And He Wore A Bow-tie!

Just in case you were wondering, I did end up driving into Baltimore for Jury Duty but on the 13th, that Tuesday, not on my day off. It was a small group of Jurors. We were chosen for a civil case, asked questions to determine our potential as fair and impartial jurors and then the majority were dismissed. I was not asked to sit on the jury. I was happy.
The best part of the day - besides getting out early enough to rush home and enjoy a beautiful afternoon with Sara and Evie Sue - would have to have been the attitudes of the court employees. The Jury clerk was bright and friendly. The Court Officer was warm, and constantly making little jokes here and there, mispronouncing names, and reassigning names for the jurors whom he could not pronounce. Then there was the Judge. At first glimpse he seemed like rather a severe sort of character with glasses, a bald head, and an apparent scowl. I soon noticed that he was wearing a bow-tie. When have you ever seen a Judge sporting a bow-tie? The scowl quickly faded to a puckish sneer. This guy, His Honor, was funny, too. He cracked jokes about Jurors obviously preferring to be elsewhere! He got it! He understood. He was happy to expedite the process and send us home.
The worse part of the day was the $25 parking lot fee, which, hopefully, the court will be reimbursing me for. Keep your fingers crossed.