my dinner party was headed for disaster. one man, an insurance salesman, was monopolizing the conversation with a lengthy account of recent litigation involving himself. since two other guests were lawyers, I was becoming increasingly uneasy. 'in the end' , the salesman concluded, 'you know who got all the money.' I cringed, ' the lawyers!' he shouted. there was embarrassed silence at the table. my heart was pounding until the wife of one lawyer said, ' oh, I love a story with a happy ending.' the first auto mechanic I visited gave me an estimate on r.......