A Big One… October 24, 2008

1. So… yes. I have a client. Like a real life, need to set up an IOLTA account client. Seriously. A friend of mine’s aunt passed and he needs her will probated. So… he called me up. I emailed a contact to see if she thought I would be able to handle it (this is her area of expertise) and she’s going to walk me through it!

 

2. Having this client means that I will be taking in advance fees and thereby necessitating some big steps on my front. I must set up an IOLTA (Interest On Lawyer’s Trust Account). It is law in MA for all attorneys taking advance fees or holding clients funds. I have also started thinking about what it would really mean for me to go solo. I must look at getting malpractice insurance. Also, do I want it to be “Law Offices of Snarky Runner, Esq.” or “Runner Law Office?” Silly things like letterhead and business checking accounts… it all makes my head hurt…

 

3. I know, I know… Am I jumping a head too much with this one client? Not really. I have this client who also needs me to right a will for him and his wife after this project. And, I then another friend of mine from the Cape wants me to set up an LLC for him. And, the guy I helped a few months ago wants me to write him a will too. And, then…… my father said one of his friends needs a will…. so… ummm yeah… No, I don’t want to practice specifically in estate planning or probate, but if it brings in the money for a bit… why not?

 

4. I ordered my first book from MCLE yesterday, which was kind of cool. I should be getting it tomorrow. Is it weird that I’m excited about getting a legal book in the mail?

 

5. The restaurant has received a list of dates that I cannot work so that I can attend meetings, networking events or CLEs. This is a pretty big step for me as I have NEVER put my career advancing things before the current job. The CLEs are about Business Planning, estate stuff and other topics relevant to going solo or things people have asked me to do for them. The first up is next week, there’s a young lawyers’ social event. It should be fun.

 

6. The rest of my life? The same. Still at the restaurant a lot… and hate it but trying to look at it as more of a conduit for getting my own practice maybe? Unofficial and I haven’t seen each other since last Monday. We’ve spoken a couple of times and I’ve kind of lost the motivation to try any more. I love him, I do. I’m just too concerned about what’s going on with me and, really, he needs to put more effort into me… Although, I was asked out by one of my regulars who I truly find fun and we have a good time when he’s in but… I’m just… no… not open to it. Unofficial is still very much in my heart… even if I’m not putting in much effort currently…

 

7. And… finally… I think… THINK… I will be starting a new blog. I will continue this one, obv… and I will post the link to the new one here but not the other way around. The only way I will do this, though, is if you all agree to not mention this blog on that one and/or anything about my private life over there. It will be about being a new attorney and whether to start a solo and, if yes, how that is done. My reasoning behind it is, it will be a blog I can have out in the world that’s about my work and that I can point contacts to etc. What do you all think? Yay? Nay?

Good Phone, Money Woes, Unofficial, Sneezy, A-hole and Grossness October 18, 2008

1. I had an informational phone interview today with someone at one of the big internet search companies for a non-law (read: sales) position. I wouldn’t be hired until closer to February or March, if at all. The interview went well, we seemed to connect. I think I asked some intelligent and good questions about the group. He asked me about my background and I believe I gave eloquent and “correct” answers. He wants me to keep in touch and call if I have questions or want to see how things are going over there. I felt good afterwards. It’s not exactly what I want to do… but it might be a vehicle for making enough money to eventually start my own firm…

 

2. My financial situation just continues to get worse. The restaurant has been pretty slow as of late and people are being complete douches with the tipping. It’s absolutely annoying. I’m really trying to maintain the positive air…

 

3. Unofficial is in North Carolina for a surprise 40th party this weekend. I spoke with him for a bit yesterday. I had offered to bring him to the airport this morning but he politely refused the offer. He knows how much I hate mornings and, well, it was a 6 a.m. flight. Haha. He comes back late Sunday (like 10-11 pm) and Sunday is really my only night off until Friday. I told him this and he sounded disappointed. It’s reassuring to hear the disappointment sometimes. I am thinking that we might actually get to have a Friday night together this week… that would be SO nice!

 

4. I sneeze like a cat. Seriously. About 12 sneezes in a row and all real quiet and cute. It confuses people. They start to say “bless you” after each one and, eventually, I hold my hand out for them to stop until I’m done. Then they laugh at me. People are always laughing at me…

 

5. One of the assholes I work with today asked me this question: “How’s that law degree treating you?” Dude. Shut the f up. My response: “Go fuck yourself. You’re going to school to be a nurse. And you’re a dude. Good luck with that.” I hate people.

