Patrick is Here

In the morning walk along the lakefront to Northpoint. Stop at the lagoon to throw pieces of bread towards a couple of ducks. They gulp it up. Walk down to Northpoint. Throw out more pieces of bread. Dozens of seagulls immediately converge on me. They squak at me. They gobble up the bread. Almost faster than I can throw it down. When it is over, they all fly off.

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In the morning walk to the office. Don’t get very much done. In the afternoon walk along the lakefront to Northpoint. Along the way feed pieces of bread to some geese. One pair is interesting. He stands back and keeps guard while his lady friend eats all the bread I throw down. He is making a sacrifice for his girlfriend. Walk back down Farwell Avenue and up Brady Street.

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In the morning go to the jail for a consultation. Then go to the court for a waiver of a preliminary hearing. It is a mess. They are attempting to do video court. It takes forever to set up. Get very frustrated. Glad to leave when it is over. Go home and take a nap. Later walk along the lakefront to Northpoint. My lower back is sore. Difficulty walking back home.

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In the morning walk to the office. Work all day writing letters to clients about the shutdowns at court and how it impacts their cases. In the afternoon walk north along the river walk. Think about the book I am going to write. Feel very excired about it. What an enjoyable walk. Sunny and happy.

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In the morning go to the Criminal Justice Facility for court. All criminal courts have been moved into a three courtrooms in this building. Court adjourns my speedy jury trial for cause. The client is being held in custody beyond the statutory time limits. The Supreme Court of Wisconsin has ordered the right to speedy jury trial is waived due to the coronavirus. Go to the jail for a consultation. In the afternoon go back to the Criminal Justice Facility for a preliminary hearing. In the later afternoon walk along the lakefront to Northpoint. Walk back down Farwell Avenue and up Brady Street.

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In the morning walk along the lakefront to Northpoint. Toss a bag of cheetos on the ground near a bunch of geese. They like cheetos. They run up to me and gobble each piece down. In the afternoon walk around downtown.

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In the morning go to the office. Work on setting up new files and figuring out my calendar for next week. Begin outlining my book in the Scrivener App. Write out short sentences that summarize the ideas for the book. At night walk around downtown. It is mostly empty. A few people on the streets. Nothing is open. It is a quiet Saturday in downtown Milwaukee.

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Go to the courthouse again. The case I have been dealing with all week is getting put over again. Way out into June. Argue bail again. Granted. Under normal circumstances the client would be on a bus going up north to prison by now but instead he is going home to his family. The coronavirus is changing fortunes. At night walk along Oak Leaf Trail to Locust Street. Walk down Oakland Avenue then down Farwell Avenue and up Brady Street. Talk to my dad on the phone for an hour. Go to bed early.

Go to the courthouse. It is mostly empty. Offices are closed up. Court forms are sitting on tables outside waiting for no one to pick up. Those ominous warning signs are posted everywhere. My sentencing hearing is delayed again. Argue forcefully for a bail reduction for my client. Case set over for tomorrow. In the afternoon go to the optometrist for an eye examination. My eyesight has slightly improved. My new contact lens prescription is less powerful than what I have been using the past two years. At night walk along the lakefront to Northpoint. Walk down Farwell Avenue and up Brady Street.

In the morning go to the jail for some consultations. The consultations are held in the non-contact booth. There is glass between me and the client. Walk around the courthouse. It is mostly abandoned. My sentencing hearing is put over to tommorrow. At night walk along the lakefront to Northpoint. Walk down Farwell Avenue. Everything is closed. Feel like the Omega Man.