law school blues

So, just finished my 9th week of law school, and we really only have about a month and a half left of this semester. It's moving along quickly. Do I feel like I've learned anything? A lawyer's answer: It depends.

So far, I've learned about what makes a contract a contract, what offer and acceptance is, how to write part of an office memorandum, and a whole boatload of elements of negligence. I better learn a lot more for how much I'm paying for all this.

So far, Torts is my favorite class. I don't care much for the Legal Writing class, and I'm completely lost in Contracts. I've ordered a supplement book, so we'll see if that helps. By this time in undergrad, I felt like I had everything under control. In law school, it's different, because there really is nothing to help you gauge how you're doing, there's only one test at the end of each semester.

I'm also frustrated at myself because I'm too scared to raise my hand, and I don't get called on. I'm also terrified of getting called on, and kick myself when others give answers I knew or if I had the wrong answer in my mind. Like, darn, I knew that one! Or, whew, glad I didn't say out loud my wrong answer. I just can't win.

And if my Contracts professor would post the friggin questions on time like he said he would instead of lagging for days, maybe I wouldn't be stressed out all week until he finally posts them. GOSH!!

But I think I'll feel a lot better after doing more practice exams. I feel relieved I have a study group going, and I enjoy reading cases. They're interesting. And it's amazing what people sue for, it's crazy. I will continue to keep in mind what a professor said at orientation: "Remember your future clients." I am doing this for the people I'm going to help in the future.



And in the grand scheme of things, it's really the Bar that matters, not these dinky first semester classes. I'll be ok. I'm just going to keep telling myself that.

What more do I have to say about law school?
The campus is beautiful. It's only 3 miles away from home. I'm learning "The Law." And I have one great professor so far.

Ok, enough with the bull. I would rather talk about the things I miss.

I miss reading for leisure. Before I got accepted to McGeorge, I had JUST bought another book by my favorite author, Columbian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude. Never got to start it. So it's sitting on the bookshelf collecting dust. And it will remain there for 3 years. Since I've started, I've bought a few more books with wishful thoughts, but I know it's stupid, because I won't be able to read any of them. It's so sad!

Here are the books I've bought in the last few weeks that I won't get to read for a long time:
  
 

There was also a book by Franklin D. Roosevelt and a book on the history of medicine that is sitting on my bedside table, I won't get to those either.

I miss riding my bike in the middle of the day on a weekend. Just hitting up the bike trail to enjoy the sun on my skin and smile into the breeze. How I miss the freedom.



I miss calling up my brother and just heading down to the Bay to visit him for the weekend. Well, we're fighting right now and haven't talked in 2 weeks, but we'll get over it and I won't get to hang out with him as much as I'd like. And he needs me.





I miss the feeling of coming home after a long day of work and just being able to change into my pjs and sink into my cushions and read whatever I want. My TIME magazines and Vanity Fairs are just sitting there in a pile, untouched. It will remain this way until the subscriptions run out, at which point I will not have a chance to renew them.

I miss going to the gym at night. Run in the morning, gym at night. Watch a little CNN, because that's where I get my tv fix-at the gym, but no more.

Wah wah wah. I'll stop whining. I'll keep thinking about my future clients and shut up.
At least I have two races coming up and a 12-day trip to Honduras at the end of the year. Something to look forward to!

secret to happiness: running

So, by request, I will do an entry on my weight loss. In 2006, after recovering from an illness (mono, among other things) for 4 years that kept me at barely 100 lbs, I looked in the mirror one day and didn't recognize myself. Nor did any of my clothes fit. I jumped up and down and looked myself at all angles, and thought- WHO THE HELL IS THAT? Sorry I don't have any pictures. I didn't take any of myself for obvious reasons. I wish I had a picture though. So I can have one of those Before/After shots. But just picture a short, fat girl with a goofy personality. Or something like this:





I stepped on a scale. I had to call my mother over to make sure that the scale wasn't broken. It wasn't. She stood on it and she still weighed a perfect 100 lbs. I stepped back on and the number went right back to what it was. 170. I was in serious trouble.


