Jury Duty – October 7, 2009

It’s great to have jury duty today. A whole day to futz around with images I’d like to assemble into a book. Originally I thought I’d do a smaller scale square shaped book, but as I have a moment of focus to look at these things, I now realize a landscape will be necessary. How strange to be able to have this moment of quiet. Nobody needs me here, not at the moment, anyway.

I’m starting to get a headache. Rather, I’m starting to re-get the headache that was trying to break through this morning on my way to the courthouse. I believe “Meet the Parents” is playing on the screen across the room at the moment. I am in the “quiet” room, full of people with laptops and books, though there are a few people even writing with pens! Clickity clack-clack. What did we all do before text messages and personal computers? It is hard to imagine, though I do remember these times. They were good times. That’s what I did last time I came in. But today I had something in mind to work on so brought my little black MacBook with me. Oh the convenience of it all!

It is a relief not being able to connect to the interweb. I could, for the small fee of $5.95, but think I’ll save the money and do something other than waste hours and hours reading and writing emails, checking fuckbook, writing and reading blogs.

Baltimore city gave us all $15 cash, three five’s. If I had driven down here today, I would have spent the moolah on parking. Instead got a ride with my sweet husband and will stroll down to his job when it is over. Lunch is at 12:30, in about 45 minutes. I’m hungry now. My usual trail of uneaten toddler snacks is absent today. I almost got put on a jury for a traffic accident thing and resulting two-day trial. But didn’t. I’ll probably get called into another jury selection before the end of the day. But hopefully not.

The scariest part of today so far was the sound of chains jingling down the hallway as I sat for jury selection in one of the courtrooms. On my way in the courtroom I saw a young African-American man with hands and feet cuffed. I imagine the sound came from a group of  many more young men in the same state. The reality of the mistreatment of children in this city, the lack of decent education and safe schools to attend and safe neighborhoods, the abject poverty in which many of them exist, the broken families… much of it comes to this group of courthouses. Why isn’t helping out your fellow human considered a civic duty?

In conclusion:
Sitting in a downtown Baltimore courthouse today, waiting around to get called in for jury selection (I was never selected, which is fine by me), I had more time to myself than I have had in MONTHS, plus I MADE FIFTEEN BUCKS, which is all of the money I have made so far this year. Too bad it’s only once a year, though if it were more, I’d have to watch the horrific movie “You Have Mail”, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks again, like I had to today. I was too tired after eating lunch not to watch. I believe they showed that movie, or maybe it was “Sleepless in Seattle” last year. Who cares. I just wanna know where my next fifteen dollars is gonna come from… it feels great to earn some money!