GetSheila

How to turn an IKEA Besta shelf into a TV entertainment unit

I am back in love with IKEA. Okay not really, but I do find some of their stuff quite useful.

A few weeks ago, I moved my furniture from the front living room to the back family room to take advantage of the fireplace for the winter. I was also looking forward to having the TV just off the kitchen so I could watch it while cooking.

I forgot, however, the TV sits on a built-in bookcase in the living room and I do not have an adequate stand for the 42” plasma. Here is how it looked after the furniture move:

Very college dorm room. Not only is the cart way too small for the TV, but it only holds two electronic components. Notice the VCR to the right and behind the TV. The Wii is back there, too.

I had a few specific IKEA TV stands in mind but when I got to the store and saw them in person, they simply would not do: too low, too tall, too flimsy, too wide, etc. Then, down in the bowels of the warehouse part of the store after I had given up finding the perfect TV stand, I found it. Not only did it have a fake TV perched atop it announcing it as a TV stand but it was only 80 bucks. Perfect!

Here it is in its new home:

Note the four – count ‘em, FOUR – shelves for components. In theory, you could purchase two additional shelves and get eight components in there but I like having a larger bottom shelf area for storing exercise DVD’s and Wii accessories in baskets.

I toyed with putting all of the components down one side and dividing the other side with a single shelf, which would still accommodate both baskets (one on the bottom and one on the shelf) but I am a fan of symmetry. Even if I do part my hair on the side.

Had the IKEA floor model I saw in the warehouse not had the legs attached, it would not have occurred to me to get them. They were $5 per 2-pack, so an additional $15, but totally worth it. They make the cabinet look more finished and provide a bonus area for storing the Wii Balance Board.

It was not all tea and roses once I got it home, however. Assembly was not the problem. It was quite easy until I was about to attach the final top piece and realized there were no holes in the back for the cables.

What the hell?

I called up the IKEA website and discovered I bought a Besta Shelf Unit / Height Extension Unit, which was never intended to hold components with cables. Even though they had a fake TV perched on top of it on display at the IKEA warehouse.

Apparently they only have TV’s in Sweden: no cable boxes, DVD players, VCR’s, or surround sound components. How sad for them.

I did wonder why I did not have this item on the list of potential TV stands I created by combing through the IKEA catalog before my shopping trip. I mean, it was so PERFECT. How could I have missed it? I was so excited by my find – and the price – it did not occur to me to examine it for cable cutouts. OF COURSE it is a TV stand. It has a fake TV perched on top of it and everything!

So. Back at the ranch.

Because the unit has a center panel divider and there would be components on both sides due to my previously mentioned obsession with symmetry, I had to make at least one hole in each of the two back panels. I toyed with several size, shape and placement options and finally decided to go with one large hole in each panel, placed so the top shelf bisects it thus allowing cables from both shelves to use the same hole.

Had the unit been designed to accommodate electronics, the shelves would have left half an inch or so at the rear for cables to traverse the back of the shelf on their way to a single exit hole in the back panel. As a standard shelf unit, however, the shelves fit snugly against the back of the unit. Just something to keep in mind should you ever decide to repurpose a shelving unit to accommodate electronic components. (See “Alternatives” at the end of this post for another option.)

Here is what it looks like from the back after I made 3” holes with a hole saw:

 

I love that I don’t have to care how messy the cables get back there because the unit hides the chaos.

I opted for this somewhat taller than normal unit as a TV stand so that when I move the big TV back into the front room, I can repurpose the stand as a sideboard in the dining room.

Though I do have a smaller TV I can move back in to the family room when the time comes. Hm…

Meanwhile, I am going to enjoy having the TV up high enough that I can see it from the kitchen without the chair getting in the way and components not so low I have to be so very precise when I aim the remote.

The Blu-ray player I bought along with the new Star Trek movie may ever so slightly enhance my enjoyment of the new setup but I am pretty sure I would like it just as much without it.

But seriously, do you not have a Blu-Ray player? GET ONE. It plays your old DVD’s and makes them look better. It’s magic. And with the holiday shopping season upon us, you can get one for cheap.

I don’t think I’m ever going to leave this room now. All I need is a toilet in the corner and I’m set.

 

ALTERNATIVE FOR HACKING THE BESTA SHELF UNIT

Shelf depth. Though the shelves extend all the way to the rear panel, leaving no gap back there for cables, they are recessed 1/2 inch from the front so there is room for adjustment.

