No Justice

I had to go in Thursday for jury duty and it was brief but disappointing. I didn't get picked to be on the jury.

I showed up at the courthouse at around 9:30 in the morning. I didn't bring in my cell phone because I can never seem to remember to turn it off when I have to. Plus I had to go through a metal detector, which I hate, so I tried to carry as few things as possible. A couple of guys from the sheriff's office were at the gate. One was trying as hard as possible to put across that he was a bad ass despite the fact that a light breeze probably would have sent him hurtling into the ionosphere. He was the one saying, "Empty your pockets," before motioning everyone through the detector with an unimpressed nod and a "come get some" hand wave. He seemed crushed that the hand-held detector failed to reveal any hidden weapons that would have turned his morning into something more dramatic.

The second officer was somewhat refreshing. He was younger; didn't seem at all emboldened by his badge and gun. Sitting behind a monitor, watching as bags were x-rayed, he could have been waiting to sell you a t-shirt or a pack of gum. This was obviously just his job and not the realization of any life-long, egomaniacal power fantasy.

The waiting room for the jurors wasn't bad, though I was too scared to try their coffee. My heart sank a bit when I saw a stack of board games in the corner. I sincerely hoped that I wouldn't be there so long that I'd resort to playing a board game with a group of strangers. We only had to wait about a half hour before being led through the halls like a kindergarten class into the brownest room imaginable. Everything was made of wood. The walls, floors, doors, benches, chairs, tables, gates, and barriers were all wood. The only things that didn't seem to be wooden were the asbestoses ceiling and American flag. The messiness of the court reporter's desk was the only other striking feature the place had to offer.

The proceedings were unspectacular. His Honor arrived so we all stood up, a wonderful custom bound to keep all judges humble. The jurors were welcomed and introduced to the plaintiff and defendant in what turned out to be a civil case. This was a bit of a surprise. So many of these cases end up decided in the People's Court and on Judge Joe Brown, that it had slipped my mind that these matters could involve a jury. The case was that of Some Dame V. Mercedes-Benz USA. The former was suing the latter under New Jersey's lemon law. Apparently her car reeked of citrus or something.

The court reporter called out seven names from the roughly 30 jurors who had been called in. The judge went on to ask them about their jobs, hobbies, and feelings about whether too many frivolous law suits are filed in this country (yes). All seven of these folks seemed to fit the bill as competent jurors so the rest of us were cut loose.

All in all, I don't feel like I got the full experience. Hopefully in the future I will be called upon again and this time I will be able to walk away having actually participated in the system. I sort of feel like I got left out in kickball, a slight feeling of rejection without it being a huge loss.

Iron Man

At first I was going to write one big entry about superhero/comic book movies but when I realized how much I'd end up saying and how long that would take to type I decided to cover them individually.



It seems safe to say that this movie looks awesome. Robert Downey Jr. was a stroke of genius to play Tony Stark. Ever since I first heard of this development I've been much more excited than I ever thought I could for an Iron Man flick. The only thing that I'm hesitant about is the fact that it is being made by the director of Zathura and Elf. I often wonder what makes a Hollywood executive look at a resume and say, "This is a guy I will trust with a few dozen million dollars." Don't get me wrong, I like Jon Favreau as an actor. Swingers is priceless and for some reason I really like PCU. It's just that playing Foggy Nelson in Daredevil doesn't qualify you to direct a Marvel movie. Call me cautiously optimistic.

I also hope that this movie treats Iron Man better than the comics industry has in recent memory. He hasn't had a single adventure in his own book that is worth mentioning for longer than I'm qualified to say. More often than not, sub par creative duos are assigned to the book with predictably mediocre and forgettable results. Even when someone outstanding such as Warren Ellis is given writing chores, it seems as though they are calling it in and it never holds a candle to their stronger work. His best recent story by far has been in the pages of Millar and Hitch's Ultimates. He's also been done some justice in the Avengers books. He was even pretty bad ass in the whole Civil War storyline, despite being the pseudo-villain.

His cartoon was also quite enjoyable.



Not that one. The 90's one. Mostly because it had a great cast of supporting heroes. And yes, the vast majority of his villains are hopelessly lame.

Civic Duty

So this week is when I'm supposed to be serving my jury duty. I got the notice about a month ago and there was some confusion in the house because my father and I have the same name, save for our middle names. Of course they do not put a middle initial on the notice so we had to sort it out. I won...or lost, depending on how you look at it.

Personally I looked at it like I had won. Everyone tells me that it is the most boring thing ever, but I see it as an experience none the less. I actually think that it would be pretty cool to sit on a jury. Not that I've ever heard anything good about it, it just seems like the best possible situation in which to observe the justice system.

