Do I want to be a Litigator?

Do I want to be a litigator? I was asked this question on Friday by my boss at my internship. She is a fantastic attorney, with a family life and is from a similar background as me (same congressional district, grew up on a farm in rural VA). She went to a small liberal arts college, and went to a great law school. Not a top 15, not a major player with BigLaw, but a great law school nonetheless. I honestly didn't know how to answer her question. I have not had a lot of opportunities to really figure it all out. I know where I don't want to work. I don't want to work in BigLaw, and I don't want to work for the Federal Government. I do want to work in Environmental Law, and I don't want to do Policy and having to be an ass-kisser and push policy in DC. I want to work where I am currently interning, or someplace similar to it. And I do ideally want to stay in Virginia, at least for the next five years. I don't really have a choice in that matter, anyway.

But I do not have experience, or a lot of it anyway, of speaking in public. I used to perform in public, when I still sang, but that isn't the same thing. I used to act, but I really don't find that to be the same either. You are given a script then, and when you are practicing law you have to be quick with words or you lose the attention of the jury, judges, whomever you are speaking to. I think those qualities are important.

"There's very little difference in the way great men and great women lawyers conduct themselves in the courtroom, U.S. District Judge Norma L. Shapiro told a group of about 500 women at the ABA's Women in Law Leadership Academy in Philadelphia Thursday afternoon.

But there are some things women could do better, the three judges on the panel agreed.

"Women in general lack the confidence that men seem to have in the courtroom," said Shapiro, who sits on the federal court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

And that's a problem. If the attorney doesn't have confidence in herself, neither will the judge or jury, she said. The trick is to exude confidence -- something Shapiro and the other panelists agreed was difficult to do without first some successes under their belt.

So what to do if a lawyer is new to the courtroom and doesn't have the confidence in her skills?

"You pretend. You fake it," Shapiro said, adding that being prepared helps."

Taken from: http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202457596418
Title: Judges Provide Tips for Female Litigators
Author: Gina Passarella
Publication: The Legal Intelligencer
Publisher: ALM Media, Inc.
Date: May 4, 2010
Copyright © 2010, ALM Properties, Inc

I've always been able to "fake it til I make it". I have always done that pretty well. But what we are talking about here is still faking some kind of confidance. I was born with a pretty decent attitude about myself, but not a great ability in hiding my fears. I have a circulatory issue that makes my voice shake and limbs tremble, a lot. I have a splotchy skin on my chest and neck problem that shows up pretty well when I have a problem with someone, whether when I am angry/upset/hurt. Obviously, in a court room I would be covered up pretty well, but it isn't like I can go to court in a turtleneck.

Over the next several months, a year, really, while I prepare for taking the LSAT after graduating... I will eventually need to figure out what I want to do. And maybe it will be me as a "litigatrix".

New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year to all!

What are your New Years Resolutions?



Here are mine:

1. Graduate with my Bachelor's Degree in both Environmental Studies and Political Science in May.

2. Start grad school at University of Maryland, starting small, with my Master of Science in Environmental Management or Master of Science in Management (Non-Profit/Associations Management).

3. Study for the LSAT. I have a couple books, I need several more (especially those practice tests) so I can not waste my time the first time I take the exam. I do want to get my law degree, even if I don't become a practicing lawyer, it will certainly help with my long-term goals in non-profit environmental work.

4. Find a job that is just enough to pay what I need, let me put aside some extras, have a life and earn benefits no later than August (when my health insurance goes away). Continue my tutoring job with my current family of three boys. Which means getting a true office job and being done at 5 everyday so I can get to their house for productive work.

5. Really master jewelry-making so my business can really take off. I've been slowly working on it, but hope to increase it as a weekend occupation after graduation.

6. Set up an Etsy store for my jewelry and other small things.

7. Lose another ten pounds and really tighten everything up again... without hurting my heart like I did two years ago.


[hysterical, but so not P.C.]

Please leave a comment and share with me on what you plan on doing in the New Year!!!

XO

Rainy Day!

Woke up this morning and it was a crazy 64 degrees outside! Gracious! Anyway, I bundled up and attempted to look as cute as possible...

