So as I promised (because I know that you are all just dying to know) I must fill you in on how my time at court for jury duty went. I must say it was a great experience. Of course things did not get started until 30 minutes after I was supposed to be there. In the previous post I predicted that it would be more like a social event. Well not so much at first. I walked in, you know, the awkward walk in where you want to just stop and look around and take in everyone that is there to see if you know anyone, but you don't want to because it is also at that point that everyone in the room will turn to look at you and see if they know you. Many of you college students know exactly what I am talking about. It's happened at least twice a year for however many years you've been in college. And you know how everyone sits just perfectly spaced out so you're not too close to the people seated around you. And you look around just HOPING that there is a big gap left open so you don't have to awkwardly choose which persons GIANT personal bubble you are going to violate. Luckily there was a gap left for me. So there I was sitting in a court room full of people I did not know (at least as far as I knew). Who knew there were so many people in my county that I did not know. Then began the roll call where I learned that a few people that I do know had skipped out on jury duty and their names would be turned over to the sheriff's office. Ruh roh. (Don't worry I gave them a heads up). Next we were told the list of things that would allow us to be excused from serving. Oh. My. Goodness. The excuses these people had. I was cracking up by the end because it was so ridiculous. So these are the things I could have done to get out of jury duty:
1. There was one point where I could be excused if I had been convicted of a felony. One lady did raise her hand for this one. I almost followed suit.
2. It crossed my mind to stand up and scream while crying "I'm emotionally unstable!!"
3. Am I the primary caregiver to someone? Yes. It's my day to cook lunch.
4. I also wanted to stand up and tell him how "involved" I am in the Casey Anthony trial.
5. There is a rule and I quote I "shall not be a common gambler or habitual drunkard." If this doesn't sound like something off of Andy Griffith I don't know what does. Although I do not qualify for either of those things I still thought it was funny.
I am sure that one of these would have worked. But I persevered and stayed. I took 2 oaths which qualifies me for gas money and a per diem. Not bad for a day at the courthouse. After all of the excuses, my chances for serving increased a lot. They said they were choosing 20 jurors and there were about 50 people left. We were dismissed for a short recess, where I wish I would have stood up and asked where the playground was. Like any recess I've ever been involved in this is where the social gathering began. We then returned to court where we would find out if we had been chosen to serve. I must admit I became a little fearful of serving when they brought in the inmates wearing their nice stripes that were sitting just a few benches up in front of me. One was just hanging out with his fam that had came to support him. It was so cute. 3 members of his family, whether intentionally or not I don't know, were also wearing fat horizontal stripes. How cute. Anyway. I was not a chosen juror randomly selected, but was quite entertained for a few hours. If you ever get the chance to serve please do. It's a great experience.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Getting good!
So this is me getting better at my blog posts! Twice in 1 week. I'll take it. I think my life is getting aquainted to my blog. Now things will happen and I will say to myself "Oh SELF we need to blog about that." It's all about finding that balance between what people really would like to know and what we just all THINK they would like to know. Like that awkward moment when you are in the middle of a long story and realize the person you are telling actually does not want to know the story as much you convinced yourself that he/she did. Not that that's ever happened to me before or anything. Ok it's happened to me more than I'd like to admit.
Anyway, I had the chance this past week to put into practice the lesson learned from a my last major experience with the spider that I blogged about some time ago (If you missed it read here). An opportunity was presented for me to remove some, what I were told were, dead bugs from a bathtub. Dead bugs? I can totally do dead bugs. Welp. I got the dead bugs out. I went back in a few minutes later to use the restroom and here was a...you guessed it... big spider in the tub. Here's how things went down in my brain:
GASSSP. He's huge. Wait. We have supposedly learned a lesson about this already. Ok I will go grab my flip or flop. I don't know which one is which. Wait. I need to wear shoes in case it runs so fast out of the tub and gets on the floor. Because if it touches my foot I will just DIE. I will put on flip and flop and grab another shoe. Ok ready. Return to the bathroom. He's not there. I bet he's behind the door waiting to attack me. Nope not there. Shake the shower curtain. Yelp. There he is. Just do it.
