Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 15:19:56 +0100 (BST)
From: "Sue" Add to Address Book
Subject: Re: spring, Danes, losing something in translation and the trouble with Australian women
To: "Keith




Kiddo, all them wine gums are for you. I'll buy a few
bags. And they will all have your name on them.
As for ex's, I have concluded that it is best to leave
them behind. Tried the "friendship" route with Steve.
Torture on both sides, really, with very little
"upside" (ah, corporate-speak - sometimes you get an
American on the radio here who just doesn't want to
tell the reporter the truth and resorts to corporate
speak. That's when the BBC reporter usually lunges for
the guy's jugular and takes them down... today, we got
an example of non-corporate speak (or truth, as it is
sometimes known), from a lawyer defending one of the
Guantanamo Bay inmates. Funnily enough, the guy was a
military lawyer.)
As for Carmen, she appears to think you left on
better terms than you did. If you continue to avoid
her, she'll get the hint. I hope.
Forum-speak and all that - yes, I suppose it was
useful for Bob, but a bit frightening how he really
throws himself into such things. It's easier to just
deal with your nearest and dearest.
And the Danes - I think this is secretly why I am
avoiding going over there.
Ah well. I want to go home now. My magazine is
nearly done. But I have to print some color proofs
first... Love, Sue

--- Keith
wrote: > This is me freaking out about your
strangeness.
>
> Bob never did shake the Forumspeak nonsense, did he?
> While I would still hold to the notion that it's
> good to try and bridge the gap with Bob and be
> friendly, I'll also admit that it's creepy as hell.
> Maybe like clowns, I don't know. Forced is probably
> the best word for it.
>
> At its best, the Forum seems to provide the socially
> inept some toolkit for working with other people.
> You should apologize and make nice with people who
> are probably going to be in your life forever rather
> than stay bitter and angry. Hey, it worked for me.
>
>
> Of course, it gets dramatically worse from there.
> The Forum swims vaguely in the middle of personal
> accountability and brainwashing and way, way, way
> too much goal-orientation all in the middle of some
> space-cadet-ish, powerbroker cultishness that seems
> almost as if it would be the natural bi-product of
> socially inept people trying to take charge of
> something. Every so often, you have to read your
> audience for more than what you're trying to hear.
>
> The Forum also made me aware of the complexities
> with which people can act out the same old things
> they've been doing: if you are manipulative and
> overly aggressive, it's very possible to do this in
> a way that the recipient might feel ingratiated to
> you. Making for, IMHO, the success of the Landmark
> Forum. Rippling out of that are a thousand less
> obvious variations.
>
> I just overheard a co-worker saying "I was just
> calling to see if there was an opportunity for us to
> connect. I'm just reaching out here." Which might
> just be appropriate use of the language structurally
> speaking, but Corporate speak seems as bad to me as
> Ebonics. Creepy stuff. But Creepier still is that
> this is the language of the Landmark Forum and it
> has left me wondering which led to which. It might
> have been neither, but it makes me wonder.
>
> In other tales of social ineptitude, Carmen called
> me this weekend.
>
> She was in town via some absurd wrangling with her
> ticket to South Africa, of all places. Apparently,
> it was only another $300 to get here. Great. So
> she wanted to get together, calls me up Saturday
> night to see what I'm doing the next day - do I want
> to go for brunch.
>
> It quickly become obvious that she wanted me to meet
> up with her - and several of her friends at Park for
> brunch or something. My personal rule on ex's is
> don't call unless you need something or want to give
> something. Business first. While I've tried to
> handle this diplomatically, I just don't like Carmen
> as a person or the way that a lot of things went
> between us while we were travelling and I have a
> long memory for that kind of thing. Call it a
> grudge, whatever. I am not "doing brunch" with her
> set of cliquey corporate-type friends that I barely
> endured while we were going out. I hoped that my
> lame excuse of having to put up shelves the next
> morning would have done. I should have told her I
> was going to Church. Equally believable.
>
> She called again the next day, I made a half-hearted
> effort to see her. I called up a friend of hers
> that doesn't like me and then went into Manhattan
> and sat outside at a bar and did some writing over a
> beer for a few hours and then met up with Quin.
> Carmen's friend didn't give her the message until it
> was really too late in the day to do anything, which
> was kind of what I expected him to do. Nice when
> things work out.
>
> I've got no reason to see Carmen, she'd just
> irritate me, I think. If she wants to get together,
> I will, but I'm not making any great efforts to do
> so. Or even mediocre efforts. She simply doesn't
> seem to understand how she is percieved by me or to
> see how I wouldn't really want to see her or be a
> part of her posse here in NY. Christ, if I was in
> Sydney, I wouldn't be calling her.
>
> Yeesh. What do you do when you simply can't tell
> someone what they should know already or at least be
> able to figure out for themselves.
>
> Keith
>
> PS Our Danish relatives freaked me out. Very
> frightened people and not really a lot of fun to
> hang out with. The only time we had a nice time was
> over dinner in a place I like - it's a nice spot in
> midtown, but unfortunately named Druids. Great
> Garden, tho' and I like the owner. Debs knows where
> it is (10th Ave between 49th & 50th).
>
> I hope some of those wine gums are for me.
>
> I wouldn't mind a few BYFAPs myself.
>
>
>
>
> Sue wrote:
> "This is my step to get more about your life."
> Ooh, Forumspeak...
> Bob scares me sometimes.
> Yawn. Very tired. Spent last weekend in Bath. I went
> to a conference with elderly pharmacists and
> beautiful
> young female Asian pharmacists, Mike got to wander
> the
> streets and go to record shops and thrift stores in
> glorious sunshine. It was a weird mix.
> By the end of the weekend I and the BYFAPs were all
> grouped together chatting. They got some kind of
> group
> discount from their company or something. They made
> it
> fun. There were also a few older female pharmacists
> too. They were very nice. Occasionally I got
> flashbacks to the world of American Ink Maker with
> the
> older men. Minus the plaid pants.
> We also went to see Fred and Jeanette, Mike's uncle
> and aunt on the way back. I was able to dispense
> some
> advice like, take the drugs your doctors has
> prescribed you. They're very safe. He's worried
> about
> his liver, but I think the amount of booze he
> guzzles
> is probably doing more damage than a cholesterol-
> lowering pill will, and he's more likely to suffer a
> heart attack than liver damage. I felt safe saying
> that because we spent half the weekend looking at
> slides on the very drug he's been prescribed. Hot
> topic over here.
> Anyhoo, I will go home early tonight and purchase
> your
> pickle, tea and wine gums. And maybe some yummy
> cheese
> for me. Love, Sue
>
> --- wrote: > Date: Sun,
> 25 Apr 2004 05:20:15 -0700 (PDT)
> > From:
> > Subject: Spring at last!
> > To: Suzzanne
> > ,
> > Good Morning!
> > It's another fantastic day here for baseball,
> > gardening and being outside! The big gardening
> will
> > be
> > done next weekend with flower beds and perhaps a
> few
> > new bushes (we've gotten quite tired of the
> > contractor's shrubbery you see).
> >
> > The BBQ is set up, plenty of beer and wine
> available
> > and Summer's on its way!
> >
> > Sue, arriving this Friday? YEA! It will be great
> to
> > see you live and in person again! We don't write
> as
> > much since taking our new jobs. This is my step to
> > get
> > more about your life.
> >
> > The Danish gang just left in time to leave room
> for
> > the Lemon Scone Lady to arrive. M&D should have
> the
> > house aired out by then. Nothing a good dose of
> > Frebrez (sp?) and opening the windows can't cure.
> It
> > was absolutely wonderful to see Charlotte, Per,
> > Inger-Lise and Jeanette come to the USA and visit
> > with
> > us. (Dad's only complaint is how much they chain
> > smoke. Which Jackie and I knew they did from our
> > visit
> > last year.) Jackie made a great brunch and
> > incredible
> > dinner for their last night here. Yum, yum! She's
> > working a lot of hours and is well into 200+ hours
>
=== message truncated ===

Sounds so official.

You might not be reminded of my contact info, you might not have known it yet. I move around a lot. I'm almost sure someone, somewhere, has diagnosed my kind of behavior and, with equal certainty, has crafted a tranquilizer for it. Hard to remember what goes where soemtimes - my whole life is a little transient. I think the only thing that's remained the same for more than 6 months is my phone number:

I now live at:

Brooklyn, NY 11215

I started a new job and things have been in chaos there for the moment until I figure out where things are. Why am I a secretary again? Oh yeah - monet. Money, and the great legacy I leave for posterity. My phone number in this lofty position is


...and it seems to require that I nurture a certain nervous-dog or -cat kind of behavior to do the job right. No sense trying to stay relaxed, it never seems to relax.

The new apartment is about half the cost of my old place and should enable me to get travelling again soon, or at least to get myself out of the previous hole I've put myself into long enough to dig a new one in a new spot.

I'm painting now as it needs some work (paint and some shelves, maybe) I'm happy to do as the rent is so reasonable.

I am writing and it's going well, but I feel like I need to take on a larger project. I also feel like I'm avoiding doing just that. I think I really have to do that if I am going
A: ever get recognized
B: ever be satisfied with myself as a writer

Your doctorate is a little inspiring. I haven't done anything of any depth or breadth, it seems to me. Maybe that's what I want to take on.

For work right now, I am someone's lackey (Admin/Exec Asst) at a big insurance house. I like who I'm working for and it does provide stability, which I need right now. Talk to me in a year, maybe less, and I'll be climbing the walls, I'm sure.

I guess what I really need, then, is money in the bank.

So that's me. I always love to hear from you and it would be great to catch up. This week is manic as I've some relatives and friends coming into town from Denmark, of all places and I'll be meeting up with some of them. One group are relatives that may drive me crazy and the other are a couple that I went to Antarctica with last year. It would be cool to see them.

I am still seeing Q, you know - the Grad student. It's like 6 or 7 months, so maybe we can add her to the list of things that haven't changed in 6 months.

