Justice

This is me...

2007-05-25T11:24:00.000-05:00

I feel like this. Everyone is SO happy this time of year. School is getting out, the weather is nice, summer is coming...I don't like it. It feels like a really hectic time and I really don't like it when things end. I took this great writing class, met some cool people. Finished. Boo. Another school year is ending, which is fine. There is just a lot to do before everything wraps up.

The house is coming along. Although I am starting to think that it may never be finished. Oh well...

Here we go again

2007-03-23T10:20:00.000-05:00

Ultimate frisbee season has started again! Whoo-hoo! My dear husband and I played winter league this year. It was a relatively mild winter and I will still think twice about playing next year. I really don't like the cold.

I have decided to blog again. This comes after the technology workshop from class last night. Oh yeah, I should probably catch you up. I am taking an awesome writing class through GMU - Northern Virginia Writing Project. I love it. It definitely has me out of my comfort zone in terms of my writing capabilities but I am learning a lot (and it inspired me to blog again!).

Lot of progress on the house. I will load pictures from my home computer.

I'm stuffed

2006-11-27T11:33:00.000-05:00

I am still full from all of the wonderful Thanksgiving food! Thanksgiving was really nice this year. It felt relaxing and surprisingly unstressed. I ended up doing a lot of the cooking at my dad's house and it all turned out great! I even managed to get all of the food cooked and on the table at the same time (typically an issue).

My husband and I saw this guy while walking around Chicago a few weeks ago (I love Chicago by the way! I would live there if it weren't so darn cold in the winter.)I found the gargoyle online, ordered it and it should be here any day! I am so excited! It is supposed to bring good luck. I can't wait!

I am furiously knitting scarves for my nieces and nephews to go with my sister-in laws-hats that we are giving as Christmas gifts. I finished one this weekend and made pom-poms and attached them. I think the scarf looks great. I am hoping that it goes with the hats. Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right?

I'm back!

2006-11-08T10:01:00.000-05:00

So after a break from blogging I have decided to return to telling my story online! Lots has happened since my last post in May

One school year ended with lots of tension
The summer was fairly uneventful. I worked for Arlington County Parks and Recreation in the Wellness Department. It kept me busy and gave my day structure which I desperately need. I wish I could be one of those people that can get up and stay motivated without a plan. I tend to stay in bed and watch tv and do nothing which then makes me feel like crap.
Back to work...Same tension that was here in June. Not so much fun. Lots of unhappy people here...It is poisonous.
We threw a great Halloween party. My father and girlfriend and sister and boyfriend attended. It was a blast!
We are making great progress on our house renovation. We have a beautiful new front porch (which was truly needed since the old one was falling down). The construction crew has now moved to the inside of the house and it is amazing. I love to come home from work everyday and see what has gotten done. I'll post pictures soon.
Our dog is still crazy but he might be settling down a little.
My sister-in-law and I are knitting the little ones hats and scarves. I'll be doing the scarves. She is knitting these beautiful hats...I can't even read the pattern. She's got skills. You can check out her shop and blog at www.eweniquefiber.com
The Democrats are back! The world is looking brighter.

Be well, Lara

Spring

2006-05-25T06:55:00.000-05:00

Yes, we do feed our dog.

If we forget to feed him, sometimes he will try to eat Dave.

We are having a wonderful spring here in D.C. The weather has been great. The garden is in (in garden boxes, that is...I don't trust the soil here) and the temperature has been lovely. I am sure the heat and humidity will move in soon but I am enjoying the warm days and cool evenings. Lots of grilling!

Sunburn

2006-05-10T13:24:00.000-05:00

I am having quite a week! Yesterday I received my updated license from Virginia with my latest endorsement. I am now "highly qualified" under NCLB and can now teach students that have a specific learning disability (SLD). The classes I had to take were intense but now that it is all over I am thrilled that I decided to take them.

Then, in the afternoon, I got called into the principal's office (my boss). I thought I had done something wrong. Turns out I have been doing a lot right. I got nominated for an ARC award for Educational Leadership and I won! If you'd like to read about it here is the link: http://www.thearcofnova.org/AboutArc/Nominationletter.pdf
There will be a nice dinner next month and the Secretary of Education shows up. How neat!