And he died. I will say in his defense that he was not as big as the one from the other story, but he was probably about 2 inches in diameter (including his legs, after all those are the worst things). Think about how NOT scary spiders would be if they didn't have any legs. Yeah too bad they do. Eight of em. Another funny thing is how I was still a little skeptical to pick it up with a piece of toilet paper. It all goes back to irrational fears. Like it's going to resurrect and put itself back together and eat me. Like I said totally irrational. But I will say this time I cut the time it took for me to kill it by a lot! One step in the right direction. I've got more about dealing with fears, but lets not blog about everything at once.
Welp. I have been summoned for jury duty here in Webster County. I will spend my Monday morning giving back to the county that has given me so............. well I don't know about all that. But thanks for letting me live here. I was SUPER excited at first because I have been glued to the Casey Anthony trial, but then I realized that the chances of me getting something as interesting as that are zero to none, one because stuff like that just doesn't happen here in Mayberry, and second because chances are large that I will know whoever it is that's going to court (or at least pretend like I do to get off). It will go like this:
Juror picker: Ms. Hudson, do you know Mr. ______ ? (I'm not sure why it's a man)
Me: Yes sir.
Juror picker: Are you biased?
Me: I'm totally biased.
Juror picker: Will you listen to the evidence from both sides and make a fair assessment?
Me: Probably not.
Honestly, some folks of Webster County have told me that it is not likely that they will even have to go to court so this whole "jury duty" thing will probably be more like a big social gathering for everyone that was summoned. Yay. Can't wait.
So I will definitley keep you posted on how that goes. That's all for now! Ta ta!!
Anyway, I had the chance this past week to put into practice the lesson learned from a my last major experience with the spider that I blogged about some time ago (If you missed it read here). An opportunity was presented for me to remove some, what I were told were, dead bugs from a bathtub. Dead bugs? I can totally do dead bugs. Welp. I got the dead bugs out. I went back in a few minutes later to use the restroom and here was a...you guessed it... big spider in the tub. Here's how things went down in my brain:
GASSSP. He's huge. Wait. We have supposedly learned a lesson about this already. Ok I will go grab my flip or flop. I don't know which one is which. Wait. I need to wear shoes in case it runs so fast out of the tub and gets on the floor. Because if it touches my foot I will just DIE. I will put on flip and flop and grab another shoe. Ok ready. Return to the bathroom. He's not there. I bet he's behind the door waiting to attack me. Nope not there. Shake the shower curtain. Yelp. There he is. Just do it.
And he died. I will say in his defense that he was not as big as the one from the other story, but he was probably about 2 inches in diameter (including his legs, after all those are the worst things). Think about how NOT scary spiders would be if they didn't have any legs. Yeah too bad they do. Eight of em. Another funny thing is how I was still a little skeptical to pick it up with a piece of toilet paper. It all goes back to irrational fears. Like it's going to resurrect and put itself back together and eat me. Like I said totally irrational. But I will say this time I cut the time it took for me to kill it by a lot! One step in the right direction. I've got more about dealing with fears, but lets not blog about everything at once.
Welp. I have been summoned for jury duty here in Webster County. I will spend my Monday morning giving back to the county that has given me so............. well I don't know about all that. But thanks for letting me live here. I was SUPER excited at first because I have been glued to the Casey Anthony trial, but then I realized that the chances of me getting something as interesting as that are zero to none, one because stuff like that just doesn't happen here in Mayberry, and second because chances are large that I will know whoever it is that's going to court (or at least pretend like I do to get off). It will go like this:
Juror picker: Ms. Hudson, do you know Mr. ______ ? (I'm not sure why it's a man)
Me: Yes sir.
Juror picker: Are you biased?
Me: I'm totally biased.
Juror picker: Will you listen to the evidence from both sides and make a fair assessment?
Me: Probably not.
Honestly, some folks of Webster County have told me that it is not likely that they will even have to go to court so this whole "jury duty" thing will probably be more like a big social gathering for everyone that was summoned. Yay. Can't wait.
So I will definitley keep you posted on how that goes. That's all for now! Ta ta!!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
No bueno.
I have been no good at this blog thing. I really want to be though. So I am trying harder. Startiiiiiing NOW. I am working on my discipline this summer. Since I can not fix all of the things I need to be disciplined in at once I will start with a few things. My blog will be one of them.
