So close, yet so far away!

Today was my first-ever Jury Duty experience! All-in-all it was a pretty pleasant experience. I got to do lots of things that I really enjoy today. Read, find my way around downtown streets on foot, ride public transportation, and hang out with cool kids.

The morning started off with the bus ride. Why do buses always smell bad? Anyway, I found my way to the courthouse in plenty of time to begin my day of sitting. After watching a short video that totally inspires you to want to be a juror, they started the excuse/exemption part. It was kind of awkward to sit there and listen to all the reasons why people were unable to serve today and then the nice bailiff telling them that she was sorry but it wasn't a good enough reason. Then they started giving people court assignments. I'm not going to lie, I totally wanted to get picked for a jury. So the first couple pools of people lined up and left for their courtrooms. I had no idea how long this was supposed to go on for so I was pumped that my name was called in the fourth group. I felt like I made it to Hollywood on American Idol, although I tried to suppress my happiness because everyone around me was grumbling. They called a lot of names in my group so I was certain it was district court (where they use 12 judges instead of 6 like in county court) and it was probably an important case where the lawyers wanted lots of options. Seriously, those were the exact thoughts going through my mind. Imagine my disappointment when the nice bailiff let us know that we were chosen to be the reserve pool, just in case something came up later in the day! So instead of being chosen for the best case, I ended up with the worst possible scenario. Not only did I NOT even get a chance to get picked for a jury, I also had to sit around that jury room all afternoon "just in case." The rest of the room celebrated that they got to go right then.

That all happened by about 9:45 and I didn't have to be back to the waiting area until 1:30. So, I went to visit some former students during their lunch at school. And I'm not going to lie, there really is no better self-esteem booster than to walk into a cafeteria full of former students. It was really fun to see so many familiar faces. I returned to the jury room only to learn, after what seemed like forever, that my services as a juror were not needed this time around. Oh well, all was not lost. It was a great day!