equilibrium-girl.com

In Memory

This past Monday, I helped say good-bye to a friend and mentor in the legal profession. The bits and pieces of what exactly he "meant" in my life come out in dribs and drabs, but he, among other people, helped me focus on the practice as something to enjoy.

He was a one-time clerk for Judge Higginbotham of the Seventh Circuit, and an adept senior litigator for one of the two federal antitrust enforcement agencies. He was the lead attorney on an investigation that I staffed with my mentee. We had so much fun, and we enjoyed ourselves. We learned to research, write, and ask the tough questions, particularly during investigational interviews. I've never seen so many top industry executives excrete so much collective sweat in my entire life.

And he did it with a twinkle in his eye, and a love for teaching the younger attorneys.

I left that agency three years ago, and he continued to be a friend and mentor-and someone that I looked to for guidance. I saw him again at his retirement party, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and I'd heard he had a blast this past year.

We will miss him quite dearly. I hear the sound of The Governor's laughter in the next room, or get my point across to a client in the way she understands, and I understand why these things were so important to him. The best thing to do to honor his memory is to practice law with enthusiasm and integrity, which I am more than happy to do.

Silly, So Silly

Patently Silly just doesn't get updated as frequently as I like, but that's okay. I don't think the world is quite ready for a prostate massager or even an exercise treadmill for dogs.

Things are okay with me. Work is crazy, but so much fun. Last year around this time, I didn't know that I would have the type of job that entails so many shift-on-the-fly decisions. My boss says I'll get used to this--I hope so.

He also remarked yesterday that some of my jewelry "looks like candy." Which is odd, because that's exactly what i'm trying to convey. That's my aesthetic. Instead of reaching of a piece of rock candy or a stick swirled in cotton candy, reach for a pretty, sparkling set of delicious earrings or a chunky bracelet. I guess I get as much from the feel of gemstone nuggets against my wrist as I do eating a J0lly Rancher. In fact, I bought some dyed red candy jade that looks like cut-up pieces of licorice at a bead show last weekend. I've been playing with my spoils from that show. If you have started making jewelry, bead shows have the best prices, particularly on silver findings.

What makes us happy

I think as you get older, it becomes the simple things that make you the happiest. Here is a list of things that have been making me happy this past week:

1. New office supplies
2. The Governor's laughter, and his constant insistence that he "won't open the candy" at 7:45 a.m., even though he has been peeling back the wrappers and looking longingly at the contents.
3. Cute boys (e.g., new internet friends that i co-moderate a car forum with).
4. Hearing Conan excited about a new business opportunity that is right up his alley.
5. When someone you respect sticks up for you.
6. When you child asks you for "a lot a lot of kisses."
7. A telephone call from a loved one.
8. Project Runway

Subtext

good old-fashioned Catholic guilt can sometimes work in your favor. if managed properly, it can tend to mitigate potentially bad situations. observe the subtext conversation which actually didn't occur (except inside my head):

EG: Hi Remote Boss-I'm contacting you under a valid pretext, but morbid curiosity and the aforementioned crush is compelling me to send you random communication.

RB: That's okay. I think I'll pretend that I don't see it and get back to you in my extremely lucid way (as always). By the way, your request was confusing, but because I'm smart I've figured it out anyway.

EG: (Face turns red). Oh.

RB: At any rate, I'm referring you to someone else who is also very competent and could probably be of help.

EG: Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I probably shouldn't have sent you that random request. Attraction-type stuff gets really confusing sometimes. Gotta concentrate on my work and family. Besides, nothing would come of it anyway.

RB: Agreed. But you have an asset that everyone wants. Regardless of whether I'd figured out what your actual motivation for contacting me was, I still have to preserve the notion for the both of us that your request was valid, as opposed to merely semi-valid.

EG: Yeah, wouldn't I be embarassed if I was found out? I shouldn't even be posting in my blog about it. I think I'll have to go and re-edit some of this when I write it down. I feel slightly guilty about this whole thing, so maybe it's best if I just forget about it and chalk it up to basic human interaction.

RB: Well, I can only surmise that part of the reason you have a crush on me is that I have foresight to think of these things--that is, if I in reality did have some inkling of what all of this nonsense is about. Another reason that you probably have a crush on me is that I'm so humble I might not even think that this was a possibility.

EG: Darn it! See, you're doing it again.

RB: Whoops, sorry. I can't help being so damn competent and nice.

I really did have a reason to contact him--in fact, I had a couple. But that guilt "thing" actually motivated me to keep cool. And right now, it's motivating me to sort of distance myself from it, which is good.

Lookie!

I finally figured out the technique to these briolette flowers: use a relatively thin, higher gauge wire. I'm loving the variations of carnelian that you can see in the "petals." With new jade and lemon chrysoprase accents and unakite center.

lessons learned, questions posed

i had a great time at my jewelry open house this past weekend. while i didn't rake in the cash, i definitely covered my costs. i got my neighbor to buy this amazing collar-style necklace with citrine briolettes--but i think in all fairness, the piece really sold itself. one woman bought the amazonite chandelier earrings right off my ears. i met some wonderful people and networked with a wonderful woman who has been selling jewelry for about 20 years, and now i have some ideas to work with for the future. i think there are two lessons that i learned: a) invite as many people as you can, and b) create or bring pieces geared towards the people that are invited/most likely going to come. we saw a lot of women buy simple pearl strands and earrings.

i am really humble about my pieces, and a couple of co-workers have asked to see my stuff and while i love talking about it, i just feel a little awkward about it. i'm just not really that "sales-y" and i really hate randomly approaching people. there are a couple of stores that might be good candidates to approach, i just don't know how i feel about that, or if i'm really ready for it.

i think the big project on this front is maybe a "look book" where i feature pictures of some of my favorite pieces and a short description of my aesthetic, materials, and process. about the fact that i'm picky and have chosen the wrapped eye loop technique because i want to be sure that my customers have long-lasting pieces. and that i think every woman deserves at least one good sterling silver item? and should i even be promoting myself to stores before i start a little web operation? my concern is that there is just so much to do--tax ID registration, e-commerce operations, just coding a site (getting someone to do it), etc. the problem is that i am so very comfortable with the online context--i just don't know what the returns might be. anyone with insight, please chime in.

Public Service Announcement

I need a personal disclaimer that follows me around and states the following:

Subject to occasional bouts of self-doubt and over-sensitivity, which may impact effectiveness and efficiency of work product and other matters. Side effects stem from prior work experiences, middle child birth order, and lack of sleep. Consult a second opinion in the event that reactions appear illogical or lack any semblance of common sense.

What would yours say? Does it differ from day to day?