Role Reversal: In the Jury Box

The last couple days have been a bit of a whirlwind and had me playing roles I never expected.

On Tuesday, after years of covering trials for daily newspapers and appellate courts for the legal press, I was actually seated as a juror.

I don't think anyone was more surprised that I was seated, except maybe the judge (who told me so after we reached our verdict today in a DUI trial).

It was an educational and humbling experience to sit as a juror. I considered it as much an honor as my civic duty, though I'm not sure there is a busier week for me at work.

I learned a few things about the jury process and the criminal justice system during my service. Just a few random observations:

- There are a lot of drinkers in our society. Out of more than 30 prospective jurors selected for voir dire from the venire, only 1 was a non drinker. All of the others drank, at least on occasion. And all admitted that they had, at one time, had a drink before getting behind the wheel of a car.

- There are a whole lot of victims of property crimes and they rarely see justice. I'd say the vast majority of those questioned were either personally victims of residential burglaries (plus home invasions and muggings) or were very close to someone who was. In all the cases I recall being discussed, none of the burglars were apprehended.

- Being a legal affairs reporter, lawyer or longtime paralegal won't get you excused from jury service. We were all empaneled on this particular case.

- That when an officer flips on his lights, the in-car camera recording starts a full 30 seconds before being automatically or manually activated. Apparently the cameras are always on, but not recording until activated.

- Cook County is a really accommodating place to be called into jury service. We were given lunch, snacks (albeit an unhealthy mix), and treated with care and respect by the deputies, lawyers and the judge. The One Day, One Trial process takes quite a bit of the mystery out of the service.

This was an important role and one I would never take lightly. Our panel made a unanimous decision that, no way around it, wasn't easy to make, even though we reached it fairly quickly. There were people to believe on both sides, lawyers to critique and be swayed by on both sides. But in the end, in this case, there just wasn't enough evidence to convince us of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

I will say, had there not been video, it's likely the verdict would have been different. That was surprising to me. I was surprised how much a squad-car video made a difference, surprised even though the police officer who testified was very professional, likable and, even, believable.

Still, after viewing and reviewing the video, there was very little doubt that there just wasn't enough of a case to convict. There were too many questions. Too many inconsistencies. And, well, too much doubt. Certainly none of us felt comfortable that the state had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

And Two New Muppets Fans Are Born

I'm not generally a sucker for nostalgia flicks. But I have to admit being beyond giddy and excited about the new Muppets movie. That even with criticism from the Muppet old guard, who are reportedly upset with the story line and have quibbles about the potty jokes.

So when a friend offered free tickets to a special pre-release private screening of the movie, I jumped at the chance. School night? No worries. One late evening was worth what I expect will be a rough morning trying to rouse the kids out of bed.

I go into movies like this (kid-friendly) with extremely low expectations. Top that with the negativity from the purist old guard and, really, there was nothing left to do except enjoy the evening.

And enjoy the evening I did.

We all did. I laughed out loud and until tears rolled down my cheeks throughout the film. So did Sim and the kids. So did our friends and the rest of the audience.

The movie was silly, old school and thoroughly entertaining, especially for Gen-Xers and their children. The kids followed the story line, seemed to get most of the jokes, loved the cameos of celebrities they recognized and repeated one-liners all the way home.

Here's what I didn't miss: sexual innuendo and over-the-top special effects so common in many supposedly kid-friendly movies I've seen lately. My kids didn't miss any of that either and fell instantly in love with the characters.

My daughter wanted to watch a "re-run" before we made it into the house. I'm fairly certain she'll be scanning library shelves and Netflix for Muppet movies of olde.

The Muppets was a delightful way to spend a couple hours with the family. I expect it's going to do quite well this holiday season after its official release Nov. 23.

Try These Minty Marshmallows on for Size

I wasn't in the market for giant marshmallows. They were nowhere near my list on Sunday.

But when my daughter and I spotted these jumbo Kraft Jet-Puffed peppermint marshmallows on the top shelf of a heavily stocked aisle of Christmas candy... Well, how could I resist?

I've never seen these and actually couldn't find any marketing for them online.