09-08-09 by wwj3697 featuring J Crew

Jeans: GAP
Cardigan and vest: J.Crew (couldn't find all of it on Polyvore)
Jacket: I think actually Delias last Fall?
Shoes: Nine West



In other news, school is going well. I really am in love with all of my classes, even with my awkwardly goofy teachers. I cannot imagine anything else to be spending my time doing, esp when it comes to ALL of the reading for my EVST class that I have been doing. I just cannot wait to go out and do things more actively in the field!!




The Activities Carnival was last night and I signed up for a bunch of groups. I am not running for office for anything - maybe next semester or next Fall... esp as I am just trying to meet people still. But it was a blast last night. I got to talk to a couple of groups of great ladies (who both love the color PINK) and of course Diva's salon was there trying to give me a whole bunch of random hair stuff... I need to book a massage and mani/pedi pronto! The nails are looking rough (but I am maintaining them as best as I can!!). I am hoping to maybe do a fashion column for the student newspaper and have signed up for a few other activities as well!

Anyway, time to study!

1. "W" charm property of Tiffany and Company
2. Polyvore is by me.
3. Yellow Jacket property of R-MC
4. Electrofishing picture from http://www.kinneticlabs.com

Life

So, where have I been for the past few months?

Well, to put it simply, I haven't had ANY internet at my house. We had HughesNet which was the devil, and over priced, and just all-around bad. So, we recently realized with school starting back up again I would NEED some kind of internet. We decided to get me some NetZero dial-up.

Woohoo! AOL-style dial-up circa 1994!! I live 20 minutes from Richmond, VA and this option is the only one I have besides HughesNet... WOWWWWW.

Work is great. I am still working in lingerie but retail isn't suffering for us as badly as the nightly 6:00 news every night would make you think. I average around 300-500+ in sales everyday, and multiply that by 3-5 employees and you get our daily sales. So you could really get why I don't really believe that there is a recession going on so much as a paranoia from corporate overspending.

Then again, I work at a boutique, not a retail box establishment....

I start back up classes on August 31. However, for the first time in almost 6 years, I will be back at a 4-year college. I will be working on my Bachelor's! I am completely ecstatic and grateful to be given another opportunity to finish what I started. It has given me a huge sense of pride and happiness in my day-to-day life. I am just beyond excited as it is a great school and is a old Liberal Arts institution in the south... and Mike is supporting me every step of the way!



More later! Bedtime for now!!

Law School for me?

From the blog, Barely Legal: The Blog - the entry titled "People You Meet In Law School". This entry was written by Russ.

Lots of people in law school like to argue, take charge, and think less of others. While these qualities may seem, on the surface, masculine, they are in fact found in abundance among women in law school. These law students are the Lucys, who much like their Peanuts inspired namesake, are the alpha females of law school.

Lucy realized a long time ago that being cutesy, prissy, or precious like other women was just beating around the bush. Don’t get me wrong, Lucy isn’t masculine (that’s Patty and Marci’s department) she just has no patience for the dizzy blonde Sallys of the world who pine over “sweet baboos.” When Lucy wants something, she asks for it. She doesn’t pout, she complains. She doesn’t hope, she achieves.

Lucy’s self-confident, cool-under-pressure attitude led lots of people to tell her “you should be an actress” or, if she wasn’t that attractive, “you should be a lawyer.”

And many Lucys do go to law school. They approach it with the same attitude they approach everything, with gusto. In Lucy’s opinion, unfairness exists in the world perpetuated by “blockheads” and no “security blanket” is going to help. Lucy is ready to argue for what’s right, in class and out.

Lucy actually enjoys the Socratic method. The process of leading someone down a logical path only to undermine their argument with a final “Yes. But what if…” is the graduate school equivalent of pulling a football out from someone right before they kick it.

For all Lucy’s gumption, romance sometimes eludes her. Men often can be turned off by a strong woman. Men often prefer women in an impersonal, idealized form, like the little red headed girl. After all, who wants their head bitten off every time they ask a question or to be charged 5 cents for advice.

Lucy probably doesn’t want her relationships to be the debating society her life is, so don’t be surprised if you see her with a more quiet, soulful, and artistic Schroeder type.

