The Melon

Tales of a Recent Law Graduate

Beverly Ibsen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:40:07 +0000

*Beverly is a 2010 graduate of Seattle University School of law and a 2007 graduate of Western Washington University. She lives in the Proctor neighborhood of Tacoma with her husband of four years, Anders and their cat Murphy. Beverly can be reached at beverlymarieibsen@hotmail.com.

In 2007, I was working as a student intern in the Admissions Department of Seattle University Law School when I was asked to archive the files of admitted students. I came across my own file and took a peek inside. Scribbled on the first page was something like “No Financial Aid Award.” I already knew that of course, but it was a rude reminder that in order to graduate, I had to take on more than $100K in debt. “No problem,” I thought. “Odds are that I will be one of the lucky 97% that are employed within nine months of graduation and making $90K a year.” And then the Great Recession of 2008 struck.

Fast forward to graduation 2010. There was a strange mixture of anxiety and hope in the air of the Key Arena auditorium. None of my close friends (including the friend on Law Review who graduated in the top 5%) had jobs lined up. We traded rumors of who had managed to land that lucky position. Some students had a close relative who owned a law practice. Others had managed to land at the right place at the right time.

My path was not so straightforward. I gravitated to government and non-profit work. These fields attracted me because they tend to have a great work-life balance. I also felt great serving vulnerable populations or defending taxpayers. This led me to take positions with the YWCA of Pierce County and the Pierce County Civil Division. I had a great experience with both organizations and would eagerly have accepted a job with either. Unfortunately, an entry level job was not in the cards (or budget). As I accepted my diploma on stage, I beamed with pride and tried to shush my inner doubts. The raging headache and upset stomach that cut my family celebration short were not good omens.

After taking the bar exam, I started my job search. I found the internet to be rather hostile to entry level attorney jobs. Almost every entry on Craigslist, Indeed.com, or the law school job database required 3-5 years of experience. I had better luck with my informational interviews and landed a job in the Misdemeanor Division of the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office. Unfortunately, the contract was only for three months. One month into my contract, I learned that I had passed the bar exam. My contract ended, but I was now a licensed attorney. In theory, I could practice in any state court doing any type of law. So now what?

I decided to band together with two other graduates in my class to form a law firm in Seattle. After putting in a year with the firm, I decided to move my practice back to Tacoma. Tacoma is just the right size for a new attorney. And our local bar associations are extremely supportive.

Every once in a while, I’ll meet someone who is thinking about law school. The advice I give them is to plan with the end in mind. In other words, what career do you hope to have at the end of it? If you are not planning on practicing, that’s one thing. A law degree might complement your other skill set if you are positioned to move up in the business or education arena. But if you are planning to actually practice law, here are some practical survival tips:

Evaluate each course and internship for its practical value. If you like environmental law, take environmental law classes. Cultivate a relationship with your professor. Go for those environmental law internships.

Don’t count on being hired right away. Take some drafting labs and some clinic courses. That way you’ll at least be able to write a will or draft up a divorce petition if you find yourself on your own.

Join your local bar association. Sign up for membership with different affiliation groups. The Washington State Bar Association has many sections that you can apply to. Go to wsba.org for the list. If you are a woman, join the Washington Women Lawyers. There are also many minority bar associations that provide a lot of support.

Cultivate mentors. Never be afraid to ask for help. Veteran attorneys were young once too. They can be of enormous assistance in helping you navigate the job market or helping you figure out how to file your first complaint. There are no stupid questions.

That is not an exclusive list, but it will do for a start. If you want to talk to someone about law school, feel free to shoot me an email at beverlymarieibsen@hotmail.com. I’m happy to answer any questions or point you to someone who can.

The Nativity

Mike Oliver — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:46:08 +0000

See you next Sunday, Albert,” said Father Tom with a quarter-mile stare and slight nod, “and have a Happy New Year.” The Father spoke slowly as if choosing with great care each word spoken – even if they were general pleasantries – and to some he came off as aloof, but to Albert (who always looked forward to Father Tom’s masses) the deliberate pattern made Father all the more human. Albert didn’t always know the right English word to say or the proper way to conjugate a verb, and often spoke with the same careful cadence. Because of it, most people talked to Albert like a dense child – loudly and with wild gestures – but Father Tom always spoke to him in a hushed confidential tone, they way two friends share a secret joke. And Albert always left smiling.

Albert volunteered every Sunday at the Church, handing out fliers, greeting parishioners with a friendly ‘good morning’, and performing whatever little odds-and-ends came up over the course of the morning. At the end of the Advent, the Nativity scene on the grass lot was kept standing until the New Year. A few older voices grumbled that it should be taken down Christmas evening, but most people enjoyed the sight of the Baby Jesus, so there it stayed for an extra week, greeting the members of the flock.

