Sleepless in Pennsylvania

Well it's been two years and I was just laughing at my dad for getting his juror notice in the mail so it figures it's about my turn. I don't know how it works but every two years both my father and I get jury duty notice within months of each other.

So Monday I worked then went straight from work to the court house. I ran into a really nice lady in the parking garage and sorta attached myself to her. She was pleasantly chatty and that helped me keep my eyes open. There were 150 or so of us that day and they split us into two groups for two criminal cases. Luckily for me I was not chosen to serve on the jury and by 11:30 I was back in the holding tank with my jacket, fantasies of my pjs dancing in my head.

It was not to be.

The guy in charge told us to go to lunch and come back by 1:15. They were going to take the losers from our group and the losers from the other group and throw us back together to form another jury pool. That case was horrible, horrible, horrible. The stuff of nightmares. I was praying the whole time I wouldn't be picked. I didn't even want to be in the same room with the defendant. I think just about half the jury stood up at some point and said they just didn't think they could be fair and impartial. It was bad. Again luckily for me, I was not picked to serve on that trial jury. I heard later that he was convicted. I hope it helps bring peace to the victims' family.

I think I got out of there around four, picked up E from my sister's house, grabbed Ty and G and ran to Body Zone for G's first indoor game this season. They ended up getting totally creamed. The score board went up to 10. I lost track at around 15. Eventually I saw on their website that G's team lost 25 - 0. Ouch. She really played her little heart out. She is a very intense competitor and afterward she invariably falls apart in my arms, her little body wracked with sobs. Then she's ok again. It's like she has to cry out all her tension before she can move on. She even cries when she wins. Her coach said to me, "We're going to have to work on that. This is supposed to be fun." Yeah. Good luck with that Coach.

I think I finally crawled in bed around 9 pm. Nearly 36 hours awake which I think might be a record for me but I'm not sure. I've heard one can be declared legally insane after three sleepless days. I was half way there.

Here's a bonus funny story for you:

While we were at soccer E was getting bored so I pulled my mp3 player out and hooked her up. She immediately started dancing as she usually does, executing beautiful pirouettes and butt-wiggles. She was performing a particularly complicated pirouette and ran *SMACK* into the clear glass wall that surrounds the soccer field. Being the good mother that I am I immediately started howling with laughter. This sweet grandmotherly type - you know the stereotypical little old lady with white hair and cookies type - turns to me and says, "Maybe we shouldn't laugh until we find out if she's ok."

I said, "Right now I can't see anything through my tears of laughter anyway."

By the by, she was ok. A little embarrassed but ok. Just don't tell her I told you this story.