The “Eight Facts or Habits About Me” Viral Post
Here’s a post that will no doubt strike you as the height of self-absorption. Well, its a blog. What do you expect?
What do you want to know about me that you don’t know? If there’s anything you’re curious about, just ask. Within reason, I will answer most questions.
There’s a specific reason I’m doing this, by the way. Xrlq purports to tag me with one of those viral posts where you answer a question and then force other people to do the same:
The rules are simple: list eight habits or facts about yourself, then tag eight more people.
Here’s the thing. I’m lazy, so I’ll point out that I have already done this before, in a post where I was asked to discuss five things you don’t know about me. I don’t feel like repeating myself. So I’ll complete the assignment in this way: consult my earlier post for the first five. For the last three, ask me anything else you’d like to know about me. I won’t even stop at three more — I’ll answer as many questions as people ask. Uh . . . again, within reason.
As far as tagging other people, I don’t like doing that either. What I prefer is to take volunteers in the comments. That’s what I did last time — and I held open the promise of linking the posts of the volunteers. Except that I never did — until now. Sorry, guys!
So, from the Better Late Than Never category, here are the four previous volunteers who bothered to complete a post:
(aphrael volunteered for the fifth spot, but as far as I can tell, never delivered.)
The same deal goes for this latest viral post. The first eight volunteers to post their habits or facts and e-mail me a link will get linked. It may take six months — but I’ll do it eventually!
The winners are the first eight who e-mail me the link, regardless of who leaves a comment volunteering. So write those posts and send me those e-mails!
P.S. Just to show you that this latest thing is not All About Me, I also invite the commenters to ask things about each other that they want to know. Commenters are (obviously) free to answer or not answer, as they see fit. Consider it a huge get-to-know-each-other thread.
Mine is up. Anwynn tagged me at the same time as Xrlq.
nk (37689a) — 7/21/2007 @ 2:35 pmWho would play you in the movie version of “P A T T E R I C O” ? Who would your co-stars be?
Vermont Neighbor (95b069) — 7/21/2007 @ 4:47 pmObviously budget is no concern…
Two questions on the personal side:
1. Where did you meet your wife?
2. How are you able to get permission from your wife and kids to devote so much time to blogging and/or integrate this with your family life?
(And I honestly believe your blog makes the world a bit better place… of all the time I’ve “wasted” on the Internet, this has been the least harmful.)
😉
Christoph (8741c8) — 7/21/2007 @ 4:57 pmI met my wife in law school in 1990.
I try to do most of my blogging at night after the kids go to bed. Sometimes I do it if they’re watching a movie. But yes, I probably spend too much time on it.
Patterico (2a65a5) — 7/21/2007 @ 5:09 pmWho would play me in the movie?
I’m thinking Edward Norton. I like him — I think he’s smart and a good actor.
My co-stars? I’ll have to think about that one.
Patterico (2a65a5) — 7/21/2007 @ 5:10 pmraising children entails major financial outlay. you could make a helluva lot more money on the defense side with the skills and experience you picked up prosecuting. ever considered doing this? can you definitely rule it out, or is it an option for the future?
assistant devil's advocate (c3f1ce) — 7/21/2007 @ 5:15 pmI don’t see myself doing that, ada. It’s not that I am contemptuous of the defense bar, because I am not. But I don’t think it’s for me, personally.
Patterico (2a65a5) — 7/21/2007 @ 5:40 pmI was making a hell of a lot more money in a civil firm before I became a prosecutor — probably more than I’d make as a criminal defense lawyer.
Patterico (2a65a5) — 7/21/2007 @ 5:48 pmOf course, I don’t care about preventing crime. Just ask Phil!
Patterico (2a65a5) — 7/21/2007 @ 5:48 pmWhat career would you choose if you weren’t a lawyer?
DRJ (bea74b) — 7/21/2007 @ 5:49 pmLong time reader, first time commenter.
1) What successful prosecution are you most proud of, and why?
2) What one decision to prosecute (or not to prosecute) would you go back and change if you could, and why?
