Thursday, February 25, 2010

Barbara Gorin - Putting Out Legal Fires by Day - Making A Difference By Night





Big thanks and major KUDOS to BARBARA GORIN, Legal Secretary Extraordinaire, Humanitarian and all around "cool chick."'

Thanks, Barb!



Wow, this has been an exciting year already! I was fortunate to be interviewed by Barry Cleveland, who writes for Guitar Player Magazine! Barry wrote an awesome article, and I very grateful for the opportunity to get exposure for Guitars Not Guns, and be in such a prestigious magazine! The article appears in the April 2010 issue on news stands NOW! Be sure to pick up your copy and check out page 22! Joe Perry of the famed Aerosmith is on the cover!

Next up, we have the Blondie guitar Ebay Auction beginning March 4th!! This is a 10 day auction. Be sure to tell everyone you know! A Once In A Lifetime Opportunity For A Blondie Fan Or Guitar Collector.


Paul Carbonara of the Band Blondie graciously donated to us a one of a kind collectible guitar - a Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite he owned, played and toured with Blondie that is autographed by Deborah Harry and the band Blondie. The guitar will be auctioned through eBay. There is a $99 opening bid and no reserve. Bidding starts Thursday, March 4, 2010, and will close Saturday, March 13, 2010. -



Check it out http://www.blondie.net/band_news.php



And http://blondie.net/images/paul_carbonara/gng/guitar_auction_info_page.html.



Please help us promote this auction by telling your friends, family, co-workers and business associates. You never know who is a closet Blondie fanatic!



All funds raised are used to purchase guitars for the kids!



Thank you all for your continued support!



Sincerely,

Barbara Gorin

VP Fundraising

Guitars Not Guns

www.guitarsnotguns.org



Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Take the Boring Out of Brown Bagging It - Camellia Brand Beans "On The Go"



"Since 1923, four generations of Haywards have guided L.H. Hayward and Company from its humble beginnings as a wholesale produce supplier to its modern day status as the internationally recognized packager of Camellia Brand® dry beans, peas and lentils – not to mention its distinguished title as the most respected provider of the quintessential Louisiana and Gulf Coast region’s favorite soul food: red beans."


Camellia Brand (R) Beans are the best beans in the world. I know because I've been in the business of cooking beans for a long time (and never you mind how long). Anyway, the only problem is that a good pot of beans take a long time to cook.

Well, time is no longer a factor. Camellia Brand has introduced a line of "To Go" beans that you can drop in your tote or briefcase and pop in the microwave at lunch - or dinner - or anytime you get the taste.

I tried the Red Beans and Rice (flavored with Sausage) and the White Beans and Rice with Savory Ham. Both are good, not-too-spicy, low in sodium and so much more exciting than a Turkey and Swiss!

Don't worry if you can't find them in your local grocery store, the nice people at Camellia will ship them straight to your door.

http://www.camelliabrand.com/p-9-red-beans-rice-savory-ham.aspx


Spice up your lunch - Louisiana style :)

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

"How To Find Meaning In Your Work"



How to Find Meaning in Your Work
By Ali Hale (C)



You have days when there just seems no point to what you’re doing – where it all feels futile or meaningless. Your motivation is low, yet the work still needs to be done.

You might work for an employer, or you might be self-employed. Your “work” might be paid, or it might be unpaid – being a full-time parent, or studying for a degree, for instance.

Whatever your situation, here’s how to find meaning in your work, and to get your motivation back.

Think About Your Values

What’s truly important to you? Maybe it’s your family, your health, or your career. Maybe it’s simply having the time to enjoy yourself and do things that you love.

In the light of your key values, how does your work look? Perhaps the dull admin tasks are worth it because they help you provide for your family. Maybe pushing yourself to get through something you don’t really enjoy much will further your career. Or, at the very least, getting this bit of work done can buy you some free time to do what you really want.

Look at the End Result

However much you enjoy your job or your life as a whole, there’ll be tasks which you simply don’t like doing. The point is to have them done. When you do the dishes, it’s not because you love playing with soapy water – it’s because you want to keep your kitchen clean.

Almost any work task becomes more meaningful when you work out what you’re trying to accomplish, and what the end result will be. (If the end result really does seem to be meaningless, then you might question whether you actually need to do that task at all.) If you are a manager and have staff reporting to you, consider giving your employees a full explanation on "why" they are doing something.

Learn Something New

On tasks which are hard, tedious or which don’t seem to lead to anything, can you focus on what you’re learning during the process? Often, learning something new means starting off with basics, and it might not be very exciting. But you need to work through very easy tasks before you can move on to harder, more interesting, ones.

If you start learning computer programming, for instance, your first program is likely to do nothing more than display the words "Hello, World." But you have to get through that early stage before you can ever create anything more exiting.

Figure Out Who You’re Helping

If you’re really struggling to find any meaning for yourself in your work, then think about the person or people who you’re helping. Perhaps you’re a stay-at-home parent, and vacuuming the house really isn’t your idea of fun: you might not even care about having the floor clean – after all, it’ll only get messy again. But you know that your partner really appreciates coming home to a tidy, clean house.

When you think about it, most tasks you’re engaged in will have a benefit for someone. When I worked in technical support and testing, I stayed motivated through boring tasks by thinking about the people who’d be using the software – by doing a good job, I could make their lives a bit easier.

