I thought I'd have an rare day off and to myself on Tuesday. I moved my clients to another day because I was scheduled for jury duty, with instructions to phone this evening to see if I and the group I was placed in was needed. I did not expect it would be. I made plans to write, relax, catch up, take Stella to the park, maybe even finish these damn "08 taxes that should have been done last January..
But NO, I have jury duty. I will show up at a courthouse 25 miles away tomorrow morning at 8 AM and do my civic duty. If I am assigned to a case that goes more than one day, I will sulk. And please don't give me a serious case like murder two: I'm not in the mood.
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When my beloved daughter Jessica was just 18 years old, not a month out of high school, she was called for jury duty. She was indeed assigned to a murder 2 or was it manslaughter case: a young man with no prior record who was present when his friend pushed someone out of a moving van after snatching his wallet. Jessica came home crying her heart out because she did not know a guilty pleas would mean a mandatory five year sentence for being an accessory. She said the young man's mother was in the courtroom sobbing. She also said the names and addresses of all the jurors was leisurely left on one of the courtroom tables, and she did not sleep by herself for almost a year after that. She was only 18, too young for this experience.
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And then there's me. I've managed to wiggle out of two prior jury pools, but this time I have no good excuse. I could say I need to prune my garden. Write a chapter about true love gone bad. Exercise my dog. Pay bills. Catch up on my rest. I could say I need to replenish my soul. I could even say I think I have swine flu symptoms.
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Instead, I will walk into the county courthouse and try to utter not one complaint to my very expert complaining self. Tomorrow I'll be citizen kj instead. And if I get dismissed a half hour after I sign in: well, that would be just fine with me.
Yes, I've read this and I'm interested, but I can't get past Mr. Ryan doing his own hair. Adorable.
ReplyDeleteLove Renee xoxo
I'm crossing fingers you get dismissed. That way you'll have still done your duty and still have the day!
ReplyDeleteYes, Mr. Ryan is very distracting ☺
my dear renee, he is one cool dude!
ReplyDeletelori! you snuck in just now. thanks for crossing your fingers. i may need them again at some point for something bigger. just so you know... :)
ReplyDeletemy mr. ryan is quite a doll, really. he is exhausting non stop fun. i try to redo some of the things his parents teach him. like, we're at the beach and he looks at seaweed and says, "yuk, dirty". and i say, 'no ryan, yay, beautiful" i want to be that kind of grandmother, afterall...xoxo lori.
Ah, don't get me started on jury duty. There are no longer ANY valid reasons to be excused here.
ReplyDelete(well, other than old age dementia or other health problems documented by a doctor.)
Once I learned that being self employed would not excuse me,even though I was going to lose a week's work/pay,I decided I might as well try to enjoy the experience.Very educational.One thing I learned:
Any suspected felon (and all his buddies and relatives in the courtroom) were informed of the address of each juror,,,read out loud. I think that's very stupid, and needs to change!
I'd have sworn I left a comment on your previous post last night.
Well, maybe next jury summons I can plead dementia.
I wish you strenght and wisdom!
ReplyDeleteCould be anything from boring to shocking..........hope you will get a quick case
:-) and how did it go?
ReplyDeleteHope your day at the jury court runs as smooth as possible. It is so sad to know we have to do these for problems that happen in the world around us.
ReplyDeleteNo, your not allowed to complian especially while in court, lol!
Maybe rant and rave when you get home lol! Don't upset yourself.
Your poor daughter having to go through all this anguish for a year because someone left the addresses pen to see. Terrible!
I am glad she is over it now!
I have a very different attitude towards jury duty. Ergo I will keep quiet.
ReplyDeleteI hope all goes well for you
ReplyDeleteGood luck, my friend! If you're called, I imagine that there's a good reason for you to be on the jury ... if not, enjoy every moment of time to yourself, you deserve it! xo
ReplyDeletei have escaped this so far. eeeek, your daughter, that must have been horrendous to go through at 18. yes i agree with renee, that mr ryan is the 'bees knees'!
ReplyDeleteI have the best excuse of all when I get a notice to appear for jury duty.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a citizen!! I'm an alien, but a friendly one ;P
I thought they get our names from voting records. Uh, duh. You won't find me there, but that IS the main reason I should become a citizen. This country needs my vote :)
Now go and do your civic duty and don't whine (unless they DARE interefere with our week away!!!)
xoxo
Whatever will be - will be!
ReplyDeleteGood luck Citzen KJ Babes.
That should have read 'Citizen' but I was busy typing with one finger while sipping tea and scoffing a marmite sandwich!
ReplyDeleteI hope you brought a book to read while you wait. Most cases settle at the very last minute before going into court. I hope you get to go home early.
ReplyDeletekj, I really love that you told Ryan that. Our wise granmotherly words really do stay in these little peoples hearts. I remember so many times spent with my own granma and her words to me.
ReplyDeleteAnd its true about seaweed. I found out that there are over 100 different species on our beachs here in Southern California. I took a natural history class at our local college and one of our assignments was to collect 20 types,sorting,pressing,drying and labeling. The end result was beautiful. Like art!
Last time I was called for jury duty was during the worst part of my life...I got out of it quite nicely by having a full blown panic attack in the waiting room full of potential jurors. The saddest part was, I was crying all the way out of the court building and not one person asked if I was okay. I no longer have panic attacks.
ReplyDeleteI managed to dodge it for years because single parents with kids under 18 are exempt. Not so lucky now but I haven't been called yet thank goodness. Hopefully the defendant will think you look a bit 'shifty' and give you the shaft! Hahaa!
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me that jury duty can be either easy or gut wrenching...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Renee...Saw Mr Ryan and paused read a lil and then went and smiled again...
emily...HI......buddy...oh oh I brought ya jelli bellies mmmmmm...
xoxoxox
I had to do jury duty - one motor vehicle accident case and one drug charge. I was unimpressed with most of my fellow juror's reasoning skills.
ReplyDeletethanks every one. i was a juror today. it was interesting.
ReplyDelete