03 March 2008

Jury Duty, Day One

The court released us early today (hooray!), so I'm home at 2:30 p.m. It was a very unexciting morning. Showed up, took the jury oaths, watched a very school-like "Jury Duty rah-rah-rah" video... then went back to the jury lounge, where I waited the morning away.

Apparently there were three potential cases, but none required juries - so we were released at noon. I took advantage of the nice day and walked down Benefit Street, admiring the buildings of Old Providence & the lower part of Brown University campus, grabbed lunch on Wickenden Street again... and then walked downtown, past the canals, to the bus stop.

The court gave us the choice of either free parking validation or RIPTA bus vouchers. I took the latter. Bus ride home was relatively quick. Drops me off a block from the house. Not bad.

The one good thing about jury duty? I got a decent amount of draft writing done. About six pages in my notebook longhand. :)

I do have to report again tomorrow - service is a mandatory two days here in Rhode Island. Apparently until only a few years ago, it was a mandatory two WEEKS. Eep!

At least it's better than my experience in Boston for Grand Jury... I was quite thankful to see seats in a room, rather than the floor in a hallway I got in Boston several years ago.

So I have the rest of the afternoon to get stuff done. Was feeling a bit bleh yesterday, so I'll try to catch up on some stuff today to make me feel like I didn't completely blow the weekend away.

Whee.

Tomorrow morning? I vote in the primaries. Then back to the court. Armed with little writing projects to do.