Not my greatest work

When I hear the phrase "Magnum Opus" I visualize a big nosed penguin with a hearty mustache.

Jury duty went pretty well.  I waited a long time, then I got put in a jury pool for a trial.  Then I waited another long time.  Then they made us stand in a line.  Then we got to leave!  Yay!  And now I'm done for three years, and I didn't have to listen to a lawyer saying *anything*.

The courthouse was kind of nice.  Very pretty stained glass, big wooden art, free hot drinks, and free wifi.  The chairs were kind of hard.  I've stayed in worse motels. 

After I was dismissed, I headed in to work for a few hours.  My calculating skills are severely diminished by the gracious bounty of my 3+ hours of sleep last night.  I couldn't figure out how many hours I should work (to make everything add up to 8) until I got to work and sat down.  Driving took up all my attention and prevented me from doing arithmetic.  Sadly, all my attention was only barely sufficient.  If I didn't already drive like a granny, with a huge gap between me and the poor bastard in front of me, I would have rear ended someone.  Time was passing oddly while I drove.  I'd glance down at the speedometer, look back up, and WHOA THERE'S A CAR!  And then I'd swerve.

Man I hate driving tired. 

I hope I didn't do any damage at work.  Not that my job is driving.  My job requires the use of my brain, and I think it should be fairly obvious by now that my brain has already retired for the day.

*Not a reference.  Double stars are for emphasis.

So not awake

The inside of my nose, after five days of a cold, is starting to feel tough. Like it has calluses. Like it comes from the wrong side of the tracks. Like maybe my nostrils will rough you up if they catch you staring at them. 

It's a weird sensation. 

I woke up at 2:30 last night and couldn't sleep again until nearly 5. So I'm nicely rested for jury duty. I expect I'll be able to give my full and considerable attention to the instructions of the court, right after I wedge these toothpicks under my eyelids. We were out of regular toothpicks so I have to use cocktail toothpicks. The ones with the festive little ribbons curled around the butt end.  That looks professional, right?

Jury doody

I have to report to the courthouse for jury duty tomorrow.  In theory I am cool with this.  Civic duty and all.  But jury duty doesn't happen at some civilized time.  No, you have to be at the courthouse by 7:30.  Normally I've barely finished my cereal by then.  Heck, this morning I turned off my alarm when it went off, and didn't wake up until nearly 8.

I figure to get up, get dressed*, eat, drive to the courthouse, get the shuttle bus from the parking lot to the courthouse**, and be at the jury duty room by 7:30, I'll need to set my alarm for about 5:30.  That's oh dark thirty.  I don't like getting up in the dark.  I don't think well then.  I don't drive well then.  I will definitely be grumpy.

I'll have to drive significantly farther than I do on a normal morning.  In heavier traffic.  Grumpity.

Given that I'm getting over a cold, I will also be coughing a lot.  Maybe they'll excuse me on the grounds that my cough is annoying.

*You have to dress "professionally".  Yeah, I'm a UNIX sysadmin.  Professional for me is a tshirt with something rude on it, and jeans.  Or sweats.  Or, whatever.  You know.  Stuff.  Usually but not always with no extraneous holes.

**The courthouse is in a tiny, tiny town.  The building was greatly expanded a few years back.  The town is so tiny that there isn't room any more to park at the dang courthouse.  You have to park at a nearby large parking lot and get a shuttle over.  The courthouse has been rebuilt twice after fires.  They couldn't have decided to bag it and rebuild somewhere with enough room?  Sheesh.

This IS my professional attire!