We don’t need any further evidence that we live in a sexist society other than the fact that Lucy is considered an exception based on her gender. If she’s on your side, you’re likely to say “she’s a real firecracker” or “she’s all business”. and if she’s against you you’re, liable to think (if not say), "she’s a bitch."


I think I may be a Lucy! HAHA!

Good Work, Team!

United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley announced today that Larry Allan Brown, age 47, Michael Shane Brown, age 42 and Harold Edward Mills, age 54, were sentenced in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville today on a variety of drug and wire fraud charges related to their participation in a large scale drug distribution organization.

In October, Larry Brown pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and one count of wire fraud involving Lowe’s, Inc. Today in District Court, he was sentenced to 130 months of Federal incarceration and five year’s of supervised release thereafter.

Michael Brown and Mills both previously pled guilty to one count of wire fraud for their role in a scheme to defraud Lowe’s, Inc. Today, Michael Brown was sentenced to three months of probation. Mills was sentenced to four months in prison followed by four months of home detention and three years of supervised release thereafter.

“Larry Brown was a part of a group of individuals that placed the entire community in harm’s way by bringing large amounts of cocaine powder and crack cocaine into the Fluvanna area,” United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley said today. “I believe the sentence of Larry Brown handed down today is appropriate considering the seriousness of his actions.”

Also charged as being part of the drug conspiracy was Kenneth Brown and Steven Brown. Also charged in the wire fraud conspiracy was Deborah Gentry, James Sandridge and Latisha Willis. In October, Kenneth Brown pled guilty to one count of managing a continuing criminal enterprise. He faces up to life imprisonment. Previously, Steven Todd Brown pled guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine powder and crack cocaine and one count of wire fraud. He faces a term of imprisonment ranging from 10 years to life. In September, Gentry, Sandridge and Willis had previously pled guilty to wire fraud. Kenneth Brown will be sentenced on January 12, 2009.

Steven Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on January 26, 2009.

The facts of the case are as follows: Since approximately 2001, Kenneth Brown has been the leader of a drug conspiracy organization that distributed multiple kilos of cocaine powder and crack cocaine throughout the Fluvanna area. The organization was comprised of a number of individuals, including his brothers Steven Todd Brown and Larry Allan Brown.

A detailed and thorough investigation revealed that Kenneth Brown was the principal administrator of the organization and had an extensive network of sub-distributors that he personally supervised.

Intelligence gathered during the investigation concluded that during a five-year period, Kenneth Brown received from one source a kilo of cocaine once or twice a month. That cocaine was then disseminated throughout the organization and sold. Kenneth Brown himself admitted during the course of the investigation that between 2004 and 2007 he had purchased between 60-70 kilos of cocaine, paying approximately $25,000 per kilo.

Throughout the term of the conspiracy, Kenneth Brown accumulated sufficient quantities of cash to support himself and others, all while having little or no legitimate source of income.

While Kenneth Brown was certainly the leader of this organization, his brother, Steven Brown, was viewed as the second in command. Most individuals involved with the organization knew Steven Brown as the “cook” because of his ability to process cocaine powder into more potent crack cocaine. In addition to cooking crack cocaine, Steven Brown also served as one of the distributors of both powder and crack cocaine.

In December of 2006, while Kenneth Brown was in custody, Steven Brown devised a plan in which individual members of the conspiracy organization would enter any Lowe’s Home Improvement stores in the area and fill a shopping cart with small, but expensive merchandise. The individual would then walk out of the store without paying for the items. They, or others on their behalf, would then re-enter the original store or an alternate site, whether it be immediately or at some point in the future, and return the items.

Typically, Lowe’s customer service representatives would issue a gift card in the amount of the returned items. Members of the conspiracy would then either sell or trade to other members of the conspiracy. More often however, the gift cards would be used to purchase crack cocaine directly from Steven Brown.

Along with co-defendants Harold Mills, Deborah Gentry, age 41, James Sandridge, age 46, Michael Brown, Harold Mills and Latisha Willis, age 34, Steven Brown and Larry Brown stole approximately $40,000 worth of merchandise and gift cards from Lowe’s Home Improvements.

The investigation of the case was conducted by for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Virginia State Police, the JADE Task Force, the Fluvanna County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the Albermarle County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office and the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Ron Huber is prosecuting the case for the United States.