Unwind for a while and then let me know what's going on. I've had a tumultuous year, you know that? I don't think I ever realized how much I like things to be settled. But the only thing that has been really driving me crazy is that it's been disturbing my writing. And that I just can't deal with. It makes me wonder if I'm not trying to live in the wrong place or something. Maybe what I really want to do is just travel the world until I get so weary that I just settle somewhere - doesn't sound that unappealing to me.

Keith



Denise wrote:
Thanks a bunch... I can't wait to have a REAL conversation with you when I don't feel stressed and crazed. Will call you next week. Remind me of your contact info.

Love,
D


Keith Christiansen < wrote:
Great news, champ - glad to hear it and I'm very glad this is over, for your own sake.

Would love to hear from you - please take time to decompress, Doctor Youngblood-Coleman. Good Lord, do you sound like trouble.

I'm so happy for you - all my love and all the best,

Keith

spring, Danes, losing something in translation and the trouble with Australian women

This is me freaking out about your strangeness.

Bob never did shake the Forumspeak nonsense, did he? While I would still hold to the notion that it's good to try and bridge the gap with Bob and be friendly, I'll also admit that it's creepy as hell. Maybe like clowns, I don't know. Forced is probably the best word for it.

At its best, the Forum seems to provide the socially inept some toolkit for working with other people. You should apologize and make nice with people who are probably going to be in your life forever rather than stay bitter and angry. Hey, it worked for me.

Of course, it gets dramatically worse from there. The Forum swims vaguely in the middle of personal accountability and brainwashing and way, way, way too much goal-orientation all in the middle of some space-cadet-ish, powerbroker cultishness that seems almost as if it would be the natural bi-product of socially inept people trying to take charge of something. Every so often, you have to read your audience for more than what you're trying to hear.

The Forum also made me aware of the complexities with which people can act out the same old things they've been doing: if you are manipulative and overly aggressive, it's very possible to do this in a way that the recipient might feel ingratiated to you. Making for, IMHO, the success of the Landmark Forum. Rippling out of that are a thousand less obvious variations.

I just overheard a co-worker saying "I was just calling to see if there was an opportunity for us to connect. I'm just reaching out here." Which might just be appropriate use of the language structurally speaking, but Corporate speak seems as bad to me as Ebonics. Creepy stuff. But Creepier still is that this is the language of the Landmark Forum and it has left me wondering which led to which. It might have been neither, but it makes me wonder.

In other tales of social ineptitude, Carmen called me this weekend.

She was in town via some absurd wrangling with her ticket to South Africa, of all places. Apparently, it was only another $300 to get here. Great. So she wanted to get together, calls me up Saturday night to see what I'm doing the next day - do I want to go for brunch.

It quickly become obvious that she wanted me to meet up with her - and several of her friends at Park for brunch or something. My personal rule on ex's is don't call unless you need something or want to give something. Business first. While I've tried to handle this diplomatically, I just don't like Carmen as a person or the way that a lot of things went between us while we were travelling and I have a long memory for that kind of thing. Call it a grudge, whatever. I am not "doing brunch" with her set of cliquey corporate-type friends that I barely endured while we were going out. I hoped that my lame excuse of having to put up shelves the next morning would have done. I should have told her I was going to Church. Equally believable.

She called again the next day, I made a half-hearted effort to see her. I called up a friend of hers that doesn't like me and then went into Manhattan and sat outside at a bar and did some writing over a beer for a few hours and then met up with Quin. Carmen's friend didn't give her the message until it was really too late in the day to do anything, which was kind of what I expected him to do. Nice when things work out.

I've got no reason to see Carmen, she'd just irritate me, I think. If she wants to get together, I will, but I'm not making any great efforts to do so. Or even mediocre efforts. She simply doesn't seem to understand how she is percieved by me or to see how I wouldn't really want to see her or be a part of her posse here in NY. Christ, if I was in Sydney, I wouldn't be calling her.

Yeesh. What do you do when you simply can't tell someone what they should know already or at least be able to figure out for themselves.

Keith

PS Our Danish relatives freaked me out. Very frightened people and not really a lot of fun to hang out with. The only time we had a nice time was over dinner in a place I like - it's a nice spot in midtown, but unfortunately named Druids. Great Garden, tho' and I like the owner. Debs knows where it is (10th Ave between 49th & 50th).

I hope some of those wine gums are for me.

I wouldn't mind a few BYFAPs myself.




Sue wrote:
"This is my step to get more about your life."
Ooh, Forumspeak...
Bob scares me sometimes.
Yawn. Very tired. Spent last weekend in Bath. I went
to a conference with elderly pharmacists and beautiful
young female Asian pharmacists, Mike got to wander the
streets and go to record shops and thrift stores in
glorious sunshine. It was a weird mix.
By the end of the weekend I and the BYFAPs were all
grouped together chatting. They got some kind of group
discount from their company or something. They made it
fun. There were also a few older female pharmacists
too. They were very nice. Occasionally I got
flashbacks to the world of American Ink Maker with the
older men. Minus the plaid pants.
We also went to see Fred and Jeanette, Mike's uncle
and aunt on the way back. I was able to dispense some
advice like, take the drugs your doctors has
prescribed you. They're very safe. He's worried about
his liver, but I think the amount of booze he guzzles
is probably doing more damage than a cholesterol-
lowering pill will, and he's more likely to suffer a
heart attack than liver damage. I felt safe saying
that because we spent half the weekend looking at
slides on the very drug he's been prescribed. Hot
topic over here.
Anyhoo, I will go home early tonight and purchase your
pickle, tea and wine gums. And maybe some yummy cheese
for me. Love, Sue

--- Bob wrote: > Date: Sun,
25 Apr 2004 05:20:15 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Bobc511
> Subject: Spring at last!
> To: Suzzanne Cheri Christiansen
> ,
> >
> Good Morning!
> It's another fantastic day here for baseball,
> gardening and being outside! The big gardening will
> be
> done next weekend with flower beds and perhaps a few
> new bushes (we've gotten quite tired of the
> contractor's shrubbery you see).
>
> The BBQ is set up, plenty of beer and wine available
> and Summer's on its way!
>
> Sue, arriving this Friday? YEA! It will be great to
> see you live and in person again! We don't write as
> much since taking our new jobs. This is my step to
> get
> more about your life.
>
> The Danish gang just left in time to leave room for
> the Lemon Scone Lady to arrive. M&D should have the
> house aired out by then. Nothing a good dose of
> Frebrez (sp?) and opening the windows can't cure. It
> was absolutely wonderful to see Charlotte, Per,
> Inger-Lise and Jeanette come to the USA and visit
> with
> us. (Dad's only complaint is how much they chain
> smoke. Which Jackie and I knew they did from our
> visit
> last year.) Jackie made a great brunch and
> incredible
> dinner for their last night here. Yum, yum! She's
> working a lot of hours and is well into 200+ hours
> at
> La Grange. Won't be long before her internship is
> done, then regular hours until graduation (sometime
> between June 15-25).
>
> Oops! 8:15, gotta get the bagels and papers!
> Bye!
> Love,
> Bob
>
> =====

Hey there Sue -

Did you ever get a chance to talk to Donna about what she thought re:
agents? I'lll do a little searching myself and see what I can come
up with, but good to hear an opinion from someone in the industry. I
also need to rework my resume, but can't seem to find a copy. Did I
send one to you a while back? I hate to start completely from
scratch, but maybe distant memories of my previous employment will
serve me better these days. I wouldn't want to see what my resume
immediately post-CSFB lookeed like. Probably just go for some
temping thing, but I really want to get a feel for what is going on
out in the market. And temping is money coming in, at least.

I'm kind of cocooning the next few days to get my head around what's
happening. As Steve is pretty secure work-wise and infinitely more
social, it makes for some interesting dynamics. Never mind that I
seem to be interfering with his lovelife. Nothing quite as sexy as a
guy sleeping on the sofa when you get home. I feel like I'm
freeloading and worse, cramping Steve's style for being here. Think
it's worth a conversation.

A whole lot less adventurous than the previous months, but still
stuff I've gotta do. The photos are getting organized, etc. but I am
starting to get a little overwhelmed with what's ahead. I guess I
was ready for this, but funny when it comes. Just have to keep on
with what I need to do and keep on writing, searching, etc. It would
be better if I could get a normal night's sleep, but this is really
the downside of living at Steve's - I have no idea when the man
sleeps. After 2 months or so of this, I'll be acting like Kramer,
I'm sure of it.

As it is, I am not sleeping very well. Problems on re-entry I guess,
but something seems really flaky about having travelled for 6 months
and coming back to problems. I mean, everyone else has pretty much
stayed the course and their lives seem as normal as when I left.
People keep asking if I think I'll have trouble adjusting back to
normal NYC living and for the first time, I think I might. Funny.

And I have none of my stuff, which is a little disorienting and a
little bit liberating at the same time. I wonder if I'll want or
need much of it.

Hope all is well. Talk to you soon.

Love,

Hey Denise,

I guess it's a handful of things all at once. Not sure if I'm ready for the double- and triple-booking of evening events or all of the excitement that this city has to offer. But one thing is obvious from the second I got to the airport - New York has a lot of personailty and people are really happy to offer up comments and snappy little lines that are pretty damned funny.

I think I'm still in vacation mode because I am paying attention to the same kinds of things that I was when I was travelling, noticing all of the little things I would look for in a new city and watching people. It's probably the single best thing to do in this city.

Went out to a friend's birthday thing lasst night - really just an aquaintance, but enough of a friend that it was worth going. But truly, I don't have much in common with a bunch of these people and I think that I really felt more like it last night than I did before I left. When you are travelling, even among strangers, you still have that common experience of travel, being outside your homes, all of the strange experiences that come up, etc. You also deal with a lot of people that are radically against the war and not many that are in support. Kindred spirits of a kind, if only for a time. Was it Twain that said that the people who leave home are always more interesting than the ones that stay behind? If he didn't, I'd like to claim it as my own. Feel free to quote me and impress you friends with my succinct (sp?) wit.