On this New Year’s Sunday when the final mass was completed, a timid volunteer coordinator asked if any of the usual helpers could stay after for a few minutes to box up the Nativity. Albert was the only member who came forward, so he did it alone. As always, Albert smiled.

Albert was left with a large cardboard box for the wooden manger, and a series of boxes for each member of the scene – even the donkeys, oxen, and sheep had their own boxes. The volunteer coordinator handed Albert a key to the rectory before departing, telling Albert, “to…lock…the…door…and…put the…key…through the…mail…slot.” Albert smiled and shook the man’s hand.

“Happy New Year.” Albert called out with a vigorous wave as the coordinator hurried to the parking lot, but the man either hadn’t heard Albert, or had moved on to other matters. The man didn’t wave back.

Albert began by boxing up the animals – if there was a respectful order for dismantling the Nativity, Albert decided it would be most appropriate to begin here. He then struck the Sheppard, mindful when placing him in the foam padding, not to break the delicate wooden crook. Next, Albert collected the three Wise Men, who – Albert felt rightly – shared a single box. Finally, Albert was left starring at the stark scene of Mary and Joseph standing over the Child Jesus, their wooden faces filled with pride and with love and with relief.

Albert removed the star that hung above the wooden barn. He dismantled the roof and the three walls, until the new family was left in the open air – the sun was shining, so Albert didn’t think the Baby Jesus would mind.

Sorry to break this up, Joseph, Albert thought, picking up the figurine, but Mary and Jesus need a minute alone. Joseph’s likeness was heavy and solid, about two and half feet tall, and Albert needed both hands to lay it softly to rest in its box. Joseph’s painted-on face seemed to glow against the bright white packing foam in which it hugged so very closely.

“Thank you, Mary,” Albert said out loud without realizing, as he knelt in the grass to lift up the Mother of God. He cradled her in his arms; in the same way Mary is depicted cradling the Baby Jesus in countless reverential paintings. Mary face was in a state of permanent smile. Albert thought of saying the Hail Mary after placing Her to rest, but he simply smiled back.

Albert lifted the Baby Jesus out of the manger with both hands, though the Child was small enough to fit in one, Albert didn’t dare. He held Jesus in his cupped hands, examining His innocent face and all of the intricate details. Albert was thankful for the opportunity to hold the Christ Child, and thought about communion. He placed Jesus in the cardboard box and sealed the top.

It seemed a shame to keep the Baby Jesus tucked away for so much of the year only to bring him out for a small time, but Albert thought it made him appreciate the Nativity more because its physical presence was finite.

It took Albert five trips to lug all the boxes to the rectory, and beads of sweat dripped from his brow as he locked the door. The key jangled as it slid through the mail slot and landed on the wooden floor beyond.

Albert passed the grass lot out front of the Church, now ghostly in the absence of the Nativity. He knew that he’d miss if for the next couple of weeks – he did every year – and every December its reappearance would surprise him with joy. Albert hoped that he wouldn’t be surprised this year. This year he’d remember. Albert walked home, smiling.

Myth Buster Month – High Fructose Corn Syrup

Chelsey Lindahl — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:35:26 +0000

Myth Buster Month is kicking off with one of the most talked about nutrition topics, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

The MYTH:

According to TV commercials (below) sponsored by the Corn Refiners Association and sweetsurprise.com, HFCS is nutritionally the SAME as table sugar.

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What do you think, fact or fiction? Let’s take a look…

First let’s look at how HFCS and sucrose (table sugar) are similar:

Both contain 4 calories per gram.
Both consist of a combination of glucose and fructose:
- Sucrose = 50% glucose + 50% fructose
- HFCS42 = 42% fructose + 53% glucose + 5% polysaccharides
- HFCS55 = 55% fructose + 42% glucose + 3% polysaccharides

Next, let’s look at how HFCS and sucrose are different:

HFCS and sucrose are made using entirely different methods.

I believe it is really important to understand where our food comes from, so this section is rather in-depth. Pretend, the following is an episode of “How Its Made”.

Sucrose is made from either sugar cane (70% of sugar) or sugar beets (30% of sugar). The process for each is slightly different.

Steps to create sucrose from sugar cane: grow, harvest, extract juice via crushing the sugar cane stalks (the leftover cane fiber is saved and used to generate future energy), boil juice, evaporate water, sugar crystals grow, and raw sugar forms. This sugar is then shipped to a refinery where it is cleaned and decolored forming white table sugar and molasses. Steps to create sucrose from sugar beets – grow, harvest, slice beets, diffuse beets in hot water, press beets to extract juice, remove impurities, boil juice, evaporate water, sugar crystals grow, and white table sugar is formed. Note that in the creation of sucrose by either method no additives or enzymes are used.

