great e-mail

sorry to hear re tensions. but it does remind me of something my mum
told me a long, long time ago and i think it is one of the truest
things i've heard - you never, ever, know anyone properly until you
go on holiday with them. far be it for me to give you advice, and i
am sat so far away any advice has to be taken with a pinch of salt,
but, it seems to me that whatever trials and tribulations you are
both facing on trip suhc as this are completely understandable. you'd
have the same/similar problems with your sister/brother/best male
friend or whatever. You are, in effect, stress testing a relationship
since 24/7 away from home, without the little times to get rid of the
head of steam which builds in everyone (apart from the saints and
neither of us two are those, i am sure!). So, my gut reaction is that
you should take comfort from the fact that you've not torn each other
to shreds. Time apart is good since it either confirms the need to be
together again, or the fact that
you are enjoying life on your own. The key ability is to identify the
initial euphoria of "I'm on my own" and when you start
missing the other person. If either of you dont go thru the second
phase you should move on, simple as that.

God, what a sage!

Well, got my number today, pretty happy actually!!! Anyhow, it was
back to 1998 levels which is bad from the point of view that at that
stage i was in the indutry 3 years, now 've been here 7, but there
you go , we just went thru a bubble...

I like your stuff about the cities in teh morning, i always remember
how i slept on a fountain in Milan in 1994 and woke up to see the
sunrise - it was SO beautiful!!

Anyhow, off out to grab another beer or three today... got to
celebrate the bonus somehow!!

:)

take it easy, enjoy the peace from the woman, it doesnt happen
often!!!


-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Christiansen [mailto:adrifter@mindless.com]

Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2003 7:47 AM
To: Purdom, Stephen
Subject: stand up, you bastard


Hey Steve -

Maybe if I take the "long email you deserve" in a few
whacks, we'll get to it. I woke up at 5am this morning and went for
a walk around town to see the sun rise and take in some of the sights
that I still hadn't managed to see despite my being in this town for
7 days or so now.

Carmen and I have decided to travel seperately for a little while,
although how long that while is, I have no idea. It seems kind of
inevitable to me and I think tensions develop when you're around
someone all the time, but it seems to me that Carmen is really
"taking stock" of our relationship, so we'll see where it
all winds up. Maybe she needs a kinder, gentler person around and I
am generally a bastard, but it's not like I've been keeping it a
secret from anyone.

How all of this will pan out, I'm not entirely sure. We were in the
middle of discussing it last night when we ran into two Canadians
(those bastards) that she had met before and they decided to ply us
for information about Patagonia and our other travels. We really
have been a lot of places, you know... This stopped all of our
discussions while we went into niceties and polite conversation with
these two women. And while it was fun, I probably would have
politely dodged the conversation in the first place because we were
talking about something pretty serious, but this is Carmen's way and
it drives me fucking crazy. I realize this is important to you, but
these are two total strangers who have invited us to have a drink
with them, so let's drop this and not pick it up again.

So I went out for a walk at 5 this morningat and ambled past the Casa
Rosada where Evita used to do her spiels, past some other significant
statues and buildings of the Centro. It is an incredibly beautiful
capital, it really it. I got some good photos (I hope). I've
actually been taking some really good photos down here, I've been
happy to see. I've got a bit of a talent with a camera. Carmen gave
me a little instruction on the ins and outs of SLR cameras and off I
went. It was really good to see both our shots of Antarctica. I
have some good ones, Carmen has many amazing ones...

I love cities in the morning. I used to wander around London in the
wee hours when I was there. We'll more like the wee working hours, I
guess. As long as there's daylight. I love to see cities wake up
for the day - favorite time of day in NYC. You feel a bit less like
a tourist because people tend to treat you less like one. Why would
you be up at that hour if you were on vacation? The sunlight was
beautiful this morning.

I went around for a bit and found myself near the Casa Rosada right
about 7am, but didn't realize the time. There was a group of 7 or
so smartly dressed guys doing a straneg ritualized jackbooted step
accross the plaza and then one of them Starts to play a trumpet with
I don't really recognize. They start unfurling a massive Argentine
flag and running it up the pole. So I come closer and park myself on
a bench to take a better picture and this maintenance guy looks at
me, gets all pissed and says Stand UP, you stupid bastard tourist!
and I jump to my feet, suddenly realizing that in just about any
country in the world (including my own), you should stand as the
Color Guard unfurls the national flag and plays the National Anthem
in front of the Executive Office building. Only then do I notice
that everyone else in the plaza is standing and I start apologizing
and the guy tells me to shut up, but at least looks satisfied that I
am respecting his country's flag.