The shelf brackets are L-shaped and fit into a groove in the shelf, which prevents the shelf from sliding around:

Note the 1/2 inch area on the left above. The simplest way to move the shelf forward and create a gap at the back for the cables is to rotate the shelf bracket so the flat side faces up instead of down. You can then place the shelf on the rotated brackets, slightly forward of its previous location:

The down side to this method is twofold:

1. Since the bracket is no longer seated in a groove, nothing prevents the shelf from sliding around;
2. There is not much room to work with at the back of the shelf so, once you reposition the shelf forward, the smallest additional slide forward can knock the shelf off the rear bracket.

If you are super handy, you can leave the brackets facing the normal way and make new grooves in the shelf to keep it from sliding around.

If you are not super handy, you may be able to find rubber thingy’s to slide onto the upside down shelf brackets to prevent the shelf from sliding too much.

Either way, all this does is allow you to have components on multiple shelves without having to drill multiple holes for the cables (or a big hole spanning two shelves, like I did.) You will still have to drill at least one hole to get the cable out the back of the unit.

 

EDIT 11/29/09: Well DUH. A much simpler way to reposition the shelves just occurred to me: drill new holes in the sides of the unit for the shelf pins to poke into. MUCH easier than the above scenario. All you need is an electric drill and a drill bit the same size as the shelf pin pokey end. Much, much simpler.

 

Technorati Tags: home improvement,family room,tv stand,entertainment center,ikea hacks,besta shelf unit

Sziraki Train Wreck Update

If you missed my prior posts on the Kim Sziraki embezzlement fiasco…

1. Atwater High Songleader Hall of Shame
2. Sziraki Saga Continues
3. More Sziraki News – Brace Yourself

…this one should catch you up nicely:

---

Merced Sun-Star
Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

Prosecutors double amount Sziraki allegedly embezzled to $1.6M

By VICTOR A. PATTON

Prosecutors say they've uncovered more evidence in the case of embezzlement suspect Kimberly Sziraki, claiming the amount of alleged stolen funds has doubled to about $1.6 million.

Sziraki, 45, was arrested Jan. 7 on suspicion of embezzling money from Central Valley Processing Acquisition Corp. in Merced, where she'd worked as a manager. She was charged with three felony counts of embezzlement and one count of unlawful use of an access card.

Sziraki is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on 13 additional counts of felony embezzlement, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Mark Bacciarini. The Merced County District Attorney's Office filed those charges in Merced County Superior Court last week.

According to Bacciarini, the latest 13 counts were filed after investigators from the district attorney's office issued a subpoena for bank records from a Bank of America account shared by Sziraki and her husband, Merced County Sheriff's Sgt. Steve Sziraki.

Investigators found evidence of $279,126 in wire transfers and $524,172 in Central Valley Processing checks Kimberly Sziraki allegedly deposited into the Bank of America account between December 2005 and January 2007, Bacciarini said.

Sziraki was already facing charges for allegedly depositing about $832,000 from CVP into a Washington Mutual account between March 2006 and February 2008.

An examination of Sziraki's Washington Mutual and Bank of America accounts appears to indicate that a total of $1.6 million was embezzled from CVP between 2005 to 2008, Bacciarini said.

Sziraki was facing between five and 10 years in prison. Now that she's facing 13 additional charges, she could face 17 years behind bars if convicted.

The Bank of America account was in the name of Sziraki and her husband, but Bacciarini said there's no evidence Steve Sziraki knew about the stolen funds. The husband hasn't been charged in the case.

Investigators are still trying to account for what happened to the stolen funds. None of the money has been recovered, and some of it may have been spent on gambling, Bacciarini said.

Sziraki pleaded not guilty to the first four charges in January.

John Garcia, her attorney, said he couldn't comment specifically on the latest charges because he hasn't seen them. Still, Garcia said he wants to confirm whether the district attorney's office is inflating the amount of allegedly embezzled funds. "If they have that evidence, I am certainly very anxious to see that," Garcia said. "But I would certainly like to verify all of that stuff through a CPA."

Even if Sziraki is convicted, Garcia said he's hopeful she'd receive a sentence of probation, as opposed to prison. Sziraki was suffering from alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder when the alleged crime happened, Garcia said.

Garcia said his client has cooperated fully with investigators, adding that he "doesn't see the point" in spending taxpayer dollars to incarcerate a nonviolent person with no criminal background. He noted that Sziraki has been in treatment.

