What Makes You Inexplicably Happy?

This happens whenever I get off a plane in the Far East in summer. You get hit in the face by a wall of warm air.

Which doesn't help when you're dressed for the British weather when you got on the plane.

 

Did the opposite once. Flew in mid-late December from Honolulu to Seoul. In a C-130 with a broken thermostat so the heat was constantly on max to keep us alive. That was a shocker on landing.

 

I get that entirely! It’s reminiscent of leaving a restaurant in Spain and strolling back to the apartment.

 

Summer Saturday night at a local stock car racing track. Drag strips, too.

 

What Makes [Me] Inexplicably Happy?

Installing a new software program and finding that it actually installs correctly -- the first time -- and hasn't destroyed my computer in the process.

 

My job involves reading through public records all day, and I love finding all the unusual and unexpected names of people and businesses.

Case in point: today I encountered one Methuselah Z. Bradley, V. That's fantastic! Like he stepped out of a Heinlein novel after some adventures with Lazarus Long. I would hesitate to give a character in a story that name, but there's someone out there walking around with it. Stranger than fiction indeed.

 

One of my favorite sources of odd names was the jury lists we used to receive before trial. Prebble Phelps and Peachy Tugood were two of my favorites. The latter sounds like a Bond Girl.

 

recalling long scenes from a dream and basking in trying to figure out what the dream means, what my unconscious is trying to tell me.

 

Bank Holiday Mondays. Especially when you book the Tuesday off too.

 

I found a 17th Century ancestor in Britain by the name of Olive Pitt in West Riding, Yorkshire. Married a Smith no doubt at least in part to get a new and plain name.

 

One jury list included a Patsy Montana Cline and a woman whose first name was Shannondoah.

 

I assume the first didn’t make it past voir dire because she was crazy...

 

Or because she wanted to be a real cowboy girl.

One assumes her parents were fans of both singers. Oddly enough, Patsy Montana was my maternal grandfather's cousin.

 

One so-called perk of becoming a licensed attorney in this state is that you become a notary with a permanent commission. But if you are suspended or have your license revoked, you lose that privilege and never get it back -- you can be a notary like everyone else, for a four-year term that must be renewed after passing a test. No big deal being a notary, though you get a cool stamp and it impressed my daughter when she was young. Anyway, a few years back I farted around and didn't pay my dues on time, so my license was briefly suspended and therefore, I presumed I lost my permanent notary status, even though I paid my dues and had my license operative again.

It occurred to me the other day that I could maybe set up a side-gig as a notary, just for some spending money. I decided to refresh my memory as to when the suspension occurred, so I could re-apply. I went to the State Bar website and reviewed my history. No record of any suspension. I called the Office of Lawyer Regulation and asked about it. The lady I talked with looked me up, said there was no record of any suspension so therefore it never happened.

So, whoo-hoo, I'm still a permanent notary.

But I can't find my stamp.

 

Just buy and order a new stamp. They're overtly expensive for what they are, but probably good to have a fresh one anyways.

 

Yeah, but I still hope I can find where I stashed the old one. Don't really know if I'll use it though, or if that's just a pipe dream. But I feel validated, so to speak. Probably like my license status -- I am classified as "emeritus active," which means I'm essentially retired but still a licensed attorney for $25 a year -- and exempt from any Continuing Legal Education requirement. Which, since I have no malpractice insurance, means I can get myself into trouble.

 

Is there still a lot of notary business around? Here in Michigan, we used to have to have a title notarized before we could sell a car. That went away decades ago. I think the only time I've had to consult a notary since was when I was selling my mother's house.

 

Not a lot, but it's still a requirement on a lot of documents. But you're right and besides it's readily available at banks and such. I was just thinking that I should see what's out there; in this state anyway, wills have to be notarized and many people like to do their own these days.

 

I've never heard of a free notary. Of course, I live in California. The land of bleeding its citizens dry.

 

You're right Homer. Most banks and realtors have free notary services, even libraries. About the only thing they won't do are wills -- and I don't know why that is. Maybe too much risk of litigation. Still, there are notary services advertised so there must be a demand of some sort. I just like to stamp things officially.

 

You can have a new stamp made.

As to the suspension, I doubt you were "suspended," which is why you don't see a record of your suspension. A number of years ago I missed the renewal date for my architect's license. I contacted the state office that handles professional registrations, I paid a late fee, and my license was renewed. No "suspension" involved ... I wasn't involved in any adverse disciplinary actions, I was just late renewing.

 

While I was a legal assistant, I was also a notary. I never charged anyone for notarizing anything. I've never met anyone around here who did or does.

I don't miss collecting CLE credits. I let my CLA lapse in 2015 and haven't regretted it for a second. It was something I did while my children were small and I couldn't be a field scientist.