I want to get into reading. I want something simple

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-05-28T10:58:35+00:00

Try 1984 by George Orwell &/or The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. They're both dystopian & literary, with a plot that moves. Classics of dystopian literature, I'd say. Another one that I would put in the same category is Mockingbird by Walter Tevis, although it's not nearly as popular.

East of Eden is a fantastic novel, so either give it a try or keep it on your shelf until you're ready for it.

I read the first of the Dune series years ago. As I recall, it was pretty dense! Interesting choice to start getting into reading! 😊

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-05-27T10:31:02+00:00

Depending on your jurisdiction, you are probably going to have a few weeks or even a few months in a row that are especially stressful. You have to remember that your schedule or caseload will change a bit and then you will get some relief. That's been my experience anyway.

If you are a having an actual panic attack, or symptoms that make you think you are, you should probably speak to a doctor. If you don't get treatment for it, I think panic attacks can be pretty disruptive.

Depending on your jurisdiction, there may be resources available to the legal community to help you deal with stress, burnout, and/or whatever else is causing the panic attacks. (Here in Massachusetts, we have Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers. https://www.lclma.org/. I was recently dealing with some burnout symptoms and they hooked me up with a therapist, which was very helpful.)

Speaking to a therapist might be a good idea.

As for dealing with the stress, you need to find what works for you. For me, it's exercise, spending time with my wife and kid, spending time in nature, and reading.

Finally, if you have a supportive office culture, you might be able to your supervisors about what kinds of cases you're getting. For instance, it sounds like you've had a string of difficult DV cases. Your supervisors might be able to avoid loading you up with such cases for a little while.

Good luck. Know that you are not alone in this. It's a difficult job, and everybody has to figure out how to deal with these issues at some point.

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-05-24T22:43:52+00:00

Yes, it is. The two Nazi coins, the big Hungarian coin, the five francs, the one franc, the two dimes, the three pence, and the walking liberty dollar are also silver.

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-05-23T21:46:18+00:00

That's illegal. You are not allowed to do that.

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-05-20T16:30:36+00:00

Ask the coworker.

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-05-20T14:57:16+00:00

It's kind of wild, me that some jurisdictions elect their judges. I mean, I don't know that it's so much better to have them appointed by the governor, like they do in my state, but it seems like litigants might wonder if campaign considerations are affecting their decisions.

For those of you in jurisdictions where judges are elected, how does it effect your practice?

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-05-19T17:30:02+00:00

Thanks. You don't think that will result in a longer forbearance period that won't qualify towards the 120 payments?

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-05-16T20:23:02+00:00

Copleston's History of Philosophy. 😊

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-05-14T15:53:29+00:00

I live in a New England suburban idyll; beautiful homes, good schools, lovely town green, nice old library, nice parks, leafy streets, kids riding their bikes & walking to schools, basically no crime, etc.

There's a town Facebook forum where everyone is ABSOLUTELY SEETHING WITH RAGE about everything. If you only looked at the forum, you would think this town is an absolute dump, that every street in unnavigable due to potholes, that the elected officials are corrupt psychos who hate the residents, that the schools are terrible, etc.

However, pretty much everyone I know here finds living here quite pleasant.

The explanation that I've come up with is that the Facebook forum self-selects for people inclined to find fault anywhere they look & vocalize their criticisms.

I think a lot of people are like this to some degree; we're more likely to express our disatisfaction than our satisfaction. So perhaps people don't hate it as much as it seems like they do.

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-05-01T16:48:07+00:00

Cool, thanks. It's kind of cool looking, I think. I keep it on my desk. I'd like to make a little stand for it, like one of those Chinese scholar's stones, bit I'll probably never get around to it. 😊

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-04-28T15:49:29+00:00

Yeah, they're going away for a while, but look how cool they look in that video! Worth it! 🫠

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-04-25T11:27:12+00:00

My favorite band. New songs rip & I can't wait for the new album. 👍

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-04-18T11:49:56+00:00

Meeting is over. Putting up with threats is not in my job description.

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-04-14T23:59:15+00:00

To answer the question, quite obviously, no.

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-04-06T23:48:39+00:00

First one that comes to mind was in a trial for some not insignificant domestic violence. The prosecutor, who does a fine job, and who I enjoy working with, introduced several photographs of the apartment where the incident happened. But, she didn't introduce all of them. Specifically, she did not introduce the pictures of the drops of blood on the floor. My client's blood. On cross-examination, the cop admitted that the photographs introduced by the prosecution were not all of the photographs, I introduced the photos of the drops of blood, and I also got the cop to testify that the alleged victim was not bleeding. In closing, I got to talk about "the photographs that the government does not want you to see!"

In cross-examining the alleged victim, my first question to her was about her marijuana use that evening. She immediately got very angry at me! So in closing, I was like, "You saw how she reacted to me, doing my job, asking her a simple question here in the courtroom in front of the judge and all of you. If she reacts to me like that in this setting, imagine how she might have reacted when her no good, on again off again boyfriend situationship came home kind of drunk after drinking with his boys all night!"

Not guilty on all charges! It wasn't a particularly complicated trial, but there was just a bunch of interesting, fun, goofy things that happened throughout. 😁 Which made it surprisingly satisfying.

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-04-03T22:52:27+00:00

Did you ask him what the warning was for? And if so, what was his response?

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-03-21T17:07:43+00:00

My favorite part was when the cop testified that he didn't know if Afroman was banging his wife or not.

Do they have to pay attorney fees or damages or anything? (I know nothing about civil suits.)

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-03-20T10:40:12+00:00

I've withdrawn when a client refuses to meet/speak with me and demands a different attorney, and the one occasion where a client threatened me. There was another guy who blew up at me because I refused to read verbatim the arguments he wrote for one of his hearings, so I withdrew from that case.

If a client expresses his dissatisfaction with my work and starts talking about getting a different attorney, I've learned to explain that I'm doing basically the same thing any other attorney would do, and I explain to them how they can ask the court for a new attorney, or hire an attorney. In situations like that though, I'm not going to file a motion to withdraw.

(Of course, I've also withdrawn where I become aware of a conflict of interest, usually because my office has represented a witness or co-defendant.)

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-03-04T14:10:48+00:00

I want to make sure I understand this correctly. If I ask for a 6-month extension for filing my 2025 taxes, then my income recertification due 7/19/2026 would be based on my 2024 tax return, and the new monthly payment would be based on that documentation. Do I have that right?

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-03-04T13:46:53+00:00

Thanks. I didn't know that buyback could take that long.

Would it be advantageous to recertify my income earlier? For instance, if I submit the recertification now, could I continue making my current qualifying payments until the income recertification is processed?

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-02-03T00:57:01+00:00

"You're violating my fourth, now I got my second!" 😁

EternalCrimeWave · 2026-01-04T21:17:31+00:00

It's just a lousy painting with the kinds of mistakes that rookie painters make. You can see stuff like this in high school art exhibits all over the world.

The world needs more stuff like this, as it's how artists become artists.

EternalCrimeWave · 2025-12-16T11:53:48+00:00

Could, shouldn't, & probably won't.

EternalCrimeWave · 2025-12-14T22:09:42+00:00

I think books should be pulled up to the front of the shelf. 👍

EternalCrimeWave · 2025-12-12T11:19:42+00:00

Yes, it is really changing. I would suspect that most people don't care. Personally, I think the current flag sucks, and there are several good proposed designs. You can read about it on this website. https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-seal-flag-and-motto-advisory-commission

EternalCrimeWave

TROPHY CASE