3:24 pm - Monday, Aug. 13, 2007
Could be worse. Could be RAINING

Wanted to thank people for their comments recently--They're fun for me to read, and reconfirm the notion that I'm "connecting" with people (Cause otherwise, what's the point?).

Well, if this entry were going to be all about how I feel right now, it would be a litany of physical complaints. I have a cold, an achy back--I pulled something a few days ago (reaching for a piece of paper)and am still hurting--and I'm so tired I'm having to take rest breaks in between sentences as I type.

In short, I could be better.

But in happy news, I didn't end up having to do jury duty last week.

From Sunday through Wednesday, when I called the number, the message was the same--I didn't have to show the following day, but call after 5:00 p.m. that day to see if I had to report the following day.

But on Thursday, the message said call back on Friday, between 11:30-12:30, "for reporting times". And that made it seem like things had taken an unhappy turn.

But when I called on Friday, the message just said my service was complete, and make sure to mail my completed summons to the courthouse (Which I haven't done yet).

Anyway, I'm glad--I didn't want jury duty potentially interfering with work, auditions, and/or my trip back to Michigan (And yes Kerry, Mark and Jane's party is my raison d'etre for the trip; I will "be there with bells on", as they say).

Speaking of work, I was interested in the comments around getting "paid" for jury duty.

I've gotta say I'm on Mark N's side of the debate.

Don't know how it works in Michigan, but it would be a stretch calling what you get for jury duty here in California "pay"--It's $15 a day, excluding the first day you're called (And I think the rate had just been raised when I had my first jury duty experience).

If I'd ended up serving on a jury this time out, I could have absorbed the loss of income (Thanks to my commercial money). But if Borders hadn't covered jury duty that first time, that would have meant losing most of a two-week paycheck, which would have been a serious financial crisis.

And there are a whole lot of people out there in the same boat, people scraping by on low paying jobs that couldn't afford to lose that money. And I don't think you should have to choose between "doing your civic duty" and paying your bills.

So I'd vote for jury duty pay being at least minimum wage; if you needed it, you could take it, and if you didn't, you could opt out or donate it to charity or what-have-you.

Well, once again, I feel like I have much more to say, but a pre-work nap beckons...

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