Another photo of my white-with-lavender-edges, gladiola . . .

Ok, so yesterday we reached a verdict, but let's go back to day one.

Tuesday, April1 - 8:30 am - I report to jury duty and find that every, single chair in the jury room is taken. Fortunately, they skipped the lame movie - "Jury duty is an honor" - and call the first group out to a court room. My name is not on this list.

10:45 am - it's hard for me to get all the details, what with my iPod in my ears, but it seems to me that one of the jurors called to the courtroom has somehow escaped. A string of Sheriff's deputies enter the jury room, looking for this woman, and they have a guard at the door making sure none of us leave.

Noon - we are excused until 1:30 p.m. Having completed the NY Times crossword and read the paper front to back, I decide I need more reading material. I head to Barnes and Noble and blow a hundred bucks on new books and magazines. That's right a 100 freakin' bucks - that's how desperate I was at that point. I did however, include in that purchase a book on NYC for my niece, so she can pick out some sights she'd like to visit in June.

2 pm - a group is called to a courtroom, and my name is on the list. When we get there, I'm among the first group of 12 put into the jury box. Bad feelings come streaming over me. We are told that the case involves 4 felony charges, robbery, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon and auto theft. Looking at the female defendant, I'm pretty sure methamphetamines will be an issue too.

2 pm to 4:30 pm - most of the afternoon is spent with every juror who emigrated from Vietnam - in some cases more than 35 years ago, transforming themselves into stereotypical characters more appropriate in a Vietnamese Charlie Chan movie. All claim not to understand English. One claims he was in a Viet Cong concentration camp, and is freaked out by the lights in the courtroom. That's right - John McCain claims he has no PTSD, but this guy thinks the bailiff is going to shoot him. He is excused.

4:30 - we are ordered to return the next morning.