I spent the afternoon sitting in the basement of a government building waiting for my name to be called. After three hours of subsequent bullet-sweating and anguish—due to a false understanding that, after a hundred or so, they were done with the good name calling—it finally was. Meaning, my "hardship" application (in which I explained the lives of a dozen people, including my six infant kids, depended on my not serving—or something along those lines, but more true) was approved, and I was granted a jury duty deferment of six months. So now I know what that's like and don't have to worry about it for a while. It was an unusually long process, because it was an unusually large group, because it was an unusually long (and complicated—with a dozen different defendants) trial.
Truth is, I wouldn't actually mind sitting on a jury. If I had a regular job and/or the time, I think it'd be an interesting and educational experience—not to mention a nice (if a bit boring at times) change of pace. But this one was estimated at five weeks long, which isn't really a conceivable amount of time to be not working right now (if ever).
On the bright side, I used the time to read half of A Little Java, A Few Patterns, which Steve gave me right before I left, and to write down 57 items on a list entitled, "Things to Do for Pyra -- BIG." So, I guess I know what I need to do—right after the 157 items on "Things to Do for Pyra -- Little."