Gene Hackman was my Teacher...

Have you ever watched the film, Runaway Jury? John Cusack and Rachel Weisz getting their revenge on a tragic, historical injustice via the US judicial process? I have. And it's because of that film, that I know EVERYTHING about US jury selection. Honest to God. Known to us legal experts as voir dire, it's the process where the defence, prosecution, and judge whittle out potential jurors they feel may have bias that could result in an unfair trial. Gene Hackman taught me everything I know. (He also features in the film, if that wasn't clear.) Imagine then, my giddy glee. Last week, the ex-president's hush money trial kicked off in New York and social media was there for it. The press pool, seated in a separate room and viewing the proceedings on screens, kept the world abreast with rolling coverage of the voir dire process. It made for compelling reading. Honestly, it was properly fascinating and it prompted the question in my house - and I'm guessing all over the land - could you be a fair and impartial juror in this case? Well, could you?

Whether you could or not makes no difference. At the time of writing, there's a jury and six alternates in place. The trial proper will be starting today. Despite this, the defendant has made many statements about how he shouldn't be on trial now. And you know what? I agree. With so much to do with my book release, I don't have time to be glued to my phone for hours every day. It's such bad timing for me. I will, however, do my best to squeeze it in. Because whatever happens, this trial is going down in history. I want to be there when it does.

Writing News

Things are ticking along nicely. There's a slew of admin to do, and social media is taking up lots more time than it usually does, but it's all part of the process. (Did you read last week? I wrote about The Process!) Look, the data doesn't lie. When you put more effort into social media, you get more engagement back. It's science. As well as that, over the past couple of months, the reader numbers of this blog have shot up. Thank you to everyone that reads, clicks, like, shares, or comments. It's so nice to connect. 

Christopher Plummer
brought me up so it
was SO good to see
him in Inside Man.

Culture

I've just finished Gillian McAllister's novel, Wrong Time, Wrong Place. It was one of those grippy thrillers that you don't want to put down. That was my Thursday. I also watched Inside Man - a 2006 bank heist thriller with Denzel Washington. More grippiness to keep me interested. Then at the weekend I watched The Assembly. A panel of people - who are autistic, neurodivergant and learning disabled - question Michael Sheen about... well anything and everything. It's such good television and cuts through the usual chat show fluff'n'flattery that we're used to seeing. It's on the iPlayer, it's half an hour long, and it's well worth your time.

Smoosh up a tin/jar
of anchovies, some
buttery spread
of your choice, 
garlic, lemon zest,
za'atar, and paprika.
Voila!

Food and Drink

It'd be remiss if I didn't talk about anchovies. No, really, it's a conversation we need to have. Over the last month or so, I've become anchovy-obsessed. It started when a friend siting opposite me, picked them out of her caesar salad. I added them to my own food (prawn bruschetta, if memory serves) and oooommmpppph! The taste was ramped up to eleven. Now I'm adding them to everything I make and keeping a steady stream of anchovy butter in the fridge. In other food related news, I recently had my first Pot Noodle. I know! Back in the day, my main budget student-food option were the 11p noodles from the Sainsburys at Sixfields. (Some local Northampton colour for you there.) Pot Noodles were pricy in comparison and I've managed to give them a swerve all this time. But then my neph and niece got wind of this. They gifted me a Bombay Bad Boy for my birthday and I could swerve it no more. I am happy to report that my first Pot Noodle experience was... pleasant and spicy.

Robin Beck's First Time
was playing through my
head as this was taken,

Out and About

I went to see the Amy Winehouse film. It's been a while since I've gone to a non-Odeon cinema, and oooh, haven't I been spoilt with their seats. Despite sitting in a perfectly good, yet upright seat, I enjoyed the film well enough. On Monday, I also spent a happy hour looking for new glasses in Specsavers. It's not a vibrant social life but it's better than nothing.

The main messaging from today seems to be that anchovies are amazing, and if you haven't already, watch Runaway Jury. Sometimes I have wisdom to impart, other times, not so much. 

Have a lovely week, folks.