It's the travel. I thought it wouldn't be quite as bad for a guy coming out of Brandon, with all of the bus trips. But it hasn't been easy for us, that's for sure.

We always thought it was out of line. Were we surprised? No.

I didn't really know what to expect, but I'm happy so far. I had a really good chance (to score) in the third period. The puck popped out to me in the slot, and I took a shot on (Roberto) Luongo, and it hit him in the upper shoulder.

Last year we thought we were finally going to turn the corner ... we actually saw a slight decline in travel. So we were half-right last year.

Rule number one: wear loose clothing.

No Problem.

Rule number two: no alcohol for the next three days.

Slight problem. I'll miss my evening glass of wine but figure I can go for three days without and compensate later.

And the last rule: absolutely no coffee or tea or caffeine of any kind.

Big problem. This rule hits me like a sucker punch and sure would have knocked me to the floor had I not been sitting there already. I'm eying the exits, plotting my escape. I knew enlightenment came at a price, but i had no idea the price was this steep. A sense of real panic sets in. How am I going to survive for the next seventy-two hours without a single cup of coffee?

[And industry lines will start to blur, too.] Why isn't Wal-Mart in banking? Why don't they have travel-agency reservations online? Why doesn't American Airlines have retailing and a bank? ... You're going to see cross-industry competition.