So, internet service has been restored to my office. Still no email, still no fax, still only a couple of phone lines working. But, its a start. The only question I have is, for how long will I still have internet service? When I come back from trial today (been on trial all week), will it still be here? Truthfully, it is awfully convenient to be able to do legal research in the middle of a trial, so I hope it remains when I return later.

Otherwise, I'll catch up to you all later. Thanks to everyone who sent notes wondering if I was still alive. That was very kind.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:29 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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We had the best, most magical day today. The whole day was really outstanding, the driving aside.

It was raining buckets and sheets today and the parkway was full of deceptively larged puddles that caused hydroplaning and loss of control in several spots. In fact, it didn't stop raining at any point the whole day. That to one side, pretty much everything else was excellent.

We set off to New York City at around 9, me, wife, two kids and nanny (along as a guest, not as a worker) and arrived at Scandinavian House at around 10:45. We were going to attend a special children's book reading:

Princes Märtha Louise of Norway reads her newly published children's book, Why Kings & Queens Don't Wear Crowns (Hvorfor de kongelige ikke har krone på hodet) (Skandisk, Inc., 2005).

It was supposed to start at 11:30 but we wanted to get there early to make sure we could get tickets. While we were chasing the children around the lobby, a distinguished looking gentleman in a tie and coat approached my wife and inquired, gently, if she and the children were Norwegian. Upon being told they were, he invited us to take part in a private, invitation only reception for the Princess. Coool. We were escorted up in the elevator and hung out until the Princess made her entrance. There weren't more than 15 people at the private reception. The kids were excited to meet her, with the Boy Child practicing saying, "Harow, Pin-cess!", right up until the point she arrived when they got a major case of the shys. I actually had to bribe the Boy Child to say hello. Candy works miracles. This was one of the first outright bribes I ever bothered to resort to.

The Princess was way more attractive than I expected. And very nice, too. No one was really talking to her. I think that there may be an etiquette issue about speaking to royalty. Well, I'm American and I sort of assume that doesn't apply to me. So, we had a short but very pleasant chat about her time in New York. I'm glad I wore a jacket. She seemed pleased that someone spoke to her.

By the time we went down to the auditorium, we were among the last ones there and the place was filled. Except for the two rows up front which all had reserved signs taped to the chairs. We were directed to those seats. Again, cool.

I bought a copy of her book while everyone else sat down. Nice illustrations, by the way.

The Princess really was quite excellent. She told stories about trolls and stories about growing up as a Princess in Norway. The kids got to sit in front of her on the stage. It was, actually, a big media event with tons of photographers. My kids ended up getting filmed for Norwegian television because of how cute they were. Really. The Boy Child insisted on sitting on his sister's lap and she welcomed him and they just looked so darn cute together.

She read from her book and then they brought in a table for her to sit at to sign books. Because of our placement, we were around the first four or five people on line to get the book signed. The line stretched around the auditorium and out the door.

My wife went up with the Girl Child. When they got up there, the Princess looked up with a bright and wide smile. I had to wait until later to hear what happened.

GC and Viking Bride approach Princess and GC says, in Norwegian: Princess, would you like to come have lunch with us afterwards?

Princess: I would have loved to but I am having lunch with someone else today but maybe next time!

GC: Ok!

The Viking Bride wished her a safe trip back and they moved on.

I was, again, quite proud of the Girl Child. So self-possessed! Good for her!

We moved on to lunch at a private club nearby where we raided the coldcuts, made sandwiches and stole chips off each other's plates. I changed the Boy Child in the locker room of the men's fitness center. Thankfully, the only two guys in there were my friends and they didn't seem to mind.

After lunch, we ventured back out into the rain and retrieved the car from the garage to head off to the Norwegian Seaman's Church to stock up on chocolate. Well, chocolate stocks were low, but they did have a fresh cake, fresh waffles, and risgroet! Happiness was shared by all! The coffee was good too. After cake and waffles, one of the very nice ladies set the kids up with papers and magic markers and they happily scribbled away. The Boy Child was scribbling on his face, as well.

One amusing interchange. The Boy Child was scribbling away on another boy's paper and I overheard the following:

Boy to GC about the Boy Child (outraged): Hey! He's coloring on my paper!

GC to Boy (very calm): Its alright. You see, he's just a baby and doesn't understand, so its ok.

Again, quite proud of her. Like I've never said that before.

On the way home from the church, we made a quick stop at my favorite Hungarian butcher shop to pick up some yummy Hungarian salami and some walnut bread.

Then to home. Except that the nanny had to make an emergency pit stop in Norwalk, so we pulled off and all had dinner together.

Off to home, kids in bed by 6:45, and parents quite tired out, too.

All told, just a wonderful day. And pretty magic for a young woman, the nanny, who was making her first trip into NYC. Seriously, does it get any better?

Oh, and I almost forgot, the kids had no naps and behaved like total and complete angels.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 07:24 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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Do not rely on television during the in-between hours to provide anything approaching diversion. Up at 3:30 and not because you're slipping out of someone's bed who you just met three hours earlier at a party? Don't turn on the television. I feel as if I've taken a bullet for you all here. Sports Center can only be watched for so long. Dating programs, Blind Date and Elimidate, are just, what, disturbing? An outlet for behavior that I otherwise don't get to see a lot? If this kind of behavior passes for normal these days, than I lead a sheltered life. Its hard to look away, like a bad car accident is fascinating.

Actually, I have to say, the advertisements they run during these programs are really interesting. Feminine hygine products. Chat dating. Internet dating. Internet services. Other dating program promos. Fast food. Breath products. Most of them with a sexual theme. You can sort of reason backwards, reverse engineer, if you will, the typical viewer of these programs. I have to conclude that the typical viewer, the target market, may be a lonely woman with bad breath who has bad periods and likes Taco Bell while shopping for a new cell phone plan to use while chatting on singles' lines because her acne is too bad to date in person.

I have to say that I didn't even know programs like these existed before I turned on the television this morning to see how the Yankees did last night. Um, not well, as it turned out. When I want to bed, they were tied. When I woke up, the Angels had clearly turned it on. Still, there is at least one game left to play in New York. Unlike in Boston. Sorry, Mark. Seriously.

Anyway, off for more tea.

By the way, in case you were wondering, my grandfather has responded very well to the antibiotics and appears to be doing much, much better.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 05:04 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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I know I have some problems with my job, of late, but it wasn't me. I didn't do it. I did not cripple the office. That was Verizon and ConEd. ConEd had a transformer blow up, the old kind with the asbestos, and it took out a Verizon cable. What did that mean for us?

*No Email

*No Internet connection (no legal research, in other words)

*No faxing (fax line gone)

*Only 20% of our phone lines up

Take away our ability to communicate, to research, and to get all our phone calls, and what do you get? Lawyers who have a lot of time to clean their desks up.

We are pretty much totally shut down.

Also, personally, I have some bad news and some neutral news. Neutral first, I am still in the running or at least not been rejected yet for the change of career job.

