the people's court

i was on the people's court once. don't act too surprised. i was just in the " audience" . they used to film the people supposedly  standing outside the courtroom in what used to be mahattan mall.
back in the day they would ask people if they wanted to be in the peoples court audience and they would give you a free t-shirt if you did . they would show you an episode of the people's court on  a video screen and when they would cut to the people outside the courtroom they showed the "audience" and would ask us our take on the case. i was too shy to say anything. since i am short they let me stand in the front. it was so much fun. they even told us which day they were planning on airing the episode so we could set our vcrs.
the nicest part was that my parents and my grandmother were able to see me on tv.  even the doorman from the building i worked in at the time got a kick out of seeing me on tv when he realized i was in the episode.

jury duty

ive gone on jury duty twice. i hate it . its like being in jail. the first time i went i served for two days. the second time i served for just one.
the first time i went for jury duty it was an indian summer october. the jury duty holding room was an air conditioning-free zone replete with old ladies who didnt let anyone crack open a window because they "felt chilly". also if you went to the bathroom as you were waiting for your name to be called you had to tell someone your name because there was no loudspeaker in the restroom. if they called your name twice and you didnt respond you were marked absent. disgusting if you ask me. the second time i went for jury duty it was june. the juror's room then was air conditioned. it was in a different court building. what a difference. i almost didnt mind being there. almost, but not quite.
when i came back from pesach i received the juror questionnaire . it really sucks because i know that in about six weeks from when i sent it in they will be sending me that jury duty summons.
bh i havent managed to get on a case yet. my current employer doesnt pay me for jury duty. i always think of something to tell the judge to get myself off of the case.
it is kind of sad though. most dont want to get on a trial, so who do you think ends up being the jury? i dont even want to think about it. they should really have professional jurors. its not like the bozos in the jury box are a jury of my peers anyway. who are they kidding ? a professional juror would actually be versed in the complexities needed to make an informed decision. do you think that all jurors in our jury system have a high school diploma? is their command of the english language advanced enough to understand what a trial lawyer is actually saying? probably not. hashem help us all.