Rant #1,131: Jury Duty

No, I don't have jury duty, but my wife has to serve today.

The problem is, her jury duty is more than 40 miles away from our house.

Let me explain.

The Eastern District of New York is a strange district that stretches from as far west as Staten Island and as far east as where we are, in Eastern Nassau County on Long Island.

The meeting spot is in Brooklyn, and that is why she has to travel so far to get to serve.

Yes, it is crazy, but that is how New York does it.

And getting there, well the verdict is that it is a crazy drive that frays your nerves even before you get into the federal court.

Take it from me, I have been there and done that, and today, she is going to have to experience what I had to two years ago.

From where we are, it can take upwards of two or two and a half hours to get there, depending on several factors, including traffic, road conditions and construction, so it is not a pleasant ride by any stretch of the imagination.

Part of her journey is over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which is probably one of the 10 worst roads in America. Naming it an expressway is almost funny; it is more a driving graveyard than anything else. 

And once you get there, there is no parking, so you have to park in a garage. Yes, you do get paid back for your trouble, but it is a complete nuisance.

But she has to pay her civic duty, and jury duty is your duty as a citizen of the United States.

We just wish it was easier to do for us where we live.

So I wish her the best today.

If nothing else, it is going to be an annoying trip there, an annoying trip home, and a completely wasted day.

And if she gets picked to serve on a jury, well, she will have to do this all over again on another day.

Let's all hope that that doesn't happen, if for nothing else than her own piece of mind.

She is full of butterflies this morning, and I can't say that I blame her.

My recent experience there notwithstanding, let's be honest about it, nobody wants to serve jury duty, but each of us must do this.

Hopefully, it will be a virtually pain-free experience for her today.