My Experience with the Justice System

So my sitting-with-a-book jury duty quickly turned into hearing-a-murder-trial jury duty, which I found to be unpleasant, but interesting. I learned all about stuff like the physics of blood, how to interpret blood/flesh spatters, how to recognize a revolver, the difference between a semi-automatic and a fully automatic gun, and the general value of cocaine.

I found that if you stare blankly at an idle lawyer during trial, you will be rewarded with a dazzlingly charming smile. I tested it several times on all the lawyers at intervals throughout the presentation of evidence - it never failed.

I also came out with a generally favorable impression of bailiffs (sp?). Since we were there for about a week & 1/2 we decided to have a potluck luncheon to break up the restaurant food monotony. Our bailiff showed up with a homemade smoked pheasant cheese ball with a pecan crust. It was awesome and I was so impressed. On another day he just showed up with a huge fruit plate for us. It was remarkable since he tended to be gruff and grumpy, to the point where several people in the jury would laugh every time he spoke.
The deliberation part sucked. It took 17 hours and went straight through the night. I felt ill with all the coffee, soda, and chocolate I drank & ate to stay awake. We got to leave early in the morning to sleep, then had to return for more deliberation. People are damn stubborn sometimes. All in all, I hope I never get picked for a trial again... but I was really excited about going back to my regular job when it was all over.