First Post

Bipolar. Lawyer. Cook. Not all the terms that define me, but three of the most prominent.

Bipolar II– I was diagnosed in May 2006, after a particularly rough patch at work. Thanks to some early inkling on my part that something was Seriously Wrong, and the understanding and support of family, friends, and my bosses, I am now feeling better, stabler, and more like the self I felt I could be than ever before.

Lawyer– I am a trial lawyer, in a particular field where I am often the only, or oldest women in the courtroom. Since I am only in my early 30’s, it’s a unique position. Sometimes being a lawyer, much less a woman lawyer, is a pressure I don’t want, and sometimes it’s a pleasure I wouldn’t do without.

Cook– I don’t always feel as creative as I could at work. A lot of lawyering is paper-pushing and technical details, rather than the fun parts– meeting with clients, being in court, making winning arguments. Cooking grounds me at the end of the day, lets me concentrate on something that requires less strenous thinking, and engages me in something that isn’t sitting at my desk with a dictaphone. Maybe that’s why I hate baking– all the precise measurement and multiple steps seem too much like the background work that goes into good case preparation. I’ll never be Julia Child, much less a CIA-trained chef, but my friends and family like my cooking, and are kind enough to request some of my dishes over and over again.

I spend a lot of time on the computer, and online. But I don’t do enough writing or processing of things. Hopefully this blog will let me do so. Some days it may be a digital photo (love my Elph), others, a recipe, haiku, rant, or a link to someone who said it better than me. But if I can get it on screen, maybe it will be out of my head, and I can move on to the next thing.