I'm officially an attorney!

Yesterday, I officially became an attorney, as I was sworn in to the Minnesota bar. This means that I can practice law in Minnesota and represent clients before all Minnesota courts. Pretty cool. I guess my moral character measured up!

The ceremony itself was slightly obnoxious. It was an official session of the Minnesota Supreme Court, and each member of the court had to be introduced. Then, we had to wait for what seemed like an eternity as all the people who have attorneys in their families were individually sworn into the bar. This part seemed especially obnoxious to me, but maybe that's just because I don't have any family members who are attorneys - it just didn't seem special to me.

Finally, after that, someone read the names of all the remaining candidates...all 500+ of us. It was sort of insane. The woman did a decent job overall (well, sort of), but she of course added a "T" to my name. I absolutely hate, hate, hate that. My name is spelled S C H M I D. Where is the T? Idiot. Anyway, we finally got through all the names and then we all stood to take our oath. I can't quite remember what I swore to do, but I'm sure I will do it. ;) After the oath, I figured we would be finished, but no. We then had to listen to a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association make a membership pitch. The guy literally listed the benefits of joining...at our bar swearing in ceremony! Ridiculous. Just provide the information in our packets and let us go on our merry ways. Finally, the ceremony ended and we were free!

To celebrate, B took me out to lunch at Kincaids, and we had an excellent lunch. Her landlord Kim works there, and she was working yesterday. It was great - she made sure we were treated like VIPs, and then she comped our lunch! What a fabulously nice thing to do, especially in this economy. Thanks, Kim! I highly recommend Kincaids (in Saint Paul) if you need a nice place for lunch/dinner. Check it out.

After lunch, I had to go back to work for a few hours. No rest for the weary. At least I'm legitimately an attorney now. I guess I better not screw up! ;)

Weight Watchers

Long ago (think high school or early college), I used to be in decent shape, maybe even better than decent shape. I played 1-2 sports a season, and was participating in 1-4 hours of physical activity a day. I could play three basketball games in a day and feel fine. I could also eat whatever I wanted with little consequence. However, once all those sports ended and my eating habits didn't change, my weight spiraled out of control. It always bothered me, and once I demolished my knee, I realized it was even more important to do something. Further, my family has a history of arthritis and other auto-immune disorders, and extra weight exacerbates those problems. Basically, I've needed to do something for a long time, and I finally decided to do something about it - two weeks ago, I joined Weight Watchers (WW) at work.

I did WW in college and had some success, but ultimately I had a hard time sticking to it. This time, I think it will be different, as I earn enough money to buy good food and I have a supportive girlfriend who does a lot of cooking for me. Also, the WW plan has changed a bit, and I feel like I get to eat more food. That definitely makes a HUGE difference, as it's impossible to stick to a weight loss plan when you feel hungry all the time. The best thing about WW is that it's not really a diet - it basically just teaches you to stick to healthy choices and proper portion sizes. I can eat any food I want as long as I stick to my points for the day/week. The plan is realistic, and it's something I can maintain for life. Dieting is not.

Overall, I feel optimistic about my chances for success this time around, and so far, so good - I lost 5 lbs my first week! I'm not sure how much of that was water weight, but it still felt good. The best news - I didn't really feel hungry all week. The second week has been tougher, as I had to eat out for work a couple times (it's quite difficult to make good choices at some places), but overall, I think I'm still doing decently. I know two weeks isn't a long time, but I had to start somewhere! As my mom says, even if I lose 1/2 pound a month, I'm making progress. Only time will tell if I succeed this time around. With B and supportive friends and family, I think I can do it!

PS: I'm thinking about joining a gym, but I'm not sure which one to choose. Anyone have any good recommendations? Also for personal trainers. Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Pathetic

Warning: the following contains some profanity.

I left work around 6:15 pm last Friday, and everything in my office was intact. I returned this morning to discover I was the victim of theft; someone from the cleaning or security staff stole my iPod docking stereo/radio from my desk. Oh, they made sure to take the remote control too. Bastards. Sadness. I had to spend the day sans MPR and my iPod tunes, and that bummed me out. Really, being robbed generally bummed me out and left me sort of shaken.