No names, of course, just fact patterns.
CT LEO, JD (f266f8) — 7/21/2007 @ 5:51 pmYou would know, but my unsolicited thought on it is maybe not. My theory is women love to compete for a man’s attention and by having another interest, it gives her something to compete against.
Sometimes she wins, sometimes she loses, but when she wins it’s all the sweeter.
Of course, the simpler explanation is she probably thinks it’s nice to have you out of her hair once in a while.
Christoph (8741c8) — 7/21/2007 @ 5:53 pmWhat career would you choose if you weren’t a lawyer?
My top career would definitely be rock star.
Seriously, if I had the talent for it, I’d be a musician of some sort. I write (well, used to write) rock songs, and have written a couple of classical pieces. I play piano and guitar. But I play badly. It’s not modesty, either. Trust me.
I suppose, realistically, I’d be some kind of writer. But I don’t know if I could pay the mortgage doing that . . .
Patterico (2a65a5) — 7/21/2007 @ 6:05 pmWhat is your dream car/truck/vehicle?
DRJ (bea74b) — 7/21/2007 @ 6:36 pmHaha. Ok. What questions would you consider off limits?
Andrew (38e211) — 7/21/2007 @ 6:38 pmCT LEO, JD,
That’s a very good question.
I’m not sure if I can answer it.
Maybe in very general terms.
I think the cases where a D.A. can be justifiably proud are the cases where you obtain a result another D.A. wouldn’t have. Some of those are convictions that are obtained because you did a particular thing another D.A. *might* not have done. Some of them are cases that were dismissed because you did investigation that another D.A. *might* not have done.
But in the vast majority of cases, I suspect that the results I have obtained have been roughly similar to the results another D.A. would obtain. There have been a few cases that fall into one of the categories above, where I did something a little special that *may* have resulted in an outcome different from what another D.A. might obtain. But I think that, while nearly every D.A. has similar cases and stories, they are the exception rather than the rule. And that’s as it should be.
And I’m reluctant to discuss specifics, even general fact patterns. One story leaps to mind. I may tell it some day. But it will be a few years before I do — if ever.
If I have a strength, I’d say it’s thinking of angles to get evidence. Some D.A.’s pride themselves on winning cases through force of personality. That’s not me. I try to gather together as much evidence as I can, and present it all clearly and logically.
That’s about as good an answer as I can give.
Patterico (9c7743) — 7/21/2007 @ 6:44 pmAndrew, I can’t say what’s off limits. Ask anything you want. I’ll know a question that’s off limits when I see it.
Generally, I have to be very careful about discussing work — especially after that Ceballos decision. But that’s just common sense. I have a sensitive position and can’t really discuss cases.
Look: a nasty leftist blogger who works in retail once passively-aggressively tried to get his readers to jeopardize my job because I noted a web page in a Google search that *he himself* had actively put together. (It didn’t work, but he wanted it to.) His suggestion was that my noting his web page was the same thing as running rap sheets to investigate other bloggers — an insane comparison. Other nasty leftist bloggers have suggested I’m unfit for my position because of my views on illegal immigration (I’m not talking about you, Phil, so don’t start with me). Now, if people can make things like *that* about my job, imagine what they’d do if I really talked about things that did affect my job.
But ask whatever you want. It’s my job to decide what to answer and what not to.
Patterico (2ff540) — 7/21/2007 @ 6:55 pmDRJ,
You’ll never meet anyone on the planet Earth who cares less what he drives than I do. I want it to get me from place to place, not break down, have air conditioning, and room enough for the family. I drive a 2000 Toyota Camry and plan to run it into the ground. (Before that, the only car I have ever owned was a 1993 Honda Accord. I had that until 2002, when my wife wanted a new car for herself. So I took her Camry because I liked driving it.) I never wash it and never clean it, although I do proper maintenance on it. I just don’t care about cars.
I wish I’d gotten a hybrid when they were still passing out those carpool stickers. Sooner or later I’ll be reassigned to downtown and will wish I could drive in the carpool lane.
