Don't Call It a Comeback... I've Blogged Here for Years

Well, close to it, anyway.

At the beginning of 2008, I started blogging about events and conferences. I was pretty proud of the stuff I was doing there, but I still took a break to think about the evolution of the blog and my career.

Now I'm back. I'm still talking conferences and events, but through a continuing legal education lens. After all, that's what I do. I'm calling it "Beyond Credits" (note the new URL).

My first post back?

The Future of Conferences (and CLE) Probably Isn’t in “Virtual Events”

I'd love to see you there.

Loading mentions Retweet

Rich in the Eyes of a Child

Denver Art Museum has a great exhibit of the works of Charles M. Russell right now. (Seriously, it's great. I think I don't like Western art and yet I got completely lost in this exhibit.)

This was one of the pieces. "Mad and Waiting," (1899). I heard a mother and child discussing it before I saw it.

The girl said, "That woman is rich." It was a statement, not a question.

The mother said, "Oh, no... I don't think so."

The girl, quite certain: "Yes, she is."

Loading mentions Retweet

Should you join a professional organization? (answer by @penelopetrunk)

In response to a question about how to pick professional organizations to join, Penelope Trunk wrote: "You should look at the people in the organization and ask yourself if you want to be like them."

Love this.

She also said, "Also, beware of women-focused organizations. They're a ghetto."

And: "Go to SXSW."

Loading mentions Retweet

One former lawyer interviews another kind-of-former lawyer.

Everything I know about biglaw I learned from David Lat.

Well, kind of.

So I enjoyed this interview. In particular:

"In the eyes of many people -- especially older folks, who aren't as familiar with the world of blogging -- being a 'blogger' is a step down from jobs I've previously held, such as 'federal prosecutor' and 'attorney at a major law firm.' But I have to say that while I liked my past jobs, I love my current one. It makes me very happy, even if I have to endure the occasional perplexed look from a great aunt at a family reunion."

From Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project

Loading mentions Retweet

What I'm Reading

On Amazon

Loading mentions Retweet

My first-ever experience with Twitter's retweet function didn't have me at hello.

Loading mentions Retweet

The Best Twitter Lists Are a Mystery

I think I was one of the first people to get Twitter lists. I say this because I noticed them several days before buzz started brewing about them. At the time, I didn't think much about them--I assumed they were private and I use TweetDeck lists, so what did I care? But then I learned they were public and I had this sudden elementary school fear: what if nobody listed me anywhere?

Thankfully, that didn't happen. And despite the fact that I don't always present enough of a focused image on Twitter (intentionally, but still), I managed to land on a number of lists that demonstrate people seem to have a hold on who I am and what I do.

I love those lists (and love discovering people on those lists), but I think my favorites of the lists I've been added to are those that are completely mysterious:

Entertainment.

If they did an "E! True Hollywood Story" about me, my family and friends would all talk about how, as a young child, I always had to be in the spotlight. This is good because from what I can tell, having spent the occasional snowy Sunday watching marathons of the show, it is a required formula for the show.

In elementary school, I started a "business" and I was the CEO. I produced plays and I was the star. I had birthday parties and clamored to be in the shot of the video camera at all costs. I like to think I've mellowed out, but there are signs of that little girl still in me. I'm always happiest when I'm making people laugh. And saddest when I don't appear to be having any effect at all.

Somehow, Hollywood wasn't in my future (though, if we're being honest I haven't completely ruled it out yet). But imagine my delight when I found myself on an "entertainment" list that includes the likes of @aplusk, @lancearmstrong, @PerezHilton, and @ThatKevinSmith. Though likely a mistake--a mere slip of the mouse--I'll keep telling myself that someone saw my star power. That I've finally been discovered.

the150.

How cool is the name of this list? My online pal @samradford has me here. I like to think it means one of two things. First, it could be people he always wants to hear more from (get it? 140 isn't enough... he needs at least 150). On the other hand, it could also be his list of the 150 greatest minds he follows on Twitter.

I suppose there are other possibilities. Like the 150 people to ignore on Twitter. Or even something more mundane, like "the 150 people he still wants to list but hasn't figured out how to categorize them yet."

But I'm an optimist (see previous comment about not yet ruling out Hollywood), so I'm reasonably certain the list has something to do with being great.

Loading mentions Retweet

Why is the 13th fattest state taxing gym memberships?

Americans eat too much junk food, drive too much, walk too little, and everyone right on up to the First Lady knows it's a very real problem that has very serious consequences. So why would Missouri, the 13th fattest state, tax fitness club memberships?

Loading mentions Retweet

The-Dog-Ate-My-Homework Edition of September Monthly Goal Meetup

I intended to draft a list of goals for September two weeks ago, when Rebecca over at modite first proposed it. But then I was really busy. And then I got H1N1 (or so says google and my co-workers). And then I knew for sure what my first goal would be:

1. Make time to set monthly goals.

But even when I decided to write my goals out, I thought--where am I going to post them? I've been toying with several ways to handle my current sites but I haven't finalized them. In the end, I think [think] posterous is my best place for this. And by next month, I plan to have the rest of my "site issues" sorted out:

2. Sort out site issues.

So, call me lazy if you will, but in this month--"the month of the swine flu," as I now refer to it--I'm going to leave it at that. I have less than two weeks and I expect sorting out my "site issues" to be fairly time consuming. Otherwise I would have done it already.

Loading mentions Retweet

Fun with the Coffee Table

If you want to run with your dog, I recommend getting an ugly one. Cute dogs mean a lot of stopping to talk about how cute the dog is mid-run. By the way--what is an acceptable response? Thanks? I can't really take credit. 

Loading mentions Retweet