I went to Grower’s Direct the other day to pick up some delicious raspberries and blueberries (yes, I specifically went to the store to get just that). As I was checking out, I happened to look up and saw one of the employees who was stocking grapes….he seemed to be chewing something, very very slowly.
Huh.
His mind seemed to be anywhere but in the job that was unfolding before him: he was standing and slowly, ever so slowly, zipping up a bag of grapes that he was about to stock, with his gaze looking off to God knows where. He placed the bag with all the other bags of grapes already on display.
Then, again, very slowly, as if he was trying to drag out this task as long as he possibly could, he grabbed another bag of grapes from the box on his cart, he opened it, took one grape, put it in his mouth, and repeated the above scene, sloooooooowly zipping up the bag again, and placing it on the display area.
I realized he was taking out exactly one grape from every bag, right before he placed it on the display area. He had a smile on his face, and I couldn’t help but be happy for him: I doubt this job is his ideal job, or one that he thoroughly enjoys, but if sneaking in a grape every now and then can make you happy, more power to you!
The more grapes he sneaks in, the less I’ll have to pay for that bag of grapes.
From what I’ve researched, it’s your most basic marketing tool, and if you are serious about your firm, it’s a must have.
So, I’ve been trying to figure all of that out the last couple weeks: style, formatting, what are the different pages I’ll have on it, etc. I have a general idea of what I want, so the content isn’t too difficult to figure out. I do have to work on stocking up some blog entries before publishing it, so I don’t have a blog section…with no blog content.
But…before I get to that, I have to actually create a website where all of this stuff is going. I’m not completely foreign to this stuff, since I help manage the website for Haiti Scholarships, and set up and manage the website for The Merry Ministers. The Merry Ministers is kind of a simple and straightforward site, and I know my firm site has to be a notch more professional than that one. So, I did some research and talked to my tech source, and found out that I need to: 1) purchase the domain from one place, 2) link my domain to wordpress (I’m being kind of stubborn about this–I figure if I already use this format for two other websites, I don’t want to learn a whole different UI–hehe, I’m trying to use techy terms, but I have no idea if I’m using it in the right context or not–to manage another website), then 3) host it through another place, and finally 4) figure out what theme I want to purchase–since I’m not gonna build this thing myself.
Step One was frustrating as all hell. Apparently my first AND last name are pretty common on the website domain area, and anything generic about law, law firms, and Southern California has been taken long ago. The other thing about my full name is that it is l-o-n-g. Maybe not the greatest for marketing purposes. After a frustrating evening, and intense help from Busta and Jeff, I finally decided on a domain, and was ready for Step Two.
Step Two. Not too bad until I had to authenticate the domain that I had just registered in Step One. I had to go through the “DNS” to add something on the original domain site so that it would link to my wordpress page. I was able to figure that out, but it took about a day for wordpress to recognize it and update it. But still, not too bad for someone who had no idea what she was doing.
Step Three. Shit kinda hit the fan. Not really, since there isn’t any crazy urgency, but at this point I couldn’t figure it out on my own anymore, which was frustrating. I registered with a host (hmm, not sure if that’s the correct terminology), and again had to prove that I was the owner of the domain I had originally registered for. So I tried to input whatever information it asked me for…then I tried to look at the website to see what showed up…and it was saying something about too many re-routing loops or whatever. BUT, I just tried it now…and it seems to be working! So, maybe I’m not as technologically disabled as I thought I was.
I’m still using my tech genius friend to make sure it’s all done the right way, and then it’s off to figure out themes and content, yay!
I’ve realized that I’m not quite used to the idea of having my own “business.” “Self-employed.” “Solo-practitioner.” “MY firm.” “MY business.” Tese are all words and phrases I can’t quite pronounce yet without wincing.
Weird, right? Most people would probably thrive on this, and love introducing themselves as an entrepreneur, or their own boss. I still feel really uncomfortable with these titles. Then again, I still feel uncomfortable with the title “attorney,” and it’s been a little over two years since I acquired that title.
I think part of it is that I never envisioned myself as the self-employed type. I always saw myself working for a nonprofit, an NGO, or a government agency. The idea of working for myself never crossed my mind. I mean…NEVER. Not until about a year ago.
