THE COMMITTEE ROOM — The association planner circulated the final agenda at 11:58 p.m., completing a diplomatic process involving twelve committees, one ballroom and a budget everyone remembered being larger.

At midnight, the board chair asked whether the opening keynote could also be a breakfast, an awards ceremony and a listening session. 'No extra time,' he clarified. 'Just a slightly broader purpose.'

The education committee objected to losing seven minutes. The membership committee requested eleven. A volunteer suggested using the lunch break, a period already occupied by three competing lunches. The planner created a spreadsheet column called 'Physics.' Nobody filled it in.

By morning, the document was FINAL_final_v10_APPROVED, except for the sessions, speakers and room assignments. The planner sent it with a cheerful note. Diplomacy, she explained, is when everyone leaves believing their panel was the keynote.