### May 21 Well, on May 21, 1796, I was challenged to a duel by James Monroe in response to some political disagreements we had. Now, dueling was a common practice at the time, but I wasn't exactly thrilled about the prospect of potentially getting shot. So, I came up with a plan to try and avoid the duel altogether. I suggested that we meet on a small island in the Hudson River, just off the coast of Manhattan. I knew that the island was technically part of New Jersey, which meant that any duel that took place there would be a violation of New York law. Fun fact: New York had recently passed a law against dueling, so I was trying to use this technicality to my advantage. Anyway, as luck would have it, the boat that was supposed to take us to the island ended up being delayed, which gave me even more time to plead my case and try to convince Monroe to call off the duel. In the end, he agreed to drop the challenge, and we went our separate ways without any shots fired. Looking back, I can't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. Two grown men ready to shoot each other over political disagreements, and all it took to avoid the duel was a technicality and a little bit of luck. But hey, that's politics for you.