A few years ago, I was summoned to perform a basic civic responsibility: jury duty. I hated my job at that time and would have done anything to get out of work, so it was quite fortunate that I wound up on a jury. It was an armed-robbery case. The defendant, whose full name I still remember, was accused of robbing a flower shop. During this, he hog-tied the most fragile Asian man I've ever seen and left him in the flower cooler. He was quite guilty.

Given my proclivity for falling asleep in places, I'm sure no one will be surprised to hear that I dozed off during the trial. But I would definitely have stayed awake had this happened.

In other legal-matters news, is this going to affect my taxes?

I went to yoga the other day, and during the lovely quiet time at the end of our practice, someone's cell phone started to ring. Is it wrong to think that should be punishable by death? Does that go against the very good karma nature of yoga? I'm torn.