Bad news: grandfather taken today to the hospital with a very high fever. My mother is beside herself.

I'll try to post a bit over the weekend but tomorrow we are all off to the city to see a princess. A Norwegian one who will read from her children's book. Ought to be fun.

Pax tibi.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:19 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I have vacillated recently between blogging, bursting to write, and all dried up with no inspiration. A feeling like maybe I've said everything I've had to say and maybe I should consider taking a break from the writing. I think that maybe I'm just a teensy bit unhappy at the moment and maybe that means that I don't write when I'm actually unhappy. Really unhappy. That makes some sense, I suppose. When I was a child, and even now, when I was hurt, I tended to withdraw into myself, not wanting to be touched, just wanting to be left alone. The only company I could abide as a child was my dog. He was a 165 pound Great Dane. I used to curl up with him and cry out my sadness, cuddle away my disappointments. I miss him. We don't have a dog anymore. Instead, I have a blog. Less feeding and I don't have to walk it in the middle of the night, but less tactile comfort here too. So, there are tradeoffs.

I am not inclined to complain. Much. Funny aside, by the way. My fingers are not used to typing the word complain. Instead, they want to type the word complaint, which is more normal for these lawyer fingers to type. Aside over. The reason I am not inclined to complain is because of something William Buckley wrote about his mother. I read it last night on the train and it sort of smacked me in the face. His mother had just seen her eldest son buried and was in the midst of what Buckley describes as "convulsive grief". And he writes:

He had been visiting her every day, often taking her to a local restaurant for lunch, and her grief was, by her standards, convulsive; but she did not break her rule -- she never broke it -- which was never ever to complain; because, she explained, she could never repay God the favors He had done her, no matter what tribulations she might be made to suffer.

I was impressed by this because, inter alia, it contained two semi-colons. Also, it made me take stock and count my blessings a bit. Not a bad exercise when things seem a bit bleak. Bleak may be too strong a word. Maybe when you feel a little discouraged by the twists and turns your fortune seems to be following.

The book I took that quote from was "Miles Gone By: A Literary Autobiography". Good stuff. Some essays better than others but he writes quite beautifully.

Rosh Hashana at my parents' house was not a great success. My grandfather came from the nursing home in his wheel chair. We carried it up the steps to the door and included him in the gathering as best as he would permit. He is so greatly diminished that if I stopped to let myself think about it, it would break my heart. He's always been my role model and seeing him like this is difficult, for him and for me. Today is his birthday. I called to wish him a happy birthday and it was not a good call. He knew who I was but was not well. We did not have a long chat, just exchanged a couple of sentences, some good wishes, some hopes on my side and some admitted unhappiness on his. I had to push a bit to get him to tell me how he was feeling.

Today, I hope to go home to a harmonious house. A place where my children have been well behaved and not given our new nanny a fit. The Girl Child has been exhibiting adjustment issues. The new nanny, a sweet girl, feeling the culture shock ("boy, people out here sure are direct when they talk"), feeling homesick, trying to deal with body image and self confidence problems (none of which she should have; she's lovely), was told by the Girl Child yesterday that the was "fat and ugly". My wife and I were kind of impressed, quietly, that the Girl Child figured out how to put her finger so unerringly on the new nanny's ouchy spoot. The Girl Child also told my wife that she wouldn't listen to her because she was stupid.

None of this did I take well and we had a long discussion, mandatory apologies, and a no-story bed time. The Girl Child, I should note, did not take a nap and that always makes everything waaaay worse. I was really very angry about this and some other transgressions she committed and she knew it.

That said, and I have to say I respect her for it, even in the face of my very real anger, she stood up for herself and her perceived rights. I love her so much for that.

We got upstairs and I told her to get in the bathroom and brush her teeth. She told me that she didn't want to talk to me, that I made her sad, and that I had to say I was sorry first. I told her that if she was sad, it was a sadness of her own making, brought about entirely by her own bad behavior and that, as her father, I was required to correct it when necessary. She clearly disagreed and held me responsible for her sadness. But she shifted to another tack just the same and said that I had to say I was sorry anyway because I didn't say please when I told her to go brush her teeth. I agreed with her, apologized, and sent her off to brush.

I was so proud of her, at 4.75 year old, for standing up to me, for demanding a little respect, and for standing her ground. I have always tried to walk that very fine line between bending my little savage to the civilized comportment needed to live in my house and not breaking her will. Still working on the little savage part but clearly the will is still all there.

I think that may be enough for now. Besides, I have to take a friend to lunch for his birthday.

Pax tibi.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 12:22 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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The house isn't stirring yet. All I hear is the drip of the coffee maker and the clicks I'm making on the keypad.

Today is the first day of the High Holidays. The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana. It is customary today to wish people a sweet new year. You eat apples and honey together, among other things, because they are sweet. It is also the beginning of the time of repentance which culminates on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. This period is one in which you ask for forgiveness from those around you against whom you've transgressed. On Yom Kippur you ask G-d for forgiveness.

As all New Years go, it is a time for a new start. At least, I hope it is.

I didn't get the job in Chicago. I found out last night. I was "nudged out by someone with a better experience package". It wasn't me, I was told. Not to be too catty, but I am not unhappy about not working for someone who isn't clear on the difference between nudged and edged. Both have dged in them but they do mean different things. Also, truthfully, I'm not at all sure that I want to continue to be a lawyer at all. More on that, perhaps, later.

No word on the change of career job I interviewed for. At least, no definitive word. I gather from the head hunter that I still have some convincing to do, some doubts to resolve about the transferability of my skills. I suggested that if there were any doubts, ask them to meet with me and let me try to convince them why my skills could transfer. I hope they take me up on it. In the end, I would hope that I'd be able to state a good case.

As the Jewish calendar ticks over, I hope that there will be some new start for me. I am looking for a clean slate, a fresh start.

In any event, may I simply wish you all a sweet new year?

My daughter is awake now and I am going to hang out with her. And get some of that coffee.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 06:45 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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I woke this morning an hour later than I normally do on a weekday. I woke alone, in a giant four poster king size bed, in a corner room, paneled entirely in some rich oak looking wood, high over Park Avenue. I was not hung over, exactly. Not really. Just tired from the steady consumption of excellent bourbon, fine single malt, and first rate wines (both white and red) over the space of some five-six hours the night before. I include the roof top cocktail party with the stunning view of the Chrysler Building all lit up. Beautiful night for it.

There is something to be said for going to bed alone after having overindulged in good food, fine spirits, and diverting conversation. Something neatly self contained about taking all the fellowship and happiness and walking away with it tucked into your breast pocket. Sends you off to bed with a warm glow. Maybe that was the single malt, of course.

I think I am going to like these monthly obligations -- attending a board meeting in black tie (cause I love getting dressed up!), socializing, drinking, eating, etc. A reminder of life before children when your obligations to others was more theoretical and you could seek your own pleasure, within limits, without worrying overly much about the consequences.

