Friday, Sweet Friday in Book Six: Trying to Hold On 2019

As much as I did not like the thought of rising from my warm bed and getting ready for work; I am ecstatic that this is Friday. The bloody foul weather of late makes each day feel longer. Though, that’s ironic because technically from a “past the solstice” perspective, the days are getting longer. Whatever happens this weekend, I’m just glad for it. Especially as it is not one where we have 8 million things to do. I can simply.... do the required/expected chores of this evening, do marriage counseling tomorrow (which I expect will be less than stellar for reasons I can’t articulate), workout Saturday afternoon… but then the rest of the weekend is open to do… whatever.

I’m going to put this list here so as not to completely ignore it or forget it

WHAT I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH AT WORK TODAY

Computer Training Module “Captain Awareness”
Amend Two Charges as Filed to conform with signed Plea Offers
Prepare next week’s schedule
Map out March
Tidy Office

Wow… that Computer training was a 2 minute video staring cartoon super heroes (unlicensed and fabricated by a corporate machine) telling us Never give out your passwords, pin numbers, or access codes. Really? Really? I mean… I get that I’m “young” and grew up with computers.... but even if you’re Ancient as Fuck Grassley… do you really need to be told not to share confidential security information?

The amended charges? An excellent professional example of “It’s easy when you know how.”

Next Week’s schedule?? Honestly not as bad as it should be! Monday is a Juvenile Court Day. In this county, that almost always means 1 (or more) hearings every half hour starting at 9 and ending at 3. We have.... a lot of issues convincing parents to put their kids as priorities over drugs and/or abusive relationships. Yet despite that this Monday? I only have 9 hearings TOTAL and we’ve already resolved 4 of them via motion. So… downright shocked! Other than that my next week involves 13 hearings and 3 trials. So… not slow but not massively busy.

Or at least, time to do some reading and some Prosebox catch up and the like.

(1) PB Catch Up
Okay, I discuss this sometimes so I appreciate if people are thinking “sod off, writing re-runs are ridiculous” but that is the problem of the human brain and heart… sometimes experiences repeat and those repeated experiences inspire repeated feelings that express themselves as repeated motifs, themes, and statements in writing. So, if you’ve read me for a long time, you (as always) have my permission to skip if you so choose.

Several of my Prosebox Bookmarks have been experimenting in the Land of Love. And as they should, and as I would hope many of us would, they’ve been writing of their exploits. Sticky, sweaty, fumblings in the back of taxis… passionate lips and tongues in elevators… swipe right a few times and end up in orgasmic ecstasy the likes of which should inspire great poetry… even simply the joys of a cozy day becoming blowjobs and sex… love, passion, and fun exist. Frankly, I’m even including simply people carrying on explicit E-Mail contact with another person in all of this! And I’ll admit… complicated feelings well up in me during this. Complicated for many reasons… and if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to discuss it briefly.

