I hate jury duty, but it grabbed me this week. The up side is that I met one of the very few attractive women that I've seen in a court house, and we got to talking. When we were dismissed early, she suggested that we have lunch...at Hooter's! It is one of the few restaurants near the court house...and she likes it!

We got our pictures taken with our waitress, just in case my (adult) kids tell me that I was having a male fantasy attack. The waitress was a very attractive Guatemalan girl, with a quite toned body. She was certainly on par with or better looking than Eva Longoria. And the waitress was much younger than Longoria, which doesn't hurt. She spoke English as well as anyone I've met, with a US accent, and has family in California, where she has lived.

The real surprise is that an Army Lt. Colonel and his USAF Tech Sgt. companion came over to thank me for my service. They saw my USAF vet cap on the table. I think they really came over to get a better look at my dinner "date", who is a radio jockette. I won't mention her station, as I haven't asked her about that. Just posting this on a sudden whim. But it was nice to hear that, although I feel sure that both of those men have given more to the nation than I did. The officer was a Ranger, I think. (Black beret.)

We talked a little about a couple of retired generals who have written their autobiographies. I think one is jealous of the other, who he thinks is conceited. (He particularly doesn't like the other guy calling Rumsfeld "Don" instead of "Mr. Secretary". But the other general said that he and Rumsfeld became friends.) An opinion was mildly expressed about one general, but I won't say who said what, lest anyone recognize the officer with whom I talked. What he said was brief and not out of line, I think, but it confirmed my feeling about one general. He knew the man before he retired. Basically just described him as "formidable."

The USAF guy was wearing a patch that I mistook for a parachutist badge. Turned out to be some sort of master computer recognition badge. Sort of like getting an Expert Marksman badge for computer skills.


Oh: we used the lady's BMW, a step up from my Toyota. That was a nice touch.

And she wants to get together sometime at a different restaurant that I frequent, strictly as friends. (She's married.) She has a close friend who does marketing for that chain. (I asked the Prop. of the other restaurant, and she confirmed the marketing lady's ID. I also listened later to the first woman on the air, and she gave me her card. I think she's who she said.)

The really nice thing, perhaps, is that the radio lady isn't at all conceited, which some celebs are. Ego often tends to go with that territory. And my hamburger and fries were actually pretty good, although hardly on par with those at Snuffer's, on lower Greenville here in Dallas. (Shameless plug for Snuffer's, which is a superior burger place, much classier than the drive-in ones.) As for wings, she had them, but I've never been convinced that chicken wings constitute a real meal. The fried pickles were much better than I feared when she ordered them.

All in all, this was a much better day than I've ever had on jury duty.

I hadn't been to a Hooter's in years, and really liked that location. It was clean, friendly, and the waitresses were pretty hot, in the main. It was obvious that these girls are either genetically gifted or they spend some time in the gym. Maybe both.

May your next jury duty be as pleasant!

T-Star

As for the LTC and his beret, the black beret is now standard issue, Rangers now wear khaki. (Don't get me started!) And congrats on finding a way to make jury duty enjoyable. Next time you're going to be at Frank Crowley, let me know. I work there, and we can go to lunch. Although I'm probably not as cute or have my own radio show. I know the Hooters you're referring to, eat there from time to time, it's allegedly the largest one. And yeah, the staff is definitely "gifted".

Actually, this was at the Crowley courts! I'll keep that in mind, but I want to stop by my car and get my Swiss Army knife back and my metal (silver) Parker pen before we eat. I hate flying and going into courthouses. Used to be, I could carry a knife with up to a four-inch blade on jury duty. Better times, in some ways!

Thanks for the beret tip. Mine was dark blue, but I was a USAF cop. I recently saw US soldiers with tan/khaki berets on TV, and wondered who they might be. I asociate tan ones with the British SAS. They may have originally adopted them because they were formed to raid the Germans in sandy North Africa. My son interacted with some in Iraq, and liked them. Bummed some 9mm ammo from one once. Those he met wore H-K USP's, not the Browning or SIG pistols they supposedly favor.

Thanks for the lunch offer. I may indeed accept if I find myself there again. The parking garage was better than expected, BTW.