Post on All Things Christmas

So... I couldn't find an EXACT copy of my Christmas card - but here is a similar one - Mike and I had fun filling them out together this year - not done yet - he just happened to use MOST of them so now I need to find some still-cute ones tonight after my final! Jeez!


Our Federal Building had it's Christmas Party last Friday. I know lots of people have cancelled their parties this year due to the climate - but ours has always been at one of the judge's homes and mostly everyone brings one dish. This year I baked both my favorite sugar cookie recipe from a local chef who is a family friend ...

Oh Christmas Tree...



Preppy Gingerbread Man - blue golfing pants polka dotted shirt -


Mike's conservative (TYPICAL!!) snowman:


My MRS. Bill (oh no!!):



and I also did a Giada De Laurentiis recipe - although I fear I used a bit too much mint in my love of mint for the other people eating the food. However, they did go quickly - didn't sell out completely - but they were munched on by at least a dozen or more diners... PLUS, Mike HATES peas, but loved this one. haha

Sweet Pea Crostini:
Ingredients
Sweet Peas:
2 cups chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen peas
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 ounces finely diced prosciutto
Crostini:
1 baguette, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
3 to 4 cloves garlic
Directions
For the Sweet Peas: Warm the chicken broth and red pepper flakes in a medium

saucepan over medium-high heat until the broth boils. Add the frozen peas and cook until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the peas in a mesh sieve.

Place the peas in a food processor with the mint, salt, and pepper. Puree the pea mixture. Place the pea puree in a medium bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the crostini: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the baguette slices on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in the oven until toasted and golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. While the crostini are still warm, drizzle the tops with extra-virgin olive oil. Using a whole clove of garlic in your fingertips, rub the top of the crostini a few times to give a hint of garlic.

I do not put the cream in - it is fluffy and dense enough as it is, and I think it just adds fat to the dish.... I DO get generous with the proscuitto though... To finish, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the pea puree. Top each of the crostini with about 1 tablespoon of pea puree. Sprinkle with a bit of the diced prosciutto. Serve immediately.


Talk about LAME - now, I love Lowes - my Daddy works there as a pre-retirement job (and he can hang out with lots of people we know and get them to buy from him, among other benefits! ha!) and so Mike and I wanted to go there to get a tree to support Daddy. WELL, guess what? Lowe's delivered their Christmas trees to their stores BEFORE EVEN THANKSGIVING. Soooo when people like Mike and I were wanting to buy a REAL tree and a cast-iron tree stand, there was NOTHING left. Whether it was a fresh tree - while there were some they were either tiny or too tall (for our lame-ass townhome)! or a nice tree stand (who the heck puts a 6.5 foot tree into a plastic tree stand)? So we sadly wandered into the building to look at fake trees - neither of us has EVER had a fake tree before - but the more expensive ones were nice. We picked out this baby:



And when we went to check out - it was only $90! 50% off! Yay! We were very excited. And you know what? It looks nice!! I will post pictures of it soon with all of the presents around it.

<3

After reading Hopsy's latest blog entry, my heart has just felt so full and grateful.
Yes, "tis the season to be jolly" - but isn't it also the season to GIVE and LOVE? Hopsy really showed her good colors as she thought about others this weekend and even spent some extra money on Toys for Tots. I am so happy to have friends in the blogging world like this Lady. People are in need right now, genuine need.
On Thursday, over 20,000 Americans lost their jobs. 21 days before Christmas (and other respective holidays, of course). Can you imagine? It made me almost physically sick. And that wouldn't even include the small firms that don't get picked up by Bloomburg and CNN. Ugh.
And so this happened on Thursday and then on Friday I went to the Red Door Spa. Yes, it was an early Christmas gift from Michael, and it was lovely. Massage and Manicure. It was a big gift of LOVE from my LOVE, and I walked out feeling better than I had in months. I had been to the doctor what - 4 times in the past 6 weeks. And been in the hospital, too? Of course I needed it.
So this is what I decided...

