Those Other Things We Do

So imagine a sword. Your favourite one. Glamdring, perhaps, or The Green Destiny, or whatever you called your favourite character's +5 Holy Avenger back in those D&D days that you hope no-one knows about. Nice and useful tool, right? Now imagine that someone took off the handle of this sword, and sharpened up that newly exposed tongue of metal good and sharp like the other end. Still a useful tool, but it can bite back, because you've got to hold it by a sharp end too. Ok, I need a nice phrase for what I just described so that I can invent a new metaphor for what it is like being the departmental colloquium organizer. This is because the phrase "double-edged sword" just does not cut it, if you follow my meaning. What am I babbling about? Well, today is supposed to be a hide and get some research done ...