When I saw the envelope from the Hooter County Sheriff's Department, I knew immediately what it was...and, I had been expecting it. It was a summons for jury duty the week of 20 April and since I have been called for jury duty in every place I have ever lived, it was no surprise. Yes, you read that correctly: I have been called for jury duty in every place I ever lived - twice in North Carolina.
Having an elementary age child is no excuse, so James and I worked out that if he did not hear from me by 2 pm yesterday, he would come home, meet Aidan at the bus and return to work with him. Our hope was that it would be a one day inconvenience, at most.
WRONG! I didn't even have time to start knitting in the jury pool waiting room when I was called in the very first group of potential jurors. I was #19 out of about 48 called in the group, so I knew my chances were good. And, since we were told that there was only one case being heard this week, I knew that those left behind (another 50 or so) in the waiting room would likely be sent home midday.
Once in the courtroom, we learned that it was a civil case, medical malpractice. The judge gave a brief overview of the case, introduced the two sides and let the attorneys get to the business of asking us all manner of questions. And there were a lot of questions, to which we responded by holding up our numbered paddles. After the questions were asked, then each juror was asked follow-up questions. As I heard more and more answers from the train wrecks ahead of me, I knew...I just knew that I was going to be picked.
Before breaking for lunch, the judge excused potential jurors 32-48; I suppose he realized that the pool was going to yield twelve good jurors plus two alternates. After lunch, the questioning resumed and I was certain that I would be picked when the plaintiff's lead attorney asked me only three follow-up questions (one of which was about my previous jury experience) and the lead attorney for the defense asked me none.
Sure enough, around 3:15 pm I learned that I was one of the jurors for this case. And while it throws a wrench into our lives for a week (plus a day, possibly), it is one of the privileges and responsibilities of living in a democracy. If I were involved in a court case, I would want someone like me to sit on the jury - someone who will pay attention, give careful consideration to the evidence and take the job seriously.
When I tried to explain to Aidan where I would be all week, he misunderstood what I said and exclaimed "Jewelry duty? You'll like that!" If only...
Since the county jail is attached to the courthouse and Aidan knows that, I just hope he isn't telling people at school that I'm in jail this week!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Before and after
This past weekend, James finished the remodel of our master bathroom and wow, is it beautiful!
Our house was built in 1988 by crack addicts. How else to explain some of the weird "features" and half-assed construction? The master bath, while no slouch in the size department, was poorly designed with a mile-long vanity with only one sink, a tiny shower stall and a large, leaky garden tub that blocked the only window.
This before photo was taken from the doorway into the bathroom:
The cramped shower stall was on the immediate left, the toilet around the left corner (the top of the tank is just barely visible in the mirror) and the mile-long vanity was lit by the light bars that James despises.
Just to the right of the area shown in the previous photo was the gargantuan garden tub:
It blocked access to the room's only window and the only time we ever tried to use it, we discovered that it leaked underneath. The faucet also dripped, causing water spots in the tub that were almost impossible to remove, if nothing else because I had to climb into the tub to clean it. I loathed the thing.
And did I mention that the entire bathroom was CARPETED? Ewww.
James gutted the room down to the bare floor and, in some cases, the bare wall studs. We dragged out the garden tub, the vanity, the shower stall. I decided that the whole layout of the room should be changed and once James opened up the walls, we learned that the room had originally been plumbed for the layout I suggested. WTF? So why didn't they go with that layout?
It took him well over a year to complete the project, since we waited until we saved the money to start the next phase. But the wait was definitely worth it!
Here is the new view from the doorway:
The toilet is hid behind the wall on the left, where the shower stall was previously. We have a gorgeous soaking tub, with lovely tilework done completely by James.
To the right of the room, previously the domain of the garden tub, is a vanity with two sinks:
You can see the light coming in from the window on the left. As I stand at the sink, it is so nice to turn and look out the window. And although you cannot see the floors in the photos, James put down lovely Pergo laminate tile, which we used in our kitchen and bathrooms in the Apex NC house, and hauled the remaining few boxes with us here.
The room is light, bright, feels spacious and finally has a great layout. And, no, James is not available to be hired for your bathroom remodel!
Our house was built in 1988 by crack addicts. How else to explain some of the weird "features" and half-assed construction? The master bath, while no slouch in the size department, was poorly designed with a mile-long vanity with only one sink, a tiny shower stall and a large, leaky garden tub that blocked the only window.
This before photo was taken from the doorway into the bathroom:
The cramped shower stall was on the immediate left, the toilet around the left corner (the top of the tank is just barely visible in the mirror) and the mile-long vanity was lit by the light bars that James despises.Just to the right of the area shown in the previous photo was the gargantuan garden tub:
It blocked access to the room's only window and the only time we ever tried to use it, we discovered that it leaked underneath. The faucet also dripped, causing water spots in the tub that were almost impossible to remove, if nothing else because I had to climb into the tub to clean it. I loathed the thing.
And did I mention that the entire bathroom was CARPETED? Ewww.
James gutted the room down to the bare floor and, in some cases, the bare wall studs. We dragged out the garden tub, the vanity, the shower stall. I decided that the whole layout of the room should be changed and once James opened up the walls, we learned that the room had originally been plumbed for the layout I suggested. WTF? So why didn't they go with that layout?
It took him well over a year to complete the project, since we waited until we saved the money to start the next phase. But the wait was definitely worth it!
Here is the new view from the doorway:
The toilet is hid behind the wall on the left, where the shower stall was previously. We have a gorgeous soaking tub, with lovely tilework done completely by James.
To the right of the room, previously the domain of the garden tub, is a vanity with two sinks:
You can see the light coming in from the window on the left. As I stand at the sink, it is so nice to turn and look out the window. And although you cannot see the floors in the photos, James put down lovely Pergo laminate tile, which we used in our kitchen and bathrooms in the Apex NC house, and hauled the remaining few boxes with us here.
The room is light, bright, feels spacious and finally has a great layout. And, no, James is not available to be hired for your bathroom remodel!
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