Nothing Like a Rant....

Nothing like a rant to wipe the dust from the blog and actually start typing.

It just struck me today....

What is it about co-workers/employees that they feel it their prerogative to comment upon others' lunches?

My office is right next to the breakroom. As such, I am bombarded on a daily basis with the smells of bad coffee, overdone chicken, tv dinners, and any of a number of rancid, disturbing smells. It is especially vile once four or five individuals have gone in to warm their lunches, creating the strange miasma of fake parmesan cheese, watery red sauce, cheap barbecue sauce, and overcooked tofu. There are days when simply walking into the breakroom (or sitting in my office) is to subject yourself to acts of victual terrorism.

So what is it that makes them think others care about what they think about our lunches? Case in point: I warmed up some homemade fried rice today, heavy on the onions and garlic, but also with plenty of peas, carrots, and other goodies. Onions and garlic just happen to have been the strongest smelling of the ingredients. And simply put: I am one who, after both anecdotal and personal experience, believe that onions and garlic do wonders for your immune system. Well, my sinuses are hyperactive and the onions and garlic were just what the doctor ordered. Add in a bit of pepper paste, and Voila! A meal to lower health care costs.

Well, my co-workers spent the next hour commenting on "how strong are those onions?" "I'm not going in his office!" "I feel sorry for any clients after all that garlic!" "How can his wife kiss him at night?!" Despite the fact that my window was open, fans blowing, and the simple fact that--in all actuality--the smell was gone from the breakroom within five minutes, I simply cannot understand the phenomenon.

(Aside: Just in case you were wondering, the answers to the questions are as follows: "Quite strong, actually, and quite tasty!" "You were not invited into my office, nor are you generally welcome to enter." "Unfortunately, my clients meet with me in the conference room, as you know, and not in my office." and "She kisses quite well, thank you, and shares my love for garlic.")

It is not just me, either. I hear them commenting on each others' food as well. Of course, never to the alleged olfactory offender's face.

Maybe it goes back to upbringing. Maybe it goes to common courtesy. Maybe it goes to IQ level. Whatever it is, I am willing to acknowledge your right to eat where, when, and what you may. While there is no Constitutional protection for food choices, I am willing to live and let live; you can eat your smelly fish or your noxious TV dinners, so long as you allow me to eat my pungent rice and my garlic bread. For us, individually, it is likely part of our pursuit of happiness.

All I know is that I resist telling them what manner of sewage I believe they are consuming. (OK, I confess, I just commented, but it was out here.) Why can I not be shown the same courtesy? You all know how I truly feel about those who surround me at the office: there ain't a soul here I would trust to have my back long enough to turn around.

Maybe it means that my staff simply does not have enough work to keep them busy. Maybe I should increase their workloads? Nah. That would seem vindictive.

I am open to ideas, solutions, or even explanations of the phenomenon.

Until then, I'm going to put my noseplugs back in and get back to writing my brief.

Jotting Tittles

Just about every blogger I know has "Random Thoughts" now and then. Today I dip my foot in the Pool of Perambulating Posts and meander through a morass of miscellany. These thoughts may not have anything to do with one another, or may be connected on some subconscious level. We will just have to wait and see what comes out, I suppose. Who knows, they could even lead to longer posts. I just have a bunch of stuff rattling around in my head this morning.

First: A shout-out to the woman I passed at the bus stop this morning while I was walking to work. She was nicely dressed and professional looking, so I do not believe she was one of the many homeless people that congregate around the local mission in the mornings. She was just standing, waiting for the bus; as I approached her, she threw up her arms and sang out, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" and began to sing some Gospel music as I passed her and continued down the street. I could hear her for almost the next two blocks. What a completely unexpected, but certainly positive and uplifting way to start your day. Thank you, ma'am.

Second: I noticed on the news that John McCain made a promise during Debate #2 last night, a promise to have the Federal Reserve buy up all the so-called "bad loans" and to renegotiate the terms so that people can afford to pay their mortgages. I have heard a lot of this the past few months since the housing market really started to tank; people on both sides of the political aisle calling for mercy for those who "got roped" into "bad loans" and were "taken advantage of" because they "did not know what they were doing." Now, I certainly appreciate and agree that there are many of those people out there; I see plenty of examples every day. However, there were a lot of gamblers and risk-takers that certainly knew exactly what they were doing. Oddly enough, the politicians calling for "mercy" for these poor citizens were the same politicians that, three years ago, refused to acknowledge that mercy was necessary for the "poor people" who were "suckered" into credit card use who "did not know what they were doing." These are the same people who refused to listen to calls for mercy while meddling with castrating criminalizing destroying amending the Bankruptcy Code. Hmmm. Mercy for abused home-buyers, no mercy for abusive credit card users. Anyone know what the difference is between 2005 and 2008? Anyone? Beuller? Beuller? That's right, 2008 is an election year. I checked last night: McCain voted for the Bankruptcty reform bill; Obama voted against it.