The party was a simple beer-and-bar thing and we all sat around yabbering and then cuta cake. I just wanted to sleep, which was something I hadn't been doing much of for the past several weeks. One woman who I was speaking with said - well, you don't seem very excited about your trip and I was thinking that nothing short of high voltage was going to get me excited at the moment. She also asked me what has become one of my favorite questions -

So what have you learned from this trip?

...as if she were one of my parents or I had just recieved some kind of punishment for a transgression at school. Really an odd question, but I think I should come up with a list of ludicrous responses for it because I think I'll be hearing it more and not less in the coming weeks. I think generalizations are best served to provide absurd examples and don't seem good for much more than that. Inaccuracy is their best trait, for while they're true, they're just as false.

For instance, I have learned that Bolivians can really drink and will often do so until they fall over. I have been very impressed by this. Many South Americans have no problems peeing wherever their seems to be free space to do so. Bus travel isn't so bad. My tolerance for bad personal hygiene is actually much lower than I would have ever imagined. My face tans through a short beard. Etc. Maybe the list needs work. I should think of some more absurd and generally unture things, although my favorite has been to talk to people that claim to know much more about the countries that I have visited than I do. While I usually figure they just might, they then make it very obvious that they don't.

It's also really hard to answer the what was [insert country/place] like? I've been to a lot of places lately and I'm still trying to sort it all out for myself. "Nice" just doesn't seem like much of an answer, even though most people are kind of satisfied with it. This is one of the reasons that I write - to sort out for myself what I think of so many different things that happen to me. I think "Tell me a story" would be a much better thing to say. I think that's what they really want. But I'm much more interested in hearing what other people have been up to.

This party really was a bit more than I was ready for last night. Gracefully, I can bow out of a lot of social occasions claiming to be too tired after 6 months of travelling. I did, in fact, have a lot of time to rest in all of this as well. As it is, I am taking my time getting to a party that I am supposed to be going to. My friend Rob has himself triple-booked for tonight and that is going to be really strange, but is really the norm here. I'll meet up with him and then go on to the next party if I feel like it. Nice to have options.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with it, it's just the approach. These parties and social occasions are kind of like appointments for Rob and his girlfriend. That's the thing about it I find so strange. Much nicer if you could go or not and then the other people would simply understand if you weren't able to make it. Make everything a lot easier for everyone, really.

I haven't even begun to think abotu where I'll live, what I'll do, etc. I think it will be best to get a job and then make plans accordingly. I think I need a little luck and serendipity for these parts. Not quite ready for it yet, I think reactivating my cel phone and sorting out my mail will be intimidating enough. never mind the quizzes, etc. with family and friends about all of the little things that I have done, best parts, etc. These are really hard questions to answer and kind of rude to ignore. Funny. It will still be a while before the dust settles. In a lot of ways, the trip's not over.

So to answer your questions, I am glad to be back, but disoriented still. Give it time. I am sure that I'll want to travel on. Looks like I'll be living somewhere in NYC and a few friends have made offers in the meanwhile to help me get myself settled. I've got some plans, but I have to deal with family and some sort of emotional inbox items first, such as the death of one of my best friend's fathers while I was gone and my mother's neurosis. The whole picture will become clearer soon enough, I think. I think I'll get a lot of help on this one. After this week or so, I'll see about what can be done for work and go from there. At the moment, I'm happpy to have a place to stay and that my clothes are all clean for the first time in a while. My needs are truly simple these days and I am more eager to keep them that way than to complicate them too quickly. That'll come without my help.

And I guess that's what I'm thinking for the moment. I'm glad things are going well for you. It's cold here & I miss the sun already myself. It would be great to see you in NYC. As I've said before, if I've got a place, you're welcome to stay. At the moment, I am relying on friends. I really hope I have all of this sorted out by summertime.

Alright - guess I should get going to this party. Should be nice and I think I can afford the entry price. Hope it's a chill affair or maybe some dancing. That would be really nice. I could use to move around a little bit.

Talk to you soon. Love ya lots.

Keith
----- Original Message -----
From: Denise Coleman
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 15:14:57 -0700 (PDT)
To: Keith Christiansen
Subject: Re: jiggity jig



Well it is a gorgeous day today so I am spening most of it outside; trying to work on writing but it is so nice I want to play instead! Personally, I am fine (better than in a long time) and the job is good too. But the state of th country and the world is another story entirely.

How abotu you? Glad to be back? Where will you live? Plans? Thoughts?

I am glad you're back... no big plans for the summer so maybe we'll try to come visit.

Love,
D

Keith Christiansen wrote:
Yup. Love ya, kiddo.

How's everything in Texas?

K

----- Original Message -----
From: Denise Coleman
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 11:06:57 -0700 (PDT)
To: Keith Christiansen
Subject: Re: jiggity jig



Hey hey hey!!!!

Yo're back! Yipeee!!! Will call soon.

--- D

Keith Christiansen wrote:
Hey all -

Sorry about the group email, but I am back in NYC again. Just keep it quiet - I'm not going to be dealing with my family until Monday. My cel phone will be on eventually, but you can contact me via Steve's at 212 725 6149. The wierd thing is that it doesn't seem to work on the first ring, so you'll have to call it twice. It just disconnects, but works on the second go. Go figure, we'll call Verizon.

Anyway, I hope everything is cool with everyone. See you soon.

Keith

Hey Rob -

How are you doing? How is everything with Melissa and work and all
of the other things?

Macchu Picchu was incredible and so was the 4 day trek to get there.
If it didn't cost so much, I might do it again. I am leaving today
for Arequipa to hike the Colca Canyon with the Brazilian guys I have
been travelling with for the past week or so. Should be a good time
- it-s twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and is a good spot for
seeing condors, which I have seen a lot of, but I'd like to see a few
more. They're really, really massive birds. I had seen one that
looked like it had about a 7 foot wing span, but I hear they can get
as big as 9 feet. That would be cool. Damned things could probably
fly off with me in the mitts...

Might doa little rafting down there, too. I hear it's an incredible
spot for it.

Got an email from Carmen yesteday. She was in the same town (Cusco)
and wanted to meet up for dinner. So we did, but it was really
awkward. Somewhere after the second drink, this guy walked in and
she whispered something to him in German. I got the very specific
impression that she had slept with him a few days before and really
didn't expect to run into him. Something she'd said about getting
drunk witha couple of German guys and having a really great time and
hangover the other night. He joined us for a drink, but looked
incredibly uncomfortable after she whispered whatever to him. Funny.
The whole conversation was incredibly stilted after he showed up and
Carmen left a lot earlier than I think she first expected.

Awkward. I don't understand why she wantd to get together, but there
you have it... It's very strange and a little tough without
surprises like that anyway.

Ah well. Looks like I'll be back in NYC around the 26th of April or
maybe a day or two before that. I'm planning on hanging out in the
city a few days before heading out to LI to visit the parents. Give
myself a bit of time to adjust before the overwhelm. I'll probably
be at Steve's or John's during that time. I think Steve's makes a
bit more sense. When I get back, I may move back in with him if I
can afford it. It's all about saving money for a while when I get
back. Any temp agencies you can suggest? I am very open-minded
about work when I get back...

Hope all is well. Let me know how you're doing.

Keith

YEah, I've heard from him. And I've seen some of the stuff he's been
putting on his website,as well.

I'm in Nasca today and I will be leaving Peru in the next day or so.
I have a bus to Tacna tonight, which is one of the towns closest to
CHile. From there, it's Arica, then Iquique and then San Pedro de
Atacama for a little desert time and to try my hand at sandboarding
some more, which I am getting pretty damned good at.

Went on a short flight this morning to see the Lines and they were
really pretty incredible. Really hard to imagine why a people that
lived almost 1000 years ago, well before flight, made these massive
symbols in the earth. But they did and there they are. Lots of
interesting theories, from worship of their gods to aliens coming to
earth, etc. I took lots of pictures. We had good light for it
today.

Looking forward to relaxing in Chile. I have really had to be on my
guard here. Just against theft and constantly having to haggle over
things and hassle people to keep their word about tours or deals, or
prices paid, etc. Gets to be really tiring. And the Peruvians also
like to blast radios, TVs, whatever at deafening levels. That gets
very tiring. Combine that with what seems to be hospitality of havin
a TV or radio on in every restaurant, it is impossible to eat in
peace. It almost forces you into the Gringo places... I am
currently being deafened in an internet cafe just off the Plaza de
Armas of Nasca.

Hope everyone is well. Looking forward to seeing you all and I
should be home in just a little over 3 weeks at this point.

Love you all,

Keith

----- Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 10:02:42 +0100 (BST)

Subject: good morning

> Hi all,
> Well, trying to get the institute to move on their
> contacts for me. I feel like the nagging editor from
> h-e-double toothpicks, but this deadline's kind of
> short and so the sooner I get this stuff, the better.
> They don't seem to appreciate that the articles don't
> just materialize out of thin air, I have to actually
> call people and talk to them first.
> Talked to John the cattery owner yesterday and he's
> got a cage available (heated beds, cat runs, etc) for
> the week we want to go off driving around the Loire
> valley in France. Very exciting. Which means we won't
> be able to make the 4th of July bbq Bob, sorry. We'll
> be ogling olde buildings and eating cheese and bread
> with the paysans.
> Has Keith gotten back from his hike yet? Anybody
> heard from him?
> Ok, off to pester them some more. They've coughed
> up one contact so far... Love, Sue

Okay - that's fine with me. I don't mind losing a day or two, we'll
just have to relax a little quicker is all. It's most important to
me that you'll be there. So we can share this magical time
together...

HAHAHA!

No really. It's fine. Looking forward to it.

Go ahead with everything & let me know what I owe. I am going to San
Pedro de Atacama in Chile tonight and will spend the next 8 days or
so honing my already masterful sandboarding skills. I will tear
Blackpool asunder with my fearsome moves. The Eiffel stuff was less
exciting than I thought. Nice, but nothing like the Eiffel Lift in
Portugal or the Tower. I guess he had to get started with something.