The truth is YES I have had sex twice this year. That is actually really good for my marriage. On July 2nd of this year, we’ll be celebrating the 8th anniversary of our wedding. We had 3 years of celibacy in our marriage and fairly often go 6 months (give or take a month) between sex too often. My wife has no interest in lingerie, sexy outfits, oral sex, foreplay, or much of anything outside simply “allowing sex to happen when she’s in the mood.” This makes me a bit jealous and a bit sad when I read about people enjoying the passion and sexual adventure of life. But, as I said, those feelings are more complicated than simply “I wish my wife had any interest in that kind of thing.” It goes deeper. Because I vaguely remember the joy of making out. I have made out with only 5 people in my entire life… and I can promise you that 2 of them would say that what we did does not rise to the level of “making out.” I have only received oral sex from 2 people in my entire life. There hasn’t been actual passion in my life for around 12 years. And that’s on me! Really. I don’t blame Wife for the fact that I’ve kissed less people than the national average for sex partners. I rarely think about this but as I was writing this it popped into my head… comparing “number of women I’ve kissed” to “number of men my wife has had sex with” It is a 1 to 3 ratio. For every person I’ve kissed, she’s had sex with 3 guys. I don’t say that to “Slut Shame” her… if I was genuinely bothered by her behavior in that arena, I would not have dated her. I say that to “Prude Shame” me… to state that I am genuinely bothered by my behavior in that arena. I can barely describe the feelings… growing up, I imagined myself often. What I wanted to be, how I wanted to be. And (because of my programming, no doubt) all those fantasies and desires and passion and romance… the idea of meeting at a hotel bar, making out in the elevator, falling into bed, and ravaging each other… the idea of going to a Fair or Amusement Park, being so in love, and just needing to hold hands and kiss each other… the trillion and one ways I envisioned being romantic, or sensual, or sexual.... all of those swirled in my head and I thought, “How awesome is it going to be when I can do all of that with my wife?!” So I missed out on doing any of that with someone before my wife. And I’m having a genuinely hard time letting that side of me go. Frankly, I don’t want to. I want to keep the hope alive that someday that couple that hikes the mountain and makes love at sunset could be us. But I’m a rational person. My wife is, by her own admissions, a lazy 38 year old woman. By her actions and comments, she is a woman that isn’t stirred by anything. She knows worry, fear, depression, rage… but she doesn’t know joy, or bliss, or excitement, or passion. So that idea of exchanging racy e-mail messages back and forth, getting her more and more in the mood, until I come home and we sate ourselves on each other? That idea lives in me, but it dies in me as well. All the desires, ideas, hopes, and prayers… they will remain merely a construct of my mind. An interesting abstract I’ve spent too much thought on, like Time Travel or FTL.

As I said… complicated feelings.

(2) The Kind of Thing That Could Get Me In Trouble

So this is the kind of statement that could get me in trouble but at the same time… this kind of thing bothers the piss out of me. One thing that experiences teaches new lawyers is that The Judge has all of the power. No matter what you do, what you say, what agreements have been made… The Judge has all of the power.
Case in point: Yesterday between Bossman and Me, we had 27 hearings. All of them in regards to possible Jury Trials on March 14th. Yes, that’s right. 27 cases set for trial on one day. Luckily, of those only 9 of those cases were mine. How we tried to deal with those 9 cases?
(1) Guy abusing children; asked for Trial to be continued due to Discovery and Depositions.
(2) Guy abusing his g/f and violating every No Contact Order there is. He claims he has witnesses that exonerate him, but he has been unable to produce them. Asked for Trial to be continued to allow him “legally proper time” to either present his witnesses or allow the state to prevent them from testifying.
(3) Guy abused his girlfriend with a knife. We got a plea deal. Don’t have to worry about him anymore.
(4) He Said/She Said abuse case… she says he strangled her, she fought back… he says she was fighting him, so he strangled her. We need to depose the witnesses before we can go to trial.
(5&6) Violent obsessed asshole that refuses to take any plea deals because “I’m more important than she is.” His attorney asked for a continuance due to schedule conflict with a higher court.
(7) Domestic Abuse case where he slammed his first into the woman’s head. Plea deal. Taken care of.
(8) Difficult case with a lot of questions in the law. Additional time was requested by both parties for legal ethics and questions of law.
(9) Schizophrenic is taken to the hospital, freaks out, hurts a nurse. We can likely get a plea but we asked for a continuance to let the guy “adjust to his meds” first.

SO.... of 9 cases
2 definitely resolved
1 plea likely, continuance requested
2 cases that will DEFINITELY go to trial, continuances requested for Good Faith Attorney Scheduling
4 cases of “possible, likely plea available, we just need more time to verify.”

Judge rejected/refused ALL requests for Continuance. He said that his calendar looks too full to move things back so he won’t allow any continuances. So… out of 27 cases… only 9 of which I can speak to… I’m now looking at an intense Jury Case in District Court… and potentially 7 jury cases in District Associate Court. Not likely to happen!

