T Minus in Book Four: Ichi-no-Tani 2017

I start the new job April 3rd. Which gives us approximately 6 weeks to take care of things. Of course… not sure how quickly Wife will get transferred. So… there is every reason to believe that I may be living with my parents or brother for a bit. But hey… that would still be considerably less lonely than when I moved to Tiny Town without Wife last year.

As I am trying to train my mind and body to get re-familiarized with the prospect of “Urban Life” again, I am trying to wake up at 5:30 a.m. each morning now. Before… hell, it didn’t matter when I got into the office or when I woke up or how I dressed or anything. Now… it will matter again. I’ll have bosses and people that I answer to. Not to mention Rush Hour Traffic and Parking Issues. All things I need to be prepared for.

This morning’s magistrate court was… well, it is our magistrate. Everybody (all two people) plead guilty; but that isn’t good enough for Magistrate Takes Forever.
A scenario from Omaha:
Defendant pleads guilty. Judge asks the required “willingly, voluntarily” questions. If the defendant says, “Yeah. But I didn’t do it.” The judge may either proceed, re-advise, or refuse to accept the guilty plea. Those are the professional options.
This morning’s scenario from Tiny Town:
Defendant pleads guilty. Says, “It’ll be easier this way.” The judge explains the law (and how she found it and what page she’s on, etc) and asks the defendant, again, how he wants to plead. The Defendant says, “I want to plead guilty. But I don’t see how I can trespass on property I own.” So the judge stops everything and gets the guy’s entire life story (how he’s been kicked off his property for failure to pay) and she gets all concerned and worried about The Law and Fair Application Under the Law and… yeah. In my head I’m screaming “He plead guilty. Either accept it or assign him a lawyer. MOVE. ON.” Instead… she accepts the guilty plea but gives him a fine and suspends it. Basically saying, “As long as you don’t get in trouble, you won’t have to worry about anything.” This whole process (for one case) took from 9:30 a.m. to Noon. 2.5 HOURS TO ACCEPT A GUILTY PLEA? Are you fucking kidding me?! I thought we had some slow judges in Omaha because arraignments would take an hour for ten people… 2.5 hours on ONE person? Christ, woman!

So then… back to the office. And, again, what I should be doing is cleaning and organizing and shredding. All of which I absolutely will do. Especially since (unlike who I took over from) I want to make damned sure that I leave here on a good foot and with a professional, respectful looking practice behind me. Granted… there has been very little about practicing in this area that is professional or respectful… but I didn’t work here 40-60 hours a week just to keep this place “substandard.”

Lots of phone calls through the day, though. One guy called to tell me he wouldn’t be able to catch up on his payment plan; but he’d like to keep sending us money to chip away at the amount. I encouraged him and informed him that is exactly what we would ask of him. Provided he keeps sending money, at least we know he’s trying. Then he spent the next five minutes trying to sell me Silver Mineral Water over the phone. Seriously? Selling me mineral water? Crazy. But, of course, in my head… I’m imagining one of two scenarios. EITHER he works in a call center; called us; and then had to justify the phone call to a supervisor. OR he is just one of those older guys in this community that doesn’t talk to people much and didn’t want to end the phone call.

Changing gears COMPLETELY here… there is something that has been on my mind A LOT. Jainism. It is listed as “an ancient religion predominant in India.” BBC describes it as: “Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live lives of harmlessness and renunciation. The essence of Jainism is concern for the welfare of every being in the universe and for the health of the universe itself.” It’s been on my mind a lot and apparently what I read about it in my Eastern Religions class is still very much in my mind because… I had a dream where I was visiting a Jain Temple. I was taken to a beautiful room of green trees and waterfalls. And there I was presented with 3 amazing jewels inserted into a throne. One on each arm rest and one at the head of the chair. How is this proof that my brain remembers those Jain Classes? (Also from BBC) “The three guiding principles of Jainism, the ‘three jewels’, are right belief, right knowledge and right conduct.”

So now… I really want to write the most Jain, least Jain book of all time. Do No Harm and pacifism are huge in Jainism; but I still want to make a “sole fighter” story. Like… some young kid discovers he is the reincarnation of a Great Jain Elder. He devotes himself to the faith but his visions are disturbing and contrary… telling him that he must also train his body as a great conflict shall arise. And then go from there to something more akin to sci fi/fantasy. A race around the globe to find the Actual Three Jewels. Just an idea I’ve been having today.

Changing gears again… Wife and I have been talking about something my dad said recently. Knowing that we’ve never been on a Honeymoon; Dad encouraged us to (trying to quote verbatim) “Whenever you guys really get settled down someplace; you really need to take a vacation. Call your uncle and use his place in Hawaii or something but… you two just really need a vacation together.” And she and I were discussing this again now that we are, again, moving. And we individually took stock. Since becoming adults… I’m talking 18, not out of college… but since becoming adults… neither my wife nor I have ever been on Vacation. We may have attended Family Reunions. We may have gone to weddings/funerals out of state. I, for one, was lucky enough to tag along with my family to visit the Ancestral Home in Bermuda. I’ve joined my brother and father on a fishing trip or two. But as it goes… taking a vacation… selecting a place to go, planning the trip, setting up transportation, etcetera… neither of us have ever done that. I am 32, she is 36. And we’ve never Vacationed. Let alone vacationed together. Wife said last night: I’m not even sure we’d know how. A valid, if troubling, statement. Made even more so by our very genuine desires to travel to specific places. We honestly want to visit Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Britain, Norway, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand… and a few other places I’ve not listed. We honestly want to go there. This problem, of course, is made all the more worse by things like timing and funding. And I do have to admit… I worry that if we don’t make time or get the funds to take a big vacation in the next few years… we will NEVER do a vacation. Because… we don’t have kids now. Granted, we may never, but I know that we’d both like to someday. So… we don’t have a kid now. This is the best it is going to be for “Pick a place, go, vacation” without the encumbrances of a mostly-helpless dependent. And it is something that does weigh on my mind as… I really think it is necessary that she and I take a vacation sometime… preferably sooner than later.