A (Deductible) Loss of Mystique

Professor Tax is a short, wily Jew of a thing with a mess of curly hair and the New York accent to match. I took his Intro Tax class last semester and loved it so much that I signed up for a specialty tax course this semester -- arguably the least useful of the tax courses -- just because he was teaching it. It's really all about him. I mean, I'm doing the reading and hanging tough right now, but I am pretty much right on the cusp of not knowing what the F is going on.

Last semester he won me over with his tangential war stories and self-deprecating humor. But this semester, in our class of only six students, we've seen a Professor Tax of a more personal nature. One class opened with a story about a famous professor at another law school who was notorious for dating his students. Professor Tax marveled at his colleague's ability to attract so many pretty young things. "I don't know how to say this, but it's just never been an issue for me."

I wasn't sure if that was a laughable punchline. This new Professor Tax is conjuring the same feelings of uneasy confusion as Tom Hanks did when he stopped doing comedy roles and went "Philadelphia" on us. (Ok, maybe no one remembers Tom Hanks as funny-man. Different analogy: this is like Ice Cube going from "Friday" to "Law & Order SVU." Ok, wait, that's Ice-T. Think "Schindler's List" starring Chris Tucker.)

My point is, last semester I was a Professor Tax groupie -- laughing, clapping, adoring from the back row of a filled lecture hall. This semester, I'm...like dating the drummer. He knows who I am. He looks at me when he recites from the tax code. He notices when my eyes register confusion. He uses my name in balance sheet examples hastily drawn on the whiteboard. He tells me borderline pitiable stories.

As much as I was delighted to move into his "inner circle" (that elite group of tax nerds to whom he tells his vulnerable-side tales), the change had somewhat diminished my fascination with him.

But yesterday he renewed my faith in the Professor Tax mystique. Class was about to start and I was settling into my seat. I was wearing my satin Ecko Red baseball jacket -- yes, the one that I was so excited to get last year but that got no love from the law school (outside of the MINORITEAM! set). Professor Tax didn't even say hello. He took one look at me and said, "I realllly like that jacket!" Wow. Professor Tax is down with the urban threads! Who knew. I have so much more to learn this semester.