You can tell by the look of the envelope that the end of this story is not going to be good. Alright, so you’ve received that pesky letter in the mail that it is your “civic duty” to possess. You know what I say to that? Civic Duty, Schmevic Duty. Jury Duty, in reality, sucks. However, since there is no way around this obligation other than to be sentenced to jail time or fined, it would behoove you to suck it u and make the best of it. I can say that is nothing at all, I learned some things about my fellow jurors, law culture, and even got a free lunch. (yay!) At any rate, here are a few tips for women on how to survive Jury Duty.
1. Uggs
I am aware that not everyone loves these fugly shoes; however, I do because wearing them is akin to walking on air. point. blank. period. I made the grave mistake of wearing a suit and heels to jury duty. Don’t make that same mistake. Attempt to look as grunge as physically possible. Trust me on this one. Hopefully it will work in your favor.
2. Snacks
O.M.G. In the words of the late Michael Jackson, they don’t really care about us! Seriously, try your best to smuggle in some snacks. I can’t guarantee that this will work, but you should certainly try. I paid 0.85 cents for a bag of chips that started below the fifty percent line on the bag. That is what I get for trying to eat organic chips. #terrible.
3. positive Attitude
This is the most vital thing that you can bring with you. This situation will flow much more smoothly if you can find at least an ounce of a sense of humor within yourself. Even if you are lacking in that department, just smile more. Trust me, it works.
4. ipad, Laptop, smart phone
Bring Something! Sudoku, Temple Run, or portable Scrabble….(there’s an app for that, right?) Anyway, I would hate for your tombstone to read: “Died slow death at jury duty due to immense boredom. Come on, how would your family feel about that? I made the mistake of bringing none of the above with me, seeing as my current phone is dumb as a bag of rocks, and I woke up far too late to scramble and grab my computer.
5. Nap prior
Self Explanatory. You need this. If you neglect this, you will feel it. They do not allow jurors the luxury of slumber. Get over it.
6. J.U.I
Myself and my fellow jurors coined the phrase J.U.I (Juror under the influence), after I mentioned how uber cool some libations would have been during the juror selection waiting process. Intoxication would not have been very conducive to the task at hand, but it sure would have passed the time faster and taken my mind away fro the fact that I was making like a dollar an hour!
7. Make yourself love wasting time
This is the next important after positive attitude. Seriously, don’t under estimate the power of being an unapologetic time waster. As a very cynical and sarcastic erson, although it is our civic duty to articulate in Jury Duty, it is also a major inconvenience and therefore a time waster in my book. However, just force yourself to love wasting time, smile, and you will make it through!
Do you all have any other Jury Duty stories, or more examples of what to bring with you during this wonderfully wasteful experience?
Answer that!
xo,
Denia