I've been trying to get the cameraphone pictures to load for days, and it's just not working, and the story's not as funny without them, but in case I go missing, I figured everyone should know: Last week, wandering through downtown, in the space of about a block, three red balloons blew across my path. This was after the parades--no parties, no street festivals, nothing in sight that could suggest an explanation. Just me, a deserted street, and gutters teeming with killer clowns.