Today, however, I am a bit less useful than normal. A residual effect of the booze, despite my best attempts to sweat it out in the fitness center before coming to work.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 12:15 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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1 Ah, the things we must endure.... Glad you had an enjoyable evening RP!

Posted by: Wicked H at September 28, 2005 12:27 PM (iqFar)

2 Glad you enjoyed yourself; sounds wonderful. :-)

Posted by: Amber at September 28, 2005 01:54 PM (zQE5D)

3 Bourbon, single malt, and wine? Holy cow, RP. If it was me, I'd have woken up 6 hours later, with an imprint of the toilet bowl on my forehead.

Posted by: Howard at September 28, 2005 03:54 PM (u2JaN)

4 Howard, I went to sleep at 11 and woke at 5:45. I was on the elliptical torture machine at 6:15 and stayed on for 50 minutes or some 700+ calories. That turned out to be the high point of my day, I'm afeared.

Posted by: RP at September 28, 2005 04:03 PM (LlPKh)

5 I do admire a man who can mix his drinks. Or maybe it's a man who can drink mixed drinks. Sounds like you had a good time.

Posted by: Jocelyn at September 28, 2005 04:28 PM (p6cmr)

6 That my friend, (to use a term that's probably 10 years younger than I am) is hardcore. Up at 6:15 working out after a night of drinking, are you sure you're not a star in a 50's movie? I'm afraid I'd still be asleep a good 12 hrs after somehow making it up to my room by the grace of some sympathetic soul. Either that or I would have woke up somewhere entirely different without a wallet and only half my clothes. I'm a cheap drink drunk, and a cuddly one at that.

Posted by: Oorgo at September 28, 2005 07:31 PM (lM0qs)

7 Did I misread this? Given your post and then the comment above am I to believe that you ROUTINELY wake up at 4:45 in the morning? *shudders* You morning people amaze me.

Posted by: Margi at September 29, 2005 02:44 AM (nwEQH)

8 LOL Margi, at 4:45 in the morning I'm letting the dogs out one last time before heading out the door myself. The best thing about being on the early shift is having your afternoons free.

Posted by: Ted at September 29, 2005 08:41 AM (blNMI)

9 Actually, this post raises some troubling questinos for me, which I enumerate at http://mthollywood.blogspot.com/2005/09/is-this-life-of-haute-booboisie-i-drop.html I'd be interested to read RP's response.

Posted by: John Bruce at September 29, 2005 01:04 PM (jOZ0N)

10 Just in case you all were wondering, I replied to John via email.

Posted by: RP at September 29, 2005 03:32 PM (LlPKh)

11 If we didn't over-indulge from time to time, it wouldn't be as much fun when we do it

Posted by: Helen at September 30, 2005 07:15 AM (Fpvv4)

12 Holy Hangovers, batman! A lawyer in a black tie, drinking by the light of the Chrysler building.. Damn. Now,I want my own TV show too. Danny Bonaduce is a poser.

Posted by: Rob at October 02, 2005 10:51 PM (Gkhif)

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You know what the worst thing is about walking sideways to your responsibilities, at least your work related ones? It makes every day feel like Monday, every morning feel like the same start to the same day it was yesterday. It makes Friday feel like something other than the end of the work week and the it makes the weekend feel somehow devauled, somehow less merited. You end each day with the same to do list you begin it with and you realize that time passed but you gained no traction on it. The same lassitude gently laps at you and pulls, stupidly at you, like too much humidity and not enough cool air. This is what happens when your week is filled with responsibilities other than work, when you put on a dinner for around 250 people that lasts for 5 hours, when you attend board meetings, attend committee meetings, when you occupy yourself with everything other than your occupation. A person, could develop a cold. Or at least a feeling that the end of the week is nigh but not for you.

It has been a complicated week but not a productive week, not for me at work at least.

But the dinner I organized, in recognition for Vietnam Vets, was a huge success. One Vet wrote me:

that was the most deeply moving evening I have ever had over my Vietnam experience and it is because you pursued the idea and made it happen. i will never forget last night.

That makes it feel a bit better.

But not enough to make it feel like a Friday. Not enough to make it feel like I should have cashed that paycheck.

Guilt. Unresolved feelings of guilt. It ain't ever enough, anywhere, is it?

Posted by: Random Penseur at 04:20 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Today, at 2:30 p.m., in the Rose Garden at the White House, President Bush will award Corporal Tibor Rubin with the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Rubin immigrated to the United States in 1948 and answered America’s call to duty by volunteering for Army service. By July 1950, Rubin was fighting on the front lines in Korea as an infantryman in I “Item” Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. During numerous engagements, Rubin’s actions to engage the enemy and to tend the wounded, at careless disregard for his own safety, resulted in the heroic defense of his unit. In one such mission, Rubin single-handedly defended a hill for 24 hours, allowing his company to withdraw.

Subsequently, Rubin dragged to safety a critically-wounded Soldier who others had left to perish. When he and surviving members of his unit were captured and interred in North Korean and Chinese Prisoner Of War camps, Rubin drew from his hard-won personal experiences in the Holocaust death camps to find food and provide medical care to his fellow captives. The U.S. Army credits Rubin with saving the lives of more than 40 Soldiers.

Now, 55 years later, Rubin will receive the nationÂ’s highest military honor.

Source.

More information on this American hero is available at the Army's website.

Unofficially, I believe that this is the only award of the MOH to a concentration camp survivor. Also, I believe that this doubles the number of living Jewish MOH recipients to two. I have had the privilege of meeting the other, Colonel Jack Jacobs, on several occasions.

As always, I find myself humbled when I read about men like these.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 10:23 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I have been dipping back into some Liebling (I find him comforting, frankly, as he could write like an angel. A New York angel but still an angel) and stumpled upon the following little bit I wanted to share as it amused the heck out of me:

The Colonel's ideal of feminine beauty remains constant.

In this he resembles an old wartime friend of mine named Count Prziswieski, a minor figure in the exiled Polish Government.

All my life I have been faithful to one woman, the Count once said to me --- a fragile blonde with a morbid expression.

He found this woman in every country, and she never aged, although the Count did. The fragile blonde with a morbid expression, wherever she turned up, was in her twenties.

Outstanding.

More to come later.

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I defended a deposition in the afternoon, yesterday. It is a small case involving commissions owed to a former salesperson for a major media company here in NYC. The deposition was taken at the offices of the defendant's attorneys located in the same building as the company. While I was waiting for my habitually late client to show, we were meeting in the lobby, I was treated to a display of young models signing in for a cattle call upstairs. All young, all trying to look young while still looking world weary and sophisticated, all bravely clutching their portfolios. Nice way to pass the time. The only thing that distracted me from the parade was the vision of the New York City tow truck towing a quarter of a million dollar new Bentley coupe. Ouch. That's gotta hurt.

Anyway, client arrives (late but not too late) and deposition commences.