I reported the theft to the firm, and then the building managers came up to file an incident report. They suggested I also file a police report so there could be bigger consequences for the thief if s/he is ever discovered, so I did that too. I was able to file online - surprisingly convenient, especially for the Minneapolis police department. I highly doubt my report will ever see the light of day, but at least I covered my bases as my police officer friend Clare said. I do hope the building folks figure out who did it - there couldn't have been that many people in the building over the weekend, so they can at least narrow it down. I'm not holding my breath for any positive results in that area, especially since it's likely that it was a security guard and they will be doing the investigation. Bummer.

Also, even though it was just my office, I really do feel sort of violated. In order to steal it, the thief would have needed to climb under my desk to unplug it, which means it wasn't a quick gig. I wonder what else they rifled through as well. Yuck. Clearly I cannot leave anything of value in my office, which is pathetic. Really, thievery is pretty damn pathetic in general. I've never understood how someone could feel entitled to just take something that isn't his or hers. I just don't get it, and I think it really says a lot about someone's character, or lack thereof. Despicable, and pathetic. And in this case, not the brightest. Who goes around and steals stuff from attorneys' offices? Dumbass. People work hard to earn money, and then douchebags like this just feel all entitled to take what they want. Honestly, I'm quite peeved about this, and if I ran into the thief, it might not be pretty. It's really not even that the docking station was expensive (it was decently expensive), but rather the principle of the whole thing. Who the fuck does that? A nasty person, that's for sure. I don't care if it's for your kid's birthday, which I doubt it is. More likely it was to make a quick buck. Pathetic douchebag, seriously.

The ironic part is that I worked for the state senate for 5 years, which is housed in the state capitol building, and the capitol is one of the most open, accessible buildings in the state, if not the country. Anyone can come in, and there is very little security. In fact, just about anyone DOES come in. However, through all those years, not once did I have anything stolen off my desk. My desk was in the open, and I often had to leave it unattended throughout the day, but there was never a problem. Then I move to a fancy pants law firm in a secure building and with an office behind secured access doors and get robbed. Awesome! Honestly, that would only happen to me. Excellent stuff.

In good news, the firm immediately reimbursed me for the cost of the docking station. How nice! I couldn't believe they would do such a thing. Very impressive to say the least. B also surprised me with a new one, which was very sweet. Unfortunately, I'm nervous to bring one in now. I can't imagine the thief would be that bold, but then again, I never thought this would happen either. Honestly, who has that much chutzpah? Assholes. I'm exploring ways to literally chain one to my desk, via a bike or a laptop lock, but who knows if that will work. Plus, how sad is that? Really, really sad. The whole thing makes me a bit more nervous to leave alone at night too. Clearly there are some shady folks around. Again as my police officer friend said, you can't trust anyone!

If I choose not to bring in the replacement docking station, I guess I can rely on MPR online and pandora, but it's just not the same. Boo to you, jackass thief!

PS - if you are shopping for electronics on craigslist and see and iHome docking station (black) that also has a radio, send me a note so I can check it out. Perhaps I'll conduct a little investigation of my own! ;)

Snow and boxelder bugs

The weather forecast called for snow today, but I wasn't sure I believed it (come on, they are always wrong!). It's only October 26th after all. However, there was definitely sleet out there today - yikes! I don't know why these things still surprise me, as I remember vividly the Halloween blizzard of 1991, but for some reason I'm always a bit taken aback when it snows so early.

The upside of the early snow/cold? Death to all the boxelder bugs on the outside of my bedroom window. I hate those damn bugs. They are all over the inside of my window, on the blinds, and on my curtains. I know they are harmless, but they still creep me out. Not a fan of bugs in my house, period. I hope this blast of cold air kills the rest of them so no more can crawl in. I also wish Crosby Pointe would do something about them. They always say there's not much they can do...clearly they are not familiar with a little something called GOOGLE. Sigh. Again, not sure why I'm surprised, as our apartment manager doesn't even know how to keep track of who parks where in the garage...I guess google is just beyond her.

Anyway, we won't have any accumulation today, so the snow isn't really a big deal. However, I did hear that we are supposed to have more snow than usual this year overall, and also that it's supposed to be colder too. Not sure how B will handle that, as she barely made it through last winter! I'm also not sure how I will handle it, since I've been freezing lately, so much so that I have to use this microwavable heating pad that B has. Yikes! Stay tuned...

