Nail Biter

Sometimes it's good to be a little on the AR side...

I've been trying to get an exemption from this Jury Duty gig in a few weeks...mostly because I'm not supposed to be in the country (which, you know, can totally interfere with your ability to judge...well, and hear, actually...the evidence in a trial). I submitted the paperwork 3 weeks ago...including a photocopy of my itinerary, showing the dates I'd be out of the country, a photocopy of the ticket (with the big "non-refundable" circled), and a photocopy of the Fed Ex envelope showing that the ticket arrived at my house a solid 2 weeks before the jury summons. I thought this, in conjunction with the plea for exemption, might be sufficient for them to give me a bye on this one...

But I haven't heard anything.

And I haven't heard anything.

And I haven't heard anything -- and now I leave in 10ish days.

So this morning, I called the poor lady who's job it is to field all of these calls (she must get badgered constantly)...put on my extra pleasant, calm, I-don't-sound-as-freaked-as-I-am voice and told her the situation...she asked a few questions...I answered (I wonder if she could hear me biting my nails?). She seemed pleased that I'd sent along all of the paperwork documenting the tirp and her voice actually relaxed a little...

The bottom line is that I won't really know until Thursday of next week -- which is terrifyingly close to my departure date.

The good news is that she told me prepaid travel is generally grounds for exemption. The lawyers are supposed to strike me (so I might know as early as Tuesday or Wednesday), but she said if they didn't, she'd do it.

So even though I won't be entirely comfortable until I hear officially, it looks like I can expect the trip to go as planned! Yay!!