Do you swear to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth?

I served on jury duty for two days this week. It was my third summons for duty. (I think a jury duty summons is like hemorroids or cold sores, once you get them you are prone to get them.)  I knew i was going to be chosen from the panel of 25 people, because it seemed obvious some were trying to get out of it by their answers.


This was a DUI and hit and run case.


For example: one guy answered a question with saying his very best friend got a DUI and he hasn't spoken to him since and that the defendant shouldn't be comfortable with having him on the jury. Maybe that's true too. But i felt he wanted out. Another woman, a nurse, kept interrupting and talking and sounded a little bit wack actually. 


The jist: A young woman left a bar at 2 am. This bar is notorious in town. There was a gang related still unsolved murder a few years ago. (My husband worked with the father of the kid who was killed and we went to the funeral.) As a result of that reputation, the bar hires Lakewood Police officers as 'rent a cops'.


The woman drives out of the parking lot. She actually sees that he is parked there, and as she drives out, her rear view mirror scratches the side of the officer's car. Very minor. But he feels it, but she is unaware that she grazed him. She pulls out into the street. The copy puts on his lights and follows her and she pulls over immediately. (To this police officer, this constitutes as hit and run. She is so close to the bar that you could throw a heavy rock and hit it.)


He, by his own testimony, came on strong with her, that he was 'agitated'. He approached her and was yelling at her about 'what the hell was she doing?' etc. etc. and ordered her out of the car . She swears she didn't know that she clipped him. (Her music was loud.)


The cop calls for backup from a state patrol officer. This guy is nicer and comes and gives her the field sobriety test (FST) even though he testifies that she does not appear to be drunk or swaggering. She walks a complete straight line, but fails to do it to instruction of heel/toe. This nice cop testifies that the defendant is totally cooperative.  He does say she smells like alcohol. She admits to having one vodka/Coke in the bar about an hour and half before. She has been there since 8:30 for her cousin's birthday party and now it's 2:00 am. He thinks her eyes are wiggling when he does the test with the pen, but also admits under cross examination there are 40 other variables that could cause this, not related to drinking. (Strobe lights and being tired for one thing.)


The defendant is a young African American woman. The first mean officer looks like a Nazi kind of cop - he was intimidating on the stand and seemed pissed off about being in court and even admitted that he was 'agitated' that he had to be there. He never once looked at the jury when he spoke. In a word, the guy was an asshole. (Later the defendant told us that he wouldn't let her get her coat,  yet it was near freezing outside.) I had to wonder about his attitude after what happened when four of his colleagues were killed in a coffee shop here two years ago here by a black man and his family helped him escape. Not saying he was racist, but i could see how SHE could be scared into believing so and so nervous she cannot pass the FST perfectly.


to be continued....

Correct me if i am wrong.....

1. But it seems like the country is starting to view Barack Obama in the same way that they did Jimmy Carter back the end of his first term.

2. That Rick Perry is the incarnate of George W. Bush, only in a way that pisses me off, more appealing. And i do believe Rick Perry will be the Republican nominee.

3. That many/some Americans seem to like stupid people more than smart people, especially when electing a president.

4. That it makes no sense to buy some things organic...say like.... avocados, bananas, melons.

5. That we look better than our mothers did when they were the age that we are now, mostly because of the styles, especially hair!

6. it used to be more fun going out to the movie theater. I think that's because i don't get to wear my pajamas and lay down on a pillow.

7. It's harder to find music i like on iTunes. I think i might not be their demographic.

8. The more strident and obnoxious a person is on TV the more famous they get.

9. We actually have to be reminded sometimes that there are wars going on because it seems easy to forget unless you have a family member fighting in it.

10. Reading anything in our local news is likely to give one hypertension or agoraphobia or enough to make even a bleeding heart liberal to want to go out and buy a gun.

11. Enunciating your words perfectly is irritating to anyone who has to hear it.

12. Chewing gum is low rent.

13. Obnoxious and immoral people never really change.

14. Passive aggressive people are some of the most obnoxious people on the planet. Because you can never win with them. You just have to kick their ass and make it hurt.

15. Women have it worse than men because menopause sucks and lasts far far too long which is not fair, considering women already have to go through childbirth and getting old looks worse on us than on them. i think this needs to be renegotiated with God or whoever is in charge of this.

So what would YOU add?

