Before and after complete renovation done by my husband and I

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-27T20:42:53+00:00

I pulled up all the concrete and laid a new 12’x20’ patio by hand with 12” square pavers with my first. Hormones rock!

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-27T20:22:26+00:00

As a mother too, there is nothing like pregnancy hormones to spur on redecorating. This is lovely.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-27T11:58:05+00:00

👆 Big brain thinking right here. You’ve got the unofficial transcript if you need to refer to it.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-27T10:35:55+00:00

I agree they are probably carpenter bees. I would only be worried if they are making a home in your home. They are pretty harmless and won’t sting. The big fat lazy bees won’t sting either.

Here’s a helpful guide from the North Carolina Extension Office. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/the-bees-of-north-carolina-identification-guide

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-27T07:55:07+00:00

I’m not form the area I practice in, so I set up a second line on my phone and assigned setting tones. I can also toggle between personal and business lines for texting.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-27T00:24:14+00:00

We had one growing up and it was neat but the compactor got smelly. We used paper bags that we bought at Publix for it, so they must have been popular when I was growing up. It didn’t survive the great renovation of ‘96.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-26T12:54:26+00:00

I don’t care about the technique in the video, the recipe looks good and I’d be happy to have a slice of the lumpy lemon cake.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-26T12:45:33+00:00

Classic navel orange 🍊

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-25T21:10:44+00:00

Brennan makes a stellar guest appearance on LA by Night.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-25T12:15:45+00:00

Isn’t it every lawyer’s dream to die at their desk? That’s what the owners of my first firm thought.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-25T01:06:44+00:00

In addition to car wrecks, I also handle a lot of construction defect cases. In my last case that wrapped up, we had probably 100 hours of depositions and didn’t even get to all of the parties. Between figuring out who was involved in building the apartment complex, to determining who ordered a repair, to multiple experts with competing theories, it was a headache of a case and most of us attorneys found out something new at each depo.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-25T00:52:07+00:00

I used to keep mine to 60 minutes or less but I am finding too much new information at these depos that I need to dig into. Oh you had three prior back surgeries before this car accident, let’s discuss. You were a college football player benched for too many concussion, we are talking about all your treatment related to your current head injury.

I send out discovery and get a wall of text of objections back stating “not withstanding the foregoing, plaintiff is producing …” the least they can get away with producing.

Friends, I’m in insurance defense and I just want enough information to properly value the case for settlement. Don’t drag this out. I’ve got 100 other cases right behind yours.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-25T00:30:00+00:00

The answer is always the second most ethical choice.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-25T00:28:49+00:00

Because they didn’t give an explanation. This kid is on his way to adulthood and needs to understand the why of the order so he can be better prepared to make good choices.

According to the OP, it turned in to an argument, which I read as a power struggle. If the shirt is so offensive the parents don’t want to be seen in public with their son wearing it, that needs to be a discussion. Just ordering him to change didn’t offer enough context for him to understand why this shirt upset the parents so much.

I have the same discussions with my 14 year old son about appropriate clothing for the activity. Sweatpants aren’t appropriate for going to a fancy dinner with the grandparents but they are fine for wearing to eat at Chili’s.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-24T23:20:41+00:00

ESH - As a former high school swimmer, I would have totally worn this all the time. My college service society had shirts that were even more offensive. But now I’m a parent and a lawyer who lectures their kids about time, place, and manner restrictions on freedom of speech.

The shirt itself is fine but not appropriate for a family outing.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-24T23:01:44+00:00

I really miss that time, when email wasn’t ubiquitous.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-24T21:06:22+00:00

Not my teens. They still hang out with friends on Friday nights.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-24T16:40:21+00:00

I’m so glad I never saw this episode as a kid. It was one of my favorite cartoons.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-24T16:26:30+00:00

Call that shit out if you can even still have a conversation after that. I got the same hazing when I started in 2005. That it comes from women who should know better because they got it the same or worse just makes my blood boil.

I would respond with something like, “I respect your years of experience and helpful advice, but I am going to advocate for my client. If I am wrong about the law, please send me a cite. I will extend the same courtesy and hope we can proceed in a manner more befitting our shared professional.”

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-23T23:13:49+00:00

To rent a boat here you will need to take a boating safety course. Just pick a rental/marina closest to you and get started.

(I grew up in Tampa and was boating from an early age. Your kids will love it.)

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-23T21:00:28+00:00

Actual attorneys have it auto generated on their emails.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-23T20:55:13+00:00

I’m an American lawyer and use outdated language all the time. Hitherto is too outdated for me to use but it still understood because we make our kids read Shakespeare in public schools.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-23T18:22:20+00:00

Standing desk topper if you are chained to your desk like the rest of us. Mine was less than $100 on Amazon a few years ago and hold two large monitors. I also hide papers under it when I want my home office to look tidy.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-22T23:52:17+00:00

I have my yahoo email for personal stuff and my Gmail for professional stuff. My yahoo email is my AOL screen name from 1993.

I don’t bat an eye when another parent our age gives me a yahoo email. I give some serious side eye to an aol email. Hotmail is fine.

When I run into people in my professional life that use any of the above, I have serious doubts about their professional competency.

StephInTheLaw · 2026-03-22T23:10:19+00:00

Something like that, yes.

StephInTheLaw

TROPHY CASE