NaBloPoMo 2010 Day 18 -- New template

You may have noticed the new template for the blog. It just felt like it was time for a new look. (No, I'm not going to re-introduce the mullet. Not yet anyway.) I settled on this particular background because it reminds me of my times and my friends in Scotland. (I know it looks like the English coast, but it was the closest I could find.) Can you smell the sea air and feel the cool breeze?

Let me know what you think of the new look.

I started this blog over three years ago. K-Man was 2. That seems like so long ago now. I was perusing those early posts a little bit today. Some great shots of Kee and funny stories. (OK, enough with the sappiness.)

In some ways, the new template is an expectant metaphor for life. We go about our lives day upon day. Sometimes life steers us in a new direction. Sometimes we choose a new direction. Either way, we can make the choice to make the most of the new direction by embracing it. In the end, we're different -- hopefully for the better. It feels like we're in the midst of one of those times of change, and the new look is a way of embracing that. Stick around to see how things turn out.

Meanwhile, 6 months later ...

Things have progressed over the last 6 months. It's been up and down. I spent some time decompressing from 9+ years of firm life. Jen and I took a trip to St. Pete in February for a few days. I helped coach a little league team in Sandy Springs this spring with a former colleague at my old firm. That was something that I had wanted to do for a while and just had not had time to do. It was a lot of fun working with those 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds. We did well too. Finished the regular season 21-3 and then swept the league's "World Series" to cap off the 23-3 season with 2 trophies. I am planning to help out again next year, so it will be fun to watch the 10's and 11's become 11's and 12's and see how they progress.

On the work front, I spent some time looking at other opportunities, but nothing materialized. So we made the decision to strike out on our own. I've opened Pinto Law Office, LLC -- conveniently located on the first floor -- of our house! It's taken a while for things to get moving in the right direction, but June was a good month for us from a billings standpoint. Now I just need for those clients to pay me. I am primarily doing the same things I was doing before: Labor and Employment Law mostly representing employers. I am open to representing employees as well who have employment issues. I have helped a couple of clients recently with some internal investigations they wanted conducted regarding harassment allegations and potential disciplinary decisions. Feel free to refer business owners, HR managers, and individuals who you may know who need some labor and employment advice. The website isn't up yet, but I hope to have it finished soon.

July brings another trip to Scotland. This year, Jen is joining the team for our trip over to provide a youth camp for a church outside Glasgow. I am helping co-lead the team this year because last year's leader moved to Nashville. I am also speaking during the morning sessions, so I have been trying to finalize those talks over the last few weeks. I have a new-found respect for pastors who prepare messages on a weekly basis. Jen is a little uneasy (understatement) about leaving K-Man behind on this trip, but she knows he'll be fine staying with Grammy while we're gone. She's stopped counting the days until we leave; now she's counting down the days until we return. If you want to follow along with our Scotland trip, there is a website set up where we'll be providing updates and photos HERE.

One of the things about launching out on our own and giving up a regular paycheck is the uncertainty of it all. It has been, and will continue to be, a constant test of faith. I give it up and take it back all the time. We are learning. But it is hard. Jen has been incredible in her support of this decision. She lived through the years at the firm -- which were not all bad -- but it wore me down. I was, at times, not a very likable person. (I know, you're all shocked to hear that! But it's very true.) Jen endured a lot through that. I owe her. So I sometimes feel bad that after enduring the past 9+ years, she now has to walk through this present mess and the stresses that come with this. But I think, despite all the uncertainty, that she and I are supporting each other very well. Because with the uncertainty comes the freedom to make our own schedule and for me to be around in the middle of the day to do some things with Kee that I hadn't made time for before. So keep us in your prayers as we walk this walk and see the Lord's faithfulness shine.

10,000

In case you didn't notice, I missed a few days this week. OK, every day this week since Monday. My second year of NaBloPoMo is less then a success. I can live with that. This week has been crazy at work. Getting ready to file a brief and getting all the ducks in a row. Long days. No time or energy to write. But you don't want to listen to my excuses.

Despite my less than consistent posting, you guys keep dropping in here. In fact, this week, one of you was the 10,000th viewer of this electronic journal. I'm guessing that at least half of those views are people searching for new photos of K-Man. I don't blame you. Keep coming back because there'll be more of those. And thanks for dropping in.

Speaking of Kee, I think this is going to be a big year for him at Christmas. Not because he's all into the gift-getting. For the last few months, he and Jen have watched Polar Express about once a day. We watched it 1.5 times today. Of course what started the love affair with Polar Express was the train. In fact, it is still commonly referred to around the house as "Train Movie." But in the last few weeks, he's noticing the Christmas things in the movie -- especially the Christmas tree. We don't usually get our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving, but this might be the year we do. Just to see Kee's eye light up as we walk through the Christmas tree forest (in the parking lot at White Water.)

