civic duty completed

So I have completed my civic duty. Jury duty is over. I spent a long day sitting in a big room. 24 people and I were chosen as potential jurors but never made it to voir dire.

I can just see the attorney now, "There are 25 really tired and cranky people up there who have been sitting in uncomfortable Naugahyde chairs since 8 am. Let's settle this now, because you don't want me dragging their tired asses down here at 3:30." I assume that this plea was successful and that the case was pleaded out. At 3:30 the 25 of us were the last to be dismissed.

Here are the top ten FIVE things I have learned about life and about jury duty:

1. Take that lesson you have learned from special ed and KNOW WHEN TO ENGAGE and when NOT TO! This can be very important when the belching, personal space invading, woman(?) sits next to you and tries to explain the economic crisis to you by reading the subtitles aloud for everything on CNN...all morning long.

2. In Fulton County you are no longer needed for jury service if you are 70 or older. You can be president, but you are not qualified to sit in a big room with 300 people. I say, let's fill the room with retiree's-- they have lots of wisdom and lots of time. And, in my dad's case, lots of opinions--ilyt!

3. Suggest to your lawyer friends that they really need to install a mini cam in the waiting room. Who needs voir dire when you can see/hear what people are really like.

4. Everyone else's life is way more important than yours. They will not stop talking about how important they are and how much this is wasting "their" precious time. You and the 298 other people in the room can sit there...

5. I would suggest that lawyers examine the items potential jurors bring with them-- who comes to jury duty sit in a big room WITH ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?? No book? Newspaper? Crackberry? Comic book? Is this the person you want deciding your fate? You know you are going to have to sit there for a long time... come prepared.

I should really sit here and work on 5 more, but Rhett has gone to bed and thinks I am placing my blog before him...

My lesson for the day, I am glad that I answered the call. As I was headed out to lunch the bells were ringing at the Shrine. Who else gets such a personal invitation to Mass? It was nice, a much better way to spend 1/2 my lunch break. I don't get to daily Mass much now that I am working.

I had forgotten it was the feast day of the Archangels. Even better.

St. Michael, pray for us!

Off to bed!