Dissecting Depositions

Today I sat in on my first deposition. It's interesting stuff. It ran for about 3 hours, and opposing counsel wasn't an asshole - he was pretty congenial. But then, they try to make you feel comfortable, like they're your friend, so you'll just open up and give them what they want. Whatever works, right? It's a chess game at its very essence. Phraseology is critical, and little nuances can be the death of your case. My boss says that cases aren't won in depositions, but they can be lost in them. I hope we didn't lose today; it's an iffy thing, and sometimes I wonder if we gave him enough rope to hang us. The client did well generally, but in some areas it was like she wasn't listening to the question. It's never safe to assume anything, and if you don't remember, just say so - don't make stuff up. It can and will be used against you at a later date, if they catch it. Right now, I'm just worried about surviving the summary judgment motion. I'm exhausted - it's amazing how tiring these things are. I just got home not too long ago, had dinner, and am ready to knock out! No ballroom tonight... also no soccer! Rained out. Thank God, because I'm draggin'. Tomorrow I am getting together with my small group from church to do a service project. We'll be going to Fort Belvoir USO to stuff care packages for the soldiers. I need to go in to work in the afternoon, and then work on getting my bike trainer. The evening is kinda free, I might go to an 80s party with this group that I found over CL called MEETinDC. I play chess on occasion with MiDC's chess subgroup. We had a chess happy hour last night that was cool. The folks are nice, and there is no pressure. It's not a pick-up type of scene, just a good way to meet new people and make friends. On Sunday, I am riding with a MiDC group that will be bike riding the Mount Vernon trail. I hope we'll be going south, past mile 10 - I'm way too familiar with miles 10-18 already. :) One of these days I will make the complete round trip to Mount Vernon and back. 36 miles... I can handle that! ;) I think I'm going to do my hair and get some sleep. Later, y'all.