I had my first experience as a potential juror this morning. After roll call, they proceeded to show a 30-min video about being a juror. Basically, it was a half hour of “people like you and me,” saying how fortunate they felt to have been chosen for a jury and further, what a rewarding experience it was. One guy was so happy at how they really worked around his schedule when calling him as well. I was seriously dying. Everyone else was so intent, but I lost it when they said:

Don’t be upset or discouraged if you are not chosen. It’s nothing personal, it just means you weren’t suited for this particular jury. You will likely get another chance.

Oh my…cue patriotic music. Of course, my first thought was “oh dear, however will I live if I don’t get picked? It’s just like choosing teams back in P.E….I never get picked…NEVER…” *cries* I’m pretty sure the video succeeded in making many of the other jurors feel moved and inspired, but I was just like “kill me now.”

So I know I can’t give too many details, but I started in the box, directly in front of the lawyer. The first lawyer was really bothering me, because it was completely apparent what she was trying to find out about us but she was trying to be clever and failing. Yeah, but when she compared “accidentally running a red light” to “accidentally doing/not doing something medically,” I just could take no more. I responded:

I think it’s a stretch to compare a medical condition to a red light. A red light is always visible, whereas something medical is not always so apparent. I can’t answer to the level of responsibility of a doctor running a red light.

hehe so I flustered her a bit and she started defending her analogy, which flagged an objection from the other lawyer, which the judge sustained. She continued, and the judge called her on it again. Minutes later a recess had to be called. Hey, I was just being honest, which I continued to do. My mom was telling me I should emphasize how I’m the sole source of income and such, but somehow I knew that just by being myself, my personality would pull through for me. umm for better or worse. I’m the type of person who would be very adamant about each side and continually question defenses for either one. I was in the first 3 to be excused. Just for the record, I wasn’t going to any extremes to be excused. The trial was only to last 2 more days, but I was just holding up to my oath and being straight with them :)

Completely unrelated, I’ve exchanged emails with the British guy. He typed “mum” and that made my day. He’s also gonna send me the photos from that night upon his return to London. My friend emailed me today saying she’d been told he also plays 10 instruments and is grade 6 level (apparently takes ~12 years to reach) at the piano. He also composes his own music. Argh, a musician who is not an asshole. This may prove there is a god and he’s getting back at me for “the prayer post.” Man, this is just so not cool. Maybe I will be forced to move to England to find a decent chap.

Oh yeah, the journalist I know down in Dallas just returned from his trip to the arctic circle. Check out his gallery. I recommend the slideshow. The captions are great.