What's up with you?

[Ymir's blood]

I'm covered in bees!

[Adam]

[Leesifer]

BEES?

[Demimonde]

Contra's surgery went extremely well. After he woke up, 80% of the pain from his sciatica and back had vanished. Mostly now he is tender from the incision but that is it. His surgeon is some kind of wizard I think.

He will be taking it easy for the next two weeks, but already feels so much better. Now he has to focus on playing lots of chess, watching movies, and getting puppy therapy from Dr. Dante. (Dante has sick room privileges due to his gentle and genial demeanor. The other two are a bit too rowdy for recovery.)

[BrotherMan]

Give him a gentle por favor plz.

[Vivisectus]

good to hear! wish him well for me

[JoeP]

I have dropped my otherwise smart and functional phone and cracked the screen.

I now have a functional phone and splinters in my thumb.

[Ensign Steve]

Looks like JoeP is tough, subversive and just kinda cool.

[BrotherMan]

I have just today finished my first time ever being an member of a jury. Independent of the process and any specifics of the case to which I was assigned, I had a few ups and downs and backs and forths throughout the whole thing. At a minimum, I'm glad to have experienced the process. My chief understanding at this point is that despite how broken it feels from my narrow perspective it is likely very efficient as part of the whole of the system. (It's a lot of go here and wait until you are called and then go to this other place and wait to be called further and then you wait some more when you're not being utilized in the courtroom.)

Ups and downs and backs and forths. When the indictments against the defendant(s) were read I felt ... intimidated? I don't know if there is such a thing as a typical number of indictments, or even a typical case. There were at least 20 in this one. I remember thinking how could someone, and even why would someone, try to fight all of that. And intermixed were thoughts of if they have all that against this person or persons some of it must be true, right? And even before the judge welcomed us as the chosen members of the jury, I caught myself: the defendant(s) have no responsibility to answer the questions I was raising in my head. (I felt p smug once the judge said that the mere existence of an indictment is no indication of guilt.)

And now having seen the inside of the beast, I hope I never find myself putting my future in the hands of twelve to fourteen of my so-called peers. You can read it all over the internets, and it is no less apparent when sitting in the larger pool, the medium pool and all the way down into the jury room - nobody seems to be happy about being there. Unhappy about being summoned at all, let alone separated from their normal lives and schedules, family and friends and etc.

A bright spot though was that even though nobody wanting to be there, when we were given instructions and asked to deliberate, everyone on the jury took their duty with all the seriousness it deserved. Not the heavy charges nor down to the misdemeanor charges were considered in a cavalier manner.

Part of my ups/downs & backs/forths was wondering if I could hold my opinion on any single count against 11 other opposing opinions. So much so that I didn't sleep well last night. So I was happy and relieved and even a little proud when everyone agreed on stuff, for the most part. And when we disagreed? We talked about it. Like adults. It was p amazing. If voices raised at all it was with some level of incredulity about evidence/testimony and not in anger.

Additionally, to add to some ness which neither I nor any of the other members of the jury had any control: We were the first jury to hear a case (at least partly) in the newly renovated old courthouse. Courtroom no. 1 was p nice. They recently added a pretty comprehensive technology suite. They're still working the bugs out trying to get it all to work efficiently. The physical set up was weird from the perspective of someone who only knows television courtrooms. The prosecution and defense desks both faced the jury box. It was weird not being able to look straight ahead at nothing and instead maybe accidentally staring down either the defendant(s) or a police officer sitting with the prosecutor.

Another thing that surprised me. I thought bailiffs were like, I dunno, court cops - charged with keeping peace in the courtroom. What I didn't know is that they are basically the court butlers. The bailiff assigned to us would arrive before everyone to ensure the courtroom was clean and ready, in addition to attending to our needs and comfort, and staying long after people were done for the day to ensure the courtroom was in good order. In addition to being required to be on their feet all day.

Finally, in addition to the boredom of being asked to wait all the time everywhere we go, I found it an interesting experience. I did like the process. I guess I'm a process nerd now. I like knowing how different organizations get their things done. I would like to find out what's going on when I'm stuck in the jury room waiting for somebody to come or go or whatever - how a ten minute recess somehow turns into waiting for an hour, you know?