1. Take more time for myself. Instead of drinking too much wine and booze. Buying lots of shoes I DO NOT need, and eating sushi from Teeter like 2x-3x a week some months for lunch... do better things. Drink more water. Get a massage - it's good for the body and the soul and can get toxins out of your system. Exercise as regularly as I should - doctors say that will make a good bit of difference on my chest problems. Don't bring work home with me, whether it be literal work, or if it is negative thoughts about my day at work.

2. Take more time for others. See what the local churches do for charities. I am still a member of the church I grew up at in Lexington - because it is the most important place to me - but that doesn't mean I can't go more frequently to other places closer by and HELP. Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, etc etc. I am sure there is something more I could do on my weekends besides cook for Michael and I, and study for school. I do meditate, but I want to do something more hands-on if possible.

3. Give more for others. I've already made some donations -monetarily- to token charities - one of my Chatham Hall classmates participated in the St. Jude Memphis Half-Marathon over the weekend - so I gave to that for her, because that is such an amazing thing to do... I do donate to my alma maters - Chatham Hall, Camp Seafarer, and Randolph-Macon College --- and to organizations I think truely make a difference while sharing my personal beliefs - Ducks Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy, Chesapeake Bay Foundation... but I am sure there is more to the big picture that I just haven't come across yet.

These are my new years resolutions. Thank you Hopsy for inspiring me!!

Catch up

I need to do a big catch-up post soon.

I ordered an adorable belt from Calista Cove last week and I need to post a picture and review of it!

I got two belts from Puttin on the G.R.I.T.S that I bought from here - so cute!

Went to the hospital. Got diagnosed. Now the fun part begins.

Cooked Mike Chili-Mac Stoup by Rachel Ray and a classic Gourmet recipe of Beef Stroganoff that I need to post!

My current school situation - Macon or JSR for another semester and THEN Macon?

Work.

Keeps Getting Better.

Everyone who likes that music that makes you think of a quiet cafe on a Sunday, or a foggy morning in the mountains, or a mellow/sad Christmas, or a rainy winter afternoon... simply must download or purchase this song -

"Another Door Closes" by Jont.

Amazing.

=========================================

In other news, I cannot believe how this season of GREEK ended up. WTF is up with Becks considering leaving the house? And you know Max is not going to Cal-Tech, he is totally not b/c he is so obsessed in love with Casey and the fact that his last GF died will likely push him to put his education after Casey. And I really hope Cappie doesn't ruin this situation for Casey again.

=========================================

My job leaves me sad. I am going to leave that topic at that for right now. Yesterday was a very disappointing day for me in regards to how I am genuinely viewed in the office. That being sad, I enjoy what I do.

=========================================

Michael continues to impress me.

We went to a wedding in SC this past weekend - 5 day long weekend - woot - and it was a lovely wedding. I love going back down to the Deep South because my accent comes out and that is always entertaining. Plus, Michael had never heard it so it tickled him to pieces. AND I took him to Sticky Fingers - A-MAZ-ING! Very fun to share some of my traditions with him!

Here is us post-wedding. It is always funny when the BF is a groomsman and you are at a wedding with people you don't even know! Well, I knew Ginny and Jeremy but that was it!



While at Sticky Fingers for some drinks we had a heart-to-heart. He basically laid it out for me. It went something like this,
Mike: "Whit, what are you doing?"
Me: "Having a really good margarita"
Mike: "No, I mean academically. You are SMART. You are well-read. Your speaking skills are incredible. You are in an Associate's program. You are floating."
Me: "....yes...."
Mike: "But you come home aggravated, you go to class aggravated, you seem generally aggravated and you hate getting up in the morning"
Me: "But I enjoy the WORK I do"
Mike: "What else about it do you enjoy?"
Me: "...."
Mike: "I love you, I am here to support you, I am not trying to tell you to do anything. I am just saying, where you might not feel supported by some people to do what you want, I can and I will support you. And when I say support I mean the full spectrum."
Me: ...tearing up. "This is why I love you. You're right."
Mike: "What happened to the Russian Studies Masters degree? Didn't you want to write or become a lawyer or even teach? The dual-major in Poli Sci and Environmental Studies? With the double-minor in French and History? You have a collection of over 30 Russian History books just sitting on a shelf at your parent's home. What do you want to do?"
Me: "I want to finish what I started."