The hardest thing about dieting when you hit that weight at my height (5'2") is that it's really, really discouraging. Because no matter how much you starve yourself and sweat for hours, you're still fat. And you have to live with it day after day after day. Because losing weight the right way takes time.

First thing I had to do was cut out juice and soda. I lost the first ten pounds in one week from cutting out all sugary drinks. Next were sweets. No more cookies, chocolate, ice cream, cake, candy. I had the worst sweet tooth. I lost another ten pounds in the next couple of weeks from cutting out sweets.

The work started kicking in at 150 lbs. I had to journal what I was eating to see what my problem was. In my case, it was carbs. Rice, bread, pasta, pizza. And at what time I was eating all of these things, at all hours of the day. So I had to "systemize" everything. Meaning, I had to figure out what to eat, at precisely what time.



Your body has a clock, and it digests your food faster and slower at certain times throughout the day. It truly is a science and you have to figure out when your body burns most to know when you should consume which nutrients. So, for example, you want to consume carbs earlier in the day, rather than later, because you're more likely to burn more energy at the beginning and middle of the day, than you are closer to bedtime. So, with that logic, you don't want to be eating a big ole' hunk of bread right before going to bed, because your body won't be able to burn it off as energy- so it will become stored. In your thigh.

Also, you have to figure out your metabolism rate and find out what accelerates the rate at which your metabolism burns. If you starve, your metabolism will slow down because it thinks you are starving, so your body will do what it must to hold on to whatever fat you have in your body to sustain yourself. Not a good idea, since you're not really stranded on a deserted island, and you will eat. At which point, you will overeat, if you've been starving.

Little meals throughout the day will keep your metabolism rate up. This is not to say you pig out all day long. You take portions the size of your palm and make sure to select foods from different food groups to keep your meals balanced and healthy.

Eating well truly is key, and this point is made in my cooking entry (and will be reiterated in more of my cooking entries), but although eating is 90%, you can speed up the weight loss process by 10 times if you incorporate in the right amount of exercise. This includes a good mix of cardio and strength training. Cardio to burn the fat, and strength training to sculpt your body.



But this entry isn't really about tips on weight loss. It's about running, and how it truly is the secret to happiness in life.

Ok, so I started running to lose weight. And yes, the weight came off. But really, running has become something more to me. It truly is the key to my own happiness and I am so very happy to have discovered it. I am an early morning runner. It's harder for me to run after work because I am so drained and tired after a long day. So I like to jump start the day by getting the running out of the way, and I feel fresh and invigorated for the rest of the day.

Running in the morning is also great because the air is cooler, and I really like to feel the coolness on my skin, because believe me, I am not a pretty sight when I sweat. I think I have abnormal sweat glands or something because I sweat like a stuck pig. It's crazy. So the cool air helps. It's also great because the world is just waking up. I used to get up at 5:30 am to beat the sunrise, and see the stars fade away as the sky gradually lightens to welcome the dawn of a new day. I'd run out for as far as I could (3.5 miles) and then run right back. I don't like running in circles. I like to run to a certain point, so that I'd have no choice but to run back. It's a good way to keep the miles going. Now I don't wake up that early, mainly because sleep has become a precious commodity since starting law school, but also because we were held up at gunpoint last year and I will no longer run by myself in the dark.

I started off with short walks, because I was not a runner. I was the kind of person that would run for about 30 seconds and be out of breath and would need to stop. So I "walked fast" for about 2-3 miles until I gradually worked up to light jogs. I felt like King Kong when I ran the whole way all 3 miles. I was at about 135 lbs or so, and was getting really excited because I had lost 35 lbs already. It was such an accomplishment, but I still had a goal weight to hit, and I knew I had to do more to get to my goal.

So I kept plugging along, running every chance I got, sometimes even running twice a day to burn the extra calories. It really became a game to me. And I was winning.

I'll never forget the day I ran 7 miles. It felt so good. It was about 7 months into my running. That was a pivotal turning point in my entire running career, because I began to really realize my potential. That was the summer I eventually hit 113 lbs with 2 pack abs. That was mainly to prove to myself I could do it, and then I gained back about 10 lbs, and I'm at my "happy weight" now, meaning I'm not cut like I used to be but I'm ok with my body. There's no such thing as a perfect body in real life.