Take Pride in Doing a Good Job

Finally, if you’re struggling to find objective meaning in your work, then focus on yourself as a person. Many of us get satisfaction from doing a job well, regardless of whether that job is interesting, or whether it seems to have any importance. Even if you know that the boss won’t be checking up on you, and that shoddy mistakes will go unnoticed for months, you can still find meaning in simply doing your best.

It’s good to be able to tell yourself I gave 100%. I didn’t cut corners. Fostering that sort of attitude is meaningful and important, because that sort of attention and diligence in little things will lead you to success in the long-term.



Written by Ali Hale. Ali is a professional writer and blogger, and a part-time postgraduate student of creative writing.



http://www.depo.com/E-letters/2010TheReporter/February/Articles/work_meaning.html

Friday, February 12, 2010

While Searching for Tina Turner, I Ran Across The Best Bookstore in Berkeley!




My sister invited me to a reading last night by Jacqueline Luckett.

She has written a novel, "Searching for Tina Turner," about a woman in crisis. It's already been selected as an "Essence" Magazine recommended read and this is only Ms. Luckett's first book!

http://www.amazon.com/Searching-Tina-Turner-Jacqueline-Luckett/dp/0446542962

It was a nice event with a very interesting group of people, amazing "pupus" and drinks and even homemade chocolate chip cookies (which were to DIE for) made by Jacqueline's mom. . .and how in the world did I not know about Books, Inc.???

Anyway, their newest location is on 4th Street in Berkeley. It's cute, independent, well-stocked, friendly and just a couple doors down from Peet's Coffee.

Books, Inc.
1760-4th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710

510-525-7777

www.booksinc.net

Thursday, February 11, 2010

It's Snowing in Texas!



From our favorite Southern California Litigation Secretary, Simone. She went to Dallas for vacation and sent us this snapshot from Arlington, Texas.

Simone, you're not in Sunny LA anymore!

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

A Recipe to Make Prior to Your Performance Review




These are sure to "soften" the boss's heart and perhaps cause in a change in plans regarding increases. . .at the very least, it might ward off a layoff.

Hey, in this economy, it's definitely worth the investment :)

Sucré Sour Cream Muffin Recipe

Sour Cream Muffins
Yields 24 muffins


12 ounces butter
11 ounces sugar
5 whole eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
20 ounces sour cream
15 ounces cake flour
¾ tablespoon baking soda
1 cup blueberries

Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs and vanilla gradually. Add sour cream. Add dry ingredients. Fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into muffin cups. Set in muffin pan. Bake in pre heated oven at 325 F for 35 minutes.



* Reprinted with permission from Sucre Bakery, New Orleans

http://www.shopsucre.com/

Sunday, February 7, 2010

"Treasure Hunt" - John Lescroart's Newest Wyatt Hunt Novel




It's good to know, there is life after "Big Law."

For those of you who don't know, John Lescroart, the New York Times' Bestselling Author worked in a San Francisco law firm in a previous life. Which is one of the many things that makes this book so much fun to read and relate to.

And, what better place to provide the backdrop for a thriller than San Francisco's "Glamorous Charity Circuit."

"Mickey Dade hates deskwork, but that's all he's been doing at Wyatt Hunt's private investigative service, The Hunt Club. Hunt's been keeping an eye on Mickey and his sister, Tamara, since their hardscrabble childhood, so Mickey's pitching in to pay for chef school. His itch to be active is answered when a body is discovered: It's Dominic Como, one of San Francisco's most high-profile activists—a charismatic man known as much for his expensive suits as his work on half a dozen nonprofit boards. One "person of interest" in the case is Como's business associate, Alicia Thorpe—young, gorgeous, and the sister of one of Mickey's friends.

As Mickey and Hunt are pulled into the case, they soon learn that the city's golden fund-raiser was involved in some highly suspect deals. And the lovely Alicia knows more about this—and more about Como—than she's letting on.

Treasure Hunt is both a nail-biting thriller and a coming-of-age story, filled with Lescroart's trademark San Francisco flavors. Mickey Dade, its young, fresh protagonist, gradually learns the lessons Hunt knows only too well, as the world he imagines unravels around him."


John Lescroart is the author of 20 previous novels including "Betrayal," "The Suspect," and "The Hunt Club."

He lives in Northern California.


www.johnlescroart.com

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Everything You Wanted to Know About Tables of Authorities, But Were Afraid to Ask!



Davidson Staffing announces their February Webinar.

If you have allowed "Tables of Authorities" to bully you in the past, this is the Webinar for you. Everything you'll need to build your confidence and save time. And you don't even have to leave your chair for this class!

"TABLES OF AUTHORITIES"

"This webinar will take the mystery out of properly marking citations in a pleading and generating a Table of Authorities in MS Word! Participants will learn how to correct the most commonly made mistakes, how to revise the "selected text", how to choose the proper category, and how to create proper short citations."

MS Word Tips & Tricks Webinar - Table of Authorities
Time: 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm
Cost: $49

Choose the version of MS Word you are using:
MS Word 2003 - Wed., Feb. 24, 2010 REGISTER NOW
MS Word 2007 - Thurs., Feb. 25, 2010 REGISTER NOW

http://www.davidsonstaffing.com/webinars/

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

A New Book from Your Favorite Paralegal Author


I just received my copy of "Corpse On The Cob" by Sue Ann Jaffarian. . .review coming soon.