My buddy from High School, James, and I were headed up north for a ski trip last winter, driving along a fairly empty road in Maine. He’s a Maine Maritime student, and I’m pre-med, and we were joking about college. The car had engine trouble, he popped the hood, couldn’t see what was wrong, and so had me take a look. I stared at it for a while, and he started getting impatient. He kept irritably asking me what I was staring at for so long, and to figure out what was wrong. I finally got so frustrated that I snapped, “Damn it, Jim! I’m a doctor, not a mechanic.” He stared at me, then started laughing hysterically, and only after a few minutes of laughter was he able to choke out an explanation as to why he found it so funny. He’s not about to let me forget it, either. This is what I get for being close friends with a Trekkie, I guess.
