Throwing Away My Shot....
Jan. 18th, 2019 09:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
captainsblogseems almost inevitable now.
The Scare became a Watch became a Warning, with digital road signs already up saying GO HOME SATURDAY MORNING TO SUNDAY NIGHT. One local tv weather guy is backing off Epic Proportion threats, but even he says it's gonna be at least a small-b "big one," probably enough to make things impassible around here exactly when I'd need it to not be. My outbound flight remains "on time," although Delta is full of warnings about checking first and all that; from some airline experiences, they may pull the plug on it long before the go-or-no-go call absolutely has to be made. Their warning zone is not just up here but down to JFK, LGA and all airpoints in between.
And if it's no-go, I am, also. The past just-over-48 hours were exhausting, and even though today only had two brief appointments, I could really use three whole days of downtime to catch up instead of exploring the best underground tunnels to walk from Queens to Midtown. I am not going to try leaving ahead of it and getting stuck somewhere else. Sunday morning, the alarm goes at 5 if the flight hasn't been canceled before then; if it's on and I can get to it, I'll give it My Shot. Otherwise, it's going to be two fun days of processing refund and insurance claims.
I've also gotten ridiculously busy. About three years ago, a coworker invited me to join a prepaid legal plan. She does real estate closings referred by it (I did, too, until swearing off the accursed things), but they also provide a steady stream of consumer bankruptcy cases, small litigation matters, and my only foray into the land of criminals, traffic ticket referrals. I do these mainly as a public service; I tell them upfront that I will not get them any better of a deal than they could get themselves, but most courts allow attorneys to appear for the driver, take us first even if the client has to be there, and give our clients more time to pay than is offered to the Great Unwashed. For the first two years, I ran this through my Rochester office, but they had Mission Statement Issues, so I upped my personal malpractice coverage at the beginning of August and now handle them through my own accounting system (I can still see referred clients from that area at their offices). Just since December 1, close to a dozen new clients have been referred through this program, while others from earlier have worked their way through. The clients are mostly responsive and appreciative, even they're getting my services for free-to-them; and the flat fees for most of the services are comparable to what I'd charge, except on mornings like yesterday when the 9 a.m. traffic appearance kept me there close to 10 because the judge didn't bother to take the bench until 9:50 with a room full of criminals waiting for her since well before 8:30.
It also hasn't helped that my back has decided to go into spasms the past 24 hours- probably from all the dashing about in stupid cold weather in constricting suits. Even if there is a plane to fly on at 7 Sunday morning, I'm not sure I'm gonna wanna.
But there have been moments of levity- like seeing this on my way to checking a court case this morning:
Dyslexics of the world, untie! (At least one crewmember suggested that this is correct, but I have my doubts.)
The Scare became a Watch became a Warning, with digital road signs already up saying GO HOME SATURDAY MORNING TO SUNDAY NIGHT. One local tv weather guy is backing off Epic Proportion threats, but even he says it's gonna be at least a small-b "big one," probably enough to make things impassible around here exactly when I'd need it to not be. My outbound flight remains "on time," although Delta is full of warnings about checking first and all that; from some airline experiences, they may pull the plug on it long before the go-or-no-go call absolutely has to be made. Their warning zone is not just up here but down to JFK, LGA and all airpoints in between.
And if it's no-go, I am, also. The past just-over-48 hours were exhausting, and even though today only had two brief appointments, I could really use three whole days of downtime to catch up instead of exploring the best underground tunnels to walk from Queens to Midtown. I am not going to try leaving ahead of it and getting stuck somewhere else. Sunday morning, the alarm goes at 5 if the flight hasn't been canceled before then; if it's on and I can get to it, I'll give it My Shot. Otherwise, it's going to be two fun days of processing refund and insurance claims.
I've also gotten ridiculously busy. About three years ago, a coworker invited me to join a prepaid legal plan. She does real estate closings referred by it (I did, too, until swearing off the accursed things), but they also provide a steady stream of consumer bankruptcy cases, small litigation matters, and my only foray into the land of criminals, traffic ticket referrals. I do these mainly as a public service; I tell them upfront that I will not get them any better of a deal than they could get themselves, but most courts allow attorneys to appear for the driver, take us first even if the client has to be there, and give our clients more time to pay than is offered to the Great Unwashed. For the first two years, I ran this through my Rochester office, but they had Mission Statement Issues, so I upped my personal malpractice coverage at the beginning of August and now handle them through my own accounting system (I can still see referred clients from that area at their offices). Just since December 1, close to a dozen new clients have been referred through this program, while others from earlier have worked their way through. The clients are mostly responsive and appreciative, even they're getting my services for free-to-them; and the flat fees for most of the services are comparable to what I'd charge, except on mornings like yesterday when the 9 a.m. traffic appearance kept me there close to 10 because the judge didn't bother to take the bench until 9:50 with a room full of criminals waiting for her since well before 8:30.
It also hasn't helped that my back has decided to go into spasms the past 24 hours- probably from all the dashing about in stupid cold weather in constricting suits. Even if there is a plane to fly on at 7 Sunday morning, I'm not sure I'm gonna wanna.
But there have been moments of levity- like seeing this on my way to checking a court case this morning:
Dyslexics of the world, untie! (At least one crewmember suggested that this is correct, but I have my doubts.)
no subject
Date: 2019-01-19 08:07 pm (UTC)PS: As a former sailor, they do have "port" and "starboard" mixed up.