Sunday mish-mash (plus Books and an Open Thread)

Although my regular stat counter is still refusing to speak to me, another stat counter has indicated that my numbers have plummeted, going from the thousands to the hundreds overnight.  (I feel just like the stock market.)

Since I’m not going to panic and assume that everyone has suddenly abandoned me en masse, I’m wondering if any of you have had any difficulty getting to my blog.  If so, please let me know, and I’ll pass the word on to my wonderful blog master.

I’m still working on the trial, which is kind of interesting.  The last time I headed trial preparation, my client did not have a sophisticated scanning system.  This client, however, does.  Every document is already a pdf in the system (or, if not, it’s easily added).  Because the case relies heavily on photographs, I’ve also set up Picasa, so that we can easily review the hundreds of images and decide which best support our case.  Then, the photos go on a disk, Kinko’s prints them up (which is cheaper than using your own ink), and you’re off to the races.

I’ve also prepared a chart identifying each document (which is necessary anyway for the mandatory exchange of trial exhibit info with the opposing party).  In the chart I have a column that doesn’t go to opposing counsel.  That column has hyperlinks to each document’s location on the server.  Essentially, I’m preparing all the documents for trial without touching a single piece of paper.  It’s time consuming, but kind of fascinating, and it means that we never lose a document.  Woo-hoo!

Still, interesting or not, the whole thing is time-consuming, and that doesn’t even count the trial brief and pre-trial motions, all of which I’m working on today.  Then, off to the symphony.

You can see where this is going, right?  Not a lot of blogging.  It’s another Open Thread day — and a “what are you reading” day.  As for me, when I’m not being a legal eagle, I’m reading 101 Things You Didn’t Know About Irish History: The People, Places, Culture, and Tradition of the Emerald Isle.  It’s not deep, but it’s easy, fun and interesting.

A true Kindle bargain

I wrote yesterday about the vagaries of buying books on Kindle.   I look for the cheap stuff and, occasionally, I get very, very lucky.  Michael Walsh, a National Review contributor, has just put out one of his own books out on Kindle for an introductory price of $0.99.  The book sounds great, and you can’t go wrong with the price.  I’ve already ordered my copy and those among you who are Kindle users will undoubtedly want to do the same.

What are you reading today?

The news is so terribly depressing, it’s nice to retreat into a good book.  I’m reading H.G. Wells’ The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind. It’s not bad, as it’s written in simple, declarative sentences. It’s fascinating, too, to see how history has been revised since 1920, when he published the book.

What are you reading?

What are you reading today?

I got the latest Commentary Magazine in the mail yesterday, so that’s what I’m reading today.  What are you reading today?

Sunday Book Faire

In response to an excellent suggestion, here is a Sunday morning opening thread for those who want to discuss books they have read, are reading, or hope to read.  Go to it, my friends!  As for me, between chick-lit (my vice, along with chocolate), I’m reading Nick Bunker’s Making Haste from Babylon: The Mayflower Pilgrims and Their World: A New History. I got it out of the library yesterday, and am still on Chapter One (after having read the long introduction). I therefore don’t yet have a review, beyond saying that I like the typeface.

As for the chick-lit, I have some pride, and will not reveal here the nice dreck I got for $o.35 per book at the Friends of the Library store.