So what I’ve come to realize, as Jeff has encouraged me to do multiple times, is that I just have to own it. I have to believe in myself. I have to believe in myself as a business owner, as my own boss, as the solo-attorney of my firm. That’s what I am: I meet with clients, I send out invoices, I talk to opposing counsel, I draft strongly worded letters, I put files together, I go to court, I pay bills, and maybe most importantly, I have my own letterhead!
On the other hand, I love the idea of being my own boss. I love that I can cater my services to low-income clients, because I don’t have to charge a $5,000 retainer, or a $400 an hour rate. I can charge what I want, and cater my services to those I think may need my services the most. I know I wouldn’t be able to do this is many places, so I know I’m lucky to have the opportunity to pursue this on my own.
So, 2012 is the year of rising to the occasion, and owning it.
I posted an article on Facebook a while back on the protests in Chile by university students, that are demanding free education. It’s an impressive system in that it’s been going on for months. You can check out this NPR article for some background info.
Today on NPR I heard a song that was born from this movement, and I think it’s powerful. And addicting. See below for translation.
Translation:
Venom: your monologues
Your colorless discourses
You don’t see that we aren’t alone
Millions from pole to pole!
To the beat of a single chorus
We will march with the tone
With the conviction STOP THE STEALING
Your state of control
Your corrupt throne of gold
Your politics and your wealth
And your treasure, no.
The time has come, the time has come.
We will allow no more, no more of your shock doctrine
The time has come, the time has come (shock doctrine)
The time has come, the time has come (shock doctrine)
The time has come, the time has come (shock doctrine)
The time has come, the time has come (shock doctrine)
No nations, only corporations
Who has more, more stocks
Fat cats, powerful decisions for very little.
Pinochetan constitution
Opus dei rights, fascist book
Guerilla disguised as a pardoned elitist
The drop falls, the stocks fall, the occupation takes the broken machine
The street doesn’t keep silent, the street scratches
The street doesn’t keep silent, as wide as it is
They take everything, sell everything
Make a profit from everything, life, death
It’s all business
I eat you all, seed, pascuala, methods and choruses
Venom: your monologues
Your colorless speeches
You don’t see that we aren’t alone
Millions from pole to pole!
To the beat of a single chorus
We will march with the tone
With the conviction STOP THE STEALING!
Your state of control
Your corrupt throne of gold
Your politics and your wealth
And your treasure, no.
The hour has truck, the hour has truck
We will allow no more, no more of your shock doctrine
The time has come, the time has come (shock doctrine)
The time has come, the time has come (shock doctrine)
The time has come, the time has come (shock doctrine)
The time has come, the time has come
[Students talking]
Hit for hit, kiss for kiss
With wishes and nourishment
With ashes, with the fire of the present, remembering
With certainty and ripping, with the clear objective
With memory and with the history of the future, it’s NOW
Everything: this trial tube,
Everything: this daily laboratory,
Everything: this failure,
Everything: this condemned economic model from dinosaur times
Everything is criminalized
Everything is justified in the news
They get rid of everything, walk all over everything
Open a file on everything and classify it
But…your politics and your tactics,
Your typical smile and ethics
Your manipulated communique
How many of them were silenced?
Copes, hoses, and lumas
Cops, hoses and tunas
Cops, hoses, don’t add up
How many were those who stole the fortunes?
Venom: your monologues
Your colorless speeches
You don’t see that we aren’t alone
Millions from pole to pole
To the sound of a single chorus
We will march with the tone
With the conviction that the stealing stops
Your state of control
Your corrupt throne of gold
Your politics and your wealth
And your treasure, no.
The time is now, the time is now.
We will allow no more, no more of your shock doctrine
The time has come, the time has come (shock doctrine)
The time has come, the time has come (shock doctrine)
The time has come, the time has come (shock doctrine)
I don’t think it’s fair to only tell you about the terrible things that happen in Guatemala: the crime rate, gangs, drugs, violence, insecurity, lack of safety, etc.
These are things that I vent about because they make me angry and upset, and they make me feel impotent. But they only make me so upset because I see the potential that Guatemala has: it’s a beautiful country, with amazing people, great food, and a fascinating culture. So, I thought I’d share some of that stuff too.
