Cynic

It's Saturday, February 16, and we have 32 days of winter left... officially.  We all know there is no specific second when the weather is going to begin to warm up because Mother Nature isn't that considerate.  She's going to do the same thing this year as she does every year, tease the hell out of us.
I'm not going to New Jersey!!  I am really so glad!  Training is fine, as long as it's within a 20 mile radius.  Two and a half hours on the road for a 6 hour training sessions is ridiculous.  Add to that the fact we most often try to car pool which means I usually drive... it's the only way to guarantee no one smokes in the car.  I simply hate that.
I also got notification yesterday that I'm scheduled for Jury Duty on the March 25.  Yippee.  I've been to this rodeo before.  I didn't get selected then, and probably will not get selected this time, no doubt because this little sign begins to flash over my head in bright, neon red letters:  CYNIC   That's right, in case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit cynical.  I work in retail, remember?  Where someone is always trying to get something for free.  We see them daily, liars with tempers flaring because they feel they are owed.  Oh, and this is for Civil Court, a place where people go, the place where people go to swindle big settlements from insurance companies.  Not that the insurance companies shouldn't pay, but sometimes the greedy side of humanity presents its face.
And, since I'm being cynical, how about that Ann Coulter trying to do a little tap dance all over the Idiot Jerk in the White House?  "A stupid act designed to please his stupidest voters," is, I believe, what she Tweeted, or something very similar.  As expected, the Idiot Jerk shit out a couple of words saying "he didn't know her."  Excuse me, but wasn't he happy as a pig in shit when she was singing his praises?  Keep in mind, his "stupidest voters" will not remember that far back.  And I am in no way defending the Nazi Princess Ann, she's just pissed she is no longer one of his closest advisers.  In case you didn't know, instead of the briefings he's supposed to be getting from the CIA, and Homeland Security, and a whole bunch of other security organizations, the Idiot Jerk is relying on the advice from Thimble Nose and Bumble Brain, aka Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, a political hack and a spineless, political entertainer.
Adding to the irony of that Shit Show in the Rose Garden yesterday was the fact that an American with a gun murdered 5 people in Aurora, Illinois yesterday, before being killed by police.
Anyway, after today I'm off for 3 days.  Nice.  Not that I  have big plans.  I'm thinking about making chickpea fritters on Monday.  How's that for excitement?

Now, don't that look scrumptious?

Jury Duty - my unday in court

I have always wanted to be called for jury duty, so when my summons came from Cumberland County I was more then a little excited.  When I told people, I was surprised by those who told me it was going to be boring and how much I'd dislike the experience.  There were several who gave me suggestions on how to get out of it.  But, being a contrary sort of person, I waited for July 14 with anticipation.  It was a learning experience.
My summons was for Civil Court not Criminal Court, so I was going to witness the process of people suing people.  Lucky me, I got to be in the jury pool for two different cases.  In the first the plaintiff was suing the Williams Grove Speedway - it's expected to last for at least 7 days.  I did not get selected, not that I considered this to be a possibility.  You see, I wasn't what they were looking for: I don't race motorcycles, or jet skis, or bungi jump, play paint ball or laser tag, or use a zip-line.  I am not a thrill seeker, at least not one who fit their criteria.  As a result my name was not called and I was excused from that trial.  As I left the court room, I looked back and saw that most of the jurors selected were male, and had admitted to participating in the "sports" I tend to avoid.  Both the plaintiff's and the defendant's attorneys had loaded the jury with those they felt most likely to give them the verdict they desired.  So much for a fair and unbiased jury.

Here are some of the potential jurors

The second case was an even bigger eye opener.  Back in 2008 a middle-aged woman drove her van into a "Five Guys" fast food restaurant.  A couple, who had been in the establishment at the time, were suing her, the restaurant, and the small shopping center in which it's located.  The plaintiff's attorney began questioning us first.  Things were going normally until he asked "have any of you been in an automobile accident?" Nine people stood up.  The first question he asked to the first woman standing was "did that accident involve any lower back injuries requiring physical therapy?"  At which point the judge shut him down abruptly.  "I will not have you polluting this juror pool!  That is an improper question! You can not pursue this!"  So he asked a different question, however he'd already seen which of us reacted and which of us didn't.  Not more then 5 minutes later one of the plaintiffs moved in her chair, put her hand on the table and lifted her right side ever so slightly... and winced.  And every potential juror saw her do this.  I turned to the woman sitting to my left and said "They're going to pick the jury they can manipulate the most."  They did, and I was not one of them.  This one was mostly women, many of whom had stood when asked if any one of us had been in an automobile accident.

My badge of courage

While I'm sure my lack of responses to the questions for the first case played a large roll in my not being selected, I think what truly doomed my chances of being a juror was one of my responses on the questionnaire we all had to fill out.  They asked for your current position, mine is retail.  They asked for your previous position, mine was accounting.  That's right, for quite a number of years I was a number's guy, until International Paper chose to make a business decision and send my job to Poland.  These cases were all Civil cases.  All the plaintiffs were seeking monetary settlement.  The last thing any decent attorney wants is a number's guy on the jury.  They don't want someone who's going to be saying "Holy Shit!  Do you have any idea how much money you're talking about!"