T-Star
P.S. I looked at the regs Online awhile back, and it looked as if a pocketknife with up to about a two-inch blade is okay for court. My Victorinox Classic may meet that spec. I need to measure. But I also heard that NO knives are allowed. The security people there don't impress me as being anyone with whom I might have a fruitful discussion on the matter. Do you know the knife rules, for certain? I'm sure that other members from Dallas will want to know.
My usual daily carry SAK is the normal size (91mm closed) but I'd happily carry the little Classic if it's okay there. It goes in my jacket's inside pocket, where it's handy for opening mail when seated in the car.

T-Star, been meaning to mention to you that I saw in the news recently that all Playboy magazines are now available on line, starting with the very first issue. Every bit of every one. A month's access is $8 -- I forget what a year is.

(Believe it or not, there is also a version available without pictures. Apparently this is for public libraries or somethin'...)

Gosh, You were real lucky. Last time I was called I had to sit next to a 300 LB gal that too up half my seat plus the other side too.

Thanks. I'd read that. I've kept a few old issues that have sentimental value. (Believe it or not, partially for the ads for Olympus OM-1 cameras and Schrade pocketknives.) Oh: I have the one where Robert C. Ruark, who was then their Travel Editor as well as being a famous novelist and newspaper columnist wrote a really good story about going on safari. The photo layout had some nice stuff, including Russell's Birdshooter boots and the Canadian Russell (no connection to the US boot company) knives.

I may keep the recent issue with the article on shark attacks, too.

When I was in college, my Journalism teacher's boyfriend had a key (membership) to the Playboy Club and we went to the one in Chicago while there for a field trip. The excuse was that I had to interview a Bunny and write about it for the student paper. That was a fun interview, I can tell you. I was impressed that one got dinner for the cost of a drink. I was the only one in our group to order a Scotch by brand, which intrigued my fellow students and caused my teacher to tease me for being pretentious. But brands do make a lot of difference in how Scotch tastes.

The Dallas club was pretty sorry by comparison, and I never joined. Just visited maybe three times. One girl there told me that she had been selected as a Playmate, but specified that the issue couldn't appear untii she had graduated from nearby SMU. She was afraid that conservative officials would prevent her graduating and that she'd get drummed out of her sorority if it became known that she had posed. Just being a Bunny was somewhat risky for her.

I have met three Playmates from here, if one counts suburban Plano, where Julie McCullough is from. But none was enrolled at SMU! Oddly, I met all in bookstores. Many Playmates seem to like reading. Also met one girl at the grocer, as well. You may recall her. Her name is Hope, and she was once in an Army band. Later played in Playboy's Girls of Rock and Roll. (Clarinet.)

I used to work at the library here, and we did keep old copies on file. I think the oldest were on microfilm. But both, Playboy and, Cosmo issues had to read openly in an area where the reader could be watched, as I recall,or they had to be be signed for and returned before leaving the building. My barber says that issues of, Cosmo and the Sports Ill. Swimsuit Issue last about 2-3 days at her salon.
I guess that some people are too cheap to buy their own magazines. Personally, I seldom buy the last title until it shows up at the used book store.

My, Playboy sub. is about to expire. I wasn't planning to renew, but that shark article and the fact that they allow discussion about gun rights in their forums may make me reconsider. The quality of the Playmates is often not what it was when I was in college, and some have tattoos. But some nice ones still slip through. Unfortunately, this reflects society in general now. I just don't see as many of the classy Girl Next Door types as I used to. I do live in an area near a major university (SMU) and near a mall where many women shop, and there are some nice ones here. But I think that certain photo editors should be more discriminating. In fact, they should probably hire me to select Playmate candidates...

BTW, Playboy has issued several very fine coffee table type books on the history of the publication and one on Playmates. I think it has been updated a couple of times. These are great from a nostalgia standpoint. I got mine used, probably because some guy got married and his spouse "suggested" selling the books!

T-Star

I know the feeling, too well. The first seat I got this time was pretty broken down, probably by one of those persons. When they called a recess for a potty break, the radio girl waved to me from across the room, and we found a better place to sit.

I have great compassion for the weight challenged. I realize that in some cases, it is genetic, not just the result of overeating and swilling beer. But I don't like sitting next to one of those ladies preferred by some members here who like "women with some meat on their bones."