Nourish

I am switching up the playlist on the blog for a while. This is a collection of songs that I have labeled "Nourish." I've had this list for a while but decided the time was right to add it. Given some of my experiences in Scotland and some other things I/we are praying about, this list is resonating with me right now. I figured why not share it with the handful of people who visit the site? Be nourished.

(Photo: sunset over Paisley, Scotland)

Au revoir Novembre et NaBloPoMo 2007

First, let's address the law school exam question. Hats off to Bekah for at least taking a shot at the fact pattern. And Bekah has some good legal instincts. The issue of verifying the date of the service on the DVD is important. But R confirmed that it was the Sunday morning in question. And Q didn't challenge that point. Q's main argument was that the company's sick leave policy didn't specifically state that employees on sick leave couldn't go to church.

That might seem plausible if it wasn't so laughable. Come on. She said she couldn't work because her back hurt. But she can wear high heels standing on the choir risers, sway to and fro for a good 45 minutes during the singing portion of the service, and then be on catching duty for the prayer at the end of the service?

Then when she comes back to work, she brings in a note that says she was completely incapacitated all weekend?!?! Which is it? OK enough to go to fully participate in church or complete incapacitation? It's one or the other, but not both.

The suspension is warranted because the employee abused the sick leave policy. Sick leave is designed to make up the employee's wages lost when she has to miss work because of illness. Keep in mind that when the employee missed the shift, the company had to call in someone who already was scheduled to work a full week. So that cost the company the overtime wages that it had to pay the employee who filled in.

Well, it's been a fun and long month of NaBloPoMo. Jen is glad the month is over because too many nights were spent trying to come up with something half-way decent about which to write. I've enjoyed the challenge of trying to identify something worth posting. I may have missed the mark a few times, but I gave it a go. Thanks for reading all month. I may take a day or two off, but I like doing this too much. So you'll see a new post before too long.

Why Do This?

The question has been posed: Why do I do this? Why do I blog? Why do I post on a regular basis?

It really is a multi-faceted answer.

1) I enjoy writing. I see this thing as a way to develop that. I think my writing can use all of the practice that it can get, so I'd like to think that the more I do this, the better I'll get. You can be the judge of that -- and I'm a big boy, so don't be shy with the blog-crit.

2) I am opinionated. This gives me a place to share some of those opinions. Some days, I am more comfortable than others sharing what I really think about things.

3) I enjoy being a part of this sub-culture. I enjoy the connections that develop over time as people read my blog and I read others. I like to think that from time to time I might have something to share with fellow bloggers (and blog-stalkers) that provides them with an opportunity for some vicarious learning. I know I have benefited from reading others' posts and comments.

4) I have a really cute kid. This gives me an excuse to post pictures of him and tell goofy stories about him. And talk about how awesome he is. And about how thankful Jen and I are about being entrusted with the task and privilege of raising him (foreshadowing).

[I made a new playlist for the holiday season. I promise not to start it until after Thanksgiving. I hope you will like it.]

What's one more blogger?

This is my long-delayed foray into the world of blogs. I say "long-delayed" because more than a year ago, I attempted to launch a blog by this very name. I reserved the web address. I arranged an account with a service to host the site. I even spent money on fancy software to help build the site. The problem was that I knew nothing about building a site -- even with the relatively easy-to-use yet sophisticated software. I enlisted the assistance of my friend, Mike, to help me because he knew far more than I did about the software, but sometimes, even the best teacher can't get the student's light to go on.

Recently, I noticed that a couple of friends had started a site on this service, and it got me thinking: "why reinvent the wheel?" Just use the templates that are here and launch. So here I am. I apologize in advance for anything I may post on here that offends you or that you may find is a complete waste of your time. (I am confident my apology will come in handy on more than one occasion.)

There is no real purpose to this site. I won't be focused on celebrity gossip or personal finance or sports, but it is possible that certain posts will include any or all of those three topics as well as a number of others.

That latter idea is a great segue into how I chose the name for this blog.

It started with a free association -- hearkening back to my undergrad study of psychology -- about my favorite season: fall.

Fall
Autumn
September
Leaves
Deciduous
Colors
Crisp

Deciduous . . . deciduous. I like the colors of the deciduous trees in the fall. I know that a deciduous tree sheds its leaves in the fall, but what does the word "deciduous" actually mean. I looked it up in Webster's, and there were several definitions there: (1) shedding the leaves annually; (2) falling off or shed at a particular season, stage of growth, etc.; or (3) impermanent; transitory.

There it was. Impermanent or transitory. Like my thoughts. I like to just spout off on topics. Just ask my wife. Deciduous Thoughts. I've been having them my whole life. Under this framework, I can take whatever position I want on something and not apologize. I told you up front that my thoughts are transitory.

Or it could be a play on words in that while I may think that my thoughts are transitory, in reality, I am a fairly staid person who doesn't much care for change. And by placing my thoughts online, are they really impermanent? They are at least semi-permanent until the server runs out of space to hold the old thoughts.

So there you have it. I'll stay away from the obvious Paul Harvey reference.

I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you and hope to hear from you in the comments section.