For one more day at least. Since the jury duty adventure I’ve been mostly doing typing work and some work out in the studio. We’ve also been to a movie night at the ball park and a concert at the winery. Wanna see?
The girls and I went to see “A League of Their Own” at Oracle Park. They gave us free hats, a pack of baseball cards and a bag of popcorn. It was free to get in because we have the 415 membership. We brought blankets and deli sandwiches. It was fun to spend some girl time. We couldn’t bring chairs and it was kind of cold but it was also the first time our eldest daughter had seen the movie so that was kinda cool.
I posted about the Halloween Box albums I was making. I finished two of them and am working on a third.
And last night hubby and I went to the Mountain Winery again to see Berlin and Pat Benatar. Both good performances. We had never seen Berlin before so that was nice. During the song “Take My Breath Away,” Terri Nunn walked around in the crowd. That’s always fun. Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo did some different songs in their set which was nice since we’ve seen them a few times and the setlists are pretty standard. They are no longer performing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” because of all the mass shootings we’ve had. I respect that. They have plenty of other songs.
I think I’ve had a pretty full month. How about you? Happy to see August come to a close? What’s on tap for September?
When we last met I was sitting in the seat of Juror #10. Did I mention that the chair was not uncomfortable, although the room was freezing cold? I had learned that on the first day so I always came prepared with layers of clothing and a scarf. Everyone mentioned how cold it was and I joked that they wanted to make sure we stayed awake. We were all wearing masks all the time as mandated by the court. On this first day of the actual trial we were given lanyard badges and a notebook with a pen. We were told we could make notes but that the notebooks had to remain in the courtroom and they would be destroyed at the end of the trial.
Monday we heard from the arresting officer who described the reason for the traffic stop, what he discovered while talking with the defendant and what happened to lead him to making the arrest. Next we heard from a second officer who was on the scene as an interpreter since English was not the first language for the defendant. We watched a video of the body cam from the arresting officer. Then we were given a lunch break. Thank goodness.
After lunch we heard from an expert witness for the prosecution (just typing that made me smile – wasn’t that an Agatha Christie book?) He testified about the machines that were used for testing and the procedures that were followed. He explained the effects of alcohol on the body and how long it takes for the alcohol to leave the body. His testimony took the better part of the afternoon so we were excused for the day and told not to discuss the case with anyone.
Tuesday started with the defense cross examining the expert. Of course he tried to trip the witness up and asked him questions that would put some doubt in our minds about his answers. Then we heard from an expert witness from the defense side. He, of course, disputed everything the prosecution witness testified about. The defendant, himself, did not testify. We broke for lunch. When we got back the attorneys gave their closing arguments. Each one tried to point out the facts and that if we were going to decide only on the facts, their version was the correct one. We were given the instructions from the judge (that took a half hour easily) and sent to the jury room. We picked a foreman and then decided to go home and think about it and start the day fresh on Wednesday.
Side note…court time is interesting. We were told to be there at 9 AM each day but some days we didn’t actually start until 9:15 or 9:30. There was usually a 15 to 20 minute break at about 10:15 or 10:30 and then lunch from noon to 1:30. Another 10 to 15 minute break at 3:15 and then ended the day at 4:30.
Wednesday came and we were escorted straight through to the jury deliberation room. I had foolishly been under the impression that this wouldn’t take long. There were two charges. Driving under the influence was one and driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher was the other. It sounds like they should be the same but no. Under the first charge, you consider whether there was erratic driving or lack of attention, etc., not just the alcohol level in the blood, although you COULD count that.
As far as I was concerned, the blood alcohol level at the jail had read .08 which is the number that the State of California says is the limit that means you cannot safely drive a vehicle. If his blood alcohol level at the jail (which was 2 hours after he was stopped) was .08 then it stands to reason that his level while driving must have been at least that while he was operating the vehicle. (Part of the expert witness testimony had been about how long it takes for the alcohol to dissipate from your body. One expert said it decreases by .02% an hour and one said it is .0146%).
In the beginning the ONLY thing all 12 people could agree on was that the man was driving a car! We went back and forth about different aspects of the case and finally we were able to decide that yes, on the second count of having a blood alcohol level of .08 and driving, he was guilty. We watched portions of the video again. We asked the court reporter to read back parts of testimony. We broke for lunch. Finally, at about 4 PM we realized that we were not going to agree on the first count and sent a message to the judge. We were afraid she was going to make us come back again Thursday but I guess the parties decided that they would have to make do with what we had decided.