Saturday Summer Slacking

Not much going on. I just felt like posting.


Menu of the Day:


Music: nothing - i'm starting to get used to posting without music since we don't have our iTunes switched over yet. I'm digging it, like equeyaya was saying earlier about the silence! 


Photo: this is from The News Tribune. It's a photo of Troy's girlfriend's burger restaurant in Univ. Place. It was great review from Sue Kidd (who can be a difficult critic). Troy got his food handler's permit and is working with her on his days off and after work and even on his vacation. I think he's having a great time. The lines are LONG and the place is hugely popular already. I'm very happy for Pam because it's been a dream of hers and in the works for two years. (She and Troy met because she wanted to hire him for construction work that long ago. Who knew that burgers could lead to love? ) And speaking of her burgers: They are indeed very good, like the old fashioned juicy burgers from our past,  because they are hand pressed, not frozen. 


Troy called me at work couple of days ago and he sounded very happy. We both laughed at how it will be along time before we get together again. (Unless i get my food handler's permit too!)


Book: OMG, i think this book is replacing my favorite books of the year, maybe the past two years. Cutting for Stone is an amazing story. I think i love this book even more than The Kite Runner or House of Sand and Fog. (I only name these two because i never knew i could like books about other cultures.) I will be done with it maybe even by this evening or tomorrow for sure. I don't want it to end. I will be sad to let these characters go. 


On with the numbers - i'm still trying to get to my goal of 52 posts for the year and i'm still lagging. Whether anyone is reading or posting here, i'm forging ahead with my goal, come hell or highwater!


The Best Thing That Happened: (edited to add this:) I just found out after checking the mail today! ......Our little abode is paid off with only one more payment! (I wasn't expecting it until October or November.) No more house payment! WE are meeting with a financial planner next month to invest that same money. We are so excited with this news! 


**********************


1.  Where did that phrase  'come hell or highwater' come from anyway? I think i will Google that.


2. In regards to the Republican race for president: i want to go on record right now that i do NOT think Michele Bachman is going to be the candidate, Iowa straw poll be damned.  (Though i so wish she would be!) I would be willing to bet money that the presidential nominee is going to be Texas Governor Rick Perry. I remember seeing him awhile back on Jon Stewart and i thought he reminded me SO much of George W. in his mannerisms and his speech. BUT he is better looking and even i  have to admit, while i don't like the guy, he comes across with a certain charm. I will remind y'all from time to time as the days get closer to election time that i said this. I hope i am wrong. I really do.


3. I wouldn't be surprised if some Democrat doesn't come out of the woodwork to challenge Obama either. But right now i don't know who that would be. (If it were Anderson Cooper or Matt Damon, i may be inclined to change my mind about my vote!)


4. I went back to work last week. It wasn't as bad as i thought. Here is the key for me for a successful new year: do something new! .... My manager/boss at headquarters assigned me to mentor a new hire in one of our neighboring union offices. And after talking with her on the phone yesterday to set up a lunch date, i can tell I will already like this woman. Also on Friday my boss asked me to serve on a committee to research the best communications tool we can use for our 80,000 members. I love communications, so this is right up my alley. And both of these assignments get me out of the office.


5. When i think about my summer, it was great, lots of unencumbered time. Nobody demanding anything of me. But it mostly involved me watching Tabatha's Salon show, The Debt Ceiling news, Casey Anthony, unfurling my flag which kept getting wrapped around the pole on my front porch, watering my patio plants, taking naps, running, drinking wine, watching Rescue me, reading and making my bed. I wasn't bored, but i realized it didn't make me an exciting person to be around either. Housewives and young stay at home mothers must feel this way. 


6.  I am going to be meeting susieatl (who posts here infrequently) next Saturday in Seattle. She knows what i look like, but I have no idea what she looks like because she never puts up photos on Facebook of herself (mostly her dog) but she tells me she is under 5 feet. I think I should show up in a wig and sunglasses! LOL..... 


7. My husband has been under our house in our crawl space for most of the day today, fixing and rewrapping our duct work and checking for leaks. I KNEW the dust coming inside our house and inordinate amount and sure enough we have some leaky duct work that sucks it into the house. Brian fixed it. When we are done we will have the most looked over condo in good repair in our whole community. He's been in every inch of our crawl space and thought he is not claustrophobic (as i am) it's not a pretty job.


