Notice of Errata

In law, a Notice of Errata lets the court know that you've made some inadvertant errors and want to correct them. If you are filing such notice, the implication is that you've taken some time to review and reflect on the document you submitted - albeit a bit belatedly. This site contains reflections about my experiences and choices in this world -- including those for which I would like to file a notice of errata. It also follows my journey of faith, sobriety, BPD recovery, legal career, social justice, travel, therapy, and other topics relevant to a relatively privileged, but slightly neurotic, progressive Christian, single-but-looking, 30-something, lawyering, animated, quirky female. There's sure to be more errata to come. Join in the fun!

[bpdprobs]

Being upfront with your date

[earthstory]

Pucon pops off…

Located in the Cordillera of the Andes in the beautiful Southern Lakes region of Chile, Volcan Villarica entered into a series of intense strombolian eruptions (shooting fountains of ash and lava) during the early morning of Tuesday March 3rd. The immediate surroundings of the mountain were evacuated, and the nearby towns of Pucon, Villarica and Conaripe were placed on potential evacuation alert. The volcano has been regularly active, and after some rumbling in February 2015 and growing seismic activity this event may mark a period of greater wakefulness, the first since 1985.

The peak is covered in glaciers, but so far there are no signs of ice melt flooding or lahars (lethal sludges of water, ash and anything else it picks up along the way that pour down the sides of volcanoes). Its Mapuche name is Rucapillan and the peak is part of a string of volcanoes following a fault (magma rises through ready existing weak points in the crust) that juts out at right angles from the main chain of the Andes. This type of activity is typical for Pucon, though the event so far has been brief and damage free. Several other volcanoes have grown and collapsed on the same spot, and the current incarnation will someday suffer the same fate.

I climbed this 2,840 metre smoker some years back, and the throat was spectacular (if a bit whiffy, very acrid and sulphurous air). I’m glad I wasn’t up there when it happened though, close up I prefer my volcanoes sleepy. I must confess to a moment of panic, as my partner flies tomorrow, and eruptions in southern Chile have closed our local airports of Buenos Aires and Montevideo before (see http://on.fb.me/1F6b5Cu), but Accuweather place the plume nicely over the desert wastes in northern Patagonia.

Loz

Image credit: Ariel Marinkovic/EPA and UNO

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31708312 http://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/pais/region-de-la-araucania/decretan-alerta-roja-por-actividad-en-volcan-villarrica/2015-03-03/045340.html http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/breaking-volcano-erupts-in-sou/43264196 http://www.povi.cl/ http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcanoes/chile/villarica.html http://www.volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=357120 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/03/volcano-villarrica-erupts-southern-chile

[noticeoferrata-blog]

I had the amazing experience of climbing this beauty in 2005- Def wasn't as sparkly then as it was this week!!!

[noticeoferrata-blog]

Hedonism can only take you so far

RDA

[tylerknott]

“Will you stand and fight? Will you stay and defend me when no one else will?” — Daily Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson #tylerknott

[noticeoferrata-blog]

Why Im a public defender

[earthstory]

The Moon is “tidally locked” to Earth, meaning that only 1 side of the moon is ever visible from Earth’s surface. This NASA video takes data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and uses it to project what a telescope or a viewer outside of the Earth-Moon system would see looking at the Moon’s back side.

Oh and to note - there’s no “Dark Side of the Moon”, sorry Pink Floyd. The far side of the moon is bright for 14 days every month too.

[tylerknott]

Typewriter Series #1046 by Tyler Knott Gregson

*Chasers of the Light, is available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound , Books-A-Million , Paper Source or Anthropologie *

[noticeoferrata-blog]

Gap in the System

Last night I encountered a huge gap in the criminal justice system.  Around 9:30pm I received a call from my friend David saying that he had just been released from the men's jail in downtown LA, that he had no money, no jacket, no blanket, and was freezing.  David is homeless.  Three days earlier, he was in downtown LA with a friend when they were stopped by the police. The friend had drugs on him. They were both taken to jail. All of David's belongings (literally ALL of his belongings) were confiscated and put in a property room at the jail.  Davis was released just before 10pm yesterday.  The property room closes at 5 and doesnt open until 10am.  So there he was, left in the dark, with nothing but a bus token, and thankfully a cell phone.  

I called the emergency winter hotline and was told that they could e-mail me some shelter referrals.  But the shelters start their intake in the mornings and usually fill up pretty early.  In a city that has around 40,000 people living on the streets, there apparently was not one bed that was accessible to him.  I finally decided to just meet him in person and give him a bit of cash on the condition that he go to an intake center that could assist him in finding long-term housing.  Turns out that each city area (Downtown, Glendale, San Fernando Valley, etc) has just one entry point that only does intake for 2 hours a week.  Some days, there is not a single entry point open.  So to appease me, David spent 4 hours on a bus, round-trip to meet with some housing folks at one of the intake places.  He called me in tears because there were people drinking alcohol all around the building and he didn't feel safe. 