Third: A very conservative friend of mine--let's call him "Bob"--was talking with me and others the other day. As we talked, our discussion turned to politics. Unfortunately. This very conservative friend--Bob--voiced his stance: "I'm voting for Obama. No question in my mind." As we all knew his typically-conservative stance on life, we were all taken aback. Bob said, "I just think he's the candidate that can 'bring us all together.'" {Aside: This one is definitely a post topic of its own.} As another of my friends began to badger Bob, Bob merely shook his head and said, "Don't bother me with facts; I already know who I'm voting for." I became frightened. Now: I have not yet made up my own mind as to who will be receiving my vote, although I do know at least one person that will NOT receiving my vote, and while I have strong feelings about Senator Obama, that was not the source of my fright." Don't bother me with facts." Ugh. The very thought that people can and do exercise their right to vote without wanting to know any facts about the candidate, the issues, etc.... THAT frightens me. Sure, you have the right to do so, but the rest of us have to suffer for your stubborn stupidity! Ahem. Sorry. Lost control there for a minute. In all truthfulness, I really do not care whether you vote for Obama, McCain, or Joseph Stalin for President, so long as you do informed while you do it. This is not March Madness, where you can pick a team based on its school colors or the designs of the uniforms. Just get informed. Please.

Fourth: I found out this morning that, for the first time, this blog came up in a Google search for... well, what can only be described as "bviously puerile and titillating information." I shuddered. Actually, I may have thrown up in my mouth a little bit. Yeah. There's a milestone.

UPDATE: And then I go and name today's post what I did. The first one was an accident; now I am just looking for trouble, aren't I? Well, maybe someone will look at one of my blogposts instead of their naughty pictures and I will have done someone some good today.

Fifth: Not to sound too goulish, but I have to express a little bit of gratitude for the economic downturn. I truly feel sorry for those who are suffering, particularly those who are completely innocent in the fate in which they find themselves. That being said, I have been nice and busy for the past three weeks at the office. "Frantic" may be a better word. Maybe now is the time to find out just how much the Boss values me. Heh. If only he was in town.

Prayers for the Senator

There are plenty of bad things I could say about Massachusetts Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy. I've been thinking about this for several weeks now.

I am not going to go there, however.

I have heard over the past few weeks talk-show hosts and talk-show listeners of various ilk, persuasion, and political leanings make constant reference to these things, and some have even made fun of the man.

But I refuse to follow in their footsteps.

Because of the brain tumor.

I am not--as others have--going to bring up any of the bad legislation, rumored questionable antics, or alleged scandalous personal issues the man has spawned over the years.

I am going to give him a pass on all that for a while.

Because of the brain tumor.

I have lost two uncles to cancer.

Another one has not much longer to live.
I have rarely agreed with anything Senator Kennedy has ever said, save for some of his positions on the so-called Bankruptcy Reform Act back in 2005.

But I am going to give him a pass this time.

Because of the brain tumor.

He is a human being, after all. The man has a family; a family who loves him. And I know a little bit about what his family is going through and what they must be thinking. What realizations they are having and eventualities they are coming to accept.

I have seen the pain, the physical ravages that this disease causes in the victim. I have seen the pain, the emotional ravages, the psychological storms, the spiritual questions that this disease causes in the victim's family.

The Honorable Edward Kennedy has, by all accounts, received a death sentence.

And that weighs a bit more heavily than partisan politics and disagreeable policies.

I do not know the man and he and his family will probably never know how I feel.

But all the same, I wish to send him and his family God's blessings and comfort. I hope for all the best for him. I truly wish him all the best and hope he has a speedy recovery. I'm going to include him in my prayers.

I hope his family has him around--to love and appreciate--just as long as they possibly can.

Because I know how they feel.

Meanwhile, back at the Ranch...

Well...

That was a fun little hiatus.

I apologize to all of my readers. I did not intend to be gone quite so long. I don't/can't really go into it in depth here, but suffice it to say that at the first of the month I received another knife in the back from my supervisor at the office. Apparently...[AHEM]... 'nuff said.

So, following the excellent previously-referenced advice of a good friend, rather than get all up-in-arms about it (and doing something paycheck-threatening) I decided to go on vacation.

And I did.

It was nice.

Heavenly, in fact.

Choirs of angels, and all that.

I was able to get completely away from the office (didn't even take my cell phone) and for the first time in who-knows-how-long, was able to go the ENTIRE time without thinking of the office even once!

I've only just been back a short time and have finally excavated my desk from the rampant piles of paperwork. (And yes, I know that paperwork is seldom referred to as "rampant" but believe me--in this case the adjective is completely warranted in this instance.)

