Spare time

This is how I spend my spare time....kissing horses.

Why I will vote for Obama if given the chance

the number ONE reason to NOT get into drugs

My own top 10 list of why you don't want to get involved with illegal drugs:

10. You forget stuff, like your name, how to add 2+2, and how to tie your shoes
9. I forgot, what was this list about?
8. No matter how good it feels on drugs, you won't feel like that forever
7. Doesn't the phrase go, "Misery loves company?" So go get miserable if you must, but you can be miserable without drugs (just work at a job you don't like and you'll agree) so why waste your money?
6. You'll lose your job in most cases
5. Some drugs, like meth, do wonderful things for you - like make your teeth fall out
4. You will eventually get a DUI - not fun and the effects of a conviction last a long time
3. You'll waste money you could be investing ... for as little savings as $10 per day, in 25 years, you'd have nearly $100,000 - but hey, if you do that many drugs, you'll be dead anyway so I guess the money won't matter
2. Your children, if you have any, will be taken away from your home. Period, no debate
1. You'll be so strung out on drugs that you'd snort them off of your dog's butt
(yes you read that right)

Biggest load of doo doo I've watched in a long time

I love the backlash after the Wednesday, April 16 "debate" on ABC. Who the hell cares about such silliness? The best summary of how I feel about this has got to be Mary Maples' take on the state of the country, as shown in her Huffington Post article.

My favorite Maples observation? "Now it seems the unending Democratic campaign has descended into a nightmarish rolling rant about bitterness, beer, bowling and who is or isn't a bitch. In fact, this whole thing has made me a little bitchy."

Amen sister. I feel a little bitchy watching pseudo-debates. How about the issues? How about plans? You wouldn't hire an architect who didn't have a plan of how he was going to build you a house, would you? So why aren't we asking these potential leaders to show us a plan, step by step of how the situations we are finding ourselves in (with regard to economy, employment, national debt, and the war) will be remedied?

That pseudo-debate didn't give us anything with any substance. Shame on ABC for letting the debate slip into an MTV-type reality show. All we needed was a scene of Hillary taking a shot while sitting in a hot tub with her other 'house/castmates.'

Lovely People GIVE MONEY

I've had some great response to the BB China Trip Campaign (see prior post). For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, one of my 15 year old clients, a child who has grown up from the age of three in foster care, has achieved so much academically that she has been invited to be a student ambassador on a trip this summer to China. As you can imagine, when the State of Georgia is your legal guardian, you don't have discretionary funds to take trips across the world. For that reason alone, she needs your help.

So far we have hundreds of dollars pledged toward her trip. The checks are trickling in but we still need more money! She's got her passport. I've got half the lawyers and CASA in Paulding County working on getting her more funds. If we just had a generous benefactor or two who would be able to donate to her trip, we can send this bright young lady onto a positive, life-changing experience.

Despite her life thus far, she remains optimistic and driven. She wants to be a pediatrician; to help young children lead a healthy life.

TO DONATE: Funds should arrive as soon as possible before April 30, 2008.
Please make checks payable to: PEOPLE TO PEOPLE
On the memo line: BB China Trip

Mail Checks to:
Law Office of Natalie Green, LLC
6175 Hickory Flat Hwy #110-115
Canton GA 30115

Anyone donating will get a newsletter/photos from BB after her trip.

Please help

Hey there blog reader. Hopefully you'll be able to help me help a client.

As you may know, I often have cases as a guardian ad litem in the juvenile courts. In those cases I am charged to represent the best interests of the child involved in the case. I have one particular client who is in need of help, but in a good way.

I have a fifteen-year-old juvenile client, who I'll call B.B. for confidentiality reasons. B.B. is in need of funding help. She has been in foster care since she was a toddler and will probably age out of the system. Her father is deceased and her mother's rights were terminated when she was 3. She's an amazing and gifted student who takes mostly honors and AP classes. In those demanding classes she gets A and B grades.

Because she is such an exceptional student, she has been invited to attend an educational summer trip with her school to China. DFCS has approved her attending this trip, provided she can raise the money to go. She has raised some money but needs to raise approximately $2000-4300 to go on the trip. If she is able to raise more money she will have some discretionary funds while she is there.

If any of you could spare even $20 or could forward this message to others who may be inclined to donate to her trip, please e-mail me and I will reply with the contact information/address and to whom you can make a check out to for B.B.

If we can simply find enough people to donate $20, she will be able to go on her trip. Any additional amounts would provide her with money to get luggage and have some spending money while she is in China. Thank you in advance for forwarding appropriately to those who you believe would want to help.

To donate: Please send me an e-mail to ngreen @ gmail . com and I will reply with the information on where to send your check.

Silver Comet 10k - in the SNOW!

What a bunch of running fools! Despite the snowy start, there seemed to be a pretty good sized bunch who turned out for the 10th annual Silver Comet 10k race. 863 runners finished the race.

I had a new PR running this course, even with the cold weather. It's an incredibly flat course and I think I will add it to my "annual list" of races I want to run. Mainly I ran it to see if I could get a decent time to report for the 4th of July Peachtree Road Race. It wasn't fast enough to be in one of the "timed" groups - that was a 54:59 time requirement. I can't wait for this year's race. I already sent in the registration for it. Chris is sending his in too. Chris' mom Tina is running the race this year for the first time and is training in the Florida heat.

I'm getting better at not looking so weary as I run past the photographer. Here are my pic links:
one-legged attorney (no attorney jokes please)
what's up? I shadowed that runner behind me for what seemed like forever. I SO wanted to pass her - aha! finally passed her and didn't see her again until later after the finish when I was waiting in line for the bus to take us back to the start.
finally finished! Personal Record!!

Now I am training for the ING Half-Marathon (17 days to go - yikes)! I already registered, so there's no turning back now. I'm following the RunnersWorld.com training schedule for beginners, and it seems to have helped my 10k time.

10k PR: Chattahoochee Challenge

There's nothing like getting up at 6AMish to go and run 6.2 miles in 40 degree weather for the fun of it.

I had my own personal record for this 10k: 70:34. A little faster than the Peachtree Road race last July. I would have liked to shave more time off of that race time but I'll take any improvement I can get.

For race photos from TrueSpeedPhoto.com, click here.

Now that's a funeral

E! Online did a great article on Heath Ledger's Australia memorial service yesterday. How great to see Michelle Williams smile in the accompanying photo. I cannot imagine how it has been for her since his death.

I love how they dipped into the ocean and then watched the sun set together.

Simply lovely.