Ken Spagnola, owner of Central Valley Processing, said he wasn't surprised investigators found more alleged embezzled funds. Since Sziraki's arrest in January, Spagnola has steadfastly maintained she stole more than $1 million. "I knew right away that the B of A account was a smoking gun," Spagnola said.

The alleged embezzlement began after Sziraki took over for a plant manager who had fallen ill to cancer, Spagnola said.

Spagnola said the alleged crimes came to light after he hired a bookkeeper, who spotted a wire transfer into a personal account for Sziraki. Spagnola said he also noticed that Sziraki hadn't been paying the company's payroll taxes. In April 2008, he contacted the Merced County District Attorney's Office about the missing funds.

Sziraki remains free on bail.

Reporter Victor A. Patton can be reached at (209) 385-2431 or vpatton@mercedsun-star.com.

(Full story at the Merced Sun Star website , until they move it and break the link.)

---

 

My favorite part is where Kim’s attorney says he doesn't see the point in spending taxpayer dollars to incarcerate a nonviolent person with no criminal background.

I agree! Why do we incarcerate anyone who commits a nonviolent crime? I mean, it’s not like it’s the law or anything. Who cares if the family who owns the company might go broke or have to lay off a bunch of hard working employees because of the $1.6 MILLION DOLLARS she took? Come on! There was no violence. Let’s just call her a naughty girl and send her to bed without dessert.

*pokes own eye out with a sharpened pixie stick*

 

Technorati Tags: kim sziraki,kim walker,merced embezzlement

BEST. HALLOWEEN COSTUME. EVER.

No explanation required.

Here is the full shot of my nephew Lucas and his wife Koren:

Don’t they look awesome?

 

Technorati Tags: Halloween 2009,republican halloween costume,halloween costumes,lucas,koren

Jury Duty 5: The Gatekeepers

My nervousness about going to the new courthouse for the first time was exacerbated when the nice lady behind the x-ray machine told me cameras are not allowed and I would have to return to my car and leave the camera there.

D’oh!

I had removed my Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool, with its ability to both eviscerate small mammals and trim nose hairs, but forgot I carry my digital camera in my purse at all times. She said I should come to the front of the line when I get back since I had already waited in line the first time.

(…)

Do you have any idea how nerve wracking it is to TAKE CUTS at the courthouse, with a line of people staring at you and wondering just who the hell you think you are? For all I knew, they could be the family of someone on trial for murder. And by family, I mean Family, as in, “She might be a juror on Vladimir’s trial. Let’s kill her just in case.”

I did it, the going to the front of the line business, BUT I DIDN’T LIKE IT.

On a subsequent day, a different gatekeeper asked me about the “wires” in my purse, which I can only assume he thought were the makings of a bomb. We finally figured out they were the ear buds for my MP3 player and he let me pass. He stopped me for the same thing the next day but then remembered and waved me on without checking further. I could SO have smuggled a bomb in that day, I just know it.

The most amusing part of the whole gatekeeper / forbidden accoutrements dance is they didn’t blink an eye at my MP3 player or my cell phone:

• My record all sound within a 20’ radius at the touch of a button MP3 player/recorder, and
   
• My internet-capable with integrated camera and Twitter and Facebook instantaneous upload apps cell phone.
   

Do they not watch the news? Did they not learn from the Al Roker hullabaloo?

Not that I am complaining. The game apps on my cell phone came in quite handy during down time.

 

Technorati Tags: jury duty,courthouse screening,gatekeepers

Jury Duty 4: Defense lawyers are not as evil as you think

My hands-down #1 take away from last week’s jury duty on a criminal trial is this:

Defense lawyers are not the spawn of Satan

Though some of them may appear so.

All I knew about defense lawyers before serving jury duty was what I saw on television and in movies:

• Defense lawyers are mean: twisting witnesses words and making them appear to be liars or, at the very least, incompetent;
   
• Defense lawyers will say anything, no matter how outrageous or untrue, to get the client off, often getting perfectly good evidence thrown out on some teeny, tiny technicality;
   
• Defense lawyers represent law breakers thus are tainted by association: to represent a bad guy is to condone the bad behavior.
   

I grew up knowing our legal system considers a person innocent until proven guilty but I didn’t really know what that meant. I did not, for example, realize it means the defense lawyer has no legal requirement to prove…well, anything. The entire burden of proof is on the prosecutor. The defense lawyer can sit there and eat a bologna sandwich throughout the trial and his client will still go free if the prosecutor fails to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say I used to think it was the defense lawyer’s job to prove his client’s innocence. I just didn’t “get” what all the posturing and confrontation was all about. I thought to be a defense lawyer was to be mean and scummy. The End.

