I'm working on a new manuscript and needed some reference books on a particular topic -- so I went to Borders and purchased the reference books using gift cards.

The cashier asked where he knew me from and I told him he didn't look familiar and I only occasionally shop at this store. He assumed I was blowing him off and made a crack about the subject matter of the reference books and I replied it was "for research."

Which of course, he didn't believe, but should have known better than to make a scene since the subject matter of said books might imply I'm a dangerous individual.

You want to know what the reference books are about, don't you?

Sorry, you'll have to wait until I finish the manuscript -- and by judging how long it took me to write my last one, we're talking like 2 years.