Jury Duty

After being an official voter for over twenty years, I have FINALLY been called to serve for jury duty. Okay, okay, I know this is an odd thing to hope for, but after seeing co-workers being "called up" I was feeling a little jipped. Perhaps I have seen too many Law and Order shows, but this seemed like a fun thing to experience.

I cannot begin to explain how excited I was when I received my jury summons in the mail three weeks ago. With a little trepidation I woke up extra early this morning and debated on which outfit would be most appropriate (do I dress up or just wear jeans?). In case you were wondering, I went with a more casual attire. I got down to the court house with ten minutes to spare and was forced to wait outside with a few homeless men (who wanted my money)before they would let us in. In my mind I was having flashbacks to Adventures in Babysitting when the main character's friend was stuck at a train station without her glasses petting a large rat that she mistook for a cat. I couldn't help but laugh at this thought, which I am sure made me look a little odd, but whatever.

Finally the doors open and I follow the crowd through the security section and asked the police officer there where I needed to go to serve. I was quickly shown the door...because I was in the wrong place!!! You have to understand, there are about six different buildings down town that all serve some sort of municipal purpose. After being shown the correct building to go to I gathered up my things and with renewed excited headed to do my duty.

Flash forward three hours, excitement gone, boredom set in and booty aching I find myself watching the clock in anticipation of our lunch break. We lucked out and at eleven were excused for the day. I was only half way through the movie that I was watching but was more than happy to get the heck out of there. I have one more day to sit before I am either added to a panel or sent home and I am more than hoping for the latter. Yes, the dream is dead! :)

So now I can add jury duty to my list of things done in my lifetime, not that this was on my list of things to do before I die, but I have done it just the same.

Jay Walking...it's a dangerous thing.

So this morning started out like any other, I stayed in bed a little too long but was still out of the house in record time. As I headed down the road that I have been using to get to work everyday for the last eleven years, lost in thought I was suddenly jolted back to reality when I inadvertently struck a woman who ran in front of me. It was such a surreal moment, as though time had stopped temporarily, I watched in horror as the woman flew up in the air and landed, face down onto the ground.

I pulled over as quickly as I could, still feeling stunned, I called 911 and raced over to where she lay. As I got closer the woman moved to her hands and knees and slowly crawled over to the sidewalk. All I kept thinking was, please don't let another car hit her while she is lying there. I was so relieved to see her moving. When I finally caught up to her I was stopped by the 911 operator who was trying to determine where exactly we were on the highway. Thankfully a woman who had witnessed the accident stopped to offer help and a statement.

The woman on the ground was sitting up by the time the paramedics, fire department and police showed up so I was feeling a little more relieved. The stranger and I both gave our statements to the police and it was determined that I was not at fault. The woman I hit ran across four lanes of traffic while we had a green light. She was almost there when I hit her. I didn't even see her until we made contact. The officer said that he was going to give her a ticket for jaywalking, which took the blame off of me.

This is all fine and good but it still doesn't change the fact that I struck another human being with my car. I think that I have been in a state of shock and denial for most of the day. The only time I really think about the events that took place this morning is when I am retelling the story. I do not even know her name. I am thankful that I was going the speed limit (45 mph) and that I did not hit that intersection two seconds earlier or this would probably be a completely different blog entry.

After calling into work to let them know what happened, I said a prayer of thanks and promptly but safely took myself back home. I am sure that sounds odd, to be thankful but I am. So many other factors could have come into play and I am thankful that she at the most has a broken leg. We will see what happens in the future with her, (you never know with people) but for now all of my t's are crossed and i's are dotted.

Now I can start breathing again.

The Interview

I have recently been given an opportunity to apply for a promotion within my company. Our office manager gave notice and suddenly I found myself in a position to challenge myself more in a place that I have called my second home for the last 11 1/2 years.

This evening I met with two of our five doctors for an interview. I know that they have already interviewed at least one other applicant and so I was feeling extremely nervous. I started the interview with a joke then let the questions fly. The doctors posed a lot of great questions, most of which I felt prepared for and some slightly unexpected but relevant.

I left the interview feeling proud of myself for stepping forward and going for something that I know will really challenge me. I feel confident that I can do the job but trust that the right person will be hired.

An afternoon with local celebrities.

About a week ago I had the unique opportunity to attend a bowling charity event with local celebrities. The charity raised money for a local homeless shelter as well as a cat rescue program. My co-worker Janice and I went together and were very excited to find out who we were going to bowl with.

We got to the bowling alley a little bit early which in hind sight I was thankful for. I was eager to pick out my ball and get settled in so I convinced Janice to follow me down to where we could pick out the lightest balls possible. (yes I am a wimp)This is where I had my "Bridget Jones" moment. Yes, I managed to make a fool of myself once again. I had made a sudden stop to turn around and say something to Janice and as I did so my ankle turned in my Danskos. The next thing I know I am stumbling down these steps, hearing loud gasps in the background as I continue to try to catch my fall. I eventually came to a stop but not before hit a table then landing on the floor in the Superman in flight position. As I lay there stunned all that I could think about was, "I cannot believe that just happened, get up, get up"! As I peeled myself off of the floor and came to a sitting position in a nearby chair a man that I had met ten minutes earlier yells across the room, "Dawn, I saw you fall, you okay"? To which I replied, "Just trying to make an impression".

My arm hurt SO bad but I was not about to let something as silly as a possible broken arm to stop me from bowling with a local celebrity. The day did not disappoint! Three hours later and having laughed and enjoyed my time bowling with none other than Cisco, the garden guy, the peanut guy and a Sea Gal. My arm was hurting so bad by the end of the three games that I could barely lift it to clap for my teammates.

I tried to go to get my arm checked at the walk in clinic but it was closed. So I went home, took some drugs and went to bed. The next day I got in to see the doctor who took x-rays of my shoulder and found....nothing! All of that pain for nothing! I guess my arm is just really bruised, but I got stuck wearing a sling and was told to do as little as possible in the week to follow. I did what the doctor ordered for about a day and a half then couldn't take it anymore. It was too cumbersome so I took it off. My arm still hurts a little bit but it is better for the most part.

So there you have it, my exciting introduction into the world of celebrity charity work. So much fun despite the pain.