# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380 "2022-09-28T11:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 96
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1902 "2023-02-08T02:28:42Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Were any of them ham sandwiches? Alas no, but one crime did take place in a restaurant and involved throwing food. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1903 "2023-02-08T02:41:32Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > I was once an alternate juror. I had to sit through the whole trial, but could not participate in deliberations. This happened to me as well. I didnā€™t know I was an alternate until just before we (they) were dismissed to deliberate. I was pissed. mmm ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1904 "2023-02-08T02:42:53Z")
The one time I was an alternate, I actually ended up on the panel. But they ended up settling out of court. Iā€™ve served a _lot_ of jury duty time. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1905 "2023-02-08T02:52:40Z")
I got a summons for jury duty oce. Because I need a keeper, I didnā€™t see the summons until a week after I was supposed to show up. I called them up , with effusive apologies, It turned out that they hadnā€™t needed any jurors the day I was supposed to show up, so I was in the clear. My mom got called for jury duty several times, my father never got called, and wanted to be called. He finally got a summonsā€¦ about a week after he passed away ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1906 "2023-02-08T02:58:00Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Thereā€™s no option for ā€œUnder 20.ā€ There isnā€™t one for ā€œdonā€™t rememberā€, either. I think I was in my 40ā€™s; but Iā€™m not at all sure. And I couldnā€™t tell whether being told you had to respond to the mailing counts for the first poll, even if they then told you that you didnā€™t have to come in; either because they granted a hardshop exemption over the phone or by mail, or because the case settled by the day before the jury would have been selected ā€“ Iā€™ve had both of those happen. Didnā€™t vote in that one. ā€“ Iā€™ve only wound up having to come in twice; and didnā€™t wind up on the jury either time. Both times they filled the jury box just before they would have gotten to me. In New York, that apparently gets you the same length of time before next callup that actually serving would have. I have heard both aphorisms, and donā€™t know which one is ā€œcorrectā€; or even if there is such a thing as an aphorism being incorrect. I suppose one might be the older form. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1907 "2023-02-08T02:59:47Z")
Iā€™ve never served, and have only had to show up once, for a civil case. There were about 40 of us in the room, and not only did two of us work together, but weā€™d both testified as expert witnesses in civil cases. The litigants settled within a couple of hours, so I had no idea if our backgrounds would have figured into selection. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1908 "2023-02-08T03:07:09Z")
I served in my early 20s in a civil trial. It was a fascinating (to me) case about no-fault insurance. A cyclist without insurance was creamed by a car and suffered a TBI. He had a pre-existing drug problem. The only way to treat him effectively for the TBI was to treat him in a dual program that specialized in both substance abuse and TBIs. The nearest such facility was in another state. The insurance company (gasp!) didnā€™t want to pay for it. Lots of experts came in to talk about neuroscience. Pretty interesting. The verdict was nearly unanimous.The insurance company was made to pay for it. Afterwards the judge explained to us how right we were. Very educational. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1909 "2023-02-08T03:17:39Z")
I have only been summoned for jury duty a few times. I got a jury summons while I was in college in another state. I got a jury summons while I was stationed overseas with the Army. I was picked to serve on a county grand jury. When I sent the letter back with my profession on the questionnaire I immediately got a phone call saying they were taking me off. They figured I would have to recuse myself too many times. They were supposed to send me a petite jury summons instead but I never got it. I was sent a jury summons from the previous county I lived in to my current address. I sent it back with a note for them to check the address. Never heard anything else. Thatā€™s it. Havenā€™t received a jury summons in years. My job is not an automatic excusal and hasnā€™t been for decades but it does make it less likely for me to be picked. I currently live in a rural county so the need for jurors is probably much less than other places Iā€™ve lived. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1910 "2023-02-08T03:28:34Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I was selected to serve on a jury, but on the day of the trial, the judge announced the defendant had accepted a plea deal, and the jury was dismissed. That happened both times when I was called for jury duty. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1911 "2023-02-08T03:31:52Z")
Was called only once. Am exempt due to a long ago felony. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1912 "2023-02-08T04:07:08Z")
I served on a jury a few years ago. Breaking and entering/robbery. Guy almost certainly did it, but the prosecutorā€™s case was weak. I couldnā€™t believe it when she said, ā€œThe state rests its case.ā€ The entire jury agreed that he probably did it, but she didnā€™t prove it. Not guilty. Judge came and talked to us afterwards. She agreed completely with us. He got away with this one, but from some of the police testimony it was pretty clear the guy wasnā€™t on the hook just for this so it was unlikely he was just free that day. Heck of a lot of time just sitting around, but the process was interesting to see and be a part of. At the very least it got me out of a full week of work, for which I got paid, and I got like $75 on top of that. Iā€™d have no problem doing it again. It was kind of fun. Met a lot of interesting people. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1913 "2023-02-08T04:33:08Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > On the Federal jury, when I had lived in Boston a couple of years, a kid who worked for me got called for Federal grand jury, and was in it for about a year. He wasnā€™t allowed to tell us anything, but of course there was a mob trial running the whole time, so we figuredā€¦ I spent about a year on a grand jury for the state of new York. We met every Wednesday afternoon. We investigated allegations of police corruption in the 30th precinct. There was a LOT of corruption, and i think a lot of the ringleaders cut plea bargains. But most of the poll choices have to do with petit jury duty, so i left most of them blank, even though i served to the end of my term, and beyond, since we extended the investigation. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1914 "2023-02-08T17:13:19Z")
