The Other Shoe Dropped

As you know, my final court appearance was in December. I never did receive a bill for that month, which left me wondering, but I began to think that perhaps my attorney had decided to cut me a break. Nothing came in the mail in January, and then February came and went without a bill showing up. Well, that all changed yesterday. I received an e-mail from my attorney with an invoice attached for $1,584.00. That brings my total to $4,009.50. Talk about a kick in the teeth.

A New Year

I apologize for my long absence. As you know, I spent eight days in Mississippi over Christmas, during which time I saw some of you, and then the Blizzard of 2010 found me stranded in Atlanta for three nights. Luckily, my friend Michael was in town on business and shared his hotel room with me those first two nights, and my friend Pete was visiting his mother, who was kind enough to put me up my final night. I rang in the new year with Pete and his girlfriend at a dive bar in Williamsburg, and I have since managed to fully settle into my new apartment. With court now behind me, I look forward to my case being completely dismissed at the end of the year. I'd like to thank everyone again for your support throughout this ordeal. I take great solace in knowing I have so many good friends. With that, I'm signing off.

Vindication

It's finally over. A few days before my court date, my attorney informed me that the DA had decided to forego postponing the case until February and instead issue me what's called an ACD (Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal) on December 13 rather than waiting until February to do so. That was welcome news because it meant that I'd have this whole thing behind me before the end of the year and not have to go to court again. The ACD lasts for one year and is conditioned on my staying out of trouble for that period of time. At the end of one year, my case will be dismissed and sealed, and it will be, in essence, as if the arrest never existed. It's exactly what we were shooting for, and we got it. In the words of my attorney, I'm a free man.

The End Draws Nigh

Everything went as planned. More to come.

Back to Court

Here we go, folks. I'm headed back to court today for my second appearance before the judge. Wish me luck.

Come Monday

I haven't heard from my attorney, so I assume that everything is set to go as planned. I'll be in court at nine o'clock Monday morning. My lawyer ran a little late last time, and I was anxious as hell when they began calling defendants forward. I just knew I'd be called before he arrived, but little did I know that defendants aren't summoned before the judge until after your attorney signs in. Needless to say, I wouldn't have been sweating bullets if I'd known that. It turned out that he'd e-mailed me, giving me a heads-up that he'd be late; however, I didn't see the e-mail until after I'd left court.

Winter Blues

The winter solstice is two weeks away, but Old Man Winter has taken hold of the city. Looking out the window as the sky darkens, I sit here and listen to the wind whistling past the Flatiron. I woke up yesterday morning to the first snowflakes of the season, but they were gone as fast as they came. I spoke with my dad this morning, and he said that it might snow in Mississippi tonight. I'm hoping to escape the cold while I'm down there; however, I know firsthand that I may not be so lucky.