Back from the land of paradise

So, Hawaii was amazing.  Stepping off the plane felt a little like stepping into a movie, since everywhere I looked, there were palm trees and gorgeous mountainscapes.  And the ocean.  Lots of the ocean.  Like this:

Those are actual photos I took while we were there.  I know, right??  Un-freaking-real...

Needless to say, it was super relaxing.  My regular stabbing-upper-back/shoulder pain that likes to make my right side feel like misery didn't act up once while I was in Hawaii! I felt awesome the whole time I was there.  And, Hat's allergies disappeared, too.  So, physically and mentally, it was phenomenal.  Hat's already trying to figure out how we can move there.  However, since Hawaii makes you take its bar exam (no waivers), it probably won't happen.  One bar exam is torture enough!!

So, today it was back to work as usual.  Nothing really had changed.  Well, there was a new copier in the office--this one is in color!!--and it scared me a little since I'm technologically equivalent to a caveman.  So, when I had to fax something in to the court, I got a little nervous that I might not know what to do.  Thankfully, that aspect of it was the same as the old copier, so I was okay. 

I did win a sentencing argument today, so that was pretty neat.  It was a drug case and the agreement let me argue for a stay of adjudication (meaning no conviction is entered and if the person completes probation successfully, then there is never a conviction) and the state was going to argue for a stay of imposition (meaning a felony sentence isn't imposed and if the person is successful on probation, the charge is a misdemeanor on their record--it's a felony on their record while they are on probation, though).  So, I made my arguments and thought we had a decent enough shot at the court giving us the stay of adjudication.  And the court did grant that, which was pretty awesome.  

The judge I was in front of is very hard to read, though.  While I was giving my reasoning for requesting the stay of adjudication, I kept thinking, "Omg...what's that expression mean?? Is this going terribly? I don't think I sound like I'm talking crazy but maybe I am...ugh...what is this judge thinking?!"  The judge's face was somewhat stern looking and they kept raising one eyebrow at me, making me wonder if what I'd just said was totally nuts.  However, after the court went with our recommendation, I started to think that maybe that was just the judge's concentration face--I have been told I look mad when I'm thinking really hard, so maybe it's something like that.  Or maybe I did sound like a whacko but the court went with the recommendation anyway.  That's always a possibility.  

The biggest benefit of my Hawaii trip is now I look even less like I'm old enough to be a lawyer, since I now have a great big crop of freckles across my cheeks and nose.  Like a little kid.  They only ever come out in the summer time--they are not really visible at all in the winter, but in the summer and in the sun, they pop out like crazy.  So, as I was talking to one of the prosecutors today, she asked me, "Were you out in the sun recently?  I've never seen you with freckles before!"  So, I know that they are noticeable.  I already get asked about my age and how long I've been an attorney.  A big splash of little-kid-freckles can only make that perception even better...