If you sneak into the back of the dojo to that rarely used back room, and slide open the shoji screen, you'll see sensei there staring at the ceiling, or from time to time, pulling out an old computer game and letting his brains drip out of his ear.

Sensei just got back from the extended convention trip and is today recovering. He is catching up on recorded TV programs, erasing the huge loads of e-mail that all seem to have variations on misspellings of the word "viagra," and answering the e-mail that needs to be answered today.

But the dojo is open again. The doors leading outdoors are all open, and the hall is cleaned up and ready for your practice again. Sensei will begin his regularly scheduled ramblings tomorrow, so you can look forward to that. (Or sigh in resignation to the inevitable -- whatever is your style.)

I'll be long-winded tomorrow.