Back into the courtroom we all went. The foreman read the verdict to the judge and then the attorneys wanted us polled to see if we were truly unanimous on the decision. I have to admit for a brief moment I was afraid someone was going to say they did not agree but no one did. She asked again if we were sure we could not agree on the first count and we said yes. Then the judge thanked us and excused us. We don’t know what the sentence of the defendant is.
There you have it. I feel sorry for the father of my daughter’s friend who was the alternate. He had to sit and listen to the whole trial but then was sent home when we started to deliberate. He was told not to leave the area until the trial was over. I did let him know what the verdict was. Also, I am so grateful that I got called for this case and not the one that was going on down the hall. We saw at least 300 people called for that one which was a murder trial that was expected to last for months! The judge said as she was dismissing us that she would see us again next year. I sincerely hope not!
Well, I’ve had an interesting week to say the least. Last Thursday afternoon I was summoned for jury duty. I actually had to go in which is unusual to begin with. Usually I look on the website the night before and it says that I am excused. Not this time.
So I get to the courthouse and the parking for the jury is different than the last time I had been called (2006!) but there was plenty of room so that was not a problem. I parked, walked to the courthouse, through the metal detectors and down to the jury assembly room. I’m early and just waiting in line with a few other people and I overhear a conversation from a gentleman saying, “And I don’t get all this gender thing. If they tell me there is more than two, a man and a woman, I’m …” I can’t remember the rest exactly but clearly he had some issues with the gender identity changes. I decided to remove myself from the situation and went and got some water from the cafeteria. LOL.
Once it was time, the assembly room opened and there was about 100 of us waiting to see if they would call us. I didn’t have to wait long. They sent me and about 70 others up to courtroom 2K. We waited in the hallway until the bailiff opened the door and told us to find seats. He said he knew there were not enough chairs but that once the first 12 folks plus 6 alternates had been called, there would be seats open. It didn’t take long for me to be called…I was juror #10.
The judge told us that the case was about driving under the influence and said that it would take about 3 days for the attorneys to present the evidence and then for us to decide the case. She asked if anyone had hardships that would prevent them from staying on the jury for 4 to 5 days. There were about 4 or 5 people in that first 18 that said they couldn’t stay for one reason or another and as each one left, they pulled someone else up from the people waiting in the room. Finally all the hardships were taken care of and then they gave us a list of questions to answer. Most of them were simple, name, city we lived in, how many adults lived in our house, how many kids we had, ages and occupations, whether we had connections to law enforcement or if we knew anyone convicted of a crime or a victim of a crime or if we thought we could be impartial.
Based on our answers to those questions more people were excused and more brought up from the waiting area. Each time they brought up someone new they had to go through the hardship question and then the list of questions. Next the two attorneys started asking us questions about what we thought about different scenarios, if we had ever seen anyone drink too much, if they had to be falling down in our opinion to be considered too intoxicated to drive. After both attorneys were finished, they started excusing some of us for reasons they didn’t explain but I could guess by the answers of the jurors and the type of case it was. It got down to the 12 jurors and 2 alternates. Interestingly, one of the alternates was the father of a boy my daughter went to school with. I was still juror #10. The attorneys both gave their opening arguments. That process had taken two days so they let us go for the weekend.
Friday night my hubby and I went to see The Four Tops and the Temptations at the Mountain Winery. I had not eaten all day while at the courthouse and had several drinks so I was too intoxicated to drive home and, ashamed to say, actually threw up out the car window. First time I have done that since I was in my 20s I’ll bet and ironic that I was about to listen to a case regarding driving while under the influence.
Saturday the kids and I went to a Giants game. I had one Vizzy (hard seltzer) and then drank water – LOL. They were celebrating the 2012 World Series Team and we were in the 415 section and actually made it on TV! You can see me above the V in Visa. I have my arm raised because I am taking the picture! The Giants won – YAY! We take the train to and from the game so driving and drinking is not a factor here – haha.
I think I’ll stop for now and we’ll get to part 2 tomorrow. Are you intrigued? Ever served on a jury before? What was your case about?
I mentioned that I have been working on some new craft projects to share. First is a Disney-themed mini album. i think it came out really well.
Then I made a couple of different “folios.” One has a pen attached and a removable notepad. It is Christmas themed so you can use it to make your Christmas gift lists and there is a pocket to keep the receipts for purchased gifts.
