January 28, 2011

29 Saturday Jan 2011

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What I did:

  • I attended a nine hour symposium on economic reform at my law school. Yep, that took up most of my day
  • Responded to a few emails for Haiti Scholarships
  • Spoke to one of my immigration clients
  • Went to Miguel’s to watch the Laker game–it’s only been four and a half years in the planning!
What I didn’t do:
  • I didn’t email Karin my detailed update on silent auction donation requests
  • All the stuff I didn’t do yesterday, including going to the gym….but hey, I’m sure no one is surprised by that one anymore (you might be more surprised that I even care to list it still as something I even intended to do).
What I need to do:
  • Apply to a job that was referred to me by a guy that interviewed me for a separate position. Long background story, but actually really nice of him to give me the lead

January 27, 2011

28 Friday Jan 2011

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What I did:
  • Woke up at 5 a.m. to rescue my mom who had locked herself out of her house.
  • Started laundry, emptied dishwasher, cleaned up kitchen (I know what you’re thinking: that’s just normal house stuff, it shouldn’t be listed as an accomplishment…but then I wouldn’t have as much stuff to list in my “what I did” column!)
  • Followed up on almost all my sponsorship and silent auction requests…who knew it would take me most of the day?! BUT, I did get a 3 night all inclusive stay in Puerto Vallarta added to our silent auction items!
  • Emailed our contact in Haiti with Rotary Club to confirm we can start sending them donations to distribute to our students.
  • Made some important phone calls.
  • Called the therapist on my immigration case; was a little shocked at her response and now have to figure out what I’m going to do about that.
  • Called my other immigration client to follow up.
  • Worked on immigration declarations.
  • Applied to two jobs (yep, you read that correctly…two).
What I didn’t do:
  • I didn’t go to the gym, although I actually had some motivation to do it. Who knew working out at home could actually make you sore? I guess at least those little home workouts are doing something…And Jeff and I went on a good walk before dinner.
  • I didn’t get to my small claims case.
  • I didn’t make much progress on my immigration work, but at least I touched it.
  • I didn’t update the HS website profiles. I have to do that STAT, and hopefully I’ll start getting director profiles soon so I can add those as well. I also want to do a quick blog entry for our newly created blog.
What I need to do:
  • Everything in my “didn’t” list
  • Work on some more small projects in the apartment
I’m going to be stuck in a symposium all day tomorrow, so I’m a little frustrated I won’t get to much of this stuff for the next few days. But I AM excited for the formal opening of the photo gallery in the law school lobby that I’ve been working on for the last several months. Hopefully it turned out ok :)

January 26, 2011

27 Thursday Jan 2011

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What I did:

  • Proofread and mailed my very important letter
  • Revised Articles of Incorporation for Haiti Scholarships and mailed out bylaws to be signed by all directors
  • Called therapist on my U-visa case to request letter of support
  • Followed up on a few sponsorship requests for OCHBA
  • Worked out at home
  • Applied to one job (gotta start somewhere…)
  • Abby and I took some stuff to the goodwill, slowly starting to empty out my garage
  • Had lunch with Maggie!
What I didn’t do:
  • Immigration stuff (MUST DO TOMORROW)
  • Look for more places to request silent auction donations from
  • Revise cover letter for foundation/grant/non profit jobs
What I need to do tomorrow:
  • Do some research on wills
  • Start working on small claims case
  • Figure out how I’m going to pay $300 in bar fees in a week

Another One Bites the Dust

27 Thursday Jan 2011

Posted by in economy, life, thoughts

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Is my title a copyright infringement? Hmmm. It just occurred to me as I was typing it out; hopefully not, especially since I’m making absolutely no money off of it anyway :)
Anyhow, a while back I wrote about places you love closing down, and sadly Jeff and I have found another one.
One of the first times that Jeff and I had a long and earnest conversation about our religious differences and how that affects our relationship, we were talking about it over a beer and spinach cheese dip at Claim Jumper. Ever since then, it’s been our go-to place when we want to have big talks to plan our lives, when we feel we need a nice dinner out, when we just want to be the cheesy couple giving googly eyes to each other across the table.
Monday night was one of those nights. I could tell the second Jeff walked in the house from work. We needed a beer at Claim Jumper. As my title suggests, it was not to be. As we drove towards the entrance of the shopping center, I caught a glimpse of the building in the back corner that usually has a crowded parking lot and people waiting outside. Nothing. I was pretty sure all the lights were out, but figured I had to be wrong. And then, as Jeff was turning into the shopping center, I figured they had to have closed down, because what I saw was definitely not a figment of my imagination.
We drove around to confirm. There was a “for lease” sign outside, and it was pitch black inside. We ended up settling for In n Out because we were starving, but it wasn’t what we wanted, and it wasn’t what we needed. We had a beer a the UCI pub, and while enjoyable, it wasn’t the same. I’m really going to miss driving to our local Claim Jumper, sipping on a delicious Fat Tire, blocking Jeff’s spinach cheese dipping, and having the perfect amount of lighting and ambience for pseudo intellectual conversations, not to mention building our castles in the sky. Good by Claim Jumper in Irvine, we will miss you.

Guatemala Update: Ex President Finally on Trial!

