Jury Duty

I was called to be a reserve juror last month. You are assigned four days before which you call in to a recorded phone message and see if they need you. On the morning of my first reserve day, a Monday morning, I was so sick. I had an awful cold and was shivering, coughing and wheezing. I called the emergency number on my juror information sheet and told them I simply could not leave my house. The woman on the phone was very nice and told me I could reschedule, but I would then have to be a regular juror and would be assigned two days of service at the Courthouse. I chose April 25 and 26, so yesterday was my first day of duty.
I took a Freeway Flyer, courtesy of the County, straight down to the Courthouse and checked in around 8:15 am. They had us sit in this room with auditorium style seating, a podium up front and three television screens across the wall. After about a half hour wait, they turned on an orientation video featuring Chief Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson. After this, a woman came in and explained the jury process to us, followed by Clerk of Circuit Court, John Barrett. He looks just like his brother, Tom, our mayor, except slightly less gray and heavier. He mentioned that he was also in charge of sales for the video we had just seen, but that so far no one had purchased one. Laughs all around.
When he was done with his spiel, a voice over a loudspeaker called out about 25 names. These people got up and left the room to be assigned to a jury. A little while later and about 30 more names were called. And again, about two dozen more. Then the voice announced that the movie Hitch (starring Will Smith) would begin on the video screens. That was a fun movie, which I glanced up at every now and then while reading my book on California redwoods. I rued all the knitting I could have gotten done in there, had knitting needles not been considered a possible weapon by Courthouse Security. One jury service worker checked on this restriction for me, but came back to tell me that I couldn't bring the needles into the courthouse. He then pulled out two brand new pencils and offered to sharpen them for my use. I thanked him, but told him I hadn't even brought yarn.
When the movie ended, the voice called out another batch of names, and yet another. They finally got to me, but once out of the room, I understood that our group was just being dismissed for a one-and-a-half hour lunch. It was cold and wet outside, so I visited the Courthouse Cafe in the basement for some mostacholi and garlic bread. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I returned to the waiting room upstairs a little early to regain my aisle seat in the front row of the back section, where I could stretch out my legs if needed. There were two fans in the front of the room, one on the windowsill in front of the open window. I suppose it can get rather warm and ripe in there, with all those people waiting around, but it was a chilly day and I opted to leave my jacket on and stay out of the path of the fans.
Once everyone who wasn't yet on a jury had returned to the room, the voice said that the movie Monster-In-Law would begin playing on the screens. Someone put in the DVD and it ran through a couple of previews, then hit that screen that plays over and over and over unless you direct the cursor to "play" and hit enter. It just sat there, playing the intro about ten times. What gives?
The voice came once more and called out about 30 names. These people got up and left, including another Graf. I scrutinized this Susan as she left, but she bore no resemblance to anyone in my husband's family.
30 seconds later, and 30 more names were called. As I am near the back of the room where the hallway doors are, I can hear these last two groups being let go for the day. I can't wait for them to call my name. A few minutes go by, but no more names are called. There are only 33 of us left in the room. Then the movie begins to play. I don't think this is a good sign. I put down my purse, open my book and settle back into my chair.
Two hours later, the movie ends (stupid movie) and the voice announces that all those remaining with last names beginning with the letters A-L can report out to the lobby. Yes!
To my surprise, we were not only let go for the day, but we were told that our services were no longer needed. We did not have to come back the second day. Our checks in the amount of $19 would arrive in the mail in about three weeks. Thank you for your time. I am so glad I had a good book with me.

More Photos from Discovery World

Jellyfish in the aquariums - I don't even know how I did this. Cool.

This is a reflection of the east side of the building in Lake Michigan.

This is a reflection of the boulders used in the breakwater around the Denis Sullivan's dock.

Discovery World, Milwaukee, WI

We finally visited Discovery World yesterday for the first time. My Dad's friend Chris gave us an extremely knowledgeable tour, and even got us up onto the third floor Pilot House. It was a beautiful, clear day and I got lots of nice photos.

Milwaukee Skyline from Discovery World Deck

Some Days Are Golden

What a wonderful day! It stopped raining, the temperatures have risen into the lower sixties and the sun is shining. It is pay day and two shipments of new knitting yarn showed up at my door. My Dad and I went for a brisk three-mile walk and upon arriving back home, I discovered that my latest eBay listing had sold with an instant buy-it-now. To top it all off, my recently vegan daughter just discovered cheese in the burrito she brought home from Fiesta Garibaldi.

It was delicious.

The Tokheim Pump

This rusty old gas pump was by the side of the road, actually in front of the barn below, in Sturgeon Bay. We were driving my mother-in-law to town to pick up her car from the body shop when I yelled at my husband to pull over. He made a quick turn around and pulled off onto the gravel so I could run out of the van and take a bunch of pictures. My family is used to this behavior by now.

Doorknob Detail

Doorknob on the barn pictured below.

Apartments for Rent

3-, 4-, or even 5-room apartments for rent in Sturgeon Bay, WI. I wonder what they go for?

Today at Havenwoods State Forest

Dying and rising flora at Havenwoods this afternoon. The darker blobs through the middle are dried out teasel.

Pamela's Fine Jewelry, Spring Green, WI

Small Thought for the Day

Sitting under citrus trees can be a sublime experience.

The Language of God

I am reading a wonderful book on the reconciliation of science and faith by renowned scientist and longtime head of the Human Genome Project, Francis Collins, entitled, "The Language of God." I find it fascinating. Always having been a person of faith, I admit to an ever-growing struggle with the findings of modern science over the past decade of my life. It's not that I don't believe in a billions of years old earth, or in evolution and such matters (though I did deny both when I was younger), but not fully understanding the details, the explanations and the ramifications of these theories and how they could live peaceably beside my faith in God was troubling.
There is rather fierce debate in many evangelical Christian circles over the literal versus allegorical interpretations of the first two chapters of Genesis. It used to really bother me, this apparent denial of the "validity" of scripture, but I now see it from a totally different perspective, one not cowed by scientific discoveries, but rather enlightened by them and freed by them from fear and doubt on both the scientific and theological fronts. What really bothers me now are those who will put their interpretation of scripture before scientific fact and try to form this always enlarging body of scientific knowledge to their will. The earth simply cannot be billions of years old, so we need to come up with the science to support our belief! Besides being unwise and untruthful, I find this behavior detrimental to the positive view the Church wants to portray in our needy world. We already look ignorant and judgemental (just look at our president), so why heap injury upon insult by refusing to even consider the overwhelming evidence for commonly accepted science? When Galileo announced that the sun did not revolve around the earth, the Catholic Church condemned him as a heretic and forced him to recant. Everyone knew that the earth was the center of the universe, based upon the literal interpretation of scriptures such as Psalm 93:1 "The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved" and Ecclesiastes 1:5 "The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises." Yet, no one questions Galileo's description of a sun-centered system today, despite what the Bible says regarding an immovable earth. And, of course, these verses can no longer be interpreted as literal, so there you have it.
Christians who belong to the young earth creationism view believe Genesis 1 and 2 can only be taken literally, as creation happening in six 24-hour "days", and are often entirely sincere in their stance. Collins writes that if their "claims were actually true, it would lead to a complete and irreversible collapse of the sciences of physics, chemistry, cosmology, geology, and biology." I could go on and on about this engaging topic, and probably will in posts to come, but for now I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in or struggling with matters of popular science and faith. Collins' genetics background lends itself especially well to the theory of evolution. Evolution almost put my faith under, but now it is once again freed to a new level, a new understanding, and a new and more vigorous appreciation for the complexity and utter beauty of God's creation.