Its Thursday morning and last weekend I participated in teh first weekend of events for Leadership St. Louis. LSL is an annual class selected, allegedly, though I doubt it with my inclusion, of leaders or potential leaders in St. Louis. A colleague of mine is also involved.
On Friday, we drove to Cedar Creek Conference Center in New Haven, MO. We did this at the early in the morning so we could spend all day learning about us. Frankly, I think the program will be excellent. We are going to have great opportunities to see and do things we might not otherwise have the chance to do. However, the weekend, while a lot of fun, was at times a little slow moving.
One area, though, caused the most anxst and boredom. We took a DiSC assessment. It is a multiple choice test (questions) that ultimately result in a packet of information that tells you what type of leader are you. Are you dominant, creative, do you lay in the weeds, etc.
I was a rules person who does not feel the need to be dominant. In other words, I get stuff done, but I'm not in your face about it. Now the assessment itself has value and as we read the descriptions of ourselves, they were for the most part spot on. Mine was eerily accurate. The presentation, though, was painful
The lady who did the presentation was quite proud of herself. She also enjoy talking about Myers Briggs, something that I had not taken. While discussing Myers Briggs, she used acronyms (a pet peeve of mine) when we did not know what the acronyms meant. In any event, the 4 hours with her was not a good four hours.
The rest of the weekend was very good. We did team building exercises. Generally, I don't like those, but we had a lot of fun and did help break the ice since 65 strangers were together for the first time. We had an open bar in the evening, which always helps breaking the ice.
We had to put on a little ten minute show. The group time to put the show together was also fun, but my group was good. I avoided many of the particularly "take charge" people that can irritate me.
That was last weekend. This weekend, I am going to my 20th high school reunion. It seems like yesterday that i graduate high school. I remember being in the church. I remember leaving in the limo my parents had rented (or won at an auction) and driving around town. IT seemed like the whole world was in front of us, and, I suppose it was.
18 years old is so young, but at the time, it seems so old. you think you know so much about how the world works and what your place is in it. In fact, you have no idea how it works or what your place in the world really is. I guess, though, I still don't know place in the world. In the end, isn't that the hardest thing, knowing your place, and more importantly being happy in your place, wherever your place is? I think perspective is the most important attribute that a person can have.
In any event, its amazing how much things have changed since high school. I'm the same person, but in some ways, I am so different. I had no confidence in high school. I had no feeling that I was special or that I could do special things. I was just a person on a track with no control. I look forward to seeing the class mates that make it. I've seen a few class mates through the years, but recently, I've seen nobody. It should be a great time to think back 20 years and remember how we were and how that shaped us into what we've become today.
This post got heavier than I intended when it started (that is one reason why I love writing...you don't know where its going). I hope everybody has a great day.
Be easy
-cp
It is what the title says, it is simply what I think. nothing more and nothing less.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Another day
Its Thursday, 7:12. I just finished my morning work out (few weights, run 2 miles, and swim an 800). I'm training for a triathlon (which I always misspelled until about 2 weeks ago). Its on 9/30 and it should be interesting. I have no idea how long it will take, primarily, b/c I don't know how long it will take me to ride a bike for 21 miles.
We swim a 750, so that should be okay (not too bad), but it is in a lake so it will be a challenge. Then we bike 21 miles and then we run a 5K. Amazingly, the 5K is the least of my issues. One year ago, I couldn't run .25 miles (that's 1/4 to you and me). I am not running multiple miles multiple times a week. Now I am actually worried about speed (of which I have very little).
I ran my first 1/2 marathon in 2:42 (that is 2 hours). My second in 2:49 (but it was 85 degrees in my defense). I'm running another at the end of October and I want to beat 2:30. I think I can do it, based upon how I feel now, but so much appears to depend on how I feel on that day. I used to tell people that I would only run when being chased...now I actually enjoy it. It gets me some time by myself to think about what ever I need to think about that particular day.
Sometimes, its my kids. They are something...Lincoln is a holy terror when he is not charming the pants off of everybody else who meets him. He turns 2 in 2 weeks and I can't believe my youngest is so old. Time really flies. Lily is going to be 6 and she is in kindergarten. She is bright, funny, and rather athletic. She also sucks her thumb (we are looking for ways to stop that). BTW: When a pediatrician tells you to take the binky away at 1 year, DON'T DO IT. A 1 year old will immediately move to their thumb and you CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY. With Lucy, we took the binky at about 2 1/2. She did not move to her thumb and we're good. We are taking the same tack with Lincoln, but we'll see what he does. He only uses one at night (same as Lucy) so I think we'll be okay.