And the next is a Halloween-themed one.
I am really in love with these folios and have a ton of ideas for other ones. I got the idea from another crafter, Maymay of Maymay Made It. I haven’t had a chance to post these in the Etsy shop yet but they will be there soon!
Finally, I am in the process of making this:
I found these boxes at our local dollar store last year and really liked them. I am always saving the cardboard inserts that come in packages. I think these were from pillowcases. I just need to finish decorating it. BUT I GOT CALLED FOR JURY DUTY! Right now I am juror #10. We have another day of jury selection and then I would expect the trial to begin next week. The judge said that just wanting to be doing something else is not a good enough reason to be excused – LOL. Fortunately it isn’t a high profile case so hopefully it won’t last long.
And that’s my crafty life for now. What do you think? What have you been up to? Ever serve on a jury?
I really need to get on the ball again. Usually I do an August challenge but this year I just wasn’t feeling it. I am still doing my TikTok experiment though so if you are on TikTok lemme know so I can follow you.
Since I last posted we’ve seen Abba, the Concert, One Night With Queen, a new to us artist called Tash Sultana, went to another Giants game and last night we saw the Backstreet Boys!
So Wells Fargo is a sponsor of the Mountain Winery this year and there is a new section called Adele’s Garden especially for people with Wells Fargo accounts. They give you free water and snacks and there is a special spot to sit and enjoy the view before the show. That was fun. Abba, the Concert, does a really good job with the songs and the crowd was definitely singing along.
Tash Sultana is a one person show for the most part. Toward the end there are some other musicians on stage but the main show is Tash playing an instrument and then setting it on a loop so it keeps playing while she moves on to another instrument. There was a lot of flashing lights, hence the warning. It was interesting but the bouncing up and down she did was kind of hard to watch and the songs sounded a lot alike. My husband enjoyed it though and it was at a venue we don’t normally go to so it was a fun date night.
One Night of Queen was good too. While the rest of the band did not try to look like the members of Queen, Gary Mullen definitely pulled off the moves of Freddie Mercury well and the music was great.
The Giant’s game we went to was in honor of Will Clark and they retired his number, 22. It was fun and we won, which was even better. We’re not doing well this year but I’m still a faithful fan.
Finally, my daughter and I went to see the Backstreet Boys on the spur of the moment. We got the tickets just two days before the show.
This makes the third time we’ve seen them. They sang 33 songs and I knew the words to every one. I love their harmonies and definitely enjoy the synchronized movements. I think one of the reasons my daughter likes the Backstreet Boys so much is because I sang this song to her as a baby. It was my way of saying I love her no matter what.
So that’s been my out and about experiences for the last couple of weeks. We have more to come this month too. Tomorrow I’ll share some of the crafty work I’ve been doing. I don’t want to overwhelm in one post. Have you heard of Tash Sultana? Fan of the Backstreet Boys (who technically should be called Backstreet Men now because Kevin Richardson is 50 and the others are all late 40s – LOL).
We went to see Loverboy, REO Speedwagon and Styx last night. It was fun to get out and see a live performance again. They are calling it the “Live and UnZoomed Tour” since so many bands did zoom concerts during the pandemic. It was at Shoreline in Mountain View. We hadn’t been there since 2017!
We had our little pre-show cocktail at the car. We are able to park in the handicapped section because of my hubby’s back so we waited until the line to get in was shorter and then headed into the venue. One of the ushers was kind enough to take pictures if you wanted them close to the stage.
Loverboy opened the show and they were very good. I love it when the songs sound the same as they do when I hear them on the radio. We weren’t in the first row but we had pretty decent seats. I think I was able to get some acceptable pictures. They sang 8 songs including my fave, “Hot Girls In Love” and my hubby’s “Working For The Weekend.”
Then came REO Speedwagon. They were really good too. They sang 13 songs. My favorite of theirs is “Keep On Loving You.” Lots of energy in their set. I did get some videos of each band but because I was rocking to the music, they are kind of shaky so I won’t subject you to that.
Styx was the headliner and if we’re being honest I wish that REO had had that spot because I like more of their songs. They sang 15 and there were some from a newer album that I was not familiar with. My favorite is, “Lady.” We got up and started walking out when they came out to do the encore, “Mr. Roboto” and “Renegade.” That gave us time to go to the bathroom and start heading out before the crowd. We could still hear and see because they have videos up all over.