HFCS is made using yellow dent corn. This type of corn has a higher starch content than the sweet corn we eat as a vegetable. Yellow dent corn has an extremely hard outer layer, making it inedible in traditional form. It is used only in the manufacturing of grain products, animal feed, and the production of HFCS. To produce HFCS yellow dent corn is first heated and soaked in order to soften the kernels. Following this, the corn is kernel is separated to extract the starch. The enzyme alpha-amylase is used to breakdown the starch into glucose. Glucose is changed into fructose using the enzyme glucoamlyase. Lastly, another enzyme glucose-isomerase is used to create a part glucose, part fructose mixture. The first two enzymes are naturally occurring, however, for the purpose of producing HFCS they are made in a lab from bacteria and fungi. The third enzyme, glucose-isomerase is a synthetic enzyme.

Are you still with me? In short, the production of sucrose is a 100% natural, mechanical process that does not employ the use of enzymes or additives. The production of HFCS is a chemical process that requires natural and synthetic enzymes.

HFCS and sucrose are not digested in the same way.

Because your brain is probably still reeling from reading about enzymes, I won’t explain the entire digestive process to you; I’ll just point out the primary differences.

Sucrose goes through a series of processes as it is broken down in the body. As it is absorbed sucrose requires insulin which helps the body to utilize absorbed energy from carbohydrates. Insulin also triggers leptin, a hormone which regulates hunger and consumption, to be released. Leptin, signals to the brain when the body is full.

HFCS requires one less step than sucrose does as it is absorbed. It also does not require insulin. Because insulin is not used, leptin is not triggered and the body is unable to tell when it should stop eating. The lack of ability for the body to tell when it is full, coupled with fast absorption rate, creates an alluring environment for increased fat storage.

HFCS is likely a genetically modified product.

In the United States 86% of corn produced is genetically modified (GM). A GM food is one which has been genetically engineered to perform a certain way, in a particular environment. Therefore, it is EXTREMELY likely (if not certain) that the corn used in the production of HFCS is in fact GM. However, the Corn Refiners Association states that corn is not a GM food (although GM crops may be used) because no corn DNA remains present in HFCS.

It is highly likely that HFCS begins as GM corn. Whether or not it truly remains a GM food after extensive processing and the removal of corn DNA to form HFCS is unconfirmed at this point in time. I’ll let you as the reader draw your own conclusions.

HFCS is subsidized by the government.

As corn is a government subsidized crop in the United States, one can only assume that HFCS, a direct byproduct is also subsidized. However, the Corn Refiners Association claims that this is not the case a for the production of “HFCS”.

So… the production of corn is subsidized. HFCS is made from subsidized corn… however, HFCS is “not” subsidized? I’m confused. Again, I will let you as readers draw your own (obvious) conclusions.

THE RESULTS: Our body does not recognize HFCS and sucrose as they same and they are made entirely different from one another, from different plant sources. Weighing the similarities and differences of these two products, it is safe to say that this myth is BUSTED. While similar, HFCS and sucrose are not the same.

In closing…

According to both the American Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association, HFCS does not contribute to obesity any more than other high-sugar foods.

All of the above information aside, I do not believe that HFCS alone is to blame for America’s obesity crisis and increased incidence in diabetes, as it often associated. Surely HFCS is a factor and I would 100% prefer for it to not exist. However, the American diet is so heavily saturated with simple carbohydrates such as sugar, HFCS, and refined grains, as well as high fat foods, that we as a culture are in dire need of a change in what we eat.

The bottom line is that until HFCS has been around long enough for to prove if it truly is harmful or not, it is here to stay because it makes foods cheaper and easier to make. It is up to us as consumers to make informed healthy choices. At the end of the day, everything comes back to: consumption of a balanced, healthful, low-fat diet with lots of fruits and vegetables; 30+ minutes per day of physical activity; and consuming high-fat and high-sugar foods in moderation.

On that note, I will leave you with a short clip from one of my most favorite food documentaries King Corn and a brief interview with Curt Ellis one of the filmmakers. I believe it sums up everything and more, far better than I ever could!