Patterico (2ff540) — 7/21/2007 @ 7:00 pmThat’s a good answer. I have no further questions. 🙂
Andrew (588785) — 7/21/2007 @ 7:07 pmP.S. I wouldn’t worry about Ceballos. In that case, the question presented was whether the First Amendment protects a government employee from discipline based on speech made pursuant to the employee’s official duties. And as yet the State of California hasn’t required you to keep blogging, notwithstanding that your blog is becoming indispensable.
Andrew (9acd19) — 7/21/2007 @ 7:19 pmAndrew,
You’re right of course that pure blogging should not present a problem under Ceballos. But if you say things in public that an administration doesn’t like, you could all of a sudden find yourself punished for your job-related speech. I wrote several posts about Ceballos and understand the distinction, but I think it has the potential to be blurred. You’d understand better if I told the story I’m not telling. What I said is not *quite* as crazy as it appears.
Patterico (a2a16c) — 7/21/2007 @ 7:40 pmI drive a 2000 Toyota Camry and plan to run it into the ground.
We still have our 1999 Toyota Camry. They last forever.
DRJ (bea74b) — 7/21/2007 @ 7:54 pmI would like to know the “thing” or “source” you believe you rely upon when you have your moment(s) of doubt about the profession and job you have chosen. I’m talking about the times when the foundations of the system, as you understand it, are swept from beneath you – the times when you question the very purpose (outside of your family) of your existence.
When you have gone through such moments, is there some consistent thing or understanding that pulled you through? What was it?
Ed (f99d26) — 7/21/2007 @ 8:02 pmJust a comment on that passage. Yes, it’s true, in most cases another D.A. would have gotten the result… but that doesn’t make it less valuable.
The point is you did the work and if you hadn’t done it, it might not have gotten done. You should feel proud of that.
Christoph (8741c8) — 7/21/2007 @ 8:09 pmFair enough. How about these:
1) From your perspective of having to prosecute the cases investigated by police officers, what is it that sets the best investigators apart from those that are just really good?
2) What is it that police officers do (or don’t do) that makes a trial most difficult to win? (If you can answer that without calling out someone you will have to work with again!)
3) What are your favorite fiction and non-fiction books, and what book has had the most influence on who you have become?
CT LEO, JD (f266f8) — 7/21/2007 @ 8:25 pmlol@answers 7, 8 and 9, of course you have to be jedi all the way with steve cooley reading your blog every day; 10-15 years from now you’ll discover that sending at least two kids to college will cost more money than you’ve ever seen, but don’t worry, the sith is very patient and will cordially embrace you whenever you decide to cross over.
seconding the toyota owners. one of my little-known habits: every single new vehicle i have ever purchased has been a toyota truck. i’m on a 2001 tacoma 4×4 now and starting to think about the next one.
assistant devil's advocate (c3f1ce) — 7/21/2007 @ 10:16 pmWow, ada, I now respect your judgment: Toyota Truck.
Suhweet!
Christoph (8741c8) — 7/21/2007 @ 11:25 pm25:
Well, you didn’t ask me, but the best investigators tend to get people to want to talk to them, ask the right questions, prepare for defenses, and really care about results. They also are more than willing to work with the prosecution on things that may not seem facially important. And, they testify very well.
Things police can do that make things harder: Leaving major stuff out of reports. Whether those things tend to show guilt or innocence, it creates trouble to find out new things as one is going along.
Also, becoming combative with the defense attorney is a big no-no.
I’ll leave the books to our host.
(I note here that I have the exact same reaction as Pat as far as proud moments – sometimes I think of something or do something a little extra, and maybe it didn’t matter – but maybe it did. OTOH, I’m certain there are cases where someone else did something I might not have thought of, or I didn’t do something someone else woul have thought of. I’m highly motivated to avoid the latter, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Prosecutors in my area are a quite self-motivated group, and I suspect LADA is no different.)
–JRM, who cares only slightly more than Patterico about cars (and drives a crappier car than our host.)
