During Head of the Charles, two guys--both wearing Harvard sweatshirts--got in a physical fight in Au Bon Pain. As soon as it was broken up, they were allowed to buy their coffee and even drink it inside.

We tolerate incredibly moronic behavior as long as it comes from Harvard students. But here were these kids, coming home from school, wanting nothing more than to be noticed and get some coffee. Too bad. Wrong color. Wrong class.

When the manager kicked them out, one of the kids refused to leave the store until he got served. Despite his determination, he was obviously getting nervous. The manager called the cops, and the kid's resolve wilted even more.

The cops showed up, lights flashing, and after a good twenty minutes of questioning, I finally walked up to them, and said: "It's true. They really didn't do anything. The manager was just giving them a hard time."

End of story. Despite my nose ring, I'm still identifiable as someone well-off and comfortable. The cops had on trouble taking me at face value.

"Alright," the cop said, and told the kids to get lost. I was glad that they hadn't been arrested, or harassed even more. It didn't even occur to me that they weren't allowed to get a cup of coffee.

A little later, my mom came up. She hadn't been able to find a parking space. "What's up?" she said.

"Nothing new," I answered.

Seth Mnookin '94 quit smoking on Friday.