Jury duty caught up with me today. Got out of the morning session, but the computer log-in said I was still vulnerable and had to show my face at 12:45pm. 139 people in the room, getting instructions from the deputy in charge on what to expect, how to make sure you don’t have to serve again within 12 months, how the computer decides it’s your time. Oh, and lots of stuff about parking, and how to take care of parking tickets you got because you didn’t put your jury duty sticker in the window. Nothing about bike parking, or how to get there without driving (it’s only a couple blocks from the train station, duh!).
Interesting thing learned- if you have a slight difference in spelling or punctuation between your birth certificate and driver’s license, you are likely to get twice as many summons, because the system thinks you’re two people. Those with hyphenated names are especially vulnerable, because the DMV computer doesn’t “see” them (it simply merges the front and last part together and drops the hyphen) while other forms of ID do.
The deputy also tries to put people at ease, and tells us, when he calls out our name, to say something like “Go Giants” instead of just “here.” I’m thinking, OK, what could I say that would relate to cycling, and then it hits me. “Go Postal!” Only that just might be taken the wrong way. Continue reading A Tuesday-morning ride without me? Yes, I’m going Postal. Or trying not to.