I'm not sure if you can buy them with a US card. It all depends on
the provider of the tickets, doesn't it? My thought is that it's
better to pay with the UK card - this is likely a UK based company,
or maybe Canadian.

My current plans & flights are as follows:

I am in Pan Pedro for the next week or so, chilling in the desert.
On the 12th, I go to Iquique, get my flight from Iquique to Santiago
the next morning, then spend a day or so in Santiago before flying to
Mexico City. I'll be in Mex City from the Tuesday and then meet you
on Thurs. After doing some reading, Mex City seemed worth at least a
few days of checking out.

So with the flights listed below, I'll be back on the 25th or so.
That's all just fine with me. Looking forward to this... And
thanks, if I haven't said so.

Already, just 23 kms south of the border, life is already more
tranquil in CHile. I have already gotten stuck waiting at a corner
for a car to pass. And waiting, and then waiting a few more seconds
before realizing that they were trying to let me pass and were
waiting patiently for me to do so, although maybe a bit less so with
each passing second. You have to time your crossings well in Bolivia
and Peru. No one stops. It's ugly.

Talk to you soon. Let me know if I can do anything.

K
----- Original Message -----
From: "Purdom, Stephen"

Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 12:48:47 -0500
To: "'Keith Christiansen'"

Subject: F'ing Fares...

> I know, it's tough at the top, isn't it? And that jibe from a
man who's been on holiday since early November!! huh!! :)
>
> Wow, the eiffel stuff sounds wicked. look forward to seeing the
phones. Sandboarding sounds fun. youcan do that in Blackpool too, by
the way, should you ever be passing through. You'd probably be the
town champ, byt he sounds of it. Maybe a new career beckons?
>
> Bad news re flights in that Sat or Sunday return would involve a
$363 increase in my fare (no seats available). The Friday 25 April
return below means that I dont pay any extra:
>
> Flights:
> Thu 17 April
> Out from NYC at 5.05pm, arriving in Mex City at 9.20pm
> Fl. 1970
>
> Fri 25 April
> Return from Mex City at 9am, arriving NYC at 2.48pm in Newark
> Fl. 1971
>
> We therefore need to fly out to Havana on the Friday 18 April,
back on the Thursday 24th, so we get 6 days in Mexico.
>
> The lfihgts i found on findcheaper flights were:
> Fri 18 Apr
> Dep Mex City at 10.25 am
> Arr Havan at 2pm
> Thu 24 Apr
> Dep Havana 3.10pm
> Arr Mex City 5.05pm
>
> This is same fee $1025 plus $20 processing fee.
>
> I am assuming i can't buy the tickets being here in the US - or
should I buy them with my UK credit card?
>
> If I dont hear back from you i will book the Friday return later
to day with Continental and we'll take our chances with the Havana
flight.
>
> let me know ASAP
>
> thx
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Keith Christiansen [mailto:adrifter@mindless.com]

> Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2003 12:14 PM
> To: Purdom, Stephen
> Subject: RE: Hmmm.. Nasca, eh?
>
>
> Great, thanks!
>
> Sorry to hear that you're going as long as a month between
vacations now, that must be an incredible strain. :)
>
> Looks like I am leaving Peru tonight, or maybe tomorrow. I have
a bus to Tacna, near the border and then down to Arica and some other
spots in the desert. Amazingly, Eiffel (the Tower guy) designed a
bunch of churches and public buildings in these places and I want to
check them out. SHould be interesting, but I think I'll do that and
have lunch in Tacna before moving on. Just doesn't seem to have that
much going for it.
>
> From there, it's Arica, then Iquique and then San Pedro de
Atacama for a little desert time and to try my hand at sandboarding
some more, which I am getting pretty damned good at.
>
> Went on a short flight this morning (I have been travelling with
this funny Dutch guy for a few weeks - not typical Dutch, fun.) to
see the Nasca Lines and they were really pretty incredible. Really
hard to imagine why a people that lived almost 1000 years ago, well
before flight, made these massive symbols in the earth. But they did
and there they are. Lots of interesting theories, from worship of
their gods to aliens coming to earth, etc. I took lots of pictures.
We had good light for it today.
>
> Looking forward to relaxing in Chile. I have really had to be on
my guard here. Just against theft and constantly having to haggle
over things and hassle people to keep their word about tours or
deals, or prices paid, etc. Gets to be really tiring. And the
Peruvians also like to blast radios, TVs, whatever at deafening
levels. That gets very tiring. Combine that with what seems to be
hospitality of havin a TV or radio on in every restaurant, it is
impossible to eat in peace. It almost forces you into the Gringo
places... I am currently being deafened in an internet cafe just off
the Plaza de Armas of Nasca.
>
> Hope everyone is well. Talk to you soon. Any luck changing the
tix?
>
> Keith
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Purdom, Stephen"

> Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 01:26:56 +0100
> To: "'adrifter@mindless.com'"


> Subject: RE: Hmmm.. Cuba, eh?
>
> > Ha ha ha!!
> > :)
> > Sure re the book, I'll bring it along.
> >
> > As for my mum, yes I guess I do spoil her, but then she's
had a pretty rough deal from all the other blokes in her life and it
was 6 weeks since my last holiday and 3 weeks before my next one so I
did actually want to go myself too.
> >
> > Catch u later

It can't be called that. And, unless the change the name, I really
think Zagat's would would be a bad idea if they're not ready. Good
guide, but there's other ways to spread publicity that could be more
immediate. Zagat's wouldn't publish it until next year and just
about any restaurant can easily be out of business in 3 months
without enough business. No sense rushing - better to go to a lesser
guide because it's better to be undiscovered than have a bad rating.
Just my opinion, of course. The owner of the place I managed always
insisted on going to "the best of the best," but his staff
couldn't support those standards and they slammed us. I thought it
would be much better to just go to the good ones and get some
positive press.

I've met more restaurant owners without experience or experience in
totally unrelated fields and it always amazed me that everyone thinks
they can do it. No one would walk into a dentist's office or a
lawyer's office and just say hey, these guys are making money here!
We should open one of these! without experience, but everyone does
that with restaurants. Funny.

The restaurant gig would fill the immediate gap, so at least I've got
a little positive $ inflow. Plus, it could make for cheaper
socializing, which is always a massive cost in NYC. I also think I'd
get a kick out of it. Even if I egt an office gig again, I could
always cook on the weekends or some nights. We'll see.

I am sure that Polish will take you far in Cuba. Oh boy, am I
looking forward to this.

Careful abouth the shoulder, good luck with the deal and don't worry
to much about the Spanish (I don't think you are). I can give you a
crash course in gringo spanish in about the time it takes to drink a
beer. I've been giving plenty of lessons like that. This way,
you'll have some basics and won't go walking into minefields if there
are any available.

Cuidado! Hay minas! - means Careful! There are landmines!

Consider that Lesson One and feel free to just drop it into
conversations as you see fit. The ladies love it.

K


----- Original Message -----
From: "Purdom, Stephen"

Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 18:07:37 +0100
To: "'Keith Christiansen'"

Subject: RE: jazz, subways, stuff I wouldn't eat

> its called "Live jazz brunch". they have menus, its
just that they're not that good. Well, the omlettes are quite good,
but its prety restricted.
>
> My only worry would be clash of personalities wtih the existing
chef/Bonnie as i'm sure you'll have your own ideas and they would be
good, just that she's not necessarily that experienced in the
industry. But its worth a try, and she was WELL impressed with the
food you did for the party and wanted you to get in touch ASAP when
you were back. I am sure you can work something out whereby you have
some freedom to try some stuff and see if it has an effect. They
might even consider a re-launch and get Zagat in there to rate them.
It kinda fills that immediate gap, and its hardly a long commute from
mine...
>
> Spanish. Oh, yeah. damn. Meant to ask Claire for the book y'day.
I'll be lucky if i can say please and thank you, sorry, but otherwise
i'd lose my Polish and i need that more, with 3 Polish god-children
to look after. They'd get kinda confused if I started speaking
Spanish to them all of a sudden. I'll have a phrase book though and
if you're not around and the dude doesnt speak English, I'll just go
without. Or speak LOUDLY and SLOWLY and maybe they'll understand me.
Or maybe some of the older people speak Russian? Didnt Kruschev send
a consignment of pigs over here in the '60's? That solves at least
one problem - everyone will know what "pig" is (swinie,
pronounced "sh-vin-e-yeah"). So i wont starve if i need a
pork chop.
>
> I also bought vanity fair, cos it has a picture of Hugh Grant on
it and business week with a list of the largest 500 US companies.
Each of their market cap likely to be larger than Cuba's GDP, but
then you thought they'd like that stuff, right?. I will try and bring
the Economist and Time magazine, which apparently will have a big
picture of Saddam and a red "X" on his face, reprising
their May 1945 cover with Hitler on instead. I am sure they'll like
that too, right?
>
> Your description of the subway makes me understand fully why I
also takes cabs. Though i have been on the PATH twice in one week,
which must be some sort of record. I'll have a Jersey accent soon, so
watch out. It is funny though isnt it, how small the mexicans are,
but as a newly found giant, i guess you're used to it by now? The
zocolo is pretty cool, i liked it, especially with all those green
beatles going around it. the Holiday inn restaurant has a nice view
of it, you can just grab a coffee or a beer there if you wnat, nice
place to wathc the world go by from.
>
> We might actually havea deal today, so i'm going to go sign off,
i might be busy over the next few hours
>
> laters
> Steve
> PS I've crocked my shoudler, no idea what i've done. trying to
find a doctor to go to tomorrow at some point, need to get a
referral. doubt i get it fixed before i come on holidays so expect
lots of ibuprofen and whingeing. wlel, i'll be in pain, that;s for
sure. the only thing that seems to make it sligthly better is a
massage, even sleep sdoesnt work and it usually wakes me up. ho um,
such is life...
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Keith Christiansen [mailto:adrifter@mindless.com]

> Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 12:33 PM
> To: Purdom, Stephen
> Subject: Re: jazz, subways, stuff I wouldn't eat
>
>
> Good. SOmething feels very right about this right now and I
have collected a heap of good recipes. Have they even made real
menus yet? Have you eaten there? I was never too impressed with
their food - I can do much better, I think (humbly). And what the
hell are they calling the place now?
>
> Mexico City seems really, really cool. Just a bit of walking
around, but nice enough.
>
> I got in first thing this morning adn to a massive, if very
welcoming, complex of a hosetl called the Hostel Catedral. It's
cheap for here - US$10 a night - but I guess I have to get used to
spending real money again instead of the US$4 a nigth I was spending.
It's a beautiful day and I've already been wandering around the main
plaza & will do a little tourism later. Should be fun.
>
> Wierd to be around familiar food again, tho'. Coronas, Modelo
Negras for beer, huevos rancheros for breakfast, other mexican stuff.
I mean, it's mexico - all the food is mexican here!
>
> I got a taste of the Mex City rush hour first thign this morning
and jammed into the subway coming out from the airport. People just
rush the entrance - there's no civility like in NYC. You barge in
and take a spot. I haven't sen that much mad scrambling for seats
since I taught kindergarten. Being a tall gringo with another 35
kilos of stuff on my back, I just smashed in and let everyone suffer
with my presence. One older woman kept begging me to move, but no
one could.
>
> Joven, por favor... with pleading eyes, but there was nothing I
could do. I was jammed up against the wall myself. When I bashed my
way out, the only reason people didn't fall down is because they were
packed against each other.
>
> I've had a few mornings like that on the NYC subway and eveen
the Underground, but I think it's like this every day. Yuck. I was
glad to get to where I needed to after 3 changes, wrestling my way
into the cars every time. The Zocolo (main plaza) was wide open and
unpopulated in the early morning. I got settled and started to take
care of my things.
>
> I had a long, slow conversation with an older man about thigns
to do in the city, thing he likes, places he's been, etc. It was
nice taht in such a mad, huge city (20 million, count 'em - 20
million people), this guy wanted to just BS for a bit. Nice.
>
> I'll see what I can do about grabbing some more good recipes
while I'm here. In Chile and Argentina, I got very good at talking
myself into kitchens to see how things were done. They were less
welcoming in Peru and I really don't think I know anyone that wants
to be subjected to some of the food I ate in Bolivia.
>
> And yeah, I did want the 3rd book - thanks, man!
>
> How's your Spanish coming?
>
> Keith

Hey Ann -

Not sure that I can say so much has changed, other than that my Spanish is pretty fluent and I now have a goatee. I think it actually looks pretty good, but then again, don't they always?

The trip has ben fantastic and yes, I am sure that it has changed me in some ways that I'm not aware of. Most of all, I think I want to do more trips like this and I realize that I have so much more of the world that I want to see. I know that I hate office jobs, typically, but am more than happy to do one if it lets me do the things I want. I hope that I'll continue to put my efforts to travelling.

I broke up with Carmen and that definitely got me into a lot of the things that I wanted and didn't want from a relationship. Hell, maybe I've become braver somehow. Not too ready to assume that much, tho'. I think I've also raelized how goddamned lucky we are as americas or westerners in general. Man, people work so goddamned hard down here and so often for just about nothing. The guys that hauled our stuff all over the Inca Trail for 4 days hiked 60 Km up and down landscapes that just about killed me, all for about US$10 for 4 days work. I paid $160 to take the hike. These guys worked 12-14 hours, most days, assembling tents, setting up camp, whatever.

Forget the mines I vivited in Bolivia. I just can't believe human being are subjected to that kind of work still. They typically earned 25 Bolivianos a day, or about $3. Less, actually.

So maybe I am more open minded about work and less worried with whatever status that it may infer. I want to write more. I think I've got a lot to offer there.

Sounds like you're in for quite an adventure yourselves. I head NC is nice, but it's got to be a big change. Where is Heather coming back to? NYC?

And yeah, I was supposed to be moving to Oz with Carmen, but that depended on the trip down here. I guess we all know now.

I hope this trip leaves me happy and content, too. But I also hope it leaves me wanting more. It is trying down here many times, but it is also so incredible.

Good to hear from you. Hope all is well & give my best to Rich.

Keith
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrea Kay"
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 14:01:12 -0500
To: adrifter@mindless.com
Subject: Re: hi








Hey Keith,






Checked out your website. It's very cool. It's good that you are keeping track of your adventures, and in such a way that others can following along, makes it that much cooler. Things here are going well. Just working and whatnot. We are still adjusting to life in NC. The hardest thing is being removed from family and friends. I am sure that will change as we meet more people.

I was sorry to hear about you and your girlfriend. Are you still talking? I didn't know you even had plans to move to Australia. Are you excited to head back to NYC? You remember Heather, right? She and her boyfriend are moving back from Madrid at the end of this week. They lived there for about 8 months. I don't have all the details of exactly why they are moving back, but I do know that she is happy to be doing so.

What big things have changed with you on your travels? I know you said that you have a lot to think about. I can't imagine a trip like yours not inspiring change in a person. I hope you figure everything out in such a way that leaves you incredibly happy and content.

I hope to hear from you soon.

:) Andrea

Ah man, I have been wanting to go to the Florida Keys for years...
One day.

And yes, it makes a lot more sense to make a real go of Cuba than to
run in & out in 4 days. I think we'd need just that much time to
really chill out. We're looking at about $483 for a ticket if we
leave on Sunday and about US$454 if we leave on Saturday. Either
way, it sounds a lot better stretched over 7-8 days. I leave the day
of the week up to you, but think the Saturday departure might be good
for you to be able to chill out & get yourself ready for the working
week come Monday.

But if that's the case, let's try and stay in some houses rather than
hotels, which I hear can be pricey. It also lets us get out of
Havana and check out some other beautiful places. Man, there are a
lot of stories about Cuba lately. Lots of basic rigths violations.
Of course, there they don't have these rights, but hey.

In Ica, Peru right now. Not much going on, but a small & cool desert
oasis outside of town with some pretty women and sandboarding, which
I have never really even thought about doing. Probably chill here
tomorrow and then to Nasca to take a flight to check out the Lines.
Pretty cool stuff.

Hope you have a great time in the Keys. Get me a key chain or
something. Maybe a bumper sticker.

Again, it makes sense stretching out Cuba - I agree.

Have a great time again.

Keith

PS This is the site I saw my rate on:

