Mud, Sweat, and Veers

No blood or tears on this evening’s trail run (though they have both made their appearance in the past), but plenty of Mud, Sweat, and Veers.  Mud thanks to the rain that has been with us for several days.  Sweat thanks to the 80+ degree temperature.

And Veers?  When the legs start to get rubbery and the head starts to get light, it can be hard to stay in a straight line….

SRE Scramble 2013

Will’s elementary school held a 4K race as a fundraiser today.  We were both looking forward to running it, but the chilly drizzle tempered our excitement a bit at the start.

 

Soon, though, we were off – and Will took off like a rocket.  So much for running together!  But, the hilly course and fast pace started to take their toll, and before too long, we were side by side, and stayed together for the rest of the race.  And before we knew it, the finish line was in sight – but it was uphill!

But, we pushed through and crossed together.  I’m not sure whether I was cheering Will on, or just excited to be done!

 

My new running buddy!

Blink of an Eye

 

I’m not exactly sure when this happened….

Back to Blogging

I am finally getting back to blogging. Really. I am currently working on a post about this past weekend’s OBX races, but it’s not quite done. In the meantime, here’s a link to a post that I wrote several years ago: To Build a Fire.

The post, and the man who inspired it, remain two of my favorites.

Farewell to Facebook

Dear Blog,

 

I just posted the following on my Facebook page.  I hope it’s not too late for us…

 

~~~~ 

 

Facebook,

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about us lately, and I’ve decided that I need to do other things, and see other sites.  Like my blog, for instance.  Since you and I got together a few years ago, I’ve barely posted anything on my blog – and I really enjoyed doing that.  You and I have had some good times together, sure – but I miss writing longer, more substantive posts.  One or two lines with a link attached just doesn’t do it for me anymore.

 

But really, I owe it to you to be fully open and honest.  So here goes.  You’re clingy.  You’re always … there.  On my laptop, on my desktop, on my ipad, even on my phone.  I need space.  Space, and time.  I’m not getting any younger, after all, and there are so many things that I’d like to do.  Write more, read more, learn more, play more, do more.  Be more.  But the days roll on, and I find myself checking for status updates, posting something that might be witty but won’t be remembered, and then guaranteeing myself even more updates to wade through by clicking “like” on something or another – all the while feeling spread too thin at work, at home, and everywhere in between.

 

So, it’s time for a change.  I guess this is it, for now, at least.  I don’t know what’s going to happen down the road.  Who knows, we may even get back together again at some point.  But if we do, it will have to be as friends, nothing more. 

 

I’ll still be around.  Email me, if you want to talk.  If you’re in the mood to read, you can find me at my blog:  http://wagsoutside.wordpress.com/.  If you want to know how work is going, you can find me on LinkedIn.  But it’s time for the two of us to take a break.

 

Thanks for everything, and no hard feelings, OK?

Understanding the Legalities of a Tragedy

With the trial of Commonwealth v. George Huguely V finally under way, Charlottesville is abuzz with news reports and water cooler gossip about what is doubtless the city’s most-discussed homicide since its ex-mayor was tried (and convicted and hung) for the murder of his wife in 1904. Factual details, rumors, and opinion abound.  Some of it is informed.  Much of it is not.

On occasion, particularly when I happen to be the only lawyer in the room, I have been asked for my thoughts on what will happen with the trial.  I always preface my response with the caveat that I spent most of my time in practice handling civil litigation and bankruptcy matters.  With the exception of some court-appointed work and the occasional retained traffic matter, I handled lawsuits, not criminal cases.

With that said, I have usually done my best to explain the basic framework of how the criminal justice system works, and what the possible outcomes of the trial might be.  As I have always felt a bit out of my depth when doing so, I was very pleased to see this article, which does a good job at laying out the basic landscape of what the trial is about.  If you want a more detailed analysis, written by an experienced and well-regarded local criminal defense attorney, check out Lloyd Snook’s blog.

I commend both of these articles to anyone who has questions about the issues that will be presented to 12 Charlottesville jurors in the next couple of weeks. 

There are a couple of additional points that I’d like to add.

First, I know the four attorneys involved in the Huguely case, as well as the judge.  They are all well-respected in the legal community.  They are all intelligent, talented, ethical, and committed to a fair trial.  However, regardless of the trial’s outcome, there will doubtless be those who will second-guess the lawyers’ trial strategy.  Please ignore the armchair lawyering, unless it comes from someone who makes his or her living in a courtroom.  Both the Commonwealth and George Huguely are being ably represented.  

Second, barring a mistrial, this case will have one of two possible outcomes on each charge – guilty or not guilty.  Contrary to popular belief, the concept of being “proven innocent” does not exist in our legal system.  The prosecution must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a defendant is guilty of a given charge.  If the prosecution meets this burden, the jury should return a “guilty” verdict.  If it does not, the jury should return a “not guilty” verdict.  The concept of “innocence” does not enter into the picture – despite what you might see in in movies, television, and even on the occasional news story.

Regardless of the trial’s outcome, this case will remain a tragedy that no verdict will repair.  One life has been lost, another likely ruined, two families have suffered unimaginable loss and sadness, and many others have been affected as well.  None of that will change.  We can only hope for a fair trial and a just result – whatever that may be.  If you read the articles that I’ve cited, and others like them, you will be in a better position to make an informed judgment about whether that hope has been fulfilled.

Tea Partiers are closet Darwinists

Here’s the evidence: (Click for link)

In fairness, there only seemed to be a few boors who were cheering at the thought of leaving the uninsured to die without medical care.  There was a good deal more audience support for Rep. Paul’s suggestion that neighbors, friends and churches would pay for care in the absence of government assistance.  That might be true in Paul’s case, and in the case of most of us reading this post.  But, what about those without such a safety net? 

I guess that’s why the “virtue of selfishness” espoused in Ayn Rand’s writings seems to resonate more with this crowd than do the teachings of Jesus – despite their claims to the contrary.  While they may not want it taught in schools, it looks like they are rather fond of Darwin’s idea that only the strong will (should?) survive.