Jewels

Awwww! C'mon, I think he's actually turning 35! (Is that right, Sartre?) And now he has his own gear and a B license, so he's officially one of the "Cool Kids." TPM Sister #102

Jenn and Troy . . . . Ooooo--Jenn--he likes Indian food. So you two could at least eat out together! (I can't remember whether your V-Day restaurant was Indian or something else. But, hey, Troy could be in charge of ordering.) TPM Sister #102

Yeah, well, I think I look daffy-duck-ish. You, on the other hand, are a blonde little pixie and you JUMP. That's hot even if nothing else is--and I know better! You look great in a bikini, for example. So, anyway, Jenn, I meant to ask what your therapist says the pillow will do. TPM Sister #102

I think you're safe. TPM Sister #102

She did NOT! I refuse to believe it. And there are many men around here who could vouch for your personal hotness. (Wait--not in the wrong way! You know what I mean.) TPM Sister #102

Some guy somewhere is strapped in an electric chair, thinking, "Please don't flip the switch, please don't flip the switch!" TPM Sister #102

LOL--I think he can handle it! Besides, his birthday is on Wednesday. He'll be a whole year older! TPM Sister #102

Young, but then, I have a cousin who swears it's better to get them young and train them the way you want. I don't think training works. . . . Edited to add: BTW, I was really hoping you had something more interactive in mind as far as the "substitute man" goes. I was just saying the other night that I'd like to have a husband on retainer--nothing full-time, just someone to send in to do the dirty work when I have to have maintenance on the car, or deal with the cell phone provider, or rake things in the yard, or remove creepy crawly critters. If you know where to get one of those, let me know. TPM Sister #102

LOL--I think it was during the "switched apartments" phase, where Monica and Rachel traded apartments with Joey and Chandler. There was a light switch that didn't seem to do anything but it kept flicking things on and off in the other apartment or something like that.

It's light that mystery light switch on "Friends." TPM Sister #102

It would only be more tempting if they had painted it red. TPM Sister #102

I think I should go to the store and stock up on comfort food--the kind that tastes best when you're snowed in, like chili, stew, and such. Great. Now I'm hungry. TPM Sister #102

Spring snow--should be wet and heavy. There was sun out on my drive to the office this morning but it's already clouding up. As long as you promise this is the last real storm for this year, I can take it. TPM Sister #102

Kovy's ENTITLED to call him out.

Forget that, then. I wouldn't pay you $20 for playoff hockey even if I WAS in Atlanta. (Okay, I probably would, but I would have to "accidentally" spill something on you in revenge.) TPM Sister #102

Is the fact that I'm in Colorado a reasonable excuse for not coming to your rescue? TPM Sister #102

Heeeyy--what kinda nasty talk is that???! TPM Sister #102

I don't know about Shell, but I'd love to see the Pens make a good post-season run. Fleury has to settle down, though. TPM Sister #102

Yep .. those ladies! I'm so SAD!!! I think I'm in the wrong thread. Where's that hockey support thread???? TPM Sister #102

Oh, you mean the Avs?? TPM Sister #102

I said I'm not bucking to send this to Speaker's Corner, and I'm not. I have agreed that the numbers are impressive. I just maintain that Birkhead is buying more than plain legal representation and that this attorney has positioned herself as something more than being solid in the black-letter law. He knew that when he hired her. That's my last on the subject.

It's tough to know how to interpret all of that. I agree that the expensive dinners are, in normal circles and by normal standards, way over the top. I don't advocate eating excessively well and being entertained at the client's expense and I certainly don't mean by my comments to justify it when attorneys go beyond reason--in this situation, or in any other. In MOST cases, though, the client is looking for straight legal representation and not additional marketing and posturing to present the client in a certain light with respect to public perception. There's a *reason* Birkhead wanted an attorney who has her own publicist. We don't have enough information about how many people were at these dinners, who they were, or what the purpose of the meal was, to know whether this was just living it up in the Bahamas or whether there was a strategic goal behind it, whether misguided or not. I guess the gist of what I'm saying is that these are not your average clients. The high profile nature of the case and the people involved likely means that the approach to litigation is not standard, either. It's a combined job of salesmanship in and out of the courtroom and if Birkhard had wanted a different kind of attorney, there are plenty of them out there. NOW, if the question is whether it's appropriate to "work" the public perception of a litigant and where the appropriate boundaries are in the first place, I think that's an entirely different discussion (not to mention a legitimate one). I'm really not bucking to move this over to SC. I just think that, given the parties involved and the media circus that has developed, there are more considerations here than there would be in a "normal" court case with a "normal" client. Oh, and btw, I think the whole situation with ANS, her own battle regarding her husband's estate, the question of paternity of her daughter, etc., etc., etc., is ridiculous. Please don't anyone think I'm defending it. In the end, my point is really just that there are a lot of client-driven aspects of legal representation. Attorneys can and do get out of line when it comes to fees and/or expenses, but then, much of how a case is handled is also molded by the client's goals and expectations. TPM Sister #102

I'm pretty sure you figured out a good part of it. It may be "her" bill, but I'm sure there were several lawyers on it, including other staff (paralegals, etc.). And I'd also be willing to bet that she spent virtually every bit of her day and a lot of evenings, nights, and wee morning hours on his case, to the exclusion of other clients. I agree that $650,000 is one steep tab. On the other hand, the clients in this case have created much of the circus and I'll bet a lot of that circus would have disappeared entirely if there wasn't a huge inheritance sitting in the background. We're not even approaching the price that some professional athletes earn for one season, and at least there's something more at stake here than a game. I don't bring in those kinds of fees and I don't think it's okay for lawyers to milk every dime they can from one case or one client. On the other hand, when it's earned, they're entitled to it. Was it earned here? I have no idea. But I'll bet it took more than one attorney to get there. TPM Sister #102

Absolutely. If you still have a fever, you shouldn't be in the office anyway. TPM Sister #102

Of course! TPM Sister #102