You got any idea of what would happen if I put a massage on the City's credit card? Now, I admit to being tempted -- just to see the fireworks, mind you -- but I've always tried to avoid being on the receiving end of gunfights, firefights, fist fights, dogfights, saturation bombings, artillery barrages, napalm and things like that.

Another group that's here was wearing badges that said "Christian Tours" -- the "T" in "Tours" was a cross. I don't know if that means that if you tour with them you feel crucified or what. I was polite (I am always polite, except when I'm not). A bus was outside when I went to move my (rented) car and on the side was painted "American Free Enterprise" -- fortunately, I didn't find any reason to investigate further.

SEPG, some kind of software engineering bunch, is also meeting here. And there are ravaging hoards of spoiled, nasty children running around screaming in the corridors -- I'm thinking of soaping the carpets so they skid into the walls, but I'd probably get into trouble if I got caught. So far, I've mostly stayed in my room, working on a presentation my staff has conned me into doing in April on "The Economic Value of Libraries to the Community."

You ever tried to put a dollar value on a reference question? You answer the question -- correctly, I hope -- and then try to guess what it's worth. Something like "Do you have instructions for rebuilding the carburetor in a 1972 Chevy II?" can be given an estimated value, but what about "How do you spell 'misanthrope'?" And in every case, you don't know the end of the story.

I'd better go to work. Maybe one of them massuesses makes house calls, heh heh heh....