The lawyer for the defendant was really pretty bad at this. She asked lots of circular questions, lots of questions attempting to restate my client's previous testimony (and by previous I mean from 5 minutes ago), lots of questions assuming facts not in evidence, lots of questions which were irrelevant and dealt not at all with the complaint or her client's affirmative defenses. I objected a lot. I was forced to. All to the form of the question. I doubt that much of what she asked will be admissible. Oh, and don't get me started on the marking of exhibits.

Well, you had to go and get me started, didn't you?

Exhibits and documents, same thing sometimes, get marked at deposition and questions are asked about them. Experienced and careful attorneys understand how crucial it is to examine on documents in such a way as to authenticate them and make them admissible for trial or for summary judgment later. Why summary judgment? Well, lots of times lawyers forget that a summary judgment motion has to be made on admissible evidence. I regularly can knock out parts of other attorneys' summary judgment motions by attacking the admissibility of the evidence. Judges love to be reminded of stuff like that. If you don't lay a foundation for the admissibility of your evidence at deposition, you are in big trouble later. You should only have to make that mistake once in your career before you never make it again.

This attorney has not had that experience, I guess. She laid no foundation for her documents. She may have some trouble later. Oh, and without a foundation, I'm going to move to strike whatever testimony she got from my witness with regard to any particular inadmissible document.

Anyway, my favorite objection of the afternoon:

Examining Attorney ("EA"): Now, is it my understanding that you did the following thing after your termination meeting?

Me: Objection, instruct the witness not to answer the question. [By the way, that instruction may not have really been totally proper, but still, I did it anyway]

EA: What! How can you instruct her not to answer? What is the basis?

Me: I thought you said you didn't want speaking objections. Now you want me to explain?

EA: Yes.

Me: Ok. Your question didn't just call for the witness to testify to the operation of another's mind, it called for her to testify to the operation of your mind! Totally improper. You want to restate the question?

EA: No. The question was fine. I want to take a break.

*break taken, EA leaves room*

Court Reporter to me: You were right. That was a totally fucked up question.

The whole deposition was kind of a waste, really. Let's just say that at the conclusion, we had some meaningful settlement talks.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 12:59 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Yesterday was the first day of pre-school for the Boy Child. There was no way that I was going to miss this; I re-scheduled a deposition until later in the afternoon so I could attend. In fact, to my surprise, I was the only father in attendance yesterday. I donÂ’t understand how other fathers donÂ’t prioritize these kinds of events.

Anyway, no drama. The Boy Child was beyond fine. He was excited to go to school. He walked into his classroom under his own power, holding only his sisterÂ’s hand; she insisted on taking him to his class before going to her own. He took one look at the trucks on the shelves and we ceased to exist for him. DidnÂ’t even seem to notice that we were leaving, didnÂ’t respond to our calling goodbye to him, although his sister got a goodbye after she became insistent, and he was good. No separation anxiety in the slightest.

Well, no anxiety for him. He was golden. I was a total mess. I went upstairs after his door closed and returned a couple of business calls and then snuck back down to peek into his room. The window, while mostly covered with construction paper cut outs, did have some gaps and I snuck a peek. It was snack time. He was sitting in his little chair, one arm insouciantly hanging over the back, the other hand occupied with a cookie, happily munching away with a big smile as he looked around and took everything in. He was so beautiful, so perfect.

I am not ashamed to say that I almost cried. Hell, IÂ’m almost crying right now as I type this. It was the purest realization that he has now taken his first step away from us, his first step out of the house, his first movement towards being his own person. Simply, I am not ready for that. In some ways, change is like death. It is a leaving behind of what was. I am not ready for him to leave behind what was. Look, I know that I am, as my wife calls it, taking my sorrows in advance here but it was just the same a very poignant moment for me. I had the same problem with the Girl Child on her first day of pre-school. She was fine; I was a basket case.

I got to watch his class from the windows of the library as they went out on the playground and ran around. He was a blur of constant motion, taking everything at a joyful and determined run. When class was over, we met him on the playground and he seemed delighted to see us, although he objected quite strongly to leaving the playground. His teacher told us that “he was very sweet” and that if she could, she’d have let him stay all by himself for the next introductory session scheduled on the heels of this one but she’d get in trouble. So we coaxed him from the playground with a mention of the train that he had to take me off to. One of the other teachers exclaimed, in surprise, that the Boy Child ate three cookies at snack time. I replied: “The Boy can himself some eat cookies.” In fact, cookie may be his major food group.

He chatted with us, happily, all the way back to the train station. Everything was “gøy” (Norwegian for happy or fun, pronounced kind of like gay). Trucks, park (his word for playground), juice, snack, all was gøy. He liked his teachers and he agreed that he was very tired.

I was tired, too. Wrung out, actually, and I slept for a good part of the train ride into the city.

I think heÂ’s going to have a good experience there. And IÂ’m glad. The part of me that isnÂ’t sad, still.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 12:30 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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To catch up, since it seems to have been a while, I have passed a very active couple of days, filled with many things, few of them work related, I am happy to report. Let us kick off with Friday.

Friday

This day was spent mostly in transit. Approximately six hours or so of travel time in order to attend two hours of meeting. Still, it did not appear to be time wasted, although I did not get to meet Elizabeth, as I had hoped to do. We traded a bunch of messages and had several pleasant conversations. However, the point.

I went to Chicago on Friday for a job interview. I think it went well. I was slated to meet with three people and was told that in almost no circumstance would it exceed an hour and I could plan accordingly. The meeting was at 3. I arrived at around 11:00 in Chicago and took the train into the city. I had scads of time and the train, while slow, was only $1.75. I got out at Jackson, in the loop, right in front of the Monadnock building, the last tall building built only on masonry load bearing walls. By Burnham and Root, if I recall. It was a pleasure to see the old fellow, again. The walls at the bottom are extraordinarily thick, six feet, to support the 11 stories above without a skeleton. I then made my way to the Union League Club of Chicago where I had privileges and managed to hang out, read, prepare, and have lunch before my 3:00 interview. The interview was just a couple of blocks down the street, making the Union League very convenient. The food was excellent, actually.

I arrived at the interview 15 minutes early and had a lovely chat with the receptionist. When her relief came, about 1 minute before my interviewer arrived, I thanked her for babysitting me and she said she didnÂ’t babysit me. I agreed, remarking that she didnÂ’t even tell me a story. So she said that was true and offered to tell me a joke. I assented, of course. Just before the end of the joke, my interviewer came to fetch me and I actually asked him if we could wait one second so I could hear the punch line of the joke and he was fine with that. Set a good tone for an interview, maybe, if you can show how relaxed you are.

I met with three people. We spoke for an hour about my background and about the position. At the conclusion of the interview, they excused themselves and said that they were going to go into the hallway for a moment and chat about me. Ok. Odd, but whatever. After about 5 minutes they returned and asked me if I had any more time free. I did and they asked me to meet with another three people and I met with them for also about an hour. I think it went pretty well. At least, I suppose, I made it to the second round right on the spot. I regard it as a positive development, although you never know.

Made it home by about midnight. Long day that started at 4:30 so I could work out before heading out to the airport.

