Thus the Real Journey Begins

The truck is packed, the CDs are burned, the journey is planned, the beer hath been drank, the goodbyes hath been said and the appropriate sacrifices to the Travel Gods hath been made. In 6 hours time I truly begin the Journey of Epic Proportions. My goal is Sioux Falls, SD. Here is hoping the Traffic Gods smile upon thee. I drive the Imperial Land Barge through the Scylla and Carybdis of Chicago and then through the flooded Plain of Des Moines. Then to the Emerald City of Sioux City where a libation shall be drank to the completion of 1/3 of the Journey. I probably will not update until Friday when the Journey of Epic Proportions hath been complete. Wish me luck.

El Feaze Shabazz

Day 1 of the Journey of Epic Proportions-TRUCK PACKED and WATER BROKEN

The truck is packed and Kimberly Robinson's water broke right when we were about to shut out the lights at the soon to be old crib. She and her husband showed up to help and she was stowed in the house playing with the light stuff. Her husband helped me and Mel packing the truck. It got done but man am I beat. My hips hurt worse than anything. I feel like I've been doing the Danse Macabre for a a couple of days.

The truck looks like a semi and I'm pretty sure drives like a semi (I've never driven a semi until yesterday but I think this is what it's like.) The load feels balanced and my daughter got a kick driving with me from Spring Lake to Hartland. The damn thing is massive though and my wallet is screaming like Jane Fonda and 4 ignorant Supreme Court Justices at an NRA convention at the thought of the amount of money I am going to have to pay out in diesel.

My parents are having a BBQ today and tomorrow I have to pick up my car at the old crib and Tues I am off to the magical Evergreen state. I feel bad for leaving my family behind but they understand and WA is not that far by plane.

Peace

El Feaze Shabazz

The Trip of Epic Proportions Begins

Thus the gauntlet is thrown down. Today I begin the 12 Labors of the Feasor loading various household crap into the cavernous maw of a Penske truck. Tuesday I leave. Peace to all and good will to the brotha man.

El Feaze

With Great Melancholy...

Well today was my last day at the Newaygo Co. Prosecuting Atty's office. Worth and Chrystal were out so it was just me and the office staff. I said goodbye to Judge Drake in the morning and the afternoon I had people stopping in and saying goodbye. I think I saw some tears in the eyes of some of my secretaries when I said goodbye right before 5 o'clock. They put up with a lot of crap from me and always laughed when I would flip them off or make some kind of stupid joke. Collectively I could not have asked for a better group to work with. I'll miss working there.

Today towards the end of the day was really tough but every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end to quote the Supersonic song. I grew as an attorney and now it's time to test my mettle somewhere else. Life is a challenge and I am not one to sit on my ass and grow complacent. I wish everyone well at my old office. My door is alway open to whoever wants to visit.

Gas went up again today. I see our potential socialist Democrat overlords and RINO's are enjoying the higher gas prices and the havoc they create. They can't stand the fact that the middle class is not dependent on the government for sustenance and are doing everything in their power to make it so. Michigan is just the beginning. This nation needs leaders-real leaders not some idiot with barely any experience waxing the collective knob of the People with words like "Change". It's more like meet the new boss same as the old boss. The only difference between W and his administration versus the criminal Clintons is that W does not get caught screwing around on his wife and supposedly is more pious and religious. Otherwise it's the same spend and globalist garbage we've had since W's daddy.

Where is a Reagan when we need one? America first and screw the rest of the world. How come we're pumping up the standard of living in China when folks can't get good paying jobs here and all of the former good paying manual labor jobs are filled by illegals. What about this nation's citizens? This election we have a tanned Jimmy Carter and a RINO running. Disgusting.

Tomorrow we pack the truck. My wife has been busting her ass. God bless her. Tomorrow I try to not throw my back out. Woo hoo.

Keep it fresh...

El Feaze Shabazz

(pic is of the Croton Dam in Newaygo Co.)

