3.1415926 (yay, still remember it!) in Book Four: Ichi-no-Tani 2017

Holy Shit, I’m never going to catch up with you folks and that makes me feel kind of shitty.
Also makes me feel kind of shitty? My weekend involved doing mostly nothing. No work, no apartment stuff, no time with friends… just… mostly sitting around. And, okay, maybe I needed to do that as I don’t feel quite as ill now but… there is too much to do to have two days of doing nothing.

(1) SOCIAL. I need to go through my list and find out which friends are still in the DM Metro area and try (TRY) to schedule a time to connect with them. When I was in Omaha or Tiny Town… distance was an acceptable enough reason to be a shitty friend. Now that I’m HERE… I need to re-connect with the people I claim to care about. Having them in your life and actually interacting with them are separate enough things that… well… I’ve never exactly been good at being a friend. I’m there for people. I’ll listen. I’ll help. But… taking active steps to keep in contact? To keep the relationship going? THAT is where I fall flat. Because I don’t think that friendships should take work. And obviously, that is bullshit. Everything in this world takes work. That being said… most of my next weekends are entirely 100% claimed. Easter weekend… Omaha on Saturday… an hour’s detour because I need my drugs and I don’t have time or insurance to get things set up in DM right now… and then Easter. Weekend after that… hopefully time with Wife. There are still a LOT of areas in DM that Wife has never experienced and one of them is FREE OF CHARGE on the 22nd… and considering our situation, that is the best price ever. Then the weekend after that; trying to spend it with MBFITWW for his 30th Birthday. Then, arguably, the weekend after that I should probably do something for my own birthday (33). Then Mother’s Day Weekend, then a weekend that ISN’T scheduled yet, and then a Work Weekend at Celebr-Asian Festival. So that’s me until JUNE already! And I have… a lot of people… that I need to consider. And even that statement made me feel like a dick but… should I try connecting with my college room mate; or is that a relationship that I can just keep the way it currently is? Should I contact people I’ve not spoken with since High School or just focus on friends in the area I’ve spoken to in the last 10 years? Bah!

(2) Work… this is going to be an interesting and terrifying topic for some time, I’m sure things will ebb and flow and change as things settle; but straight up? When your paycheck depends on the work output you do on cases… this “beginning phase” is fucking terrifying. I’ve had no appointments yet (those will come in a week or more) and am mostly trying to fumble my way through a few immigration projects. I’m proving that I’m hard working and tenacious… comes from my extreme dislike of not knowing things… but if I’m just “helping out on a few projects” that is what… 12 billable hours for the entire week? Go me. Really earning that cash. (sarcasm) At least I’m trying to be an asset. And at least I’m learning and working. Both of those statements is/are more than I can/could say for my work as a Prosecutor. But there are four specific goals I have for this job and I really would like to get started on them. (a) Help the firm expand. The immigration court for the midwest is in Omaha. Big areas for Immigration lawyers are schools; thus Ames, Iowa City, and Cedar Falls. The firm has a location in Ames. I want to help them get big enough to have a location in Omaha, Iowa City, and Cedar Falls. Which means I want to help this firm get big enough to need to hire 3 more associates. (b) Make money. Lets be honest here; the world is constantly becoming a more expensive place. Some studies say that “Millennials” will have to save over two million dollars for retirement just to live AT OR NEAR the same comfort levels our grandparents enjoyed. Due to cuts in Social Security, Medicaid, and over all life expectancy. That means 2 million saved. Per person. So… 4 million dollars EXTRA at the end of a lifetime of work for an adult couple. Never mind any hopes or desires to travel or own a house! (c) Gain a reputation as a Problem Solver Attorney. I don’t want clients to see me as the Attorney you go to if you have to… I want to be an inspiring experience for them. I want clients to come to this firm and feel secure in the knowledge that every attorney here has the ability to assist them. (d) Establish Comfort. As usual, I know that I can’t help wife take control of her life. That is something she needs to do on her own. I can’t save her from her issues, she has to do that. But I can certainly keep trying to establish a better environment for her to try that. I got her back home. That’s step one. Now I need to make her feel like she doesn’t need to carry us financially. Just… keep pushing here for her sake, y’know?
Those are my hopes/goals for this job. Maybe ambitious. Maybe silly. But that is what I want. And I’m not sure how much I’m doing on that front right now.

(3) Speaking of work… I have a motion thing to do; but need Chinese Boss’ assistance on it. She and White Boss went home for lunch and it can (sometimes/usually) take 90 minutes or more. While they were gone… got one of those nasty, spontaneous nose bleeds that I hate. Went all over my tie. Looks… tragic. So… of course… as I have very little to do… what I would prefer to do is.... go the dry cleaners and pick up my clothes; drop off my tie and hope they can take care of the massive blood stains. Then get my hair cut because the weather is warming up and this 1970s mop is getting in my way. Then head home and check out the work out facility before returning to the apartment, taking a shower, and helping Wife with Apartment Fixy stuff. That is what I’d like to do. What I’ll actually do is wait here. Until at least 4. Then maybe try to do those things.
That being said… due to insurance issues and what not… while I am pleased that I no longer feel feverish… my leg pain is taking a toll. God, I wish my body wasn’t such a… well… we’re told God doesn’t make mistakes but… my body sure seems like it has a few too many inherent glitches.

And as I run the day out… the four things in my head at present?




I think I have actual work tomorrow; as Immigration Motions are being sent over to get me to do a draft. So… fingers crossed for that.