But anyway, this running business was really symbolic about the turning point in my life. It wasn't just a turning point in my running career, it was the point in my life when everything changed. It was when I finally believed I can do anything and that I was in full control of my own life. It was a rebirth, and I celebrated this by running.
 

My first organized run was the Disneyland Half Marathon. It takes place every year on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. The feeling I got from running with the crowds cheering you on is a high I can never fully describe. It's just one of those things you have to experience, at least once in your life. And it's addicting. As I run, I think about all the hardships I've overcome and how I can run it off now. As I run through a crowd, they don't know the pain and suffering I went through, but they're cheering me on. The clapping and the cheering are music to my ears, and the emotions that come over me makes me cry tears of happiness inside. As I approach that finish line, I am flying. I feel weightless. The fatigue dissipates as all of the life and energy within me explodes and I speed like a bullet to the finish. As I cross that line, I feel like a winner. I am a winner. The triumph and feeling of accomplishment is overwhelming and it swells deep in my chest. I can't stop smiling. You must experience this at least once in your life.

Here's a picture of me running at the Disneyland Half Marathon in 2007 and high-fiving Goofy and Minnie Mouse as I was coming in to the finish line:

       


So I've moved on to doing 3 full marathons, a half, two 10 milers, a 7 miler, 2 full century rides, and I'm currently registered for my 4th full marathon. I also climb mountains, but that's yet again, a whole another entry... I'm also considering doing a half marathon in the next month or so, the Stinson Beach Half. It has become a lifestyle. And a key to happiness for me. No matter what is going on in my life, I have that to fall back on. It keeps me healthy, full of energy, and happy.

Also, running has helped me to travel and see the country a little bit. You learn about all these cool races in different states, and it's really cool to go and run in a whole new place. Here's a picture of me running in New Orleans for the Rock'n Roll Marathon in Louisiana and in a redwood forest at the Avenue of the Giants Marathon in Humboldt County:

   

It's really not about weight loss anymore, it's just about staying healthy and being happy. And using it as an excuse to travel and get out of the area to sight-see other great locations to run...

When I'm not traveling to run, I am perfectly content to run around town. There are a few routes I like to run, and I like to change it up.

Sometimes I'll run to West Sac because I can run across the I St bridge, and then run to the Tower Bridge, and then all the way down to hwy 50, and back to midtown. I call this the "Bridge to Bridge to Bridge" run. It's fun because I work on the 17th floor in the Emerald Tower downtown, so when I look down from the window, I can see a bird's eye view of the distance I cover. It's pretty amazing. Not to toot my own horn, but just what a human being is capable of doing is amazing. Another variation is running to McKinley Park. I enjoy that run because there is a soft, dirt trail to run on that is easy on the knees and ankles, and there are lots of ducks there. I love ducks. Also, if I really want a change of scenery, I can run to Curtis Park and back, which from midtown is a good 7 miles round trip. I just recently discovered a new route that takes me to McGeorge and back and that's a 6 mile loop. A decent distance.

Anyway, so when you run around town, there's plenty to see, so no need to travel far and wide. Here are some scenes around town:

So I had some fun this past weekend, taking these shots for this blog. :) It was fun running around looking for murals to use as a background. Normally, I enjoy views of the river and the bridge, and stop to pet random kitties.

You can be a bad ass and do some of these side exercises like Paul to up the ante a bit:

He set the all-time record at his college as hurdler for track and field, so I wouldn't try what he does. You could hurt yourself.

So anyway, that's what I have to say about running. If you aren't already a runner, I highly suggest you give it a try. Because I swear, if I can do it, ANYONE can do it.

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A few months back, a girlfriend asked me for tips on how to keep from injuring our knees as runners, and here was my answer to her question:

Things We Can Do to Prevent Knee Injury

-Making sure we're not running too often on pavement. Try to switch it up by finding a park with dirt roads because it's less impact on your knees and ankles.

