case dismissed!

I won my first case Thursday. Okay, so it wasn't a jury trial and it wasn't really "my" case, but still, I talked to the judge and the district attorney, and they decided to drop all charges against our client. It was the same case I had tried to get dismissed a couple weeks ago. It had been continued for two weeks, and this time I was able to talk to one of the more senior (and reasonable) DA's about it. Long story short, we win! Our client's record is clean, we get our money, the DA's can go prosecute cases that actually have merit, etc. The only downside is that I spent a good chunk of the last few weeks preparing an appeal which will now never be heard. Oh well- good practice for next time, I suppose.

Needless to say I was pretty excited leaving the courthouse. In fact, I was so excited that I drove off with our client's file sitting on the roof of my car. Halfway back to the office I realized what I'd done and turned around. Sure, the case had been dismissed, but the file was still packed with legal documents containing confidential information. Back at court, no sign of the file. The clerk's office hadn't seen it. With little hope, I started walking up the road only to notice two employees from the medical center next door out in the middle of Lacey Boulevard with arms full of papers. Ten minutes later all papers had been retrieved, even the ones two blocks up the street in the Waffle House parking lot.

What can I say, Christmas came early for me this year.

check it out

go to www.ula-equipment.com and click refresh a few times if you don't see me. Brian, the guy who owns ULA, sold me the pack I used for my thru-hike. I sent him a thank-you postcard with a picture a while back, and he's put it on his website. I'm not sure how my name got changed...

I'm famous! Hi Mom!!

a one-year anniversary

One year ago today I had a little run-in with that most dangerous of power tools, the table saw. The index, middle, and ring fingers on my right hand weren't much of a match for the carbide tipped blade spinning at several thousand revolutions per minute.

I've always considered myself to be fairly careful with power tools. Having grown up around them I was familiar with what they were capable of. I'd heard people with half a hand warn that the minute you don't respect these things, they'll bite ya. But a momentary lapse of caution together with a couple of other factors such as hurrying and extreme cold all combined to make for a very interesting workday.

Here's the glove I was wearing that day. It didn't have any holes pre-accident =)

I'm purposely omitting the pics I snapped with my camera phone at the hospital. Here's the hand 5 days after:

And here's the hand I'm typing this with today (just snapped with my camera phone):

Isn't the body's power to heal itself incredible? Or rather, isn't the One who created the human body amazing. A year later, my glove's still torn up, but all I have are some faint scars and some scar tissue, and some (not total) loss of feeling. I can type and do just about everything else just fine. This could have been so much worse. God is gracious! (Incidentally, that happens to be the meaning of my name.)

tidings of great birthday wishes

Happy birthday bro. you da man!

In keeping with the excellent tradition started by Erin...

hearings shmearings

The latest work-related news is that I showed up in court today (all spiffy in a new suit of course) and discovered that I had the wrong time for our pretrial hearing. What a waste of a clean dress shirt.

More interestingly, albeit less recently, I got to argue the merits of a case before a judge in chambers last week. I was sent to simply confirm dates at a trial readiness hearing, but informed that if I could ask to speak with the judge in chambers (fancy legal word for "office"), AND convince him and/or the DA to dismiss our case, I'd be looking at a hefty Christmas bonus. With nothing but inexperience to lose, I gave it a shot. I presented a brief summation of the facts of our case along with our strongest arguments why dismissing the case is in everyone's best interests, and the judge's interest was piqued. He indicated that he saw some merit in what I was saying, and just as a glimmer of hope started to surface, the DA piped up with some concocted story justifying the charges which was completely inconsistent with what the officers had written in the police report. I was 99% sure this guy (who wasn't the DA assigned to the case and was just filling in) hadn't even read the case materials or the police report and was just full of crap. I called him on the carpet but it was just enough to keep the case headed for trial: No dismissal for our client, and no Christmas bonus for me. I learned from another DA in the office that I was up against the young hardline prosecutor who's making a name for himself by racking up as many convictions as possible. Apparently his self-image can't handle the defeat of dismissing a losing case that's not even his. Actually, he may not have had the authority to dismiss, since he apparently doesn't have all that much seniority in the office (all the more reason to appear tough- it's a vicious cycle).

Anyway, it was the first time I appeared in a persuasive rather than simply procedural capacity. Instead of entering a plea, requesting a continuance, or scheduling court dates, I was actually arguing the merits of a case. Gotta admit, I was a little nervous when the judge looked down at me and said "Mr. S------, what do have on this case?," but I enjoyed it as well. From what I hear, a little fear can heighten the senses and improve performance, as long as you're controlling it and not vice versa. Anyway, it adds to the experience, just like it does with, say, skydiving.

That's what's new on the legal front, at least on the surface. Below the surface, an issue is brewing, which I hope to resolve and later blog about in a post titled "the ethics of criminal defense." In that post, look for answers to such weighty questions as "is there such a thing?,"can prosecutors be sleazy too?," and "why didn't Sean go to the potluck dinner at Faith Baptist?" Ok, that last one might not be included, but it's still a weighty question.

warning- boring post

Today marks the first time (as far as I recall) that I've paid someone else to change my oil and filter, something I'm perfectly capable of doing myself. Actually, I enjoy being under the hood occasionally. Few things make you feel more like a man than wielding a big wrench in grease-stained, busted-knuckled hands. But it's just not very practical in my present circumstances (insufficient tools and space, and probably against the rules at the apt complex anyway). The upside is I found this lube place that has you in and out in ten minutes without ever leaving your car! (Rather than using a lift, you pull up over a "pit" and they do the work from below. ) I was impressed with the efficiency of the system, and can certainly see why hardly anybody bothers with doing it themselves anymore. And, I used a coupon I found in the phone book to get three dollars off plus a free car wash. I'm sure Fiona is surprised and grateful for the sudden lavish attention bestowed upon her.

California's Central Valley is essentially a dust bowl, so the cars get really dirty really fast. One guy at my office has a monthly membership arrangement with the car wash allowing for unlimited washes. I never heard of such a thing back east. And I'm sure products like Rain-X, which are big in the northeast, aren't so hot out here. Sometimes I wonder if the windshield wipers will ever serve a purpose other than smearing the dust around on the glass.

My father was a top-notch mechanic, working on everything from boats to big rigs. His father ("Grandad") maintained a little workshop down in the basement so he could tinker well into his golden years. I'm grateful for the experiences I too have had working on my own vehicles and learning from/helping Dad work on the family cars growing up.

So today, I'm glad the Subie's clean and lubed, but I miss the satisfaction and fulfillment of getting down and dirty with the tools.

waning uncle-osity

I miss my nieces and nephews! Can't wait to see the PA ones at least over Christmas. Look at how cute these kids are!


This is the newest neice, Mary Kate Colleen. Looks like she was born with only three fingers on her right hand.


This is my Oklahoma niece, Adelaide Wynn, or "Addie." Do we not make a very cute couple?


And here's a man after my own heart: Owen Patrick. He concocted this getup with the help of his two older brothers and younger sister before bedtime the other day. This is some classic styling: tube socks to the shoulder, pants legs rolled up to the thigh, and suspenders with no shirt. Reminds me of some of my own original designs, back in the day. I'm not sure exactly what he was going to be fishing for.

He doesn't even wear glasses. And yes, that's a sharpened stick protruding from the bandana. Note the clever placement of hair (or ear =) scrungies. Ingenious!