"Incarcination" Needed for Classes

When I lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1991, I thought about taking additional classes at the local branch of the state university and picking up a few more hours of law enforcement classes and maybe a second B.A. I had started classes in Denver in the mid-1970s and had accumulated about 20 hours in that major. All these were beyond the B.A. I had in Russian language studies from a college in Iowa.

I had trouble finding the right department, but I finally reached a woman who offered to help me.

"Do you have any classes in Law Enforcement?"

"No, we don't," she replied.

"Any classes in Police Science?"

"No, we don't have those, either," she said.

"How about Criminal Justice?" I asked.

"Oh, yes. We have those. Are you incarcinated?"

"Incarcinated? Do you mean incarcerated?" I asked.

"No, incarcinated."

"You mean I have to be in jail to take these classes?"

"Yes, sir, you do."

So I told her that I would go to the 7-11 on the south side of Santa Fe that night (it was right across the road from the state penitentiary) and knock it off at 11:00PM. When I heard sirens, I'd run across the road, pound on the door, and get them to let me in and lock me up. "I'll call back tomorrow morning and register for classes. OK?"

She said that would be fine and that she'd be there after 8:00AM!

I called the Dean and we had a good laugh over "incarcination." I did ask him, though, when he called over to the Department, not to be hard on that woman, because she had tried so hard to help me. But, when he got to her trainer/supervisor, it would be okay with me if he lowered the boom on her!

© 2008 GUS PHILPOTT