Busy Beaver

 

When I called at noon yesterday, a very large group of folks had to report.  But fortunately, the highest number selected was ~20 numbers away from my ID number. 

It may seem that everything should be smooth sailing as I have yet to be called in to actually serve on Jury Duty Service.  Au contraire!!!!

"Smooth sailing" is not really the case.  Because of the AMBIGUITIES of jury duty service, even though I have not YET had to go in, my day-to-day has been FAR more hectic and busy than it usually is.  All the fussing and planning for all the potential back-up plans take a significant amount of time, and I am falling behind in some aspects of non-classroom work (aka research) as a result..... because I can actually (somewhat) push it to the side for a bit. But.... unfortunately even though I AM pushing back some of my research because of the time commitment needed for these back-up plans.... that TOO will likely come back to bite me in the butt sometime down the road.  (sigh)

What is also a damn perplexing thing..... but I am NOT complaining about this at all...... is that when I called into the courthouse last night to hear about TODAY.... I was expecting my number to be called.  And, they DID call in ~ 100 new folks.... but the jury id numbers did not continue sequentially!  As stated above, my number was about 20 away from the highest number they called in yesterday afternoon.  For today, the called in new folks, but began with a jury id number that was ~ 45 numbers ABOVE mine.  There was a patch of ~60 or so numbers that were skipped.  So, I did not get called in for today!!!!!   I was happy..... but, the lack of sequential continuity is damn odd….. MORE than odd in my opinion.

Could it be that my number may somehow get fully overlooked the whole time?!??  I sure as hell hope so.  I doubt it, however.  I have seven more days (or more if I get stuck on a jury) of this b*llsh*t.

• I nervously got up early and ended up stomping out 12 damnable miles (~19 km) this morning.  It does help quell some of the frustration and anxiety.
• I have felt continuously and compulsively as hungry as a bear the last several days.  I have to be very careful to NOT overeat.  
• My MIL is now having another challenge.... she is trying to escape!  Not escape, really....  but twice yesterday, she decided she needed to go deliver some documents to the school she used to work at.  So, she meandered with her walker outside looking for her car (which she has not had for a long time now). Obviously she has no documents, nor a car, nor a job at the school any longer.  My wife is very nervous for my MIL's safety regarding this and I am too.  We are hoping the behavior dissipates, but if not, we may need to have her assisted living situation move to the more restrictive wing with locked doors.... and unfortunately much smaller apartments, fewer windows, older, less "pretty" apartments, residents with significantly more severe deficits, and an increased cost per month of ~$500 more than current.  It is a wing that has more supervision, but is still assisted living.  
• Even though I DO NOT want to be called in for jury duty service..... if I have to go in, tomorrow might be the only day that I could generally find mildly enjoyable to do so.  In my mind, the best case scenario for tomorrow would be if I got called in for service to begin in the morning..... so I would have to cancel all classes for the day (by e-mail tonight).... then I go in... and they give their "monumental" spiel of the ins-and-outs of jury service (which I could almost recite by now).... then they typically select some folks to stay that they think they MIGHT use that day, and dismiss others.  I would enjoy being in the group that is dismissed in late morning, for then.... as my classes are cancelled anyway for the day (and I cannot call them back IN after cancelling)..... tomorrow being THURSDAY, I could.... just maybe, mosey up to the cigar shop the fellow from Mass has been encouraging me to visit..... and it being mid-day Thursday, I would end up meeting with the "old geezers group" (his moniker for the group, he simply means a bunch of cigar smoking friends who have retired) that he is a part of .... that sounds like it could be a helluva lot of fun.  Since I typically work at the U midday on Thursdays, I could not typically go.... but this would be really nice to enjoy the camaraderie, and to enjoy a cigar as well.  NOW.... a cigar is NOT a pipe.... and pipes and pipe tobaccos are SIGNIFICANTLY more invigorating, pleasant, enjoyable, and awfully damn fun compared to a cigar.  But.... cigar lounges typically do not allow pipes (nor cigars they did not sell) in the lounge.  So, a cigar would be far better than nothing.  And, the gathering sounds like fun.  

But.... NO INDULGENCE is ever better than the ethereal beauty and charm inherent in a pipe and in pipe tobaccos.

PipeTobacco