It’s also called “El Pais de la eterna Primavera,” or the Land of Eternal Spring
It’s home to over 800 varieties of orchids.
Guatemala has 14 eco-regions ranging from mangrove forests to both ocean littorals (no idea what this word is) with 5 different ecosystems. It has about 1246 known species of animals. It has 37 volcanoes, 4 of which are active (one of which Jeff and I have hiked!). There are 21 mayan languages in Guatemala. (This is all according to Wikipedia, so it may or may not be true.)
It has two main mountain chains, with 9 smaller mountain chains (click here for some pictures).
As far as food goes, Dali mentioned a long list of delicious items today, which made me truly homesick:
chuchitos
enchiladas
rellenitos
tostadas con salsa, frijol, y guacamol
garnachas
empanadas
dobladas
pepian
caldo de pollo
dulces tipicos
atol de elote
mango verde con pepita, limon y sal
horchata
queso seco
granizadas
tortillas frescas
so much more…
If you want to try any of these out, check out Guatemalteca in Van Nuys...it’s Guatemalan food paradise!
There’s a music video coming out early next week by two great Guatemalan artists, and the shot the video all over Guatemala. Here’s a little behind the scenes, where you can appreciate some of the great beauties of Guatemala :)
Obviously this is a small sample of what the country has to offer….I’m sure there are more insightful articles out there on the beauties in Guatemala. I just wanted you to see the tip of the iceberg…or at least know that such iceberg exists :)
A few weeks ago I had to write a legal brief for a client who applied for asylum. Part of the brief involved researching “country conditions,” to explain why the applicant wasn’t willing to return to his country of origin.
In this case, my client is from Guatemala, and left the country fleeing from gang members. So I started doing research on gangs in Guatemala, including crime rates, prosecution rates, etc. I’ve written about violence in Guatemala before, so parts of this weren’t too shocking. Others were.
In my research, it was interesting to learn how a couple of the main gangs started, mainly Mara Salvatrucha. They began in the streets of Los Angeles, and spread to Mexico and Central America after immigration legislation allowed illegal aliens with a criminal history to be deported. This meant that thousands of gang members began to be deported to their country of origin, and they began spreading gangs in those territories, frequently coming back to the United States, or establishing connections on both sides. These gangs have now created loose affiliations with “narco-traficantes,” aka drug dealers. Small Central-American countries with little police enforcement, and absolute corruption and impunity, create great corridors for drugs that are making their way from South America into the United States: bring drugs into El Salvador and Guatemala, where you can bribe the local police, and smuggle them in to Mexico, and onward to the U.S. (You can check out organizations like International Crisis Groups for more info on this situation.)
Here in South Orange County, we seem to be having a gang problem of our own. It won’t be a huge shocker to know that gangs are made up of Hispanic men, mainly from Mexico and Central America. A news article was published early this year in a local paper of San Clemente, commenting on the “racial backlash” resulting after a gang-related shooting. As I tend to do, I started reading the comments, and as always, was pretty blown away by some of them. For example:
“Screw Mexican gangs. Stupid kids would not join a gang if they had decent parents. Send these fools back yonTJ.. Take your drugs and violence back to your filthy Mexico.”
“And what is the likelihood these gang-banging scum are either illegal invaders or the byproduct thereof! How much more is America going to tolerate? It’s past time for “backlash” against these criminals and this illegal invasion we are being subjected to and injured by!”
“The dereliction of duty, bordering on treason, on the part of those we pay and entrust to uphold our laws is turning this country into a clone of the lawless, violent, and corrupt third world countries the illegal aliens left behind before invading ours.”
“As long as we turn a blind eye to the truth lies will be passed on to our children. This is our town a white town with waves and sunsets not gangs and guns what happend to slinging fists instead of bullets to bad we don’t call it what it is a problem that needs to be dealt with what is rascism but a excuse for the deeds done by scum it will never change til we stand up as a people a community and change it unit and take back what’s yours or it will be gone tommorow. Los Angeles was once a nice place to live. Stop being afraid of being called a racist it’s called realist because it’s what’s really going on. Pray for peace but prepare for war” (I decided to leave grammar mistakes in. Their mistake, not mine!)
