Thursday Thirteen #25

Thirteen Things About My Day

(Or: The Trial That Wasn't, But Not For Naught)

1) I left the office, after working through the night prepping for today's trial, at 6:30 am and went back to my apartment to try to get an hour and a half of sleep.

2) I arrived at my apartment at 7:00 am, looked in the mirror and thought to myself that I looked like death, washed my face, and then tried to go to sleep after setting two alarm clocks and the buzzer on my cell phone for 8:30 am.

3) The minute my head hit the pillow and I closed my eyes, every circuit in my brain that had been laying low this past week, as I devoted my attention to this case, started exploding in a cacophony of clanging thoughts. Suddenly, I was wide awake with my mind racing. I hate when that happens.

4) An hour later, I fell asleep. I woke up at 8:30 to the blaring of 3 unsynchronized beepings, feeling shaky, and dragged myself into the shower where I gave myself a 5 minute respite of stinging hot water to wake up my foggy mind and unclog my mucus-stuffed head. Apparently colds thrive on a half hour of sleep. I was out the door, fully suited, by 9:00 and back at the office by 9:20.

5) On the way from my office to the courthouse, I and the third year assisting me on the case leafed through a hornbook on evidence to remind ourselves about things like authentication and the spectrum of allowable objections, thinking to ourselves better late than never. I cursed inwardly at myself for failing to grab my Barbri evidence outline. The one time (other than the final exam) when it could have come in handy and I left it on my desk!

6) We arrived at the courtroom with binders and boxes filled with our exhibits, prepared to litigate the crap out of this trial.

7) My counterparty approached me and picked-up settlement negotiations where we had left them the day before, her low-balling and me high-balling, both of us feigning lack of control of our clients. Negotiating is kind of fun.

8) After some time, the Judge requested to see counsel in his chambers without either of the parties. In the eye-opening 45-minute conference that followed, the Judge narrowed the issues substantially, got us to agree to a settlement on grounds (favorable to my client), and rescheduled the second part of the scheduled trial (on property division) for a later date. Who knew that so much could happen in one little iddy-biddy conference?

9) The upside was that we made substantial progress on moving my client's case forward. The downside was that the direct exam script that I had so painstakingly prepared will never see the inside of a courtroom. It made me ponder the wisdom of foregoing all of that sleep.

10) After some formalities before the Judge, my partner and I went back to the office to drop off our boxes and binders. I ran up to my office solely to get my book, Memoirs of Geisha, and then went straight home.

11) On the way home, I stopped off at Banana Republic and bought two cute tops. I was tired and feeling ill, but I wasn't that ill, and this might have been the only afternoon off I'll have for a while. I had to take advantage of it.

12) Entering my apartment, I was so happy and relieved. It's felt like I haven't been here hardly at all. I made some tea, steamed some plantains for a snack, and settled in to watch some of my DVR-ed shows. It was awesome.

13) Just before getting ready for bed, I had my first bubble bath in my new apartment down in my flatmate's bathroom. It was so awesome, I can't even tell you. I'm still reveling in it.

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