A Public Defender's Life in Alaska: Public Defense

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Public Defense

A Public Defender's Life in Alaska

Post Frequency: 4.3/day

Last Entry: December 10, 2018 at 17:21:00

So, I did it. The last time

Posted on December 10, 2018
So, I did it. The last time I blogged, I was three months from leaving for Alaska. Now, in early December, I have been an Alaskan again for 6 months. My house, my giant, house is not only up in the air but dried in. We are living in it- despite the fact that it will likely take me years to finish...

So, geez. I am 89 days

Posted on February 21, 2018
So, geez. I am 89 days from Alaska. The last few months have been insane. We had a major brain injury trial that was supposed to be tried in November but the fires delayed it. That trial is almost all consuming. I cannot overstate that...

So, work is nuts right now. It's

Posted on October 25, 2017
So, work is nuts right now. It's filled with stress and negativity. Sonoma County suffered from some horrible fires that destroyed a lot of the town. It is looking like PG&E could be responsible. We are working on gathering those cases...

So, too much time has passed since

Posted on September 19, 2017
So, too much time has passed since my last post. I am just swamped. Working harder than I ever have. The number of logistics is almost overwhelming....moving myself North. The goal of being temporarily homeless and unemployed takes an enormous amount of time and money...

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So, things are good. Super

Posted on May 26, 2017
So, things are good. Super busy. For the most part, I am really enjoying this part of my life. I am working harder than I ever have. Besides the family, I am finishing the re-model on my house, packing for Alaska and building the timber frame...

So, this is the beginning. These

Posted on March 31, 2017
So, this is the beginning. These boxes are my sawmill. They are in my driveway in Sebastopol. From here, I have to drive them to the logging site in another County. I have to learn how to assemble it. I have to cut hundreds of giant douglas fir trees...

So, I am about to embark on a new

Posted on March 02, 2017
So, I am about to embark on a new adventure that I will chronicle here and on Youtube. My wife thinks I am crazy. And I might be. I am going to build a timber frame home on my land in Alaska. Nothing crazy about that. But I am going to build it here in California FIRST and ship it North next year...

So, time flies. It has been

Posted on January 31, 2017
So, time flies. It has been three months since I have posted. Wow. Some things have changed since September. Perhaps the most exciting is that I have bought land in Alaska! 9.22 acres of land where I will build my dream home...

So. Ten years ago today

Posted on September 19, 2016
So. Ten years ago today I arrived in Alaska. I will never forget the sense of amazement and wonder as I arrived. It was, as John Denver sang about, coming home to a place I had never been. Ten years. Gone. I was given some advice by Jeremy the other day...

So, ten years. Ten years

Posted on September 13, 2016
So, ten years. Ten years ago today I left Grass Valley for Alaska. Just me and 4 dogs (none of whom are alive now). It remains one of the greatest things I have ever done. I must admit it has put in a a bit of a foul mood. The quick passage of time is bad enough...

So, things are slowly getting better.

Posted on August 26, 2016
So, things are slowly getting better. The firm is now on the cusp of some financial success. Enough so that I am under contract for a piece of land in Soldotna. It is almost ten acres and it is stunning. The picture does not do it justice...

So, what's new? The biggest

Posted on July 10, 2016
So, what's new? The biggest thing is that my health has declined. Badly. I am in constant pain. That's the bad news. I went to see a doctor and there is nothing 'obvious' wrong. 'Just' stress he says. But it sucks nonetheless...

So, happy birthday to my AJ! 8

Posted on April 25, 2016
So, happy birthday to my AJ! 8 years old already. Wow. Of all my children, she is by far the biggest ham. She loves to dance and to be the center of attention. She cracks me up. I'm so glad that my kids are getting a little older...

So, happy TENTH birthday my number

Posted on April 22, 2016
So, happy TENTH birthday my number one monkey. I cannot believe that ten years have gone by. Its remarkable. We had a quiet day. I had to pay over $60 for her to have halibut for dinner. I promised myself that was one of the last times. Soon it will be fish caught by us from our own boat...

So, to not write since July is

Posted on January 27, 2016
So, to not write since July is unacceptable. I have decided to make my blog public again. Not because I think anyone will actually read it, but because I want to make it accessible to my kids if anything were to happen to me. Also, I intend to chronicle my life more on this again...

