Guess who was called for jury duty recently. Me! It was an early morning, but now that I think about it really no earlier than most. Baxter starts the day usually between 4:00 - 4:30 AM, so jury duty day was no different. You must be at the courthouse, at the door, waiting for the door to open at 7:30 AM. You are not to be in the parking lot. You are not to be on the shuttle bus from the parking lot. You are to be at the door at 7:30 AM. I was.
Having been through this drill before, I knew that a survival kit was necessary to get through the day. So here is what I put together.
I needed a bag. This Igloo brand bag from Target was the perfect choice to hold everything I needed for the day. The jury summons you receive from the court clearly states that you should plan on being there for the entire day. So, I planned for the day.
Nice ample space inside this bag. And the mesh area in the top for a cold pack to keep perishable items fresh for the day.
I started with a bag of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies and a turkey and vegetable sandwich that I picked up from Wegman's the evening before.
Whole Grain Cheddar Goldfish. These should be a staple in any bag for any event!
I bought a three-pack of these Sargento Balanced Breaks packs. I ended up taking these to the office for lunch after my day spent at the courthouse.
Of course, some Excedrin Tension Headache. I ended up using this. The waiting room where we were all corralled was hot and packed with people and we were forced to watch CNN the entire day. I was very glad I thought ahead to bring pain medication.
TUMS, of course. I don't go anywhere without antacids. They are in the console of the car, in my messenger bag, in my desk drawers, in the medicine cabinet at home, in my nightstand drawers, in the kitchen cabinets - they are everywhere.
A four-pack of tissues.
And Benadryl to try and stave off having to use the tissues. I know there are all kinds of newer allergy drugs available. But nothing has ever worked for me like Benadryl, so I stick with it.
Once the bag was packed, it was time to make sure the ice pack was in the freezer and sufficiently frozen. This Igloo bag was able to accommodate the large block.
The morning of jury duty I took the ice pack out of the freezer and slipped it into the top of the bag under the mesh pocket. Everything was just about ready for the day.
This bag comes with a separate compartment on top that you access by unzipping along the arch.
More space to help prepare for your day of jury duty or for a day trip in the car.
The perfect spot for two ice cold Canada Dry Diet Ginger Ales. I was very glad I brought these along. The court offers free coffee and vending machines with soda and water and juice for exorbitant prices. This worked much better for me. And the ice pack helped to keep these cold.
One last thing I added to one of the outside pockets on the bag was this portable phone charger which I fully charged the day before. Luckily I found a chair along a wall with an outlet in the waiting room, but had I not secured this spot, this would have come in very handy.
Finally, bag all packed and jury summons in the front pocket, I left the house for the trek to the courthouse. I was there early, parked and I walked from the parking lot to the courthouse rather than taking the shuttle bus. It was a beautiful morning and a good way for me to get in part of my daily walk. Oh, ... I ended up not having to go to the courtroom after all. There was a plea deal in the case I had been selected to serve on and they dismissed my group around 11:30 AM. So now the clock starts for another 3-year cycle before I can be called again.
Having been through this drill before, I knew that a survival kit was necessary to get through the day. So here is what I put together.
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The Polarmax 12 by Igloo® is a cooler bag that pushes cooling to the max!
Features include:
• MaxCold® insulation - 25% more foam - stay cooler longer
• separate insulated storage in tent-top compartment for additional dry storage
• extra long, adjustable shoulder strap
• ergonomic, comfort grip handle
• front and back slip pockets
• leak resistant liner
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Nice ample space inside this bag. And the mesh area in the top for a cold pack to keep perishable items fresh for the day.
I started with a bag of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies and a turkey and vegetable sandwich that I picked up from Wegman's the evening before.
Whole Grain Cheddar Goldfish. These should be a staple in any bag for any event!
I bought a three-pack of these Sargento Balanced Breaks packs. I ended up taking these to the office for lunch after my day spent at the courthouse.
Of course, some Excedrin Tension Headache. I ended up using this. The waiting room where we were all corralled was hot and packed with people and we were forced to watch CNN the entire day. I was very glad I thought ahead to bring pain medication.
TUMS, of course. I don't go anywhere without antacids. They are in the console of the car, in my messenger bag, in my desk drawers, in the medicine cabinet at home, in my nightstand drawers, in the kitchen cabinets - they are everywhere.
A four-pack of tissues.
And Benadryl to try and stave off having to use the tissues. I know there are all kinds of newer allergy drugs available. But nothing has ever worked for me like Benadryl, so I stick with it.
Once the bag was packed, it was time to make sure the ice pack was in the freezer and sufficiently frozen. This Igloo bag was able to accommodate the large block.
The morning of jury duty I took the ice pack out of the freezer and slipped it into the top of the bag under the mesh pocket. Everything was just about ready for the day.
This bag comes with a separate compartment on top that you access by unzipping along the arch.
More space to help prepare for your day of jury duty or for a day trip in the car.
The perfect spot for two ice cold Canada Dry Diet Ginger Ales. I was very glad I brought these along. The court offers free coffee and vending machines with soda and water and juice for exorbitant prices. This worked much better for me. And the ice pack helped to keep these cold.
One last thing I added to one of the outside pockets on the bag was this portable phone charger which I fully charged the day before. Luckily I found a chair along a wall with an outlet in the waiting room, but had I not secured this spot, this would have come in very handy.
Finally, bag all packed and jury summons in the front pocket, I left the house for the trek to the courthouse. I was there early, parked and I walked from the parking lot to the courthouse rather than taking the shuttle bus. It was a beautiful morning and a good way for me to get in part of my daily walk. Oh, ... I ended up not having to go to the courtroom after all. There was a plea deal in the case I had been selected to serve on and they dismissed my group around 11:30 AM. So now the clock starts for another 3-year cycle before I can be called again.
