Here is your weekly dose of cute...x2.

Tapirs are awesome and I miss working with them.
Their babies look like watermelons.

Meerkats are so cute.
This is just all around fun.
Smile and enjoy!

Where did we leave off? All right, all right, let's see. Uh, she was in the water, the Eel was coming after her. She was frightened. The Eel started to charge her. And then -

No, wait, wrong story...back to my Judy Duty.

Here’s the timeline with my tweets interjected into the mix, plus notes and highlights from the day. I hadn’t originally thought to do the days as movie titles, but when I got picked and saw how long it would run, I thought it a neat way to have continuity in a situation where I couldn’t actually talk about what was in my day.

 
May 20  - “Judy Duty”

100 people in large room on 6th floor for 3 week case. I was Juror #37. It took all day to weed out half of the group.

May 21 - “Jury Duty: the Sequel” - Jury Dutier (or “Electric Bugaloo” as one of my friends replied on Facebook.)

I actually went into work that morning because I had an obligation I very much needed to meet. The Judge and the Lawyers worked with me to make this allowance and then I drove back downtown in the afternoon to finish up questions and Jury selection. Needless to say, I was picked.

“I will enlarge no more on the evidence, but submit it to you, gentlemen—Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence: nor is the law less stable than the fact.” - John Adams

On May 20th I reported to Jury Duty for the first time, ever. I walked into the courthouse and apparently the first hundred that walked in that day went up to the sixth floor to start trying to fill a trial that ended up taking 4 weeks to complete. They knew it was going to be at least three weeks and also knew people might have some strong opinions on the subject, so a larger than normal jury pool gathered in one of the larger courtrooms for hours of questions. When the Judge and the Lawyers got to me, well, I just wanted to be honest, fair and reasonable...which I suspect got me selected. I never had any desire to try and “get out of it” by saying something that would get me excused. This was a civic duty, (we aren’t asked to do many of those) and it would be a completely new experience, different from anything else I had EVER done. To be honest, that really intrigued me. I wanted to see the process and the way of it. It felt like a little adventure. So, after two days of jury selection, when they called my name, I smiled. (There ass also the weird teacher’s pet part of me that was like the kid sitting with her hand up wanting to answer a question “pick me, pick me”.)

Now, I also had a deep sense of frustration that I would be leaving my co-workers to pick up the slack and I know the weather outside was not kind while I was sitting in an air-conditioned courtroom for weeks. (A fricken Tropical Storm came through!) That being said - Jury Duty is not easy, either. I would get home (usually between 5:30-6pm, having left home at 7am that morning) and just want to shower, eat and go to bed. I didn't log into WOW. I barely did any sewing. I didn't work on my novels. Jury Duty brought my ability to create almost to a standstill. I worked once a week with my Rhinos and then did 5 more days of jury duty. Life felt full. (Still good, but full.)

So, I found this on Pinterest, because I got lost in a time vortex while jumping from one Doctor Who board to another. I could not, for the life of me, find a link to who exactly created it so I'll just link back to the board I originally found it on. Good luck ever getting free once you go there, though.

Anywho, the original comment with it was "Damn you, BBC". And I chuckled at it. Then, when I repinned it, because I couldn't not, a friend asked me - ".. but are they wrong?" And that made me pause. Are they truly unrealistic expectations? Obviously it is not talking about expecting a true time lord, or eccentric detective to show up at my door, but that men (or women, whatever way you love) should have qualities LIKE those men.

And you know what? No, they're not unrealistic expectations. They're just a starting point, actually. As a single lady, I've been thinking about this a lot recently...as time slips away...and for me, I am fortunate enough to have had a marriage (so society's pressure for me to have that experience, or be incomplete, is thankfully abated) and I also have the means to live on my own and so truly have that ability to wait, to choose, to damn well demand of the Universe the one who's looking for me. I am not saying I ascribe to the idea of a one-true-love by any means, but, well, I know what I'm looking for and can wait until I find him/he finds me.

I really like the idea of reincarnation. We get many goes of it. This isn't our only chance to LIVE EVERY HUMAN EXPERIENCE EVER OR I WILL BE INCOMPLETE AND A FAILURE, this is just my chance to be the best ME I can be on this one turn of the wheel. Who am I this time? What do I want to do this life? Will I get to love brilliantly? Dear gods I hope I do. But...it won't destroy me if I don't. Yeah, It hurts sometimes, the longing, the desire that reaches out blindly into the dark and is only ever met with mist, but all pain is bearable. Tears fall. I dance around my house like a fool with a shadow for a partner. My imaginary friends have baritone voices and villainous smiles.

But, yes, my someone will have all of those things and more. And they'll demand the same of me just by walking in the room. It's not about wanting, or pining or heavy sighs. It's about being the best damn me I can be. It's about attaching a little piece of my heart to everything that I do and then casting it out into the Universe. Little beacons of me.

My heart beats like a thumper calling to Shai'hulud.


Hmm...now I must go create something.




p.s. BBC, you're brilliant.