Sometimes, I am so incredibly unaware of my surroundings, it astounds
me.

It's funny, but in the capital much more than the countryside, you
get a real feel for Argentina's wounded pride. They've been through
a hell of a lot here and the banks and the government have really put
a hurt on the way that people live. I would like to understand more
about it, but you can sense it everywhere. Uruguay seems so much
more relaxed.

A lot of the banks in the downtown area have grafitti on them, but
none as much as the Bank Boston Corporation - there's grafitti all
over it calling them thieves, American bastards, etc. It is on every
surface within arms reach around the entire building. I just sat and
watched people go in and out of the office early in the morning. It
was interesting to see how their expressions changed as they either
saw someone watching them enter the building or simply saw the
grafitti as they went in. Funny. It could have just as well been
the CSFB building on Park Ave... Know anything of this?

Hmm... Some of this may just wind up on the site.

As for JAPs, they are something I usually quietly tolerate. God
knows why I have patience for them - it just makes me sad, if
anything. What a way to live your life. At least most of them are
lining themselves up for a life of frustrated domesticity. So let
them.

Of course, after a few drinks, I may express different opinions.

And that, I think, is the news with me for the moment.

Hope all is well. Talk to you soon.

Keith

--- Ross McDonald
wrote:
> From: "Ross McDonald"

> Subject: World's best e-mail message here!
> Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 13:16:50 -0600
>
> It's midday and -2C outside. The sun is shining, but not enough
to melt the
> snow that has been falling over the last few days. I must be in
the
> Northern Hemisphere.
>
> Chicago has been my home for the last 2 or more months, and I
like it.
> Built on the flat lands near Lake Michigan, it's a vibrant city
renowned for
> its architecture (the skyscraper was invented here), its
nightlife (think
> jazz and the blues) and the depth of its cultural activities
(sadly, I can't
> offer an example here except to say that the "culture"
section of the
> weekend newspaper is very fat). I've seen the Cubs play
baseball at Wrigley
> Field, the Bulls play basketball and the Blackhawks play ice
hockey at the
> United Centre, and the Northwestern Wildcats play college
football. Chicago
> is a great city, which is why it's a bit of a shame that I live
in Evanston,
> the leafy green university town on the lake 15 miles north of
Chicago. It's
> the home of prohibition and where Ferris Bueller grew up. Think
Dalkeith,
> think Turramurra, think Chiswick, and you've got it.
>
> Evanston is where I've been studying for the past quarter,
finishing the
> last term of my MBA. I've been on exchange at the Kellogg
School of
> Management, which has been ranked #1 by both Business Week and
The
> Economist. Personally I think it should have lost points for
having purple
> as its school colour. The school is one of the largest in the
US, which
> gives it great scope for offering electives and organising
extra-curricular
> activities with like-minded peers. Classes have been mostly
good and the
> workload is not too dissimilar to my school in Australia. The
classes
> themselves tend to be a little more formal than I'm used to and
the
> lecturers are not really used to being challenged, but that
could be the
> unreconstructed anti-authoritarian in me coming to the fore
(that, or the
> unreconstructed smart-arse).
>
> Living in the US is enjoyable, though not without its
confusions. I've lost
> count of the number of restaurants that are "world
famous" and/or "world's
> best" for burgers, hot dogs and ribs and it's still not
immediately obvious
> to me why the local drug store sells pepper spray on its shelves
(in two
> handy sizes -- do we want the economy or purse size pack?) but
deems it
> appropriate to keep condoms in a locked cabinet. Perhaps
because one of the
> condom brand names is "Natural Lamb"? The freezer
cabinet in the store has
> something called "real margarine" -- so what's the
other stuff? Fake
> margarine? Would that be butter? No wonder the average fast
food consumer
> in the US eats fast food 16.4 times per week (source: Wall
Street Journal,
> 26 Nov 02); it avoids the confusion of having to buy your own
ingredients.
>
> My accent doesn't trouble too many people, mostly because they
think I'm
> British. I've met several people who, upon learning my true
nationality,
> declare that Australia is their favourite place in the world,
and happily
> admit that they've never been there. There was one guy who
tried to
> convince me that Australia and Texas were just like each other,
even though
> he had not been to either place. It goes without saying that
they were both
> his favourite place. Using this rule makes my life much easier.
Just for
> the record, my favourite places are Lauterbrunnen, the Maaku
Picchu trail,
> and Elizabeth Hurley.
>
> True to exchange student form, travel has kept me from my books
on a few
> occasions. I spent a fantastic week in Ireland at Cam &
Alison's wedding,
> which was great craic. We drank Guinness, kicked the footy with
an ex-AFL
> player (Peter Wilson) who happened upon us as we were punishing
the pigskin,
> and drank coffee at a cafe called "Nude". All good.
>
> New York was a lot of fun, though pretty demanding. It's a
hustling,
> bustling, crazy town with great bars and expensive restaurants
and I felt
> out of place because I seemed to be the only person on the
streets not
> carrying a paper bag from a department store. Fortunately my
mates Paul and
> David showed me the ropes and prevented me from being
photographed with the
> Naked Cowboy busker in Times Square -- thanks fellas.
>
> Rachel hosted me in Toronto for a long weekend and a visit to
Niagara Falls.
> The immense quantities of water hurtling off the edge into the
abyss are
> mind-blowing, as is the Vegas-lite atmosphere of the surrounding
town,
> albeit for different reasons. Clearly it's me being obtuse
again, but I
> don't quite see the link between the Falls and a Hard Rock Cafe,
Planet
> Hollywood, Casino or Frankenstein's House of Horrors (the WWF
Smackdown Cafe
> and Dinosaur Mini Golf, however, have clear roles to fill).
>
> I've played host to several people here in Chicago, which has
been a great
> excuse to visit the bars that haven't been on the Kellogg pub
crawls and
> visit some of the museums and galleries that Chicago is
justifiably famous
> for. There won't be too much more of that; I have nine pieces
of work due
> over the next two weeks...
>
> There are probably bundles more to say, but I'll keep it until
we meet.
> From here I head to Whistler to ski for a week, and then meet my
family in
> Italy for Christmas and New Year. Then I plan to ski in Europe
for a while
> at an as yet unspecified locale, before time in London and
Singapore on my
> way back home to Australia in February. See you soon.
>
> I hope that you have great Thanksgivings, Christmases and New
Years -- take
> care of yourselves, your friends and your families.
>
> Have fun
> Ross

