buckeyemike

Read it, I thought it was an excellent book. Tim Russert went to the same law school as I did (Cleveland-Marshall in Cleveland), and we were lucky enough to have him speak at our commencement in 1994. Since then, I've been a fan of his. Mike

I hear ya loud and clear. Mike

Generally, I enjoy the work I do. I'm not rich, after 10 years, but I make a good enough living. Since I'm a sole practitioner who shares space with five other attorneys, my expenses are fairly low and I get to set my own hours. If you want to get in the profession to help people, by all means, do so. As you said, don't do it for the $$$. Not many attorneys really make the big bucks that a lot of people think they do...in Ohio, it's getting harder and harder to do things on a contingency basis, especially for a sole practitioner...my belief is that the larger firms are trying to corner the market on this type of work, and have buddies in the state legislature and insurance lobby assisting them on this. I firmly believe the insurance lobby in Ohio is one of the most powerful in America. But enough about that. I do mostly criminal, Social Security, and bankruptcy. I still do Guardian ad Litem work (helping out kids in juvenile court and custody situations), and I hope to do some more in the future. That work is most rewarding. You put up with some crap as an attorney, but it's that way in every job. I hope my thoughts help you somewhat. PM me if you have any questions. Mike

Oh, great. Put all the pressure on me, why don't you... Update: I am at my office now. It took me nearly an hour to dig my car out of the ice and snow, and I broke someone else's snow shovel to do it. I'm making a side trip to Home Depot on the way home...to buy two shovels. The main roads aren't too bad right now, but the side streets are horrid. Anyone else in Cleveland, a side note: they are going to close the West Shoreway because of flooding at 1:00 today. Mike

I admit, all of mine are. Mike

Hey Flomoe: :I starred in Brokeback Mountain: Mike

Where I live in the western suburbs of Cleveland, we have 13+ inches of new snow in the last 24 hours. Freezing rain on top of it, so loud last night that it woke both my wife and myself up. Courts closed for the first time I've seen in 10 years as a lawyer. I was just supposed to go into the office today (and I probably will later), but I haven't even been outside yet. Hope everyone out there is safe in Bills/Cowbell Nation. Merry Christmas, everybody. Mike

The very first "Wayne's World", when I thought it was nothing but a ripoff of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure". Still do, by the way. (Even though I love both movies...and their sequels, but I find they are severely lacking in cowbell.) Mike

I got a feeling...Buffalo needs more cowbell!! Mike

I just hope Jack in Syracuse isn't reading the Cowbell posts. Mike

I'll probably be spending a LOT of time on this board over the next two weeks. Hopefully, we won't be crying in our Canadian beers at some point. Mike

So let me get this straight: Last year, we had the Lingerie Bowl. Next, we get the Lingerie Football League? As a Kansas City groundskeeper once said, "Great googily moogily." Mike

I'm bored, I admit it...not a whole lot to do Christmas week. I'm taking off for four days starting Thursday. Mike

match EXACTLY, beat for beat. Could this mean...the playoffs? I have the Shout song on my work computer on an MP3...I played the song and watched Will Ferrell play the cowbell...it's amazing! It's a Festivus Miracle!! Mike

How did you pull that one off? Mike

Yes, I have, and I actually enjoyed "Canadian Bacon". See what a wonderful country we live in? We can both be Bills fans, yet still have wildly differing opinions on films. Mike

Wasn't Steven Wright also the mountie in the only good Michael Moore film ever made, "Canadian Bacon"? Mike

"I woke up one morning and all my stuff had been stolen and replaced by exact duplicates." "I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize." "Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back." "Half the people you know are below average." (Mike's note: that goes for everyone on this board, too. ) "99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name." (Mike's note: Hey now!) "A conscience is what hurts you when all your other parts feel so good." "A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory." "If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." "All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand." "The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese." "I almost had a psychic girlfriend, but she left me before we met." "OK, so what's the speed of dark?" "How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?" "If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something." "Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." "When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane." "Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy." "Hard work pays off in the future, laziness pays off now." "I intend to live forever...so far, so good." "If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?" "Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." "What happens if you get scared half to death twice?" "My mechanic told me, 'I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.'" "Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?" "If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried." "A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking." "Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it." "The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread." "To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research." "The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard." "The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up." "The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required to sit on it." Mike

thanks...I did just that! Mike

In Cleveland, we simply nod and go merrily on our way. Mike

more cowbell out the friggin' wazoo... Mike

Would love to switch...this is my wife's favorite SNL sketch, after all. How do I download this avatar? Mike

For the third consecutive year, I don't care if I get another gift for Christmas. Just give me the LOTR:ROTK extended edition. Since we celebrate Christmas at my parents' house on Thursday (my brother and sister-in-law will be out of town on Christmas Day), hopefully I will be watching it on Friday morning, to see the long-awaited defeat of Saruman that PJ left out. Mike

Ah, the magical power of a jersey not worn during a game that's 600 freakin' miles away from where I live. Mike

The Bills would have a better chance against San Diego than Indy. I think the Buffalo defense could stop Drew Brees and LT and Antonio Gates. I'm not so sure about Peyton & Company. Best case scenario: Bills win last two; Jacksonville, Denver, and Baltimore all split (1-1). This has probably been done to death on this board, but the Jags have the easiest schedule (home to Houston, at Oakland). Mike