Day 407 - You gotta play the hand you are delt

Today, for some reason, I fulfilled my civic duty.

Trust me I tried to get out of it - deferred it several times, but finally I gave in.

To Jury Duty.

I have been here before - once when I was living in Brooklyn.  And if you want to see a cross section of the people who live in your city, come on down to the courthouse any day of the week.

I was called in for a trail at about 10am.  Forty of us were escorted into a court room, seated, then presented with an overview of the case. (domestic violence).

The lawyers proceed to ask each of us the same 10 questions.  The last of which was, "Will serving on this Jury cause you hardship".

I sat in my seat and debated that question.

The trial was estimated to last several days.  Maybe even a week or so.

I am sure a lot of the people in the room were searching for a hardship.

And I figured I had a pretty good one.

So when asked I simply said, "I am undergoing treatment for cancer."

(Not a lie - but stretching the truth a bit - I am sure a good lawyer would get me off).

You could feel the energy in the room shift, a few knowing nods, that sort of thing.

The judge was non-pulsed.  She just smiled and said, "OK".

Twenty minutes later I had learned the occupations, neighborhoods, marital status, and even the political views of 40 perfect strangers.

The defense attorney asked each of us to name our two favorite television shows.

I was the only one who said, Mad Men, and Downton Abby.

One guy said, "John Stewart + Rachel Maddow", and the guy next to him followed up with, "I only watch Fox News."

In the end I was not chosen to sit on the Jury.

It seems like I played my cancer card at just the right time.