After a frustrating day...

This pleases me:

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Steve Carell from Between Two Ferns

Couplea Things...

1. This video pleases me on SO many levels- good music, ridiculous music, Asians, slo mo, etc. Enjoys:


2. Remember when I was all super amped about winning my jury trial last post? Well, word to the wise for all noob Public Defender. That shit fades, and fades quickly. It took all of one day before I had an "in-custody" client (someone who was in jail and wasn't getting out on their own recognizance) ask for my bar number so that they could "file a complaint." Before you get all concerned for my professional liability, it's fine. Still, no matter how crazy the client is, it always rattles your cage.

3. Speaking of rattling cages, the juvenile deliquency attorney in my office (the public defender of kids accused of committing crimes) provided me with the most touching, soul-crushing poetry of one of her clients who has overcome SO much. I won't get in to details, but suffice it to say, you should all be hugging the nearest person you care about. Seriously. There's so much pain and crap that comes through my office and just in the world in general. I know it's cliche, and I know it's cheese, but this week I was genuinely forced to count my lucky stars. And I have more than I probably deserve. Probably deserve? Fuck that, I don't deserve half as much as I have, so I'll just say it- If you're reading this, I'm happy you're in my life and have consistently put up with my shit.

4. Cows:


5. California is nonsensical- This weekend I had the joy to be in the Sac Area with AMAZING people enjoying the State Fair and Downtown Davis. The company was great- however the temperatures topped the low 100's. And yes it was a dry heat, but still... Oddly, I'm still in the same state and I'm pretty sure it topped out at 61 today. Odd...

Chase that feeling

Well, gang, this seems as good a time as any to update. Namely, because I WON MY FIRST JURY TRIAL!!!

Yes, the third time's the charm, and I must say that it has me energized, elated, and very, VERY vindicated.

So, as far as professional baseball hitting stats go, I would for sure be a candidate for the all star team right now, batting .333.

Obviously, I need to take the win with some perspective, though. I will still lose the overwhelming majority of my cases. I will still have clients plead guilty to crimes they may have not committed just to get released from custody. And I will still have clients that will call me "dumptruck," "public preteder," and mix me up with the other male misdemeanor deputy from my office. :-/

Still, as far as wins go, I'm going to ride this one for a while, and continue to chase the feeling- when a case is defensible, I'm going to pull out all the stops, even if it means I get stressed, frustrate front office staff because my office has more errant files than Area 51, and I have to eat frozen dinners while figuring out in limine motions to file the morning after. When you work hard for something, and you're right, it just feels SOOOOO GOOOOOD.

So, up to this date, I can effectively gloat that I've won a jury trial, won a suppression motion (two weeks ago- which was also awesome), and won a revocation hearing. I'm beginning to feel more comfortable in my skin as an attorney, which definitely accounts for a few of the dollars that I, and my fellow public defenders don't get enough of.

I'd also like to send a very special interwebz shout out to a very special interwebz reader who made me Indian food over the weekend. Much like her sandwiches which were the sole reason for me passing the bar (besides my cheating), I'm going to say that they played the pivotal role in getting the coveted two-word verdict.

Meat Grinder Days...

Lemme tell yeah...

Jury selection- the thing they don't teach you in law school because it's impossible.

+

A full afternoon calendar with a bunch of clients who didn't bother to come to their appointments to talk about their case and somehow expected miracles from their beleaguered court-appointed advocate

+

An impending ridiculous motion being heard tomorrow. (Hint: I'm asking the court to conduct a photo lineup. Something that can be done. With PEOPLE, not PURSES.)

=



This song on loop, while I laugh over a burning evidence code book.

Name the charge...

Colleagues in the DA's office... help a brother out- Is this a 415 (disturbing the peace (certainly disturbing her pieces.... zing!), simple battery, sexual battery (?), or what?



My guess is California Penal Code section 647(x)- Being an over-the-top wedding DJ.

The Skagen Effect

Most that have encountered yours truly would use the following adjectives to describe me (or at least that's how my delusional mind sees it):
agreeable
friendly
silly
hairy

I don't think the following apply:
gruff
irritable
angry

Still, it has been brought to my attention at work that if any of the latter qualities are present, they are present to a noticeable degree; When I'm in a malaise, any involved parties are more than aware.

So I pondered. I kept asking myself, "what the hell is up with my mojo, my chutzpah, my joie de vivre (which I've been informed doesn't have an English analog)?"

Well, I pin-pointed the problem. On days where I have court, and I don't have my watch, I visibly have a funk. Otherwise, I'm the Mary Poppins of the Public Defender. Except for the magic. And the banging dudes for coke. (She did that, right?)

The reason is threefold.

1. The gift-giver of said watch is awesome, and wearing said item reflects said awesomeness.

2. It looks nice and makes me confident.

3. And this is the stupidest reason: About a week in of going to court, I realized that you don't have to subject your watch to the metal detector if you raise your hand as you walk through. And for whatever reason, this act- walking through a metal detector with my arm raised- makes me feel like FUCKING ROYALTY. I don't know what it is, but the next time you see me, ask to demonstrate my regal strut. I'm relatively certain it's on par with me skipping, me waiving, or me skipping whilst waving (the famed combo).

Needless to say, I've since implemented a morning checklist to ensure it's attachment to my left wrist, or on days where I want to confuse people, my right.

What music helps keep a public pretender going?

Thanks to a reader out there who has helped me acquire music within my budget, I am... well, listening to more music lately.

And thanks to another reader who has provided me with (legal) means to listen to said music, I am... well, listening to more music everywhere.

This is obviously a good thing. I could site some studies that show that listening to music often makes you a better person, more agile, and a better dancer, but I'm too lazy to find something like that. So I'll just submit my anecdotal study for your consideration; I like listening to lots of music.

So, with that in mind, allow me to hit you with what is gracing my ipod and my computer as of late.

1. "An Announcement to Answer"- Quantic


If you like chill grooves, thought-out beats, all made by someone who is clearly a musician, this is your album. Although it technically qualifies for some variant of "electronica" as a genre (or sub-genre), there is something extremely complex in Quantic's work that you seldom see by most "beat makers." A great album to work out to, work to, or just have on in the background.

2. "Uptown Saturday Night"- Camp lo


1997 Hip Hop at its finest. Haven't heard of them? Yeah, me neither really until they popped up on my Little Brother Pandora station. Their samples, routed in funk and soul, are AMAZING. I really have nothing else to add, other than this album is a must-listen if you even remotely like hip hop.

3. "Donuts"- J. Dilla


It's likely that if you listen to hip hop, you've heard J Dilla, even if you can't recognize his work. He's collaborated with Slum Village, Talib Kwali, and Common, when he still made good albums (contributing heavily to "Like Water for Chocolate.") Sadly, on February 10, 2006, Dilla passed away, suffering from a cardiac arrest attributed to a rare blood disease.

This album's not for everyone- with short tracks composed of random beats, I could easily see how it could rub a lot the wrong way. However, I can't help but feel that there's something for everyone in this album. There's such a breadth in style that is so unique that it literally saddens me to know that he's not around to make good beats for the likes of the folks at Stones Throw, or De La Soul, etc.

Here's my favorite track:


And, with a special shotout to one of the two readers mentioned above, here's my favorite video and song of Dilla:



And sorry Wes, it ain't for you. (but thanks for the dl'ing music protips.)