So... I have been home for less than a week and this is what I have discovered.
Randolph-Macon College:
Majors in Environmental Studies, History.
Minors in Political Science, French and International Studies.

University of Richmond:
Majors in Paralegal Studies, History, Environmental Studies, Political Science, Russian Studies.
Minors in Law and Public Policy Studies, French, Law and Liberal Arts.

These are my options. We are not going to be moving any closer to Richmond than we live now. All I need is a job to cover gas and paying off my previous student loans and my ever-reducing CC debt from when I took a year off. My job currently does that. I will always feel tied to R-MC. But WTF have I been doing the last semester getting my Paralegal Associates? Do I really want to quit something I have started? So many questions right now.

Michael is such a good man. Honestly. It is something I "remember" (i.e. don't ever forget but always comes to the front of me) everyday.

Better

Things are looking up, a bit, at the beginning of this week.

Work = busy; THREE day work week! Yippee skippy. I am trying REALLY hard to be productive!

School=busy; major Biology assignments due in TWO days but at least then they will be done before the man and I leave town on Thursday AM. Plus I have class tonight and Weds which is time-consuming as well. I am speaking of 2 quizzes, 2 lab quizzes, and 2 labs. Ewie. I am thinking I will go into the office early tomorrow AM to really accomplish something FIERCE (had to throw that in).

Personal life=extra busy! Three day work week because we are going to a wedding in SC this weekend b/c FH is a groomsman. We are talking a 200+ wedding with me knowing NO ONE. Southern belle manners and grace are going to be ALL over this wedding featuring moi. I just want to make sure I am appropriately covered in all aspects of etiquette! Jeezles. I haven't been to a legit southern-southern wedding in AGES.

FH and I had an okay weekend. It was a bit tumultuous. Our aggravations are related to trying to save up for 1. an lovely engagement ring, 2. a down payment on a house, and 3. a wedding down the road. NOT easy, esp when you have spent about 2k on attending, participating in, and buying gifts for weddings in the past 10 months!!! Yikes.

So it all pretty much has stemmed from that.


As I sip my San Pelligrino and lime juice, I have my outfit of today posted on Polyvore to share with you all:


10-20-08 by wwj3697

LOVELY. It was our first legit frost this AM (which makes sense as our alarm for 6am didn't get us out of bed until more like 6:45...) so we had to scrape (i.e. Mike did) our windshields before we left for work at around 7:30!! Yippee!!

TV speal:
Ungh. So has anyone lately watched GREEK? I have mixed feelings about how funny the coupling of Max and Casey is plus the whole Cappie totally going to fawn over her at somepoint again in the near future... *sigh* Ashleigh is so lucky to have Casey as her BFF. Does that mean they are going to girl-fight a la Gossip Girl?

I LOVE GOSSIP GIRL. there are no words. Seriously. Let's just get that straight!! No complaints!

The Hills - OMFG. Hollywood, correct me if I am wrong but Audrina is as DUMB as a doorknob! She constantly dates idiots, and now she is doubting LC on hooking up with Justin Bobby? Unless the girl was roofied and raped by the guy, I cannot IMAGINE her ever doing this. Hello, The Hills: The Lost Scenes - she bought HEIDI A CHANEL PURSE. Come on. How much love and genuine-sharing-of-wealth does this girl do. You know she totes was on the mortgage for the house she shares with Lo and used to share with Audrina, too. W.T.F.

Grey's Anatomy - so.so.so.so. good! Seriously. Mer-Der not insano-fluctuating and Izzie having balls. The Callie thing is weird though. Hahn still reminds me of an old bald guy wearing a fabulous blonde-brown wig, but maybe that is just me...


More later. xoxo

My Personality

I took this after Lauren, the Preppy Newlywed posted her results and I was interested to find out my own!

Your personality type:

Practical, traditional and organized. Likely to be athletic. Not interested in theory or abstraction unless they see the practical application. Have clear visions of the way things should be. Loyal and hard-working. Like to be in charge. Exceptionally capable in organizing and running activities. 'Good citizens' who value security and peaceful living.

Careers that could fit you includes:

Military, business administrators, managers, police/detective work, judges, financial officers, teachers, sales representatives, government workers, insurance agents, underwriters, nursing administrators, trade and technical teachers, (mafia dons).


