Wednesday, January 28, 2004


Sunny Delight. I'm flying tomorrow to San Diego w/ the hubs! I'm excited to get away even if only for a few days. I don't mind the snow at all, but it's the wind chill factor that gets to me. If it's colder than 20 degrees and I can't even snowboard, then boo-erns....what a waste. The snow we got overnight is amazing! It was almost knee-deep when I was walking to my car (which the hubs shoveled out for me this morning --props to you!) Today would've been such a cool day to go riding, except that I am at work. I fully expected a snow day, but to no avail... So at least I have Daygo to look forward to! And I'm supposed to see my friend Karen for a brief brunch on Sunday morning. So that should be cool too.

POSTED BY KAT AT 1/28/2004 03:23:00 PM | 0 COMMENTS



Sunday, January 25, 2004


Generalized Observations... I've always thought of the U.S. of A. as a great land of opportunity as the cliche goes. I believe that it's a great place to live, grow up in, experience things, etc. And I've always thought that people who are born Americans (in terms of citizenship) inherently have the opportunity to become and do whatever they want (except of course hurt others or do something illegal). And speaking bluntly, I think Caucasians (who are born American citizens) are incredibly lucky. I think people who grew up here from the get-go are lucky. And sometimes, they are the ones who take this country for granted and squander many opportunities that come their way. Putting aside the money factor, I feel that a lot of people I've met have no clue as to what they are missing because they just choose to live in their own contained world.

Example 1: I had a co-worker who is the same age as my dad (57?) who has never left the country. Barring aside her fear of planes (which I don't think is a factor since she's never been in one at all, period, so who knows, this was something she could've overcome), she has never left the eastern half of the U.S. She has never heard of dimsum, never tried Japanese food, thinks Orange Chicken is exotic, has never wanted to go travel outside the country, and has never experienced a lot of things. Once, I told her I was going to the city (as in NYC) to go shopping after work (at the time, I was working in NJ), and she said, and I quote: "You are? Are you going with somebody? New York is so dangerous! Are you sure you're going to be alright? When we were growing up, we were taught never to go to the city by ourselves!" This lady is very nice and sweet and was genuinely concerned about my well-being, but they way she said it made it seem like I was doing something out of the ordinary and that NYC was this far-away place. My point is, she has lived next to New York all her life, not even 30 minutes away, and she has not explored what her country has to offer outside of her own town. Why?! I really feel bad for her in that she seems so close-minded, but nonetheless, I still respect her and adore her. I just feel like man...she's missing out!

Example 2: I have very little tolerance for people who don't bother to learn about other cultures. Granted, I know you can't force someone to do something they're not interested in, but I just feel that since you're in a country full of a gazillion different cultures, you could at least pick something up and be mindful about it. I told someone once that I was Filipino, and they were like "What do you guys eat? Bamboo?" I know they were just joking around, but at the same time, I was very annoyed. This person is a like a no-frills, meat and potatoes, likes U.S. History-kind of guy. He's very passionate about being a full-blooded American, and knows little about anything else.

Example 3: I think Paris Hilton is stupid. And I think her parents are even dumber for letting her grow up and act that way. Okay, I don't know the girl, but I do hear her talk and act. Sure, you can argue that the footage we see is edited and we don't know the whole story, but from what I've seen, this girl is stupid and doesn't know anything about manners and the like. She has everything going for her --looks, money, a trust fund, stardom, fame --but she has no education, no culture, no common-sense. I would be surprised to learn if she has ever read a book in its entirety. And no, I'm not just playa-hating. She just seems like such a waste.

Example 4: I know a lot of people who have never seen an indie film and thinks I'm "so-cultured" because I like going to musuems, watching plays, trying different restaurants, etc. It's not that I'm trying to come off as this cultured-type --it's what I like to do when I get a chance. I don't think what I do is out of the ordinary, but apparently to some, it's something that's so different from their norm. I.m not saying what I do is the "right thing" to do versus what they do for fun. All I'm saying is you got all these cool things in front of your face! Take advantage! Heck, if I was living in the Philippines, I know for sure I would have never seen half of the movies I love because they just wouldn't have gotten there for one reason or another. And I know for sure, I wouldn't have the same job opportunities either. All I'm saying is, expand your horizons and do something you haven't done before.
POSTED BY KAT AT 1/25/2004 04:10:00 PM | 0 COMMENTS



Friday, January 23, 2004


Random Blurbs…

Damn I’m Poor! I was watching VH1’s: The Fabulous Life of Super Spenders yesterday, and I can’t help but think just how poor I am…well compared to them anyway. They featured the usual celebs, then Oprah, Bill Gates, etc… Did you know that if Bill Gates spent $1,000 a minute for the next 85 years, he would still have more money than J.Lo, P. Diddy, Oprah, the Hilton sisters, and Seinfeld combined?? Sheesh… he could fund a small country. Or feed a lot of starving people in war-torn and developing countries (as well, he should!). It would be so amazing to be able to drop $50K in less than an hour buying Dior couture. Or fly 20 friends to the Seychelles just because you wanted to. Or absolve your family of their debts because you felt like it. Heck, I’m not even aiming for owning 10 custom-made luxury vehicles, a 15-person entourage, or owning a $15-million dollar home. I just want to be comfortable and debt-free! Well, I got over the show because I know that shit is just too fantastical to dream about. Alas, I was just reminded again today of how poor I am when I got my paycheck this morning and realized they started taking off my pension payments…

Ode to Food. I just want to give a shout-out to Popeye’s Fried Chicken. Their chicken and Cajun rice is on my Top 10 food list…up there with Outback’s baby-back ribs, my mom’s cooking, Friendly’s Colossal Hamburgers, and pan-seared foie gras.

