Yesterday I went into my office very early in the morning, to work on my continuing legal education. I finished the audio tape about jury instructions, which taught me that all the things that "reforms" have changed have largely been put back into place again. In Texas, juries tend to decide lots of things if someone wants them to do so--even child custody. Jurors used to have to answer daunting questionaires about the subparts of legal issues, so that exactly what the jury found could be analyzed. For a while, the move was on to "broad form" submissions, in which the jury is given pages of instructions, and then asked to pretty much answer one or two key questions. Now the powers that be have begun the move away from broad form, so everything old is more or less new again. It's all fine with me--just tell me what the rules are, and I'll play by them. Most of my trials are trial to the judge or to arbitrators, but jury trials are just one more way to get the facts resolved by someone.
Then I watched a video about tort law in which the speaker was really good. I like that now I can get a video to stream onto my computer system at work, so that a little pop-up "screen" shows the lecturer.
I finished a good bit of that seminar, and then went to another lawyer's office for a meeting of a few hours. Then I headed back to my office, to watch a bit more video.
I got an e mail at my office from an eBay seller in Carrollton, as I had just won two aquariums with all the supplies for 22 dollars and 50 cents. The seller helpfully sent me a map of how to reach his house. I called him immediately, and arranged to pick up the tanks. He helped me to carry the two complete set-ups, as long as a cute little "fry" tank of about two gallons, out to my car. Now I have the pieces in place to do my first giveaway. I must try to find a local rural school that will enjoy having a tank, and do a little dusting and cleaning on the tanks purchased.
I still have not found the right aquarium stand for my own place. I will work on that this week.
I did purchase a heavy wooden TV stand for this purpose, and it may do. But I am having second thoughts. Fortunately, I paid less then twenty dollars for it, so I have the luxury of caprice.
When I arrived home at 3:30, my wife and I compared notes and found that neither of us had gotten any exercise. She spent the earlier parts of the day working on the Xmas home tour that a club to which she belongs puts on. Each year, she has to help line up zillions of volunteers to help with this task. We decided to go to the natatorium together.
After we arrived at the natatorium, my wife went upstairs to the workout room, while I donned swim trunks and went to the pools. I swam in the lazy river, circling around and around. I had a faint moment's irritation with the heedless clumsiness of kids, who bump into one. Then I realized that kids do what kids are supposed to do, and I calmed myself immediately.
I went into the huge ordinary swimming pool section, which was nearly deserted. After swimming a bit, I began to float on my back, looking up at the high ceilings with their decorous duckwork and mauve, yellow and blue colored slats. I had to move aside only once, when two Korean-American dads strolled by, walking backwards, each with a girl toddler in tow. Each dad carried his toddler through the water,
saying kindly-intoned things to the little girls that I did not understand at all. I went and sat in the hot tub, and then floated the lazy river again. I finished swimming after about an hour, so I got dressed and watched Texas A & M and Texas Tech slug it out on television in a football game.
We met our friends Scott and Donna for dinner at Brazos steakhouse, where my wife and I had the charbroiled chicken breast, which is even better than a steak. They do a baked squash there that reminds me of potluck dinners in church basements (for the uninitiated, that's a good thing). We went to see "The Incredibles" at a Plano movie theater. The theater parking lot was jammed with 8:30 attendees.
The theater itself for our showing was packed. We had to separate to find a seat. I had the first row corner seat. We all enjoyed the movie very much.
I got up this morning and traded e mails with another aquarium seller from whom I got an aquarium. She is in Trenton, Texas, not far from here, but she kindly agreed to meet me at a place almost local to me.
People can be so kind, sometimes.
Today I must do more legal seminar stuff, and get some other work and chores done. But I think I can fit all that in with some fun as well.