[http://www.41q.com/type.41q?p=13578767]


Wow, I guess I really am in the right career! Cool!

ugh

Three people (1 attorney and 2 law clerks) just had me and another attorney sit through them eating at the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. It was an eating competition of sorts. One of the clerks brought in a scale and the three competing weighed themselves before they left and then when they got back. It was me out to lunch for 4guys so that in itself was fun. Being in an interesting environment like Pizza Hut was, again, fun. So we weighed them when they got back. These THREE guys GAINED TEN AND A HALF pounds while out to lunch.

Insane, right?

Ew.

an update!

Anyway, how are things with me?
Amazing, still.

Michael and I have me all moved in into his apt for about 2 months now, and I have been busy trying to unpack stuff but it is harder than I thought! Quite difficult. My issue isn't the unpacking so much as it is the sorting and distribution of stuff throughout our home.

My lease at Eagle's Landing ended last night at 5pm, and I went over there yesterday to clean and it was defintely something I was glad I did alone. Michael had nothing to do with that place --- but a couple of other guys did. And I am glad that I was able to separate these two lives, because the overlap was aggravating. I just didn't need the reminders - awkward. I mean, don't get me wrong, Mike is VERY well aware of my past, but I am glad I decided to move in with him, definitely.

And while I am living with him, which no one in my family but my Grandmama and Grandpapa Jones have a problem with, we recently came to a crossroads...

Does Ms. Worthington want an engagement ring now?

OR

Does Ms. Worthington want a down payment on a house?

WELL, after much thought and consideration, I recently decided that I want a house. The market is good, and I can be on standby for a rock while wearing a traditional Claddagh ring (which I find classy and tasteful before I get my platinum and diamond masterpiece, which we have already chosen). Oh yes, my ring. So it is a gorgeous 3-stone oval-cut ring. With around 3 carats total including the side stones and diamonds within the platinum band. The band also is laser cut on the side with neat scrolling/floral work - and they can make another band with maybe some stones for a wedding band for me. I chose it because Michael loved it as much as I did. I didn't want to make him buy a big blingy ring that he didn't like too.

So, right now we are saving. I am saving for a house and a wedding. And he is saving for a house and a engagement ring. Woohoo!

Work is good. I still enjoy doing what I do everyday. I wouldn't have it any other way. There is sometimes some inner-office drama, but nothing else is a big deal to me. I do my routine, and I like that. My job is a routine. I know what is coming up, except when we have sudden arrests, and I like knowing when my days off are. That is a benefit of this job, still, over retail. Plus working for the goverment fits my ego. I'm a proud person, and having the ability to work for the government works well for me.

Mike and I are just so good. Sure, our life is kind-of quiet, but we make sure our lives aren't redundant. We go out on occasion, and we are REALLY good about seeing shows we want to see, and travelling so see friends and family. We are pretty sure both of our federal holidays coming up, Labor Day and Columbus Day, that we will be seeing his family for one, and his friends for another. And we have a uber-long weekend when we go to a friends wedding two weeks after Columbus Day. That wedding will be in Greenville, SC, so that'll be fun.

We communicate well, and enjoy each others company. I feel really cheesy in saying that, because it makes it sound like we are married already, and I know, it has been only 7 months, but we are so involved in one another that it's a general understanding that marriage is the next step. And besides, we have faith, and I think that gives us a huge boost whenever we have nervous moments in our lives.

My sister, her husband, and my brother recently spent 3 weeks together in China... that was interesting. Even though my Mom told my sister what to expect she still thought eating weird foods was unusual and that the people in the more remote areas were disgusting. As Michael and I talked about it, the more I realized, while I love my big sister, she is a huge narcissist. I mean, she has gotten over the past 3 years the same emails from my brother out of China as I have. He has told us so many times about the cramped trains, smelly holes you use as toilets and have to squat over, and the people spitting and cooking anyplace they wish. A lot of her emails weren't but a couple of sentences about the amazing places James guided them to. The other 3/4s of the email was her complaining about various ailments and how awful the weather was. Um, you ARE there during the WET SEASON. You ARE in ASIA. WTF? She is 38 now, and she doesn't need to complain to her family over here about how "uncomfortable" she is. Nor do I want to read about all of the gross side affects of her dehydration and stomach problems. I had to EDIT them before forwarding them to Michael. Ew Ew Ew.