Saturday

Started the day exhausted. Mother in law was visiting from Norway. Enough said.

We took everyone to the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport. The kids had a great time. We saw three five-month old baby Siberian tiger cubs; turtles; alligators; wolves; monkeys; birds; and all sorts of reptiles. We left with exhausted children. The Girl Child, nonetheless, declined to nap. While she declined to nap, I gave my mother in law a driving tour of the area.

Upon our return, I had a brilliant idea. No cooking for me that night. I generally do all the cooking, actually. Pretty good deal for my wife. Instead, we would sally forth, acquire fried whole clams, bowls of lobster bisque, piles of onion rings, and bottles of beer and take them to a small beach near the house where there were picnic tables to be found on a small bluff overlooking the beach and the ocean and we would dine. And so we did, all while watching the storm roll in over the ocean from Long Island. The thunder was loud, at times. The dinner was outstanding, above the waves as they beat against the shore, as the light changed from the oncoming storm. We were pretty much totally alone. After dinner, we ventured down to the sand to collect sea shells. It was low tide. We found some lovely small ones.

The Girl Child and I had an amusing interchange at the picnic table after I remarked on the presence of grills and said next time we could bring charcoal and make our own food. I said that one of the grills I would not want to use as it was too close to a bush.

GC: Why wouldnÂ’t you want to use that grill, Pappa?

Me: Well, it is too close to the bush and I would worry that the bush would catch fire. No burning bushes for us; too biblical.

GC: What does that mean?

Me: Ask your teachers on Monday about the burning bush and theyÂ’ll explain it to you.

GC: I donÂ’t think I want to.

Me: Why not?

GC: I think that if I did, it would freak ‘em out.

Might be right, come to think of it.

Then we got back in the car and set off in search of the storm. We drove around for a while and eventually the storm and us found each other. Went home in the pouring rain through very quickly flooded streets. It was delightful.

Even better? No leak at the house.

Sunday

This day commenced early as the driver came to retrieve my mother in law at 6 for her departure to the airport.

The Boy Child arose shortly thereafter.

After the Girl Child joined him, for a happy breakfast of Lucky Charms – yay, Pappa! - I adjourned with the children to purchase Halloween costumes. The Girl Child having determined that she wanted to be a witch. She was beside herself with excitement as we picked out pointy hats and brooms, robes and other scary things. The Boy Child announced that he was not going to wear a hat at all. “My no hat on, Pappa”. No problem, I assured him.

Then we went home to get my wife. At that point, I announced a general nap amnesty coupled with a desire to do something fun. We set off to visit the Railroad Museum in Danbury, about 45 minutes away. The Boy Child was the perfect picture of excitement. He could not stand still when we arrived and discovered we were just in time to join a vintage train ride. He literally began to jump up and down. “My up-I toot-toot”, he announced. Yes, I agreed, you are going to go up in the train and take a ride. His smile was infectious and practically beatific.

After the ride, including a visit to the last turntable still operating in CT, where we got to watch an engine get spun around, we were able to explore the yard and some other vintage trains. Then, a visit to the gift shop where we procured a Junior Engineer Train Set for each child, consisting of a blue and white stripped hat, a red bandanna, and a whistle. I told the Boy Child that he was going to wear this for Halloween, complete with overalls and he could be a Toot-toot guy.

BC: Pappa, my no hat on.

Me: Not even this blue toot-toot hat?

BC: Blo toot-toot hat?

Me: Yeah, you donÂ’t want to wear the blue toot-toot hat and be a toot-toot guy for Halloween?

BC: My wear blo toot-toot hat. My blo toot-toot guy!!!!

All objections to the hat disappeared with the excitement of the realization that he was going to be a blue toot-toot guy for Halloween. He spoke about it off and on for the next five hours. Oh, to be 2.5 again.

After the museum, we wandered back along Route 7 for a late lunch at a small outdoor shack advertising homemade ice cream. Oh, the joy. The masses ate fried things while I virtuously consumed a salad, filching the odd onion ring now and again. After buying the three of them two scoops of ice cream, the banana was declared the best flavor, I had exactly a nickle left in the pocket.

It was a good day. A really good day.

I made them all eat grilled zucchini with parmesan sprinkled on top and grilled asparagus for dinner later that night. Clemintines for dessert, with the Boy Child greedily stealing all the sections that my wife peeled for herself.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend.

Tomorrow, by the way, is the Boy ChildÂ’s first day of school.

IÂ’m not ready. HeÂ’s too little.

DonÂ’t look for a posting tomorrow. I take the Boy Child to school and then rush into the city for a deposition.

Pax tibi and yÂ’all keep your fingers crossed for Chicago, ok? I mean, IÂ’m not sure IÂ’ll take the job but IÂ’d rather have it be my decision, ya know?

Posted by: Random Penseur at 04:38 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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1 Fingers definitely crossed for Chicago! Thank you for sharing your beautiful family with us, too! ; ) Bueno suerte!

Posted by: Christina at September 19, 2005 04:49 PM (zJsUT)

2 That is a very good sign, getting to second base that fast. Fingers crossed.

Posted by: Jim at September 19, 2005 05:20 PM (tyQ8y)

3 Sounds like a great weekend, mmm ice cream. 'tis definitely a good sign to make it to second base that quick. Fingers crossed.

Posted by: phin at September 19, 2005 05:31 PM (DGPlf)

4 Christina took the words right out of my mouth, RP! Thinking good thoughts about Chicago!

Posted by: Mark at September 19, 2005 07:12 PM (KoHmo)

5 Sounds positively brilliant, from beginning to end. You've been missed, but your time away seems to have been good to you. I'm all for that. Crossing appendages as deemed necessary for positive news. Chicago is fantastic town.

Posted by: Jennifer at September 19, 2005 07:35 PM (1X5Jq)

6 How can you recount a visit to Beardsley Zoo and not mention the free-range peacocks? They're everywhere! What a great weekend. Here's to the Boy Child's first day at school tomorrow; **glugglug** Aaah!

Posted by: Tuning Spork at September 19, 2005 08:23 PM (7h1Ai)

7 With that kind of weekend, I would have ceased blogging, meself! I agree that BC is too little. Of course, I consider my baby son too little (and he started high school this year *sob*). I'll be crossing fingers, eyes, legs, toes and whatever else I can get crossed for ya, hon. But truth be told, methinks it's not necessary since you obviously passed to the lightning round on your first visit. ;o) Luck and love to ya (and your darling, most beautiful family), m

Posted by: Margi at September 20, 2005 12:57 AM (nwEQH)

8 I have all moveable parts crossed for you! You're so wise to savour every minute you can with your children...they really do grow up too quickly.