I posted this topic because I've had the same experience as you have on prior jury trips. I guess that I'm just delighted that this one differed, and wanted to give you guys hope! Maybe I've just been living right lately, or it's because this is the astrological time for my birth sign, Gemini. That's supposed to be a high point of the year for people born under a given sign.

T-Star; I don't know about Dallas, but here in El Paso, to get into the courthouse, you have to go through a metal detector, and they took my small Victorinox away from me. I go it back when I left. Barrel elngth a whisker under 3 inches (75mm instead of 76.2?).

If it were me, I would just remember she is married. Call me weird, but I never step over that line.

__________________
Fidelis Ad Mortem

So who was in the jury pool with you? Skeeter? Roy Rogers? I betcha it was Chuck Heston! Right?

__________________
Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

I'm guessing that you meant to say "blade".

Tim

More like their surgeons are gifted.

I suspect that you may have their Spartan model or one of the other models using the same length frame. The 91mm length that I mentioned for the Spartan is the closed length. The main blade is right at 6.5CM. I just measured. That's about 2.75 inches. This is their most common "standard" length, and is that for most of the models that they've marked especially for Boy Scouts.

You were really lucky to get it back. A dealer at the big Market Hall gun show here had several big pails of knives confiscated at courthouses and maybe, airlines. I bought several that I handpicked. They were almost new. I feel sorry for the previous owners. Some were the little Classic model, others the Executive, the rest the standard 91mm closed. (That's the factory-quoted length.)

Wengers are usually about 84mm closed, same as some Victorinoxes that are basically shorter versions of the Spartan and similar models. But those are uncommon here. I've seen just a few. One is a prized possession of a well known cutlery writer. (Not me; he's an old friend.)

Most of my other pocketknives run about the same length as these SAK's, but have nickel silver bolsters and brass liners that make them heavier.

I'm a little afraid to carry knives into the Post Office now, and often opt to use a private carrier, although it's more expensive. But the lines are shorter, and they never notice even if I wear a lockblade folding knife in a discrete pouch on my belt.

The Frank Crowley court building here has a device through which they pass all of your pocket objects, and the guards also "wand" anyone who makes a noise as they pass through the metal detectors.

I don't, either. And when I was married, I never took advantage of opportunities that came my way. Our divorce was about differing personalities, not about infidelity on the part of either of us.

I think she's honest about wanting to be friends. May want to set me up with a single friend or two whom she mentioned. We may all meet together and get acquainted.

I've had several e-mails from her since our lunch, and none seems inappropriate. I think our common ground may lie in similar interests and maybe my helping one friend promote a famous restaurant chain. (Not Hooter's.) And she wants me to meet her dad, who can refer me to a new primary care physician, as he is in the medical field. (I mentioned wanting a new MD.)

I may try to take my daughter to any meetings. And I'm well known to the Prop. of the other restaurant and my usual waitresses. I'd hardly meet her there if we were planning anything immoral. And I seriously doubt that her friend would join us where the Prop. knows her and me. That would be hugely indiscreet.

I may run an idea past her that could attract listeners to her show and help me to research a magazine article that I'm planning. Time will tell. No worries: I'll proceed with caution. But I think that some men and some women can be just friends and/or business asociates. Not everything is about sex. Granted. some men never see women in any other capacity. I'm not one of them.

Ron J-

I don't know anyone else in the jury pool. Certainly didn't see any dead actors or gun writers.. Perhaps they come and go in spirit. But why would even a ghost want to sit through jury duty? They don't even narrate the mandatory film, which uses local news personalities.

If I was hallucinating, I'd have seen certain models or actresses, not the individuals whom you named. However, I did enjoy discussing certain issues with the two military guys in Hooter's.

This will probably evolve into a casual friendship or just become one of those things where two people helped each other to avoid boredom on an isolated occasion. I promise you, if I was planning any more, I wouldn't be posting about it on a message board. And I doubt that the lady would be discussing me with her friends.