I've already secured multiple fridge magnets, but they didn't have them in Antarctica. Little need for refridgerators, you see. They just had some bad hats and patches where we went. No sale. No ebay angle and collecting them would kill your profit margin in anay case.

I do want the Bjork set if it works out for you.

As for Dicks, it's much easier to relist it and tell them that you are more that happy to have him bid. Don't confuse building up your ebay rating with making every buyer happy, it just doesn't matter. I've cancelled peoples bids because they got too aggressive with tyring to cut a side deal. Ebay will back you, but only one guy's taken it that far. I'd give the Spice Girls guy bad feedback and be done with it. He bid, he buys. Bid carefully. It's the law.

About 1 in 30 is a Dick, I have found. Best to just move on, unless you secretly like the drama that it adds to your life. Which you might - I did.

Peddling porn - they have a place for that. I know. There is a whole hidden world of Porn Ebay. No kidding. It's a whole other site & search engine. It's not that ebay doesn't want you to peddle porn, if they can make $$$ on it, they will gladly do so. They just don't want it on the main site. As long as it's not children or animals or lawnmowers or something, he should be able to sell it.

You don't have to act interested in the photos. No, you do. I spent a lot of time taking them and putting them into little flip books so you guys could follow the trip so coo at them like it was your friend's baby.

Yeah, Bob needs to get that settled. If you guys get over for Easter, I may be getting back to NY for the same time. Keep me posted. I haven't discussed this with my M&D yet because I don't want the few minutes that we get to talk per week to revolve around that.

Keith

Hey -

I do care about the cold in NYC, I really do... Well not really. I'm more worried abotu sunburn at the moment... What was the bet with John? I thought that was that I'd be back forever, not just for a little while. I think I'll probably stock up on the mighty USD and then head off again. I really think I will. And if you do the math, it's right about 6 months.

John's a man that knows a lot about people, but he misses a lot too. No idea what he expected me to do.

