Category: Personal Thoughts

Life Balance – Knowing when to fold ’em

We spent two weeks traveling 2500 miles with our Airstream trailer. Our ultimate destination was New Mexico and Albuquerque’s Balloon Festival, I believe the largest of its kind in the world. This year, there were 550 balloons in the area. See six photographs taken by my wife as we enjoyed the R & R.  During our travel to and from the Festival, we saw Arizona’s Canyon de Chilly … and Twisters, a throw back to the 1950s with its absolutely fabulous malted milkshakes in Williams, AZ on Route 66.  A great time!

Life Balance – Knowing when to fold ’em

We spent two weeks traveling 2500 miles with our Airstream trailer. Our ultimate destination was New Mexico and Albuquerque’s Balloon Festival, I believe the largest of its kind in the world. This year, there were 550 balloons in the area. See six photographs taken by my wife as we enjoyed the R & R.  During our travel to and from the Festival, we saw Arizona’s Canyon de Chilly … and Twisters, a throw back to the 1950s with its absolutely fabulous malted milkshakes in Williams, AZ on Route 66.  A great time!

Travel provides opportunities

We are approaching the end of our vacation.  We left Albuquerque’s Balloon Festival (its 39th year) and then went to Canyon de Chelly in AZ.  A unique experience. On our way out, we stopped at the Hubbell Trading Post, operated in the Navajo Nation by the Hubbell family until about 1964.  From there, we traveled toward Flagstaff on Hwy 40 with the intent to go to Williams (for an outstanding chocolate malted milk) and then to Prescott , AZ to spend time with friends.

En route, however, we heard that there had been 3 tornadoes between Flagstaff and Williams. We got off the highway, waited for an hour … and after we were told that the DOT could not predict the weather for the balance of the day, we decided to go south instead of west.

I had to sacrifice my malted milk … oh well. I had two in Williams the week before.  As we traveled south, we bordered the tornado path but missed it. The rain was heavy and we hoped we could also escape hail.  We lucked out, although we did stop under some underpasses when the rain was so heavy we could not see.

We’re safe and o.k.  And tomorrow, we start our last stage en route home. 

Stuff happens when you’re planning. Success is the intersection of preparation and luck. And preparation must include flexibility, the ability to change as circumstances change. Perhaps we can think of such changes as "change orders" in the construction industry. There are many paths to achieve our goals.

Cal. State Bar Conference…personal thoughts

At the recent California State Bar conference, held in Monterey, CA, Ed stopped into the Expo booth of the Legal Secretaries. Most lawyers fail to appreciate how important a good secretary is to their success. Creating a good team best serves our clients… and they know it when they see it. That’s the way to create a loyal bond between law firm and client.

Vacation travel — Route 66

After a very busy September … and a very exciting month, indeed … we’re (me, my wife and Bandit) on vacation, traveling in the Airstream en route to the Balloon Festival in NM …  Today, we’re in Williams, AZ. Last night, here, we stopped in to Twisters.  This is a throwback diner to the 50’s … on Route 66.

The pricing on the menu ends in 66 as in $5.66.  And an old Ford Fairlane sits in front. This place is a hoot, creating all kinds of memories for me.

But, the best is their chocolate malted milk shakes … make with chocolate ice cream and served in a tall glass … and with the stainless steal canister in which it’s made. This means 2 1/2 glasses of a great tasting malt. A friend told us of this place and it’s one of the best recommendations I’ve received. It was so good that I intend to return for one more …. Of course, that will mean the need for a longer bike ride to burn off the calories … Hey, you only go around once, right?

Your Brain Is Next

A lawsuit was filed against the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Immigration authorities for searching and even confiscating electronic devices such as laptops, cameras, media storage devices and related items. The suit, according to an LA Times article this week, was filed by the ACLU, New York Civil Liberties Union and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers on behalf of the National Press Photographers Association, criminal defense lawyers and a student.

According to the article, the lawsuit “… says policies adopted by U.S. government agencies permit the search of all electronic devices that ‘contain information,’ including laptops, cameras, mobile phones and data storage devices.”

How is it that American citizens, despite the tragedy of 9/11, are willing to sacrifice their civil liberties so hard won over the last centuries? How is it that the government has the right to peek into our thoughts, contrasted to our actions? Thinking of yelling “fire” in a crowded theater is not illegal, only doing it is.

Seen Matrix? When will the first brain dump be required by the government? If they can see and review our personal thoughts contained in our electronic journal (our laptop, etc.), how much further before they decipher the brain inside our head?  What’s the difference? And if we have been thinking naughty thoughts, having fantasies or otherwise thinking outside the norm, will we be “confiscated?” That’s what the government is doing now.

Lest you think this is happening to foreigners traveling on our soil, the article points out that more than 6,500 people have had their electronic devices searched since October 2008 as they cross the Canadian-U.S. border, nearly half of them are American citizens!

Where are you, Tom Paine, when we need you?