References:

American Dietetic Association. High fructose corn syrup and weight status. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.sweetsurprise.com/sites/default/files/ADAHotTopicHFCS.pdf.
American Medical Association. AMA finds high fructose syrup unlikely to be more harmful to health than other caloric sweeteners. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.sweetsurprise.com/sites/default/files/AMARelease6-17-08.pdf.
Corn Refiners Association. Sweet Surprise. Retrieved from http://www.sweetsurprise.com.
Diabetes Health. The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup. Retrieved from http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/08/20/4274/the-dangers-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup/.
Heartland Science. Yellow Dent Corn. Retrieved from http://www.heartlandscience.org/agrifood/yelcorn.htm.
Sugar Knowledge International. How Sugar is Made. Retrieved from http://www.sucrose.com/learn.html.

* Reposted from Chew With Your Mouth Open, Chelsey’s foodie blog.

A Little Holiday Fun

Emily Oliver — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:26:08 +0000

Holiday is upon us! The big dilemma becomes what to do for all those holiday parties! The biggest question I usually receive is what to do with the face to create a unique holiday look- red lips, dramatic eyes, white shadow, what?! Let me guide you toward Holiday Make up Bliss!!!!

Like a snowflake, no face is alike. And the trends this Holiday Season truly embrace every face type! For those with juicy lips, the red lip is a fabulous look. This season is all about that Bordeaux. Look for a deep red. Look to the previous article on how to create the perfect red lip! To offset this idea, I love to pair it with a light eye shadow and lots and lots of black mascara! Keep the cheek nice and rosy.

For those with some sparklers, play up your eyes with a contemporary smoky eye. This is one that will not take a lot of time…take a soft black eye pencil and stripe it across your eyelid lengthwise. Now, take a brush and blend it onto your eyelids. Take a lighter eye shadow and blend from the inner eye to the middle of the eyelid. Now, blend the eye shadow with the eyeliner from the inside outward. Rim the inside of your eye (called the wet line) with your soft eyeliner. This will create a very seductive look! I love mascara! (If you can’t tell!) Please add lots of mascara for this look! Adding a half strip of false eyelashes will really enhance this look! Should you use false eyelashes, however, I suggest adding the mascara after you apply the false eyelashes. I love M.A.C’s falsies! They’re fun to work with and stay very well with the “Duo” eyelash adhesive. This season’s lip gets to have more fun with the smoky eye. You may pair the Bordeaux red, or create a light nude lip, or even a fun magenta pink. So long as you have some sparkle in either your outfit or on your eyes (I love the M.A.C pigment or for the super cheap, the N.Y.C. brand from Target has a fun one too!) you will be good to go!!!! This look is best served with a bronzer and light blush.

Gold, silver, and metallic on the eyes are also very popular right now. I love the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Silk Shadows for this effect. There is a silver and gold combination in this version which has a lot of dimension and intrigue. If you do a metallic eye, try to create a very thin liquid eyeliner or tight line on the lash line- this will make the eyes pop! Remember, lots of mascara!!!!

There is one more edgy look I’d like to mention. The gothic-vampiress look! This one would take a silver eye shadow, a black liner close to the eye lashes, a light purple contour in the crease, lots of mascara, and a fabulous plum lipstick! I love to pair this look with a plum blush. Take a highlight to the cheekbone. SO gorgeous!!!!

Please write me in questions about my advice for your particular look! In the meantime, enjoy all the cookies, punch, and music of the holidays!

Love and Beauty,

-E-

A song in the Night Air

Mike Oliver — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:54:27 +0000

Paul moved silently past the decorated homes. A thousand Holy Infants were born to a thousand different mangers in a thousand different front yards. The streetlights flashed red and green in the spirit of the season, and though the stars should have shown stark against the evening sky, even they struggled to rise above the fabricated glow. Paul had to squint to find the Old North Mother.

A bell rang out in a rusty peel: midnight. Paul was late.

Paul crossed against the warning red of an outstretched hand, rushed but not hurried. The church would be full, even Catholics who spend Easter Sunday’s at the buffet attend at Christmas, and Paul knew he would have no trouble slipping unseen into the back and leaning on his hands against the wall. There was something inherently childlike about this mass – it felt more local, less committal. And Paul knew the lyrics to all the songs. Everybody did. So, everybody sang.

In the distance, at first so soft it sounded like a hum, Paul could hear the peaks and valleys of the organ. And finally, he could hear the church and make out the words.

“Oh Sing all ye angels, sing in exaltation…”

People were still arriving in groups of twos and threes, fours and fives, friends and strangers (and near-strangers.) Paul slid up the freshly shoveled steps amongst a young couple and their gaggle of puffy-coated toddlers. The children buzzed with wide-eyed excitement, for them the mass was something new, a gift – a chance to see the side of the world hidden from the day. An elderly, avian woman remained singing as she shook Paul’s hand offering him a hymnal sheet. Paul refused with a smile. No need, he thought. Save the paper.

“Adeste Fideles…”

Paul did not know the meaning of these lyrics, though he had sung them many times, but he liked their sound – the shape they made in his mouth.