So, I cannot believe it has been

Posted on July 26, 2015
So, I cannot believe it has been two months since I have posted. I have never experienced this before: time is going by so fast I cannot keep up. Weeks and months fly by. I am extraordinarily busy. Most of my time is spent on projects that should allow me to escape this lifestyle and this place...

So. I'm frustrated that I

Posted on May 20, 2015
So. I'm frustrated that I don't have more to say. So much is still uncertain in my life. Things are going well but more slowly than I would like. As I get older I recognize the importance of doing so much more than working. I have been traveling to Alaska a lot and am more confident than ever that I will return soon...

So, things are finally progressing

Posted on March 10, 2015
So, things are finally progressing around here. Jeremy finally settled a big case last week that should allow me to pay off quite a bit of debt. After all these years of struggle, it is a welcome relief. In a twist of irony, I may not spend all the money I could paying off debt...

So, things are evolving for me.

Posted on February 01, 2015
So, things are evolving for me. It won't come as any surprise, but I've decided that I'm not staying here. My plan right now is to return home to Alaska in June 2016. I hope that gives me enough time to make enough money to do that. I'm not planning to abandon my practice here, but will come back as necessary...

So, oh my Holy God! My damned Green

Posted on December 05, 2014
So, oh my Holy God! My damned Green Card is in my wallet. It really is true: life improves slowly (and collapses in an instant). My return home to Alaska is now partially complete. Now it is just about money. God know I am trying...

So, I can't believe it.

Posted on November 21, 2014
So, I can't believe it. After 14 years I have a Green Card! All the hours, all the struggle, all the sacrifice, all the tears and angst are starting to come together. I cannot even imagine a 2015 in which things are not considerably better...

So, things are progressing slowly.

Posted on October 22, 2014
So, things are progressing slowly. I've made this blog private temporarily. It's always a fine line for me how much of myself I put out there. I don't have anything to hide but I'm aware that having a blog certainly reveals a lot about myself and is a sacrifice of some privacy...

So, the kids, as you can see,

Posted on September 10, 2014
So, the kids, as you can see, are doing great. AJ lost her first tooth a few days ago. God they grow so quickly. Thus, I've been going out of my way to go camping and do things in California while we can. Things at work are going objectively well to outsiders...

So, two years ago today, I landed

Posted on August 17, 2014
So, two years ago today, I landed in Washington State and began my journey first North for a new work visa and then South to California. It feels like both just yesterday and a long time ago. I have accomplished nothing in some ways and an incredible amount in other ways...

So, I'm back from Alaska. To

Posted on July 19, 2014
So, I'm back from Alaska. To be honest, I took it better than I thought I would. No tears this time. We had a great time. We went halibut fishing and to Tustumena. God knows I need to supervise better: the boat blew away after an Associate didn't tie it up well...

So, those of you who know me,

Posted on March 29, 2011
So, those of you who know me, tell me this isn't my theme song.

So, I can't say it's solved my

Posted on March 28, 2011
So, I can't say it's solved my mood entirely, but the hallway is done. Just waiting for summer......I did the paint. Put in a new (and working) smoke alarm and light fixture. Bill and I did laminate flooring and trim. All in all maybe $250. It's made me like this house about 100 times more...

So, it's time to face it. I'm just

Posted on March 26, 2011
So, it's time to face it. I'm just not a happy man anymore. It's the oddest thing. It's not just that it's March. There are a number of reasons. Pretty much everyone has noticed it. I got a call from a Probation Officer the other day. Just to ask how I was and to say they were worried about me...

So. So. Those of you who know

Posted on March 20, 2011
So. So. Those of you who know me, know that the last few weeks for me have been incredibly difficult. It's not my intention to talk about all the reasons why. There are a number of reasons. Instead, what I am going to do is write about what I am going to do about it...

So, I'll tell you how I spent my

Posted on March 15, 2011
So, I'll tell you how I spent my winter. The never ending winter by the way (-8 when I went to work today). I wrote a screenplay. Well, Jeremy and I wrote a screenplay. It is called "The First Airborne" and is a World War One movie. We have written the first draft and are working on the first re-write...

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