This, more than anything, is something I wish the public understood. Review the above case descriptions again. Many of them have victims. Now… which of those cases should I offer an obscene plea deal to. Because the Judge would say, “all of them.” So… do I tell the guy that sexually abused little girls that he doesn’t have to spend any time in jail? Or do I make that offer to the guy who strangled his girlfriend? Or do I make that offer to the guy that stalked, threatened, and beat his girlfriend over several months? Because that’s what I’m facing. I’m being required, by the judge, to try to just… throw my hands up and say, “Some of you are getting lucky and get to deal with ZERO consequences of your actions.”

(3) Nostalgia? Or something else?

I can’t explain it (other than an abundance of time spent) but I sometimes find myself missing Video Game Worlds. Not even so much the video game itself (though sometimes, I do) but just the worlds explored. Part of me will always miss Teldrassil. Exploring the island, the forest, seeing the wildlife. Part of me will always miss the worlds and landscapes of the Fable Games. The towns, the markets, the forests, the plains. Part of me will always miss the worlds of Destiny. Fighting through planet surfaces, underground areas, spaceships. Part of me will always miss the worlds of Knights of the Old Republic. Each planet, a new experience with new people to meet and new creatures to see.

These worlds imprint themselves into my brain as the backdrops of where I had fun. It is less “I’m in a basement/dorm room/apartment pushing buttons on a controller/keyboard.”

It is… I’m there. Exploring these new places. Enjoying the beauty of a “nature” I’ll never know. Don’t get me wrong, some of the planets and environments are very real-world-earth-like… I’m not a shut in. IRL: I take hikes, I went camping, I’ve experienced the actual OUTDOORS. But there’s something different and special about these environments. Whether it is the fact that they are not “corrupted” with mosquitoes and pollen and unpleasant distractions… or whether it is how vast and diverse they are… or how alien and strange but beautiful they can be....

Sometimes I’ll hear something… a phrase, a piece of music, a noise… and I can feel myself back there. A little boy guarding chickens from an aggressive little girl.... or a scoundrel trying to make sure the galaxy is free… or a young Awoken making sense of the new political landscape… or a nightelf knowing nothing but the freedom of running through the woods with my faithful nightsaber. I’ll miss those places… some of which I honestly can never get back to.

OBVIOUSLY if I’d had friends with me in those places (as I often did in Destiny) I’d likely focus more on the experiences than the backdrops… but who is to say? Maybe that is just the kind of guy I am. The kind of guy to discover, appreciate, and love the detail that goes into a world.

(4) News

Seth Meyers: “How Much More Evidence Do We Need That Trump Was Trying To Obstruct Justice?”
I’ve been asking this question for SO LONG. Frankly, Trump encouraging Russia to hack Hillary and the DNC on live television in front of hundreds of cameras?? That was enough for me. The fact that within 24 hours of that (according to US Intelligence), Russia hacked the DNC simply makes it more concrete. Then you add the innumerable ways that Trump tried to shutdown the investigation or get people he selected to run the investigation (or surrounding investigations) and you have MOUNTAINS of evidence. But the answer to the question? “One more.” That’s the absolute DANGER of Cult-Like bullshit like what is going on with Trump Supporters. The answer is, and always will be, “One more.” Which is the same as saying “It will never be enough evidence to convince Trumpists that Trump did anything criminal, immoral, or wrong.” Sad. Truly.

How Democrats Can Avoid Turning Their Presidential Primaries into a Circular Firing Squad
This is an incredibly important perspective to grasp. As the Democratic field grows, balloons, explodes… we’ll see the Tribalism within Tribalism. It won’t be “I support Harris over Sanders because I respect her career as a prosecutor and senator.” It will be “I support Harris over Sanders because an ancient white man running things is the last thing we need right now.” The repetition of ATTACK. This proves damaging as, for instance, lets say 1 candidate emerges to challenge Trump. If the Tribalism got vicious… that candidate may not receive every Democrats vote. Worse still, if attacks were large and persistent… it frees up the GOP Campaign Machine to do so much more, since now they don’t have to research the opponent to get dirt. Democratic opponents aiding the Republican Campaign Machine to take out the Democratic Candidate. THAT BEING SAID… I will confess that I worry Senator Warren’s policies are too progressive to get her the Midwest Vote.... and I worry Bernie Sander’s policies are too progressive and that he is FAR TOO OLD to win a campaign against the incumbent.

