Alarm goes off at 6:45.  Slap it off.  Get up at 8.   Must get to bed earlier than 2:30.  Must rush.  Suitcase is already packed on the floor resting on top of a towel.  Nothing can touch the floors.  We are in the new house … just barely.  Won’t bore you with the details of how a trial lawyer orchestrates a house move.  Let’s just say it is intense.  And it isn’t over.

Throw on workout clothes.  Hair gets scraped back into ponytail.  Not a high glamour day.  Truck computer bag and purse down two flights of stairs to the very downstairs and put them on the counter.  Walk back up the two flights of stairs. Open the door to the girls’ room.  Nala is sleeping with Cristina.  Pick her up.  Her nails can’t touch the pristine floor.  Kiss Cristina goodbye.  Carry Nala down two flights of stairs.  Her legs do crazy bicycle motions in all directions.  Manage not to drop her.

Make it to the bottom.  Put her in laundry room which has a moving blanket on the floor.  Feed her.  Wait.  Put on red leash that has been half chewed through.  Pick her up.  Carry her out the door.  Put on shoes.  Go down the stairs.  Walk up the hill.  She promptly does her business.  Doesn’t spy the dog down the street so am spared her theatrics.  Walk down the hill.  Open car and put her in the kennel.  Go back into house. Retrieve purse and bag.  This is going to be our new routine.  Minus eventually  the carrying her part.

Get salad and raspberries at Whole Foods.  Drop her at doggie daycare.  Get to office by 8:40.  Do not panic.  Put oatmeal in bowl with hot water.  Will microwave it in a minute.  Go to my room.  Eat raspberries and watch the newest film footage of our client.  Super.  Grab Mike.  Need to put both day in life films on a DVD.  Need all witness interview films.   Need to pull stills out of the collision animation and the surgery animations.   How many copies – 13.  He will handle.

Begin pulling together the mediation letter.  Have facts and figures.   Need to add humanity and structure.  It absolutely has to go out today.

Anne arrives.   Three urgent projects.  She blanches.  First, on the M/S case – Tom the defense lawyer won’t let us take perpetuation depositions of doctors.  Need to bring a motion for order shortening time and a motion to permit them.  Drafted the motion and declaration yesterday.  She needs to do the rest.  Okay.  Second, on the same case, I did the trial brief, general voir dire, jury instructions, and motions in limine yesterday.  They need to be filed today.

Aren’t those due next week?

What?

Trial is Jan 9 aren’t they do the 3rd?

Thought they were due today.  Crap.  Spent the time I could have been doing this mediation letter getting all of that done yesterday…

Well, the good news is they’re done early…

Crap.

Okay so there are only two urgent issues.  The second is this demand is going to be a beast.  All the exhibits need to be hyperlinked.  She leaves in a daze.

9:30 realize have forgotten oatmeal.  Go to kitchen.  It is pretty pasty looking.  Add more water.  Stick in microwave.

Take it back to room.  Not particularly delicious.

Put on Do Not Disturb and begin typing.  Email pops up – need to approve a motion for reconsideration.  Read it, add one sentence.  Thank you Garth and Paul.  Actually about two hundred emails pop up before  will finish.  Deal with the urgent ones.  Like the court clerk asking for status of upcoming trial.  Am email addict.  Love and adore it.  Cannot live without it.

Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.

It is 1:40.  Realize missed lunch.  Delicious Whole Foods salad is in frig.  Go to kitchen.  Don’t have time to eat a salad. Box of donuts from the freezer are sitting on the table.  Cut off half of one and eat the frosting pretty much off of it. Sugar high is immediate.

Bounce back to office.  Anne comes in.  Deposition motion paperwork  is done.  Discuss who needs to be served with the mediation CD/DVDs.  Doesn’t know how to hyperlink.   Send an email out for help.  John the hyperlink master is on vacation.  Patti offers to do it.  Crisis averted.  Continue to type.  Gotta get it done.

Breathing is quick and shallow.  50 minutes later letter is finished.  It has to be.  Print it out and mark out location of all hyperlinks.  Anne takes it.

Run across street to gym.  Am filled with adrenaline before even begin.  Hour whizzes by.   Drive home.  Take off shoes.  Up the stairs.  Gustavo the plumber is caulking in the bathroom.  Kick him out and take a shower.  Throw on clothes.  Finish packing.  Hurry downstairs.  Jon the genius builder needs to go over a few things.  Look quick.  Looks great.  He is the only reason am still sane.  Must leave.  Must hurry. It is 4:15.  Need to leave for the airport.  Flight is at 5:45 and it is rush hour.

Step outside door.  Zip boots.  Dig in purse for keys.  Not there.  Dig again.  Nope.  Unzip boots.  Run upstairs.  Look in puffy coat pocket.  Not there. Look in bathroom, under bed, in closet.  Run downstairs and then back up again.  Like a hamster.   Am going to miss plane.  Am crazed.  Borderline panic.  Can draft a complex electronic settlement demand in a day but cannot find blasted keys.  Jon and Gustavo begin the search.  What the heck.  Fifteen minutes later Gustavo finds them.  In the kitchen.

Rush back outside.  Zip boots.  Hop in car and hit the road.  Make it to the viaduct.   It is raining and traffic is at a standstill.  Call Anne.  Mike is still burning computer discs.  They’ve called Fed Ex and will drive to the airport to drop them off before 6:30.  If the traffic doesn’t get them first.  Tell Anne will call her back in 15 to report on whether will need her to reschedule the flight since may miss it.

After 20 minutes traffic breaks free.  Make it to the airport.  Barely.  The flight has been delayed half an hour.  Hurrah.  There are only a dozen people in the security line.   Grab a naked veggie burrito from Qdoba.  Cookie and water from Dish D’Lish.  Check email.  Load into plane.  Two and a half hours later unload in L.A. into the waiting arms of my sister Susan (President Pooh).

Probably around 11:00 will start preparing for the deposition.  Make that 11:30.

Photo:  Could not take picture of donut - already ate it.