- In the jury room prior to be selected for a panel, the clerk announced that only people who have vacation plans in the next 3 weeks can ask to be excused from consideration for this criminal case. Half of the jury room stood up and begged to be relieved. I was afraid that my guilty conscience would turn my face beet red if I told a fib about going on a week long Aruba trip.
- "Kelly, don't sneeze. Hold it. Where is that tissue?" A seriously quiet, packed courtroom is not a welcoming venue for a sneeze. I was afraid that I would belt out a truly unladylike one right at a crucial moment of testimony.
- "Every eye is staring at me. Can the court officer please escort me into the jury area?" The jury would assemble uncomfortably close to the gathering spot for both sides' families. I stared at the floor and counted the tiles.
- "Shift a little to the left and hide that stomach gurgle." Happened way too many times.
- "I can't believe that I don't get a cookie." I loved getting my huge chocolate chip cookie with my free lunch during those deliberation days. One day, they switched lunch places. I was sad to see my brown bag was cookie free on one of those intense deliberation days. You know how much I needed that cookie during all that drama!
- After one emotional day, I thought that I must have been some washed out sight to all those jurors. Forget about makeup at that point. I looked like I was slicing onions.
- Please never ask me to do another word search. I have had my fill.
- Attorneys love to repeat themselves over and over and over again. By 3 PM, I could anticipate each follow up question.
- Who would think that I could become a texting addict? When they took away my phone on each deliberation day, I craved the chance to text my kids to see how everyone was doing. I was always hoping that none of the boys were being pinned in some convoluted wrestling hold. Jillian would report on their antics when I returned.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
My mind, how it can roam...
Since I unloaded my serious side on you in my last post, I think it's time to share the lighter side of my jury duty. You all know that I couldn't help but make some observations to help make a funny blog post for you :) Look what was going on in my little mind as I sat and sat and sat.
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17 comments:
It sounds like you tired to use a good approach to it all. Congrats on doing you publice duty,, lol
It sounds like you TRIED.... one day i might leard to type..
What a good idea, little notes for a blog post. I enjoyed this. I hope you are rested and feeling a little better.
Oh I would have cried if I was expecting a cookie and didn't get one. That is criminal. I'll bet it was so hard to wonder what was going on at home while sitting somewhere else without being allowed to use the phone. I honestly think that would be one of the worst points for me. Thanks for sharing more of this experience! Love you!
No cookie?? Oh, now that is a true tragedy!! I once was a nanny for a dr and his wife and 4 kids. I went with them for a week on vacation to Aspen- yeah, what was I thinking... but we stayed at the Ritz Carlton on the club floor. My one sweet shining moment of the hectic day, was the cookies they set out at bedtime. I would tiptoe out of the room and grab a handful and bring them back to the room every night- pure bliss!
Loved hearing all your thoughts! And I would hug you right back you know :)
That was quite the visual of you looking like you'd just sliced onions. Wish I could give you a hug! Glad it is over. :O)
No cookie? That's terrible. If ever you needed some chocolate, this was it!
That isn't right to take away your cookie! That is a miscarriage of justice too! Glad you were able to find some light moments in this rather upsetting experience.
Takecare Dear :) :)
So you're back in the hectic everyday routine. I bet it is a welcome change!
I hear you on the tummy rumblings - this happens to me all the time.
Some of the deliberation stuff sounds like torture. Go have an extra cookie for the one your were shorted.
All in all, it sounds like such an experience. When I read your last post I was glad we don't have to do jury duty here. But when I read about that daily choc chip cookie I almost wished we could! You will definitely have to write a book using your jury duty as a sub-plot! :)
Judy (South Africa)
Actually Kelly, I almost feel a little put out that I've never been asked to do jury service:)
I sense that normality is quickly creeping back and pretty soon we'll have you back and firing on all cylinders with your warmth and humour.
Well you didn't lie out of doing a public duty, I wonder how those people who did feel to day.
You can hold your head up high.
Yvonne,
I was laughing about the sneeze and the stomach gurgle! The quiet can be really uncomfortable!
I like your light hearted side. Jury duty is not a fun task we look forward to, but you managed to look on the bright side. You are such an optimist.
Wow. That's lots of thoughts there. Having never been on jury duty, I haven't had the experience of any of this... I can only imagine the intensity of it and the desire to keep myself invisible throughout it all. But the cookie? Yeah. Totally get it.
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