1.   As coastal residents from Florida to Virginia fled or rode out Hurricane Bertha this week, they swapped tales of madly backing up software and prayerfully wrapping laptops.

2.   Brazilians swap tales of drivers, stuck in traffic, watching tiny televisions, using portable toilets, and even making love in their vehicles.

3.   But mostly, as the plane headed for Roanoke, the Governor talked politics, swapping tales of campaigns old and not so old, victorious and calamitous.

4.   In the sleepy coastal village of Esperanza, leather-skinned fishermen sit beneath a shade tree, swapping tales of the big ones that got away.

5.   Joining me were a couple of dozen peppy young actors who swapped tales of therapists, acting coaches and commercial residuals.

6.   Most days, the line is quiet, as tourists from Iowa swap tales with tourists from Georgia.

7.   On the Internet, passengers swap grim tales of commuter woe.

8.   Some are password-protected sites where friends or family members gather to swap tales.

9.   Students swap tales of time spent studying or working in countries such as Austria, Mexico, and Spain.

10.   The women settle in the sun room, swapping tales about the cold snap and the flu bug.