do you know him? If not why not? Have you opened your heart to him? Have you given your life to him? I know I am sounding like an evangelistic christian right now but I am serious. If you read of the green man, (I mean please, go and read, listen, absorb, feel). The green man is the embodiment of my faith, he is, not to put too fine a point on it, my god. He is not a nice old man in a white nightie with a long white beard, no, he is the trees, he is the soil, he is the tiny seed that germinates and turns into a mexican sunflower plant that is six feet wide and just as tall, he is the most perfect of zinnia flowers that struggles through the soil to shine, he is a caterpillar that hatches from the tiniest of eggs and turns into a chrysalis and then turns into a butterfly, he is the most profound, the most basic, the most elemental of beings that doesn't promise you everlasting life, that does not promise you a heaven after death but just promises you a heaven here on earth should you choose to embrace it. I ask you, this one favor, sit for a second, in your garden, in a park, in a wood, anywhere that there is nature and just sit for a second and watch, just listen and watch, the green man will invade your soul, will send the tendrils of his being into your heart, he will grasp it, enclose it, enfold it. Give your heart to the green man and he will take you home.

Yesterday I took advantage of my "free" day off and got some camera time in. First I went to Shelter Creek to see how the fall color was coming. As it turned out there were more evergreens surrounding the creek but it was pretty all the same. Best part about it was the peace and quiet.



On the way back something caught my eye, the way the sun was streaming through the cattail leaves in the ditches along the side of the road. It gave a whole new meaning to "fall color"



When I got back I decided to go for a walk in the woods at the end of my street, and see what was happening by my own little creek. When I got there I began wandering along the pathways and was delighted to discover that the leaves were at their peak. It was beautiful down there, watery sunlight pouring through the trees created dappled light on the forest floor, it really looked quite magical.



As I walked along the path the leaves scrunched under my feet and occasionally a critter (a skink or a lizard) would scurry away from where they had been basking in the sun. The path down there meanders quite a little and there is always one more bend to explore.



As I got further into the forest I could hear gun shots, and through the trees I saw three men (marines I think) firing BB guns into the trees. I am not sure what they were firing at, birds, squirrels but I thought that it would be wise to discontinue my walk so as a) not to get hit by a stray BB b) not to come across a dead or injured bird and end up confronting the men and telling them where I would like to shove their BB guns. Still I enjoyed my brief walk and I did come across a rare and secretive critter, the elusive Black Creek Monster which as you can see was about to make a meal of the passive and unsuspecting Upsidedown N Fish.



It was a good day.

