DiBartolomeo Law Offices Sep 2017

Makin’ It Better NEWSLETTER

September 2017

Oregon Workers’ Compensation | Personal Injury | Social Security Disability

1139 Exchange St. Astoria, OR 97103 • 503-325-8600 • JoeDiBartolomeo.com

BUILDING A BAKING EMPIRE

One Step at a Time

Baking is a creative outlet for Aleesha Nedd, who recently settled in at 818 Commercial in Astoria to offer her scones, crumb cakes, and other treats. Her journey from a pop-up bakery to a brick-and-mortar enterprise is a classic example of balancing risk and thoughtful planning when setting out on a new business venture. Friends and family encouraged Aleesha to share her creative passion with others, and she did, making a conscious choice to move forward incrementally. She calls it “dipping my toes in the water.” While baking for Coffee Girl on Astoria’s 39th Street Pier, Aleesha nourished her creativity and developed a pop-up bakery. If you bake it, they will come, but you also must spread the word. To do that, Aleesha used Facebook and Instagram to tell her followers when and where she would be “popping up” to sell her baked goods. The momentum drove Aleesha to apply her creative force to custom-order cakes, and soon after, it was time to take the next step. “It got to the point where I needed to showcase my own goods and provide a pickup point for my custom orders.” At her new storefront, Aleesha now offers

everything from brie and fig scones to orange-chocolate brownies. She set her store hours from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., but due to early sellouts, she’s keeping her doors open until noon. When Aleesha and I talked about her new adventure, we covered important topics, like her favorite offering. It’s the lemon cookie bar, which is a cross between a lemon cookie bar and cupcake frosting. We also covered scones. Scones, Aleesha explains, are like a biscuit, but more complex. We both agreed scones should not be too sweet, and offerings should include the savory. Why name her bakery “The Naked Lemon?” When she reached for a lemon wedge to include with an order of lox and bagels at Coffee Girl, Aleesha could only find a zested lemon (no skin). She called it a naked lemon, and it stuck. Aleesha’s creative quest continues. On a recent trip to New York City, she explored the wide range of bakeries, from the modern offerings to the decades-old bagel shops.

Aleesha Nedd

Aleesha needs about a week’s advanced notice for a custom cake; and for large parties, like weddings, she will need up to a month.

Check out Aleesha’s Facebook Page and her website, nakedlemonastoria.com.

-Joe Di Bartolomeo

The Di Bartolomeo Law Office, P.C. 1139 Exchange Street | Astoria, Oregon | 503-325-8600 | www.joedibartolomeo.com

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Put ‘Positive Thinking’ to Bed Why This Way of Thought Isn’t What It’s Cracked Up to Be

Can the power of positive thinking change your life? Bookstores brim with self-help books written with the intent of guiding readers toward positive thinking and countless websites claim to do the same. Over the years, an industry has developed from our desire to be happy. But what is positive thinking? Do a quick web search and you’ll find an unending list of websites offering slightly different perspectives. Essentially, it’s shutting out negative thoughts and, generally, negativity “intruding” on your life. One website, tinybuddha.com, says, “Negative thoughts drain you of energy and keep you from being in the present moment. The more you give in to your negative thoughts, the stronger they become.” This sentiment is ironic considering the Buddhist philosophy of detachment (or non-attachment) suggests that one should let negative thoughts and emotions enter the mind, but not dwell on them, so they pass with the moment. Research into the subject agrees. In the 1960s, researchers Two of our clients recently concluded their claims through an alternative dispute resolution tool known as mediation. Mediation is not new. It gained prominence in the late 1980s as an alternative to civil litigation. In a mediation, people involved in a dispute agree to engage a disinterested third party to help negotiate a settlement. And it’s not limited to injury claims or contract disputes. Courts often require mediation to sort out child custody and support issues during a divorce. Mediation’s popularity boomed during the 1990s, and at one point, some attorneys argued that it was overutilized. Certain cases were straightforward and two competent attorneys could discuss the case rationally to resolve a case, they argued. Relying too much on mediation atrophies negotiating skills and can encourage avoiding that heart-to-heart discussion every client deserves. How much people use mediation has leveled out over the years. We consider it one tool to reach for, but only when it’s the right one for the job.

studied grief — or the lack of it. When people attempted to suppress grief, it took them longer to recover from what caused the grief in the first place. Consider the words of Bob Ross: “[You] absolutely have to have dark in order to have light. Gotta have opposites, dark and light. It’s like in life, gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come.” Life is full of ups and downs — positives and negatives. To ignore one in favor of the other does a disservice to the human condition. In reality, the biggest factor at play when it comes to positive or negative thinking may be stress. Stress is known to come with its fair share of negative consequences. Stress can influence overall health, both mentally and physically. If you are under a significant amount of stress, chances are you are not in a good mood and, by extension, are thinking negative thoughts. And this presents another problem with the philosophy of positive thinking. Anne

Harrington, Franklin L. Ford Professor of the History of Science and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard, and author of “The Cure Within: A History of Mind- Body Medicine,” says, “It’s just as stressful to keep up a performance of positivity as it is to [keep up] a bad mood. It’s very stressful to be inauthentically upbeat all the time.” So, what can you do? Let yourself think negative and positive thoughts. Don’t dwell on the negative, and let it run its course. Then, turn your attention to your sources of stress and do what you can to minimize them.