-Switching out your old shoes for new ones every few months, depending on how many miles you're putting in, is very important, because as much as I love my Asics Gels, they don't last forever, and the first marathon I ran, I forgot to get new shoes a few weeks before the actual race day, and my knee ached pretty bad for months after the marathon. I know good running shoes aren't cheap, but they're way cheaper than knee surgery.

-The recommended number of miles to determine when to switch out your shoes is after about 300-400 miles, depending on your weight and size, and level of impact based on where you're running. So.. for me, I run about 3-7 miles a day, 4-5 times a week, so that averages out to 5 miles times 4= 20 miles a week. So in a month, I'm averaging about 80 miles. So I'm supposed to get new shoes every 5-6 months, but I'm terrible about getting new shoes. I go for about a year, and I really shouldn't go that long.

-If and when your knees do hurt, there are glucosamine pills (pretty cheap at Costco) that are designed to help ease the pain of diminished cartilage that keeps your knee joints cushioned.

-Wrapping your knees tight and icing them really help too.

But so far, for the times I've had knee or ankle pain, getting new shoes with excellent shock absorption like a good pair of Asics Gels have made a difference.

-On that note, I don't really like my Nike Frees. They are stylish, but don't offer the cushion and support that Asics provide. After these wear out, I'm going back to Asics.

cookin up a storm

I may not have time for much these days, but I'll be sure to cook up a storm every chance I get. Cooking is a hobby I picked up fairly recently. Five or six years ago, when I was going through a body transformation when I dropped about 50-60 pounds (that's a whole another story), a lot of the weight loss circulated around what I ate, even after all the running and excercise I was doing. So cooking became an integral part of my weight loss, although- I was doing a lot of quick on-the-go meals like shakes and salads- but then it was after meeting Paul I really broke out with the big guns. I always knew how to cook, from watching my grandmother and mother and father cook- and I paid attention to their careful instructions- but I think cooking is a combination of good sense and intuition. It's definitely an art. I've also been inspired by a lot of cooking shows over the years. I don't own a tv, but I've drawn a lot of inspiration from Iron Chef America, Emeril Live, and even a bit of Rachel Ray, whenever I'd be flipping through channels on someone else's tv. Subscribing to a few health and running magazines has given me an opportunity to pick up a few recipes here and there and it has given me some ideas to draw from. Also, dining at a lot of great, quality restaurants all over California and all over the world has helped me to develop a skill of detecting different ingredients in what I'm eating, and then fusing complementary tastes together in my own cooking to recreate new flavors. I don't really do cooking books, I've never been great at following precise instructions, so it's just from trying this or that and finding out what works. So it's a way to be creative, and you can control what you eat and how you eat it, by cooking for yourself.

Last week, I conjured up a wonderful southern, cajun-inspired meal that consisted of bread-crumb crusted polenta cakes, breaded tilapia, garlic-egg brown rice with fire-roasted salsa, and fresh broccoli and tomato salad with white peaches in creamy jalapeno dressing . If only you knew!

Doesn't that look delicious? It's healthy too. The bread-crumb crusted polenta was a nice touch. I've been searing pieces of polenta on a frying pan with a bit of olive oil, but that night it just occurred to me that it would be extra crunchy and tasty to roll it around in bread crumbs first before throwing it on the pan. And it worked. And rice should never be served plain. You can do so much by adding some garlic salt, minced garlic and cracking a couple of eggs in there. The salt really seals in the taste of the garlic and egg with the rice, and rice should always be brown for a guilt-free carb addition to whatever you're pairing it with. It's so much healthier.

*****

Last night, it was an indian-inspired meal that included egglant tikki masala, garlic-egg brown basmati and jasmine rice, steamed asparagus, bell peppers, celery, and asian pears dipped in edadame hummus, peach and broccoli salad, and tilapia with plenty of sriracha sauce for that extra kick. We eat mainly vegetarian, but the occasional fish gives us the omega 3's that we need.

