So many people I know have got jury duty in the last six months. I, like you, have always liked the idea, even though I, also like you, know it's going to be more likely to be about deciding who owns a fence than anything glamorous or even intellectually interesting. I urge you to go for it. I'm sure you can get an extension to your assignments.

As an aside, I really enjoyed telling off my frumpily stupidly conservatively grouchy fifty five year old ex boss, when she got out of jury duty because she had already booked a holiday in Australia, that "this is the problem today, people would rather take a holiday than do their duty to society!" It was hilarious.