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Day 982: Faintly Puzzled
Apr. 17th, 2011 10:03 amI was sure I'd updated more recently than this, but I was wrong.
Work continues to be good. I'm still consistently paranoid that I'm going to screw up and they're going to fire me, but I'm doing my best to have a good attitude, and despite the mental (and consequently physical) exhaustion that comes at the end of a long day of thinking hard (nine hours with my brain in lawyer overdrive is tough), I am enjoying my job. I had some good new work experiences this week - I had my first meeting with a client. The boss was there. It was a good experience to watch him work, to listen to the questions he asked and try to figure out what he was thinking, to listen to him handle a client (I usually let people run roughshod over me in a conversation). I managed to impress the junior boss (I'm thinking he's less mad at me this week?) by managing to summarize ten depositions in two days and still get my other things done. I was a bit nervous when he summoned me into his office (I always get the sense I'm being called to the carpet in front of the headmaster when that happens), but he was surprised when I'd worked pretty fast, and our conversation was moot. I've been doing a lot of research - defamation, eminent domain, inverse condemnation - and I think I'm slowly getting better at it, but I still feel like I spend hours and hours when it should only take an hour or ninety minutes to find what I need.
I also got to meet with a client on my own for the first time. I was alarmed, because I still feel like a student and not really a lawyer, but the junior boss couldn't make it, and his secretary called me and told me to go it on my own. I really shouldn't have been scared - after all, in the clinic I dealt with clients solo all the time while my partner was having her family emergency. But the junior boss's secretary warned me the client was fiery and loud and overwhelming and I should keep him to one hour and to keep him on track (which I know I'm not very good at). When push came to shove, though, we managed to keep on task and get done what we needed to. After the meeting the junior boss got back to the office. He apologized for leaving me alone, and I told him it was all right, it was a learning experienced, and he seemed pleased by the answer. We talked about strategies for the case, and I explained what I'd learned through my research, and I was surprised - and oddly pleased - when he accepted my arguments as equals, one rational person to another. I'm so used to feeling like a student that I was surprised when I came away from the conversation realizing we'd had a discussion as colleagues, one lawyer to another.
I've been tired and a bit sleep-deprived this week, and so Friday morning I forgot my mug and my cellphone, so I was without hot cocoa all day and almost fell asleep on my keyboard after lunch (am I a hot cocoa addict?), and I almost put my briefcase in the fridge instead of my lunch box. But it was all right. I got to sit out on the grass for one day in the sun for another impromptu picnic. I continue to get on well with my coworkers.
I didn't make it to FHE on Monday because I stayed late. On Tuesday I went to training and we worked on evasion and blocking. Mr. Larry and I beat the tar out of each other, and Mr. Larry was sure I would bruise. I was sure I wouldn't. We were both right and wrong - the bruises from that drill didn't show up till Saturday morning. My body is weird. Angela and I watched Criminal Minds and Stargate on Wednesday (we had pizza and ginger beer). On Thursday we watched more Stargate, had pizza, and made kyuketsushogi, which was good times. On Friday I was meant to go to the temple, but our temple trip was cancelled, so I went to training and I got to see Mr. Lemmons become Sensei Lemmons, which was pretty darn awesome. (Sensei Marr's mother died, so he won't be teaching for a while. On Tuesday, Sensei Raymond brought a card for all of us to sign, which I thought was very sweet.) After training Angela and I went to Burger King and then watched some more Stargate.
Saturday was an awesome day. We were supposed to have a service activity but they switched times because it was so cold, and so I went to Sensei Green's instead. After training Angela and I wound up trying on whole bunches of Amber's old clothes (Amber is moving to Scotland) and we had fun. The guys were very helpful in their opinions ("Please, wear that to the Lair"), and it was good times. I learned some spiffy new kicks (sliding front, jumping front, spinning crescent, spinning back, hook, attempted a spinning wheel), so my kicking muscles are sore. After training I went down into Council Bluffs to the humane society street fair and helped Kile make balloon animals. I was a bit nervous about going, but it was fun. We got to see lots of cute dogs, and make children smile, and sit out in the sun. Kile got sunburnt. (I think I did, too. I never used to get sunburned. What is this business?) Afterward I went home and napped, had some food, and cleaned my flat. My nerds came over, and we played Grimm. Angela showed up for the last half hour, and then we booted the boys out. Kristy stayed, and Liz came straight from work with free ice cream, and we watched Stargate. It was a good day, busy but loads of fun all the same.
And today is Sunday. Every day is one day closer to when Cody comes to visit. He didn't get an internship out here, so I won't be seeing him this summer. I'm not quite sure what this means for us, but we will cross that bridge when we get there. Or burn it. Either way.
