Jury Duty

so, i drag myself out of bed at 8:00 am, after having slept only about 3 hours. insomnia, you know. shave, shower, etc, drive to the courthouse just before 9:00 am, groggy, grumpy, and ready to convict whatever poor bastard they put in front of me just so i can go back home.

go through the juror check-in, and am told to come back at 10:00 am, while the judge and attorneys finish some preliminary work. ok, i have time to get a cup of coffee, try to wake up a little. drink coffee, return to courthouse a little before 10.

and wait. and wait. and wait. 60 or so prospective jurors crowded into the lobby of our little courthouse, all getting more and more restless by the minute.

finally, after about 45 minutes of waiting, the doors open, and the bailiff tells all jurors to enter the courtroom and have a seat. we do so.

the judge waits till all are seated, and thanks us for showing up. he informs us that, ironically, this is National Juror Appreciation Week. we all laugh.

he then informs us that he is not our town's regular judge, that he drove over from the county seat to hear this case. unfortunately, he did not give the full 10 days notice required by law that it would be he, and not the regular judge, that would be hearing the case. he was disqualified from the trial, and we were all sent home.

all that for nothing, unless you count the fact that we all got credit for having served our jury time.

oh boy. i'm thrilled.

that's all for now.