AAAHHHHH…. This morning I breathe a momentary sigh of relief, for yesterday I finished penciling Battle of the Bands! Unfortunately, I only have a moment before I must hurl myself full-throttle into the inking process. I’m so behind schedule! The good news is that I’m slightly better off than I was around the holidays, but last week’s jury duty really put the brakes on my progress.
In case you’re wondering, my week of jury duty ended on Friday, when the entire pool of potential jurors was suddenly dismissed. Not sure what happened there. The trial was for 2 counts of armed robbery & assault with a deadly weapon. If it were not for the stress of how this cut into my work/home-life schedule, it would have been pretty interesting. I was in a pool of about 120 potential jurors that were being interviewed by the judge & attorneys—they never even got to me. I just had to sit there and listen to others answer questions and/or try to weasel out of service. The Judge was pretty much a hard-ass and was not letting people get away easily…if at all!
Anyway, on Friday, rather abruptly, one of the defense attorneys called a sidebar that lasted a really long time. When it was over, we were all excused without an explanation. Probably something was said during the questioning that tainted the jury pool. Or maybe the sight of 73 grumpy potential jurors scared the defendants into copping a plea! Who knows. All I know is that, while it was interesting, I was anxious to get home and back to work.
Now, a few days later, I take a quick breath. This morning Rob, my editor, is dropping by on the way in to Tokyopop to check out my progress. I still have to ink and add grey-tones to the pages, and the book is due to be finished by the beginning of April. A near-impossible task. But, it’s very important for me to make sure BOTB ships this July so I can sell you all copies at the San Diego Comic-Con!
You probably won’t hear too much from me until April, but if I get a chance, I’m hoping to squeeze in a blog or two. I have some books to recommend. I’ll also be posting some more of my work in-progress. So, please, check in from time to time! It gets so lonely here in deadline hell. Speaking of lonely…
…Poor rittle me.
_
Showing posts with label Jury duty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jury duty. Show all posts
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Jury Duty Update
Didn't get around to updating last night--so sorry.
So, the bad news for my schedule is that late in the afternoon yesterday, the whole pool of potential jurors was called in to one of the courtrooms for a trial. Today they start jury selection so, yes, I must report again. So much for the "One Day" thing. There are 75 potential jurors, so god knowd how long it will take for them to select the 12 they need (plus a few alternates). On the plus side, I don't have to be there until after lunch, so it will only take up 2 or 3 hours of my day. Bad timing though, as I usually pick up my son from school in that time slot. AK!
Not much else to report. I must get as much work done as possible before it's time to perform my civic duties. Probably won't blog much this week, but what else is new!
_
So, the bad news for my schedule is that late in the afternoon yesterday, the whole pool of potential jurors was called in to one of the courtrooms for a trial. Today they start jury selection so, yes, I must report again. So much for the "One Day" thing. There are 75 potential jurors, so god knowd how long it will take for them to select the 12 they need (plus a few alternates). On the plus side, I don't have to be there until after lunch, so it will only take up 2 or 3 hours of my day. Bad timing though, as I usually pick up my son from school in that time slot. AK!
Not much else to report. I must get as much work done as possible before it's time to perform my civic duties. Probably won't blog much this week, but what else is new!
_
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Postcards From The Jury Room
Today I have Jury Duty, but right now I am home for lunch. I wrote the following ramblings from the jury room. I'll update this evening when I return again...
I’m writing this in the Jury Room of the Inglewood courthouse today, trying not to be bored out of my mind. Luckily, they have a new policy for those of us who have been chosen to serve Jury Duty. It’s called “One day, one trial.” What that means is if I sit here all day and do not get put on a jury, then my obligation is over for the next year or so. This new system makes it easier for us potential jurors to “do our time” and get home. Because it is more convenient, it also means that it’s almost impossible to be excused from service. The only persons who are not eligible ate active law enforcement officers—everyone else is fair game. The judge who gave us our “welcome speech” gave us several examples of people who tried—and failed—to be excused. The list included doctors, lawyers, a prominent Cardinal and the Judge himself. They have also changed the method of sunpoening potential jurors. Until recently, the courts only used voter registration to find people, so if you didn’t vote, they couldn’t find you. Now they also use DMV records, so if you haven’t been called…expect to be soon! At least if you live in Los Angeles.
I’ve been called 3 or 4 times in the past decade. I have yet to be put on an actual jury. Because I’m swamped with work and have child-care issues, I hope to make it through the day without being selected. Otherwise, if my schedule were more free, I actually wouldn’t mind sitting on a jury for once. Just to see how the system works. Guess we’ll see how the day pans out.
Meanwhile, I’m pleased to report that I got a bunch done over the holiday weekend. Good progress on Battle of the Bands, though I am still behind schedule. I hope I can catch up soon to where I’m supposed to be. The book should be done by April.
The worst part about sitting here in the Jury Room (so far!) is that the television is on. There is some Oprah-like show on. I’ve positioned myself so I don’t have to look at the screen, but the noise is driving me crazy. Is this really necessary? Can’t people just read?
I have my laptop, but forgot a book. Guess I’ll try to get some work done. I should have brought some DVDs and headphones. Must remember that next time!
The man across from me is snoring. Maybe I should have brought a pillow.
More later...
_
I’m writing this in the Jury Room of the Inglewood courthouse today, trying not to be bored out of my mind. Luckily, they have a new policy for those of us who have been chosen to serve Jury Duty. It’s called “One day, one trial.” What that means is if I sit here all day and do not get put on a jury, then my obligation is over for the next year or so. This new system makes it easier for us potential jurors to “do our time” and get home. Because it is more convenient, it also means that it’s almost impossible to be excused from service. The only persons who are not eligible ate active law enforcement officers—everyone else is fair game. The judge who gave us our “welcome speech” gave us several examples of people who tried—and failed—to be excused. The list included doctors, lawyers, a prominent Cardinal and the Judge himself. They have also changed the method of sunpoening potential jurors. Until recently, the courts only used voter registration to find people, so if you didn’t vote, they couldn’t find you. Now they also use DMV records, so if you haven’t been called…expect to be soon! At least if you live in Los Angeles.
I’ve been called 3 or 4 times in the past decade. I have yet to be put on an actual jury. Because I’m swamped with work and have child-care issues, I hope to make it through the day without being selected. Otherwise, if my schedule were more free, I actually wouldn’t mind sitting on a jury for once. Just to see how the system works. Guess we’ll see how the day pans out.
Meanwhile, I’m pleased to report that I got a bunch done over the holiday weekend. Good progress on Battle of the Bands, though I am still behind schedule. I hope I can catch up soon to where I’m supposed to be. The book should be done by April.
The worst part about sitting here in the Jury Room (so far!) is that the television is on. There is some Oprah-like show on. I’ve positioned myself so I don’t have to look at the screen, but the noise is driving me crazy. Is this really necessary? Can’t people just read?
I have my laptop, but forgot a book. Guess I’ll try to get some work done. I should have brought some DVDs and headphones. Must remember that next time!
The man across from me is snoring. Maybe I should have brought a pillow.
More later...
_
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