Mister Boo has had his monthly wash and brush-up and feels much better about himself, though he was less than amused to be all dressed up with nowhere to go for the first half of today (one of his varlets got hauled into court again).
Yes, once again they called my name, and once again I was marched upstairs to a courtroom. But this time we actually enjoyed a spot of voir dire as both defense and prosecution sought to pick a crew that wouldn’t give them a pain in the pinstripes.
Nearly 350 people got rounded up today, and 46 of us were in the pool for this trial, a criminal matter that actually sounded interesting until a couple potential jurors began expounding on their knowledge of the Law According to Too Much Television.
Then I began praying for mercy and lo! My prayers were answered.
“Go thou forth, yet check thee back at 4:30 every afternoon,” they said. “Thou still owest us eight days.”
Mad Blog Media 
The Boo looks absolutely stunning/un pooch avec savoir de faire/electable/able to compromise and govern well with two felines as compatriots/etc.
Re juris prudence: I had the pleasure of serving 18 months as a grand jury foreman…..we got extended 6 months due to a very complicated case. Ended up being 28 full days of duty in which all of us on the grand jury became pseudo-experts in the rule of law. Actually was a very positive experience.
Please keep all those assisting in and affected by Harvey in your thoughts/prayers/whatever.
I also had the privilege to work several US and international disaster efforts (some natural, some manmade). Quickly learned after the first one that you can’t do enough, do it quickly enough, or long enough. The initial disaster response to the devastation is usually magnificent (as we’re seeing in Texas from locals and others); the longterm and often equally needed/demanding restoration supply of attention (media)/resources/people-power/support is equally as challenging, but often less than promised and needed.
The Boo is a stylish gent, but a very private sort. He prefers solitary meditation, generally over a medium-heavy lunch, to public life.
A good disaster does indeed focus the attention; the cleanup, alas, is often as you note. One guy on NPR this afternoon was talking about some Houstonians being unable to return home for years. Years. Another story mentioned a widespread lack of flood insurance. Yow, etc.
This tendency of ours to cluster in place unsuitable for large populations — Phoenix, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Houston — may prove regrettable. Already has, actually.
The Boo Man is looking good! Duffy is impressed.
After a little research, and good reporting from NPR, it seems that Houston, and the obsolete dams above it, have had flooding problems for decades. Add in more roofs, more concrete and asphalt, no comprehensive zoning or deed restrictions, and a growing population and you got flooding and lots of it. Plus, the Chinese hoax we call climate change will give them much more of it in the future.
I recall that when The Citadel Mall was built in Bibleburg — our first real mall — the runoff from the epic parking lot after a heavy rainstorm flooded basements all around the place.
Water wants to go places. So does fire. It’s a good idea not to be in their way, or at least devise an exit strategy.
When we lived on that hillside outside Weirdcliffe, with the one road up and down, I scouted a back way out one hot fire season. It would have been ugly, even in four-wheel drive. Bad enough on a mountain bike. And in the end, probably no better than sticking to the one actual road.
Think about what fun it would be to evacuate, say, LA. Hijo, madre.
Boo looks very sleek indeed. He understands that a 3/4 view is very flattering. Unlike people, he doesn’t mind showing off his chin either -pardon the pun. Long may he reign over Rancho Pendejo!
The Boo is tough to shoot, Libby, especially with my elderly Canon S110. He inevitably shifts a fraction just as the shutter clicks. And he mos def has a good side (the one with the eye) and a bad one (the one without).
Something of a challenge for the amateur portrait photographer, is what.
A neighbor was walking her three — three! — Boston bull terriers last night. Now you wanna talk about some good-looking dogs. …
Boston Bull Terriers always make me laugh out loud. They are such serious looking little fellows..until they are in full relax mode. Then they look so laid back you want to be them and not you. I was once kicked out of music class in 7th grade for laughing hysterically at this guy who looked exactly like my aunts Boston Bull Duchess. 50+ years later, I still laugh every time I see this guy. Now that he’s lost most of his hair, he STILL looks like Duchess. Me, I look like an Old Goat with a hangover.
Two of these were adults and the third a pup. Cute little devils, especially the pup, all of them grinning like a jackass eating yellowjackets.
Speaking of cycling (sorry we were not), another former Rock Racing member is busted.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/former-rock-racing-rider-leogrande-banned-for-second-doping-case/
After he serves this suspension he will need to ride a Schwinn 3-wheeler in the next race.
Haw. His tats will look like faded cave paintings by the time he’s able to pin on a number again.
USADA might have saved some paper by listing the PED’s that were NOT in this guy’s sample? Back-in-the-day these guys used to help out the juniors at the races, now they dope to the gills and compete for what, a trophy or a cheap medal? But like BigTex, they’re so shallow and narcissistic they can’t really do anything else.
Boo’s clean. He’s fluffy. Quickly; spray him with Endust and chase him under the bed!
Interesting. I mentioned that I was once called to jury duty at the Old Bailey in London. This is probably one of the most historically significant courts in the world, and it deals with very serious cases – some of which can continue for years. I got off very easily (one two-day trial) but it could have been much different. As it was, I was happy doing my duty but was a bit taken aback by the casual wear some of my fellow jurors sported (sweats? really?) I was suited and booted, of course.
I have never been called for jury service in the US or Canada (both part of my personal history) but my father was on a jury where the defendant (acquitted) was charged with murder in Canada.
Casual wear has run amok down here in the Colonies. I favor shorts and T-shirt myself, but when forced by circumstance and/or tradition I tart it up a bit. I was wearing a collared shirt and my newest jeans, which means I looked semi-normal for a geezer in the Great American Southwest.
But lordy sweet Jesus, some of these people looked like they just came from a dogfight. Appalling. Fashion felonies in the first degree. If I were the judge I would have had half the jury pool summarily executed.
Hope them jury duds of yours included boots, PO’G…..it is NM after all! 🙂
Well, kinda-sorta, JD. I was wearing my black Timberlands. I don’t have a proper pair of cowboy boots anymore, though I still have the hat (along with a distinct lack of cattle).
I’m not a suit & tie kinda guy – my US work attire was the typical khakis and a button-down shirt. But (esp in the UK) I just thought that since the potential sentence for many of the crimes prosecuted at the Old Bailey is life in prison, it should be seen that “we” took this seriously. Obviously I was mistaken. Thumbs up
I checked the court’s FAQ before showing up, and while there was no specific dress code, it was suggested that jurors “dress in a manner befitting the dignity of the court.”
I never hang a rope around my neck for them to hang me with, or wear a jacket unless I need to conceal a weapon. But I figured a collared shirt and jeans met the standard.
Shucks, I looked like Jack Donaghy after 6 p.m. compared to some of these people.