So that was going on in June/early July. My brother is back in the States for a month while his Visa gets renewed. This is a new Chinese gov't policy. Previously, he would FedEx it to be renewed and could stay in China. Now he has to go back to the States, which is like a 1200 plane ticket, for 4 weeks while Chicago goes over and renews his Visa to continue work in China. He will be leaving the States on August 13. He will JUST miss C & T who will be in LEX for Court's 20-year high school reunion for that weekend.

I had my wisdom teeth taken out. It took me a month now before I started feeling like myself again. I can even be unafraid to brush teeth and smile and laugh! Oh boy. That was a blast, let me tell you. It was probably the most disgusting thing I have ever been through and I am glad it is done and over with. Mike was such a trooper though, as I have said before, because I was HEAVILY drugged. I was also a crying mess and albeit pretty demanding through my suffering. And he took it like a champ! I think he went to the store several times over my 5-day in-home period, because of weird requests. pudding, jello, chocolate ice cream, beef broth (my hero!!), and other lame non-solid substances. I'm glad all of that is over with though! (I just hope the insurance doesn't kick me in the ass).

I can now start today back with my working out. I have been confined to lame free weights lifting during this crap, and forbidden to even do sit-ups (risk of loosening clots and losing 3 weeks of healing). I have been missing it! I need to get back to my Golds routine and thai boxing, etc etc. Mike this Saturday has a lecture to attend at one of the places he trains at on thai boxing so that'll be cool to sit in on if I decide to do so. I might just play house at home and do stuff there. Plus I can always do my yoga from home too.

I hope everyone I know has seen the Sex and the City movie by now.

Mike and I had a great July 4th holiday weekend. It was his 32nd birthday on the 5th so it was busy! On the 3rd we walked after work to South Street Brewery and had some drinks with some of his Marshall buddies. See, in case not everyone heard about it, the President decided to speak at this year's Naturalization ceremony at Monticello on July 4th, which is a ceremony that occurs every year. There was a short-time frame in which to plan the event, so a lot of meetings occurred in my office to help plan and coordinate. Mike, luckily, did NOT have to work this event, but several of his other coworkers did from various branch offices. We also went to dinner with some at a restaurant here that is called West Main. We like it a lot. Then we saw some bluegrass (with Brennan Gilmore) for a couple of hours. Then we went home. On Friday Mike and I spent the 4th at the Brandermill CC with our friends Douglas and Cindy. The guys jiu-jitsu'd for a couple hours in Doug's garage (it has mats in it) while Cindy and I talked about her wedding plans and played Wii Olympics (flipping hard game, btw). We then grilled out and then walked to the reservoir where the fireworks were. Good times, although I got bitten in a few spots, boo. The next day, Saturday, was Mike's bday! He only gets to be a decade older than me for 3 weeks, haha! So we went to see the Black Crowes and it was awesome. Good times were had by all even though there was torrential downpours before the show and not long after it either. Monday was the day my brother got back from China and flew into Richmond so we (James, Mom, Dad, and I... Mike had to rush off for a Marshall duty) met up on the Mall for lunch and had Five Guys and gelato at Splendoras(James wanted a really good burger as his first meal back in the States). It was a great long weekend.The weekend after THAT was the Wedding in Baltimore. I posted pics on Facebook. What a gorgeous weekend weather-wise. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn and had a lovely 10th floor corner room suite that overlooked the 8th floor garden. The wedding was at Loyola College, which has a gorgeous Catholic cathedral. The ceremony was presided by a close family friend who is a Deacon, and it was just a really intimate, although big, group of people who came from all over for this couple. The reception was at McCormick & Schmicks on the harbor front in B'more. It was great. I cannot say that too much I think. Everyone kept telling me "welcome to the family" so I really felt welcome and happy to be with everyone (except Kelly C. who gave me the stink eye the whole time).

And now I think I have caught everyone up on all I have been up to...

The Former Boss Man...

...is running for state Attorney General. I wish him the best of luck! Vote John B!