JRM (355c21) — 7/22/2007 @ 11:34 amWhat are the economics of a moderately successful blog like yours? How much are your expenses? You don’t have many ads. Is this by choice or because the rates are too low to be worth the hassle or because your traffic is too low? Does anyone ever donate? You sometimes appear on radio programs and the like, is there any pay for this?
James B. Shearer (6806b1) — 7/22/2007 @ 2:08 pmGuys,
I’m headed out and may not have a chance to get to these questions, but there are some good ones. Stay tuned over the next couple of days. I will get to them, I promise.
The one about books is probably worth a post.
Patterico (2a65a5) — 7/22/2007 @ 2:16 pmJames,
I pay about $40 per month for hosting fees, and I’m so glad to be rid of Hosting Matters, I can’t even tell you.
I have no idea why ads have fallen off so precipitously. I think my prices are in line with other sites. But ever since BlogAds changed their format, I have received very few ads. I note that when I go to try to choose my blog from the Conservative Blogads network, I can’t even find it. This is a source of frustration, but I don’t do this for the money, so I haven’t spent much time trying to figure out what the problem is.
Aside from one very generous ($200) donation a few months back, I rarely get donations. I probably average less than $50 per year. My PayPal button is not very prominent.
In short, I used to cover my expenses and then some. Nowadays, not so much.
I have never received money for a radio appearance. When I published two pieces in the L.A. Times, I received $400 per piece. I gave the money to my sister, who at the time was not well off.
Patterico (e58936) — 7/22/2007 @ 2:56 pmCT LEO, JD:
From your perspective of having to prosecute the cases investigated by police officers, what is it that sets the best investigators apart from those that are just really good?
You didn’t ask, but let me start with what separates good ones from bad ones. It’s smarts and a willingness to work hard. Period. The good investigator gets things done without your having to ask. The bad one doesn’t do them even when you ask.
It makes a huge difference.
The very best have a way with people. They get confessions out of defendants because they know how to talk to them. (Incidentally, the best tactic is not to yell, but to convince the suspect that you understand why he did wha he did. A good investigator can plausibly tell a rapist and murderer of a little girl that it makes sense for him to have sodomized her. Then he leaves the room and hits the wall in frustration that such people exist. They can persuade witnesses to come to court — or if they won’t, persuade people to say where they are. They just have a knack for figuring out how to get people to cooperate.
What is it that police officers do (or donÂ’t do) that makes a trial most difficult to win? (If you can answer that without calling out someone you will have to work with again!)
See above.
Also, a cop with attitude will always hurt your case. A cop who thinks getting more evidence isn’t important will hurt your case. A cop who leaves important things out of the report will hurt your case.
Again, see above.
The question about books merits a post of its own.
Patterico (7010a8) — 7/22/2007 @ 3:06 pmWhat made you conservative? There is usually some event or series of events that someone can point to that makes them lean one way or the other. (I’ll answer this too if you will.)
Incidentally – I have a Toyota Tundra, ada and Chrisoph. I like them too.
Psyberian (9a155b) — 7/22/2007 @ 3:23 pmEd asks:
I would like to know the “thing” or “source” you believe you rely upon when you have your moment(s) of doubt about the profession and job you have chosen. IÂ’m talking about the times when the foundations of the system, as you understand it, are swept from beneath you – the times when you question the very purpose (outside of your family) of your existence.
When you have gone through such moments, is there some consistent thing or understanding that pulled you through? What was it?
I’m not entirely sure I know what you’re asking, but I’ll give it a shot.
I’m not religious in any conventional sense. I don’t believe in life after death, or the gods endorsed by the major religions. There seems to be some intelligence behind the universe, but it’s hard to classify. Is it alive? I can’t say. Whatever it might be, it doesn’t give me much solace. Most people would probably think of me as an agnostic.
But I’m not sure if that’s what you meant. You asked about my job, and something about whether I question the reason for my existence when it turns out badly.
