I spent this past week sitting on a jury in Kirkland, WA Municipal Court.  Jury duty is part of life and is often viewed as an inconvenience and unwanted interruption to our busy lives.

I was no different once I received my jury summons notice a few weeks ago.  "Good grief, do I really have time for this?" was my question.  

I have been extremely busy with all that is amazing about starting a company (Nearstream), merging it with another company (LoopFuse) and now being the CEO of a fast-paced early stage company in a crazy marketplace.  Customers, partners, prospects, and financing all are intertwined in my days.

I was curious about what kind of trial would be going on in the Kirkland municipal court and had prepared myself for some type of random misdemeanor or traffic violation based on this description of what this court hears:  "criminal misdemeanor cases and processes all non-criminal traffic citations and parking citations for violations occurring within the city limits of Kirkland."

I showed up dutifully at the assigned time, filled out my form, and answered the questions posed by the prosecutor and defense counsel truthfully and honestly.

There were several times I could have disqualified myself even by claiming publicly that I could not be "unbiased" in my judgement.  The only problem with that is that is not the kind of person I am and aspire to be.  

Potential jurors were dismissed or disqualified for a variety reasons and it looked as if I was going to dodge the proverbial bullet…until a final seated juror decided she couldn't possibly be unbiased.  With that assertion, I was welcomed to the jury box.  

I was actually very impressed with the judge, court staff and lawyers involved as well as my fellow jurors in their thoughtfulness and professionalism.

The case was very different than my expectation shining a bright light on a troubled family and abusive relationship between husband and wife.  I was not prepared to see children testify against their father but that is what I got.  Apparently the charges fit in the "criminal misdemeanor" category.

Two days, several witnesses, lots of time in the jury room waiting on the next step and we finally were sent to our room to pass judgement.

This was my first time on a jury and being in this role was both odd and invigorating. Above all else, we must come to a conclusion of "guilty" or "not guilty" beyond a reasonable doubt based on the evidence presented.

There were four charges and we all agreed to our conclusions rather swiftly but did challenge each other, our assumptions, and the evidence presented thoughtfully.

I won't get into the final outcome but just like that we returned to the court, presented our verdict, and were dismissed to go on about our lives – a loaded up email inbox, voicemails, and customer needs in my case.  

It was an important thing to do and made be treasure and appreciate all that I have in life that much more.  I pray for the family involved and hope that this step in the process helps them towards some type of peace.

Hug your children, kiss your spouse or significant other, pet your dog (or cat) if you have one, and take the obligation of jury duty seriously as you are being asked to sit in judgement of another and that is not to be taken lightly.

I started the day off with a brisk run (faster than I thought I'd do it) in the annual Kirkland 12ks of Christmas run downtown.  This event did not happen last year due to snow and ice so we all missed a year. 

It is a good time, great distance (~7.5 miles), and nice part of the community here in Kirkland.  I ran it in 1:04:21 or 8:38 minute miles (here's the link to the full results). 

The rain mostly held off and I am looking forward to sore legs tomorrow as I have been off my usual running schedule due to work and waning motivation due to rain, cold, and darkness out here this time of year. 

With a giant crane of course. 

I think we removed the world's largest hot tub today…and had an equally large crane here to do the job.  The tub was here when we moved in and built into the deck much the same way a bank vault is built into a bank building – first and with no intention of ever being moved again.  We used it a handful of times but not enough to keep.

Thanks to some skillful work by Brian and Chris leveraging the best of Egyptian pyramid engineering, they got it lifted up and moved over so Al from Image Crane here in Kirkland could get to it.  Then, just like that, it was gone!

We are looking forward to the huge amount of new space on the deck.  Here's a few pics of the action:

I'm very excited to share that I have been selected to be part of the the Kirkland Police Department's Citizens Academy for 2009.  For the next 12 weeks, I will be getting a behind the scenes view of what our local police department does while making some great new friends along the way.  Sort of a Kirkland version of CSI complete with ride alongs (not in back, I hope) and firearms instruction.

I write often about Kirkland and really like this community.  We are just across Lake Washington from downtown Seattle and this city is truly unique in the region by having its downtown situated on the water.  My involvement with the Parking Advisory Board has given me a broad new perspective on the issues and opportunities facing the city and I look forward to continuing to expand my knowledge by being part of this program.

I'll be sure to share my thoughts and experiences in the weeks ahead and suggest you keep your eye on the application process for next year if you live here.

A few pics from the neighborhood this morning after Kirkland (and the rest of Seattle area) got a huge amount of snow.  First pic is Market Street looking north, then a really nice snowman (found, not made by me) at Heritage Park, and then down by the Marina.  

We ventured out tonight to attend a sneak peak of sorts for a restaurant here in the neighborhood.  Market Street Cafe is relaunching with a new chef and new menu in January and they hosted an open house tonight.  Here's a description of the event from the local Kirkland Weblog whose author I was happy to finally meet in person tonight.

I'm excited about the opening and intrigued by chef Scott Shampine's background and menu.  From the tasting and hospitality tonight, I look forward to having him in the neighborhood and enjoying his creations.

At least not today.  Contrary to the web site, the annual Kirkland 12Ks (~7.5 miles) of Christmas run has been canceled.  Not a surprise given the fact that it snowed last night and the streets are pretty slick.  Riley (my dog) and I just sauntered down to the Marina and got the news. 

While I am bummed not to be running, I can't imagine what would have happened if all those runners hit the slick streets around here this morning.  The person I spoke with down there didn't have any details on a reschedule so looks like we have to wait until next year. 

Tonight from the deck in Kirkland.  Wow.

As a tribute to Google's news that they will be subleasing 1/3 of Googleplex North here in Kirkland, I thought I would highlight a Gary Allen song sharing the title of this post. 

I like Gary's music and suggest you check him out – sort of a back to basic country heavy on the soul.

Video goes in and out of focus but best I could find…

This was my time today at the TTTS Race for Hope 5k held this morning in Kirkland.  Here's the official results page.  We have had an absolutely amazing day today here with nothing but sun.  This was a great event supporting a great cause and I did my part with this blazing (for me) pace.