Continuing my bad day...
By PearlGrace
@PearlGrace (3171)
United States
November 21, 2008 8:29pm CST
As you might have seen in my prior discussion, I broke my left ankle today, for the fourth time. As I was sitting on the sofa with an ice pack on my ankle, my husband brought me the mail. Guess what I received? A jury summons! No kidding.
Is this day getting better and better, or what? And the date they want me to be in the jury is the week we will be up north. We've already purchased flight tickets. So, I'll have 1 chance to select a week that I can be on a jury, so I'm selecting the week after the one they picked for me. Can you imagine hobbling in as part of a jury with a broken ankle? Have you ever been summoned to be on a jury? What happened? If you haven't, do you want to be on a jury?
4 people like this
11 responses
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
22 Nov 08
Hey lilybug. I've heard from people who say they called the telephone number for the jury info the night before and that their number didn't come up all week. So, they never had to go at all. I do know someone who had to serve on a murder trial and found it to be quite interesting. It's just kind of inconvenient for me right now. But I'm sure it will all work out somehow. Thanks for your comments.
@AmbiePam (93740)
• United States
23 Nov 08
You can definitely get out of it with your ankle injury. One doctor's letter and you'll be free. I got a jury summons right after I had started a new job a couple years ago. I was also sick, but I was too curious to turn it down. I dragged myself there, determined to stay, and I did. But I was so glad I didn't get picked. I was a nut to even try to go. If I had been picked, no way could I have done it. That one entire day at the court house exhausted me.
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Hello AmbiePam. Love your "holiday" themed avatar! Sorry to hear about your negative jury summons experience. My plan is to request to serve the week following the week they assigned me. It's the last full week before Christmas and I suspect they won't be having any court that week, so my plan may not work.
I am trying to get it over with before Jan. 7th as I will be teaching a class at a university where I haven't worked before AND I already have them looking for substitutes for 4 classes I'll miss due to a trip out of the country we already had planned.
I just want to get it over with. Down here, the court "insists" that everyone who is selected agree to serve, so rather than have them re-setting a date during the semester beginning in January, I'd like to get it done in Dec. We'll see what happens.
1 person likes this
@wondericequeen (7876)
• Hong Kong
23 Nov 08
Oh I know how you feel, it's like the bad things happen all in 1 day. But I'll assure you, for this year, bad things happen to me every month and that's why I can't wait to get this year totally over with *laughs*. Still 1 month to go and I am secretly pray next year would be better. I hope your bad day will turn good tomorrow.
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Hi wondericequeen. I hope you will have the better year next year that you are wishing for. Thanks for the good wishes. I have pretty much psychologically accepted I will be wearing this darn "boot" cast for the next 4-6 weeks. Now, I just have to adjust to getting less done in double the time! Thanks for commenting.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
22 Nov 08
I have served on a jury....I was working two jobs at the time....and extremely tired...so the baliff let me take naps when my presence wasn't required. During the course of the duty I sat on two different cases and they were both very very interesting.....
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
23 Nov 08
What a nice bailiff to let you nap! I have heard that actually serving on jury duty is quite interesting, like you say. Plus, I love court TV! It's just that the next 6 months are pretty packed for me and with the broken ankle, that crammed schedule just gets more complicated. Still, I do understand it's my civic duty. Thanks for your comments.
@ellie333 (21016)
•
22 Nov 08
Hi PearlGrace, I am answering discussions in reverse order I guess as I haven't seen that discussion yet. Poor you, for the forth time too, how horrible. I have never done jury service but my mother was called up for it a while ago. I hope they will allow a change of date. Yes I should imagine you will be quite different from the other jurors hobbling in. Have a good flight up north. Huggles. Ellie :D
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I must say that last Friday was certainly a day for the "worst days" record book! I am over it now and realize that my ankle will heal and I will be fine. It's kind of a pain to have to trudge through airports and travel with the big boot cast. Plus, it limits so much the clothing I can take on my trip (can't wear most slacks as the cast is to "fat."
Yes, I will put in for jury duty for the following week and see what happens. I will start teaching Jan. 7th so I'd hate to have to have jury duty between Jan. 7th and April 22nd, as that's when the class will meet. Plus, I'm already taking 4 days off the classes due to our upcoming trip to England and Scotland. Thank heavens I'll be all healed up by then (March).
Take care and huggles to you!
