Doin' my Dooty

For the past two days, I've been,...well,...maybe I can't say exactly, but I'll tell you that there were twelve of us and one alternate. We weren't angry, and we weren't all men. And we were at an official building downtown where some people wear robes. Got me?
Okay, it was Jury Duty.
Some people asked me how is it that I couldn't get out of it. The truth is, I wanted to do it. Yeah, I had to miss work and all, but I wanted to know what it was all about. And I didn't want to "get out of it." Just like voting, I felt that it was something that I should do. And I'm glad I did. As one friend put it, "it's great theatre!"
I feel that we all responsibly paid attention to all the evidence, and reached the best verdict given the law and the charges as they were stated. Without giving too many details, it was more or less a "he said, she said" case. And we all seemed to feel that neither party in the case was entirely without fault. Neither was entirely innocent, nor were they entirely guilty, either. So I guess that in the end, I'm left with a sense of unease, but still wouldn't do anything differently.
I was extremely interested in watching the different styles of the people involved in the case. The lawyers, for example, couldn't have been more different if they'd tried. One was meticulous and to-the-letter when it came to submitting evidence and presenting her case, very respectful of the court and its rules, and her excellent posture made an ill-fitting suit look good. The other lawyer was haphazard, forgetful of proceedure, and blustery. He ruined the look of a nice suit by slouching. I wish I could say the best one won, but I can't.
The judge was no-nonsense, as you would hope a judge to be, and kept the witnesses from going overboard in their descriptions of what happened. He had a nice voice and a manner that put us at ease, while still keeping us in mind of our duty to the law.
As I watched the case, I couldn't help thinking that this would all be useful in some future acting role. I am so gonna use this someday. All part of the Actor's Bag-O'-Tricks.
As for the rest of the process, I really have no complaints. I got to read my book some, it was good to be downtown for a bit, and today I had my lunch at a fountain by the waterfront. The weather was sunny and warm, and I saw a few friends out and about as I made my way back to the courthouse. I wish that my current job could get a change of location. It would be nice to be able to walk to lunch at any number of restaurants, or even go home for lunch.
So, to sum up, I'm glad I did my "duty." And I'll get a whopping twelve dollars a day to boot! WooHoo!