We probably lost a student last night to what I might call a difference of opinion.

This student is all about healing and energy work. From what I understand, his touch makes people feel whole; one our fellow students described him as having "a gift".

The snag? He refuses to wear footwear that conforms to the dress code. He will only deign to wear shower slides, as in those rubber slip-offs with a Nike logo across the wide band under which the instep resides. Shoes of any other ilk block the energy flow, he asserts, and the dress code is corporate fascist oppression.

I suggested he go to Brian Utting School of Massage. They would grok, no problem. They would accept his barefoot energywork with open hearts and arms.

At the end of class, the lecturer announced that he had come back after the break and told the administration he was suing the school because they had rejected his appeal for backless footwear (all he would need is a backstrap to meet health code). He feels his religion is being oppressed.

I'm a bit shocked that anyone over the age of about 25 wouldn't be quite aware that Ashmead is a corporate environment and as such is fairly inflexible. Not unreasonable, but they have learned over the years that their rules are necessary to meet the needs of their clientele, who are often immature kids just out of high school and who have no context for collegiality or comportment.

And who is really going to sue a school over a state law? Cover your toes and wear a heelstrap. Yes, it's kinda dumb. No, no one pays attention to it in their private practice. But there are ways to play the game that don't involve lawsuits, anger, and cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

Did I mention I switch to afternoons on the 27th?

Gotta go - test today, and I'm not done with the homework.

As Warren Zevon said, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."