I picked ā€œi was too tired to keep trackā€, but the real answer is ā€œthat was a long time ago, and i donā€™t rememberā€. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1915 "2023-02-08T17:16:38Z")
When my son was born, he was born with jaundice, so we stayed extra time at the hospital, and since he screamed constantly during treatment, there was no sleep. My husband was tracking my sleep and said I had about four hours over the 3-4 day period before we went home. I became delusional. Constant intrusive thoughts, suicidal ideation, and an extremely warped perception of my own capabilities as a mother (I believed I wasnā€™t capable of parenting a child.) I was also barely able to speak much less articulate to my husband what I was going through. And in a cruel twist of fate, for some reason I was terrified of anyone finding out how I felt, so I rejected all help. My husband, quite against my will, called in an overnight doula, we both slept for a full night uninterrupted, and when I woke up, I could instantly see reality more clearly and knew we were going to be okay. We worked out a new sleep schedule that got us pretty close to 8 hours each. Reason #158 not to have a second child: I canā€™t do sleep deprivation. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1916 "2023-02-08T17:19:54Z")
I recently went 50 hours without sleep when traveling from the USA to Taiwan. Basically, my flight was a red-eye but I couldnā€™t fall asleep before hand - so that was already 24 hours without sleep. Then the flight, layover, another flight - I have almost never been able to fall asleep on airplanes - , then upon arrival in Taiwan had to get to the hotel and run some errands - so 50 hours in total. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1917 "2023-02-08T18:20:33Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > When my son was born, he was born with jaundice, so we stayed extra time at the hospital, and since he screamed constantly during treatment, there was no sleep. My husband was tracking my sleep and said I had about four hours over the 3-4 day period before we went home. > > I became delusional. Constant intrusive thoughts, suicidal ideation, and an extremely warped perception of my own capabilities as a mother This happened to a woman in my ā€œnew mothersā€ group. She was unable to breastfeed (or her baby was unable to latch on, or ā€¦) and she had been convinced by la leche that it was important to nurse exclusively and the baby was hungry and thirsty and cried all the timeā€¦ Finally, her mother visited, and dragged both of them to the hospital. The baby was given IV fluids and a box of formula and released to its grandmother. The mother was admitted, and spent two nights recovering before they cleared her to go home. Both mother and baby were fine. The baby never did breast feed. And thank God for grandparents. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1918 "2023-02-08T18:49:19Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > This happened to a woman in my ā€œnew mothersā€ group. She was unable to breastfeed (or her baby was unable to latch on, or ā€¦) and she had been convinced by la leche that it was important to nurse exclusively and the baby was hungry and thirsty and cried all the timeā€¦ Interesting. I was unable to breastfeed (he wouldnā€™t latch) and the nurses withheld formula for so long I suspect thatā€™s why my kid ended up jaundiced. The official paperwork said it was a birth complication but I donā€™t remember anything going really wrong. I donā€™t actually know what caused it but I donā€™t think starving my kid for two days helped any. Those ā€œbaby friendlyā€ nurses were decidedly not mother friendly. They were not concerned with me at all. After I finally got that blessed sleep at home, the first thing I did was turn to my husband and say, ā€œIā€™m going to formula feed. I know I can do this if I donā€™t have to breast feed. Itā€™s not working and I need sleep.ā€ And that pretty much took care of it. Itā€™s weird, according to my paperwork I had birth complications and I donā€™t even remember the details of labor and delivery. I blame the morphine. I wonder how much post-partum dysphoria is related to breastfeeding and cultural attitudes toward it. I know anecdotally many mothers who did breastfeed but still struggled because it wasnā€™t as much or as long as they felt they were expected to. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1919 "2023-02-08T19:16:50Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I picked ā€œi was too tired to keep trackā€, but the real answer is ā€œthat was a long time ago, and i donā€™t rememberā€. Ditto. I think I went over 24 hours once in college, but Iā€™m no longer sure. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1920 "2023-02-08T19:21:01Z")
I stayed up for 24+ hours twice, when I was in college. Once was with my girlfriend, the other was with a friend. In both cases, it had gotten to be around 2 a.m., we were in the midst of a conversation, and said, ā€œdang, itā€™s late, but weā€™re having funā€¦letā€™s stay up all night!ā€ ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1921 "2023-02-08T19:42:10Z")
A friend used to do solstice parties where we stayed up until the sun rose again. I donā€™t remember whether i went sleep after i got home or not. I stayed up all night writing papers sometimes in college, too. And i once did a car trip from Massachusetts to southern Florida that didnā€™t involve much sleep. I honestly have no idea what the longest Iā€™ve gone without sleep was, although Iā€™m sure i knew at the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=95) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=97)