I think you should check your calendar Drew. But, I commend you one being proactive if discriminatory.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Pete, I am glad it worked out for you pal. Yup, that does sound accurate, students being exempt because they are working hard to improve themselves and they don't have time to cut class. If you think the system of jury selection makes it harder on the working class just for fun, you've got another thing coming. In jury selection, lawyers target two basic types of people to serve on their cases: stupid people and people who would favor the lawyers' particular case/client. Simple fact. I miss you guys as well. I hope you have a Merry Christmas.

Well... i never actually meant to imply that i have a problem with jury duty. I was just really worried that they would be pissed at me for never responding to thier original letter and then the threatening letter after that. But i got up at 6 in the morning to get to Somerville by 8. I walked around the "town square" looking for the jury room and passed this huge, beautiful, old church i had never really paid attention to before. I found an ugly, official looking building that i figured must be it, and touched the doorhandle. Through the window, it did not look like the right place, i turned around and a guard-dude informed me that the church was actually now the jury waiting room. I walked in and... it was pretty strange. The shell of this beautiful old church, and inside... institutional carpet and fireproof furniture. Picture Carl Sandburg Lounge in Seymour Union except with 50-foot cathedral ceilings and stained-glass windows. They called us up to the window and i somehow became first in line. The guy asked me for my papers, and i said i had none. He scowled at me and made me wait to see some other lady who hadnt come in yet. When she came in, she was really nice, understood why i did not respond to the letters and let me off on account of being a full time college student. LADY: Oh, so you probably have to go back to school this week then. ME: No, i have till new year. LADY: Oh, so you want to serve? ME: (long pause with thought) Uuuuuh... not really, but i don't have a viable excuse. LADY: well, then you are free to go.
Before this encounter i was reading HONKEY in the cathedral/lounge place. Honkey a book whose theme is the hidden privledges of being white and middle class. Ironic, i got out of jury duty despite the fact that i had the time to serve and no real need to support myself or a family, just because my parents have the money to send me to college. I did not even have to present proof. I wonder if this would have been the case if i had spoken with a thick Puerto Rican accent, or even if i had not gotten my hair cut short the day before, and i was still a dirty hippy instead of a clean, American college boy.
Just thought i'd throw that one in for Drew to chew on. Interesting question to ponder, even if you think im barking up the wrong tree.
I am spending my break refurbishing my attic and dining room. Perhaps this weekend i will be moving out to Pennsylvania for a week or so to live with my awesome aunt, uncle and cousin to help them build thier new house. Good times. I miss you all. Peace.

another random thing about jury duty: if you really don't want to do it, you can contact the registrar's office and tell them. as a full time college student, you are excused from jury duty (maybe just if it interferes directly with school, but it's worth checking out). all they do is write a letter explaining that--i've seen at least two or three of those letters go out just this past term.

To Everyone,
Now Pete, I am never going to serve on a jury because I believe there are rules against lawyers and law students serving, but I have seen juries picked beofre so I think I can give you some advice. Juries are a great thing, even though there are kinks in the system. You are a smart kid so the defense won't want you on the jury right off the bat, you can't be easily manipulated. Depending on other circumstances surronding the case, you may not get picked at all. Sometimes a potential juror doesn't have to say anytihng overl in order to be disqualified. The tactic of targeting potentially biased jurors and excusing them may brush the law from time to time, but it still goes on. Every good lawyer researches jurors to find out anything that might threaten their case and they have the right to challenge that juror within the rules. However, a juror might also be excused because of his race, social standing, age, gender, criminal record, or simply if the juror's kid happens to know the the accused's favorite cousin. How is this done without the system faulting the lawyer? The answer is simple, remember that researching tactic I mentioned earlier? Well you can just as easily target a specific juror and research further, if you already find him biased because of who he or she is, in order to point out a legitimate bias they posses. The best part for the lawyers is that they don't have to give a detailed explanation, they just ask a few questions strike those who they don't want from the jury and the judge usually agrees unless the lawyer is sloppy and preempts to many people in an overtly biased way. Spooky huh?

EEp! Are you better Zach? I hope you feel better when you are flying, flying when sick sucks. I'm sure you'll be fine. i can just picture you all sick and in a towel. ) : at least you didnt' die.

Yay new years at adam's house (maybe) ( : that would be really sweet because then i wouldn't have to change my ticket. also yay for getting more than you would at target adam. you didn't tell me that, that's awesome.

So my thanksgiving was allright except my mom's side of the family is very... stoic i guess... my uncle didn't smile through the entire meal. it was kinda creepy. my cousins are mostly cool but they hate family gatherings so they left asap. it's sad really. my Aunt Kathy is really cool and it was her birthday on thanksgiving so we had cake AND cheesecake AND apple and pumpkin pie AND ice cream. baisically we had so much desert we didn't know what to do with it. then on thursday night i watched GOthica and got scared poopless. i had my hand over my face for much of the movie. creepy ass.

