Today is the first day of my retirement ( Read more... )

I went to a pre-retirement workshop earlier this week, with a speaker from our pension system as well as someone from Social Security. Much of what they told us, I knew, but I did learn some things. I'm back and forth in my head about whether or not to start taking SS now, or wait until full retirement age. I'm leaning towards the latter, as, ( Read more... )

Sounds like an opera diva's nickname, like La Divina or La Stupenda, doesn't it? But it's Italian for "blizzard". I went to work today, anticipating that I would leave just a bit early, or whenever I saw it starting to snow, and not go in tomorrow. (I'd decided that the other day, particularly after I checked my calendar and realized that I had ( Read more... )

that I was planning on retiring at the end of June, and in the course of the discussion I mentioned that I'd be turning 63 this summer. And he said, "Really? I never would have guessed."

Made my day!

and, having writ, moves on." Where the heck did the year go? If I were a resolution-making sort of person, I'd resolve to read more, be on the computer less, except for being on it more. That sounds like it makes no sense, but I started the year with all good intentions of keeping up my LJ and my book blog, and then lapsed. I'd like to do ( Read more... )

My deputy thought it was a hoot!

I printed out the photo and captioned it "[Deputy's name]'s worst nightmare!"  Gave it to him this morning.  He cracked up, and then asked our clerk for some tape so he could tape it to his file drawer.

Our courtroom deputy has two pet peeves: babies in the courtroom and baseball caps in the courtroom (on someone's head). We always kid him that one day someone will bring in a baby wearing a baseball cap, and he'll go off the deep end. Today, I found this picture on the web: Babies in Ball Caps. I have printed it out and I'm going to leave it ( Read more... )

at least momentarily. I received a new modem from Earthlink today. I still cannot connect directly, but have to use a round about way. I have the number for a "senior technician", but naturally they aren't available 24/7 and I called after they closed, so I'll try again tomorrow evening ( Read more... )

My favorite legal research tool has finally been updated! The Illinois Handbook of
Criminal Law Decisions (a/k/a "The Bible" or "The Green Book"), published by the Office of the State Appellate Defender and the Illinois State Bar Association, was sooooo outdated. The last volume was published in 1998 with a supplement in 2003, with yearly ( Read more... )

Italian classes started up again last Monday, and I brought a chocolate panettone that I found at my local produce store. (The family that owns it is Italian, and so they also carry quite a variety of imported Italian goodies ( Read more... )