“Venite adoremus…Dominum.”

The final note of the organ echoed through the vaulting space – filling it. A community was met in the dead of night – filling it with life. Men and women from all corners, from this town (and beyond) had moved in what seemed like a secret to be with one another on this night – on this new day.

Paul thought of the incoming New Year, and of the year curtailing: he wasn’t unhappy, yet he was far from satisfied. A yearly hallmark always seemed to stir up the sediment of lost possibilities.

The priest rose, echoed by the crowd, and then spoke…and, for a moment, everyone listened.

Peace.

The Unexamined iLife

Eric Stroo — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:41:35 +0000

I am running late. The traffic on Rhode Island Avenue is appalling, as usual. I am currently idling in a queue to enter Logan Circle that runs about a quarter mile (bumper-to-bumper) to my girlfriend’s car on Florida Avenue. This will take the better part of 20 minutes until I can get through the circle only to wait in line for Thomas Circle. I become nostalgic for the days of being stuck on the I-5 crawling into the city. At least I had a mountain to look at.

By the time I arrive, Steve Inskeep has gone through today’s top headlines twice on Morning Edition and I have become filled with the desire to just sit in a quiet place and play a meditative game of Tetris. Nothing solves my problems quite like placing misshapen blocks falling from the sky.

I pull up to the curb and get out of the car, dodging cars to cross the street. I go through the revolving doors and hustle through the lobby of the postmodern nightmare that is a corporate office complex. I call the elevator and when it comes I command it to do solitary task and elevate me to my floor. Before the doors close two strangers board the elevator. We all make eye contact, each of us sharing an awkward smile. The doors close; we are all now trapped in this box until it reaches my floor (the 11^th and penultimate one).

Instead of a few awkward, disquieting moments in the elevator, all six of our eyes become transfixed on the little TV screens in the elevator. The aptly called Captivate Network was actually created to sell adspace while it displayed news, weather, and traffic in elevators to alleviate a few awkward moments.

The day wears on. I spend most of it telling my girlfriend that I love her over google chat while I work on tweaking our network and answering phones. I managed to sneak in a game of Tetris, too. By the time the clock reaches 5:30, I turn the lights off and head back down to the streets of the District. I am going to take the metro home, so I walk the 2 blocks and take the escalator into the seedy underbelly of the city.

The train comes almost immediately and I board, riding the two stops to my yellow line transfer at China Town. A few more minutes pass until I can board the train that will take me home. I take my seat and look around at my fellow passengers. Everyone seems to have some sort of device they are plugged into. The kid next to me has awful techno at full blast on his iSomething. The woman in front of me is speed-reading her Kindle. I spend a few minutes trying to see if I can read the page before she can… I fail every time. A couple a few rows up are sharing ear buds and cuddling. I get to my stop, go home, drink a beer, and drift into a world of talking heads and top models.

Now, I told you a rather typical, if not roundabout story, of my day for a reason. We have surrounded ourselves with technology and innovations for better and worse. They make our life easier, more efficient, and put make the entire world a fingertip away. Conversely, our devices also balkanize us and make the moments we share more superficial. We have a world of relationships and experience waiting out there if we only said hello instead of putting the earphones in and blasting the techno.

Take, for instance, the rise of online dating. What was once viewed as sort of social pariah is now commonplace. I do not have real objections to people who do the online dating thing, but I do think that it falls into this trend of marginalizing human awkwardness and, ultimately, fundamental human connections.

It is the same with facebook, too. I am perfectly guilty of writing on a friend’s wall to skip a phone-call or e-mail in favor of quick superficiality. In the ‘iLife’ world, human connections become quantized by counts of friends, being tagged in pictures, and liking status updates.

I am also just as guilty for succumbing to the luxuries of modern technology and I am by no means campaigning for us to throw away our devices. Technology gives me the news in multiple mediums. I have the ability to tell my girlfriend I love her in the middle of the day, I can be transported quickly throughout the city and the nation. It even tells me how bad the traffic is going to be while I am riding in an elevator. Oh, and it gives me Tetris.

Technology makes our lives easier, but it also creates a few paradoxes. While our devices save us time and energy, we end up spending more of our time plugged into them. While we explore a whole world of global connectivity at our fingertips, we spend more of our time staring into our screens isolated from each other. We add friends on Facebook, but spend less time with our friends in real life.

However, I am not advocating that we “throw away the television”. I actually hate people who don’t have a T.V. I couldn’t imagine a day in my life without being plugged in to the world. As much as I hate to admit it, I wrote the first draft for this very article on my iPhone.