I would like to start out this post by saying that nothing I am about to tell you is covered by any sort of attorney/client privilege, everything I am about to tell you is a matter of public record, and the trial that I am discussing was viewed by the public. We had a trial the past couple of days in criminal superior court which was an appeal from a district court trial where our client was found guilty (wrongly of course but we will not get into the reasons for that). I will not say anything about that, but the fact that we got to this point, in criminal superior court for two days wasting the tax payers time and money is in itself a crime. Our client was a waitress at Pizza Hut, a career waitress you understand, not someone putting herself through college or something but a young lady who has a calling to be a waitress (I would like to point out that I have been a waitress for a portion of my life and can tell you that it is one of the hardest jobs on the planet, those girls work hard) anyhoo, enough of my empathy with waitresses. This one particular day three people walk into the restaurant and do not get immediately seated by the "please wait to be seated" signs. They decide to go and seat themselves and then get ticked off by the fact that a waitress does not immediately come and serve them. Our client (lets call her Sue for the sake of brevity and privacy) notices these people at the table. She goes to the back and asks another waitress "who seated that table" noone knows. So Sue sees that the male of the group is snapping his fingers in the air (if there is one thing guaranteed to piss off a wait person it is a low life cretin snapping his or her fingers in the air) Sue goes over, asks them what they want to drink and the male says "we want three fucking pepsis" Sue, realizing there is a problem here tells her on duty manager "I cannot wait on these people, they have an attitude" duty manager assigns another waitress to the table and she takes care of them. At some point after having eaten their fill of pizza and salad and having several drink refills these people complain to their new waitress "what is up with all the attitude around here" waitress politely asks them if they would like to speak to a manager, they say yes, manager comes over, speaks to them and says no problem, "we will take care of the meal" she leads the three people up to the register to take care of the meal. At that point the daughter of the group points at Sue and says "we are going to have your job you little bitch" Sue says "I am not sure what the problem is but what can we do to make it right" customer repeats statement. Sue says to manager "would you like me to clock off" she goes ahead and tries to do that, as she is going to clock off she goes to the table of one of the prep staff who is eating lunch, Ms. B says to her "what is wrong Sue?" Sue tells her that people have been complaining about her. As Sue is telling her that the older lady comes charging across the restaurant and starts pointing her finger in Sue's face saying "you fucking bitch" then grabs Sue's arm, Sue backs off and says "don't touch me again, or that's it" at which point daughter and fiance come and grab old lady by the arm and pull her out of the store. End of story. Done right? So why is our client on trial? Well according to little old lady, her daughter (and daughter's fiance at the first trial - strangely enough he did not show up at the second) the scenario is this...... (just remember what I have just told you) They waited for ten minutes to be seated, when they weren't seated in what they deemed to be the right amount of time they seated themselves. Sue (our waitress) greeted some customers at the door shortly after these people had seated themselves and said "sorry your regular table is not available someone is already sat at it" At which point our girl Sue went over to the people's table and had "an attitude" "your sat at one of my regular customer's fucking tables" She took their order and got their drinks. Then she came back and threw plates onto the table (first trial) at the end of the buffet bar (second trial) then she threw napkins onto the table. When the people asked to speak to a manager the manager came over and they told her of their complaints, at which point the manager told Sue to go to the back Sue said "I am not fucking going anywhere unless I am going home" (to the manager you understand) at this point the three people head to the cash register where they are checking out, the manager not charging them for their meal, at this point Sue charges around the counter and attacks the old lady, digging her fingernails into the woman's arm (first trial) waits in the darkness by the bathroom for the old lady to come to the bathroom where she attacks her. (second trial). At this point two cooks come out of the kitchen (look I am not making this stuff up, this is what they testified to) ran across the restaurant, jumped onto the pizza bar and were threatening to beat these people up. At that point (at some point, gawd I lost track) the three people left the restaurant and immediately (I think before the ink on their receipt was dry) called the Pizza Hut 1-800 number and filed a claim for injuries and all sorts of emotional distress) Okay you guys, you are reasonable people, I am assuming, which scenario do you believe? Thankfully in this case the jury believed the truth, that our girl Sue did nothing of the sort and they found her not guilty. However, that does not erase the fact that our girl Sue has had to endure two trials, several months of showing up for Superior Court calendar call (she is a working mom you understand, can you imagine how hard that is) and being vilified on the stand by three people who's agenda was obviously getting money out of Pizza Hut. However as I said yesterday I love my job, watching my boss, at his best, taking these people apart on the stand is a pure joy. I am not talking about attacking a witness who has an obvious gripe, please believe me, but taking apart these people whose single agenda was getting money out of Pizza Hut he was simply masterful. In fact one of the jurors (after the verdict and everything was over) said to us outside the courtroom "I just want to say man, that was impressive, if ever I am in trouble I know who I am going to call" You would not believe how many jurors we have heard that from, in fact you would not believe how many former jurors have since called us to represent them because they want "that guy that we saw in the courtroom represent us". Like I said, it is good to be me sometimes, and the best part of the day? After the not guilty verdict I put my arms around Sue and hugged her she said "thank you for everything you did, I am so relieved I think I am going to cry". There is no better thanks in the world than that, and there is no better feeling in the world hearing the words "not guilty" with reference to a client who you truly and honestly believe is not guilty. It is good to be me sometimes, *sigh* yeah it is really good to be me. By the way, just as an aside, in case you were wondering that we were being paid big bucks for this case, my boss on hearing the original story charged Sue $250.00, when we lost the case in District Court he appealed to superior for nothing, I am delighted to tell you that I work for a lawyer who believes in the principal of the matter, he took a case to court in a half day trial, then to criminal superior court for a two day trial for $250.00, because he believed that she was not guilty and deserved the best defense possible, even though being a waitress she couldn't afford it. I am so proud of my boss you would not believe. It is a privilege, an absolute privilege to work for a man with such integrity, yes I know I am paid well (I am paid very well and he takes care of me with regards to bonuses and stuff) but there is nothing more fulfilling than working for an attorney who has a soul. For all of you who thinks lawyers are ambulance chasers and sharks I would ask that you spend a minute with my boss and then tell me that you don't change your opinion. It is good to be me.

there are some days when it sucks, and in fact this morning and this early afternoon were horrific, I was trying to coordinate between two courtrooms with a trooper that would no cooperate in one courtroom and a assistant DA that would no cooperate in another courtroom and I at one point I told Judge Cameron that I was about to have a meltdown, when when everything settled down it got to the point where I love my job. I cannot tell you anything more than that, but it in the next couple of days I will be able to share the goods, and give you the entire low down of what went on today and tomorrow. Be patient with me. Damn I just love my my job.

just completely bereft, there is no end to my emotional devastation on hearing the news that Britney has filed for divorce from Kevin. I mean is the world not safe any more? What on earth? And reading the pleadings is what I find priceless, she has probably paid that high priced divorce lawyer in LA $50,000 to fill in a "click in the box" form, I mean come on can't lawyers in California at least file decent pleadings instead of check the box bullshit, is there no shame to these high priced sharks? At least here in NC we are required to file proper pleadings, with proper wording and stuff, are divorces so prevalent in LA that you just have to check a box on a damn form? That is so lame. I know this means nothing to most people but as a paralegal I find this stuff damn offensive.