Posted by: Jocelyn at September 20, 2005 11:42 AM (p6cmr)

9 Yes, yes, by all means move to Chicago! Much, much closer to the Twin Cities than New York! This way we could actually meet! I am sure, of course, that this is a pot sweetner

Posted by: Kathy at September 20, 2005 12:52 PM (yBAYg)

10 Good luck! And, as always, the BC and GC stories bring tears to my eyes. Glad you had such a nice weekend. :-)

Posted by: Amber at September 20, 2005 02:12 PM (zQE5D)

11 I really enjoy reading your blog... although up until this point I've been somewhat covert about it. Not purposely, of course, I just don't leave as many comments as I should. Anyway, I live in Chicago and flirt with New York, so your bog is always good "city life" reading for me. Sounds like you'd be working in my hood if you decide on Chicago! Best of luck!

Posted by: Turtleherder at September 20, 2005 03:43 PM (aot1k)

12 I love your recounting of family times! Do you realize how special they are while they are happening, or does it sink in when you're writing about it?

Posted by: GrammarQueen at September 20, 2005 05:30 PM (glf8i)

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Anyone get the reference in the title?

We had something technical explode at the office and lost all connection to the internet for the last four days. No email, no legal research, no guilty pleasures, no not so guilty pleasures, no connection to the outside world (did you miss me, world? I missed you.), no nothing.

It was kind of restful. I re-discovered the joys of solitaire. I caught up on work, on phone calls, on all sorts of stuff.

One of my phone call exchanges has been back and forth with an admin type at the Pentagon. In my next life, I want someone that efficient working for me. I imagine it must be liberating. And when you talk to people there, they are always in a hurry. Always. The speech is clipped and quick. The manner decisive. Kind of made me sit up a bit straighter in my chair while talking to them.

I have been arranging transportation and other stuff for a big shot from there who is speaking to an organization I head. The speech is tomorrow and I have to introduce him. Ought to be cool. In addition, I get to meet a Medal of Honor recipient. They are not called winners, I am told. They are called recipients. I am so far out of my league that I am totally relaxed about the experience. Really, what else can you do? Just relax and go with the flow.

What else happened while I was cut off? I have a new niece, according to my wife. My poor sister in law brought a child into the world after a scant 30 hour labor. Kids today, slackers all of 'em.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 04:55 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Wow, so much in such a short post. First off, congrats on the new neice! Second off, congrats on getting to meet a Medal of Honor recipient!! Third off, congrats on getting to introduce a winner-an'-a-half! Fourth off, congrats on being back on line for some guilty and not so guilty pleasures!!!!! Okay, I'm done.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at September 13, 2005 07:27 PM (CqT+q)

2 Welcome back, of course you were missed. Congrats on all; new niece, Medal of Honor recipient intro and the return to the Internets....

Posted by: Wicked H at September 14, 2005 08:10 AM (BQhBn)

3 Yep, those pentagon types are a breed of their own. I work for a Naval Reserve Capt (who just got a JAG promotion @ the pentagon). She's also an atty in civilian life with my firm. She took some getting used to, but now I really enjoy working with her! The good thing about military people, they know and accept we're a breed of our own too - civilians, so they don't expect much from us, but when they let their hair down they're great to be around. BTW, Yes, you were missed! I thought it was the job keeping you away! Glad you're back.

Posted by: Michele at September 14, 2005 08:26 PM (ht2RK)

4 Congrats, RP! Can I guess at the reference? I believe it was many many moons ago in London, when a fog descended on the city, and a headline in the paper read something to the effect of: Fog descends on London; continent cut off... Oh those worldly brits!

Posted by: GrammarQueen at September 15, 2005 09:23 AM (kqNmk)

5 Just came across your blog - great reading! I look forward to checking in often to see what you have to say. Especially liked the conversations with your daughter in your previous post.

Posted by: She at September 15, 2005 11:02 AM (LIkyH)

6 Well, as you can see I'm back again;p I drift in and out! Can't wait to read what you have to say. Already catching up on the things you have said, but my my there's a lot of them! Guess I'll be staying up late

Posted by: Zya at September 17, 2005 06:51 PM (HOCyD)

7 Mazel Tov on the new neice! May she live to 120 all in good health of body mind heart and soul. How's the mom doing? Cool about meeting the "Medal of Honor recipients". I'd go mad if I were cut off from the internet that long! Which is problematic considering how loopy I am already. Welcome back. (So what is your fave. solitaire? My dh is a Free Cell fanatic.)

Posted by: Rachel Ann at September 18, 2005 02:15 AM (dzM5k)

8 I have to tell you.. I love these conversations that you have with your daughter. They always give me a smile. I am beginning to see small glimpses like that with my, little over, 2 year old. I look forward to having my own moments like that.

Posted by: Dr pants at September 19, 2005 05:36 AM (RQt8c)

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Where do you learn to slap men upside the head? Is it something that comes from playing with Barbie dolls? I'm trying to figure it out you see based on two conversations I had with my daughter this weekend. Remember, just 4 1/2, she is, ok?

First:

GC: Pappa, who is your favoritest singer in the whole world?

Me: Probably have to say Ella Fitzgerald.

GC: Why not me, Pappa?

[Long pause as I think to myself, "oh my god, I can't believe that she just set me up like this and I fell for it"]

GC: Pappa, why not me? Why aren't I your favoritest singer in the whole world?

Me: Oh, I thought you meant to listen to on the radio.

GC: I didn't say on the radio.

Me: I know. I misunderstood. Of course you are my most favorite singer in the whole world.

Second:

She had received spiffy new sneakers for the first day of school, which she put next to my lovely French Westons, which I cannot afford to buy anymore now that I have children.

GC: Pappa, which shoes are prettier, mine or yours?

Me: I think mine are prettier, actually.

GC: Well, why are mine uglier?

[long pause as I wonder what happened again]

Me: They're not uglier.

GC: Well, if yours are prettier, that means mine are uglier. Why are they uglier?

I used to joke when I wrote that I thought I was doomed. Now I am not joking. I am totally screwed.

Here's the thing, I seem to recall reading that little girls learn to become women by practicing on their fathers. Its safe and they can figure out what works for them and what doesn't. If that is what she is doing, at this tender age, I pity the man she ends up marrying. Really pity.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:01 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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1 Hahahahaaaa. I would like to offer something constructive; however, I can't quit smiling and chuckling... ; )

Posted by: Christina at September 12, 2005 09:07 PM (zJsUT)

2 we don't 'learn' it. it's instinctual...and besides....how is it sometimes men are just begging for it to be done? rp..seriously... a woman's shoes - are ALWAYS...prettier sigh silly man at least...you are catching on to the actual level of your complete screwtitude.

Posted by: sn at September 12, 2005 09:54 PM (cHOGW)

3 rp..seriously... a woman's shoes - are ALWAYS...prettier I couldn't agree more heartily. And for the record? She's only warming up, sweetie. You just wait. I have a sudden urge to hug your wife. Can't explain it, but what a woman. :-)

Posted by: Jennifer at September 12, 2005 11:04 PM (1X5Jq)

4 Oh you really are in trouble! Certainly girls learn about how men think from their fathers and its great experience. However, keep in mind that females see the whole picture rather than the more obvious one that men tend to view. I'm still laughing! Thanks for the glimpse of your family life!