I don’t. There are many aspects to my life besides my identity as a prosecutor. I am a blogger. I am a family man, a reader, a music lover. I like traveling and learning new languages.
I questioned the importance of my job after 9/11. I realized that in a great career I might vindicate the killing of a few dozen people, if that. What is that compared to the murder of 3000 people, and the need to prevent something worse?
The feeling passed, to some degree. What I do is important. But I’ve known the feeling.
I have also had terrible frustrations is my job. In L.A., witnesses are constantly intimidated. They fight coming to court out of fear. They change their testimony out of fear. It’s very frustrating. But it doesn’t cause me to question my existence. It just makes me want to be better, to rise to these challenges more effectively.
I don’t know if I’ve answered your question.
Patterico (c7da2f) — 7/22/2007 @ 3:24 pmWhat made me conservative? Great question.
I have a theory that most people adopt the political beliefs of their parents. It’s not true of everyone — see the example of left-leaning commenter steve, for example, who compares my beliefs to those of his dad — but I don’t suppose I’m immune.
Still, I have seriously held at times beliefs that many would consider left-leaning and that divert from my parents’ beliefs. I am for gay rights where they were not. I was at one time pro-choice; now I am conflicted.
My beliefs don’t come from a particular event, but from reading about, thinking about, and discussing various issues.
Patterico (435154) — 7/22/2007 @ 3:43 pmWhat made me liberal was going to a Church of Christ high school and seeing through all of the posturing and snobbery that I had to endure with my classmates. This was during the seventies and hippidom was finally making its rounds in my town. It made me question their entire conservative creed. I eventually noticed that the only authentic people I could talk to were the hippie group – so I joined them.
Now of course I don’t still have the same opinion as I did then: I’m not saying that I believe that all conservatives are inauthentic and are snobs. And I’m no longer a card-carrying member of the hippy-hood.
Psyberian (9a155b) — 7/22/2007 @ 4:02 pmMiracles and beauty and strength are not random. Although a person’s frame of mind and approach to life are the result of choice.
To think that God is not part of this equation… it’s impossible for me to accept. But it’s also important to respect those with differing opinions.
Vermont Neighbor (95b069) — 7/22/2007 @ 8:44 pmThanks for your answer. Yes, I was not going necessarily for a religion-based reply.
What is it, on a day when a scumbag is acquitted like that Jai-speaker, that keeps you coming back? Do you suspect there is a breaking point/ratio of such defeats to wins? Or are you so convicted that you are precisely at the place where you can do the most good with your life that you could lose all your cases and keep on keepin’ on?
Other than your family responsibilities, what do you see as your purpose?
Macro questions and perhaps not appropriate to this forum. Thanks again for your respect and your attention.
Ed (f99d26) — 7/22/2007 @ 10:53 pm“I have a theory that most people adopt the political beliefs of their parents”
-Patterico
I agree with that, to an extent, though I would add the caveat “if they had a good relationship with their parents”.
I have more respect for my father than I can put into words. Accordingly, our political beliefs are largely concordant. However, I think that the rule works both ways (i.e. a child who hates his father grows to hate the things his father stands for politically).
Obviously, I think that there are exceptions to this rule: I would hate to automatically imply bad blood between parents and children solely on the basis of divergent political opinion… but, for the most part, I think the theory makes sense. From what you’ve said in past posts, your own strong relationship with your father would certainly support this theory.
For what it’s worth, Patterico, I do differ with my family on several issues: I am “pro-life” (though the implication that the proponents of abortion are necessarily “anti-life”), and I am conflicted about “gay rights” in the sense that gay individuals have the same rights as anyone else (at least in America, where the fuss is the loudest). Gay people have civil unions, which (correct me if I’m wrong) afford them the same opportunities, legally and financially, as “marriage”. It seems to me as though an insistence upon what amounts to a change in title is petulant, designed to throw dirt in the faces of the political opposition, and nothing more.
My question is this:
What do you love about America?
Leviticus (3c2c59) — 7/23/2007 @ 9:50 am