After having a tray of heavenly honeyed bak lava snatched away just feet from my lips, I wandered through the lobby of the Hyatt Regency in despair. My eyes drooped as I headed for the exit. Then another sign came from above….from above the escalator.

As unstable as I was, there’s no way I was more unstable than the car in that poster. Maybe this conference about automobile rollovers would roll my luck over and provide a happy ending to my meal that began so magically.

I browsed through the materials at the registration table for the People Safe in Rollovers Foundation’s three-day Emergency World Summit. I was too late for the start of the “Strong Roofs vs. Weak Roofs” press briefing, but if I could work my way into the conference in the next few minutes, I’d be seated in time to get served. The only thing that was standing between me and more food was a measly $600 registration fee. While I do not doubt that the testimonies of forensic scientists, trial lawyers and quadriplegic roof crush survivors were well worth six Benjis, the cost of entry would clearly violate the often-cited “free” clause of the Free Food-A-Thon regulations. Then I read something that would have made me shout “Eureka!” if I were the “Eureka!”-shouting type.

“Walk-in registration for students ……….FREE”

I was escorted to a table with a group of friendly biomechanical engineers. Before I could even introduce myself, the attentive wait staff brought me a plate of mesclun greens topped with seared sirloin and roasted red peppers. The steak was blissfully rare (although I suspect it may have been cooked the night before) and was a welcome substitute to the bak lava I had missed out on at the Rubbermaid luncheon.

If I had been blessed with a less structured schedule, I would have gladly stayed for Professor Klaus-Jürgen Bathe and Dr. Henh-yee Chen’s presentation of a computer simulation of “car crush and accident conditions.” But I may have been better off saving such serious matters for a time when I was less set on stuffing my face.