 

6. After work I tend to come home, turn on my laptop and bring it into my bedroom. I sit loungingly on my bed, watch my dvred shows and play online. I’m usually hungry, so I eat something too. But I’m lazy tonight. So, I grabbed the packages of turkey and provolone from my fridge and a container of potato stix and I’m literally just eating things out of the packages. I realize that I’m slightly gross. Haha.

 

This One’s For Bev — Pot Roast Recipe October 16, 2008

3-3 1/2 lb roast
fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/3 cup flour
6 medium sized garlic cloves
package of baby carrots
Red bliss potatoes (lb or 2)
boiler onions (10-12)
Mushrooms, cut in quarters
4 (or more) cans of beef broth (or you can use the paste kind that you dilute in water)
Salt
Pepper
1 Reynolds wrap oven bag (best things ever!)
Oven pan (like a cake pan that’s about an inch or so deep)
3 tablespoons of butter

 

Preheat oven to 325

 

Take the roast and deeply stab it in 6 spots throughout – place clove of garlic in each stab (push in deep)

 

Rub roast with thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Take the oven bag and put in 1/4 cup of flour and 1 can of broth. While holding the bag closed, squish the mixture around until the flour and broth are fully mixed (wording is redundant, I know).

 

Place the roast in the oven bag. Hold the bag closed and shake it a little. Place bag in the pan with the open end up. You should have the roast on the seam of the bag with the open end up.

 

Put the vegetables in the bag around the roast. Make sure you have peeled the dry layers of the onions off (duh) and cut any potatoes that are large in half, so that they have the same cook time as the little ones. Throw in the carrots and mushrooms as well.

 

Add in the rest of the broth. Close the bag with the twisty tie thing included in the box. Holding the bag taut, stab a couple holes in the bag, but close to where the twisty is so that nothing seeps out.

 

Put the roast in the oven for 2-2 1/2 hours (mine was just under 3 lbs and I cooked it for about 2 hours = perfect!)

 

When the roast is done, take the entire pan out. Open the bag, place the roast on something to rest. Using a collander and bowl or sauce pan, pour the contents of the bag through the collander. Place veggies on a serving plate.

 

In a medium sized sauce pan make a rue. Place the 3 tablespoons of butter in the pan on medium-high heat. As the butter starts to melt, add 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk a little. Let the flour cook out a bit. Add cup of the broth liquid and whisk together. Let this thicken a little, then add the rest of the broth liquid (or however much you want to make into a gravy). Let this cook on medium heat for a while to thicken.

 

Slice roast. Serve with veggies and the yummy gravy. For added deliciousness, get a packaged of frozen french rolls and cook those up in the oven as you’re making the gravy. The crusty bread is DELISH with this meal!

 

Enjoy!!

Mass Bar Waiters, Apologies, Lacking Positive Thoughts, Unofficial and Cheap Cuts! October 14, 2008

1. A lot of people have been finding my blog by search for “Massachusetts Bar Exam Results,” again. The results for MA come out within the next 3 weeks, I think, so I’m sure you’re all real nervous. Take a few deep breaths and try to put it out of your head. You have no way to change the results at this point. And, you also have no control over how quickly the results get to you. So… go about life as you have been. Stop checking the website on a daily basis (you’ll get your written results before the results are posted online). Go on a mini vacation at the beginning of the month. Like the 1st-3rd. I think we got them the 4th last year (I THINK). Try to calm down and, most importantly, good luck!

 

2. I haven’t written all week because there has been nothing lovely to write about and, there’s been some stuff up in the air that I wanted to figure out first. So… apologies to my faithful readers, if I still have any left. I will try to be better… promise.

 

3. Work has been tough on me. I’m working a ridiculous amount, again. My temper is at an all time high. I just really want to be done with it, and it seems never-ending. I don’t like feeling trapped, and that’s what it’s been like. I’m having a hard time trying to be positive. What have you all done to remain positive when things just never seem to go right?

 

4. Today, the board of Unofficial’s company was set to meet about how to wind up the business. He’s pretty sure the company is dead. Officially. The past week or so has been real rough on him. The main difficulty has been watching a company he put his heart and soul in die. He has no idea what to do next. In fact, some of his potentials are VERY disheartening for me. He’s off to North Carolina for the weekend on Friday and will be offered a position by his friend. The position would be in N.C. with a lot of travel, and, of course would be all of the $$$ that he wants. The other is in NY. Same type of thing. I have been real worried that he’s going to NC to get this job and basically had is mind all set. We talked about it last night and he doesn’t WANT to move away. So, I’m hoping he finds something around here.