And while I'm at it... I want arms like Jennifer Aniston’s. I want to be buffed like Jennifer Garner. I want to see Girl With a Pearl Earring. I want to meet Orlando Bloom (while he's wearing his Legolas costume). I want a personal trainer. I want a Mini-Cooper. I want to travel without having to think about money. I want a pet kitty without the hubs wheezing. I want a walk-in closet that will never ever get messy. I want to be able to do a 360 in the air and land safely in one piece. Damn...I want a lot things. (Disclaimer: Even I do want a gazillion things in life, I also like what I have now.)
POSTED BY KAT AT 1/23/2004 11:32:00 AM | 0 COMMENTS



Tuesday, January 20, 2004


I hate Mondays! Okay, so it's not Monday today, but it felt like one especially since it was the first day back at work because of MLK Day. From 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, I was on my feet with all these cases, talking to victims, talking to attorneys, yadda yadda yadda. I didn't even get to eat lunch. And for all those who know me, you best know that I was freaking hungry the whole day. Even though the day was crazy, it did end in a good way. I had a trial from 2 pm to 5:30 pm. (Mind you, the Court's hours are until 5 pm, so everyone was on overtime after 5 pm). So anyway, I actually won!! This guy was found guilty (and he was a major a-hole...I mean, he punched and kicked the victim while she was pregnant with their child!) and I actually got the jail time that I requested for! It was cool to win, but actually putting a guy in jail wasn't as "satisfying" as I thought it would be. I actually felt bad for the guy --but that's my bleeding-heart liberalism for ya. Also, I felt bad for the lady because this guy was way behind on child support; so if he's in jail, she's certainly not going to get more money anytime soon. All in all, the day was stressful and I'm happy it ended with an actual conviction. I was quite peeved during the whole thing and at one point, I even snapped at the defense attorney and was admonished by the court....But all's well that ends well!

POSTED BY KAT AT 1/20/2004 08:08:00 PM | 0 COMMENTS



Sunday, January 18, 2004


Went riding yesterday at Camelback. It was a great day for riding since it just snowed a couple of days before, and it was still nice and fresh. The weather was great too with a high of 30+ degrees so it wasn't too cold out there. I'm always very wobbly the first few times I ride in the beginning of the season, so I didn't do anything crazy. This was the first time I've been to Camelback --it's in Tannersville, PA and it was not at all crowded like the other local mountain, Mt. Creek (where I usually go). Plus, it's only about an hour and fifteen minutes away. Good thing we decided to go yesterday since today's pretty busted weather-wise. I don't like riding when it's really cold out.

What's going on... Work's been going well (aside from all the trials I've been losing). I just got new responsibilities which I'm looking forward to doing. I'll be doing Grand Jury presentments and Megan's Law 'Failure to Register' cases. Grand Jury presentments means that I present a case to a panel of folks who decided whether to indict a case or not. The kind of cases I'll be presenting are Megan's Law cases which are offenses that fall under Megan's Law(a law that was enacted to mandate the registration of convicted sexual offenders with their local police departments and/or the internet in order to inform the public that there is a convicted sexual offender in their neighborhood). There's a point-system involved which will determine the scope of notification (for example, Tier I offenders only have to register with their local PD; Tier III offenders are subject to the internet). What I have to do is to prosecute cases in which the offender failed to register --which is a 4th degree offense (18 months maximum jail time). In a few months or so, I will also start doing lower-grade child abuse cases. I must say, reading and learning about child abuse cases suck. Recently, I had to undergo some training to learn how to interview victims of abuse who are 13 years old and under. We were actually doing mock interviews with actors who re-enacted real-life cases. There was a case of a mom who burned her own child by submerging his hand in boiling water; there's a case of a grandfather who forced his grandkid to give him fellatio...not to mention other heinous things. It's bloody awful for everyone involved...





POSTED BY KAT AT 1/18/2004 04:50:00 PM | 0 COMMENTS



Tuesday, January 6, 2004


More "Firsts"....