Chicago = no go

B and I were supposed to go to Chicago this weekend to visit her family and to see Wicked, as B bought me tickets for my birthday. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the trip because B's ex gf Mandi's mom passed away on Thursday and the funeral is today, Sunday. B and Mandi were together for four plus years and are still friends, so of course B had to go to the funeral. I completely understood, and I actually suggested we cancel the trip so we wouldn't be rushing around like crazy fools. I was bummed to not go because of the show and because we were supposed to ride with K and P, as they were also going to Chicago, but these things happen. Instead, I've had a very nice, relaxing weekend at home, and K and P got to use the Wicked tix, so they didn't go to waste.

B and I went out to dinner last night and we also saw "W." The movie is so-so - I think it could have done even more, but it wasn't bad either. Today, I'm watching football and doing laundry. Good stuff. I like chill weekends.

My condolences go out to Mandi and her family - I'm truly sorry for your loss.

Big Brain Academy

Karen and Paige gave me Big Brain Academy for the Wii for my birthday this year, and the four of us recently played together. Well, it turns out I'm dumb, at least according to Big Brain. The four of us took our "brain" test, and I came in dead last! Also, poor Karen and I had our asses kicked by Beth and Paige...poor Karen was stuck with me! To make matters worse, the "teacher" sort of scolds you when you don't do well. Just what I need - a real confidence booster!

In good news, I have since much improved my score, but it's still not an easy game for me. I love it because it's fun, but it's not great for the ego. I was thinking of buying Wii Fit, but I'm not sure I need to be scolded for BOTH my brain and my physical shape. Good times! ;)

Dreams

The other night, I dreamt that I had to take the bar exam again, but for some reason I was taking it at home. There were tons of people at my house, and none of them would leave. I lost track of time, and suddenly it was 1/2 hour past the time I was supposed to start the exam. I threw everyone out and absolutely panicked, wondering if I would be able to make up the lost time. I remember opening the exam with a pencil and sitting there freaking out, unable to start because I was so panicked. I thought about not taking it, but decided that wouldn't work. Suddenly, that dream changed, and I was stuck on a bus that was going the wrong way and I couldn't get off as it was skipping all the stops.

I am not sure what the bar exam portion of the dream represents, but I have an idea about the bus...symbolism perhaps? :)

More political pleas

It turns out that El Tinklenberg has a real chance at beating Michele Bachmann after she blurted out on Hardball with Chris Matthews that Obama is anti-American and that members of Congress should be screened to ensure they are pro-America. After her idiotic statement, Tinklenberg received more donations in three days than he had in the entire 3rd quarter, completly changing the race in the 6th Congressional District. The DNC is now going to pour at least $1 million into the campaign, and the prediction has changed from Republican leaning to toss up. With our help, Tinklenberg can and will defeat the idiotic Bachmann, and we can all be spared her gay hating, xenophobic, idiotic ways. I gave money to Tinklenberg today, and you should too. Click here to donate today! Honestly, even if you can only give him $5, it's worth it. Every little bit counts.

Another worthy candidate you might consider supporting (with your time or money) is Ashwin Madia. Madia is running for Jim Ramstad's seat in the 3rd District (western burbs). I don't know a ton about him, but I've heard from someone whom I trust that actually knows him and she assures me he's worthy of support. Plus he's running against Erik Paulsen, who served as the State House Majority Leader (and maybe minority leader later?) after Governor Pawlenty. It would be great to pick up the 3rd District, as the moderate Republican Ramstad (not a bad guy really) held that seat for what seems like an eternity. Paulsen is no Ramstad however, so let's help Madia too. He is a veteran and served in the Marines. Seems like a decent guy. Click here to support Madia. Again, even $5 is helpful at this stage in the game!

Go Dems! Let's return Minnesota to a bright, bright blue, the way it should be! As Coach Yoast tells Coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans, "run it up, Herman - leave no doubt!" We have a chance to do that here, but it will take all of us. Together we can do it!

Seriously McCain?

The other night, the home phone rang and the caller ID said something like Victory for America. I figured it was Obama's campaign calling again and I didn't want to deal with being badgered for time or money, so I let it go to voice mail. I checked the message later, and it was John McCain's campaign calling! WTF?!? I'm a registered Democrat, I have volunteered for the Dems, I have given money to the Dems, etc. Why on earth was McCain calling here?? To make it more insane, it was actually a real person who left a ridiculous message attacking Obama and promoting McCain. Yuck.