So, life is moving along. Nothing new on the house. Very little knitting. Lots of frisbee. Oh, am I sore! Clique league tournament is this weekend and I can barely walk from last weekend's rec. tournament. Should be interesting. My lips got sunburned last weekend. Not very comfortable- I recommend lip balm with SPF.

Cloudy days

2006-05-03T12:28:00.000-05:00

Not much new to post. I don't like that. I like to feel like life is moving forward and right now I feel like I am stuck in mud. My dear husband is adjusting to his new job so nothing is getting done on the house renovation. I know I should be more patient, but we can't even talk about the house - too stressful. Work is crazy. The students have spring fever and there is a lot of time left before the end of the school year. The class I teach at GMU is finished tomorrow evening. Then the whirlwind of grading begins before the next class starts in June. Frisbee season (which has been mostly rained out) is over in the next two weeks. Boo. Oh, and I am just dreading mother's day.

I know I shouldn't be so glum. I have my health, a wonderful family, a good job (or jobs) and great friends. Hopefully a good workout at the gym this afternoon will snap me out of this!

Color

2006-04-20T12:49:00.000-05:00

The walls are up and ready for painting - if we could only choose a color. There are almost too many options. We bought some sample, put up squares of color on the walls and don't like any of them. I sense this being a very long process. Coupled with the fact that Dave just started a new job, I think the house is pretty much on hold. What is another month?

We will be getting insulation soon because I refuse to spend another summer without AC (we had that $15,000 unit put in a year ago and I am going to enjoy it this summer). Hmph!

spring ahead

2006-03-31T09:31:00.000-05:00

I have had one of those weeks where I have complained a lot. I don't really like myself when I get like this. Too much to do, not enough time and we LOSE an hour of sleep. At least the clock in my car will be right again!

One last day of jury duty next Tuesday. I can't wait.

Fools fest

2006-03-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

I had my first of two recall days yesterday. It took all of 15 minutes before I was feeling frustrated with the people around me. I think the stupid guy got more stupid in the week and a half we were away. Once again, I was shocked by the ignorance of some of my fellow jurors. It is amazing to me that they sit there and judge witnesses and criticize attorneys. One more day. I can't wait.

Before

2006-03-17T12:44:00.000-05:00

Now that you have seen what the house looks like now, I thought you might want to see where we have been living for the last #* months :)

The picture to the left is the master bedroom ceiling. You'll notice where the old ceiling was (where the yellow paint ends). We raised the ceiling. The room has a great feel!

Below is the master bathroom. The shower will cover the currently exposed brick wall.

This is a shot of the back bedroom. Yes, this is where my father stayed when he came to visit. He said he liked camping.

Thought I'd sneak in a picture of Eddy. He is a bit freaked out by all the commotion, but still cute as can be (and crazy). Sadly, our new refrigerator is a side-by-side so Eddy can't help himself to snacks.

Another shot of the master bedroom.

Another picture of the back bedroom. My father put up and taped all the blue insulation (and then some). We told him the more he got finished the warmer he'd be!

So, now we are all caught up. I am looking forward to the weekend. My first week back after jury duty is tough. It feels like the first week back to school after summer break. I go back to jury duty on Tuesday. Ooh. The excitement is killing me (no pun intended).
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Walls

2006-03-15T07:59:00.000-05:00

For those of you only interested in my experience with the justice system, this post won't be too exciting. I go back next Wednesday and I'm sure I'll have lots to say. Below are some shots of our house. The drywall is up and supposedly they are coming to finish (tape/joint compound/sanding) tonight (they were going to come Monday and Tuesday also...)

Here is the man that is coordinating all of this (with some administrative help from me).

This is a picture of the front door and living room while standing on the stairs.

This is the master bathroom ceiling and skylight.

Above is the back bedroom with new windows!
This is another shot of the living room.

Back to the mill

2006-03-13T08:56:00.000-05:00

I am back to work at Arlington Mill. It is nice to be back - funny how life just goes on without you. It is weird. You don't want to leave your job with them not being able to function without you but you also want to be needed. Interesting little dynamic.

We have wall and ceilings. I will post pictures soon! The drywall guys came in and did the whole house this weekend. At some point they helped themselves to beers in the fridge but I guess I'll let that one go...

Lots of ultimate frisbee this weekend. Amazing weather. High of 83 today! Gosh, it sure is nice not to be sitting in the jury room!

Whoo-hoo!