First Trial of the Year = First Loss of the Year: I had this trial yesterday where I really wanted to "win." (Yes, I know it's not about winning --it's really whether the defendant is found guilty or not). Anyway, my biggest hurdle was getting a document into evidence despite it not being properly "authenticated." Anyway, I researched the issue thoroughly, came up with case law where similar documents were entered into evidence, argued, and lo and behold, the judge allowed it in. I thought all was well. Apparently, I had made a DUMB-ASS mistake. In my focus on getting this particular document in, I had totally taken for granted another document which I entered into evidence quite easily. It turns out, this other document was copied wrong and the last page of it (where the defendant's signature was) was totally different from my original copy. I had totally missed this error. The one that the judge looked at had NO signature on it, and the one in my file HAD a signature on it. The judge could only base his/her decision on the documents entered into evidence --and because the one in front of her had NO signature, the judge decided that the absence of usch a signature meant that the defendant never got notice of it and therefore couldn't have known about it. ARGHHHHH....It's hard to put in words my frustration with this whole trial. It sucks that this is my 3rd complete trial ever (5th if you count 2 that are pending) and the people I'm supposed to help get the brunt of my inexperience. I could've had a conviction for my victim but for my dumb mistake! In addition, the defendant was represented by this attorney who I don't care for because he made a dumb remark to me the first time we met...mainly, he asked me "Excuse me, but are you even an attorney?" Well, with the loss of trial on a technicality (which he probably gloated on and on about afterwards), I certainly don't feel like one! Shite...that was such a bad day....

First Day Back in the Gym. I went yesterday after work even thought I felt like crap because of work. I figured I could take my frustatrations out onto the treadmill or elliptical. I don't know what I was expecting but the gym was uneventful. I think I was expecting some sort of grand-prize or confetti thrown at me. Instead, I got to circle around the gym parking lot like 10 times for a spot because everyone and their mother had the same resolution to go back to the gym along with me. I predict more spot opening up in about 2 weeks. What I don't get is that when I did get there yesterday, which was at 5:45 pm, the gym was packed! I mean, do most of the people there work extremely light hours or don't work at all that they can get there before 5:30 pm?! In any case, I did some all around light training to get back into the swing of things. Let me just say, you know you're in bad shape when the 10-pound hand weights felt really heavy after only 10 reps.

First Celebrity Sighting of the Year. I have to write about this one because it actually made me feel better. Okay, following the wake of my defeat in court and after spending 1.5 hours in the gym, I stopped by a bakery in Fort Lee on the way home. Yes, bakery after the gym! But only to buy these low-fat coffee-jelly cups that I like (coffee-flavored jelly in a cup w/ Cool Whip on top. Don't knock it till you try it. My mom actually made them when I was little.) So I was at the counter and I notice this lady on my left who looked a lot like Foxy Brown (of Ill Nana fame). I look and look and finally I say, "Excuse me, are you Miss Foxy Brown?" (Yes, I said "Miss" like a dumb-ass; me being a dumb-ass seems to be the theme of this blog). She said yes, and then I immediately say "Oh I'm a big fan of yours" --which is really true. She said "Oh thank you!" and was actually very sweet. She then asked me what I was buying so I had to explain the coffee-jelly cups to her, and then she got one for herself. After that, I didn't know what else to say. I didn't want to bother her, but at the same time, she was right next to me. Finally, I just paid and then left. Once I got to the door however, she bursts out with a "Bye!" to me...which I thought was really cool and took to mean that I could've freaking talked to her some more if only I wasn't so chicken shit, yanno? I actually found her interesting as a person (listened to an interview she had with Wendy Williams) and she was really approachable, so who knows...had I carried the conversation I could've been best friends with her! Really. Or at least an acquaintance that she could invite to other people's parties...hehehe... But the moral of the story is: If I met Foxy Brown in Fort Lee of all places, there is always a chance of meeting some other celebrity in the most random of places. Like say, meeting Orlando Bloom in Jersey City! It can happen!!
POSTED BY KAT AT 1/06/2004 10:22:00 PM | 0 COMMENTS



Friday, January 2, 2004


First Blog of the New Year.

Some Things I'm Looking Forward To This Year:
1. Winning a trial this Monday, Jan. 5th. *cross fingers*knock on wood*pray*
2. Going riding with a bunch of friends! Let it snow, let in snow, let it snow!
3. Going to London in March! We'll have a brilliant time!
4. The hubs getting a new (and LOCAL) job that he'll be happy with.
5. Perhaps going to a new place I've never been for summer vacation (hopefully with other friends).
6. Our 3-year wedding anniversary.
7. Getting the upstairs bathroom fixed up.
8. Spring. Summer. Autumn.
9. Throwing a HUGE-ASS Housewarming BBQ and invite all our friends over.
10. Seeing some friends I haven't seen in ages.
11. Getting the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on Extended DVD version.
12. Learning where I'll be re-assigned at work come September/October.
13. Becoming a more seasoned trial attorney so that I actually know what I'm doing (or just act like it).
14. Taking off the 70's-style wallpaper in my kitchen.
15. Celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday!
16. Painting the dining room and kitchen.
17. Learning to surf this summer at my new friend's place down the Jersey Shore.
18. Being more toned and fit because I've been going to the gym.
19. Spending more time with the hubs.
20. Doing some things I've never done before.
21. Throwing my first dinner party at the house.
22. Turning 28 and not planning to throw a party for myself.
23. Surprises.


POSTED BY KAT AT 1/02/2004 04:20:00 PM | 0 COMMENTS






who is kat?

a wanna-be rockstar with mediocre guitar skills | mom to rockstar baby | guitarist in a band | 30 but not grown-up | this is all about my musings. music. motherhood. and mayhem.

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