First of all,
my apologies
for leaving the last post
as a cliffhanger.

It is tempting to leave it that way,
but there is more to come,
just as soon as I have time and space
to get it out of my mind and into print.

I have been rather busy during the past several days
with various diffrerent commitments,
such that I have not had much time,
or energy
to finish my story
or do much of anything
other than what I have been doing.

As something of an aside,
I just started the EPIC program,
which is sponsored/hosted
by the California State Bar.

No, it's not the movie
about the keepers of the forest
(which I highly recommend,
in 3D, but of course).

No, instead it is something
much more mundane.

Estate Planning Intensive Course = EPIC.

Is it just me
or aren't those words backwards?

As in Intensive Estate Planning Course = IEPC.

But not quite as catchy, now, is it?

So, I will spend the next several months
doing intensive preparation
for the October exam for
California State Bar Certified Specialist
in Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate.

For those who have no reason to know,
one cannot claim to be a specialist,
as an attorney,
except in an area that is recognized
and certified
by the state bar
(for example,
Criminal Defense,
or Patents certifications).

There is a process that one must go through
in order to obtain such certification,
which then entitles one to use the words
"specializing in"
or other words to that effect.

The Regents of the University of California
have been running a business for many years
which is known as CEB,
or Continuing Education of the Bar,
which provides live training
and numerous practice guides,
without which one would be crazier than I am
to try to practice law without.

Yes, they really are that good.

They provide the standard
to which all other legal publishers
must attempt to rise to.

They now have taken the concept
of on-line training,
combined with several days
of intensive all-day live sessions,
and a live mock exam,
just prior to the real one,
and have come up
with the program
in which I am currently enrolled.

I really like this concept,
because I am for the greatest part,
self-taught.

I own numerous college courses on video,
which I watch regularly,
instead of the garbage
many of the rest of you are watching
on your television sets.

I have recently studied Algebra (refreshing),
particle physics,
and the history of ancient Greece and Persia,
as examples.

I also used these as a supplement
to learn Koine Greek
and am using it currently
to learn Old Testament Hebrew,
in preparation for my next several
(hoped for) journeys.

It is truly amazing how well this system
of video-taped lectures
in a classroom setting,
combined with the standard texts
works in practice.

I have been very happy with it,
except for the fact that there is
just not enough time in one day
to learn all that I really would like to.

That's sure a far cry
from the typical boredom
I so often hear about.

So, I am not sure just how
I will continue to carry out
my everyday life responsibilities
while prepping for this exam,
but I do know that
for the next several months
I need to get entirely refocused.

It is more of a mental problem
than anything else,
as I must refocus limited energy
away from one subject
and over to this one,
while not really wanting to,
but having no choice,
since CEB has determined the dates,
not me.

So, this shall be my mantra
and excuse for not doing
whatever I am supposed to be doing
during these next several months.

So, please bear with me.

I wrote music all through law school,
and during my bar exam prep,
such that I do not expect
that this will slow me down
in that arena.

I certainly hope not,
but we shall see, shan't we?
as I am apparently so fond of saying.

Well, I just finished loading my MP3 lessons
for this week,
which is why I happen to be
by the computers right now.

Must look alive
and get back to pretending
that I really am doing something useful.

Will try to finish the 6-4-13 post tonight
(hey, that's what I said last night;
hmmmmm).

Hope to keep it entertaining
as well as documentary.

While the events and subject matter
are both very disturbing to me
(as in, been there, done that,
on both sides)
it is pure pleasure to write about it,
so long as I don't think too hard
about just what it is
that I am dealing with here.

Oh, the joys of writing.

I wouldn't trade it for anything
other than life itself.

And those who read me over time
or know me well
know that I do not mean life,
as in slow death,
but rather as in vibrant life.

Yeeeeeeessssss!!   fully alive.

Now that sounds like something
worthy of my efforts,
yes?

(I will not entertain any no's at this time)



w/ love
far beyond your ability to understand
or fully comprehend,

vw

6-6-13
11:25 a.m.
Thursday
Ventura, California, USA