2006-03-10T18:01:00.001-05:00

L-dawg is finished. I can't believe five weeks has gone by. I am looking forward to a great weekend of ultimate frisbee, drywall (tomorrow at 7:30 am - I'll believe it when I see it - although, since I'd like to sleep in they probably will show up), and going back to work! I have a new appreciation for my job. I go back to jury duty the 21st - a quick week and a half, and then the 4th. I think these days will be better since they are in isolation. Anyway, we ended with a big vote that got delayed due the late hour. We'll get it on recall.

2006-03-10T07:31:00.000-05:00

LAST DAY!

Wrap it up

2006-03-08T18:32:00.000-05:00

Phew! What a busy week...all of the AUSAs (assitant united states attorney) are trying to wrap up cases that they started. It is always better to have a jury vote when they have heard witnesses vs. hours of transcripts (which I can confirm is incredibly boring). So, we were busy all day. I would have preferred to be doing the crossword, knitting or reading for my class. Oh well. I found that a great way to kill time (not sure that is appropriate) is to take the letters in the name of the attorney and/or witness (depending on length of testimony) and make different words. Two more days! Two more days! Two more days!

I had my first corned beef sandwich the other day (I know, isn't is scary, that at my age, I have never had a corned beef sandwich?) Yummy!

Here is what I will miss about jury duty:
Lunch - one hour, uninterrupted, time to go out.
Commuting - I have not been driving. I have been taking the metro. I have road rage.
People - only some of them.

tick-tock

2006-03-08T07:25:00.000-05:00

This week will be the ultimate test of my patience. Have you ever been really excited for something to happen and the last few moments leading up to it take forever??? I can see the light at the end of the tunnel but suddenly the tunnel is really long and my feet are stuck in mud. I know I will get there, I just wish the end would hurry up and get here!!!!!

Uttering

2006-03-06T18:17:00.000-05:00

If you try to cash a fraudulent check you'd be charged with it.

FOUR DAYS LEFT (oh, and the two mandatory recall days but those almost don't count). I cannot wait to go back to my job! I got my ipod nano working this weekend! Good fun. No drywall yet but we are all ready. Whoo-hoo!

money, or lack of it

2006-03-03T08:17:00.000-05:00

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Wasn't I surprised to open my paycheck and see that instead of being paid my salary while performing my civic duty Arlington County had taken one of my personal days and taken 9 days of leave without pay (which means they charge you for insurance and things). Luckily I received a stipend in this paycheck so I didn't owe the county money. Today, between murder cases, L-dawg will be fighting to get her money and leave back. Lovely.

I am just plain bored at jury duty. It is so monotonous - murder after senseless murder. It is sad to say, but I really don't care - indict them all. Four weeks of this is enough. Five is overkill.

A jury duty riddle:

Q: What would you call it if you were driving, got out of the car, kicked someone repeatedly, got back in the car and drove off?

A: A drive by shodding. (If you don't get it read the shod foot post)

Shod foot

2006-03-01T07:18:00.000-05:00

I learned something new yesterday. If you attack someone with a bat it is called ADW/bat (assault with a dangerous weapon/bat). If you attack someone and kick them it is called ADW/shod foot. I don't know why I find that really funny. The work "shod" isn't used in everyday conversation. It makes me giggle.

Also, we, the jurors, have decided to take on 'street names'. I will now be going by L-dog. The ladies behind me are H20 and vitamin. I think it fits nicely with the secret nature of the proceedings.

We have heard many interesting nicknames. Yesterday someone's nickname was "sex". It is really handy to know nicknames. Here is a hypothetical scenario between a prosecutor (P) and witness (W):
P: Who were you with at the time of the incident?
W: I was with "Chair"
P: How long have you known Chair?
W: I been knowin' her for a while.
P: How long is a while?
W: Since elementary school.
P: Do you know Chair's real name?
W: No.

How convenient is that?

No, the drywall hangers did not show up yesterday. Shocker.

yee-haw

2006-02-28T08:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I left jury duty and felt good. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is still a ways away but the end is coming. More of the same during the secret proceedings...ADW (assault with a dangerous weapon), CPWL (carrying a pistol without a license), AWIK (assault with intent to kill).

Drywall was delivered yesterday! Yippie! AND the drywall hangers start tonight (I probably shouldn't get too excited until they actually are on the doorstep). Progress is nice.

