Moving Meditation: Yoga and Compost

Purple Cabbage Gone To Seed
What To Do With Seed Pods?

Today we tried the morning yoga at the Y, and were quite pleased. It's a nice change from the evening fitness classes we've been doing for the past couple of weeks - more gentle and stretchy. I think we should continue with both types of classes; the variety will do us good.
At home I decided it was time to start in on moving the compost pile, so that I could build a shed where it currently sits (our old shed is in pretty sad shape, but I don't want to tear it down until I have a replacement.) Our raised bed, formed by sod, had room for about a foot of soil so I figured I could just spade the compost there, and in the processes extract the branches which I, in a fit of error, had tossed onto the heap.
First I pulled the remaining onions and moved the strawberries. The cabbage had pretty seriously gone to seed, and I want to do something with the seedpods, but didn't know what. So I took a picture and am asking some of my gardener friends for advice.
Then I started in on moving the compost. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much of it was dirt, and how little was recognizable stuff. Corncob bits and avocado seeds seemed to last the longest; most everything else had been turned into direct or was on the way there. As I scooped each shovel and flung it, it seemed to aerate itself as it landed in its new location; I realized suddenly that I was doing that "turning the compost" thing that I'd heard about.
The rhythm of shovel and toss, shovel and toss, shovel and toss was relaxing. Before I really noticed, I'd moved about half a cubic yard, and it was time to stop. I don't think I'd be able to do this professionally, but as a moving meditation, a shovel of compost shows promise!

My Tale From the Trenches

Skimming through the funny but sad tales of organizational disaster at Tale From The Trenches, I realized I might have a story that might actually be helpful, so I posted:

This true tale may help you avoid a trap, even though it comes from outside the game industry.

One day, I noted to My New Boss that the New Web Guy refused to test on browsers other that IE. His logic was that it was the standard so that should be enough.
My logic was that we needed to satisfy customers wherever they were, and many were shifting to other browsers.
My New Bosses' logic was that she had hired him and therefore I was questioning her judgment. Which I suppose may have been true but at the time considered irrelevant. Silly me!
After a few months of this sort of thing (many, many issues all coming down to the same basic problem: New Web Guy didn't really care about serving our customers) I escalated to the Big Boss.
My strategic error was in not noticing that the Big Boss had hired My New Boss from a failing organization where they had both worked (...and, in retrospect, possibly contributed to its failure...). In a few words, they were pals.
And soon I was unemployed.
It all turned out well for me but I believe that the 1st lesson of retaining a job until you depart on your schedule instead of someone else's is to note carefully who is pals with whom.

The saddest part of this story is that state law prevents this organization from going out of business no matter how badly it screws up. The fact that its website is customer-hostile was completely irrelevant, so both Big Boss and My New Boss retired with a pension. New Web Guy still puts disfunctional crap out on the web (because, frankly, no-one who looks at his portfolio will hire him away.)

2013 Project: Open Post

Here's a list of the projects I'm working on for this year.

4freeCLE

• Continue posting events
• Continue newsletter
• Expand offerings to include webcast trainings via WPTL, LAMP, perhaps former SDMCC

PBLAC
This is a WSBA Committee, to the projects I work on here are as determined by the committee, not just myself

• Outreach to WA QLSPs to find out "what they want"

WPTL

• Chair Section
• Ensure leadership secession
• 10 active meetings (almost monthly)
• Webcast (perhaps via Go2Meeting) all executive committee meetings and most general meetings
• Newsletter
• Cooperate with other state WPTL's

Executive Order 2012-12-31 : Does Micropublishing Improve Political Humor?

The image above, a humourous mocking of Executive Orders and our current Congress, grew from a quick facebook status that seemed moderately popular; it seemed to express a feeling held by a great many people. This morning I put it into an image, and tightened up the text a little, and the result seems to have been even more popular. I was able to promote it as well via Flickr and Twitpic, but it seems to have gotten plenty of shares on FB.
 I'm not sure what that says about text v. images, but the process does suggest that the internet's promise of micropublishing may make speech work better. Instead of a million monkeys pounding a million typewriters, we have a million micropublishers (such as myself) pounding a million blogs ... and occasionally something bubbles up that captures the spirit of the moment or of an age. The process is a form of evolution: that which fits the current environment has an advantage over less fit items. Wonderful!

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT DECEMBER 31, 2012 "In view of the impending "Fiscal Cliff", the Federal Government will take the following Emergency Measures to save money: 1. The printing of paychecks for Congressmen, Senators, their mistresses and their hookers shall be suspended immediately; 2. Garbage and sanitation services for House and Senate offices shall end; in the interest of public safety, port-a-potties will be placed on the sidewalks outside those buildings for the use of public officials and passers-by. 3. Federal Air Traffic Controllers will no longer serve flights to or from Washington DC and the hometowns of John Boehner or Eric Cantor. They may use private sector services such as Greyhound. 4. K Street shall be closed and made into a homeless shelter for citizens thrown off of unemployment. 5. All cafeterias, elevators and other amenties formerly reserved for the use of Congressmen and Senators shall be closed, or else opened to the use of the public. The public is invited there to assemble peaceably to request redress of grievances."