Do you think Lily knows that is her college fun going to her braces??? :) Just kidding (kind of).
Sometimes I think about work (the work I should be doing now). The new job is going well...I'm keeping busy and people keep hiring me to help them with their problems. Interesting work and interesting times. The stress, of course, is wondering and worrying where the next case/client is going to come from. You learn quickly that what you did last year has very little bearing on what will happen this year.
Sometimes I think about my parents or my brother. I wish I saw them more. My parents are 70 and clearly getting older. Its weird for a long time they did not seem to age, and now, they are clearly getting older. My dad is doing well, but my mom looks and acts like an older lady. It is kind of depressing in one respect, but in an another, I suppose that will happen to me at some point (right??) I guess I hope so b/c if it doesn't that means that I've gone WAY TO EARLY!!.
I hope everybody has a great day. These rambling posts might one day turn into something with a theme or a point, but maybe not. Some days I might post personal stuff, other days, it might just be funny shit I found. Who knows, I certainly don't. I do know that I like writing and I've decided to do it more and more. NaNoWriMo is coming up again and I'm going to try and get out my 3rd book.
I'll talk to you later. Take care and be easy.
-cp
We swim a 750, so that should be okay (not too bad), but it is in a lake so it will be a challenge. Then we bike 21 miles and then we run a 5K. Amazingly, the 5K is the least of my issues. One year ago, I couldn't run .25 miles (that's 1/4 to you and me). I am not running multiple miles multiple times a week. Now I am actually worried about speed (of which I have very little).
I ran my first 1/2 marathon in 2:42 (that is 2 hours). My second in 2:49 (but it was 85 degrees in my defense). I'm running another at the end of October and I want to beat 2:30. I think I can do it, based upon how I feel now, but so much appears to depend on how I feel on that day. I used to tell people that I would only run when being chased...now I actually enjoy it. It gets me some time by myself to think about what ever I need to think about that particular day.
Sometimes, its my kids. They are something...Lincoln is a holy terror when he is not charming the pants off of everybody else who meets him. He turns 2 in 2 weeks and I can't believe my youngest is so old. Time really flies. Lily is going to be 6 and she is in kindergarten. She is bright, funny, and rather athletic. She also sucks her thumb (we are looking for ways to stop that). BTW: When a pediatrician tells you to take the binky away at 1 year, DON'T DO IT. A 1 year old will immediately move to their thumb and you CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY. With Lucy, we took the binky at about 2 1/2. She did not move to her thumb and we're good. We are taking the same tack with Lincoln, but we'll see what he does. He only uses one at night (same as Lucy) so I think we'll be okay.
Do you think Lily knows that is her college fun going to her braces??? :) Just kidding (kind of).
Sometimes I think about work (the work I should be doing now). The new job is going well...I'm keeping busy and people keep hiring me to help them with their problems. Interesting work and interesting times. The stress, of course, is wondering and worrying where the next case/client is going to come from. You learn quickly that what you did last year has very little bearing on what will happen this year.
Sometimes I think about my parents or my brother. I wish I saw them more. My parents are 70 and clearly getting older. Its weird for a long time they did not seem to age, and now, they are clearly getting older. My dad is doing well, but my mom looks and acts like an older lady. It is kind of depressing in one respect, but in an another, I suppose that will happen to me at some point (right??) I guess I hope so b/c if it doesn't that means that I've gone WAY TO EARLY!!.
I hope everybody has a great day. These rambling posts might one day turn into something with a theme or a point, but maybe not. Some days I might post personal stuff, other days, it might just be funny shit I found. Who knows, I certainly don't. I do know that I like writing and I've decided to do it more and more. NaNoWriMo is coming up again and I'm going to try and get out my 3rd book.
I'll talk to you later. Take care and be easy.
-cp
Monday, September 10, 2012
I'm back....well kind ov
Its been so long since I last wrote, I don't remember when it was. I think it was in the spring (I suppose I could look it up, but, frankly, I'm too lazy this morning).
It has been quite a summer. If we talked in March, I would have told you that I would not have expected any major changes in my life. Well, life has a way of fucking up what you think is going to happen. I left Goldberg Pickett (long story that will not be discussed here) and joined Greensfelder, Hemker, & Gale in St. Louis. Greensfelder is a large firm (one that would not have interviewed me after law school), but it is going well.