Leaving is Tough

Did my last mental hearing today at New Focus. Saw the usual crew up there and Rick Prysock had some nice words for me when we were leaving. The defense attorneys I deal with for the most part are good guys. They have always been patient and willing to teach us green prosecutors the proper ways of handling ourselves in court. I was pretty wet behind the ears when I arrived in Newaygo Co and I am a much, much better attorney now. My boss believes in cutting her assistants loose like a bunch of Mongols on the steppe and the county defense attorneys are good sports as well. I had a great job but the county imposes limitations upon its attorneys such as no raises after a certain number of years. But leaving has been very tough. The avalanche of well wishes, cards, pot lucks, etc. Makes me realize that I have made some sort of impact. I have had state police detectives, court clerks and judges extend kind words and it makes it tough to leave. My boss sent me off on Wednesday and I saw Worth for the last time in a while today. Tomorrow at 5pm I am going to be one downtrodden ex-Newaygo Co prosecutor.

Packing continues as does my travel planning. My wife is working like a dog god bless her heart. She gets going and I get out of the way. I started the packing and it seems like she is finishing. There are so many boxes and garbage bags filled with clothes that it is very difficult to navigate.

I am looking to leave very early on Tuesday like 6 am. I really want to make Sioux Falls but might settle on Sioux City. I have a place to crash in Billings, MT on the second day but am unsure if I can make it. I'll be driving a big truck with Melissa tailgating behind in the Fusion. I hope traffic in Chicago is flowing. After that it's farmland in Illinois and Iowa. Des Moines has some traffic but it is nothing like Chicago.

I may post a few more times before the move but my computer access may be more limited. I'll be at my parents starting Sat night and my kid sister tends to hog the computer there.

To everyone stay fresh

El Feaze Shabazz

Last Wednesday Docket

Well today I represented DHS for the last time in court. I've been doing it for 3 years and it has had its highs and lows. Been quite the experience. I've learned a lot by representing the social workers as they go about their business of trying to repair families. Met some good people and some people I could care less if I ever see again. The most hilarious thing I've seen working for Newaygo Co. is the presence of anti-DHS protesters in the parking lot on Wednesdays. The main protesters are angry at DHS for a matter that is public record but will not be discussed here and another protester has all of her kids in foster care (deservedly so in my opinion but I won't go into details here) and for some reason feels oppressed. They march around with their signs and all I can do is shake my head.

The office had its going away pot luck for me today. There goes my diet. My triglyceride level is probably Cass Elliot-level right now but not quite Biggie Smalls. Lots of good food. My boss gave me a good recipe for blueberry pie that I may attempt when I first get to Yakima. It'll be semi-bachelorhood until Mel and Steph get there in the middle of August. I plan exploring the area some. Mt. Ranier is close as is the Pacific Coast. Some hiking in the wilderness may do the body good. It was tough realizing that I have 2 days left. I could not wait to leave J. Black & Assoc. This job I leave with much more reluctance. I work with some good people and the office laughs at all of my stupid jokes.

Packing is moving along. Mel bought some boxes today and it looks like the spare room is pretty much packed. Moving is such a pain in the ass. The truck gets loaded on Sat, Sun is libationfest in Hartland and Mon is the chill day before Tues arrives. I'm leaving at the butt crack of dawn. No messing around on the "Journey of Epic Proportions". Drive hard miles during the day, find a cheap motel that will allow the fuzzy dynamic duo, with a libation station nearby to chill. I should get to Pasco on 7-4-08.

Oh yeah, I should label the pics that I post on this blog. The first one is a pic of the Yakima River flowing through a canyon. The 2nd one is of the Grand Haven Lighthouse on Lake Michigan. The third is of Mt. Adams looking from the westside of the Cascades. And this one speaks for itself.

El Feaze Shabazz

I HATE PACKING!!!

Trying to get things packed up but I need my wife here to verify what she wants packed, what goes to the Goodwill and what goes into the trash. I know what to do with my stuff. Her stuff and my daughters is another matter. Saturday is the big move day and Tuesday I leave for Washington.

Next To Last Weekend

My brother Scott came out this weekend. I lost my trial Friday, which kind of floored me because the guy admitted to wrongdoing but alas juries never really want to punish someone. Always my curse when I try a case that the person is sympathetic enough where the jury thinks they learned their lesson and will not make the same mistake twice. C'est la vie. There will be other cases.

