SueWorks

What a Freaking Waste of Time!

This is really a post for Pkin, but he won't write it.  He had jury duty!  Yippee!  Your American right and responsibility.  We have one of the few justice systems in the world where you have to be proved guilty rather than proved innocent.  It's a far cry from dunking suspected witches in bodies of water.

We have one trial, one day service, and call-in service.  You would have to call in for five days and then be excused if you they didn't bring you in to the court by the fifth day. 

So he called on Sunday, Yippee!  Don't report.

Then he called on Monday, Yippee!  Don't report.

Then he called on Tuesday, Boo Hoo!  Report on Wednesday.

From 7:30 to 3:30, he waited and waited.  Then he was told to drive about 19 blocks in downtown Los Angeles to another court.  He was sworn in at 4:30 so he would have to come back.

He came back, at one-freaking-thirty on Thursday.  I think he waited in the hallway until about 3:00, when they were all told to go home.  It's over.

What is wrong with this picture?!?  Are there too many suspected criminals?  Does the system suck?  Can the system be made better?  Should there be a deadline, or pre-line for plea bargains?  Should there be plea bargains?  It makes you wonder. 

He gets paid 30 bucks for two days, plus mileage one-way at a rate much lower than the IRS allows, and forgoes potentially $500 plus or minus in earnings he could have made if he worked.  He's self employed. 

Oh, by the way, cops actually think you're guilty before they even know you, but that is another story.

UDATES:  Apparently, LA County only pays from the second day onward.  Pkin earned a whole 15 bucks for wasting two days. 

Men and Hair

I am convinced that men are more vain than women, especially when it comes to hair, or lack thereof.  Just go to the Smoking Gun and take a look.  Click here.

Darn, Lost My Post

I wrote about how I was sick and stayed home from work and how others (those who got me sick) didn't stay home.  And it's gone, gone, gone.

It was funny too.  I even managed to through in "Get off the cross, someone needs the wood."  Now there is nothing.  Sorry Mom.

But Mom, I have a minor sewing project, if you have the energy.  I bought some tee shirt tank tops that are too big in the armholes.  It looks like two adjusted seams would work the trip.  The problem is my belly is not portioned to my boobs and shoulders.  And of course, my height is not right either.  If I were about 8 feet tall, all would be well.  I'll bring them over one day.

In Honor of PawPaw

Actually we just call him Dad, or fat man.  I want you to say it very cosmopolitany.  Does that make sense?

Anyway, he has all sort of rules for life. 

If you're a guest, you pay.  If you're the host, you pay.

If you're the guest, you have your daughters wash dishes.  If you're the host, you have your daughters wash dishes.

I could go on but you must get the drift.

Happy Birthday Dad!

In five years he'll celebrate 75 years.  I was trying to find online where it says what "anniversary" that is.  When do you get a Diamond Jubilee?  Maybe you have to be a queen for that.

Paranoia Big Destroy-a (nod to The Kinks)

I was using an ATM, in a part of town that I don't usually go to, in one of those security vestibules.  If I'm already paranoid because Chase deems this part of town vestibule-needing what am I supposed to do when a women docks on the window and wants me to let her in.  She appears to be alone, but someone could easily be waiting out of view.  She gives me dirty looks when I tell her I won't let her in.  A girl has got to take care of herself, and if her card doesn't work in the door it won't work in the ATM.  Right?!?

She continues to glare at me, I call Pkin, more as a breadcrumb.  He of course agrees with my logic and also says I should take a picture, just in case but I'm sure if criminal intent was in mind then I'd lose the phone too.  I guess I could have emailed it.

The point is I don't like feeling paranoid and am wondering what is the proper balance between caution and hysteria.  Sure nothing happened, a person who needs 5 minutes to read a sign and figure out to slide her card the proper way perhaps is not a threat to my physical safety just an assault on common sense as a whole, but you hear all the time about people going to help someone in distress and having a baseball bat toting accomplice descend on you.

Oh well, I didn't get a picture.  A person in Sherman Oaks thinks I'm a big bitch.  All is right with the world!

Blog-Worthy

Sometimes when Pkin and I are talking, we think that some question or issue might be blog-worthy.  And 99 times out of 100 I forget what that topic was.  Last night we were driving to Numero Uno Pizza, the way the best pizza available in Southern California.  It's so good I could blog just about the texture of the crust, sweet with a crunchy almost fried texture.  Yum!  I know pizza was not the topic, but I can't remember what was the topic. 

I remember seeing the landmarks as drove down the street and we were talking.  The issue is nowhere to be found. 

This blog is just like the show that brought us "Sponge-Worthy" -- it's about nothing.  Darn!  I would love to have a point of view.  I have plenty of opinions but not a lot of solid, stand-up-for convictions.  It's like hobbies.  You can see from comment posts that my friend Laurie has more interests than any one person could possibly partake in, whereas Mom and I can't keep up with even one.  Shopping from Macy's bargain rack isn't a great hobby.

So I post, Mom will read and maybe comment too.  That would be nice.  Is Pkin remembers the topic, I'll let you know. 

Meanwhile, think about the best pizza in your town!

Free Shipping Costs My Time

No matter what you think, the economy is headed up or still has much more to fall, you have to admit there are a lot, a lot of sales on consumer items.  For things that we need it makes sense to buy them on sale, right?  And if online vendors are offering discounted prices and FREE SHIPPING, you'd jump.  Wouldn't you?

We have two orders in place, one for books and one for clothes.  Both were free shipping and discount savings.  And both are not here.  Pkin bought something last week, also online, but he paid shipping and it came almost the next business day.

Yes, these items will come.  Yes, the price we paid is less than if we went to the store (factor in gas and it's a huge savings.)  But, gosh, wouldn't it be nice if "shipping in 1-3 days" meant that the item actually shipped the day your ordered it?  If you order an item on day 1, it gets ready to ship day 4, you maybe get it day 7 or 8, or later if UPS "changes" the delivery date.  They never tell you why, it just shows as rescheduled.  I'd like to reschedule me bills.  Wouldn't you?

New TypePad, New Post

Do you know that I pay someone for the privilege of writing my silly thoughts as many times as I do and posting them online for someone to read?  The people, or entity, that gets the most money is TypePad.  And honestly, the systems on the Internet that I pay for are harder to use than the ones I use for free, like Google for example or even AOL.  Wouldn't you think the free ones would be the more challenging ones?  That make sense to me, but the one thing I know for sure, the Web doesn't make sense in the incremental.  In the long run there is order and logic, but page by page it's a whole big mess.

And I'm adding my two cents!

Well TypePad as a new version.  And I'm learning to use it as I write this post.  (Later I'll post a bad picture of the post as I'm writing it.)  I have a new phone and it still takes me a bit longer to send photo emails, but I'll get the hang of it shortly.

The topic for today is, what hobby should I have?  As you've seen, I'm not verbose, so authoring maybe isn't my forte'.  Knitting was a bust; if push came to shove I could make sweaters for my dogs, cats and Pkin.  Piano didn't do it, sorry Pkin, maybe I'll get into it again.  The treadmill isn't really a hobby.  Eating fast food could be my hobby, but it's more of curse.  Mom is looking for a hobby.  She might be sewing me summer dresses out of flour sacks.  I'll be sure to post any pics for your enjoyment.  My Gramma was making Barbie clothes for my cousin, a cousin who was rather self-absorbed as a child.  This cousin said, "Hurry up and finish the clothes, so I can throw them away!"  Let's just say, my family sews more for necessity than for fashion.

What would be good hobbies for Mom and for me?