You're going to MEXICO with Claire? How the hell did that happen?

I think Ill be pretty dull for a while when I get back so I don't know if you'll miss me so much on my return.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Stay warm - I'm off to another beachside resort tomorrow. One that's less touristy. They just don't sleep here, you know. I'm surprised that half the Spanish speaking world isn't just dead from exhaustion between the parties and everything else. Might be worth looking into whether or not the overworked or overpartied cultures of the US/UK/Europe will have more or less problems than the overpartied people of the spanish speaking world. My bet is that we'll have more old Spanish speakers, myself. And yes, I'm sure there's more to this sociological equation, he says as he sits in an all-night internet cafe in a resort town that is as expensive here as it would be anywhere, with the same chain-smoking teenage girls combing the internet for companionship while Eminem blares in the background. What more damage could NAFTA do other than to make all the damage/changes blatant?

Somewhere, there are people not clamoring to be a part of the west or clamoring to not be a part of the west, somewhere, someone is unaffected.

K

Hey Carm

I'm off to Punta del Este in a few minutes. The digicam (like that?) is working but needs to be charged. I could also use a new battery, it seems. I'll charge it more later on. But at least I am getting out of Montevideo now - I felt like I was spending a lot of time waiting. But I met up with a guy that lived there for 2 months or so and had a little good info. Not the most talkative guy.

Meeting up with a Columbian guy whose father is an embassador there and a peruvian surf freak in punta del este. The peruvian guy (Jose Antonio) is pretty excited about the coast out there.

I feel like I've learned a lot of good stuff about Montevideo & Uruguay.

I hope you're feeling better. It's not bad, is it?

Let me know...

Love,

K

Hey John -

So I'm in Uruguay right now. I should really write more about this place. A tough place to get anything too productive done (but I have done a lot of "chore" type things - you just have to after a while), but a nice place to spend some time. I am going to check out more of this country on my way up to Brazil. I really feel like I have to get into Brazil a bit - I have the visa and everything, so it's good for a while.

It's hard to say what differentiates Uruguay from it's neighbors, but it seems to be closer to Argentina than Brazil in cultural terms, although there are strong traces of both. I haven't really been able to quantify those differences just yet. As for BA vs. Montevideo, it's just much more relaxed and seems a friendlier place. It's cheaper, the food's not as good, but nice, everyone drinks Mate here, unlike Argentina where most of the people drink mate. It's a complicated assembly to have to walk around with, but you see people everywhere with their fancy gourd, often wrapped in some kind of silver wire. I've noticed different areas seem to like different mate cups - gourds were popular in the middle of the country, wood ones in the south and amazonian hardwood one inthe north. Made with heavily fragrant woods in many cases. I have one of those. It travels well because the wood is like steel.

There are fewer Cultural Achievement type monuments, but the ones that they have are very nice. Big into equestrian statues in the capital here and they're pretty impressive ones at that.

It seems like a lot of money came in here up until the 1960´s and then may have dropped off a lot. So there's this time capsule feeling to some of the buildings.

I am spotted for a gringo in a second. Most people handing out things for local telecom services, local promotions, etc. will not bother with me. Most people handing out stuff for strip clubs fly to me. I was walking through a building's parking lot today and the guard came running out to me. I thought he was going to tell me to get off the property or something, but he asked me if I was american. He told me, actually.

You're an American? Can you help me with something.

Hairs on the back of my neck raise. He has a gun on his his, so I say sure. What do you need?

We walk back toward his post, inside the building and I am feeling a little wierd about this guy.

He then pulls out an English copy of Reader´s Digest and flips to a joke with part of it underlined in red.

I don't get this, he says in perfect English.

A boy and his father came home and the boy tells his mother what a wonderful time he had at the zoo, how he loved the animals and got to see them run around.

His mother asks him if his father enjoyed anything and the boy said yes, he got really excited, especially when one of the animals came running home at 30 to 1.

It took me a second to get it. It's a Reader's Digest joke and they're usually pretty bad. I explained to the guy that the father got caught in a lie and took his kid to the race track and not the zoo, like he'd told his wife.

The guy was so happy about this, I think he might have been working on it for a while. The magazine looked pretty beaten up.

It's the little things that are amazing me here. I have had a lot like that, but I'll get into it another time.

Sent a card off to Daniel and will do a few more as I go. I hope things are going better for him.

Talk to you soon,

Keith