This Week's Roundup: Jury Duty and a Baking Competition

"I'm sorry, everyone, I forgot to tell you not to come in today. You're free to go!"

Thus ended my first experience with jury duty. During this past week, I woke up early, fought rush-hour traffic, waited outside the court building with other members of the jury pool, sat in an unused court room waiting to be selected, and then was sent home.

On Wednesday, I was the last juror to be selected for a criminal case. For 45 minutes, we were screened by the prosecuting attorney, and the defense. It really felt like we were the ones on trial, as they asked us pointed questions about our personal lives. I was never singled out, fortunately, and as I was the last juror of the bunch, I was never going to be selected for this particular case. We were told to come back the next day, for another trial. And, as we were waiting in the damp morning air, we were dismissed. Just like that.

I can see why people try to get out of jury duty. You are committing to a full week of being on-call, and the most exciting part of it might be the complimentary coffee, tea, and hot chocolate available as you wait. It reminded me of gym class, as you wait to be selected for a team, or an audition of sorts.

As a stay-at-home mom, it really was difficult to find someone to watch him all week. Fortunately, one of our friends was kind enough to watch Mr. D in the mornings. Otherwise, I guess Andy would have had to do it. Not a great situation. Add another child into the equation, and it just doesn't make sense for me to do it again. Undue hardship, right there. I guess we'll have to assess the situation, should I be summoned for jury duty again.

In addition to my jury duty shenanigans, this week I binge-watched the first season of The Great British Baking Show, a competition of 12 amateur bakers. This is unlike any other competition show I have seen. Each of the contestants was likable, and fairly gracious in the face of criticism. Several times throughout the show, contestants helped each other succeed. This aesthetically appealing show features mouth-watering, extraordinary recipes. Best of all? All of the lovely British accents. Do yourself a favor, and watch the first season, available free on Amazon Prime for the next 5 days.

And, apparently, the third season of the show is starting on July 1 on PBS 9/8 central time. I'm going to have to see how it compares to the awesome first season. Anybody else with me? (Besides Andy, of course!)

How was your week? I'd love to hear from you!