What’s the Deal with Jury Duty?

  I’ve been summoned.

Ugh.

And would you believe that I have to report to court on April Fools Day? I’m tempted not to show up and to say that I thought that it was a prank, but for some reason I don’t think that the court would find that funny.

I really don’t understand how they (whoever the people are who are in charge of this whole Jury Duty business) expect people to do it. I mean 15 dollars a day?! Seriously, what is that going to do for me? If I’m lucky I might be able to pay for parking and get a sandwich on lunch break. That is if there’s a lunch break. Is there?

I really don’t know what to expect – I’ve never been a juror before. A part of me is excited, but most of me is irritated that I have to wake up at 5:30 am to cart my ass over to court the next town over.

The thing that irks me the most is that there is no indication of how long I am going expected to be there. I’d like to know so that I can, oh I don’t know – plan the rest of my day. But I guess that they think that I don’t have a life and my time is free to hand over to them.

They better not expect me to smile.

Actually, I take it back, the thing that irks me the most is that there is absolutely no indication of how long this trial is going to be. I’d like to know if I’m looking at a day, a week, a month, a year – what the hell do they think I am, a friggin’ psychic? I wish.

The reason that I’m so upset is because it just so happens that this jury duty assignment has landed right on the day when my partner and I were going to take a 2-day excursion out into the wilderness. It’s not like it’s every day that we get to plan such wonderfulness, but backpacking apparently is not a significant means for being excused.

Really I shouldn’t complain. I’m sure that there are plenty of other people out there who are put into far more annoying situations that I am due to this so-called duty. People who have families, young kids and other important responsibilities. Luckily I don’t have any of that, but it’s still annoying to be obligated to be at court early in the morning.