Day 447

I got called for jury duty again today. I've received dozens of jury summons and spent countless hours sitting reading old magazines in the central jury pool room, but I've never actually been empaneled on a jury. I've made it as far as voir dire in several cases, but apparently, none of the lawyers questioning me liked what they saw. Nobody has ever told me why I am a perennial jury reject, but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I always list my occupation as writer. Both the prosecution and defense lawyers are looking for people that can be swayed by their arguments, and writers often have a reputation for having a mind of their own. Maybe there is another reason. All I know is that Janet is always picked to be on a jury and I am never picked.

Municipal Court, where I spent the day today, is an even bigger waste of time than the County and State courts. Most of the cases tried in Municipal Court are traffic violations and half the time the defendants and witnesses don't even show up. When they do bother to show up, they seldom want a jury trial anyway. The vast majority of people in these cases just take a plea bargain and pay a fine. There still needs to be a jury pool, just in case someone wants a jury trial, however. To make this all possible, 100 people spent the afternoon with me, watching Judge Joe Brown reruns on TV in the jury pool room. Kind of ironic if you ask me. You go downtown to do your civic duty and end up watching a TV show judge instead of a real one.

I have an appointment to take Dot to the vet tomorrow, but I think I'm going to take Dash instead. Dot has been slowing down as she gets older and I wanted to check her hips for signs of arthritis. Dot can wait another week though, because Dash is actually sick. He's been losing weight recently and I've seen some signs of blood in his stools. Hopefully, there is nothing seriously wrong with either dog.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day