jury duty is over...

...and now I can talk about it! :-)

First off, I'm a little sad that it's over. I met some nice people...even the judge was nice, and then it's over *poof!* just like that. As an alternate, I had to leave pretty quickly and didn't really get to say goodbye to anyone. The other alternate and I left together and talked about the case. We felt similarly in how we viewed the plaintiff and the defendant, AND we were both a little upset that we couldn't stay until the end. What was cool, however, was that the other guy and I were brought into the courtroom so that the judge could excuse us and thank us for our service. He said something about how the system is set up and how it frustrates him, because he knew how much we gave (paying attention, being there, etc). I was smiling, because I felt the same way.

What made me feel good, and this is going to sound weird, but they wanted me. The lawyers and the judge, I mean. One of the attorneys made careful note of where I went to college, even said something like, "oh so you're a [insert mascot here]?" and he also drew attention to the fact that I have a lot of schooling. He acknowledged my intelligence, which is something very few people do.

I mean, I know I'm smart/intelligent, so does DH, my family, my friends...but when a stranger can tell that from just meeting you for a few moments, it gives you a great feeling. I value my education highly and sometimes, especially at work, I don't feel like much credit is given to those with a college education. I know it's business and they really don't give a shit, but I did work hard and loved learning things. I still do, so that's probably why I enjoyed jury duty so much. It was a glimpse into another world. A chance for me to learn something new, to see something different.

But now I want more. More of what, though? I don't know, exactly. I almost feel like going back to school now (yes, again).