On the Chancellor's Public Statement
Mike and I were talking on the phone about the Chancellor’s public statement. We disagreed. Or we were trying out different positions on the issue the way friends do. I picked two chunks of watermelon out of a bowl. I thought I’d be able to eat the melon and still have a significant conversation with Mike. Mike was questioning the foundation of the Chancellor's reasoning, just as one melon chunk slipped loose and started bobbling in my hand. Like a fish is the best way I can describe how it flopped and leaped. Mike reviewed some numbers, and I felt confident I would regain control. I’ve always had good hand-eye. But, uncharacteristically, when I tried to snare the one loose chunk, I also lost the other and after a suspended animation moment of noooooo , I dropped them both on the floor. “Damn,” I said. “What?” said Mike. “Nothing,” I said, and bent...