http://airtravelcenter.com/flyeurope.html

Okay fine - good point. I guess we can go and get drunk in Mexico City if you really want... As long as we don't get mugged. I hate that. Sounds like it's all a go. ç
GOGOGO USA USA USA! Sorry. I get like that sometimes. You know what a rabid patriot I can be...
I have to say I am so much more relaxed now that I am in Chile. Things have gotten so much better the moment I left Peru. I kept thinking last night - F*ck this place. F*ck this country. F*ck these people. F*ck the guy next to me that I have to CLIMB OVER to get to the bathroom on the Bus from Hell that must have a drunk driver because the roads just aren't that curvy and the overnights must get a little dull for the man. I sympathize, surely. But F*CK GETTING WOKEN UP AT 7AM AND BEING FORCED TO LISTEN TO 102 DALMATIONS (the sequel) BLARING IN SPANISH OUT OF THE SPEAKER RIGHT OVER MY HEAD, which must have been the only one working or something and so they wanetd everyone to be able to hear it. As if the crap Disney's been doing for the past 20 years wasn't bad enough, it's got to be dubbed into Spanish. And worse, I understand it now. I was really ready to leave Peru. Nice as it was. And I really do think I'll go back one day. Just not on this trip, thanks.
K
----- Original Message -----
From: "Purdom, Stephen"
Subject: RE: Frida, marriots, mexicans I've seen Frida, and i agree it was excellent, shoulda picked up many more oscars than it did!! agree re mex city, the centre is quite nice, will e-mail any suggestions he has. our flight isnt THAT early in the morning. i mean, come one. The marriot bar is hardly a buzzing place, man. And i wont have seen you for 5 months, so a littel hangover wouldnt be that out of order. or at least a venture into the mexican centre for a shuftie around?
OK, you have me convinced on the tickets thing. i will change everything and book the tickets. will keep you posted...
-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Christiansen
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2003 3:45 PM
To: Purdom, Stephen
Subject: Frida, marriots, mexicans
Yeah - same room. You wouldn't believe some of the people I have shared space with in the past few months. At least yours is a familiar stench, er, face. And I'm not really that concerned with what the Mexican guy at the Marriot thinks. Like the title for the book, but not so sure the war will be over by then. We'd have to have 6 very interesting days to fill a book, but we could do just that. I'll only have a few days in Mex City, unless I get sick of staying here and want to move on earlier, but I think it will be enough. I think I am much more likely to return to Mexico than Chile right now. Although I do like it. Time may prove me wrong. If your friend has any suggestions or wants to meet up, lemme know. I wanna go see Frida's house and a few other things around the city. See "Frida," BTW. It was excellent. I think I'll have enough time for a taste of the city, but just that. But if we're out early the next morning, it might be best to keep it quiet at the hotel bar or something. The ticket thing doesn't sound too suspicious. The letter of the law is that American companies can't sell the tickets and you can't use a US-based credit card in Cuba. Buying the ticket from another country with a US-based card seems just fine to me. Oh my Lord, I think we've got a plan here... K ----- Original Message ----- From: "Purdom, Stephen"
Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 15:28:59 -0500
To: "'Keith Christiansen'"
Subject: RE: F'ing Fares...
The travel copany just came back and said i CAN use a US credit card. That sounds dodgy. very dodgy if you ask me. I would prefer to use the UK one. I've now asked them about that. In the meantime i'll change the NY-Mex flight, as i think we'll get there somehow, even if it means buying them physically in Mexico if we're desperate. Which we usually are, when you think about it.
I'm not sure if we need paper tickets or if mexicana uses e-tickets. i've asked the dudes that too. this travel business just isnt normally as complicated for us Brits - we rarely - if ever - black list anyone, usually because we pretty much ruled the world and feel guilty about our former colonies, rather than that of a spurned lover, like th US feels about Cuba. Or at least that's my theory. We coudl even do some research for our forthcoming book in Cuba: "Imperialist perceptions in a Post Imperial Age - a Limey and a Yank in Cuba, post the Iraqi conflict". How does that sound for a title.
Your plan sounds good - its weird, in 2 weeks time i'll be dashing to the airport to meet you. how touching. Mex City is worth checking out, there are some silver factories that are a lot cheaper than the centre that i know about if you feel in the mood to get someone something. Then again, maybe not. And ciggies are cheaper too. like damn cheap. which is always a good thing, at least in my book. We should go out and check out the nightlife and I'll ask my Mexican friend Luis for some tips. he's the only other 9semi) socialist banker I know. his family home is roudn the corner from Frida's house. I'd love to see that actually, though we wont get time I suspect.
I should perhaps book a room at the Marriot as well at the airport (late flight in, early flight out, right?). do you want your own room or do you want to share? It's cheaper to share, though we may get some odd looks. And that guy in key west might get the wrong idea. let me know. let me know and i'll see what i can do re the tickets.
-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Christiansen
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2003 2:54 PM
To: Purdom, Stephen
Subject: Re: F'ing Fares...
Okay - that's fine with me. I don't mind losing a day or two, we'll just have to relax a little quicker is all. It's most important to me that you'll be there. So we can share this magical time together
HAHAHA!
No really. It's fine. Looking forward to it.
Go ahead with everything & let me know what I owe. I am going to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile tonight and will spend the next 8 days or so honing my already masterful sandboarding skills. I will tear Blackpool asunder with my fearsome moves. The Eiffel stuff was less exciting than I thought. Nice, but nothing like the Eiffel Lift in Portugal or the Tower. I guess he had to get started with something.
I'm not sure if you can buy them with a US card. It all depends on the provider of the tickets, doesn't it? My thought is that it's better to pay with the UK card - this is likely a UK based company, or maybe Canadian.
My current plans & flights are as follows:
I am in Pan Pedro for the next week or so, chilling in the desert. On the 12th, I go to Iquique, get my flight from Iquique to Santiago the next morning, then spend a day or so in Santiago before flying to Mexico City. I'll be in Mex City from the Tuesday and then meet you on Thurs. After doing some reading, Mex City seemed worth at least a few days of checking out.
So with the flights listed below, I'll be back on the 25th or so. That's all just fine with me. Looking forward to this... And thanks, if I haven't said so.
Already, just 23 kms south of the border, life is already more tranquil in CHile. I have already gotten stuck waiting at a corner for a car to pass. And waiting, and then waiting a few more seconds before realizing that they were trying to let me pass and were waiting patiently for me to do so, although maybe a bit less so with each passing second. You have to time your crossings well in Bolivia and Peru. No one stops. It's ugly.
Talk to you soon. Let me know if I can do anything.
K
----- Original Message -----
From: "Purdom, Stephen" Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 12:48:47 -0500
To: "'Keith Christiansen'"
Subject: F'ing Fares...
I know, it's tough at the top, isn't it? And that jibe from a man who's been on holiday since early November!! huh!! :)
Wow, the eiffel stuff sounds wicked. look forward to seeing the phones. Sandboarding sounds fun. youcan do that in Blackpool too, by the way, should you ever be passing through. You'd probably be the town champ, byt he sounds of it. Maybe a new career beckons?
Bad news re flights in that Sat or Sunday return would involve a $363 increase in my fare (no seats available).
The Friday 25 April return below means that I dont pay any extra:
Flights: Thu 17 April Out from NYC at 5.05pm, arriving in Mex City at 9.20pm Fl. 1970 Fri 25 April Return from Mex City at 9am, arriving NYC at 2.48pm in Newark Fl. 1971
We therefore need to fly out to Havana on the Friday 18 April, back on the Thursday 24th, so we get 6 days in Mexico.
The lfihgts i found on findcheaper flights were: Fri 18 Apr Dep Mex City at 10.25 am Arr Havan at 2pm Thu 24 Apr Dep Havana 3.10pm Arr Mex City 5.05pm This is same fee $1025 plus $20 processing fee.
I am assuming i can't buy the tickets being here in the US - or should I buy them with my UK credit card?
If I dont hear back from you i will book the Friday return later to day with Continental and we'll take our chances with the Havana flight.
let me know ASAP
thx
-----Original Message----- From: Keith Christiansen
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2003 12:14 PM
To: Purdom, Stephen
Subject: RE: Hmmm.. Nasca, eh?
Great, thanks!
Sorry to hear that you're going as long as a month between vacations now, that must be an incredible strain. :)
Looks like I am leaving Peru tonight, or maybe tomorrow. I have a bus to Tacna, near the border and then down to Arica and some other spots in the desert. Amazingly, Eiffel (the Tower guy) designed a bunch of churches and public buildings in these places and I want to check them out. SHould be interesting, but I think I'll do that and have lunch in Tacna before moving on. Just doesn't seem to have that much going for it.
From there, it's Arica, then Iquique and then San Pedro de Atacama for a little desert time and to try my hand at sandboarding some more, which I am getting pretty damned good at. Went on a short flight this morning (I have been travelling with this funny Dutch guy for a few weeks - not typical Dutch, fun.) to see the Nasca Lines and they were really pretty incredible. Really hard to imagine why a people that lived almost 1000 years ago, well before flight, made these massive symbols in the earth. But they did and there they are. Lots of interesting theories, from worship of their gods to aliens coming to earth, etc. I took lots of pictures. We had good light for it today.
Looking forward to relaxing in Chile. I have really had to be on my guard here. Just against theft and constantly having to haggle over things and hassle people to keep their word about tours or deals, or prices paid, etc. Gets to be really tiring. And the Peruvians also like to blast radios, TVs, whatever at deafening levels. That gets very tiring. Combine that with what seems to be hospitality of havin a TV or radio on in every restaurant, it is impossible to eat in peace. It almost forces you into the Gringo places... I am currently being deafened in an internet cafe just off the Plaza de Armas of Nasca.
Hope everyone is well. Talk to you soon. Any luck changing the tix?
Keith
----- Original Message -----
From: "Purdom, Stephen"
Subject: RE: Hmmm.. Cuba, eh?
Ha ha ha!! :)
Sure re the book, I'll bring it along.
As for my mum, yes I guess I do spoil her, but then she's had a pretty rough deal from all the other blokes in her life and it was 6 weeks since my last holiday and 3 weeks before my next one so I did actually want to go myself too.

Dear Friends,

After my pampa trip I had to spend another day in Rurrenabarqque as
there weren’t any flights out. I wanted to use the chance to do some
riding, but that is not one of the standard options the agencies
offer. Ronaldo, the boss of the agency I did my tour with, promised
me to organize a horse but it got later and later and whenever I
asked the told me to wait a little more. Finally at four he told me
that he had been two hours on his motorbike, trying to find his horse
that had run away. You may have noticed that I used the time to write
you another report that got quite long according to the otherwise
useless time I had.

Also the next day I had do practice patience, a subject I learned to
be a master in. We were told to be in the office of the flight
company by nine and then the told us hour by hour that we should come
a bit later as the flight was delayed due to bad weather. It got half
past one till we left for the airport. The used the same method for
their prices: First I paid my ticket, then they told me, that I had
to pay for every kilo of luggage exceeding 15 kilos, then there is an
extra charge for the transfer to the airport and finally an airport
tax AND a tourism tax. All in all none of these was expansive but
after spending some days in a town without any banks or ATMs we were
all quite broke.

The plane had only twelve seats and I were sitting directly behind
the pilots, saw the pointers circling on the altimeter. It isn’t a
long distance but some 4000m off altitude difference and the poor
plane had to circle its way up for almost all of the trip. For a few
minutes we even were at some 19’000 feet or 5800m, of course without
a decent pressure cabin. Who wanted could use one of the oxygen masks
but real men have to face the risk of head aches, dizziness,
tiredness and death by altitude sickness.

The arrival over La Paz is spectacular, the city fills the
surrounding valleys and mountains, a fantastic panorama. I like this
city, it is huge but relatively clean, the classical architecture is
nicely broken by some modern skyscrapers and I immediately felt home
and safe (what definitely is not true after sunset). In the middle of
the city is a viewpoint where you can take wonderful pictures.

In the evening I met with Carmen whom I had met on the Uyuni trip. We
almost had also met Keith, but using the internet this is not as easy
as with the omnipresence of mobile phones. For dinner we afforded a
real nice sushi that was quite expensive considering local prices but
incredible cheap considering European prices for the same quality.

But there were new adventures to face: We wanted to visit San Pedro
prison, the main prison of La Paz and Bolivia. We knew that the
prison consists of one whole block of 100 by 100 meters and that
there were two parts, the normal one, were the situations are at
least as bad as you imagine them and one part where you can go if you
got the necessary money. The latter is possible to visit. We had some
controversial information how to enter the prison from some guide
books and Chris (also from the Uyuni trip) who had been there a week
ago. We walked to the prison and so some people waiting to be let in.
Through the gate we could se a crowded court yard. That didn’t look
too nice, but didn’t they say it wouldn’t be a problem?

Carmen had read that it was only possible to enter if you know the
name of one of the inmates but a first trial using a name she
remembered was blocked of by the guards, there weren’t neither any
tours nor a person called John. We reread Chris’ report and found the
name Richard but that didn’t help a lot, either. Bribe them, maybe? I
tried showing my passport including some money bills but nothing. But
the man sending us away had none or only one strip on his shoulders
and there were a two star and a three star officer … finally the two
star person led us around the corner … we had been trying the wrong
entrance the one for the bad / poor prisoners. If you should want to
do the tour don’t go to the eastern entrance facing the park but the
northern one just around the left corner.

