Hi!

You know that dread you get when you see the Jury Duty envelope in the mail?  Yes, I felt it… two months ago when I found out that I was back in the jury selection pool.  Man that year goes by quickly, doesn’t it?!

The other few times I’ve been called, I’ve managed to either escape with my name not being called or being sent home at the court.  Not this time, my friends.  I spent 3 full days on a case, and I gotta tell you, I was pretty psyched about it.

You’re wondering if all those episodes I watched of The Good Wife paid off?  Oh, yes.  Very good research, if I do say so.

And all that wait time got me thinking, (not just about what a big nerd I am), but also about how 10 years ago I would have wanted to shoot my left foot off rather than listen to this (somewhat) trivial case….well, there were moments I did want to shoot someone’s left foot off…I mean ‘cummon people, don’t lie under oath.  WE CAN TELL.

Right, back to the thinking… It got me thinking about how I’ve changed in the last few (‘er 10+) years.  And please don’t hate me for my answers!  It’s all in fun, yes?!

1.  I have A LOT more American pride.  My mother’s side is Mexican and my father is American, so I’ve had a neat glimpse into both worlds.  In the past while traveling I’ve often felt ashamed at my American kin – so loud, so obnoxious, always throwing money around…But you know what?!  We work hard up in here!  And we’ve got some rights that other countries smirk at… like, I’m not worried about showing too much calf in the summer!  Hey, we’re not perfect, but it’s a pretty wonderful place to live.

2.  I’ve become a bit more sexist.  Okay, so I’m all about She-Ra Princess of Power – Don’t get me wrong!  And I definitely feel that women can totally hang with the boys!!  But look y’all, I have 4 boys and I’m finding that I want to raise them to treat women a certain way… open doors, stand up when they leave the room, (gasp!) pay for their date.

3.  I’m more Republican.  I’ll never forget when my Grandmother Jane said to me, while I was in college, “I don’t know what I would do if there was a Democrat in the family.”  I cared so much about equality and women’s rights- issues I still absolutely care strongly about- but if you would have asked me about the economy, taxes, big business and international affairs, I would have been uninformed and pretty disinterested.  Now I can’t say I agree with either side 100% of the time, but I can say that over the years I’ve certainly begun to see what Grandma was talking about.

4.  I’ve become less concerned with my appearance and more concerned with my skin.  Forget the clothes, make-up, hair do’s, shoes – all that stuff!  Give me SPF, a hat, some shade and a cover up please!  Uhm wrinkles and brown spots?  No thank you.

5.  I’m clearer on my priorities and more straight-forward about them.  If something doesn’t work for me, I ain’t doing it.  I won’t go out of my way for a person I don’t know very well and really don’t feel obligated to well, do anything.  I make time for my family and closest friends.  The fringe friends?  Well, there really isn’t a fringe anymore.

Are you feeling me?  Or are you seriously ready to punch me in the face?  Either way, I understand.

Of course, there’s an equal number of things that’ll probably never change until the day I die.  Take a sec and think of what you would list here… what did you come up with?

Here was my list…

1.  I’ll always and forever be on Team Aniston.  Look, I know Angie’s had her breasts removed (she’s so brave!) and she’s a crazy good actress.  But I don’t care.  I’ll NEVER forgive or forget.

2.  I need Ya-Ya Sisterhood Time.  Why’s it so key?  It’s just happiness and laughter and freedom.  My husband thinks that we get together to try on each other’s clothes and listen to Beyonce.  How did he know?!?!

3.  Prince, Madonna, Michael.  I loved you then, I love you now.  90’s jams are what’s up.  I can listen to This is How We Do It every hour on the hour.  And yes, I’ll tell my boys that some girls are poison.

4.  Nerds rule.

5.  If you want something done right, do it yourself!  This has been my thing since I was a kid.  When I didn’t appreciate my mom staining a few of my whites, I started doing my laundry – I was in 6th grade.  I wanted my room painted green with a blue chair rail – that was all me at 14.  And now, when I want my boys in a triple bunk bed, I’ll handle that myself, thank you very much.

So does your list match mine at all?!?

I’d love to hear how your list goes!!

Have a great week and hope ya get some jury duty soon!!  HA!  Happy Creating (and laughing), Jessica