Work, work, work and more work

This week has been pretty hectic. I had my client in town, and an internal person new to my client's program, along w/a whole host of activities, dinners, meetings, etc. to attend and help coordinate. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy every minute of it, despite how mentally draining some of the events were. To be quite honest, though, I even enjoyed the brain-zapping mediation sessions, and no, I'm not a masochist. I just really, REALLY like what I do for a living-not in the way becoming a doctor would have been emotionally and psychologically rewarding; we all know that I'm not changing the world by adjusting claims and managing a desk. This job has its definite challenges and it helps to be able to "think outside the box" and get creative sometimes. Anyone who knows me knows I love a challenge and love to argue, so part of the fun I find in my job is being able to discover a way around the challenge/obstacles to get to a final resolution. Plus, I relish putting events together and I'm never happier than when I'm socializing (particularly with clients/prospective clients).

After meetings the better part of Tuesday, and dinner with some of my client's local counsel (we went to Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse in the Quarter-yum!) Tuesday night, Wednesday was spent in mediation with my client and another one of their attorneys. Thankfully, the case settled at mediation-Hallelujah! That night, our attorney took us to dinner in the Uptown section of NOLA (nearby to where I live). Since my client is from out of town, she hadn't really spent much time Uptown, and being the walking encyclopedia that he is regarding all things New Orleans, our attorney made the night delightful! Dinner was had at Lilette off Magazine and I highly recommend you stop by if you're in the area. The sticky toffee pudding and Nutella custard was, in a word, orgasmic.

After we finished dinner, we had a quick nightcap at the Columns Hotel on St Charles Avenue. What a treat! SO beautiful. Thursday was also spent in mediation, on a case we were, unfortunately, unable to settle. Thankfully, the memories of dinner the night before stayed with all throughout the tedious next day. I took some pics at the hotel, a place I hadn't been before September 30, 2009.

Many thanks to Brian and Mark, and Matthew for dinner Tuesday and Wednesday nights, respectively. Additional thanks to Matthew for all the hard work this past week.