May is Mental Health Month

I am swamped at work and barely have time to think.  I worked 74 hours last week.  

I am currently between C and D on the scale. 

 

I'll likely be at this point until after my trial in June.  

And when that ends, I'm taking a week off and not leaving my house.  And while I'm off, I'm planning a two week vacation for August. 

Thursday Things that Must Go!

1. Associates who require constant validation.  You're a lawyer for hell's sake.  Act like it.  Own it.  Make a fucking decision and run with it.  Stop second guessing yourself.  If boss doesn't like what you've drafted/decided/said, you will know it.  Own your decision, back it up with fact, and run with it.  That's what attorneys do and sometimes they're wrong, but willy-nilly they are NOT.

2. Reprimanding employees in front of clients.  Boss #1 yelled at an associate today, in front of the client, for a good five minutes.  Needlessly.  Associate didn't know what she did was wrong and the whole situation could have been handled discretely and without tears.

3. Associates who cry at work.  You're an attorney now. You're going to get your ass handed to you by bosses, clients, judges and sometimes even court clerks.  Put your big girl panties on and suck it up buttercup. 

What are your things that must go?  Play along in comments!

Thursday Things that Must Go

1. Employees who refuse to follow instructions.

2. Employees who refuse to follow instructions and then sound like an idiot on the phone trying to represent the firm.

3. Employees who refuse to follow instructions and then sound like an idiot on the phone trying to represent the firm in a matter that they have zero experience with and I am 100% sure the person on the other end of that phone call knew as well.

Believe in yourself sugar pants, because the rest of us think you're an idiot.

Feel free to add your things that must go in the comments.  :-)

It's one of those

Please kill me by slowly poking holes in my flesh that make me bleed out over the course of several painful hours because that would be far less painful that the hell I’m being subject to at work today.

Breathe

Sometimes, when finals are over, I just have to remember to breathe.  Take a few seconds, close my eyes, take a deep breath and then slowly exhale.  I get so wound up in studying and then taking the exam and then when it’s all done, and the last exam is over, my brain is still going 100+ miles per hour. 

So breathing is very important and gives me something to focus on. 

My finals ended Monday, 12/9 and I jumped on a plane to Utah on Wednesday, 12/11, and once I got there, I worked and worked and worked and worked some more. I usually like to get to bed around 1a.m. but Thursday I was still sending emails at 3:45 a.m. because I’m just so behind on work - and because I cannot shut off my brain, so rather than lay in bed wide awake, I get up and work.  The staff in Utah think I’m nuts.  Of course, I think I’m nuts too. 

By the time I came home on Friday, I nearly collapsed at the front door.  That night, for the first time in weeks, I slept through the night.  I haven’t slept that hard in a while. Plus it’s better to sleep in my own bed, with my doggies around me and my kids in the next room. 

But now, a week later, my brain hasn’t really slowed down and I still feel like I haven’t had any sleep but at least my body is slowly starting to relax. I can feel my neck muscles and I’m not as nearly achy as I had been. I figure I’ll be completely relaxed by the time Christmas is over.

Just in time to start school again on January 6th.

Thursday Thirteen

1…. I bought the dramas new swimsuits yesterday. One piece swimsuits. After the whole kissing thing, I chose not to buy Drama#2 the cute little camouflage bikini with pink straps. I just thought it was a bit too grown up for a 9 year old. It wasn’t the tank top kind but rather the two itty bitty triangle top kind. Who designs these things anyway? Why can’t kids dress like kids anymore? Makes me cranky.

2…. This morning I bought them new school uniforms. My hell, if they don’t stop growing I’m going to have to start chopping off limbs. They’ve grown a whole 2 sizes again this year. They are going to be giant amazon women if this keeps up. But they’ll be hawt. Cuz they have my genes.

3…. You know what really irritates me? Right, like there could be just one thing but work with me here. When a client settles their case, and I call to ALL of the known providers and ask for remaining account balances and/or liens, and the provider says “this account has a zero balance.” And when I say to said provider, are you sure this is a zero balance because we have settled the case and are paying all liens and balances and they then send me an original invoice showing said zero balance. This I’m good with. It is when said provider sends the client to collections for $971 that really pisses me off.

4…Drama #1  has been here since Monday. So far so good. She seems to have a good disposition and finally, she is understanding they why of things. She is on severe restriction because of the drug program in Utah. She can’t go ANYWHERE without TheMan or me. She cannot use the home phone at all. She has a cell phone but we have to take it when she goes to bed. She is so thin. She lost 11 pounds since March. She’ll probably gain it back while she is here because so far she has asked me to make her the following: Butter Spaghetti and Fried Chicken, Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Alfredo with Garlic Bread, Pork Chops with Broccoli Cheese rice, and would I please, please, please make her Chicken Saltimbocca with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli with my special sauce. How can she NOT gain weight eating all that?

5…. I was able to file two letters of the alphabet today. Now I only have 25 more to go. At this rate, I’ll never be done. The only upside is that I’ve got ‘piling’ separated and in the alphabetized expando file. Finally, I feel like I’ve accomplished something.

6…. Hot into the throws of passion is probably not the best time to say “Oh, honey. Did you hear that Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson were getting married?”

7…. Is it wrong that I just want my yuppy boy boss to shut the hell up?

8…. And for the damned phone to just stop ringing already?

9…. Tonight, if I don’t pass out from exhaustion, I’m going to watch Pride & Prejudice and/or Hope Floats. I love that movie. And I love Justin Matese.

10…. Tomorrow is Friday. Thank god. None too soon I may add.

11…. Saturday is my little sisters 18th birthday. She has been here all summer watching my girls and hanging out. My loser parents aren’t even coming down for the weekend. That is fucked up. They are going to deposit “some money in my checking account so I can take her out for breakfast or dinner.” WTFever.

12…. I am growing what I’m afraid is going to be one hell of a headache. I’ve been stuttering since Tuesday and today, I’ve started switching the first letters on words I’m trying to say. I get like this before a really big migraine comes on. I keep telling myself it is stress from work and lack of sleep but I think I know better.

13…. Don’t forget to stop by and see my blogmate Tina. She is way cooler than I am as far as new stuff and ideas. Really, I Recommended her.

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