The one thing that is bothering me is that I haven't gone in yet. I called Friday and apparently jurors in my group weren't to show up Monday. I called Monday and my number was not one of the ones going in Tuesday. Called tonight and I have to call at noon tomorrow for instructions regarding the afternoon session at 1:30 PM. So do I have to go in, just not in the morning? Do I not have to go? Maybe I have to go Thursday? I haven't the foggiest. The whole 'call in for your fate' structure sucks.

I also don't know what it means to wear clothes that are fit to wear before the court. I'm thinking puffy shirt and powdered wig.

My MP3 Player Loves Elvis

Music is something with which I've always struggled to identify. I can appreciate a catchy tune about as well as the next person, but that is the limit of the depth. I spent most of the 90's, and thus my childhood, simply listening to what other's liked. My sister's insipid and repetitive pop music, my dad's aging rock, and my friends' alternative music. Can't help but wonder to what Green Day and The Offspring were supposed to be an alternative. Of course these days Green Day is punk. Or neo-punk. Or pop-punk. Who knows? Can you imagine walking through a music shop that was actually divided into all of the self-gratifying and ego maniacal sub-genres that musicians are constantly inventing?

Nothing against music or musicians per say. I just tend to dislike anyone who buys into their own hype or views their own work as being more pivotal and groundbreaking than it actually is. Kanye West and The White Stripes, I'm talking to you.

I do enjoy certain music. Stone Temple Pilots is my favorite band and I do enjoy Green Day and The Offspring despite my genre ignorance. Flogging Molly is also quite remarkable. I tend to evaluate music based upon whether I can appreciate the lyrics while also enjoying the accompanying noise. Seems like a silly thing to say but when so much out there is decidedly unpoetical, to say the least, it becomes a necessary statement. There is a lot of music out there that doesn't seem to have anything to say. Unless it is a purely instrumental piece, I think that's a problem. I also understand that most music tries only to speak to a very specific audience, and that is perfectly acceptable. I'm just not in very many audiences.

Patriotism

I consider myself to be a patriot.

The thing is that I'm one of those patriots that rarely sees eye to eye with the government. One of the issues with democracy is that you almost always are going to have a narrow majority whose views are going to be pressed on the entirety of the nation. (Better than the views of one person or of a very small minority being pressed on the masses, but still.) Even then it's just the narrow majority of the registered voters who actually make it out for an election. I'm also of the mind that people who whine but do not actively participate in the democratic process are no better than those people whose views include taking away freedom and use the system to do so and find so little resistance in their quest. Those freedoms include a right to marriage for all, freedom of and from religion, and the freedom to control one's own body.

There shouldn't have to be laws saying who can marry who or other such nonsense. Especially in a society where less than fifty percent of marriages last. In the making of those laws no mention of God or gods should ever come up. Yahweh, Allah, Jesus, Mohammad, Thor, Zeus, Buddha, the Flying Spaghetti Monster and all their friends should not be used as an excuse to oppress. Beyond the religious implications there is no valid argument for banning homosexual marriage and in a secular nation a religious argument should not be one at all.

I'm a patriot in that I believe in the United States Constitution above all else. Take the flag and the pledge to said flag and throw them away for all I care. They are not what matter. They are not the foundation of our country. They are not what ensure our freedom. They are not what the President and every member of the Armed Forces swear to uphold and protect. So when someone like Barack Obama comes along and does where a flag on his lapel, that's okay. The words coming out of his mouth show he is a patriot because he speaks of living up to our Constitution. Decorations do not matter.

Patriotism is a belief in freedom for all in all facets of life, a belief in the founding principles of our nation, and belief that we as a nation can find our way out of the dark to again become the beacon we once were.

Unpleasantries

Once again greasy food has proven itself to be the bane of my existence.

I've gotten sick every single time I've eaten from KFC. That keeps me from actively pursuing it as sustenance, but has always failed to keep me from ingesting the tender, fried morsels while in their presence. Who's to tell if my curse would ever be lifted?

Today's episode was due to some greasy, delicious pizza that ripped me apart royally once inside. One does not discuss such things in polite company, suffice to say that I will be spending at least part of my day tomorrow cleaning my car door.

I am Jack's Tension Headache

Spent most of these three days that I have off trying to find a job. Thursday through Sunday I'm spending in Asbury Park, doing my best to build Benny Go Home into something more than a slogan. It's going pretty well, but it is, as it always has been, a labor of love. That's how I always describe BGH, though when I talk about love, I'm not just talking about BGH, I'm talking about my home. It's awesome to be doing something that people appreciate, that they can get behind whole-heartedly.

But alas, I gots ta get paid. Thus I am seeking outside employment that I can use to pay the bills. I'm perfectly capable of doing everything that I need to do for BGH and holding a full time gig. Hell for the last semester of school I did what I needed to for BGH, held a part-time job, an internship, and went to school full time. I like to stay busy, keeps me focused. I have way too much time on my hands right now and would love to sacrifice 40 hours a week to the higher cause of paying bills. At least I'll be working for the weekend.