So.... I hope you'll forgive the little lapse. I've got several blog entries in the works, upstairs in the ol' noggin, that I hope to post in the next few hours (or days--I can't promise hours, but it might be....) to try and make up for the lost time.

Thanks for understanding.

It's good to be back.

Want Ads, anyone?

I almost quit my job last week.

I still might do it today.

Not to blow my own horn, but I do a great deal to keep this firm running, at least the bankruptcy side of it. If I walked out the door, the people in my department here would not know what to do. I do all the bankruptcy case review, all the bankruptcy hearings, all the negotiations with creditors, opposing counsel, trustees, and the court. I am the one that has re-built the firm's rapport with creditors, opposing counsel, trustees, and the court. I am the one that keeps up-to-date on recent bankruptcy law. They would be left with no-one to practice bankruptcy law.

Well, they would be left with the Big Boss and my senior counsel. . . but . . . .

You see, my supervising attorney apparently really has no interest any more in practicing the law, but he delights in rubbing his so-called "opponents" noses in it when they're "wrong."

We came to verbal blows last week over a Motion he wanted me to file. I told him he was wrong. He refused to admit it, because it made opposing counsel look bad. I told him it would damage the good rapport we had with that attorney and his office. He did not seem to care. I told him that it was an inadvertent mistake by someone who happens to be a friend. He told me that it was my friendship coloring the issue, not his glee at proving an "enemy" wrong.

Then another employee--holier-than-thou, self-important--jumps into the mix. Explains to me the damage that has been done to the client by the "evil" attorney.(Oh, all right, he didn't actually say "evil" but you could almost see it in his eyes.) How the client's "entitled" to get the relief that my boss wants to get from the court.

Never mind that, so far as I can tell, there is no provision for such relief in the law.

Never mind that it was an inadvertent mistake by opposing counsel's office and that the situation was covered in disclaimers that my office-mates and supervising attorney won't admit to seeing.

Never mind that he's wrong.

Now I have to argue something that I have NO belief in and that I think is reprehensible. It could cost, potentially, someone their job. I argued for 24 hours to take a different course of action. I re-wrote his motion six times, only to have him put it back in front of me for signing with only minor, insubstantial changes.

Oh yeah, he's forcing me to sign it, because he does not sign anything around here any more. Little does the boss know.

So I am going to suffer the wrath of opposing counsel.

And probably the judge.

Not that it was anything illegal or necessarily improper. Just something that goes against everything I believe in where the practice of law is concerned.

Well.

I'm just about done.

I've been stabbed in the back one too many times since the start of December 2006. I've had too much passive-agressive lecturing given to me. I've had too much mothering and monitoring of my work.

I've had too much implied insult towards --and quiet aggravation with-- my belief that family comes before all this crap.

This may have been the final straw.

If I did not have the Horde and my LW to support and feed, I would have thrown the motion back in his face that day.

But I didn't.

And now I've gone along with something I don't believe in because there was a pay check at risk.

I realize now what that makes me.

And it ain't a pretty realization.

Et tu?

Have you ever discovered that co-workers are talking about you behind your back?

What about co-workers you trusted?

Have they talked about the brand of clothes you wear? the state of your office? how about your work ethic?

Granted, these things happen in any workplace, let alone a good-sized law office.

Nothing like putting in 60- to 70-hour weeks . . . only to have a dozen "nine-to-four-o'-clockers" question your work ethic. Or to have them grouse about the fact that you may have an old orange on your desk amid seemingly-random stacks of papers and files. Hey--it's my desk, my orange, and I know where everything is, so leave it alone.

It's an environmentally-friendly paperweight.

Nothing like slaving away for a pittance to pay back school loans (at the expense of food for your wife and children) . . . only to have your fashion sense questioned or your dietary choices discussed.

Forgive me for not going with the Armani.

Or the fancy take-out/sit-down meals.

I happen to like my wardrobe. And my left-overs.

And so long as the work is done, who are you people to complain or watch my clock?

• Never mind that these people are FAR from perfection themselves . . . although professing to be "perfect" Christians, they seem to find the motes and miss the beams quite regularly.
• Never mind that your focus in life is: first, family/God; second, the firm's success.
• Never mind that they put in their 35 hours and go home whistling, with never a look back or a question about whether their work is completed.
• Never mind that it is your career, your malpractice insurance, your neck on the line and simply their "job"--one they could (and do) master with only a GED under their belt, and one that could likely be done by a trained monkey.
• Never mind all that; we just have to point and pick, point and pick . . . with no provocation at all.

The bright side? They have no idea at all that I know about their petty little feelings and conversations.

I don't get mad.

You know the rest. . . .