Cooking is an art, and it is a hobby. I hate that I can't cook Mon-Wed because of law school, but at least from Thursday-Sunday nights I can put my culinary skills to use. Food should never be eaten processed and should always be fresh. I haven't decided what I'll be cooking tonight, but that is also the fun part. It's fun to look inside a fully stocked refrigerator and pantry and allow my creativity to take me to a place where I can conjure up a yummy, healthy meal with whatever I have and just let it all come together. The result has never been disappointing.

a farewell to steve jobs and other reflections

Yesterday, an American icon passed away. He is the reason we have beautifully spaced type font on all of our laptops and computers. He is the innovator of our generation. He has changed the world forever.

But I didn't care that much about him until I came across his 2005 Stanford commencement speech in 2009.
I had just graduated from American River College in December of 2008 and was at UCD. I had to go back to ARC to walk the stage for my Associates degree in June. I wanted to try out for the graduation speaker competition. I was looking online for inspiration and was going through a lot of videos of different speeches that have been given at different schools over the years. I came across Steve Job's speech that he gave at Stanford in 2005, and listened. His words spoke directly to my heart.

As someone who was adopted at birth to working-class parents, and who made a decision to drop out of college after only one semester because of the financial burden it was having on his family, he has experienced hardships that I can relate to in so many ways. For different reasons, of course, and our lives are so completely different, but it's interesting how catastrophes can be life-altering moments where it changes how we view life, our selves, and our potential. In the face of death, he realized that each day is an opportunity and each day should never be wasted. I can attest to that.

I can also attest to the fact that he can say that it was one college class he dropped in on that changed the course of his life. In my entire college and professional school career thus far, I can say only a handful of all of the classes I ever took were life-changing, but I can say they truly changed my life. And that is more than someone can say about their PhD or their MBA. Or a JD. And some of those life-changing classes I took were at junior college.

There are so many things he has said in that speech that I will never forget, but the part about not being able to connect the dots looking forward echos in my ear right now. Five years ago, I was reborn. I know that now because I am looking backwards. I can't see where I'll be in another five years, but I have to believe and have faith that I will be where I was meant to be. I'll hold on to that with all of my soul. Thanks Mr. Jobs. Farewell.



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Random Acts of Love and Kindness

Today, as I sit here typing away on my blog, I am simultaneously enjoying the best sandwich I've ever tasted from La Bonne Cafe. It's a veggie sandwich on a fresh, warm, sourdough roll, with squash, zucchini, tomato, green, leafy lettuce, little pieces of red and yellow bell peppers, and mushrooms sauteed ever so slightly in butter and garlic sauce, with a touch of cream cheese. Brought to me by my colleague, Mike Martinez, Legislative Director and Deputy Commissioner at CDI. I heart him. And this sandwich. It's absolutely delicious and perfect.

Then, "The" Darrel Woo, Mayor of Il Fornaio, school board member and staff counsel here walks by and drops off a card of his massage therapist because of my migraines and back pain. What kindness.

I do not take these things for granted. It makes me smile and brightens my day. I am surrounded by wonderful people and have wonderful friends. I am grateful for them every day.



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My Meeting with Artist Bernard Treanton

I am so excited to tell the Commissioner about this artist. He was so wonderful. He left in my possession three original art pieces and 26 photographs of his art. I cannot wait to make my presentation to Dave. The art is so beautiful. He came and I showed him the walls that we are hoping to adorn with some art, and we talked about what Commissioner Jones is looking for. He shared with me that he is from France, and I told him I have a friend there now, staying in Bordeaux, and he smiled. He has been painting and sketching for over 30 years, he shared with me, and has worked with many other renowned artists. He does mainly landscapes- up and down the state of California and many scenes of France- and I love his warm and fun use of colors. Here are a few more of his samples: 

He asked if Commissioner Jones is a boat person. I didn't know how to answer that, but I said I'm sure he is. It was really cute. He asked if we would be taking any commission if he were to sell any art. I said absolutely not. It was so cute that he asked! I am probably going to buy a few of his art pieces myself. It might make a great gift to my parents for Christmas this year. My dad is a boat person. I will probably buy the boat painting for my dad. He would really like it. Mr. Treanton shared with me that his wife takes him to this location (the boat scene above) every year for his birthday. I think it's so sweet. It has a special meaning for him, this boat location.

