Some thoughts on Jury Duty

I don't get out much. During the school year I get up and go to work and then come home, workout, spend time with my sweetie go to bed. Rinse. Repeat.
Summer time  I still don't get out much unless you count long bike rides and some short trips and such.
By getting out I mean really out among the masses. I should get out more because I'm a big people watcher and a life long student of the human condition.
Was called up for Jury duty this summer and here in my county the policy is one day or one trial. If they call you and don't use you, your off the hook for three years or so. If they call you and you serve, it could be ages before you get called again. They give you a number, chosen at random, and that day they  picked several hundred numbers but only numbers 1 through 142 had to show up. If you get a number higher than that you don't have to show up that day.  It explains that VERY CLEARLY on the form.
Anyway...was called up and went to the court building with 141 other folks where we sat most of the morning waiting to be called. My number was called about 11 and with 49 others we went to a court room for the "vior dire" or truth telling, where the lawyers pick the jury.
I didn't make it past the vior dire. I guess I wasn't their type. Done for the day and then home. Painless actually. Thought it would have been interesting to sit for the trial.
Now...back to the "need to get out more" thing.
As noted, I'm a people watcher and this is what I saw:
1. A large number of people showed up even though their numbers were above 142. People don't read the directions.
2. Of 142 people in the jury lounge 100 of them were obese. I counted.
3. Despite the signs saying "No cell phone use" in the lounge, and being told verbally by the clerks who welcomed us, people were using them constantly.
4. Some people wouldn't know a day off it it slapped them in the face. A chance to read a good book or just hang out. Nope. Working like mad many of them. Calling the office every 5 minutes to see if the place is still there. They don't realize that they could disappear today and the business would fill their slot tomorrow.
5. When the judge asks you if English is your native language, answering "Yesh eet ees " in a heavy foreign accent is a red flag that it isn't.
6. Comb overs are NOT a good look ...for either men or women.
7. When the jury form say NO SHORTS, they mean you, Mr. wanna be gangsta with your hat on backwards.
8. When the judge says "NO HATS, PLEASE" He also means you, you cute little hipster. If it happens again , do it, that way the judge won't call you up to the bench to tell you AGAIN to remove it.
9. When the judge says "Please return at 1pm."  be there. That way he won't have to send the sheriff to look for you. An hour was plenty of time for lunch.
10. Being asked if you are a citizen of the US is NOT the time to launch into a tirade about illegal aliens and the President.
 Like I say I don't get out much and when I do I tend to be around people I like and have similar interests with. It is always an eye opener to be out with the crowds...With the exception of the comb overs, it was just like middle school.