I went for jury duty today. Alameda County has a one day or one trial policy. Last time I was called in (almost exactly a year ago), all the trials for the day had been settled out of court. Not so this time. Jury selection began around 11:00 am, and I was one of the people called to go up to the court room. I have not been called to the jury box yet, but the jury selection isn't complete yet, either. So I get to do the same thing again tomorrow.

I would rate it highly likely that I will not be called to serve on this case. Even if I do get called, the case is supposed to be short. Still -- one day sitting in that room, listening to the same questions being asked over and over again, was almost as tedious as I imagined it might be. Not quite as tedious, though. I have a very active imagination.

This weekend I once again illustrated to myself the creative power of naps and goof-off time. I was unproductive for most of Sunday, but when I finally did sit down to write, all the pieces to the problem I'd been studying fell into place. I spent time trying to derive and describe the details of the same results on Saturday (I figured out the basic idea Saturday morning), but to no avail. The mind is an odd beastie.

I went to a solstice party / bon voyage for Raffi on Saturday. It was up in the Berkeley hills, and I got plenty of exercise in the process of getting lost on the way. It was a scenic route. Actually, it would have been a scenic route even without getting lost. You can see the entire Bay from up there. I brought along a dish of egg noodles with broccoli, tomato, avocado, cilantro, olive oil, black pepper, and garlic salt. It was delicious, which is a good thing since I had plenty left over afterward.

• Currently drinking: Earl Grey