Over the past week, I think I have found my true calling. I should find work as a professional juror. I have spent the last week on jury duty for the first-time ever. I had never received a notice to serve before and greeted the envelope from York with disdain when it came last month.

Now, I realize how foolish that reaction was.

I could seriously do this gig all the time. I honestly don’t know why people grumble about jury duty. Sure, the pay stinks, but the fringe benefits are fantastic.
I got to sit and watch people all day long. Sometimes it was in the courtroom while I was part of a group being considered for a jury, Eventually, it was in a courtroom as I watched from the jury box.

But in between, I had lots of time to just watch people interact. I love that kind of stuff.

When I was in college, my fraternity had the best parties. There were steps that led up to a landing which afforded you a view of the whole living room. I would stand up there for long periods just people watching and making snide comments to others in the same spot.

I didn’t have beer this week, and I didn’t have any friends to make snide comments to, but I still had lots of fun.

I found it very interesting to see who brought their laptop and who played cards. The chatters congregated together while some people just sat and stared straight ahead, kind of like Puddy in “Seinfeld.”

I also learned a lot about the law. Over the years, I have picked up tidbits from family members, friends and TV. I learned even more this week.

The attorneys weren’t quite as fun as Denny Crane or Alan Shore on “Boston Legal,” but I got to see some good banter.

When I wasn’t in the courtroom expanding my legal knowledge, I had the chance to do something I neglect far too often – read.

I spent two and a half days waiting to be selected to a jury. The first two times I was part of a group called for questioning, I didn’t get picked. I started to wonder if I would never make it into the jury box.

In the meantime, I read. And read. And napped a little. And read some more. I finished two books this week thanks to the tedium of waiting.

When I got tired of waiting, I had plenty of time to enjoy the free coffee. That’s right – jurors get free coffee.

I didn’t discover this fact until late in the afternoon on my first day. I felt ripped off. They should print that in big letters at the top of the instructions.

The free parking is cool, but the free coffee is spectacular.

Plus, the job has great hours. I was in by 9 and out by 4:30 every day. You can’t beat that with a stick.

But for $9 a day (up to $25 on the final two days) plus mileage, they better offer pretty good hours. And we even got free donuts from the judge on our last day.