More Movement

I am moving to another court next week. This is now the 4th court I have been assigned to since Jan. 1, 2009. But this move should last for a couple of months. I am being moved to one of the hardest felony courts in Harris County. It's got a reputation for either making or breaking prosecutors. Hopefully, I will be in the "making" category. Now I will get to prosecute all sorts of felonies -- not just drug possession. But I won my 1st felony trial last week. The defendant was sentenced to 7 years. The jury wrote a "Thank You" note on a yellow sheet of paper. I made a photocopy. The whole experience was surreal and I still have not absorbed or even enjoyed the experience because the annoucement for personnel moves came out and I had to prepare for my new court. My friends Jenn from Florida and Maribel from San Antonio came for a visit. Here we are outside the courthouse and just hanging out with Fred.

Moolah

This has been a great week for us. I got a raise -- woot! Jason found out that he will get about $2200 per month in BAH when he joins the Guard in July -- woot woot! (BAH is the military housing allowance for you civilians out there). Then we did our raxes and should get a refund -- woot woot woot! Shall we invest? Improve the house? No way! We are going to blow it on TRIPS. Jason will have 3 weeks off in July. He wants to go on a cruise to the Bahamas. Twist my arm -- I'll go. Then we are planning a trip to Europe this Fall or Winter.

Speaking of trips...I kept meaning to post this photo last month. I went to visit the scene of a DWI accident where the guy hit a house. Look what was growing in the yard....hmmm....5-point leaves...what could this be?

Pay raise!

I got a pay raise today -- about $2 more per hour. Even though I am a "salary" employee I get paid an hourly rate. I will not post this hourly rate because -- alas -- I would have made MORE money if I had just stayed in the Air Force. Plus, no debt for student loans! Sigh ... but I would have been miserble, in a soul-killing job, and probably divorced because deployments are not good for blissful matrimony.

On another note, I have just finished the 1st season of "Weeds" which is a show on Showtime. I got it from the library. Hey -- it's free. I started watching it as part of my education for the Drug Court. Much more entertaining than reading the Code of Criminal Procedure. It's about a suburban widow who becomes a pot dealer to make money. It's very funny though. Sometimes explores the dark underbelly of the suburbs too closely -- especially California. But I already had a low opinion of California (just the southern half). I give it a thumbs up.