Jury Duty

Matthew walked in the door this afternoon and said: "G, you're a winner!!" Then he handed me a summons for jury duty--set for April 12. Now, I think serving on a jury might be really interesting, and I think it is an important part of living and serving in a democratic nation. But doing jury duty while 8 1/2 months pregnant sounds awful (do they give you "potty breaks" every ten minutes? Can you shift in your chair a lot? Are naps allowed? Would it be distracting to munch on grapes or apple slices during closing arguments? If your water breaks, do you have to raise your hand and tell someone, or can you just get up and call your hubby on the cell phone?).

So I filled out the "Request for disqualification, excuse or postponement." I laughed as I decided between checking the box for "Physical or mental incapacity," which required a doctor's note for people under 70 years old, and the box that claims "You have a personal obligation (not related to your employment) to provide care to another between 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. You must explain below why alternate care is not feasible."

I checked the latter. I subdued the urge to make wise-cracks about needing a plastic chair (just in case), access to an excellent anesthesiologist, and (if the kiddo arrives before said date) a qualified wet-nurse. I just wrote that I'm due May 5th and planning to breastfeed my infant. I'll let you know if they still want me.