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Another perfect morning where staying in bed only makes sense if you are having fun, because sleep wastes too much time. Tubby the cat knows this and wakes me earlier every day, he is careful, if he steps across the midline of my side of the bed, my husband will awaken and toss him to the floor. But if he is very careful, and walks only on me, he can quietly press his claws onto my shoulder, which wakes me instantly (it hurts!), and I will pet him, and he will purr loud in that way that boys do when they know no one else can hear them and they aren't afraid to let you know they love you the most. In his case, it is the thrill of getting up early to chase lizards, and then bring them in to show me. Or grasshoppers. Usually legless by the time I get them. Ugh.

Yesterday I finally nudged the committee I've been working on for two years, "cyberlaw"(not nearly as much fun as cyber... um. Never mind.) … to a place it needs to go, though those of us who stuck it out the last two years will miss it. It has been a meeting where the members almost show off… to present the issues that are unique and interesting to us, a bunch of senior lawyers who've grown jaded with all the simple stuff over time. I have seen it happen so many times. Minds like these need to be constantly stimulated, so rather than stay in an area that becomes rote and easy, they move to the next level of difficulty as though they are playing a video game. And then they wonder why nobody comes to talk to them, hear them speak. The point is that for most of the population, it isn't relevant. If it isn't relevant, it wastes too much time. And time as we all know, is m o n e y.

So I gently talked to them about target markets. They took the ball on their own then, and the point was made. We won't have our esoteric discussions of Grokster or UDRP's anymore, at least as a topic, and simple things like digital signatures and filing electronically will take over. It will bore the old guard, but it will appeal to the masses. And after all, we are here to serve.

As for me, I've moved from one area to the next so many times it is embarrassing... let's see, first five years or rotation so that I did everything once. I hated that. Debt collections, divorce, insurance defense, workers comp, litigation. I admit it was good training, to see what one had to go through if they screwed up a contract provision or failed to negotiate between spouses… then the specialty years… pension and profit sharing plans, then condos, then radio stations and bank mergers, in house issues (like securities) agriculture, then estate planning, all in Illinois. Off to Michigan where it became liquor licenses, then all mergers and acquisitions, buy outs and insolvencies, esoteric corporate matters like dissenters rights and freeze outs, Riparian rights, real estate development, then school law, then politics for a bit, campaigns. Then… what? Software licensing, health care, tax, always tax. And now publishing. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. So much law… and I never go to court, where most people think law is centered. I've always maintained that if my clients end up in court, I've failed enormously.

What a strange entry this is becoming. Where is all that pretty writing, those descriptions that remove me from the world of phrases likes "survive the execution" " not by way of exclusion" and "inure to the benefit" … where are they indeed.

I am thrilled with the turn out for our planned class dinner on Tuesday. So far nine of the potential 13 have confirmed. Some time the Jr. Leaguer in me won't stay quiet. Some day I will exploit that in fiction. I did in one of my "nano" novels… I wonder if that plot still holds water. Maybe that will be my summer project. The country club meets 9/11 was sort of the theme. My mind is quite sick sometimes.

Speaking of 9/11… I finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It is a heartbreaker in the way that only fiction that feels like reality can be. If you ever wanted to capture the voice of a nine year old boy, especially precocious, you will have to read Oskar's story. I do wonder if it will stand the test of time, if its heartbreak is strong enough to do the job after 9/11 is consigned to a place in history like Pearl Harbor.

What shall I read next?