8. I love being married to such a handy guy. He can fix almost anything! 


Ok, that's all. What's going on with your week

i have no idea what's on my mind...

...but it never stopped me before. 

Menu of the Day: 


Music: right now it's Springsteen's Ghost of Tom Joad. 


Best Thing that Happened this Week: i'm still thinking......i'll get back to you. 


Book: i resisted this book before and i'm not sure why because i'm reading it now and LOVING it. Y'all have probably heard of it: Cutting for Stone . It's always prominently displayed these days in bookstores. 


(I think this makes book #14 this summer for me.)


What I am procrastinating about: I need to take those classes with the Apple Store so i can do the Microsoft applications like Word and Excel, not to mention the music stuff. I miss my iTunes!!!!


What i have accomplished this week: I'm still thinking....i'll get back to you. 


On with the randomness....




**********************


1. I HATE the commercial for the Shake Weight, don't you? Have you seen this stupid commercial?  An overbuffed muscle-y dude is shown BEFORE his 6 minutes with the stupid Shake Weight and then they show him after he's worked out with the Shake Weight for awhile. It's the same guy only his body is even grossly more buff. I hate guys who love their body that much. 


2. The Shake Weight looks like a workout tool for how to give a better hand job without throwing out your wrist. Everyone says that. And nobody needs six pack abs in order to give a good hand job. I'm pretty sure. 


3. Having said all this, for something like only $26, it would make a great gag gift. 


4. I went back to work this week. What made it easier was the weather hasn't been all that great. It's been somewhat cloudy and not making me beg for margaritaville time at all. I also like having lots of stuff to do with time to do it and this time of year makes it easier. I swear i felt the touch of autumn in the air today. 


5. Did everyone see Matt Damon and his mom (who is a teacher) speak up for teachers? i YouTubed it on Facebook. But i also found out that Lawrence O'Donnell did a whole thing on his The Last Word segment. 


6. Matt Damon is my niece Kylee's new husband pick. Too bad she gave up blogging so she won't see this. 


7. I don't have that much on my mind after all so i guess i will stop. I was just getting tired of seeing Tabatha's photo at the top of the other post. I love her, but she's a little bit scary.

My summer vacation with Tabatha and Denis Leary comes to an end!

I am one of those weird people who love being alone and hanging out around the house. I have not been on any trips for the past 5 weeks of my vacation and i have loved it! Here's what i did: 


1. This summer i became obsessed with two shows: Tabatha's Salon Takeover and Rescue Me. I love Tabatha and Denis Leary. (I seem to be attracted to harder personalities who take no prisoners and do what they think is the right thing even if they step on toes.) 


2. I read about 13 books. No kidding. I could breeze though a book a day if it was good enough and some books i did read in one day: Room, Prayers for Sale, and names of others i have already forgotten. I need to start keeping a list! But i can't figure out this new iMac Excel, which pisses me off because i am an Excel whore. I'm going to have to take some of those classes that Brian signed us up for. 


3. I didn't go to the pool that much this summer, and if i did, i never put on a swim suit, but i did manage to get tanned enough from running. I actually made myself go for a swim today (only because it was hair wash day anyway and no one was in the pool). It was my first time in the water in two years. I was trying to figure out how hard it would be to swim 20 minutes (which is what Brian had to do for his mini-triathalon. I could only manage 5 minutes. It's hard! )


4. Each morning i would start my day by watching the news on the Debt Ceiling. Brian brings me coffee and newspaper in the morning before he goes to work and it's incentive for me to wake up early enough so the coffee is still fresh. Then i would put a couple of episodes of Rescue Me from the netflixed DVDs or watch Tabatha. After that, i would go for a run, tend to my patio plants, and shower.  Then i would check my emails, (work and home) and Facebook and blog (though that never took very long). And by the time i was done with all this  it would be past noon and almost time for my nap! 


I am the most responsible and organized slacker you will ever meet. 


5. My summer uniform is an Eddie Bauer tank top, Eddie Bauer flip flops,  and a switch between my Eddie Bauer cargo pants with the zipper pocket at the ankle (so i don't have to carry a purse if i don't want to) or  my Old Navy pants i've had for over 10 years that i just love because they are so comfortable. 


6. Besides Tabatha and Denis i also got hooked watching Shark Week and the ME TV station. Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart are my most favorite shows on there, and also MASH. Its a great channel! 