As I sit in my office, contemplating the journey to get here, I am often thinking of the many different paths that can get you to an end point (what ever that end point might be for you). I can't say that joining a large firm was my ultimate goal, really, at any time. If I was honest, though, I'd admit that I probably came to that conclusion more because I did not excel at the class room part of lawschool. I was adequate (and in those classes that I liked, more than adequate), but nothing more.
I did not join law review or the other status parts of law school. I did do international moot court, but even that fell into my lap. It was, of course, the reason I decided to become a public defender. It was in moot court that I discovered how much I enjoyed that part of being a lawyer. It was not the writing, the research, or the other stuff that we do. It was court. I'm not sure where I would be without that international moot court team. Even still, my grades were okay, but Greensfelder (or any similar firm) would have had no interest in me.
I joined the PD's office which, in my opinion, is a fantastic way to go out into the legal world. You meet a lot of people and you handle cases on your own. Its a little sink or swim, but it is great training for real life as a lawyer. I loved it, but, as with most public sector jobs it wore me out. I believe that EVERYBODY is entitled to the best defense, and money should not be an issue. Many pay that lip service, but to me, it is a fundamental princple on which this country is founded. In any event, I left the PDs and joined Larry Goldberg.
I worked hard for and with Larry. We had some good times and I've left. Leaving was much harder than I thought it was going to be. I'm not sure why I thought it would be easy, when the reality is that I saw those people (Christy, Cassie, Larry, and Paul) everyday for 7 years. I saw them more than I saw my family in many weeks. It was weird, certainly, in the beginning, to not see them, not to talk to them...it's easier now as I get used to the people at GHG.
In the end, I am very thankful for the position I now have. I am able to provide for my family and I get to keep doing what I love to do. I suppose that is all we can ask for, right?
I guess the point of this rambling entry is to remind people that many times things work out. I said in the beginning, I'm not going to discuss why I moved, but remember that things have a way of working out.
"I know it seems hard sometimes but remember one thing through every dark night, there's a bright day after that so no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out, keep your head up, and handle it." -- Tupac.
Enjoy your day everybody
It has been quite a summer. If we talked in March, I would have told you that I would not have expected any major changes in my life. Well, life has a way of fucking up what you think is going to happen. I left Goldberg Pickett (long story that will not be discussed here) and joined Greensfelder, Hemker, & Gale in St. Louis. Greensfelder is a large firm (one that would not have interviewed me after law school), but it is going well.
As I sit in my office, contemplating the journey to get here, I am often thinking of the many different paths that can get you to an end point (what ever that end point might be for you). I can't say that joining a large firm was my ultimate goal, really, at any time. If I was honest, though, I'd admit that I probably came to that conclusion more because I did not excel at the class room part of lawschool. I was adequate (and in those classes that I liked, more than adequate), but nothing more.
I did not join law review or the other status parts of law school. I did do international moot court, but even that fell into my lap. It was, of course, the reason I decided to become a public defender. It was in moot court that I discovered how much I enjoyed that part of being a lawyer. It was not the writing, the research, or the other stuff that we do. It was court. I'm not sure where I would be without that international moot court team. Even still, my grades were okay, but Greensfelder (or any similar firm) would have had no interest in me.
I joined the PD's office which, in my opinion, is a fantastic way to go out into the legal world. You meet a lot of people and you handle cases on your own. Its a little sink or swim, but it is great training for real life as a lawyer. I loved it, but, as with most public sector jobs it wore me out. I believe that EVERYBODY is entitled to the best defense, and money should not be an issue. Many pay that lip service, but to me, it is a fundamental princple on which this country is founded. In any event, I left the PDs and joined Larry Goldberg.
I worked hard for and with Larry. We had some good times and I've left. Leaving was much harder than I thought it was going to be. I'm not sure why I thought it would be easy, when the reality is that I saw those people (Christy, Cassie, Larry, and Paul) everyday for 7 years. I saw them more than I saw my family in many weeks. It was weird, certainly, in the beginning, to not see them, not to talk to them...it's easier now as I get used to the people at GHG.
In the end, I am very thankful for the position I now have. I am able to provide for my family and I get to keep doing what I love to do. I suppose that is all we can ask for, right?
I guess the point of this rambling entry is to remind people that many times things work out. I said in the beginning, I'm not going to discuss why I moved, but remember that things have a way of working out.
"I know it seems hard sometimes but remember one thing through every dark night, there's a bright day after that so no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out, keep your head up, and handle it." -- Tupac.
Enjoy your day everybody
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