Posted by: dee at September 13, 2005 11:19 AM (sZnML)

5 Dan calls it, "Don't clip the blue wire". You know, the way you guys sweat it sometimes, worrying about mysteriously upsetting us by what you guys think is an innocent enough comment. It's not mysterious to *us*, though. And as my co-genders said above, women's shoes are ALWAYS prettier than men's. Shoes and compliments; remember, that's what we thrive on. It all makes perfect sense to me. GC is doing a bang-up job as far as I'm concerned. ;-P However, I can return the favor; I still have NO idea how men just seem to "know" car makes and models, what all the tools do in the hardware department of Sears, how the various football/baseball/basketball teams are doing *AND* who their individual heros are to boot. Dan doesn't watch sports, ever, picks up a hammer maybe once a year and doesn't go *near* cars other than our two, yet when he's with other Men, he can prattle on about all that stuff like he's a mechanic sports freak who's in construction. You may not get our idiosyncrasies, but I don't get *yours* either, so I guess it's a wash. :-)

Posted by: Amber at September 13, 2005 12:05 PM (zQE5D)

6 It's in the DNA, I swear it's in the DNA. I've had similar conversations with my 19 year old sister-in-law. You're definitely in trouble. The good news though, you've got some testosterone backing by BC. My poor father in law had three girls, it's no wonder he's crazy as a loon.

Posted by: phin at September 13, 2005 01:09 PM (Xvpen)

7 You forgot the golden rule. There are only two answers to any personal question a woman can ask. If it is about favorable traits the answer is "Why you are, of course". If it is about derogatory traits the answer is "My secretary" (or other female that the questioning woman could possibly hold a jelous spike for). Carry this wisdom close to your bosom, RP.

Posted by: Jim at September 13, 2005 01:40 PM (tyQ8y)

8 Those conversations made me laugh so hard. We have two little girls and the almost three year old is becoming so girly. It is so interesting to watch and wonder where they get it from. I had to send the link to this to my husband, because I think he's doomed too.

Posted by: Jordana at September 14, 2005 09:53 PM (M3W6j)

9 My husband calls those "Bullet in Every Chamber" conversations and you didn't see 'em coming! Poor lad. It's because she's 4 1/2 yes? Well, remember, darling, that women are far more advanced. And I hear Jen and raise her another hug for your wife! If the Boy Child is half this witty and remarkable, you BOTH are in for it but GOOD.

Posted by: Margi at September 15, 2005 01:42 AM (nwEQH)

10 Listen, RP, ont the shoe thing: I am male, and I do not have kids. Still, I would have said her sneakers were prettier. I mean, come on. It's like telling a woman that her dress does, indeed, make her butt look bigger. You must have been having an attack of the dumbs that day!! LOL

Posted by: Mark at September 17, 2005 08:15 AM (qEeIY)

11 RP... I rather missed hearing about your cute family escapades! Someone once told me that the trick to dealing with a question you aren't sure how to answer is 'Just one thing before I say anything else, I love you!!' and then you can answer it.;p

Posted by: Zya at September 17, 2005 06:49 PM (HOCyD)

12 Yup, you're doomed. Just wait till she's 15.

Posted by: owlish at September 18, 2005 02:17 AM (bJF7u)

13 There is something I've learned at great cost over the years which I will share with you for free. When a woman asks a man a question, a man thinks she is looking for a direct informative answer (as would another man). She is not. In fact, as the female child in question has here demonstrated, she's usually looking to have her ego fed or to manipulate the man or both. Therefore, when asked a question by a woman always reply with another question. My favorite reply to baffle the female is to reply with the question "Are you looking for actual information or you looking for confirmation of that which you have already decided?" Gets them every time.

Posted by: Locomotive Breath at September 19, 2005 02:58 PM (W7Snj)

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I'm posting much later than I'd care to. Sitting here with the laptop, watching the Yankees/Red Sox game, decompressing from my day.

I had a job interview today. It was with a head hunter and it was a screening interview. Mostly, those are a waste of time. Today's was little different. She met me and will "promote" me for the job. It would be cool, a career change, no longer practicing law. That would be fine with me right now. Of course, it means in the long run that I'd probably be exchanging the devil I know for the devil I am not yet on speaking terms with. But still, change can be good, right?

If I get it, I will tell more. All I know now is that there are rounds and rounds of interviews ahead of me and personality tests to take. I was worried about the personality tests until I realized that those are kind of out of my control. I mean, I am 37 years old. I kind of figure that I am who I am and if that isn't good enough, there ain't nothing I can really do about it now. One thing, I'm sure, is that they will find a personality. Will it be the right one? Beats me. Its right for me.

Also, I have that other interview coming up next Friday. I have to prepare for that one of these days. That will take some hours worth of work. All for a job I am not totally sure I want. Still, I'd rather be the one to decide that after they make me the offer. That's a better place to be, right?

Thank you all very much for the very thoughtful, cogent, sometimes penetrating insights you all left in the comments to my last post. It was the only post I've ever put up that I almost closed comments for and then, when I didn't, I almost chose not to read them. I'm glad I did. Thank you for your friendship and for caring enough to take the time to share your thoughts with me. That was really excellent.

Some updates on more important things:

*Two days in a row of the Boy Child peeing on the potty!!! Life is good. He is so proud of himself when he does it. Still having a little trouble getting the little pee-pee pushed down so that he doesn't pee all over his feet, but hey, that's what parents are for, right? That and teaching the post-pee shake. Gotta get that down.

*The nanny resigned last night. Long chat ending up with her feeling that she was torn by her family's demands that she leave. Howard's going to be bummed. He liked this one. I think that the kids are going to be upset. She was only with us for a little under 90 days, just long enough for the Boy Child to bond with her. The Girl Child remained a little standoffish, which will stand her in good stead in the circumstances.

*Anyone seen a Brooks Brothers shopping bag on the over head rack on the train? If so, can you just turn it in to lost and found? It contains two new pairs of chinos that I screwed up and left on the train. They fit really nice, too. Maybe they'll fit someone else really nicely, too, now.

*Finally, I thought about noting this but I am simply not a big enough person to let it go. The NY Times today decided to publish articles about the loss of art and artefacts on the Gulf Coast and the damage to the legal system. I believe I wrote about those things some six days ago. Is that a scoop, then? Listen, NY Timesers, if you need another idea for an article, y'all feel free to come back and browse through my archieves and swipe something else, ok? No need to attribute it, I'll know. And you'll know. That will be quite enough for both of us, right?

Anyway, have a nice weekend, y'all!

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:07 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Hell, I may not even publish it. I'll wait and see. If I do, I warn you, this a really long, disorganized, extended look into my head at the moment. I am not writing it for you, whoever you are, but for me, as a chance to try to figure some things out.

Still here? The rest is in extended entry below:

* * * * * more...

