Jury duty.

It only took me two months of being an ex-cop before they found me. "They" being the City of Charleston Municipal Court. Some people go almost their entire lives without ever being called. I essentially got the call after being in the pool for two months. In a way, it sort of makes me wonder if someone down at 180 Lockwood Boulevard didn't make sure my name wound up at the top of the stack. As much as I would love a week down in Charleston with nothing to do but catch up on my reading, it would throw a major monkey wrench into my training schedule here in DC.

Oh, and by the way, catching up on my reading is about all I would be able to do on jury duty, since I would NEVER actually be seated on a jury in ten million years. Even if every lawyer died suddenly, leaving behind only idiots and poltroons to be lawyers, I would NEVER be seated on a jury. (I know the inherent joke in the last sentence, I figured I'd just leave it out there....)

The U.S. State Department does not ask that its employees be excused from what is their solemn duty as citizens. (No, not taxes....) Therefore, all I could do was send a letter to the court asking a little leniency and explaining the hardship that would befall me should I miss a week of consular training. My CDO (Career Development Officer- a real stand up guy) enclosed a little letter explaning the impact my absence would have on my scheduled deployment to Vietnam. So, the fingers are crossed, awaiting the verdict.

In the meantime, I am trying to think of how I could answer questions about my fitness to be a juror, if my humble plea goes unheard.

"I'd make a great juror, Your Honor, I can spot a guilty bastard a mile away!"