And also finally in additional addition: As I've gotten older I have found myself reading less and less technical/informational/educational material. And I would never have thought listening to people talk about legalize and then reading to understand legalize in a specific context could scratch an itch in my brain - because I didn't think it actually existed. But it does. Or, specifically, it did in the case. If it were in any way proper, I would have most likely ended up right there in the jury box. The other jurors were annoyed-bored with all of the repetition and language usage, but there I was being all in a good way.

And as I recently secretly told lisapea, now that I've seen a courtroom I feel like I'm at least the equal of our resident Matlock.

[Dingfod]

You have no peers, Bort.

[livius drusus]

I am so, so jelly. I wanna be on a jury, dammit!

[LadyShea]

OMG livius, they probably wouldn't let you have accordioned color coded graphs and shit.

[livius drusus]

Then I will bring one of those multicolor pens I hearted so dearly in elementary school and make my notes color coded. ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR.

[BrotherMan]

Heartbreaking note for livius: In the state and county wherein I reside jurors are not allowed to take notes. But you can ask to take notes and then every juror is handed a notepad and encouraged to take notes. The notepads cannot leave the courtroom/jury room so you won't be able to show everyone how good you are at organizing that stuff. I want to say that I've heard of other jurisdictions handling it that way but I'm not sure.

Also, I'm kicking myself this morning because I could have won an internet. If only I had thought of introducing my previous post with the title "12 Reasonable People." I was honestly expecting a larger standard deviation of personalities. You know, one hard line law and order type who would be all DRUGS BAD COPS GOOD AMERICA, one soft hearted OH THOSE POOR DEFENDANT(S) and et cetera. I do believe those types were represented but no one was unreasonably adamant about any point of contention. The closest any of us got to either of those positions was one guy who said (paraphrase) "Bless those police guys, they have their job to do and it's not easy and hats off to them for doing it in the face of layoffs, budget cuts and pay cuts and all that..." and then he goes and says something reasonable. And even though we deliberated for four or five hours total, I could only guess to the political leanings of a couple of my fellow jurors - and that would be just a guess just based on talking about other stuff not about the case.

[Ymir's blood]

But did at some point were you able to get another juror to threaten to kill you to prove a point?

[BrotherMan]

I think given the right formula of time: patience: dedication that Dante Alligrri could likely have performed the Pposto's surgery.

Border collie Zoe & AMAZING dog tricks! - YouTube

[Demimonde]

Blocked,

In happier news, Dante said his first words last night. Like actual words.

Contra needed some extra room in the bed to spread out and get comfortable, so Dante joined the rest of the pups in the front room for a slumber party. As I was making up the beds and getting everything in order Dante started whining and saying "Mama."

whine, Mama . . .

whiiiiiine, Ma!

Mama, whiiiiine.

Groan . . .

Just like that. He said it five or six times. I didn't even realize it until Contra pointed it out. I had never noticed him do that before. But Contra calls me "Mama" when talking to them and Dante knows the commands, "Kiss Mama," "Go ask Mama," and the ever popular on weekends "Go wake Mama."

Given his desperation, I believe he knew exactly what he was saying.

There has also been a saying in the house since he was a pup, "Mama is a fascist." So he still had to bunk with the rest of the pack.

[Leesifer]

I've just started using an electronic cigarette, on the way to giving up. It's fucking awesome!

[LadyShea]

I think Kiddo has scarlet fever. As reported last time, the doctor didn't trust my mommysense, but grandma is taking him this time. Maybe she won't argue with her. Srsly I love the pediatrician, and I think she must hear some lot of bullshit all the time to be all suspicious of my total levelheadedness.

Anyway, poor little guy is sick as a dog on his vacation

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

Poor pumpkin.

My friend's son had scarlet fever a couple years ago. He got through it just fine.

[Dingfod]

Scarlet fever is a progression of strep throat, completely treatable by antibiotics.

[LadyShea]

Well when his fever kept rising and hit 104, 40 minutes after ibuprofen, we took him to ER. Probably an overreaction but better safe than sorry and all. He got into high anxiety mode before we went, but as usual was perfect and calm once he realized for himself that he wasn't going to die . No strep, no flu, no pneumonia...just an unidentified virus. Poor baby.

[lisarea]

I broke the strap on my purse, so now I have to go get a new one even though I don't want to.

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

Poor kiddo.

[LadyShea]

Originally Posted by lisarea

I broke the strap on my purse, so now I have to go get a new one even though I don't want to.

Nope, you don't. What size do you like? Check your phone