I have not shared all of the details of the various efforts David and I have made to secure even minimal housing, but suffice it to say that those who claim our country gives too many handouts are WRONG.  Those who say that it is easy to take advantage of the system are WRONG.  If I, as an educated, middle-class lawyer, am stuck in the quagmire of bureaucracy, odd rules, lack of resources, etc, how can we expect those who need help most - the veterans suffering from PTSD, the single mom taking care of sick children, the mentally-ill man in a constant state of paranoia- to navigate this system? 

And sadly, this already broken system is made worse by a jail system that inhumanely releases people in the middle of the night, with no jackets, no money, no dignity- setting them up perfectly to commit other petty crimes that will land them right back where they came from.  How seriously do we value the poor?  Clearly not seriously enough. 

[noticeoferrata-blog]

Never thought I'd be a pageant mom, but just entered Astor into a beauty contest- Chi-wow-wow!!! But don't worry- she knows to value herself for her intelligence, ability to perform tricks, and her waggly heart!

[bpdprobs]

Speaking in group

[noticeoferrata-blog]

^^^^this.happened.tonight.

[noticeoferrata-blog]

As much as "nice" people make pleasant company, I like my friends raw, without pretension, without masks. I want sushi friends.

[whatthepublicdefender]

Anonymous asked: When your colleague gets arrested for defending her client … And when the video goes viral most commenters are supportive and call for the officers to be fired. #iamresisting #iamjami

[noticeoferrata-blog]

Gatekeepers of Redemption: Conservative Evangelicals on the Death Penalty (1 Corinthians 9:16-23)

Ah. This article expresses so much of my heart. I represent people on death row because no one is beyond God's redemption and transformative power. "[I]f we really believe in redemption as evangelicals, we cannot support the death penalty because we say that there is room, no matter what you've done, no matter who you are, the god [sic] can reach you and he [sic] can transform you. And so if we believe that, the death penalty cuts that opportunity short."

[bpdprobs]

DEAR THERAPIST,

[noticeoferrata-blog]

I saw this and literally brought it into my DBT individual session as my proposed agenda ---- so good!

[noticeoferrata-blog]

Sneaky Little Cupcakes

Yesterday I was at a super bowl party that I had carefully chosen to attend because I knew it would be relatively "safe" in my early sobriety.  Without wine to binge on, I started craving sugary treats, but I got to the cake dish too late and it was all gone.  To my initial glee, as soon as I saw the empty cake plate, I turned around and in walked a stranger with super duper mini chocolate cupcakes, decorated with swirly frosting.  I took one bite and noticed the frosting tasted odd.  I thought it kinda tasted like rum but I couldnt place the taste. It also tasted like almond extract I convinced myself. I debated spitting it out, but the kitchen was crowded, I wasnt near a napkin, and the lady who'd made the dessert was standing right there. So I swallowed.  Someone had noticed my chagrined facial expression and asked if I was ok.  I then asked the baker what was in the cupcakes.  She bragged that they were chocolate-merlot cupcakes and that she'd had lots of frosting this morning.  I said - "oh my gosh theres wine in here?! "  She said there was not too much and that it wouldnt hurt me.  

But I have been doing everything I can for the past 3 months to avoid triggering alcohol cravings.  I have skipped out on weekend getaways with friends.  I have spent Saturday nights at home alone.  I have opted to meet friends for brunches and lunches rather than "for a drink" and have dealt with work stress by blogging rather than happy hour.  I was so frustrated and disappointed.  Evidently being upset at accidental alcohol intake is a pretty common thing in early sobriety.  Thankfully, my God had known this was going to happen and surrounded me with hope. My friends didnt flip out or tell me to just get over it when I burst into tears.  They honored the reality of my struggle. My friend's sister who just got 8 years sober was at the party.  She reassured me that I wouldn't have to start my days over and she invited me to go to an AA meeting that she was heading to.  At the meeting I heard lots of stories of times people had taken an accidental sip of booze.  Drinks in indistinguishable cups getting mixed up at parties, bartenders accidentally adding vodka when they just ordered red bull, etc.  I later talked to my sponsor who encouraged me and pointed out that my reaction shows how much I care about my sobriety.

I learned that its intention that matters.  And that I need to let go of the black and white thinking that got me into trouble in the first place. If I were to beat myself up for an accidental bite of a chocolate-merlot cupcake, I would be tempted to say screw it, i might as well drink tonight.  Instead, I'm learning to take a balanced view.  I will be more careful in the future.  I will spit and not swallow if I'm in doubt.  God willing, I will stay sober. 

[tylerknott]

Typewriter Series #973 by Tyler Knott Gregson

*It’s official, my book, Chasers of the Light, is out! You can order it through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound , Books-A-Million , Paper Source or Anthropologie *

[tylerknott]

You blossom in snow; when all others fear the cold, your petals emerge.

Daily Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson (via tylerknott)

I hope I am like this 

[noticeoferrata-blog]

So I've gotten a bit OCD about therapy, and my therapist said she may need to refer me out to someone to help with that.  Which means, I'm so crazy, I need therapy for my therapy.