So I am really hoping this works out and that we will finally have some art up on the walls at CDI!

I just looked out the window to check the sky, and I can see the big, grey clouds moving. They are moving fast and westward. It's already Thursday. Overall, it's been a good week. I am thankful for everything in my life.

anger bursts and the spirit of giving

So.. if you're my Facebook friend, you might have read that I was so angry I could've busted a cap in someone's leg, or something along those lines. I was maaaaad. I was so mad it was funny.

Honestly, it's the craziest thing how mad one can be when you're on the phone with an idiot. But they will always beat you with experience!

I'll start off by saying this: NEVER go to Hotel Santa Barbara. If you need a reason why, here's why.
Back in June, I made a reservation for my boss for an event he was attending in September. On August 31, I called to change the reservation to October because the event date had changed.

We found out last night that we were charged for the September reservation. I called today to find out why, and they claim it was because we never cancelled the first reservation. Which is dumb because I called to change it, not make a new reservation. Long story short, she wouldn't refund the money.

After hours of exchanges and providing proof in emails that were sent back and forth in discussing the changes, she still refused to refund the money. I started getting red in the face. I began to sweat and shake. I kept my voice from rising, but I knew everyone in the office was listening. I said to her, "Do you mean to tell me that you absolutely refuse to acknowledge that your establishment might have made a mistake?" Her response was, "Our reservations rep wouldn't do that." Really?? That's all ya got?



So anyway. It was incredibly frustrating. The way this story ends is she offered in the end to give us a credit for the next time my boss stays at their hotel. Ha. I replied, "No that's quite alright, we will be disputing the charges with the credit card company, but thank you for acknowledging that you just might have made a mistake."

Now that I got that off my chest, I'll move on to happier things.

***

There's this thing called CSECC which stands for the California State Employees Charitable Campaign and our department has been taking donations for an organization called WIND Youth Services. Here is their website: http://www.windyouth.org/ It is an emergency homeless shelter for youth.

They had a wish list and I've been bringing in things the last couple of days, and it's making me really happy to think some kid will get the stuff I brought and use it and maybe even like it.

I had a couple of books of lightrail passes that I purchased for a good deal when I was still working for the Legislature, so I had those to give, a few pairs of shoes that were only slightly worn- some really cute, black, suede ankle booties and adidas running shoes that I barely wore. I also had some bath salts, bath oil, body scrub, and lotion that were brand new and never used. That was on Monday I remembered to bring those things in.

Today, I remembered to bring an umbrella, brand new socks (a pack of three), conditioner, and a loofah sponge I haven't used yet, and three pretty scarves from my giant scarf-collection. Then I thought, oh the boys need something too. So I threw in my SF 49ers beanie, some men's deodorant I got at some raffle, a body gel, and soap.

Here is a photo I took before donating:

I can just picture the kids going through the stuff, and maybe seeing what I donated and thinking, Ooh I love this! I know that a girl might get those ankle booties and a scarf of mine and wear it around, resembling me. (My signature look consists of boots and a scarf.) The thought of it makes me smile. Gift-giving is a feeling I've loved for so very long. It's so much better than receiving gifts in my opinion.

So far, this week has been better than last week and definitely the week before that. It's officially fall, and I love sweater-weather. The only thing I don't like is when you wake up in the morning and it's too cold to get out of bed. But cold weather makes for a nice run in the mornings. I feel like a bullet slicing right through the cold.

I hope the rest of this week will go by pleasantly. Ooh, I just got a call from the front desk that the artist, Mr. Bernard Treanton is here for me. I can't wait to see what art he has to show me today!

sexual harassment training

So.. this morning I spent three hours sitting through a really god-awful sexual harassment training course. I was actually hoping to see a cheesy but funny video made in the 70's I've had to watch for past jobs, but no such luck. It was just a really dry powerpoint presentation and a lot of discussion about common sense scenarios. The lady doing the presentation had a fascinating accent and she's perfectly nice, but the course itself needed jazzing up. The only entertaining part about the whole three hours were some of the comments that the employees made, especially my colleague Durriya Syed. She's so cute.