What I am advocating is that we take the time to appreciate an actual human moment. Sit next to a stranger and say hello. People have stories that can’t fit in 144 characters. It might be awkward, yes, but in the process maybe you get a new Facebook friend.

Power of Attorney, Estate Planning, Social Security: To Be Paranoid Is to Be Prepared

Jen Drake — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:37:03 +0000

In my line of work I am daily reminded that there is but one end to all living thing, and that aging began at birth (if not before). In one sense I may be classified as either paranoid or prepared, but to quote my husband, Chris Van Vechten, to be paranoid IS to be prepared. I admit to worrying about my ability to pay for my long-term care when I become disabled or elderly, but I am also becoming more prepared. And I am only 29 years old.

Last year I established my healthcare power of attorney, determining who would be in charge of my final days should I be unable to make my own decisions. I explicitly wrote a detailed report that I did not want to be permanently a vegetable and would prefer to pass away, keeping in mind the Terri Schiavo case. I spoke with all family members and found discord as to my wishes: my mother would have me stay alive in the off-chance a miracle or scientific breakthrough occur. My brothers, on the other hand, would respect my wishes and “do me in”, so to speak. My ROTH-IRA is already going to my neices and nephew for their education.

I have been following the instability of Washington State’s medicaid and long-term care programs, and worry about the families I help if they are one of the unlucky 12,000 potentials who might be stricken from state funding. Will it be a developmentally disabled child or an elderly person who no longer has family to help? I have also been following the debate on Social Security and seen the uprisings of Senior Citizens across the nation, demanding the continuance of it despite the bleak outlook of bankruptcy, or, just as bad, a huge burden upon my generation of unemployed young people. Many more families are falling into the “sandwich” category, encased between children still living at home and elderly parents moving in to be cared for. Those families that become caregivers to parents are beaten down, exhausted, depressed, more prone to high blood pressure, weight gain, stroke, cardiac arrest, and are likelier to have more of a decline in health than the ones they care for.

I went to a seminar at a local cemetery (work-related, no less) and pondered my mortality. I was surrounded by the super elderly and their baby-boomer kids, and there sat me, not quite 30. I’m not sure if I made anyone uncomfortable by being there, but I was certainly impressed by all the options and types of cremations, burials, choices of urns and package prices and military send-offs and financial plannings with Medicaid and even their famous pet cemetery. Chris and I occasionally go to local cemeteries where we know historical figures lie to read their gravestones – habits of historians and nerds, I imagine – and we debate on what type of burial and grave each of us wants. Chris wants cremation and the cheapest option possible and his remains kept in a vase or dumped unceremoniously. I want to be cremated but placed in a burial plot with a headstone - and, as I found out, I can be buried in one plot with 4 other cremated persons. I’ve decided I want to convince my family to buy 3 plots and all of us vow to be buried together.

I’ve thought about this. And then I’ve wondered how am I going to pay for my life. First I need to buy a new car (mine has almost 200,000 miles on it now and is expected to give up the ghost any day), then a house, maybe have one child, push him/her through school, in my 40s buy long term care insurance which will only last 3-5 years, pick my burial plot, make my child my Power of Attorney, write up my last will and testament, make sure my Twitter and Facebook passwords have been passed to the Spawn Child, in my 60s force Chris to start talking about long-term care again (which he might not be so peeved to talk about at that age), if he kicks the bucket first make sure to respect his wishes and cremate him then spread his ashes somewhere, then find an Assisted Living or Retirement community I can afford, and…

I get stressed. I might just end up as broke in my future as I was a year ago, and years of diligent labor, saving, planning, might be flushed down the drain with one bout of cancer, or one natural disaster, or one big huge lawsuit, or something else I can creatively come up with.

The facts are, our healthcare system is broken. The debate lies in how to fix it. In the meantime, while politicians bicker and campaign for next re-election and while uninformed citizens complain on all the corruption without taking any type of action, death marches on, homelessness increases, starvation becomes more pervasive, and everyone hopes that a new cream, a new food group, new technology, will quell the progression of aging and death, our inevitable nemesis. There is only so much planning and preparation one can do before Death’s Scythe takes us down a peg or two.

What can be done? I make sure my bills are paid off each month. If Chris and I are worried about cutting it close, we rely on beans and rice and his stock of beer he’s saved up. We tighten our belts. We watch what we spend. Chris makes sure he’s got health insurance. I am stubborn and stupid enough to not pay for health insurance right now because we’ve got law school bills to pay, but maybe in January or February I will begin again. Chris and I have candid conversations about our wishes for ourselves and our parents. We’ve written a contract up together spelling it out. We both save each month and he invests it for us. With my work I have begun my long term care policy.

