I was called for jury duty this week. The federal kind, which meant an early morning schlep to New Haven. And despite my fervent prayers that the snow would cause a cancellation, the four or five inches we received Sunday night delayed school, but not the courts. The thing of it is, I don’t mind doing my service. I’ve been called a few times but have yet to actually sit. It is our “duty” after all. What I was most anxious about was separating myself from my phone (no electronics allowed whatsoever!). Once ensconced in the New Haven garage, I quickly mapped where the courthouse was from my spot (a map was included in the summons, but who could trust a piece of paper?), slipped my phone in the glove compartment, and was off. The waiting room had no clock. Neither did I (who needs a watch? I always have my phone!). I brought a book, but couldn’t concentrate. I stared jealously at the guy next to me who seemed to be correcting papers. No fair! He could get his work done! And I was equally envious of the woman on the other side with a People magazine. These folks thought ahead! Finally, we were led into the courtroom. According to the clock in there it was 9:30. I had been sitting in the waiting room for almost two hours! Who knew? We were told what to expect but mainly we had to pay close attention to the goings on, in case we were selected for the jury. The process was surprisingly interesting. Just as I was resigning myself to the fact that I’d probably be spending the foreseeable future in this room (and WHO was going to write The E List?), the last few jurors were picked and the rest of us dismissed. Freedom! I rushed to my phone (I mean…car!). I missed fourteen texts, an absurd string of emails, a friend was convinced something horrible had happened to me, and another one got her car stuck in my snow-covered driveway. But somehow I managed without the internet for six whole hours. And I was fine.

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tags: jury duty, O’Rourke’s, Middletown, Sneakers for Spring 2015, “L” and POP Weight Loss, My Sewing Machine, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up