It wasn't a hard sell, even though for a split second I worried what I'd do with so many.

Family reading time treats.

Not to worry. Future Farmgirl and I made quick work of our first peppermint marshmallow project. We heated up some milk chocolate and had fun dipping and painting them with a spatula.

And we've learned they taste quite good on top of hot cocoa.

I'm thinking they'll make great s'mores, especially with a burst of extra mint from a peppermint patty. Oh, and, we'll surely try these with rice cereal.

We also spotted (and, of course, purchased) a bag of French-vanilla marshmallows shaped like snowmen. I think we'll try the hot chocolate cupcake recipe on the bag. The cocoa-infused icing sounds super tasty. 

This is actually the fourth bag of marshmallows I've purchased in as many days. For our Harvest celebration at The Farm, my sister and I bought mini marshmallows to top the sweet potato casserole. And both of us absolutely had to have the mint chocolate marshmallows we spotted (and later confirmed give a nice boost to plain old hot chocolate).

I have a feeling we'll be seeing more marshmallow flavors before the season's over. I expect I won't be a fan of all of them. But I think I'll enjoy each and every review.

The Juice King

The No. 1 item on our shopping list is a bag of oranges, thanks to this handy kitchen gadget passed on from my aunt this weekend.

She'd read on my blog about my son's interest in making juice and took pity on him having to use his body weight to press oranges on our glass juicer.

To his delight (and mine), she gave him this vintage Juice King juicer from my Great Grandma Neher's kitchen. This Chicago-made die cast juicer, from the '50s maybe, works like a charm.

My son quickly used up all the oranges in the house and talked me out of my grapefruit breakfast so he could squeeze enough for everyone to have a sip.

I'm seeing lots of fresh-squeezed orange juice in my future.

Not Just Any Business

I've been stewing lately about an unwelcome development in my neighborhood.

I learned recently that while our good neighbors in Berwyn have been working hard to attract family friendly businesses to the seemingly endless construction zone that is Roosevelt Road, my own town has been nurturing relationships with a cash-for-gold business and a gun shop.

A gun shop. I repeat it because I still can't believe that it is very likely in the next few weeks that I'll be able to walk a couple of blocks and pick up, not a bagel, but a rifle. Then, I can walk it back to my house, right past where my daughter went to preschool and where my children attend elementary school.

Roosevelt Road streetscape project rendering.

This is not the walkable, pedestrian-friendly vision I had for the unprecedented multi-town cooperative responsible for streetscaping, reconstructing, landscaping and sidewalk building cutting through Cicero, Berwyn and Oak Park.

My friend Julie put it best when she protested the licensure of this new business at tonight's Village board meeting:

I’m not here to debate Second Amendment rights. I’m here to ask why, in a Village that has had endless discussions about where beauty supplies can be sold and how and when restaurants can serve liquor, a gun shop was allowed to obtain a business license without any input from the community, as though it were like any other retail business.

As Julie said, this isn't just any other business. Promises that there will be background checks and waiting periods offer little comfort to those of us who frequent the area and make a point to shop in our neighborhood business district. Now, when I go to Walgreens or Bodhi Thai or Gina's Italian Ice, I'll be face-to-face with Windy City Firearms.

This is not the Oak Park with which I identify. It's nowhere near the charm associated with the quiet, progressive bedroom community and its vast historic district and signature Frank Lloyd Wright homes.

Good schools, beautiful architecture, safe streets. That's where I want to live and what I expect my tax dollars to support. And it's what I expect my elected officials and village planners to preserve and develop.

Julie asked trustees to consider zoning laws that would keep business that sell weapons away from schools and residential areas. The Village is looking at regulatory options, including a public health review. She also asked trustees to consider tax incentives to attract businesses more in line with the vision they sold us with the multi-year Roosevelt Road corridor improvement project to foster "a more pedestrian-friendly, landscaped and vibrant commercial corridor."

In my mind, that meant restaurants, retail outlets and boutiques, places I can walk to with my kids.

Instead, we're getting a gun shop -- turning an area that was a planned destination into an area I, and many families, will plan to avoid.