civic duty
today (and hopefully only today) i'm in jury duty, and have already been greatly challenged by not laughing out loud at some of the things i see and hear. the orientation must have been made by or for first graders, but the part that amuses me the most is the constant iteration of how much i am going to enjoy my experience, and perhaps even make lifelong friends. hey, anything can happen, but please forgive me as i take a little more pessimistic perspective to that. i've also come to find other people's interpretations of "business casual" dress quite... uh... creative? anywhere from medical scrubs to metallica tshirts with slacks.
i had hoped for a bit of silver lining to being trapped down here in as that i (used to) have quite a few friends who work downtown and therefore would be able to see them during my almost 2 hour lunch break. however, due to a bankruptcy filing and an inconvenient nfl meeting, my peoples have either moved away from their downtown employer, or are occupied entertaining clients. so i guess i'm on my own.
i found as i climbed on to the trolley this morning that i felt a flicker of japanese familiarity. staring in to my own reflection as the scene outside ticked by was always my opportunity to be introspective while riding the trains around j-land. i easily fell in to that same state of mind as my hazy face came in to view in the trolley window, trees and buildings and poles darkening it occassionally. and while the face has changed over time and experience, the feeling has not, and i felt again connected to my hometown... whichever one that may be.
current mood: thoughtful