My mom always makes sure to tell the jury people that her father was/is a lawyer and she gets rejected right away. i don't know why that would disqalify her but it always does. (it's true though, i don't think you should lie)

I stayed up til three talking with people last night and megan invited me over to her apartment so she can make Me dinner for once tonight. YAY!

wow ... all kinds of new messages ...

1. New Years: Adam, if you're able and want to host a party, go for it. However, there's an open invitation to anyone who wants to come to a New Year's party at Matt's house. I checked with my parents, and they're ok with hosting anyone for the couple of nights between New Year's and whatever day it is that we can move back to campus. So yeah, that's a possibility.
2. I saw a preview for the third LoTR movie last night, and it looks so incredible. Matt's upset that they aren't including the scouring of the Shire (his favorite part of the third book), but I think he's being silly and that it's going to kick ass. So yeah, I guess I'm a nerd, too. :)
3. Pete, my mom suggests going in for jury duty and saying that you're totally against whatever the prosecution is fighting for. She was once called for a case involving someone suing someone else, and she promptly said that she's against giving monetary damages for emotional trauma. The lawyers didn't quite know what to say, and needless to say she wasn't called for the jury. hehe. Of course, if you don't mind having that take up your time, you can always see what it's like.
4. Our townhouse is entirely different when it's empty. I currently have my blinds wide open, the music up all the way, and have wandered around for a bit. I get a feeling that this week is going to be a bit surreal. Lots of people who are on campus right now are busy with their own projects, so I'm glad that I brought various things that I wanted to get done on my own ... but yeah, it's weird to not have anyone else here. Especially with Brenna's side of the room looking so damn empty. However, after being in IC for a week (including an excursion into Naperville), I can say with confidence that I feel more at home here.

schmaltzeeeee!!!
i have a new favorite word :)
is jury duty really so awful? i mean, the decisions a jury makes have a huge effect on someone else's life, and it's an important thing that has to be done. i don't think anyone here would want to have a country without juries.... (well, maybe Drew, but we all know that's only for the terrorists) i dunno. i just think it's worth it . but then, i've never served on a jury before.

First of all I came down with an awful case of the flu this weekend and spent the last night throwing up a grand total of 13 times in 4 hours and ended up wrapped up in a beach towel sleeping on the bathroom floor hallucinating, while getting up every so often to pray to my porcelin god!!! Yeah, I know, I'm a heathen.
Adam, the last song on your cd "Remembrances of Things Gone Wrong" was the only thing that got me through the night. I just kept listening to it on repeat.
Pete, glad you made it home i miss ya already.
Emily, I shouldn't be the only one thanking you, your country should be thanking you! (does that sound schmaltzy enough?)

You all rock! Viva la revolution!
...whatever that means

i miss you all. My world, now devoid of meaningful human contact consists soley of library books on psychology, philosophy, genetics, and Denmark.

Hello hello hello. I made back it to Jersey alive. Got back wednesday night, had a big, happy, family Thanksgiving at my house thursday and then another one at Grammie's house Saturday. However, now things have gotten back to normal: my house seems really big and empty and sad and i don't feel like doing anything even though i have plenty to do. So im looking forward to New Year. Fuck Christmas. It can't go by fast enough.
I have to report for jury duty tomorrow. How they got that timing right, i'll never know, but i never replied to the form they sent me a month ago, so now i have to drive to Somerville tomorrow morning and throw excuses at them so they don't arrest me for whatever the crime of not showing up for jury duty is called. I hope it's something ridiculous and long like the OJ trial... and i have to sit there for five dollars a day and be a citizen. If you can't tell if i'm being sarcastic or not that's because i can't either. Peace y'all

hehehhee, i just watched our LOR special edition, too... of course, that was the first time i'd seen the whole thing all the way through... heh heh. we were up til 3:00, so we didn't really get to the special features stuff.

hey, Zach, i think i might get some of my family members into the Dean camp. congratulate me; they're all Capital-R Republicans ;-)

okay zach
1. honesty 2. dean's discards 3. No excuses 4. Different 5. Tennis shoes 6. Idealizing the backyard 7. Walking on a Saturday night 8. Lunch Box 9. For you 10. Remembrances of Things Gone Wrong
as far as coming to my house goes, my mom said it's cool, but I still have to figure out what's gonna happen with my job and if I am or am not going skiing at a certain time. Chances are I'll be around here for New Year's, I just don't know when. So I think coming here will work, but don't make completely permanent plans for it quite yet. I'll let you guys know what's up. Oh and as for my job, I had my interview with the editor of the Daily Journal on Friday, and it went well. I'm pretty sure he'll hire me. I'll work 40 hours a week on 6 articles at a time (a workload that seems kinda daunting right now) but the pay is better than Target and I won't hate my life.... so yay. Anyway, I hope everybody's Thanksgiving was cool. OH AND THE LORD OF THE RINGS SPECIAL EDITION FRICKIN' ROCKS! My cousin Michael, his girlfriend, my little brother and I watched it the other night, plus some special features and documentaries about it and all, and it took something like 5 hours. We're such total nerds BUT IT'S AWESOME! WHEEE!!! so long...