Civic responsiblility

This week I was picked to serve on Jury Duty. When I called after 1700 last Friday, the automated voice told me I needed to report to 3700 E Tachevah at 0730 on Monday. Bummer I thought, but at least I get to check out the new court facility which is right in front of FedEx in the new building on the corner. I show up just before 0730, and have to wait on the sidewalk with everybody else until 0800, when they actually open. They had us wait in one of the side rooms. Then they had us sign the bottom of our forms, turn them in, ask if we need employer verification (which I did), and then return to the waiting room. A guy came into the room a little later, asked if we all turned in the form, and then informed us there was good and bad news. Good news, we are all being asked to serve for jury duty. Bad news, it's not here - but over by the airport in the newly reopened, renovated court house building. I drove over there with everybody else, and had to wait there in the lobby after going through security. We finally got to sit in the court room, where they had us wait. They weren't ready for us, so at 1030, they had us leave for lunch and return at 1300. We then sat there for another hour until they announced that they were ready to call prospective jurors for a sexual molestation case. They called people, they dismissed people. Finally, at 1645, they announced that court was in recess until tomorrow, and everybody needed to return at 0930 the next morning. Some people were upset because it was supposed to be "one trail or one day." However, this was technically the same trial they were trying to seat, so we were caught. I came back the next day, and they couldn't complete the process by lunchtime. Came back at 1315, and they process continued. I was getting exhausted mentally by the whole process. I was never called up into the voir-dire area, but had to stay the whole time. I couldn't serve on the panel because I have a couple of people in my family who are developmentally challenged, like the victim, and it would have been to hard for me to sit through that trail. Give me a theft or burglary. That I could handle. Finally, at 1400, both sides decided on a jury. We in the audience were all relieved. I went back to work, where I was feeling a little frazzled from the whole ordeal. My chorus rehearsal was also tainted by it. I'm just glad that I got out of it.

Yes!

One of my all time favorite artists, Peter Gabriel, gets a nomination for best song (along with co-writer Thomas Newman.) Awesome!
">

Feeling Groovy

I'm feeling so much better now, I guess I would say I'm 99.5%. Not quite a hundred percent, but I'll take it. Just a little tiny bit of congestion, almost nothing to talk of. I have been going back to the gym, had a great workout today. Time to increase the weights, and pump up the speed on the treadmill. I usually workout M-W-F, but since I had a special rehearsal Weds for my "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" quartet, I had to shift days around. That, and I had a hair appointment on Friday. I felt so bad cancelling on John K a few Saturdays ago, but I was so deathly ill there was just no way I could keep it. I would have been turned away by him if I even tried to go. We had drama on Thursday at work. I came back from lunch, and a short while after, Mic got a sharp pain emanating from her midsection. I thought it might be appendicitis, Cuqui thought it could be gall stones, we were hoping that it was just a stomach flu. Not the most pleasant thing to wish on someone, but it's better than the other two. Plus, it was going around (Cuqui already had it awhile ago). Mic finally had to leave 20 minutes early, and managed to drive herself home. Her husband took her to urgent care, and then had to go to the hospital. Turns out she had an ovarian cyst that burst. So there was nothing they could do for her except give her a prescription and let her go home to recuperate. She couldn't come in on Friday, but called to say she would be in on Saturday. What an ordeal.
Callie is doing well, but she only wants to eat IAMS fish varieties. So I stopped at PetSmart to get her some on the way back from the gym. There was an attractive guy in the locker room, and we got to take showers across from one another. He seemed to be interested, but I start to freak out from anything as public as that, so finished as soon as I was done. He didn't make any eye contact or say anything to me (we had lockers right next to each other). He did have a gold wedding band on his left hand, so I wonder what that meant. Hmmmm..

the Z2K9 bug

My Zune got hit by the "bug" that went around on New Year's Eve day. I actually haven't used it for over a week since I haven't been to the gym in all that time. Can't go when I'm sick, and that's the only time I use my MP3 music player. I heard about the problem, and when I powered it up, it froze just like all the other ones reported on the internet. The fix? Just let the battery die, recharge it, and then turn it back on after Jan 1 of the new year. Seems to be working fine now.
I still have a touch of congestion, and a slightly runny nose. I feel almost 100% back to normal. I know I'm going to have trouble when I get back to the gym. My right knee feels like it's "seizing up" already. I'm going to have to walk before I run to get it back to where I had it. I'm hoping to be back to the gym Monday night, if I can finally shake the last of this cold by Sunday.
I made Hoppin' John for New Year's Day. Basically a black eye pea and rice dish. A traditional meal in New Orleans to bring luck for the New Year. Couldn't we all use that?