The next day I saw an article in the Strib about how McCain has been "robo-calling" in MN and WI. MN law requires such calls be made by a human rather than via recorded message, which explains the real guy. I heard the calls in WI were just awful; hate filled lies about him being a Muslim terrorist, etc. These calls seem to indicate that McCain has reached a whole new level of desperation. I can't believe he continues to spread this hate, and I can't imagine what he thought the calls would accomplish. He didn't need to woo his supporters, he probably irritated the undecided, and he pissed off the Dems enough that I'm sure more of them went out to volunteer or donate money. Plus, I think tons of people actually lodged formal complaints against him. Way to go, John! That was money well spent!

In other campaign news, I sort of have a bad feeling about the presidential election. I know Obama is leading in most polls, but his lead has slipped some places, and I'm a big believer in the silent majority as well...racism is still a big concern, and Obama needs to do well in places where Clinton wiped the floor with him (places filled with working class white voters). Plus, McCain is so desperate it's hard to say what tactics he will embrace at this point. Thus, I implore you to keep working hard as election day nears, and most importantly, get out and vote! I think people might figure that Obama is so far ahead at this point that voting won't matter, but it will! He needs every vote he can get. As Nike says, Just Do It! :)

PLOG update - mid October

Tony is still doing well at B's. He and Elijah now appear to be friends, or at least pals. They run around like crazy fools, and they both lie in bed with us at night, purring and content. All is good, and Tony's mental health seems improved.

His physical health is a different story however. In the span of 24 hours, he had diarrhea on the rug and vomited on B's bed. He also accidentally peed outside of the litter box (Elijah's box is way too small for him; sometimes he poops outside the box too - not on purpose at least!). To make things worse, this all happened the ONE night I stayed in Saint Paul. Poor B had to clean everything up on her own, which included washing all the bedding, the bath mat, and the kitty litter pad. Sigh. I guess I just need to learn that it will always be something with him. Not much I can do about that except accept him and move on. :)

In other Tony news, I stopped medicating him and that seems to be working. This is good news because getting the meds seems like a giant hassle, and he's not a big fan of the whole process either. We'll see how it goes; fingers crossed!

I hate creepy men!

As I've said before, I take the train to work every day. I don't usually worry about my safety, but when it's dark out, I do tend to get a little nervous, especially when I have to get off at the Lake Street station and walk a block to my car. This exact thing happened last week, as I had to work late one night. As soon as I got on the train, I noticed a creepy white guy (think serial killer/sexual perpetrator images on TV, seriously) looking at me strangely. He instantly gave me the creeps, and my gut said trouble. I basically make a perfect mugging candidate (professionally dressed woman carrying a purse, laptop, ipod, cell phone, blackberry, etc.), and I worry about things much worse than mugging. In fact, I worried about the latter with this creepy guy.

I kept my eye on him as we rode along, hoping that he wouldn't get off at Lake Street. I stood up early to get off, and then he stood up too. As the doors opened, I motioned to him to exit first. He then insisted I go first, and I did, despite the bad feeling I had. As I exited, I thought about just hanging out in the station to see what he would do, but I realized that the station was pretty empty and I would be alone with him. I then decided to run down the stairs to see if I could lose him. I went fast enough that I was out of breath and my knee was hurting, but he kept up. At this point, I started to panic, as I had a long walk to my car. I called Kristin and told her what was going on and to stay on the phone with me. He was still behind me, still following me. I knew I wasn't going to make it to my car, and I was heading toward a dark area, so I decided to turn around and walk directly toward him. He then sort of dodged me and started running away. I waited a minute and then high tailed it to my car as fast as I could, all the while still talking to Kristin.

As things were unfolding, I kept thinking that maybe I was overreacting and that I was imagining things. However, since I rushed down the stairs and through the parking lot and because he was still behind me and ultimately ran away, I think I was right. Regardless, I've never felt more relieved to reach my car. I'm glad I was alert, but even though I was as ready as I could have been, I'm not sure I could have won in a physical confrontation with the creepster. All I could picture was being sexually assaulted in the LRT station parking lot...scary as hell!