But now…NOW…I get it. It is the defense lawyer’s job to:

1. Protect the rights of the accused. This is the defense lawyer’s number one – and technically only – job but what does it mean, exactly, to protect the rights of the accused? It means everyone working for the prosecution is paid by the State. Even the judge is a state employee. The defense lawyer is the only person looking out for the accused. It is his job to force the State to prove its case and ensure the State does not overstep its authority along the way.
    
   A civil lawyer friend of mine told me many of the criminal lawyers she knows never ask the clients if they did it (perpetrated the crime) because they don’t care. They see their job as upholding the Bill of Rights. It makes no difference whether the client broke the law. It is the State’s job to prove it and the defense counsel’s job to defend the client’s rights as they try.
     
2. Prevent the defendant from being found guilty. Note this is not the same as proving the defendant’s innocence. If it is the prosecutor’s job to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, it naturally follows it is defense counsel’s job to foster doubt in the minds of the jury at every opportunity. He does that by questioning every piece of evidence submitted by the prosecution. And that is where the mean and scummy part comes in.
    
   This was The Big Revelation for me. That’s why the defense lawyer is so mean to witnesses on the stand. He is trying to make them look incompetent or like liars so the jury will doubt their testimony. He isn’t just a big giant asshole. He is being mean and confrontational for a specific reason. He has a purpose. It is HIS JOB.
    
   Like I said, an “Aha” moment for me. I feel kind of stupid I never made that connection before. I have a whole new respect for defense lawyers now, even if I did cringe (on the inside) at some of the suggestions last week’s defense lawyer threw out there. The prosecutor called them “absurd” and, frankly, they were (I’ll provide detail in a separate post) but he was making an effort. Considering the overwhelming amount of evidence against the accused, it was a valiant effort at that.
    
3. Get the charges reduced as much as possible. The defendant may be guilty as hell. He may even have admitted his guilt to authorities before his trusty defense lawyer arrived. Further, his admission may be allowed into evidence at the trial. Oh dear, what to do? Go for the lesser charge, of course.
    
   For example, last week’s case included a charge of attempted murder but there was also a lesser charge of attempted manslaughter on the table. Because the evidence was so strong, the defense lawyer realized early on in the trial the jury would never have any doubt the defendant shot the victim. He then cleverly changed his tactic from instilling doubt to suggesting reasons why the defendant did it that pointed toward attempted manslaughter and away from attempted murder.
    
   I find it ironic a defense lawyer, whose job is specifically not to prove anything, found himself tasked with trying to prove, of all things, his client’s guilt. To a lesser charge, but still.
    

Did I mention I found the whole experience fascinating? So much to tell you but I may not get it written until this weekend. In the meantime, I offer these excellent links I found when trying to make sense of how our judicial system works. Some of the information above I found here:

The American System of Criminal Justice: Innocent Until Proven Guilty

The Role of Criminal Justice System Personnel

…and let us not forget…

The Bill of Rights 

 

 

Technorati Tags: jury duty

Jury Duty 3: The murder trial for which I was an alternate juror

Since the Merced Sun-Star later moves their stories and break all the links I have set up back to their website, I have copied the two stories here. Each header links back to the Sun-Star story…until the Sun-Star moves them…and break my links:

Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

Attempted murder trial concluding

Jurors hear closing arguments about shooting.

By VICTOR A. PATTON

Jurors heard closing arguments Thursday in the trial of a 58-year-old man accused of shooting a woman at a 16th Street motel in Merced last year.

Louis Clifton Trimble was arrested Nov. 5 for the shooting, which happened in a room at the Siesta Motel, located at 1347 W. 16th St.

The prosecution in the case claims Trimble lured the 24-year-old victim into the room intending to kill her, shooting her four times.

On the flip side, while Trimble's attorney doesn't deny his client shot the woman, he called it a crime of passion that happened in the heat of the moment.

Merced police arrested Trimble within three hours of the shooting, which was reported at 7:30 p.m.

Based on statements that Trimble made, police believe he had accused the victim of being intimate with one of his relatives. The victim survived the shooting, which happened after an argument between Trimble and the victim.

Prior to the shooting, Trimble and the victim had shared a close relationship, police said.

Deputy District Attorney Steve Slocum, the prosecutor in the case, told jurors Trimble had lured the victim into the room, offering to smoke crack cocaine with her.