I oppose this kind of course. I think it would be a much better use of our time if we were to take a class on basic manners and etiquette. Here's a link for such a course: http://www.etiquettenow.com/ The number of people I see on a daily basis lacking basic manners and etiquette proves that this is a more prevalent problem than sexual harassment in the workplace.



I was about to google some tips from the experts to include in this entry, but how about I crank out a few of my own suggestions?

Five Basics of Workplace Etiquette

1. Be a better communicator. Watch your tone and facial expressions when speaking to someone. You might think you're coming off as polite. Your non-verbals may indicate otherwise.

2. Never forget to say "please" and "thank you" no matter what your position is, who you're speaking to, and what form of communication it is.

3. No one should ever see your anger at work. Temper tantrums are only for the mother who loves you. No one else will put up with you throwing a fit.

4. When delegating responsibilites, give a reasonable amount of time for tasks to be completed, and when you're asking for a task within an unreasonable time period, be gracious about it. And remember, at the end of the day, if it's got your name on it, own it. Don't try to point fingers or place blame on others.

5. Be professional. This should be the over-arching theme and rule to abide by when making decisions about what joke to tell, what gestures to make, what clothes to wear, and what to talk about within earshot of your colleagues whether you're on the phone on a personal call or just chatting with people at the workplace. On that note, put your cellphone ringtone on silent. No one wants to hear your barn animal noises or your fire alarms.



Ugh, I can go on and on but I shouldn't turn this entry into another rant. I should mind my own manners.

So, anyway, I think the sexual harassment training was a complete waste of time. If you need to be told that making racial slurs and sexual inuendos or gestures is wrong in the workplace, you shouldn't have been hired in the first place.

There is, however, a handout that I received that I thought was pretty interesting. The handout was entitled, "The Legal and Social History of Sexual Harassment and the Development of Laws."

Being the history buff that I am, I gave a considerable amount of fascination and interest in reading this handout.

Did You Know?

In 1974, a female employee claims she was retaliated against for rejecting her boss's sexual advances. There was no sex discrimination, a trial court decides. The male supervisor, the court says, merely solicited his subordinate because he found her "attractive" and then retaliated because he "felt rejected." Barnes v Train 13 FEP Cases 123 (D.D.C)

In 1975, female former employees charge that their male supervisor forced them to quit their employment due to his sexual advances. This is not sex discrimination, a court finds, only a "personal urge" of the supervisor. Come v. Bausch & Lomb, Inc. 390 F. Supp. 161, 10 FEP Cases 289 (D., Ariz)

Whoo! Thankfully we've come a long way from all that nonsense, huh? Unbelievable that the courts saw it that way.


***

My own experience with sexual harassment has been disappointing. I remember back when I was just a kid, I worked at Good Guys Electronics, where I was just about the only female in a retail store full of guys. We all made jokes and had fun of course, but there was this guy who had a crush on me and wouldn't leave me alone. He wasn't mean-spirited or lewd, but his persistence in asking me out and leaving gifts in my locker were unwanted. I made it clear numerous times that I don't like him back, but he wouldn't stop.

So I decided one day that I would tell the supervisor. He sat and listened in silence and nodded when I told him, it's unwelcome behavior and I want it to stop.

The following week, all my "guy buddies" stopped talking to me. One of them, who I was particularly close with, Ben, he would just look at me, and shake his head. I was totally confused. I would ask him, What's wrong? He wouldn't even answer me.

After weeks of being ostracized, (and me being totally clueless and young and dumb about what was going on), there was a company holiday party. I boldly decided to go with a bag of chips or cookies or something, determined to make peace. When I got there, everyone was already drunk. Ben came up to me and said, "Do you know why we don't like you anymore Elizabeth? Because you're not getting us fired. Nope. So you can just quit. Because we will be damned if we will lose our jobs because of you."

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe that what I told the supervisor in confidence had been passed on, not to just one person, but the entire staff. And they all hated me for it.

