Jury duty sucks ass
Seriously.
I thought nurses and doctors were exempt from jury duty. But NO...I'm still trying to get "clearance" from some judge to exempt me from serving this term. I've been called to jury duty at least twice before, and I know I was able to be exempt due to my mental illness and doctor's excuses, so I don't know why this time it's so difficult.
I turned in an official letter from GMH to them. Last week I faxed them a copy of both of my nursing licenses, 'cause apparently they failed to tell me from the get-go that they also needed those as proof - so delays again. I report to my very first day of duty today only to find that they never received my fax, so I end up giving them my copy of my licenses. Delays again.
Honestly...what do I have to do to get exempt? BLEED? I have to report again tomorrow at 09:00 AM for my second day of duty - and because of this, I'm requesting leave from work - and my coworkers now have to scramble to find coverage for my shift 'cause I won't be there.
I explained this situation to both my head nurse and my nurse director (the big boss) - and they will be calling the Jury commissioner's office today to find out what the hell is going on.
I am an essential employee of GMH. Nurses are needed. I am a nurse. LET ME GO DAMMIT!
Now...I will tell all those who've not yet experienced jury duty what you have to look forward to:
B - O - R - E - D - O - M
And remember, this is mandated shit - if you play hooky, your ass goes to jail. If you chew gum in court or answer your cell phone, your ass goes to jail or pays a fine, or both. If you dress inappropriately in court, your ass goes to jail or pays a fine, or both. If you don't follow their directions or misbehave, your ass does all the above again.
You report early to the jury office only to WAIT, WAIT, GET IN LINE, WAIT, SIGN IN, WAIT, WAIT...oh, did I mention - WAIT.
You answer some questionnaire pertaining to the type of case you might be involved in (nothing specific, just general shit - to see what your opinions or biases are), then you go on a 2-3 hour lunch, but are mandated to REPORT BACK and repeat the aforementioned steps (WAIT, WAIT, ETC.)
You sit in a very crowded room, elbow to elbow with strangers, and you WAIT some more.
You become bored. You start to fall asleep. You're uncomfortable. You realize life is wasting away while you sit there waiting for them to tell you if you will do something in court or not. All the while, a Court Marshall is detaining you in this same room - only allowing you to leave said room in order to use the bathroom or grab a cup of water - whatever you do, you must ask permission first. Or else they'll think you're trying to escape, which your ass will be in trouble for if you do.
Then the commissioner finally returns after a couple of hours and tells you to report back the next day to do the same shit over again.
Oh joy.
I had my iPod with me. I had my phone. Those things weren't enough to keep me occupied. I caught myself nodding off many times, and it bothered me so much to be falling asleep in such an uncomfortable position (sitting up in a chair with nothing to lean on) - so I forced myself to leave my chair and walk around in the crowded room - just to STAY AWAKE. I mean, I was pacing the same path of carpet for at least 30-40 minutes. I swear, I must have looked like a mentally-insane person to the other people in the room - pacing for such a long time, talking to no one and just listening to my iPod. But there's really NOTHING ELSE TO DO.
I dread tomorrow. I don't want to be that bored ever again! I have ADD for fuck's sake! Forcing me to sit still and do nothing interesting will KILL ME!
I really want to bring my damn portable DVD player tomorrow. But that's probably not even allowed in the court building. Shit...I wish I had gotten the iPod Video version - my nano only shows pics, and plays music. No video :-(
Whatever. I just hope my mind will be able to keep busy somehow.
I thought nurses and doctors were exempt from jury duty. But NO...I'm still trying to get "clearance" from some judge to exempt me from serving this term. I've been called to jury duty at least twice before, and I know I was able to be exempt due to my mental illness and doctor's excuses, so I don't know why this time it's so difficult.
I turned in an official letter from GMH to them. Last week I faxed them a copy of both of my nursing licenses, 'cause apparently they failed to tell me from the get-go that they also needed those as proof - so delays again. I report to my very first day of duty today only to find that they never received my fax, so I end up giving them my copy of my licenses. Delays again.
Honestly...what do I have to do to get exempt? BLEED? I have to report again tomorrow at 09:00 AM for my second day of duty - and because of this, I'm requesting leave from work - and my coworkers now have to scramble to find coverage for my shift 'cause I won't be there.
I explained this situation to both my head nurse and my nurse director (the big boss) - and they will be calling the Jury commissioner's office today to find out what the hell is going on.
I am an essential employee of GMH. Nurses are needed. I am a nurse. LET ME GO DAMMIT!
Now...I will tell all those who've not yet experienced jury duty what you have to look forward to:
B - O - R - E - D - O - M
And remember, this is mandated shit - if you play hooky, your ass goes to jail. If you chew gum in court or answer your cell phone, your ass goes to jail or pays a fine, or both. If you dress inappropriately in court, your ass goes to jail or pays a fine, or both. If you don't follow their directions or misbehave, your ass does all the above again.
You report early to the jury office only to WAIT, WAIT, GET IN LINE, WAIT, SIGN IN, WAIT, WAIT...oh, did I mention - WAIT.
You answer some questionnaire pertaining to the type of case you might be involved in (nothing specific, just general shit - to see what your opinions or biases are), then you go on a 2-3 hour lunch, but are mandated to REPORT BACK and repeat the aforementioned steps (WAIT, WAIT, ETC.)
You sit in a very crowded room, elbow to elbow with strangers, and you WAIT some more.
You become bored. You start to fall asleep. You're uncomfortable. You realize life is wasting away while you sit there waiting for them to tell you if you will do something in court or not. All the while, a Court Marshall is detaining you in this same room - only allowing you to leave said room in order to use the bathroom or grab a cup of water - whatever you do, you must ask permission first. Or else they'll think you're trying to escape, which your ass will be in trouble for if you do.
Then the commissioner finally returns after a couple of hours and tells you to report back the next day to do the same shit over again.
Oh joy.
I had my iPod with me. I had my phone. Those things weren't enough to keep me occupied. I caught myself nodding off many times, and it bothered me so much to be falling asleep in such an uncomfortable position (sitting up in a chair with nothing to lean on) - so I forced myself to leave my chair and walk around in the crowded room - just to STAY AWAKE. I mean, I was pacing the same path of carpet for at least 30-40 minutes. I swear, I must have looked like a mentally-insane person to the other people in the room - pacing for such a long time, talking to no one and just listening to my iPod. But there's really NOTHING ELSE TO DO.
I dread tomorrow. I don't want to be that bored ever again! I have ADD for fuck's sake! Forcing me to sit still and do nothing interesting will KILL ME!
I really want to bring my damn portable DVD player tomorrow. But that's probably not even allowed in the court building. Shit...I wish I had gotten the iPod Video version - my nano only shows pics, and plays music. No video :-(
Whatever. I just hope my mind will be able to keep busy somehow.