 

5. Things seem pretty OK with Unofficial and I. I’m not getting upset or freaking out so often, and he’s been better about the things that do upset me. He definitely understands why I don’t want him to leave. We watched the game last night at his place and grilled out. We went to bed early and as we were laying there he said “this is nice.” I, of course, questioned him to make him be more specific. And he said, “Being in bed early, with you next to me.” I love him.

 

6. The best thing happened today. I had my hair cut. Fake Big Sis recommended I go to her hair stylist. She lives like 15 minutes north of the city and works out of her home. She’s super nice, did a great job on my hair… and… is sooo cheap!! $25 for a haircut. SO, I tipped her $20. $45 total is STILL cheaper than anywhere else! I’m psyched.

Career Crap, Injury, Visitor, Dreams, Unofficial Update October 8, 2008

1. I have been on the ledge, so to speak, the last couple of days. I’m continually more frustrated with my job situation. I have to work at the restaurant as much as I do because I have no money. I have no money because I’m not a working attorney yet. I’m not a working attorney yet in part because I have to work at the restaurant on the nights of networking events. And so the circle goes. And, I can’t get nights off when I find out like the day before an event because my coworkers (mostly) suck.

 

2. I had an informational interview on Monday. It was interesting but didn’t really go favorably for me. The attorney basically said that I have two things working against me: 1) not going to school in the area; and, 2) being out of school for as long as I have been now without a legal position. He said I should look for non-law jobs. That was pretty tough to take. I’ve been wallowing the last day or two. And, even thinking of going solo, again. I just can’t afford to, though…. argh.

 

3. I twisted my ankle pretty bad last night at work. It’s not swollen anymore but it definitely hurts. I called out of work for tonight because it’s rule #1 to rest when you do this. Then the frickin’ event coordinator took me off of the function I picked up on Sunday. SUNDAY. 4 days away! WTF.

 

4. Athletic Trainer is going to look at my ankle for me tonight. I’m going to his training room. He thinks I’m a big pain in the ass. Haha. The cost: I have to take him to dinner. Haha.

 

5. On my way home from work I called Unofficial. He was on his way to pick up his credit card from wherever he was the night before. He asked what I was doing… if I was heading home. I said yes. Why? He wanted to see me. So, he said he’d meet me at my place. I was a limping gimp by the time I got home. He watched the rest of the debate in my room while I took a quick shower (I was unprepared for a visit AND smelled of restaurant). We watched Juno and he fell asleep after a bit. I watched the majority of the movie and then got pretty tired myself. It was nice having him stay over. I actually slept really well aside from the dreams…

 

6. Dream #1: Unofficial and I are in bed sleeping. He gets up to use the bathroom, or so I think. A while later I roll over and he’s still not there. I call him and he’s with another woman. I freak out. She can hear me. Her name is Elizabeth (random). And he keeps saying that this isn’t a big deal, I’m aware that we’re not “exclusive.” I’m holding my tongue trying not to yell, so that Elizabeth can hear, “How can you have sex with me and then be with another woman?!” I hang up on him. Go to leave my room and get another glass of wine… only to find my roommate having sex with some dude in the kitchen. I am now scarred for life. I grab the bottle and see that there are like 3 other people in her room having like a party. I’m talking about the Unofficial and I situation and trying not to defend him when they say nasty things about him. I decide to be mature and call him nonstop all night long. …End dream… REALLY!? I awoke with a start and looked over quick and say him there. I was all freaked out until I saw him sleeping. I told him about the dream and he was like “that sounds horrible.”

 

7. Dream #2: My sister and I are driving in my car. It’s raining extremely hard outside. I go into a tunnel (that looks nothing like the real ones around here) and hit a really bad puddle, hydroplaning and then hitting a wall. My sister is knocked into the back of the car. I’m fine. Her foot is hurt… Oh yeah and she’s been decapitated… but she’s alive. I’m trying to calm her down and tell her not to move. Then I’m yelling at a doctor to perform surgery to reattach her head, basically saying that I don’t care if it’s unattached now, that the doctor should just reattach it. There was a lot of screaming. …End dream… ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!