Inside the room, Slocum said the defendant pulled a revolver from his waistband and fired four times. While firing, Slocum said Trimble told the victim "I'm going to kill you, I told you I would."

The woman was shot three times in the torso, and once in the leg. Trimble then pointed the revolver to the woman's head, according to the prosecution, and clicked the trigger several times. "That's an intent to kill," Slocum said.

When police arrested Trimble, he put his arms up and stated "I'm Trimble. I'm the one you're looking for," Slocum told jurors.

Police also found residue on Trimble's hands from firing the gun.

Chief Public Defender Eric Dumars said while his client shot the victim, he did it after going to the motel room and discovering the woman was involved in prostitution, and using drugs and alcohol. Dumars said Trimble was in an "elevated state" and as a result "he reacted poorly."

Dumars said while his client may be guilty of attempted voluntary manslaughter, he's not guilty of attempted murder. "What he found would make any reasonable person upset and concerned," Dumars said.

Slocum called the defense's explanation "absurd."

"Nobody has a right to go into a motel room and then, because they don't like what they see, shoot that person," Slocum said.

Trimble is charged with attempted felony premeditated murder and attempted robbery of a dwelling. Both counts have an enhancement attached for alleged use of a gun.

If convicted, Trimble could be sentenced to life in prison.

Reporter Victor A. Patton can be reached at (209) 385-2431 or vpatton@mercedsun-star.com.

 

Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

Man guilty of attempted murder in 2008 shooting

The defendant could get 39 years in prison because of an old conviction.

By SCOTT JASON

A Merced County jury Friday convicted a 58-year-old man of attempted murder after he shot a woman at a 16th Street motel last year.

Louis Clifton Trimble, wearing a tan suit and a blue tie, sat silent while the court clerk read the two guilty verdicts for attempted murder and attempted robbery. Afterward, he exhaled and leaned back in his chair.

He faces 39 years to life in prison. He'll be sentenced Dec. 4. The sentence is more severe because of a felony assault conviction from 1985.

The seven-man, five-woman jury began deliberations late Thursday and returned with the verdict Friday morning.

Trimble's public defender didn't deny his client last year shot a 24-year-old woman inside the Siesta Motel. He dubbed it a crime of passion and argued Trimble reacted poorly when he learned the woman involved in prostitution and used drugs.

Prosecutor Steve Slocum told jurors Trimble lured the victim into the room offering to smoke crack cocaine with her. After an argument, he pulled out a revolver and shot her four times, three times in the torso and once in the leg.

While firing, Slocum said, Trimble told the victim "I'm going to kill you, I told you I would."

The victim survived the shooting. She was not present in court when the verdict was read, nor were any relatives of Trimble.

Merced police arrested Trimble within three hours of the shooting, which was reported at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5.

He put his arms up and stated "I'm Trimble. I'm the one you're looking for," Slocum told jurors.

Police also found residue on Trimble's hands from firing the gun.

Chief Public Defender Eric Dumars declined to comment on the verdict. "Mr. Trimble looks forward to his appeal," he said.

During the trial, Dumars argued his client should only be guilty of attempted manslaughter, not murder.

Slocum called the defense's explanation "absurd."

Reporter Scott Jason can be reached at (209) 385-2453 or sjason@mercedsun-star.com.

As an alternate juror, I was released from jury service after closing arguments so cannot tell you what went on in jury deliberations. I wish I could have been there to discuss the law and which evidence fit with the charge of attempted murder versus the lesser charge of attempted manslaughter, etc. Fascinating. FASCINATING.

I can tell you the “felony assault conviction from 1985” was a surprise to the jury. It was not disclosed until after the jury returned the guilty verdicts on the attempted murder and attempted robbery charges, both with gun enhancements. They were then sent back to deliberate on another enhancement having to do with the prior crime. I missed all of that Friday drama. I was at work performing accounting tasks and feeling left out as I wondered if juror #6* brought more awesome coffee cake to the jury room.

 

Technorati Tags: Louis Clifton Trimble convicted of attempted murder,jury duty

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*I actually have no idea what her juror number was. I just didn’t want to use her first name in case she wishes to remain anonymous. But damn, she brought goodies every day!

Jury Duty 2: Jury Selection

If you have never been summoned for jury duty, it can be a bit nerve wracking on your first day not knowing how things work. I did a little research to put my mind at ease and found all sorts of information out there, some good, some not so much.

The California Jury Information Resource Center has essentially everything you need to know in an easy to read format. Don’t miss the “Ideals Made Real” Juror Orientation Video, a 14 minute overview of the entire process. If you live in a state other than California, I suspect a quick Google search will find a similar website for your state.

