if (length($payload)%2) {
      my $padded = substr $payload, 0, -1;
      $padded .= "\0";
      $padded .= substr $payload, -1;
      ## above: ok, so the next to the last byte 
      ## is guaranteed to be null since we just 
      ## explicitly set it
      if (ord(substr $padded, -1) >= 128) {
         my $end    = ord(substr $padded, -2, 1);
         ##
         ## above: now we're grabbing the next to the last
         ## byte, even though we already know it's a null?
         ## 
         my $endend = ord(substr $padded, -1);
         $end--;
         ## now we decrement it, knowing full well it's 
         ## going to be -1?
         $endend--;
###DEBUG: 
printf "CMPSAT = %i %i\n", $end, $endend;
         # if 0 before --, then -1 results in warning to pack below
         # -1 is in essense \xff or 255
         if ($end == -1) { $end = 255 }
         ##
         ## above,of course, it's going to == -1, and thus
         ## at this point, always reset to 255
         ##
         if ($endend == -1) { $endend = 255 }
         $padded = substr $padded, 0, -2;
         $padded .= CORE::pack('CC', $end, $endend);
      }
      $payload = $padded;
   }