Just one more week to CTIA, and before you finalize your party calendars, I'd like to add one more event to the schedule. I'd like to extend the offer to everyone who's written me nasty e-mails over the last few months (or just violently inclined) to meet a Patty O'Brien's on Bourbon Street, where you can all proceed to beat the crap out of me, while we listen to sonorous notes of "Piano Man" sung endlessly from the baby grand. Think of it as a humorless version of those baseball-tossing games at the company picnic where you get to dunk your boss in vat of Cool Whip. Anyone who lands a punch has to by me a drink. It's harder than you think--I'm awfully spry. The party's open to all industry folk of both sexes--though ladies, if you kick, I'd prefer your pumps didn't have stiletto heels. Oh, and no brass knuckles...

And, at the risk of encouraging even more beatings, I'm about to shamelessly promote Telephony and Wireless Review's coverage at the show. If you can get your Wi-Fi card working, pop over to www.wirelessreview.com or www.telephonyonline.com next week, where you will find our show coverage. We'll have five staff members at the show, churning out plenty of daily news and commentary, as well as an oft-updated blog. Telephony's show issue will be on the stands, previewing many of the announcements you'll hear at the show and containing a special section on 3G/4G technologies.

See you Monday.

P.S. For the facetiousness-challenged, I won't really be at Patty O'Brien's Monday night. But for those of those of you who feel you have to get a piece of me, I suppose you can hunt me down at the show. You've got my picture, after all.

Contact me at kfitchard@primediabusiness.com.