It's International Women's Day!

Book Review: "FEAST DAY OF FOOLS" by James Lee Burke

James Lee Burke’s “Feast Day of Fools” is 463 pages of the kind of stuff a full semester of an English Lit course is made of.

Mr. Burke uses allegory, symbolism, and personification whilst interjecting bits of armchair philosophy and Freudian psychoanalysis as secret ingredients to this entirely movable feast of a highly seasoned literary delicacy. Burke revisits his main foil, Sheriff Hacberry Holland who has just enough baggage to make him step right up to but not cross the imaginary line; of which on the other side, proudly sits the villainous Preacher Jack Collins.

These two characters brilliantly move along parallel paths illuminating their moral compasses in word and deed until the final climatic showdown at what symbolically could be Hades.

But what about the showdown and the lesson learned from this vividly and intensely written thriller/drama? Do we have a wildly action packed adventure culminating to “the more things change, the more things remain the same” or is it as Burkes alludes “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”

In the end, I find this quote by Burke’s namesake quite appropriate as an epilogue:
"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."
-- Edmund Burke

www.jamesleeburke.com


Reviewed by: JRS

When Email Goes Wrong, Terribly Wrong

We've all done it. Hit "reply all," when we only meant to hit "reply," letting the entire office know that we have an appointment with our podiatrist. Or written, "please find attached," and forgotten the attachment.

But what about that blooper of all email bloopers when you rant about a co-worker or your boss in a heated moment, you just wanted to vent, and the email accidentally goes to EVERYONE - meaning all the people who weren't ever supposed to see it?

It can happen.

In fact, it happened to someone I know very recently.

The repercussions can be disastrous. Might even get you a reprimand or worse.

This is a good time for us all to remember before you hit send - stop - look and re-read what you wrote. Actually, some things are better left unwritten. Just pick up the phone and don't memorialize your feelings. Period.

It's so easy to make a mistake. We're facing tight deadlines, we're multi-tasking (that's another post) and we're just plain frustrated.

I'm actually speaking to myself more than anyone else.

We want to be productive and get it all done. But, sometimes, you just need to slow down.

Monday Morning Blues on a Sunday Night

This always happens to me. First of all, THANK GOD I HAVE A JOB.

Okay, now that we clarified that, why is it that I always leave work on Friday evening feeling so upbeat? It's like I could conquer the world. Or, like I'm really going to be able to recharge my battery, do laundry, have a fun-filled weekend, go to church and go back just two days later feeling like a new woman?

The last couple of weeks, I started playing this little mental game with myself. I pretend that I actually look forward to Mondays.

I even try telling myself that Monday is actually the best day of the week. I make really great coffee when I wake up on Monday and I walk really, really fast and purposeful on my way to the office. Okay. I'm running late so I have to hurry. But, still, it's all mind over matter, right?

The good news is that my boss is so high energy and works most weekends, so that when I get to work on Monday mornings, I usually have a ton of work to do which means the day flies by quickly (if I'm lucky).


If you have tips for beating the "Monday Morning Blues" I'd love to hear from you.

"Friends" At Work

How many people actually have what they would consider to be real friends in the workplace?

I've had a few jobs, and in my experience, if you leave a place of employment with even one true friend, someone you would want to be a part of your life forever, you're lucky.

For the most part, it seems that friends at work are people you spend a lot of time with (approximately 8 hours a day) and eat lunch with or take a coffee break with, even talk about your personal lives with. But how many of those people would you actually invite to your home or include in your activities outside of work?

My guess is very few. I've collected friends over the years, in my various jobs, but I can count on one hand the people that I still keep in touch with some 20 years later.

I think the commonality that you have with friends at work is that you work at the same place. You have the same gripes, the same highs (if you're lucky) and the same lows. But once you're gone, it's like out of sight, out of mind. Your former co-workers are on to the next person who replaces you. And you're sitting around wondering "what happened to my friend?"

A few months ago, I started a new job, and at first, I kept in touch with my old colleagues. They kept in touch with me.

But as time goes on, you keep in touch less and less. Oh, sure, you say when you leave, "I'll stay in touch." Or, "You're not getting rid of me!" But, I think there's something about the people that leave versus the people that stay that make for a fundamental difference in your philosophy on not just work, but life.

It seems to me that some people only make friends at work. Or that their life is work. So, the idea of forging relationships that go outside the bounds of the 9 to 5 is not something that really happens for them.

For me, I'm only interested in like-minded individuals. Eight hours a day might make you think you have more in common with a person than you really do. In fact, you might be more different than you are similar. Or, maybe like me, you believe it when people say they really like you. They might really be full of it.

That said, I am in the process of accepting that some people come into your life for a season, others for a lifetime. The key is to know when to cut-bait.

Oh, and be wary of people who have more than 300 Facebook friends. Those are usually the ones who use the term "friend" loosely.

In fact, I think that I'm going to blame Facebook for the demise of human relationships. Yep, that's it. Works for me.

Now that I've made everyone depressed, have a great weekend! ;)

Put On Your Power Suit! Dotmine Day Planners Are Ready For The Boardroom

I love technology. I love bells and whistles. But when it comes to staying organized and on top of my day, I still rely on a paper planner. Oh, I use Outlook(R) but I still want to be able to have something to hold that looks good with my manicure.

And what if your computer crashes? Hey, it could happen!

I stumbled upon this line of planners that are perfect for keeping everyone organized. Dotmine has a planner suited for everyone from soccer moms to CEOs.

For my purposes, I chose the "Power Suit." Perfect for the professional woman - "sleek on the outside with a fun design on the inside."

January is rapidly coming to a close. There's no time like the present to get back on track.

And here's the kicker - when placing your order, simply enter the code "LEGALCHICKS" for 50% off all of the TimeMine planners including Power Suit, Renee and Granny Smith.


Get going ladies. The Board Room is calling your name!!


www.timemine.com

It's A New Year! EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE - Davidson Academy Announces New Class Schedule

January & February Webinars

Modifying Styles & Generating a Table of Contents
in MS Word 2007 & 2010 - $49
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Learn how to format a pleading using Heading Styles and Multi-Level Numbering and to automatically generate a Table of Contents.
REGISTER NOW


E-Filing in Federal Civil Court - $99.00 1.0 MCLE Credit Offered
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
This webinar will introduce the CM/ECF ("e-file") program being used in the Federal Civil Courts. Topics include an overview of the system, variations in local rules, document preparation and tips on integrating e-filing and electronic document management into daily work responsibilities.


REGISTER NOW

Adobe Acrobat X Professional - $49.00
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Increase your efficiency in Adobe Acrobat X Professional. This webinar will show you how to convert PDFs to Word and/or Excel, create bookmarks, links, add headers/footers, combine PDF files, redact information and sequentially number documents with Bates Numbering.

REGISTER NOW

VIEW 2012 WEBINAR SCHEDULE


Intro to Litigation Training for Legal Support Staff

This 2 1/2 day seminar introduces legal secretaries and support staff to the complex world of civil litigation, including:
• Federal and California State Court structure
• Commencing a legal action
• Discovery procedures
• Motion practice
• Complexities of calendaring
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• E-filing in California Federal Civil and Bankruptcy Courts
• Close up on legal calendaring
San Francisco - March 6, 7 and 8, 2012
Los Angeles - April 10, 11 and 12, 2012
Register Early to Receive an Early Pay Discount

VIEW 2012 LITIGATION TRAINING SCHEDULE


Visit:

www.davidsonstaffing.com