Our Department of Health just de-funded their partnership with the U.S. Living Will Registry which hosts all pertinent documents online for you and your family in case of an emergency, but I’ve been looking at them as a potential to sign up and host my emergency documents as a “just in case”.

The Washington State Medical Association has a great FAQ page on advance directives and what our state requires to be prepared for the inevitable. They also have actual documents specific for Washington residents to print off, sign, and tuck away so your wishes are respected by the people who will have control over your future fate.

Not only a healthcare advance directive, you must have a Power of Attorney set up. It is important also thave a Will and go through an attorney, since online Wills are typically not specific for Washington State and are easily challenged and broken in court if gotten online. I recommend Tacoma’s Darol Tuttle, elder law attorney or Jim Bush, also specializing in wills and estates.

At the end of it all, Iam on the side of senior citizens for both selfish and non-selfish reasons. I see my future when I look into my grandmother’s eyes. I want the best for her and for my parents, and when I become elderly I want someone watching out for me. We must become prepared and take ownership of our financial present and future as best we can. My last suggestion is to endorse Governor Gregoire’s half-cent sales tax increase which will, in part, not cut Medicaid further.

Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell speaks out on the “Bloody Sunday” massacre

The Melon — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:26:28 +0000

*Editor’s Note: unfortunately this article was never published on Sunday, November 29, 2009. We have just passed the two year mark and thus feel it is fitting to publish this article and give honor to our fallen Lakewood Police Officers.

(Yesterday) will go down in history as one of the most heartbreaking and difficult days to fathom in Pierce County history. The cold blooded slaying of four dedicated and honorable Lakewood Police Officers is a tremendous loss to our law enforcement community and to Pierce County as a whole. These were officers that dedicated their lives to serving others, and did so with great pride and honor. Our heart goes out to the families of these fallen officers and to the Lakewood Police Department and the City of Lakewood.

When a tragedy of this magnitude occurs it does not matter what color uniform you wear or whether or not you are from a local, state, or federal agency. What matters is how we all respond to such a tragedy and how we work collectively to deal with the circumstances that are in front of us. That is what was required of us today and that’s what I observed from the many local, state, and federal agencies that responded to this horrific scene. In particular, I am extremely impressed and proud by the professional manner by which our department members responded to this tragedy. Many of the first responders to this horrific scene were from our department and did an exceptionally good job in securing the scene and providing information as this incident initially unfolded. Department commanders worked together and quickly to establish incident command and control over department resources initially and throughout the day as well as managed department activities via the department’s Operations Center. Our SWAT Team, Detectives and Forensic personnel from Investigations Bureau, Critical Incident Management Team, and Chaplains worked collaboratively with Lakewood PD and their Pierce County Sheriffs Department counterparts throughout the course of the day in following up leads and supporting fellow officers and their families. This was truly a great team effort and a great demonstration of the care, compassion, and character of our Department members – Thank you!

This is also a time to reflect on the fact that our profession, although a very honorable and fulfilling one, is a profession where tragedy such as the one that occurred today can happen anytime, anywhere, and without warning. This is a sad reality that we have to live with and one that is to me unconscionable.

We will continue to support the City of Lakewood, Lakewood Police Department throughout this investigation and beyond as I know that they would be doing the same for us. This is a very tough time for them and they need all of our support.

Sgt. Mark Renninger and Officers Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold, Greg Richard came to work today with every intention of returning home at the end of their shift to be in the comfort of their families as we all do as we begin our shift. Please keep these fallen heroes and their families in your thoughts and prayers as we all grieve this great loss.

Tales of an Undergrad Nothing

Myronda Schmidt — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:58:20 +0000

This is part of an ongoing series of articles about being employed or unemployed in today’s economy. We are sharing real stories of struggles and accomplishments, as well as advice on what others can do to make it out in the real world. Read more articles from our writers series on The Vine.

When The Melon’s editor told us about a writer’s series on the struggles to find employment, I thought, “um, yeah. I have a thing or two to say about that.” I have been looking for a job since I graduated college in 2007. I have applied for what I would estimate to be well over 500 jobs. Then, three days after the email about the writer’s series, something unprecedented happened: I was offered a job.

Now, there are two clarifications I need to make. First, I have not been unemployed this whole time. I have just retained the same (excruciatingly painful) job as a salon manager I’ve had since Freshman year of college. As much as I hated this job, I cannot even imagine what I would have done without it. To those people that have faced unemployment, my heart breaks for you. My experience with menial wages has been bad enough.

Clarification #2: although I am sincerely grateful for this new employment, with a great company that I’m sure will afford me many possibilities, the position I am taking has absolutely nothing to do with the degree earned in college.

