8 Random Facts About Britta

Okay, Sarah, here are my 8 random facts:

1. I have never retained a mosquito bite in my life. I have even watched them bite me and see their little bodies fill with blood, but I feel no itch, I get no welt, no reaction at all.
2. My nickname is the Human Radio. I can sing to songs on the radio I didn't even know I knew. I can hear a song once and practically have it memorized. It doesn't work for all songs, but many.
3. As an extension from my last comment, I have almost every nuance and breath memorized in over 125 Disney movie songs.
4. I still have two baby teeth. The dentists have said that if I take good care of them I can keep them until I'm 30-40. Ultimately I'll need implants or something.
5. In my short work life since I graduated High School, I have worked in 13 locations that I can think of off the top of my head. In the three years since I graduated college, I have persued three separate career paths.
6. I really like my feet. I think some feet are ugly, and some are just strange, but I really like my feet. Except I wish that shoe companies routinely made size 11 shoes.
7. I drink lots of water, and I prefer water to any other beverage. Of course, I enjoy a good juice or hot chocolate on occasion, but water is always top on my list.
8. Umm... I can't think of an 8. I'm wearing an orange shirt today.

Biggest Cantaloupe Ever!

This cantaloupe came from a garden on the farm. It's the biggest one either Scott or I had seen! And that's saying something, seeing as Scott was raised in Cantaloupe Capital, NV.

Olivia's 1st Cake

What's this thing in front of me?

I guess I'll eat it.

Hey, it's not that bad!

The telephone is ringing... Hello?

Whopee!

Look at me, everyone!

I know this isn't a cake one, but I couldn't resist.

Case Closed!

Overall, my time in jury duty was quite interesting. It takes way more focus than I realized, especially for a five day case. I had to pay rapt attention and take notes for ~7 hours a day, learning intimate details of the Plaintiff's life. Being wholly consumed by the information presented, it was an additional trial to not talk about it to anyone! (Not even my fellow jurors.) By the end of the week everything was reminding me of the case, I would dream about the case, I would constantly be thinking about it. After it was done I decided to type up a summary of the information presented to purge myself. If you're interested in reading about it, check here.

Here are some things I learned during jury duty:

• Judges look bored most of the time, not avidly paying attention, like on TV.
• Lawyers really are just actors who are hired to fight someone elses argument, at least in my case.
• I think I would get depressed if it was my job to convince 9 people that the witness is a pathological liar. Who would want that as a job?
• Jury duty can be really fun if you get along with your other jurors. I think our jury was exceptional. Seven out of nine had at least a college degree, or were working towards it. Everyone was friendly and talkative. Every time we had a break, we would find things to laugh about. Sometimes we would all enter the court with grins on our faces. The lawyers must've thought we were crazy.
• When focusing on somewhat depressing things for hours on end, the strangest things become funny. I had to refrain from laughing several times during very serious discussions, just because of a facial expression or a gesture, or a completely unrelated thought in my head.
• If you care anything about your health, pack your own snack food.

Court is now in session

On Monday I was called in for jury duty! There were about 40 of us in the selection process. I was juror #20. First we filled out a two page questionnaire asking general questions, and then questions about our automobiles and car crashes and our feelings about people who sue. When the judge came in, he asked a lot of questions about our biases, and our magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Then the lawyers and judge called in each juror individually to expound upon their answers from the questionnaire. All in all, the process took almost five hours. The judge reminded us that in some states (i.e. California) the selection process can take weeks!

Well, I was selected to be on the jury. The opening statements were given 45 minutes after the jury was selected. I can't say anything about the trial because I'm commanded to not form an opinion until I've heard from all the witnesses. But I can say that jury duty is kind of a neat experience. I've also decided I never want to be a lawyer, not that that was on my agenda anyway. I can also say that the jury room is loaded with junk food! Today, day three, I finally gave in and ate some... I had at least a little of each the following just today:

Skittles, Nutrigrain Bar, Red Vines, Starbursts, Werther's Original coated in chocolate, string cheese, Cheetos, cheddar-flavored Sun Chips, Triscuts, and frosted animal cookies with sprinkles.

Yuck. I plan on having better self control tomorrow.

Look, Mom, Look!

I got these new shoes yesterday, and when I wear them they make me run faster! And jump higher! They're like super shoes!

Don't you love new sneakers? They make me feel like a little kid again.

Company Loyalty?

I have had the same credit card for over six years. I've really liked the company and I haven't had any problems or complaints until now. First of all, know that I pay my bill every month. I think in the six years I've only had three or four late payments, but only one in the last four years. I always pay off more than the minimum balance. Every once in awhile I get a "notice of policy change" in the mail, but they are almost always dealing with increased punishments for late fees, blah blah blah, which don't really affect me.

I got one of these "notice of policy change" envelopes last week. It told me, basically, that since the economy was constantly changing and interest rates have been on the rise for awhile, they were going to more than double my APR--as a policy change. What? Of course, they gave the option that I could "decline these changes and close my account." I can't decline them and keep my account. Is something wrong with this? I could close my account and open a new account with the same company and get 0% APR for a year, but I can't keep my old, good credit account for less than 20% APR.

This seems to be a trend with companies lately. They give no credit to loyal customers. It's always the new customers that get the deals and discounts. Scott and I have seen it with our cell phone service, too. We like the company and have no complaints about the service. We've been with them for more than 4 years. But every so often they come out with great deals for new customers. We called once or twice to see if we could benefit from these deals, but each time we've been told it's only for new customers.

This trend also includes employees. Who's going to be a loyal long-term employee of a company when there is no pension, no long-term benefits, and the company's livelihood depends on such a changing economy that if it doesn't recycle employees, it could collapse?

I like being able to trust. I like being loyal, but it's getting harder to find institutions I can put my faith in. It's just a scary trend. So there is my little soap box.