26 Wednesday Jan 2011

Posted by in Guatemala, politics

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It’s been a while since I posted any updates on Guatemala, but other than the escalating violence with gangs and drug cartels (which is just too depressing to write about), I haven’t come across any crazy news. Until the last few days.
Some may recall my previous entries regarding ex-president Alfonso Portillo. He was president from 2000 to 2004, and in those four years he [allegedly] stole $15 million from the defense ministry, which were originally destined for public funds. After his presidency ended, he fled to Mexico but was sent back in 2008. It’s taken over two years, but it seems he’s finally on trial. His original trial date was postponed several times because of various legal challenges from his defense team, including allegations that the judge assigned was not an impartial judge.
This is a defining moment for Guatemala and its judicial system. I am hoping and praying that all parties play by the rules, and that Mr. Portillo doesn’t get off the hook on some crazy technicality, or the judge rules important evidence is inadmissible for whatever reason she gets paid to bring up. Guatemala needs to prove it can punish criminal behavior, that corruption will not go unpunished. Here’s their chance.

January 25, 2011

26 Wednesday Jan 2011

Posted by in accountability, job search

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What I did:

  • Spent some good time detailing certain areas of our apartment that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time (bathroom floor and baseboards, patio area)
  • Went to the grocery store for some essential stuff, like toilet paper :)
  • Called immigration court to confirm my motion to substitute counsel was granted
  • Worked on agenda for Haiti Scholarships board meeting
  • Worked on very important correspondence I need to mail out tomorrow
  • Haiti Scholarships conference call with our Board of Directors
  • Send out a very important email about my Haiti fundraiser
What I didn’t do:
  • I didn’t go to the gym, but I DID do a little work out in the apartment for about 15 minutes…I think that should count for something.
  • Work on asylum and VAWA petitions
  • I didn’t apply to jobs. I waited until the last minute, at which point the only jobs I wanted to apply to required me doing some intense editing and revising to my resume and cover letter. It’s crazy how many jobs are listed, in general, and none of them sound appealing. Bleh.
What I need to do tomorrow:
  • All the things I didn’t do today. I really need to spend some time on my immigration cases and OCHBA stuff.
  • Abby and I are going to start cleaning out my garage. It’ll be nice to be able to use it for parking again :)
  • I really, really need to update my resume and cover letter, and send it out to AT LEAST two different places.

January 24, 2010

25 Tuesday Jan 2011

Posted by in accountability

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My friend Shirley told me about this accountability thing she’s doing, by tweeting. I’m going to try the same via blogging. I will try to post every night about what I accomplished throughout the day, in an effort to shame me into applying to jobs, getting in shape, and getting my projects done. These entries will probably be boring for most readers, so I apologize. From now on just know that if an entry is titled with a date, it will just list what I did or did not do. Feel free to hold me accountable if I fail to make an entry for a day, or fail to list any great achievements for the day. Or feel free to ignore these entries :)

Starting with yesterday, January 24th:
What I did:
  • Looked online for jobs
  • Spent quality time with mom
  • Picked up the last two frames for the Haiti photo gallery which will be going up today. Spent some time with Dave at Chapman Law finishing up details on descriptions.
  • Went to old work to clear up some stuff that needed clearing up
  • Called immigration client and made appointment for next week. Need to work on her declaration before meeting with her.
  • Followed up with Haiti Scholarship board of directors, sent documents for them to review before our conference call today.
  • Conference call with OC Hispanic Bar Association for Dinner Committee
What I didn’t do:
  • Apply to jobs (fail, I know, but I really was busy all day!)
  • Work on immigration cases
  • Follow up on fundraiser for Haiti
  • Go to the gym
  • Follow up on sponsors and silent auction donations for OCHBA
  • Get anything done around the house
Over all, not a great start. Hoping today will be better. It’s already 9:25 am though, so I better get started.

Decisions, Decisions

24 Monday Jan 2011

Posted by in life, thoughts

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“We expect to live our lives as expected but life has a way of making the expected never happen and the unexpected that which your life becomes.”
My friend Jaime shared that quote with me last week, and it made me think (once again) about what I’m really doing. I feel like I’m pushing so hard for something, and maybe it’s just not meant to happen that way. On the other hand, people that make something of themselves usually have to go against all adds to get there. Where’s the breaking point? At what point should I just sit back, stop swimming against the current, and just let life take me wherever the heck it wants me to go?
“There isn’t any normal life guera. It’s just life.”

Turning a New Leaf

24 Monday Jan 2011

Posted by in life, thoughts, work

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I think I hit my low last week. I knew that it would come, it was almost as if I was waiting for it to hit me. I sat around our apartment, got angry at hulu and netflix for not having more stuff that I was in the mood to watch, and blamed them for my boredom. Thing is, I have TONS of stuff to work on: pro bono cases, fundraising projects, working on developing a nonprofit, hundreds of little projects I need to do around the apartment, calls, emails, the list goes on and on. And yet, last week, I spent most of it on either the futon or the couch, wondering what I could possibly watch next on my laptop. It didn’t help that I finally got confirmation that I didn’t get the job I really wanted in LA, or that I received a piece of mail on Saturday that complicates my life a little more than I need right now.
It’s pathetic. I’m healthy, I have two degrees I need to put to use, I have a supporting and loving husband, and so many other things I should give thanks for every day.
So my plan this week is to turn things around. Starting today, I’m applying to one or two jobs a day (at least), I’m going to leave the apartment more, I’m going to make myself go to the gym, I’m going to make progress on my projects before they blow up in my face for lack of attention. I’m going to do something different.
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