Here they knew Richard, yes, we were some friends of his. Richard is
a thin black Caribbean with dread locks. If there is anybody matching
a drug dealer cliché than it is him (though he just looks like a guy
selling you some weed, compare my 2002 Belize reports). He had tried
to step up in the traffic carrier, went to Bolivia, spent there ten
days and then tried to fly home carrying some strange white powder.
Nobody believed him as he said that he had no idea what this powder
was and how it got into his luggage. The ten days soon turned into
years … Richard confirmed that we were friends of his, explained that
we had to pay some eight dollars each, including a fee for the guards
and then guided us through the nice section of San Pedro where only
some 50 prisoners live while in the main section there are more than
1000.

In the main section there aren’t any laws but the one of force, might
and violence, the police enters the prison only in groups of ten or
twenty, normally they don’t enter at all, leave the prisoners to
themselves. Whoever has the possibility pays some 250 to 350 dollars
and moves to the “luxury section”. The money is paid partly to the
self organisation of this prison part and used to maintain the site
and partly to the guards, but only the important ones (stars on the
shoulder?) who get paid for quite a lot, even their daily food is
paid. Then you have to buy a cell, a nice room about 14sqm with own
kitchen and a little but nice bathroom is available for some 4000 USD
(can be sold to others again after you’ve done your time), a good
investment if you have to spend there some years. If you can’t afford
to buy one there are also some to rent. The best cell in the prison
had three stories and was owned by a former bank manager who had
stolen some 10 million dollars from the company. Chris wrote that he
even had a Jacuzzi and his private chef. There are all kinds of
delinquents: many drug dealers but there are also murderers.

Life isn’t bad in there, you can receive visitors 24/7 and some of
the prisoners even have there family living with them which is
possible for an extra fee. There are computers, mobile phones (not
allowed but tolerated), two or three restaurants, a fitness studio
and a pool salon. Living here you have to be 100% self-reliant, but
it is not so expansive, if I understood right 100 bucks a month may
be enough though there is no upper limit. Everything needed is
strangely bought from the other side of the prison rather than from
the outside. In the other side literally everything seems to be
available. While we were waiting in front of the wrong gate we saw
some Japanese looking business man in best suits delivering a
computer with all the stuff you need. I don’t want to know what else
was in those boxes. Chris also wrote that one of the inmates had some
ten kilos of drugs in his cell but was never caught as the officials
always informed him before his cell was to be searched.

The prisoners in the nice section control the life in their part
themselves, turbulence, violence or theft will not be tolerated, you
can even get punished for making noise after half past twelve in the
night. If someone broke a less important rule than he may be punished
with some time in an isolation cell, but in the worst case the will
take you back to the main part of the prison and this is about the
worst thing that can happen to you. Therefore life in prison is
comfortable and secure. If you pay enough you might even get vacation
from the prison, but the price is that high, that you can expect,
that the prisoner will NOT come back after 15 days and hopefully
succeeded in leaving the country.

If you should want to visit this prison just try to smuggle some
drugs or ask Richard who will be there some more time. We definitely
can recommend him, he took more than an hour for us and our
questions, was friendly, funny and competent. If Richard shouldn’t be
there for what reason ever (it didn’t seem to be clear how much more
time he had to spent their) try asking for Anderson, a Swedish guy
who also has to spent some years in La Paz. When we were there his
Bolivian wife was there with their two month old baby. Anyway I had
the impression that all the wives and girlfriends are there all the
time. But even if you don’t know a name it shouldn’t be a problem,
said Richard, just go to the gate and they will help you. Though it
seems that not all of the officers appreciate the tourist tours as we
had to hide in the computation teacher’s cell for a few minutes
before we could leave as there was another officer at the gate who
Richard did not want to see us leaving. He even said that it wouldn’t
be a problem to take a little camera but we didn’t just to avoid
problems. By the way, you can visit the prison everyday, not only on
Thursdays and Sundays as some of the guide books say, though it might
be a bit easier and cheaper on those days.

Chris had another information for the totally crazy of you: If you
pay some 250 dollars, he said, it is possible to spent a night in the
bad part of the prison. The price includes personal security service,
a private cell and all the drugs you want.

What a tour! After a fantastic Lebanese lunch Carmen left the city
and I went to the coca museum. On the museum’s homepage http://www.cocamuseum.com/ you find some
information including a nice photo of El Tio and a mineworker on the
first page. Here a summary of the most interesting points:

History: The use of Coca leaves is very old, the Inkas did even
operate brain tumors using Coca for anesthesia. After the Europeans
came to the Americas the church did forbid the Coca, but when they
found out that the slaves working in the mines were much more
effective when chewing Coca they allowed it immediately again. A
single mine worker uses up to 380 grams of Coca each week.

Usage: Following my newest information it is necessary to use natrium
bicarbonat (bica) as the cocaine can only be extracted if your salvia
is alkaloid. So you put it in the mouth, chew a little bit to break
the cells, let it suck a bit and then add the bica, that’s it. But
don’t use only a few leaves, the people here always have a very thick
cheek that I thought he had a tumor when I saw the first one.
Alternatively they sold coca sweets in the museum that you also put
into your cheek. The taste is a little better but I didn’t feel a
lot. If I was informed correctly the drinking of coca tea has no
effect at all as it is missing the bica. But at least the leaves are
said to be very healthy, many vitamins and other stuff. With the new
information I am tempted to try it another time, but the taste is too
ugly and if you take a lot you get an awful halitosis.

Effects: Chewing coca is more or less the same as a very slow and
controlled consum of cocaine. Coca does not make you stronger but you
can work longer without getting exhausted. Working at their maximum
capacity the coca chewers did use significantly less oxygen as non
chewers. Using coca the body tends to use the fat reserves of the
body, the glucose level in the blood is much more stable. So if you
want to loose some kilos or suffer from diabetes then get some coca …

Cocaine production: It needs some 320 kg of coca leaves to produce
one kilo of coca paste. The past is made by a poor worker who has to
trot for hours in a piscine where the leaves are mixed with kerosene
and acids. The paste is more or less the same as crack, it is
extremely toxic and addictive. Bolivia mainly exports the paste that
afterwards gets cleaned in some improvised laboratories in Europe,
the States or wherever, to finally get the cocaine. All this costs
approximately 3000 dollars for a kilo.

Usage: Besides the worldwide drug abuse (about 50% in the USA) it is
commonly used in medicine, for example there are some 146kg of legal
cocaine produced in Germany each year, 500kg in the States. They told
us that the anesthetics used by dentists are normally based on
cocaine or the synthetic and half as strong PROCAIN. And finally
there is Coca-Cola. Between 1894 and 1914 it contained cocaine, but
still today they use coca leaves for the taste.

But now for something completely different. On the witch craft market
they sell dried llama fetuses. I imagine what would happen if I
brought my mom one of these as a souvenir …

The next morning I wanted to leave for Copacabana and the Lago
Titicaca. As I couldn’t sleep very well due to the altitude I got up
quite early which is at least an advantage. In the lobby I met two
friends who were also going to Copacabana and were just waiting to be
picked up. I managed to get a ticket for the same bus and half an
hour later we were on the way.

In the bus I changed my mined and wanted to go to Puna in Peru first,
visiting Copacabana when coming back. But when we arrived in
Copacabana they told us that the road to Peru was blocked by
protesting campesinos (probably because of the plans to reduce coca
production). So I am here now and rented a little sail boat to spent
the afternoon. But after one hour in the self build boat I gave up
because it was impossible to cruise against the wind. For those of
you who don’t know sailing: that’s very important because otherwise
you will never be able to return to the place you started from.

Tomorrow I will visit Isla del Sol, the place were the Inkas believed
that the human race (or at least the Inkas) were created by god. I
probably will spent their a night and then I have to leave Bolivia as
my visa expires … I would have never thought to spent a whole month
in this country, incredibly.

All the best from Cocacabana, Bolivia

Volker

Hi Mrs.Guazzo!

Thatnks for the compliments. I think writing has always been theonly thing I've been honestlygood at. Every time I do something else for work, I feel like I am lying. With the possiblñe exception of cooking - I am good at that as well. Hopefully,I will make an honest living when I get back. We'll see.

Being sick did really take the wind out of my sails and I also broke up with Carmen, so morale has been a little low. According to the doctor I saw in Cochabamba, it was dysentery (sp?) - a very bad afternoon. My energy was tapped out for about 2 weeks in total. Very demoralizing.

But I am in La Paz now and I like it here, despite being locked out of my hostel at 2 am and having to spend 2 hours looking for another place to stay. If I am ever going to get mugged, I thought, itis here. I even got into a cab to find another place and got a very bad vibe as we headed towards some dark spots of the city, so I left it at a traffic light and had to walk back to the center. Uneventufully, thankfully.

But I was out late watching the La Paz Big Band at a Jazz club called Thelonius and they were amazing. I met some very beautiful Danish women there and it was a fine time. I'm meeting them to go to some of the markets ina few hours. Should be nice. La Paz, fromwhat I have seen, still doesn't seem to have psychically recovered fromthe violence a few weeks past. The cops were fighting the army due to a pay decrease for the cops. They then seized a building in the main plaza in protest and the government called int he army to settle it. 31 people were killed. This kind of thing was a first in Bolivian history.

But at least the hostel I am staying in is beautiful and feels very secure. A very nice old building in the heart of the city.

Travelling this long is tiring, but there are stillmany beautiful things that I want to do here, including several parts of Peru. I am leaving South America on April 17 and going to Mexico City and Cuba for a bit before returning home. I'm meeting a friendin Mexico City, so I hope that will recharge my batteries for the last bit.

And I have lots of photos. I'll be sure to come by when I return.

Hope all is well. Good to hear from you.

