Since its an Election Year . . .

. . . I thought I would get you "in the swing of things" by having you vote for

JENNIFER'S MOST RIDICULOUS ITEM OF THE WEEK

I know that most of my readership tunes in for news and pictures of the boys, but since I have been lax in the past month in downloading pictures from my camera, this will suffice for your reading pleasure for a bit longer.

So, this week I encountered two things that I found to be utterly ridiculous. They occurred practically on the same day and I couldn't decide which one I should laugh at, guffaw at and stare at incredulously the most. So I decided I would let YOU, the people decide.

__ Option # 1: I enter through the automatic double doors of the Floyd County Courthouse for one of our multiple court hearings for Daniel. On said Double Doors is a sign listing the things prohibited in the FC Courthouse. Some of the taboo items are drugs, smoking, alcohol, firearms, CELL PHONES, video equipment, etc. I have passed by that list many times and am quite familiar with it. I also know that they don't even allow umbrellas upstairs so if it is raining you have to leave your umbrella at the door. I walked by the lists, put my file folder, copy of Jane Austen's "Persuasion" and my purse on the security conveyor belt to be scanned when the scanning device operator quickly let me know that unless I was a Juror, I couldnt' take my book upstairs. I was incredulous. I pointed out the lady in front of me passed by with a book. He said she was a Juror, only Jurors, can take books upstairs. I totally thought he was joking. I couldn't proceed with a book, but PEOPLE WHO ARE THERE TO WORK AND HEAR CASES CAN TAKE IN BOOKS AND MAGAZINES. He kept saying 'THEY' don't allow reading material. I have often brought books in my purse due to the 2, sometimes 3 hours one must wait in the hall for one's case to be called. This time I made the mistake of bringing an UNCONCEALED NOVEL, apparently without a permit to carry, into the courthouse. I kept asking for clarification. I asked if "Reading Material" was on the taboo list since cell phones clearly are and EVERYONE is walking around with a phone on their ear and several people were walking around plugged into Ipods. He wouldn't answer. He just pointed out the line. Apparently, cell phones are not prohibited enough to be enforced. Nor are Ipods, which can prevent people from hearing when their case is yelled out quite arhiacally by the bailiff from the courtroom doorway down the hall. Novels and Reading Material fall into a higher classified area of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm control division. I HAD TO LEAVE MY BOOK AT THE SCANNING DEVICE. Ridiculous. So, instead of reading for the hour I had to wait, I PLAYED WITH MY CELL PHONE.

__ Option # 2: (still a good candidate, just not as dramatic) John Mark gets an invitation to a birthday party for an about to be 4 year old girl. Nothing out of the ordinary about that. Except that the BIRTHDAY GIRL IS REGISTERED AT A DOLL/TOY STORE IN TOWN. What ?!!? Kids are registering for their birthdays now? Tacky. The store itself should be written up by the Better Business Bureau for even suggesting it.

In the spirit of Sesame Street, I guess her birthday party is "being brought to us by the letter E - for Entitlement." I'll use that in a sentence: "Some kids will grow up with an exaggerated sense of Entitlement because their parents let them register for their birthday parties."

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God Bless America.