Happy New Year 2013!

Sure glad 2012 is OVER, but there were some good things. I'm most happy that we got our roof done and solarized .... here's what it looks like from outer space:

According to the meter, our installation generated 1340 kilowatts last year during its half-year of existence, lus a few hundred from before the meter was installed. We look forward to it continuing to save us money while helping our planet through the whole year.
Between this, family, friends, our water cistern/rain garden and many other projects, 2013 is going to be GREAT!

Social Security Has Nothing To Do With The Deficit

Any politician who says you can cut the deficit by cutting Social Security is either stupid, or else thinks you are. Which do you think is more likely? It's a simple fact that the Social Security budget is completely separate from the federal budget that is currently in deficits. You might as well try to fix your family's budget by cutting the budget of someone living next door.

4freeCLE: Your Free CLE Newsletter! December 30, 2012

4freeCLE: Your Free CLE Newsletter! December 30, 2012

In This Issue 3 Bundles of Free On-Demand Credits Webcast CLE In California In Massachusetts In Minnesota In Ohio Past Issues  On-Demand Recordings   Turn an idle hour into CLE credit with your choice of dozens of free recordings, available to you anytime, on-demand! Learn more at 4freeCLE's On-Demand Page.

Top 3 Bundles of 20+ Credits of On-Demand CLE  On-Demand CLE Can Help You Earn Credits! In many jurisdictions, attorneys can use free, on-demand recordings to earn CLE credit before year-end. At the request of several Washington State attorneys, 4freeCLE has put together 3 bundles of free, On-Demand CLE eligible for more than 20 credits in that and many other states. Top 3 Bundles of Free On-Demand MCLE for Washington Attorneys and Others   Find more on-demand programs at 4freeCLE's List of On-Demand CLE. If you're looking for help with a particular state, contact the publisher - we can help! Webcast CLE Share Webcasts With Staff And Colleagues! Get ready for the new year by calendar a few free programs! January 9: The Eighth Amendment and the Mentally Ill on Death Row. Also presented in-person (Cleveland). By Case Western Reserve School of Law. January 9: Five Legal Liability Issues for Schools.Key issues related to safety and security problems in elementary, middle and high schools. By TASA Group. January 16: Protecting Your Company...Wage & Hour Law 2013. Wage and hour litigation is the fastest growing category within employment law today. By LexisNexis.  January 18: Social Media Ethics for Lawyers. Ethical violations from online activities. By Attorney Protective. January 22: Student Safety Door to Door. An overview of student safety while being transported from home to and from school. By TASA.  January 29: Residential Lending after the Crash: An Update on How Dodd-Frank and the CFPB Have Changed the Rules of Home Loan Origination. Dodd-Frank amendments to the Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA) and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), rulemaking by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and more! Also In-Person (San Francisco). By Practising Law Institute.  January 30: Tobacco Control: Comparing U.S. and Australian Labeling Regulations. The announcement does not state that CLE credit has been applied for but appears to meet requirements in many jurisdictions. Also In-Person (St Paul). By Hamline University.   Find more webcasts at 4freeCLE's Web-Based CLE. Plan Ahead For Your 2013 CLE Campaign! In-Person CLEs State-by-State Continuing Legal Education can be a burden or it can be an opportunity, depending on whether you plan ahead to integrate it into your practice and other professional activities. If, as an attorney, you're accustomed to planning other professional activities months in advance, it's not too soon to be planning to CLE campaign as well. California January 15/San Francisco: Introduction to Landlord Tenant Training. By Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) . January 15/San Francisco: Housing Negotiation Project Training. By BASF. January 16/San Francisco: Introduction to Family Law Training. By BASF. January 29/San Francisco: Residential Lending after the Crash: An Update on How Dodd-Frank and the CFPB Have Changed the Rules of Home Loan Origination. Dodd-Frank amendments to the Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA) and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), rulemaking by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and more! Also Webcast. By Practising Law Institute.  Massachusetts January 14/Boston: VLP Training - Unemployment Insurance Appeals. By Volunteer Lawyers Program.   Minnesota January 9/Minneapolis: Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN) New Volunteer Orientation. By VLN. January 22/Saint Paul: The Future of Gun Rights. By Hamline University.  January 30/St Paul: Tobacco Control: Comparing U.S. and Australian Labeling Regulations. Also webcast. By Hamline University.   Ohio January 9/Cleveland: The Eighth Amendment and the Mentally Ill on Death Row. Also webcast. By CWU.  Wisconsin January 17/Milwaukee: Judicial Campaigns, Money and the Future of Justice. By American Constitution Society.  Need More By Year-End? As the year winds down, many professionals face a need to earn credit quickly at little cost. If this is your situation, email the editor and I'll see if I can locate something helpful. If you are able to use online recordings, you should be able to get much of your need satisfied. About 4freeCLE 4freeCLE is delivered weekly and will always be free!Please forward to your fellow professionals so they may benefit; if this was forwarded to you, get your own subscription for free by signing up now!  If you are interested in providing free CLE, contact the editor and I'll be happy to help with publicity. I may also have a few ideas for making your program available more widely, based on what I've learned from reviewing more than 1000 (one thousand) free CLE offerings..