearings, which have mostly been remote and are generally simpler)!  Will I share the juicy details of this new trial?  No, because I still try to have some professional standards!  All I will say is that it ended with an acquittal, a happy client, and a need to decompress at Denny’s.

Pictured: decompression via pancakes

And so, as 2023 rolls on, I venture further into the unknown.  I expect 2023 will be a year filled with professional opportunities, room to grow, and (with COVID getting weaker than ever) time to party.  As per usual, it’ll up to me to roll with the punches, continue growing, and proceed on my path to being a fine lawyer.

Also, I’m going to try some more cooking.

Fried gnocchi, my newest successful experiment.  I look forward to seeing what I can do with it...

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.]