I got a day off from jury duty today. My piles of dirty laundry enjoyed the attention. My efforts to catch up on my DVR backlog proved less successful. The station that plays old television shows just keeps on giving me entertainment.

Of course, this day off also gave me lots of time to think. I'm still hopeful I didn't catch anything from the juror who insists on coughing in my face every time I get close enough, which is all day since she sits next to me. My thoughts also led me to the conclusion that a fist fight between the lawyers could be very amusing. It almost happened one day because one lawyer jumped up from his seat and happened to be very close to the podium at which the other was presenting. I also have so many thoughts about witness behavior, but I fear any commentary on that subject would be inappropriate.

And don't forget--only 28 more days until you get to dress up as someone awesome (some of us may dress as ourselves) and beg for candy or scare the pants off of people.

The last two weeks of my life have been punctuated by all the joys that come with jury duty. I answered questions, listened to witnesses, looked at evidence, didn't discuss the case, and drove around in the city. I even informed them when I realized I might already have information about some of the subjects that would be covered during the trial. They said that it would be okay and to keep coming back. Five trial days (almost two weeks) later, they let me go with some somewhat mumbled words of thanks. Isn't it wonderful to have your time wasted because other people are liars?

At least I have two more years before they can call me back again. I shall have to compile a list of my areas of expertise and ask them some questions to make sure this experience isn't repeated.

And? I might have to work on making sure my valuable time isn't being wasted. Of course, these changes will probably help me with my ultimate goal of becoming a hermit hobbit... Win...Win.

That grumpy little cricket that reminds me from time to time that I am better than this has been raging of late. From lawyers hoping to use me to declare a mistrial to people proving over and over that they don't know my value, I get tired of putting forth the effort.

It saddens me that I continue to be punished for being honest, intelligent, kind, etc. It seems that we move further and further toward a society that punishes the good and rewards the bad. This makes me sad. Is there any chance I can change that somehow?

Send some good vibes my way. The final pieces of my current costume project worry me a little. I fear that my creative sewing may not work for my benefit with this one. Usually, I eyeball each pattern piece, glance at the instructions, and climb out on a limb to fit the pieces together. This pattern promises that such a method of construction might not create the best final product.

Today marks my first foray into the world of ghost writing. Of course, the nature of the project makes me feel that I should leave the stories as close to the way they are told to me as possible. I also need to determine what makes people of all ages tell me about subjects that I would deem too personal to share with me. Feel free to offer up suggestions...

I also visited a friend to help her get started with indexing. This proved slightly problematic due to some issues with the version of java that the software prefers. We scrolled through some forums in search of useful advice, and I found that many people confuse Linux with Lion X. Somehow this was less offensive than the person in the Mac Store who tried to tell me how he was running that cool program Linux on his Windows box. After many unnecessary twists and turns, other engagements pulled us away from our fun task. Looks like I am going to have to make an effort to re-up my geek credentials.

In other news, the latest episode of Revenge reminded me of the one disturbing scene from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. If you watched the episode and don't know exactly what I am talking about, reread the book.