Osler's Razor

Today I am off to DC for the Supreme Court arguments in Dillon. Actually, that is just one of several things I need to do, including meetings related to commutation and crack/powder-- I would need a week to do everything I would like there, but I will be back teaching on Wednesday.

I'm quite fortunate, too, in that the cherry blossoms should be blooming about now. Washington is really a very beautiful city, and I think I am finally appreciating that, after some unfortunate incidents in Washington long ago.

There was one day which was particularly troubling. I traveled from New Haven to DC by train for an interview at a public-interest law foundation. When I arrived at Union Station, I went to use the rest room, and the guy in the next stall dropped his gun (a 9mm Cobray) and it bounced under the partition and between my feet. What's the etiquette for this? Kick it back? Fire a couple pre-emptive rounds through the partition?

It was unsettling, and the interview was delayed, as well. I was late for my train, but also needed some food, so I dodged into a Roy Rogers restaurant (which at that time was the bottom-feeding fast food joint usually found in and around bus stations). I went to the counter with two pieces of chicken: a leg and a thigh. The cashier looked at my purchase and said "two pieces of white meat."

"No, this is dark meat!" I protested.

"Wing, that's dark meat," she insisted.

I didn't have time for that, so I just left the chicken there and headed out the door. The cashier was yelling at me, but I just ignored her. I got out the door and went down the crowded sidewalk towards the station. Pretty soon, though, I heard a commotion and turned around. A hefty Roy Rogers manager, attired all in brown polyester, was shouting at me and coming after me. Fearing I would miss my train, I figured I could outrun him, so I started to push through the crowd. For a 300-pounder, the guy was surprisingly fast, and almost got me before I jumped through some traffic. It was a tough escape, and I thought I was done with that unfortunate day.

The next day, I walked into Steven Carter's contracts class and sat down. A woman about two seats down leaned forward.

"Mark, were you in DC yesterday?"

I told her I was.

"Uh, did you stick up a Roy Rogers? Because we think we saw you running away..."