Wednesday, June 22, 2011

random, tired report

I billed 13 hours yesterday, even with attending an adorable in-class bridal shower in the morning for Landon's daycare teacher, taking a summer associate to a non-billable lunch, and leaving work early to pick up a feverish Clairebear who could NOT have picked a worse day to get sick.  And then, in a virtual version of failing to knock-on-wood after my last post, I did not get to tuck my babies in to bed (and thus I did not feel lucky, at peace, or warm in my heart; in fact, I felt quite the opposite by the time I went to go to bed at 2:15).  But even though all I wanted to do was sit on the couch with my sick, snuggly baby, I forced myself back to work after dinner to write a brief that was due in the morning.  I had a lot of case law research to do for it and I just can't read long IP cases on my tiny laptop screen.  It's a little freaky to be at my isolated office building at night, but I was very brave and pushed through the creepiness of being the only light on for what felt like miles. I finished around 2, right when Austin FINALLY got some rain via a very noisy thunderstorm.  And even though it kept me from falling asleep until almost 3, I was still more happy for the desperately needed rain than I was stressed about my impending a.m. exhaustion.  Though when my alarm went off at 6:30 this morning, I was a little less pleased with the precipitation...

Due to Claire's mysterious 2 hour illness that consisted of a relatively high fever and nothing else, I arranged for a nanny to come to the house in the morning.  When I called the firm's back-up service (the best perk we have, by far), I told them to be at the house by 7:30 a.m., still thinking I'd be getting enough sleep to go to work early.  I didn't, but the threat of the nanny knocking on the door while I was still in pj's got me out of bed to throw on some grey lightweight tweed pants, a cuffed men's style white dress shirt, black platform pumps, opted for glasses, and threw my hair in a wet messy bun.  I thought I was slumming it, but my co-worker told me I looked like a sexy, nerdy superhero's girlfriend.  I love her.  Then our extraordinarily obnoxious opposing counsel, who filed THREE more motions between 11 pm last night and 1 am this morning while I was drafting our response to their last motion, called me "vituperative" on a meet and confer conference call.  According to Google, this means I am "bitter and abusive" which, while new for me, is probably a badge of honor when dealing with these people.

So, work, it's crazy.  I keep telling myself it's a compliment to be the busiest person in my section (and it is) but I'm not sure how much longer I can keep it up.  I miss my couch, I haven't responded to a personal email in over a week (sorry to everyone who's sent me one), I can't leave comments on blog posts (though I do still read them!), and I'm just so tired.  Luckily Claire is completely cured- no idea what the fever was about, though I suspect teeth.  She heads back to daycare tomorrow which is good because Landon's teachers and Claire's teachers all commented on how concerned Landon was that she wasn't in the building.  He wasn't jealous she was at home or anything, he just didn't like that he couldn't visit her.  I haven't yet told him that this future land of "kindergarten" that he talks about incessantly will not include a Clairebear.  I designed the invitations for his "Breakfast with Batman" birthday party during a midnight break from my work last night- it's going to be so awesome!  I also read an article about how the Texas drought has eliminated wild birds' drinking water, so everyone should buy bird baths, and now I wonder about the birds I see around our neighborhood and worry that they're thirsty.  JP is good, though also super busy.  He likes his job, and really likes his boss and co-workers, but his work is pretty demanding- he's typing away on his work laptop across the table from me as I write this post (and wait for comments on another brief).  He's home for dinner every night, but he's seeing the kids for half the amount of time he used to and he misses them like crazy. 

So, the adjustment is still ongoing.  We did have a wonderful weekend we did do a much better job of preparing for the week.  Lots of food was prepped and prepared, so we've had healthy and delicious family dinners every night this week.  That's something right?

Sigh, back to work.

7 comments:

  1. This post makes me need to take a deep breath for you! Hope it slows down just enough to where you like it sooner rather than later. Can I just add that in the midst of it all, I kind of love that you're worried the birdies are thirsty :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1) Breakfast with Batman is a FABULOUS idea! and 2) You should totally include Vituperative in your signature line or on your checks or somewhere else official. You have to admit, it's a pretty awesome word for such an uncreative dig.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good lord! Those are crazy hours, LL! Here's hoping you get some much needed sleep/rest and recover time (hopefully with JP)!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hang in; you're doing fine. I'd be in tears or at least all whiny by now.
    Warning: Birthday alert! I have this bad habit of upping the ante for other kids' parties now that mine, y'know... don't even need me at theirs. I am envisioning bat-signal pancakes, like we used to do "branded" pancakes, made ahead and frozen. You just need one for the top of each stack, right? You could use a halloween bat cookie cutter, pour the batter in, knock in out, pour more over, and then turn it over....We did a Batman birthday at day care and I actually made capes for each kid out of that skirting that goes around banquet tables. They were break-away and they got to wear them for a WHOLE recess! It was the talk of the Tues-Thurs. a.m. class as I recall. (I had two Batman freaks, five years apart. Ask me about making Batman "big boy pants" with fabric markers because I had promised to do so when older son agreed to give up diapers, and thinking, not for the last time, "YESSS!!! THIS is why I went to law school!" I will just say I learned all about the bat signal.)

    Sorry-- you're too tired for this stuff now. You really ARE doing great. Take good care.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my gosh, good luck and hang in there. And yes, getting called a name you have to Google by opposing counsel is a huge compliment! That means you are doing your job right. Sadly. But that's litigation, right? Hopefully opposing counsel get's Claire's mystery illness and stops filing briefs in the middle of the night.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Batman's foe, the Vituperative Velaciraptor! The Vituperative Villain! The Vituperative Verbose One! Logorrhea... although it's a name whispered in shame by all , it strikes fear into the hears of decent, diurnally-balanced attorneys everwhere, who can associate it only with....Mr. Verbosity, aka "If One Motion Isn't Very Good Try Three and You Will Certainly Make One of Them Stick-Man!"

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sending good thoughts for time for Biscuit and Landon snuggles your way.
    Hope you get a second to catch up ASAP.
    And I know you probably don't feel like it - but seriously, You are incredible. Don't know how you do it. I definitely don't think I could.

    ReplyDelete