I still love the train, but I don't think I will ever take it to the Lake Street station after dark if I have to park outside the lot. I will just take a cab to my car or something. It's not worth the panic I experienced, and it's definitely not worth something worse happening. Yuck. Fucking creepy men. Boo!

Tony is a nut!

Last weekend, it was unseasonably warm. Because of this, B had the windows to the house open. To open one of the windows, we had to take the screen off, and Tony jumped up and sat in the window, as he loves to do that. He also kept craning his head out to check out the outdoors, but I wasn't super worried that he would jump...until he did! I heard a thud, looked over, and he was gone!

B, Karen, Paige and I all ran outside to bring him back in. He was completely panicked and tried to jump back into the window, crashing into the glass and falling back to the ground twice. As I approached him, he took off running like a crazy fool. I heard another thud, signifying his crash into the fence, and then he tore off into the side yard to hide. Karen finally found him crouched behind a bush. I tried to grab him as he took off and wound up stopping him by his tail. Poor guy was absolutely panicked. I brought him back in and he hid for a while. Finally, he calmed down and things returned to normal. Honestly, there is never a dull day with that cat around!

Dizzy spells and dazed days

I woke up this morning and felt fine. Caught the train and started feeling a bit dizzy...by the time I got to work I was feeling super dizzy. So dizzy that I couldn't really work. I had to go home, and I was so out of it that that I almost caught the train in the wrong direction. WTF! I got home, lied down, and immediately had terrible vertigo, which caused me to vomit. I then crawled back into bed and tried to lie super still so the vertigo would subside. Finally, it got better and I fell asleep for a bit. Now I'm on the couch writing this and feeling a bit better. I don't know what the heck happened to me this morning, but I hope that doesn't happen again! Yikes!

I love this pic of Beth!

Enjoy - I do!

I stole this from Danette's tweets

Click here for an amusing, Sarah Palin bashing, retake of "Hey there Delilah." Sometimes, I feel badly that she is attacked personally so often, but then I remember she brings it on herself with her crazy right wing positions. I mean really, no abortion for rape victims or to save the life of the mother? Really? Nuts. Anyway, enjoy the video, and thanks Danette!

"Holy shit" I'm old!

I turned 32 yesterday. 32 seems old to me for some reason. 31 didn't seem bad, but 32, that sounds like a real adult age. Yikes, or as Danette would say, "holy shit!"

I didn't really want to make a big deal out of my birthday this year, so I didn't plan any big parties or gatherings. I felt like I've made people celebrate a lot of stuff in the last few years, so I went for super low key this time. However, I still wanted to do something! Thus, to celebrate my birthday, B took me out to the Melting Pot, and Karen and Paige joined us. I had never been there, and it was quite good! I especially loved the chocolate for dessert. B ordered the white chocolate/dark chocolate mix, and it was just fantastic. We dipped marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, cheesecake, brownie bits, and pound cake. The fruit was the best, but really, the entire chocolate fondue experience was the best. In fact, I could have just eaten that - it honestly might have been one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten! YUM!

After that, we headed over to the Shout House to watch the dueling pianos. I love that sort of thing, as they sing tons and tons of songs that I know and love, and I get to sing along! My parents would love it too - it's that sort of place. The only thing that dampened things was one of the pianists - he pushed the vulgarity way too far. Not called for at all. You don't need to be gross or disgusting to be entertaining. Besides that, it was a great night and a good birthday, even if I AM old. ;)

PLOG update - October

Despite giving Tony anti-anxiety medicine, he was still having problems at home: vomiting, pooping on the hallway rug, and one last episode of pooping on Carolyn's bed. I was feeling badly about it every day, so Beth offered to take him in at her place. We figured the plan is to live together in about a year anyway, and I knew Tony would be okay if he returned to a normal schedule, so we decided to give this a shot. It was this or give him away, which I really, really didn't want to do.

I was a bit worried that he and Elijah might not get along, or that he would just start pooping here, but so far, so good! In fact, it's better than good - Tony has been walking around the house purring happily, and he and Elijah now sit by each other without hissing or growling (there was a lot of hissing and growling at first). I'm so thrilled! I hope this continues and he remains happy. It's crazy how much I love that little (big) guy!

Now let's see how Tony likes dogs - Matty is coming home late this month! Stay tuned!