All posts by Nichole

The stresses of civic duty

03/08/2011 Nichole 4 Comments

In the 14 years since I’ve been eligible for jury duty, I’ve been called up exactly twice. I was excused from it the first time, because I’d moved away out of the state just a few months earlier. The second time? It’s this week. And I’m kind of nervous. Because:

I’m going to have to get up much earlier than I normally get up, and I’m afraid I’ll wake up late and have to go to jail.

I don’t know exactly where I’m supposed to be going or where to park.

I kind of want to get picked, but I also don’t because then Rockford will have to take days off to stay home with the kids.

I don’t know what to wear.

So basically I’m not a big fan of New Experiences. Please soothe my worried mind. Have you had jury duty before? Was it harrowing or just boring? Will you call me Thursday morning and make sure I’m up on time? And most importantly, what should I wear?

Update
So guess what! I called this evening and discovered that my “group” had been excused from jury duty. Maybe I’ll wear business casual tomorrow anyway.

in brief

03/03/2011 Nichole

The Someone You’re Not. A powerful story of wrongful conviction. Prepare to cry. (via kottke.org.)

Screen time

How to choose a baseball team

03/03/2011 Nichole 4 Comments

I have become a Chicago Cubs fan by default, because Rockford loves them. And without Rockford, I wouldn’t be watching baseball at all. But lately I’ve been wondering whether I’ve been backing the right Major League Baseball team.* I know you’ve all had this same internal dilemma,** so I’m happy to point you to this magnificent flow chart from Interpretation by Design, which will guide you to your ideal baseball team.

Baseball flowchart from InterpretationByDesign.com. Click it to embiggen.

It guided me straight to the Detroit Tigers. YoungNichole was a fan of the Tigers, and the first MLB game YoungNichole attended? The Tigers. Does this mean I’m abandoning the Cubs? No. Does this mean I’ll be watching more baseball? I very much doubt it. What it does mean is that this chart made me laugh, and I do still love the Tigers.

So. Which team should you root for?

*No I haven’t.
*No, I’m pretty sure you haven’t.