Wish you were here.

Well, I'm writing this from the main lobby of the Novotel Ottawa. Nice place -- right between the waterfront market and Parliament Hill. And much nicer beds than the U of O, to boot.

So far, the trip to Ottawa's been great -- I got to meet with some Ottawa novelists last night at a local Denny's. Ah, Denny's... preferred choice of both the poor and the cheap, the undemanding and the tolerant. No wonder it's the de facto meeting place for writers everywhere. A great meeting, though -- it's wonderful how much a room full of strangers can have in common.

And, of course, I got to meet some old friends. The odd highlight that evening was watching one of them insist on preparing a cheese fondue in a shirt and tie, because his wife said it looked hot.

The really odd part is that it wasn't Al.

Government training tomorrow! Tune in next evening for all the gory details of bureaucracy unleashed!