 

QUICK AND DIRTY SUMMARY OF JURY SELECTION – CRIMINAL TRIAL

1. RECEIVE SUMMONS. Receive a jury duty summons in the mail. If you need a postponement due to a scheduling conflict, there should be a section on the form you can fill out and mail back, thus bypassing having to show up on jury selection day. Note that you are only allowed one postponement per 12 month period;
    
2. CALL FOR SCHEDULE. Call the number on the summons the night before your scheduled day to find out when and where to show up. You will enter your badge number and receive automated instructions. Often, the message indicates you are not required to show up the next day but must call the next night to see if they need you the following day. This can continue all week until the message finally says you are not needed at all this year. If that happens, you have fulfilled your jury duty requirement for the next 12 months;
    
3. SHOW UP. Show up as instructed (a step often skipped, believe it or not) and take a seat in the jury assembly room. A court employee will provide instructions and outline the very limited reasons why you may be excused from jury duty;
    
4. HURRY UP AND WAIT. Proceed to the courtroom when instructed. Often, those requesting to be excused from jury duty stay behind to be cleared by the court separately. This is done by the judge so those of you proceeding to the courtroom are stuck waiting until the judge completes that task and joins you in the courtroom to begin the actual jury selection process. See Tips below: bring a book; 
     
5. LISTEN. Badge numbers are selected at random. If your number is called, proceed to the jury box. Listen carefully to everything the judge and lawyers say, whether or not you are in the first group called, because you may be called in the next round. This is the most time consuming part of the jury selection process. The judge describes the case and explains juror duties, then the lawyers question each individual juror;
    
6. ANSWER TRUTHFULLY. When questioned, answer truthfully even if it means exposing some sort of prejudice, noting that prejudice simply means any preconceived opinion or feeling. The judge and lawyers need to know how you feel about things to determine if you would be a good fit as a juror for that particular trial. They will ask, among other things:
   • Whether you know the defendant, the lawyers, or any of the potential witnesses, and
   • Whether you, a family member, or close friend have ever been a victim of the crime being prosecuted;

   Answering yes does not necessarily disqualify you. They will then ask if having those feelings, knowing that person, or having that experience in the past will affect your ability to be a fair and impartial juror. Do not be surprised if they dismiss you even if you say it will not affect your ability to be fair and impartial, though.

7. TAKE THE OATH. If you are called to the jury box and not subsequently dismissed by the judge, the prosecutor or the defense attorney, you will take the following oath:
   

   "Do you, and each of you, understand and agree that you will well and truly try the cause now pending before this court, and a true verdict render according only to the evidence presented to you and to the instructions of the court?"
    

8. CONGRATULATIONS, you are about to embark on a journey of discovery about our legal system, the subject matter of the trial, and probably make some new friends in the form of your fellow jurors along the way.
    

This is just a quick summary of the jury selection process. See Selection of a Jury for more detail.

 

TIPS FOR JURY SELECTION DAY

• Bring a book. Much of your time will be spent waiting so bring a book or something else to help you pass the time, like a crossword puzzle or an MP3 player.
• Empty your purse. Do you normally carry everything but the kitchen sink in your purse? Along with obvious things you should not bring to the courthouse – like potential weapons – laptops, cell phones, cameras, and tape recorders are also not allowed. I forgot that I carry my camera in my purse at all times so had to return it to my car but they said nothing about my picture-taking, internet-capable cell phone. Weird.
• Bring money for the vending machines. There is usually an area with vending machines for both snacks and drinks. If you did not bring your own refreshments and do not care for free coffee, bring dollars and small change for the vending machines.
• Wear layers. Dress comfortably but also respectfully for court and keep in mind large buildings are often too hot or too cold or both, depending on where you are sitting. Bring a sweater and/or wear layers you can add or peel off as necessary.

I thoroughly enjoyed my 5 days as a juror on an attempted murder trial in terms of how much I learned about our judicial system, especially the parts I thought I knew but clearly did not. Fascinating. I will post my experience separately but leave you with this:

If you have a chance to serve on a criminal trial, DO IT. Not only will you educate yourself about how our judicial system works, you may also get a window into how other people less fortunate than you live their lives. It was a “Holy crap, I have a good life” moment for me.

Go forth, my friends, and be jurors.

 

Technorati Tags: jury duty in california,how to be a good juror,jury selection on a criminal trial

Photo credit: LawForWA.org