Dispatches From the Michael Jackson Trial

Slate has started blogging from the Michael Jackson trial again.

7:10 a.m.: Gosh, it's good to be back here in Jacko-ville. I didn't realize how much I'd missed this place.

I missed you, courtroom artist, wheeling around your big case of art supplies. Happy sketching today!

I missed you, TV sound guys, drinking your coffee behind the satellite trucks. You look so bored, with your boom-mikes hoisted on your shoulders. So bored, in fact, that I swear you've been practicing—standing in front of mirrors with your boom-mikes, trying out disinterested facial expressions.

And I missed you most of all, crazy fans outside the gate. You've brought a whole bunch of "We Love Michael" balloons with you this morning. But not helium balloons. Your regular balloons just fall at your feet and roll around aimlessly. As you gather together to start an impromptu shouting session, I get a warm feeling inside.

It feels like coming home.