My brother arrived Friday night with a 12 pack of Yuengling, which made me happy because I was in dire need of libation after doing legal battle all day. Sat night we all went to Pints and Quarts where I proceeded to eat like Oprah and enjoy even more gigantic libations. Sunday I packed my daughter's toys up and my DVDs and books. I made some kind of dent but ran out of boxes and the only place I know of that sells boxes was closed.

I think my wife found us a place to live in Yakima. Her mom checked it out and said it was nice. It's a little bit more than I pay now but is a duplex with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with a private yard so the fruit of my loins can run around like a banshee.

This week marks my last week at my office. I cannot coast through it. I owe it to the people I work with to keep it going...not to mail it in. Next Sat and Sun are going to be hell, especially with the fact that I experience hauling a car behind a truck for the first time. I'm crashing at my parents Sun and Mon and Tuesday I'm like the wind. Granholm can kiss my ass. MI will no longer suck the life out of me. It's WA's turn now. The government will still be the tapeworm in my intestines but it will not be getting quite as much nourishment off of me.

The Headaches of Moving

My wife and I had planned all along to pay movers like Atlas Van Lines to do the moving. Well we got our quote and were not happy at all. $5500 to move our junk! So screw that...we're getting a moving truck and I'm hauling all of our crap cross-country with a car hauler attached to the back end of the truck. Saves me $2500 which I can spend on something more noble and noteworthy like exotic microbrewed beer and XBox 360's.

Did my next to last juvenile docket today. Lots of wayward kids on the road to personal unhappiness. I get DHS for the last time next week. I've enjoyed being their hawker for the past 3 years but alas it is time to move on. My felony trial on Friday looks like it is going. Going to be an entertaining day let me tell you.

My brother Scott is coming out this weekend for some R & R. I think we might hit up Duck Lake State Park if the weather holds. Steph will like that. West Michigan is gorgeous during the Spring/Summer/Fall. It's January and February that make me curse moving to this side of the state. If I hear some jolly weatherman waxing his own knob to "Lake Effect Snow Showers" one more time I am going to scream and be admitted to New Focus for psychiatric treatment.

On top of all of the moving malarkey I also have an exit interview on Tuesday where I can tell them that they need to make it so salaries don't stagnate. I like my job but financially it is no longer feasible. One of the many reasons for the move. Another being that the wife and I want to have another child and it's easier to do it by her family than mine especially if she is on complete bed rest.

I will keep the curious masses informed of the packing and the move. Looks like I leave July 1 for the West.

Peace

El Feaze Shabazz

Leaving Here

Well in less than 2 weeks I am headed back to Washington. I have obtained employment in Yakima doing what I am doing now, just in a different state. I could not pass the job up-more chance for advancement, actually get raises every year, benefits that top what I have now, and scenic beauty that is unparalleled. Michigan has its beautiful places especially the Upper Peninsula and the Lake Michigan shoreline and is green everywhere but nothing beats gigantic mountains and canyons and what not. My sister is riding out with me along with 2 cats. The goal the first day is S. Dakota and the second day I hope to make it to Montana then on to the Evergreen State.

I leave my current job with a heavy heart. I enjoyed working there and the people I work with. My boss was fair and I learned a lot working for her but alas it is time to move along. Michigan has gone down the tubes economically and it has not yet bottomed out. Our esteemed governor is going to have to jack taxes up again to cover her spending (or paying off votes for the unproductive class that feed off the taxpayers.) Michigan is my home state but its leaders need to pull their heads out of their behinds. The governor is a carpetbagger who has no business being the governor of a rustbelt state. The mayor of the largest city is facing I think 8 or 9 criminal charges and runs the city like a 3rd world dictator. One of the senators' husbands got busted getting the knobbage from a call girl. The state legislature is dysfunctional with the Republicans not having the intestinal fortitude to act like conservatives and the Democrats being good socialists and trying to tax the productive class into oblivion to pay for their client class. Washington has its share of problems but not quite the taxes of Michigan. Plus the legal job market is barren in MI. No is really hiring what I do.

I have less than 2 weeks at my job left. Friday I have a felony trial and next Friday I have misdemeanor jury trials. Then I'm done. Kind of surreal. Plus the wife and I have to pack and make ready. Going to be a hectic next 2 weeks.

Keep you all posted.

El Feaze Shabazz