Love,

Keith

Hey there-

So I got into La Paz last night and, after searchign for it for an
hour or so with a cabbie, found the Hospedaje Milenio that had been
recommended to me bya few people. I got settled and then wentout to
a Jazz club called Thelonius to see the La Paz Big Band for a
Saturday night. I heard that they were incredible and they were. I
had a few JD & Cokes and listened to good jazz. It was a taste of
home. And the 2 Danish girls that I wound up hanging out with all
night helped things along.

You also needto know that Carmen and I broke up over a month ago and
have been travelling seperately since. Again, this isn't something I
feel like telling M&D until I get back. No sense worrying them
unneccesarily. I've been travelling with a lot of different folks
over the past month and have met some really interesting folks. It's
all for the best.

The illness that I had in Sucre was dyssentery, according to the
doctor I went to. I was in a bad way for about 2 weeks, but am just
fine now. Actually, I feel really excellent these days. He told me
it would not be a logn term problem at all. I'll talk to another
doctor when I get back. Man, does that shit knock you for a loop. I
couldn't move very much for 2 whole days. Again, I am much better
now.

So I left the club at about 2:30 andwent back to the Hostel - many
cabs wait outside the club, so no problems. I get to the hostel, the
cabbie leaves and they don't answer the door for over half an hour of
my hitting the buzzer, pounding on the door, etc. with increasing
anger. These were my first hours in the city and the map is kind of
all over the place - 16th century Spanish settlement - the streets
are a bit chaotic.

I start walking, trying to find a hotel open nearby. The best option
is one for US$50 a night. Considering that I am paying about US$4 a
night for really nice places, I decided to continue walking. I get a
little lost and a cab comes along. I hail the cab, ask for a place
very near the center and near this other hotel and off we go. Abotu
10 minutes later, I notice that we were going to some really shady
areas, so I jump out at a traffic light and ask the guy how much for
the ride, getting a really bad vibe of the situation all of a sudden.
Good thing I only had 2 drinks at the club. He tells me it's 10
Bolivianos, I say it's 7 to get anywhere in the city and then I give
him the coins. He comes out of the cab, follows me to the other
side, shoves me and tells me to give me all of my money.

Do you have a gun? I ask. He looks angry and a little confused, so
I bash him in the face as hard as I can and rush him into the middle
of the street and trip him up to drive him to the ground. I kick the
guy in the head, stomp on his ankle and run down the street back
where we came from. As I round the second or third corner, I run
into a bunch of military guys and ask them for directions to the
center. I walk it quickly, but am seeing more and more military guys
out on regular street patrols, so I relax a bit.

Then I suddenly notice that I have been lightly singing Iron Man for
the past 20 blocks or so.

It's about 3:30 by now and I find my way back to the main drag of the
city. Here I ask a cabbie (from outside the cab) for a good place to
stay. He says there's one right by and I go down the hill. I go to
the first one, they answer the door and I get shown a nice room. A
little haggling over the price and then I try and settle in without
all of my crap. It takes me hours to fall asleep and I wake up at
about 8am.

Over at Milenio,they were very apologetic as I explain everything
that has happened. What if this had been a woman? I ask, really
really pissed off. The just keep apologizing.

Tomorrow, I'll report the whole mess to the tourist office. It's
almost a waste of time going to the cops here.

And then I went to lunch with one of the Danish girls and am meeting
them both for dinner (they just arrived, actually). Strangely
enough, I am very relaxed today and really like La Paz. Funny, huh?

I am really okay, but a hell of a night.

Love you both and see you soon.

K

American women can be a real headache, especially if they're from New
Jersey or Long Island. And just forget Connecticut. Mark my words.
People's hyperconcern about what part of the tri-state you're from
isn't just petty provincialism, it's based on a weird and long string
of experience.

The Dane has classes all day - if she still calls me at the hostel
for a drink later on, that's going to say a lot. Let's hope 2 nights
is enough - she's brilliantly intelligent and pretty gorgeous. I
could do worse.

Jesus H. Christ, is Bolivia a frigging mess. I was planning a trek
and was told that they've had cannibalism issues in one area I was
considering strolling. Ah well - I do need to do some treks, tho'.
There's a much more interesting and difficult route to Macchu Picchu
that I want to take. It's 10 days trekking, but at least it's not a
shopping mall of other tourists going along. I am starting to want
to relaly get away from them. Patagonia and all of it's desolate
nothingness was really the thing for me.

I also got locked out of my hostel the other night and then got into
a fight with a cabbie (not over a cab, with a cabbie). I laid the
guy out - you would have been proud. It was all really strange - I
got in the cab at 3am after I had been locked out and asked him to
take me to a decent hostel in the area. I didn't check to see if it
was a regular company cab. next thing, I start getting a really bad
vibe as this guy starts taking me to some shady part of town, 20
blocks away from where I was and wanted to be. I got out at an
intersection, paid the guy, then he came out and asked me for the
rest of my money. I asked him if he had a gun and he looked
confused, so I hit the guy, rushed him and threw him down. A few
kicks and off I went.

I might have overreacted, but whatever. I actually found a very nice
place thanks to another cabbie that said I could just walk a block
and around a corner to one. Amazing.

Cigarettes are about 50 cents a pack in most places here, up to 75 if
you're getting ripped off. As such, I am smoking constantly and it's
not a good thing. Bloomie's got the right idea in some ways - they
do suck for you. He'll ban it in bars before his term's up. I'm
sure of it. Seems to be the only platform he's got, as far as I've
been able to tell.

Mama Cassie's might be a lot of fun and it will let me write. In all
seriousness, I want to start promoting my wriitng and getting some
things published. I already have a website that wants me to do a
piece on the Antarctica trip, but I have months for it (6) because
the season just passed.

Vy is great. Good for Shareef. And he is a good cook, I think - he
seems to care about food, which is 50% of it. I just wouldn't do too
many eggplant parms, they're such a pain in the ass to make at home.

Blair unfortunately alligned himself with America's worst president
since Polk or possibly Taft. At least Taft did nothing, though.
This one is playing too much on people's fears to support and agenda
that no one seems to be able to reason out.

Ah well.

K
----- Original Message -----
From: "Purdom, Stephen"

Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 09:59:18 -0500
To: "'Keith Christiansen'"

Subject: RE: danish

> You're too much...
>
> Women arent hard to read when then not AMERICAN... well, at
least that's my current view. And I could well be biased. Who'd have
thought that, huh?
>
> Dont be sorry about work, i was just whingeing cos it was sunday
and you were off cavorting with the Danes. hardly that bad, and at
least i do have a job. More rumours of cuts at CSFB by the way, who'd
have thought that, eh? knock me down with a feather...
>
> As for a job, I have already secured you one (running Mama
Cassies's!). It gets a rewf-it and a name change next week. It only
cost $50,000 for a 3 year crack at the biz. I'd be tmepted to put up
that sort of cash myself, that place should be a gold mine.
>
> Two nights in a row? Come on Keith, that ought to be enough for
you. you're hardly a shy retiring type when it comes to women
fancying you, surely? I mean... well, i'm sure it will work out for
the best. More than likely you'll show up in Cuba with her on your
arm and her friend left in bolivia. that would be SO funny - can you
imagine:
>
> S Hey Keith, great to see you.. oh, and who's this?
> K Hey buddy, yeah (kisses danish chick) this is Sylvia (snogs
her again)
> S So how's your trip been?
> K Erm, yeah, super... listen, do you mind if we take an early
night, its been a long trip...
>
> ha ha ha!!
>
> i will say hi to the gang, i'm sure they'll be glad to see you.
Shareef moved in with Vy this weekend; jeez, he made it sound like he
was getting married. i think he thinks he is, in a way, if you see
what i mean. he was partying big time beforehand and has already
invited me round for dinner. Sweet, as he's a decent cook (well, he
was under your guidance!).
>
> As for other things you can do, hmmm, not sure. I guess we're at
that big KC conundrum point again, aren't we? You know, the one which
loomed REAL large last autumn but you dodged (quite understandably,
dont get me wrong, this isnt criticism!!) by heading south to erm,
well, the Antarctic, to be precise. To photograph penguins. And walk
round sniffing live volcanos like it was the new cocaine. And eat
beer brewed in old women's mouths. Hmmm. That's ONE way to avoid
life's big decisions!!
>
> Sorry, the above was cos i couldnt resist it, sat chained to my
desk on a very corporate monday morning with war looming. I think you
should do something where you're your own boss. certainly for the
first few months - it will be too big a change to come back and just
join the corporate schema again after all that travel. That's my
serious advice rather than mild piss taking!!
>
> Oh, and your boy Bush (i know he's not your boy) is - according
to some reports - going to be responsible for bringing down the only
sensible prime minister we've had in 30+ years in the UK. I'm not a
huge fan of Blair, but he is REALLY a lot better than the others
we've had, and supposedly his support for the US without a possible
second UN resolution means his own party is about to turn on him,
supposedly. his choice, I know, but a bit of a blow to the UK. oh
well, i guess at least if we DO get rid of him, we'll be able to
count the votes properly...
>
> ok, gotta havea ciggie - oh, BTW, bloomberg putting ciggies up
to $10, which is the most preposterous thing i've heard. this city is
becoming ridculous to live in.
>
> laters
> S
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Keith Christiansen [mailto:adrifter@mindless.com]

> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2003 9:42 AM
> To: Purdom, Stephen
> Subject: danish
>
>
> We'll find out about the Danes. I'm supposed to be meeting one
of them for the next 2 nights in a row. Who knows, tho'? Women are
tough to read at times.
>
> Sorry about work, but it's always something, isn't it?
>
> Make sure to say hi to PB, Ryan and Shareef when you see them.
Looking forward to seeing those guys when I get back. And why
shouldn't her sister want to meet you? You're one charming bastard.
Otherwise, dating does suck. That's why so many people hate it. Not
looking forward to it myself, but it's not all so bad, either.
>
> Not sure the Danes'll come to Cuba, but I'll try.
>
> Starting to think more about work when I get back. Really think
I need a change of pace and I am not going to do what I used to - too
damned dull. Any thoughts? You've got a slow week.
>
> K
>