Played ultimate frisbee all weekend. It was freezing, but fun!

FIRE!!!!

2006-02-24T08:54:00.000-05:00

Not really, but the fire alarm did go off yesterday and we had to evacuate the building. The lack of communication is a bit disturbing. It confirms my theory that if anything actually happens here, we are doomed.

Nothing new to report from the jury room. I am thrilled that after today I have two weeks (and two recall days) left. I can't wait to be away from some of these people.

Manslaughter

2006-02-23T08:22:00.000-05:00

So, no drywall. a neighbor's car was parked in front of our house and the (responsible) drywall folks wouldn't haul it over their car. We are scheduled for Monday (our neighbors should be back from the Bahamas).

Jury duty STINKS! We we so busy yesterday. It does make the day go by faster but I actually had work to do (I just started my 2nd online class). A couple of the other jurors continue to annoy. People need to 1) pay attention 2) remember why we are there - PROBABLE CAUSE not innocence or guilt 3) refrain from asking dumb, nosy questions!

Until yesterday the voting has gone the way I voted. I didn't get my way yesterday - hmphh...it is actually ok. It was a case I was feeling quite conflicted about. We are on case 43 now. I am feeling totally numb to it all. Now when I hear a robbery case, I think, that's all? no weapon? no drugs? Oh well, gotta find a way to get through...

Drywall

2006-02-18T11:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was more of the same. I definitely am starting to feel a bit desensitized which is good and bad. I need to make it through the next three weeks but don't want to minimize the crime in the District. For the second day in a row, I had lunch with my friend Rich (he started on a different grand jury on Monday.) It is great to get out of the jury room/building, away from the annoying jurors and have an opportunity to stretch my legs and chat. We'd pick up lunch and sit on the grass in front of the Building museum. The weather was exceptional! (We are back to typical February weather.)

The big news is that the drywall folks did finally show up last week and THEY START TUESDAY!!!! That means, of course, that Dave and I will be spending the next few days packing clearing out the things that we have left in the house. Oh, and finding a place to stay next week. I am really excited. The house renovation has been an experience I wouldn't trade but I am ready for the project to be finished.

Northface

2006-02-16T19:09:00.000-05:00

I knit this in a day during the first week of grand jury duty. There is a significant amount of "down time" which is different from "break." We are guaranteed two 15 minute breaks. I equate "down time" with being on-call. You have to be ready to drop everything and listen to cases.

Do not buy or wear Northface. It can be dangerous to your health. I recommend Patagonia. Can't say any thing else due to the secret nature of the proceedings.

The knitting below is make with yarn that my sister-in-law, Sheila, made. Yes, I said made. She carded, dyed, and spun this beautiful fiber. After knitting this much I decided to stop. I want to use bigger needles so you can really appreciate the yarn. Her website and blog can be found at: www.eweniquefiber.com/

This is my latest project (below). It will, one day, be a wrap/shawl. It has more of a pattern (aka pay attention while you are knitting) than I am use to. I like the brainless knitting but given the time I have I thought I would be a nice challenge.

Enough of my fiber content and back to jury stuff...there are some jurors on my jury (1 of 5) that are driving me crazy. I am actually shocked at the amount of blatant disregard: talking, sucking teeth, reading the paper or a book. It is amazing that people will sit there and judge witnesses - you can tell from the questions and tone of the questions they ask. The teacher part of me wants to come out and say something and then I think, it isn't my job, they are adults, yadda yadda. I have started tallying questions (I know, how mature) that the annoying people ask. Today I decided to start playing my own version of Survivor. Each day I will vote off the most annoying person. They will get to come back the next day b/c if we don't have 16 people (quorum) we can't do business. Simple pleasures.

family justice

2006-02-15T08:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Dave was selected to sit on a jury for a trial. No one is sure why he was selected. He mentioned it might be his new haircut. So, for the next few days we will be commuting together. How fun!

Not much new in my grand jury room - more of the same. Lots of reading and knitting. I will post some (knitting) pictures (just as soon as I figure out how).

For those of you following the house renovation project, tonight the drywall folks come to give us an estimate. Yahoo!

