Justice is Served

Why jury duty freaks me out, plus a big evening for striped socks, rushing the football field, and the return of "Slow Horses."

Hello readers,

How was your week?

Mine was a little bit disorienting. After traveling and behaving like a very nerdy jet-setter, I returned home to a jury summons, which immediately brought me back down to earth. I've been trying to arrange my life around the possibility that I might have to serve this week, which would entail a lot of rush hour driving and sitting and waiting and pleading with God to help me escape this cruel fate.

Yeah, a lot of people aren't fans of jury duty, so I know I need to quit whining about my civic duty, though to me the idea of justice is a little dubious right now, a little laughable, shall we say? But the thing is, I tend to get very nervous about jury summons because there was a time in my life when it felt like I was getting summoned every five minutes. One of those times, I was picked to be on a jury and it was for an absolutely grisly murder case that gave me nightmares, which, I realize is a bit rich coming from someone who went back to graduate school to read about things like the rather bloody French Revolution.

But I digress.

I mean, at this trial there were photos, vivid descriptions of the crime scene, and a weapon that was basically some combination of brass knuckles with very sharp knives. I will never forget these images as long as I live. There was even a jailhouse snitch that was brought in to tell the court that the defendant had confessed. Extra police were brought in to keep that from coming to blows, which it almost did.

When it was time to reach a verdict, most of us on the jury felt it was a pretty cut and dried case, especially yours truly who was ready to wrap it up and get the hell out of there. But there were a few who felt that maybe certain aspects of it weren't. And until we got those infernal few to change their minds, we would be sitting and arguing for a while, and rehashing some of the awful evidence we had seen and heard.

This trial was almost 20 years ago, but any time I get a jury summons, it's the first thing that comes to mind. So when I was sitting at my niece's wedding reception on Sunday, there was a moment when I was thinking about the week ahead, and then thought "jury duty..." and then the badness started to surface, so I was glad when my husband's lovely aunt plopped a slice of carrot cake down in front of me. Jury duty really makes me want to eat my feelings.

Fortunately, I was not even needed on Tuesday, so I am grateful for that, and also grateful for the time it gave me to read, watch, and listen to some wonderful things. I hope you've had a wonderful week doing the things you love and escaping the things that you don't love so much.

XO,

Paige

Writing prompt: Write about a time you served on a jury. What was the trial about and what was your experience like? How do you feel about jury duty and why do you feel that way?

"In the midst of horror we fed on beauty – and that, my love, is what sustained us."

-- Rita Dove

Endnotes

Visiting the House of Smoke

A few years ago, food writer and "True South" host John T. Edge submitted a book proposal to his editor about restaurants he viewed as a second home. Then he realized that what he really needed to do was go back in time, to the house he grew up in, and see why he would later need these places of refuge. The book became House of Smoke, his memoir of growing up in a small Southern town where the stories and myths he was told became something he needed to reconsider and ultimately rewrite. After hearing Edge and his editor Francis Lam talk about the book at the Atlanta History Center earlier this week (as you can see, it was a big night for striped socks), I tore right through this book, which was as beautifully written as it was unflinching and timely. For more on Edge's latest, listen to the oh-so-velvety-voiced Alison Law interview him for WABE by clicking here and then heading to the 35th minute of the show.

Home Field Advantage

It's college football season again, and we've already seen some good upsets that have led to fans rushing the field in celebration. Inevitably, this time of year leads to my sister and I talking about my mother trying to scamper onto the field. Once, after LSU upset Florida, my sister wanted to rush the field and my mother told her "Oh no, we're not going to do that. It's much too dangerous." A couple of years later, after LSU upset Auburn, my mother must have developed a taste for danger because she said "Let's go. Help me get down there." So I did, and by the time we got to the field, police were turning away people. My mother wasn't having any of that, so she got in the cop's face and said "Look at me. How many more times do you think I'll be able to do this?" So he waved her through and tried to stop me. "That's my mother," I told him. "She needs supervision." So he let me go too. Having said all this, the October/November issue of Garden & Gun asks "How Old Is Too Old To Rush The Football Field?" I say, if you can do it, do it. But what do you think? And have you ever rushed a football field before? If so when, and what were the circumstances? Hit reply and let me know.

Returning to the House of the 'Noles

After almost a decade as an assistant coach in the NBA, former Florida State University point guard Luke Loucks has returned to his alma mater to replace Leonard Hamilton, his legendary former coach, who retired at the end of the 2024-25 season.

“I was in a pretty good spot in the NBA, which is the highest league of basketball in the world, and I was on a good path with some great organizations,” says Loucks, 35, who was previously an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. “I didn’t have [the FSU head coaching job] on my radar. But when the calls started coming in about whether I was interested, and those calls led to interviews, my wife, Stevi, realized it made a lot of sense on a personal and emotional level.”

I spoke with Loucks recently for Tallahassee Magazine about returning to his alma mater to build a winning basketball program. The story involves getting his family settled, "trying his hardest" to pick up golf, and building a team that best reflects his hyper-competitive nature. Visit this link for more on what he had to say.

Giddy Up

A new season of "Slow Horses" dropped this week on Apple TV+ and I'm so beyond happy to have Gary Oldman back on my television being as sloppy and impossible as ever. Man, oh man, do I love this show.

Another good thing to watch: the new Lilith Fair documentary on Hulu/Disney+. All those fabulous female performers. All their fabulous music. All those silly people who thought an all-female concert lineup wouldn't work. Hmph.

Where I hope you'll donate this week

As you know, I have an 18-year-old friend in G*za named Ahmed. Because his father was wounded in the war and cannot walk, Ahmed is now in charge of making sure the other seven people in his family have enough food to eat. This is no small feat. Please, if you can, consider donating whatever amount you can to help this young man keep his family from starving. Here is the link for his campaign. All proceeds go directly to him, and are greatly appreciated. Thank you.