Tragic Sandwich

Never mind that in California, we barely got a winter. What’s on my to-do list for this summer?

Go to the beach
A must-do. We all like the beach, and I think Baguette would like to live there. Well, really, so would her parents.

Go to the pool
On it. Mr. Sandwich is taking Baguette during the week, and we made our first family visit today. Baguette wanted me to jump off the diving board–something I haven’t done in at least 35 years–and then couldn’t watch when I did. But we’re hoping that Baguette will regain last year’s love of swimming, which faded over the winter in spite of our best efforts to find a pool for her. So this will definitely be a part of our summer.

Learn to make a really good hamburger
Right now, I can make a really good hockey puck.

It’s a short list, but I think it’s a good one. What’s on yours?

Happy Father’s Day to all the hands-on, super-involved, devoted dads I know. Mr. Sandwich has lots of good company.

Last month I got called for jury duty. It was not the first time. In fact, it was–by my count–the ninth time I have been called for jury duty.

I have never been selected for a jury.

The first time, I had moved out of the county. The second, I showed up, and all the cases that day were continued or dismissed–and eventually, so were we (dismissed, that is). The third time, they formed a jury before they got to me. The fourth time, the last juror picked was the guy sitting next to me.

At this point, it started to feel intentional.

The fifth time, the judge made the parties settle because, as he told us afterward, “I told them, ‘I am not going to impanel a jury over a $100 dispute about a dress.’”

The sixth time, the judge excused me because my mother was dying, and I had to travel out of state to be with her.

The seventh time, the judge excused me because I had plane tickets for travel that fell within the time span of the trial.

The eighth time, the parties settled while we sat out in the hallway.

This time, I showed up at the courthouse (the one that is closest to me, which anyone in Los Angeles will agree is a minor miracle in and of itself). I waited most of the day, went to lunch, came back, and was assigned to a case–this meant that I had to come back two days later.

After an excruciating day of voir dire, featuring a plaintiff’s attorney who really liked to hear himself talk, and a judge who had absolutely no sense of the passage of time, we were told to come back the following day. (Hey, at least I got to eat at Puro Sabor, which I’ve been wanting to do for years.)

So we did. And there was yet another excruciating day of voir dire. Eventually, they selected a jury, and I got to go home.

The frustrating thing is that I sat there for nothing. Because if I had been called to the box, they would have learned immediately that I could not serve due to a conflict of interest. That’s what happens when one of the parties to the lawsuit is your employer.

I do want to go back to Puro Sabor, though. More lomo saltado, please!

Here are a few of Baguette’s favorite things (right now):

Snack: Pirate’s Booty–crunchy and (I guess) cheesy, so yea!

Meal: Macaroni and Cheese–This girl loves her cheese and carbs.*

Dessert: Chocolate ice cream, in great big spoonfuls.

Animal: Elephants (but lions seem to be more fun to talk about).

Celestial Body: The MOON!

Article of Clothing: Pants, but only in leggings form.

Book: Is It Bedtime, Wibbly Pig?–Not if Wibbly Pig can help it.

Stuffed Animal: Wibbly Pig (Kangaroo is a close second).

TV show: Either Kipper or Wibbly Pig.

Website: Google, because she knows how to spell it–and if Google could hear how cute their name sounds when she spells it, they’d create an ad campaign based on that.

*I just came across a new product: Pirate’s Booty Macaroni and Cheese. Where can I buy it?