As for the "gifts" of the Hooter's girls, most look natural. I didn't see any assets that weren't in keeping with the overall physique of the girls. Most really aren't anything spectacular in that area. Granted, some do plan glamor careers and hope to get a foot in the door at Hooter's. Holly Madison was a Hooter's girl, and some enter beauty pageants and do other things to promote show business jobs. One or two now have radio shows in other cities. One has a TV show. Check Wikipedia for details. (Holly didn't have cosmetic surgery until after she left Hooter's, I believe.) Some of those in their magazine and pageants very likely do have "enhancements." Most seem to have their original equipment.

The girls in that Hooter's seemed cute, genuine, and friendly. If I was downtown more, I'd probably eat there more often. The setting and the prices seemed quite good for a fast lunch place. And most other restaurants today seem to have trouble getting hot waitresses. The days when you could walk into a Steak and Ale and see a lot of cute college chicks waiting on tables in those intriguing outfits are gone.

BTW, have any of you men tried Hooter's fried pickles? We ordered some, and I think they sort of grew on me, although I didn't especially like the sauce. Their curly fries were much better than I feared.

I've never seen the Security at Frank Crowley let any kind of knife pass through, except for LEOs. Better off just leaving it in your car. I wouldn't try letting Security hold it, I've seen people try that and they are ALWAYS refused.

Actually they (issues without) are available for those who claim *I only get it for the articles*.

The odd part is how disappointed they look when you hand them one

__________________
In dog years I'm dead.

Thanks. Good to know. I did leave my knife in the car. I doubted that they'd hold it for me, and such things might get "lost" if they did. That may be one reason why they don't have such a service.

so umm weres the pics?

__________________
WILL WORK FOR AMMO!

I may ask her about posting them. She sent a couple and I asked for some of us standing at the bar with the waitress. Another waitress was very nice about taking pics with her cell phone.

The photo quality isn't going to win any awards, but it's plain what we all look like, the table, etc. One can easily read the letters on my cap where I have it on.

Until I know if she might object, I better not post photos. I don't know how the waitress might feel about that, either.
Because the restaurant was described, it might bring her unwanted attention.

I think I can use any photos that reflect what any member of the public could see, but if someone's life or career might be impacted, caution seems indicated. I think she'd actually be amused that I posted this, but want to get to know her better before I bring it up.

Of course, you can Search for Hooter's Waitresses or read about Hooter's on Wikipedia and see photos. But if the lady doesn't mind, I could probably learn to post pics here. Heck, if handled right, that could draw new listeners to her show. But if she should have rushed back to the studio when released from jury duty, it may be best to avoid publicity naming or picturing her. Of course, we had to eat!

I did mention taking better photos in future with a real camera, and she wasn't adverse to that. I know one waitress at the other restaurant I mentioned who is smart enough that she could operate one of my cameras. These days, most only know how to operate simple digital cameras, and they don't always hold the camera still. The girl I have in mind has a degree in Psychology, and another there is a college student who seems pretty bright and she likes me. Or the Prop. might have time. She's sharp. (Half Apache, of all things.) Heck, I'd like to take HER picture.

Of course, if I'm not in the picture, I can take the photos. I will probably use a little Yashica T-4 Super with a retracting Zeiss lens. It has a flash and takes very good photos. I have some that I took there of my daughter and her kids and some of another waitress there who is now selling cars. I suspect that she does that very well, especially with male customers.

Anyway, I'll ask later about photos, and if it's okay by her, someone can help me through the posting process.

I wanted to post some pics of my barber, but she said not to. She's afraid of stalkers. And my daughter also doesn't want to be seen on the Web. I have mixed feelings about that, as I want to be protective, but am also very proud of her and want to show her off. She's very pretty. Must have taken after her mother... She also graduated from a well known university with honors and is thinking of getting her doctorate soon and teaching in college. She's getting pretty fed up with the parents of some of her elementary students and having to deal with them.

But the lady from jury duty may already do "promos" where her listeners see what she looks like, and it could be publlcity for her show. I sure wouldn't mind being seen with her, and I've been pictured in some of my magazine articles. Some of you may have seen me, although I'm by no means as familiar a sight as most gun writers. Hmmm...I write more about knives, and few knife writers are seen in our stories. The pics are about the knives, not the writers. Gun writers, on the other hand, are often sort of peacocks. (I know that we have at least two here, and neither is included in that remark.)

T-Star