Judicature duty?

Summer has officially kicked off.
Finals are done (triumphantly), books are sold back (at less than half of what I paid), everything is moved home (successfully), and nothing can stop me now (well.....)

Jury duty thoroughly and utterly ruined my Monday. From 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM (NINE HOURS MIND YOU), I sat on an unpadded and uncomfortably small chair in a room full of people of every color, religion, race, and so forth murmuring about politics, celebrities, and other nonsense. I made small talk with some folks. We all mostly just discussed our poor predicament and commented on what else we could be doing with our time. I eventually caught the attention of some attractive college-aged girls who were also there for the first time. They seemed to know each other, and we shot the breeze and found out we know a lot of the same people. Small world.

Other than my fancy dress wear (apparently you don't have to look nice for jury duty, but I didn't get the memo), I had on me my wallet, my keys, my cell phone, and Walden by Henry David Thoreau. So save for a couple text message conversations, I was quite bored and nonplussed about the whole situation. I didn't feel like reading the provided periodicals. With names like (and I am NOT making this up) Court Review, Trial Magazine, and (my favorite) Judicature, they did not seem very appealing. Instead, Walden kept me company, but I would have preferred my iPod to let the smooth sounds carry me away from that courthouse.

It would have been nice, but alas, they do not let such electronics into the building. It makes no sense to me. Surely, I would not listen to music during an actual trial. So do they think the lyrics of songs may sway a juror's opinion in a case? Ridiculous.

Save that monstrosity of a day, which when over felt like I had completed a marathon (of sitting), the break has been good to me. Today, I broke out my hammock for the inaugural first outdoor nap of the season. Mother Nature afforded me a sweet soft breeze, and my eyes shut without restraint. And out of this serenity, I made a playlist of all instrumental music that I would love to share with you. An hour and a half of lyric-free swells and crescendos. So, without further ado...

Let the Instruments Play
1.) Rudiments of a Spiritual Life - The American Dollar
2.) Yuki! Yuki! Yuki! - Anathallo
3.) The Confusion Before Dreams - Casey Driessen
4.) First Breath After Coma - Explosions in the Sky
5.) Backward Blues - The Fire Theft
6.) The End of Dying - Foxhole
7.) Road - George Winston
8.) Altogether Remarkable - House on Ponce de Leon
9.) Soft Sculpture - Incubus
10.) On the Nature of Daylight - Max Richter
11.) Do You Think There's a Heaven? - Mychael Danna
12.) Andy Wolff - Minus the Bear
13.) Smoothie Song - Nickel Creek
14.) I'll Be OK (Instrumental Reprise) - Sondre Lerche
15.) To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region... - Sufjan Stevens
16.) Mr. Tortoise - Technology
17.) Untitled - theHOPEsymphony
18.) Carnival Barker - Third Eye Blind
19.) Old Ironside - Unwed Sailor
20.)La Valse D'Amelie (Orchestra Version) - Yann Tiersen
21.) Nuclear Summer (Instrumental) - Youngblood Brass Orchestra
22.) Ravel's String Quartet In F Major (Second Movement) - Ysaÿe Quartet

DOWNLOAD and enjoy.