These are but a few examples, obviously there are tons of “insightful” comments.
But these comments got me thinking. Is it racism to want to live safely? These gang members are Hispanic, and although I don’t have the facts to back it up, most of them are probably here illegally. What’s the right answer? Community understanding, or protection of your home and neighborhood? People have a right to be upset when their communities are no longer safe, through no fault of their own.
What is it about our Hispanic community that makes our young men vulnerable to gang recruitment? Is it parenting? Lack of quality jobs? Lack of education? Is it social? Economic? Political? Cultural?
Probably a little bit of everything.
The point I want to make with this post is that this problem is real. It is real in Mexico, it is real in small Central American countries like Guatemala and El Salvador. Those lands are foreign to many, and maybe that’s why there has been little interest in finding and fighting the root causes of these gang problems. Why should we care? But as we can see from recent news, these issues are affecting cities here, in our home, that used to be safe havens from crime.
So what do we do? Do we put the blame on a whole ethnic community and tell them to leave? I think the more reasonable solution, but by no means easier, is to work towards combating the root causes that have created this crisis. Given the current financial situation, I know we can’t go out there and find jobs for everyone, but perhaps supporting small local community organizations that are trying to provide these men with educational and technical skills, even the self esteem to believe they can be more than a gang thug. If you’re asking, why should I support someone who’s here illegally, living off of my tax dollars, I’d say: why not? We’re all human beings. We all deserve a right to earn an honest living. National borders are becoming more porous, not less. Why should we care less about an individual simply because of political boundary lines? I’m not saying we should financially support gang members, I am saying we should help them figure out how to earn a decent living so they don’t think joining a gang is their only option.
I think I’ve gone off topic…but the reality is that they’re all interrelated, and it’s difficult not to lump all of these issues together, because you can’t have one without the other.
I read this article today, and it really upset me. So I wanted to share it.
What upsets me, is that there are people trying to make things better in Guatemala, people and organizations that go to great lengths to write and promote legislation that would create equality and fairness, and I’m not just talking about this specific issue–this is just one example.
These bills get introduced, and the Guatemalan congress completely fucks it up. Pardon the language.
Why do they have to be so damn corrupt? Why can’t they help Guatemala change, for the better? Why can’t they promote safety and equality? Why can’t they care about anyone but themselves and the interestes that are lining their pockets?
What would be so terrible about indigenous communities having community radio stations where they can empower women, promote education and awareness? Ok, that’s a dumb question: if you educated indigenous communities, you wouldn’t be able to keep them down. I get it.
This is the exact reason why Carlos Castresana resigned from the CICIG in 2010: the government’s inability to act and cooperate with proposed laws that would strengthen the rule of law and help combat the corruption and impunity that reign in Guatemala (for a country with one of the highest murder rates per capita, it has a 2% prosecution rate–prosecution, not conviction). The government’s response to his resignation? “Sometimes were are limited, legally, or in respect of governance or financing in how we can respond to their requests.” Bullshit.
Related articles (to the CICIG and Carlos Castresana):
….is this getting boring for you, dear Reader? I’ve been posting these “updates” more frequently, because…well, honestly, they’re way easier to write than the other blogs I’ve been wanting to write. Those require multiple drafts, and research, and actual thought.
These…I just tell you what I did or didn’t do!
I should be able to crank out some more thoughtful blog posts next month, when things aren’t so crazy, but until then….let me tell you what I’ve been up to!
I had an asylum hearing for a pro bono client on Monday; gearing up for it was pretty hectic, and I’ll be honest: I’m glad it’s over. Un/fortunately, the judge didn’t render her decision after the hearing, so I’m not sure whether we were successful or not (decision will either be mailed, or given at a hearing in April). I definitely learned a lot from this case, and although I’m sure I’ll take another case from KIND sometime in the future, I’m happy to not have that looming over my head anymore. It’s also pretty emotional stuff….I think I’ve really been compartmentalizing this case a lot so it doesn’t affect me, because I hate to think what’s going to happen to my client if he isn’t granted asylum and has to return to his country of origin. He’s such a great kid, it just makes me really sad.
Anyhow. Compartmentalizing.
