Thursday, July 19, 2012

About me:

After practicing civil defense litigation for 10 years, I decided to quit in early 2011 in order to find balance in my life and avoid complete burnout. Since then, a part-time contract litigation position that is far more interesting and flexible than my prior job found me, and have spent many hours rediscovering the excitement of the kitchen, bought a kayak, started practicing yoga again, become engaged in community service, and most importantly, become less stressed and more patient.  (At least that is what I think; you would have to ask my husband whether it is actually true.)

I decided to start a blog primarily because I find myself talking about homemade pickles, jams and breads on facebook a lot lately, which doesn't seem like the place to do it.  In trying to name my blog, it was amazing how many "recovering lawyers", "recovering litigators", and "recovering attorneys" there are out there.  Except that many of them are about "recovery", as in, recovering money in a lawsuit.  But there are quite a few who, like me, quit in order to avoid becoming - or turning their spouses or children into - one of the many casualties of the practice of law.

I still have no idea what I want to do when I grow up.  Mediation is one possibility, and I am volunteering with a neighborhood mediation center.  To counteract the bad karma of insurance defense litigation (no, I did not defend insurance companies, but trying to save insurance companies money is almost as bad), I am on the Board of 
Directors of a local non-profit organization that provides employment services for disabled and indigent individuals. I enjoy singing, yoga and kayaking, and I love to cook. I am sure I would enjoy culinary school, but I doubt I would much like working in a restaurant kitchen.  Nonetheless, since I have left full-time litigation I have enjoyed cooking for my family (who are remarkably willing to be my guinea pigs), pickling, making marmalades, and - my most recent endeavor - making dandelion wine and homemade bread.  So that is what I am focusing on at the moment.

I am not sure whether this is going to turn into a cooking blog or a diary of sorts, but feedback is certainly welcome, whether on any given post or on the blog as a whole.

3 comments:

  1. This blog is exciting and dynamic full of drama and suspense.

    Will a post ever happen again?

    And what's really the secret to making a good orange marmalade?

    And how many hours *can* you spend researching and drafting a motion to dismiss for lack subject matter jurisdiction?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha, funny! Check out today's post.

      Good orange marmalade: Napoleon the oranges, cut the rinds very fine, place the membranes and seeds in a muslin bag and add that to your pot, as there is enough pectin in there to allow the marmalade to set.

      Unfortunately, you can't spend many hours at all on subject matter jurisdiction, as the case law is fairly established and (at least around here) you are limited to 12 pages.

      Delete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete