11:56 p.m. - Monday, Jan. 12, 2004
My day as Juror Number 15
Well first day of jury duty down, how many more to go???? Who knows� I might know if I had paid better attention to the judge when he dismissed us but I was in a hurry to get home to get Kay back to her chiropractor�s appointment. I know they said to call the thing and listen to the instructions for the general jury members, but I can�t seem to remember when they said to do that. OOPS!!! Don says they can arrest me. I hope not but I will call in the morning just in case to cover my cute little tail.
Jury duty is certainly an exercise in patients and durability! My patients were tested and tested time and time again throughout the day. First we sat there about 30 min after the time to report, of course I was very early in hopes of getting a parking spot close since it was raining this morning. Next the judge came in and gave us the spiel about who was what and where in the courtroom, and blah blah blah. Then we had a recess. As a child I remember recesses being much much more fun, that the ones we had today. Then it was on to picking a jury for a child sexual abuse case, of which I told him I couldn�t �set aside my feelings to render a decision based solely on the evidence.� You all should remember my theory of yesterday right?? In case you didn�t I believe that if people would just not break the laws we wouldn�t have to do this. GRRR!
It was a long drawn out process since there were so many excused me among them, to fill that jury. Next was my favorite part of Jury duty�. LUNCH!!!!! I called my sister and asked her if she wanted to do lunch she said great so we did Arby�s for lunch.. YUM!!!
OHH yeah I got yelled at today too!!! This lady could have been much nicer than what she was, after all it was just the first day of jury duty and it wasn�t like court was in session. I had my cell phone on during a recess with practically nobody in the room and the lady snapped at me �no cell phones in the courtroom.� I was trying to figure out who peed in her Wheeties this morning. OYY� So I go out to the hall being properly chastised for my indiscretion to where I see a big sign at the end of the hall on the wall that said no cell phones in the courtroom. Duhh,, ohh well so now I�m worried when this nice older gentleman in a red coat came down the hall and I asked him where it was ok to use them, he sorta just looked at me and said I don�t know, so I sat down on the bench in the hall and called my mailbox. I just really can�t abide by rude people. Yes I was breaking a rule but she didn�t have to be mean to me she could have asked me nicely or even told me nicely that cell phones weren�t allowed to be used in the courtroom if I would please step out into the hall area. She must not be a morning person.
After lunch we went back to pull another jury. This time the lawyer gave new meaning to �crusty old lawyer!� This man talked so slow and monotone, he leaned on the thing in the front of the court room and told us who he was and why he was there and what he wanted then asked about 5 questions to which it took about a min and half to spit each of them out. Not to mention the fact that if anyone had to answer him. OYY You know how when someone is having a hard time doing something you just want to help them out?? I was soo tense I wanted to help him talk. I didn�t make that one either it was a drunk driving case. I wouldn�t have had a problem with that one. They just drag it out sooo loooongggg. **humm kinda like this entry??**
It is now about 3:30 and they are taking over and hour and half to get these juries picked, I was supposed to get Kay off the bus and take her to her chiropractors appointment. This is where I got antsy they gave us a 15 min recess. At which time I called my mother in law and asked her to bring Kay to me at 5 so I could take her to her appointment. OHH by the way Kay is feeling much better now that he put her back back,, hehe! She has had some problem with sinuses and so I asked him to adjust her neck which he did.. ohh my I thought he was going to pull her head off. She said it felt much better on the way home. I hope this fixes it.
Anyway, the judge comes back and tells us that last case he was going to select a jury for wasn�t a case that got a jury that we were free to go, and it is the next part that I can�t remember. He told us to call the number but he didn�t say when. I called tonight and there was nothing on there about the general jury so I will call them in the morning and see just to make sure so they don�t send the cops after me.
While sitting in a room with so many other people being bored one tends to take notice of ordinary things. Like noses.. man there were some honking big noses in that room. This one guy�s nose was very long and straight like the nose they gave Steve Martin in Roxanne. The reason I was thinking of noses was mine was very dry and hurtful. The funny thing is everybody had water but us, the jury the ones getting next to nothing in the line of pay. The air was dry and man could I have used a drink every so often, but nooo the other people all had pitchers of water and cups. What a cruel taunt!
Ok so it wasn�t that bad, I think I might take that over spending the day ohh say getting a root canal. Hehe! Maybe someday I will look like someone they want on a jury and I will see something beyond the wooden chairs in the court room.
