After five years in Chicago, my number came up.  I got my jury summons at the beginning of August and my “day of service” was last Friday.  I had to call in on Thursday to see if I actually had to report or not, the message on the answering service was “if your last name begins with B, as in Bravo, through and including letter K, you must report as instructed.”  Seems like a perfectly reasonable way of choosing, huh?  The summons mentioned that I should bring reading material and change for the vending machine - that didn’t really leave me feeling all that optimistic.  So, I reported, as instructed, on Friday morning and oddly enough, I felt like the criminal.  They sent me through metal detectors and then directed me up to the “juror holding room.”  I was on a very full elevator and one more woman decided that our elevator had her name on it.  When she got on, the elevator made a very loud and startling squawk letting us know that we were over the weight limit (did I mention that she was a rather large woman), but she refused to get off and strangely enough, the elevator finally lost the game of chicken, the door closed and up we went.  Once in the holding room, we were very rudely instructed to turn off all cell phones/Blackberries, and have a seat.  Then a short orientation video was played which highlighted several things about the local court system - 5 million people served and 2.4 million cases filed each year (does that seem like a lot to anyone else?), discussed the roles of all the individuals in the court room, what to do if you had to go to the bathroom during the trial, and how the process worked.  One other thing the video stressed was how important the juror was, “they are the backbone of the legal system.”  Now I was feeling quite important and ready to get started.  When the video was over, they told us that throughout the day, panel numbers would be called as jurors were needed and until our number was called, just sit tight.  I made it to lunch without being called, the good thing was I got all caught up on my game shows and then soap operas.

After lunch, I was really chomping at the bit for a juicy case.  The woman next to me was sneezing up a storm and pulling Kleenex from a stack she had sitting on her leg - now I had a new reason to wish to be called.  The vending machines were in the front of the room so you could watch people make their selection, put money in the machine and then retrieve whatever goody they were seeking.  The funny thing was that several people couldn’t figure out how to use the machine, which made me wonder if a jury trial “by your peers” was really the best legal system we could come up with?!  One guy in the room hadn’t brought anything with him and was sighing every few minutes and giving us all the body language signals that told us how important he was and how boring this process was - hilarious.  Another guy fell asleep and missed his panel being called.  They did a head count and realized they were missing someone and he had to be woken up.  Another girl, who was dressed inappropriately, was freezing and decided to tuck her arms into her sleeveless shirt for warmth.

By the end of the day, I had a few laughs and gotten a lot of reading done but never did get called for duty.  They called our numbers so we could collect our checks, $17.50 is the going rate for serving as “the backbone of our legal system.”  Based on what I saw, that was a little high.

Full Moon Over Lake Michigan

On Tuesday, we had a full moon.  Even though this picture doesn’t do it justice, it was absolutely gorgeous and so bright that it was casting shadows in my apartment.   This is looking out my window, you can see the reflection of the moon on Lake Michigan with Lake Shore Drive in the foreground.  I love this view especially on a night like that.

It started on Thursday, Paige and I were exchanging rapid fire email and the topic of movies came up.  I mentioned that there were several new movies that were “on my list” including the new Will Ferrell movie Land of the Lost. She mentioned that she loved Will Ferrell and that she thought that movie looked hilarious - I couldn’t agree more.  We started plotting a plan for the following night.  She emailed Gary to see if he and Jen could join.  Friday rolled around and they were a ‘maybe’, Jen had been traveling extensively and needed a down night.  They ended up agreeing to dinner beforehand but decided against the movie.  Jen and I work just across the street from each other so we walked over and met Paige and Gary who where already at the restaurant.  After a delicious dinner, Jen and Gary headed home and we headed to laughfest 2009.

Unbelievably, the theatre was empty which made me wonder what we had gotten ourselves into but as the previews started, so did the laughs.  I won’t say that this was the best movie I’ve ever seen but it was certainly entertaining and  we both laughed throughout.  Paige, I’m not sure if there are many others who would have appreciated that humor as much as me but you definitely held your own and I am happy to have a new movie buddy for future slapstick comedies!

No alarm was set for Saturday morning, the first time in a while.  I finally woke up around 10 AM which was good considering I had plans with Mark that would likely run late.  I took my first run since KM100, just a short 4 mile run.  I felt pretty good but could definitely tell that I was still in the recovery process.  After an afternoon of errands, I was off to meet Mark for a beer.  He took me to his “go to” place, Hopleaf in Andersonville.  It was a nice night so we walked over and took a table on the patio, it was my second outside dining experience of the weekend (and of the season).  The beer was delicious, the food was tasty and catching up with Mark was fantastic!