7. I didn't ONLY watch TV. My first day of vacation was helping Kylee move to her new place in Seattle. And I did get together with different friends over the month. I even spent 6 hours with my mom Elodie yesterday for her birthday. I cooked a lot. (One of my new recipes was chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and sage with a brown butter sage sauce.) I drank a lot of wine and discovered some new ones i really like. I sewed my brother's pillows with louie and beat my husband at many games of Yahtzee on the patio. I even had a good time meeting the neighbors at the pool at the annual Neighbors Night Out earlier this week. 


Normally we would have gone somewhere. But the rivers are too high for flyfishing now because of all of our snowpack (so we probably won't get to it until mid-September or October when it's better fishing anyway) so that's why i've been home. But i don't mind. It seemed to be a longer vacation that way.


And now it's over. I go back to work on Monday. At least i have a month before the teachers go back so it will be quieter and i can wear the same slacker clothes i've been wearing at home since not many people are around. I might even ride my new bike to work! 

Happy Birthday louie/louie and other summer stuff.

1. Today is the birthday of my longest best friend in the world. We have been friends since 1979 when we both were working at Mann Junior High. (Back then she was a Home Ec teacher and i was a Student Accounts Secretary.) 


We used to run together in the park after work every day for years. We left our first husbands who(m?) we had both married at very early ages during the same year. (I think her ex blamed ME for the divorce and my ex blamed HER!) I've known her kids  since before they were born - (I even ran with Nick before he was born!). I would have dated either one of her brothers back in the day had the timing been right. (Not sure they would have dated me though.) I was her Maid of Honor (but not a very good one because i was poor and distracted by dating back in 1987) when she married again (Emma's dad). She brought me Guiness Stout and Vanity Fair when i had pneumonia and Brian was out of the state. And she made me pajama pants during another time i was sick after my nephew died. She sent me a card in the mail every day during that time. 


My husband says of her, "Your friend Sarah is such a good friend to you, she's a good egg." So Happy Birthday, louie/Sarah!  


You are indeed a 'good egg', but not one that cracks,  because you know that eggs do not dance with stones and we're both stones. (Neither of us do needy high maintenance friends well. )


2. I just got in from running in 80+ degrees in the hot sun. I am not complaining because i already complained way too much that it was cold and cloudy. But i'm mentioning it now to say i weighed myself before and after. And i lost nearly a full pound of water weight from that run! (short 1/10ths)


3. I have been watching Shark Week on Discovery. I love shark stuff, ever since i read the book Jaws and saw the movie. But then, I have nothing to worry about, i don't even swim in our pool, much less the ocean. I'm thinking it's kind of mean for Discovery to have Shark Week during the summer when people want to play in the ocean the most.  


4. I went to work for four hours today cause it's money time of the month. It wasn't so bad because i knew it was only a half day and i got a lot done. But i still am not ready to go back. Normally i am by now, but not this year. 


5. I hope my union goes on strike. Then i'm done. If that happens i think i will take 6 months off and then look for a job. But i doubt my union is dumb enough to go on strike right now. We can't be THAT greedy. 


6. So the Debt Debate is in tentative agreement. I haven't watched TV yet today to see when the Senate vote is happening, but i expect it might be today? or is it over already? I doubt it, because the Breaking News on Comcast as i logged in was about a near death experience that Lou Diamond Phillips had years ago on the set of Young Guns.....



Anyway,  I have no idea what to think about this outcome, but i loved the article by conservative columnist Kathleen Parker. She started it out: 


"Take names. Remember them. The behavior of certain Republicans who call themselves tea party conservatives are the most destructive posse of midguided "patriots" we've seen in recent memory."


The names she lists (and i am sure that there will be more to come): Michele Bachman (of course), co-founders Jenny Beth Martin, Mark Meckler, and Judson Phillips; Rep Jim Jordan (Ohio); and South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint. 


7. I imagine nobody in Congress wants any polls taken about their popularity these days, which must hover around Gaddafi's or Casey Anthony's, take your pick. 


8. louie, i bought a chardonnay today called "Emma Pearl" because of the name. I'll let you know how it is. Ask Emma if she has heard of it. I hope it's good cause it was almost $18. 


9. OK, that's all i got for now. How is everybody's summer going? I'm glad for these last few days of sun before going back to work next Monday!