Everyone views the world differently. This past weekend, the weather was clear and sunny, albeit a bit brisk. To me, it was an extraordinary November. To others I passed on the street, however, it was the first “bad” day of the season. The difference of opinion did not end there. This morning, I headed into court, prepared for Monday morning motion mayhem. When I reached the correct floor, I spotted my opposing counsel over at the window, eyes pointed upward with a strange look on his face.
“I saw that movie, ‘Birdman,’ over the weekend,” he said. “It’s gotten great reviews, and all my friends loved it, but I didn’t get it.”
We then headed into the courtroom for the argument. My erstwhile opponent spent 15 minutes pontificating on the intricacies of the modern interpretation of feudal real estate law. I waited for him to finish, and then pointed out to the judge that this was a contract dispute about personal property, not real estate.
The judge glanced at his file and shook his head.
“No,” he said, “you’ve both missed the boat. I want you to each submit a three page letter brief on the effect of tenancies by the entireties. That’s the trigger point issue.”
As I walked back to my office, confused, I passed a chipper older gentleman who was dressed as Santa Claus. I know Christmas starts earlier than ever these days, but it’s still over two weeks before Thanksgiving. I wandered over to see what had compelled him to don the uniform a bit early, and saw that he was raising money for injured veterans. It was hard to argue.
“Never too early to start helping a good cause,” I said supportively.
He was also humming a catchy tune.
“What song is that?” I asked.
“It’s a new Christmas song, just out this year. It’s called “Colored Globes,” by the Architects, and the vocalist, June Ann D’Angelo, sings it perfectly. Haven’t heard it on the radio, but I found it on iTunes.”
“A bit early for a Christmas song, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Never too early to start humming a good song,” he said.
“Can’t agree there,” I said. “Christmas songs before turkey is just wrong.”
I got back to my office and found an email from my writing cohort, Spencer. He was apparently stuck in the Levison Towers elevator, and was passing time by emailing everyone he knew. I called him on his cell, but went straight to voice mail. I figured he was on the line with someone else. I later found out that was downloading “Colored Globes.” By the time we met up for a cocktail later in the day, he was unconsciously humming the same song.
“Can’t help it,” he said. “There’s something about a new Christmas song that makes me want to listen to it. So many are written, but so few actually survive the test of time – and I like the subtle bass line of this song. Imperceptible, yet there. Moving you forward, while warming the room.”
That night, I returned home around 8:30 p.m. I turned on my television, and saw that my recording of “The Good Wife” was still awaiting my viewing eyes. It’s a show about lawyers, politicians, judges, criminals, big takeovers, white collar crime, and everything you’d think I’d want to escape at the end of the day. Yet, the more I watched it, the more I wondered: Would I hold out to see if “Colored Globes” hit the radio, or would I download it myself ?
©2014 under analysis LLC. Under analysis is a syndicated column of the Levison Group. Charles Kramer is a principal of the St. Louis-based law firm, Riezman Berger, PC. Comments about this column can be sent c/o this newspaper or direct to comments@levisongroup.com.