Running on Fumes

But running well enough.  Sorta.  I’m going to love my sleep tonight, I tell ya. 

Recently my time has been taken up prepping for a pretty interesting trail that was dwipped.  Since then I’ve been taking care of an ill friend, jetting about the country trying to find work as a PD, and in between scrambling to do some more trial prep (which was, erm, not my very best work – but a first cut is better than no cut) and push through the last bits of reading for the semester.  My brain hurts.  My heart’s a bit sore also.  You can only worry about things for so long before you just go a bit numb and get a bit slow.  But I think that’s turning around, has already been turning around. 

The X-Men had a character (made a cameo in one of the films) called the Multiple Man – this mutant could create copies of himself.  One copy to do the dishes, while another copy dried, as a third folded the laundry.  Then, work done, they’d fold back into one another and grab some lunch. Right now, I’d take that power over flight or telepathy or anything else.  Except perhaps shooting invisible lasers from my eyes.  I could use that also.  But anyway – it seems like I have dozens of relatively routine tasks, each of which is not demanding but would take 3 hours to do.  And thus another week disappears. 

However, many of these routine tasks are occasioned by Great News – I was offered (and accepted) employment as a Public Defender in Miami-Dade county!   I’m pretty psyched.  They’re against putting chains on kids. As we all should be.

Although I had other fish in the water, Miami really seemed to want me from the start.  Quite frankly that goes a long way with me.  After a clerical error (?) resulted in my not being called for a second promised interview, I called them, they immediately set up a date (yesterday) and I flew down. 

I arrived on Sunday and spent the day driving about the city, looking at different neighborhoods and getting a feel for the layout of the place.  Like many American cities, there’s a stone’s throw’s change between affluence and abject poverty.  Well, perhaps more like a well thrown Frisbee.  I ended up staying in a hotel in South Beach for the evening – which reminded me how much I missed ocean-side living.  Or even near-ocean living. 

I got up early and made it to the PDs office on time.  It’s a large building, located near one of the major hospitals, the court and the jail.

The panel interview was intense but fair – they kept the questions moving quickly, and their comments and criticisms of both my rapid-round responses and my prepared opening statement were useful and tactfully delivered.  When I stood up and shook everyone’s hand, I was pretty sure I didn’t land the job.  I certainly didn’t expect to be made an offer before I could leave the building.  *That* was just surreal.  I didn’t expect anything for weeks, so I’m afraid I just kind of stupidly gaped for a bit.  I’d have been  more demonstratively stoked if I wasn’t so physically and emotionally exhausted.  But I kept saying how pleasantly overwhelmed I was and how I’d let them know something by the end of the week at the very latest.  Even though I was pretty wiped out, there were some exuberant shouts in the rental car as I drove off to the airport.   

I mean I’ll be moving not only to the state that elects the president, but to one that has its own embassy in DC.

In other news Gateway has made overtures about replacing my system.  When (if) it arrives, I’ll update the Gateway Saga.

Also – must arrange for my beat-up car to get fixed or scrapped. 

Comments

[Kat]

Congratulations on landing such an awesome position!!! :D

ps(Must admit that at the mention of moving near the ocean, I'm now also extremely envious!)

[Melissa]

Congratulations on you're job offer! I'm guessing that you're going down to Miami now and not coming to us! :-P

[Jay Goodman Tamboli]

Congratulations!

[Frolics and Detours]

Congrats!

[Audacity]

Bienviendo a Miami!

I am seriously jealous that you'll be moving to the land of ever present warm weather.

[Knox]

Although I live in Boca Raton (about 50 miles north of Miami) and work in Miami Lakes, let me be the first local to welcome you to south Florida. Hope you keep the blogging up as you ramp up. Congratulations and Good luck!

P.S., a beat up car is perfect for Miami, so fix it.

[Lyco]

Congrats!!

[Gideon]

Congratulations! You'll make a find public defender.

[Gideon]

Ugh. Fine, not find. Too damn early in the morning.

[Scoplaw]

Thanks everyone! (Thanks also to Arb and Cap and other blogs who took notice, plus people who wrote privately.)

I wish this meant I could take a break (and do some blogging). What it really means is that I continue to run full tilt, but I'm just now veering to the left as I go. And really, isn't that where we all want to end up?

If anyone wants to visit (either before I jet from DC or after I land in Miami) please drop me a line.

Best,

The Scoplaw

[MissConductpdx]

Welcome to the world of public defense.

If you thought you were gonna need the power to copy yourself during law school, just wait until three courtrooms are all screaming for you at the same time!

[Eli]

Awesome! Congrats!