Civic Conscious

A week ago today I was fretting over serving my civic duty.  It was an interruption. I was worried because I didn't have the time personally or professionally to deal with the ramifications of jury duty.  Not to mention they wanted me to report at 8am. I can't remember the last time I was showered, dressed, and functional at 8 am.  Maybe one of the three, maybe even two, but definitely can't remember all three occurring in the past three months at the least.

When I arrived at the Gwinnett County Justice Administration, I was like 99% of the 900 folks reporting that morning: praying I didn't get picked for a jury.  I see that I'm listed as number one in the second group of 50 for jury selection.  Though random, that didn't bode well to me.  Luckily, Jeff was a laid back fellow that I met five minutes ago so that made things a bit easier.

Needless to say if you follow me on facebook, I was selected.  The charges were for a 21 year old girl on an accident in 2006.  She had been charged with Homicide by Vehicle, Serious Injury by Vehicle, Driving Under the Influence, and Driving on a Suspended/Revoked license.  The irony of it all was that the accident occurred after a night drinking at a franchise of my former drinking hole.  IN fact, I could have very well been at the bar they left or the bar they were heading to on Aug 12/13, 2006. 

Without getting into a whole lot of details, we found her guilty of all charges except the Homicide by Vehicle.  Though the deceased could not speak for themselves,we felt there was a level of personal responsibility that played just as much a role in his death as did the accused female. 

I entered jury duty nonchalantly.  Get it over with kind of attitude.  After being picked, listening to two days worth of testimony, and approximately 8 hours of deliberation, I realize that this has been, as Bailiff Warren said it would, an experience that I'm likely to remember forever.  I coudn't help but question our decision when both when I heard the deceased family speak in the courtroom, then again when I saw the defendant break down upon hearing her sentence.   I gather that some part of me will always wonder if we did the right thing.

Chick-Fil-A Bowl Fun

A week ago today, I was excited beyond belief. I was headed to my first ever bowl game. Well, technically not my first. I did drive down to Miami for an Orange Bowl game against Nebraska only to find out that my girlfriend's brother (who never liked me) hadn't secured my ticket. So I sat in a bar outside of the Orange Bowl watching a game that I was supposed to go to drinking pitchers of beer (which apparently it was illegal to serve a single person a pitcher of beer but they thought I had friends coming) while Nebraska handed VT an arse-whipping.

[caption id="attachment_1570" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Walking to the dome"][/caption]

But I digress. I can't explain the feeling of a bowl game. In the scheme of college football this game meant nothing.  But to the fans in the packed CNN Center and later the packed Dome, there was indeed a lot more on the line.  

The Tennessee fans were there in droves.  The Hokies travel well, but as one drunken fan expressed about the Vols, 'They brought their whole state...they brought their whole state!' 

Per request of Vols friend, I purchased our tickets on the Vols side of the field.  As it turned out, looking at the crowd, everywhere was the Vols side of the field except for the Hokie Band.  It seems the band was the only place that Chicago maroon held a solid foothold.  

Well, there and on the field of course! 

The fans around me were good natured -- the sober ones anyway.  The drunk ones were victimized by my wit, including Lance the Tennessee fan with absolutely no Tennessee paraphernalia on but rocking his Wal-Mart nametag.  It's a lot easier to silence your foes when the footsoldiers on the field are doing it big.  Unfortunately, many of the drunkest fans whom I would have proudly gloated and toted my VT love for escaped at some point during the third quarter. 

Highlights of the day include: 

• Realizing 24 oz pints at the CNN Center were only six bucks


• Realizing the dome would be serving at the college game


• Starting a 'Lets Go...Hokies' cheer in the men's room at the CNN Center


• Having a Vols fan try to gobble at the end of the game


• Having a guy wearing a Vols t-shirt admit he was going for the Hokies but his girlfriend made him wear the t-shirt


• Having the VT band completely embarass the Vols band - they played after every play, during every commercial, after every score - hell they may have even gone to the restroom with their instruments at one point.  I can honestly say I did not hear the Vols band until midway into the Third quarter.  The Hokies band played even when Tenn scored.  Rocky Top did not make it to our section once!

This experience was awesome and I have to thank my boy Gary for being such a good sport though his team was embarassed on national TV.  In his words before the game 'Yall are ranked 11?  Why the hell are we playing yall?'  Exactly, my friend, exactly. 

[caption id="attachment_1572" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="MVP - Hokies Band!"][/caption]