Outside the Albany Airport, my wife and I stopped at the Desmond Hotel to use the bathroom. Soon I stumbled upon a meeting of the Liquid Asphalt Distribution Association, in the Shaker Room. The meeting, it seemed, was just getting started. Four or five men in suits sat behind a row of tables, looking uncomfortable. Outside, a wildly cheerful woman served nametags and coffee. Passing by, I overheard two men in suits speak:
Man 1: What about the Minnesota Strictures?
Man 2: Well, they’re still new. We don’t know the…
Man 1:… legalities?
Man 2:… formulas we’ll need yet.
Man 1: But it’ll be…
Man 2:… challenging. It’s gonna be Minnesota versus the other 49 states!
Man 1: Except for Hawaii, with its…
Man 2:… or even Alaska. But it’ll be Minnesota versus the Continental US!
Man 1: [Laughs.]
[Okay, I admit I made up that conversation.]