Mediation: One Tool to Consider

Our recent mediations included disputes over fault, or liability. Having the right mediator offer thoughts on this issue was helpful. Other times, the sticking point is coming up with some agreed-upon remedy or settlement figure. Some losses are more difficult to document, and mediation helps to educate each party while working to find common ground. Probably the most important step in mediation is selecting the mediator. State court judges that have achieved a form of semi-retired status known as “senior status” often work as mediators. Attorneys may

also work as mediators on cases involving certain disputes. But legal skill alone does not make an effective mediator. Mediators often find themselves in the middle of highly emotional disputes. This demands patience, the ability to listen, and a sense of timing. That all parties in a dispute agree on the mediator selection ensures fairness and a sense of good faith in trying to resolve a claim. Not all cases should be mediated, but it is something to consider when moving forward on a claim.

The Di Bartolomeo Law Office, P.C. 1139 Exchange Street | Astoria, Oregon | 503-325-8600 | www.joedibartolomeo.com

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Beginning in October, a new Oregon law allows police to pull over drivers not just for texting or talking on smartphones, but for any hands-on cellphone and electronic use. If you get caught a third time, you are looking at a criminal charge with up to a year in jail. Why such a steep penalty? Studies establish that texting and driving have the same impact on reaction time as driving drunk. Real-life statistics back this up. In 2016, traffic-related fatalities increased 58 percent from the previous three years. This increase occurred even with a decrease in drunk driving. Like all new laws, there were concerns. Some legislators pointed out that smartphones are only one cause of distracted driving, along with eating or changing the radio station. Some concerns led to exemptions. Here are a few things to know: • The law applies to any electronic device, not just a cellphone or smartphone. • You can still use a hands-free device. • There are exemptions for emergency calls and truck and bus drivers following federal rules

• Other exceptions exist for bus, utility, firetruck, and emergency drivers. Ham radio operators are also exempt. • The fines are steep, with an initial presumptive fine of $260. Fines may be suspended if the driver completes an approved distracted driving course. • Fines spike with a second offense or a first-time violation resulting in a car crash. A third offense is a crime. There are many ways to drive distracted, but almost everyone agrees that smartphone use is a huge contributor, and not just with younger people. Another study that employed sensor devices found that all drivers use their phones on 88 percent of their travels for an average of three minutes. The same study shows that stricter laws have positive impacts. Many say these scary findings justify moving more quickly to self-driving cars. Technology has come to the rescue to solve a problem created by, yes, technology. Hand-free systems are as inexpensive as $20. It might be time to check them out.

APPLE CIDER CHICKEN

Ingredients

• • • • • •

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• • • • •

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 bay leaves

½ Vidalia onion, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into ¼-inch wedges

1½ cups apple cider

Directions

1. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. 2. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, add to pan and sear until golden, about 4 minutes each side. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. 3. Add remaining butter, onion, apple, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Sauté until apple begins to get color and onions soften, about 6 minutes. Add flour and stir for 2–3 minutes. 4. Nestle chicken back into pan, add cider, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com

The Di Bartolomeo Law Office, P.C. 1139 Exchange Street | Astoria, Oregon | 503-325-8600 | www.joedibartolomeo.com

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1139 Exchange St. Astoria, OR 97103

What’s Inside

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Building a Baking Empire, One Step at a Time

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Put Positive Thinking to Bed Mediation: One Tool to Consider Oregon Gets Tough on Texting and Driving Apple Cider Chicken

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Our Tech vs. Star Wars Tech

Yeah, They Can Destroy Planets, but Where’s the LED? OUR TECH VS. STAR WARS TECH

The first time you watched Star Wars, you probably wanted nothing more than your very own lightsaber. Of course, you were probably a child, so it’s a good thing the lightsabers in our galaxy are collapsible and plastic. Many a mind was blown by tech in the 1977 Star Wars, and the upcoming “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” will certainly have its fair share of cool gadgetry. But in the 41 years since the former was released, Earthlings have come up with some technology that makes Star Wars gadgets seem — well, old school. Take R2-D2, a small robot that “beeps” and “boops” its way into our hearts. The droid carries around vital information in a credit card-sized >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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