Justice

I have always wanted to spend time in a courtroom as a spectator. Today, I decided to check that off my list. My friend, who is a prosecuting attorney for Denton county, informed me that there was a murder trial beginning this week so I decided that this is where I would spend my afternoon.

I suppose television courtoom dramas have provided me with grandiose ideas on how the trials should be: lawyers with eloquent speeches, witnesses who know exactly what to say and when to say it, mean Bailiffs named "Bull," and judges who appear attentive and can interject their opinions anytime they want. Today, I saw lawyers with tons of notes, brief stops during their questions as they quickly decided what questions to ask next, a couple of recesses in order to work on sound equipment and much to my dismay, the bailiff was NOT named "Bull."

As I sat in the courtoom (which was smaller than I had expected), I watched the defendant and his family. I thought about how, perhaps, television has desensitized me. Here I was excited to see the court proceedings and ready to be entertained; while the victim's family is facing reality by still grieving the loss of a daughter, sister and mother, and the defendant's family worry about the fate of a brother, son, father and husband. It hit me that this man, who may or may not be guilty, is relying on his peers to decide the path of the rest of his life.

So, as I write this, I'm a bit more reflective of the situation than I was before my afternoon began. I hope and pray that this man gets whatever justice his actions have warranted. While our justice system is sure to fail us from time to time, my little visit to the courtroom left me a little bit more grateful for this wonderful country and its justice system that our forefathers created so long ago!

For Every Good Man....

Once upon a time I had a government teacher who said to my class, "for every good man there is a good woman behind him." I remember I was assigned to the last row that year and as I looked ahead of me I saw 3 good male friends at the desks in front of me. I responded (quite loudly, as I recall), "Wow, Mr. Burke, I must be amazing!"

I'm fairly certain that the people we choose to be our friends and our role models play a big role in defining who we are as people. I am quite certain that I have developed mannerisms, vocabulary and perhaps even some character traits from the people with whom I have chosen to walk through life.

VP candidate, Senator Joe Biden, had probably wished he had chosen a staff member better after this particular incident. The poor man or woman probably lost their job after this gaff. Watch and enjoy! And don't forget to "stand up for chuck."

Have You Had Your Laugh Today?

This past weekend, I was able to watch a dear friend get married. At the reception she had everyone fill out a page to a memory book that she will put together. One of the requests was to write down some advice for the bride and groom. I noticed that the advice of the person next to me read, "Laugh often." So simple, yet probably the best advice, in my opinion.

I truly believe that there is nothing better in life than a good laugh! There is no better sound in the world than laughter. Perhaps the sweetest is a baby's little giggle. When I was younger a friend and I would laugh by changing the vowels, which would make us laugh even harder. So, we would try the whole spectrum of "Ha's." (ie: "Ha, Hee, Ho, Hoo") Try this next time you feel like laughing, I guarantee it will provide several more minutes of entertainment.

Recently, I received an email that was similar to Jay Leno's "Headlines" bit. Here are a few of my favorites with brief commentary from yours truly:

I too, dress up when I go to the Wal-Mart.

Phew! The cat got what it deserved!

Umm...Great! Good for you!

They'd better be a good bargain!

I wonder how that conversation went...

"We had no idea anyone was buried there." Umm...it's a mausoleum!

This just may be my new worst fear. Isn't it public record?

That would be my first thought, too! Surely, they were stolen! On the bright side, at least they didn't steal her new credit card.

"Oh where, oh where can it be..."

25, huh?

Who said there's no such thing as a stupid question?

My mind is blank or my brain is empty, whichever is worse.

Since I thought these were so funny, I decided to search the web for things that make me laugh. I had remembered a website I used to frequent several years ago called http://www.engrish.com/ where I found this picture: http://www.engrish.com/2009/03/its-around-here-somewhere/

Then I remembered how church bulletins have a way of making me laugh as well, so I decided to search for some. Here are a few little gems:

Thursday at 5:00 PM, there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All ladies wishing to be "Little Mothers" will meet with the Pastor in his private study.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They can be seen in the church basement Saturday.

Tuesday at 4 p.m. there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk will please come early.

Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

The church is glad to have with us today as our guest minister the Rev. Shirley Green, who has Mrs. Green with him. After the service we request that all remain in the sanctuary for the Hanging of the Greens.

Missionary from Africa speaking at Calvary Memorial Church in Racine. Name: Bertha Belch. Announcement: Come tonight and hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa".

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I upped My Pledge----Up Yours."

"Wise Up, O Men of God". Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.

Finally, I have decided to post my Youtube Funny Of The Day. This is a video that just makes me happy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWrY77o77o

Enjoy and laugh often!

The Angry Blogger

This weekend I had a nice discussion with sweet friends about my poor blogging of late. I informed my friends that I had to take a break from the blogging world because it hit me that everytime I blogged it was out of anger. In fact, we discussed the possibility of changing the name of my blog to "The Angry Blogger." While I think this new title would be hysterical, it hit me later that I really don't want to be known as angry. Furthermore, what would I do when I just wanted to relate a funny story? So, I will forever remain "Marci's Musings" and include a spattering of funny and angry posts. I promise to try and be a better blogger (Girl Scout's Honor).

Something to be angry about....

• road construction--there is a stretch of road in Highland Village, TX that has been under construction for at least 2 years! It is so frustrating when all I want is to go to TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby without too much effort. It has turned in a 15 minute drive into a 30 minute drive (no joke).

Something to laugh about....

• Friends--I have recently reacquainted myself with this fabulous tv show. My personal favorite episode was when Joey couldn't figure out the timing for the annoying "hand quotes." Finally, when he received praise for finally getting it right he flubs up again by saying "thanks." I love it, I love it, I love it!