I'm back in San Rafael tomorrow morning, so I drove down tonight. Stayed once again at the Novato Days Inn, and this time I wanted to be here early enough to see the first Harry Potter movie on my laptop, so I got here in time to eat at the motel's restaurant, the Garden Court. To my surprise it is a Chinese restaurant. I was going for the mango prawns, but ended up with honey & sour pork, which I recommend. Got a good Cabernet. Had to ask for tea, and was not offered chopsticks. The fortune cookie was individually sealed in plastic. My fortune said someone had said something good about me. Thanks, whoever you are. Dinner with tip $21.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was good on the laptop. I've got a 17" screen and the movie just drew me in on that sized screen. I'm in the midst of a Potterfest, last night saw Chamber of Secrets. Sorcerer's Stone is better. I'm working my way up to Thursday at the Garberville theater when I'll see the latest one. Two to go.

I've got an 8:30 Preliminary Hearing tomorrow, so I need to be awake for it. That means spending the night in Eureka. As usual I'm in the Townhouse Motel. Its not too fancy (but it does have wi-fi) but its really close to the courthouse so I can roll out of my room at 8:15 and be in court at 8:30. Priceless. And the owner-managers are really nice. So I invariably stay at the Townhouse (4th and K, opposite the jail) when in Eureka.

Staying in Eureka often means eating dinner in Eureka, and tonight it was the Ritz. I had Katsu Don (breaded pork cutlet with onions in a large bowl of rice) and an Australian Shiraz which was wonderful (That Sirah to us Americans, altho some say otherwise). The food at the Ritz is quite nice, the wines always good, the service quick and friendly. I'm a fan. Others in the family like it too. They get the sushi, but I like a dinner. Tonight I ate alone, alas.

On the way back to the Townhouse I saw a racoon eating something in a driveway. Nice to think that racoons can thrive in Eureka. Many businesses can not. Lot of vacant lots, vacant storefronts. The economy is shifting from "resource based" (ie fishing and logging) to something else. Maybe marijuana growing is resource based. But of course no one would say that Humboldt County's economy was bolstered largely by marijuana growing. Right?

I have several favorite Eureka restaurants. I almost went to Mazottis tonight, and will someday. The best meal I ever had in my life was one in a Eureka establishment. I leave it to you, dear reader, to guess which one - if I haven't already given it away in an earlier post.

Once again I was off to Ukiah for an early morning hearing. It was only going to last about 2 minutes, but I needed to be awake for those two minutes, so I went down the night before and slept at the Best Western there (used to go to the Economy Inn near the court but the internet has become essential to me now that I'm getting my legal research on-line, so its the BW for now.)

Before I left, an old friend was in town and we dined at the Mateel Cafe in Redway. I always feel comfortable there, in a way that is not true at any other of my fave eateries. Maybe its just that I've eaten there so often over the years. This time my friend was treating, and I went for it. I had the Ultimate Sirloin. It actually is not the ultimate sirloin offered usually because the specials board often has a more ultimate sirloin on it. But it was ultimate enough for me, and there was not a bite left to carry to Ukiah in a doggie bag either. Too good to leave any on the plate. My only error was drinking an ice tea so I'd be awake for the 90 minute drive to Ukiah. I was awake ok. Much of the night, and had that kind of sleep where you wake up tense checking the clock all night. I should never drink tea after 4pm.

I always expect to be adventureous at lunch, but I seldom am. This time, however, it was big time adventure. I don't know if you've seen Al's Redwood Room in Willits. I had a client who almost lived there for a couple of months. I'd walk in and ask the bartender if they'd seen Client recently and they'd always say No. Then I'd say, well, I'm Client's lawyer and I'm meeting Client here today. Then they'd recall Client, or Client would walk in. I thought it was a real kick meeting a client in a bar.

So I'm walking by thinking of going to the Loose Caboose, which is the regular lunch place for a lot of folks including the DAs. But as I passed Al's I noticed a new sign on the building, and a menu saying they have Thai food in the dining room. I like Thai food so I decided to give it a try. I had #62. It was great. I washed it down with a coke. If you're wondering, #62 is a lot of Thai seasoned meat on a bed of noodles and I recommend it. There were not a lot of us in Al's for lunch. Two, to be exact. But the word will get out....

Spent the night at home, at last. Really tired from the trip. I stayed awake until the knitters had arrived with desserts, had some sweet treats and so to bed.

I don't know what's happened. For years all the action seemed to be in Humboldt County. Eureka, the center of the foci of interest. Now, its Mendocino county's turn. You've probably been reading in this blog and Eric Kirk's about our various adventures in Ukiah. I've got a bunch of cases there now, and although he does a very different kind of law than do I, so does Eric it seems.

I know what's up with me. Mendocino had some of the most enlightened medical marijuana laws in the state until recently. Libertarian DA Norm Vroman died suddenly, and Sheriff Tony Craver who was also sensible about pot, retired. There followed a period of chaos in the DA's office which lasted months, and gave the elements of that office who favor more pot prosecutions enough light and water to allow them to grow. The result: the Sutherlin trial, which was the first medical marijuana trial EVER in Mendocino county. The jury acquitted on all charges in about 1 hour. Not a great way for the new DA to start her tenure in a county in which the public favors marijuana perhaps more than any other county in the state. THEN came the Parker trial - a second marijuana trial. My sources tell me that the jury hung on one defendant 11-1 for acquital on two counts after acquitting him on a 3rd. The other defendant also got a hung jury, but 10-2 for conviction. But to a defense attorney a hang is as good as an acquittal, considering the alternative. Will the new DA go back and try this case again? Surely one of these defendants is out of the case, but the other? I would think 10-2 is tempting.

More about the Sheriff's new plan, Supervisor Pinches new plan, plans for medical marijuana everywhere.

Patrona was closed, again. They are closed Sunday and Monday, the two days this week that I am in Ukiah at evening time. So, I've been to the Thai restaurant, now what to do for dinner? I Google Ukiah Restaurants & get to a site with reviews of some of them. There is an Italian Place with good reviews so I drive there. Out of business, under new management, new name, new menu. I gave it a skip. People around the courthouse have been favorable about Oco Time, a Japanese place on a side street one block south of Schats (who also don't serve dinners on Sunday and Monday). It looks great, lots of sushi rolls. It probably is great, but its not large and all the places were taken. But, two doors down is their take-out store. I went there and got a chicken bowl and a large container of miso, and a bottle of water (too late for tea, or other caffinated drinks). Right outside on the sidewalk was a table with two chairs, and that's where I ate. Great view of the side street intersection with the main street - looked kind of Hopperesque. Temperature falling to reasonable levels, a very pleasant evening. Hardly anyone walking on the sidewalk so I was undisturbed, and enjoyed the meal very much. Cost $10.