That degree is a Bachelor’s in Journalism from Eastern Washington University. I worked hard for that degree. Graduated with nearly a 4.0. Put myself into debt for that degree. Was passionate about that degree. However that degree, I can’t help but feel, is completely useless.

In my college classes we had discussions about ”the changing face of journalism;” the move to the Internet, the rise of the blogger, etc. But to my recollection there was never a discussion that the field already had one foot in the grave. That seasoned, talented journalists were being let go, and that we would be competing with these veteran journalists for entry-level positions. So when I graduated wide-eyed and ready to take on the world, I abruptly had the wind knocked out of me. Not only were positions to apply for scarce to say the least, they were basically just a race for a rejection letter.

But that was just Spokane, I told myself. My hometown was small. Only one major newspaper, one alternative paper, not much else. Small market, of course I won’t find a job here. So I transferred my job to Seattle and headed west to the big city. Shortly after, The Seattle P-I went out of print. Seattle was now a one-paper town like Spokane. Hmm. Time for a change of tactic… I’ll do marketing writing instead! Copywriting or something. Easy.

Or not. More brick walls. More unreturned calls. More unfortunate “Dear Candidate” letters.

And so on and so forth. Each time I “lowered” my standards for employment, thinking it would be only a matter of time until I received an offer, I was met with disappointment. It began to wear on my self-confidence that a resume with a Bachelor’s and management experience couldn’t even get me an interview for simple administrative work.

Four Nominees: Tacoma’s City Manager Slot

Jen Drake — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:48:42 +0000

Dear City Council:

iCare. iLove. iBelieve. iWant. Hire I. Or me.

Who wouldn’t want to be in charge of $2.7 billion biennial budget and 2,400 employees? So. much. Power. With a population of 200,000, Tacoma’s metropolis is sagging in uncouthly ways that we wish to cover. Perhaps Andy Warhol’s flower might pull in the I-5 eyes over that of the Port’s very omniscent presence, but there’s no way to get rid of the stench of losing so many businesses the past few years except to hustle and bustle and blow the house down, and rebuild. Ken Miller’s proposal that we have two wild cards which might save us is thought provoking and brilliantly crafted, but is Joint Base Lewis McCord and our booming meuseums (arts and cultural tourism) enough to capitalize upon to cause growth?

That remains to be seen when the Council hires a new City Manager.

There is a huge litany of “To Do’s” that we all complain about: pot holes, B&O tax, paid parking downtown, lack of public transporation (Voters! Take responsibility for that one!), crazy weird zoning codes (Marty Campbell and David Boe helped me out in that weird situation), billboard blight, closing schools, gangs, Corporation Flight outta town, vacant buildings, high crime, petty crime, non-responsiveness of police, judicial system overload – I’m glad I’m not the Mayor or City Manager, except it would be nice to get $200,450. I could put up with a lot of complaining for that paycheck (you can see how much each city employee earns by checking out this TNT website).

Our Four Finalists, who will be putting up with a lot of whinning bloggers (myself excluded, naturally), are:

Rey Arellano
Arellano is currently serving as interim city manager for the City of Tacoma and is responsible for a $2.7 billion biennial budget and 2,400 employees. Since 2006, Arellano has served as the deputy city manager and chief information officer for the city. Prior to Tacoma, Arellano worked for the City of San Diego, Calif. as the deputy city manager and chief information officer from 2002-2006, and from 1999-2002 he was a group project manager for Ryder System Inc.

T.C. Broadnax
Broadnax has worked as the assistant city manager in San Antonio, Texas since 2006. San Antonio is a full-service city with an operating budget of $1.6 billion and 11,600 employees. Prior to this position he was the assistant city manager for the city of Pompano Beach, Fla. from 2004-2006, the deputy city manager from 2001-2004 and the assistant to the city manager/budget officer from 1997-2001.

Craig Malin
Malin has worked as the city administrator of Davenport, Iowa since 2001. As city administrator, he leads 15 department heads, 1,000 employees and oversees a $210 million annual budget. From 1999 to 2001, Malin was the chief administrative officer for Douglas County, Wis. and the assistant manager, assistant to the manager and administrative assistant in Vernon Hills, Ill.

Andrew Neiditz
Neiditz has worked as city manager of Lakewood, Wash. since 2005. Neiditz manages an $87 million budget and has oversight over a six member executive team, 15 member management team and 250 employees. Prior to this position, he was the city administrator for Sumner from 1999-2005, the deputy city manager of Lakewood from 1996-1999, and the executive director of public safety from 1993-1996.

The question remains. Will we go Local (Arellano), Texas, Iowa, or Lakehood for our City Manager?

Let the Council Begin.