It was a good beginning to the summer concert series we have planned. Next week my daughter and I see an Abba cover band at the Mountain Winery and hubby and I see a Queen cover there as well. I may have to do another A to Z on our concerts. What do you think?
Well, another month is already a week old. Can’t believe I don’t have anything to say for whole months at a time! This month is different though. While I may not be posting every day here, I have started a new TikTok account to help promote the crafty work I do. According to the training I got (yes, I took some training) I will need to post every day for at least 30 days. Most days it will be just one or two posts but on days 6 and 7 the challenge is to post 16 to 20 snippets each day!!! The goal is to get to the magic 1000 followers so that I can add the link to my business in my bio. I guess if TikTok doesn’t see 1000 followers they think you are not really a business. Here’s my first one:
We had our annual 4th of July celebration too. Just a small affair with a few friends and neighbors. It was unbelievable how many illegal fireworks went off around us until well after midnight. Our poor Benny was really scared. Next year I’m going to have to get him some meds or something. Here’s a quick peek at one of the better ones we had for the night. The “grand finale” went on for 2 minutes!
Concerts are happening this month too. We are going to see Reo Speedwagon with Styx and Loverboy next week, my daughter and I are going to an Abba cover band and then hubby and I will see a Queen cover at the end of the month.
Wish me luck on my TikTok adventure. If you’re there, follow me (at least until I get to my 1000. Then you can leave if you want – LOL). I am @scr4pl80 (scrap lady) there just like everywhere else. Have to stay consistent, right? How is your summer shaping up?
It’s been a whole month already! I don’t know about you but I’ve been feeling like I’m on a roller coaster. To give you a glimpse, on the 17th of May I got my second COVID booster. I had no reaction right away. A week later I either had a very delayed reaction or the worst cold I’ve had in years. I was sore and achy, had some head congestion and cough but mostly was just so tired. All of those are symptoms of Covid but I took two home tests and both were negative. I’m fine now but it was not fun.
Then at the end of May we lost a very close friend. Liver disease. He had been a drinker his entire life and it finally caught up with him. He had been at the hospital with us for the birth of our first daughter. He was not even old enough to be on Medicare!
I have been consumed with watching the January 6th Committee Hearings. Anger, frustration, fear, pride and gratitude to the brave Americans who stood up for the constitution, so many emotions.
And yet, there have been some fun things. I had a chance to sell my creations at our city’s annual Posy Parade.
We had a nice dinner with some close friends and there was a book sale at the library! Fill a bag of books for $10. Here’s what I got but I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t pick more. I could have filled another bag full I’m sure. Lots of Koontz and mostly all mysteries except for a couple that are on my scratch off poster of 100 books to read. I even got two that I already have so next time I’m bringing my list so I can be more selective.
We celebrated the anniversary of moving into our house. It was on Flag Day 26 years ago. We did a little facelift on it a few years ago. It’s been a great place for us.
We had a family dinner at Benihana’s. First time we have eaten there as a family since 2017.
And last but not least, I’ve been doing a lot of work in the studio since I haven’t had much transcription. I even made another Instagram reel! You can see these things on the Etsy site. Feel free to share!
Hubby and I also watched the mini-series on Hulu called “Dopesick” about the Oxycontin addiction. It starred Michael Keaton and was really good.
So you can see my month has been all over the place. Did you miss me?
Typically it takes a few days to get back to the blog habit after the A to Z is over. I have to catch up with all the other projects I have that I let slide during the month. I REALLY have to prepare better next year because I end up missing the opportunity to make Mother’s Day things to sell in the Etsy shop. This year I only had time to make some cards and a couple of the exploding boxes.
I also had to get ready for another pop-up craft show which happened on May 7. For that I made some more birthday cards as well as some other all occasion cards.
It was so windy! I couldn’t display all the cards the way I usually do because they would blow all over so I had to keep them in boxes. I didn’t make a lot of money but managed to at least make the $25 it cost for the table space and tenting plus a little more. As always though I learn things with each show and this time I got to use my new banner!
And last but not least, I have been seeing some really gorgeous skies lately. The top three pictures are all from my front porch, all on the same night in the space of about half an hour. At first was the yellow burst, then came the orange glow and finally the gray almost storm clouds. It was amazing. The last two are from the next night at my son’s softball game. I just marvel at the way God plays with his crayons and paints, don’t you?
And now it’s time to start work on Father’s Day things. I have a couple of boxes and some cards in the works and they’ll be in the shop soon. What have you been up to?
Janet's Smiles 