I am very surprised that I've never sat on a jury. I lived in Virginia for 10 years, registered a car and voted. I got called one time, but didn't get to actually sit because the defendant copped a plea at the last second.

I've lived in DC for over two years. I own a home, pay taxes, register a car and vote, yet never been called.

I don't think that it's a lawyer thing. Hell, in DC, judges get called and seated.

OK, reading random links on NYTimes (because I"m bored in a hotel room) and got to this and am baffled by the first one.

I think this paragraph sums it up:

No one but a fellow mother can understand why I have seemingly endless hours to spend on Facebook yet also have zero time to meet an old friend for lunch, how I can say a million times that these kids are going to kill me and then be unable to part with them for the weekend when my parents offer (blessedly) to take them off my hands.

The rest is written much more...defensively. But...yeah.

ETA: Vortex, expect your summons shortly--generally in DC you get called every two years like clockwork!!

It's very strange, Vortex. I got called three times in Ohio but DH never got called once.

I don't know if it's truly random. Each state's pool is different. California uses a lot more sources for pulling names, I know.

I got called a handful of times when I was younger, but always times when I was for reals going to be out of the country. (I went to school in Canada, it covered a lot of the year.)

Not as many times as my mom got called when she was a) dead and b) Canadian.

The rest is written much more...defensively. But...yeah.

Why do these idiots keep stoking the flames to keep the Mommy Wars going?? Ugh.

Yeah, luckily for once the comments seem to be...sane. And rational. In saying that the woman is crazycakes. And yes, it OF COURSE makes sense that when you have kids, most of your new friends are also going to be moms (duh--just like when you go to college, most of your new friends are going to be other college students. Or if you suddenly start taking lots of dance classes, you're going to make dancer friends!). But that doesn't mean you have to ditch your old friends!!

It's very difficult to maintain friendships with people who are not parents but it's not impossible. Your schedules change and priorties shift somewhat. But I have great friends who are childless and still manage to keep up with them. I don't make giant assumptions that they cannot understand what I'm going through. That's condescending and unfair.

I'm always annoyed by the Martyr Mommy Complex..

I'm glad to hear Em is better, and on meds that are helping her (yes, I haven't been here THAT long).

Dog freaked me out this morning. He usually sleeps in my room, since he feels most comfortable here. I got up (earlier than usual), walked to the door, and he didn't move. And we're talking about the creature that usually looks at the door, breathing heavily in the general direction of it, and waiting me to wake up and take him out every morning. I walked to him, petted him. He didn't move. It took about a minutes and a half of trying to shake him and calling his name before I got a response. I was literally seconds away from waking up my family, telling him that something's wrong. So frightening. I truly hope they'll solve most of the problem that's bugging him at the eye vet today. It's killing me to see him like this.

Also, I don't think I've seen Rick here before.

So hey, Rick.

Also, I don't think I've seen Rick here before.

He's smart and shit like that. Plus a Professor.

Tons of doggy~ma, Shir.

Hey, Rick! I remember seeing you somewhere... the delurking thread, maybe?

I need to get to bed soon. I have to get up at the butt crack of dawn to go to a seminar on managing behavior problems. Yes, I volunteered to go.

ETA: I forgot to say, Cutiehead!Shanie made me smile, and took me right out of a bad mood I was in. Thank you, darling young man. Many blessings be heaped on your head.

P.S. Harvey is purring up a storm at the computer. He wants all of you to feel warm and loved.