 

8. As for Unofficial and I… things are pretty much the same right now. I talk to him a few times a week. See him maybe once. His company dies this Friday without more funding and it looks extremely bleak. He’s not at all sure what he’s going to do. In fact, he’s not really handling the situation well it seems. I think he’s just not willing to accept what’s about to happen and figure out what he wants to do. He’s going away for the weekend in a week and a half I think. It will be good for him to get away. Other than that, who knows what he’ll do. He mentioned staying down where he’s going and working there. I vetoed that idea immediately. Haha. It’s going to be an interesting couple of weeks coming up…

StuffySmiles Was Correct… October 4, 2008

I was with Unofficial. This is how it all started… Over the weekend we had been texting back and forth regarding getting together potentially on Monday. It never happened. Of course. But then Tuesday, I was getting out of work pretty early. I texted him that I’d be out super early and his response was to call him. I did and he was on his way to the restaurant. He wanted to know if I would like to go with him TO HIS PARENTS’ HOUSE for dinner. Uhm… YEAH! He came into the restaurant to wait for me, and then off we went.

 

The house is SO cute! I don’t mean cute as in small and cottagey. I mean cute as in CUTE. I think my direct quote to Unofficial was “Oh my god, it’s so cute. Why am I surprised? Your PARENTS are so cute. You know, I think I might be in love with them.” His response: “They love you too.” And they do. We walked in and they were both so excited to see me!! We all sat around and chatted while his mom finished cooking. It was a ton of fun. Unofficial was good with me, he’d walk by and put his hands on my shoulders from behind as I was sitting, or just touch my arm or something. Cute. We had a great time. Around 11 we had to leave.

 

He drove me back to my car at the restaurant. We sat in his for a few minutes and did the whole “I had a great time” “Me too” awkward 1st-date-like-pause thing. And then… like teenagers… we start making out. It got a bit heated so I said something like “your house?” His response: “What happens when we get there?” Me: “You don’t remember? Am I that forgettable? haha” Him: “Oh no, I have those memories ingrained in my mind. haha” Me: “Oh, you mean with us? Well, we do what we’ve done for the last 9 months. I try not to freak out and you try not to piss me off. And we try until you get there.” And so I went to his place.

 

There’s something strangely comfortable and loveable about his home. I always love being there. And that night was no exception. We fell into our “routine” before bed and had a bit of fun (*wink wink*). It was fantastic, per usual. The next morning was, again, just us being us and getting ready for the day. We discussed the possibility of doing something last night if he didn’t go to see his sister up north.

 

He ended up going to see his sister. And I was fine with it. I got slightly annoyed with his timing of telling me, as I warned him I wanted to make other plans. Other than that, though, I’m OK. I’m not looking to forward with things and just maintaining my busy schedule and working on the things I need to work on with me.

 

And so it goes…. at least it should make for some interesting posts, right? Maybe? I’ll do one tonight or tomorrow about my evening last night. For now, I’m off to work.

Debate Chatter And Other Thoughts. October 2, 2008

1. As I write this I am watching the debate on DVR. I will probably make comments here or there. Like this: It is nucLEAR not nucULAR. Come on kids!

 

2. Palin’s eyes are very deep set. It’s weird and slightly creepy.

 

3. Once someone wins the game in my previous post (or I guess when everyone gives up), I will do a full update on where I was and what I was doing there.

 

4. I hate the term “Great American.” It’s a term mostly used by Republicans, I’ve noticed. It’s annoying. “He’s a Great American.” Who isn’t?! What makes this person such a “Great American?”

 

5. Palin’s bronzer is distracting. Her makeup artist needs to blend a little bit more.

 

6. Lately I’m feeling increasingly frustrated regarding my career. At work, it seems as though everyone is making progress. Either they have started back at school, gotten a full time job or been bumped up at the restaurant. None of these people has the background or education that I do and I know that their jobs are so different than me getting a legal position… but crap. I’m feeling left behind and desperate. I hate those feelings.

 

7. My father got rid of the puppy already. I’m pissed. I can’t even discuss it. Let’s just say I’m being a big brat and not talking to him for like a week or two.

 

8. Palin doesn’t ever actually answer what is asked. She would be a horrible witness on the stand in a trial.

 

9. What happens if the VP dies? Who steps up? Because, as possible as it is for McCain to pass while in office, same can be said for Biden. Thoughts?

 

10. This is the first time that I really have paid any attention to and care about the election. I feel all growns up… well, minus the big kid job, obv.

Let’s Play a Game… October 1, 2008

The name of the game is… Guess where Snarky was last night… First person to guess correctly (R.E. you are excluded, sorry love) wins a cookie…. Ready? Go!!