IN THE SPIRIT of full disclosure, I must state that I come from a long line of accountants and that my sister is a librarian — in other words, quiet types who speak softly and would probably say an electric pencil sharpener it a bit to loud for proper office use. Early on, I realized my family background didn't prepare me for the outside world, where people honk their horns for no apparent reason, mothers yell out the front door when they want their kids to come inside, and the last child who was born to be seen and not...