@walijo2008 (4644)
• United States
23 Nov 08
No, I've never been summoned to be on a jury, and I don't think I would want to, I'd have to think of a good excuse to get out of it..lol. Can't you get out of it being disabled with a broken ankle? Surely they wouldn't make you hobble to the courthouse everyday, I wouldn't think they would.
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Well, in the state where we live, if you can't go for jury duty the week they assign you, you have to send back their form with the "new" date that you select for yourself. So, there's no opportunity to tell them the reason you would have to miss. They basically say select a date you CAN do it and put it on the form. They don't even ask you why you can't make it at the time they picked for you.
@patgalca (18390)
• Orangeville, Ontario
22 Nov 08
I have been summoned for jury duty twice I think. Since I have fibromyalgia I got a doctor's note both times to get me out of it. I wouldn't mind doing jury duty. I think it would be interesting, but with my illnesss sitting all day long would be hard for me. And then focusing all the time is another problem I would have. I could even fall asleep during court!
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Hello patgalca. I do not want to get out of jury duty, but I must change the date for sure. Plus, I have so much stuff coming up over the next 5 or 6 months, selecting a day other than the week after they've summoned me would be difficult. I'm hoping that the date I'm picking will work out.
Actually, I love Court TV and think jury duty would be interesting. It's just this is the worst time ever for me, with the broken leg, a trip coming up, and I'll be teaching a class in January that will last for 4 months. Hope it all works out.
Thanks for your response. Do take care.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
22 Nov 08
bless your heart, u did have a bad day. sorry about your ankle. u might could get out of jury duty since u have the problem. i sure would try. i have never been called & hope i never am.
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Hi ANTIQUELADY. Yes, that was quite a day, for sure. The state I live in doesn't really provide opportunity to completely get out of jury duty but does allow you to pick the week you want to serve. So, I'm going to select the week after the week they assigned to me and hope it works. That's because I have to teach in Jan. and already have to miss 4 classes due to a trip we've had planned for several months. I just don't think I could take one more interruption of that class schedule. And with the broken ankle, I can't do as much as I'd like because it slows me down quite a bit. I'm hoping it will all work out.
Thanks for taking part in this discussion.
@celticeagle (168126)
• Boise, Idaho
22 Nov 08
I have been summoned twice. Each time I was not choisen. Hopefully that will be what happens to you. I do not find that they chose anyone but the ones that have lead pretty sheltered lives. Seems alittle bazarre.
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Hello celticeagle.
I have heard that many people answer the questions in ways that cause them to be rejected for jury duty. I do watch a lot of news and read the newspaper from cover to cover. It would all be interesting except for my schedule will be slowed down now due to the broken ankle so adding something like jury duty would not be a good thing. We'll see what happens. Thanks for your response.
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
22 Nov 08
Hey pearl! Oh my! Not your day is it? I was summoned quite a
few times! I had doctors notes to get excused. Then the last
time I got called to NY Supreme Court and I freaked! My doctor
at the time wrote a great letter and they excused me and I
never got another summons since! The don't excuse you anymore
for any reasons! They don't even excuse doctors or lawyers
now so if they did call me I'd have to go and just hope I
didn't get picked! But there was no way I was going to go
downtown to Foley Square to possible get picked for a criminal
case and maybe be sequestered for months! I was so scared!
But it worked out well thankfully. Maybe some day they will
bother me again and this time I guess I will have to go!
I just hope that it will be the local court. But I will sure
try not to get picked for anything!
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
22 Nov 08
No kidding, it's definitely not my day. Well, I'm hoping the jury summons thing will work out for everyone. I understand it's important to serve and I guess there's no real convenient time to do it since I work a couple a days each week, unless I'm on vacation. Glad you didn't have to serve. I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed.
@lorelei1622 (329)
• United States
22 Nov 08
I haven't but my mother did, and it took a week for her to finally get the judge to disqualify her. The trial involved one of my father's cousins, who shot one of my mother's cousins, and the attorneys thought she should have no problem sitting on the jury. Too weird for words!
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Hello lorelei1622. Glad your mom finally got out of that weird situation. That does seem odd that the attorneys (neither one!) excluded her. I mean, that one seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it? I'm hoping to just serve next month and get it over with. My schedule is gonna be pretty inflexible over the next 6 months, so I need to get it out of the way now. Thanks for your response.