Work continues to be good. I'm still consistently paranoid that I'm going to screw up and they're going to fire me, but I'm doing my best to have a good attitude, and despite the mental (and consequently physical) exhaustion that comes at the end of a long day of thinking hard (nine hours with my brain in lawyer overdrive is tough), I am enjoying my job. I had some good new work experiences this week - I had my first meeting with a client. The boss was there. It was a good experience to watch him work, to listen to the questions he asked and try to figure out what he was thinking, to listen to him handle a client (I usually let people run roughshod over me in a conversation). I managed to impress the junior boss (I'm thinking he's less mad at me this week?) by managing to summarize ten depositions in two days and still get my other things done. I was a bit nervous when he summoned me into his office (I always get the sense I'm being called to the carpet in front of the headmaster when that happens), but he was surprised when I'd worked pretty fast, and our conversation was moot. I've been doing a lot of research - defamation, eminent domain, inverse condemnation - and I think I'm slowly getting better at it, but I still feel like I spend hours and hours when it should only take an hour or ninety minutes to find what I need.
I also got to meet with a client on my own for the first time. I was alarmed, because I still feel like a student and not really a lawyer, but the junior boss couldn't make it, and his secretary called me and told me to go it on my own. I really shouldn't have been scared - after all, in the clinic I dealt with clients solo all the time while my partner was having her family emergency. But the junior boss's secretary warned me the client was fiery and loud and overwhelming and I should keep him to one hour and to keep him on track (which I know I'm not very good at). When push came to shove, though, we managed to keep on task and get done what we needed to. After the meeting the junior boss got back to the office. He apologized for leaving me alone, and I told him it was all right, it was a learning experienced, and he seemed pleased by the answer. We talked about strategies for the case, and I explained what I'd learned through my research, and I was surprised - and oddly pleased - when he accepted my arguments as equals, one rational person to another. I'm so used to feeling like a student that I was surprised when I came away from the conversation realizing we'd had a discussion as colleagues, one lawyer to another.
I've been tired and a bit sleep-deprived this week, and so Friday morning I forgot my mug and my cellphone, so I was without hot cocoa all day and almost fell asleep on my keyboard after lunch (am I a hot cocoa addict?), and I almost put my briefcase in the fridge instead of my lunch box. But it was all right. I got to sit out on the grass for one day in the sun for another impromptu picnic. I continue to get on well with my coworkers.
I didn't make it to FHE on Monday because I stayed late. On Tuesday I went to training and we worked on evasion and blocking. Mr. Larry and I beat the tar out of each other, and Mr. Larry was sure I would bruise. I was sure I wouldn't. We were both right and wrong - the bruises from that drill didn't show up till Saturday morning. My body is weird. Angela and I watched Criminal Minds and Stargate on Wednesday (we had pizza and ginger beer). On Thursday we watched more Stargate, had pizza, and made kyuketsushogi, which was good times. On Friday I was meant to go to the temple, but our temple trip was cancelled, so I went to training and I got to see Mr. Lemmons become Sensei Lemmons, which was pretty darn awesome. (Sensei Marr's mother died, so he won't be teaching for a while. On Tuesday, Sensei Raymond brought a card for all of us to sign, which I thought was very sweet.) After training Angela and I went to Burger King and then watched some more Stargate.
Saturday was an awesome day. We were supposed to have a service activity but they switched times because it was so cold, and so I went to Sensei Green's instead. After training Angela and I wound up trying on whole bunches of Amber's old clothes (Amber is moving to Scotland) and we had fun. The guys were very helpful in their opinions ("Please, wear that to the Lair"), and it was good times. I learned some spiffy new kicks (sliding front, jumping front, spinning crescent, spinning back, hook, attempted a spinning wheel), so my kicking muscles are sore. After training I went down into Council Bluffs to the humane society street fair and helped Kile make balloon animals. I was a bit nervous about going, but it was fun. We got to see lots of cute dogs, and make children smile, and sit out in the sun. Kile got sunburnt. (I think I did, too. I never used to get sunburned. What is this business?) Afterward I went home and napped, had some food, and cleaned my flat. My nerds came over, and we played Grimm. Angela showed up for the last half hour, and then we booted the boys out. Kristy stayed, and Liz came straight from work with free ice cream, and we watched Stargate. It was a good day, busy but loads of fun all the same.
And today is Sunday. Every day is one day closer to when Cody comes to visit. He didn't get an internship out here, so I won't be seeing him this summer. I'm not quite sure what this means for us, but we will cross that bridge when we get there. Or burn it. Either way.