I went to bikram yoga yesterday AND today. I wanted to see if I could handle back to back sessions. My back was a little sore from yesterday’s work out, and although today’s session didn’t necessarily help that, I’m feeling a lot better now. I haven’t been eating enough before going, in fear that I’ll eat too much and get sick, but I think what has been happening is that I don’t eat enough, so I end up getting dizzy about 15 minutes into an 80 minute workout. Today was the first time that I didn’t have to sit out any major portions of the routine, which I’m really excited about.
This week has been the week of meetings and basically not being home for dinner. Monday was tutoring (we worked on a science project, which was AWESOME!), Tuesday night I had a meeting for the Annual Meeting and Fundraiser for Corazon that I’ve helped put together (it’s on Saturday, let me know if you’re interested in attending), tonight was my first meeting as a director for the OC Hispanic Bar Association (I got to say things like “yay” and “nay” in a non-sarcastic, totally-serious manner), tomorrow I’m meeting a potential client for The Merry Ministers at 7:30 p.m., and Friday I’m heading to the Oceanside area to help out with a church retreat for confirmation students, oh and Saturday is the Corazon event.
Let’s just say, I’m really excited for Sunday :)
Today I met with a client, went to Goodwill and Salvation Army to look for a filing cabinet (I’ve outgrown my little file drawer on my desk!), and got to enjoy lunch with Jeff…we sat out in the backyard and were able to enjoy some of today’s amazing weather. I absolutely LOVE being able to see Jeff in the middle of my day.
I also deposited money into my business account, as well as my client trust account. That felt pretty cool. Due to the former deposit, I was also able to write out a check for my State Bar annual dues (um, no biggie, just FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS). Last year I had to ask my family to help me cover the expense because I couldn’t come up with the money. It’s nice to see that I’m moving in the right direction, and being able to pay this money from my business account rather than our personal account was HUGE.
Jeff and I resorted to our mantra on Saturday, and reminded ourselves that we had to keep putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations to experience new things. We were both pretty wiped out–I had attended a 6-hour MCLE, and Jeff had helped his dad with some kitchen remodeling duties–and we were really tempted to cancel both of our social commitments for the night. But we stuck with them, and were really excited we did. Jeff got to meet the people I’ve been meeting with throughout the last year in organizing stuff for Corazon, and then we had a genuinely good time at a karaoke lounge in Irvine. The latter event was definitely out of our comfort zone, and given that we weren’t getting there until after 10 p.m., it was way past our bedtime. BUT, we sang out little hearts out, and had a great time. So, keep in mind: the mantra works!
We haven’t done so good on the eating healthy part lately…
Jeff has been incredibly productive over the last few days. He’s been working really hard on editing all the pictures he’s taken in the last couple months, including pictures from our trip to Big Bear. He has so much talent it’s insane. Here are some of my favorite (mostly) scenic pictures:
In closing, I want to encourage all of you to start getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit, and buy some hand made valentines cards made by yours truly. I have to say, they’re pretty darn cute! And all of it goes to help Haiti Scholarships. So, get back into the spirit of being in second grade, and send your mom and best friends some Valentine love :)
Jeff took these pictures also :) If you’re interested in purchasing them, you can get more info here.
If you made it this far into my random cathartic writing, thank you for reading, and good night!
This week I was trying to figure out something different to make for lunch that wasn’t sandwich’s or microwaveable pizzas. I was at a loss walking around the grocery store, when I saw tortilla wraps…ta-da! So I ran to the other side of the store and added sprouts and hummus to the cart. Not too shabby, eh?
I also started my yoga classes yesterday, which made me incredibly, but beautifully, sore today.
I wasn’t as productive on the law firm front, but I did attend a meeting for South Orange County church youth ministers, caught up with quite a few great friends, had a brief meeting with a client, did some contract work, and attended a webinar for silent auction fundraisers. Oh and I started tutoring with my family again! It was so great to see them again, and catch up on all that both families have been up to.
Oh and had a meeting with some potential clients for The Merry Ministers, and set up another appointment with potential clients for Sunday.
I’ve been procrastinating a little on some stuff, so next week it’s time to step it up.
Finca Cielo Azul 
