law and order

i got a text message from phong this morning that he missed my call last night because he was at the police station, having been witness to a crime. i have no idea what kind of crime; i assume it wasn't a murder, because he probably wouldn't have just sent me a text message about that. my guess, knowing baltimore, is that he was witness to either a mugging or an ass-kicking, or both. or maybe some inner city kids destroying some property. but my money's on the mugging/ass-kicking.

i was just reminded of the story we heard during grad school, in which peter lee, a crazy, taiwanese countertenor who was apparently trained in the ways of martial arts, kicked the ass of a would-be mugger and left him laying in the street. i'm also reminded, however, of when nimrod, a crazy, israeli baritone, was mugged at gunpoint with our friend (v)nicki. oh baltimore, the city that reads.

it's ironic, however, that phong had to be witness to a crime yesterday, because he's moving to san francisco on wednesday. not like, wednesday, august 1. no, wednesday. san francisco. new city. across the country. new coast. and, much like a big, final "fuck you" from baltimore, he's now spending time at a police station, having witnessed something going down. i somehow got out of baltimore without something similar happening; i kept expecting it. just, something. my car to be towed one last time or my apartment to flood or to get mugged again. even until recently, when i cancelled my car insurance after selling it, i expected to something to go wrong. instead, i got a big fat refund from geico. crazy.

so i wonder if phong will have to sign a statement. or even like get up on a witness stand and be cross-examined. maybe i've just been watching too much law and order, but i think it'd be exciting. just a little.