That seems to be the motto for jury duty. I had to report to the District Court last Wednesday for jury duty, at 7:30 in the morning. So I had to be up at 5am to leave by 6 for the hour's drive to Columbus. Yuck. Fortunately, I had no problems finding the parking garage, and as there was a group of other potential jurors arriving the same time, I just followed them to the courthouse. There, it took three hours to get everyone checked in and all the paperwork figured out. We finally had to line up by juror number and then headed upstairs to the courtroom. There, it took another hour for them to figure out how to get all of us in there (talk about musical chairs!) Once we were all settled, then the proceedings began - we learned the basics of the trial, were asked if any of us knew the defendant or any of the lawyers, and were asked to explain why we felt we couldn't serve on this case (it is supposed to go 4-5 weeks). Then the judge announced who was excused, and those of us who were, got to leave. I was excused for this trial, as it would be a financial hardship (I don't get any paid time off in my current job) but still have to be available for the rest of the month, calling every Saturday to see if I have to report.

I would love to serve on a case sometime, but not until I get paid time off. I've always been interested in our judicial system. It was cool being in the courtroom - I've never been in one before and it kind of felt like a TV drama set! But the fact that it took 5 hours, and very little got accomplished - I can understand why it seems like nothing gets done in government! *laughs*