it's 2pm

Guess who's home from jury duty? I been sprung, all y'all, and DO NOT, repeat do not, have to be on call for 14 more days. So, mollified, I can cease with the plans to become a Libertarian. Whew.

Let me tell you a couple things, which hopefully will be of use to you if you are among the .5% of the citizenry called for federal jury duty. (Real figure--they told us. We're speshul.) First of all, I could have brought my phone. They do not advertise the fact, but they will check your electronics in a lock box if you bring any to court. Secondly, you can smuggle them in, actually, because before we were brought up to the courtroom, our court officer told us, "If you somehow happened to have made it this far with your phone, make sure it is off!"

Oh, also? That federal courthouse is lovely. The juror waiting lounge, where they did provide us with a nice selection of beverages (your tax dollars at work!), was a glass walled atrium looking out at the harbor and Rowes Wharf. Very pretty and pleasant. The ladies room was equivalent to that of a nice hotel. And all the feds were very nice. Plus, they are going to send me a check for $40 + mileage to the courthouse.

The reason I got sprung is this. We were told they were impaneling 4 trials today, 1 criminal and 3 civil. The first group of jurors called to go to courtroom #1 comprised more than half the total jury pool. We all surmised correctly that this was the criminal trial. I was not in that group. Then we were told that two of the civil trials weren't happening, which meant there was a whole lot of us left to fill eight seats on that one civil trial. See how good this was looking for me? I believe I was juror #34 in my pool. They only got to juror #18 or so before filling the jury completely. The rest of us still had to go downstairs and wait for awhile to make sure the criminal case wasn't gonna need extra jurors, but eventually we were dismissed and told we are now free of jury obligation for the next three years, whether federal or state.

But now we come to the amusing part of our story. While waiting to be dismissed in the glass atrium, one of my fellow jurors struck up a conversation with me and ultimately ended up asking me out. For real. On a date. Huh. I must have forgotten to put my bitch face on this morning. Amazing. I made up a fictional boyfriend in order to turn him down, because I really was not in any way physically attracted or feeling any, y'know, sparks, but I have his card. He's like president of a company that makes a pretty well known food item***, so he's probably rich. (Plus, he totally got the joke about the book I chose to take with me, so at least I wouldn't have to be explaining "tutorial" to him, right?) I shoulda sucked it up and went out for lunch with him, huh? Sigh. This is yet another example of how I'll never get anywhere in life. But, seriously...who picks people up at jury duty? I am so sheltered.

***When he told me what it was and gave me his card, I said, "Oh! My dad used to use that." And he said, "But then...?" "Oh. But then he died. He didn't stop using your product specifically, he stopped using, y'know, all products." "It didn't kill him, did it?" "Not that I know of." Heh.

Okay! Now with the feds out of the way, I can plan on enjoying the rest of my month. Especially after Justin comes next weekend and fixes my yard.

xoxo