Posted by: Random Penseur at 01:07 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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Considering how crazy life has been of late, it is odd that I should lack for inspiration. The situation in the Gulf Coast has numbed me. The focus on scoring political points in the aftermath of the storm has left me feeling like our political culture is. . . What? Broken? Corrupt? Unfeeling? Almost stupid beyond redemption? So utterly self-referential that every utterance, every thought, is shared and feeds on the one before it and acts as fuel on the one after it until they forget that there is anything else happening beyond the need to score points. Call it what you will. Pick your own boogeyman. The Howard Deanism or Karl Rovism of political culture. I lean towards Howie. But he's not the cause, just a visible symptom. Like a pimple on a sexual organ is an outward manifestation of an inner sickness.

I'm not saying that "hard questions" don't need to be asked. I'm just saying that they need to be asked by someone who doesn't appear to have an axe to grind. Is that too much to ask?

Posted by: Random Penseur at 10:10 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Rob reproduced the imposition of sentencing of Richard Reid by Judge Young. Go forth and read it for it is good. A small quote:

Here in this courtroom and courtrooms all across America, the American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice, justice, not
war, individual justice is in fact being done. The very President of the United States, through his officers, come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.

See that flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America. That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag stands for freedom. And it always will.

Amen.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 12:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I am not an expert on any of the things I am about to write about. I am just a relatively thoughtful guy who sat back on the train this morning, closed his eyes, and tried to sort through some of the broader consequences, broader implications, of this entire mess on the Gulf Coast. I think that this has the potential to wreak havoc far beyond the state borders down there.

First, these cities have municipal bonds. They have to pay interest on these bonds. They issue the bonds to pay for things like sewage projects and canal work and convention centers and all sorts of either infrastructure stuff or for projects that they calculate will throw off big revenues. The bonds are usually serviced by taxes or fees. Fees are paid by the users, like with a sewage project. Taxes are paid by everyone. Taxes are generated as a consequence of economic activity -- sales tax, for example. Where is the revenue going to come from now that the city is a dead man crawling? I know that there are reserves, up to about a year, socked away to continue interest payments, but do you really think that money isn't somehow going to get sucked into something else? What are the consequences when these cities seek bankruptcy protection or just plain default on the debts? Are they going to be able to go to the markets again to raise money? What happens to the people who hold that debt? It isn't enough to say that the bonds are insured because, at the end of the day, someone will bear that cost. Someone sitting in their dry and comfy home in a state far, far away is going to take a hit on their portfolio. Oh, and by the way, who hold munis in the first place? Those on a fixed income -- the elderly.

Second, the national mortgage market will take a hit, I think. Mortgages today are not as they once were. Once upon a time, your local bank lent you money, held your note, serviced your loan, and collected on it or foreclosed if it had to. Today, mortgages are the first step in an exotic financial market where they get converted into pool and tranches and debt is diced and sliced and sold off all over the place. This is a mighty big business, no two ways about it. You, the homeowner may not think about it like that as you write your check, but it is. Rarely do banks lend for their own portfolios anymore. What happens now when there is a national market in the mortgage debt and people have no reason or no ability if they have a reason to continue making payments on a house that doesn't exist anymore and for which insurance may not cover any of the loss. What are the implications for the national market as portions, large portions, of two states default on their mortgage debt? And what the heck do you foreclose on? How do you even find the land now that the river has reclaimed it in places? What will happen to interest rates? Beats the shit out of me. I just assume that there will be a problem.

Third, who is going to repopulate New Orleans? Those who are the most mobile, the best educated, those with the most portable skills, they are going to establish lives elsewhere. I was on the phone yesterday with my kids' nursery school and the director told me that she just got off the phone with a woman from New Orleans who is relocating up to Connecticut. She was calling from a hotel room in Houston. Once these kids get into new schools and the smart and aggressive types get new jobs, are they going to go back? I am skeptical. Highly skeptical. They will wonder whether anything in New Orleans can ever change and they won't take the risk of putting their families back there. So what happens to the city when you have this huge brain drain? You cannot populate the city with the Ninth Ward, those who may lack the skills and the resources to re-establish themselves elsewhere. Not to be a doom sayer, but I am deeply worried about the total eradication of the middle and upper middle class in New Orleans. You can't have a city without these people, at least, not a city people would want to live in.

Fourth, what the hell are the people who have a livelihood tied to the area going to do for money now? Let's take the lawyers for a moment. Law in Louisiana is based on the Napoleonic Code. It is the only place in the country with this kind of law. Lawyers admitted in Louisiana may not be able to really practice anywhere else. And even if they were, where are their clients? Who is going to pay them? What about real estate brokers? They sell local real estate. Well, I'm kind of thinking that market may be a little moribund for awhile. Or. . . Well, take any service provider in a local economy. They are all screwed. Are they all going to go from upper middle class to welfare in three easy steps? Consequences there are huge. First, a new and great strain on a cruddy social welfare system to begin with. Can the system even handle these new people? (Actually, one consequence might be a reform of the system if you suddenly get a lot of well educated people as "clients" of it). Second, where are the taxes going to come from to pay the welfare? If the high earners are not earning, they ain't paying taxes. Enough said, right?

The above is just a start. It is deeply depressing and I kind of have to stop now.

Except for this. Kathy (who I love) has written, in the midst of an excellent post about the anarchy in New Orleans, about the losses suffered by her brother's new car dealership in New Orleans. My heart goes out to them. However, I think Kathy is focusing on the wrong thing. It isn't whether the cars are a total writeoff or whether the dealership building has been damaged. No, the question is: who will be able to afford to buy the cars? What if no one in the economy has any money or jobs to justify credit to buy the cars? If that happens, we as a nation may be facing much greater trouble than we all think.

I hope I'm wrong about all of this. I really do. *sigh*

U P D A T E

Well, so much for being wrong. I read the following things on the Times Picayune Blog this afternoon:

Mortgage Loan Relief Available

Fannie Mae has mortgage relief provisions in place for borrowers in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and other states facing hardships as a result of widespread damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

With Fannie Mae's disaster relief provisions, lenders help borrowers in several ways, including suspending mortgage payments for up to three months, reducing the payments for up to 18 months, or in more severe cases, creating longer loan payback plans. Such assistance is provided on a case-by-case basis, and is designed to meet the individual needs of borrowers.

For information on mortgage relief, homeowners who have experienced hardships should contact the lender to whom they send their monthly mortgage payment.

and

Ford Offers Payment Deferrals

Ford Motor Credit Company is offering customers affected by Hurricane Katrina the opportunity to defer up to two vehicle payments.

Under the Disaster Relief Program, customers have the opportunity to defer these monthly payments without paying extension fees. The program is open to customers living in counties that FEMA has declared federal disaster areas as a result of the storm.

Ford Motor Credit customers who are eligible for the Disaster Relief Program should receive letters next week with instructions on how to register. Customers must register within 60 days to qualify. Deferred payments are due at the end of the contract term.

Looks like some of the big lenders are concerned that if they don't permit some form of deferral of payment, the debtors are going to tell them to go f*ck themselves.

What do you think that would do to Ford's stock? Not to mention Ford's corporate bonds?

This is just going to get more and more ugly.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 10:25 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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