What a terrible experience. I had to quit that job. I have a few more of these. But I won't drone on and on.
I think sexual harassment is common sense, and sometimes people lack common sense. But it should be more of a disciplinary thing. Or at least make it more interesting for heaven's sake.

harvesting honey

Before I talk about honey, I have to talk about the migraine attack I had this weekend. It's getting worse. It used to be this thing where it would hit me and as long as I was able to sleep it off after popping a few pills, I would be ok. Now it lingers for days, even after sleeping. I can't stand it. It starts in my eyes, and then just penetrates deep into my skull and my head feels like it got hit with a baseball bat and my brain just throbs. This time it started on Friday. It really started in the morning, as I was getting ready to go to work- as soon as I popped my contacts into my eyes, it didn't feel right- but I didn't realize it was a full-blown migraine until early in the afternoon. I immediately took two Excedrin for Migraine pills and hoped it would kick in. By 4 pm I was in a cold sweat, just praying for it to be 5 pm so I can go home and lie down in a dark room. I wasn't able to leave work until past 6. All weekend long it came and went. Sometimes it would be so bad I wanted to vomit. It wasn't until Sunday afternoon I felt my giggly, happy self again. What a drag!
5-6 years ago, I used to have to go to the ER and get shot up with morphine for the pain to stop. But at that time, I was really sick for a lot of other reasons, too. I'm just disappointed that these migraines have come back. I really hope there's a way to cure myself of this. The pain in my upper shoulders and upper back and these migraine attacks are really no way to live. If anyone has any suggestions, it would be great. There's gotta be something more I can do to relax my muscles and prevent these horrible migraines.

Honey Talk
So.. the only thing we are waiting on are the extractors from Sacramento Honeybee Co.
We have a reservation to rent the equipment for next Saturday.
We are hoping to harvest something around 70 pounds of raw honey.

What do you mean, you ask.
Oh, Paul keeps a hive of honeybees in the backyard.
Oh, and there are probably something like 10,000 bees or something crazy like that.

This year, bless his heart, he smoked the bees and retrieved the frames of honey without me. I would have helped, happily, but the bees really scare me. Especially because I got stung last year. They get really angry and noisy and it's the scariest thing when we are smoking them and they know we're there to take their honey.

Now, I can give you tips on how to harvest your own honey, but I think my instructions and Paul's would differ. Plus, you'd have to start off with a hive full of bees, so I don't know how many of you would be all that interested in the how-to's of harvesting honey. Here are a few photos of what it involves:

Well, I guess the rules are simple. Do it on a warm (preferably hot) day. Most of the working bees would be out and about, collecting pollen. You want the hive to be as empty as possible, for obvious reasons. Then you open the top lid and start to blow smoke into the hive. Use a smoker and pieces of burlap are good, they burn longer and you will need long-burning materials to keep the bees off you and away from the hive. Notice how Paul doesn't wear a veil or a suit or gloves or anything for protection. This is the kind of craziness that scares me in addition to the angry bees.

This is a picture of my swollen thumb- the bee that sacrified his life to protect his flock and his honey was sadly hanging on by his stinger on my wound, and I had to flick him off with my other hand. And then, I howled in pain for hours.
Getting the honey is the hardest part, because we take out one frame out at a time, and run it into the house and into the kitchen. The trick is to do this without getting stung. Mind you, the bees will chase you and they will die and try to kill you to protect their honey.

But people don't realize the work that is involved after getting all the frames in the house. I don't have pictures of the labor from last year, but maybe this year I'll be sure to snap a few photos.

We weren't able to get as many frames last year and we ended up spilling a whole bunch on the kitchen floor, so our honey harvest came out to only a few meager pounds.

Here are some more photos of the honey being put into jars and me wrapping them and making them pretty to give to our loved ones as gifts.

This year, we are hoping to have a lot more honey. Here are a few preview photos of the batch from this year.

Doesn't that look delicious? It doesn't get any fresher than this. You can just cut a piece of this honeycomb and pop it in your mouth for some of the freshest honey you will ever taste. I'm really excited about getting started on harvesting this honey and getting them into jars and seeing how many we'll have! They make such nice gifts.