House will vote on Trump’s national emergency
In the political age we find ourselves in, I never have high hopes for any legislation making any kind of profound impact. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention to it. We should be just as knowledgeable about what our government is doing as ever… because our government forms the laws that we live under. We should never take for granted the fact that WE are THEIR bosses as well as their “subjects.”
RELATED STORY: Mitch McConnell is on the verge of facing the 18 longest days of his political life

Bowser takes over at Nintendo of America
Even during news cycles as bleak as 2017, 2018, and 2019… it is important to look for news that makes you smile. This made me smile. “In what is surely one of the most charming cases of nominative determinism ever, it has been announced the new head of Nintendo of America will be a man named Doug Bowser.”

Trump-Russia inquiry: What might ‘Mueller report’ look like?
These stories make me nervous. Largely, because they all feel like they are chock-full of speculation. And as an attorney can tell you… speculation can be good for persuasion, but it isn’t evidence. And if you don’t prove your case on evidence… you’ve got no case. Unlike the Clinton Issue, the truth is.... Robert Mueller is a strict by-the-books rule-abiding investigator who comports himself with great dignity. In short, the special counsel’s obligations at the conclusion of his work are to provide a “confidential report” to Attorney General Bill Barr explaining his prosecutorial decisions. Which may be bad news for actually discovering what was in the report… and not just for the American people! Mr. Barr has an obligation to provide the top members of the Senate and House Judiciary committees with a brief explanation of any actions taken or instances where he overruled the special counsel’s proposed action. And that is it. That is the FINAL WORD on that obligation. So… if Mr. Barr thinks it is in his friend’s best interest to keep a lid on all of this… he could refuse to allow ANYONE to see an ACTUAL copy of the report. Something important for us all to remember.
RELATED OPINION PIECE: The American people must hear from Mueller
RELATED STORY: Mueller could tell all in last major court filing in Paul Manafort’s case
RELATED STORY: All the President’s broken men
RELATED ANALYSIS: What Roger Stone doesn’t get

(5) Cracked.com Articles

2019 Is The Golden Age Of Racist High Fashion
Now… before you read this article, you may want to take this small visual quiz… do you find the following advertisement racist:

If you don’t find that racist, and would like to have a discussion as to why it is very definitely racist, I would love to help out.

5 Stupid Lies That Backfired Hilariously
5: A Guy Faked A Kidnapping To Get Drunk With His Friends, Went To Jail
4: A Sister’s Engagement Disapproval Led To A Military Response
3: A Prank Magic Act Turned Into A Riot
2: An MLB Manager Motivated Players With Fake War Stories, Got Fired
1: A Bunch Of Soldiers Staged A Fake Battle So They’d Look Heroic

6 ‘True Story’ Oscar Movies (That Are Secretly Full Of Lies)
6: Bohemian Rhapsody – Everything About The Live Aid Climax Is False
5: Most Of BlacKkKlansman Didn’t Happen
4: The Favourite – Sorry, There Was No Steamy Love Triangle
3: Vice – Um, Lynne Cheney’s Dad Didn’t Murder Her Mom
2: Welcome To Marwen Fudges With Some Important Details
1: Green Book Is A “Symphony Of Lies”

20 Underrated Things & Three Reasons To Check Them All Out

Because I actually DO like this movie, dammit.

This is a great film.

That’ll be it for me for this one. I’m going to try to start writing some of the stuff I’ll be working on this weekend. Feel free to check out some of my other books or other work if you’re looking to see “What may come”