Cab drivers and wait staff in Dallas are either Etheopian or Indian. So far the rule is don't trust the Indians (You can't give change for a twenty on a five dollar cab ride? I'll bet you $100 if I turned out your pockets you have $100 in there. Oh, you found some change now? DIAF).

Crazy group dynamics because everyone knows one or no people but may have several aquiantances (I fit this description). So friendly is easy and quickly welcomed. I'm enjoying being an extrovert again. The realm is so open I even managed to smoothe things over between the py3k camp and the twisted folks (you are not expected to understand or care about that).

I shilled my introductory talk some ("Writing your own python types in C") but the hotel bar crowd was relatively savvy and didn't need it. Maybe I'll get some of the company junket guys. There are six hundred registered and three talks in my time slot including mine. I'm hoping for 150 bodies. Hopefully some will be the taste makers that don't need to be there. I suddenly have some sympathy for musicians (some, but not much).

TSA found the lighter in my carry on. I think this puts them up to 50%. Related my room came with ashtrays but no matches and a stove with no burners. The desk obliged with matches (I didn't ask about the missing burners).

Night.