Futurelawyer

#PoetryFriday - Father's Day

This week we celebrate Father's Day. Being a father isn't about the accident of birth. It is about much more than that. I had the great fortune of being raised, from a young age, by a step-dad, William Arthur "Bill" Rice, a Navy man, semi-professional baseball player until injured, who sacrificed and scrimped and saved, and, no matter what, left me in the game. He taught me to love sports, Henry Aaron, and the Chicago Cubs. He played any sport well, and hit a golf ball farther than I have ever seen one hit. The photo shows him after I gave him a gift of a hat, in 2003, celebrating the Bucs' only Super Bowl victory.  I am posting this early this week, and ask that each of us think a little about a man who deserved the title "Father" in our own lives. 

Father’s Day

He remembered when
he walked 8 batters in a row,
and his father left him in the game.

He remembered when
he wanted to stay in the house
and read a book
and his Father taught him
to hit a baseball.

He remembered the day
he got to drive the Mustang to school
His father gave him the keys
and no lectures.

He remembered being punished.
He always believed it hurt his father more.

He remembered the job
unloading box cars on college breaks.
He remembered his father’s hand on his shoulders
in the middle of the night
when he was at the movies.

He remembered working in the yard
on hot Saturdays
just so he could go to the movies
late in the afternoon.

When his father died
the priest said pious things
about an honorable man.
He knew that the priest
had no idea
what was on the other side of midnight.

He prayed anyway
because that is what his father
would have wanted him to do.

 

Microsoft Store Is Still My One Of My Favorite Places

Microsoft Store International Plaza - Tampa, FL. Like most of you, I do a lot of shopping online. It is just so damn convenient. But, my Microsoft Book 2 computer, which after a year and a half is still the best notebook I have ever owned, was purchased in the Mall Microsoft Store at International Plaza in Tampa. There is something special and tactile about touching and using a computer in the store before purchase. One of my favorite memories of SWMBO is purchasing her a high end notebook computer after she got sick. Even though in a wheelchair, the joy in her eyes still makes me cry. We were in the local Best Buy, and we bought her the most expensive, highest end, computer they had. Brick and mortar stores will never go away, as long as human beings are doing the shopping.  

SpeechMaking - Just Be Authentic

Execupundit.com: When Delivering a Speech. Lawyers have to be good speakers, in order to be effective. This post by Execupundit highlights the essential need to be "effective" in speech. What exactly does "effective" mean? The number one rule is that the speaker be "authentic". In others words, it is often said "Be Yourself". Of course, that can be a lot easier to say than to do. We are all actors. We listen to those who say to us: "Act as if..." In other words, fake it til you make it. But, the most effective speakers are those who get in touch with their authentic self. Don't try to be someone else. By the way, this involves all sorts of speech, written and spoken, on paper and online. Be authentic. Then, you don't have to worry about anything else.

#TBT - The Hairy Arm Syndrome

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder.
I first wrote about this a couple of years ago, in reference to a story about a lawsuit involving a man upset about having to look at oil derricks adjacent to his property.

"It all depends upon your "point of view", doesn't it? If there were Oil Derricks in my front yard, my first instinct would be to hire a surveyor. If they were on my land, I would then expect to get checks every month for the rest of my life, and the derricks would be the most beautiful sculptures I had ever seen. This all reminds me of the "hairy arm" syndrome, which highlights the maxim that perception often misrepresents reality. A man goes into a dark house, and see a big hairy arm sticking out of the wall. He immediately attacks it, cutting off the arm. The owner of the arm bleeds to death, and, upon tearing open the wall, it is discovered that it belonged to a mother protecting her young. So, always be aware that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or, at least, in the wallet."

How do you view the prospective clients, fellow lawyers, and others that you meet in your day to day law practice? Do you go through life reacting to your metaphorical hairy arms, or do you think before you act? I was thinking about the hairy arm syndrome this morning, while reading about the current state of our world. I was introduced to it by Miller Williams, the great Southern poet, and my professor in college. Miller had an uncommon understanding of the human condition, and wrote about it with skill and humor. It occurred to me to wonder what he would write about our world in this decade. I suspect that he would write about a solitary human climbing a hill, ignoring obstacles, knowing that every hairy arm doesn't belong to an evil creature. Let's resolve to look at our world that way this week.

#TBT - Lunch At The Brown Derby

One of my favorite photos of Jacquelyn and Ariana at the Brown Derby in Orlando. Thinking of you today, SWMBO. Miss you and love you much.

Do You Know Where Your Public Library Is?

http://www.pplc.us/libcardform.shtml I can't remember the last time I stepped inside my Public Library. It is only 5 blocks from my office, and I pass by it every day on the way to and from work. I have wonderful childhood memories of the base library where I grew up. Big leather chairs, and thousands of books with cloth and leather bindings. Writing research papers was a feast for the senses. These days, my research is done on a computer at my desk, and the world is open to me all the time. However, modern libraries have come into the future, and there are many online resources available to you. All you have to do is sign up online. Do you know where your Public Library is?

12 Foot Long Florida Sting Ray

Diver shoots video of giant stingray in the Gulf of Mexico. Wildlife in FutureLawyer's backyard isn't the same as yours. Florida wildlife lives in the water, and you don't want to get near its tail. This guy was photographed 8 miles out in the Gulf in 30 feet of water.

Mechanical Keyboards And Big Shift Keys

The ROOCAT Vulcan series mechanical keyboards have an amazing look and design. Keyboards designed for text entry on modern computers are, in many cases, unusable by real typists. Chiclet keys, undersized keyboards on notebook and ultralight computers, tiny travel keys, and electronic key transfer are all symptoms of a diseased, dying text entry world. Any competent typist will tell you that deep travel mechanical keys, with a satisfying aural and tactile response, is essential for fast, accurate typing. In addition, what is it with these modern keyboards that use a standard sized key for the right Shift key? I get it. Thin is in. But, I have a solution. Buy an external standard sized mechanical keyboard and connect it via USB. I am not a gamer; but, God bless them, they are leading the way to a bright future for mechanical keyboards. I use the Razer Black Widow Ultimate at home and at the office. This Roocat Vulcan claims to strike a middle ground. Whichever, if you have forgotten how satisfying it is to type on a mechanical keyboard, you need to revisit the past.

I Can't Be Rich...But I Am On My Way To Thin

My friend, John Beach, shot this photo at lunch the other day, when I wasn't looking. I almost don't recognize myself, having dropped 60 pounds in the past year. Still too much weight around the middle; but, at least I no longer look like Marshmallow Man.

FutureLawyer Gets Engaged!

I am pleased to announce my engagement to this beautiful, kind, loving, sweet, genuine, good woman on February 15, 2019.