Futurelawyer

#PoetryFriday - Obituary.

Have you ever wondered what you would like to have written in your obituary? Of course not. We spend our lives avoiding the unpleasant thought of death. Then, a Stoic convert like myself keeps reminding you that "Memento Mori", remember, grasshopper, you will die. Now, get on with living. Writing obituaries used to be the job of the lowest of the low on a news staff. The only people interested seemed to be family and friends of the deceased. I have a different view. We all need to think about what will be written about us. If only to inform us that life is precious, and we need to really live it.

Obituary.

I wrote your obituary today.

I told the truth

But not the whole truth.

I wrote the truth that we all tell each other

and others

and post on Facebook walls

and in Newspapers

I didn’t write the truth we keep in our hearts.

I didn’t write about the battles we fought together

and alone.

I didn’t write about the secrets we kept from others

and from ourselves.

I didn’t write about the truths we humans

don’t want others to know.

I wrote about your accomplishments

I wrote about the love others had for you

I wrote about the public face

we all show the world.

But, I didn’t write about your incandescent eyes

I didn’t write about your caring soul

I didn’t write about the wry tilt of your head

When I was being ridiculous.

I didn’t write about the words we spoke

in the night.

I didn’t write the truths we admitted to each other

in the early morning light.

I didn’t write about our sins, our faults, or our failings.

I didn’t write about the daily struggles we faced

in a world consumed by desire and evil.

I wanted to write about the heartache of a string of days without you.

I wanted to express the pain of loss

I wanted to tell the world that you were the best person I ever knew.

I only told them what they wanted to hear.

Every Home Needs One Of These.

Reliable Alarm Clock.

The Hidden Dangers Of Public WiFi.

Hidden Dangers of Public WiFi. Sheldon Livingston, of VSLComputers, a local Tampa Bay area firm, has written a great article, in layman's language, explaining why no lawyer or other business should be using Public WiFi for sensitive communications. Learn about Man in the Middle Attacks, Evil Twin Attacks, and strategies to protect your client information on the go. His recommendations:

Avoid accessing sensitive data on public networks—especially anything involving passwords, personal details, or financial accounts.

🔹 Stick to HTTPS websites (look for the padlock icon in the address bar) to encrypt your data.

🔹 Use trusted browser security extensions to block cookies, ads, and malicious websites.

🔹 Disable auto-join on your devices to prevent accidental connections to unsafe networks.

🔹 Beware of pop-ups—hackers use them to trick you into clicking malware-infested links.

🔹 Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for business accounts to add an extra layer of security.

🔹 Keep your software updated to patch vulnerabilities and protect against emerging threats.

Call Sheldon for a hands on look at your systems and advice on staying secure.

#TBT - Honeymoon Cruise.

Five years ago today, we were on our honeymoon cruise, and the Pandemic was just beginning. We had no clue, of course, and we spent our days enjoying life. We had both endured death and dying and other tragedies. But, on this day, we were focused on finding joy in the present. We have done that every day since. We will do that every day we are given going forward. 

The ship is gently rocking,

and the waves have white caps

on top of their heads.

Lovely Diane

ecstatic and relaxed

stares at nothing at all.

All is right with the world.

We live our dream

for one more day.

All the others happily run

and chatter.

Are they oblivious to the inevitability

of their demise?

Is it better to have known tragedy?

The food tastes better.

The wine is sweeter,

when you have already died

and come back to life.

Love finds a way.

It floats on an ocean of promise

and what may be.

Smiles and laughter

cover our knowledge of our doom.

We are lovers of life

and each other.

We know what it means to die.

#TBT - Who Remembers Playing Frogger On An Early Atari Game Machine?

Life As A Video Game. Yes, we were easily entertained in the Eighties. We started with a black and white screen on which a small dot of light went back and forth. The game was Pong. We thought it was so cool. Then, games like Frogger came out, in full color, and we spent hours dodging vehicles trying to get a frog across the road. This guy decided to play Frogger while crossing the highway on an overpass. Now, that is a great use of the time we have on earth.

No, It Isn't Hump Day. It's Cleaning Day.

He surveyed the detritus of his life.

There was a scrap of paper on the floor

that had survived for many days

and its tattered edges

had become permanently affixed

to the fibers in the carpet.

Dust animals

populated the shelves

and shared a place

with old sports memorabilia

that chronicled long since traded players

of a sport now played

without fans

and without noise.

There wasn’t enough room

for all his stuff,

and he promised himself daily

that he would clean out his attic-like space,

with cleaning utensils

and caustic fluids

applied with old rags

that hopefully weren’t flammable.

Most cleaning,

he decided,

was just moving dirt around,

and he refused to waste his life,

already full of useless distractions,

on a job that would never end

until his last day on the planet.

But, then, he had an epiphany,

and spent a few minutes

scrubbing the offending paper,

and vacuuming the tiny bits that remained,

until the carpet was ready

for a new infusion of dirt,

in the endless cycle of life.

 

Why You Need Two PDF Applications.

TechRadar Review PDFFiller. I use, and recommend, Tungsten Power PDF Advanced, for everyday use in efiling and PDF creation and manipulation. I convert my WordPerfect documents to PDF using PDF advanced, for efiling with the Courts of Florida. I have written before about its utility, and the fact that it is much cheaper than Adobe. However, I also pay $180 a year for PDF Filler, which is a web based app, which also has a Windows app, and which does PDF creation, conversion, and creates fillable PDF forms. It also, however, can do esignatures, and has access to the US Legal Forms database, with over 80,000 legal forms that can be downloaded and modified by lawyers. I was introduced to it by my accountant, who sends me tax forms for esignature, and can password protect sensitive forms and documents. You can get a free 30 day trial; but, for the price, you get a lot of usable functionality that can really enhance your lawyer toolbox.

China Doll.

She seemed so delicate.

Her pure white skin touched

his tanned arm.

He was afraid she would break,

if he held her too tightly.

She spoke of secret desires,

and he understood.

He wanted her with a fire

that felt eternal in its power.

Brightly lighting his life,

it threatened to burn;

but, he was drawn closer anyway.

He wanted to feed her

with his power.

He wanted to hold her with his arms.

He wanted to seduce her with his intelligence.

His words

were his tools,

to let her know

that, deep inside,

he wanted her to grasp his soul

and carry it to ecstasy.

He imagined that she sat

before a quiet stream,

next to a forest,

while he admired her from a secret place.

He approached, unseen,

and she leaned forward

to hear the passing water.

He knew that if she heard him coming,

she would,

deer-like,

run away to a place of safety,

thinking him to be just another hunter

looking for a meal.

How could he show her

that he was, like her,

a frightened deer,

running away from the hunters

who chased after him,

and that,

together,

they could protect each other

from the destroyers

and the breakers of China?

Always Have A Backup Plan.

You never know when you are going to come upon a cliff or other serious problem in life. So, like the Boy Scouts, always be prepared. Carrying a set of wings so that you can fly over the obstacle is always a good plan. Now, go seek adventure, but remember to be prepared for disaster.

How To Start A Monday Morning.

stress and worry got you down? Sickness, and world trauma on your mind? Not a Monday morning person? I have the prescription. Watch this video about feeding a baby Penguin. There, don't you feel better?

Baby Penguin.