Non Sequiturs

I was asked the other day by a legal assistant if I needed to have a tape recorder for dictation. For those that were not around back in the day before computers, attorneys would dictate almost everything, including briefs, letters, etc., and have their secretaries type it up for them. The amazing thing is that some attorneys (usually those that have been practising for over 20 years) still utilize this form of communication. Nowadays with the ease of computers there is no real need for dictation, at least for my purposes anyway. It just strikes me as funny when I see someone dictating. Since I have been practising I have seen interesting variations of these sort of antiquated techniques. One attorney had a desk with nothing on it. His assistant would print out each one of his emails in the morning, then he would read them and then dictate his response. He would not leave the office for the evening until all pieces of paper were off his desk. Another partner, who in fact was the head of the technology and intellectual property group, didn't even have a computer in his office. Oddly though, he did have a BlackBerry and would use it. Of course, he would still dictate most of his emails through his assistant. One day, most attorneys will not need an assistant, and they will likely go the way of the secretarial pool. It will be interesting to see in 20 years what a modern law firm (or any company for that matter) will look like.

I left my iPhone at home this morning and by the time I realized it I was too far away for it to make sense to go back for it. It was slightly irritating at first, but then once the initial shock of not being tethered to technology wears off it is oddly refreshing. I'm not stopping what I am doing every five minutes to check out an alert or email or text message. It might be a nice experiment to try not using the phone once a week or so, just to feel a little freer. For the most part, I try not to be constantly looking at my phone, but then again, all of us, at some point or another, are guilty of focusing too much attention on it. I plan on being better about it in the future and use it when needed, but leave it tucked away when not. It reminded me of a dinner I went to at a nice restaurant and at the next table was a group of 6 very nice looking, well-dressed women, all of whom were silently texting on their phones, without even conversing with their dinner companions. I wondered why they were all out together if they were more interested in other people. If you are out with friends, the focus should be on that and not on what is going on elsewhere.

As most of my friends know, I enjoy being on Facebook. It provides much needed entertainment during the workday due to the fact that my job can be a little boring at times. At one point my list of friends got a little out of hand, and starting pushing into the 1000 number territory. My news feed became too unwieldy and if I was away for more than a couple of hours there was no way for me to ever read what everyone had posted. So I made a conscious decision to weed out the people who a) never said anything at all too me; b) were only casual acquaintances that really probably wouldn't know I had de-friended them; and c) annoying people. With the culling I got back down below 500 which will likely be my bellwether. It just surprises me that if someone goes to the trouble to look at my profile and deem something in it worthy of their attention so that they request to be my friend, why do they then, after I accept it, not say anything or communicate with me whatsoever? I usually give people a couple of days and then, if I still hear nothing from them, I delete them. Even funnier is when I delete them and then immediately get another friend request. Why?

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"You can ask me where I'm going
And I'll tell you crazy
But when I get to where I'm going
You should come with me

You been staying up, pull me up, start reeling
I'm throwing up my hands like I'm mad at the ceiling

Tell me why
Things change but it feels the same

If life is such a game
How come people all act the same?"

M.I.A.
"Tell Me Why"

"No matter what the name - we're all the same
Pieces in one big chess game
Yeah - the voice of power
Is in the house - go take a shower boy
P.E. a group, a crew - not singular
We were black Wranglers
We're rap stranglers
You can't angle us - I know you're listenin'
I caught you pissin' in you're pants
You're scared of us dissin' us
The crowd is missin' us
We're on a mission boy"

Public Enemy
"Rebel Without A Pause"

"Now I'm young
I got nothing to lose
I'm gonna follow
I'm following my muse

You're the older one
You're older by now
You're one got some
You're one got some to prove

Well it's only me
It's only me now
I cannot change you
But time will
My heart it will
Not stand still"

Hercules and Love Affair
"Time Will"

"Here the dolphins walk like men
Here the cyborgs have a plan
Sir Greendown
I need your shining light

Let's leave in an hour
Meet me at the tower
I'm in love."

Janelle Monae
"Sir Greendown"

Appealing Things

New car smell
Having my credit score go up two weeks in a row
My recipes for vodka sauce and Italian breaded pork chops
Coachella 2011

Annoying Things

People parking in my reserved parking space at home
People who don't say thank you when you open the door for them
People who don't say thank you at all, frankly
Hang nails
Really hot weather
Going to the tag office