Miranda

2006-02-14T07:37:00.000-05:00

I learned something yesterday. If you are talking to a police officer before you have been read your Miranda rights they can't use that information directly against you BUT, they can use it on a cross examination. For example, if Joe were arrested for fighting (assault, as we call it) and he was talking with the police (before being read his rights) and he said, "Bob never hit me." Then, on the stand he said, "Bob hit me 5 times," the defense attorney could use the information from the first conversation and ask,"Didn't you initially say to police that he didn't hit you?" I am not sure I explained that well. It made sense yesterday.

Two of my friends started grand jury duty yesterday. DC is pretty small or I know a lot of people. Lots of knitting getting done!

TGIF

2006-02-10T17:56:00.000-05:00

Two days of no drama, district attorneys, cases, and we might even get snow! I have never been so happy for 5 o'clock on a Friday!

Grrr

2006-02-09T17:50:00.000-05:00

I don't have much nice to say. Yesterday involved draining cases and a lot of waiting. I am already feel like I know more than I want to about the world around me. There are a lot of people in the world that do bad things. I have knit a scarf and a half and just started a shawl. My book, Son of a Witch, by Gregory Maguire is getting good. I wish I had more than 10 minute intervals in which to read.

phew!

2006-02-07T17:14:00.000-05:00

We were worked to the bone today! We heard 4 cases, 3 of which we will return to in the coming weeks when witnesses become available. I learned lots of acronyms for various crimes, called witness into the grand jury room and took pages of notes (which are eventually burned). The one thing I have to keep reminding myself as this goes along is that I do not need to decide innocence or guilt, only if there is probable cause. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the evidence of the case. It is still very interesting but five weeks is a LONG time. I am looking forward to watching some brainless television this evening!

One down...

2006-02-06T17:15:00.000-05:00

Twenty-six to go. Well, really twenty-eight to go. After the 5 weeks there are two mandatory recall days to complete any unfinished business. Today was interesting. It reminded my of playing "dress up" when I was a kid - like I stepped into a different life. I put on my big girl shoes (which I won't wear anymore - clogs are SO much more comfortable) and walked to the metro with my book and laptop. I ate lunch at the Food Court of the Mayor's Office which is located next door. A very different day than I am accustomed to. I will keep you as posted as I can but I have taken an oath which includes complete secrecy about the cases. I did volunteer to be the Sergeant-at-Arms (I decided this was better than being the foreperson or secretary). I get to call witnesses and kind of keep the schedule. The other 22 people seem nice - quite a mix. We did everything together - we were escorted from our initial place by US Marshal to our Grand Jury Room, watched the orientation video together, went upstairs for pictures together... Only 16 of us need to show up to have a quorum (otherwise we wait...Ugh). There was plenty of down time - I knit a third of a scarf and wrote half of my paper for class :) I figure I should be able to get all of my Christmas presents done by March. I learned more about the justice system today than I even knew existed...DC, not being a state, sure complicates the process. Tomorrow we get our ID badges and start hearing cases. I won't be calling any of you during the day. Since my phone has a camera they hold it ALL day. I think I'll just leave it at home. More later.

Is the stove on?

2006-02-04T12:49:00.000-05:00

Today is a rainy, Saturday morning. The kind of day that where you could stay in bed all day and read, watch TV and nap. I am at work though, closing things out. There sure is a lot to think about. I am certain I have forgotten something. Oh, well, it isn't like I'll be unreachable. My desk is clean, cleaner than it is when I work at it. I think I'll make that a goal for when I return - keep a clean desk. Just a reminder: anyone can read this blog (friends, STUDENTS, etc) so keep the responses clean :)

Not Quite

2006-02-03T15:04:00.000-05:00

I had hoped to be able to walk out of here at the end of the day and return on March 11th but I just couldn't get everything finished. Tomorrow I will be spending part of my Saturday getting ready for my 5 week civic duty stint. I think I am just putting off "leaving". It is much easier to do when no one is around. I am getting excited about not having a commute (at least not one where I am sitting in traffic)! A 5 week hiatus from road rage...ahhh.

Packing up

2006-02-02T08:44:00.000-05:00

I have been spending the week getting my ducks in a row. Starting Monday I will be spending all day at D.C. Superior Court. I was chosen for Grand Jury Duty (no, you can't get out of it, only defer for 90 days). The idea of not being at work for 27 days is strange. I like my job and will miss the work, my colleagues and the students. I am hoping that this blog will be a way that we can keep in touch. Off to clean my desk.