(Discipline starting)
The last couple weeks have been great. I have really had great fellowship with friends. That is one of the first things I began to miss being away from Starkville. This past weekend I was in the Delta for Mr. and Mrs. Swindoll's wedding. It was such a beautiful wedding. I do not usually cry at weddings, but apparently this wedding was an exception. I think so much of it has to do with the fact that I have grown so much in my understanding of what that day means and represents. What a blessing it is that God chooses to give us a small glimpse of His love and devotion to us through marriage here on earth. It's so funny because I found myself so content in my singleness at that wedding (which I will confidently say is the opposite of what is expected for a gal my age at a good friend's wedding). Seeing how much this couple loves each other is just a tiny glimpse of how much God loves me and is devoted to my good and well being unconditionally. So as great as I think marriage will be I can always say that I do have something better. Now may I remember this in the years to come. :) Chad and Edna, your wedding was absolutely beautiful and I am so excited that the Lord has blessed you both with the opportunity to experience that beautiful picture with each other!
This also brings me to something else that I read this past week that I want to share. It is a quote from C.S. Lewis a.k.a. Clive. Yes. We are on a first name basis.
"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
Psalm 16:11 "...in your presence there is fullness of joy."
John 14:27 "...not as the world gives do I give to you."
Fullness of joy is only available through Him. Not through marriage, not through money, or the right job, house, car, family, dog, clothes, food, lamp, couch, lawn mower (my dad's cutting the grass right now), tv, etc. etc. Clive was right. For too long, we have been far too easily pleased.
On a side note watching my frand play the guitar this weekend was the straw that broke the camels back to push me to learn to play. I have been saying for over a year now that I wanted to learn. So I have officially began (another knotch on my "work on your discipline" belt). So far I have 3 raw fingers, and can play 3 chords and the chromatic scale and have diligently practiced.....drum roll please..... 2 nights in a row (I started Monday). So far so good.
Went outside to take my dad some water in the middle of this post and realized that it is a BEAUTIFUL day. So I shall eno and read and work on my discipline. :)
(Discipline starting)
The last couple weeks have been great. I have really had great fellowship with friends. That is one of the first things I began to miss being away from Starkville. This past weekend I was in the Delta for Mr. and Mrs. Swindoll's wedding. It was such a beautiful wedding. I do not usually cry at weddings, but apparently this wedding was an exception. I think so much of it has to do with the fact that I have grown so much in my understanding of what that day means and represents. What a blessing it is that God chooses to give us a small glimpse of His love and devotion to us through marriage here on earth. It's so funny because I found myself so content in my singleness at that wedding (which I will confidently say is the opposite of what is expected for a gal my age at a good friend's wedding). Seeing how much this couple loves each other is just a tiny glimpse of how much God loves me and is devoted to my good and well being unconditionally. So as great as I think marriage will be I can always say that I do have something better. Now may I remember this in the years to come. :) Chad and Edna, your wedding was absolutely beautiful and I am so excited that the Lord has blessed you both with the opportunity to experience that beautiful picture with each other!
This also brings me to something else that I read this past week that I want to share. It is a quote from C.S. Lewis a.k.a. Clive. Yes. We are on a first name basis.
"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
Psalm 16:11 "...in your presence there is fullness of joy."
John 14:27 "...not as the world gives do I give to you."
Fullness of joy is only available through Him. Not through marriage, not through money, or the right job, house, car, family, dog, clothes, food, lamp, couch, lawn mower (my dad's cutting the grass right now), tv, etc. etc. Clive was right. For too long, we have been far too easily pleased.
On a side note watching my frand play the guitar this weekend was the straw that broke the camels back to push me to learn to play. I have been saying for over a year now that I wanted to learn. So I have officially began (another knotch on my "work on your discipline" belt). So far I have 3 raw fingers, and can play 3 chords and the chromatic scale and have diligently practiced.....drum roll please..... 2 nights in a row (I started Monday). So far so good.
Went outside to take my dad some water in the middle of this post and realized that it is a BEAUTIFUL day. So I shall eno and read and work on my discipline. :)
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