My Civic Duty

It is Tuesday and I have finished doing my civic duty. I served on jury duty for a total of 2 days and I didn't even get picked, well, sort of. My name was pulled out of the infamous metal box at about 4 yesterday afternoon but it was for a civil case and they were only going to need I think a total of seven or so. We went into the courtroom where the names were again thrown into another metal box and drawn out. Well, wouldn't you know it there were only two names not called, the other guy and myself. They proceeded to talk to the prospective jurors and one guy said he could not be objective on the case so he was booted back down to the jury pool. They drew one of the last two names and again I was left sitting. I ended up back in the jury pool. Today I again made my way downtown to the parking garage and hoofed it to the back entrance to spend the day in a chair waiting. They only called two jury groups all day long, I was not one of them. Finally, about 3:30 today we were released for good. YIPPEE!

I so wanted to get on a jury, to be a part of the process. Maybe I'll be called again. The two days was not time wasted for me though. I got to the middle of a book, finished a baby afghan and today got half-way through another one. (Check next post about a giveaway.) I also saw a few people I knew and got to visit with them. The first day though when I walked into the room I saw a sharply dressed black man sitting on a couch. I walked over to sit in the chair by him because I recognized him immediately. I asked him if he was the author and he said indeed he was, Mr. Clifton Taulbert. I have two of his books, "Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored" and "The Last Train North." They have been sitting on my very top shelf of books I want to keep forever. I've read them but it has been years. The first one has even been made into a movie. I was thrilled to meet him and for two days off and on we chatted. This morning before I left the house I went into my room and with something to knock the books off the high shelf and I took them with me for him to autograph, which he did. It was exciting to see his face when he opened Once Upon a Time and have him see it was a first edition. He commented that he didn't even have a first edition. I was a very happy girl right then. This afternoon he spent a few hours working on his laptop writing. I got to watch a published author actually write. When he was through he then shared with ME what he was doing. He was editing some pages of the next book he is writing and I was absolutely honored that he shared a bit with me. He even got a little teary recounting the story to me. OH MAN I WAS ON CLOUD NINE!!!!! Cool! Awesome! EGADS!!! The passion that he had telling me his story was so wonderful. These past two days were just perfect for me and not a waste at all.

On another note. For those who have not served jury duty in Tulsa County, don't listen to the ones who call the room a black dirty hole. It is not a nasty place at all. Granted there are parts of the room where the lighting could be, well, lightened but all in all the room was fine. And people, when you serve, remember you will be sitting for hours and days at a time. Don't get all bent out of shape because you are bored. You were warned! Bring something to do: read a book, crochet, crossword, sudoku, laptops, music, upload a movie on your IPOD. Don't just sit there and stare into space. Good Grief!

Update, update!

The news is in on Sis. She passed the stress test and can go home, just not for a few days while they get her coumodin leveled out right. She was in tears and begging to go home but it is best that she stay in the hospital. We DO NOT want another episode again. Thank you so very much EVERYONE for the well wishes for me and Sis. It meant so much to me. Thanks again.

To top off the day, I got yet another jury duty summons today. It has been 10 months since I was last called for municipal court. This summons is for district court. I know they can't call you again for a time period, but that may be for the one I already served on and not the district. You know I really don't mind at all serving but right now I just don't need it. I've got too many irons in the fire to squeeze it in. I'll call tomorrow and see what they say but if I have too I guess I have too.

Just a little note...ENOUGH Entertainment Tonight...I've had enough of the nightly stories about the octoplets and their mother. Yadda, yadda, yadda! I thought that show was the "entertainment" industry. Apparently not. They are perpetuating the story and keeping it in the limelight which is exactly what she wants. She's a nut. I feel for the babies and her other children being brought into the forefront of the world like that. Okay, I'm stepping down off the soapbox.

Jury Duty

This morning I awoke to lightening, thunder and tons of rain. I had planned on going to Jazzercise but opted not too because of my itty-bitty car. I didn't want to float down the road instead of drive. I didn't sleep well as I was nervous about the whole process of Jury Duty this morning. It was only for municipal court and said one day or one trial so I knew it would be short. I am a nervous nellie when it comes to new and the unknown. I have driven downtown Tulsa before and I do it pretty well but since all of the construction I wasn't sure and I had never been in the courthouse before so I wasn't sure where to go exactly. The Hubby drove me there yesterday for a dry run which helped. Anyway, this morning I got ready and was nervously patting my foot at 7:30, waiting. I decided to go ahead and go to the office as it is on the way. WOW, the front drive at the shop had water almost up to the door last night. Sometimes it happens there, even to the point that we have had to get canoes out in the street for the buildings and houses behind. This area is the last place to have flood control in Tulsa but we are working on it. Back to the story...I got to the office and B was there answering the phone and filing. I sat and visited with her and made a couple of runs to the little girls room as my stomach was icky-nervous. Then it was time to find my way through 4-way stop signs, gravel and orange cones. It was pretty uneventful and even found the building with no problem but I can guarantee my blood pressure was up just from nerves. I entered the Jury Room and it was crammed with 42 potential jurors. We filled out a form, sat and waited, watched a video that was made in the 70's and waited. We watched television until the copier and television and Coke machine blew a fuse/breaker. I then finished off the book I was reading, did a crossword and Suduko. We then had our names drawn out of a silver box that was shaken three times in between each name, it's law. The first 15 were the green juror tags, the second 15 were the blue juror tags and the last 12 were the pink juror tags, and that would be me. We sat some more and the maintenance man got the fuse/breaker thingy fixed just in time for me to catch David Cook on Regis and Kelly (a plus in my book). Finally, about 9:30 the lady called for the green team to follow the court clerky person. We again sat till about 10 am then the blue team was called. This time they were sent home, don't come back. Another 30 minutes roll around and finally the pink ones, me, were sent home. That was quick. I am actually sad I didn't get to go to the jury thing and can't be called for two years. Bummer. Well, then I made my way out, after filling out a survey, to the parking garage. Found my car and then found the exit. I drove my car through a two post thinga-ma-bob-no-way-back and down a ramp then half-way down there were barracades and fresh concrete. Well! Since I couln't back up I had to take the next way out, over the concrete edge. My car went bump, bang, clang and then I was out and on my way home. So that my friends is my day at Jury Duty.