One of our favorite TV shows is Monk. In a recent episode Monk's therapist, Dr. Kroger, retires after a death in his office. Monk is upset, and ends up going through the five stages of grief in rapid succession, over and over. That's kind of what like today felt like, but instead of the five stages of grief, it was like the stages of "What the heck is going on?" - "Why the heck am I here?" and "He said what?"In no particular order:
Boredom:
1. I had to leave my house early... 5:30 am early. I got there at 7:45, checked in at 8 and sat in the waiting room until 10:30. Thank god I had a book.
Anger:
1. He ended up taking the plea bargain, so I wasn't needed. My big court adventure was me raising my hand when the judge asked if there were any witnesses.
2. I found out that he tried to deny even being at the scene of the crime. When the police officer told him there was not only witnesses but a video surveillance tape, he admitted being there... but denied doing anything.
3. He tried to blame it all on medication he is taking... for Crohne's Disease.
4. I found out that they will pay you per mile that you traveled to appear. Cool. But they said they were only going to pay me travel time from my old address, 10 miles away. Not for the 230 (yes, 230) miles I actually traveled. I don't think so. Needless to say, they will be paying me for my real mileage.
Confusion:
1. Boy, they are really good at keeping you in the dark until the last second. We almost missed the whole thing, because no one bothered to tell us that it was our turn to go in. The police officer came to talk to us and the victim mentioned that she wanted to watch the hearing and the officer told us to go ahead and go in.
2. How in the hell can someone plea to a lesser charge when there are witnesses and a video tape of the crime?
3. What are the chances that both women that sit next to me and start talking to me both have the exact same, uncommon name? Today the answer was 100%. Ok, one woman was the victim of the crime I witnessed, but the other woman was there to fight a traffic violation. She saw the magistrate, came out and told me the result and left. An hour or so later, after the victim and I were talking, they call her name. When she gets to the window, they want to know when she is going to pay her fine.
Fear:
1. I was nervous. Really, really nervous. I have never been to court before (other than to watch) and didn't know what to expect.
Sickness:
1. When I am nervous I make myself sick. Like "doubling over with horrid stomach cramps and if I move I will vomit" sick. It's a gift, I know. I am available for parties.
2. Another thing that happens when I am nervous is that I can't sleep. I managed to get 3 hours last night. Being that tired makes the whole cramps/vomiting thing even worse.
Sympathy:
1. Yeah, ok. I felt sorry for the guy. I was the first person there, and he was the third. I sat there and watched him and you could tell that he was scared. When the Judge asked his lawyer to make a statement before sentencing, he said that he was disabled for a while, just got back to work, has a wife and kids, etc. I felt for him. Good people make bad mistakes. This one was a big one, but I have to give him the benefit of the doubt and think that he really isn't the type of person who goes around always threatening to kill people, throwing shopping carts into vehicles and screaming until he can't catch his breath... all over a parking spot.
The victim kept saying "Maybe he didn't see me. Maybe he didn't know I was waiting for that spot." and the Police Officer told her that it didn't matter. He committed a crime and in the eyes of the law the reason was unimportant.
Gratitude:
1. Thank god it is over. Thank god he made restitution, so now she can fix her car.
2. When I got home I found out that Marty and the boys had done a whole days worth of school, started dinner and had plans to play a quiet board game so that I could take a nap.
No comments:
Post a Comment