I come back from a vacation, refreshed, ready to tackle the new extraordinary challenges that have cropped up while I was gone.

And I find everything exactly the same. The same patrons, the same questions, coworkers and gripes. I am disappointed. I wanted a fresh start. I wanted something new. I wanted to find the kids section crawling with alligators. I wanted to learn that Bin Laden had been hiding in one of our study rooms. I wanted alien priestesses. The only difference around here is that they changed the parking garage rules again.