It felt so good to sleep in on Saturday that I did it again on Sunday.  When I got up, I did some laundry and went for a run, another short one.  After lunch, I took a short bike ride and then sat near the lake for an hour or so.  I finally made it to the Apple store to buy a replacement battery for my computer (thank you mom/Kev for the early birthday present).  And with a quick trip to the grocery store, my errands were done.  I ended this most relaxing weekend with some dinner at home and a great movie called Off The Black with Nick Nolte.

This is a real show that was on CNBC the other day, you don’t have to watch the whole video to get the idea but the ending is pretty hilarious.  Enjoy.

I needed to have a productive day and wow did I!  I ran this morning then went to an 8:00 AM dentist appointment where I got the double “thumbs up”.  By the way, if anyone is looking for a dentist in Chicago, I can make a recommendation.  Then I was off to work where I actually got some things done.  Before leaving the office, I called to order some new contacts - mine have been bothering my eyes lately and were long overdue for replacement.  After work, I did a quick stretching/core strengthening workout before cleaning the house.  Then I called to check on returning some running shoes that I ordered online but had been procrastinating returning once I realized there was a seam on the shoe that wasn’t going to work for me.  I got them packaged up to drop in the mail tomorrow.  Dinner was next on the list with a little Seinfeld for good measure.  I have been shopping for some new running shorts, actually, compression shorts for my long runs/races and tonight, I finally pulled the trigger on that purchase.  Then it was off to Fleet Feet to pickup some new shoes.  While I was out, I stopped at REI to pickup some things that I ordered.  When I got home, I had a bowl of ice cream while I returned some emails and checked on the status of Melissa’s climb (the storm that has been raging for days seems to have passed, they are nearly ready to make another attempt at the summit- here is a link to the blog).  I don’t remember that last time I got everything checked off my list, it kind of feels good.

Often times at night (after the bank is closed), I use the back stairwell to exit the building.  Today, I forgot to take my allergy medicine in the morning so I decided to go to Walgreens and get some more.  I walked down the same stairwell and pushed the door open.  BLLLAAAAA - the fire alarm nearly put me to the floor as it blasted into my left ear.  I was quickly “detained” by security and promptly questioned as to why I was using the emergency exit.  I explained that I did it in the evening and didn’t realize that during the day it was off limits.  The repeatedly told me that I can’t use that door, I told them that I understood that NOW but they explained it to me another 5 times before releasing me.  What a way to start the day.

Why not start the day with a laugh?  If you are a fan of SNL like I am, especially old school stuff, you’ll probably recognize this skit by Adam Sandler and the late Chris Farley.  Adam has put together a tribute to the most important person in the educational system who, in his opinion, has yet to be properly appreciated.  I am a huge fan of both Adam and Chris so naturally this is a favorite of mine.  One night at grandma and grandpa Dunmore’s, Steve and I were watching several SNL skits online and must have watched this one at least 5 times laughing through each one.  WARNING: you may not be able to get this song out of you head so watch with caution!

Lunch Lady Land

Hoggies and grinders, hoggies and grinders, navy beans, navy beans… see what I mean, I can’t get it out of my head!

Every once in a while, a product comes along that really gets my attention.  This particular product captures not only the essence of American capitalism but also American patriotism.  Check out this link and get a glimpse of what will likely be next year’s most popular gift.

I LOVE friendly people and I really love friendly people when I’m out for a run or bike ride.  Today, a guy took that to a whole new level.  I have seen this guy many times over the winter, he was one of the few that seemed like regulars even during the worst weather.  He has always been friendly, usually a smile often accompanied by a nod.  Today, we crossed paths in the same general area of the path that we usually do but instead of the normal smile/nod, he headed straight for me with his closest hand held in the “high five” position.  I slapped it as we passed.  Thanks for the greeting “High Five Guy”, you made my morning.

Moffett, The Hawkeye

My boy Moffett is a die-hard Gator fan but you’d never guess it.  He has an “I Heart The Hawkeyes” mouse pad at work.  And last night, he was seen drinking a beer from a Hawkeye cup.  Now, he’ll tell you that he “just needed a mouse pad and this one was here,” and “Come on, I ordered a draft and they brought it out in this cup,” but seriously, are you buying it?  Mouse pads are a dime a dozen.  There is no shame in being a Hawkeye.